The carefree sixth prince, my father respectfully invites me to ascend the throne.

After a brief stay, Yang Ling ordered his men to move all usable items out of the village.

News of what happened here quickly reached the ears of Crown Prince Yang Shan, who had paid a great price to get the bandits to do this.

Unexpectedly, they were recruited by Yang Ling so easily.

Isn't this just sending supplies to the other side?

"A bunch of useless trash. Seventy or eighty of them couldn't even kill Yang Ling."

Yang Shan slammed his hand on the table, his face contorted in pain.

The trusted confidant beside him also frowned. What weaknesses could those bandits have? They were all desperate men. How could they have been recruited so easily?

"Your Highness, please do not be angry. So what if we suffer a defeat? There are hundreds of bandits along the way, not to mention the assassins we have arranged. These are more than enough."

Even after his confidant uttered these words, Yang Shan's expression did not improve.

“Send a message to the commander of Jiayuguan. I don’t care what method he uses, Yang Ling must not enter Liangzhou alive.”

……

In the days that followed, Yang Ling repeated the same tactic and recruited some other forces.

When they were almost at Xiliang, Yang Ling's forces had grown to three thousand men.

Moreover, these people were all bandits who relied on plunder for a living, so their fighting strength was naturally questionable.

"Your Highness, Jiayuguan is just ahead. After passing Jiayuguan, we will reach Liangzhou. The imperial court's influence here is weak, so we will be safe then."

Mr. Zhuge rode his horse, looking at a map in his hand, but his expression did not look very relaxed.

Although the Liangzhou court's power was not great, the complex situation in the region still posed a threat to them.

Moreover, he had heard that the general guarding Jiayuguan Pass was a man of the Crown Prince, and he figured they wouldn't be allowed to pass so easily today.

Yang Ling, however, seemed completely unconcerned, leaning back in the carriage as if deep in thought.

Since the establishment of the imperial court, Liangzhou has always been a place where all sorts of people from different regions mingle.

Since our group has come here, we will naturally be the focus of many people's attention.

Instead of passively waiting for those people to provoke us, we should do something big to establish our authority over them.

This will deter them from having any further improper thoughts.

"Your Highness, urgent news!"

Not long after Mr. Zhuge finished speaking, the scouts in front turned back.

Hearing the sound, Yang Ling lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage.

"Your Highness, the garrison commander of Jiayuguan has closed the city gates, saying that there is something going on in the city and that we must wait here for three days before we can pass."

Before Yang Ling could even speak after the scout finished speaking, the crowd behind him began to stir.

Isn't this obviously bullying them?

"That's it."

Yang Ling smiled slightly, showing no intention of stopping. She called Mr. Zhuge over and gave him some simple instructions.

In just half an incense stick's time, three thousand armored soldiers stood in formation at the foot of Jiayuguan Pass.

The garrison commander, Huang Feng, looked extremely displeased upon seeing this scene; it seemed the Ninth Prince was somewhat disregarding them.

"General Huang, I have come to Liangzhou to assume my fiefdom on the orders of my father, the Emperor. Please allow me to proceed."

Yang Ling's voice rang out calmly, while Huang Feng, standing on the city wall, snorted coldly: "Your Highness, please forgive us. The city has been attacked by bandits, and it is inconvenient to open the gates now. Please wait outside the city for a few days. We will release you once we have captured the bandits."

After saying this, Huang Feng looked smug. As long as he didn't let them pass, the Ninth Prince and his men wouldn't be able to get through. When they ran out of ammunition and food, the people around them would inevitably mutini.

He could trap the Ninth Prince here without lifting a finger.

Upon hearing this, Yang Ling's face was full of disdain. If she was going to make an excuse, couldn't she have come up with a better one? Why did she have to be so casual?

“Mr. Zhuge, send him a message: either let us in, or I, the prince, will lead three thousand armored soldiers to break into the city.”

Yang Ling had no intention of wasting any more words with the guard, and casually gave an instruction to Mr. Zhuge beside him.

Mr. Zhuge was very perceptive and immediately found the loudest voice among them.

He repeated Yang Ling's words verbatim.

When Huang Feng heard this, he gritted his teeth. How could a mere, unpopular Ninth Prince be so arrogant and domineering in front of him?

"Hmph, this general doesn't care about any of that. As long as the thieves in the city aren't caught, Your Highness will have to stay outside the city for another day."

Wasp's face was full of arrogance. So what if he was the Ninth Prince? He was the Crown Prince's man.

When these words reached Yang Ling's ears, she only gave a faint smile.

Since this garrison commander is so ungrateful, he has no one to blame but himself.

“Mr. Zhuge, didn’t we take in a sharpshooter? This garrison commander dares to be so disrespectful to me, the prince. Just kill him.”

Yang Ling said calmly, "Anyway, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, so what if he kills a garrison general?"

Besides, Jiayuguan is under my jurisdiction, so I can just appoint someone else later.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhuge nodded slightly. To remain so calm under such circumstances showed that the Ninth Prince had not been misjudged after all.

Seeing that there was no movement below the city wall, the wasp assumed that his words had intimidated the other party, and immediately put his hands on his hips, his face full of arrogance.

But in the next second, a hidden arrow came straight at his forehead.

In the blink of an eye, the wasp, struck by an arrow, fell from the city wall.

With their commander killed, the soldiers below were naturally thrown into a panic.

In just a short time, the huge pass was taken over by Yang Ling's men.

“Send his head to the Xiliang Prefecture and at the same time send someone to inform the Emperor that the garrison commander of Jiayuguan has no respect for the imperial family and the Emperor, and that this prince has acted on behalf of Heaven.”

As Yang Ling spoke leisurely, Mr. Zhuge immediately nodded.

Having captured Jiayuguan without shedding a drop of blood, even if the emperor had any complaints, he had no reason to be angry.

"Liangzhou, this prince has arrived."

Once inside Jiayuguan, Yang Ling had no intention of continuing to follow Prince Xu and Wei Yi.

He now commands three thousand armored soldiers, enough to establish a foothold in the Western Liang region.

The imperial court is basically powerless to intervene here; even if it wanted to, it would have to think it over carefully.

Upon hearing that Yang Ling had killed the garrison commander, the prefect of Liangzhou felt a chill run down his spine.

"Sir, what should we do about this?"

His men were also in a panic. The Ninth Prince hadn't even arrived yet, and the head of the Jiayuguan garrison commander had already been delivered to them.

Isn't the meaning obvious? This is what will happen if they don't obey.