It is a high-rise building with red bricks and green tiles. Fierce and mighty stone beasts line both sides of the red door. It is shaded by green cypresses and filled with the fragrance of flowers. The servants who occasionally lower their heads and rush through seem a bit exaggerated in the long corridor.
Guan Cheng followed a small yellow door, passed through layers of guards, and finally stopped in front of a main hall.
The atmosphere in the air was eerily quiet, as if something had been cut off abruptly.
Guan Cheng was a little surprised. After looking around, he still felt an indescribable discomfort. ,
Xiao Huang never raised his head, so Guan Cheng followed him for a long time without seeing his face.
"Your Highness, Prince Jin, please allow me to go in and report to you later."
The sound was a bit sharp, but the pitch was just right. It didn't make people feel goosebumps, but it was a bit cautious.
Guan Cheng nodded and said: "Thank you, I am here."
The figure of Xiao Huangmen quickly disappeared into the palace gate. Guan Cheng couldn't help but look at the palace guards. Each of them was wearing fine leather armor, with a long bronze sword on his waist, and a long gun in his hand. There is a faint murderous look between everyone's brows, and a knowledgeable person can tell at a glance that they are veterans who have been killed on the battlefield.
This is the East Palace of the Liang Kingdom, where the crown prince of the Liang Kingdom lives.
Guan Cheng saw hundreds of guards along the way. These were just the guards on duty. There were probably thousands of people under the command of the entire East Palace.
Guan Cheng couldn't help but sigh in his heart. When he was in Yong'an City, he only had only two thousand guards, which almost wiped out the family fortune of the East Palace. However, the prince of Liang Guo, a fourth-class prince, was more prestigious than himself. This kind of equipment can almost catch up with the inner guards of Yong'an City.
While he was thinking about it, the main door of the hall was opened and a group of people walked out quickly.
"My good nephew~"
The noble lady in front stretched out her hand, her beautiful eyes full of anxiety, and she was crying.
Guan Cheng quickly saluted and said loudly: "My nephew sends his regards to my aunt!"
Princess Jinghui's original name was Guan Huiyue, and she was the legitimate daughter of the late Dangyang County Prince, who was also the uncle of the current Emperor. They had been in her arms since childhood, and the two had a very good relationship. When Guan Cheng was very young, he often spent the night at the Dangyang County Prince's Mansion. At that time, Guan Cheng was still in his infancy. His pink and jade sculptures were really cute. For the two daughters of Dangyang County Prince, Guan Cheng was a great figure. A serious baby bump that I really can’t put down.
It was a pity that one of Jinghui and Jinghui married away from Liang and the other from Chu, and rarely returned to Yong'an City. Seeing Guan Cheng at this time was very exciting.
At that moment, he grabbed Guan Cheng's arm. He could no longer hold back the tears in his eyes. He clasped his hands and said tremblingly: "Okay! Okay! Cheng'er has grown up now. He is a young hero and a talented person. He looks like this I don’t know how many girls from Datong have charmed me. Auntie is looking at you, so happy!"
Guan Cheng heard a warm current surge through his heart. He could feel this true love. He couldn't remember some things from his childhood, but the blood connection still brought the two closer in an instant.
"Let's go in and talk with aunt. You can't leave today!"
After saying that, he pulled Guan Cheng and hurried away behind him.
Guan Cheng smiled bitterly but felt extra warm. Now that the world is so big and he has a noble status, how many people can care about him.
The two of them arrived at the back hall, where the maid had already served them fruits and fine tea.
Chatting about common things, the two of them talked about some sad places from time to time and sighed. The situation in Datong was like this, and it was hard to get back. As they talked, the atmosphere became a little heavy.
As the monarch of Datong, Guan Huiyue naturally hopes that Datong will be strong. Although she has been in the palace for so many years, she is not ignorant of everything in the outside world.
“Chasing is harder than before!”
Guan Huiyue sighed.
"Yes, every time my father thinks about this, he can't sleep or eat, but who in the world still respects the royal family."
Guan Huiyue said with a sad face: "I hate that my aunt is a female prostitute. Even if she is a concubine, it will be difficult for her to do anything. Although your uncle is kind to me, he loses his words when he talks about this."
Guan Cheng in turn comforted him and said: "The Crown Prince of Liang is first of all the Crown Prince of Liang, and secondly his uncle. What a ruler naturally considers is the people he governs. Where can benevolence and righteousness come from in a time of great strife?"
"Why did you come out of the capital this time? Why did my aunt hear that you were dismissed as the crown prince?" Guan Huiyue finally remembered the business and asked with a serious face: "Is someone slandering you? Or is it your father himself? Idea? Tell your aunt, she will make the decision for you, don’t be afraid!"
Guan Huiyue spread her wings like an old hen protecting her young.
Guan Cheng was even more moved, he could feel this sincerity.
"Auntie, if you don't have anything, it's my nephew's request."
Guan Huiyue raised a pair of beautiful eyebrows and asked in confusion: "You asked for it? You are not a good prince, but what kind of king do you want to be?"
Guan Cheng cheered up and said secretly.
He was sealed this time. If he didn't show up, it wouldn't matter. Now that he had appeared, it was impossible for the Crown Prince of Liang not to care.
The fiefdom designated by the Jin State included four counties and thirty-three counties. Gan Zhen, the prince of the Liang State, naturally knew how unstable the area with a radius of hundreds of miles was. The surrounding vassal states were eyeing it, but it was hindered by the maintenance of power by all parties. A strange balance.
Moreover, Gan Zhen also knew that Zhongli State in the south was already preparing to take the path of Chu State and swallow up the four counties. By then, even if Emperor Tong had objections, he would have to pinch his nose and suffer the dumb loss.
At this juncture, Guan Cheng wanted to conquer the vassal state, which has to make people think a lot.
There are many talented people in various countries. Guan Cheng can think of breaking and then building again. It is not that no one has thought about it. But now that the world structure has been formed, how can those thirty-three counties stand up?
No one thought that was feasible, including Gan Zhen and his imperial concubine.
Not to mention that the Jun Wang family in the four counties has made a lot of money from betting on a few heads in recent years. Just the Hong family in Shuyang County has thousands of private soldiers, not to mention some other small families.
This is also one of the main reasons why the surrounding countries have not occupied the four counties with force.
In this era, famous families represent public opinion and belonging to a large extent. Without the support of famous families, even policies will be difficult to implement.
Huoyang and other counties were far away from the emperor, and the surrounding countries were fighting back and forth and couldn't care about him. Over time, the four counties actually came up with a mutual protection covenant to advance and retreat together externally and coordinate support internally. has also become a force.
Guan Huiyue didn't believe that Guan Cheng didn't know the power of this, but he still asked himself to join the Jin Kingdom. She didn't understand, and neither did the Crown Prince of Liang.
The news about Guan Cheng has attracted attention from all the countries along the way. Guan Cheng has been defeated by the Jin soldiers in succession in the Kingdom of Jin. The crown prince of Liang Kingdom has known about it for a long time, but now Guan Cheng has only a thousand soldiers and horses, and there are still many wounded. There is a lot of supplies, but there are more than a thousand people, and even the private soldiers of any of the four counties of Huoyang are more than a thousand.
Are you going to die if you go like this?
Guan Huiyue didn't care about Guan Cheng's purpose. She was only worried that nothing would happen to the only nephew she had ever hugged, otherwise Datong would really have no successor.
Guan Cheng sighed and said: "Everything he does is just to survive."
Guan Huiyue asked in confusion: "Although the princes no longer respect Datong, there is still a name for Datong. Anyone who dares to ignore it will be attacked in groups. As long as there is great righteousness, no matter how many princes there are in the world, there is still only one Datong, so why bother?" Are you here to survive?”
"Auntie must know what happened to my nephew in the Kingdom of Jin."
When Guan Huiyue heard about Jin Guo, her expression immediately turned cold, and her voice became cold: "Clowns like Jin Guo really think they are overlords, but they just defeated two small countries, Peng and Shu."
Then Guan Huiyue said to Guan Cheng: "Cheng'er, don't worry, your tone will definitely come out. If you don't say anything else, let's talk about the Liang Kingdom. The prince has already persuaded the king. When the Liang Kingdom is in crisis at the end of summer, If it is completely lifted, we will deploy troops and horses to teach the Jin Kingdom a lesson, and as far as my aunt knows, the surrounding princes all want a piece of the pie, so how much Jin Kingdom can withstand the small territory it has."
This news surprised Guan Cheng, but he was secretly happy.
"But aunt, if there is one, there will be two. Once there is a Jin Kingdom, it is difficult to guarantee that there will not be a second Jin Kingdom. Datong has lost the power to control the world. Although Datong currently has more than a hundred counties, they are scattered all over the world. This place is being encroached upon by the princes, and if things go on like this, Datong will really only have one county and eight counties in Gyeonggi."
"At that time, if there are princes who want to break this relationship, will Datong be the leader of the country?"
“You can’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
"Although my nephew is traveling to the capital on his own initiative, his father's intention is also involved. He must be prepared for the worst and prepare for the worst."
Guan Huiyue shook her head and sighed: "You must know better than my aunt what Huoyang County is like. Jin State only has thirty-three counties. Even if you can control Jin State, how many troops can you get?"
"Child, these are troubled times. Look at the Liang Kingdom, which has eight counties and fifty-eight counties. However, in the face of Zhou Wei, even the Song Kingdom can only tolerate it step by step, and even the Jin Kingdom dares to provoke."
"Between princes and countries are not as simple as you think. It is impossible for Zhongli and Shu to sit back and watch a sudden appearance of the King of Jin take away the meat from their mouths."
Guan Cheng smiled and said: "You may die if you give it a try, but you may also live. But if you stay in Yong'an, you will have no chance of survival in the future. There is still a chance now."
"The sea is wide enough for fish to leap, and the sky is high enough for birds to fly. My nephew is like jumping out of the prison, leaving hope for our Guan family."
Guan Huiyue looked wary. After thinking for a moment, she exclaimed: "The sea is vast and the sky is high? You! Do you want to repeat Taizu's story?"
No wonder Guan Huiyue was not shocked. Emperor Taizu had a powerful background. He was already sixty years old when he raised his army. He had no more than 10,000 soldiers and horses, and no more than three counties in his territory. He was trying to conquer a land thousands of miles below.
Guan Cheng smiled and said: "Emperor Taizu's divine, cultural and martial arts, how can my nephew He De dare to match him?"
"My nephew just wants to leave a glimmer of hope for Datong, the hope of not being exterminated. As for the rest, let it take its own course."
Guan Huiyue said: "Do you know that your cousin is the legitimate son, the eldest son?"
"My nephew knows, but the State of Chu is separated from the State of Jin and the State of Liang. The State of Chu is a hegemonic country with more than 800 counties."
Guan Huiyue was stunned when she heard this, and immediately smiled: "You are looking for aunt, but what do you need aunt's help with?"
