The guards left, and the whole camp was left with only workshops and dependents. The empty barracks were cleaned up by the dependents, making them look even more desolate.

  Zhao Xi did not know whether the soldiers were already stationed in the military camp before the war and did not ask about family matters.

  The reason for leaving in such a hurry, and even just saying goodbye to his parents and wife and children, was because Wen Yanbo informed the Imperial Guard that two days later at noon, the drill would officially begin.

  At that time, regardless of whether the guards were prepared or not, the Imperial Guard would enter a state of combat readiness.

  The excuse is quite solid, as the Western Army of the Southern Expedition has already been assembled from Yan'an Road, Huanqing Road, and Qinfeng Road, and will set out immediately. Moreover, there are also soldiers of the Southern Expedition in Jingzhao Prefecture. Therefore, we must finish things quickly, lest it affect the morale of the troops...

  The entire speech was filled with confidence in the so-called exercise, seemingly even a bit impatient, and even some disdain for the guard corps...

  If it weren't for the Imperial Guard's investment of 50,000 taels, Wen Yanbo really didn't want to play this game with the Crown Prince.

  One wing of the Forbidden Army, that's twenty-five thousand men, and they're the fierce soldiers from Jingxi Road, not those useless people from the capital, and even the Hebei Forbidden Army can't compare to them.

  Twenty-five thousand against two thousand, no need to think much, basically don't even need two days, can completely annihilate these two thousand guards...

  Wen Yanbo did not conceal the transfer of the Jingxi Road Imperial Guard, nor did he conceal his intention to use the tactic of "using leisure to await labor". In short, it means that the Crown Prince should obediently stay in the capital to learn about handling state affairs.

  The imperial guards, the officials of the Imperial City, the scholars and the officials of the Censorate were escorted to Mount Wangyin in Huayang by the cavalry and infantry from the capital two days ago. Only the Guard Command did not.

  It's obvious bullying.

  It was indeed bullying... When Zhao Xi led the Imperial Guard to the outskirts of Xingyang City, the entire southwestern part of Xingyang City was densely packed with the Jingxi Road Forbidden Army, row upon row, densely packed... This clearly showed that they had been ready even before the Imperial Guard was notified.

  "Shameless Wen Kuo-hui!"

  Lü Gong couldn't help but scold people at this scene. He could only say the two words "shameless", which was already his limit. As a scholar, even when scolding people, he had to be elegant and refined.

  Zhao Xi also wanted to scold him, this Wen Yanbo was really shameless...

  The vanguard arrived in Xingyang already deep into the night, still rushing over mountains and ridges on foot.

  Looking from afar at the Imperial Guard who had been waiting for a long time... Not to mention finding their own camp, the Privy Council didn't even prepare one for them.

  Since they were enemies, there was no need to set up camp together...

  Zhao Xi thought of this. So there was no guard camp report, and they went straight to Wanyin Mountain.

  "Kuan Fu, what's going on? I think that His Highness the Crown Prince has no objections to the southern expedition today."

  Fu Bi may have been curious or just wanted to see the prince who had shown his talent at a young age, now that he was an adult.

  Upon receiving the imperial edict and the order from the Imperial Secretariat, he moved to Xingyang.

  At present, he is accompanying Wen Yanbo in the commander's tent.

  "Yoshikuni, we all know how the national military is doing now. What's meant by 'twenty years without mentioning war' is what kind of bitterness."

  "The Crown Prince goes to war, and Yan Bo has no major objections. It seems that Di Hanmin knows what is important. If the Crown Prince suffers a loss, even if he conquers Annan and massacres Dali, it will not be worth the continuation of the imperial lineage."

  "The thing that Yanbo worries about is that the Crown Prince has not experienced war, often sees the guards' martial arts and fists, thinks it's easy to conquer the southern border, and then thinks of conquering Daxia, recovering the Yan and Yun territories, which would be a disaster for the country."

  Therefore, Yanbo did not hesitate to use unscrupulous means against the prince, and in this exercise, he took drastic measures, using a swift and decisive approach to cut through the chaos. Within two days, he had reduced the imperial guard by more than half. His intention was to make the prince understand the reality of war, to make him realize that the battlefield was not as he had imagined. This would also allow him to comprehend the strategies of the imperial court.

  Feng Bo finished speaking and put down the tea soup in his hand with a lingering regret.

  Your Majesty's health is weak and it's hard to live a long life. The Crown Prince has grown up, and succeeding the throne is a settled matter. Wen Yanbo knows his fate, but he will definitely assist in the transition of power between two reigns.

  As for today's matter, he also took a gamble. He gambled that all the rumors about the Crown Prince were true. If so, what he did would not have made the Crown Prince feel disgusted or resentful.

  If the rumors about the Crown Prince are false, then when he ascends to the throne, it will be the day Wen Yanbo leaves office.

  This ending was already sealed when he unintentionally lifted the prince's covering and saw his lower body injury...

  Fu Bi was stunned by Wen Yanbo's impassioned speech.

  What does it mean? This is neither a royal court nor a real military camp, I'm just chatting with you in leisure.

  When was Wen Kuanghou so deep and farsighted... No, Wen Kuanghou is indeed deep and farsighted, but he has always known how to stop in time. Why did he insist on competing with Your Highness?

  Haha, Wen Kuanfu, you're overthinking. Although I, Fu Rong, had interactions with the Crown Prince in his younger years, we didn't reach a level of complete trust and openness. Want to spread rumors? You're overthinking.

  "The Crown Prince's speech at the Guards' parade was truly stirring. It is a rare occurrence in our imperial court to have such an event take place. This can be used as a model for future reference."

  I won't take your bait... That was Fu Yu's solemn response to Wen Yanbo.

  Fumihiko Aoki poured tea again... At this moment, he needed to cover up his disappointment for that instant.

  Fu Yanguo's cleverness is not a rumor, but a true manifestation in the national dynasty.

  "Considering what the Crown Prince has done in recent years, although he often makes new moves, he does not lose the dignity of an emperor and even has the makings of a great emperor for all eternity."

  "As Yoshikuni said, the Crown Prince's speech at the Imperial Guard Corps is indeed a model for the country's war efforts."

  "Is it true what people in the streets are saying about the Crown Prince's past mistake during his youth? At that time, you were serving as the official of the Western Depot. Is the rumor true?"

  Since you're beating around the bush, why not just talk about whether those rumors are true or not? It'll also help calm your nerves.

  For over a decade, Wen Yiduo stood firm and unshakeable, with his own unique strengths.

  Not to mention the confrontation between these two old foxes, Zhao Xi didn't think too much at this time and just thought about how to win in the exercise.

  When he asked for war in the imperial court, the entire court was opposed to him. He didn't notice who was being hypocritical and naturally didn't associate this matter with the intrigue of the court officials.

  As for reckoning with Wen Yanbo... this really didn't exist. Because Zhao Xi, he isn't a real young man, and doesn't pay much attention to these unimportant matters of face.

  Besides, Zhao Xi thinks that the imperial court should have officials like Wen Yanbo who are shameless. If they were all proper and upright, all being Peng Ju and Ouyang Xiu types... then it wouldn't be an imperial court, it would be a sacred hall.

  So, for Wen Yanbo to use all favorable factors and force him and the Imperial Guard to such a state, in Zhao Xi's heart it was actually praiseworthy.

  War has no rules. The exercise is the real battle, and even if Wen Yanbo's intention was to let him not go on an expedition, Zhao Xi still gave a thumbs up to Wen Yanbo's performance in this exercise.

  Also believe that year this old man indeed relied on his ability to take down Bei Zhou Wang Ze.

  Now Zhao Xi needs to use a more shameless tactic in the rehearsal to defeat Wen Yanbo's shamelessness.