The curfew in the capital began at the second watch period. In fact, on this cold winter night, there were not many people on the streets at the first watch period.
At the third watch period, the gates of Prime Minister Zhang's manor opened wide. Two light carriages drove out one after the other, hurriedly speeding away under the escort of more than twenty armored guards.
The small workers at the workshop had already been notified in advance. They didn't know why the prime minister wanted to leave the workshop in the middle of the night, but since the prime minister's manor had spoken, they would naturally comply. As soon as they saw the prime minister's carriage arrive, they hurriedly opened the workshop gates. Only when they saw the prime minister's carriage leave did they lock the workshop gates, yawn, and go back to sleep.
At this moment, they would never have imagined that the weather would change the next morning! And among the people participating in the change of weather tonight, there were two people like them, also small workers at a workshop, except that the workshop was in Luoyang.
At the fourth watch period, Yang Fan suddenly came down from the city gate tower, fully armored. Maqiao, Lu Yan, and Gao Chu had long been waiting downstairs. As soon as they saw Yang Fan arrive, they immediately went forward to greet him.
Lu Yan, Gao Chu, Li Dayin, Zhang Xitong, and the others were all Yang Fan's earliest subordinates, and also the people he trusted the most. For this operation, Yang Fan had taken the opportunity of Zhang Jianzhi reorganizing the Yulin Guard to conduct a round of self-correction and self-inspection of the thousand riders. He transferred all these people into Maqiao's brigade, strengthening his control over the brigade's troops.
"Gather the soldiers!"
At Yang Fan's command, the well-trained thousand riders quickly gathered at the Black Tortoise Gate. These well-trained soldiers were already asleep, but at Yang Fan's command, they quickly and neatly dressed and rushed to the city gate. The entire process didn't take more than half an hour, and the entire process was silent.
Everyone stood solemnly, and the north wind whistled. Li Dayin and Zhang Xitong led some of their trusted subordinates and stood on the left and right flanks of the brigade. They stared coldly at the solemn soldiers, guarding against any strange movements. Their hands seemed to be molded to the hilts of their swords, gripping them with unusual strength.
Yang Fan looked with satisfaction at the thousand riders standing solemnly in front of him, and said in a low voice, "Officers and soldiers, I have an important announcement tonight!"
…
Zhang Jianzhi and Cui Xuanhui's light carriage sped along Vermillion Bird Avenue. The patrolling officers and soldiers of the Golden Guards had already received Wu Yizong's orders in advance and had memorized the names of the few people who could not be stopped tonight. When they saw Zhang Jianzhi and Cui Xuanhui's identities illuminated by the lantern banners on the carriage, they did not step forward to stop them. They only stood solemnly by the roadside and watched the Prime Minister's carriage leave.
Zhang Jianzhi and Cui Xuanhui's carriage traveled all the way into the Imperial Palace. Yang Yuanyan, Jing Hui, Huan Yanfan and the others had already gathered their most trusted confidantes, no less than a dozen people each, and were waiting there. As soon as the two Prime Ministers arrived, they immediately followed behind the two Prime Ministers' carriage and sped toward the Black Tortoise Gate.
The procession behind the two Prime Ministers grew larger and larger. Finally, five or six hundred people were gathered, all of them armed with spears and daggers. They walked along the horse road in the middle of the city. Not a single person made any noise. Only the sound of orderly and heavy footsteps and the grinding of armors could be heard, and the sonorous sound of the clanging of armors emitted a murderous aura.
At the foot of the Black Tortoise Gate, the procession stopped. The heavy palace gate was tightly shut. The towering city gate resembled a crouching prehistoric beast. Zhang Jianzhi was helped down from the carriage. He raised his head to look at the city gate, then exchanged a glance with Cui Xuanhui. Suppressing his excitement, he ordered in a low voice, "Send the signal!"
Immediately, two imperial guards lit a lantern and raised it toward the top of the city gate. First to the left, then to the right, they turned three times. Suddenly, a lantern lit up on top of the city gate. It swayed three times toward the bottom of the city gate before extinguishing. A moment later, the city gate creaked open. The pitch-black city gate resembled the wide open mouth of a giant beast.
Jing Hui nervously glanced at Zhang Jianzhi. Although the other party had opened the city gate, it meant that there was no ambush, because if the people inside were hostile toward them, they would definitely not take the risk of letting them enter the palace. The palace gate would definitely be tightly shut. At this moment, the Black Tortoise Gate should be under their control, but this pitch-black darkness still made people feel apprehensive.
Zhang Jianzhi took a deep breath and solemnly said, "Follow this old man!" He was very clear that he could only trust Yang Fan now. There was no turning back now. Since things had come to this, it was already impossible for him to turn back. Even if there was an ambush inside, even if this was a dragon's pool or a tiger's den, he still had to charge in!
"I'll go first!"
Yang Yuanyan placed his saber horizontally in front of his chest and rushed into the Black Tortoise Gate. Jing Hui and Huan Yanfan steeled their hearts and immediately led their trusted imperial guards to follow closely behind. Li Zhan and the rest protected Zhang Jianzhi and Cui Xuanhui in the middle as they followed the vanguard.
"Master Zhang, Master Cui!"
Suddenly, a lantern appeared in front of them. Borrowing the weak light, they clearly saw that the person standing behind was Li Duozuo. Zhang Jianzhi and Cui Xuanhui's tensed hearts suddenly relaxed. If Black Tortoise Gate's general, Yang Fan, had any ulterior motives, he would definitely capture Li Duozuo first. Since Li Duozuo was here, the Black Tortoise Gate should be safe.
The three of them held each other's hands tightly. Li Duozuo said, "Since the two of you have arrived, this general can rest assured. The Royal Forest Guards can immediately move out!"
Li Duozuo said as he took out a Tiger Tally from his robe and called out in a low voice, "Chengxun!"
Li Duozuo's son, Li Chengxun, was also dressed in armor and he hurried forward to welcome them. Li Duozuo passed the Tiger Tally to him and said solemnly, "Take my token and return to the army quickly. Tell your Uncle Zhao, Uncle Cao, and your brother-in-law to strictly guard against the Right Imperial Forest Guards according to our previous agreement. If necessary, we can meet on the battlefield. We must ensure that not a single soldier can kill their way to the Black Tortoise Gate!"
"Yes!"
Li Chengxun replied and took the Tiger Tally from his father's hands. Then, he led a few Tiger Guards and left in a hurry. Zhang Jianzhi didn't give Yang Fan the cold shoulder. The two of them had interacted back in Jiannan. Now that they met again, Zhang Jianzhi solemnly cupped his fists and bowed to Yang Fan, saying, "General has conspired with us on this important matter. We will surely go down in history forever!"
Carrying the lantern, Yang Fan said, "Premier Zhang is too courteous. The preparations have already been made. Time is of the essence, so let's move out immediately!"
Yang Fan's words reminded everyone. Zhang Jianzhi immediately said, "That's right! We will move out immediately! "
Immediately, Zhang Jianzhi hurriedly assigned the tasks. The first group was led by Li Duozuo, Li Zhan, and Wang Tongjiao. They were to go straight to the Eastern Palace to receive the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was where the righteous cause of this operation lay. This banner had to be received.
The second group would be led by Zhang Jianzhi, Cui Xuanhui, Jing Hui, and Huan Yanfan. They would immediately head for the Immortal Welcoming Hall where the emperor resided.
The third group would be led by the Right Imperial Guard General, Yang Yuanyan, and the Left Imperial Guard General, Xue Sixing. They would accompany Yang Fan to guard the Black Tortoise Gate. Once the crown prince arrived, they would close the Black Tortoise Gate and have a thousand cavalrymen guard this important place. Yang Fan, Yang Yuanyan, Xue Sixing, and the others would escort the crown prince to chase after Zhang Jianzhi.
The group split into three groups and went their separate ways. The light in front of the Black Tortoise Gate was extinguished. The night was dark, and the snowy light was dim. Only the bells on the walls of the Black Tortoise Gate could be heard.
…
At this time, the crown prince, Li Xian, was already fast asleep.
Speaking of which, it was funny. Tonight, inside and outside Chang 'an, countless people were sharpening their knives and running around. The flames of war had already been lit, but Li Xian, the commander-in-chief of the three armies, was completely unaware. Because they considered that he was too timid and feared that he would drag them down, no one dared to tell him.
But Li Xian didn't know, but his trusted eunuchs knew. These eunuchs were all people who Wan 'er had chosen to serve Li Xian after he was made crown prince.
These eunuchs did not sleep tonight. They had been quietly waiting in front of the Eastern Palace until Li Duozuo and the others arrived outside. Wang Tongjiao and the eunuchs guarding the gate exchanged a secret signal, and then they immediately opened the palace gate.
After Li Xian returned from Fangzhou to the capital, he quickly arranged for his daughters to marry off. Among them, Princess Xin Ning had taken a fancy to Wang Tongjiao, so Wang Tongjiao was Li Xian's son-in-law. Because of this relationship, the matter of colluding with the eunuchs of the crown prince's palace was handed over to him.
When the palace gate opened, Wang Tongjiao, Li Duozuo, Li Zhan, and the others immediately swarmed in. Four imperial guards were left at the gate, standing guard with their blades drawn. The head eunuchs of the palace led them into the crown prince's residence.
Li Xian did not sleep on the same bed as Consort Wei. His body had long since lost the ability to engage in sexual intercourse, but his wife was in the prime of her life. Often seeing his wife's resentful eyes made him uncomfortable, so he usually slept alone at night.
At this moment, Li Xian was in the middle of a drunken roar when he was suddenly startled awake. Li Xian had just woken up when he found that several eunuchs were supporting him, hurriedly helping him dress. His son-in-law, Wang Tongjiao, was standing in front of the bed. Li Xian asked in a daze, "What happened? Tongjiao, why are you here? "
Wang Tongjiao bowed and said, "Crown Prince, Master Zhang and Master Cui have already gone to greet the emperor at the immortal palace. This son-in-law is accompanied by Grand General Li Duozuo and General Li Zhan. They have come to take the crown prince to greet the immortals and discuss important matters together."
"Ah!"
Li Xian was shocked, his back instantly drenched in sweat. He was not stupid. Once he heard Wang Tongjiao say this, he understood.
Li Duozuo and Li Zhan were waiting at the door. Seeing that Li Xian had already put on his robe, they immediately flashed in and bowed deeply to Li Xian, saying, "The heavens bless Imperial Tang. The Northern Gate and Southern Yamen have unanimously decided to support the crown prince in restoring the Tang dynasty. Your Highness, please follow this subject out of the Eastern Palace and lead the officials to the immortal palace to eradicate the traitors."
"Grand General …"
Li Xian's entire body trembled. He was truly frightened by Li Duozuo's words, to the point that he even stuttered, "Grand General, this … doing this, I'm afraid it's not appropriate …"
Li Zhan stamped his feet and said, "Your Highness, the Northern Gate Imperial Guards have unanimously pledged their loyalty. This is a rare opportunity! Crown Prince, please quickly enter the inner palace to deal with the traitors! We have disregarded our clans and risked our lives to come here. Your Highness, you must not hesitate any longer. The opportunity is fleeting. If you continue to hesitate, I'm afraid that we will all perish together. "
As Li Zhan spoke, he signaled his two subordinates with his eyes. Without waiting for Li Xian to dress properly, he carried him out of the palace.
"What happened? Who are you people? "
Following a stern shout, two lanterns were lit and a figure leisurely walked in. The newcomer was Consort Wei. Her residence was not far from Li Xian's residence. With such a large commotion, how could she not hear it? Consort Wei hurriedly got up, put on a robe, and ran out. Seeing someone supporting her husband, she couldn't help but turn pale with fright.
Hearing the commotion, Wang Tongjiao drew his saber with a "keng". Seeing that it was his mother-in-law, dressed simply and revealing her naked body, he hastily sheathed his saber. Lowering his gaze, he respectfully said, "Crown Prince Consort, we will escort the crown prince to the immortal palace to meet up with the prime ministers. We will execute the traitors, clean out the emperor's side, and restore our Li Tang's empire!"
The matter was urgent and there was no time to explain in detail. As Wang Tongjiao spoke, the crowd had already supported Li Xian as they walked out. Hearing her son-in-law's words, Consort Wei was stunned. For a moment, she didn't know whether she was shocked or happy.
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