The bean-sized raindrops hit the ground mercilessly.
The wind was heavy and rainy, and it was so dark that no light could be seen.
"boom!"
The deafening noise made even the ground seem to be shaking.
The cannon that spewed thunderfire was aimed at the open space in front of the Palace of Wanhe in the imperial city, and the ground was splashed with gravel and potholes.
After the ten rounds of cannonballs were over, someone immediately pulled up a rain-proof tarpaulin to cover the entire artillery, and pulled up the wooden cart carrying the artillery to slowly back away.
Lightning flashed across, exposing the dark figures behind the firearms battalion.
The blade is sharp, and the halberds stand in rows.
The Minister of War, who climbed to the upper floor of Wenyuan Pavilion, held the telescopic mirror, and his eyes were trembling in front of the mirror tube. Before he could finish speaking, Prime Minister Zhang next to him snatched the telescopic mirror away.
When the lightning flashed again, Prime Minister Zhang also saw the soldiers and horses outside.
"…Where did this guy come from?"
Prime Minister Zhang shouted in a low voice.
Although the others couldn't see the situation outside, they knew what was going on after listening to the movement. It was forcing the palace! is a real rebellion!
Half an hour ago, everyone was still thinking about how the Third Prince would show his power in the government after he ascended the throne, how to weaken the local forces and strengthen the court's deterrence to the locality, and finally conquer Yichu. Not everyone has the courage to usurp the throne and become emperor, but it is the wish of most people to be a minister of power, to be a prime minister who was never disobeyed during his lifetime, and whose name is passed down to history after his death.
Now these conjectures have been directly bombarded into slag by artillery.
Prime Minister Zhang's hands and feet were even colder, and he subconsciously thought about the troops and horses he could mobilize.
There are his people in the Imperial Guards, and there are several hundred households in the Jinyiwei of Beizhen Fusi who can persuade them. If they are willing to work hard, it is not impossible to use the Gyeonggi Camp, but—
Far cannot quench near thirst.
Seeing that the rebels were about to enter the palace gate, they were trapped in Wenyuan Pavilion, like a turtle in a urn.
At this time, Prime Minister Jiang was supported and came up tremblingly.
Prime Minister Jiang looked around, especially paying attention to Prime Minister Zhang's reaction. Soon his heart sank. Judging from the expressions and reactions of the crowd, it was not the people present who brought it up.
"Shouldn't the firearms camp be outside Renwei Gate?"
"... When the Second Prince launched the rebellion, His Majesty called some members of the Firearms Battalion to suppress the rebellion together with the Janissary Guards, but later His Majesty couldn't afford to be seriously injured, so they stayed in the imperial city."
Jiang Zhengshi took over part of the military affairs in the inner city during the day, because he was a neutral faction in the court and did not belong to Prime Minister Jiang's side, nor did he belong to Prime Minister Zhang's side. The forces on both sides were suspicious of each other, so they handed this errand to him.
In fact, within the Praetorian Guards, there are people from Prime Minister Zhang and Prime Minister Jiang. They just lost the right to control the Guards. If they really want to do something small, no one else can stop them.
After a while of eye contact, everyone, like Prime Minister Jiang, was sure that the problem was not on the courtier's side.
They don't have to do anything.
"Can't you hear the sound of so many artillery pieces? It's definitely not just the people who stayed in the imperial city before, I'm afraid it's the entire firearms battalion!" The Minister of War said tremblingly, disregarding the factions of political opponents, and said in a panic, "I can mobilize Your Majesty is the only one in the firearms battalion, isn't it—"
Could it be that all this is a conspiracy, an illusion made by Lu Zhang to test his son and his courtiers
The ministers turned pale at first, and then calmed down.
The miserable appearance of the emperor lying unconscious in bed is not a pretense, even if it is a substitute, what is the emperor's face like this? There are thousands of ways to pretend to be sick, so why pretend to be beaten
The emperor pondered the emperor's mind all day long, and the courtiers also pondered the emperor's mind all day long, all for the sake of power.
Those who can ascend to the position of Saisuke, and those who can sit in the six court officials, have great insights into the emperor's habits and preferences. After all, only by making good use of these can they pave the way for themselves and drag their political enemies down.
Lu Zhang is an emperor who wants to face the face.
It is absolutely impossible for him to go out and pretend to be beaten...
The Minister of War who spoke also quickly understood this point. Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he asked nervously, "It's not your majesty's order, so who are these people outside supporting now?"
Certainly not the third prince.
If the second prince had such ability, what was the betrayal a few days ago? Try it out
"The sixth prince just returned to the capital today and disappeared." Jiang Zhengshi whispered.
"… impossible."
Prime Minister Zhang looked disdainful. The situation of this little prince is well known to everyone. He has a perverse heart. Although his head is smart enough, his sharp edge is too revealing. Few of the courtiers would support the prince, because his situation is too similar to that of several famous dizzy monarchs in history.
They were all very intelligent when they were young, and even when they grew up, they had outstanding achievements in leading troops to fight against one side, but when they sat on the throne, they became ruthless and ruthless kings who did whatever they wanted.
"Why should the firearms battalion sacrifice their lives for a yellow-haired boy? They are not afraid that the Gyeonggi camp will enter the city tomorrow and kill them all? Although the artillery is powerful, the shells are limited. The firearms battalion adds up to three hundred people. What?" Prime Minister Zhang said contemptuously, but the truth was not what he said.
At least these 300 people can rush into the imperial city and chop off the heads of all the important officials of Wenyuan Pavilion.
As civil servants, the most disgusting thing is the current situation. Although they can analyze the situation wisely and comfort themselves with various reasons why living is more helpful to rebellion, they know in their hearts that these words are useless.
Once chaos arises, those rebels will only be slashing and slaying, and they will not weigh the situation and leave their lives.
This has created a complex emotion of disgust and fear in the hearts of everyone.
"Damn!"
Prime Minister Zhang has completely lost his demeanor as a prime minister.
He gasped for a while, and hurriedly ordered the guards who were originally stationed near Wenyuan Pavilion to be called.
Those janissaries were pale, and they were obviously shocked by the artillery salvo. When the two prime ministers asked them where they could hide, their expressions were even more ugly.
"Reporting to Jiang Xiang and Zhang Xiang, just now we have gone to check, and the two doors leading to the outer city and the inner palace are all locked."
"what?"
The situation in the palace is generally like this. The palace gate is separated from the high wall, and the front and rear doors are locked, which means that they are completely trapped here.
Prime Minister Jiang did not speak, but Prime Minister Zhang recalled it and glared at the guards.
- These people just wanted to leave them and run first, but they were stopped by the locked palace gate.
"Anyone who can lock the door without knowing it, except for the Imperial Army, is the servant in the palace..."
"What, you mean those eunuchs of the Sili Jian?"
The battle between the outer court and the inner court was mainly between Wenyuan Pavilion and Silijian. It was only after the Chu Dynasty that the Silijian's power declined until the Qi Dynasty did not recover. On weekdays, the Zaifus did not take Silijian seriously.
But now...
The Sixth Prince was ambitious, and the Slijian, who had been suppressed for a long time, decided to support him, and then held the firearms battalion hostage by forging imperial decrees or other means to prepare to force the palace. This makes perfect sense!
Mistaking this to be the truth, the ministers were very angry.
If the eunuchs prevail, they would rather die.
Prime Minister Jiang was also very disappointed. After all, in his heart, the sixth prince was still slightly better than the third prince.
"No, we can't just sit back and wait!"
No civil servant was willing to surrender to the eunuchs, and they would not surrender temporarily.
Of those people in the history books who did this kind of thing, who wasn't scolded with blood
In the corner stood a clerk who was stunned and stared at the furious courtier. Not only was he surprised, but he also had a trace of indescribable annoyance. How could the Sixth Prince do this? It is obviously His Royal Highness, but they do not take His Highness in their eyes!
In the chaos, the "rebels" had already entered the imperial city, encircling the area where Wenyuan Pavilion was located.
Prime Minister Jiang took people out, and was surprised to find that there were Jin Yiwei among these people.
"A nest of snakes and rats!"
Prime Minister Jiang scolded his feet and said that the disaster of Chen Chao's factory and guards is still fresh in his memory.
"No, why are there people from the Guards?"
Jiang Zhengshi was young and his eyes were good. He found that the people in the "rebels" had different clothes and armor. Some of them were obviously the Guards who were still obedient to them during the day.
Everyone looked at each other, completely understanding the situation.
Soon, someone shouted outside, ready to open the locked palace gate, and persuaded the guards inside not to resist, otherwise it would be treated as treason—
Strictly speaking, the rebellious hat was buckled in turn.
The ministers didn't have time to get angry at all, they were stunned by their words.
What does it mean to have chaotic ministers in trouble and hold the king hostage? What does it mean that the prince is ordered to be in danger and set things right
"It's the prince!"
"His Royal Highness!"
Voices sounded one after another, and Prime Minister Zhang heard someone shouting behind him.
Immediately after the door was opened, Prime Minister Zhang stared ahead, thinking that he would see a sedan chair or something. After all, the prince had been sick for many days, and it was impossible for him to come on horseback.
In the end, what was looked forward to by several clerks in Wenyuan Pavilion, a group of internal servants, and many imperial guards was just a command talisman held high under the firelight.
Could it be that the talisman used by the prince to cultivate his forces secretly
The Taisukes hurriedly turned around, and were surprised to find that there were still quite a few people who knew this talisman. Some of them were the proud disciples that they were very optimistic about, and they were the talents of the future, but they were only a little younger and could only do errands in Wenyuan Pavilion. manual labor.
The Guards stationed at Wenyuan Pavilion suddenly split into two parts, and those people put down their weapons without hesitation.
It seems that there is no distinction between foreign ministers and internal eunuchs, no distinction between civil officials and military commanders, these people who originally followed the trend suddenly have a backbone.
Prime Minister Zhang and Prime Minister Jiang's eyes collided, and each saw the horror on the other's face.
Prime Minister Jiang was a little more relieved.
***
The sound of the artillery completely disintegrated the will of the Praetorian Guards ambushing near Yiguang Gate.
Everyone knew something was wrong!
If the rebels have captured the imperial city, what's the use of them waiting here to capture Liu Dan? Even the deputy commander was shaken, the situation was unclear, they must preserve their strength and find out the situation.
Fei Xiaowei looked calm, but panicked in his heart.
There is nothing to be afraid of in such a matter of palace change, from Zaifu down to the soldiers.
Afraid of being on the wrong team, afraid of missing an opportunity, afraid of dying in confusion in the chaos of the army.
It's not too late to do what Zhang Xiang told him to do in the future. If Zhang Xiang falls down, he will definitely lose more than the gain!
"Commander, in my opinion, it's better to wait and see how things change..."
"nonsense!"
The deputy commander was hesitant at first, but after Xiaowei Fei persuaded him, he immediately made up his mind to withdraw.
"Send the order, put away the bow and crossbow, and the whole army is on alert!"
Fei Xiaowei wanted to persuade him again, but the deputy commander threw his hand away.
He didn't notice Fei Xiaowei's relieved expression at all - sometimes it's better to speak ironically than to say it clearly.
Especially when I know that this Shangguan has a small heart and doesn't deal with him.
Let's say that this group of janitorial guards was divided into two teams and rushed to the imperial city.
If the artillery was used by the imperial court to suppress the rebellion, it would be a good thing to say that they could take credit for it. If the imperial city was captured by the rebellion, they immediately defected to the Gyeonggi camp.
In the darkness, Meng Qi and Mo Li sat on the eaves and watched them leave in a hurry.
"The moment they heard the sound of the cannon, they lost their fighting spirit." Meng Qi thought thoughtfully.
How can flesh and blood fight against firearms
The prince ordered people to bombard Zhengyangmen, and even if it was all open space, it was an extremely powerful deterrent.
Whether it be the ministers or the imperial guards, when they see the messy gate of the imperial city, they will all be so scared that they lose their minds.
Meng Qi put his hands under his head and lay down comfortably, muttering in his mouth, "It's really disturbing people's dreams."
"You haven't slept yet."
"Originally, I should have been in the bedroom, with the doctor doing nothing but reading the text." Meng Qi tilted his head and suggested enthusiastically, "It's not too late to go now."
Ink carp: "… "
He finally realized that there was something wrong with the erotic novels with erotic illustrations in the middle of the night.
Meng Qi is teasing him
Mo Li shook his head, poking around to read the script, wouldn't it be more effective to appreciate the golden and blue landscape painting of Shangyun Mountain
"The doctor doesn't like it?" Meng Qi smiled.
"No, I don't have time to watch."
Mo Li suddenly felt that Meng Qi's expression of disappointment was very interesting, like peeling a candied chestnut, holding it around in front of the fat mouse, and then stuffing it into his mouth.
No, it's kind of nasty.
Mo Li thought about that picture, thinking about the astonishing black eyes of the gerbil, and reflecting on how a gentleman would not be loved by others, how could he do such a "provocative" thing
Wait, tease
Mo Li paused, it turned out that this was his return to Meng Qi, and it might be worth a try.
Meng Qi had no idea what kind of teasing the gerbils would face in the future. He asked suspiciously: "Is there not enough time? What else can we do? Depending on the situation, the crown prince should be able to grasp the situation."
Mo Li said indifferently: "Naturally, he is pressing the second prince and the sixth prince to prevent them from running out."
"... Then sell it to the prince for money?" Meng Qi answered naturally.
With the prince in power, the two princes naturally don't have to go to the end of the world.
The prince is much richer than Liu Dan.
Meng Qi had to settle the account, after all, he and the doctor had to go to Feihe Mountain.
When the two slowly returned to Liu's house, they found that everyone in the house was awake.
Liu Dan, who originally planned to leave everything alone and then sleep, sat in the flower hall with a complicated look in his coat and watched them come in.
"The ambush outside has all been withdrawn. If the general wants to leave Taijing, this is a good opportunity." Meng Qi said casually.
Liu Dan stiffened for a moment, then said dryly: "The great kindness of the national teacher, I really don't know what to do next..."
"stop!"
Meng Qi immediately stopped Liu Dan. Facing the grateful eyes, Meng Qi felt uncomfortable.
"These are all coincidences!"
Meng Qi wasn't so arrogant as to take all the credit on himself, he said casually, "They were scared away by the prince's army. There is a captain named Fei in the Guards, he may know who is going to punish you. Start."
The author has something to say:
The ink carp grasped the chestnut and watched the gerbil.
Fat Rat: A gentleman does not take people's love!
Ink Carp: Say it again
Fat Rat: … No no, you eat, you eat. Chestnuts are not, the doctor is my favorite.