Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 859 Regent (Bonus chapter for the 'Who is this?' Alliance Leader)
While officials of the Eastern Palace faction were being arrested one by one in Zongyang Palace under the pretext of "purging the emperor's inner circle," Wu Ting had already led his army into Lin'an City.

Don't think that everything will be fine once you control the palace and the emperor.

The status of the Imperial Guards stationed in Beijing remains a major variable.

Most of the generals who commanded the Imperial Guards were also from the Eastern Palace faction.

Even if they control the capital, they can still pressure the imperial palace.

Even if Yang Yuan threatened the emperor's life.

Moreover, Yang Yuan cannot do that.

His coup was rushed, and at least at this point, he lacked sufficient popular support and public opinion to change the dynasty.

Then he can't do anything directly to Zhao Qi.

Therefore, whether in terms of the objective of the operation or the number of people, Wu Ting could only engage in direct combat, soldier against soldier and gun against gun.

He cannot use Yang Yuan's previous method of sneak attack.

Of course, some methods can still be used to get people into the city.

Therefore, the fierce battles took place almost simultaneously at several city gates where the Infantry Command entered the city and in the streets and alleys within the city.

Only some commoners living near Zongyang Palace noticed the battle taking place inside.

The unrest in Lin'an truly began only after Wu Ting's troops entered the city.

This is Lunar New Year's Eve, a day of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new, the most joyous day.

But on this night, Lin'an City was engulfed in bloodshed.

On this night of transition between the old and new year, it brought a great shock to the people of Lin'an!

On the streets, fully armed soldiers were running and galloping everywhere.

The people called to their friends and hurriedly fled home, closing their doors tightly.

The officers and soldiers of the Infantry Command and the city's defenders fought and shouted in the streets and alleys.

Besides the lanterns discarded by the people, now reduced to tattered frames, lay corpses lying in pools of blood.

The battle raged on throughout the night, with fully armed and armored soldiers charging back and forth, locked in fierce combat, seemingly utterly tireless...

Of course, not all the people went home.

Some scoundrels and lawless thugs unleashed their bestial instincts on this chaotic night.

So it was inevitable that they would roam among them, plundering and feasting, indulging in lust, and taking advantage of the chaos to loot.

A battle is also taking place in Renmeifang.

In Lin'an City, apart from the Imperial Palace and Zongyang Palace, there are only two other wards that Wu Ting's army must capture.

Because these two neighborhoods housed a large number of officials.

Renmeifang is one of them.

Li Renxiao, the former emperor of the Western Xia Kingdom and now the Marquis of Anshun, stood on the top of the wall, watching from a ladder.

Looking out from between the trees, two groups of soldiers were engaged in fierce combat in the streets and alleys, with streaks of arrows flying across the sky like shooting stars, their shadows blurred by the occasional arrow.

However, Li Renxiao was, after all, the emperor of a nomadic people. Although his country had fallen, he was not so cowardly as to give up.

So he wasn't afraid at all, and even watched with great interest.

Until this point, however, he still did not know who was plotting the rebellion.

The Song Dynasty, drawing on the experiences of previous dynasties, was quite successful in its control of power.

It avoided many pitfalls that plagued previous dynasties, as relatives of the emperor, eunuchs, and generals rarely posed a threat to imperial power.

Therefore, he couldn't figure out who was rebelling.

Ren Muyan and Wang Yunmei stood under the moon gate in the courtyard, listening to the shouts of killing coming from the streets and alleys.

Neither the mother-in-law nor the daughter-in-law knew who was rebelling.

Anyway, as long as it's not that person, it has nothing to do with them.

That person went to the northern country and there has been no news of him since.

Perhaps he will never come back.

Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager and Empress of Western Xia couldn't help but feel saddened.

Until they heard the victors shout out these words in the streets:

"The court is rife with treacherous officials; the Prince of Yan will purge those close to the emperor, and those who resist will be executed!"

Ren Muyan and Wang Yunmei's cheeks flushed with excitement.

Li Renxiao, standing on the wall, immediately turned grim.

Yang Yuan?

He actually came back alive?
Why doesn't he just die!
……

In Xixi, the Infantry Command set up barricades, scattered caltrops in front of them, and long spears formed a third line of defense behind the barricades.

Behind the spearmen, the crossbowmen were also on high alert.

Behind the archers were warriors with shields in one hand and short axes and daggers in the other.

This is a wetland, overgrown with wild grass, suitable for raising horses, but not for riding them.

Therefore, as long as the main road is blocked, the Ma Jun Si's men will not be able to leave.

Wu Ting personally led the main force and was engaged in fierce fighting with the Palace Guards in the city, while a portion of his troops remained in Xixi to prevent the Cavalry Command from sending troops.

The cavalry commander would either gallop into the muddy shallows, where he would be killed by archers when he could no longer move freely.

The only option is to attack the infantry camps of these five defensive lines and break through them.

The infantry commanders attempted to breach the defenses, but a cavalry charge of several hundred men was ultimately thwarted by the defensive line ahead.

They only made it to the third line of defense before they were gone.

If General Ma is determined to break through General Bu's defenses, as long as he continues to charge regardless of sacrifice, there will still be opportunities.

However, the soldiers from the opposite infantry command shouted the slogan "King Yan, purge the court of corrupt officials."

Many of the mid- to low-ranking officers in the Cavalry Command were promoted after surviving numerous close calls during the Battle of Lingbi with Yang Yuan.

Therefore, when they realized that tonight's events were actually the King of Yan's plan to purge the court of corrupt officials, their fighting spirit immediately weakened.

In particular, when Yue Fei was murdered, his elite troops were incorporated into the Three Military Commands and became the initial core of the army.

Later, it was the soldiers of the cavalry stationed at Xixi Village in Lin'an Prefecture who, through spirit writing, composed a poem:

"For twenty years I have governed the Central Plains, my merits outweigh my faults, and I have not yet fully repaid my debt; my loyal heart is as firm as stone, to whom can I confide? Only my wandering soul remains, roaming the nine provinces!"

They used the name of the goddess Zigu to plead for Yue Fei's innocence.

Qin Hui was furious and captured, killed, or exiled many officers and soldiers of the cavalry, but how could he possibly eliminate them all?

In reality, the Ma Jun Si was the most rebellious of the three military commands.

Therefore, the attack quickly turned into a childish drill. Seeing that the other side was sensible, the side that blocked the way naturally had to reciprocate.

Under this tacit understanding, both sides engaged in feigned attacks, probing, reconnaissance, and maneuvering in the Xixi Wetland.

The two sides engaged in a lively and back-and-forth "exercise."

By daybreak, the city of Lin'an was basically pacified.

The defending troops gained no advantage in the fierce battle, and then an imperial edict came out of the palace.

The emperor issued an edict acknowledging the legitimacy of the Prince of Yan's purge of the court of treacherous officials and took the initiative to arrest the corrupt officials who served the emperor.

As a result, many soldiers threw down their weapons without waiting for orders from their superiors.

At dawn, Prince Yan, Yang Yuan, "escorted" the emperor, the grand empress dowager, the empress dowager, and all the princes and princesses back to the palace.

Then, Xin Qiji and Yang Shou took over the defense of the palace.

Wu Ting's Infantry Division took over the defense of the imperial city.

So far, the dust has settled.

In the Yang residence, the family members, who had been on tenterhooks all night, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Yang Yuan had no intention of dying for his country; as soon as he got off the boat, he sent Lu Xi home.

Several escape routes, both visible and concealed, were planned in advance.

In the courtyard, hundreds of horses were well-fed and watered, with saddles and harnesses in place.

The secret passage leading to the back mountain via the underground tunnel was guarded at both ends by trusted family members.

However, even though the overall situation was now certain, Lu Xi did not let her guard down.

She remained on guard until Yang Yuan, accompanied by Yang Ze, returned to Renmei Ward under the escort of hundreds of cavalrymen.

Li Renxiao broke down.

As he was going down the ladder, he missed a step and twisted his ankle.

Li Renxiao, who had sprained his ankle, limped back to the flower hall, cursing under his breath.

Today, Ren Muyan and Wang Yunmei had a big appetite. In the morning, one ate half a bowl of rice porridge and the other ate an extra soft-boiled egg.

Yang Yuan took a break from her busy schedule to come back.

One purpose was to take Yang Ze to worship his ancestors, and afterwards Yang Ze was to cooperate with Wu Ting to guard the imperial city.

Secondly, he also wanted to return to let his relatives and friends know that he was safe and sound.

He knew that even if his family received the news, they wouldn't feel at ease unless they saw him.

However, at this point, he needed to be involved in almost everything related to the cleanup, and Yang Yuan couldn't be away for too long.

Yang Yuan met with his family and then took Yang Ze to the ancestral hall to pay respects to their ancestors.

When Yang Ze came out with his eyes red and swollen from crying, he bid farewell to his second brother and led a group of guards to the city gate to see Wu Ting.

Yang Yuan's family members are not just decorative figures. Not to mention those who offer advice in the inner secretariat and those with excellent skills in the Tongzhou Society, even Lu Xi, the little cook, plays an irreplaceable role at this time.

Not to mention that with this mistress in charge, the household is stable, she is also related to the most important thing for the people of Lin'an during this period—their livelihood.

This upheaval in the capital will have a significant impact on the surrounding areas, at least for the next few days.

This impact will inevitably affect the daily supply in the capital.

The daily consumption of a massive city with a population of over a million must be enormous.

To maintain the normal operation of the capital, there are too many things that cannot be solved by swords.

A brute who only knows how to destroy and not how to build cannot truly control a city.

Lu Xi had always held the economic power of the Yang family, and now she had to cooperate with the Lin'an government to do a lot of things regarding the daily needs of the million people in Lin'an City.

Moreover, at this time, it is far more effective for the government to handle many matters than for her, the Little Goddess of Food, to stabilize public sentiment and maintain order.

The current situation is: Yang Yuan has successfully purged the court of corrupt officials, and all the treacherous officials in the capital have surrendered.

Moreover, all of this was done in the name of the emperor.

Prince Zhao Qu of Jin has passed the critical period, but remains unconscious.

Zhao Qi still has value. Although he has been placed under house arrest, the title of emperor still temporarily belongs to him.

However, the series of events surrounding the change of emperor must now begin.

With the support of the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, Yang Yuan's idea of ​​changing the emperor gained legal legitimacy.

Otherwise, although he could have succeeded, as a subject, deposing and installing emperors would ultimately be considered dishonest no matter how he tried to justify it.

However, this doesn't mean that everything will go smoothly and without any problems just because the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager have given their approval.

This only means that, legally speaking, the act of deposing and installing an emperor has the legitimacy.

We need to communicate with many ministers and win their support, right?

They only know that the emperor has agreed to purge the court of corrupt officials, but they don't know that the emperor will be replaced.

Moreover, Zhao Qi was Zhao Yuan's eldest son.

Although Zhao Yuan did not immediately make him the crown prince when he first ascended the throne, he effectively treated him as such.

Therefore, this eldest prince is different from the other two princes, Prince Qing and Prince Gong.

For example, marriage.

Zhao Qi has not yet established an empress, but has only established some concubines.

In the last imperial concubine selection, all thirty-seven women who made it to the final selection, except for Li Fengniang, were taken into Zhao Qi's harem.

Only two high-ranking concubines were established: one was named Consort De, and the other was named Lady Shuyi.

The rest were all lower-ranking concubines below the Nine Concubines, such as Beauty, Talented Woman, and Red Cloud Robe.

The current Consort De, who is in charge of the inner palace and actually exercises the power of the Empress, is surnamed Qian.

The Qian family has deep roots in Qiantang.

Even though Zhao Gou established Lin'an as his temporary capital and had actually been living there for over twenty years, its cultural foundation was still far inferior to that of the Qian family.

Now that the emperor is to be deposed, the Qian family woman, who has only been with the emperor for a little over a hundred days, is about to become the de facto "deposed empress."

Aren't you Zhao family just messing with us Qian family?

Therefore, we must find a proper way to solve this problem.

There are too many things like this that need to be balanced and resolved.

If these issues are not resolved, once Zhao Qi abdicates, it will inevitably create numerous hidden dangers, which may explode at any time.

Moreover, none of these matters could be decided without the consent of Yang Yuan, the Prince of Yan, who was in actual control of Lin'an at the time.

Therefore, after only a brief trip home, Yang Yuan hurriedly went to the palace.

(End of this chapter)