The protagonist of this crossover film and television series is disrupting the plot again.

Chapter 220 1 Thoughts of the Pass 23

Upon hearing this, Yang Ying's gaze swept across the two faces, as if she had thought of something. Suddenly, she smiled mysteriously and put away the edict of succession: "I will not tell you who the new emperor is."

"Your Highness..."

"I command you to return to Wudu now and tell the people of Wudu that the edict of succession is with me. Tell them to quickly draft a plan to avenge my elder brother and bring back his remains. After that, I will naturally proclaim this edict of succession to the world to reassure the people and stabilize the foundation of the country."

Upon hearing this, both Ning Yuanzhou and Chief Secretary Du looked astonished, never expecting Yang Ying to make such a decision.

"Your Highness, this is no child's play. It concerns the very survival of our Great Wu nation. Please consider the greater good!"

They were both numb!

I never expected Yang Ying to do something so outrageous.

Both of them were well aware of the situation in Wudu.

After Emperor Wu's death, the prince in the empress's womb was the most qualified candidate to inherit the throne.

However, since no prince has been born yet, how can he inherit the throne?

Therefore, in the absence of this edict of succession, the Prince of Danyang was undoubtedly the most likely person to ascend the throne.

However, Yang Ying is now disregarding her own safety and directly seeking revenge for her brother, even going so far as to use the imperial edict as a bargaining chip to mobilize the forces of Biwudu. This move undoubtedly puts her in the eye of the storm and intensifies the already tense struggle for the throne.

It can be said that Yang Ying's shrewd move has reignited the already nearly settled struggle for the throne.

"Your Highness, why go to such lengths! What good will this do you? Once the people of Wudu know that the edict of succession is in your hands, and you refuse to return to the capital, your situation will be in danger."

Yang Ying insisted, "I don't care, I must avenge my brother."

Seeing this, the two had no choice but to silently retreat.

"Your Majesty, rest assured! I, Yang Ying, hereby swear that I will avenge you!"

Yang Ying's voice, tinged with sorrow, drifted from the window and echoed in the empty hall. But upon closer inspection, her eyes held an unusual calmness, and her expression was indifferent.

With Ning Yuanzhou and Chief Secretary Du leaving, the news of the edict of succession will likely reach Wudu as quickly as possible.

After the Empress and the Prince of Danyang, two powerful contenders for the throne, received the news, they did everything in their power to seize the imperial edict for themselves, regardless of their secret schemes or methods.

However, on the surface, because Yang Ying's actions were for the purpose of avenging Emperor Wu, which was a matter of righteousness, they absolutely could not easily obstruct him.

However, they will not genuinely help Yang Ying; instead, they will cleverly transform this power into pressure on border officials, attempting to profit from it.

This is undoubtedly adding insult to injury for border officials.

Externally, Emperor An was concerned about what Yang Ying did when she left Andu: whether it was the stone in the golden box, the sudden death of Emperor Wu, or the rumors that spread throughout Ducheng, each of these things was enough to make Emperor An want to kill her. With the glorious victory at Tianmen Pass as a foundation, Emperor An was likely to launch another military campaign.

Beset by internal and external troubles, the people of the border town would strive to find a way to survive.

Yang Ying was their only chance of survival.

Just as Yang Ying was lost in thought, a snow-white carrier pigeon fluttered its wings and landed in front of her, with a small bamboo tube tied to its slender leg.

She took down the bamboo tube, pulled out the note inside, and found that the handwriting on the note was neat and strong.

Yang Ying smiled gently, burned the note to ashes, her eyes filled with excitement.

……

As Yang Ying had imagined, after the news reached Wudu, the Empress and the Prince of Danyang immediately took action and ordered Yang Ying to return to Wudu.

However, faced with these two orders, Yang Ying refused without even thinking.

Yang Ying's refusal angered the Empress and the Prince of Danyang, but they did not suspect her of plotting to seize the throne.

In their view, Yang Ying had neither the ambition nor the courage.

Moreover, in this patriarchal world, the idea of ​​women holding power is simply a fantasy.

Even the Empress's plan was nothing more than to have her unborn son inherit the throne and to act as Empress Dowager to manage state affairs while the prince was still a minor.

In their view, Yang Ying's decision not to return to Wudu was simply a matter of deep sibling affection and a desire to avenge her brother.

Moreover, it wasn't just them who thought this way; everyone else who knew Yang Ying's true gender thought the same way, and couldn't help but sigh that Princess Ying, though a woman, possessed a certain amount of courage and boldness.

The problem is that they lack a sense of the big picture, don't know what's important and what's urgent, and only act impulsively.

For those who didn't know Yang Ying's gender, her actions were the same as those of the officials in Ducheng. However, when they voiced their opinions, they were ridiculed by those who knew the inside story.

The person being mocked was somewhat bewildered and embarrassed. In his indignation, he secretly contacted Yang Ying.

Yang Ying accepted all comers, openly demanding men and money under the guise of avenging his elder brother. He skillfully painted a rosy picture, promising a hefty reward upon success.

These people were all marginalized, excluded, or neglected by the Empress and Prince Danyang. They were immediately excited to see that His Highness Prince Li was willing to accept their surrender.

What's all this talk about avenging the emperor's brother? Isn't it just a ploy to build up power and deliberately disrupt the political situation?

We're all involved in politics; talking about feelings in the face of power is just plain ridiculous.

Immediately, those who wanted to continue advancing in the court but had no opportunity for various reasons decided to take a desperate gamble and secretly pledged allegiance to Yang Ying.

Many grains of sand make a tower! Many drops of water make a deep pool!

Previously insignificant individuals have now come together and unleashed tremendous power.

After Yang Ying submitted a memorial requesting the court to issue provisions and supplies to attack Anguo to avenge Emperor Wu, these people began to take action.

They were small and powerless, and had no say in the court, but they were not powerless. They used the edict of self-reproach to salvage and establish the image of Emperor Wu as a fierce and heroic ruler, successfully arousing the people's hatred for Anguo.

They didn't actually intend to go to war with Anguo. The reason they did this was simply to send money and people to Yang Ying to help her quickly expand her power.

Through the deliberate instigation of these people, the people's attitude towards Emperor Wu gradually softened.

From initial disgust and condemnation, to now the emergence of voices of sympathy and nostalgia.

This shift reached its peak after Anguo began deploying troops to the border!

Since Yang Ying returned to Wu, Emperor An has been restless, fearing that Wu would join forces with the other seven kingdoms to attack An.

This speculation seems to have become a reality after Yang Ying delayed returning to Wudu and instead took charge of Ducheng. Ducheng was bustling with activity every day, with messengers coming and going in an endless stream.

This made Emperor An increasingly suspicious that Wu Kingdom was plotting to attack An Kingdom, and his fear grew day by day.

To be on the safe side, Emperor An immediately ordered the deployment of troops to the front lines and commanded Li Tongguang, who had already arrived at the border, to temporarily lead the troops and be prepared for war at any time.

Emperor An's precautionary measures led the people of Wu Kingdom to mistakenly believe that he intended to attack Wu Kingdom, causing their anger to reach its peak.

You drove our emperor to his death, and instead of apologizing, you even want to send troops to attack us. Do you think I'm made of clay?

"send troops!"

"Attack Anguo!"

"Avenge the Emperor!"

The people developed a strong desire for revenge.

This alarmed the Empress and the Prince of Danyang, who had been trying to find a way to get Yang Ying back to Wudu.

However, whether they issued an imperial edict to summon her or secretly sent people to try to force her to return, all their attempts were ineffective, which gave the two of them a headache.

They were eager to know who Emperor Wu had passed the throne to, but Yang Ying refused to say, and the people they sent to steal the imperial edict all returned empty-handed, which made the situation even more complicated.

At that very moment, the public's call for revenge for Emperor Wu reached their ears.

Seeing such strong public opinion, the Empress and Prince Danyang could no longer sit still.

They did not want their country to be drawn into the war, as the Wu Kingdom had already paid a heavy price in the battle at Tianmen Pass.

The elite troops were wiped out, the national treasury was depleted, and even the emperor was captured alive.

It can be said that Wu Kingdom is now in a state of utter devastation, with its treasury empty, its elite troops few and far between, and its morale at an all-time low.

Under these circumstances, if we were to go to war with Anguo, we might end up destroying the country itself.

The Empress and Prince Danyang were so worried that they lost clumps of hair. They tacitly put aside their prejudices and began to work together to appease the people, calm public opinion, and try to dispel the people's desire to start a war.

At the same time, it was also necessary to transfer troops and supplies from various places to Ducheng to strengthen the border defenses in order to deal with possible crises.

Yang Ying was overjoyed to have received the troops and supplies!

What made her even happier was that Qian Zhao and Sun Lang returned, bringing with them a batch of firearms that had already been forged.

Ning Yuanzhou and the others were also very happy, hugging Qian Zhao and Sun Lang tightly and refusing to let go: "It's so good that you're not dead!"

After the initial excitement, Ning Yuanzhou had some doubts and couldn't help but ask, "If you didn't die, why did you only come back now? Do you know how heartbroken we were after watching you fall off the cliff?"

Qian Zhao and Sun Lang exchanged a glance, and then began to spout nonsense: "We did fall off a cliff that day, but there was a gentle slope in the middle of the cliff. Although we were injured when we fell on it, we survived. Later, by chance, we were rescued by a hermit in the mountains. He not only healed our injuries, but also gave us these very powerful weapons."

"A very powerful weapon?" Yuanlu exclaimed, lunging towards the cannon behind the two men. A descendant of the Mohist school, he was skilled in mechanisms and concealed weapons, and could even craft thunder-fire bombs; he was very interested in these kinds of weapons.

However, the joy on Ning Yuanzhou's face slowly faded, and his gaze towards Qian Zhao and Sun Lang became complicated.

Because he clearly sensed that Qian Zhao and Sun Lang were lying!

Look at the formidable weapons behind them, and then think about Yang Ying's actions all along...

Ning Yuanzhou seemed to understand something, and his heart sank to the bottom.

Yang Ying stood by the window, looking at Ning Yuanzhou whose expression was gradually darkening. A slight smile appeared on her lips: Ning Yuanzhou, this is your last chance! Your last chance to become one of my people!

Ning Yuanzhou is the head of the Six Paths Hall. If you want to subdue the Six Paths Hall, you must first subdue Ning Yuanzhou.

However, Yang Ying really found Ning Yuanzhou annoying. Although he had some skills, he always liked to stand on high and lecture others.

However, this mere head of the Six Paths Hall repeatedly criticized her behavior, completely failing to recognize his own place in the world.

More importantly, Ning Yuanzhou lacked a basic sense of friend or foe.

Despite the hostile relationship between Wu and An, he actually fell in love with Ren Ruyi, and even sacrificed half of his inner strength to save her.

This kind of love that disregards national interests made Yang Ying feel somewhat disgusted, even a little repulsed.

How much classified information did the Zhu Yiwei steal from the Kingdom of Wu? And how many Wu people did they kill?

Ren Ruyi keeps saying that she has betrayed the Zhuyiwei, but what did she do when she was in Wudu?

She rejoined the Zhu Yiwei and stole the grain and fodder map of the Wu Kingdom.

You know, that's a grain and fodder map!

At that time, Wu Kingdom was at war with An Kingdom, so the importance of the grain supply map was self-evident.

When the two first met, Ning Yuanzhou discovered that Ren Ruyi was a member of the Zhuyiwei Guard. However, instead of killing her, he kept her by his side. After some back and forth, they fell in love with each other.

This operation is very puzzling.

Even though Ning Yuanzhou's actions had already confused them to this extent, the members of the Six Paths Hall still trusted him completely.

Even after Yang Ying exposed Ren Ruyi's identity, everyone's anger towards Ning Yuanzhou quickly subsided after a period of initial anger. They continued to treat him like a god and obey his orders.

Despite Yang Ying's various attempts to sow discord, they remained as determined as a turtle eating a weight, completely unmoved.

Only Qian Zhao and Sun Lang, due to their deep-seated hatred for the Zhu Yiwei, were half successfully turned by her.

The reason she described it as a defection was because she knew that the two of them still had a deep brotherly bond with Ning Yuanzhou.

Even in times of crisis for Ning Yuanzhou, he would still step forward and go to great lengths for him.

This is also why Yang Ying has kept Ning Yuanzhou around until now; otherwise, she would have sent him away to some obscure corner long ago.

Really!

If she hadn't been part of an embassy and unable to contact the outside world at the time, she would have wanted to wipe them all out.

Hey!

Sometimes, when you think about it carefully, it's quite helpless to encounter someone who's not quite right in the head when you travel through time.

Fortunately, Yang Ying now has manpower, food supplies, and weapons, so she no longer needs to endure it.

If you tolerate her any longer, she'll become a green-haired turtle in the lake.

So, she flipped through the perpetual calendar, carefully selected an auspicious day, and directly issued a challenge to Anguo.

The officials in the border town were stunned!

No, Your Highness, are you serious?!

We thought you were just saying it for fun, making excuses to avoid going back to Wudu!

Your sudden action has put us in a very passive position!

We only want progress, not war!