Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 410 Loyal Ministers and Soldiers of the Tang Dynasty [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"General, the Crown Prince's commendation decree has been widely discussed in Chang'an. The brothers are all talking about you, General."

Hou Junji's personal guards bowed beside him, looking hesitant.

"What are you saying about me? That I, Hou Junji, am utterly loyal? That even the Crown Prince was moved?"

A cold glint flashed in Hou Junji's eyes, his tone filled with deep sarcasm: "That little brat Li Chengqian has learned a few of his father's tricks of flattery to kill. He wants to use this decree to nail me to the pillar of 'loyal minister' and make me unable to move? Dream on!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly stood up, the heavy armor plates striking each other with a dull metallic clang.

He paced back and forth a few times before walking directly to the sand table map. He slammed his fingers down on it and said sharply, "Immediately have someone release the bodies of the Li brothers in Chang'an and make it public that they were killed by Li Chengqian, causing chaos in the city!"

"in addition!"

He paused, glanced in the direction of the Crown Prince's residence, and said in a deep voice, "Contact the garrison commander. I need his men to attack through the tunnels in the Crown Prince's residence, capture the people there first, and then send me the signal 'Serve the Emperor'."

"Is the general preparing to attack the city?" The guard's heart skipped a beat.

"Attack the city?" Hou Junji sneered. "I'm afraid the garrison commander is short-sighted and will only reap the benefits! He wants me to disrupt Chang'an, so I'll grant his wish! But..."

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes: "This chaos must be handled according to my rules!"

"Yes!"

The guard responded and immediately turned and left.

On the other side, in the Imperial Guard's prison.

Li Chengqian stood outside the prison cell, listening to the faint sounds of torture coming from inside, the jade pendant on his fingertips becoming increasingly smooth and warm from being caressed.

"Your Highness, those men are very stubborn. They insist that they are Hou Junji's subordinates and refuse to confess anything else."

Yang Nannan came out of the interrogation room with a hint of impatience in her eyes, and her hands were still stained with blood.

Li Chengqian nodded calmly: "The bodyguards of the garrison commander won't give up easily. Continue the interrogation, continue the investigation. I need to know who they've been in contact with recently."

"Yes!" Yang Nannan replied, then added, "By the way, we received news from the medical school that a new smallpox vaccine has been developed. This time there are a large quantity available, enough to vaccinate tens of thousands of people. Should we get vaccinated immediately?"

"Being not."

Li Chengqian frowned and said, "Hou Junji's troops are still loitering outside the city, and the garrison commander has not shown his face. At this time, large-scale vaccination will only give them an opportunity to take advantage of us."

"So, what does His Highness the Crown Prince mean?"

"Let's continue at the current pace, gradually expanding the vaccination coverage as much as possible!"

"Furthermore," he paused, then continued, "I heard from Chang Le that Li Xueyan, the eldest daughter of the Prince of Jiangxia, Hua Gu, the daughter of Wu Shiyue, the governor of Yuzhou, and Su Wan, the daughter of Su Tan, the secretary, have recently gone missing. Are you aware of this?"

"do not know."

Yang Nannan shook her head and said, "These kinds of missing persons cases are usually handled by the Dali Temple. We, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, rarely get involved in such cases, unless it's Your Highness the Crown Prince."

At this point, a playful smile appeared on her face: "Your sweetheart?"

"shit!"

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes at her and said sternly, "I am your superior. Aren't you afraid of being punished for flirting with your superior like this?"

"I'm scared, but if it's His Highness the Crown Prince, then let's go," Yang Nannan said with a smile.

Li Chengqian was speechless, then directly changed the subject, saying, "This was asked by Chang Le to help me find it. Send someone to investigate carefully and see if there are any clues."

"Yes, Your Highness, rest assured, I will definitely find you the one you love!"

"Shut up, you!"

"hehe."

Yang Nannan smiled, then couldn't help but say, "But you, you've been up all night, aren't you going to rest?"

Li Chengqian's lips twitched, and he couldn't help but say, "Once Chang'an is stable, there will be plenty of time to rest. Let's go and take a look at the files of the Capital Garrison."

"The Capital Garrison?"

Yang Nannan was taken aback: "Is it the General Wang of the Capital Garrison that Hou Junji contacted?"

"Did you know that already?"

Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow: "Do you think he might be Hou Junji's inside man? Or is it a scheme by Hou Junji to sow discord?"

“I’m not entirely sure about that, but I vaccinated his family members before. They’re not the arrogant type; on the contrary, they live a rather frugal life!” Yang Nannan said thoughtfully.

"Well, let's wait until Pei Xingjian returns from his investigation!"

Li Chengqian nodded, and then walked out of the imperial prison on his own.

"His Royal Highness!"

As soon as Li Chengqian led Yang Nannan out of the imperial prison, Xi Junmai rushed over, clutching a secret letter in his hand: "Your Highness, this is a secret letter that appeared in my office. It says 'To be opened by the Crown Prince personally.' Please take a look."

"How could a secret message from an unknown sender appear in your duty room?"

Li Chengqian frowned, then looked Xi Junmai up and down and said, "You weren't disguised, were you?"

"Your Highness is joking. If I were disguised, would I dare to come before you? Wouldn't I be sent to be killed?"

"Ah, that's true!"

Li Chengqian grinned and reached out to take the secret letter, which indeed had the four large characters "To be opened by the Crown Prince" written on it.

However, judging from the handwriting, it doesn't seem to be from someone who writes frequently.

Because the characters are not written well.

"The handwriting reflects the person; the person who wrote this must not be good-looking!"

Li Chengqian made a nonsensical joke, and then, right in front of Xi Junmai, he opened the envelope and took out a piece of paper from inside.

The paper contained only two short sentences: "The bodies of the Li brothers are about to appear, and chaos is about to break out."

This is the first sentence.

Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes, then looked at the second sentence: "There is more than one garrison commander."

These words made Li Chengqian's heart skip a beat, and he couldn't help but turn to look at Yang Nannan.

"What, what's wrong?"

When Yang Nannan saw Li Chengqian suddenly looking at her, she felt a little flustered.

But Li Chengqian handed her the secret letter without saying a word.

"How can this be!?"

Upon seeing the contents of the letter, Yang Nannan exclaimed in surprise, then said with disbelief, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I've never heard of such a thing!"

"Have you ever met the Garrison Commander?" Li Chengqian asked calmly.

Yang Nannan paused for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No, but I still don't believe it. If there's more than one Guardian, then who's giving us orders? It's impossible for one Guardian to issue one mission for each mission, right?"

"Do you have a comprehension problem? Who said that more people mean more people need to post tasks? Couldn't they discuss it and have one person post the tasks?"

"But."

Yang Nannan opened her mouth, but couldn't convince herself, then looked at Li Chengqian and asked, "Your Highness, do you believe me?"

"Why wouldn't you believe it! The Bai siblings' disguise technique is just one person having multiple faces, isn't it?"

Li Chengqian scoffed, "It's impossible that they know disguise techniques, but the garrison commander doesn't, right?"

"Oh, I see!"

Yang Nannan nodded in realization, then glanced at the secret letter in her hand and said, "He is reminding us that the Guardian Envoy may be among us, and that he is using disguise!"

"That's right, that's what I think too!"

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "But given our current situation, a self-investigation is almost impossible!"

Then, turning to Xi Junmai, he asked, "Has the city defense force made any moves?"

"Your Highness, there is no movement at the moment."

Xi Junmai cupped his hands and said, then suddenly remembered something and added, "The foreign merchants in the city have been making a fuss about leaving recently. They say they have been locked up for several months, and now that the epidemic is under control, they want to leave the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible to do business."

"Heh, they certainly know how to pick their time!"

Li Chengqian sneered, then glanced at Yang Nannan and calmly said, "Then let them leave! But they must complete the smallpox vaccination and be confirmed free of smallpox before they can leave the city!"

"Yes!" Xi Jun replied and immediately bowed to take his leave.

After watching him leave, Li Chengqian turned to Yang Nannan and said, "Keep an eye on them. I have a feeling that there are some of the guards among these merchants!"

"clear."

Yang Nannan nodded, and then continued, "The corpses of the King of Shu and the King of Liang are obviously fake. What exactly are they trying to do?"

"Isn't that simple? It's nothing more than confirming my guilt of fratricide and murder. Then they'll cause chaos in Chang'an to achieve their goal!"

Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow and said, "However, that doesn't matter to me. What I really care about is when Hou Junji will attack the city and when the garrison commander will appear."

Should we increase our defenses?

"Need not."

Li Chengqian raised his hand and said, "If they want to move, let them move. It's a good opportunity for the people of Chang'an to see just how much the loyalty of this 'pillar of the nation' is worth."

He turned and walked toward the carriage: "Go to the Capital Garrison. I want to see what Hou Junji is after, what he's after."

The carriage drove along the empty street, the sound of its wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs was exceptionally clear.

Li Chengqian lifted the carriage curtain, saw the direction of the Capital Garrison, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Meanwhile, outside Chang'an City, at Li Jing's camp.

Li Jing sat upright in his command tent, his eyes fixed intently on the map before him, his finger lightly tracing the passes around Chang'an. A soft rustling of armor came from outside the tent, and Hong Fu Nu lifted the curtain and entered, saying, "Husband, Hou Junji's generals have lingered outside the camp three times, saying they have important business to discuss, but Chang He has stopped them each time."

Li Jing didn't even lift his eyelids, and said calmly, "He doesn't want to see me; he wants to test the waters of the court."

Having said that, he placed his finger heavily on the location of Jingyang: "Hou Junji's family is all in the old house in Jingyang. If he dares to mobilize troops in Chang'an, isn't he afraid of having his rear route cut off?"

"It might not be that simple!"

"Oh? What does Madam mean?"

"Some time ago, Prince Li Ke of Shu and his followers caused trouble in Chang'an, and now Hou Junji has rebelled. Don't you find this strange?"

Hong Fu Nu frowned: "You must understand, although His Majesty favors Prince Li Ke of Shu, he doesn't favor him to the point of deposing the Crown Prince and installing him in another position, so..."

"You mean, there's a real possibility that this is a huge conspiracy?" Li Jing's eyes narrowed slightly.

Hong Fu Nu pondered for a moment and said, "Even if we know it's a conspiracy, we have no choice but to follow it."

"because."

She glanced in the direction of Chang'an City, her eyes unfocused, and said, "The Crown Prince is watching us!"

Upon hearing this, Li Jing fell silent.

After a long pause, he sighed heavily and said helplessly, "Back then at Xuanwu Gate, I chose to remain neutral because I didn't want to get involved in all this mess. But look how His Majesty treated me! At the age when I should be galloping across the battlefield, I'm forced to retire to the countryside!"

"You say His Majesty is harsh and ungrateful? He's been given high-ranking positions and generous salaries, and he's even reached the pinnacle of power! What can you do about it?"

"hehe."

Hong Fu Nu smiled: "Hearing you say that, my husband, have you already made a decision?"

"I told you I want to go abroad and see the world!"

Li Jing said with certainty.

Hong Fu Nu smiled as expected, and continued, "But General Wang from the Capital Garrison hasn't made a move yet. What if he's really persuaded by Hou Junji?"

"Wang Kuo is a smart man."

Li Jing finally raised his eyes, a sharp glint in them: "He fought alongside me against the Turks and knows best the consequences of treason. Hou Junji wants to drag him down with him simply because he covets the military power in the capital region. But if Wang Kuo dares to comply, I will be the first to take his life."

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the tent, and the scout knelt on one knee: "General! Two corpses have been found in Chang'an City. The people are saying that they are the Prince of Shu and the Prince of Liang, and that the Crown Prince executed them on his own! The city is in chaos, and some of the Imperial Guards have begun to stir!"

Li Jing suddenly stood up, the sword at his waist humming softly: "They've come after all!"

He strode to the tent, looked at the smoke rising from the chimneys in the direction of Chang'an, and said in a deep voice: "Pass on my order, commanding Chang He to lead five thousand light cavalry to immediately seal off the four gates of Chang'an. Without my order, not even a bird is allowed to fly out!"

"Husband!" Hong Fu Nu said anxiously, "If we send troops now, won't the Crown Prince misunderstand and think we're helping Hou Junji?"

"Misunderstanding?" Li Jing sneered, mounting his horse. "When Hou Junji truly drives the Crown Prince to the brink, that will truly plunge the world into chaos! Tell Chang He that anyone who dares to cause trouble using a corpse will be killed without mercy!"

"Also, send someone to deliver a message to the Crown Prince, saying that Li Jing's sword is not so old that he can't lift it!"

The sound of horses' hooves shattered the tranquility of the camp, and five thousand light cavalry charged toward Chang'an like arrows released from a bow.

Li Jing reined in his horse, gazing at the dark mass of soldiers behind him, and suddenly recalled the days when Hou Junji studied military strategy with him.

"Hou Junji, oh Hou Junji"

He sighed softly, cracked his whip, and said, "Let's go! Let's see what kind of mess this 'loyal minister' is up to in Chang'an!"

On the other side, inside the Gyeonggi Guard camp.

Wang Kuo stood with his back to the tent entrance, holding a heavy gold ingot in his hand.

These were secretly given to him by Hou Junji's personal guards three days ago. There were ten in total, which made him feel a little heavy-hearted.

The guard said, "Your Excellency once took an arrow for the General on the battlefield. Now that the General is in trouble, how can we stand idly by? These 'medicinal herbs' are for your sister-in-law to help her recover."

On the table behind him lay two secret letters, one of which was slipped in by Hou Junji, its ink as bold and fiery as flames.

Another letter, delivered by an unknown person, was written in a steady, deep hand, and only stated, "The safety of the capital rests on the general's shoulders."

"General, Minister Hou's men are sending signals outside the camp again."

Lieutenant Zhao Jia came in carrying a helmet: "He said that as long as we open a corner of the city gate, even if it's just to let one team of people in, it will be considered that we haven't forgotten the friendship from back then."

"in addition."

He glanced at Wang Kuo's back as he spoke, then lowered his voice and said, "It's being said outside that the Prince of Shu and the Prince of Liang were killed by the Crown Prince through abusive torture. The Imperial Guards are starting to mutini. If we don't act soon, we might become the Crown Prince's scapegoat!"

"Crash!"

Wang Kuo suddenly turned around, and the armor plates collided with a sharp, piercing sound.

A scar running from his brow bone to his jawline, a mark from when he fought the Turks with Li Jing, appeared particularly menacing in the candlelight: "What do you think Li Jing's five thousand light cavalry are for? To watch us rebel! As soon as Anhua Gate opens, the first to step in won't be Hou Junji's men, but Chang He's sword!"

Zhao Jia trembled at his words and stammered, "But even the Crown Prince might not believe us. Just now, the Embroidered Uniform Guards were still loitering outside the camp, clearly monitoring us."

"Surveillance?"

Wang Kuo sneered, took out a token from his pocket and threw it to Zhao Jia: "Take this to the Embroidered Uniform Guard and tell him that all three hundred personal guards of the Capital Garrison will be at the Crown Prince's command tonight. Also, wrap the hooves of all the warhorses in the camp with hemp cloth, nock the bows and arrows, and draw the swords and axes, but without my order, no one is allowed to make the slightest noise."

"General, what is this?"

"Hou Junji wants to use us to disrupt Chang'an, and the Crown Prince wants to use us to stabilize the city's defenses. We need to be clear about what's going on!"

Wang Kuo spoke slowly, his voice carrying an unprecedented calm: "Also, take out those ten gold ingots and melt them down."

Zhao Jia exclaimed in surprise, "Huh!?"

"Melting them into ten small plaques, engraving the three characters 'Jingjiwei' on them."

Wang Kuo walked to the tent entrance and looked towards Chang'an: "Back then, Hou Junji saved me out of kindness. But now he wants to destroy Chang'an, and I can't let my brothers die with him."

He raised his hand and pressed it against the horizontal sword at his waist, the old scar throbbing in the candlelight: "Go tell Hou Junji's men that Wang Kuo owes him his life. If he is willing to let it go, I will go with him to see the Crown Prince to confess my guilt. But if he wants to take a step across Anhua Gate, he must first step over my dead body."

Looking at the scars on his face, Zhao Jia suddenly understood something and bowed deeply: "This subordinate obeys!"

Wang Kuo watched him leave the military tent, then suddenly murmured to himself, "My lord, you saved me back then because we were both soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. Now I'm stopping you for the same reason."

He reached out and pressed his hand against the horizontal sword at his waist; the hilt was slippery from being soaked in sweat.

The shouts of battle in the distance grew closer and closer, as if they were exploding right next to their ears. In the shadows inside Anhua Gate, three hundred personal guards stood solemnly like stone statues, their horses' hooves, wrapped in hemp cloth, clattering softly on the ground like cotton wool.

“Tell the brothers.”

Wang Kuo's voice carried far in the night wind: "Tonight, if anyone dares to have any wicked thoughts, I'll chop them down before the Crown Prince or Marquis Junji even have a chance to act."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the camp, followed by several muffled thuds, as if someone had been gagged and dragged away.

Wang Kuo's pupils contracted, and the hilt of his knife groaned slightly as he gripped it tightly.

coming.

Whether it was Hou Junji's men, the Crown Prince's men, or the hidden guards.

Tonight's contest will finally be decided right here at Anhua Gate.

(End of this chapter)