The rebellious grandson of Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty: Please, Your Majesty, be called Cro

Chapter 141 The Deception

The night in Chang'an was deep and dark, with the Milky Way hanging low.

The Tang Dynasty imperial city was situated along the central axis of Chang'an, facing south, with layers of walls and ramparts. It consisted of two layers of defenses: the outer imperial city and the inner palace city.

Anfu Gate, located on the west side of the Imperial City, is one of the outermost gates of the city. The gate is built with huge, dark blue bricks, and its towering gate tower is majestic. Its eaves are pressed down by the heavy night, and the gate itself is so thick that it blocks the passage between the inside and outside.

Unless one has wings, once the iron gate is locked, even a thousand troops will find it extremely difficult to pass through.

Once you step through the Anfu Gate, outside lies the heart of the imperial city, lined with orderly government offices, while inside is the palace's main street, stretching east to west and over a hundred feet wide.

North of Hengjie Street lies the heavily fortified inner palace, the residence of the emperor.

The night was cold and windy, swirling dust as it swept across the city walls and banners, making the banners rustle. The soldiers guarding the Anfu Gate, clad in armor and holding spears, stood leaning against the pheasant-shaped railings, their armor glistening with night dew, their bodies covered in frost.

The garrison's gazes were all fixed on the direction of Longqing Ward in the east of the city, where crimson flames tore through the inky night sky, billowing black smoke rose and dyed half the night sky red, and the flames flickered faintly, still dazzling even through the layers of wards and buildings.

"What a huge fire! Look at all this smoke and fire, I wonder how many houses it has burned down."

"Indeed, no wonder there's not a sound on the streets tonight. At this time of day, there should have been at least several patrols of Imperial Guards." An old soldier replied in a low voice.

"It seems that all the Imperial Guards have been dispatched to the east of the city to fight the fire tonight."

"Thinking about it that way, we gatekeepers are still more relaxed. At least we don't have to run around putting out fires in the middle of the night."

"Hey, what are you talking about? Standing here in the middle of the night, getting chilled to the elements, how are we any better off?"

On the city wall, the guards at the city gate yawned and chatted idly.

As the western gate of the imperial city, Anfu Gate was guarded by a hundred elite imperial guards.

In the early Tang Dynasty, the military was abundant, and these imperial guards were all fierce soldiers selected from the battlefield.

However, perhaps it was the feng shui of Chang'an that nurtured people, or perhaps guarding Anfu Gate was simply too boring.

The imperial city is high and well-fortified; once the gates are locked, it's difficult for anything to happen. Moreover, they are guarding Anfu Gate, which is always on the periphery among the gates of the imperial city. Even when it's open, not many people are willing to use it.

All day long, it's hard to even see a stranger; those on duty just stand on the city wall and feel the wind.

Even the most elite and fierce soldiers on the battlefield become somewhat complacent.

Wei Shizhong, the city gate guard, was inspecting the city wall. When the soldiers saw their superior coming, they greeted him, then whispered among themselves as usual, paying little attention to him.

For over a decade, it's been the same routine: patrolling the city, standing guard, just going through the motions. What could possibly happen? It's not like we're on the border; why be so tense?

Therefore, they did not notice at all that Wei Shizhong, the city gate general who was usually calm and composed, had a tension and melancholy between his brows that was far greater than usual tonight.

His knuckles gripped the hilt of the knife at his waist tightly, looking uneasy.

"Tiger Head? What's wrong? Is there some noise outside?"

Among the soldiers, one with keen hearing suddenly turned his head and looked towards the direction below the city wall, attracting the attention of several soldiers.

"Something's not right, it sounds like—horse hooves."

"What?!"

Upon hearing the sound, everyone stopped their idle chatter and all leaned on the battlements to look out.

The night was deep and dark. Before long, a cavalry force broke through the shadows and galloped towards us in formation, numbering in the hundreds.

The armored leaves gleamed with a cold, menacing light in the afterglow of the fire, and advanced aggressively towards Anfu Gate.

The atmosphere on the city wall froze instantly. The soldiers, who had been relaxed, instinctively gripped their long spears, and their weariness vanished almost immediately.

Wei Shizhong's pupils contracted sharply. He strode to the front of the battlements and demanded in a deep voice, "Who goes there? Gathering a crowd and approaching the imperial city in the dead of night, do you know the gate control laws?"

The riders below the city reined in their horses. The lead rider was a large, stout man wearing a purple, round-necked, narrow-sleeved robe. His face was clearly visible in the firelight; it was none other than Prince Wei, Li Tai.

A cavalryman rode forward, crossed his arms, and raised his voice, which pierced the night wind and reached the city walls: "Fellow comrades of the Right Gate Guard! The remnants of the deposed crown prince's faction in Longqing Ward are taking advantage of the chaos, and the situation is critical! We are under orders from General Zheng Rentai of the Right Martial Guard to enter the Imperial City and rush to the aid of the inner palace. Open the city gates immediately!"

Beside Prince Wei, Li Tai, a cavalryman who appeared to be a personal guard stepped forward and said, "Listen up! The remnants of the deposed crown prince are causing trouble. My lord must enter the capital immediately to protect and serve His Majesty!"

"The military situation is urgent! Your Highness's precious life cannot be harmed! Open the door immediately!"

"The deposed crown prince has rebelled?" The soldiers on the city wall were all astonished.

The direction of the firelight was indeed towards Longqing Ward, where the deposed crown prince was imprisoned. And Prince Wei, Li Tai, was a prince who frequently entered and exited the palace, so everyone recognized him.

The group exchanged bewildered glances, already believing him to be about 70%.

"It is indeed the seal of General Zheng of the Right Guard."

On the city wall, Wei Shizhong looked at the troop mobilization document that had been brought up in a basket, then handed it to his men for inspection. Seeing that the regulations and seals were in order, he turned to order his men to open the city gate.

"Boss!" a more experienced soldier interjected, "Shouldn't we be more cautious?"

"What does the rotation of the Right Guard have to do with us, the Palace Gate Guards? They didn't even have His Majesty's decree. Opening the palace gates at night—what if something happens?!"

"Nonsense." Wei Shizhong frowned.

"The military situation is urgent; where did they get His Majesty's imperial edict to open the gates?"

"If the Right Guard fails to defend the capital, will you take responsibility?"

Seeing that his men were still hesitant, Wei Shizhong added, "You are worrying too much."

"The one below the city is the King of Wei, who is His Majesty's beloved son and will soon become the Crown Prince."

"Could it be a lie that someone like that would sneak into the palace gates late at night?"

"The King of Wei and the deposed Crown Prince are sworn enemies. If the deposed Crown Prince intends to cause trouble, he will certainly not let the King of Wei off the hook."

"If the King of Wei wants to seek refuge in the palace but is stopped outside the city by us, and something happens to him in the chaos of battle—who will take responsibility!"

The soldiers on the city wall looked at each other, and were persuaded.

The soldiers below urged them on, and in the end, even the King of Wei condescended to ride forward and shout and yell at the gate.

After some hesitation, they obeyed Wei Shizhong's orders and turned the winch. The heavy iron gate slowly rose, and the imposing city gate slowly opened.

Hundreds of cavalrymen tightened their reins, maintained their formation, and filed into Anfu Gate, heading straight for the wide palace street in front.

"The only one who can succeed to the throne now is the King of Wei. Would the King of Wei deceive us common soldiers? With the troop mobilization documents from the King of Wei and General Zheng, there should be no problem, right?"

"Yeah yeah----"

Watching these people enter Anfu Gate and head east, the gate guards all felt a strange unease. They could only laugh it off and comfort each other.

As Wei Shizhong watched the King of Wei and his hundreds of cavalry heading east, he felt a mix of emotions, and his back was covered in cold sweat.

>