Ever since the Ten Thousand Cavalry stood out from the Featherwood Guard, the Featherwood Guard had actually been divided into two parts. One part was the Ten Thousand Cavalry, while the other was the Featherwood Guard. The Featherwood Guard was further divided into the Left and Right Featherwood Guards.
The Left and Right Generals of the Featherwood Guards were above the Commander of the Ten Thousand Cavalry, but they had no authority to mobilize the Ten Thousand Cavalry. Now that the Wei clan had monopolized power, they had divided the Ten Thousand Cavalry into the Left and Right Ten Thousand Cavalry, and the Left and Right Featherwood Guards were renamed the Left and Right Flying Cavalry.
Thus, the Featherwood Guard had become a rather empty name. In reality, it was composed of the Left and Right Ten Thousand Cavalry and the Left and Right Flying Cavalry. Together, they were known as the Featherwood Guard and were commanded by the Prime Minister and Grand Steward of the Chang'an Military, Wei Wen.
The four armies of the Featherwood Guard were commanded by Wei Hou's nephews, Wei Jie, Wei Zhuo, Wei Bo, and Wei Xuan, as well as Wei Hou's nephew, Gao Chong, and son-in-law, Wu Yanxiu. This sort of dominance was unimaginable for any other emperor.
Extraordinary times called for extraordinary things. If it were just an expedient measure, there was nothing wrong with doing this. The problem was that none of Wei Hou's nephews had the ability to lead an army.
When Wei Hou and Li Xian were imprisoned in Fang Province, Wei Hou's clan had also suffered a severe blow from Wu Zetian. How old had her nephews been at the time? They had been exiled to the south of the Chang'an, suffering from the hardships of life and not receiving the proper education of a noble clan.
Thus, after these people took control of the army, in order to quickly control it and ensure that orders were strictly obeyed, the only method they had used was simple and crude torture. This method had clearly had the opposite effect. Otherwise, Yang Fan, Li Yide, and Wang Maozhong would never have been able to so smoothly infiltrate the winged cavalry camp.
Wang Maozhong and Li Yide were Li Longji's trusted aides.
Wang Maozhong was from Korea. His father had once been a military warfare officer, but he was later executed for committing a crime. The young Wang Maozhong was thus made an official slave and assigned to the Prince of Xiang's estate. Since childhood, he had been Li Longji's companion.
Li Yide was a hero that Li Longji had discovered when he was in Lu Province. This person was originally a servant of a rich gentleman in Lu Province. He was agile and good at shooting, and Li Longji took a fancy to him. He spent fifty thousand taels to buy him and made him his bodyguard.
These two people were sent to the capital by Li Longji to help Yang Fan win over the morale of the army. When it came to controlling people, Li Longji was clearly much better than Li Xian.
When Li Xian first heard that Zhang Jianzhi and the others intended to support him in a coup, he was extremely frightened and did his utmost to shirk responsibility. As a result, Zhang Jianzhi and the others were afraid that he would reveal it out of fear. Before the coup was actually carried out, they had concealed it from him. It was only when it was time to launch that they forced their way into the Eastern Palace and supported him onto the horse.
The direct result of this was that even though Zhang Jianzhi and the others were loyal and devoted to Li Tang's Imperial Family and had never once thought of rebelling against Li Xian, they lacked the respect and reverence that a ruler should have.
Although Zhang Jianzhi and the others didn't necessarily realize that they had this kind of mentality, after the coup d 'état succeeded, they became arrogant and despotic, treating the Son of Heaven as if he didn't exist. As a result, they quickly became enemies with Li Xian.
If Li Xian had pretended to be an ostrich and ignored the coup, and Zhang Jianzhi and the others' coup had failed, would he have been pardoned by Wu Zetian because he didn't know about it? It was simply impossible.
Since that was the case, why didn't he take the initiative to seize control? In this way, he could use his identity as the Crown Prince to recruit more people to work for him, greatly increasing the chances of the coup d 'état's success. In the process, he could establish his absolute authority.
If Li Xian had participated in and been the main leader of the coup d 'état, Zhang Jianzhi and the others definitely wouldn't have been so despotic and despotic after the coup d' état. With their loyalty and ability, if they could get along well with Li Xian, they might be able to recreate the golden age of Zhenguan.
Li Longji didn't make the same mistake as Li Xian. Previously, he had no foundation in the Yulin Guard. He needed the support of Yang Fan, a retired general who had yet to pass his prime, in order to obtain the loyalty of the generals in the army.
But he did not wash his hands of the matter, entrusting everything to Yang Fan. Li Longji had dispatched two of his trusted subordinates to participate in the enlistment in order to express his attitude, to instill a certain idea into these generals.
He wanted all the generals who had pledged allegiance to him to know from the start that Yang Fan was only responsible for building bridges. The one they were truly pledging allegiance to was the Prince of Xiang. In the future, only the Prince of Xiang could bestow them with riches and glory.
This was a political attitude, and also a political wisdom. It was a political quality that a successful leader had to possess.
The Great General of the Left Camp of the Winged Cavalry was Wei Zhuo. Wei Zhuo had three generals under his command: Ge Fushun, Chen Xuanli, and Xiong Mingwei. These three were all old generals of the Yulin Guard. All three of them were currently in Ge Fushun's tent.
The Wei clan was like a nouveau riche. They hadn't cultivated such a deep reserve, didn't have the manpower or resources to replace these middle-ranking and high-ranking generals, but they were already being pushed aside.
The one who had led Yang Fan, Wang Maozhong, and Li Yide into this tent was the Palace Commander of the Right Guard, Maqiao. The windows and doors of the tent were covered with thick blankets to prevent light from leaking out. Fortunately, it was already the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, so it was not stuffy.
The people in the tent sat scattered, all of them solemn. The Ten Thousand Cavalry was Yang Fan's headquarters. Huang Xuchang, Chu Kuangge, and the others had long since been convinced. The people he needed to convince now were the generals of the winged cavalry, whom they had already interacted with several times.
The winged cavalry and the Ten Thousand Cavalry were originally very distinct, with no deep relationship or relationship. However, Wei Jie, Wei Zhuo, and the others often beat and scolded the soldiers, and the Ten Thousand Cavalry and the winged cavalry were in the same boat. With Yang Fan's incitement, Chu Kuangge, Maqiao, and the others frequently interacted with the winged cavalry generals, so they naturally became like-minded friends.
At this moment, the person explaining the pros and cons to the winged cavalry generals was Wang Maozhong. Of Li Longji's two trusted aides, Wang Maozhong was intelligent, alert, and eloquent, while Li Yide was slow and taciturn, resolute, resolute, and calm in the face of danger. The two complemented each other's weaknesses, making them the best match.
Yang Fan had the intention of only being an introducer, so just like when he brought Wang Maozhong and Li Yide to meet with the generals, he spoke very little. Other than the introductions at the very beginning, he would only interject at crucial points or when the generals were hesitating.
If he still had his sights set on officialdom, this was not the time to steal the limelight. Bridging the strings to get the Featherwood Guard to pledge allegiance to the Prince of Xiang was already his greatest achievement, and Li Longji would never forget it. However, if he were to usurp the host's position, the result would be the opposite of what he desired.
Now that Yang Fan had the intention to retire to seclusion, there was even less need for him to firmly control these people, especially Huang Xuchang, Maqiao, Chu Kuangge, and the others. These people were all his good brothers. Since his sights were no longer on officialdom, if he did not give up on his influence over them, he would only be harming them.
The matter of persuading the winged cavalry generals proceeded very smoothly. Yang Fan's influence over the winged cavalry was extremely limited. The reason these generals were able to so readily agree to the Prince of Xiang's request was not because of Yang Fan, but because of Wei Zhuo and the other Wei clan generals.
They viewed the high-ranking generals as their lackeys, either beating or cursing them. At the same time, they embezzled military pay, embezzled military funds, extorted bribes, and so on. These generals had long been enraged but did not dare to speak out. Now that the imperial clan of Li Tang had raised the banner, these hot-blooded men naturally began to respond.
Wang Maozhong and Li Yide solemnly clasped their hands to Ge Fushun, Chen Xuanli, and Xiong Mingwei, declaring: "Good! General Ge, General Chen, General Xiong, it is decided. When the great undertaking is accomplished, the Prince of Xiang and the Prince of Lin Zi will not forget your contributions. "
The three hurriedly returned the greeting. Of the three, Xiong Mingwei was the Confucian General. He answered on behalf of Ge Fushun and Chen Xuanli: "Empress Wei is tyrannical and the Emperor is tyrannical. The Wei clan is running rampant and Li Tang's imperial clan is gradually declining. As ministers of Imperial Tang, we will naturally respond to the Prince of Lin Zi's call to cleanse the muddy stream and uphold the righteous and punish the evil!"
Wang Maozhong smiled and nodded his head. Just as he was about to speak to Yang Fan, the desolate sound of a bugle horn suddenly rang out. The source of the bugle horn should be quite far away. Moreover, the windows and doors are covered with felt so the sound should not be too loud.
However, the men in the tent were discussing the matter of beheading. Upon hearing the sound of the bugle horn, they were shocked. Wang Maozhong unsheathed his sabre with a 'qiang' sound and cautiously took a step back. Li Yide shot towards the door like an arrow and raised his sabre high, preparing to chop down.
Ge Fushun hurriedly explained: "Gentlemen, we are sincerely pledging our allegiance to the wise Emperor and did not reveal your whereabouts."
Although Maqiao did not unsheathe his sabre, he is already gripping the hilt tightly. His tiger-like eyes are staring coldly at the three men. It seems that if anything goes wrong, he will brandish his sabre and kill them.
Hearing the sound of the bugle horn, Yang Fan was startled. His brain worked quickly and he quickly composed himself. In a deep voice, he barked: "Do not panic! General Ge, please go and investigate what is going on. "
Finished speaking, Yang Fan sat cross-legged and calmly said: "All sit down and extinguish the candles!"
As soon as they saw Yang Fan's composure, everyone's panic gradually subsided. Ge Fushun shot a grateful glance at Yang Fan and nodded his head vigorously before walking out in big strides.
Maqiao has a kind of blind trust in Yang Fan. Although he was still unclear about the situation, he was the first to sit down. Waving his hand, he extinguished the candles and the room was immediately plunged into darkness.
After a moment of silence, there is a series of rustling noises as they sat down one by one. A moment later, Wang Maozhong suddenly exclaimed in admiration: "Great General is still astute. That's right, this bugle horn has nothing to do with us."
By this time the others had not realized what was going on. After all, they are all honest and straightforward military officers. Among them, only Xiong Mingwei is a scholar and his brain works fast. Hearing Wang Maozhong's words, Xiong Mingwei suddenly understood. "That's right!" Xiong Mingwei said. "If the Wei faction discovered our plot, they would not have sounded the bugle horn from so far away to alert us."
Hearing this, everyone suddenly understood. In fact, this logic is very simple. However, when a group of people are discussing a major matter that, if they fail, would involve themselves and their entire clans. When the bugle horn suddenly sounds, how many people can calmly analyze the logic behind it?
Yang Fan calmly said: "Unless there is a sudden enemy attack, why would there be a need to sound the bugle horn in the middle of the night? This is the imperial army's main camp. There is no reason to sound the bugle horn in the middle of the night. Although this matter has nothing to do with us, something big must have happened. In a hurry, the arrow sentries on the outside can only sound the bugle horn to warn the camp. If my guess is correct, the next step is to beat the drums and gather the generals. General Chen, General Xiong, the two of you must make early preparations. "
Just as Yang Fan finished speaking, the rumbling sound of war drums can be heard. When Ge Mingshun left the tent, in order to prevent Yang Fan and the others from becoming suspicious, he did not lower the tent curtain. The sound of the drums is very clear. "Ah!" Chen Xuanli and Xiong Mingwei cried out and jumped up.
They had quietly snuck into Ge Mingshun's main tent to discuss matters. They did not wear their armor. Now that the drums were beating and the generals were gathering, they had to hurry back and dress properly before going to the main camp to listen to orders. If they did not arrive after three rounds of drums, they would be beheaded according to military law. Ever since the Wei faction came to power, they were especially strict with military law. No one dared to violate it.
The two of them jumped up. Maqiao and Li Yide reflexively reached for their sabers again. Yang Fan said in a deep voice: "The two of you go put on your armor and quickly go to the main tent to see what has happened. We will wait here for news. "
At this time, on Vermillion Bird Avenue, a carriage, under the escort of dozens of armored soldiers, was also moving as if it was flying. The person sitting in the carriage was Shangguan Wan 'er. She was resting in her mansion today when she was suddenly escorted out by Empress Wei. She did not explain the reason and sped toward the Palace.
On the empty and empty Vermillion Bird Avenue, iron hooves trampled, copper bells jingled, the carriage moved like fire!
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