Chapter 4131 Entering Chang'an
The wind and rain came suddenly and violently, and the rain poured down. The sound of war drums in the right guard formation below the city merged with the rain. Countless soldiers stepped on the muddy ground and surged in despite the heavy rain.
Niu Jinda's whole body had already been soaked by the rain, but the palms of his hands holding the handle of the horizontal sword were sweating. Facing the almost decisive siege posture of the right marquis guard, he, as the defending general, had to make a choice - fight to the death with all his strength, and fight to the death with all his strength. Keep the city gate intact.
However, all he could think about now was the contents of those letters. The rest was fine. Regardless of whether it was true or false, it was not his turn as a general to worry about it. But how could he treat His Majesty's edict as if it were nothing?
Honorable ministers of Zhenguan, it is hard to imagine how much respect and love His Majesty Li Er has for outsiders. As long as His Majesty Li Er gives an order, these people are willing to follow his subordinates and fight to the death. Even if the battlefield is stained with blood and the corpses are wrapped in horse leather, they will not feel the slightest resentment. It is the highest honor to fight alongside His Majesty.
In this way, who can tolerate His Majesty's imperial edict being trampled upon and His Majesty's will not being carried out?
Even if His Majesty really passes the throne to a clan member instead of his own son, the Zhenguan ministers will firmly support it.
Of course, the premise is that Your Majesty really left a will, and that the Will in the hands of the King of Jin is indeed what His Majesty ordered...
If the imperial edict is true, and he keeps the right marquis guard out of the city so that the prince can board the plane smoothly, he will be violating His Majesty's last wishes and betraying his trust. If the edict is false, and he lets the right marquis guard enter the city, he is going against the grain, helping the tyrants to commit evil, and is actually an empire The sinner...
But where can we judge the authenticity of this edict now?
Therefore, Niu Jinda is in a dilemma and is in a dilemma. He can only wait for Cheng Yaojin to issue a military order as soon as possible. I believe that with Cheng Yaojin’s wisdom, he will be able to identify the authenticity and make a choice...
Just when the first wave of arrows rained down from the right marquis guard formation below the city, Cheng Yaojin's order finally came belatedly. The soldiers who ordered the order flew to the top of the city and shouted urgently: "The commander-in-chief has the order, immediately Retreat to the city, abandon Chunming Gate, and retreat to the camp!”
Niu Jinda didn't have time to chew on the meaning of this order. He only knew that he didn't need to answer this multiple-choice question that he didn't know was right or wrong. He breathed a sigh of relief and ordered: "No one is allowed to fight back. Protect yourself with wooden shields. Cover alternately and retreat." Go down!”
"Here!"
The defenders received the order and immediately retreated to the city. They are all elite veterans who have been fighting for many years. Even though the arrows above their heads are scurrying around like locusts, they are not confused at all. The shield hand holds the wooden shield high to expand the cover area as much as possible, while the other soldiers bend down to reduce their cross-section to reduce the chance of being hit by arrows. Chance, they retreated down the steps to the city head in an orderly manner, then gathered at the foot of the city, followed Niu Jinda's horse and quickly retreated into the city.
When Su Jia put on his helmet and carried armor and led his soldiers to the top of the city, the entire Chunming Gate tower was already empty. Su Jia raised his sword high and cheered with the soldiers around him. Then he opened the city gate and lowered the drawbridge to welcome the army into the city.
On the other side of the moat below the city, King Li Zhi of Jin stood in the wind and rain and looked up at the battle on the city. When he saw that the right Houwei had climbed onto the tower, he finally let go of his hanging heart.
Entering the city is the first and most important step in the battle to seize the throne. Zuowu Wei is brave and good at fighting. If he defends Chunming Gate, he will be impregnable. It is difficult for the right Houwei to capture the city. Once the war is frustrated, the blow to morale will be extremely huge, and I don't know how many followers will die halfway.
Now that the army has conquered Chunming Gate like a broken bamboo, the morale of the army is high, and many onlookers will follow the trend and come to rely on them. Great things can be accomplished...
Next to him, Cui Xin also breathed a sigh of relief, but on the surface he was stroking his beard and looking relaxed: "Duke Lu understands justice well and keeps his word, and he actually ordered the Zuowu guards to withdraw from the city without any resistance. Otherwise, it would have been a bloody battle with heavy casualties. It would be really heartbreaking if the Tang Dynasty Tigers and Han family members died like this.”
Xiao Yu raised his eyelids and said calmly: "Traitors and sycophants are in power, and the principles are often reversed. It is time for us to recommend the country with our blood. Even if we lay down the body on the spot, we will die in a worthy place. Mrs. Cui's kindness is not necessary."
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Cui Xin's expression remained unchanged and he said with a smile: "The sons of Shandong have been known for their loyalty and daring to fight since ancient times. Why should we be afraid of life and death? I'm just old and I don't see too many separations between life and death. These young people are of our blood and the empire's In the future, if those in power cannot show mercy, the future of the empire will be in danger.”
Li Zhi had a headache as he listened to the two men's quarrels. One laughed at the benevolence of the other woman, and the other laughed at the smog-ridden bandits in the wild land of Jiangnan since ancient times...
The big thing has not yet been accomplished, why do you need to fight for credit and suppress the emperor like this?
However, he can also understand that no matter how far the situation develops, Cheng Yaojin's "stand by and watch" is the most important part. Therefore, the Shandong family has made great achievements and has suppressed the Jiangnan nobles. As the leader of the Jiangnan gentry, how could Xiao Yu be willing to let this happen?
We all know that internal fighting is a stupid behavior, which can cause pain to relatives and happiness to enemies. However, what people fight for in this world is interests. If there are disputes over interests, internal strife is inevitable. It is the principle of heaven and earth, and no one can do anything about it...
"Gong Lu has made a great contribution to this battle, but the East Palace will never sit still and wait to die. The Sixth Army of the East Palace has a strong fighting force and Duke Wei is commanding it. It is impossible to defeat it all at once. A stalemate is inevitable. When the time comes, the outcome of this battle will be The winner is the soldiers from each family who come to support us. I hope you will cooperate sincerely and work together to achieve great things.”
Li Zhi could only comfort him with words.
According to the pre-expected situation, it is almost impossible for You Houwei to compete with the East Palace in Chang'an City. In the end, it will definitely be an evenly matched situation, with the East Palace having a slight advantage. Because the Ministry of War is under the control of the East Palace, the Youhou Guards will no longer have supplies of weapons, food, fodder, and supplies, so they will eventually retreat to Tongguan to guard the dangerous area and divide the world into two.
In Guanzhong, the East Palace naturally has the advantage, while in Guandong, it is dominated by the powerful families in Shandong and Jiangnan.
Therefore, the final decisive battle must be in Tongguan.
Did the prince capture Tongguan in one fell swoop with the powerful attack of Qinchuan, which had been damaged by the war, or did he, Li Zhi, occupy Tongguan and rely on the continuous supply of power from Shandong and Jiangnan to defeat the East Palace and reverse the victory...
Who will win is yet to be determined.
It’s not time for you to compete for credit yet...
As expected, Xiao Yu and Cui Xin both shut up.
Behind him, Chu Suiliang, who had always had a very low sense of presence, suddenly said: "His Royal Highness complied with the destiny and raised the troops, but the princess and the prince are both in the city, and their safety is worrying. I wonder if the king's servant can think of a way to get them out?"
Li Zhi looked at Wang Shoushi and raised his troops to fight for the throne, but his wife and children were trapped in Chang'an and would soon fall into the hands of the enemy. He said he was not worried, how could it be possible...
Wang Shoushi stood hunched in the shadow behind Li Zhi, shook his head and said: "The only two secret passages in the Jin Palace were blocked by Changsun Wuji during the last Guanlong rebellion to prevent His Highness escaped... Fortunately, His Highness was under house arrest this time. If he stayed in the palace, the old slave would not be able to take His Highness out of the city. "
Li Zhi pursed his lips and remained silent.
Seeing his expression, Xiao Yu comforted him and said, "Your Highness, don't worry. The Crown Prince has always been hypocritical, and the reason why he is supported by many people is because of his reputation for kindness. Although Your Highness is raising troops now, this is where the great righteousness lies. If the Crown Prince rashly Wouldn't it be unfavorable to Princess Jin and the Crown Prince to expose the name of benevolence that he has built for many years? By then, everyone will know that he is a hypocrite, and the foundation he has built will collapse, and the gain will not be worth the loss."
The implication is that if the prince wants face and reputation, he must not dare to do any harm to the Jin family. If he dares to harm the Jin family, his reputation will be damaged. In any case, they are his sister-in-law and nephew. If the prince really did that, he would ruin his reputation and make the king of Jin even more famous.
As for the princess and the prince... what are they compared to the throne?
Didn't Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty also leave his wife to Xiang Yu when he was desperate?
When Liu Bei fled in panic, didn't he abandon his wife to his opponent? And the opponent is Cao Mengde, who is recognized as a "good woman"...
Everything doesn't matter, as long as you ascend the throne, all nine states in the world will be yours.
Chu Suiliang endured it, but still felt that he should remind him: "His Royal Highness will definitely not harm Princess Jin and the Crown Prince, but when the time comes, the city of Chang'an will be in chaos. What if the rebels break into the palace and attack the nobles? Your Highness, you should divide into a team. We need to go back to the palace first to pick up the noble man, so that we can be safe.”
Xiao Yu glanced at Chu Suiliang and said calmly: "This matter has naturally been arranged for a long time. If we only think of it now, it will be too late."
Chu Suiliang drooped his eyelids and became silent.
Obviously, some people even thought it would be better if something unexpected happened to Princess Jin, and then blame it on the prince indiscriminately, which makes the reason for the army to enter the city to seize the legitimate son more justified, and can fully win the sympathy of others.
And among this, whether His Highness the King of Jin acquiesced, whether he knew about it... is irrelevant.
This made Chu Sui's support for the King of Jin firmer in his conscience. A real man does not stick to trivial matters, and all benevolence, justice and morality are bullshit. The winner is the king and the loser is just the bandit.
From this point of view, the Jin king’s character is indeed more suitable to be an emperor than the womanly and benevolent prince...
Yu Chigong ignored Chu Suiliang. He was a man who had been coerced and was not of the same mind as everyone else. He smiled and asked Li Zhi, "Do you want to enter the city and come to Chengtian Gate to angrily scold the prince?"
Li Zhi smiled guiltily, shook his head and said: "No, it's better not to cause trouble to the generals in this stormy and rainy day. I am just outside the city, waiting for the news of the Duke of E's triumphant return."
Yuchi Gong slapped his breastplate hard twice and said in a fierce voice: "Don't worry, Your Highness, it will take some time for the Sixth Army of the East Palace to enter the city. We will definitely be faster. I am determined to rush into the Taiji Palace in one go to defeat the overall situation and help His Highness ascend the throne." Extreme! ”
After saying that, he turned around, ran for two steps, jumped on his horse, and led his soldiers to chase the troops into the city at lightning speed.
For him, this is a huge gamble that is coerced by the Guanlong clan, and there is no way to retreat. Whether the Taiji Palace can be conquered in one fell swoop not only means whether the mutiny can be successful, but also depends on his own merits and status during this period. Otherwise, if the fight continues and the outcome is difficult to determine, and he is finally forced to retreat to Tongguan, then Yuchi will Gong's role was almost nil, and he could only watch the status and power of the powerful families in Shandong and Jiangnan under the command of the King of Jin.
This was absolutely unbearable, so he regarded this battle as his own decisive battle. If he didn't succeed, he would die. (End of chapter)