Xue Poye didn't know about the turbulent things happening in Kyoto these days, and he didn't know anything about the political confrontation between the imperial court and the royal family. But seeing the royal family's troops surrounding the city of Kyoto, he already understood in his heart that the four princes were the bannermen.
The two royal families have turned against each other.
Three groups of rebels surrounded the city of Kyoto on all sides, and the situation in Kyoto was already precarious.
The four gates of Kyoto were tightly closed. It was completely impossible for Xue Poye to pass through the rebel formation and enter through the four gates.
The rebels did not attack the city immediately, as if they were waiting for something.
Looking at the rebels with their banners covering the sun, their bright armor, snow-white iron guns, and dense military formations arranged under the city of Kyoto, looking at the huge number of rebels, the garrison on the top of the city actually felt a little frightened.
The three garrison troops in Kyoto are the absolute elite of the Great Chu Kingdom. While the Kyoto garrison is still spending repetitive days on top of the city, the garrison is training day and night. When it comes to the Great Chu State,
In terms of military equipment of the country, the garrison undoubtedly ranks first. They have the strongest armor and the sharpest blades, but in terms of combat effectiveness, they are unmatched by the three garrison armies.
In the eyes of real soldiers, this time leaving aside the 20,000 troops camped in Minzhou and talking about the nearly 50,000 garrison troops, that is not the number of 50,000. Compared with the ordinary army, their combat effectiveness is definitely more than 100,000.
The shortcomings of the Great Chu State's emphasis on civil affairs and neglect of military affairs resulted in the weakness of the Kyoto garrison's combat effectiveness. The Kyoto garrison, which had not experienced many battles, began to appear cowardly in front of the clouds of garrison troops.
…
"Sir, they are really rebelling!" Ximen Lei Zang looked sternly, looking at the army below the city from a distance, and finally there was panic in his voice.
Xue Poye sighed, pointed at the banner of the rebels and said: "Look, they are not only using the banner of Da Chu, but also the banner of the fourth prince. From this point of view, I am afraid that the Holy Lord is really... really
He died...!" After saying this, Xue Poye felt a chill all over his body.
Ximen Raizo looked at Kyoto, suddenly knelt down on the ground, and kowtowed nine times in the direction of Kyoto. The Habayashi guards behind him also kowtowed.
The Yulin Guards are the emperor's imperial guards. To them, the emperor is the person they swear allegiance to.
"They seem to be waiting for something." Xue Poye looked at the rebels who were approaching the city like dark clouds. He was very puzzled. Why did the rebels not take action? Is it going to drain the morale and morale of both sides?
Energy?
"The longer you wait, the worse it will be for the rebels." Ximen Lei Zang whispered: "Liu Guogong and Ye Guogong are both people who understand military ethics, why do they do this?"
Xue Poye frowned and sighed after a long time: "If Kyoto City is to be captured, I'm afraid the rebels will also suffer heavy casualties. This is the root of the royal family, and they don't want to suffer too much loss."
"Is it possible to be surrounded but not attack?" Ximen Lei Zang also frowned: "But if we persist like this for a few days, once the state capitals know about it, I am afraid they will send out the Qin King's army. This... then the rebels will be faced with attacks from both front and rear.
Already."
"King Qin's army?"
At this moment in the camp, even if they know that there are changes in Kyoto, they will not act rashly. You have to know that this rebellion is not under the banner of the ministers, but... the banner of the prince. This falls within the scope of the struggle for imperial power. Local
Without astonishing courage, the states and counties would not dare to act rashly."
"As long as there is a jade seal stamped with King Qin's document signed by the Privy Council, the army at the camp will not dare to fail to support him!" Ximen Lei Zang said with certainty.
Xue Poye shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Captain Ximen, you have also seen that the royal army is approaching the city. The troops are neatly organized and not panicking. This is definitely not a sign of temporary troops. I am afraid they have been prepared for it. In this case, do you think Kyoto is still there?
Can you send the documents to the various state capitals? Not to mention the ambush set up around Kyoto, I am afraid that there are people sent by the royal family waiting at the yamen gates of each state capital. They will kill the messenger as soon as he arrives."
Ximen Lei Zang pondered for a moment, acquiescing to Xue Poye's guess. Since the royal family had already been prepared, they had naturally expected and had countermeasures for King Qin's army.
"Then they are waiting for Si Mian?"
Xue Poye rubbed his nose and pondered for a long time, then said: "Since they don't want to spend too much military power on the peripheral attack, they obviously want to cause problems inside Kyoto... There is an idiom that does not attack, it will destroy itself. I don't know if they are now
What you want."
"Civil unrest in Kyoto...!" Ximen Raizo was thinking.
Xue Poye suddenly said: "Captain Ximen, there are five major forces in Kyoto City that have the ability to disrupt the situation. They are the Kyoto garrison, the four admiral's offices, the Kyoto Prefecture, the Metropolitan Procuratorate... Well, and our Yu
Lin Ying, where do you think there will be unrest?"
Ximen Raizo said in confusion: "Sir, are you saying... that one of these five places will be an internal agent of the royal family?"
"I'm not sure, and I don't even want to believe that these are loyal subordinates of the Holy Emperor. I hope that they all firmly support the imperial court... However, if the royal family is really waiting for internal unrest, then it can only be among the five.
Somewhere...or maybe some places!" Xue Poye's eyes glowed with calmness.
Although he has not been in the officialdom for long, and has not experienced too many political storms, his natural acumen, sense of adaptability, and analytical ability make him aware of the twists and turns of the political arena and the ever-changing nature of human nature.
"Sir...I...!" Ximen Raizo didn't seem to want to express his opinions to his colleagues in Kyoto.
Xue Poye said seriously: "Captain Ximen, in an emergency, don't avoid too many taboos."
Ximen Raizo pondered for a moment, then said: "Although the people from the Kyoto Prefecture and the Metropolitan Procuratorate are extremely capable individually, they are too few in number and they restrict each other. No matter who wants to rebel, the other side has enough ability to deal with it.
, it should not cause too big a shock to the situation in Kyoto."
Xue Poye nodded with a smile and said: "Yes, if there is only one Kyoto Prefecture or Metropolitan Procuratorate, it will be a huge potential threat to Kyoto, but if two exist at the same time, this kind of threat can be avoided... The Holy Lord is really wise...
…!”
"There must be nothing wrong with the Kyoto garrison...!" Ximen Raizo thought: "Otherwise, as soon as the royal army arrives, they will open the door and surrender."
"What about the four admiral's mansions?"
"Four Gates Admiral's Mansion? Mr. Hou Jingzong was a personal attendant of the Holy Emperor when he was young. He was loyal to the Holy Lord without any second thoughts. Otherwise, the Holy Lord would not have given him such an important task as the Four Gates of Kyoto. To say the least, Hou
If Your Excellency wants to rebel, he is in charge of the four gates of Kyoto, and the one who opens the door will be him." Ximen Lei Zang said with great certainty: "I believe that even if everyone in the world rebels, Lord Hou will not have that possibility."
Xue Poye chuckled and said: "Then we are the only ones left at Yulin Camp? There are three major battalions of Yulin Camp, with a strength of over 5,000. Apart from the garrison, Yulin Camp is the most powerful."
"Impossible!" Ximen Raizo said categorically: "Our Habayashi Camp is the Royal Guards, a loyal and elite army. Every Habayashi Guard is a resounding man and will never commit treasonous acts.
.”
When he said this, his face was full of pride and self-esteem as a Yulin guard.
Xue Poye sighed: "Captain Ximen, I also believe that Yulinying is the most loyal guard of our great Chu to the royal family. For this, Xue has no doubt." He sighed and said calmly: "Master Teng
I suddenly suffered from a serious illness, the Holy Emperor passed away, and the Yulin camp is an iron-blooded imperial guard that enforces orders and prohibitions. I...hehe, maybe I am just overly worried."
"My lord, you are humble and ignorant, and don't understand what your lord means."
"Captain Ximen, until now, I have been wondering about one thing, why Lord Teng fell ill at such an important time." Xue Poye said with a cold face: "If it is really because of grief that the Holy Lord left, that's fine.
But if someone is causing trouble secretly, there may be something wrong with our Yulin Camp. You should understand that the Yulin Camp has strict orders and prohibitions. No matter how weird the orders of the superiors are, the subordinates must carry out the orders of the superiors. In this regard, you should
I won’t deny it!”
"Yes." Ximen Raizo nodded and said: "Our Yulin Camp has strict military regulations, and the enforcement of orders and prohibitions are also the iron-blooded rules of our Yulin Camp."
"This is what I'm worried about." Xue Poye smiled bitterly: "Perhaps our Yulin guards are all good men who serve the country loyally, and they never have any evil thoughts in their hearts, but who can guarantee... Hehe, who can
Are the orders given by your superiors correct or wrong?"
Ximen Lei Zang was thinking, and suddenly his face changed drastically: "Sir... you mean...!"
…
…
The Nanlin Camp rebels who besieged the east gate of Kyoto were in strict formation. They were less than five miles away from the city of Kyoto. Flags were fluttering and trumpets and drums were flying. They looked like they were about to attack the city of Kyoto at any time.
The fourth prince rode on a strong horse, looked at the uneasy garrison on the top of the city, and sneered: "Father, have you ever thought that your garrison looks like a coward in front of our Nanlin army?"
Like a rat!"
Behind the fourth prince is Ye Dao, the tiger-embedded general of Nanlin Camp, who is wearing a blue-red armor. The tiger-embedded general of His Majesty the Emperor has been executed in the mutiny of Nanlin Camp, and has always had actual control over Nanlin Camp.
The powerful Ye Dao immediately came to power. He was the son of Duke Ye and the uncle of the fourth prince.
The East Route Army of Nanlin Camp is currently commanded by Ye Dao, and Ye Guogong is personally in charge of the South Route Army.
In a sense, in the eyes of the royal family, this mutiny was probably something that could be easily captured.
After strict confirmation, the royal family was sure of the death of His Majesty the Emperor. Only after confirming this, they dared to do many things that they dared to think but did not dare to do.
The royal family was still thinking about what kind of excuse they could use to stage a drastic coup. Their purpose was very simple, which was to ask the new monarch to give them more power, and to fundamentally change the situation in which the king was strong and the king was weak in recent years.
.
Of course, they have no ambition to seize the throne. After all, the three major royal families check and balance each other. Whoever has that intention will definitely end up in a tragic situation.
It's nothing more than to draw out a prince to serve as a banner for them to gain profits.
The prince is controlled by the Queen Mother. From the Queen Mother, the royal family cannot get too many benefits, and it is impossible to change the status quo of a strong king and a weak king. Therefore, in the hearts of the royal family, the prince is definitely not a suitable candidate for the new king.
Liu Zizheng, the third prince who sticks to the frontier and has a military temperament, has no blood relationship with the royal family. If he fails, he may actually kill the royal family, so of course he is not a candidate for the royal family's banner.
The second prince Liu Ziyin is dead. As for the man in Wuyan Palace, no one will think about anything else. A prince who is so disabled that he is worse than a pig or dog has no use value, so the royal family targets the fourth prince Liu Zifu.
.
At least one of the Ye family's candidates is the fourth prince.
In order to seize the throne from the prince, the fourth prince was willing to cooperate with the royal family. As for the various conditions proposed by the royal family after he ascended the throne, the fourth prince naturally agreed at this time.
He is an ambitious prince. Maybe he knows that the royal family is using him, but he is not using the royal family.
After ascending the throne...the fourth prince always thought coldly in his heart: "At that time, I will deal with you again!"
However, he may not even feel this idea himself... It's really a bit whimsical. Young people are always arrogant and unscrupulous. They always think that many things develop according to their own ideas, but they always forget one sentence
talk.
Old ginger is spicy, but you... are too young!
"Your Royal Highness!" Although he is the uncle of the fourth prince, Ye Dao did not lose etiquette in his address. In the hearts of the royal family, the fourth prince is the great Chu emperor who will soon ascend the throne. "What you are talking about is the internal response.
Will you make some moves today?"
The fourth prince looked cold, turned to look at Ye Dao, and said calmly: "They are loyal to the royal family...Uncle, don't forget, I am also a prince, and loyalty to me means loyalty to the royal family!"
Ye Dao nodded slightly, glanced at the ice-cold Nanlin army, and said slowly: "I'm just worried that my soldiers will bleed too much!"
"The new era... will always be covered with blood." Prince Fu said coldly.
Ye Dao looked at his nephew. From his cold eyes, there was endless ambition and passion. Perhaps as a born prince, he was destined to have these things in his eyes.
"Fourth Highness... before you take the throne, you need to bleed and you need to do whatever it takes, but when you actually take that position, in addition to bleeding, you also need benevolence." Ye Dao seemed to want to inject some moral principles for the king into the fourth prince in advance.
, although he raised troops, deep down in his heart he did not want the future monarch to be a ruthless emperor.
The fourth prince frowned slightly, but Ye Dao was his uncle privately, and the true commander of the army in public. He was not stupid enough to refute, he just nodded lightly and said yes.
"Uncle...!" The fourth prince called softly and suddenly asked: "What will happen to the Situ family after the matter is completed?"
Ye Dao said calmly: "According to the wishes of His Highness, how should we deal with it?"
"They are the prince's people." The fourth prince said coldly.
Ye Dao was silent for a moment before replying: "They are also members of the royal family!"
The fourth prince clenched his fists, his handsome face full of anger: "People from the royal family? Sitting on a mountain and watching tigers fight, just want to get something they shouldn't have?"
Ye Dao shook his head and reminded: "Don't forget, the Situ family is related to the Queen Mother and the Prince after all. They didn't point their swords at us. It's already considered their understanding."
The fourth prince gritted his teeth, murderous intent flashed in his eyes, but he did not speak.
"When my flag is raised on the top of the city, we can attack the city." After a long silence, the fourth prince dropped these words, turned his horse, and returned to camp to rest.
…
…
Xue Poye looked at Ximen Lei Zang. Although Ximen Lei Zang did not understand what he said, he understood what Ximen Lei Zang meant, because what Ximen Lei Zang meant was what he was most worried about now.
Ximen Raizo's face turned a little pale, and he murmured: "No wonder... no wonder he has been winning people's hearts recently, and no wonder he wants to temporarily take charge of Fenghuo Camp... But... Sir, he is too courageous!"
"When the Holy Lord is here, he may be able to loyally serve." Xue Poye sneered: "But when the Holy Lord passes away, he must find a new backer. If the prince successfully inherits the throne, he will not be able to show his loyalty.
What a merit, but if he can help the fourth prince ascend to the throne, then he will be a meritorious minister. As far as I know, he is even more of a greedy person. When the Holy Spirit was there, his nature was suppressed, but at this time,
But it is the best way to bribe him."
"buy?"
"Ordinary people may not be able to bribe you, but the prince certainly can."
Ximen Lei Zang suddenly stood up, his face was livid, and he said bitterly: "If Li Wu really sells our Yulin Camp, I will definitely cut him into pieces."
"Today, we can only talk about the corpse being torn into pieces, and it is not important anymore." Xue Poye put his hands on his back, stared at the ancient and heavy Kyoto City, and said slowly: "If what we expected is good, I'm afraid
Today, the Yulin Camp will be under the command of Li Wu and become the internal support of the royal army, which will be an extremely terrifying situation."
"Sir...then what should we do?" Ximen Lei Zang was obviously anxious.
Xue Poye touched his nose and said, "What should I do? Hehe, there is no other way. I just want to gamble, try something, and try my best."
This was a very strange thing to say, and the Yulin guards all looked at Xue Poye in confusion.
Xue Poye thought for a while, pulled Xiao Shitou, and said to Ximen Lei Zang: "Captain Ximen, as the deputy chief guard of Fenghuo Camp, I am now ordering you to protect Xiao Shitou with all your strength. In addition, I order you to hurry up as soon as possible.
Spread the news that Kyoto is besieged, there will always be some righteous people in the vast country."
"Sir, what about you...?" Ximen Lei Zang asked in shock.
Xue Poye said leisurely: "I said that I want to fight hard. How can I fight if I don't go to the city?"
All the Yulin guards looked at each other, not knowing why.
"Go." Xue Poye waved his hand and said, "Everyone is in danger when troops are approaching the city. You have done a great job by protecting the small stones."
"Master, I won't leave, I...I want to be with you!" Xiao Shitou said in a trembling voice.
All the Yulin guards knelt down in unison: "We are willing to live and die together with you, sir!"
Xue Poye turned coldly and said: "There are too many people, I'm afraid I'm really going to die. Do you want to disobey my order?"
Everyone said they didn't dare.
Xue Poye sighed and said: "The storm will eventually pass, just take care of yourself." He hugged the small stone and said with a smile: "You said you wanted to become a great hero, but even a bear can't become a bear after you die."
At this time, it was almost dusk, and the afterglow of the setting sun reflected a very strange picture.
"Li Wu, Li Wu...!" Xue Poye clenched his fists: "I hope I guessed wrong!" dd