Tang Changgeng squinted his eyes slightly and stared at the majestic imperial city in front of him calmly, but his emotions were extremely complicated.
As the general of Kyoto's Nine Gates Guards, he is not only familiar with the nine gates of the capital, but also the gates of the imperial city. He knows that if the gates are closed, even if all five thousand soldiers and horses gather outside Danfeng Gate, they will face such a strong and thick city wall.
, it is impossible to break into the imperial city even if you rush for a year.
Of course he knew that since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, he was the first Tang general to lead troops to the imperial city.
Of course, he understood better that the moment he pointed the blade at the imperial city, he could not look back.
Being able to guard the Nine Gates of Kyoto and command the Kyoto garrison, Tang Changgeng certainly did not rely solely on the support of the Prime Minister. His talents and wisdom were also enough to make him qualified for this position for many years.
Others don't know the true thoughts of the Prime Minister, but he knows it clearly.
For the Xiahou family, the safety of the saint is indeed related to the rise and fall of the Xiahou family. The saint has not shown up for three months. As the saint's brother, the chief minister of the dynasty cannot know the saint's current situation. This is of course unbelievable and at the same time
Extremely serious things.
No matter what happens in the palace, no matter whether the saint is alive or dead now, the Xiahou family cannot wait any longer.
The reason is very simple. Once Her Royal Highness the Princess obtains the edict of passing the throne, the Xiahou family will face disaster.
How the saint came to power today, the Prime Minister naturally knows very well. He certainly knows that once Princess Sheyue repeats the scene of the past, the Xiahou family will immediately be in dire straits. Even if the Xiahou family can still raise troops by then, everything will be over.
It's too late, because Princess Sheyue not only has the edict of passing the throne, but also has the orthodox bloodline of the Tang Dynasty. The princess's decree is enough to label the Xiahou family as rebellious. Without the protection of the current saint, the Xiahou family is simply unable to compete with the entire Tang Dynasty.
enemy.
Therefore, the Prime Minister has no time to wait any longer and must act first.
If the imperial city is conquered and the saint is safe and sound, the Xiahou family will have done a good job in protecting him, and their power will naturally be unstoppable.
If everything goes as the Prime Minister guessed, and the saint is in dire straits or even dies, then the Prime Minister can take the opportunity to massacre the palace and even cause the princess to die in the rebellion. When the time comes to take control of Kyoto, who will sit on the throne will naturally be
The Xiahou family has the final say.
For the Prime Minister, the arrow must be fired when it is on the string.
Tang Changgeng couldn't guess what the final situation would be, and he couldn't even predict his own fate. He only knew that he couldn't disobey the Xiahou family's orders, and he couldn't control his own destiny.
However, the current situation no longer allowed him to think too much.
Rather than letting the forces in the palace succeed, Tang Changgeng certainly hopes that the Xiahou family will win in the end. After all, he will be the hero then. If the Xiahou family wants to win people's hearts, they will certainly not treat him badly.
The Wu-Gui army was divided into four groups. The defenders of Chongxuanmen in the north were the weakest, so the troops deployed to Chongxuanmen were also the smallest, with 5,000 soldiers and horses. Tang Changgeng personally led 2,000 soldiers and horses directly to Danfeng.
However, he knew from the beginning that this small number of soldiers and horses could not pose any threat to the imperial city, nor would they bring any deterrence to the Dragon Scale Guards. The only hope was to be stationed in
The Shence Army in the suburbs of Beijing.
He also believed that the Shence Army could arrive before dawn as promised, so he had ordered all gates in Kyoto to let them into the city as long as the soldiers and horses appearing outside the city gave the correct signal.
Once the Shence Army arrives with reinforcements in time, the number of soldiers and horses surrounding the city will be ten times that of the defenders. Even though the Dragon Scale Guards are brave and good at fighting, the Wu-Gui Army and the Shence Army are also not vegetarians.
The defenders were so frightened that the soldiers and horses of the imperial city must be suppressed and surrendered.
He knew that this confrontation must be fought quickly and could not be delayed.
The Tang Dynasty has long lost its glory in its heyday and is surrounded by powerful enemies. Even within the territory of the Tang Dynasty, many local forces are ready to take action. Once the siege battle reaches a stalemate and the news spreads to the world, the world will be shaken. By then, the world will be
Tang Changgeng could not imagine what kind of result it would be.
Two thousand armed guards have already arrived at the Danfeng Gate and formed a formation. Although the square is empty, when viewed from a high place, the two thousand soldiers and horses are as densely packed as ants.
Tang Changgeng raised his hand to signal the soldiers and horses to stop, and then made a gesture. Less than two hundred cavalrymen in the front row immediately dismounted, held the horse's reins, held down their sabers, and then heard Tang Changgeng say in a deep voice: "Shield!
"
The shield soldiers behind the cavalry passed through the gaps between the horses in an orderly manner, and quickly stepped forward, holding huge shields in their hands. In the blink of an eye, they had formed a shield wall like a copper wall and an iron wall.
Tang Changgeng was the only one in the whole army who was riding on a war horse. He looked up at the top of the city and saw that the imperial guards at the top of the city were not panicking at all. Just like usual, they took a few steps to guard the city. It seemed that there was no one under the city at all.
The calmness of the Dragon Scale Guard made Tang Changgeng feel a bad feeling in his heart.
However, he quickly thought that the three thousand forbidden troops were carefully selected. Not only were they brave, but their psychological quality was much stronger than that of ordinary soldiers. They defended the city, and the towering city wall was their best protection. Facing just two people,
Of course, Qianduo Wu-Weijun will not be in any panic.
The night wind blew by, and finally a few figures slowly appeared on top of the city.
A tall man in the middle, wearing armor and a helmet, wearing a black cloak, looked down at the Wu-Guards outside Danfeng Gate. After a moment, he finally said: "Tang Changgeng, are you planning to rebel?"
Of course Tang Changgeng, the Wu-Wei general of the Nine Gates Guards Department, knew Tantai Xuanye and could certainly recognize his voice.
"Commander Tantai, do you know that the saint is in trouble?" Tang Changgeng went straight to the point: "A few days ago, during the incident at the Forbidden Gate, the eunuchs in the palace beat the ministers, but your imperial army turned a blind eye. Do you know?"
Tantai Xuanye's handsome face was angular in the night, his expression was calm, but his eyes were calm. He did not answer Tang Changgeng's question, and asked again: "I am asking you, are you leading the troops to approach the imperial city?"
, do you want to rebel?"
His voice was not loud, but it could still be heard clearly. When he spoke, there seemed to be a faint buzzing sound in the air.
Tang Changgeng's face changed slightly, and he was shocked.
Of course he knew that to be able to transmit the sound so clearly, Tantai Xuanye's internal strength was naturally not low. He also knew that Tantai Xuanye was a master, but the buzzing sound in the air was clearly
It shows that Tantai Xuanye's cultivation is far beyond his expectation.
What a strong cultivation level!
"Tantai Xuanye, I would like to ask you, were you involved in the changes in the palace?" Tang Changgeng was a hard-blooded soldier. Although he once admired Tantai Xuanye, he would never be afraid of this person. He was cold and cold.
The voice said: "Why do you sit back and watch the eunuchs make trouble and ignore it?"
Tantai Xuanye raised his head and looked at the night sky.
After a while, Tantai Xuanye looked at Tang Changgeng and said: "General Tang, you are one of the few wise and brave generals among us in the Tang Dynasty. I don't want to watch you go astray. Please dismount now and apologize.
, I can try my best to keep you safe, otherwise you will not be able to bear the consequences."
"Commander Tantai, I also admire your bravery." Tang Changgeng said seriously: "The emperor will not come to court in March, and the government and the public are shocked. If you are a loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty, you should find out the truth of all this. If you were not involved
If there is a rebellion among the eunuchs in the palace, they should immediately meet with the saint and ask the saint to pass the edict to the court. As long as the saint comes to the court, the shock in the court and the public will immediately disappear." Holding the belt around his waist, he said in a cold voice: "But if you have the power to control the country,
If the country is ignored, we can only fight with each other."
Tantai Xuanye said calmly: "You have always been cautious in doing things, otherwise you would not be qualified for the post of General Wu-Wei of the Jiumen Guards Department. Mobilizing the Wu-Wei Army and besieging the imperial city are such treasonous and unethical acts. With your temperament, you will never
You will not make your own decisions." He raised a hand, placed it on the battlement, and asked, "Who ordered you?"
"King Qin protects you, this is the duty of every official of the Tang Dynasty." Tang Changgeng sighed: "The night is hanging in Tantai, the saint has treated you with great kindness, where is your loyalty? Open the city gate, let's go together.
When I meet a saint, as long as I see that the saint is safe and sound, I will naturally apologize to the saint and let him be dealt with."
"Guarding the imperial city is my loyalty." Tantai Xuanye said: "Looking at Kyoto, there are not many people who can make General Tang take risks and lead troops to the imperial city regardless of his life. When will the Prime Minister
come over?"
Tang Changgeng frowned.
"Even if all the armed guards were mobilized, it would be impossible to break through the imperial city." Tantai Xuanye's voice was slow and hoarse: "The Prime Minister is mature and prudent. If he is not completely sure, he will not go to war." He looked up.
Looking towards the long Suzaku Street shrouded in the night sky, looking out to the outside of Kyoto, he said calmly: "If nothing else happens, the Shence Army should be on the way to Beijing by now."
The corners of Tang Changgeng's eyes twitched, but he didn't look very surprised.
After all, he is a smart person, and he also knows that Tantai Xuanye is also a smart person.
Tantai Xuanye knew that the Wu-Gui army was insufficient and guessed that the Shence Army would come to Beijing for reinforcements. This was actually not a rare thing. With Tantai Xuanye's wisdom, it was a matter of course that he could think of this.
"The Wu-Wei Army rebelled, and the Shence Army was also dragged into the water." Tantai Xuanye shook his head and sighed: "How many people are the Prime Minister going to let die without a burial place? General Zuo is loyal, no
Hu Fu, there is no way that you can lead troops to Beijing, so you killed General Zuo and seized the military power. For this reason alone, countless people will be killed."
Tang Changgeng looked solemn, wondering why Tantai Xuanye was so sure that Zuo Xuan would be killed?
Killing the general of the Shence Army is of course a serious crime, and if the Prime Minister really sends people to the Shence Army camp to kill the general and seize power, it may be counterproductive. Not only will the troops not be mobilized, but it may also arouse the anger of many officers of the Shence Army.
, and even a mutiny occurred as a result.
The Prime Minister acts calmly and will never be so confused.