Li Longji was relieved when he heard that the news hadn't been leaked. Even though there was still no news from the winged cavalry, Ren Baqian already had the tens of thousands of them under his control. As such, he felt much more relaxed. Li Longji encouraged Maqiao and told him to return to the ten thousand cavalry and await further orders.
As soon as Maqiao left, Xue Chongjian, Liu Youqiu, Zhong Shaojing, and the others gathered around Li Longji, their excitement evident on their faces. Even though Li Longji was very happy, he still tried his best to remain calm. He pretended to be calm and said, "Everyone, please don't be impatient. We still need to wait for news from the winged cavalry."
At this moment, Zhong Shaojing was much more at ease. A smile appeared on his face as he joked, "Your Highness, you are blessed by the heavens and the General-in-Chief Who Supports the Nation is overseeing the Winged Cavalry Camp. Nothing will go wrong."
Everyone in Zhong Shaojing's residence had finally calmed down because of Maqiao's arrival. After one hour, Yang Fan finally brought the four winged cavalry guards and three human heads back to the Imperial Gardens.
Before Yang Fan could step through the door, Li Longji had already heard the news and came out to welcome him. When Yang Fan saw Li Longji, he immediately stopped in his tracks and cupped his hands in a fist salute. He loudly said, "This Yang was fortunate enough to not disappoint you. I have brought back the heads of Wei Bo, Wei Zhuo, and Gao Chong for the Royal Prince!"
Li Longji quickly walked to Yang Fan's side and grabbed his arms, his voice trembling with excitement. "Good, good, good! Great General, we've finally succeeded! "
Yang Fan smiled and said, "It's done. Now, we only need to wait for the Regional King's command before we can send out the troops. How are things going on with the ten thousand cavalry?"
Li Longji said repeatedly, "It went smoothly! Everything went smoothly! The ten thousand cavalry have already succeeded! "
When Yang Fan saw Li Longji's excited face, he reminded him, "Royal Prince, time is of the essence. Quickly give the order!"
Li Longji was reminded by Yang Fan's words. He quickly turned around and said, "Ma Sizong, beat the drums! No! I'll do it myself! "
Li Longji rushed forward and picked up the drumsticks. Standing in front of the drum, he slowly raised his right arm and suddenly stopped. He took a deep breath and saw his chest slowly bulging. He swung his right arm down forcefully. "Dong! Dong! Dong dong dong dong … "
The rapid beating of the drums pierced through the quiet night sky and rapidly spread into the distance. In the Flying Cavalry Camp, Ge Fushun heard the beating of the war drums coming from the Imperial Garden. He unsheathed his saber with a 'qiang' sound and shouted, "Everyone, today is the day to make contributions! We will kill our way into the city and kill the Wei clique. No matter if they are men or women, old or young, as long as they are taller than a horsewhip, we will kill them all without mercy! Charge! "
Ge Fushun led his troops and took the lead in charging towards the palace. According to the plan, the Flying Mount Battalion would be responsible for attacking Xuande Gate and entering the Taiji Palace from the East Palace. The Ten Thousand Cavalry Battalion would attack Jiayou Gate and enter the Taiji Palace from the Yeting Palace.
The reason for this arrangement was that the palace was not the same as before. Due to the death of the late Emperor, he had not yet been buried. The mourning hall was located in the palace, so there was a Thousand Bull Guard in charge of guarding the mourning hall. At the critical moment, this Thousand Bull Guard could very well become a variable in the coup.
Moreover, even though Xuanwu Gate was under the control of the Ten Thousand Cavalry, Yang Fan had learned from the failure of the Crown Prince's rebellion. In order to prevent Empress Wei from escaping with the Young Emperor, he and Li Longji led these hundred elites to enter through Xuanwu Gate.
After the Flying Cavalry and Ten Thousand Cavalry successfully entered the Taiji Palace, the Flying Cavalry loudly shouted the signal at Lingyan Pavilion. Li Longji, who was stationed at Xuanwu Gate, heard the news and immediately rushed over to join them. This way, the three routes formed a triangle.
The Emperor's resting palace, Ganlu Hall, was at the center of these three routes. This way, Empress Wei could not escape. Ganlu Hall was originally the resting palace of the Emperor, but even though Li Zhongmao had ascended to the throne, he could only live in the East Palace.
According to Empress Wei, the late Emperor died in the Empress's resting palace, Li Zheng Hall. If she stayed in Li Zheng Hall, she would often think of him and be too sad, damaging her phoenix body. As a result, she moved into Ganlu Hall.
Those who were not forgetful would remember that back in Luoyang, Prince Xiang Li Dan had been a puppet Emperor for eight years and lived in the East Palace as the Emperor. The Emperor's resting palace was occupied by the Empress Dowager Wu Zetian. Empress Wei imitated Wu Zetian and was always meticulous.
After a round of drumming, Li Longji threw down the drumsticks and said in high spirits: "Come, let's go to Xuanwu Gate!"
Li Longji's hundred subordinates were ready to go. Each person had a white handkerchief tied on their left arm as a symbol. They immediately rushed toward Xuanwu Gate in a clamor.
Tonight, the commander on duty at Xuanwu Gate is Zhang Xitong. He was Yang Fan's comrade-in-arms when he went to the Western Regions. Now, he has accumulated many merits and has been promoted to Lang General.
There are more than a hundred soldiers guarding Xuanwu Gate. Among them, there is a Brigade Commander and two squads who are Wei Jie's trusted aides. When Li Longji and the rest arrived at Xuanwu Gate, Zhang Xitong brazenly made his move. He ordered his trusted aides to kill a few of Wei Jie's men and opened the gates wide for Li Longji to enter.
Xue Chongjian, Zhong Shaojing, Ma Sizong, Wang Chongye and the rest surrounded Li Longji as they barged into Xuanwu Gate. Once they set up a formation outside the city walls, Zhang Xitong hurriedly descended the city walls to pay his respects to the Prince of Lin Zi and his old superior, Yang Fan.
As usual, Yang Fan is dressed like a Junior Colonel. His left arm is also tied with a white handkerchief. To Li Longji, he advised: "Your Highness can wait here. Once Pavilion Ling sends word, you will immediately mobilize your troops and launch a pincer attack on Sweet Dew Hall. This General will go ahead and scout out the situation."
Li Longji already had an appointment with him and naturally understood the reason for his departure. Taking a deep look at Yang Fan, he nodded: "The palace is too chaotic now. Great General must pay attention to your safety."
Zhang Xitong anxiously protested: "Great General, please wait. Let this General deploy a few men to accompany Great General!"
Yang Fan chuckled: "I am not a weak scholar. One man and one sword is enough!"
As he spoke, Yang Fan walked away. He did not appear to be sprinting but seemed to be walking slowly. Nonetheless, his speed is unbelievably fast. After saying 'enough', his figure has already disappeared into the boundless night.
…
Yang Fan knows the Chang 'an Imperial Palace like the back of his hand. Along the way, he walked with ease and familiarity towards the place where Shanghai Wan' er is on night duty. From afar, the sounds of killing shook the heavens. Many palace maids and eunuchs were startled and panicked when they heard the battle cries.
They did not know what happened in the palace and did not know where the commotion broke out from. They just instinctively ran in the opposite direction of the battle cries, like frightened mice looking for a place to hide.
Yang Fan did not expect the other two armies to enter the palace so quickly. Previously, because of Zhong Shaojing's wavering and Wang Maozhong's desertion, Yang Fan was worried that this coup would be even more unsightly than Crown Prince Li Zhongjun's failed rebellion.
But the result was beyond his expectations. The Wei family's regime was like a walnut. The only hard part was the outer shell. Once it was cracked open, the insides would be vulnerable. The process of killing Wei Bo, Wei Jie and the others was so smooth. The process of attacking the palace was also so smooth.
The three valiant generals, Maqiao, Chu Kuangge and Huang Xuchang, led ten thousand cavalrymen and broke through like a hot knife through butter. When the guards heard them shouting, "Empress Wei is happy, poison the former emperor to death, kill the traitor Wei, restore Li Tang!", they either abandoned their weapons and fled or changed sides at the last moment.
If a ruler treats his subjects like dirt, then the subjects will treat the ruler like a bandit. The Wei family really did not treat their soldiers well. When the Wu family was in charge of the military, they were bossy and domineering to outsiders, but they were almost protective of their soldiers.
But what about the Wei family? The Imperial Guard was the ultimate force that protected the Imperial Household and had always enjoyed all sorts of generous treatment. But after the Wei clan came to power, everyone in the Wei Faction, from Wei Wen down, was greedy. They were even greedy for the pay of the soldiers of the Imperial Guard, so who would be willing to risk their lives for them?
The general guarding the Suzhang Gate was called He Lou. He was a trusted aide of the Wei family. When he heard the cries of battle coming from Yeting Palace, he hurriedly put on his armor and climbed the walls. He ordered the gate to be tightly guarded while simultaneously sending a warning into the palace.
But the soldiers guarding the gate were all former subordinates of Chu Kuangge, Maqiao, and the others. Chu Kuangge listed the crimes of the Wei clan and made a wish on behalf of the Prince of Xiang. At the top of the wall, a soldier surnamed Jin suddenly chopped off He Lou's head.
The moment the Suzhang Gate opened, the Taiji Palace was like a little girl whose hands had been tied and whose clothes had been taken off. It could only be ravaged by these rough soldiers.
With a blade in one hand and a torch in the other, Maqiao charged at the very front. He had just run a hundred-some steps when several people rushed over. One of them yelled, "Who gave you permission to retreat? Quickly go back and defend the city! Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"
"Ha! Then execute! "
Maqiao gave a strange laugh and threw the torch into the air. Gripping his blade with both hands, he leaped up like a tiger pouncing on its prey. With a whoosh, he leaped into the air and fiercely exhaled. With a 'Forceful Cleaving Mount Hua', he slashed down at the head of the man who had given the order.
This man held a sword in one hand and a lantern in the other. His clothes were disheveled, his hair disheveled, and he had not even put on a belt. He had heard the alarm and had come with several stout eunuchs wielding staffs. They were just about to rush to the Suzhang Gate to supervise the battle. When he saw a group of people rushing over, he thought that the defenders had escaped.
The Suzhang Gate was one of the palace gates leading into Taiji Palace. The walls were extremely high and the palace gates were thick and heavy. Even if the defenders did not move and allowed them to attack, it would not be a matter of time for the people outside to rush in. How could they break in so quickly?
Therefore, he instinctively thought that the newcomers were routed soldiers. He did not expect that these 'routed soldiers' would actually dare to fight with him. He saw the man pouncing down from the sky like an eagle swooping down from the void. The sharp blade in his hand turned into a shadow, carrying with it a sharp whistle. He was so frightened that he gave a strange cry and raised his sword to meet the attack.
The blade was light and agile, how could it collide with the edge of the blade? Moreover, Maqiao was holding the blade with both hands. His strength was great and his momentum was heavy. In his haste, the man could only raise his sword with one arm to block. With a 'crack', the scabbard tilted. In the midst of a miserable cry, four fingers and the sheathed sword fell to the ground.
Before the sword fell to the ground, the saber had already smashed the sword away and cleaved squarely on the top of the man's head. Maqiao had learned superior saber techniques from Yang Fan, so his saber technique was extremely brilliant. The saber went all the way to the man's chest and was stuck by his sternum.
A large head was cleaved in half by Maqiao's saber. The fat eunuchs following behind the man were stunned at first when they saw this scene. Then they let out a few sharp howls, threw away their rods, and ran away. As they ran, they screamed, "The Prince Consort is dead! The Prince Consort is dead! "
At this time, Chu Kuangge and Huang Xuchang led their men to catch up. They lit a torch and illuminated the scene. Although the man with disheveled clothes and disheveled hair had been split in half from his brow to his chest, and there was a lot of blood splashed on his face, they could still see the two halves of his face.
Chu Kuangge cried out, "Ah! It's Wu Yanxiu! Brother Qiao, you killed Wu Yanxiu, you've done a great service! "
It turned out that the first palace after entering Suzhang Gate was Bai Fu Hall. Princess Anle was currently living here. Wu Yanxiu had entered the palace tonight to make love with his wife and then stayed in the palace. Although this was against the rules, no one dared to control him. After hearing the alarm, Wu Yanxiu hurried to Suzhang Gate to supervise the battle. She didn't expect that she would be killed by Maqiao's saber.
As soon as Maqiao heard that Wu Yanxiu had died to his saber, he couldn't help but laugh. Huang Xuchang enviously called out, "You've already taken the lead, you're not allowed to fight with me for the next one!" Having said that, he exerted strength in his legs and rushed to the front.
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