Yang Ling discussed with the genius schemer Dai Lou'er and the former Imperial Bodyguard Qianhu Wu Jie for the entire night. Then, with the help of South Town Provost Shao and West Factory Manager Miao Kui, their counterattack officially began.
Gao Feng and Luo Xiang had already secretly informed the Empress Dowager, the Empress, the Imperial Consort, the Princess, and other important members of the royal family to gather in the Palace of Compassionate Peace under the pretext that the Empress Dowager had summoned them to watch a show. The three hundred soldiers of the Soaring Xiang Battalion unsheathed their swords, nocked their bows, and held their spears and halberds, surrounding the Palace of Compassionate Peace.
In the West Warm Pavilion of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, there was a sentry every three steps and a sentry every five. Emperor Zhengde wore a dragon robe on the outside and a soft armor on the inside. He sat upright in the West Warm Pavilion. Seeing the solemn soldiers and generals obeying his orders without disobeying, the battle thirst in his blood overcame his cowardice. He caressed the gold-inlaid dragon sword on the dragon desk, his handsome face flushed with excitement, as if he was commanding a thousand soldiers to kill the enemy on the battlefield.
The officers and generals of the Soaring Xiang, Martial Xiang, Left Guard, and Right Guard had received orders from Miao Kui and rushed to the four cities. Miao Kui personally led three hundred people to the Bureau of Rites.
Although the Bureau of Rites controlled the inner court and governed Dongchang, the Imperial Bodyguard, and the Twelve Battalions, there were only a hundred unarmed eunuchs in the courtyard. The military power in the palace was completely in the hands of Miao Kui. Hongzhi's arrangement was to balance the eunuchs within the inner court, and it was indeed effective.
At dusk, because the Dongchang foreigners were wantonly searching for Yang Ling outside the capital, Zhang Shou, Li Rong, and the other eunuchs were gathered in Wang Yue's room to receive news in time.
Zhang Shou excitedly said: "Today, the outer court really did send a joint petition to force the Emperor to kill Yang Ling and kill the Eight Tigers. There is still no news yet, but the memorials sent by the officials are probably enough to make the Emperor flustered. With the memorials from the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, it would be strange if the Emperor didn't panic.
Once Yang Ling dies, we will immediately notify the three Grand Scholars of the Cabinet to enter the palace with Fan Ting and present a bloody head to the Emperor and the matter will be settled. Once Yang Ling dies, we will immediately notify the three Scholars of the cabinet to enter the palace with Fan Ting and present a bloody head to the Emperor. The Bureau of Rites has the help of the other eunuchs, so there won't be any problems. We can't hand over the sharp knife of the Inner Sanctum to outsiders. "
When Li Rong heard this, he said unhappily, "Eunuch Zhang is wise and resourceful. How can Eunuch Wang leave his side? Eunuch Wang, why don't you send us to the inner factory? What do you think? "
Although Wang Yue was honest, he could tell that these trusted aides were fighting for power again. He frowned and said, "What are they fighting for? Yang Ling is not dead yet. We'll talk about it when the time comes … "
He glanced at the hesitant Li Rong and said, "The Inner Sanctum is the same as Dongchang. They have many opportunities to interact with the court outside. Zhang Shou is cunning and knows how to talk. I think we should leave the inner factory to Zhang Shou. As for you … go to the West Factory. "
Li Rong was stunned and blurted out, "West Factory? Are you going to take down Miao Kui as well? "
Wang Yue grunted and said, "Miao Kui has always been honest and never stirred up trouble. I didn't think his West Factory was useful, so I didn't touch him. This time, Dongchang sent out more than 20,000 people to deal with Yang Ling, but we still haven't caught him.
I thought, if the West Factory was in our hands, would we need to fight like this? As soon as he entered the palace, wouldn't it be fine if the Imperial Horse Supervisor chopped him down? So, I think Miao Kui should just give him an idle job in retirement. The Four Guards in the palace are important. We have to catch them. "
"Hahahaha …" A burst of sarcastic laughter rang out. Miao Kui folded his hands into his sleeves and slowly stepped through the door. His eyes narrowed into slits and flashed with a cold glint that was as sharp as a needle's edge. He put on a fake smile and said, "Who said that Eunuch Wang is senile? He's very clear-minded. "
He Dachun jumped down from the edge of the kang and angrily said, "How dare you! How dare you and Wangye … "Speaking to this point, his eyes suddenly popped out, his voice was hoarse and he could not say anything else.
Several people were sitting on the kang and could not see outside. As soon as he jumped down, he saw the two little eunuchs who were originally standing there at the door. A Wuzheng Guards officer was wiping a bloody dagger on the little eunuch's body. In the outer hall stood seven or eight people, all of them were Imperial Horse Supervisor soldiers with sabers in their hands, with a murderous look on their faces.
He Dachun could not help retreating several steps in shock. "You … you … what are you doing?" he stammered.
Miao Kui giggled and said, "What am I doing? I am here to deliver troops to Eunuch Wang! "His smiling face sank and he coldly shouted," Men, arrest them all! "
Seven or eight wolf-like and tiger-like officers and soldiers rushed in and pinned the four chief eunuchs to the ground. Immediately after, someone picked up a rope and tied them up. Miao Kui flicked the lapel of his robe and saluted Wang Yue, whose face was ashen with fright. He smiled and said, "Eunuch Wang, according to His Majesty's oral order, the Department of Rites has deceived the sovereign and offended his superiors. They are all to be arrested. Gong-gong, please hand over the Tiger Seal."
Wang Yue was so angry that he was trembling. Pointing at him and panting, he said, "You … you are talking fart! You two-faced, three-knife-wielding thing, usually in front of our family you are like a grey grandson. Who is backing you up that you dare to arrest me? "
Miao Kui straightened his back and coldly said, "The one backing me up … is the current Emperor!" Wang Yue was sitting on the kang, not wearing his outer robe. Miao Kui saw a bunch of keys hanging from the belt of his moon-white undershirt robe. He snatched it and pulled it off, throwing it to a soldier on the ground.
Wang Yue was thin and shriveled, he was trembling as he walked. Being snatched by the martial artist Miao Kui, he was pushed onto the kang. Miao Kui pointed to the polished brass cabinet at the head of the kang and said, "Open it for me!"
The soldier took the key and tried it a few times. With a 'cha' sound, the brass cabinet was opened and a brocade box wrapped in yellow satin came out. Miao Kui promptly took it and carefully untied the silk knot. When he opened the box, he saw a square gold seal inside. Miao Kui picked it up and looked at the seal, then put it back and tied it properly, carefully tucking it away in his bosom.
The so-called Tiger Seal for Mobilizing Troops was just a continuation of the ancient name for mobilizing troops. Its shape had long been changed to a seal instead of two tiger seals.
The Treasurer of Shang held the jade seal, and the Bureau of Rites held the seals for mobilizing troops of the 12 battalions and the capital camp. This was a huge force. Even if only a few of them swore loyalty to the Bureau of Rites, this operation would be a bitter battle with a great disparity in strength.
Furthermore, the Bureau of Rites had the support of the external court. Whether or not they had an imperial edict was only a matter of whether or not they had a more legitimate reason to send troops. Even if the Emperor insisted on not issuing an imperial edict, they could still mobilize troops, kill the Eight Tigers, and kill Yang Ling in the name of cleansing the emperor. They could still write this part of history according to their wishes. Even the Emperor had no choice but to accept this reality.
The Inner Factory and the West Factory were at a political disadvantage. Without an imperial edict, they had to guard against the external court using this as an excuse to counterattack. Now that they had taken the heads of the Bureau of Rites and taken back the Tiger Seal for Mobilizing Troops, they had finally completed the 'decapitation operation'. The next step was to lock the palace.
Miao Kui let out a breath and shouted to his trusted aides, "Lock them all up and keep a close eye on them."
The imperial bodyguards dragged the ashen-faced eunuchs out. The personal guards, who had received Miao Kui's instructions earlier, deliberately tied Dai Yi up slowly. Only when the other eunuchs were pushed out did they lift him up.
Miao Kui waved his hand, indicating for the soldiers to leave the room first. He then said with a smile, "Eunuch Dai, I've wronged you. Supervisor Yang wants me to express my gratitude to you."
Only now did Dai Yi know that Yang Ling had received his secret letter. So today's operation must have been incited by Yang Ling. He couldn't help but feel a burst of excitement. "The Factory Supervisor already knows my identity? That's great. Why … did you also tie me up? "
Miao Kui smiled and said, "Eunuch Dai still has to pretend to be a prisoner. During court tomorrow morning, you have to …"
* * *
Flag Officer He Liubao walked down the wall and hummed a little tune as he went to relieve himself. He had just turned the corner when he suddenly saw the heavy palace gate close with a clack. It closed with a bang. The bar was lowered, the lock was locked, and the gate was closed. He Liubao couldn't help but be startled. He blurted out to General Zhao Mingda, who was guarding the gate, "General Zhao, what time is it now? Why are the palace gates locked?"
Zhao Mingda said solemnly, "According to His Majesty's edict, the palace gates are locked. Without His Majesty's special edict, external officials are not allowed to enter and internal officials are not allowed to leave. You don't need to know anything else. Return to your position!"
He Liubao's heart thumped. His Majesty had issued an edict to lock the palace? What had happened? He looked at the locked palace gates and knew that he couldn't pass the message to the people in Dongchang. He didn't know about the Department of Rites …
He smiled a little frantically and said, "Oh, I'm going to relieve myself. I'll be right back!"
Zhao Mingda smiled slightly and waved his hand. Immediately four saber-wielding Imperial Bodyguards stood out. Zhao Mingda said with a smile, "He Xiong, the imperial edict says that I have no choice but to be cautious. The four of you will accompany General He and then accompany him back."
He Liubao's eyes darted around, trying to think of a way to escape. But when he looked up, he saw that at the end of the yellow tiled red wall in the distance, the second palace gate was also slowly closing. With a bang, a sliver of the setting sun shone on the vermilion red palace gate, reflecting the rows of copper rivets with a cold gleam. He couldn't help but let out a long sigh. He had no choice but to give up and walk to the latrine in the corner.
After the Department of Rites drafted an edict and the Emperor approved it, it was called an Imperial Edict. If it was written by the Emperor himself and stamped with the Imperial Seal, it would be called a special edict. Emperor Zhengde picked up the weasel brush and personally wrote three Imperial Edicts. After using the Imperial Seal, he said, "Zhang Yong, Da Yong, the two of you take one Imperial Edict each and quickly go to Duke Cheng's and Duke Cao's residences to pass on the edict. Let the two Dukes immediately take over the Jingdou camp. The two of you will be the Army Supervisor."
Dongchang was a hard bone that could not be chewed through tactics. Although the main force of the foreigners had been lured out of the capital, Dongchang still had several thousand troops and horses. If they could not seize the Jingdou camp, when they took over Dongchang, if there were disloyal generals who directly participated in the battle, or if they fished in troubled waters under the guise of suppressing the rebellion, it was very possible that a coup would develop into a military disaster.
Thousands of foreigners and tens of thousands of Jingdou soldiers were enough to turn the city of Beijing upside down. In the midst of the chaos, if there were any rebels who took the opportunity to break into the mansions of the nobles and dukes to rob or kill, whether or not Yang Ling succeeded, he would not be able to escape this heinous crime.
State Duke Cheng and State Duke Cao, these two State Dukes, were loyal and devoted. When they were young, they had led troops and had a good reputation in the army. Moreover, these two men had always kept themselves clean and did not have much contact with the court officials.
With them taking over the Jingdou camp, with Zhang Yong and Gu Daeyong as the Army Supervisor, it would be enough to subdue the Jingdou camp. Yang Ling did not expect that these troops, who were originally under the Department of Rites, would quickly submit to him and then come out to exterminate Dongchang. As long as they did not move and ensure that the capital was not thrown into chaos, then his mission would be a success.
However, he did not expect the Emperor to think himself clever and send Zhang Yong and Gu Daeyong as the Army Supervisor. Although he was a little surprised, he immediately felt relieved. The Emperor had just ascended the throne, and he was not very familiar with these two old officials. If he did not send two people he could trust to watch over them, he would definitely feel uneasy.
As for the Eight Tigers taking a share of the spoils, there was nothing that could be done. If he were to monopolize power at this time and exclude the Eight Tigers from the circle of power, that would be far too unwise and impossible.
The elites of the Inner Factory had already returned to the western outskirts of the capital to await orders. Wu Jie, who had returned earlier, had already made arrangements according to Yang Ling's plan. Once the Jingdou camp was under his control, Yang Ling would launch the final battle against Dongchang.
This battle was of the utmost importance. If Yang Ling failed and Fan Ting steeled his heart and led the army to force the Emperor to abdicate, Zhengde's only choice would be to release Wang Yue and the others and obediently execute the Eight Tigers according to the demands of Dongchang and the outside court. Once they shed all pretense of cordiality, they would be at their mercy in the future.
Zhengde knew that this battle would not be as easy as dealing with the Director of Rites and seizing control of the Jingdou camp. He picked up the imperial edict and looked worriedly at Yang Ling. "Yang, Dongchang Fan Ting, I will leave it to you. Unfortunately, the Jingdou camp and the Twelfth Regiment Camp have been managed by the Director of Rites for many years. I dare not use their soldiers. With just your 5,000 soldiers, I worry … will you be able to deal with the 8,000 foreigners in Dongchang? "
There was no turning back. At this time, there was only battle. Was there a second path? How could he say such discouraging words to the Emperor? With a confident smile, Yang Ling said, "Your Majesty, please be at ease. I already have a plan. There is no suspense in tonight's charge. However, in tomorrow's morning court, it will be Your Majesty alone fighting a thousand soldiers. I am worried …"
Emperor Zhengde raised his eyebrows and coldly said, "My beloved subject, please be at ease. I am not afraid of them!"
He paused and then said embarrassedly, "But … my beloved subject, you have to come back soon!"
* * *
The matter was urgent, the Emperor gave special permission to ride horses in the Palace. Zhang Yong and Gu Dayong carried Emperor Zhengde's personal handwritten edict, each led eight imperial bodyguards armed with sabers and rode out of the Palace. One by one, the Palace gates were slammed shut behind them, the Palace was filled with a somber atmosphere.
Outside the Palace, Zhang Yong and Gu Daeyong called out and each led six people to the mansions of Duke Cheng and Duke Cao. Yang Ling disguised himself as a Palace Guard and led a bodyguard to the North Discipline Commission.
The Imperial Bodyguard knew the layout of the buildings and the distribution of troops in Dongchang like the back of their hand. Mou Bin was in a secret room holding a detailed map of the buildings in Dongchang and explaining it to Yang Ling. Then, he heard someone report that Admiral Zhang Xiu had rushed to the capital.
Yang Ling was a little surprised to hear this. Yang Ling had set up another decoy on top of the decoy strategy, causing the Imperial Bodyguard and Dongchang to have to split their troops. They had hoped to divert Zhang Xiu away and wait until the situation in the capital was settled, so he could not play any tricks in Tianjin.
As for the safety of Liu Biao and the others, Yang Ling was not worried. Wu Jie and Liu Biao knew Zhang Xiu better than he did. Zhang Xiu had always been afraid of the civil officials of the foreign court and had a deep prejudice against each other. Today's partners could become political enemies in the future. Although they had temporarily joined hands to get rid of Yang Ling this time, he was not willing to leave any evidence to the foreign officials. Therefore, as long as Yang Ling was not on the ship, he would not dare to kill more than a hundred foreigners on the official ship without an excuse.
But there were tens of thousands of troops in Dongchang on the capital's side, he would not be missing. Even if he had long suspected that Yang Ling had used the official ship as a cover to travel by land, he should not have been in such a hurry to return to the capital on the same day.
Mou Bin smiled and said, "Is it strange? Presumably, the Admiral is worried that Dongchang will take your head and that when you are flattering the civil officials, you will not mention his contribution. "He quickly put on his armor and said," I will go and welcome Admiral Zhang. Sir Yang, please wait a moment. "
Yang Ling watched him leave. He looked at the map on the table and carefully studied it for a while. He raised his head and asked, "Have the men been sent back?"
A bodyguard replied, "Yes, they should be able to arrive by the time the lanterns are lit. However … before entering Gaolao Village, Dongchang has set up many checkpoints. Usually, we have to find excuses to enter and exit the checkpoints again and again. Now that they have shed all pretense of cordiality and are trying to kill you outside the capital, I am afraid they will directly stop us. Can our men return to the mountain?"
Yang Ling smiled and said, "There is no need to worry about this. I have already discussed a plan with the Big Start …"
As he said this, Mou Bin had already returned. Yang Ling stood up and said with a smile, "Admiral Zhang has walked right into the trap?"
Mou Bin smiled and said, "Without a drop of blood!"
He looked at the clock and said, "He has brought back five hundred officers for me to use. Tonight, the Discipline Commission yamen is empty. The Factory Supervisor can do as he pleases."
Yang Ling nodded and said, "Good. Once my men enter the city, please act according to plan. You have to keep an eye on the officials and prevent them from colluding with each other. At the same time, you have to prevent people from causing trouble at their mansions. Your manpower is limited, so you must be careful."
Mou Bin smiled and said, "No matter. My men can easily keep an eye on the important officials. Tonight, even if the murderous sounds from Dongchang shake the heavens, I can guarantee that the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, as well as all the civil and military officials in the court will become blind and deaf!"
* * *
The bright moon hung high in the sky, shedding a silvery light like a veil. The ground seemed to be covered with a layer of light frost.
West of the capital, more than ten fast horses galloped over, the sound of hooves like thunder.
At this time, it was difficult to see in the dark, and the horses were galloping so fast that the spies hiding outside Gao Lao Village could not help but be startled. Seeing the horses getting closer and closer and about to break into the village, one of the spies made a prompt decision and immediately shouted, "Stop them!"
Two spies immediately brandished their swords and cut two ropes. A large tree that had long been cut down by the side of the road came crashing down, blocking the path of the four fast horses. The Dongchang soldiers raised their swords and stepped forward, shouting, "Who are you? What do you want to do on a horse in the middle of the night? Dongchang is under orders. Quickly dismount and be investigated! "
"Ha ha ha ha …" One of the riders on the horse laughed loudly. He held the reins and spun around twice on the spot. Suddenly he put his hand into his pocket, and then there was a few "Cha cha" sounds. The spies standing in front saw the sparks in his hand and could not help but take a few steps back in shock.
A cluster of flames ignited, and then there was a flash of red light. The spies saw clearly that the rider had a thick short stick in his hand. With a "Bang" sound, a string of sparks flew into the night sky and exploded. The sky was filled with red, blue, purple, and gold colors, condensed into the pistil of an autumn chrysanthemum, blooming beautifully in the air.
The spies looked up. The extremely beautiful colors slowly burned out, and their eyes were still filled with the brilliance of the fireworks. For a moment, they could not see the stars in the sky clearly. Suddenly there was another "Bang" sound in the silent night sky, and a magnificent ball of sparks soared into the sky above Gao Lao Village. Immediately after, there was another light on the distant hilltop, but from a distance, it looked like a big and small cluster of stars, but it had lost its brilliance.
The spies was startled, and cried out hoarsely, "Fire signal!"
The rider on the horse laughed and said, "Yes!"
The spies raised his saber and shouted, "Quick! Kill them and go back and report … "Before his voice died away, his throat tightened, as if all the strength in his body had been sucked out, and his whole body softly fell to the ground.
The rider on the horse shouted sternly, "With just you few small characters who are blocking the road to investigate? All of you don't move, or else my Godly Zhuge Crossbow will not recognize you! Open your dog eyes and look back! "
The number of these ambushing spies was limited, they were not as many as the riders of the night. Now that they saw the other side had shed all pretenses of cordiality and openly attacked, they were afraid and obediently looked back. They saw the mountain in the distance was moving, like a long dragon, a long fiery red dragon rushing down the mountain at an extremely fast speed.
Wu Jie was dressed in a red hat and green robe, and was dressed like a big spies, while Peng Jizu, Lian Delu and the others were wearing the same armor as the Shenji Battalion. Other than swords, bows, and guns, most of the five thousand elite soldiers were carrying bulging bags on their backs, no one knew what they were for.
The army's appearance was neat and tidy, each and every one of them had a torch in their hand, their expression was stern and murderous. The pack horses at the rear even pulled ten small cannons. These people held the imperial edict to open the west city gate, crossed the main street of the capital, and charged straight toward the East Intelligence Factory.
These days, the Dongchang spies were constantly provoking them, and the people of the inner factory were bullied and humiliated. If not for Wu Jie, Huang Qiyin, Yu Yong, Yang Yiqing and the others repeatedly suppressing them, these unruly soldiers would have already started a conflict with Dongchang.
Now that they had received orders to exterminate Dongchang, these arrogant Shenji Battalion elites all had high morale. They came from the regular army, and were also equipped with regular army weapons. How could they care about those Dongchang spies who bullied the people of Dongchang? Whether Dongchang was prepared or not, in their eyes, it was no different than a pile of chickens and dogs. A high-spirited fire dragon majestically rushed to the Dongan Gate.
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