Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 497 Relying on Favor (42)

Yang Jun forced a smile: "Oh dear, what bad luck! A messenger came from home saying that my mother is ill, and I have to rush back to see her as soon as possible."

"I see," Zhao Yuan said. "Since you have family matters to attend to, I won't keep you any longer. Let's meet again another day."

"Farewell!"

Watching Yang Jun leave quickly, Zhao Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

After Yang Jun left western Yunzhou, he immediately had a letter drafted and sent to Daliang by express courier.

He then returned to the eastern military camp in Yunzhou to mobilize troops and prepare to depart for Daliang.

What Yang Jun didn't notice was that no sooner had he left than a troop of cavalry departed from western Yunzhou and headed straight for Jingzhou.

More than ten days later, Yang Jun met with the ministers sent by Daliang to discuss joining forces against the Tingzhou army in a pavilion deep in the mountains where Daliang, Qingzhou and Jingzhou meet.

A heavy snow fell last night, covering the mountain path in white. When Yang Jun entered the pavilion, there was a tea set on the stone table inside, with water boiling on a small stove, and the aroma of tea wafting through the air.

A man in his thirties was sitting in the pavilion, brewing tea.

He wore a white cloak, had a handsome face, and every move he made exuded the elegance of a young master from a noble family.

Upon closer inspection, however, one could see that his tied-up black hair was streaked with silver, indicating that he had already developed gray hair at a young age.

Upon seeing Yang Jun arrive, the man said, "General Yang, please have a seat."

Yang Jun sat down opposite him, unable to discern whether the man before him was a civil official or a military general.

Until the man spoke: "I am Xie Ying."

Yang Jun immediately realized that this was Xie Ying, Tan Xuanmo's favorite minister.

Xie Ying placed a cup of tea in front of Yang Jun and said calmly, "I have read General Yang's letter—have you been to Zhao Yuan's residence?"

“Yes,” Yang Jun said. “Everything mentioned in the letter was witnessed by my spies. Zhao Yuan is privately forging weapons and armor and making a fortune through farming and business. Tingzhou and western Yunzhou are extremely wealthy. If we don’t suppress him before he becomes too powerful, in another year or two, neither of us will be a match for him.”

Xie Ying continued working, adding a piece of charcoal to the small stove, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"This Zhao Yuan is quite capable. I thought he had been hiding in Tingzhou City for the past two years, trying to live in peace in a corner of the country. I didn't expect that he was actually conserving his strength."

Now, such a huge commotion has been caused, forcing even a formidable general like Yang Jun to jump up in anger and have no choice but to come and cooperate with me.

“He has no real skills, he only relies on…” Yang Jun stopped mid-sentence, remembering that Princess Zhao’s secret could not be revealed, and changed his words, “It’s all because he befriended a capable person a few years ago. Farming, business and mining were all that capable person’s ideas.”

Xie Ying asked, "What kind of capable person?"

Yang Jun gave a vague answer: "I heard it was a woman."

Xie Ying's hand, which was pouring tea, froze: "A woman?"

“That’s right, otherwise Tingzhou would have perished long ago, given Zhao Yuan’s brainless bruteness.”

Xie Ying remained silent.

Yang Jun recounted what he had seen in western Yunzhou half a month ago: "Tens of millions of catties of potatoes, more than 20,000 pigs and sheep, and several thousand horses, each one well-fed and strong. Even the food, clothing, and daily necessities in the Zhao Prince's mansion—even the servants are dressed in fine silks and satins—are comparable to the imperial palace of the Great Liang Dynasty. In the dead of winter, Zhao Yuan is actually able to eat seafood and wine from beyond the Great Wall… And this is only western Yunzhou! There must be even more gold and silver treasures in Tingzhou… What virtue or ability does Zhao Yuan possess to be so deserving!"

Xie Ying slowly clenched his fists, which were hidden in his sleeves.

Is the woman Yang Jun mentioned Tan Junzhuo?

She not only sided with Zhao Yuan, the rebel, but also helped him make Tingzhou prosperous and strong, giving him the capital to fight.

What on earth does she want to do?

Yang Jun continued to ramble on, detailing how luxurious the Zhao Prince's mansion was and how exquisite the food, clothing, and daily necessities were, all to express one point—with so many good things, if you and I cooperate to kill Zhao Yuan, Daliang and Jingzhou can be divided equally.

Yang Jun talked for a long time, but found that Xie Ying seemed not to be listening to him at all, and was deep in thought, not knowing what he was thinking.

"Lord Xie? Lord Xie?"

Xie Ying snapped out of his daze and met Yang Jun's displeased gaze. He asked, "General Yang, what is the relationship between the woman you mentioned and Zhao Yuan?"

A dark glint flashed in Yang Jun's eyes as he said, "I heard he's a strategist."

Upon hearing this, Xie Ying breathed a sigh of relief without showing any emotion.

No wonder there has been no news of Zhao Yuan's wedding in Tingzhou for several years.

It seems that Tan Junzhuo and Zhao Yuan's relationship is not what he thought.

Seeing that Xie Ying had not expressed his opinion for a long time, Yang Jun became anxious and urged, "Lord Xie, give me a definite answer on whether or not to join forces."

Yang Jun said, "I need to discuss this matter further with His Majesty."

Yang Jun: "..."

He felt a surge of anger, as if he had been tricked, and got up and stormed off.

After descending the mountain, Yang Jun returned to Jingzhou.

As he walked, he grew increasingly furious.

If the Great Liang refuses to join forces, then he will cooperate with the Northern Jurchens and take Tingzhou first.

In short, he was determined to get his hands on Tingzhou, this lucrative prize.

Upon returning to the Prince's residence, Yang Jun immediately sensed something was amiss—the gatekeeper was not there, and the entire residence was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Yang Jun immediately summoned his personal guards and led a group of people into the palace.

Upon entering the front courtyard, he saw someone standing with their back to him and hands at their sides from a distance. Judging from their clothes, it was the steward of the Prince's mansion.

Yang Jun called out twice, and the butler slowly turned around, only to find that he was a corpse with blood flowing from all seven orifices.

Yang Jun's heart tightened.

Before he could react, the lights in the Prince's mansion came on.

Zhao Yuan emerged from behind a pillar, carrying a tightly bound child in his hand—Yang Jun's most beloved youngest son.

Upon seeing Yang Jun, the terrified child burst into tears, crying out, "Father! Father, save me!"

Yang Jun's expression changed drastically, and he drew his sword, shouting angrily, "Zhao Yuan, release my son!"

Zhao Yuan released his grip and gently nudged the child with his knee, causing the child to fall to the ground.

He clapped his hands, and soldiers led members of the Yang family out from behind the pillar.

Yang Jun's mother, wife, concubine, and seven or eight children were all arrested.

Seeing all this, Yang Jun understood everything. Zhao Yuan already knew about his mission to send spies to investigate the eastern part of Yunzhou at night and his attempt to seek cooperation with Daliang.

Zhao Yuan asked with a smile, "Yang Jun, we are all smart people, so I won't waste any more words with you. You have never offended me, and I am not a killer. My wife said that if you are willing to surrender and serve me, I will spare your whole family's lives. From now on, I will treat the soldiers under your command in Jingzhou and Tingzhou equally, without any favoritism. How about it?"

Yang Jun gritted his teeth, his face filled with resentment.

"If you refuse to surrender," Zhao Yuan said, and immediately a soldier presented him with a sword.

He carried the knife and walked step by step toward Yang Jun's elderly mother, who was over sixty years old.

The old woman turned pale with fright and repeatedly looked to Yang Jun for help.

"Jun'er! Jun'er!"

Yang Jun's facial muscles twitched. Just as Zhao Yuan raised his knife to strike Yang's mother, Yang Jun shouted sharply, "Stop!!!"