After a bloody fight and at a huge cost of casualties, the rebels finally broke through the sniper attacks of the Dark Ghosts. The few remaining Night Ghosts could only maintain a professional fight at the last moment when they were about to be completely wiped out.
.
Perhaps out of sympathy for this last bit of blood, or perhaps knowing that these remaining dark forces would not have any impact on the war situation, Wei Shantai, the governor of Kyoto who was already covered in blood, finally gave the signal to retreat.
A flame shot into the sky.
This is the signal from the dark warriors. After a brutal and merciless fight, it's time to retreat.
Therefore, the last batch of dark warriors did not fight fearlessly after the signal was given. Although they were not capable of killing all the rebels, they were still capable of retreating to protect themselves.
The rebels only saw these ghostly figures shrinking, and soon they were hidden in every corner of the houses. They tried to find them but could no longer find them.
Thousands of dark snipers, perhaps less than a hundred left, have tried their best. The elites of the two darkest and most ruthless secret service agencies in the history of the Chu Kingdom were almost completely lost in this battle to defend Kyoto.
Although head-on combat is not their specialty, their terrifying power is enough to scare the rebels who step over their corpses.
In more than a dozen streets, in addition to nearly a thousand corpses of Dark subordinates, there were even more corpses of rebels. Several times as many rebel corpses as Dark subordinates, which is enough to show the courage and methods of the ghosts.
…
Liu Guogong stroked his beard and sighed softly: "Your Majesty is indeed amazing. It was only today that I saw the true strength of the Kyoto Prefecture and the Metropolitan Procuratorate...Brother Ye, you have seen countless battle formations in your life, but have you ever seen anything better than this one?"
A more brutal battle?"
"There may have been tragic battles. When we suppressed the rebellion in the southwest, the battle formations we fought were not weaker than this." Ye Guogong said slowly: "But if there were more thrilling battles than this battle, I didn't think of it. This battle... No matter whether we are the enemy or the enemy,
, all... so magnificent!"
As the dark warriors retreated, the rebels once again resembled a dozen long snakes, with beacon smoke billowing across the long street, and gathered in the square in front of the palace.
This place was empty and lonely, but the arrival of the rebels not only broke the tranquility here, but also occupied the square.
The army of the Minzhou camp wisely retreated to the back of the army. This was not the time for them to take the lead. The breeze approaching the palace should belong to the soldiers of the Beilin Camp and the Nanlin Camp. They were just supporting roles.
Behind the soldiers of the Beilin Camp and the Nanlin Camp, the soldiers of the Minzhou Camp were like lackeys, and their arrogance was not as impressive as that of their brothers, although they contributed the most in the battle to break through the long street.
The flags fluttered in the air, the horses neighed loudly, and under the night sky, the firelight shone on the rebels' armor. The bloodstained armor was under the firelight. It was cold and cold, and the swords and guns shone with a chilling light.
As the rebels rushed to the square, their voices became silent. Above and below the palace walls, there was silence. Only the neighing of horses and the waving of flags could be heard.
This kind of silence actually lasted for a long time. The leading figures of the rebels were mixed in the military formation. They did not issue an attack order for a while, nor did they gallop out of the formation. They just observed the defenders upstairs by the firelight.
On the top of the city tower, in the middle was the prince, who was protected by two large solid and thick shields. He slightly poked his head out and saw the strict military formation below. His face turned pale with shock. If the Queen Mother hadn't ordered him to boost morale at the top of the city, I'm afraid he would have died.
I had already returned to my palace, and I was shivering under the quilt.
Although he likes conspiracy and conspiracy, he is timid when it comes to actual combat.
To the left of the prince was Xue Poye, who was wearing a silver helmet. His expression was calm, his eyes locked on the location of the fourth prince among the rebels, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. That smile was quite strange.
As time went on, Xue Poye was flanked by General Yu Lin. Although the rebels were coming, everyone maintained a calm attitude and looked coldly at the rebels below the city.
On the right side of the prince, there was a row of civil servants. Although some civil servants' eyes were shining with fear, when they saw Lan Wuqing and Shu Zheng, who were among the civil servants, standing upright and calm, they all plucked up the courage to stand.
At the top of the city.
The fourth prince looked at Xue Poye on the top of the city and sneered: "It seems that Li Wu has been broken into his hands. Now it seems that he is really quite capable. If he hadn't ruined my good deeds, there would be no need for him."
So many people died...damn it!" There was murderous intent in his eyes.
The prince seemed unable to bear this oppressive and cold atmosphere. He raised his head and shouted: "Dong Liu Guo, Duke Ye Guo, are you planning to rebel when you come to the city?"
This is a nonsense sentence with an obvious answer, but it is a good opening to break the deadlock with this sentence.
Although the rebels are powerful, they themselves will not really dare to use the banner of "rebellion". Otherwise, even if they gain power, they will not be able to avoid too many troubles.
Speeding together, among the rebels, Ye Dao, the most suitable one, finally took action.
Ye Dao was actually very powerful. He swept his sharp eyes across the city and said in a fierce voice: "Your Highness, we are here to enter the palace and exterminate the monsters. We also ask Your Highness to open the door and let the prince pass, so that the prince will not be misled by the monsters."
"Monster?" The prince shouted loudly: "General Ye Dao, who is the demon you are talking about?"
He called Ye Dao "general" at this time, which only made the ministers on both sides shake their heads. Facing the momentum of the rebels, the prince was obviously scared to the core, and there was even a sense of flattery in his tone.
"Monster?" Ye Dao easily noticed the cowardice in the prince's voice. A contemptuous smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He glanced at the city head and suddenly pointed at Xue Poye and said loudly: "Your Highness, there is someone beside you right now.
There is a big monster. This deputy general guard Xue, relying on the grace of the Holy Emperor, is lawless. Now he should have control of all the three battalions of Yulin? Once we withdraw our troops, he is afraid that he will
Your Highness the Crown Prince is in trouble!"
When the prince heard this, he couldn't help but turn his head to look at Xue Poye, with a vicious look in his eyes.
Xue Poye didn't turn his head, smiled faintly, and said calmly: "Your Highness, if you really think that Wei Chen is a monster, just open your mouth and Wei Chen will tie himself out of the palace."
The prince opened his mouth, but before he could speak, he suddenly heard Lan Wuqing, a scholar from the Hanlin Academy, loudly say: "Ye Dao, you royal family has shown great favor to the emperor in this world, but you don't want to repay the country, but you took advantage of the emperor's death to lead an army to attack Kyoto and rebel.
My heart is so clear, do you still have the nerve to find reasons to defend yourself and slander the loyal ministers of Chu? If Lord Xue hadn't deployed the defense of the palace, I'm afraid your rebels would have already invaded?"
Lan Wuqing's energy was not very strong, but his words were heard at the top of his lungs and spread far down the city.
At this time, another horse galloped out of the rebel formation, but it was Liu Tuo. He shouted: "Your Highness, who is who? It is irrefutable. We can only discuss it again at the court meeting."
I implore His Highness the Crown Prince to open the palace door, and we will attack and protect His Highness the Crown Prince and the Queen Mother!"
"That's nonsense!" Lan Wuqing's face turned red from anger.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince glanced at Lan Wuqing and said tentatively: "Grand Bachelor Lan, look... can I believe what they say?"
Lan Wuqing closed her eyes for a long time before opening them and sighed: "Your Highness, their knife has been placed on your neck. Do you still think you can trust them?"
The prince looked a little embarrassed and remained silent.
Of course he also understood that the fourth prince had always wanted to kill him, and now that the situation was good, he would kill him quickly. However, the other prince just wanted to find a good reason and a good way to deal with him.
He just lost his mind in fear and panic, and Lan Wuqing's helpless reminder made him understand the reality.
Liu Tuo seemed impatient to wait for too long. He waved the long knife in his hand and said loudly: "Your Highness, please open the door. The brothers are eager to protect you. If you don't open the door, we will force your way in."
At a moment like this, no matter how redundant it is, it seems to be of no use.
It's just that the censors on the censorship platform have to perform their duties at this time. The generals are fighting in the flesh and blood. They also have to shout something loudly on the top of the palace. They are all rebel generals.
The nonsense in my ears is nothing more than telling the favor of His Majesty the Emperor to his ministers, and lobbying the rebels to quickly lay down their weapons. The Queen Mother and Her Highness the Crown Prince will definitely deal with it leniently.
There was no sound of swordsmanship, but calls for surrender could be heard one after another between the two armies.
"call out!"
An arrow shot out of the air and shot straight towards the city from the rebel formation. With a "pop" sound, it hit a censor in the throat. The censor's eyes widened in disbelief and he swayed.
He fell headlong off the city wall, and with a "bang", he fell onto the marble slab at the base of the palace city, and his bones were instantly shattered.
All voices stopped at this moment, and the civil servants on the city wall who had been trying their best to persuade suddenly lost their voices.
The reality turned out to be so cruel. As a loyal minister of the imperial court, the censor died neatly and silently by a rebel arrow.
This is a deterrent!
The rebels provided a huge deterrent and reminder to the court, reminding the prince and courtiers on the city wall that the rebels are now powerful, and life and death depend on me, not the court.
At this moment, there was a sudden commotion at the top of the city. Soon, an old woman in colorful clothes appeared at the top of the main gate.
"Queen Mother!" All the courtiers at the top of the city bowed down.
At such a moment, the Queen Mother actually risked her life and came to the city wall, which made the courtiers moved but even more worried.
The old queen mother was dressed in gorgeous clothes, majestic and noble, with a phoenix crown on her head, a neon phoenix-patterned dress from the Jin Palace, and even a golden cloak. These would only be worn by the queen mother on grand days, but today the troops came to the city.
At this critical moment, she put on her clothes and appeared at the top of the city in a majestic manner.
The Yulin guards wanted to protect the old queen with their shields, but the old queen shouted back.
She stood majestically at the top of the city, her eyes sweeping across the dense crowd of rebels in the square, and said solemnly: "Liu Zifu, my grandson, are you so cowardly that you don't have the guts to come out and see your grandma?"
Her voice was not loud, let alone powerful, but for some reason, this light and delicate voice, as light as a cloud of smoke, reached everyone's ears very clearly.
Xue Poye's heart moved, and the corners of his eyebrows twitched twice. Only then did he understand that this incomparably majestic old queen was also a very profound warrior.
The rebels were extremely powerful and originally had a heavy murderous intent. However, after the appearance of the old queen, the murderous intent of the soldiers was much lessened. Even the leading generals of the rebels, including the two princes, frowned.
brow.
The two princes knew much more about the history of the old queen mother in the city than ordinary people. They knew her methods, and they also knew her past unscrupulousness and sinister heart. Although they are now strong, deep inside
But he couldn't help but feel a bit chilly.
The beauty has aged and the person has declined, but the remaining majestic and awe-inspiring power has not disappeared.
The old queen mother's cry made the fourth prince in the military formation couldn't help but shudder. He raised his head and looked at the old queen mother on the top of the city. His eyes were filled with awe, and he couldn't help but ride his horse slowly from the military formation.
After passing through, several cavalrymen holding thick shields protected the fourth prince's entire body.
"Grandma...!" Reining his horse, the fourth prince finally shouted: "Grandson, see grandma!"
The old queen mother looked at the fourth prince from the top of the city. This young man was her own grandson after all. She sighed helplessly and said: "My good grandson, do you know that if you do this, your
Father will be very unhappy!"
The fourth prince calmed down his frightened mood slightly, and finally said: "Grandma, what the prince did, my father will definitely be very unhappy."
"My grandson, your father once said that a man does not need to find a reason to do things... You are really not like your father." The Queen Mother said calmly: "You don't have his wisdom, let alone his courage. Now you are
What you should do is to raise your bow and arrow, shoot the prince to death, and then...!" The Queen Mother pointed at her chest and said coldly: "Shoot here. Only in this way can you sit where you want to sit. I
Grandson, raise your bow and arrow...raise it quickly...shoot here...!" Afterwards, the Queen Mother's voice was even a bit sad.
The fourth prince was so frightened by this cry that he took a few steps back. His face was extremely shocked. She stared blankly at the Queen Mother on the city wall, not knowing what to do for a moment.
Since his birth, he has always felt the Queen Mother's overwhelming majesty. That majesty and intimidation permeated every corner of the palace. It was even more chilling than His Majesty the Emperor's dragon power. Although she was strong today,
The fourth prince still felt fear deep in his bones.
"Don't you dare?" The Queen Mother sneered: "You don't have that kind of courage? My good grandson, since you have done the disobedient thing of deceiving the clan and exterminating the clan, don't you have the guts to kill an incompetent person?"
The old woman?”
"Queen Mother!" Perhaps the Queen Mother's words deeply hurt the fourth prince's self-esteem as a prince. Even if he led the army to Beijing, in his heart, the fourth prince would never admit that he was the one who betrayed the royal family, but felt that he was the most powerful one.
A candidate suitable for safeguarding the rights and interests of the Chu royal family, his voice was a little annoyed: "My grandma, in your heart, you always thought that the prince was the best prince of Chu country, but look at his shameful behavior...!
The fourth prince glanced at the prince hiding behind the shield, showed disdain, and said angrily: "He wants to kill me, wants to send assassins to kill me, do you know? He is your grandson, and I am also yours."
Grandson, are you going to allow him to murder me?" He rolled up his sleeves and saw a brand new wound on his smooth arm. The wound had not healed completely. It looked like a new wound. Maybe the people on the top of the city couldn't see it.
However, the fourth prince's voice was extremely vicious: "Look, if my subordinates hadn't fought tooth and nail to protect me, this wound would have appeared on my neck and cut my neck... Queen Mother, this is what you want to see."
The result?"
The Queen Mother glanced sideways at the Prince and snorted coldly.
"He wants to kill me before he ascends the throne. If he really waits until he becomes emperor... I'm afraid I will die without a body. Do I have to wait obediently for this incompetent guy to kill me!" Si
The prince's voice was cold: "No, my destiny is not like that, and I will never allow that situation to happen. He is both incompetent and cruel. How can such a person inherit the great Chu's legacy, and how can he take on the future responsibility of his father?"
Do your best?"
"So you want to raise troops to rebel?" the Queen Mother said coldly.
The fourth prince shook his head and said: "Rebellion? I am my father's son, and he is my father's son. Whoever of us succeeds to the throne is of the blood of Da Chu. How can we talk about rebellion? If my father were alive, he would know what he did.
, and he will definitely not hand over the great rivers and mountains of Da Chu into his hands."
"Shut up!" The Queen Mother said with blazing eyes: "My grandson, do you really want to dig your own grave?"
Although the fourth prince was frightened by the Queen Mother's loud shout, the brightly armored horses on both sides gave him endless confidence, and he said loudly: "Grandma, if you open the door now, fewer people will die, and I can do the same."
Let him live the rest of his life well. Otherwise...!" He drew the sword of the knight beside him and shouted: "Don't blame your grandson for being cruel."
At this time, Ye Dao urged his horse over and whispered: "Your Highness, too much nonsense will damage the morale of the soldiers. Now it seems that they will resist to the end... Please give the order, at dawn, I will
I think you are already sitting on the dragon throne and receiving the worship of all civil and military officials!"
This last sentence had a great temptation on the fourth prince. Thinking of the scene of sitting on the dragon throne and receiving congratulations from all the ministers, the fourth prince's blood boiled.
"Bring her out!" the Queen Mother finally said.
Several eunuchs pointed their swords at a nobleman in palace attire and came out of the crowd.
The noble man was only about forty years old. He was well-maintained. His skin was as white as jade, smooth and tender, his temperament was elegant, and his expression was calm. His eyes, as light as clouds, glanced at the rebels below the city and slowly closed them.
"Mother!"
"younger sister!"
"Concubine Su!"
Different shouts suddenly sounded outside the city.
This one is the fourth prince’s biological mother, Ye Dao’s sister, Ye Guogong’s biological daughter, His Majesty the Emperor’s noble concubine, and was named Su Guifei!
Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother would move her out at such a moment.
The fourth prince said sternly: "Queen Mother, what do you want?"
The Queen Mother looked calm and said calmly: "Are you regretting why you didn't take this bitch with you when you fled Kyoto?"
The fourth prince was worried about his mother. When he heard the Queen Mother calling his mother a "bitch", he became even more furious and shouted: "Hurry up and let my mother go, otherwise...!"
"Otherwise what?" The Queen Mother said calmly: "Otherwise I will be killed?" She sneered: "I know that this bitch doesn't have the power to stop your rebellion. I just want her to watch here. He
Her father, her brother, and her son are so insane, and I want you to see for yourselves that this bitch will become the sacrifice of this rebellion because of your arrogant ambitions."
Xue Poye frowned. Although he was on the side of the imperial court, seeing the Queen Mother introduce Concubine Su to blackmail the rebels, this method was a little too cumbersome. A person with the status of the Queen Mother would not bother to use these methods.
of.
The Queen Mother...a woman who will do whatever it takes!
Ye Guogong slowly walked out of the military formation. His expression was calm, with a smile on his face. He looked at the Queen Mother at the top of the city and said: "Queen Mother, it has been decades, but I never expected that your methods are still these old-fashioned tricks."
The Queen Mother smiled and said: "Old Master Ye, I am already old and can't think of too many tricks. I can only use those old sesame seeds and rotten millet methods. Alas... I'm afraid it still has some effect."
Duke Ye Guo caressed his beard and said with a smile: "Queen Mother, how many years have passed, have you ever seen a minister compromise because of threats from others?"
"Maybe not!"
"That's good, that's good!" Ye Guogong said calmly without even looking at his daughter: "Those who achieve great things must make some sacrifices. For the peaceful and prosperous age of the Chu Kingdom, my daughter is not impossible.
Sacrifice... I just want my daughter to understand that anyone who has hurt her, the future emperor, will be executed... without mercy!"
The Queen Mother's pupils shrank, but her noble demeanor did not change at all.
Duke Ye Guo shouted to Ye Dao in a deep voice: "Ye Dao, please hand over the flag to His Highness the Fourth Highness...!"
The Queen Mother saw that the fourth prince below the city had taken over the imperial flag from Ye Dao, knowing that a battle was inevitable, she sighed deeply, looked up at the night sky, and finally said: "Xue Aiqing...the court has its own God's blessing...!"
Xue Poye bowed respectfully, drew out his saber, raised it high, and said loudly: "All the officers and men obeyed the order and guarded the palace to the death, with all their strength and brains wiped out, to protect the great Chu!"
The Yulin guards at the top of the city immediately raised their swords and shouted loudly, their voices spreading like waves.
The Queen Mother turned around and was about to leave. She glanced at Concubine Su and ordered the eunuchs, "Sign the flag and let this bitch kick off the war!"
The eunuchs pushed Concubine Su to the edge of the city. They only waited for the fourth prince to wave his flag before pushing Concubine Su down the city.
…
A lightning-like shadow passed from the rear of the rebels. It was a cavalryman with four small flags on his back, shouting: "There is urgent news, there is urgent news...!"
The rebels moved out of the way, allowing the cavalry to pass by, and marched straight to the side of Ye Guogong.
The messenger ordered the cavalry to stand up and dismount, and reported: "Report, a large number of troops have appeared ten miles away from Nanyumen and are marching towards Kyoto City!"