Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 379 Internal Strife (Part 1)

"Is there any chance of a turnaround?"

Under the candlelight, Emperor Jian'an's face was pale, and his voice was filled with despair and helplessness: "There are only a thousand personal guards in the palace. Outside the palace gates are General Zhang's soldiers."

"Even if we can't beat the Pei family army, the Bohai Army is also a powerful force in the north. Even after accounting for the dead and wounded who can no longer move, there are still more than 60,000 of them."

"Do you expect me to fight a battle against the Bohai Navy with only a thousand personal guards?"

"I can survive by swallowing my anger. But if I show any anger or resistance, the General will show no mercy and will take my life immediately."

Emperor Jian'an grew increasingly agitated as he spoke, his eyes bulging as if they were about to pop out of their sockets, his face contorted with an unusual ferocity: "I am not afraid of death. The entire royal family is dead, and I am the only descendant of the Xie family left. As long as I live, the Jing Dynasty is not yet over, and there is still a day when we can reclaim our lost territories. My life is not just my own; I must cherish it!"

"Do you think I don't know what people outside are saying about me? They say I'm weak, mediocre, and incompetent, and that I indulge powerful ministers. Little do they know that I've been enduring hardship and biding my time for the sake of the greater good and the country!"

To be able to make the act of being afraid of death sound so noble and righteous is a skill that is hard for ordinary people to achieve.

Even the usually tolerant Eunuch Shen couldn't bear it any longer and repeatedly agreed with Emperor Jian'an. Once Emperor Jian'an's emotions had calmed down a bit, he said in a low voice, "We can't openly turn against him. We should find an opportunity to strike secretly. As long as we kill the domineering general, the injured Vice Minister Zhang in the Zhang residence will be no threat."

"When the time comes, the Emperor will send the General's head out of the city, and General Pei will surely withdraw his troops. In the future, the Emperor can win over General Pei and stabilize the situation in the court."

With a thousand of the emperor's personal guards, they carefully planned and executed a sudden attack, killing General Zhang on the spot. The predicament was thus resolved.

Emperor Jian'an remained silent.

Eunuch Shen sighed in a low voice, "This servant is useless. If Commander Gao were here, I wouldn't need to say these things."

Emperor Jian'an felt a pang of sorrow upon hearing this, and his eyes welled up with tears.

The Meng brothers led the Beiping army away from him. The loyal Gao Yong was detained in Peijia Village, and Prime Minister Pang was also detained. Vice Minister Qin and others were imprisoned in the palace prison.

Only Eunuch Shen was left by his side.

Should we heed Eunuch Shen's advice and fight to the death?
That night, the candles in the imperial study remained lit, and Emperor Jian'an sat there in silence until dawn.

Over the next two weeks, the Bohai Army, which had gone out of the city to procure provisions, was ambushed and killed twice more. What was most infuriating was that the Pei family army didn't act immediately; they waited until the Bohai Army had gathered their provisions and were on their way back before striking. They not only killed and looted, but also pushed prisoners down the city walls, forcing those on the walls to shoot their comrades.

The morale of the Bohai Army collapsed, and deserters began to appear one after another. No matter how fiercely the killings were carried out, they could not be stopped. One night, an entire squad guarding the north gate even ran away.

In an effort to win over and boost morale, General Zhang tacitly allowed his soldiers to leave the camp and plunder and humiliate civilians. Within just a few days, countless civilians in Bohai City suffered.

The residences of civil and military officials are relatively peaceful for the time being, but if things continue like this, no one knows when these soldiers and bandits will storm into their homes.

General Pei, who was outside the city, wrote a letter of surrender and shot it into the city with an arrow attached to it. Although it was torn up at the time, for some reason, the contents of the letter of surrender spread quickly.

As long as General Zhang and his son's heads are handed over, Pei's army will immediately retreat.

……

"Your Majesty, we can't hesitate any longer, let's do it!"

Emperor Jian'an suffered from insomnia every night, and Eunuch Shen would often try to persuade him: "If General Pei really manages to enter the city, then he can go and kill General Zhang and his son. As for the palace, we can just send any military officer over. We can still give an explanation to the outside world. Just say that a subordinate acted without authorization, and General Pei will have no idea." "If it really comes to that, it will be too late for Your Majesty to regret it."

The Jian'an Emperor, who had become much thinner, had a deep and unfocused gaze, like a trapped beast. His lips trembled, but he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Send out my imperial edict, saying that I am seriously ill and cannot get out of bed. Please invite the Grand General to the palace."

Shen Gonggong perked up and immediately bowed to accept the order.

General Zhang, under the pretext of protecting the emperor, dispatched 5,000 Bohai naval troops to surround the palace. However, to maintain a semblance of decorum, these Bohai naval troops only guarded the outside of the palace and did not enter.

Not every one of the thousand personal guards in the palace is capable of serving. To carry out a sudden capture and execution, secrecy and speed are essential.

Eunuch Shen secretly found dozens of absolutely loyal and reliable people and secretly gave them instructions one by one.

On the other side, General Zhang didn't take the emperor's edict seriously at all and said coldly, "Today, I, the general, will personally lead the troops to defend the city. I will go to the palace to see the emperor after the Pei family army has retreated."

Morale in the army was low, and combat effectiveness was greatly reduced. Killing was no longer an option. General Zhang had no choice but to personally go to the city gate and bring the gold and silver treasures looted from wealthy households to the city walls. By the end of the day, all the soldiers who successfully defended the city and survived were rewarded with silver.

This method proved effective. On that day, the Bohai Army, its morale rekindled, bravely repelled the Pei family's army.

General Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. By evening, he led a troop of elite soldiers into the palace.

When civil and military officials entered the palace to meet the emperor, they were not allowed to have more than five personal guards with them, and they were not allowed to carry sharp weapons. However, General Zhang did not abide by these rules at all. He had a gleaming long sword hanging at his waist, and more than a hundred fierce and strong personal guards with a murderous aura behind him.

With a forced smile, Eunuch Shen briefly stopped the Emperor at the door of the Imperial Study: "General, His Majesty is in poor health and cannot bear the sight of sharp weapons. Please remove your weapons."

General Zhang glanced coldly at Eunuch Shen and casually tossed his weapon to the guards behind him.

The imperial study was divided into front and back sections, with the emperor's sleeping quarters being quite spacious. However, it couldn't possibly accommodate more than a hundred people. Furthermore, it was unusual and against custom for officials to bring so many personal guards when visiting the emperor in his illness.

General Zhang waved his hand, leaving behind most of his men and taking only a dozen or so personal guards into the emperor's bedroom.

The room was dimly lit, and a figure lay on the bed, turned to the side.

General Zhang, without suspecting anything, walked to the bedside, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

At that very moment, a sudden change occurred.

The figure on the bed suddenly sat up, throwing the bedding over General Zhang's head. A flash of his long sword, and it swiftly pierced General Zhang's chest.

This turn of events was too sudden.

General Zhang's personal guards were caught completely off guard, and even General Zhang himself was stunned by the stab. He didn't even feel the pain at first; he was only overwhelmed by shock and anger.

A dozen or so guards rushed forward and hacked the man impersonating the emperor into a bloody mess.

The emperor's personal guards, who had been hiding under the bed and in the wardrobe, rushed out without a word and engaged in a fierce battle with the dozen or so guards.

(End of this chapter)