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Feng lowered his head and said, "I am guilty."
The emperor would naturally not make the matter of Zhuang Min public, and the detention was also carried out in secret. The emperor was reserved with Mo Cunfeng and did not let him know everything. However, on the eve of Shangguan Jinghong entering the palace, he sent someone to inform him to secretly protect Concubine Zhuang and the little prince, and told him that after the emperor left the palace, he could secretly follow Prince Ning out of the palace.
Therefore, on the night the emperor left, although Shangguan Jinghong did not know that Zhuang Min was detained for incest, and Mo Cunfeng did not know the details, he had extensive connections in the palace and knew that Zhuang Min was imprisoned.
He was an old fox, and he guessed that something big was going to happen. He had fought with Cao Zhaonan for decades, so it was impossible for him to go to the prince. Since he had staked his life on Shangguan Jinghong, he was ready to fight to the end. He thought that Shangguan Jinghong valued Zhuang Min, so he tried to save Zhuang Min.
He was the emperor's personal eunuch and had served the emperor for many years. Who would have wanted him? Once the false order was passed on, it really worked.
The emperor saw that Shangguan Jinghong was concerned about Zhuang Min, and smiled bitterly, "Do you really like this woman?"
Shangguan Jinghong did not comment, Lang Linling beside him smiled sadly, and Shen Qingling slowly lowered his eyes.
Zuo Bing was a man of sharp vigilance. As early as when Xia Haibing came back, he sent people down the mountain to inquire about the situation. At this time, two secret guards came back, both with anxious faces, "Report, our people can't resist, the prince is about to kill us on the mountain top."
The emperor's blood boiled and he tightly grasped his left soldier's hand. He looked into the distance and saw a bright fire a little further down the mountain. However, the trees covered the sky and the ground, and the night was as dark as a wave. The shadows of men and horses were moving back and forth in the forest. He could not see the battle situation clearly, but the sound of the approaching fighting seemed to knock on his heart.
The mountains are different from other places. There is continuous open space in all directions, which can accommodate people and fight. That is why Shangguan Jinghao was able to dispatch troops here.
Before setting out, in order to prevent any accidents, he wrote an imperial edict at Shangguan Jinghao's request. Now, Shangguan Jinghao only needs to kill them all, and he can ascend the throne as king!
Xia Haibing said, "Your Majesty, I will lead my troops to defend this place, and the soldiers on the left will escort you and Master Ba down the mountain from the other side."
"That won't work." Zong Pu interrupted him. "Father, why do you think the prince took precautions in advance? The person who benefited the most from Concubine Qiao's death was the prince. It was not arbitrary for the Eighth Master to conclude that he was the murderer. The old coat from Concubine Chang's palace disappeared for no reason, so it must have been done by the murderer. However, since the secret was on Concubine Qiao, there must be nothing in the coat. The Eighth Master suddenly asked the emperor to come to the old residence. The prince was very careful. How could he not have concerns about the empty coat? Since he had some thoughts, he must have made preparations long ago and dispatched enough troops. The road on the other side was unobstructed when we came here, but now it is difficult. The prince must have sent people to block it there."
"But comparing the two, the small road is still safer. We must not sit still and wait for death. As long as I can return to Chaoge, I can issue an order to eliminate the rebellion."
The emperor also showed the majesty of a monarch at this time and spoke in a deep voice.
Just as he finished speaking, he heard a guard shout in surprise, "They have reached the foot of the mountain."
As the trees became fewer and closer to the foot of the mountain, they could see more clearly. When everyone looked, they saw that the prince's troops had driven the imperial guards into the valley.
Everyone was shocked, whether it was the emperor's men or the people in the Rui Wang Mansion. At this time, the emperor could not care about anything else, and reached out to pull Shangguan Jinghong, "This is not the time for you to be angry with me. You and I will leave first. Even if there is an ambush on the path, the main force of the prince is on the way, so we will still kill him from the path..."
Shangguan Jinghong moved and walked back the way he came.
That's a suicide move!
But everyone in Prince Rui's mansion followed without saying a word. The emperor gritted his teeth and led the troops with Zuo Xia to provide cover.
At the foot of the mountain, the fighting was very fierce. In the end, Shangguan Jinghao led his troops and killed seven or eight of the emperor's imperial guards and secret guards.
Even though Fang Fei was used as a threat, Shangguan Jinghao did not change his expression and ordered the soldiers to kill. The emperor and others fought stubbornly, and all the men were injured, and the situation was critical.
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Even in this situation, Shangguan Jinghong did not kill them, but only hacked and knocked down the enemy soldiers who were close to him, protecting everyone.
He didn't seem to expose Fang Fei's joy, nor did he feel sad about the critical situation of the war.
He just risked his life to protect everyone, from the people in Prince Rui's mansion to Rong Rui and the soldiers here.
Everyone's heart was tinged with sadness.
For the pain of impending death, and it seems only for this man.
Shangguan Jinghao was not far away, surrounded by soldiers, smiling softly.
At this time, Shangguan Jinghong was resisting dozens of soldiers. Shangguan Jinghao's eyes darkened. He grabbed the bow and arrow on the horse's belly and slowly pulled the bow to its full length.
With a whoosh, it cut through the darkness of the night.
The emperor and others were fighting, but most of them saw the arrow flying towards Shangguan Jinghong.
Everyone was shocked, but everyone had enemies in front of them and could not help each other.
Suddenly, there was a sharp howl in the forest, and a man leaped into the air and slashed with his sword, cutting the feather arrow into two pieces.
A group of soldiers and horses rushed out, with the leading soldiers holding up the military flag.
"Master, it's a good thing you were waiting on the main road. The lights were bright here, so I was able to follow the light and get there in time."
In the light of the fire, Shangguan Jinghao's face froze, and he saw a word "Lang" flying in the air on the flag, eye-catching.
…
In the autumn of the twenty-eighth year of Rongrui, the most severe civil war in Dongling since the founding of the country hundreds of years ago broke out overnight in Jiangnan. Dozens of wars followed, which were collectively known in history as the Battle for Succession.
This war left the most important mark in the history of Dongling, one of the reasons being that the battle situation and results were often unexpected.
First, in the battle of Jiangnan, Prince Rui was about to be defeated, but the great general Lang Yanping, who was far away in Bianguan, led tens of thousands of soldiers like a heavenly army and defeated the prince in the wild.
General Kelang was also unable to capture the prince in one fell swoop.
While chasing the prince, he was blocked by another general from Dongling who led his troops to the outskirts of Jiangnan.
That general was General Qin, a member of the Qin family who had always followed the orders of Prince Ning.
It turned out that the prince had been hunting in the hunting grounds and had become friends with Qin family's eldest daughter Qiuyu, and the Qin family later secretly switched sides to the prince.
When studying this period of history, later generations believed that General Qin rebelled against King Ning because King Ning favored his first wife and refused to marry into the Qin family. Moreover, General Qin helped King Rui, so even if King Rui ascended the throne, the Qin family would be credited with his great contribution, and they would eventually distance themselves from him. To the crown prince, General Qin was the father-in-law of the emperor, and his status was incomparable.
The two princes were also farsighted and had already sent letters to Generals Qin and Lang. General Qin immediately went to the border after receiving the letter and dispatched some of his troops to rush over. General Lang did the same.
Including the Crown Prince, everyone mobilized troops on a small scale. At the beginning, they did not want to cause a big sensation, and everything was done in secret. It seemed that everyone thought they could defeat the other side without making a fuss, but everyone was evenly matched.
The story of General Lang helping King Rui is also told by many later generations.
In fact, this matter seems strange, but it is not.
The Lang family's falling out with King Rui was not false, but it was Prime Minister Lang who broke with King Rui, and General Lang had actually been secretly supporting King Rui. Until the last moment, this general became King Rui's strongest backer.
According to historians, although Prince Rui doted on his concubine Qiaochu, he had already broken with the Lang family by sending his servant Lao Tie to deliver a letter to the border late at night.
Later, as time passed, the content of the letter was no longer known, and we could only get a glimpse of it from General Lang's notes.
Historians generally believe that there are two reasons why Prince Rui impressed General Lang.
First, the personal letter from Prince Rui was delivered to General Lang at the beginning of the split. Prince Rui was sincere, and this sincerity fell on General Lang, which made General Lang feel relieved, thinking that Prince Rui understood better than Prince Xian who really controlled the lifeline of the Lang family - the military power was in the hands of General Lang, not Prime Minister Lang.
Of course, it’s not that General Lang is wary of his father, but Shangguan Jinghong’s emphasis on the general makes him think that Shangguan Jinghong’s grasp of war is much deeper than that of the wise king, and Shangguan Jinghong himself has practical experience. Such a prince is more likely to conquer the world and protect the country.
The Lang family needs to be passed down, which is why Prime Minister Lang chose a wise king. Prime Minister Lang believed that Shangguan Jinghong did not love Lang Linling and would certainly neglect the Lang family in the future. However, this old prime minister put the cart before the horse at the critical moment. If the Lang family wants to be passed down, first of all, it needs a monarch who can stand out in the struggle and is willing to promote the Lang family.
No matter how good the Lang family's people are, it is useless if they don't have the ability to fight and defend.
Second, in the letter, Prince Rui stated clearly who he loved, but he would never let down the Lang family.
This is neither deceptive nor servile, and it illustrates the relationship of mutual dependence and interests, which is more sincere than any extravagant promise.
Later, the crown prince reorganized his troops and returned to Chaoge first. He used the military order to mobilize the remaining 90,000 troops from the border and recruited about 30,000 imperial guards from Chaoge. General Qin also mobilized his own 100,000 troops. The 230,000-strong army blocked Chaoge and the imperial city. The crown prince asked for an imperial edict from the Jinluan Palace to announce to the world that the emperor was captured by King Rui and that he would attack King Rui on the pretext of clearing the emperor's entourage.
On the other hand, General Lang, whose military strength was slightly stronger than General Qin, led an army of 150,000 to support the Emperor and King Rui in Chaoge, adjacent to the capital Ye.
What adds more color to this battle for the throne is the participation of two other princes.
One of them is the virtuous king. Lang Xiang supports the virtuous king in the south. Yan Zixi, the prince of Xiangguo in Southern Yan, asks for 120,000 soldiers to escort the virtuous king. He uses the reasons that the prince's edict is a fake and the emperor is imprisoned by the wise king to assist the eldest son to ascend the throne.
The most surprising thing was the King of Xia who ruled the northwest near the border.
After the prince returned to Chaoge, he sent people to raid the Xia Mansion, but found that the unconscious King Xia in the mansion was a fake King Xia.
With a trick of escaping from the shell, Shangguan Jingchong hid it from everyone and had left Chaoge with General Xia and Yinping without anyone knowing when. He also mobilized 100,000 soldiers from the border with half of the military command.
At this point, the border defenses were clear.
King Xian and King Xia had been very quiet and ruled their own territories, but in the more than a month since the beginning of autumn, Shangguan Jingchong and Shangguan Jinghong fought more than ten wars.
Both of them were extremely cautious in using their troops, so there were not many casualties, and both sides won and lost.
Of course, Shangguan Jinghao won by virtue of his superior manpower.
In fact, Chaoge is also very advantageous in terms of strategic location alone.
It is located in the easternmost part of Dongling, with Yecheng in front and mountains behind. Dongxiao County is the boundary, separating Yecheng and Chaoge. Dongxiao is the outer city of Chaoge, the most important checkpoint to protect Chaoge and the imperial city. The city walls are thick and continuous, with multiple gates. The gates are strong and difficult to destroy, and can be attacked or defended.
Shangguan Jinghong launched several sieges but was unable to capture the county, let alone enter the imperial city.
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ps Typo in the previous section: In the one month since the beginning of autumn, Shangguan Jingcong and Shangguan Jinghong fought more than ten battles. .
Shangguan Jingcong should be "Shangguan Jinghao".
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Of course, Chaoge's geography also has its disadvantages.
There were enemies stationed in front of it, and vast and continuous mountains on the back and front. Before taking Yecheng, once the food and grass were running out, it would be extremely difficult for Shangguan Jinghao's army to go out to buy food.
Going to the back, you need to climb around the mountains to find a path to return to the southern and northern cities of Dongling. The military supplies are huge and it is a matter of vital importance, so tens of thousands of troops must be sent. However, the journey is very long, not to mention the fatigue of the troops, and there is no guarantee that Shangguan Jinghong will also march far and set an ambush at the exit of the mountain. Even if Shangguan Jinghao sent spies to detect the exit of the mountain and found no trace of the enemy army, he would not easily send troops out to prevent being tricked.
If they want to leave from Yecheng in front, they must completely destroy Shangguan Jinghong's army.
Both roads are blocked.
However, this drawback did not seem to be a problem for Shangguan Jinghao - according to the report from the soldiers who withdrew from the border that day, General Lang saw the Qin soldiers who withdrew almost at the same time driving countless grain carts away. General Qin seemed to have made preparations in advance after receiving the report from the prince. In addition to the military rations provided by the court, he secretly purchased enough grain from grain merchants in various cities and counties at the border.
Shangguan Jinghao had enough food and grass to sustain for a while, so he did not seem to be in a hurry to take the initiative to attack. It seemed that he wanted to let the soldiers who had traveled a long distance to recuperate and gather their strength in order to launch a large-scale annihilation war and capture Yecheng in one fell swoop. In this way, he could preserve the troops to deal with the two kings of Xianxia.
As a result, although Shangguan Jinghong's side was stationed in Yecheng, they could retreat at will and buy food from other cities and counties, but they were actually in a passive state.
Soon after, the four men stationed in different places received news that Western Xia had stationed 300,000 troops on the northwest border.
This news cast a shadow over everyone's heart.
The emperor issued an edict in Yecheng, hoping that the four princes would put aside their past grievances, put the country first, and unite to fight the enemy. However, this edict fell on deaf ears, and the four princes did not respond. Even Shangguan Jinghong, who was also in Yecheng, did not say anything or ask. The secret meeting that the emperor hoped to facilitate fell through. People are selfish, and the great country of Dongling finally fell into an unprecedented predicament.
Afterwards, Shangguan Jinghong secretly met with officials in Yecheng, walked around Yecheng several times, and carefully studied the maps of various counties in Dongling for a whole night. After several small-scale sieges failed, he actually ordered a large-scale siege.
Everyone disapproved.
Who wouldn't be anxious at this time? Everyone knew Shangguan Jinghong was anxious, but no matter how anxious he was, he would not panic. Everyone also knew Shangguan Jinghong was smart, but everyone was frightened by this attack.
Without intelligence on troop deployment, attacking would be like a gamble.
The city of Dongxiao is long and has many gates. It is impossible to know how Shangguan Jinghao arranges the guards at each gate in each round of battle, and which place is light and which is heavy.
If you only attack one city gate, the enemy can quickly dispatch troops from other city gates to provide support.
Dispersed attack, attacking a heavily guarded gate with a small number of soldiers will inevitably result in casualties; encountering a large number of soldiers attacking a gate with weaker soldiers, do not be surprised, no matter how weak the defense of this city gate is compared to other city gates, there must be a lot of soldiers deployed - in terms of the number of soldiers and horses, Shangguan Jinghao has an absolute advantage over Shangguan Jinghong. Moreover, Hao's army was originally in a high position, with slingshots and feather arrows, and after a round of resistance, the soldiers inside the other heavily guarded city gates had already annihilated the enemy and could come to support, and in the end, Shangguan Jinghong still lost.
But Shangguan Jinghong seemed to be very determined. He developed some new weapons and ordered the craftsmen to make them quickly.
In this battle, he deployed troops evenly at each city gate, distributing 70,000 troops to seven city gates. He only deployed heavy troops at one city gate which he marked as "corner" on the map and attacked it with an army of 80,000.
All 150,000 soldiers came out. He personally led the troops and launched the fiercest attack on the corner gate.