Chapter 4954 The sound of gunfire in Li Zheng Palace
The Sixth Army of the East Palace is an army directly under the crown prince. Their duty is to serve as the prince's retinue and protect the East Palace. However, the Tang Dynasty has not been established for a long time, and rebellions by princes have become common. Any emperor must be on guard against them. Therefore, after the rebellion of King Jin was suppressed, the Sixth Army of the East Palace were assigned to the original army. The troops moved to the military camp near Baqiao outside the city, leaving only one of them to guard Jiafu Gate, the main entrance of the East Palace.
The general who commanded the army was none other than Qu Tuquan...
Compared with Li Siwen, Cheng Chubi and others, although Qu Tuquan also came from a prominent family, his father died early. Although His Majesty Li Er was kind to the meritorious officials and was willing to promote the second-generation children, it was not all based on kindness. Those who pay attention to one thing in return, Qu Tutong is dead, and his political life ends immediately. Naturally, children like Qu Tutong are left alone and ignored.
Qu Tuquan had also been in the dandy circle for many years and was about to sink. Fortunately, he met Fang Jun.
Due to Fang Junzhi's recommendation, he became the deputy general of the Sixth Army of the East Palace. He was highly regarded by Li Chengqian, who was the prince at the time. After Li Chengqian ascended the throne, he even made the contribution of following the dragon. From then on, his official career was smooth sailing and he rose to great heights. To this day, he is no longer inferior to those with great achievements. The children supported by their father and ancestors.
Now that the crown prince has become His Majesty, Qu Tuquan has not been promoted to the Sixteenth Guards, but continues to stay in the East Palace Sixth Guard to support this crown prince...
Inside Jiafu Gate, there is a row of buildings with their backs to the palace wall and their backs to the south and north. They are the military camps for the Sixth Army stationed in the east palace of this gate. There are a thousand soldiers stationed all year round to protect the safety of Jiafu Gate and to the north palace gate. Li Anyan of Demen supported the defense of the entire East Palace.
Heavy snow was falling, and the entire East Palace was shrouded in snow. A servant came running, and without having time to knock, he knocked on the door and entered. Qu Tuquan, who was lying undressed on the bed, was so surprised that he jumped up and picked up his clothes. The horizontal knife on the side is waiting for the next person to be killed with one knife...
"General, spare your life, there is a decree from the palace!"
The servant was so frightened that he knelt down and begged for mercy.
Only then did Qu Tuquan wake up, jump from the bed to the ground, put the knife aside, and asked in a deep voice: "Who said this?"
"It's the prince's oral instruction."
"What is the oral message?"
"The prince has an order. No matter what happens at Li Zhengdian, the general must guard Jiafumen. This is not only to prevent thieves from taking advantage of the situation, but also to leave a way for Li Zhengdian to escape."
Qu Tuquan frowned: "What evidence is there for empty talk?"
The chamberlain quickly took out the prince's token. Qu Tuquan checked it carefully by candlelight and nodded: "Go back and report to the prince. As long as the general is still alive, Jiafu Gate will be impregnable!"
"Here!"
The chamberlain stood up and left in a hurry to report back.
Qu Tuquan turned around and grabbed a teapot on the table, shook the half-pot of water, raised his head and drank from the spout.
Wiping the water stains on his beard, he said loudly: "Come here, pass the order. Everyone will be on duty immediately, perform their duties, and take their positions. Only my generals are not allowed to move even half a step without permission. Anyone who disobeys the order will have his head displayed in public." , destroy the three tribes!”
"Here!"
There was a sudden commotion in Jiafu Gate. The soldiers were awakened from their sleep. They did not dare to neglect after hearing the general's order. They quickly got up and put on their armor, picked up their ice blades and rushed to their posts. Soldiers were instantly stationed up and down the tower, ready to go.
Qu Tuquan opened the door and stood at the door with his hands behind his hands, looking in the direction of Li Zheng Hall, his face as sinking as water.
He had already learned from Fang Jun that there were turbulent waves and undercurrents in the palace, and that the thieves were starting to attack in the past two days, so he had made proper preparations. However, in the face of His Majesty's strict orders, he guarded the palace gates and was not allowed to enter the palace. The emperor's order is half a step away, but it is inevitable to be worried.
He had no right to comment on His Majesty's "defensive counterattack" strategy, but he did not take it seriously when using the prince as bait.
After all, he was the crown prince, the heir to the empire. What if something went wrong in a fierce battle, what would happen?
However, if you think about it further, maybe His Majesty did it on purpose?
After all, the support of the prince and Taiwei is solid and powerful. Few princes have such a solid position throughout the ages. Although the prince is the emperor's successor, he is also the emperor's biggest enemy...
Suddenly, a flash of light flashed from the direction of Li Zhengdian, and then a dull sound of cannons suddenly sounded, followed by a series of gunshots and thunderous explosions like rolling thunder.
The sound of fighting is loud and clear.
The snowflakes falling in front of me were blown by a sudden gust of wind and suddenly became chaotic, flying in all directions.
……
Outside the Wude Hall, Li Sixian watched as more than a dozen old and stooped chamberlains came from nowhere and filed into the hall. Wang Dehou, the chief chamberlain, bowed at the door. His expression was as respectful as that of a young eunuch who had just purified himself and entered the palace, without any of the usual arrogance and arrogance he displayed.
He was promoted to Tongshiren only after Li Chengqian ascended the throne. He was qualified to enter the palace and even stay overnight in the palace. He did not know much about the situation inside the palace, but after all, Li Anyan was in a high position when Emperor Gaozu was there, and he was even more closely related to him. Prince Yin was respected by his brother-in-law, and he also had some knowledge of the affairs of the palace.
It is said that the reason why His Majesty was injured, fell ill, and eventually died of illness in Liaodong was because he left the Tai Chi Palace and the group of highly skilled and loyal old chamberlains who had been guarding him all year round were unable to accompany him...
Could this be the group of old chamberlains left behind by Emperor Taizong?
The incident happened suddenly. The queen and the prince were in the East Palace, and the Li Zheng Palace was quite far away. In addition, no one could guarantee whether someone was ambushing the prince on the way. Neither the clan nor the ministers could rush in time. Really, only these old chamberlains are the most suitable candidates to protect His Majesty's safety.
So the expected chaos did not occur.
Inside the palace, there is indeed a crouching tiger, hidden dragon...
But this is of no use. The civil servants and generals will not arrive for a while, and no one is in charge of the overall situation. When Li Shenfu and his brother threaten the prince, the situation can be quickly settled in the face of His Majesty's death. As long as the prince signs abdication If the imperial edict is issued and the emperor agrees to abdicate, then the major event will be settled and irreversible.
I just don’t know which prince Li Shenfu brought into the palace, accepted the crown prince’s throne, and succeeded to the throne?
Not long after, more than a dozen imperial doctors who were on duty at the Imperial Hospital hurried over and went straight into the hall.
Li Sixian was a little nervous. Each of these masters of traditional Chinese medicine had unique skills. It might be an exaggeration to say that life and death were human flesh and bones, but all kinds of difficult and complicated diseases could be cured with ease. Even if they could not save His Majesty's life, if they could use means to stimulate His Majesty's potential, It may not be impossible to keep him awake for a while...
Fortunately, this worry did not last long. With the faint shouts of killing coming from the East Palace, Li Sixian's anxious heart completely stabilized.
A group of "Hundred Cavalry Divisions" rushed over. When they arrived at the entrance of the main hall, Li Junxian had already come out to greet him and asked sternly: "What happened over there in the East Palace?"
A "Hundred Cavalry Division" captain said quickly: "Commander Qi, the Eastern Palace Qianniu prepared Li Anyan led the dead soldiers to break through the gate of Yichun Palace, and is now attacking Li Zhengdian!"
Li Junxian's beard was taut and he was furious: "Is this guy rebelling?"
The captain replied: "He raised troops from Demen and marched south to capture most of the East Palace. He said, 'Your Majesty has been killed and the prince has also fallen into the hands of thieves. We should rescue the prince and help him ascend the throne.' There may be some guards in the East Palace." Anyone who is bewitched by him and relies on his followers, or who sticks to his duties and refuses to be disobedient, will be killed. ”
"How many soldiers and horses do the rebels have?"
"There are more than a hundred dead soldiers, various elites, and hundreds of attached guards. It is unstoppable. I implore the commander-in-chief to send troops to assist quickly, otherwise Li Zhengdian will surely fall!"
Li Junxian snorted angrily: "A mere thief, how dare you disobey and usurp chaos? After passing the order, all hands will be gathered around the Wude Hall. The palace doors are closed tightly, and no one is allowed to enter or leave!"
The captain was stunned: "Uh... no, won't you rescue Li Zhengdian?"
Li Junxian stared angrily and shouted: "Are you questioning my general's military order?"
The captain was startled and said hurriedly: "I don't dare to do this in a humble position!"
"A bunch of clowns don't know they are about to die. They want to use mantis arms as carts and mayflies to shake trees. It's simply ridiculous! Don't worry about the East Palace. The most important thing is to guard the Wude Palace!"
"Here!"
The captain did not dare to say anything more and hurriedly went to deliver the military order.
Li Sixian, who was hiding in the corridor, had his eyes widened with a look of disbelief on his face. The prince was in danger, but Li Junxian actually stood by and ignored him. Why?
It stands to reason that Li Junxian's duty must be to divide the troops for rescue. Otherwise, no matter whether His Majesty lives or lives, or what the situation is afterwards, he will not be able to escape the charge of "ignoring the Crown Prince into danger". Not only will his head be in danger, but the entire family will be in trouble!
Therefore, Li Junxian must be relying on something to dare to do this.
But what is his basis?
Did His Majesty anticipate it and give the order in advance?
But since His Majesty had already predicted it, why did he ignore the prince's safety? Do you want to imitate Emperor Taizong's "easy storage"?
Or do you have full confidence in the prince's safety?
Thinking of this, Li Sixian's heart skipped a beat. However, before he could think about the thought that had just surfaced, he heard a dull "boom" in his ears, and the ground beneath his feet trembled, like a rolling thunder. Explode...
Why is there rolling thunder in such a snowy day?
It was clearly a gunshot!
Li Sixian suddenly stood up and looked out, only to see flames rising into the sky from the direction of the main hall of the East Palace. The previous shouts of killing seemed to have paused for a moment.
Immediately I was stunned!
How could there be artillery in Li Zheng Hall? !
Who dares to hide artillery in Li Zheng Hall? !
The sound of the cannons stopped, the East Palace flames shot into the sky, and then there was a burst of intensive gunfire...
His heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible big hand, and it was a little difficult to breathe. Li Sixian turned to look at Li Junxian, and his eyes met with Li Junxian's. He looked serious and expressionless, but But Li Sixun clearly read a hint of emotion in his eyes...sarcasm? Ridicule? Or pity?
Li Sixian opened his mouth and saw the other party turning around and entering the hall. In the shadows of the corridor, Li Sijian was in panic, confusion, and fear. An unknown premonition hit his heart.