My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 340 Rebellion!

Liuhe City, West City.

The soldiers on the city gate looked down at Cui Hongsheng and hurriedly informed their captain.

The captain stood on the city wall, looking blankly at Cui Hongsheng below, and then at the soldiers gathered behind him.

"I am Cui Hongsheng, General of the Left Guard! Open the city gates immediately, I have an imperial edict to read!"

The captain was taken aback. After recognizing the person, he hurriedly stepped down, but the squad leader beside him grabbed him. "Captain! Something's not right! His Majesty is inside the city. How can a general be coming from outside with an imperial edict to enter the city? We can send someone to inform General Mai first, and then make a decision!"

The captain glared at him and cursed, "What are you talking about, you dog? Do you think General Cui would rebel? There are nearly a million troops inside and outside the city! Who is General Cui? He comes from a prestigious family and is going to succeed Minister Duan as Minister of War! Do you have a death wish and dare to offend him?"

The captain was speechless. The captain hurriedly went down from the city wall and ordered the west gate to be opened.

The moment the captain opened the city gate, Duan Da led his soldiers and rushed over. Before the captain could even speak, he was subdued by the soldiers. The Left Guard troops quickly began to move. Cui Hongsheng, with a stern face, loudly reprimanded the many officers of the Right Guard.

"I've been ordered to take over the city's defenses! Someone is plotting a rebellion! We absolutely cannot let the rebels into the city!!"

"Put down your weapons, all of you!!"

Compared to Cui Hongsheng, Duan Da, who came from Guanzhong, was not so easy to talk to. Anyone who dared to hesitate was immediately attacked and left dizzy. Holding a sharp blade, he looked fiercely at the crowd. Under his command, the west city wall was quickly captured. After the Zuowuwei army entered the city, he ordered the city gates to be closed and then continued to lead his men to deploy on both sides.

Having done all this, he then sent someone to the main tent in the south to inform them of the situation.

After that, knights appeared in the west city. These knights carried letters and went out of the city one after another. What they carried were the letters written by Yu Zhongwen and Jing Yuanheng. With the west city gate as a convenient entrance and exit, many things could be done more smoothly.

In another direction, however, Zhang Jin has yet to make a breakthrough.

The captain at the city gate refused his order and relayed the message to the rear, which angered Shi Xiang so much that he prepared to attack the city directly. Zhang Jin desperately stopped him, and he could only stay outside the city gate for the time being.

The emperor divided Liuhe City in two, with the military camp and the area to the north being off-limits. The temporary court was set up on the left side of the military camp, which was in the direction of the city gate that Zhang Jin and his men were preparing to break through, and was very close to the city gate.

The ministers and officials of the Sui Dynasty gathered in this small area to handle important matters together.

From the distribution of provisions at the front lines to the various reports from the rear, all major matters are handled in this small place. The number of officials here is not small, and the officials work day and night without daring to slack off.

Inside the inner room, several ministers were discussing the important matter of sending troops.

Su Wei sat in the seat of honor, his face full of worry.

Pei Yun sat beside him, her voice sharp, "Lord Su, this is something His Majesty has already decided, and it's not our place to object. The soldiers also train with heavy loads on a regular basis. Although I have never commanded an army, I have read military treatises and know how they train!"

"The generals all agreed without any objection. What does Lord Su mean by this?"

"Does he intend to follow the example of Duke Xu and defy imperial edicts?"

In recent days, Pei Yun has been strengthening his ties with Yu Shiji and has officially begun to suppress Su Wei. Among the ministers in the court, Wei Xuan has a good relationship with Pei Yun. Duan Wenzhen is already dead, Yuwen Kai is about to die, and Pei Shiju has not come with him. Pei Yun's power is growing stronger and stronger, and Su Wei is finding it difficult to resist.

Su Wei, his face dark, looked at the incessantly nagging Pei Yun. "Lord Pei, I have never intended to disobey the imperial edict. However, you must understand that this matter concerns 300,000 elite troops. Behind these 300,000 elite troops are millions of people, the pillars of their respective families. Moreover, if they are defeated, this expedition will be a complete failure. How much have we wasted?"

"Lord Su is trying to demoralize the vanguard!"

Pei Yun stared coldly at the other party.

Pei Yun himself never expected things to go so smoothly. In terms of seniority, age, and merit, Pei Yun was far from being a chief minister. However, those who were more capable than him died one after another from illness, fell ill, or were arrested. Pei Yun made great strides forward and now seemed to be holding considerable power.

After receiving Yu Shiji's assistance, he became the first to know about important court affairs, and he had the power to supervise the officials and participate in decision-making, making his power increasingly vast. Previously, Yuwen Shu had given him a lash, and afterwards, Yuwen Shu was unlucky and was directly imprisoned, his fate uncertain.

Pei Yun felt relieved and even happier.

Just as he was about to make a sarcastic remark, a soldier rushed in.

"Lord Su! General Zhang Jin of the Right Imperial Guard is leading troops outside the South Gate, saying he has been summoned and wishes to enter the city."

"what??"

The officials and ministers inside looked bewildered. Su Wei was the first to stand up, his eyes wide as if he had just remembered something. "What did you say?!"

Pei Yun, however, was not so nervous. He glanced at Su Wei and said unhappily, "General Zhang is no barbarian. His sudden appearance must mean he has something important to discuss. Let him come see me!"

"No!!"

Su Wei quickly spoke up, looking at the soldier and saying anxiously, "Go and fetch General Mai immediately!"

"No, I'll go myself! We all have to go! We can't stay here any longer! We're going to the Right Garrison's camp!"

Pei Yun frowned. He didn't think Zhang Jin would rebel. Zhang Jin was from the south and wasn't with Yuwen Shu and his group at all. On the contrary, Zhang Jin had previously made an enemy of Yuwen Shu over a trivial matter and was reprimanded by Yuwen Shu in person, leaving him humiliated. The two had a very bad relationship.

Pei Yun was very close to these generals from the south, and they had a good relationship. He didn't think they would do anything they shouldn't.

He stood up. "I'll go to the city gate and ask Zhang Jin."

Su Wei brandished his fist, his face flushed with anger. "Is there even a need to ask?! A general leading a large army into the city without an imperial edict, claiming to be acting on imperial orders—this is tantamount to rebellion!"

"How could that be? Zhang Jin wouldn't rebel! Even if he wanted to, there are at least 700,000 troops outside Liuhe City!"

"Are you keeping an army of 700,000 men hanging on your belt? Can you just throw them in front of someone whenever you want?!"

Su Wei launched into a tirade of curses.

As the two sides were arguing, more soldiers rushed in.

"Lord Su!! The captain of the Left Guard said that their General Xin Shixiong suddenly summoned two captains, seemingly to follow General Li Xuanba towards the camp!"

"what?!"

Now, Pei Yun was also getting restless. Zhang Jin was not his suspect, but Li Xuanba and Xin Shixiong were definitely suspects.

Pei Yun looked at Su Wei, "They really want to rebel?! How dare they? The Right Garrison Army is right in front of the camp! The two divisions only have a little over a thousand men."

Su Wei had no intention of dealing with this guy anymore. He just shouted, "Tell everyone to stop what they're doing and immediately send someone to inform General Mai! Tell him to send someone to pick us up! Also, issue an edict to all the officers of the Left Guard, ordering them to return to the drill ground south of the city to rest and reorganize, and not to obey any general's orders!"

"Draft another edict, ordering Fan Zigai, Guo Rong, Zheng Yuanzhu, and others to quickly bring their troops in and take over the city's defenses!"

"Yes, send someone to the city wall to issue an edict to Zhang Jin, ordering him to retreat!"

Su Wei began the operation with great skill, while Pei Yun, who was usually quick-witted, seemed somewhat bewildered at this moment. It seemed that this was the first time he had encountered such a situation, and he was at a loss, unable to come up with any ideas. He could only listen to Su Wei's orders.

Under Su Wei's command, the small court quickly took action, attempting to extinguish the flames of this rebellion as soon as possible.

(End of this chapter)