"Token of command?" Everyone looked shocked.
Especially Qu Ling.
She rubbed the fingers that had just touched the Crescent Moon Pendant. It was as if she could still feel the texture of the pendant, which, in fact, should be called the Full Moon Pendant.
She had actually run around with the token of command! If someone with ill intentions found out...
Just thinking about it sent a shiver down her spine.
Meanwhile, Chu Qing seemed even more surprised than the others.
As far as she knew, in the Great Yan Kingdom, the most common way to mobilize troops was by using the token of command, which was usually divided into two halves. One half was kept by the emperor, and the other by the general. However, the token of command that Wei Ying mentioned was clearly different from the others.
Moreover, other tokens of command were usually made of bronze or gold in the shape of a crouching tiger. But the one Wei Ying mentioned was first called a summon order and then a token of command.
A summon order.
A full - moon - shaped summon order?
Could it be... that mysterious army?
Since the founding of the Great Yan Kingdom, there had been a mysterious army. Only the emperor had the power to summon and command this army. And this army could only be mobilized when the Great Yan faced an absolute crisis.
Although there were occasional wars between the Great Yan and Xiliang, this army was basically not needed.
This army originally had no name.
It was only after a war against a coalition of several other countries that this army began to be called the Black Cloud Army.
Wherever it went, it was like a dark cloud pressing down, with the power to make a city crumble under its shadow.
However, the army was usually directly managed by the emperor, unless the emperor personally authorized the general - in - chief.
How did Wei Ying get the summon order of the Black Cloud Army?
Chu Qing's mind was racing, while Wei Ying on the side looked calm.
"Then, Your Highness the Prince of Ning, have you come up with a countermeasure against the Xiliang cavalry? If the Xiliang people attack before all the common people have left..." Chu Zhan spoke in a deep voice.
You should know that if the common people in the city had not been evacuated before the arrival of the Xiliang cavalry, the consequences would be unimaginable. And with the character of the Prince of Ning, he couldn't be the kind of person who regarded human lives as worthless.
He had just said that he was the one who had attracted them... This didn't seem like his style at all. Thinking of this, Chu Zhan voiced his doubts again.
Hearing Chu Zhan's question, Wei Ying said, "I've got a good understanding of the characters of Hu Yan Longhao and Hu Yan Longchang. Although Hu Yan Longhao is treacherous, he can't tolerate any insult and can't stand being belittled by others. As for Hu Yan Longchang, he's just a muscle - bound fool. When they find out that I'm not dead but have been secretly monitoring their every move, and when they know that I've stolen the war horses they bought at a high price, it will be a great humiliation to them. Moreover, I've sent people to stir up some... disputes between them. So, although they have to join forces against us, they can't help but sneer at each other. Hu Yan Longchang may be simple - minded, but he knows exactly how to provoke Hu Yan Longhao. It must be Hu Yan Longchang's decision to attack the city in a fit of anger, and he will do everything he can to force Hu Yan Longhao to agree."
So, the Xiliang people were sure to come.
Moreover, they had even sent a challenge letter, probably thinking it would be a mockery of him?
Thinking of this, Wei Ying's eyes were filled with contempt for the Xiliang people.
If he were so easily provoked, he wouldn't be himself.
"So, Your Highness the Prince of Ning, what on earth are you planning?" Seeing that Wei Ying had said so much but still hadn't mentioned his specific plan, Qu Ling couldn't hold back her impatience.
The magistrate of Qingzhou City had begged her to take in some old, weak, sick, and disabled people who couldn't travel. She simply couldn't refuse.
If she did, she would be pushing these common people to their deaths.
She just couldn't do it.
Fortunately, the Fengyue Villa was in the south of Qingzhou City, and the Xiliang people wouldn't attack there directly.
Wei Ying seemed to have this in mind too. He turned to Qu Ling and said, "I'll have to trouble you with those who can't travel far."
Qu Ling pouted when she heard him say it so straightforwardly, but she didn't refuse.
As for what the Prince of Ning was going to do...
He still hadn't said...
Chu Qing watched as everyone seemed to be on the verge of being driven crazy by Wei Ying's mystery. She couldn't help but cover her mouth and smile.
If she wasn't wrong...
Wei Ying must have prepared another big surprise for Xiliang.
After returning to the room, Chu Qing pushed Wei Ying to the edge of the bed and gently lifted his chin with her finger.
Wei Ying, who thought he was being flirted with by Chu Qing, was happily waiting for her next move. However, Chu Qing suddenly spoke seriously:
"How did you get that thing? I heard that only the emperor has this Full Moon Pendant. Moreover, even if someone else gets it, the Black Cloud Army won't easily obey their command. Unless..." At this point, Chu Qing was shocked by her own thought.
Unless...
Wei Ying was the general - in - chief of the Black Cloud Army!
...
After returning to the magistrate's mansion, Hu Yan Longhao went back to his room angrily to pack his things.
Being played by Wei Ying made him feel extremely humiliated.
And the fact that Hu Yan Longchang knew his secret with Hu Yan Zhuoyi made him feel uneasy.
If it reached their father's ears, he wasn't sure what the outcome would be.
Although Hu Yan Zhuori was also a womanizer, he doted on his only daughter very much. If he knew that he had... his precious daughter...
He thought that the old man would definitely ignore the so - called father - son relationship.
Just as Hu Yan Longhao was frowning and thinking about these things, there was a knock on the door.
When he opened the door with a gloomy face and saw the face he wanted to tear to pieces, his face became even darker.
"Take off that mask! It makes me sick just looking at it!"
The person who came was Wei Er, who had disguised himself as Wei Ying.
At this moment, his identity was Xiao He.
"What happened? Could it be that... the secret has been leaked?" Wei Er pretended to be confused and asked.
Hu Yan Longhao clenched his fists tightly, with the veins on his hands bulging. He was almost about to punch out the next moment.
"Wei Ying deceived us. He's not dead at all!"
"What!" Wei Er exclaimed in shock. Then, there was a hint of cruelty in his eyes as he said, "So, he has been scheming against us? Does he know that I... am still alive?"
Hu Yan Longhao sneered and said, "He doesn't know that. So, you should appear suddenly when he least expects it and give him a surprise."
Although Wei Er sneered in his heart, his face showed a look of determination.
After all, he came from the Pohuang. Although his martial arts skills were not as good as Wei Yi's, he was the best at imitating and disguising others in the Pohuang. Sometimes, when his master didn't want to do something personally, he would do it on his behalf.
So, for Wei Er, imitating others was as easy as pie.
"Your face really makes me uncomfortable. Why don't you just tear it off?"
As Hu Yan Longhao said this, he reached out his hand towards Wei Er's face.