"Tiance Guards attack Xuanwu Gate?"
Everyone present was stunned. Although thousands of people did not pose a fatal threat to the Forbidden City, it was too damaging to morale.
This shows that the emperor's power can also organize resistance forces.
According to the information known to Zhu Qizhen, there are at least several thousand Tiance guards in the city, thousands of Fengtian Dusi's military camps in the city, and the 10,000 battalions of state guards who entered the city yesterday. The total number of these troops is 20,000, and they are evenly matched with our own side, and there is not much disadvantage.
Zhu Qizhen recited it again: "Tiance Guards attack Xuanwu Gate? Why does this sentence sound so familiar?"
After thinking for a few more times, Zhu Qizhen suddenly realized: "Oh, I understand, isn't it Xuanwumen that General Tiance Li Shimin attacked? Then the brothers killed each other, and finally General Tiance won.
Could it be that when my younger brother named his personal guard Tiance Guard, he had already thought of the day when he would attack Xuanwu Gate?
My brother had known for a long time that such a day would come, so he was metaphorizing this at that time? Was this all planned by him? "
When Cao Jixiang next to him heard this, his face turned pale with horror: Isn't the emperor too terrible? He had planned the Ming Xuanwu Gate Revolution as early as three years ago?
Zhu Qizhen came back to his senses and asked Cao Jixiang: "You have been in the military for a long time, tell me how to deal with it?"
Cao Jixiang thought for a moment and then replied: "Your Majesty, it is better to dispatch two thousand noble servants from Xizhimen to support Cao Rui who is guarding Xuanwu Gate."
Zhu Qizhen nodded and signaled Cao Jixiang to go and deploy immediately.
Outside the Xuanwu Gate, Hao Yi has led three thousand Tiance guards to block the Xuanwu Gate.
Cao Rui closed the door tightly, and following Cao Qin's instructions, he drove out the palace people and used them as human shields to crowd behind the palace door.
Even if the Tiance Guards break through the palace gate, they will be blocked by the huddled palace people, while Cao Rui can lead his servants to stand on a high place and shoot arrows at the Tiance Guards.
The palace wall was tall, and Cao Rui personally led the dead soldiers, standing on the palace wall and shooting arrows below.
Hao Yi glared from below, but did not fight back.
Because he was shooting at people from high places, he was already at a disadvantage. Cao Rui couldn't stand it and ordered the dead soldiers to grab the palace people as shields.
The situation was deadlocked again.
Two quarters of an hour later, Duke Cheng Zhu Yi, Gongshun Hou Wu Jin, Guangyi Bo Wu Cong led two thousand servants and rushed to Xuanwu Gate to support them.
Seeing that there were reinforcements on the opposite side, Hao Yi retreated slightly and took the Tiance Guard soldiers to the Long Live Mountain outside Xuanwu Gate to defend.
Zhu Qizhen felt reassured when he heard the young eunuch reporting the latest battle situation.
Everyone just breathed a sigh of relief, and then a young eunuch came to report: "Your Majesty, Uncle Huai Ning has occupied the military station in the outer city. In another hour, the artillery can be transported into the inner city."
This news is so exciting. Once the artillery is transported outside Wudinghou Mansion and bombarded, there will be a chance to break the situation.
Only Cao Jixiang was even more desperate: "It can be concluded that this is definitely a game arranged by the emperor." Previously, the emperor clamored to expand the original city wall of Beijing to the south and build an outer city.
The first to start construction and move out were the war bureau and gunpowder bureau of the inner court, the six military craftsmen's offices of Jinyiwei, and the ordnance factories of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War.
Moreover, these ordnance factories are all concentrated in the southeastern corner of the outer city.
Now, if you want to find an artillery piece, you have to transport it all the way from the edge of the outer city.
By the time the artillery was set up outside Wudinghou Mansion, the day lilies were already cold. "
Sure enough, everyone was happy because they were afraid. Less than a moment later, a young eunuch came in in a panic and reported: "Your Majesty, it's not good. Suddenly, a large army poured in from the Anding Gate from the north.
There were several thousand of them, and as they marched, they shouted: Feng Tian pacifies Nan, punish the rebels, and long live Emperor Jingtai.
The north side is completely undefended, and it only takes half an hour for them to reach Xuanwu Gate or Dong'an Gate. "
This time it was Zhu Qizhen's turn to look earth-colored.
Queen Mother Sun asked sharply: "Why did a large army enter the city? Where did they come from?"
The little eunuch shook his head innocently.
Now everyone around Zhu Qizhen understood that everything was a chess game arranged by the emperor, otherwise it would be impossible for an army of nearly ten thousand people to suddenly enter the capital.
Fortunately, there were only a few people standing on the platform of the three main halls.
Most of the feudal kings, nobles, and civil servants were standing in the square under the steps. Even if they couldn't hear the latest battle report, everyone could tell that something was wrong with the atmosphere.
But it was embarrassing. The guards of the feudal princes had been handed over to Shi Heng and Sun Boring, and the princes themselves were trapped in the Forbidden City, 'protected' by Cao Qin's dead soldiers.
If you want to rebel, there is no way.
Not to mention civil servants, none of the four gates of the Forbidden City can be open to everyone. Once you're in, don't even think about going out again.
The honorable nobles were somewhat stronger. Except for a few who stayed in Fengtian Palace Square, the rest went to lead the servants to guard the palace gate.
At this time, Cao Jixiang proposed a plan that seemed feasible: "Your Majesty, how about we retreat. Taking advantage of the chaos in the capital, we led the cavalry out of the city and headed straight for Nanjing.
Once you arrive in Nanjing, you can assemble the southern army, draw the river and conquer it, and then slowly plan for it.
If we persist and more of the emperor's troops enter the city, we will not be able to leave at all. "
"Retreat? Escape? Go to Nanjing?"
Zhu Qizhen had never considered this option. How could I give up my beloved Forbidden City?
Besides, we are about to succeed, so how can we just give up?
Zhu Qizhen gritted his teeth and scolded sternly: "Don't disturb the morale of the army, King Xi is just bluffing.
He ordered Shi Heng to divide his troops to resist the new army entering the city, and then stormed the Wuding Hou Mansion to capture King Tan.
To capture the thief, capture the king first. As long as the King of Yin falls into our hands, everything will be settled. "
Cao Jixiang had no choice but to send someone to urge Shi Heng again.
After Shi Heng got the news, his heart was broken. They had no choice but to start attacking Wudinghou Mansion again.
However, Shi Heng still chose the deployment that was most beneficial to him: he ordered the vassal king's guards to be at the front, and his own soldiers to supervise the battle later. Another 5,000 troops from the capital camp were divided, led by Liu Ju, to block the new reinforcements entering the city.
Three thousand of the 10,000 Shenji battalion who had newly entered the city entered the imperial city from Bei'anmen, and then went west into Xiyuan to protect the warehouse in Xiyuan.
The remaining seven thousand people turned a corner to the north of Lao Qi's palace and occupied Chaoyangmen and Chaoyangmen Street. In this way, the warehouse on the north side of Chaoyang Street was protected.
In the huge city of Beijing, Zhu Qiyu only cares about three places: one is the area consisting of the Wuding Marquis Mansion, Fengtian Dusi, and Hubu Lumicang; the other is the Taicang warehouse of Hubu; and the other is the pile in the Xiyuan of the Imperial City. warehouse.
If these three places are set on fire, the loss will be huge.
The rest of the place doesn't matter. As for Mingyufang, where his own industry is concentrated, it is located in Xicheng. Under normal circumstances, no one cares about this place. Moreover, there are still Marquis Wenxin and the Xicheng Army and Horses Division on guard, so it is not a big problem.
The 5,000 Beijing soldiers led by Liu Ju chose to confront the soldiers of the Shenji Battalion guarding Chaoyangmen Street. If you don't attack me, I won't attack you, and the scene becomes very harmonious.
Liu Ju chose to wait and see what happened and wait until the situation became clear before re-uniting.
The guards of the vassal king were not so lucky. Not far to the south of Wudinghou Mansion was Gongyuan, and further south of Gongyuan was the armor factory.
The armor factory has not yet moved to the outer city. At this time, Shi Heng's soldiers had captured the armor factory and transported a large amount of armor.
Shi Heng was very considerate and asked the feudal king's guards to put on their armor and helmets before charging.
Most of these feudal kings' guards are extremely loyal to their own feudal kings. Since the lord of his vassal had made it clear that he would listen to Wu Qinghou's command and do whatever it took to help the Supreme Emperor's restoration, everyone could only bite the bullet and charge forward.
Unfortunately, it can only be used in street fighting in the city and cannot be used at all. In addition, the emperor's personal guards were assisted by crossbows and artillery. The feudal king's guards suffered heavy casualties, but it was difficult to break through the defense.
But the stalemate outside Xuanwu Gate is still continuing, and the Three Thousand Shenji Battalion has entered Xiyuan and has taken control of Chengyun, Guangying and other warehouses.
Hao Yi originally had six thousand Tiance Guards under his command, but only three thousand appeared outside Xuanwu Gate. Where did the other three thousand go?
It turned out that another three thousand people, led by Wang Jin and Ruan Xi, circled from the Royal Horse Prison to Xiyuan, and then from the south side of Taiye Pool to the Imperial Prison.
After passing the Imperial Prison, they passed by the Altar of Sheji and the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and quietly circled half a circle around the Forbidden City, finally reaching the west side of the South Palace.
Although it was a bit unethical to do so, Tiancewei chose to build the plank road openly and assassinate Chen Cang secretly.
Tiance Guard's target is not Xuanwu Gate, but Nangong.
The north of the Nangong is adjacent to Donghua Gate and Dong'an Gate. There are a total of 3,000 men stationed by brothers Cao Xuan and Cao Duo.
But the west side of the South Palace was not fortified.
The defenders on the Meridian Gate Tower discovered Tiance Guards, but it was too late to react.
By the time the Jinyi Guards informed Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qizhen hurriedly sent Cao Xuan to lead his elite servants from Dong'anmen to support, the Tiance Guards had already entered the Nangong and controlled the prince, the Qian family, the Zhou family, the Wan family and others. .
(End of chapter)
