Chapter 699 Regicide
The crisp sound of horse hooves echoed on the Beigong Stone Turn Road.
A moment ago, Ma Chao and others walked into the North Palace through the Suzaku Gate under the first light of the sky. In their team, the surrendered Palace Gate Captain was following them with his head lowered.
Ma Chao looked at the empty Beigong Square and could no longer suppress a thought in his heart:
"Since the completion of the Beigong, I, Ma Chao, have led my army here."
At this moment, even the brave Ma Chao trembled all over. He looked at the splendid Deyang Palace in front of him and shouted:
"If we hurry up, the Emperor of the Han family will be ahead."
The excitement of capturing the Emperor rippled in everyone's hearts. This was the most supreme military achievement of any warrior.
As a result, everyone accelerated their horses and galloped wildly in the square paved with green stones.
As they were running wildly, they met an army in front of them.
They protected a military chariot and charged towards Ma Chao and the others in a dark way.
Ma Chao squinted his eyes and roared:
"Kill them all, kill them all."
Everyone held their horses under their arms and raised their horses' speed to the end, preparing to kick away the last stumbling block in front of them.
……
On the chaotic battlefield, there were sounds of killing.
Liu Bian stood on the chariot, and the arrow in his hand had just killed one person.
At this moment, Liu Bian was very calm, and life and death were no longer important to him.
For him, the best thing to do is to defeat this group of thieves and take back the Suzaku Gate. Or he died here in battle, which would leave a mark of martyrdom in history.
He didn't want future generations to remember the last emperor of the Han Dynasty with only the image of a cowardly and incompetent king who had subjugated his country. He wanted to use his heroism to bring an end to the Han Dynasty, which had a clear destiny.
With no fear in his heart, Liu Bian's courage doubled, and the arrows in his hands shot down the sudden cavalry of the Taishan Army without restraint.
Suddenly, an arrow shot out and hit the handrail in front of Liu Bian. The surrounding officials were shocked, but Liu Bian did not hide. He took out the arrow and reflected it.
Ever since he made a fool of himself by shooting a deer in front of the entire army, Liu Bian had been practicing bow and arrow assiduously. At this moment, he was condescending and his bow was like a thunderbolt, boosting the morale of all the Yulin disciples.
Although these Yulin troops were small in number, they all practiced martial arts. The Taishan army's sudden cavalry could not take advantage, so they also dismounted and prepared to fight on foot.
The rising sun shines on this square, making the blood here even more vivid.
Ma Chao had just stabbed a Han soldier to death. When he saw the enemy officer on the chariot still firing arrows, he drew his bow and shot at him.
This arrow passed through the chaotic crowd and suddenly hit Liu Bian's left arm. If he hadn't staggered just now, this arrow would have hit his chest.
When the few Huangmen nearby saw this scene, they were so anxious that they cried. They carried Liu Bian and placed him beside the car. They looked at the emperor's left arm bleeding profusely, but they didn't know what to do.
But Liu Bian didn't care. He said to Huang Meng next to him:
"Bring the hand crossbow."
One of them, a sturdy Xiao Huangmen, quickly handed the strung hand crossbow to Liu Bian.
Liu Bian endured the pain, stood up, raised the crossbow in his right hand and shot an arrow at a Taishan soldier, and then threw the crossbow to Xiaohuangmen:
"Load the arrow."
The little Huangmen hurriedly cocked his crossbow.
In this way, Liu Bian, under the cover of the chariot, killed four more sudden riders with his crossbow, and ran out of arrows.
But at this time, the battle in the square became one-sided.
Ma Chao had already jumped off his horse, holding a ring-headed sword in each hand, blocking with the left and slashing with the right, killing more than ten people in a row.
With such powerful generals charging forward, the battle situation immediately became one-sided.
At this time, Liu Bian's sleeves were covered with blood, and the small yellow door next to him was constantly wrapped in kerchiefs. Suddenly he heard the emperor say:
"My shoes are dirty, please change them for me."
Several young men rummaged around in the military carriage and found a pair of shoes, which they quickly put on for Liu Bian.
At this moment, Liu Bian leaned on the wheel and let the little yellow gatekeepers help him put on his shoes, while his eyes fell on the palace tower in the distance. He sighed when he thought that the place would be unsafe soon.
Then he said to the remaining Xiao Huangmen:
"Bring me my Emperor's Sword as well."
But the already panicked Xiao Huangmen could not find the Tianzi Sword for a while. Finally, Liu Bian himself added:
"Just hang it on the car roof."
Everyone who came back to their senses hurriedly got on the car to get it, but as soon as they stood up, one of them rolled down, holding his neck, and saw an arrow stuck in his neck.
The others were stunned for a moment and did not dare to get on the bus. In the end, one brave one gritted his teeth and got on.
After a while, Liu Bian's Emperor's Sword was taken off.
With his left hand tied, Liu Bian drew out the Emperor's Sword with his right hand, and then a cold light shone on his face.
This is a sword that can be broken by blowing hair, but it has not been stained with blood since it was forged.
Taking one last look at the building behind him, Liu Bian held on to his sword and shouted:
"The emperor of the Han family is here, and the rebellious ministers and traitors have not yet paid their respects."
As he spoke, he rushed forward.
When Ma Chao, who was fighting in the crowd, heard these words, he suddenly became excited.
He turned around and looked in the direction of the sound, and then saw a white-headed boy, dressed in military uniform and holding a cold light sword, rushing over.
Behind this man were twenty or thirty soldiers with swords and armor, protecting him on the left and right.
Seeing this scene, Ma Chao hurriedly ordered:
"Don't hurt this person, catch him alive."
Ma Chao was politically aware. He knew that killing the Han emperor in public would bring him trouble. And for some reason, looking at the young emperor charging towards him with a knife, the unscrupulous Ma Chao felt inexplicable. nervous.
After hearing Ma Chao's order, the cavalry put away their bows and arrows, drew their swords and charged at the remaining Han soldiers.
Ma Chao walked over and faced Liu Bian directly.
Liu Bian looked angry and reprimanded:
"What's your name? Why don't you kneel before the emperor?"
Ma Chao smiled, put away the iron spear in his hand, and gave Liu Bian a respectful fist:
"The Great Taixiao Cavalry Commander Ma Chao has met the Emperor of the Han Dynasty."
Ma Chao was so careless that he actually knew how to sign up.
Unexpectedly, Liu Bian asked at that time:
"Ma Fubo, who was once the founder of ZTE, was your ancestor?"
Ma Chao was quite surprised, but he still nodded and admitted.
As expected, Liu Bian said this:
"Ma Fubo wrapped the body of the Han Dynasty in horse leather and fought on the battlefield. Do his descendants want to bury the Han Dynasty built by his ancestors with their own hands?"
Ma Chao knew that Liu Bian would say this, so he sighed, put the iron spear on the ground, and said seriously:
"I'm afraid the emperor has thought too much. Aren't you the ones who buried the great Han Dynasty?"
Just when Ma Chao wanted to speak righteously, Liu Bian on the other side asked in confusion:
"The world was in chaos when I came to the throne. Is it my problem that the world is like this?"
Ma Chao hesitated and had to admit that what Liu Bian said did make sense. The cause of the chaos in the world indeed has nothing to do with the teenage emperor in front of him. On the contrary, he may not have enjoyed the blessings for a few years, but he has suffered a lot.
So at this time, most people would definitely be silent after hearing Liu Bian's words, but when Ma Chao gets confused, he is simply a beast.
But Ma Chao looked at Liu Bian suspiciously and said:
"What does that have to do with me, Ma Chao? Who allowed you to be born in the emperor's family, to be born in his family, and to inherit his blessings and criticisms. Don't tell me that you are wronged. There are many wronged people in the world, and you are not the only one who is wronged."< br>
After saying that, he ignored Liu Bian and walked towards him. The iron spear in his hand easily knocked away the Tianzi Sword, and then placed the iron spear on Liu Bian's neck.
At this time, Ma Chao looked at Liu Bian jokingly and said condescendingly:
"Aren't you ready to surrender now?"
But as soon as he finished speaking, Ma Chao was stunned. Liu Bian grabbed his iron spear and stabbed his throat with it. By the time Ma Chao reacted and tried to pull away the iron spear, the iron spear had already drawn out a stream of blood. .
Seeing Liu Bian slowly falling to the ground with a smile on his face, Ma Chao was stunned.
I, I didn’t want to kill him!
……
So in the camp at Beimang Mountain, Zhang Chong got this news.
Previously, he and a group of staff had repeatedly discussed the placement of the emperor of the Han Dynasty, and generally felt that the placement should be based on the method of preserving his ancestral temple.
Generally speaking, when changing dynasties, the previous dynasty must be recognized as upright and successful, so that the change of dynasties can be justified.
But now, he turned around and told him that the emperor of the Han family committed suicide, which filled Zhang Chong's heart with complexity.
However, after he understood the whole story of Ma Chao's entry into the Beigong, he did not let anyone reprimand Ma Chao, but began to explain the Taishan Army's entry into the city.
Zhang Chong knew very well that because of the education problems in the military for many years, he was afraid that he could not control his anger towards the officials in the city. It's not that you can't kill, but that the violence of the military must be controlled and cannot be abused at will.
Then, he orally told Zhao Yun, who had already entered the city:
"Now all the gates of Kyoto have been opened, and armies from all sides are entering the city by separate routes. Zhao Yun is specially appointed as the patrol envoy to rectify military discipline. The troops entering the city must be strictly disciplined and do not commit any offense, so that the four people can be safe. Anyone who violates this military order will be executed. .”
After drafting an oral order, he immediately sent troops to look for Zhao Yun in the city with orders.
The guard brought three hundred cavalry through, preparing to serve as Zhao Yun's law enforcement officers.
After that, Zhang Chong successively arranged the placement of the troops entering the city, and where and where the troops were stationed, so that the troops entering the city could coordinate and assist each other as much as possible.
After Zhang Chong settled these matters, the civil and military officials headed by He Kui all fell to the ground and congratulated the Taishan Army on taking Kyoto.
Inside the golden tent, congratulations continued, and outside the golden tent there were endless shouts of long live.
It took eight years for the Taishan Army to fight its way from the remote eastern lands, and finally captured the Han capital of Kyoto in the third year of Taiwu.
At this moment, countless old Taishan brothers cried with joy, excited about this hard-won victory.
Zhang Chong was also very moved, and he couldn't help but said to the old brothers:
"I come from a family of plow men, and I often work hard in the fields. All I want is food and clothing every day. It's because you brothers don't think I'm despicable and follow me to raise an army, so that the world will be different again. So today's victory is completely different. Despite your efforts, I still want to tell you that it is still too early to say victory, and we cannot make the same mistake as the previous one."
Afterwards, everyone nodded in agreement.
At this time, He Kui, as the leader of the ministers at this time, came forward and started asking:
"Your Majesty, are we moving our camp to Kyoto today?"
Zhang Chong nodded and explained to He Kui:
"I want the troops to enter the city in the morning to quell the chaos, and in the afternoon we can move into Beigong."
He Kui hesitated for a moment and asked:
"Your Majesty, which door do we enter through?"
Zhang Chong was stunned. Didn't he know which gate to enter the city?
He Kui then explained the symbolic meaning of each door to Zhang Chong.
He said that the king's entry into Kyoto this time was unusual, but represented a major event in the transformation of destiny and must comply with etiquette.
In addition to walking along the road when entering the city, with ceremonial guards leading the way, and ministers following, you must walk slowly and slowly, and you must walk due south, which is the direction of your destiny.
Zhang Chong was surprised. Their main camp was in Beiman Mountain in the north, but when entering the city, they had to take a detour to the south, which meant that they had to circle around Kyoto.
However, Zhang Chong was not willful and listened to this suggestion. For him, respecting the etiquette of this era is not a completely wrong thing.
Although, Zhang Chong is the one who breaks this kind of etiquette the most.
After that, Zhang Chong discussed some details of entering the city with He Kui, such as which camp heads would enter the city with the carriage and where to park after entering the city.
It wasn't until this moment that Zhang Chong saw Xun You standing there, hesitant to speak.
He asked Xun You:
"Gongda, do you have something to say?"
Xun You said respectfully:
"Your Majesty, today our army has won the last great victory in eight years. I should be happy, but I have a question. I wonder what the king's strategy will be after he enters Kyoto?"
After Xun You said these words, everyone present looked at Zhang Chong expectantly.
Zhang Chong pondered for a while. He had thought about this issue, so he revealed a few details:
"After capturing Kyoto, all the combat objectives planned by our army have been completed. At this time, we should be reorganizing our troops and recuperating in Kyoto. But this is not absolute. The current development of the situation in the Central Plains is very conducive to our army. If If the situation permits, I think it is not a bad idea to fight one or two decisive battles in the Central Plains area.”
When they heard that there was still a battle to be fought later, all the generals present looked happy.
But Xun You's face became even more bitter, and he admonished:
"Your Majesty, since we moved from the north to the south to merge the state, the longest battle between the armies has been two years, and the shortest battle has been half a year, and they are already exhausted. And after the capture of Kyoto, I estimate that all the armies will be very energetic. If you are arrogant, your ambition will be fulfilled. And the situation in the capital is not stable. If we launch another attack with Yuan Shao in the Central Plains, it will be unimaginable to have setbacks. "
As he said this, he explained to Zhang Chong:
"In this world, victory and defeat, blessings and misfortunes, joy and sorrow, are like the principles of yin and yang, mutually reinforcing each other. The more you win, the greater the risk of failure. If you are not careful, the situation will turn around soon."
Xun You's words made the military tent fall silent. No one expected that Xun You would give everyone a basin of cold water when the Taishan Army achieved the most glorious victory.
Seeing the king's expression becoming serious, everyone present held their breath.
But Zhang Chong did not get angry. Instead, he stepped down from the stage and bowed to Xun You. He said to Xun You:
"Mr. I must listen to this advice.”
But Zhang Chong also turned to everyone and said:
"When our army goes south to Kyoto, we will operate well in the capital and fulfill all the promises our army made to the people in the capital before the war. Only then will we be able to live up to the people's support for our army. At the same time, you should also explain clearly to the top and bottom of our army. Take it Kyoto is not the end, but a new beginning. It is still too early to talk about victory. Therefore, I intend to continue to maintain the structure of the Tai Kingdom and cancel the ceremony of changing the throne. It is still too early to change the dynasty. "
< br>
As soon as this was said, everyone was in an uproar, but they respectfully obeyed.
At the end, Zhang Chong sat back on the maza and let the generals outside lift all the curtains of the golden tent.
He just looked at Kyoto in the south with everyone in the tent.
There, a large apricot-yellow banner rising to the sky slowly rose above the Kyoto Gate.
The Han Dynasty, which lasted for four hundred years and flourished for the second time, met its demise today.
And the new era has arrived quickly.
Today is May Day, I wish my family a happy holiday.
At this point, the Battle of Shangluo is finally over. The following will be a new chapter: the climax of the Battle of the Central Plains, so I will take a day off tomorrow to sort out the outline.
But family members who are anxious to read don’t worry, because I will post a new chapter at 0:10 on May 3rd, so it won’t affect the reading rhythm.
Finally, I wish my family will still support Xiao Chen, and let us bring this utopian world to an end together. Thanks.
(End of this chapter)