A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 183 Qingjun
Like the rising sun, the bright sunlight was like fire.

Good news has arrived from the Hexi Corridor.

Huo Qubing, the Marquis of Champion of the Han Dynasty and General of the Guards, crossed the Alashan Desert and broke into the territory of the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu, Yudan.

The Right Wise King's main force, one of the 30,000-household tribes of the Xiongnu, was massacred, and Yu Shan was captured.

Afterwards, Huo Qubing led his army straight into the right flank of the Xiongnu. In a month and a half, he traveled thousands of miles, cutting through the right flank of the Xiongnu from the rear. He beheaded tens of thousands of Xiongnu, captured thousands of Xiongnu kings, princes, prime ministers and other nobles, and tens of thousands of Xiongnu surrendered.

The ruler boasted, "He has lived up to the title of champion!"

Immediately afterward, news of a great victory came from Dai: Marquis Changping and General Wei Qing of the Han Dynasty had achieved a great victory over the combined forces of the Xiongnu Chanyu and the Left Wise King outside Dai County, beheading over 100,000 elite Xiongnu cavalry, capturing dozens of Xiongnu tribal chiefs, and having over 10,000 elite cavalry surrender.

The Xiongnu Chanyu Yizhixie is on the run.

Meanwhile, a report was compiled detailing the events surrounding the Dai region, including the Xiongnu's surprise attack on Dai. It was also revealed that King Liu Pengzu of Zhao colluded with the Xiongnu, intending to exchange Dai for their support in order to gain the possibility of becoming a vassal king.

He secretly instructed his son, Liu Chang, the Prince of Zhao and Marquis of Wushi, to collude with powerful local clans in Zhao to disguise themselves as refugees and enter Dai to sabotage the region, causing chaos and ultimately destroying the Great Wall defenses.

He was captured by the general and has been escorted to the capital.

The "Heavenly King" hexagram text from the divination at the Zhao King's palace was also revealed, confirming the motives of Zhao King Liu Pengzu in his rebellion.

Imperial Censor Zhang Tang promptly reported that the chaos in Jiaoxi, Jiaodong, and Changshan had been investigated and found to be caused by the instigation of King Liu Duan of Jiaoxi, King Liu Ji of Jiaodong, and King Liu Shun of Changshan. The Imperial Censor deduced that the three kings conspired with King Zhao.

All the wars and chaos were explained at this moment.

"Your Majesty, General Li Ju, without imperial decree, has led his Southern Army troops and Zuo Fengyi's retainers into Chang'an through Fu'ang Gate, and is heading towards Weiyang Palace!"

"Okay, I'm getting it."

Liu Ju was not surprised at all when he heard about the changes in the Southern Army and the Three Auxiliary Armies. "Zhao Chongguo!"

"Your subject is here." Zhao Chongguo, the commander of the Crown Prince's personal guards and Grand Master of Ceremonies of the Han Dynasty, bowed and accepted the order.

"Let's do it."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Chongguo accepted the order and turned to leave the Xuan Shi Hall.

After Liu Ju took control of Weiyang Palace, all four thousand guards of the Crown Prince's palace became staunch supporters of the Crown Prince. Those who could not change their minds were all replaced.

Eight hundred men guarded the Prime Minister's residence, eight hundred men guarded the armory, and eight hundred men replaced the guards on the east, north, and west sides of Chang'an. From this day forward, any troop deployment of ten or more men must be reported for approval; otherwise, it will be considered treason.

Zhao Chongguo led the original eight hundred of the Crown Prince's personal guards to fight against Li Ju's rebel army.

"Gongsun Hong!"

"The minister is here."

"Summon all the princes, officials, nobles, and members of the imperial family residing in the capital to the palace. Anyone who fails to arrive at the Xuan Room before 1:15 AM will be punished as if they were plotting treason!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The old prime minister accepted the order.

The Chancellor and Director of Justice, Zhu Maichen, immediately left the palace to announce the arrival of the civil and military officials.

It is now 3:45 AM, and there is only one or two quarters left until 1:15 AM. However, without special permission, officials are not allowed to ride horses in the palace. Including the walking time from the palace gate to the Xuan Shi Hall, the time left for the princes and officials is less than an hour.

Liu Ju looked up at the sky and asked the old eunuch Jiang Bo, "Isn't it time for breakfast?"

"Your Majesty, the time has come."

"Then let's serve the meal. Set it out for all the ministers who have arrived and those who are about to arrive. I will be dining with my ministers this morning."

"Yes, Your Majesty." ...

In front of the Weiyang Palace gate.

Li Ju led the rebel army here.

Regardless of who the general guarding the palace gates was this morning, Li Ju was confident he could persuade him to do so under the pretext of "purging the emperor's inner circle, executing the prime minister, welcoming the true dragon, and eliminating the false dragon."

Besides, Zhao Chongguo.

On the palace gate tower.

Looking down at Li Ju from his vantage point, Zhao Chongguo asked, "General Qiangnu, why aren't you at the Southern Army's camp? What are you doing here?"

Looking around, Li Ju saw no familiar guards and felt a strong sense of unease. He replied from behind the chevaux-de-frise, "I have heard that there has been a turmoil in Chang'an. The Emperor is being controlled by Chancellor Gongsun Hong, who is colluding with the Xiongnu and intends to bring our Han Dynasty to its doom. This is intolerable! Today, I, Li Ju, am here to purge the court of corrupt officials. This is not treason. I ask the Grand Master of Ceremonies to tell the Emperor to kill Gongsun Hong. I will immediately disband my troops and personally go before the Emperor to apologize."

"Qingjun side?"

Zhao Chongguo gave a cold laugh, "Is the General of Strong Crossbows purging the court of the emperor, or the emperor himself?"

Li Ju's expression changed upon hearing this. "Grand Master of Ceremonies, I don't understand what you mean. If His Majesty cannot bear it, I will have no choice but to personally purge the court of corrupt officials!"

Behind him, the loyal followers of the Li family of Longxi began to stir and headed towards the marketplace.

After a night of reflection, Li Ju had foreseen almost everything that might happen and made corresponding preparations.

As a general of the Southern Army, Li Ju knew better than anyone how difficult it was to attack Weiyang Palace and Changle Palace. However, this was only in relation to the number of troops mobilized. If he could use His Majesty's decree to conscript the seven exiles and release the prisoners held in Chang'an, gathering tens of thousands of troops, the palace would not be an impregnable fortress.

"is it?"

Zhao Chongguo looked at him as if he were a dead man. Under Li Guang's influence, the fate of the Li family seemed to have become increasingly unpredictable.

For some reason, Li Ju suddenly felt cold in his hands and feet. The next moment, a shrill scream rang out. He turned around and saw his trusted confidant dead under the silver-armored blade.

Nearly a thousand men in silver armor were visible at both ends of the street. Li Ju recognized them at a glance; they were the Crown Prince's personal guards.

From the moment the Lord entered the Northern Army, he trained his eight hundred personal guards with roasted meat, crispy tea, fresh fruits and vegetables, and countless amounts of gold and silver.

In the Northern and Southern armies, they were known as the "Silver Guards".

The reason for this name is not only that all the prince's personal guards wear silver armor, but also that it speaks to the value of this personal guard.

A body as thick as silver!

Three thousand people against eight hundred.

In my opinion, Li Ju had no advantage whatsoever. Li's confidants and Zuo Fengyi's troops adopted a defensive posture, or even... a posture of fleeing, without being ordered.

As a member of the Sanfu Regiment, they hadn't had the chance to go to the battlefield or even receive much training in the past few decades. Upon seeing the soldiers whose killing intent had solidified into a tangible form, they had only one thought: to flee!
Then, I decisively turned around and ran!
Before Li Ju's confidants could react, more than half of Zuo Fengyi's troops had fled, and even more were trying to escape, no matter how Li Ju tried to stop them.

"kill!"

Silver Guard's blade was ruthless and swift; he swung it down without hesitation against the panicked rebels.

Blood stained the royal street.

It did not stop, nor would it stop. Flashes of blades passed by, like scythes reaping rice, mercilessly harvesting the slow-moving rebels.

There was no way to escape; those who ran fast would only die later.

Watching helplessly as his family confidants died before his eyes, Li Ju knew that the Li family was finished!
He loosened his grip on the long sword, the sound of metal clashing against brick echoing as Zhao Chongguo rode forward. "General Qiangnu, please come in, the Emperor has been waiting for you for a long time!"

(End of this chapter)