“He and Princess Xiangcheng were married for many years. Even if he had reached a dead end and abandoned his wife, he shouldn’t have dismissed her maids and guards in such a manner, leaving only her alone halfway. Moreover, at that time he was merely rushing to join forces with the Prince of Langya and avoiding my attention so I wouldn’t know he had deserted the battlefield,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “I had Yuan Li investigate. I heard that when he first became a prince consort, he was unrefined in his manners, completely at odds with the meticulous Princess Xiangcheng. The princess’s maids often mocked him, yet he remained unmoved and never took it to heart. This earned him a reputation for being magnanimous and carefree.”

“He endured for many years, yet he kept account of every slight from the princess and her maids. When he was certain the princess had no chance of rising again, he ruthlessly took his revenge. Such a person, once he breaks free from his constraints—do you think he won’t urgently want to control everything?”

Zhao Hanzhang continued, “The Central Plains have already been unified. Even if he throws all of Jiangnan’s forces at us, he may not win against me. Moreover, the Prince of Langya and Wang Dao are unwilling to follow his plan to attack northward. To gain absolute authority, he will certainly first争夺江南, then lead his army north.”

Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze turned cold. “He knows that for abandoning Qingzhou and deserting the battlefield, I will not easily forgive him. He murdered Wang Cheng—Wang Xuan and Siniang are direct descendants of the Wang clan, and they absolutely will not tolerate his resurgence. So he cannot return to the north of the Yangtze.”

This was his all-or-nothing gamble.

Moreover, he would certainly refuse to be subordinate to anyone again. Once a person breaks free from their cage, they will never willingly return.

Zhao Shen pondered, then suddenly asked before leaving, “What about Princess Xiangcheng?”

Zhao Hanzhang replied, “Her whereabouts were unknown at the time. I’ve already sent people to search for her. After all, she is the daughter of Emperor Shizu…”

Finding her, even if Wang Dun and the Prince of Langya don’t fall out in the end, in her name, they could righteously raise their army.

But in this vast sea of humanity, with heaven and earth so expansive, how difficult was it to find one person?

Liu Kun was very loyal to the Jin court, so Zhao Hanzhang wrote about this matter in her letter, also entrusting him to search for her.

Liu Kun folded the letter and sighed deeply. “She was abandoned at the border between Xu and Qing provinces, but at that time there was chaos and warfare, with refugees, rogue soldiers, and Xiongnu everywhere. Where could we find her?”

He couldn’t help but resent Wang Dun. “This is a princess, a sovereign. As a subject, not only did he fail to protect his sovereign, but he maliciously dismissed her guards and maids. This is truly not the conduct of a gentleman.”

He had always thought Wang Dun was a gentleman who valued loyalty and had a somewhat impulsive temperament.

Even when Wang Dun killed his good friend Wang Cheng, he made excuses for him, believing Wang Cheng must have said something offensive that angered Wang Dun.

It was a crime of passion, so it was forgivable.

But now, looking at what Zhao Hanzhang wrote in her letter, it was clearly not like that.

His adviser also finished reading the letter Liu Kun handed him and felt he had missed the point. “Master, about going south to persuade the Prince of Langya to surrender…”

“What doubt could there be about this?” Liu Kun said. “If we can eliminate warfare, this would be a blessing for both sides. Of course I should go.”

The adviser reminded him, “The Prince of Langya has always harbored rebellious intentions. What reason will you use to persuade him?”

“I think otherwise,” Liu Kun said. “The Prince of Langya’s rebellious heart is not heavy. He has a misunderstanding about the Great General, thinking the Great General will replace the young emperor. That’s why he wants to defend Jiangnan to preserve the Jin court’s legacy. Now he must have seen the Great General’s modesty and talent. He should take a step back and let Jiangnan return to the court.”

He continued, “Since the Han dynasty, the realm has been in chaos and warfare. Now that the realm is finally unified, we absolutely cannot have more warfare.”

The adviser thought about it and felt that if Liu Kun persuaded with this mindset, he might actually convince them. So he said nothing more and agreed, “Master, when shall we cross the river?”

“First send them a letter, choose an auspicious day to cross the river,” Liu Kun sat down at his desk and picked up his brush. “I’ll first write a letter to the Great General. You dispatch people to search for Princess Xiangcheng, and also prepare some gifts, preferably local products from Langya. I want to bring them to the Prince of Langya and Wang Dao.”

He hoped that seeing the scenery and products of their homeland would stir their homesickness. Though Jiangnan was good, it could never be as good as home.

Langya Commandery was under Xuzhou’s jurisdiction. Finding Langya local products in Xuzhou was too easy. The adviser immediately agreed.

Just as Liu Kun was preparing to go south, the warfare between Jingzhou and Yangzhou had indeed reached a stalemate as Zhao Hanzhang predicted.

Wang Dun indeed wanted to first unify Jiangnan before attacking northward. So when he saw Wang Xuan cease fighting and focus wholeheartedly on governing the commanderies and counties he had conquered, without advancing further, he also calmed down. He did not send troops against Jingzhou, but began thinking of ways to break the deadlock.

Dai Yuan had not yet arrived in Yangzhou from Guangzhou, but Wang Dun thought he couldn’t delay for many more days. If so, he should fight quickly and decisively.

Wang Dun swiftly made his decision. He was even more decisive than Zhao Hanzhang imagined.

Yuan Li tossed the mutton he had bought into his basket, picked it up, and headed home, greeting quite a few people along the way.

After walking seven or eight steps into the alley, his smile froze slightly and his pace slowed.

Although this alley led inward, at this time with the pleasant weather and warm sunshine of winter, the families on both sides liked to sit in the alley basking in the sun. Yet now, there wasn’t a single person to be seen in the alley.

As soon as Yuan Li’s steps paused, several people flashed out from behind him. With a clang, they drew their swords and advanced toward Yuan Li with fierce expressions.

Yuan Li turned his head to glance back, while several more people jumped out from the walls on both sides in front, surrounding him from front and back.

Yuan Li’s mind raced through many thoughts in an instant. He hurled his basket backward, stepped on the wall and leaped onto the roof, trying to escape.

He could only be useful if he escaped.

The moment he jumped onto the roof, over a dozen more people leaped out from behind the roof ridge, surrounding him from the front of the roof.

In just a moment, the people behind him also caught up. He reached for his waist, and with a swish, whipped out a soft sword. He turned and charged at the person who had just jumped up behind him but hadn’t yet steadied himself.

The two sides exchanged three or four moves in an instant, and Yuan Li had his answer. “You were sent by Wang Dun?”

The military moves and habits—he was very familiar with them.

Half of Yuan Li’s worries subsided. While fighting them, he laughed heartily. “So Wang Dao still knows nothing, right?”

He wasn’t afraid of Wang Dun making a move. At worst, his entire team would die. What he feared was Wang Dao.

In just a moment, Yuan Li had killed four men and seriously wounded three. He himself had taken two cuts, but they seemed to have some reservations and didn’t go for the kill, so they were constrained everywhere.

While fighting, Yuan Li fled toward Wang Dao’s house. Just three more houses and he would reach it.

But as soon as he leaped onto a rooftop, he saw the people in the courtyard below all turn to look up at him, then rows of crossbows aimed at him.

Yuan Li no longer hesitated. He felt for a bamboo tube at his waist, twisted it, then yanked it open. With a whoosh, a bright light shot from the tube straight into the sky, emitting a clear, piercing sound.

Wang Dao, living not far away, lifted his head from his desk, frowning in puzzlement. “What is that sound?”