The power struggle between Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and Princess Taiping continued for another half a year. At the end of June 713 AD, a huge "storm" was about to come. There was a tense atmosphere inside and outside the imperial city of Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty. On the first day of July, Wei Zhigu, the Minister of Household Affairs, learned that Princess Taiping had ordered Li Ci and Chang Yuankai to lead the Yulin Army on the third day of July to attack Wude Palace from the north to kill Xuanzong and seize power. Dou Huaizhen, Xiao Zhizhong, and Cen Xi were ordered to lead the Nanya Army northward to respond to the Yulin Army's actions.
Wei Zhigu revealed Princess Taiping's conspiracy to Xuanzong.
After Li Longji learned the news, he felt a huge sense of urgency. Princess Taiping had many party members and followers, including important ministers, generals, and local officials. He knew that this was a life-and-death battle with Princess Taiping.
In this kind of bloody battle from the center of power, success or failure can only happen in an instant. As an emperor, even if there are hundreds of thousands of troops outside, there is no guarantee of victory, because it takes time to deploy troops, and the imperial city is guarding the capital from the north and south. The army has been controlled by Princess Taiping.
Xuanzong's eyes and ears placed in the Yulin Army did not receive exact information. They only reported to Xuanzong through their contacts that Li Ci, the leader of the Yulin Army, had been acting strangely recently.
Li Longji was pressed for time and did not dare to neglect. He quickly invited King Qi, King Xue, Secretary of the Ministry of War Guo Yuanzhen, General Wang Maozhong and others to plot countermeasures on the pretext of reciting poems in Xingqing Palace.
Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, specially invited minister Zhang Jiuling, a powerful poet, in order to make this poetry recitation more like that. The ministers and members of the royal family all admired his talent in poetry and song.
Zhang Jiuling is an upright minister and a veteran. He and Princess Taiping always deliberately keep a distance. It can be said that they are neutral forces at present.
Zhang Jiuling wanted to show off his talents in this poetry recital activity. He took a writing brush that he was familiar with and rushed to Xingqing Palace in the east of Chang'an City in a sedan chair.
When he entered the main hall of Xingqing Hall, he saw the emperor's face was serious, King Qi, King Xue and three or four ministers and generals all had serious faces.
He bowed and raised his hands to Xuanzong as a monarch and a minister: "I respectfully bid your Majesty's peace."
Xuanzong said: "Zhang Aiqing, a great poet, today is not as simple as reciting poems and composing poems. If we can't come up with a good strategy today, the day after tomorrow, all of us sitting here will have their heads dropped!"
When Zhang Jiuling heard this, he took a step back, his face changed drastically, and he looked gloomy: "Your Majesty, if you have anything to say, just tell me. I will do my best to support your Majesty and ensure the stability of the Tang Dynasty."
Wang Maozhong said: "Your Majesty, I think we can go directly to Princess Taiping's house and kill her, right?"
Queen Wang's brother Wang Shouyi said: "General Wang, how many guards are there in the palace? Let's rush into Princess Taiping's house together and fight fiercely with the three hundred guards in her house. Do we have any chance of winning?"
Wang Maozhong said: "The Imperial Guards inside and outside the imperial city, including the Yulin Army and the Nanya Army, total only 2,500 people. Among them, there are 2,000 Nanya Army and Yulin Army, and their leaders have already served Princess Taiping. Your Majesty There are only 500 imperial guards under my command. In the states around Chang'an, there are a total of 160,000 soldiers, distributed in Puzhou, Qizhou, Jiangzhou, and Huazhou. These troops are also to protect the safety of the emperor. Once we and Taiping Princess, Chang Yuankai and others are going to war. Although these troops are not far away, it will take time to support us."
Guo Yuanzhen, Secretary of the Ministry of War, said: "The Yulin Army led by Chang Yuankai and Li Ci has a thousand men, and the Nanya Army led by Cen Xi and Xiao Zhizhong also has a thousand men. These two thousand troops were originally the imperial guards to protect the emperor. But now Chang Yuankai, Li Ci, Cen Xi and others are already the best friends of Princess Taiping. If we fight a fierce battle with them, when the 160,000 troops from the surrounding states come to help, I am afraid the winner will have been decided, which is meaningless. Unless it is done in advance Mobilize troops, but in this case, the generals of the Taiping Princess Group will come from all over the country to fight, and it will turn into a full-scale civil war."
Xuanzong, who was sitting on the dragon chair in the north of the hall, said: "Master Guo is right. We must kill Chang Yuankai, Li Ci, Cen Xi, and Xiao Zhizhong as soon as possible and show their heads to the public, so that no one will suffer anymore." It is so bewitching that all the Yulin Army and Nanya Army will obey our orders again. What else do Princess Taiping's three hundred guards have to worry about? They will definitely kneel down and beg for forgiveness."
King Qi said to King Xue: "We and the emperor are brothers and we must share the same enemy. If Princess Taiping becomes the queen, none of us will have a good end."
King Xue said: "Yes, we must support brother Huang at all times. Brother Huang, please tell me, when will the fight start?"
In the middle of the hall is a long table, with two princes and several ministers sitting on both sides. Zhang Jiuling was already sitting at the table. He put the brush he brought on the table.
Xuanzong said: "Without further delay, it is just after noon. We will start arresting the rebellious ministers this afternoon and have a decisive battle with Princess Taiping's rebel group. Mr. Guo, you are the Minister of the Ministry of War. Send your men to inform Chang Yuankai and Li Ci, Cen Xi, and Xiao Zhizhong said that I would summon them to reward them for their service in guarding the palace over the past few years."
Guo Yuanzhen said: "Okay, I will arrange for two of my subordinates to notify them separately. Do you want them to come to Xingqing Palace?"
Xuanzong said: "Go to the Wude Hall of Taiji Palace. Aren't they planning to kill me there?"
Xuanzong added: "Li Lingwen, the young minister of Tai Chi, Wang Shouyi, the imperial uncle, Gao Lishi, Guo Yi and Li Shoude, you are very loyal and brave people. Go to the Wude Hall of Tai Chi Palace and hide your weapons in the hall first. . Guo Yuanzhen, the Minister of the Ministry of War, Wang Ju, the Minister of Zhongshu, Jiang Jiao, the young eunuch of the palace, and Cui Riyong, the minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, would you please go to the Wude Hall together. Just like you usually go to court, hold the memorial and wait at the entrance of the palace. Wait. When the four of them arrive at the Wude Hall, you talk to them for a few words, and a few people hiding in the hall come out with weapons to kill them. There are 400 imperial guards in the Taiji Palace. Gao Lishi, tell them to enter a state of war preparation. The twenty men standing guard near the Wude Hall will work with you to kill the four rebellious ministers."
Xuanzong then said to Guo Yuanzhen: "After the four rebel generals of the Yulin Army and the Nanya Army were killed, you and Gao Lishi commanded the guards and eunuchs in the palace to close all the gates of the Daming Palace where the Supreme Emperor lived to protect them. Dear Emperor, no one is allowed to enter or leave the Daming Palace."
Guo Yuanzhen said: "Wei Chen understands."
Li Lingwen, Wang Shouyi, Gao Lishi, Li Shoude and others all expressed that they must kill Chang Yuankai, Li Ci, Cen Xi, Xiao Zhizhong and hang their heads on the wall of Xuanwu Gate in the north of Chang'an City.
Tang Xuanzong said: "Okay, dear friends, please start taking action. After the work is completed, there will be a reward."
Guo Yuanzhen arranged two guards with high martial arts skills and articulate words outside the palace, and they went separately to inform the four generals of the Yulin Army and the Nanya Army.
The above people who were assigned tasks by Xuanzong have all left Xingqing Palace to carry out their tasks. Xuanzong also asked them to report the news to Xingqing Palace after killing the four rebel ministers.
After the operation started, Zhang Jiuling's thin face said worriedly: "Your Majesty, what if Chang Yuankai and the others don't come out?"
Xuanzong said: "They will come when they hear that they are going to be rewarded, because every time I rewarded the generals of the imperial army, they always gave gold and silver and a palace maid as a concubine. They thought I was trying to win over them. To tell you the truth, I have a perfect plan. Just don’t ask, just do it.”
Xuanzong said to King Qi, King Xue, and Wang Maozhong: "There are armors and weapons in the warehouse of Xingqing Palace. Let's all start arming ourselves. Wang Maozhong, I told you before to prepare three hundred horses. Are you ready?"
Wang Maozhong said: "Your Majesty, three hundred horses have been prepared. We can ride there at any time in the inner garden. The people in charge of the horses there are our people."
Xuanzong said: "Once the guards come to report the news, we will go to the inner garden, lead the five hundred imperial guards on horseback to kill Dou Huaizhen, kill Dou Huaizhen, lead the Nanya army, and join the Yulin army to kill Taiping." Princess."
