A wave of hurried footsteps rang out on the palace walls. A few armored imperial soldiers rushed in front of the two of them, knelt down on one knee, and said a few words. Fan Xian stood behind the Great Prince and listened calmly. He did not feel any shock in his heart. After a night of searching, they had captured the empress but not the Crown Prince. The soldiers sent to the Ye and Qin families had also come up empty.
Just like how the Eldest Princess had sent people to surround the Fan manor, they had also come up empty. Even though these older figures no longer had the ruthlessness of the past, they could still see the direction of the storm clearly. Since the Ye and Qin families had hardened their hearts to lead the Eldest Princess in rebellion, how could they let Fan Xian and the others capture any useful hostages?
As for the other personal officials, they split up to report to the Great Prince on the current defensive situation in Jingdou. The Great Prince furrowed his brows slightly as he listened. He waved his hand for them to leave. Turning to Fan Xian, he said, "The situation at hand is that if we retreat into the Palace according to the plan, it is the same as giving them all the territory outside the Royal Palace. If the rebel army sets up their formation and surrounds the Palace, we will no longer have the power to overturn the situation. "
Fan Xian looked at him.
"The problem is, if we begin to harass the moment the rebel army enters the city, we will only be able to harass them. It won't be of much use at all," the Great Prince said. "I have too few soldiers in my hands."
At this time, the sun had already risen. The red rays of light shone on the vermilion red walls of the palace and then reflected out, causing the entire palace and the large square in front of it to be enveloped in a warm color. Even the clear and quiet moat at the back of the palace was soaked in a heart-palpitating red, like fresh blood.
"If we want to delay, we must attack the moment they enter Jingdou," the Great Prince looked at the morning sun and narrowed his eyes. The Great Prince looked at the rising sun and narrowed his eyes. "The problem at hand is that the Overwatch Council's secret agents are blocked off by the four walls and have no way of sending in intelligence reports. We must guess which city gate the army will enter the capital from."
"There is some distance from the city gate to the Royal Palace. It is enough for us to kill some of their spirit," Fan Xian said with his head lowered. "If I really have to guess which city gate the army will enter the capital from, I bet Zhengyang Gate."
"I have the same thoughts." The Great Prince nodded. The rebel army was heading straight for Jingdou from Yuantai Camp. The closest city gate was Zhengyang Gate. Furthermore, the offices of the 13 city gate guards were also located there. Although Zhang Deqing had rebelled, only that city gate was personally controlled by him. It was the safest and smoothest route for the Eldest Princess' army to enter the capital through that gate.
The First Prince frowned and said, "I left a group of cavalry there."
Fan Xian glanced at him. A strange light flashed through his eyes. The difference in strength between them and the enemy was too great. It was impossible to defend against the enemy outside the city gates. However, he and the Great Prince had to give the rebel army a deep, memorable blow the moment they entered the city. Only then could they reduce the rebel army's spirit.
However, this group of soldiers would definitely be swallowed up by the surging power of the army, and not a single one of them would survive.
Seeming to sense what Fan Xian was thinking, the Great Prince furrowed his brows slightly and said in a low voice, "As a soldier of the Qing Kingdom, it is only right that we risk our lives."
Fan Xian thought bitterly. It was only a struggle for power among the Emperor's family, yet they wanted these common soldiers to shed their blood. At this moment, a gust of morning wind swept past. Along with the wind were some voices filled with hot-bloodedness and murderous intent. It was the colonels of the Imperial Army who had begun to mobilize their subordinates for the final battle. For a time, the atmosphere inside and outside the Imperial City was somber and the air seemed to be filled with tension.
"I ask you one last time. Do you want to leave?" The Great Prince narrowed his eyes and looked at the city gate in the east. He didn't even glance at Fan Xian. "Once the army has surrounded the Palace, it will be impossible to break through."
He and Fan Xian had discussed this a number of times. The Great Prince was willing to lead the Imperial Army to lure the rebel army into Jingdou to carry out a bloody slaughter. Fan Xian, with the help of a thousand Overwatch Council secret agents, would lead the people in the Palace to find a way out, kill their way out of the city gates, and quickly head south to Weizhou.
Fan Xian gently shook his head, just like he had the last few times they had discussed it. Putting aside the possibility of success in breaking through, even if they could, he would not let the Great Prince be torn to pieces by the Eldest Princess's army alone. Furthermore, he still had a great hope in his heart that kept his feet firmly on the palace walls.
He followed the direction of the Great Prince's gaze and stared at the increasingly solemn Zhengyang Gate under the rising sun. He didn't say a word.
Jingdou did not wake up with the rise of the sun. Hundreds of thousands of commoners stayed in their homes in fear, straining their ears to listen to the movements outside. The streets between the private residences, Tianhe Avenue, and various yamens were all empty and silent.
It was so quiet and cold that it made one feel that the early day was still an endless night. Jingdou had become an isolated city, a dead city.
An ominous sound suddenly came through the morning wind. It seemed that the heavy Jingdou city gates had been opened by someone.
There was no sound of horse hooves or horse neighing. There was no sound of armor and longswords clashing against each other. There was no military banner fluttering. At such a distance, one shouldn't be able to hear the sound of the city gates opening and closing.
In such a deathly silent Jingdou, any strange movement from the city gates would touch on the sensitive thoughts of the people in the Royal Palace.
Fan Xian abruptly turned his head and looked in a few directions to the west and south. He focused on the green smoke that the Overwatch Council secret agents had risked their lives to send out. His pupils constricted slightly. A moment later, he and the Great Prince met each other's eyes and said, "We all guessed wrong."
The expression on the Great Prince's face was extremely serious as he nodded his head.
Green smoke rose in all directions as the horn gradually sounded. Looking down from the Royal Palace, one could see that dozens of clumps of dust had appeared on the outer walls of Jingdou in different directions. The sound of hooves was like thunder. It was rumbling from the city gates, following the roads in all directions in Jingdou, toward the Royal Palace.
Fan Xian and the Great Prince had guessed that the rebel army would enter the capital through Zhengyang Gate. They had not expected that the rebel army would enter the capital so openly and forcefully from all nine city gates at the same time.
The two princes on the palace walls sucked in a breath of cold air and wondered just how many people the Eldest Princess had in the rebel army. They dared to divide their forces to enter the capital through the nine city gates and openly suppress the city, creating such a terrifying scene.
In an instant, Jingdou was surrounded by smoke.
…
Outside Jingdou's Zhengyang Gate, the yellow earth was crushed and crushed by the galloping hooves of horses. It was then kicked up and turned into a cloud of dust and smoke. It gradually rose and became a cloud of yellow smoke, blocking out the light from the rising sun above the horizon. It made both inside and outside the city gate somewhat dark.
The 5,000-man cavalry army rode in a row of five at a steady speed toward the wide open Zhengyang Gate. Everything appeared silent and fast. The dust kicked up by the horses' hooves was swept into the city gates by the charge of these fine horses. It looked like a headless and tailless yellow dragon struggling endlessly into Jingdou with the intention of swallowing those pitiful commoners.
In the yellow soil that filled the sky, a large military flag was fluttering in the wind. A large "Qin" character was painted on the black flag. The last stroke of the "Qin" character was forcefully thrust out. It looked like an indestructible power. Even in the sky full of dust, it was still full of murderous intent.
The former Deputy of the Bureau of Military Affairs, the present Commander of the Jingdou Garrison, and the leading figure of the second generation of the Qin family, Qin Heng was under this flag. He calmly watched his army enter Jingdou with an unstoppable aura.
He narrowed his eyes but did not cover his mouth and nose to avoid breathing in the yellow soil. He only calmly watched all of this. An unusually complicated emotion rose in his chest. As the Commander of the Jingdou Garrison, he was very familiar with Zhengyang Gate. He knew that if the city gates were tightly shut and they only relied on these 3,000 riders, they would probably not be able to charge into Jingdou even after three years.
The Qing Kingdom's capital had been surrounded by foreign enemies before, but it had never been broken into the city. This Jingdou, which did not have a long history, fully demonstrated its powerful defensive power.
Now, this Jingdou city gate had finally fallen. Just as Zhuang Mohan had once said in his book, the most powerful capitals in history were often taken from the inside.
The Qing Kingdom's rebellion this time was no exception.
Qin Heng watched all of this. As a soldier of the Qing Kingdom, his emotions were complicated. He felt great admiration and fear for the Eldest Princess, who had easily taken control of the 13 city gate guards.
However, the present situation did not allow him to think too much. The army had entered the capital through nine city gates. The group of riders he led went through Zhengyang Gate. He had to reach the Royal Palace before everyone else.
This time, the army had gathered the armies of the Qin and Ye families, as well as the Jingdou Garrison. There were 30,000 people in total, while the Royal Palace's defensive power added up to less than 6,000 people. The army entering the capital had to be open and aboveboard. They had to suppress the people in the Royal Palace until their hearts trembled and they surrendered.
For Qin Heng, fighting this battle with six against one was not a difficult matter. He had never thought that the people he was familiar with in the Royal Palace would be able to oppose such a powerful army.
The horses and soldiers rushing past in front of him flashed through his eyes. Then, a person's name flashed through his mind. For Qin Heng, he was not worried about the Royal Palace. He was worried that Ye Zhong would reach the Royal Palace before him.
Thinking of Ye Zhong's name, Qin Heng let out a murky breath. This permanent member of the Jingdou Garrison had received the empress dowager's edict but had not returned to Dingzhou. Although it seemed that the Ye family's refusal to retreat was secretly arranged by the Eldest Princess and had great significance for the Jingdou battle, for the Qin family, the existence of the Ye family's military power had a different meaning.
Ye Zhong was the Second Prince's father-in-law, and the Qin family naturally supported the Crown Prince. Thus, the old Qin Master had given a death order. In order to stabilize the Crown Prince's throne, the Qin family's army had to perform valiantly in this battle and arrive before the Ye family.
Qin Heng squeezed his horse's abdomen and led his personal camp to join the troops entering the city. He became the brightest scale on the yellow dragon.
…
…
The rebel army entered Jingdou from nine directions. The Qin family took six, and the Ye family took three. Because the rebel army was powerful and knew that Jingdou's defenses were weak, they didn't care about the problem of splitting up. On the contrary, entering with such a large force could make the Royal Palace lose the courage to break out again.
The thousands of soldiers of the 13 city gate guards did not join the rebel army. The common soldiers watched this scene dumbfounded. They didn't know what had happened. Some clever officers had already guessed that one of the princes had rebelled, but they didn't dare move under the suppression of their officers. Commander Zhang Deqing was a clever man. He knew that in this kind of rebellion, even if he added a hand, he wouldn't be able to do much. Holding tightly to his own city gate guards was the truly clever choice.
The sound of horse hooves rang out like thunder on the road from Zhengyang Gate to the Royal Palace. The riders of the Qin army took out their weapons and became cautious. However, their speed did not decrease at all. They galloped past like a gust of wind.
The color of the Qin family's light armor was also very dark. It was very similar to the Overwatch Council's Black Knights. However, it was missing a smear of the thickest black. There were a few patches of bright color on the chest of the armor.
A dozen running riders suddenly broke away from the group and sped forward. Like lightning, they pierced into the quiet street. Brushing against the low eaves of private residences, they began to scout and report on the army's advance.
Everything went as usual. These riders galloped into the streets, turned, and spread out like an arrowhead. They began to advance deep into the city. All of this happened quickly and naturally. It fully demonstrated the Qing army's level of training and the power of the Qin army.
The main group of riders did not slow down. They continued forward in the direction the riders had stepped in. Qin Heng rode on his horse and led his personal camp. He stared coldly at the area in front of him. He knew that Fan Xian and the Great Prince would not sit and wait for death. On this quiet street, there would certainly be ambushes and difficult killing.
He didn't care how many people Fan Xian and the Great Prince had in their hands. He knew that what he wanted was the speed of the army and a powerful aura. No matter what kind of obstruction they faced, they had to use the army to ruthlessly crush through.
…
…
The speed of the rebel army's advance was too fast. The riders at the front were unable to serve as scouts. They were just bravely bait. They were a bit like the martyrs in Fan Xian's world who bravely rolled through minefields. They used their lives to touch the deathly silent Jingdou and see just what kind of danger existed.
However, the rebel army had already advanced five thousand zhang from Zhengyang Gate. The dozen or so brave riders still did not encounter any snipers. Even when they could faintly see the eaves of the Imperial Palace illuminated by the rising sun, the streets were still quiet.
…
…
"Hiss!"
About 300 feet away from the riders, the warhorses at the very front of the rebel army were breathing in Jingdou's air forcefully and maintaining a steady speed. At the same time, they began to whinny in pain.
The whinny stopped. A number of warhorses fell to the ground at the same time.
The warhorses' heavy bodies crashed ruthlessly into the green stone floor of the street, sending up a few strands of dust. It seemed to shake the entire street. The horse's head crashed heavily into the ground. Fresh blood spurted out.
No matter how skilled the riders on the warhorses were, they were caught unprepared by this sudden change and fell to the ground. Before they could recover from the pain of their broken legs, a few black poisoned crossbow bolts shot out from the private residences on the side of the street and pierced ruthlessly into their bodies.
Just as the first few warhorses fell to the ground and the riders were killed by the crossbow bolts, countless hissing sounds suddenly came from the quiet street.
These sounds did not come from the mouths and noses of the galloping warhorses. Instead, they came from the ground. The streets of Jingdou were paved with square stones. The gaps between the stones were filled with yellow soil.
The hissing sounds came from the fine yellow soil between the stones.
At the same time, the yellow soil between the stones on the long street suddenly split open. There seemed to be some mysterious power on the two sides of the street. From the cracked yellow soil, thin black leather ropes shot up. The leather ropes were too thin and could not be tied to hooks. However, a faint light could be faintly seen. They should be thin needles dipped in poison.
Dozens of specially made black horse tripping ropes suddenly and magically appeared on the street that had been flat just a moment ago!
Countless muffled sounds rang out at the same time. The Qin army's main cavalry unit suffered a merciless attack. About a hundred riders in total fell from the clouds in front of these dozens of horse-tripping ropes and smashed into the deep ground.
For a moment, people and horses were thrown off their feet on the street. Wretched cries rang out. Countless people or horses had their tendons snapped or their bones broken. They crashed heavily into one another, rolling and bleeding.
Immediately after, the whooshing sound of something breaking through the air rang out. These sounds were like whistles from the netherworld coming to collect lives. It made people's hearts tremble. Countless black crossbow bolts shot out from the private residences on the side of the street and landed on the bodies of the rebel soldiers on the ground. In an instant, their wretched cries stopped.
In just a moment, there were more than a hundred dead people on this half of the street. These dead people all had crossbow bolts stuck in their bodies. The ambushers did not shoot the horses. The poisoned warhorses lay powerlessly on the ground beside the bodies of their owners. As they whinnied in pain, they kicked their legs.
The scene was incomparably wretched.
…
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