Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 451 The wind blows away

Xingqing Palace, Mingyi Gate.

Chen Xuanli and Long Wujun were in front, and Yuan Zai and Li Cong were behind. They had been waiting for a long time.

Yuan Zai glanced out of the corner of his eye and noticed soldiers coming from the east and delivered a message to Yang Guozhong. After that, Yang Guozhong hurriedly entered the palace, and Chen Xuanli also left after a while.

From this detail, it can be seen that the officers and soldiers may have achieved a complete victory on the Tongguan battlefield. As a result, the prestige gradually moved to the side of the prince.

In recent years, saints have become increasingly unconvincing.

Yuan Zai seemed to be loyal to Yang Guozhong, but what he did today was at the instigation of others.

"Yuanlang!"

Hearing the call, he looked back and saw Wang Yunxiu wearing a warrior robe and rushing over with a team of guards. He then asked: "How come you, a woman, are here late at night?"

"I would like to ask Mr. Lang, how can you persecute Zhongliang?"

He even felt that the throne was right in front of him.

After waiting for a long time, a eunuch was hanged from the city wall, crawled on the ground, and asked to see him.

The people in the Chang'an market under Xue Bai are secretly running for him. Over at Tongguan, Ge Shuhan and Xue Bai will come back soon with their army. Thinking of this, the father who used to be so terrifying to him suddenly became not scary at all.

"Who dares to take action?!" Guan Chongsi shouted angrily and was already protecting Li Cong.

Li Cong was so excited that he remembered something after a long time.

~~
"quick!"

But soon, the feeling of panic subsided, and he was surprised to find that he adapted very quickly and properly displayed the dignity he deserved.

They all knew that the great victory in Luoyang and the suppression of the rebellion were just around the corner, and they had no scruples about supporting the prince, so they vented their anger to their heart's content. Not only to Yang Guozhong, but also to the saint.

There was a quarrel, and the quarrel reached the point where all the officials in the court knew about his loyalty and his wife's righteousness.

However, what he didn't expect was that as he was talking, there was a sudden flash of light in front of his eyes, and Wang Yunxiu took out a dagger and quickly cut off the rope on Guan Chongsi's hand.

Li Longji did not fully believe this rhetoric, because if Li Cong wanted to make a coup, there was no reason for Li Tan to persuade Li Heng.

For a moment, Li Longji's face became serious.

However, he still believed part of it and asked, "Did Li Tan tell them about their plan?"

Tonight, Li Tan was supposed to come to support him, but he hadn't seen him yet.

Even if the emperor came in person, it would not be easy to open the palace during the curfew. Fortunately, it was safe within the wall, so Li Longji had to wait patiently.

"Yes." Li Fuguo said, "King Jianning said that the prince hid a batch of weapons near Guangyun Lake."

"But what if they were unjustly accused?!" Wang Yunxiu pointed at Yuan Luqian, Yan Jiming and others who were tied up.

"Who dares to hurt the prince?!"

Yuan Zai had already expected this. He did not want to openly join the East Palace family, but his wife's identity was really suitable. In this way, when the couple plays against each other, no matter what the final situation is, he will remain in an invincible position.

At this moment, a ray of light flashed across the west side of Xingqing Palace, followed by a loud noise that exploded in the palace city.

To be honest, this is very similar to An Lushan's "Qingjun Side". The difference is that this time it is really what the people want. It can even be said that the people's anger has been suppressed in their hearts for too long and too deep.

"Yuan Changshi advocated Hebei's righteousness and reversed the current situation. Who wants to kill him? But he deceived the saint?"

In front, the Yanzheng Gate Tower was in sight, and the guards quickly stepped forward and ordered the door to be opened.

Yuan Zai said seriously: "As an official of the imperial court, I am just acting according to the imperial edict!"

"What to do?!" The guard was suddenly startled.

So, Li Cong took a step forward and said, "I want to see your Majesty!"

He clearly stated his determination for a coup, so he would not lack followers. The Tang Dynasty had frequent coups, not to mention that Li Longji was at the time when he was most disappointed. Therefore, although the fire started, everyone's emotions became even higher.

When something unexpected happened, Yuan Zai was stunned for a moment, and he was the first to wake up, guessing that there would be a palace change tonight. But he's not completely ready yet, so what choice should he make?
This question was also posed in front of many officials present, among whom there were obviously many people who dared to speculate, and soon some people started to drink loudly.

"Invite the prince to come and remonstrate with the saint and depose Yang Guozhong!"

"Go to the water!"

Soon, Li Fuguo prostrated himself in front of Li Longji and cried without saying a word to show his concern for the saint. Later, he did not dare to hide it and reported directly.

As soon as this statement came out, it immediately ignited the dissatisfaction of many people. A slogan came out and soon resounded in front of Xingqing Palace.

"It must be Yang Guozhong, the treacherous man, who blocked the audience."

"The servants are people close to King Zhong. Today, King Jianning came to see King Zhong and said that he would support the crown prince to the throne. He hoped that King Zhong would express his support at that time. King Zhong was shocked and scolded them for being unfaithful and unfilial. King Jianning followed suit. People are looking at King Zhong... King Zhong was worried about His Majesty's safety, so he tried every means to let his slaves come and report the news! "

"Sage, he calls himself Li Fuguo. He said he has urgent matters concerning the safety of the saint and is seeking to see him."

"Call."

In the royal road inside the wall, the light of fire dispelled the darkness, the clanging of armor continued, and a group of dragon warriors were galloping forward.

Everyone was shocked, but Li Cong quickly reacted and shouted: "Yang Guozhong saw that the situation was not good and wanted to harm your majesty. Please let me enter the palace immediately!"

A big change occurred tonight, Xingqing Palace was on fire again, and they were escorting the saint to Daming Palace.

Even Li Cong didn't know how popular he was, and he panicked for a moment.

A seven-foot-two-inch tall man suddenly stood up, a head taller than those around him.

Li Linfu mentioned this matter several years ago, claiming that Huangfu Weiming brought a group of "armored dead soldiers" when he came to Beijing. However, many people were investigated in Wei Jian's case, but no evidence was ever found, so Li Longji regarded it as a false accusation.

"How did Li Cong get the weapons?!"

"Xue Baiyun went there. It is said that he has always been surrounded by Longyou veterans. It must be a legacy left by the person who adopted him."

After hearing this, Li Longji felt that some things suddenly became clear. In the Pei Mian case, some people pointed out that Xue Bai was the culprit, but that boy got away with it. Thinking about it now, it was indeed suspicious.

However, he did not completely believe Li Fuguo and asked, "Why did Li Tan tell Li Heng these things?"

"This... this servant doesn't know, it was all relayed by King Zhong."

Li Fuguo scratched his head. He didn't look very smart. He could easily be seen as a country boy, but because of this he was somewhat more believable.

After a while, he suddenly realized and said: "My slave understands! King Jianning did not want to support the prince, and deliberately told King Zhong all this. No wonder this slave can come out of the ten kings' house smoothly. It turned out that King Jianning secretly let this slave come here. "

Li Longji called Chen Xuanli and gave some instructions. Chen Xuanli immediately sent someone to the Daming Palace and at the same time ordered someone to bring Li Heng.

The night wind carried the movement inside Chang'an City, making it faintly ring in the ears. The situation outside Chang'an City was even more unsettling. In this case, Li Longji's waiting seemed extremely torturous.

After a long time, Chen Xuanli came back and whispered: "Sage, I'm just afraid that the Daming Palace is not safe."

Li Longji was not surprised and snorted slightly: "This is my son. Has Yang Guozhong restrained Li Cong?"

"Not yet."

"Is Li Heng here?"

"Back to Saint, we're here."

Li Longji had not seen his son Li Heng for a long time, and he did not expect to meet again in such a situation.

But tonight, Li Heng was no longer a threat to him, but to Li Cong.

"Li Cong has ulterior motives and evil intentions. I hope you can expose him. Can you do it?" Li Longji asked, but he did not mention the defeat of the Tongguan army.

"can!"

Li Heng gritted his teeth and responded in a deep voice.

He was imprisoned in the Ten King's House, and it was not easy to find out the information. It was only after An Lushan's rebellion that he didn't pay attention to him that he could understand a little bit about current events. After learning that Xue Bai had captured An Lushan alive in Luoyang, his judgment was the same as that of Li Longji, believing that Li Cong's military remonstrance was inevitable.

So, if he still wants to fight for the throne, there is very little time left for him. Therefore, today he was willing to take risks, forcibly left the Ten Kings' House, and took his eldest son Li Chu to his third son Li Tan's place, forcing Li Tan to support him.

As long as Li Tan and Gao Lishi are persuaded to help, Li Heng believes that with his many years of reputation, there is still a way to stabilize the situation tonight for the saint.

After Li Heng left, Li Longji was still worried. For the first time, he realized that besides his own son, there were indeed others who could threaten his throne.

"Sage, Yang Guozhong has arrived."

When Yang Guozhong arrived, his clothes were a little disheveled, and the bun on his head was crooked.

When Li Longji saw him, he became furious and shouted: "It was your idea!"

"Your Majesty... you deserve death!" Yang Guozhong hurriedly knelt down, kowtowed to plead guilty and said: "I think it is urgent, and I should send troops from all directions to return to Guanzhong Qin Wang! First protect your Majesty's safety, and I will die without regrets!"

"Send fast horses and summon the towns to put down the rebellion."

Li Longji also knew this and did not dare to delay, so he quickly agreed, and then asked, "Where is Li Cong? Have you suppressed it?"

"The prince learned about the defeat of Tongguan, and with the arrival of King Zhong, the momentum has been reduced, and the fire in Xingqing Palace has been extinguished."

"Humph."

Li Longji snorted coldly, but did not immediately order to return to the palace.

In the past, he was sometimes in Daming Palace, sometimes in Xingqing Palace, sometimes in Taiji Palace, and sometimes in Huaqing Palace, being unrestrained and unrestrained. But tonight, I felt that no place in Chang'an was safe.

Where to go?

"Your Majesty," he said cautiously, "The second battle report has arrived."

"Ugh."

"The rebels pretended to be defeated. Geshuhan's troops and horses were led to the pass. There was a barrage of cannon fire and trees and rocks falling down. They had to withdraw their troops and retreat. However, the road was narrow. The rebels set up a suspicion in Nanshan and intercepted them with fine cavalry. The official army was defeated and the soldiers were defeated. They fled, drowned in the Yellow River, or fell into deep trenches, with countless casualties... Tongguan was lost."

Li Longji listened without any reaction.

He felt that this matter was so unreal, but Yang Guozhong said it with certainty. It's like watching a beautiful piece of porcelain fall, not wanting it to break, but it breaks anyway.

The situation before us is that if we want to defend Chang'an City, it is certainly possible to defend it, but we should be afraid of everything. It doesn't matter if he is lost in Luoyang, but if he is lost in Chang'an and he is captured alive, that would be a tragedy that is unimaginable.

For him as an emperor, he still needs to consider more possible situations. For example, when the rebels came to the city, Li Cong or one of his sons made a coup; for example, the soldiers of King Qin on a certain road had different intentions again. These are obviously very likely to happen.

How to do it? Even Li Longji himself knew that it would be too cowardly for the emperor to abandon Chang'an without seeing the shadow of the rebels.

He was wise throughout his life and was by no means such an irresponsible person. A little moonlight shone through the clouds. The monarch and his ministers sat and knelt facing each other for a long time, casting silent shadows in the empty passage.

Yang Guozhong recovered from the worry of being executed and finally captured the thoughts of some saints.

He tentatively spoke slowly and said: "Chang'an City has high walls and strong walls. It will be able to be defended."

Li Longji didn't want to speak. He only opened his lips a little and uttered two words: "Where is the food?"

Yang Guozhong didn't know how to answer, he frowned and thought about countermeasures.

He usually puts a lot of energy into fighting for power and is very good at political tactics. But when it comes to serious matters such as resisting rebels and quelling chaos, it is inevitable that he will be unable to do so.

As for the bit of speculation about the saint's thoughts, he also felt that it was too absurd and did not dare to mention it, and he really couldn't mention anything else.

"Sage, the tens of thousands of guards and new troops in Chang'an are a bit weak in combat power... If we were in Shu County where I always live, I would have the confidence to summon the men from Sichuan to defeat the thieves."

While talking intermittently, Yang Guozhong raised his eyes and glanced at Li Longji guiltily, fearing that he would be scolded for his thoughts. How could a generation of British masters who created the prosperous Kaiyuan era and surpassed Yao and Shun flee to Sichuan and Shu without seeing the traitors?
However, the expected scolding did not appear, and Li Longji seemed to have fallen asleep sitting on the cold and empty royal road.

Yang Guozhong was secretly surprised, and gradually gained some confidence in his heart. He continued: "Your Majesty is bound to the country and cannot stand under a dangerous wall. It is very strange that the rebels can capture Tongguan. Why don't your Majesty... move away? Shu County... shocked Tubo and Nanzhao..."

Even though his clever mouth could spit out words worth a thousand dollars, he couldn't make up any more at this time.

Li Longji was silent. No one knew how he felt at this moment. In this life, when he had to face this kind of decision, only he knew what it felt like. At the end, he sighed softly.

"Ugh."

A sigh fell in Yang Guozhong's ears, flowing down his ears and into his heart like snow water, giving rise to some strange feelings.

For the first time, he felt that the old man sitting in front of him was not worthy of being the king. After having this idea, he further thought that when he arrived at Shu County, which was his own territory, maybe he could use the emperor to command the princes?

For a moment, Yang Guozhong was frightened by his own thoughts, and scolded himself for being so bold, how dare he harbor heresy. But soon, he thought of Li Heng, Ge Luofeng, Abu Si, An Lushan, Li Cong, Ge Shuhan, Xue Bai... Were these people rebellious from the beginning?

Looking back on Tianbao's five years, Xue Bai was just like him, sitting in a brothel in Nanqu and eating soft food. In the blink of an eye, he was about to support the crown prince. This was how he came about.

As a result, Yang Guozhong's mentality is somewhat different from before.

A gust of wind blew away the clouds and snow in the sky. But not long after, the rolling clouds came down again, and the snowflakes got bigger. The originally sharp north wind was blocked by the wall when it blew through the royal road, making a shrill whimper, like a cry of unwillingness.

~~
Imperial City, Shangshu Province.

The reason why Du Jin chose to hide here was to deliver news and deploy manpower without attracting attention.

All night long, people carrying lanterns were walking back and forth outside the government office. There were even a small number of Jinwu guards being mobilized. Others thought it was a certain Lang official who was on errands in the imperial city.

But the coup was no small matter, and it eventually escaped her control.

The ambush hidden in Daming Palace failed, and Li Heng rushed to Xingqing Palace to stop it. Changes came one after another. She concluded that Li Heng and Li Longji had joined forces.

"Quickly, send all our men out and use force to support the prince's entry into the palace."

After making many arrangements, an important news finally came.

"Er Niang, we arranged for the messenger at Chunming Gate to deliver some strange news."

"what?"

"Ge Shuhan was defeated and Tongguan fell."

Du Jin frowned and accidentally waved his hand, knocking the candlestick on the table to the ground.

The kerosene dripped on the carpet and almost started to burn. Du Wei picked it up in time and said softly: "Don't panic. It is possible that the Tongguan army has not heard the news about Xue Bai yet."

Although she is not as talented as Du Jin, she is calm and calm when encountering difficulties, and she is still as gentle as water, which is quite inspiring.

"If the army defends Guancheng, it will never be defeated." Du Jin thought about it, snorted coldly, and said: "Now it seems that this matter is probably the Hunjun's intention."

"You mean? But how can the king of a country do this?"

"If you are either bad or hopelessly stupid, you are no longer worthy of being a king."

There was disdain in Du Jin's tone, and she felt extremely evil towards Li Longji and wished she could overthrow the emperor immediately. However, just when the situation reached this point, she realized that now was not a good time to force Li Longji to abdicate, otherwise the court would be in chaos and Chang'an would really be captured by the rebels.

For example, in a wealthy family, a father and son are fighting over property, and maybe a grandson is also included. In short, they are fighting internally and enjoying themselves. At this time, a thief suddenly breaks in, and then they should wait until the thief is driven away before continuing the fight.

"Damn it." Du Jin gritted his teeth and cursed.

Du Wei understood her thoughts, patted her hand and said: "Take your time, rebellion is not easy."

"Send someone to tell the prince that everyone should take a step back. I am not asking the saint to abdicate tonight, but I am asking for Yang Guozhong to be killed. Then I ask the prince to recommend himself to take charge of the defense of Chang'an."

"Is it too difficult for the saint to kill Yang Guozhong?"

"What we want is to embarrass him. Otherwise, how can the prince establish his authority? How can he successfully defend the city?" Du Jin said calmly, "In times of crisis, everyone should take a step back."

"Well, just stabilize the situation until Xue Bai comes back."

"I believe he will be back soon."

Du Jin believed that he was narrow-minded, but the national crisis still existed, so this pattern still existed.

~~
Xingqing Palace.

There are more and more officials behind Li Cong. In order to support him in clearing the emperor, everyone dares to violate the Chang'an curfew, which shows their determination.

He, the prince, did not have much strength in the past, but tonight, inexplicably, some people dressed as imperial guards came to support him. Coupled with the fact that frontier generals like Guan Chongsi took the lead, they became aggressive.

On the other hand, Xingqing Palace, due to the sudden incident tonight, another fire, and the absence of Chen Xuanli, there are not many weapons at the palace gate.

"If the saint doesn't summon you, we will break into the palace!"

The crowd gathered around Li Cong and came forward.

As long as they stormed into the palace and people's hearts fell, and they took advantage of the chaos to kill Yang Guozhong, the situation would be even more favorable.

On the other side of the palace gate, Li Heng received the imperial edict and was ordering the imperial army to guard the palace gate strictly. Seeing that the other party was about to break in, he raised his hand and slapped the nearby soldiers.

"Why don't you stop me?!"

The situation between the two sides was like fire and water, and when it became more and more fierce, Li Fuguo came and said something to Li Heng.

"Really?" Li Heng was surprised, with disbelief in his eyes.

"Yes." Li Fuguo said, "Yang Guozhong has gone to prepare. The saint sent people to pick up several concubines."

"So suddenly?"

Li Xiang murmured, thinking about what would happen if he stayed in Chang'an. Then he shook his head and said to himself: "No."

"Your Highness?"

"Go, pick up Zhang Liangdi, and then notify Chu'er and the others."

Li Fuguo was stunned for a moment, took it, and hurried away.

Li Heng looked outside the palace again and found that Li Cong's movements had also stopped, knowing that the other party had also received the news.

Sure enough, soon there were pretentious shouts outside the palace.

"I don't dare to attack Your Majesty! There is indeed an urgent military situation, and I beg Your Majesty to see you..."

"Ah."

Li Heng could see what Li Cong was up to at a glance, turned around and left, muttering to himself: "As brother wishes, you can stay in Guanzhong and continue to defend against the enemy.

~~
Xingqing Palace, beside the palace wall, a Jinwu guard stood all night holding a halberd. When dawn came, snowflakes fell all over him.

Last night was chaotic. First, he accompanied the general to take the prince into the palace, and then the right minister ordered him to guard the palace gate strictly. Then the prince ordered him to open the palace door and let him into the palace. Later, King Zhong came to confront the prince... I don’t know who to listen to.

As a pawn, all he can do is fulfill his duties. So he allowed the big shots to come and go in front of him and make things difficult for him, while he stood up and guarded the palace gate alone. After standing all night and receiving at least six slaps, his feet were so numb that they didn't look like his own. He finally heard the sound of the morning drum and went to the office.

He lived in the west of Chang'an City, in Taixianfang beside the city wall. The location was very remote, and he had to walk for more than half an hour in heavy snow to get home from Xingqing Palace. He did not have a private horse and could not afford it as others imagined. There are indeed some children of aristocratic families in the Beiya Imperial Army, but most of them are actually far less prosperous than they seem. In the prosperous Chang'an, prices were extremely high, and it was actually very difficult for an ordinary soldier to live there.

When passing by a stall selling Hu cakes, he hesitated for a moment. Thinking of the large number of people in his family, he endured hunger and did not buy it. At this moment, someone suddenly came over on horseback and called him.

"You! Stop."

"Jinwu Guard Liu Er, I have met the general."

Liu Er recognized the person who was coming. He was a captain in the Longwu Army. He was wearing a spring shirt and a brocade fur coat and went out. He didn't take his futou with him, as if he had just woken up. He stepped forward and asked instructingly: "You Is the saint out of town?"

"No." Liu Er was confused. "I didn't get any order to quiet the street."

"idiot!"

The whip struck without warning, and a stinging scar appeared on Liu Er's face.

"Tongguan was defeated, and the saint fled west. You stayed at Xingqing Palace all night, and you said you didn't know?!"

"I……"

"Chang'an has raised too many trash like you! That's why the situation got out of hand like this!"

The captain was very angry and cursed again. He waved his whip and galloped out of the city gate, not forgetting to kick Liu Er to the side of the road.

"The only person who knows how to get paid!"

Liu Er hit the snow and got up, only to see that many people had gathered around to look at him, some were confused, some were frightened, some were curious, and they were talking about it.

"Is it true that the rebels attacked and the saint escaped?"

"I did see a lot of people leaving the city in the morning, and there were endless cars and horses."

"These imperial troops usually act arrogantly and eat the rent we pay. When it comes to war, they only wet their pants..."

Liu Er just got up and wiped the horse excrement on his body. Suddenly he felt a heat on his face. Someone spat a mouthful of thick phlegm on his face. Then he became furious and roared.

"What a shit! You know how much I do for free and how much I get paid?!"

The busybodies around him immediately fled and fled. Liu Er was full of grievances and didn't know who to vent to.

He picked up the broken felt hat that had fallen on the ground and thought that the saint he had just heard about had escaped. He felt absurd and at a loss.

In the midst of a national crisis, the Imperial Guards didn't even know what was going on, let alone defend their country. He also felt like a waste, but he didn't know what he had done wrong.

(End of this chapter)