The rebels gathered like a tide from the west and south, and they gathered more and more, making the defenders above the imperial city extremely nervous. Finally, not far away, fire shot up into the sky in the square, and the residents in the square rushed out of the square shouting for help. They were chopped down in the snow by the rebels chasing after them. The gushing blood melted the thick layers of snow. Snow, this scene completely aroused the guards' anger.
A soldier's eyes were about to burst and he was burning with rage. Suddenly, under the city, a wolf-fang arrow dragged its white feathers through the wind and snow. With a "swish" sound, it was directed towards his face. The soldier subconsciously dodged and the wolf-fang arrow shot. The bullet on his head was so frightened that he broke into a cold sweat.
The surrounding soldiers were already filled with anger, furious at the beastly behavior of this group of rebels. This time, their anger was completely ignited. Countless crossbows and muskets were fired in an instant, and arrows and projectiles overwhelmingly enveloped the rebels under the city.
The rebels who lacked armor were unable to withstand the arrows and projectiles fired from above. In an instant, countless people were hit and fell to the ground, wailing.
The rebels gathered under the city had already gathered more and more, and they were gradually approaching the imperial city. Now arrows and muskets were coming from the city. Tens of thousands of people gathered in one place and there was no way to escape. They could only stand and wait to die. Although these rebels are not as powerful as the regular army, they are all rich and powerful slaves. They usually run rampant in the countryside, so why are they willing to wait for death like this? Without waiting for an order to be issued, they immediately raised their crossbows to fight back. The rebels who were close to the city wall even pushed the ram and rushed towards the Zhuque Gate, Hanguang Gate and other city gates. Some even raised ladders and set them up on the top of the city, holding swords in their mouths. Climb.
Tens of thousands of rebels were in chaos below the city. These people came from various clans or garrison troops, and they did not belong to each other. At this moment, some people attacked the city brazenly, some kept retreating, and some were at a loss.
Seeing this, the disciples of various Guanlong families who were organizing order here knew that if the chaos continued like this, their morale would collapse before the Sixth Army of the East Palace came out.
Immediately give the order and everyone will attack the city immediately!
Tens of thousands of hedgehogs gathered under the city and launched an attack on the imperial city. They braved arrows, projectiles, and thunder from the city's tilt, trying to break open the city gate by ramming cars, or building ladders to attack the city.
Almost in an instant, the war broke out without reservation.
*****
In the Taiji Hall, Prince Li Chengqian, who had just moved back, convened a meeting with the ministers to discuss how to retreat from the enemy. However, he did not yet have any good strategy. Earth-shattering shouts of killing came from outside, followed by the roar of muskets and thunder, which shook the whole place. The main hall shook slightly.
Soldiers rushed in from outside and shouted: "Your Highness, the rebels have begun to attack the city!"
There was a commotion in the hall, but Li Chengqian remained calm and nodded slightly. The Guanlong clan lords seduced the army and the people, and mobilized their servants to form a rebel army, intending to enter the city to carry out military remonstrances. How can they stop if they fail to achieve their goals? This battle will definitely be fought, unless Li Chengqian can tie his hands, walk out of the Tai Chi Palace, kneel down in front of the Guanlong family and plead guilty...
This is naturally impossible.
He is now ordered to supervise the country, and if I am here in person, and his father has passed away in Liaodong, he is the controller of this huge empire. If he leaves the palace to beg for surrender at this moment, how can the Li and Tang royal family continue to rule?
This battle is inevitable.
And you can only win, not lose! Otherwise, the rules will always be reversed and the hierarchy will be shifted. From now on, the Li and Tang royal family will become the puppet playthings of the powerful lords and clans, playing with them unscrupulously in the palm of their hands. Then the country will be without a country, and the world will be in chaos!
As the crown prince, at this critical moment, he does not even dare to think of dying in battle. He can only try his best to win and inherit the country to comfort his father's spirit in heaven!
Taking a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent emotions in his heart, Li Chengqian said: "Immediately give orders to the guards on the left and right outside the Xuanwu Gate, asking them to stay at their posts and protect the Xuanwu Gate. There is no room for failure!"
At any time, Xuanwu Gate is not only the anchor of Taiji Palace, but also the source of trouble that covets Taiji Palace. At the moment, he does not expect the left and right guards to enter the city to help quell the rebels. He only hopes to be able to secure the Xuanwu Gate without causing trouble, so that the Sixth Army of the East Palace can resist the rebels head-on without any worries.
Otherwise, if the tiger is driven out through the front door and the wolf is admitted through the back door, it will be very bad...
Cui Dunli stood up and volunteered: "Let me go to the Xuanwu Gate and announce the decree to the left and right guards."
If it was a simple mission, there would be no need for him, the left minister of the Ministry of War and the actual leader of the Ministry of War, to go and run errands in person. However, if he could take the opportunity to observe the morale and arrangement of the right guards, it would be difficult for him to do it easily. Only he could do it.
Li Chengqian knew what he meant, and this move was in line with his own wishes. He nodded and said, "Then I'll trouble you, Minister Cui, to make a trip. Be careful."
All the rebels are now pouring into Chang'an City. Even if there are still outside the city, they are just stragglers and cannot go to cause trouble outside Xuanwu Gate. Therefore, Cui Dunli also knew what the prince's instruction to be careful about was about.
"Thank you, Your Highness. I'll spare you the trouble."
The prince immediately ordered the officials of the East Palace to take out the prince's seal and hand it to Cui Dunli. Cui Dunli bowed and strode away.
The Taiji Palace was busy, and news from outside the palace kept coming. Li Daozong and Ma Zhou helped the prince summarize the news, then discuss it and make decisions.
Hearing that the cause of the war was that the rebels set fire to and plundered the city, the soldiers and civilians in the city fell into panic and tension. This triggered the outbreak. Li Chengqian said angrily: "This country is a thief! Since the founding of the country by our ancestors, Chang'an has been the capital, and even by our father, After ascending the throne, he worked hard and worked hard for twenty years to create the prosperous age and make Chang'an the most powerful city in the world! Now the rebels are setting fire to and looting, which will definitely damage the foundation of the empire, and countless merchants will be slaughtered, and their lives will be ruined. It’s hard to atone for his sin even if he is cut into pieces with a thousand swords!”
In order to prevent the war from affecting the people of the whole city, the East Palace would rather abandon the city wall as the first line of defense, instead of defending and killing them step by step, allowing the rebels to easily enter the city, hoping to control the scale of the mutiny and restrict the battlefield to the vicinity of the imperial city. .
Unexpectedly, the Guanlong clan had no restraints on the rebels at all. Allowing them to indulge, commit adultery, and plunder was an unforgivable crime!
Xiao Yu admonished from the side: "This move by the rebels can be described as rebellious and outrageous! Your Highness should immediately issue an edict to denounce their crimes, and order soldiers to be distributed throughout the city to disrupt the morale of the enemy."
No matter how confused Guan Long was, he would not necessarily launch an army and plunder. This move was really too stupid. It was almost equivalent to pushing the soldiers and civilians of Hecheng to the East Palace, making everyone except their direct relatives hate him deeply. But now it doesn't matter whether it was the instructions of those old immortals in Guan Long. Now that the matter has been done, the responsibility will naturally fall on each family of Guan Long. Taking the opportunity to confirm the charges, they will be more and more able to be rejected by the army and the people of the city. and hostility, which is naturally of great benefit to the East Palace.
To disrupt the morale of the troops and shake their morale is the most effective method on the battlefield. When used properly, it can even be compared to thousands of troops.
Li Chengqian said happily: "That's exactly what it should be!"
He immediately drafted an edict, revised it with Xiao Yu and others, stamped it with the crown prince's seal, and ordered his people to make rubbings of many copies and distribute them to various places in Chang'an. In this way, the accusations of the rebels were confirmed and the city was closed. The hostility of the military and civilians.
Another person came to report: "Your Highness, Xu Jingzong sent someone to deliver a message. More than a thousand students from the academy braved the snow and arrived at the foundry. They opened the warehouse on the spot and distributed weapons and ammunition. They fought fierce battles with the attacking rebels and defeated them several times. The rebels charged. They also said that as long as there is only one student left in the academy, the Foundry Bureau will not fall!"
"good!"
Xiao Yu praised: "I have never been ashamed of the fact that this Xu Yan tribe has always been virtuous and greedy for money. But I didn't expect to have such a strong character at such critical times. It is even rarer to have a strategy and be able to lead the students to resist powerful enemies! If it weren't for this moment, Without wine, you will be confused!"
Ma Zhou on the side smiled and said: "Whether the people of the Xu Yan clan... have strategy or character, I won't comment, but people in the academy such as Cen Changqian, Xin Maojiang, Ouyang Tong and others are all outstanding figures. It is no exaggeration to say that young people are talented. These students are talented, courageous and resourceful. They were entrusted with various tasks while they were still studying. They led more than a thousand students in the academy and made great achievements."
The situation was urgent and a formidable enemy was present. Even though he was in the Tai Chi Palace, he could still faintly hear the loud shouts of killing outside the palace. However, Ma Zhou looked relaxed, talked and laughed freely, and his strong self-confidence instantly infected everyone around him.
And living here, everyone strategized together, the situation was not as difficult as imagined, and everyone felt more relaxed.
Especially what he said was funny. He was praising Cen Changqian, Xin Maojiang, Ouyang Tong and others for their outstanding talents, but in fact he was pointing out that not only was Xu Jingzong not necessarily the leader of the foundry at the moment, but he might have been "coerced by Cen Changqian and others" "Get up, it doesn't matter at all, I can only be a puppet...
Everyone laughed, and Xiao Yu sighed: "If there is no other way, how can we let the academy students go into battle shirtless and fight with the enemy? The students in this academy are all smart and talented. In time, they will definitely be able to take on big responsibilities. , becoming the mainstay of the empire! If even one of them is lost at this time, it will be a huge loss to the empire! The mutiny of the Guanlong families is really the eternal sinner of the empire!"
