Dressed as the prince's substitute? I took the throne

The next morning, Taiji Hall.

There were far fewer military generals at the morning court today, and even many civil officials were absent, which made Emperor Wu frown.

"Sixth Brother actually dispatched so many civil and military officials to accompany him on the expedition?"

Looking at the somewhat deserted and empty Taiji Hall, Emperor Wu rubbed his brows helplessly and said, "My dear ministers, who has the right to come out and make a speech?"

"Father, I have something to say!"

At this time, no one dared to speak. Only the Third Prince stepped forward and said, "Father, Sixth Brother is going to the battle. He has not only brought many civil and military officials with him, but also the Crown Princess, maids, and all the others. His carriage is incredibly luxurious!"

"Is this true?" Emperor Wu frowned. Since he ascended the throne, the thing he had cracked down on most severely was extravagance and corruption.

Although the Wu Dynasty had been corrupt for a long time and was difficult to eradicate, at least the ministers' behavior had become much more restrained.

However, he did not expect Zhou Chuxuan to do this to him in such a grand manner, and Emperor Wu's face darkened slightly.

"Has anyone outside seen it?"

"Father, my sixth brother led his troops through the main road of the capital, and the people gathered around to watch. Naturally, many people saw it!"

The Third Prince sneered inwardly and fanned the flames again: "Father, you have taught us to be frugal and not wasteful since we were young. The Sixth Prince clearly doesn't take your teachings seriously!"

Now that the Second Prince Zhou Heguan has been punished to reflect on his mistakes facing the wall, and Zhou Chuxuan is not in the court, he must of course seize this opportunity to raise his status so that he can compete for the position of crown prince in the future!

"Forget it, I know about this matter! We will discuss it again after the Sixth Brother comes back from the northern border!" Emperor Wu waved his hand. He couldn't call Zhou Chuxuan back and scold him now!

"Aqiu!"

At the same time, Zhou Chuxuan, who was thirty miles away from the capital, suddenly sneezed in the carriage.

Rubbing his itchy nose, Zhou Chuxuan pulled the goose down quilt closer to him in dissatisfaction: "Who is saying bad things about me behind my back?"

Xu Hanyan handed a peeled orange to Zhou Chuxuan. "You've been making a lot of noise along the way, haven't you? We've only traveled thirty miles, and the news has already spread a hundred miles away!"

"With such a big fanfare, aren't you afraid that the enemy will know in advance?"

Zhou Chuxuan took the orange and touched her hand: "I want them to know in advance!"

"Twenty miles to go, right?"

"Correct!"

"Pass the order down. The entire army will camp in the small town of Xiangma, twenty miles ahead, to rest for the night!"

"What? We've only been walking for half a day, and we're already preparing to rest for the night? At this rate, how long will it take us to reach the Northern Frontier?"

Xu Hanyan looked at Zhou Chuxuan in great surprise and blinked her beautiful eyes: "I really am getting more and more confused about what you are going to do!"

"Don't forget, your father has a group of fine horses in Bandit Town! With such fat and strong war horses, do you think he can do it without people to guard them?"

Xu Hanyan's pupils suddenly shrank: "You mean, my father secretly hid an army there?"

"Haha, otherwise why do you think he would take the initiative to give me a token? Instead of writing a note and asking someone to deliver the warhorse to me!"

"He's much smarter than I thought! If my guess is correct, those war horses must be the Ferghana horses your father bought from the Northern Frontier or the Western Regions, and definitely not the war horses from our Wu Dynasty!"

Zhou Chuxuan was playing with a jade ring in his hand, with a slight smile on his face. "You stay here and help me train these troops!"

"Me?" Xu Hanyan pointed at herself in shock. "How would I know how to command an army? Besides, I'm just a woman. How can they obey me?"

"It doesn't matter, I'll leave the token to you!"

Zhou Chuxuan waved his hand and said, "You just need to follow my instructions, order a batch of clothing and costumes, and then arrange the troops according to the specific banners!"

Xu Hanyan's eyes showed a hint of astonishment, as if she had understood Zhou Chuxuan's intention: "Are you planning to have these people pretend to be the Northern Desert alien army?"

"Then spread false information, making Li Nian really believe that you have brought Beimo into the Wu Dynasty, and then cooperate with the outside forces?"

"Alas, it turns out that the harem cannot interfere in politics!" Zhou Chuxuan did not answer directly, but put the jade ring on his finger and smiled.

Xu Hanyan's pupils suddenly shrank: "But how can you be sure that Li Nian won't know the truth?"

"It's very simple! I brought a lot of fireworks. As long as I successfully repel the Northern Desert aliens, I will send back a message!"

"The news will reach you soon. You should prepare in advance and set up an ambush on the official road to kill Li Nian's envoy!"

Zhou Chuxuan opened the curtain covering the window, looked at the blue sky in the distance, and took a deep breath: "The corruption of the Wu Dynasty has a lot to do with these huge families! It's time for a change!"

......

Bandit town.

Most of the people living here are businessmen who are away on business all year round. Their houses are idle and empty, which makes them a good place for the army to be stationed.

Zhou Chuxuan followed the route given by Xu Qinglong to the pawnshop of the bandits in the small town, but saw several thugs blocking the door and making trouble.

"Boss, this is a gold bracelet. How can you give me so little silver? Add more!"

The leader, a bearded man, relied on his burly figure to stand in front of the counter and yell.

There were also a few shirtless men around him with extremely arrogant expressions on their faces, and a few people were lying on the ground with their hands covering their red and swollen cheeks.

Zhou Chuxuan's expression turned slightly cold as he stepped forward to help several civilians up from the ground. "Old man, who are they? Why are they so rude?"

"Young man, you're from out of town too, aren't you?" The old man glanced at the ferocious-looking men and quickly pulled Zhou Chuxuan aside. He lowered his voice and said, "They're bandits from the nearby hills! They often come down the mountain to rob people, and they pawn the stolen goods in this pawnshop!"

"It's called pawning, but it's just like extortion every time! My dear sir, you are dressed so elegantly, but you'd better not join in the fun here! Otherwise, these bandits will not be picky about food!"

As the old man said this, he was about to push Zhou Chuxuan out the door.

Zhou Chuxuan smiled slightly and waved his hand: "Old man, wait a minute! I'm a little interested and want to see what the shopkeeper will do!"

It's such a remote and poor place, and there are bandits in the mountains. How could a pawnshop owner open a pawnshop here if he didn't have some skills?

Is this shopkeeper just a guide, or is he someone under Xu Qinglong's command?

"Sir, this won't work! We heard that the imperial army is coming, and these bandits are so fearless. You'd better leave!"

The old man glanced inside in panic and said, "Sir, I have said this much. You can take care of yourself. I am leaving now!"

Looking at the old man's back as he left in a panic, Zhou Chuxuan smiled, sat down on a chair in the pawnshop, and looked at the men with a smile.

"Hey? Boy, which family are you from?"