pappabearbooks Chapter 5538 Blood Splattered in the Great Hall
Chapter 5538 Blood Splattered in the Great Hall
Chapter 5538 Blood Splattered in the Great Hall
Outside the hall, the sound of rain was pattering. What was previously thought to be rolling thunder turned out to be soldiers under the command of Wang Fangyi, the general guarding Xuanwu Gate, who had charged forward with firearms and raised banners proclaiming "The Crown Prince's Rightful Rule" and "Avenging the Emperor," heading straight for Taiji Hall.
Li Ji pointed at Li Jingye and said, "There are still tens of thousands of Imperial Guards outside Chengtian Gate, and Wang Fangyi is launching a strong attack. We are under attack from both sides. Quickly order these Imperial Guards to withdraw and discuss His Majesty's affairs after his death."
He paused, then warned, "Don't think that just because you've occupied the Taiji Palace you can do whatever you want. If we can't reach an agreement here and open the palace gates, Fang Jun will definitely storm in. At that time, you, me, and the entire Li family will become sinners of the empire, the kind that will be infamous for eternity."
Throughout history, power struggles have only resulted in success or failure, not right or wrong.
The victor is king, the loser is a bandit. The victor, possessing the title and righteousness, can unscrupulously smear the loser. As long as Fang Jun is determined to disregard the stability of the world and lead his army into the palace, that will be the time when Li Jingye is defeated, killed, and burdened with all the blame and infamy.
This foolish grandson actually thought that a so-called imperial edict could force the entire court to submit...
Even if your will is real, so what?
Once Fang Jun's army enters the palace and establishes control, they can simply burn everything in a furnace and then pin a charge of "forging an imperial edict" on Li Jingye...
Under the power of authority, there is no such thing as truth or falsehood, right or wrong.
However, at this moment, Li Jingye was no longer able to listen to anything.
Having come this far, even at the cost of His Majesty's life, in order to fulfill His Majesty's long-cherished wish and uphold the dignity of imperial power, there is no turning back and no way to avoid it.
"Grandfather, there's no need for further words. Things have come to this point; we must obey the imperial decree!"
Li Jingye stepped forward and grabbed Yan Qinli, the Minister of Rites, who was closest to him. He forcefully pressed Yan Qinli to his knees with one hand, and placed the gleaming steel blade horizontally across Yan Qinli's neck. With a slight force, the sharp blade cut through the skin, drawing a line of blood.
"stop!"
"are you crazy?"
"No!"
The ministers tried to step forward to stop them, but it was too late; they were blocked by soldiers on both sides.
Li Jingye's face was contorted with rage, his eyes bloodshot, and he roared, "Do you all obey the imperial edict? If you still refuse within three breaths, kill this man first! After these disloyal and unjust people who have wasted their time studying the classics are beheaded, then kill the next one!"
Li Ji sighed in despair, feeling utterly helpless.
He knew his grandson's fierce nature well. Since he had done such a thing and said such a thing, there was no way to save Yan Qinli except by following the imperial edict.
"one!"
With a steel knife pressed against his neck, Yan Qinli, though over sixty years old and in a disheveled state, showed no fear. He glared angrily and said, "His Majesty's cause of death is unclear, and the country is in turmoil. You treacherous officials have acted perversely and recklessly, and you are the sinners of the world!"
"two!"
"Death is death, why waste words? Even if you slaughter everyone here, your plan will never succeed..."
"three!"
Li Jingye exhaled and spoke, without the slightest hesitation, his hand swiftly bringing down the knife. Yan Qinli's words came to an abrupt halt as a head fell to the ground, blood gushing out, splattering gold bricks—a horrifying sight.
The hall was completely silent; everyone was shocked and pale.
This is Yan Qinli!
Leaving aside his position as Minister of Rites, the head of the six ministries and a third-rank official, just considering his status as a member of the "Langya Yan Clan" and a contemporary leader of Confucianism, his prestige, qualifications, official position, and background... how many people in the world can compare to him?
Right here in the Taiji Hall, Li Jingye swiftly beheaded him.
Li Ji tried to rush forward and grab the wicked grandson, but he was held down by the soldiers and could not move. He couldn't help but stamp his feet and sigh helplessly.
Li Jingye was blinded by rage and completely disregarded his grandfather's words and actions. He killed Yan Qinli with a single blow and then pointed his blood-dripping sword at Tang Jian, the Minister of Civil Affairs: "Drag this old thief over here!"
Tang Jian was pinned down by several soldiers, and he angrily cursed, "You traitorous minister, how dare you wreak havoc on the court! You will die a horrible death!"
However, he couldn't struggle and was dragged to Li Jingye by the soldiers.
Li Jingye reached out his left hand, knocked off Tang Jian's crown, grabbed his hair, held a steel blade to his neck, and surveyed the assembled ministers: "What I have done is all in accordance with His Majesty's will, for the dignity of the sovereign and the future of the empire, not for the sake of power. Now that His Majesty's remains are on the table and his edict is in my hand, if you still remain obstinate, then kill them all. In the end, His Majesty's spirit in heaven will be filled with regret, and I will only be buried with you all."
He had already hardened his heart, and regardless of whether anyone would admit it afterward, he would only hold the ceremony of deposing the heir apparent, changing the heir apparent, and establishing a new emperor in front of His Majesty's remains, thus occupying the moral high ground.
Therefore, what harm is there in slaughtering all these high-ranking officials in the court?
Before anyone could respond, he shouted, "One!"
"two!"
……
When Fang Jun's order reached Xuanwu Gate, Wang Fangyi, Empress Su, and Crown Prince Li Xiang, who had been at a loss, all breathed a sigh of relief, instantly finding their anchor. Otherwise, with the night rain pattering, the wilderness vast, and thousands of "Hundred Cavalry" soldiers besieging the city, they truly wouldn't know where to go.
They knew nothing about the situation inside the palace, the positions of the officials in the city were unclear, and it was difficult to distinguish between friend and foe among the various armies inside and outside the city... They dared not take any action at all, and it was highly likely that they would make more mistakes if they did anything.
However, there is also a problem with following Fang Junzhi's orders.
When Fang Jun issued the order to storm the palace, he was unaware of the current situation at Xuanwu Gate. The garrison numbered only a few hundred. Even though they were well-equipped and brave, their numbers were truly inferior. If they brought enough men to storm the palace, Xuanwu Gate would be unable to withstand the fierce attack of the "Hundred Cavalry Division." However, if they left enough men to deal with the "Hundred Cavalry Division," it would not be enough to guarantee that they could successfully storm the Taiji Hall...
The most difficult decision lies in ensuring the safety of Empress Su and the Crown Prince.
Empress Su was intelligent and wise, and had been well-versed in poetry and literature since childhood. She could make sound judgments. At this moment, she also noticed Wang Fangyi's predicament and said decisively, "General, there is no need to make things difficult. Just take my son and me with you."
Wang Fangyi hesitated: "Such a method is too dangerous!"
Taking Empress Su and the Crown Prince with them would mean completely abandoning Xuanwu Gate. Once the "Hundred Cavalry Division" captures Xuanwu Gate, the situation will be one where the rear is cut off and the front is uncertain. A slight misstep could lead to danger and total annihilation.
He is not afraid of death, but if it leads to the death of the Empress and the Crown Prince in the chaos of war, how can he bear such a crime?
Empress Su patiently advised, "At this time, the palace and the outside world are in chaos, and the positions of various forces are unclear. Unless my son and I can safely reach the Grand Commandant's side, it would be safer for us to stay with the General. If we manage to fight our way to the Taiji Hall, which is only a wall away from the Grand Commandant, we might be able to get his protection. If something goes wrong along the way, that is the will of Heaven and beyond human control."
Now, she trusts no one except Fang Jun and his people.
They would rather follow Wang Fangyi into battle, fighting on the brink of death, than risk falling into the hands of others.
Without further hesitation, Wang Fangyi ordered his men to bring leather armor for the Empress and Crown Prince to wear, along with raincoats and straw hats to conceal their appearances. He then commanded everyone to withdraw from Xuanwu Gate, pass through the inner gate, and lock the gate with iron bolts before charging towards Taiji Hall.
At this time, the entire Taiji Palace was in chaos. Palace servants and eunuchs scattered and fled, while the Imperial Guards and the Hundred Cavalry were running around everywhere. Fires were everywhere and the bitter cold was deafening. Some people were chasing and searching, while others were taking advantage of the chaos to loot. This inner courtyard of the Tang Dynasty imperial palace, which had just been repaired after being ravaged by war, was once again subjected to a catastrophe.
Wang Fangyi didn't foolishly shout any slogans or try to achieve an unstoppable momentum. Instead, the hundreds of men lowered their flags and took advantage of the heavy rain to march quickly. They ignored any small groups of stragglers they encountered along the way and just kept speeding up.
This did indeed confuse many people. Although they saw that the group was large and in a hurry, they could not get a response when they went up to question them. If they pressed them too hard, they were even beaten up, so they had no choice but to give up.
They were intercepted only when they reached the vicinity of the Divine Dragon Palace.
A force of about a hundred men, consisting of the "Hundred Cavalry" and the Imperial Guard, was responsible for imposing martial law here, strictly prohibiting anyone from heading south to the Liangyi Hall area. As Wang Fangyi was on his way, he gave the order, and dozens of men took out thunderbolts, shielded them from the rain, lit the fuses, and threw them out.
With a deafening roar, countless shrapnel mixed with mud and water splattered in all directions, accompanied by screams of agony and a mass of fallen bodies.
But this also attracted more troops from all sides to converge and attack.
Wang Fangyi finally realized that something was wrong...
The "Hundred Cavalry Division" was originally established by drawing elite troops from the Left and Right Garrison Guards. Initially named "Flying Cavalry," it was a system created by Emperor Taizong outside of the Northern Garrison Guards. Later, it gradually grew and was renamed "Hundred Cavalry Division," with its personnel expanding repeatedly.
However, even after His Majesty ascended the throne, the total number of soldiers in the "Hundred Cavalry Division," including those skilled in infiltration, reconnaissance, interrogation, and ordinary soldiers, was no more than two thousand.
But now?
There are no fewer than two thousand soldiers from the "Hundred Cavalry Division" who are attacking Xuanwu Gate outside the palace!
After entering the palace, he was surrounded by soldiers dressed as "Hundred Cavalry"...
Where did these people come from?
Before I could think further, shouts erupted behind me. The "Hundred Cavalry Division" outside the city had already breached Xuanwu Gate and was attacking from the rear...
With obstacles in front and pursuers behind, they were immediately surrounded.
Wang Fangyi remained calm and ordered over a hundred heavily armored infantrymen to surround the Empress and the Crown Prince. The rest of the men formed a defensive formation with swords and shields to defend against the enemy, while others fired arrows and crossbows, supplemented by thunderbolts for a powerful attack.
The core of the Xuanwu Gate garrison consisted of elite troops brought by Wang Fangyi from the Anxi Army. The system built by these fierce soldiers who had traversed the Western Regions was well-trained and highly motivated. Coupled with their excellent equipment, they were fearless even when facing an enemy ten times their size.
Rain damages bowstrings too much; bowstrings soaked in rain become unusable after a few shots. Firearms are also not suitable for fighting in the rain. The only way forward is with thunderclaps clearing the way and swordsmen and shieldmen blocking the way from behind. The formation of several hundred men rolls forward like a giant beast covered in spiked armor, seemingly slow but actually unstoppable.
Holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, Wang Fangyi tightly guarded the Empress and the Grand Commandant, constantly issuing orders for the entire army to advance. Finally, they broke through the enemy's defensive line at the Liangyi Hall and approached the rear of the Taiji Hall, where more and more enemies swarmed in.
Wang Fangyi remained calm and composed, and shouted loudly, "Brothers, there's no need to hold back! Traitors and rebels deserve to be killed by everyone!"
"kill!"