"Father, I heard that the memorial was sent from Pingzhou. I find it quite strange. When did the Fifth Brother start to have contact with Pingzhou, which is so far away?" Yuan Yuchuan whispered.
When the Queen informed him of this matter, he had already suspected it in his heart. Pingzhou City was neither too close nor too far from the imperial city. But why would a prince in the imperial city contact the governor of Pingzhou, which was so far away? Such an act was bound to arouse suspicion. Such overstepping behavior was already enough to be convicted.
Hearing this, Yuan Yuhan glared at Yuan Yuchuan angrily. He really brought up the topic that he didn't want to talk about. If it hadn't been an emergency at that time, he wouldn't have taken on such a risky thing.
The emperor indeed looked up at Yuan Yuhan when he heard this. The prince's words just now had also made the emperor vigilant. Even if Yuan Yuhan was doing it for the country and the people, his act of privately colluding with local officials couldn't be underestimated.
"Han'er, how do you explain your act of privately colluding with local officials?" the emperor asked coldly.
Yuan Yuhan had long expected such a thing to happen. Fortunately, Mu Fengqie had pointed out a way for him in the letter. At this moment, he wasn't as flustered as he had imagined.
"Replying to Father, General Jing passed by Pingzhou on his way to search for his relatives. If it weren't for General Jing's discovery of the tragic situation in Pingzhou and his report to me, Pingzhou City might have fallen. I beg Father to send troops to support Pingzhou. The Qin Dynasty can't lose Pingzhou City!"
Yuan Yuhan's words greatly shocked Yuan Yuchuan. Pingzhou actually needed reinforcements. But why had he never heard any news about the war? Last time, Yuan Yuhan had stolen all the limelight on the frontier. This time, he would never let go of this opportunity!
Yuan Yuhan stepped forward and said a bit excitedly, "Father! I'm willing to lead the troops to support Pingzhou!"
Yuan Yuhan secretly glared at Yuan Yuchuan. Yuan Yuchuan came so timely. It must be the Queen who had intervened. It seemed that if Pingzhou was handed over to Yuan Yuchuan, all efforts might be in vain.
The emperor was wary of Yuan Yuhan's private contact with Ouyang Heng. He was a bit tempted by Yuan Yuchuan's proposal. "Then let Chuan'er go to Pingzhou to fight the enemy on behalf of me. Chuan'er must drive the Tule Tribe out of Pingzhou."
Yuan Yuchuan was secretly delighted. He tried his best to suppress his inner excitement and pretended to say calmly, "I will surely live up to Father's expectations. I will surely beat the Tule Tribe to a pulp and make them never dare to invade the Qin Dynasty again!"
After saying this excitedly, Yuan Yuchuan always felt that something was a bit off. Why was the name of the Tule Tribe so familiar? What important thing had he forgotten?
Yuan Yuhan took a deep breath. They all knew what kind of person the prince was. It seemed that his father was indeed fatuous and incompetent. For him, only the country and the throne were the most important. So, in order to keep his throne secure, he could let his two sons fight like crabs and mussels while he reaped the benefits.
The prince had been trying his best to search for information about the Tule Tribe in his mind. After thinking for a while, he suddenly realized that the Tule Tribe was none other than the most difficult-to-deal-with grassland people, even more powerful than the Beiming State on the frontier.
He had been so eager that he hadn't thought much before asking to go on the expedition. But now that he knew the details of the Tule Tribe, he regretted it to the core. The Tule Tribe was not easy to deal with. He might even lose his life in Pingzhou!
But now that the emperor had already agreed to his request, he could only bite the bullet and go. However, Yuan Yuhan had experience in fighting against Beiming. If Yuan Yuhan could go with him, there might be a chance of winning.
It wasn't that Yuan Yuchuan was exaggerating his competitor. He just knew his own limitations. He simply didn't have the mind of a general. He would have to rely on the military advisor when he got there.
"Father, I have a request. I hope Father will grant it!" Yuan Yuchuan said with his head down.
The emperor asked gently, "What is it? As long as it's not too excessive, I can agree."
"The Tule Tribe is insidious and cunning. For the sake of the overall situation, could Father let the Fifth Brother go with me? Although the Fifth Brother doesn't have much experience, he just defeated Beiming a few days ago. Maybe he has his own unique insights. We brothers can also support each other." Yuan Yuchuan said carefully.
As he spoke, he kept observing the emperor's expression, afraid that the emperor would reject his proposal. If there was no Yuan Yuhan as a scapegoat, he might be in great danger.
The emperor had been struggling with whether he should let Yuan Yuhan go with them. Now, the jade seal had been stolen by someone, and the Tule Tribe had already reached Pingzhou. What should he do to solve these thorny problems?
Yuan Yuhan didn't expect Yuan Yuchuan to say such a thing. But he also knew that Yuan Yuchuan must have some evil intentions. He was probably digging a pit for him to jump into.
However, Jing Xunce was in Pingzhou. He also hoped to go to Pingzhou to meet Jing Xunce. "Father, the most important thing now is the war with the Tule Tribe. Nothing else is more important than the territory of the Qin Dynasty, right?"
He could probably guess what was on the emperor's mind. Sure enough, after hearing this, the emperor didn't struggle anymore. He said, "Good. You two brothers immediately send 30,000 elite troops to support Pingzhou. If you fail, don't come back."
"I obey the order!"
"I obey the order."
The two brothers, Yuan Yuhan and Yuan Yuchuan, one happy and the other worried, left the court hall and walked towards the outside of the palace.
Yuan Yuhan originally didn't want to pay attention to Yuan Yuchuan. But someone was like a dog skin plaster sticking to him. "Fifth Brother, wait a moment!"
Yuan Yuhan secretly rolled his eyes and then turned around impatiently to look at Yuan Yuchuan. "What does the Crown Prince want to order?"
Yuan Yuchuan showed a sly smile. "Why is the Fifth Brother being so formal? We brothers are going to work together to fight against the Tule Tribe next. I hope the Fifth Brother can put aside the previous grudges and just hope that we can defeat the Tule Tribe as soon as possible."
Yuan Yuhan curled his lips and said with a fake smile, "The Crown Prince's words are exactly what I want to say. Does the Crown Prince have anything else?"
"You know that I'm the crown prince of the country, so my safety is very important. Then the matter of going into battle to kill the enemy will have to be left to the Fifth Brother."
Yuan Yuhan knew that he had a lot of bad ideas in his mind. He was just like a weasel wishing happy new year to a chicken, with no good intentions.
Yuan Yuhan smiled. He neither agreed nor refused. "If the Crown Prince delays any longer, Pingzhou may be in more danger. I'm in a hurry to go back and pack my luggage, so I won't chat with the Crown Prince anymore."
With that, Yuan Yuhan turned around and got into the carriage, ignoring the prince standing behind him. Now, it was extremely urgent for Pingzhou City. There was no time to waste!
The Tule Tribe had been caught off guard by Mu Fengqie's strategy and hadn't launched a surprise attack for a whole day and night.