Early the next morning, facing the rising sun, a mighty and majestic army marched into Luoyang City. As soon as the troops entered the city, their strong military posture, solemn and unique military attire, and orderly troops that were like a forest that could topple a mountain attracted the attention of the people of Luoyang.
Soon, they heard that these were the "Hundred Horsemen" of the past and the "Thousand Horsemen" of today. It was said that these were the imperial guards that the Emperor used the most.
Yang Fan first led the army to the Featherwood Guard to collect the Kanhe and Tortoise Talismans, and then led the soldiers into the city to receive the Black Tortoise Gate. In the past, the Black Tortoise Gate had always been guarded by the 'Hundred Horsemen'. When the 'Hundred Horsemen' were transferred to form the 'Thousand Horsemen', the Black Tortoise Gate was temporarily handed over to the Featherwood Guard to guard. Now that the army was established, it was only natural that they would take over again.
The former soldiers of the Hundred Horsemen had all been promoted. The original Hundred Horsemen had now become cooks, and each of them was in charge of ten people. Now, they led their own teams and led them on a quiet patrol around the palace, familiarizing them with the roads, the palace rooms, and the restricted areas. They explained to them the route and the rules of the night patrol, as well as the locking of the palace doors.
In fact, guarding the Black Tortoise Gate did not require a thousand soldiers, unless it was a special time, such as when there was a great turmoil in the capital. Yang Fan had brought them all here today to let all the soldiers familiarize themselves with the situation in the palace and understand the residences of the Emperor and the important people in the palace. This way, if there were any changes, they would be able to protect the target in time.
As the commander of the thousand riders, Yang Fan was responsible for the military affairs of the thousand riders. Normally, he did not need to guard the Black Tortoise Gate. Of course, if he wanted to, he could enter the palace at any time before the gate was locked. This was what Wan'er liked the most. Otherwise, the palace gate was as deep as the heavens, and it would be as difficult as the cowherd and the weaver girl meeting on the bridge of the magpies.
Although Yang Fan did not need to be on duty at the Black Tortoise Gate every day, as the most important gate in the palace, a Lang General was required to stay here every day to keep watch. There were five Lang Generals in the Thousand Cavalry Guards, and they took turns to be on duty.
When it was almost dusk, General Xu Liang brought 900 soldiers out of the city.
Outside of the northern part of the city was the Imperial Guard's encampment, and the distance from the Imperial City varied. Among them, the closest was the Featherwood Guard, and within the Featherwood Guard, the Thousand Horsemen Camp was the closest. Inside the Thousand Horsemen Camp, there was a seal that was usually sealed. At least one of the Middle Minister Generals and the Chief of Censorates must be present, in addition to at least three Minister Generals must be present at the same time to open it. Only when all the above people signed their names can it take effect.
Even Grand General Wu Youyi of the Featherwood Guard did not have this sort of troop deployment checklist. This was for when an emergency occurred in the Palace and the Emperor was unable to issue the Tiger Seal to mobilize troops, the Thousand Horsemen Camp would automatically decide whether or not to dispatch troops. As long as a majority of the high-ranking officers agreed, this checklist could mobilize the troops and horses of the headquarters and make an exception to enter the city at night.
In the Emperor's view, it was impossible for a thousand people to rebel. Once there was a change in the Palace, a thousand people, relying on the strength of the Palace, would be enough to protect her safety until she understood the situation and sent an army to rescue the Emperor. That was why the Thousand Cavalry Camp had such an advantage.
Xu Liang brought his men back to the barracks, but Yang Fan remained in the city.
In reality, he was now a soldier. Although his family was in the city, it was not legal for him to casually return to the manor or stay overnight at home. However, Wu Zetian had also given him the title of "Disciplinary Commissioner for Rectifying Misconduct". How could he rectify misconduct if he stayed in the barracks all day? It should be known that the night patrols of the Jin Wu Guards were also within the scope of his supervision.
With this reason, he could openly stay in the city without fear of being impeached by the imperial censors. However, his main task was still with the Thousand Horsemen. Even if no one impeached him, it was still inconvenient for him to stay overnight in the city, unless he was willing to lose the power of the Thousand Horsemen.
When Yang Fan returned to the Yang manor, he went straight to the study.
The study was assigned a little page boy who was usually only responsible for serving tea and sweeping the room. He was Steward Niu's little grandson. When he saw Ah Lang immediately rush to the study after returning to the manor, the little boy knew that his master was either going to have a guest or had important business to attend to. So he immediately lit an incense burner and gently placed it on the low table before making a cup of tea for him.
A faint fragrance spread out and had a calming effect. Yang Fan picked up the teacup and took a sip. As the slightly astringent and fragrant tea entered his mouth, he suddenly remembered that this way of drinking tea was taught to him by Shen Mu. The tea that the high nobles and Dhyana masters drank nowadays was a bit too strong. He was not used to it.
Yang Fan thoughtfully took another sip of tea. The cigarette smoke floated in front of him and gently transformed into different shapes in the air. Sometimes it was like a cloud, sometimes it was like a word, and sometimes it was like a face.
Yang Fan looked at that "face" and vaguely saw the "Young Master Jiang" that he had not seen in a long time smiling at him. "I lost! Defeat after defeat, defeat after defeat, until I was utterly defeated, and even my foundation was lost. Otherwise, those old ghosts of the five families and seven sects would not have abandoned me. How would you have had the chance to fight for my position! "
The "face" was twisted like the face of a devil laughing savagely. "Now it is up to you. You have replaced me, so you have to shoulder the responsibility that I should have. But he has been back for a year and you have not heard anything. It seems that those old bastards are more inclined to train him between you and him. I really want to see your end, hahahaha … "
Yang Fan gently exhaled. The devil's face in front of him was blown away. Yang Fan started to think quietly. "Why did Shen Mu deliberately hide his tracks when he returned to the Central Plains?"
Yang Fan put himself in Shen Mu's shoes and analyzed in reverse. This way, it was easier for him to grasp the other's mentality. Only by understanding the other's mentality could he decide what countermeasures to take next.
"I replaced the position of" Young Master Jiang "and had to protect the interests of the people of the Xian Sect. Shen Mu was not willing to be under the Xian Sect and rose up step by step until he was on equal footing with" Young Master Jiang. " In the end, there was a fierce battle in Chang 'an. Young Master Jiang was forced to give up most of his foundation in Chang' an and ran to Luoyang in hopes of making a comeback. Shen Mu was also punished and was "exiled" to Xin Luo.
But at this time, I replaced Young Master Jiang and became the master of the Xian Sect. While Shen Mu and I have similar intentions in court, in terms of the specific interests of the two groups, we became the greatest competitors. He had to be on guard against me.
He was able to defeat Young Master Jiang mostly because of his intelligence and intelligence and using Young Master Jiang's arrogance. In summary, the Hidden Sect was born from the Xian Sect, but its foundation is not as deep as the Xian Sect. So he is on guard against me because he does not know what position I will have against him after I take control of the Xian Sect.
As long as he is not stupid, he will not jump out to see me first and ask me for an explanation. He should first observe me in the dark and understand my temperament, ambitions, and goals. At the same time, he will consolidate the Hidden Sect's foundation in Chang 'an to prepare for any eventualities. When he is fully prepared and knows my temperament like the back of his hand, he will then be as confident as when he dealt with Young Master Jiang! "
When Yang Fan thought of this, his brows slightly knitted together. "However, this is only the best plan. Everything must be prepared for the worst. What if Shen Mu's goal isn't just this? What if after Young Master Jiang failed, his ambitions grew and he wants to catch up from behind and use the Hidden Sect to swallow up the Xian Sect? "
Yang Fan stood up and slowly paced in the study room. "If he has such a plan, then it is reasonable for him to conceal his whereabouts and consolidate his foundation, increase his strength, and even attempt to attack me when I am not vigilant. I have to … I have to prepare for the worst. "
After Yang Fan analyzed Shen Mu's goal, he immediately analyzed the mentality of the seven sects and five families. It was impossible for them not to know that Shen Mu had returned. However, everyone had coincidentally concealed this information from him. What was their attitude? It should be known that no matter if it was Shen Mu or him, no matter how they jumped around, it was impossible for them to escape from the seven sects and five families. Therefore, their attitude was extremely important.
If they wanted to protect Shen Mu and abandon him, Yang Fan, then he wouldn't have to put in any effort to fight for it. He could just withdraw from the Xian Sect and obediently be a wealthy man in Luoyang who also had a bright future as a general of the Imperial Army. However, if the seven sects and five families had such a plan, with his current shallow foundation in the Succession Hall, it would only take a word from those clan heads. Why would Shen Mu act as if he was facing a great enemy?
After thinking for a long time, Yang Fan gradually grasped the pulse of the clan heads of the seven sects and five families. "They cannot bear to see me, who is gradually growing in power in the court, but they also do not wish for one clan to be dominant!"
Shen Mu and Young Master Jiang had used food as a weapon to start a business war in Chang 'an. "Young Master Jiang" had lost, but it was impossible for Shen Mu to come out unscathed. Even if he won, it would be a pyrrhic victory, and he would be greatly injured. There were at least three reasons why the seven sects and five families had chased him to Xinluo as a punishment.
First, their fighting had already harmed the interests of the seven sects and five families, and they had to be punished. Otherwise, if they were allowed to fight openly and secretly, it would go against the original intentions of the seven sects and five families in establishing the Succession Hall. Second, they did not want Shen Mu to kill Young Master Jiang. Regardless of whether the Xian Sect or the Hidden Sect had the upper hand, they were all on their side, and it did not matter. However, this kind of balance was what the prestigious families hoped for. They did not want any of the factions to be too powerful to handle. Third, to open up the Xinluo market, it was probably to allow Shen Mu to compensate for the losses suffered by the various prestigious families in this fight.
Yang Fan pondered for a long time and felt that this was the most likely intention of those Clan Heads. Then, there could only be one motive for them to allow Shen Mu to quietly return to the central plains to carry out his activities and to conceal this information from him.
They wanted to give Shen Mu a chance to recover. He now had an official identity, and it looked like his future was getting brighter and brighter. He also had a close relationship with a few influential factions in the imperial court. In the eyes of the Clan Heads, the hardest person to restrain in the future was not Shen Mu but him. Therefore, they needed the powerful Hidden Sect to restrain them.
Back then, when the Hidden Sect grew stronger step by step under their noses, they probably added fuel to the fire in the dark and provided assistance, right? However, back then, their motive was to restrain the arrogant, stubborn, and powerful 'Young Master Jiang.' Now, it was Yang Fan's turn.
When he thought of this, Yang Fan couldn't help but smile bitterly. In their eyes, I, a boy with the surname Yang, who has no roots and no background, is already as influential as Young Master Jiang who has the Fanyang Lu Clan's backing?
That was what the Clan Heads thought, but did Shen Mu think the same? If he wanted to control the Obvious Sect, once he succeeded, he would be able to smoothly control the entire Succession Hall with his foundation of complete control over the Hidden Sect. By then, even if the seven sects and five families opposed this situation, they wouldn't be able to easily fall out with him. Furthermore, among the seven sects and five families, at least the Longxi Li Clan was Shen Mu's backer.
The seven sects and five families were playing with fire!
Yang Fan let out a long sigh and thought to himself, Alright then! If you want to fight, then let's have a fight first. Whether it's a fight or a draw, we have to have a fight first. In terms of age, I can only be your younger brother, but in terms of anything else, I will not allow you to ride on my head!
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