Strike First to Gain the Upper Hand

The night wind was bleak, and dark clouds covered the moon.

"Dad, what if the emperor made the second prince the crown prince just to confuse us, take the opportunity to seize the military power in our hands, and then make Duanmu Chen the crown prince, what should we do?" Wan Cong's voice was very low.

Wan Shan snorted coldly, "If that happens, it will be the emperor who forced us! If something happens to the first and second princes, the country can also not be named Duanmu!"

"Dad means..." Wan Cong's voice became excited.

"We have no way out, and enduring it will be a dead end!" Wan Shan said coldly.

"Since Dad said so, your son knows what's going on." Wan Cong said.

"Let's take a look at the situation in the capital. While the second prince is on the throne, let him get rid of Duanmu Chen and Su Liang, who are in the way!" Wan Shan snorted coldly, "They are really good at making trouble. If they were more stable and had our support, how could Duanmu Chen have a chance to stand out?"

"Dad, calm down. Who let him be born in the royal family? I'll go to the capital to pass on the message." Wan Cong stood up and was about to leave, but suddenly came back and sat down at the door, "Dad, what if the emperor has sent someone here to let us hand over power and return to the capital..."

Wan Shan's expression changed, "It's possible! If someone really comes, they may arrive in the next few days!"

"We'd better not do anything that will be criticized in public, otherwise we may not be able to convince the public." Wan Cong meant something. They, father and son, were deliberate, pretending to create merits when they had no merits, in order to win over the hearts of the army and the people.

The matter of Duanmu Yi abolishing the crown prince was an internal matter of the royal family, and they could not have any opinions on it. If the imperial envoy is sent into Xuanbei City openly, and something happens in the city, Wanshan will be held responsible.

Thinking of this, Wanshan's expression condensed, "Immediately arrange spies to investigate in the south, and report to Susu who came from the capital!"

"We must stop them!" Wan Cong said in a deep voice.

"That's right, we must not let them swagger into the city to see me reading the imperial edict. If that happens, we will be in a dilemma! Choose a place to ambush, no matter who comes, we must kill them before they enter Xuanbei City! Even if the emperor knows that it was us, he can't find evidence, so he can't do anything." Wanshan ordered coldly, "Let the second brother roll out and do business!"

"I'll go find my second brother now. He is good at martial arts. Let him take people to kill the imperial envoy!" Wan Cong left in a hurry after he finished speaking.

The room became quiet.

Su Liang and Ning Jing, who were hiding under the back window with bated breath, heard the conversation between the father and son of the Wan family, which contained a lot of information.

The latest news that Wan Shan has received is that Duanmu Ao has become the crown prince, so there is no big move for the time being.

If nothing unexpected happens, the news of Duanmu Ao's murder will be delivered to Xuanbei City in another day.

By then, the father and son of the Wan family will never be as calm as tonight.

As for getting rid of Duanmu Chen and Su Liang, and killing the imperial envoy, these were all expected before Su Liang came, and they were not too unexpected.

She did think that if Wan Shan and his son were truly loyal ministers, and had only blood relations with Duanmu Sheng and Duanmu Ao, and had no intention of rebellion, they would naturally be more polite.

But now the facts are in front of us.

The three fathers and sons are not good people. They may have the ability, but their intentions are not right. If Liangguo wants to negotiate such a big event, whether the other party is sincere or false, they should report it to the royal family for decision as soon as possible, but they repeatedly create the illusion of bravely repelling the Liangguo invasion to make merit for themselves and gain reputation.

Even in their words, even the intention of seeking power and usurping the throne is revealed.

In this case, Su Liang felt that there was no time to lose and that she had to act now.

She had originally planned to see the situation before deciding what to do, but she had already made up her mind.

Su Liang pulled Ning Jing's sleeve, and he understood, and the two left quietly together.

But they only went to the empty back garden of the general's mansion and did not go out.

It was more convenient to talk here.

Su Liang simply told Ning Jing her idea, and Ning Jing nodded in agreement without saying a word.

"Did you bring it?" Su Liang asked softly.

Ning Jing nodded again, "You wait here." He disappeared as soon as he finished speaking.

Su Liang climbed up a tall tree and could see the lights on in the front yard from a distance, but no one could be seen.

...

Wan Cong dragged Wan Lin to Wan Shan, who scolded him a few words, and the two brothers left and went to do their business.

It was almost midnight.

Wan Shan's concubine brought him a bowl of chicken soup, and he drove her away impatiently.

Another hour passed before Wanshan blew out the lights and went to bed to rest.

A faint fragrance filled the room, and Wanshan's snoring soon stopped.

Ning Jing approached the bed, lifted the bed curtain, and pulled Wanshan up from the bed, but he did not respond.

A silver needle flashed coldly in the dark room and pierced into a certain acupuncture point of Wanshan.

After a while, Ning Jing let go of Wanshan, and he lay back on the bed. Then Ning Jing pulled his inner arm outward, and his hand loosened, and Wanshan rolled off the bed, head down, and fell to the ground!

Ning Jing opened half of the window, and the slightly cold night wind blew in, and the room returned to peace again.

…

Su Liang took a nap against the tree trunk. I don't know how long it took. I felt the tree shake. She looked down, jumped down, raised her hand and touched the black scarf on her face to make sure it was worn.

"Is everything done?" Su Liang asked.

"Okay, let's go." Ning Jing said, and left along the same route with Su Liang.

For the sake of caution, the two waited for more than half an hour, and only left the general's mansion when the guards changed shifts again, and went straight back to the inn.

By the time I sat down to drink a glass of water, it was already dawn.

She caught up on her sleep the night before and yesterday. She didn't sleep all night last night, but Su Liang didn't feel tired. She sat in the tranquil room to discuss the next thing.

"Wan Shan asked Wan Lin to lead people to intercept and kill the imperial envoy. It seems that the pervert has some skills. Should we go back and help?" Su Liang asked, "If nothing happens to Uncle Xing and Brother Lin on the way, it shouldn't take long. It’ll be there.”

Wan Shan and his son planned to let the people sent by Duanmu Yi go to see the King of Hell before entering Xuanbei City. They would pretend that nothing happened and that there was never an imperial decree.

Su Liang's idea last night was to strike first.

She asked Ningjing to give Wanshan a needle, which would cause Wanshan to have symptoms of a stroke. The person would be awake, but unable to speak or move.

The imperial envoy has not yet arrived, and the royal family has done nothing on the surface, so "Wan Shan fell down at night and became paralyzed." When Xing Ji came, he only needed to express regret and concern.

They were all planning to play dirty anyway, so Su Liang worked hard to get the upper hand.

Wan Shan fell. Since his two sons had never been promoted to a high position by Duan Mu Yi, and their prestige in the Xuanbei City Army was far inferior to Wan Shan's, they couldn't make much of a splash.

Therefore, Su Liang now has to ensure that Xing Ji and Lin Bojun arrive safely in Xuanbei City.

Ning Jing nodded, "I'll go, you stay."

Su Liang smiled and said, "That's what I mean. You have the best martial arts and are more reliable. I have to keep an eye on this place to prevent any trouble. It's best not to let Uncle Xing and Uncle Qi see you. You can solve the trouble secretly and then come back."

"I'm hungry." Ning Jing said.

Su Liang coughed lightly, "We don't have the conditions to cook here, let's go out to eat. After dinner, you go do errands while I walk around the city."

After the two washed up and changed their clothes, they left the inn and chose a roadside breakfast stall to eat.

On the surface, Xuanbei City remained the same as usual, but Su Liang saw two guards from the City Lord's Mansion dragging an old man with a gray beard and carrying a medicine box away in a hurry.

Wan Shan suddenly collapsed, Wan Cong should block the news.

This is normal. Even if they have no different intentions, with Wan Shan's status, the news of the accident cannot be known to Liang Guo, otherwise a war may begin.

This is what Su Liang had considered beforehand.

Xing Ji may arrive in a couple of days, and with his ability, it shouldn't be a big problem to stabilize the situation.

After breakfast and the two returned to the inn, Ning Jing secretly left alone, left the city and turned back to meet Xing Ji and Lin Bojun.

Su Liang went to the tavern again after a while.

There were not many people around at this time, so Su Liang asked the waiter in the tavern about doing business in Liang Country.

Without saying a few words, a man drinking at the table next to him came over carrying a wine bottle.

"Little brother, are you going to Liang Kingdom to do business alone? I advise you to go home as soon as possible!" The man has a beard, but his facial features suggest that he is only in his twenties, and his demeanor is bold.

Su Liang had a straight face, shook his head and said, "Not me, but also my brother. I heard that the furs from Liang Country are very cheap. If you bring them back and sell them, you can make a lot of money."

The bearded man laughed loudly when he heard this, "Who doesn't know that the fur business can make money? But if big money were so easy to make, all the businessmen in the land would be rich! Not to mention that the climate in Liang Country is not good, you are so small in stature. Maybe you can’t stand it, the people there are tough, there’s no way to do business, and they’ll be robbed as soon as you get there! You won’t have anywhere to cry!”

"Is it so dangerous?" Su Liang frowned, "But we have arrived at Xuanbei City, we can't go home empty-handed..."

"Afraid of embarrassment? That's better than losing your life! Listen to my brother's advice and go home to your mother as soon as possible!" The bearded man said, holding up the wine bottle and clinking it with Su Liang's cup, and drank. He took several sips of wine.

Su Liang sighed deeply, "I'll go back and discuss it with my brother. If it doesn't work, I'll go home. Where is eldest brother from?"

"Me? I'm a local from Xuanbei City!" The bearded man grinned, showing his neat white teeth, "Little brother, where are you from?"

"Ping Beicheng." Su Liang said casually.

The bearded man shook his head, "It's so comfortable over there, why are you here?"

"I want to come out and try my luck." Su Liang said.

The bearded man laughed again, "You are brave, little brother, but don't come here next time! This is not a good place. Even if it is peaceful now, there may be another fight one day!"

"Will it?" Su Liang was surprised, "I came here yesterday. I heard that the two young masters of the Wan family are very brave. Every time the Liang soldiers didn't get close, they beat them back to their lair."

The bearded man sneered lightly and lowered his voice and said, "Liang Guobing didn't come at all. They haven't come for three months! The two young masters of the Wan family have defeated them more than ten times in the past three months. What a ghost!"

Su Liang looked shocked, "This..."

There was a soldier outside, shouting to the bearded man, "Boss, the young master wants to see you!"

The bearded man raised his head, drank every drop of the wine in the flask, and placed a piece of broken silver on the table. "I'll invite you too! Let's have a few drinks together next time!"

After saying that, he picked up the sword on the table next to him and walked out with striding steps like the wind.

When he reached the door, the bearded man turned around and asked Su Liang, "What's your little brother's name?"

Su Liang replied casually, "Wen Liang." Her name was too cold, so her pseudonym was warmer.

The bearded man went out with a smile, "You look quite gentle!"

When Su Liang saw the waiter coming to collect money, he asked him, "Is that eldest brother from the military camp?"

The waiter nodded, obviously recognizing him, "That's General Chen under the command of the eldest son of the Wan family. Come and have a drink when you have time!"

Su Liang was really surprised. It turned out that he was not only a soldier, but also Wan Cong's subordinate. Obviously, he knew all about the shameful behavior of the brothers Wan Cong and Wan Lin, but how could he tell Su Liang, a stranger he met for the first time? Or did he not like those things and deliberately spread them, but he just happened to run into Su Liang today?

No matter what the reason was, Su Liang felt that he could let this General Chen come forward to testify and accuse Wan Shan and his son of lying about the enemy and falsifying information.

And it can be seen that the bearded man is not loyal to Wan Cong.

This is a good thing for Su Liang.

A plate of peanuts, Su Liang ate one by one, until it was almost noon, and there were more guests in the tavern.

Then he heard someone say that all the doctors in the city were taken to the city lord's mansion today, and none of them came out for a long time.

But for the time being, no one knew the truth, and they all thought that Wan Shan's old injury had relapsed.

It was not until the afternoon that Su Liang left the tavern and wandered around the city, secretly observing the northern border city of the country.

From her point of view, it felt that some of the fortifications were not well done. If Xing Ji was in charge of Xuanbei City in the future, Su Liang could give him some suggestions for improvement.

It was not until the evening that Su Liang bought some food and went back to the inn.

That night, Su Liang did not break into the city lord's mansion again. He read the miscellaneous books he bought on the street stall during the day and went to sleep.

...

Wan Lin led his men to set off at midnight yesterday.

Ning Jing started chasing them in the morning and found them in the evening. They were setting up an ambush in a valley on the way to Xuanbei City.

It was not the valley where Ning Jing and Su Liang had stayed temporarily, but a valley farther away from Xuanbei City.

The sky gradually darkened.

Ning Jing hid at a safe distance and could hear Wan Lin scolding his subordinates with complaints in his words. He did not like this kind of mission.

The person sent to investigate brought back the news that a group of people from the capital had been found, led by Xing Ji, the former Prince of Beijing and now the Marquis of Zhongxin.

"A man named Xing was actually sent here as an imperial envoy? He is looking for death!" Wan Lin brought all the confidants of the Wan family with him, and there was no taboo in what he said.

The spy said that it was expected that Xing Ji and his party would pass by here before dawn.

"Everyone cheer up! If something goes wrong, no one will survive!" Wan Lin shouted coldly, and then scolded his subordinates, "Where is the water?"

A subordinate went to a nearby spring to fetch water, ran over, and handed Wan Lin an exquisite water bag.

Ning Jing watched Wan Lin quietly as he drank a few sips of water, and soon, he fell to the ground.

Others who drank the nearby spring water also fainted.

Only three people were awake, looking panicked, ready to take Wan Lin and hide quickly.

But not long after, the three of them only felt a black shadow flashing in front of their eyes, and they were knocked unconscious without seeing who it was.

Ning Jing hung all of Wan Lin's gang on a tree in the valley, and carved a line of words on the stone next to the tree where Wan Lin was hung, "Uncle Xing, this is someone sent by Wan Shan to kill you."

Ning Jing did not stay in the valley. After doing this, he left and returned to Xuanbei City. No one was seen on the way to pick up Wan Lin.

There was still an hour before dawn, and the dusty Xing Ji and Lin Bojun entered the valley.

Qi Jiang, who had explored the way first, had reported the strange phenomenon in the valley.

Therefore, Xing Ji soon saw Wan Lin, who was unconscious and hung up, and the words carved on the stone next to him.

Lin Bojun's brows relaxed, "It was written by Xiao Liang! It seems that everything is under her control, and she still has the energy to help us solve the problem!"

Xing Ji nodded, "We were worried about her, but we were overthinking."

Qi Jiang smiled and said, "General Su is so capable, and my stinky boy is really useless following her!