Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 616: The Regicide Knife
Xue Bai is now stationed in Dongyuan, north of Sizhou City.

This place is not far from the government office, just on both sides of the same long street. It was originally built when Wei Jian dredged the canal, connecting several surrounding houses and covering a vast area.

The gardens in the Huaihe River area are of Jiangnan style, with a unique layout, small bridges, flowing water, and winding paths, which are very different from the neat and tidy layout of the north. Xue Bai's entourage often couldn't find their way around among them.

That evening, Xue Bai personally checked the tax situation in various counties in Sizhou, summoned several officials from the state office and gave them a lecture. Afterwards, a guard came in to report.

"Saint, Liu Zhan is outside the city."

"is it?"

Xue Bai pondered for a moment, and without letting Liu Zhan go to rest, he said, "Call him to see me, and prepare some wine and food."

If he left Liu Zhan alone for two days and exerted some psychological pressure on him, he would be able to test and control him more easily. This was one of the common tactics used by emperors, but he felt that it was not easy to have an official who strongly supported the reform, and he was willing to have a heart-to-heart talk with him.

After arranging this matter, Xue Bai took out the secret letters and evidence accusing Liu Zhan, Liu Zhan's memorials and other things he had received during this period, went through them again, and rehearsed the conversation that would take place later in his mind.

Outside the door, a maid was carrying a tray through the path towards this side, ready to serve the wine and food first.

"His Majesty!"

Suddenly, Deng Bin, the Sima of Sizhou, came running hurriedly from another path and bumped into the maid.

With a "clang" sound, plates and wine jugs fell to the ground.

"Damn you, my humble servant."

Deng Bin was at a loss as to what to do, so he simply rushed into the hall and prostrated himself, saying, "Your Majesty, Liu Zhan has rebelled!"

Xue Bai didn't react and asked, "Why did he rebel?"

"He, he, he... He killed the gatekeepers, seized the South Gate, and is now leading his troops to occupy all the city gates."

"His Majesty!"

As he was speaking, Li He and Li Zangyong also came running over and said, "Liu Zhan has rebelled, Your Majesty, please flee to a safe place immediately!"

Xue Bai looked at them, not knowing what he was thinking.

"Your Majesty, please go."

Li He was extremely anxious and hurriedly urged, calling Diao Bing over without waiting for Xue Bai's order, and ordering him to escort the emperor away quickly.

"Liu Zhan has already entered the city. Sizhou City is not safe. Why don't you take His Majesty away quickly?!"

"It's too late." Xue Bai said, "We can't go to the north gate faster than Liu Zhan now, so it's better to stay at the government office."

"Here!"

Diao Bing clasped his fists and accepted the order, then immediately took Xue Bai to the government office. He did not flee the city hastily as Li He had instructed.

Compared to the panicked local officials, the guards around Xue Bai seemed unusually calm and orderly.

Compared to the vast Dongyuan, the Sizhou government office was easier to defend. When Diao Bing arrived, he immediately had people guard all entrances and exits and set up a defense line along the wall.

During the process, few people noticed that Diao Geng was gone.

"Quick! Bring something heavy to hold the door!"

The door was just bolted when the sound of horse hooves could be heard at the end of the long street.

Diao Bing immediately climbed up the ladder to the top of the wall. Looking around, he saw people in the city running with their heads in their hands, and a team of brave cavalrymen rushing towards them from the south direction of the city.

When I heard the shouting and killing, I knew they were undoubtedly traitors.

The rebels rode their horses down the long street, knocking over all the vendors and pedestrians along the way. Then they ran straight to the Winter Garden, knocked down the guards outside the door, and broke in.

"kill!"

Diao Bing frowned, called over a man, and whispered, "Go and report to His Majesty that the rebels went to Winter Garden immediately..."

"Here."

"Bring me my crossbow."

Diao Bing’s crossbow is specially made. Although the crossbow is not large, its range far exceeds that of ordinary crossbows.

He also installed a telescope on it, raised his crossbow and aimed at the long street. After a while, he saw the team of knights rushing out of Dongyuan and heading towards the government office.

"Damn it."

Diao Bing narrowed his eyes and waited for the rebels to rush into the range. He pulled the trigger and shot and killed a small rebel leader neatly.

The bodies fell to the ground, and the horses were frightened and neighed loudly, which blocked the pace of the knights behind them, and the momentum of the rebels who were charging forward suddenly stagnated.

"Fire arrows!"

Arrows rained down like rain, blocking the rebels' first wave of attack.

But more and more rebels were arriving, and there obviously wouldn't be many weapons and food in the government office.

~~
When faced with such a big incident, officials in the government office lobby were talking at once, making it as noisy as a vegetable market.

After hearing the report, Xue Bai learned that the rebels first went to Dongyuan. He seemed to be thinking about something and looked at the faces of several officials one by one for a moment.

"Your Majesty, I request that you summon troops from all regions to come to your aid as soon as possible!"

The person who spoke was Lu Zhen, the governor of Sizhou.

Lü Zhen was a famous scholar of the time. He once worked in the court of Geshu Han. When Li Heng proclaimed himself emperor in Lingwu, Lü Zhen also went to join him and was appointed Imperial Censor. Later, he joined Xue Bai and was demoted to the post of Sihu in Changzhou. He was promoted to the post of Governor after he had done a good job in local governance.

Although Lü Zhen was surprised by the sudden chaos under his rule, he quickly calmed down and thought of a solution, then gave his advice in a serious manner.

"I see that the rebels don't have many troops today, so Liu Zhan will definitely send more troops next. The most urgent task is to control a city gate and occupy the state warehouse..."

"No need." Xue Bai said, "I see that Liu Zhan only has a few hundred people with him. I think we can pacify the enemy within a few days."

Lu Zhen was stunned, thinking that this emperor was obviously a man who had experienced war, so why didn't he consider the long-term when encountering things? He hid in the state office at the beginning of the rebellion, and he would be conquered sooner or later.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Your Majesty, should we persuade Liu Zhan to surrender?"

Xue Bai looked at him again, hesitated for a moment, nodded slowly and said: "Okay, who should we send to persuade them to surrender?"

Lu Zhen was stunned and didn't say anything immediately.

It is conceivable that trying to persuade Liu Zhan to surrender was a dangerous task, and if one was not careful one might end up among the rebels.

"I am willing to go."

Before Lu Zhen could speak, Sizhou Sima Deng Bin volunteered to step forward.

Xue Bai looked at him and said, "Lord Lu, how about you go?"

Deng Bin was stunned and lowered his head.

"I... am willing to go." Although Lu Zhen hesitated, he still resolutely accepted the order.

Xue Bai admired Lu Zhen's loyalty, so he dismissed the others and discussed the conditions for surrender with him alone. In principle, he tried to appease him as much as possible, but he would definitely punish him.

Finally, Xue Bai picked up a pen and wrote a letter and sealed it personally.

"Take this letter to Liu Zhan. Remember, it can only be shown to Liu Zhan. No one else can open it before he gets it."

"I accept the decree."

Lu Zhen retreated with the letter in his hand.

Xue Bai sat there, dazed for a while. He didn't look like he was in the middle of a sudden change.

After a while, he ordered Diao Bing to come over.

"Your Majesty, I'm worried that the government office won't be able to hold on for long."

During this short period of time, Diao Bing's leather armor had been torn into several holes. He strode in and asked in a low voice, "Would you like me to escort His Majesty and get rid of those officials?"

"Liu Zhan is not the only one who is rebelling." Xue Bai said, "The mastermind of this rebellion is still in this state office."

"Who? I'll kill him!"

"Don't worry, I'm checking."

Diao Bing immediately became alert, took two steps forward, and whispered, "Your Majesty, if this continues, I'm afraid the government office could be breached at any time."

~~
North of the city.

Liu Zhan walked up to the city wall and looked into the distance. He was somewhat surprised that Xue Bai did not leave the city immediately but instead retreated into the government office.

He did not bring many troops with him for the surprise attack on Sizhou, so he did not immediately attack the government office, but chose to control the city gate.

As long as the city was sealed, the emperor would naturally have no chance of escaping. After that, he cut off the canal, which would naturally shock the whole country and greatly increase his prestige.

"General, we have also taken the east and west gates." Fu Ziang, a general under Liu Zhan, rushed over and said, "As you expected, the soldiers guarding the city cooperated very well once we revealed our names."

"Don't trust them completely." Liu Zhan whispered, "Let our people not slack off and keep a close eye on the city gate."

It is extremely difficult to control an entire city with only two hundred people, but Liu Zhan has help from others.

When he looked down, he saw that the man who had persuaded him to revolt at the post house was now standing near the city gate, talking to a team of soldiers guarding the city, waving his hands from time to time, promising rewards.

After spending two days together, Liu Zhan still didn't know the other person's background. He only knew that his name was Deng Zhi and he was originally an official in the warehouse of Sizhou.

But seeing that Deng Zhi was quite powerful and able to mobilize and appease the guards at the city gates, Liu Zhan became suspicious, thinking that this was definitely not something an ordinary official could do.

He gave orders to invite Deng Zhi to meet him.

"Now I have started an uprising and entered Sizhou City, but I have not seen any so-called support." Liu Zhan said: "I only know that I came to nothing in Beicheng."

"We had planned to take the emperor north out of the city. He didn't come. I'm afraid he was too timid and hid in the government office and refused to show his head." Deng Zhi said, "But don't worry, General. We will arrange for you to attack the government office soon."

Liu Zhan said: "I want to see your sincerity, why don't you bring him here?"

"It is precisely because we dare not that we welcome General Liu, isn't it?"

As he was speaking, a soldier reported, "General, the court has sent someone here."

Deng Zhi then showed confidence and said, "Here comes the explanation the general wants."

But after a while, Deng Zhi was stunned when he saw that it was Lu Zhen, the governor of Sizhou, who came.

Liu Zhan keenly caught his expression at that moment and asked, "Why? The people who came are not yours?"

Deng Zhi showed some doubt and contemplation, then smiled slightly.

"No problem, it's the same. General, how about letting me go see him? I will convince him for you."

Liu Zhan was a smart man. He realized from this incident that if he personally met the envoy, there might be a chance that he would turn back, so he hesitated for a moment.

But Deng Zhi had already walked straight towards the person who came.

……

Lu Zhen walked slowly to the city gate and was shocked to see that all the soldiers guarding the city had defected to Liu Zhan.

He was shocked and angry, stared at them and shouted, "What are you doing?"

"please."

The other party's expression did not change. He raised his hand and asked Lu Zhen to go up to the city wall to talk to Liu Zhan.

Lü Zhen began to feel fearful, but it was impossible to retreat now, so he had to bite the bullet and step up the stairs.

There was a man standing on the top of the city wall to greet him. As Lu Zhen's vision rose, he gradually saw the man's face clearly.

"Deng Zhi?"

Lu Zhen was very surprised. He recognized Deng Zhi, who was the cousin of Deng Bin, the Sima of Sizhou. He worked as a clerk in the warehouse of the government office. He usually acted with unrealistic expectations and was always ambitious.

"Why are you here? Were you captured by the rebels?"

Deng Zhi smiled and shook his head, seeming to think the question was very childish.

Lu Zhen understood immediately and said in surprise, "You surrendered to the traitor!" "Lü Governor, you are still wrong." Deng Zhi said, "I did not surrender. On the contrary, it was me who persuaded the general to rebel against this unjust and incompetent monarch!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhen's face turned pale and he took two steps back, completely losing his demeanor as a provincial governor in front of this petty official.

Deng Zhi seemed calm and took a few steps forward, saying, "Governor, how about we talk about this in detail?"

In this situation, Lu Zhen had no room to refuse.

"Why is it the inspector who came instead of my brother?" Deng Zhi asked.

Lu Zhen didn't expect him to ask this question. He was stunned and said, "Deng Bin? He also..."

"That's right." Deng Zhi said, "He is also extremely disappointed with the tyrant."

Lu Zhen wanted to get angry, but he held back. He sighed and told the truth: "Deng Bin originally recommended himself to come, but the emperor did not let him come and named me to come."

Deng Zhi stopped and thought seriously for a moment, muttering, "It seems that the tyrant emperor has already suspected my brother?"

Soon, he smiled and said, "But it doesn't matter. As long as he hasn't left the city, the tyrant has already lost."

Lu Zhen said angrily: "You know you are committing a capital crime! It's not too late to turn back now."

"Death penalty, Governor Lu, you supported Prince Zhong's rebellion, isn't that a death penalty? And you are still alive and well." Deng Zhi said, "I'll tell you why you are still alive, because this tyrant is guilty. If he really had the confidence and courage, he should have killed all of you!"

"Are you crazy?"

"I'm not crazy, but don't you think the tyrant is crazy? It would be fine if he wanted to change the tax law, but he also wanted to review the country, equalize the land, and free the slaves. Do you know how many people are against him?"

Lu Zhen did not refute, but said earnestly: "Rebellion will not have a future, the Tang Dynasty is not doomed yet!"

He looked around and whispered, "You support Liu Zhan, but who is Liu Zhan? He is just a lowly person. What can such a person achieve? I have seen the current emperor with my own eyes. His heroic demeanor is far inferior to Liu Zhan's."

The two men had walked some distance, far away from the surrounding soldiers.

Deng Zhi leaned against the battlement, looked to the north, and suddenly uttered something strange in a long voice.

"Who said we support Liu Zhan?"

Lu Zhen didn't quite understand and asked in surprise, "What?"

"Liu Zhan is just a knife." Deng Zhi said, "How can we serve a lowly person as our master?"

"Knife?" Lu Zhen asked, "Knife for killing the king?"

"good."

Deng Zhi appeared calm on the surface, but his hands, which were holding onto the battlement, were trembling slightly with excitement.

He pressed harder, trying not to show his nervousness, licked his lips and continued talking.

"It is foreseeable that after Liu Zhan murders the emperor, the rebellion will soon be quelled. By then, the court will certainly support the crown prince as emperor, and the rebellion will end. The Tang Dynasty will be stable again, and this time, there will be no more waves."

"I don't understand." Lu Zhen said, "What can you gain by doing this?"

"Who does Governor Lu think 'we' are?"

"Of course it's you and Deng Bin."

"Haha." Deng Zhi laughed at himself, "No, my brother and I are just insignificant people. We can't come up with such a shocking plan."

Lu Zhen asked, "Who are 'you'?"

"We... are the power of almost the entire court, and you, Governor Lu, are also one of us." Deng Zhi asked, "Don't you want the reform to stop?"

Lu Zhen said: "But it will not benefit us if the crown prince ascends the throne. Instead, you will be punished for failing to protect the emperor!"

"The prince is young, who can he punish?"

Lu Zhen seemed to understand something and said, "You mean, there is an important official who can control the situation in the court behind this matter?"

"I said, we are the imperial court." Deng Zhi said, "Don't worry, the imperial court will only reward us for our contribution in suppressing the rebellion."

"How to do it?"

"Does Governor Lu know what Liu Zhan's rebellion was based on? It was based on the claim that Xue Ni was plotting to usurp the Tang Dynasty." Deng Zhi said, "The imperial court is unwilling to publicize this. As long as Liu Zhan dies, the remaining people will be recruited. You will be the great contributors to suppressing the rebellion."

Obviously, there was something he hadn't told Lu Zhen yet, but there was no need to tell him now. He needed to talk about what would happen if Lu Zhen didn't join him in the rebellion.

"On the other hand, if Governor Lu refuses to help, when Liu Zhan rushes into the government office, I'm afraid you will be buried with the tyrant."

Lu Zhen was undecided and asked, "Are you so sure that Liu Zhan can break into the government office?"

"What do you think?"

"Just because Deng Bin is the insider?"

"As I said, my brother and I are just small figures." Deng Zhi said, "Governor Lu, you might as well guess who else is involved in this matter besides my brother."

He called himself a nobody, so Lu Zhen could only guess that he was a big shot and tentatively mentioned a name.

"Li Zangyong?"

Deng Zhi nodded with a smile and said, "What else?"

"And?" Lu Zhen was startled, then asked, "Li He?"

"anything else?"

Lu Zhen asked, "If Li Yan was involved, his brother Li Xian might also know about it?"

"That's right, so I said that the incompetent emperor is unpopular and his fate is over."

As he spoke, Deng Zhi turned around and saw Lu Zhen taking out a letter from his sleeve.

"what is this?"

"The emperor wrote a letter to Liu Zhan requesting his surrender."

"Give me."

Deng Zhi snatched the letter from Lu Zhen without saying anything, opened it and read it. His pupils gradually dilated, showing a look of surprise. He muttered to himself, "What a vicious eye! He actually knew everything."

"What?" Lu Zhen was curious and wanted to see it, so he stretched out his hand.

"It's no use."

Deng Zhi did not give it to him, but tore the letter into pieces and threw it away.

The letter paper mixed with snowflakes fluttered down into the moat...

~~
It was getting dark.

Li He was sitting in a secluded courtyard of the government office in a daze. He heard footsteps behind him, turned around and saw that it was Li Zangyong.

"Lu Zhen is back."

"How to say?"

"He's ours now."

Li Yan was not surprised and said, "It's as expected."

"He brought news about Liu Zhan, saying that the action will be taken tonight."

"Okay." Li He responded in a muffled voice, and after a while he said, "We can send the guards away and let Liu Zhan's rebels climb in and open the door. The rest will be left to Liu Zhan."

"it is good."

Li Zangyong also said sullenly, and after agreeing, he was about to turn around and leave, but he stopped and said with emotion: "I didn't expect that we would come to this point."

"This is the first time in my life that I have done such a rebellious thing, but I cannot watch him recklessly destroy the Tang Dynasty and the hard work of my ancestors." Li He seemed to be strengthening his resolve and murmured, "I first met him when we pacified Shi Siming. On the way up the Yangtze River from Yangzhou to the north, I was listening to Li Bai talking about him, talking about his high spirits and lofty aspirations. As soon as we met, I felt his heroic spirit. At that time, I thought, God bless the Tang Dynasty, there is such a person in the royal family. But I should have realized at that time that he was too self-righteous and ambitious, just like Li Bai."

Li Zangyong said: "Maybe we should persuade him."

"No need. From the moment Zheng Ciming's head fell to the ground, I knew he was determined."

They were all loyal and good officials. If they had not had irreconcilable political views with the emperor, they should have been famous officials who assisted the emperor in establishing a prosperous era. Unfortunately, sometimes a person's life achievements can be completely different due to a slight change.

"I'm going."

Li Zangyong went out, walked around the government office, and found the place that Lu Zhen mentioned.

He looked at the sky, waited patiently for a while, ruffled his hair, took a deep breath, and ran forward.

"Quick! Protect the emperor! The saint is in danger. Go and protect him!"

"Come with me!"

"..."

Soon, the side door of the government office was opened, and groups of rebels filed in.

Li Zangyong did not go to watch the regicide scene, but went to find Li He again.

The two men did not speak, but stood up, called their confidants, and walked out. They planned to hide for a while, and wait for the news of Liu Zhan's regicide to spread, and then they would suppress the rebellion.

The night wind blew, bringing with it screams. It was obvious that a fight had already begun in the government office.

Li He and Li Zangyong did not look back, crossed the long street and walked back into Dongyuan.

Suddenly, torches came from both sides like dragons in front of them, and with the sound of dense footsteps, a group of people surrounded them.

When he saw the armors reflecting the firelight, Li He immediately frowned and shouted, "Liu Zhan! What do you want to do?!"

"Where is Mr. Li going?"

Someone was talking and pushed aside the soldiers and walked up to them.

Upon seeing this person, Li He and Li Zangyong's faces immediately changed, revealing disbelief, because the person who came was not Liu Zhan.

"Nan Jiyun?! How could it be you?"

"Why can't it be me?" Nan Jiyun waved his hand and shouted, "Catch him!"

~~
Over there, Fu Ziang, knife in hand, hacked and killed his way through, and rushed into the lobby of the state office first, just in time to see Diao Bing leading the guards and surrounding a man retreating.

"The tyrant is there! Kill him!"

Fu Ziang shouted loudly, jumped out of the crowd and chased after him.

He was so skilled in martial arts that no one could stop him. He pounced behind the tyrant emperor.

"Where to go!"

Following this shout, Fu Ziang swung the knife in his hand.

At this moment, the tyrant in front turned around and saw the ferocious and ugly face of a middle-aged man, which made Fu Ziang stunned.

The other party grinned fiercely and raised a crossbow. With a "click" sound, the crossbow arrow pierced Fu Ziang's eyes!
"what!"

When screams were heard, Deng Bin was standing on a pavilion and looking out, trying to see whether Liu Zhan's men had succeeded in killing the king.

Suddenly, someone patted him on the back.

"Done?"

Deng Bin turned around and soon his face froze.

Several imperial guards pinned him down without saying a word and dragged him out. The government office was filled with corpses and pools of blood, and the stench was overwhelming.

Deng Bin was so frightened that he was silent. After a while, he heard someone shouting, "I am innocent!"

He turned around and saw that it was the governor Lu Zhen who was shouting.

"I have something to report." Lü Zhen had just been taken away when he revealed all the details of the incident. "It was Li He, Li Zangyong and others who instigated the rebellion. The one who rebelled was Sizhou Sima Deng Bin and his cousin. I am innocent!"

At the same time, a fire broke out in the east of the city. It was the direction of the canal. It must be that Liu Zhan was fighting with the soldiers...

(End of this chapter)