Ten thousand cavalry camp, Dugu Huizhi's sleeping tent.
Yang Fan had drunk a couple of cups of wine when his expression suddenly changed. He supported himself with the table and tried to get up, but his body was already limp and powerless. He had just straightened his back when he powerlessly slid back down. He felt his hands and feet go numb and powerless to support his body. Yang Fan looked at Dugu Huizhi in astonishment, his face full of disbelief.
Dugu Huizhi slowly put down his wine cup and gazed at Yang Fan. He said apologetically, "Great General, I'm sorry."
Yang Fan barely managed to keep himself from collapsing. The muscles in his throat had also loosened somewhat, so much so that it was difficult for him to speak. "Huizhi, what … are you … doing?"
Dugu Huizhi said, "Great General, don't worry. The poison in the wine isn't fatal."
Yang Fan said with great difficulty, "What … are you trying to do? Did Dugu … Yu … order you? "
His vision began to blur as Dugu Huizhi's figure flickered between clear and misty. Dugu Huizhi's voice rang in his ears, sometimes near and sometimes far, "The clan lord doesn't know what I'm doing. He's always given me orders when necessary. Why would he care what I'm thinking?"
Yang Fan gradually collapsed and finally lost consciousness. Dugu Huizhi was still speaking, "He's never needed to understand me. Although we share the same surname, he was born high and mighty. As for me … no matter how hard I try, I can only bow my head and listen to his orders. Great General, do you understand this feeling? "
The curtain was lifted and several knife-wielding soldiers flashed in with extremely nervous expressions. They all heaved a sigh of relief after seeing that Yang Fan had already fainted. One of the captains said in a low voice, "Has Lang General succeeded? It's almost time, we must act immediately. "
Dugu Huizhi nodded and stood up. He ordered in a deep voice, "Tie up the Great General."
The captain was startled. "Lieutenant Commander, why go through so much trouble? Can't we just chop him down?"
Dugu Huizhi said with a cold expression, "The one we want to rebel against is the Son of Heaven, not the Great General. What's the point of killing him?"
The lieutenant hesitated, "But … didn't General Li Chengkuang say that the Grand General must be killed?"
Dugu Huizhi said, "If we succeed, the Great General is nothing to worry about. If we want to kill him, let the Crown Prince do it. If we fail, it's not the Great General's turn to kill me. The Great General has treated me well. Now that I have him under control, why should I let my blade be stained with the Great General's blood? "
The captain said, "But …"
Dugu Huizhi suddenly turned his head, his hand on the hilt of his saber, his face full of murderous intent. "Are you listening to me or Li Chengkuang?"
The lieutenant's expression turned cold as he hurriedly lowered his head and said, "Naturally, I will obey the Lieutenant General's orders!"
Yang Fan was tied up tightly and his mouth was gagged with a rag. Dugu Huizhi looked at the commander's seal found on Yang Fan's body and put it into his bosom. He waved his hand and said, "Let's go!"
The few of them hurriedly walked out of the tent. The candle in the tent was still flickering.
…
There were originally five battalions of one thousand cavalry. After expanding to ten thousand cavalry, it had become an enormous corps. The five lieutenant generals under Yang Fan had all been promoted to Lieutenant General. Each of them was in charge of a vast camp. Dugu Huizhi held Yang Fan's commander's seal and hurriedly rushed to his own camp. He immediately began to mobilize the troops.
In order not to alarm the other battalions, Dugu Huizhi did not mobilize all the troops in his own camp. He only mobilized two regiments of troops. Each regiment had a lieutenant who was in charge of two brigades. Each brigade had a brigade commander who was in charge of one hundred men. Two regiments of troops meant four hundred men. In addition to the one hundred personal guards directly under him, there were five hundred men in total.
The only ones who truly knew what was going to happen tonight were a dozen or so of his most trusted imperial bodyguards. Even these officers did not understand the reason for the sudden gathering of troops. Two lieutenants and four brigade commanders hurriedly finished assembling. Fully armed, they entered the tent to pay their respects to Dugu Huizhi.
These two lieutenants were called Cai Gu Fu and Cui Lang. Once he saw Dugu Huizhi, Cui Lang nervously asked, "Lieutenant General, did something happen to gather the troops at midnight?"
Dugu Huizhi coldly said, "There has been a great change in the imperial court. Following the Great General's orders, our troops are to immediately rush to the Eastern Palace and await the Crown Prince's orders."
These lieutenants and brigade marshals had all participated in the Dragon God's coup d 'état, and it was because of their contributions in that battle that they were promoted. Now that they heard Dugu Huizhi's words, their hearts skipped a beat. "Why? Another mutiny? "
Cai Gu Fu cupped his fists and said, "Lieutenant General, do you have the Great General's orders?"
Dugu Huizhi raised his hand and threw Yang Fan's commander's seal into Cai Gu Fu's arms. Cai Gu Fu caught the commander's seal and carefully examined it under the light before handing it over to Cui Lang for inspection. The two of them looked at the commander's seal and exchanged a look. They respectfully returned the commander's seal to Dugu Huizhi. Taking a step back, they cupped their fists and said, "We will follow the Lieutenant General's orders!"
Dugu Huizhi's heart was about to jump out of his throat. He secretly let out a sigh of relief and suppressed his nervousness. Pretending to be calm, he put away the commander's seal and shouted in a low voice, "Follow me out of the camp and immediately head to the Eastern Palace."
…
Crown Prince Li Zhongjun raised his head in anticipation. Finally, Dugu Huizhi's troops arrived.
If Li Zhongjun wanted to launch a mutiny, the troops at hand could be considered useful. However, he had to wait for Dugu Huizhi. This was because Dugu Huizhi was also a core member of the Blood Alliance who participated in the mutiny. If he didn't even send a single soldier, then there was an eighty to ninety percent chance that something unexpected had happened. The Crown Prince's side would have to quickly adapt. How could he be at ease to launch a mutiny?
Seeing Dugu Huizhi arrive with his troops, Li Zhongjun was overjoyed. He said, "Generals, the treacherous officials are in charge. The country is in danger. Tonight, let us use the sharp swords in our hands to turn the tide!"
Li Duozuo said, "Crown Prince, please give your orders!"
Li Zhongjun said, "I have thought about it carefully. Great General and I will personally lead the way. We will attack the Liang Household and eliminate this treacherous official. My Imperial Uncle Wang Qiansui will lead the way. We will occupy the palace's various gates and clear the obstacles for us to enter the palace. As long as we kill King Liang, the Wu Clan will not be a threat. Once this person is dead, our external aid will be cut off. After we enter the palace, we can act calmly. "
The people present were all military generals. Many of them were uncouth men who didn't even know how to read. Although they were experienced in charging and breaking through enemy lines on the battlefield, they really didn't have much experience in something as difficult as a coup. Even though Li Duozuo had personally participated in the Dragon God's coup, it was someone else who had formulated the strategy. He was only responsible for carrying it out and didn't understand the overall plan. As a result, when Li Zhongjun said this, everyone felt that it was very logical.
Although Li Chengkuang was Lu Binzhi's spy, all he could do was intensify the conflict between the Crown Prince and Princess Anle and fan the flames of the Crown Prince's ambitions. He could not interfere too much. Otherwise, Lu Binzhi, who had been hiding behind the scenes, would be exposed in front of the stage. Thus, he was only responsible for inducing the Crown Prince to follow their plan and walk the path of rebellion. As for how the Crown Prince would rebel and who he would ultimately win over, that was not something he could guarantee.
Li Chengkuang himself was only a military general. Even though he was a successful spy, this was the first time he had participated in something as complicated as a coup. When he heard the Crown Prince's arrangement, he felt that it was very reasonable, so he agreed without any hesitation.
The Crown Prince became even more confident when he saw everyone's response. He said, "Imperial Uncle, you, General Shachi, and General Li Sichong will seize the palace gates in the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn. If we can trick the gates, then use them. We can only seize them as a last resort to avoid alerting the inner palace too early. "
Li Qianli, Shachi, and Li Sichong cupped their fists and said, "Understood!"
The Crown Prince unsheathed his sword and said to Li Duozuo, Yehuli, and Dugu Huizhi, "Generals, please follow me to kill King Liang!"
The Northern Yamen's Featherwood Guard, Ten Thousand Cavalry, and Golden Guards immediately took action. The two captains that Dugu Huizhi had transferred hurriedly followed the Crown Prince, Li Duozuo, and the others to the Liang Manor in the south of the city. When they thought about the Crown Prince's various arrangements and how they didn't see the Great General Yang Fan, the two of them couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Cai Gu Fu whispered, "Old Cui, why don't I see the Great General?"
Cui Lang said, "That's right. Also … don't you think it's strange? If the Crown Prince wants to break into the palace, why doesn't he go through the Black Tortoise Gate? If he wants to break into the inner palace from the Eastern Palace, he would have to pass through at least four or five palace gates. How could the palace not receive news and react accordingly? To give up what's near and seek what's far away … this isn't right. "
The more Cai Gu Fu thought about it, the more he felt that something was wrong. He quietly grabbed Dugu Huizhi and asked him about it. Dugu Huizhi's expression was calm as he said, "The Great General has other important matters to attend to. There is no need for you to ask too much. As for the Black Tortoise Gate, to tell you the truth, Maqiao, who is guarding the Black Tortoise Gate tonight, is no longer of the same mind as the Great General. Naturally, he can't go through the Black Tortoise Gate directly to the inner palace. "
Among the Ten Thousand Cavalry Generals, the one who was closest to the Great General was Maqiao, followed by Chu Kuangge. Now that Dugu Huizhi said that Maqiao and the Great General were at odds, the two captains found it even more strange. But Dugu Huizhi didn't allow them to ask any further. He hurriedly shouted, "Hurry up!"
Now that things had come to this point, even if Cai and Cui had a bellyful of questions, they could only put them away and follow the Crown Prince to the Liang Manor.
The Crown Prince, sword in hand, gritted his teeth as he rode on the tall horse. He seemed to already see himself chopping off Wu Sansi's dog head and stabbing that little slut An Le into a pulp.
The more Li Zhongjun thought about it, the happier he became. He almost immediately began to laugh wildly.
…
In the Ten Thousand Cavalry Camp, Yang Fan slowly woke up.
He had been drugged with something similar to a knockout drug, and Dugu Huizhi had taken quite a bit of it. Logically speaking, he shouldn't have woken up so quickly. But Dugu Huizhi's men had tied him up too tightly. Before leaving, they had pulled a blanket over his body. On such a hot day, the unconscious Yang Fan was drenched in sweat. The drug's effects had spread, and he had actually woken up ahead of time.
Yang Fan had just woken up, so he was still a bit dizzy. His mouth was dry, and his tongue was agitated. He gasped for breath for a while, and only then did he realize that he was covered by a blanket. Yang Fan hurriedly struggled, only to find that he was tied up from head to toe. Coils of rope tied him tightly. It was difficult for him to twist his body left and right, let alone get rid of the quilt on his body. Yang Fan wanted to cry out, but he discovered that there was a rag stuffed in his mouth, and it was even tied up with strips of cloth. There was no way he could spit it out.
"Dugu Huizhi has rebelled!"
Yang Fan understood. They were just like the disciples of the branch families that had followed him and Yang Fan to break off their relationship with the seven sects and five families. They had a certain amount of power, and had the chance to leap through the dragon's gate. Desire and ambition grew, and they would not be willing to forever be under someone else just because of their bloodline.
How were the branches and main branches of the noble families established? Wasn't it hundreds or thousands of years ago when the ancestor of this branch became a general and established their undying status in the family? If they could fight for great power, they could do the same after a few generations. Otherwise, they would be like the Bo Ling Cui and the Qing He Cui, and split off to establish their own commandery.
Yang Fan grimaced inside. In the past, he had paid too much attention to the court, and Xian Zong had almost been in trouble. In this year, he had been working hard to control Xian Zong, but who knew that a problem had occurred in the military. There was a limit to one's strength, and this was the fault of being distracted.
Yang Fan hadn't finished reflecting when he suddenly thought of something. He instantly broke out in a cold sweat. "Oh no! Wan 'er is on duty in the palace tonight. In the chaos, will she be safe? "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
