A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 658 Eight Hundred Warriors at Xuanwu Gate

The night was quiet.
Li Yuan was sleepless.

The King of Qin read that memorial over and over again countless times.

"It's time to put an end to this."

Li Yuan sighed deeply. At dawn, he summoned all the prime ministers and asked the Prince of Qin, the Crown Prince, and Yuanji to confront each other.

If the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi were indeed having illicit relations in the harem, then the Crown Prince should be deposed, and the two should be demoted to princes and enfeoffed in remote southern border regions.

Consorts Yin and Zhang in the harem could not be kept, and even the two younger ones could not be kept.

But if the King of Qin falsely accuses him, then the King of Qin cannot be allowed to live.

Picking up the worn-out, curled-edge memorial again, Li Yuan began to believe his second son. Who would dare to falsely accuse his brother and stepmother of such a matter, or even falsely accuse his two younger brothers of not being of imperial blood?

Moreover, such matters are easy to verify, and if it is a false accusation, the King of Qin should be aware of the consequences.

This was not a rumor spread privately, but a report personally submitted by the King of Qin.

If there were no evidence, would the King of Qin dare to speak so recklessly?

They must have evidence.

Thinking back to how Consorts Yin and Zhang had often spoken well of Jiancheng and Yuanji, she assumed that the two were just young and wanted to befriend the Crown Prince to secure their future.

Who would have thought they would dare to do such a disgraceful thing?

I was too hesitant.

As dawn broke in the east, Li Yuan, having stayed up all night, was exhausted.

"I'm going to sleep for a while. Wake me up in half an hour."

North gate of the palace,

On the city wall of Xuanwu Gate, General Chang He, fully armored, stood with his hand on the sword at his waist. The cool morning breeze brushed his face, and Chang He's expression was solemn, devoid of his usual smile.

This is a day where I'm risking my life and fortune.

Qiao Gongshan and Hong Yi walked over. "Boss Chang."

Chang He nodded to the two men. After the incident of transporting the armor last time, the two men were now deeply trusted by Chang He. Qiao Gongshan had been promoted to a sixth-rank cavalry general, and Hong Yi had been promoted from deputy captain to a seventh-rank brigade commander.

"Is everything arranged?"

"Yes, the most trusted brothers have been arranged to be in place."

"Everyone, stay alert! We can't afford any mistakes."

Qiao Gongshan and Hong Yi were also aware of what would happen today, and their hearts were filled with excitement.

Chang He gazed eastward into the distance.

Soon the red sun rose in the east, illuminating the earth.

Honghong Palace, the residence of the Prince of Qin.

Li Shimin also didn't sleep all night.
"Second Prince, the soup noodles are ready." Princess Consort Changsun came in carrying a food box containing the hand-pulled noodles that Li Shimin had specifically requested, along with mutton and offal soup. The aroma was irresistible as soon as it was brought out. "Second Prince, eat it while it's hot!"

Li Shimin replied, "I'll go outside and eat with the brothers."

In the Qin Prince's mansion,

All eight hundred guards, whether on duty or not, are ready for today.

"The mutton soup with flatbread is ready, let's all eat together."

Li Shimin arrived at the polo field in the Prince's Palace, where eight hundred guards had already quietly assembled.

Princess Changsun, accompanied by the kitchen staff of the palace, brought over a bucket of mutton soup noodles, and personally ladled noodles for everyone.

Hand-rolled white noodles, paired with a rich broth and tender meat made from freshly slaughtered animals that simmered overnight, sprinkled with chopped green onions and seasoned with pepper.

This bowl of mutton soup with flatbread is incredibly tempting.

Especially at this dawn.

Li Shimin also took a large bowl and had his wife scoop a large bowlful for him. Then he squatted down among the guards and ate heartily together.

After eating three large bowls, Li Shimin patted his stomach, feeling full of energy and not sleepy at all.

Yuchi Jingde's large belly was like a bottomless pit; he ate bowl after bowl, eight large bowls in total. General Hou Junji also ate quite a bit, seven large bowls.

Generals Zhang Gongjin, Liu Shili, Gongsun Wuda, and Dugu Yanyun also ate to their hearts' content.

You need to be able to eat to fight.

Of the ten generals accompanying the King of Qin today, Changsun Wuji and Hou Junji are the King of Qin's brother-in-law and childhood friend, respectively. The rest are mostly those who later joined the court and became part of the King of Qin's household.

For example, Liu Shili and Zhang Gongjin were both subordinates of Wang Shichong, but later surrendered to Li Yi and were eventually introduced to the King of Qin by Li Yi.

Li Mengchang and Du Junzhuo were both from the Wagang peasant army. Gongsun Wuda, Dugu Yanyun, and Zheng Rentai were all generals of the Sui Dynasty, from Guanzhong, and joined the Qin Prince's Mansion relatively early.

The warriors could eat a lot and ate quickly, soon becoming full and satisfied.

It's still early.

"Put on your armor!" Li Shimin looked up at the sky and gave the order.

This is a decapitation strike tactic.
What's needed is to be steady, accurate, and ruthless.

He personally led ten generals and eight hundred soldiers in a surprise attack on the palace, seized control of the emperor, and captured the crown prince and the Prince of Qi. Li Yi then went to take control of the various government offices in the imperial city.

Du Ruhui and his men stayed behind at the Prince of Qin's residence.

Gao Shilian will release the prisoners from Yongzhou Prison and take control of Fanglin Gate.

The entire city of Chang'an was a battlefield.
But the most important one is Taiji Palace.

To capture the thief, capture the king; to kill the general, seize the flag.

Only by controlling the emperor can success be achieved.

Soldiers entangled the imperial palace, and calamities gathered at the Purple Star.

Princess Consort Changsun helped her husband put on armor, which was made of soft inner armor and covered with a bright outer armor.

Li Shimin was not wearing his official robes, indicating that he had no intention of confronting the Crown Prince face-to-face in a joint trial today.

After donning their armor, it was still dark.

There was still a long time before dawn.

Li Shimin beckoned to Hou Junji and Zheng Rentai, saying, "After we enter Xuanwu Gate, as planned, you two should head straight to His Majesty's palace. There are people we have arranged among the Imperial Guards who will meet you there."

"You must take control of His Majesty immediately and bring him to Haichi."

The Haichi (Sea Pool) is located north of the palace, adjacent to the Xuanwu Gate.

They kidnapped the emperor and took him to the dragon boat in the sea.

"Mengchang and Junzhuo, you two go to the Wude Hall and bring the King of Qi to the Linhu Hall."

Li Mengchang was originally from the Li family of Zhao County, but his family was ruined and he became a starving peasant at the end of the Sui Dynasty. He fled into the Taihang Mountains and later joined Wang Junkuo. He then joined the Wagang Army and returned to the Tang Dynasty, joining the Prince of Qin's mansion. He parted ways with Wang Junkuo.

Du Junchuo was from the Du clan of Jingzhao. He was a cousin of Du Caigan and had also served in Wagang.

Both Li and Du were extremely brave, and now they were both Grand Pillars of State and Founding Marquises. "The Prince of Qi is also very fierce. If he resists," Li Shimin gritted his teeth, "kill him on the spot!"

Everything is ready.
set off.

Li Shimin, along with ten generals including Changsun Wuji and Yuchi Gong, and eight hundred guards, rushed towards Taiji Palace under the cover of dawn.

When Li Yuan initially ordered Li Shimin to move out of Taiji Palace and establish his residence south of the city, and later, due to his great contributions, he specially built Hongyi Palace to the west of the palace grounds, he probably couldn't have imagined that at that time...

Hongyi Palace is located on the west side of the palace grounds. Although it is relatively remote, it provided many conveniences for today's mutiny.

Hongyi Palace and Xuanwu Gate of Taiji Palace are not far apart.

The palace gardens north of Xuanwu Gate were guarded by left and right garrisons.

Today's duty officer is General of the Left Garrison, Marquis of Qianchang, Jing Junhong, also known as General Yunmo. His great-grandfather was the Right Minister of the Northern Qi Dynasty, so he can be considered to come from a distinguished family.

In the latter half of the night, Jing Junhong ordered his deputy, General Lü Shiheng, to withdraw the patrolling imperial guards back to camp.

The journey from Hongyi Palace to Xuanwu Gate is now unobstructed.

"It's about time. Take some of your trusted brothers and go to meet them in person."

Lieutenant General Lü Shiheng responded, "Don't worry, the changes were made in advance. I'll take a battalion of brothers over there now."

Jing Junhong patted his arm, "Brother Lü, your future success and wealth depend on today."

Lu Shiheng patted his chest and said, "I think today's matter is almost certain to succeed."

"It's better to be safe than sorry. We need to do our jobs well. Keep an eye on the officers on duty in the camp, especially those who are close to the Crown Prince."

Those who are close to the Crown Prince have already changed their schedules and are not on duty today.

Lu Shiheng looked towards Xuanwu Gate to the south, "Is everything arranged there as well?"

"Yes, Chang He is guarding Xuanwu Gate today."

Everyone in Chang'an thought Chang He was the Crown Prince's man, but few knew that he was actually the King of Qin's man.

Lü Shiheng led a hundred cavalrymen to meet the King of Qin on his inevitable route.

A group of people and horses silently arrived through the white mist, the men gagged and the horses hoofed.

There was fog in the morning.

The thick white fog provided excellent cover for our operation; the weather was perfect.

Yuchi Gong took the lead, his lance ready to strike at any moment.

Lu Shiheng had already tied a red scarf around his forehead and arms, and his hundred cavalrymen behind him had also tied red scarves around their necks.

"Lu Shiche, the Left Garrison Commander, has come to greet the King of Qin."

Yuchi Gong warily surveyed them.
Lü Shiheng said, "These are all trustworthy brothers who have followed the King of Qin in his campaigns and are willing to serve him."

Yuchi Gong finally smiled and said "okay," then rode his horse back. Soon, Li Shimin arrived, escorted by Hou Junji and several others.

Lü Shiheng stepped forward to pay his respects.
Li Shimin smiled and said, "With your armor on, there's no need for formalities. Thank you for your hard work."

"Your Majesty, the journey to Xuanwu Gate has been smooth and unobstructed."

Lü Shiheng led a hundred cavalrymen with red armbands to clear the way for Li Shimin and escorted him all the way to Xuanwu Gate.

Zhang Gongjin arrived at the city gate and knocked on the door.
Chang He had been waiting for a long time and immediately ordered the Xuanwu Gate to be opened.

Eight hundred armored soldiers from the Qin King's Palace filed into the city.

"Hongshen, you and Shiheng stay here and assist Changhe in guarding the gate. After the Crown Prince enters the palace, immediately close the Xuanwu Gate. No matter what happens, do not open the gate again today without my order."

Zhang Gongjin nodded in agreement.

Hou Junji and Zheng Rentai led their troops straight to the emperor's bedroom, while Li Shimin, along with Yuchi Gong, ambushed the emperor near Linhu Hall, not far from Xuanwu Gate.

Dawn is breaking in the east.

The morning drums of Chang'an City also sounded.
The whole city woke up.

East of the Imperial City, in Shengye Ward.

In the Prince of Dai's mansion,
Li Yi was still fast asleep when Ji Lingyi gently woke him up.

"Ah Lang, it's dawn."

Li Yi rubbed his eyes, yawned, sat up, and stretched.

Ji Lingyi poured him some tea to rinse his mouth.

After settling in, Li Yi took a cold shower. After sleeping in the middle of summer, he felt a little sticky all over.

After taking a shower, I felt refreshed.

Shuying brought him clothes and helped him put them on.

Li Yi was now clear-headed; today was a big day.

Walking in the courtyard, I looked up at the eastern sky, where the morning glow filled the sky and the red sun was about to rise.

A good omen.

Today is the day of the mutiny, but he is not in a hurry.

Everything, both inside and outside the palace, had already been arranged.

Li Jiancheng's company commanders and soldiers were all gone, and even his original palace guards were mostly replaced by the imperial guards.

Li Yuanji's troops from the Prince of Qi's residence were also withdrawn from the capital.

The several thousand palace soldiers in Chang'an were the biggest obstacle to Li Shimin's coup, but now they are all gone. Even the fierce generals of the palace soldiers, Xue Wanche, Feng Li, Li Anyan, and Xie Shufang, have all been demoted.

Li Shimin had no rivals left.

It's true that the capital was Emperor Li Yuan's territory, but it couldn't withstand the precise decapitation tactics employed by surgeons.

Li Shimin was invincible in battle; in military strategy, Li Yuan was no match for him, and could not prevent him from winning.

The morning drum sounds,
The city gates and ward gates of Chang'an opened one after another, and a new day began.

Li Yi wasn't in a hurry. He first enjoyed a delicious breakfast: boiled corn, fried eggs, a bowl of lamb with goji berries, and two steamed buns.

Nutritious and delicious.

I haven't finished breakfast yet.

Senior Brother Wei Zheng arrived, looking haggard with dark circles under his eyes. Seeing Li Yi still leisurely eating breakfast, he couldn't help but say, "At a time like this, you still have the mood to eat breakfast?"

Li Yi laughed and said, "It seems that Senior Brother not only didn't sleep well last night, but also didn't eat well this morning. Come on, have some more. Today might be very busy, and there won't be time to eat. Eat your fill before you go out."

Wei Zheng lowered his voice, "Aren't you worried at all?"

"After planning for so long and preparing so much, the rest is up to fate. In all great endeavors, human planning accounts for half and fate accounts for the other half."

Seeing that Wei Zheng still looked worried,

Li Yi handed him a boiled egg. "Don't worry, the will of Heaven has already been revealed. The day before yesterday, Venus crossed the sky, which foreshadowed that the King of Qin would rule the world!"

(End of this chapter)