People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1667 The only value, hunting down Li Chongzhao
Under two steep mountain walls, a three-meter-high dangerous pass guards the east-west road.

Looking up, on both sides, there are rugged cliffs and majestic and dangerous mountains.

Looking ahead, the road twists and turns almost nine times between the rolling mountains.

Wei Yuanzhong, dressed in a light green robe, stood on the city wall of Xuanyuan Pass.

Looking at the vague figure in the morning mist in the distance, he handed the short note in his hand to Ma Jingchen, the General of the Left Guard.

Ma Jingchen took a look and his expression changed slightly. He looked at Wei Yuanzhong and asked, "Imperial Censor, Prince Peng will mourn for Emperor Zhongzong at Gongling tomorrow. The Queen Mother asked us to do our best to stop Prince Peng from going to Gongling. What should we do?"

"If we want to stop King Peng, we must send troops from Xuanyuan Pass." Wei Yuanzhong looked at the mountain road ahead and said softly, "Yesterday, you and I dared to send people out from here to attract King Peng's attention, but today, you and I dare not even leave this pass. Why?"

"All the scouts and checkpoints in the mountains have been eliminated." Ma Jingchen's face looked a little ugly.

Wei Yuanzhong nodded and said, "Undoubtedly, King Peng is forcing us to leave the mountain so that he can defeat us at the foot of the mountain and capture Xuanyuan Pass at ease."

"So..." Ma Jingchen looked at Wei Yuanzhong carefully. He seemed to have understood the meaning of Wei Yuanzhong's words.

"Send a message to the Queen, we will choose the right time to attack." Wei Yuanzhong waved his hand calmly.

"Yes!" Ma Jingchen bowed, and then asked, "Are we really going to send troops?"

“Of course, we will send out two thousand soldiers this evening and another two thousand tomorrow morning. But if Prince Peng really cries and worships Emperor Zhongzong for three days in Gongling, then it will be just right. We can attack him from behind and cut off his head in Gongling.” Wei Yuanzhong chuckled with a hint of ruthlessness on his face.

Li Xuan wanted to use Empress Wu's hand to force Wei Yuanzhong to send troops from Xuanyuan Pass, but Wei Yuanzhong saw the opportunity here.

If Li Xuan really cried and kowtowed to Li Xian for three days in Gongling, Wei Yuanzhong would definitely seize the opportunity to kill him in Gongling.

"What about the Queen?" Ma Jingchen's face looked a little ugly.

Ma Jingchen was not in Qianyang Palace when Emperor Zhongzong died, but even so, he had heard several rumors about the death of Emperor Zhongzong. But there was no doubt that the death of Emperor Zhongzong was not normal.

It was also because of this that Ma Jingchen knew why Empress Wu was so afraid that Prince Peng would make use of this matter to make a fuss.

Killing your children is not a good reputation.

Not to mention, there is also the matter of Prince Zhanghuai Li Xian, and even Ma Jingchen couldn't help but connect it to Emperor Xiaojing Li Hong.

When Emperor Li Hong died, there was also a lot of ups and downs.

If all three sons died at the hands of the Queen Mother, what about the emperor?
Ma Jingchen did not forget that they were returning from Yangzhou after hunting down Crown Prince Li Chongzhao. So many descendants were killed at will, so what about the emperor?

How long can Li Dan survive in the hands of the Queen Mother?

If the emperor dies, who will succeed him?
Crown Prince Li Chengqi is with Prince Peng, and in Luoyang there are only Prince Yongping and another posthumous son of Emperor Zhongzong. These two are both sons of Emperor Zhongzong!
Could it be that the Queen Mother planned to kill Emperor Zhongzong, enthrone Prince Xiang, and then kill Prince Xiang and enthrone Emperor Zhongzong's son?

Maybe these people are just her pawns after all.

……

Ma Jingchen suddenly felt cold all over and quickly collected all his thoughts.

He raised his head and looked at Wei Yuanzhong. Even he could see the deep hidden dangers in King Peng's sacrifice to Emperor Zhongzong, let alone the Queen Mother.

But now, Wei Yuanzhong does not want to stop King Peng according to the Queen Mother's order. So what should he do if the Queen Mother blames him?
"As long as King Peng dies, he will have successfully offered sacrifice to Emperor Zhongzong. What does it matter? People's unrest is only temporary. Only living is permanent." Wei Yuanzhong patted Ma Jingchen on the shoulder and said calmly, "When a general is away from home, he has to obey the orders of the emperor. That's it."

"Yes!" Ma Jingchen bowed bitterly. He knew that Wei Yuanzhong was the Queen Mother's confidant. Only people like them had the right to dare to ignore the Queen Mother's authority.

As long as Wei Yuanzhong killed King Peng in the end, Empress Wu would not hold Wei Yuanzhong responsible for anything, but that did not mean that the Empress would not hold Ma Jingchen responsible.

Is there any way...

Suddenly, Ma Jingchen tightly gripped the sword in his hand and stared at the morning mist.

Instantly, a loud sound of horse hooves suddenly rang out: "Kill!"

In a blink of an eye, dozens of black-armored cavalrymen rushed out of the mist and charged towards Xuanyuan Pass. In a blink of an eye, they had reached the city gate.

"Shoot!" Wei Yuanzhong's cold voice sounded on one side, and then countless crossbow arrows flew directly into the air. In a blink of an eye, half of the cavalry in front of them had been hit by arrows.

However, only three or five people fell off their horses.

Three or five unlucky guys got shot in the neck.

The next moment, the remaining cavalry turned their horses around and galloped back the way they came.

Even though there were still many crossbow arrows falling from the air, this time, no one fell off the horse.

"What a fine armor!" Wei Yuanzhong narrowed his eyes slightly.

During this period, he obtained information about Li Xuan from all aspects.

The military strategy is cunning, the soldiers are strong, the officers are loyal, and the armor is excellent.

Wei Yuanzhong didn't mention the rest, but the military armor under the command of King Peng, who has been in the border states for many years, is stronger than the armor of the emperor's personal guards guarding Chang'an and Luoyang. What do the Military Department's Zhifang Division and Qianniu Guards do?

Wei Yuanzhong's eyes jumped, and then he understood. King Peng had been the Lieutenant General of the Left Thousand Bull Guards. The Thousand Bull Guards had very little influence on him. As for the Ministry of War?
The Military Affairs Department's Zhifang Division had been cooperating with Prince Peng in his wars. In particular, the successive Ministers of War, Pei Xingjian and Ouyang Tong, all had close relationships with Prince Peng, not to mention the Left Prime Minister Liu Rengui. This had kept Prince Peng's ambitions firmly hidden.

Until today.

Wei Yuanzhong looked deeply into the clouds ahead. He clearly understood that the crisis in Luoyang this time was different from the past. If he was not careful, King Peng might take his place, but few people in the court could see the threat.

So one has to be cautious.

Suddenly, a sound came from the front, but it was difficult to see clearly among the clouds.

Wei Yuanzhong frowned again. Xuanyuan Pass was located in the mountains and it was autumn now. It was inevitable that there would be clouds and mist in the morning.

If it were his spare time, Wei Yuanzhong would inevitably say "the fog waves are rolling, the clouds and smoke are lingering, the scene is changing rapidly, and the weather is magnificent", but now, he only has waves of irritation.

Wei Yuanzhong said sideways: "Send a team of people holding torches to investigate. At the critical moment, they can throw the torches directly."

"Yes!" Ma Jingchen bowed solemnly, then quickly went down to make arrangements. Soon, a team of cavalry rushed out.

Wei Yuanzhong subconsciously glanced at the city gate behind him.

Xuanyuan Pass is not just a checkpoint, but an entire city pass. There are 15,000 cavalrymen, 10,000 of whom have been transferred to Guanzhong, and there are 5,000 cavalrymen in Xuanyuan Town outside the pass, where they are resting and transporting supplies.

Wei Yuanzhong turned around and looked at the dangerous pass in front of him. The terrain of Xuanyuan Pass was so dangerous that there were probably not many places in the world that could compare with it. But unfortunately, due to peace for many years, the pass itself was not very solid.

In particular, once King Peng attacks, there will inevitably be a fierce attack and defense battle.

Cavalry, cavalry...

"Swish, swish, swish..." A burst of crossbow arrows suddenly flashed in the mist. The next moment, a panicked voice was heard: "Retreat!"

But it was too late. More crossbow arrows rose up and countless people fell off their horses in the blink of an eye.

The torches finally illuminated the mist at this time, and Wei Yuanzhong could barely see that in the mist, hundreds of soldiers were working hard to dig trenches and trip pits on the long road.

Further away, there seemed to be more people building a brick wall on the mountain road. Although it was not high, it was not easy for the cavalry to break out successfully.

At this time, if someone is behind a brick wall and shoots someone with a crossbow.

"Oh no, King Peng is trying to stop us from breaking out of Xuanyuan Pass." Wei Yuanzhong immediately saw through Li Xuan's purpose.

The mountain is steep and difficult to climb, and even more difficult to go down.

Once King Peng occupied the key points in the mountain, and used crossbowmen, trenches, trip pits and other places, then these people would have no hope of breaking out.

"Damn King Peng, he wants to block us here. If we stay here too long, we will probably have no choice but to watch him capture Luoyang City and then break into the palace." Wei Yuanzhong was so angry that his teeth were itching.

"What should we do?" Ma Jingchen couldn't help but ask.

"What else can we do? Kill them." Wei Yuanzhong's expression turned cold, and he said directly: "Order, gather all the bows and crossbows, catapults, and long-range crossbows in the city, and rush out with the cavalry to crush all the enemies on the mountain road, and then defend the mountain road step by step."

"But if we do this, our casualties will be heavy." Ma Jingchen's face became serious.

“But we can’t just watch King Peng block us here.” Wei Yuanzhong had a helpless look on his face. He still couldn’t outsmart Li Xuan.

"We can also go around from Songshan." Ma Jingchen looked in the direction of Songshan. This was not the only way for them to get here. By taking another longer and more dangerous road, the cavalry could reach Luoyang.

"That means we have to give up this place. It also means that King Peng has already set a trap for us at Gongling." Wei Yuanzhong looked bitter, shook his head, and said, "Go ahead, you lead the charge yourself."

"Yes!" Ma Jingchen waited respectfully.

……

The loud sound of fighting rang out fiercely on the mountain road, and Ma Jingchen fought hard against all the enemies in front of him.

From Xuanyuan Pass to the foot of the mountain, his body was covered in blood, and at least five thousand of his soldiers had died.

On the mountain road, on both sides of the road, on the cliffs, and under the trenches, they fought for every inch.

Finally, after paying a huge sacrifice, at dusk, Ma Jingchen reached the foot of the mountain and occupied a low wall at the foot of the mountain.

Such low walls were not high, some were made of bricks, and some were simply made of stones, but it was these things that reduced the power of the cavalry to the limit, allowing the power of the crossbows and arrows to be fully utilized.
Ma Jingchen raised his head, from the black-armored cavalry at the end of his sight to the distant Luoyang city wall, with endless hatred in his eyes.

Luoyang was threatened, and they tried their best to support it, but they were being plotted against, and Luoyang didn't care at all.

"Repair the mountain road and set traps. Now they will never be able to kill us, but we can kill them at any time!" Ma Jingchen looked at Li Xuan in the distance and said cautiously, "Be careful, night is falling."

Night battles are equally dangerous.

Soon after Ma Jingchen finished speaking, it was already dark.

At this moment, suddenly, the sound of fighting came from behind. Ma Jingchen turned around abruptly and looked in the direction of Xuanyuan Pass in disbelief. There was already a fire there.

……

"Kill!" Li Xuan looked towards the mountain road coldly, pointed with his spear, and an endless black tide rushed towards the mountain road.

Li Xuan could clearly see that the general who had been fighting for a whole day slowly lowered his arms and was completely submerged by the black tide.

Li Xuan raised his head and whispered, "Under Xuanyuan Pass!"

(End of this chapter)