Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 407 King Qin walks around the pillar

In the empty main hall of Huaqing Palace, a strange scene appeared.

Fang Xiangshi and the twelve boys rushed towards Brother Ji like evil ghosts, their movements were fierce and sharp.

Although Cui Qianyou was brave, he could only block two or three of them. The others bypassed him and pursued Brother Ji!

They "divided their troops into multiple directions". Several boys were chasing Brother Ji, while Fang Xiangshi was blocking in front. Gao Lishi, who had no weapons in his hands, didn't know what to do. He was worried that rushing forward would not only fail to help, but would interfere with Ji Ge's dodge.

However, no one expected that when his life was directly threatened, the already old Brother Ji suddenly burst out with unimaginable vitality, and his figure and pace were not inferior to those of the assassins.

He ran around the palace pillars, moving and dodging very quickly! There were several times when he was almost surrounded by assassins, but he dodged at critical moments.

At this moment, the Shence Army guards outside the hall also heard the noise and rushed into the hall. However, the scene inside the hall was chaotic. They did not understand the situation for the time being and did not know how to act.

"There is an assassin! Catch the assassin! Protect him!"

Gao Lishi grabbed the horizontal sword from a Shence Army guard, stepped forward and chopped down a boy who was running out of breath. Tang's knife is not as long as an adult's forearm. Although its explosive power is fierce, it is not enough to cut with the horizontal knife.

Moreover, the strength of children is far less than that of adults.

At this moment, five or six of the "Twelve Divine Beasts" had been chopped down by Cui Qianyou, and the rest were all injured. The Shence Army guards who gradually took control of the hall formed a circle around Brother Ji to protect him.

The situation became one-sided, with only Fang Xiangshi still barely resisting, but she was also injured.

In fact, the moment Fang Xiangshi's "Lancet" shot into the air, the assassination operation had already failed, and the rest were just a death struggle.

Brother Ji gasped and watched in shock as Fang Xiangshi was fighting Cui Qianyou. With the help of several Shence Army guards, even though Fang Xiangshi was very flexible, he could not avoid the sharp swords and weapons. .

In the blink of an eye, the last assassin was slaughtered, and there were thirteen corpses lying in the hall, each of them in a horrific state of death.

"Saint! Slave to death!"

Gao Lishi hurriedly ran to Brother Ji, knelt on the ground, crying bitterly and not daring to get up.

Gao Lishi knew very well that this time, he was in big trouble! He found these assassins and brought them into Huaqing Palace. If the mastermind behind the scenes cannot be found, then Gao Lishi is currently the most suspected person!
"Get up, the frame-up is getting more and more obvious. General Gao will go and investigate the origins of these people. I will not tolerate it this time!"

Brother Ji had a cold face, suppressed the anger in his heart, and ordered Gao Lishi.

At this critical moment, he rarely remained calm. If Gao Lishi wants to kill him, there are many opportunities and there is no need to use such complicated means. Is anyone really that stupid to bring an assassin into Huaqing Palace?
So there is only one answer: Someone wants to drive a wedge between Gao Lishi and the emperor!
At this moment, Brother Ji's brain was working rapidly. It seems that once it comes to power struggles and conspiracies, he seems to have entered a mode of thinking that he is good at.

But having said that, Ji Ge feels that although Gao Lishi will not betray him, it does not mean that he is capable enough.

This time it was obviously Gao Lishi who made an oversight.

"Eh? Thanks to the saint for your grace, I'll do it now!"

Hearing Brother Ji's words, Gao Lishi was so moved that he almost shed tears. Just talking about this trust is not easy.

"Is Cui Aiqing injured?"

After Gao Lishi left, Brother Ji looked at Cui Qianyou and asked with concern on his face.

"With the blessing of the saint, I will be fine in the end."

Cui Qianyou cupped his fists and saluted, breathing a sigh of relief. Like Gao Lishi, he is now extremely frightened. The behavior of escorting the driver back then was almost like a conditioned reflex, otherwise it would be hard to say what the outcome would be.

Today's incident was so sudden that no one expected that the sacrificial group who came to "eliminate ghosts" was actually an assassin in disguise.

If Brother Ji really pursues the case, all the guards responsible for guarding Huaqing Palace will die.

"Cui Aiqing, come with me. I want to talk to you alone about something."

Brother Ji's eyes flashed coldly, and he turned around and walked to the study.

Cui Qianyou followed Brother Ji to the study. As soon as they met, Brother Ji asked in a deep voice: "Have these assassins been searched when they entered the palace today?"

He believed that Cui Qianyou must have nothing to do with the assassin, but he still wanted to confirm his guess.

"Your Majesty, I am very sure that those people were searched when they entered Huaqing Palace. I personally witnessed it and the search was very thorough. There is no way they could have hidden weapons."

Cui Qianyou said with unusual certainty.

He also felt strange that he personally led a team to search his body. How did those people conjure Tang Daozi? That search was very careful, almost like stripping off clothes to look for needle and thread.

"Well, Cui Aiqing, let's find out how this group of people obtained the weapons."

"I understand! I'll do it now."

Just as Cui Qianyou was about to turn around, he was stopped by Brother Ji again.

"That's all, no need."

Brother Ji waved his hand and sighed helplessly: "Someone will commit suicide in Huaqing Palace soon. If no one commits suicide, you can go check it out then."

Judging from his experience in previous coups, if the assassination fails, the "tail" in the Huaqing Palace will probably be dealt with immediately.

This kind of thing often only focuses on "freedom of mind". Whoever the emperor thinks is who.

Few people are so stupid as to leave behind solid evidence and solid testimony.

"The saint is saying...those people got the weapons after entering the palace?"

Cui Qianyou was shocked when he heard Brother Ji's words, but after thinking about it, he felt relieved. After all, the assassin used only Tang knives, which can be found everywhere in Huaqing Palace!

What is "Tang Daozi"?

It is said that complexity has a strong origin, and it can be regarded as a typical product of the Tang Dynasty integrating Xianbei culture;

But it is very simple to say that men in the Tang Dynasty often wore a special belt when they went out. There are many iron rings on the belt, and some common objects are hung on the iron rings.

For example, fish charms commonly used by military lieutenant generals, keys at home, etc.

However, the item that is inseparable from the belt is the "general-purpose" knife hanging on it, called "Tang Knife".

According to the different needs of different people, the length of Tang knives is also slightly different.

The short ones are no longer than an adult's hand, and the longest ones are no longer than an adult's forearm.

The Tang Dynasty knife is not a weapon, but a commonly used tool and decoration. For example, everyone has one of the Shence soldiers. They hang it around their waists and use it on many occasions.

When walking, the Tang knife will make some noise when it rubs against the belt.

Therefore, only when performing special tasks and it is inconvenient to make noise, will it be put away and put away.

This thing is often used to cut cooked meat, and it is not uncommon on the dinner table.

After the assassins entered the palace today, they were not immediately brought to Brother Ji. After entering the palace and before meeting the saint, it does not seem unusual to receive the Tang Dynasty knife that should be sent from the Huaqing Palace.

The internal agent may be a soldier of Shence, or a eunuch in the palace.

When entering the main hall, because they had already been searched before and Gao Lishi was in a hurry, this procedure was done hastily, or perhaps there were insiders among the soldiers who were inspected at that time. It’s not unusual to turn a blind eye.

After thinking about this, Cui Qianyou suddenly felt that this assassination case was really bottomless!

How many people in Huaqing Palace were bribed?
"Replace all the Shence Army guards in Huaqing Palace. It's up to you to choose the new part. It will be completed in the next few days!"

Brother Ji looked gloomy and ordered Cui Qianyou.

"Well, I will do it as soon as possible." Cui Qianyou did not dare to raise objections. Since Brother Ji has already said it, there is no choice. What he says will be whatever he says.

He also didn't expect that there were so many crooks in the Chang'an Forbidden Army!
"Go ahead, do it in the name of defense change, don't make any noise. All soldiers who have anything to do with Chang'an and surrounding prefectures and counties will be rejected."

Brother Ji reminded.

"The general knows!"

Cui Qianyou took the order and left.

When there was no one in the study room, Brother Ji angrily overturned the desk, his eyes wide open with bloodshot eyes!
Who on earth dares to assassinate people in Huaqing Palace! You simply don’t take him as the emperor seriously!
Is it the same as Cuiwei Palace last time?

A terrible thought flashed through Ji Ge's mind!

If Li Long could not get rid of the suspicion last time, then this time, Li Long, who was almost under house arrest, was indeed the first to "come ashore".

Because he has absolutely no possibility of planning and execution.

"If it's not Li Chen, then who is it?"

Brother Ji slowly calmed down and thought about possible candidates in his mind. He suddenly realized that the prince could not be deposed just yet!
There are more than twenty adult children, and suspicion cannot be ruled out for any one of them.

But this matter is still difficult to investigate, because the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty still don't know about the emperor's assassination. If a high-profile investigation fails to find out the reason in the end, will it encourage others to "follow up"?
Brother Ji suddenly realized that this matter could not be dealt with casually!

"Someone is coming!"

He shouted towards the study door.

Yu Chaoen walked over cautiously, bowed and asked, "Sage, what are your orders?"

"Go to General Gao and tell him there is no need to investigate..."

Brother Ji said halfway, and then looked at Yu Chaoen with suspicious eyes as if he remembered something.

"How much do you know about what happened in the main hall of Huaqing Palace today?"

Brother Ji asked nonchalantly.

"Sage, what are you talking about?"

Yu Chaoen asked in confusion. He was really confused by the question.

In fact, it was precisely because Gao Lishi went to Chang'an to investigate the case that he was transferred there. There was an assassin assassinating the emperor in the main hall of Huaqing Palace today. Yu Chaoen didn't know anything about it.

Seeing that Yu Chaoen didn't seem to be faking it, Brother Ji waved his hand impatiently, signaling him to get out. After the latter exited the study in fear, Ji Ge lay helplessly on the soft cushion in front of the desk, feeling that the energy in his body was drained.

He finally understood what the person behind the scenes wanted to do!

……

Mulu City, many officials in the Tang Dynasty called it "Malu". It didn't matter what it was called anyway, it was all transliterated.

This city actually has a great background and its fortune was very early. As early as the Han Dynasty, it was an important place on the Silk Road.

Persia, Seleucid, Parthia, Sasanian Dynasty, and Arabs successively ruled this area and continued to build Mulu City.

The first residents to settle here were the Margiana people. The city of Mulu they established was called Elkkara at the time. After being conquered by many outsiders, Elkkara continued to expand, forming a large city consisting of three areas: the outer city, the urban area, and the inner city, covering an area of ​​60 square kilometers. It has become an important node on the Western Silk Road.

But the good times did not last long. With the collapse of the natural environment and the diversion of rivers, the vast desert that separated Mulu City from Parthian Kingdom no longer had even a drop of water.

The trade routes were also abandoned and rerouted.

But at this moment, Fang Chongyong looked at the frighteningly large number of sand dunes that were no more than a hundred meters high in front of him. Looking at the many layers of sand dunes from a distance, he asked Che Guangqian doubtfully: "When the big cannibals marched, were they... Also climbed over this sand dune?”

The depth of this sand dune belt is unknown in the longitudinal direction. It is estimated that Mulu City will be reached through it.

But it stretches so far horizontally that you can't even see the end at a glance, maybe a hundred miles away. So there was no way to take a detour, so we had to go through it.

Fang Chongyong pointed at the sand dunes with his riding crop, and then looked at Che Guangqian, as if to say: Is this the road you are leading?
"Jie Shuai, the big cannibal also climbed over this sand dune.

What the cannibals can do, we can do too.

The roads are just those roads, it just depends on who takes them. "

Che Guangqian said to Fang Zhongyong with a solemn clasped fist and salute.

"Fine!"

Fang Jieshuai sighed and couldn't help complaining in his heart.

This road is really full of troubles. Although the sand dunes in front of us are not high, they are all gravel and not a single blade of grass grows.

Who knows what is behind the dunes!

Now their army is really making progress and never retreating, and there is no room for adjustment at all.

Fang Chongyong suddenly remembered that in history, Gao Xianzhi traveled thousands of miles to attack Xiao Bolu, and he seemed to be more courageous.

He then put away his gloomy mood, pointed his riding crop at Feng Changqing and said, "Give me the military order to rest where you are for half an hour. After half an hour, prepare to climb over the mountain."

"Order!"

Feng Changqing on the side immediately went to deliver the order.

Seeing that Fang Chongyong seemed unsure, Che Guangqian stepped forward to persuade him:

"Jie Shuai, I have actually observed it. Here in the Western Region, there are usually oases under the mountains.

This sand dune blocks the heat wave coming from the east. Behind the sand dune must be Mulu City, which is also marked on the map. "

He knew what Fang Chongyong was worried about. With this sand dune here, if the Tang army was defeated, they wouldn't be able to escape!
The distance of this attack was not particularly far, but the natural environment along the way was really bad to the extreme. It would not be an exaggeration to describe it as barren.

Apart from the snow, there really wasn’t a drop of water in sight!

Not even a small oasis or a small puddle can be seen!

"This section handsome understands this, it's just, that's all, you don't understand..."

Fang Chongyong shook his head. It was impossible for him to lead the troops under his hands into the ditch for the sake of military exploits.

He took out a piece of biscuit from the package carried by the camel and drank some water in small sips. He still felt that his lungs were on fire.

The breath you inhale is cold and dry, and the breath you exhale is hot and dry!
Before he could rest for a while, He Changqi, who was on alert in the distance, fired a firework into the sky!
Only in times of extreme urgency would such a signal be sent! Fang Chongyong's expression suddenly changed slightly, and he stuffed the biscuits he had just taken a few bites into the bag on the camel's back.

"Enemy attack! It's the cannibal camel soldiers!"

The shouts of Tang Army scouts came from the distance!
In fact, there was no need for him to shout, because most of the Tang soldiers who were resting saw the big man-eating camel soldiers in white robes and black flags appearing on the other side of the sand dune!
They were rushing down from the top of the hill! Extremely fast! It’s just that the camel’s sprinting posture is a little weird!

"Mo Dao team comes forward! Leave those camels alone and form a formation!"

Fang Chongyong asked Feng Changqing to display the handsome flag, and asked Che Guangqian to organize the military band to start beating drums!
The big cannibal didn’t defend the city!

Fang Chongyong also couldn't figure out whether this was because the other party was so good at knowing things, or because he was a master of art and was audacious.

But obviously, if he wants to fight, then let’s fight! Fang Zhongyong has elite soldiers in his hands, and he is not empty at all!

(End of this chapter)