Outside Xianyang City, twenty miles northwest.
Lao Ai's 80,000 troops have been assembled.
However, the sergeants did not change into military uniforms, they were still dressed as ordinary people, and they did not set up tents. Instead, they camped relatively scattered on several hillsides.
After all, they were operating in secret, so they couldn't be exposed to the sight of the city defenders in a big way.
Although the weather was getting warmer, the temperature at night was still very low. In a low tent, Lao Ai and Tuoba Hai gathered around a small stove and were putting charcoal in the stove.
"Master Marquis, since our two routes have met, when will we enter the city?" Tuoba Hai rubbed his hands and asked.
Lao Ai stared at the red fire and murmured: "If calculated according to time, Ying Zheng should have arrived at Yongcheng, but I don't know what happened to Liu Yuan's dealings with him. If Liu Yuan could delay a little longer, Our time is more relaxed, if..."
Lao Ai did not continue speaking, he did not want to imagine a situation that was not good for him.
"Then why don't we occupy Xianyang as soon as possible to avoid long nights and dreams." Tuoba Hai said bluntly.
"It seems that this is the only way. Let's strike first." Although she had already made up her mind, Lao Ai seemed to have just gotten rid of her last hesitation.
"Please give the order, Lord Marquis." Tuoba Hai cupped his hands and said.
Although he was issuing a military order, Lao Ai still lowered his voice and said: "Tomorrow morning, let the soldiers still wear civilian clothes, hide the weapons under the carriage, and then use war horses to pull the carriage, and we will pretend to be merchants transporting goods. Team, enter Xianyang City separately from the four city gates."
After Tuoba Hai nodded, he asked, "It must not be difficult to enter the city. The question is where we will stay after entering the city."
Lao Ai thought for a while and said: "There is no suitable place to go with so many people. Fortunately, I have several old houses in Xianyang, which were purchased when I was in the palace. Now they are in good use. The remaining people, Let’s each find a place to rest, and when it gets dark, we’ll take action immediately.”
"Okay! I will make arrangements immediately." Tuoba Hai stood up and walked outside the tent.
"Wait a minute." Lao Ai said urgently.
Tuoba Hai stopped, turned around and asked, "What else can I do, Lord Marquis?"
"Go tell Dong Yu and ask him to go into the city first, and then find a way to enter the palace, find Jiu'an, and ask him about the current situation of the palace." Lao Ai said as he took out a token and handed it to Tuoba Hai. "With this token, you can see Jiu'an."
"I will obey your orders." Tuoba Hai took the token and carefully put it into his arms, but this time he did not turn around and leave. Instead, he waited in place to see if Lao Ai had any instructions.
"Go." Lao Ai raised her hand and signaled.
Tuoba Hai then turned around and walked out of the tent.
Early on the next morning, the soldiers of the Changxin Army followed Lao Ai's instructions. They got into a carriage in groups of several people. The carriage was mostly filled with food, and ordnance was hidden underneath. About twenty carriages were driven into one carriage. The convoy marched towards Xianyang City one after another.
In the spring, many farmers came to the city to sell grain and buy seeds, so the guards at the city gate did not survey the area very carefully. When they saw that the cars in the convoy were full of grain, they let them go.
Lao Ai was also sitting in a carriage and easily slipped into the city.
After entering the city, Lao Ai became a coachman and led his team to an old house.
Along the way, Lao Ai kept looking around, paying attention to the movements around her, but found nothing unusual.
Arriving at the door of the old house, Lao Ai jumped out of the carriage and took out the key that she had prepared long ago.
When she saw the door was locked, Lao Ai couldn't help but shook her head with a wry smile.
This lock has not been used for many years and is stained with rust. Fortunately, the keyhole is not rusty. Otherwise, wouldn't others mistakenly think that these people are trying to rob a house?
After opening the door, the accompanying soldiers came in to clean up, and some people outside unloaded the horses and drove them
Entered the yard.
This old house is not very wide
It was too wide to fit all the racks, so two people were left to guard each rack and parked on the street outside.
Without stopping, Lao Ai took a few guards and walked towards the next old house.
In this way, Lao Ai's old house in Xianyang City was filled with his own soldiers.
The last old house to be opened was the closest to the palace, and its area was much larger than the other four, so it became Lao Ai's temporary command post.
In the hall, Lao Ai gathered several close friends together. Several people gathered around the brazier, holding a piece of sheep bone in their hands, and discussed matters while eating.
"In the past few days, I'll thank you all, don't drink. When we win this battle and occupy Xianyang City, we will have enough wine and meat!" Lao Ai wiped the oil stains on his mouth and said.
"Okay!" Several confidants said in unison.
"Master Marquis, what should we do next?" This sentence seems to have become Tuoba Hai's spoken word.
Strangely, Lao Ai found this sentence quite useful, as it seemed to show his intelligence.
"Next step, let's wait for Dong Yu to come back and find out the truth before determining the time to carry out the incident." Lao Ai said, "The best thing is to meet Jiu An before making a decision."
"Then let's go find out about Dong Yu first." Tuoba Hai put down the mutton in his hand.
"Don't be anxious, eat before you go." Lao Ai knew that Tuoba Hai was impatient, "You can only have the strength to work when you are full. Maybe we will take action tonight."
"Yeah!" Tuoba Hai picked up the piece of mutton and took a big bite.
After eating, Tuoba Hai found a horse and headed towards the palace.
When they arrived at the agreed place, they did not see Dong Yu. He must have not returned yet.
Tuoba Hai was impatient, and after only waiting for a cup of tea, he stamped his feet anxiously and wandered back and forth at the agreed place.
About half an hour later, I saw two people walking from a distance, one was Dong Yu and the other. They looked like eunuchs, and they seemed not to be ordinary eunuchs.
Tuoba Hai jumped up happily and hurried forward to greet him.
It turns out that the person Dong Yu brought back was none other than Jiu An.
Tuoba Hai was overjoyed and didn't ask any questions. Following Lao Ai's instructions, he brought Dong Yu and Jiu An to the old house.
Lao Ai was extremely happy to see Jiu An coming in person. You must know that Jiu An had already taken a big risk by secretly coming to see him. This showed that Jiu An could be completely trusted and the probability of success was increased by several points.
"Brother Jiu'an, long time no see." Lao Ai greeted, "How can you come in?"
"Haha." Jiu An said with a smile, "The former manager has now become the Marquis of Changxin. If I am in trouble one day, I will still have to rely on you, brother."
Jiu An is two years old now. He is a senior figure in the palace and a popular person in front of Mrs. Huayang. However, he has never participated in political affairs. This is probably the reason why Jiu An is smart.
"Easy to say, easy to say." Lao Ai agreed, "This time, if we gain power, I will be the founding father of the country, and we will enjoy endless glory and wealth from now on."
Both men laughed.
Jiu An glanced at Lao Ai from the corner of his eye, and seeing that she was not suspicious, he said, "I originally wanted to come out earlier, but I had no choice but to serve Mrs. Huayang for lunch before I could get away, so I hurried here. You might have missed something important for your brother."
"Brother, what are you talking about?" Lao Ai's smile continued, "We don't have too much time, but it's okay to wait for three."
"That's good." Jiu An said with a smile, "But if we really have to wait that long, I'm afraid these sergeants will all be hungry."
The food Lao Ai brought in from outside was not much and could not last for a few days.
"Haha, brother, you won't keep these brothers waiting too long, right." Lao Ai's eyes were full of anticipation.
Jiu An smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying: "Now there are only two thousand guards in the entire palace.
, I am afraid that even if I want to support it for a few more days, it will be difficult. "
"Really?" Lao Ai raised her eyebrows, feeling happy.
"Of course." Jiu An said with certainty, "Didn't the Marquis spy on the military situation? King Qin took most of the imperial guards and all the Meng family troops to Yongcheng. Xianyang is basically an empty city at the moment. .”
Ying Zheng took the Meng family army to Yongcheng, and Lao Ai certainly knew about it.
"Hahaha..." Lao Ai laughed and said, "God is really helping me! It seems that we can occupy Xianyang without any effort."
"I wonder how preparations are going on at Changxinhou's side?" Jiu'an asked, "Are they ready to go?"
"Of course." Lao Ai said confidently, "Brother, we have been prepared for a long time."
Jiu An nodded and said, "In that case, why not let's do it tonight."
"It all depends on my brother's arrangement." Lao Ai said with cupped hands.
"Tonight at 3:00 p.m., it is the time for the imperial guards to change their defenses. I will send people to open the gate of the palace. All you have to do is rush in and directly control the palace, and a big thing will be done." Jiu'an said.
"Thank you for your advice, brother." Lao Ai said happily.
"Oh, by the way." Jiu An said, "You must have heard that King Qin built another palace next to the palace called Gucheng Palace. All the ladies and princes currently live in Gucheng Palace, but The general manager there is Zhao Gao, and most of the imperial guards are guarding there, so I can't be of much help."
"It doesn't matter. If the gate of Gu Cheng Palace cannot be breached, even if the wall of the courtyard is demolished, I will still capture those ladies and the two little princes alive." Lao Ai said thoughtfully.
"Then it's settled. At three o'clock tonight, the gate to the palace will open on time." Jiu An said, "I can't leave the palace for too long, so I'll take my leave."
After that, Jiu An bowed his hands and said goodbye.
Lao Ai sent a chariot to take Jiu An back to the palace, but Jiu An borrowed a war horse and rode away alone.
After returning to the office, Lao Ai gave the order and everyone had enough energy to fight in Xianyang Palace tonight!
It was getting dark, and the sergeants of the Changxin Army also went out one after another.
It looks like they are wandering on the street, but in fact they are all marching in a roundabout way towards their respective goals.
Tuoba Hai, who was closely guarding Lao Ai, asked in a low voice: "Master Hou, what we say to ordinary soldiers is to guard the palace and capture the rebel Lu Buwei alive. However, Lu Buwei may not necessarily show up."
Lao Ai sneered and said, "I don't know when your head will become smarter. Have you seen Lu Buwei?"
"No." Tuoba Hai shook his head.
"Isn't that enough?" Lao Ai whispered, "Let's just find someone in the palace and just say he is Lu Buwei. After that, these ordinary soldiers will have to obey us completely in order to save their lives. That’s the order.”
Tuoba Hai nodded and asked: "So tonight in the palace, should we kill everyone on sight, or...?"
Lao Ai shook his head and said: "I forgot to explain this. After we attack the palace tonight, we are not allowed to kill. We can only capture them alive and gag them, waiting for my death."
Nominally, I am here to serve King Qin tonight. If I kill someone from the palace, I cannot justify it.
Tuoba Hai muttered a few words to the deputy general next to him, and then the deputy general took the order and left.
For some reason, there were very few people on the street, but the lights in the houses were quite bright.
When Xu was approaching, the sergeants who were ambushing around the palace were already in position.
Lao Ai, who was waiting outside the palace gate, barely suppressed the urgency and anxiety in her heart, staring straight at the palace gate without moving away for a moment.
Finally, the appointed time arrived.
Just a creaking sound was heard, and the palace door opened with a gap wide enough for one person.
Lao Ai stood up straight and shouted, "Come on!"
