Suppressing his anger, Li Zhan said to Li Xian, "The generals disregard their clans and protect the country. What can Your Highness do to them? Now that things have come to this, it's like an arrow on a bowstring that has to be released. This subject is powerless to persuade the soldiers. If Your Highness is unwilling to go, then please persuade the soldiers yourself! "
Although Li Zhan was angry, he also understood that once the mission was accomplished, this good-for-nothing crown prince would become the Emperor. Once he became the Emperor, he wouldn't necessarily be so good-for-nothing. If he offended the Emperor too much now, there was no need to mention his merit. Perhaps the new Emperor would remember his rudeness today and give him a pair of small shoes. Thus, although his tone was resentful, his words were tactful.
At this time, the guards at the palace gate all heard Li Xian's words. Each and every one of them breathed heavily and their eyes turned red, as if they were about to go berserk. Right now, Li Xian had dropped the ball. He was clearly trying to push everyone to their deaths!
Looking at the pained and angry eyes, Li Xian immediately understood that things had come to this and there was no turning back. If he dared to cower, these angry soldiers would probably eat him alive. Li Xian trembled and loosened his hands. He muttered, "I … I am willing to go with everyone. Please … do not disturb the Queen Mother."
This was a race against time. Li Zhan didn't have the time to listen to Li Xian's nonsense. He immediately waved his hand and two soldiers picked up Li Xian and rushed out the door. Immediately, a soldier brought over a horse that had already been prepared. Everyone hastily helped Li Xian onto the horse and rushed towards the Black Tortoise Gate.
The second Black Tortoise Gate change in the history of the Tang Dynasty had officially begun because of the arrival of Li Xian, the indispensable protagonist!
Under the Black Tortoise Gate, the Right Imperial Guard General Yang Yuanyan, the Left Imperial Guard General Xue Sixing, and a thousand of Yang Fan's horsemen were guarding the gate. The gate was ajar, leaving a gap the width of a person. Yang Yuanyan and Xue Sixing were like ants on a hot pan, occasionally poking their heads out to look. Only Yang Fan remained calm.
Suddenly, a group of people rushed over from the distance. Yang Yuanyan immediately unsheathed his saber and asked in a low voice. Li Zhan answered and hurriedly said, "The Crown Prince is here!" Under the Black Tortoise Gate, the soldiers were in an uproar. Although no one dared to shout, their excitement was evident.
At this point, Li Xian couldn't turn back. Once he calmed down, he understood that this was the time to appease the hearts of the people. As soon as he saw the people coming up to greet him, he stammered, "You … you've worked hard. Today, all of you have risked your lives for the sake of the country.
Seeing the crowd, Yang Yuanyan said, "Xian, the Prince, Prince, Xian, and Cui Xian, Master, Yang, Prince, Yang, Palace Prince, Yang Palace Palace Xian." To Li Li, Yang Yang said, "Li Li, Yang Xian, Li, Yang, Master, and Yang Prince, Xian, Palace, Xian Xian Palace, Yang, Yang, Yang," Yang, Xian, "Yang Yang Xian, said, Yang, Yang, Yang, Yang, Xian, Prince.
Xian, and, Fan said to Ma., Emperor, King, Yang, Yang Xian, Yang, Palace, Yang, Xian, Yang,
","
Ma. replied and shouted, ", close the gate!"
The heavy Black Tortoise Gate slammed shut with a loud bang, and a bolt as thick as a person's arm fell down. Ma Qiao and the others immediately armed themselves and entered the city. Yang Fan also raised his saber and chased after the Crown Prince with Xue Sixing and Li Zhan …
… …
"Open the gate!"
Li Chengqi stood in front of the Taiji Palace and shouted angrily.
The Prince of Xiang, accompanied by Sima Yuan Shuji of the Prince of Xiang's estate and his five sons, armed to the teeth, set out at a quarter to two in the second watch period. By this time, they had already arrived at the Vermillion Bird Gate in front of the Taiji Palace, the headquarters of the Southern Guard.
The Imperial Army guarding the capital was divided into the North and the South. The Six Imperial Guards of the Northern Guard were actually the Emperor's personal army. They did not need the court's official order to mobilize troops, nor did they obey the court's orders. They were directly under the Emperor. On the other hand, the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Guard were the true army of the state. They needed the Emperor's decree, the Prime Minister's seal, and the Ministry of War's approval before they could be mobilized.
Most of the guards guarding the various gates of the capital were the Imperial Army of the Southern Guard, mainly consisting of the Meritorious Guard, Feather Guard, Imperial Guard, Left and Right Guard, Left and Right Guard, Left and Right Guard, and the Crown Prince's Three Residences and Three Guards. The various guards took turns on duty, and the garrison and duty intersected. Even the high-ranking officers intersected with each other. The Emperor used this method of mutual inspection to prevent a certain high-ranking officer from monopolizing power.
Li Chengqi and Li Chengyi reined in their horses and sternly shouted at the Taiji Palace guards, "Open the gate!"
When the guards saw them openly carrying weapons, they couldn't help but be aghast and hurriedly raised their spears to guard. In a loud voice, they shouted, "Who goes there? Do you have an imperial edict from the Emperor? Where are the escorts and gate guards?"
Not just anyone could rashly enter an important military area. To enter this important military area, one had to have an imperial edict from the Emperor and be guided by escorts and gate guards. Those soldiers also acted according to the rules.
With a shout, Li Chengqi raised his spear and shouted, "The Prefecture Magistrate of Bingzhou, the Great General of the Left Guard, the Crown Prince's Guard, the Protector-General of Anbei, and His Highness the Prince of Xiang have arrived. Who dares to block the way?"
The Tang dynasty followed the Sui system. The Left and Right Guards were the heads of the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Guard, and Li Dan, the Great General of the Left Guard, was also the highest commander of the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Guard. But although Li Dan's series of official titles sounded rather frightening, the majority of the guards and horses in the capital were managed by generals. The position of Great General was an empty title, and Li Dan's title of Great General was an even more empty one.
But only the generals understood this principle. How could these lowly soldiers understand this principle? Even if they did, they wouldn't have the courage to resist the Great General. In just a moment of shock, Li Chengqi and Li Chengyi had already rushed to the gate. Thrusting out their spears, they exerted strength with their arms and, with a loud shout, sent the two barricades flying more than a zhang away. Then they took their horses and left.
Yuan Shuji, Li Longji, and the others led the Prince of Xiang's estate's adjunct, general, and other civil and military officials, as well as several dozen personal guards of the estate, to protect the Prince of Xiang as they charged into Taiji Palace.
The generals of the guards in Taiji Palace were roused by the urgent drumming of the generals. They hurriedly got up and rushed to the main hall of Taiji Palace. They saw that the hall was brightly lit, and several dozen soldiers in bright armor and wielding sharp blades were arrayed on the left and right sides of the hall. At the very front were five young generals dressed in golden armor. They were escorting a middle-aged man dressed in imperial robes, who was solemnly standing behind the commander's desk.
The Prince of Xiang, Li Dan, solemnly stood behind the commander's desk. He held up the seal of the two Prime Ministers of the Political Affairs Hall and sternly said, "The two Zhangs have rebelled and coerced the Emperor of Heaven. Today, the northern gate and the southern office will eliminate the traitors! Master Zhang and Master Cui have already followed the Crown Prince and led the Featherwood Guard into the palace to capture the traitors. This prince is acting on the Crown Prince's orders to take charge of the southern office! "
The generals couldn't help but look at each other. The Prince of Xiang's words were pleasant to hear. Everyone knew that this was a rebellion against the Emperor, but since the Prince of Xiang had appeared here, the Crown Prince entering the palace was probably true. And if the Crown Prince entered the palace, it would be impossible without the cooperation of the Featherwood Guard and the thousand cavalry of the Northern Gate Imperial Army, the Son of Heaven's personal guards. So …
When they thought about how the Son of Heaven was old and gravely ill, so weak that he couldn't even preside over the new year celebrations, the new emperor's ascension was inevitable. Who would want to resist? Moreover, the Son of Heaven had always relied heavily on the Northern Gate Imperial Army and treated the guards of the southern office as if they were raised by his stepmother. In terms of supplies, supplies, and pay, they were far inferior to the northern office. If the northern office had rebelled, how could they be loyal subjects?
These thoughts were only one aspect. More importantly, if the Prince of Xiang dared to lead such a small force to take over the southern office, who knew which of these generals had already pledged their allegiance to the Prince of Xiang? If they questioned him, would someone immediately pull out a saber and cut them down?
Thus, when the Prince of Xiang finished speaking, the hall was utterly silent. For a long time, not a single one of the generals raised a single question. It was true that this move was partly because the Son of Heaven favored the Northern Office Imperial Army and neglected the Southern Office, causing the southern officers to resent him. But with so many officers present, not a single one of them stood up. This would have been impossible a few years ago.
Wu Zetian's old age had truly become her greatest fatal wound. Her influence, ability to rally supporters, and ability to control were all rapidly disappearing.
The Prince of Xiang swept his gaze around and sternly shouted, "Ten Guards of the Eastern Palace, step forward!"
The Ten Guards of the Eastern Palace were the Crown Prince's Left and Right Guards (military title: 'Chaocheng'), the Crown Prince's Left and Right Imperial Officers (military title: 'Lv Ben'), the Crown Prince's Left and Right Clear Officers (military title: 'Zhi Dang'), the Crown Prince's Left and Right Guard Officers, and the Crown Prince's Left and Right Inner Officers. Of these, the first six commanded three to five regiments of subjugation, while the last four commanded only the soldiers of the inner estate.
The Ten Guards of the Eastern Palace had originally been the Crown Prince's personal army, but ever since Wu Zetian became Empress Dowager, the Crown Prince's military authority over the Ten Guards of the Eastern Palace had been stripped away. But Wu Zetian could only strip the Crown Prince of his military authority over the Ten Guards of the Eastern Palace, but she could not abolish the organization of the Ten Guards of the Eastern Palace, so the Ten Guards of the Eastern Palace still remained.
But because of this, the Empress was also the most vigilant against the Ten Guards of the Eastern Palace. The treatment of the Southern Imperial Army was lower than that of the Northern Imperial Army, and the treatment of the Ten Guards of the Eastern Palace was even lower than that of the Southern Imperial Army. One could easily imagine what the officers of the Ten Guards of the Eastern Palace were feeling, and their loyalty to the Son of Heaven was even less important.
For this reason, the Prince of Xiang had long ago ordered Minister of War Yuan Shuji to make contact with the officers of the Ten Guards of the Eastern Palace. Yuan Shuji had not told them the supreme secret of the military remonstrance. He had only probed and understood them so that he had a certain degree of confidence. The current situation was critical, and the Prince of Xiang was a bit like a fox borrowing the tiger's might. Only by starting with the Ten Guards of the Eastern Palace could he turn the pretense into reality.
The officers of the Ten Guards of the Eastern Palace hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward one by one. As they stepped forward, they still looked left and right, hesitating. Once they stood in front of Li Dan, they knew that since they had taken this stance, there was no way out. As a result, their movements and voices were uniform as they greeted Li Dan.
"Paying respects to the Great General!"
Li Dan raised his voice. "Army of the Super Cheng, quickly follow this Prince's secretary to join the army, Qiu Yue. Increase the defenses of the east and west cities. Remember, do not approach the Imperial Palace!"
At this point, the general of the Super Cheng no longer wanted to retreat. Of everyone present, he was the one who favored Li Tang the most, so he loudly agreed. A person walked out from Li Dan's side and clasped his hands to him. "General, please follow me!"
Li Dan added: "Army of the Lu Ben, quickly follow this Prince to join the army, Dou Xiyue. Assist the Jin Wu Guards in controlling Vermilion Bird Avenue and all the beacons in the capital. Do not allow anyone to approach!"
With the Super Cheng's agreement, the commander of the Lu Ben no longer had any misgivings. Moreover, the Ten Guards of the Eastern Palace should be under the Crown Prince's command. Their sense of belonging is the strongest. Therefore, they readily agreed and hurriedly left with Dou Xiyue.
Li Dan continued: "Army of the Zhi Dang, quickly follow this Prince's secretary, Qiu Wan. Control all the roads from the south to the north. Do not allow anyone to enter or leave!"
The commander of the Zhi Dang army respectfully acknowledged. Li Dan continued: "Where is the Left Commander of the Eastern Palace?"
"This general is here!"
"Quickly follow the Prince of Lin Zi to arrest Zhang Tongxiu and his family!"
"Where is the Left Commander of the Eastern Palace?"
"Quickly follow the Prince of Shouchun to arrest Wei Chengqing and his family!"
Following Li Dan's orders, the soldiers of the Southern Office were mobilized. Once these soldiers are mobilized, they will not know the movements of the other soldiers. The commanders of the different routes will not be able to communicate with each other, making it even more impossible for them to change sides.
At the same time, once these soldiers accept the order, even if it is just following the Prince of Xiang's orders and not leaving the camp, it is equivalent to expressing his stand. The Southern Office is stabilized!
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