Three Kingdoms: I will act as a substitute for the Hunjun

Chapter 199 The man in golden helmet

At the south gate of Luoyang, as soon as the first watch of the day arrived, Xu Chu led ten soldiers and walked up the horse path to the top of the city.

"Who is it?" the soldier on duty at the top of the city shouted alertly.

Immediately more than ten people came over holding torches.

Xu Chu did not hide, he stood directly in the light of the lanterns and torches, his eyes widened, and he said in a deep voice: "All the soldiers guarding the south city tonight must gather at the top of the city!"

"Who are you?" A team leader stared at the tall Huaiwu Xu Chu with vigilance. He felt unfamiliar, but he was covered in armor and looked majestic. He was obviously an officer.

Xu Chu didn't say anything, but patted the badge on his waist. The team leader stretched his neck and looked at it, and was surprised to see that it was the badge of the Minghan Imperial Guard.

Who doesn’t feel numb when mentioning the Imperial Guards of the Ming and Han Dynasties?

Although this mysterious forbidden army has not been established for a long time, it is an elite force personally commanded by His Majesty, and only Your Majesty has the right to mobilize it.

The guards have the power to investigate anyone among them, but now they suddenly visit at night. Could it be that something happened at the South City Gate?
"General, wait a minute, I'll go and gather some people now." The leader of the team said with a smile, and immediately turned around to gather people.

There is only one group of people on duty here tonight, that is, about a hundred people, lined up neatly under the command of the captain.

"Everyone is here. I wonder why the general summoned us?" The commander asked with a smile, "It's windy at the top of the city. Do you want to sit in the tower?"

Xu Chu glanced around, and everyone immediately felt that there seemed to be invisible pressure falling from the sky.

Then he took out the command arrow from his arms and said: "There is a military order here. I will take over the guarding of the South City Gate tonight. Without my order, no one is allowed to leave, and no one is allowed to contact anyone who has nothing to do with it."

When the commander of the village saw this command arrow, he couldn't help but shuddered all over. It was not an ordinary command arrow, but a jade arrow inlaid with gold characters. This kind of command arrow could only be sent out from the palace.

So the question is, who issued the order in the palace to take over the South City Gate?

There is only one person who can give orders in the palace, and that is Your Majesty. But isn't His Majesty the emperor in Jingzhou personally conducting the expedition?
Is someone going to stage a coup?
All kinds of doubts flashed through the heads of the village commander, team leaders and others, but as soldiers, they always obeyed orders and ignored others. No matter what might happen next, at least for now, they could only obey.

"You are divided into five teams, each with twenty people. Each team takes turns to be on duty here. The rest of the people should all go to the tower and are not allowed to leave without orders." Xu Chu ordered.

"Yes!" the commander agreed, and immediately divided the garrison into five teams. Twenty people from the first team stayed to guard the city gate, and the rest entered the tower.

Xu Xu sent two soldiers to guard the gate of the city tower to prevent anyone from sneaking in and out and leaking the news.

The same thing happened at the east and north cities of Luoyang. Just after the first watch, Wei Yan and Kou Feng went to the city to take over the two defenders as a precaution.

Almost at the same time, Lu Zhi took over the palace garrison originally commanded by Feng Fang, and Xun Yu took over Liu Bei's troops stationed in Luoyang City.

These soldiers and horses are veterans who have experienced several great changes in Luoyang before, and have been tempered by several bloody storms. The ones left behind are all extremely loyal to the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, when they saw the arrows issued by Liu Mingfa, they obeyed the arrangements obediently and there was no resistance or commotion.

Lu Zhi had rich experience in commanding, while Xun Yu was doing this kind of thing for the first time, so he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

It was not until the leaders of these soldiers expressed their obedience to military orders that they felt relieved.

As long as the defenders hold it in their hands, no matter how hard the Yuan family tries, it won't cause any big waves.

Lu Zhi and Xun Yu quietly waited for the emperor's next order.

…………

Liu Ming stood up slowly, straightened the golden helmet on his head, tightened the dragon-patterned cloak around him, and said in a deep voice: "Let's go!"

After saying that, he walked out.

Huang Zhong and Gao Shun were closely guarding them, followed closely by Guo Jia and Huang Chengyan.

When they got out of the big tent, the eight hundred trapped troops outside had lined up neatly and were waiting quietly. The team had a chilling atmosphere filling the night sky.

Each person has a white ribbon tied to his arm to distinguish him from ordinary soldiers at night.

Everyone got on their horses and walked towards the west city gate, and the trapped camp followed silently.

Halfway through, a black figure suddenly approached silently. It was He Man, the personal guard, who was also one of the imperial guards of the Ming and Han Dynasties.

He Man lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, Liu Bei and Feng Fang haven't come out of Yuan Mansion yet, but Yuan Ji has gone out to the west gate."

"It seems that I guessed it right. The Yuan family is planning to attack from the west." Liu Ming sneered. "Watch the Yuan family closely. From now on, no one is allowed to enter or exit! If there are any intruders, they will be killed on the spot." !”

"According to the order!" He Man agreed, carrying his betel rod and disappearing into the darkness.

……

Guarding the west gate tonight is a captain named Zhao Rui.

Even if it was his turn to be on duty on weekdays, he would not patrol the city at night. Instead, his subordinates would do it. Zhao Rui could take this opportunity to drink and gamble.

When it comes to which city is the safest in the world, it is Luoyang, Kyoto. There is no need to worry about daily duty.

However, tonight, what is surprising is that Zhao Rui actually stood on the top of the city as soon as the city gate was closed, and carefully inspected every fortification situation with a few close subordinates.

After confirming that everything was correct, he ordered: "Pile three piles of firewood at the head of the city."

"What are you doing with stacking firewood?" A soldier asked doubtfully, "If Captain Zhao wants to warm up the fire, there is a charcoal brazier in the tower."

"There is so much nonsense. If you are told to pile it up, pile it up quickly. Otherwise, you will be burned as firewood." Zhao Rui raised his leg and kicked the soldier and cursed.

The soldiers did not dare to neglect and quickly went to find some bundles of dry firewood.

"Captain Zhao, are they stacked at the top of the inner city or the outer city?" the soldier asked.

As the capital, Luoyang has a Wengcheng, located at the West Gate, with two gates and two city heads: the inner city and the outer city.

"Of course they are piled up outside the city, otherwise who would be able to see it?! Idiot!" Zhao Rui cursed.

The soldiers divided the dry firewood into three piles and placed them on the top of the Wengcheng wall, muttering quietly as they worked.

"It seems that Captain Zhao didn't order it to warm himself by the fire. I don't know who he ordered it for."

"Maybe it's a signal to someone."

"You mean there's someone outside the city?"

"I don't know, we are just following orders, why do we care so much?"

"Move quickly, why are you lingering?" Zhao Rui shouted in a deep voice.

The soldiers immediately did not dare to speak.

Zhao Rui looked outside the city for a while, looked inside the city for a while, came to the outer city for a while, and came to the inner city for a while.

I thought to myself, "Why haven't you come yet?" I was almost dying of anxiety.

He was originally a general of the Yuan family, and it was because of the favor of the Yuan family that he became the captain.

Suddenly a voice sounded from behind: "Are you all ready?" Zhao Rui was startled and turned around quickly, only to see a person walking out of the darkness, it was Yuan Ji.

"Sir, everything is ready. You go and check it out." Zhao Rui replied hurriedly, raising his hand to signal to the head of the outer city.

Yuan Ji walked over there and said as he walked, "Are all the people reliable?"

"The hundred and ten people tonight are absolutely reliable, and everyone's money has been paid." Zhao Rui replied.

Yuan Ji checked around and found that nothing was missing. He nodded with satisfaction and said, "Yes, we should be here in half an hour."

Ren Ding refers to the second watch of Hai hour, which is now from 9 to 11 pm. The ancients all fell asleep and settled down at this time, so it was called Ren Ding.

"It's still early and it's windy outside. Master, please go to the tower to rest for a while." Zhao Rui said with a smile.

Yuan Ji thought for a while and realized that there was still half an hour before the earliest agreed time. There was no need to wait at the top of the city to blow the cold wind, so he followed Zhao Rui towards the city tower.

The city tower is built on the head of the inner city. When the door is opened, the light inside is bright, illuminating the furnishings in the building clearly.

Yuan Ji was suddenly startled. He saw a person directly in front of him with his back to them. He was wearing a golden helmet and armor. He was looking into Luoyang City from the open window, as if he was looking at the scenery in the city.

Yuan Ji looked at Zhao Rui beside him doubtfully, and found that Zhao Rui was also looking at him with doubtful eyes.

"Who is he?" they both asked in unison.

After asking, both of them were shocked - someone outside the plan suddenly appeared at the planned site.

Yuan Ji's face gradually turned pale. When he saw this golden helmet and armor, he remembered a person, the self-proclaimed supreme general who liked to drive and conquer men personally.

But this... is impossible!
He was clearly fighting a rebellion in Jingzhou, so how could he return to Luoyang? And how could he be here?
All kinds of doubts came to his mind, making him feel confused and his hands and feet felt as cold as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

If that person is really the person, then it means that the Yuan family has come to an end.

"Who are you?" Zhao Rui asked.

"What a beautiful night, what a beautiful city, but it's such a pity that we have to go through the baptism of blood again and again." The mysterious man in golden armor slowly turned around.

"Ah!" Yuan Ji and Zhao Rui exclaimed at the same time.

The person in front of me is none other than His Majesty. He...is really him! How could he be here! ?

Zhao Rui felt a little confused and looked at Yuan Ji, only to find that Yuan Ji was stunned and stood there in a daze, trembling all over.

"Bang!" The door of the tower was closed.

The sound of the door closing woke Yuan Ji out of his trance. When he looked back, he found a tall figure standing at the door of the building. It was Wang Yue, the commander of the imperial guards of the Ming and Han Dynasties.

thump!
Yuan Ji hurriedly took a few steps forward and knelt on the ground, "Wei Chen, I'm here to greet you. Didn't Your Majesty suppress the rebellion in Jingzhou? When did you return to Beijing? Wei Chen didn't pay homage to you. It's a sin."

When Yue Rui saw Yuan Ji kneeling down, he quickly followed suit.

"You are indeed guilty." Liu Ming said coldly, "It's not because you didn't welcome me, but because your Yuan family wants to rebel. So not only are you guilty, but you are also facing a death penalty."

Yuan Rui shivered all over, feeling like his hands and feet were no longer in control. His hands and feet were obviously cold, but there was a trace of sweat on his forehead.

"Your Majesty, please be aware that the Yuan family is loyal to your Majesty and will never have any second thoughts." Yuan Ji kowtowed and said in a very sincere voice, "Yuan Shu's fellow has rebelled and has been expelled from the Yuan family."

At this time, there were chaotic footsteps outside.

"who?"

"Don't move!"

"lay down your weapon!"

"With His Majesty's orders here, why don't you give up your resistance?"

"We are trapped in the camp, but those who resist will be killed without mercy!"

……

The sounds of shouting, cursing and fighting came and went quickly, almost stopping after a few breaths.

Liu Ming stared at Yuan Ji and said coldly: "I entrust you with the most important new policy tasks. It is the trust of your Yuan family and the expectations of you. I didn't expect that, I didn't expect that not only do you not want to repay the kindness , but he did something treacherous and unethical, and he dared to speak cleverly!”

"Your Majesty, my Yuan family..."

Yuan Ji was still waiting to argue, but Liu Ming had a joking look on his face, waved his hand to interrupt him, pointed at Zhao Rui, and said, "Tell me what happened tonight?"

"This..." Zhao Rui hesitated.

At this time, the building door opened, and Gao Shun walked in and reported: "Your Majesty, all the defenders have been subdued, and the west city gate has fallen into the hands of the trapped camp."

"Very good, General Wang, you can tell Lu Zhi and Xun Yu that they are dispatched." Liu Ming said calmly.

"According to the order!" Wang Yue agreed, pushed the window next to him open a crack, waved out the window, and then ordered in a low voice, "Inform Xun Yu to lead troops to the west gate, and notify Lu Zhi to lead troops to surround Yuan Mansion. , act immediately!”

"Follow the order!" Two answering voices came from the window, and two black figures disappeared into the darkness.

Yuan Ji heard it clearly and thought that the Yuan family was finished!
It was obviously a well-planned plan and the scope of knowledge was extremely small. How did it leak out?
"Hunjun, Yuan will fight you!" Yuan Ji yelled, jumped up and rushed towards Liu Ming. At the same time, he held the hilt of the sword and wanted to pull out his sword.

puff!
Yuan Ji felt a pain in his back and looked down, only to see half of the cold sword tip coming out of his chest.

He turned back unwillingly and saw Wang Yue standing behind him.

When the number one swordsman in the capital arrived behind him, he didn't notice it at all.

Yuan Ji stared at Liu Ming, took a deep breath, swayed and said, "What is the real cause of my father's death?"

After asking this question, he felt that his consciousness was getting blurry, but he vaguely heard the man in golden armor in front of him sneered and said: "Cut off his head and give old Yuan Wei a surprise."

Yuan Ji fell to the ground with a plop and lost his breath. Wang Yue raised his hand and cut off his head with a sword. Blood splashed all over Zhao Rui's face.

"I say! I say! Please have mercy on your majesty, I say!" Zhao Rui was so frightened that he knelt down and crawled forward two steps, kowtowing like garlic, "This is all the plan of the Yuan family, and I have no choice but to do it. "

"Okay, then tell me what the Yuan family's plan is." Liu Ming leaned on a thick pillar and looked coldly at the man kneeling in front of him.

"At the second watch of the day, Yuan Shao will lead his army to the west city gate. The sinners will light three fires at the top of the city as a signal to enter the city." Zhao Rui said tremblingly, "Yuan Shao will enter the city directly when he sees the light of the fire. I will open two city gates for him.”

"What about after entering the city?" Liu Ming asked.

"The guilty minister doesn't know what happens after entering the city." Zhao Rui said, "The guilty minister is only responsible for the west gate. I think the Yuan family must have other arrangements in the city."

"You are no longer useful, kill me!" Liu Ming waved his hand.

"Your Majesty..." Before Zhao Rui could plead, he saw a flash of cold light in front of his eyes, and the sword in Wang Yue's hand had already thrown Yue Rui's head into the air.

(End of this chapter)