Even though Concubine Su was standing at the head of the city, facing the threat of death, Ye Guogong's expression did not change. However, the news from the messenger made his expression suddenly become extremely ugly, and he frowned.
, the muscles on his face twitched, as if he was thinking about something.
Will there be an army outside the city?
This operation of the rebels was carefully planned. It seemed like just a group of soldiers had invaded Kyoto City, but the intelligence work, resource work, manpower work, material work, and confidentiality work before that were all done to the utmost.
Proceeding harshly.
Liu Guogong and Ye Guogong are both figures who have been immersed in the muddy waters of politics for decades. Their families have been prominent in the political circles of Chu for hundreds of years. They will never take action against such a major rebellion without careful and rigorous planning.
In other words, since they took action, they were at least 90% sure... no... at least 99% sure.
According to the series of scenarios they planned out, the army outside the city could not possibly exist.
After His Majesty the Emperor's death, the royal family's coalition attacked Kyoto, and under the banner of the fourth prince, even as a precaution, royal spies were tightly deployed within dozens of miles of Kyoto, in order to prevent the news from spreading quickly.
As long as the news can be blocked for a day or two, the overall situation in Kyoto will be decided, and the world will know about it, but there is nothing they can do. Everyone just thinks that this is just a battle for imperial power among the royal family, and there will not be much reaction.
Without the existence of His Majesty the Emperor, the Chu court would no longer have local armies that really wanted to participate in the struggle for imperial power.
But...the army has already appeared ten miles outside the city.
…
Ye Guogong quickly rode back to the military formation, looked at Liu Guogong, and said after a long while: "There is an army outside the city!"
Liu Guogong's body trembled and his face darkened.
"Whose troops?"
"Don't know yet!"
"At this time...!" Liu Guogong's eyes were extremely cold: "Whose army dares to march into Kyoto? There are no military symbols and no Privy Council documents...!"
At this moment, the faces of the two scheming princes were surprisingly the same, both extremely ugly.
Ye Dao obviously also saw some unknown clues. Seeing that the fourth prince was about to wave his flag and attack the palace at any time, he whispered: "Your Highness, the situation has changed, please wait!"
"Has there been a change?" The fourth prince's pupils shrank, he looked at Concubine Su at the top of the city, gritted his teeth and said, "What happened?"
As soon as he finished saying this, he suddenly felt that the earth seemed to be shaking slightly, like an earthquake, and the rebels also felt this vibration. Although the army formation was still strict and orderly, their eyes couldn't help but look around.
Everyone wanted to know what happened.
At this time, the soldiers at the rear of the Minzhou camp spread out quietly and surrounded the rear of the rebels in a fan shape.
A horse galloped over, knelt down in front of the two princes, and said respectfully: "Report, five miles outside the city of Kyoto, there are thousands of cavalry charging towards the city."
"Cavalry? Thousands?" Ye Guogong's expression was even more gloomy. He had already heard the rumble of the hoofbeats of the thousands of troops, and the trembling of the earth was caused by the hoofbeats of the cavalry outside the capital.
The defenders on the top of the city naturally heard the rumble of cavalry hooves.
"Are they...their reinforcements coming?" Pan Zhenhai, the deputy general guard of Xiulin Battalion, suddenly thought that the follow-up troops of the rebels were coming to support him.
Xue Poye frowned and said: "According to the current strength, they are enough to capture the palace, and even if reinforcements are arranged, they should be archers or sword and shield soldiers to attack the city. Although these thousands of cavalry are extremely powerful in combat, they are still
If it is used in siege warfare, might it be a mistake? Their royal family is very knowledgeable about military affairs, and they must understand this truth. In this case... I'm afraid those cavalry may not be theirs."
He even wondered in his heart whether Ximen Lei Zang had transferred a large army from other states and counties?
But this thought was just a fleeting thought. Just imagine that the nearest state army to Kyoto, apart from participating in the rebels' Mzhou camp, is the Huizhou camp, and the Huizhou camp is two days' journey from Kyoto. Even if it is inserted into
The wings cannot arrive so quickly.
The most important thing is that the number of cavalry that I heard is probably more than 3,000, and according to the rules of Chu, the number of cavalry in each state's camp cannot exceed 1,500, so it can be concluded that this batch of reinforcements is by no means a single one.
The cavalry could be dispatched from the state capital camp, not to mention that even Ximen Lei Zang, the captain of Habayashi, would not be able to dispatch cavalry from the state capital camp.
Xue Poye's eyes twitched as he thought of an almost impossible possibility.
With Emperor Deqing's wisdom, he might not have expected that after his death, the powerful royal family would make some rebellious actions. Could it be that these cavalry were the traps he laid before his death?
This is almost impossible.
After all, these were thousands of cavalry. How could they assemble so quickly and accurately when the royal family started to rebel? How could they hide it from the royal family's eyes and ears?
This is not one or ten cavalry, not even a hundred cavalry, but thousands of cavalry. If such a huge army is always on guard against the rebellion of the royal family, how could the royal family not be aware of it given the intelligence network of the royal family in the Great Chu Kingdom?
Xue Poye fell into deep thought.
He himself did not believe that reinforcements from the imperial court would arrive at this time.
In the rebel army formation, just as Liu Guogong and Ye Guogong were discussing some matters in a low voice, three messengers had arrived: "Report, thousands of cavalry and over ten thousand infantry have arrived at the city gate and stopped there.
Entering the city...they have already raised the flag!"
"What flag?"
"Chu Ziqi!"
"Chu character flag?" Ye Guogong suddenly changed his color: "Then...are those reinforcements from the imperial court? Where did the imperial court get the reinforcements?"
Liu Guogong tightened his grip on his horsewhip. He had gone through countless storms. Although he was shocked, he still maintained his composure and said in a deep voice: "Send the order, and the soldiers of the Minzhou camp will guard the streets separately. If there are rebels, stop them."
Since less than a thousand people from the Inspectorate and Kyoto Prefecture could hold off the elite garrison on more than a dozen long streets for more than an hour, then there were still ten thousand people in the Minzhou camp, so they could naturally hold back the imperial reinforcements.
"Brother Ye, given the current situation, we can only capture the palace as soon as possible and capture the Queen Mother and Prince. With them in hand, even if all the reinforcements from the state capitals in the world arrive, there is nothing we can do." Liu Guogong said calmly.
Ye Guogong glanced at the top of the city. The Yulin guards at the top of the city were already ready for the battle, and once the war started, his daughter, Concubine Su, would be pushed off the top of the city alive.
"I just hope that the Minzhou camp can hold on and buy us some time..." Ye Guogong stroked his beard and said calmly: "Having said that, even if the incoming army is reinforcements from the imperial court, our military strength is far superior to theirs...
…just some guys who came to die."
"Brother Ye, I'm afraid things won't be that simple." Liu Guogong said calmly: "They have thousands of cavalry, and the cavalry wants to fight one against ten. What's more, these reinforcements have obviously been ambushed a long time ago. What I'm worried about now is... this is
Who left behind? Who in the world has the ability to deploy such a powerful cavalry regiment?"
Ye Guogong frowned and opened his eyes suddenly, with deep fear flashing in his eyes: "You mean...?"
Liu Guogong nodded and sighed: "Who else has this ability except our Emperor?"
"But...he is already dead." Ye Guogong said with great certainty.
Liu Guogong also had doubts in his eyes.
He was extremely certain of this. On the day when the Holy Emperor passed away, due to his and Ye Guogong's special royal status, they had seen His Majesty the Emperor's body. With their decades of vision and observation, they were sure that His Majesty the Emperor was dead.
Otherwise, they would not dare to launch a mutiny without the death of His Majesty the Emperor.
But...how to explain the reinforcements from the imperial court?
Just when the two princes were confused, four cavalrymen came galloping over.
This time, the cavalry did not report anything, but only presented a letter. Liu Guogong took the letter and saw a trace of blood on the envelope at a glance.
The blood stain had obviously been wiped off recently, and it still smelled like blood.
Liu Guogong frowned, took out the letter, opened it gently, and after just one glance, his face became even more ugly, or in other words, a look of real fear appeared on his face.
Ye Guogong reached out to take it and took a look at it. His hands could not help but tremble.
The two wealthy princes were so shocked by the small letter that they lost their composure.
There were only three words written on the letter.
"Death to the traitors!"
Not one word too many, not one word too little. Such words may seem vulgar, but in this case, they have shocking power.
The two princes have experienced countless trials and hardships. Even if the words are ten times more powerful, they will sneer and dismiss them. They are not afraid of the literal meaning. What they are afraid of is the handwriting of three characters.
They could tell at a glance that the handwriting on the letter... belonged to His Majesty the Emperor!
The deceased Emperor actually left such a letter. In other words, this letter confirmed that the army outside the city was arranged by His Majesty the Emperor during his lifetime.
What a deep city!
"Who sent this letter?"
The messenger cavalry replied: "The commander of the incoming army shot it in."
"What does the coach look like?"
The messenger thought for a while and then cautiously reported: "He is wearing a black cloak and a gold helmet. I can't see his face clearly."
Liu Guogong suddenly realized something. He had just ordered the soldiers of the Minzhou camp to guard more than a dozen long streets. However, after the order was sent down, he discovered that the officers and soldiers of the Minzhou camp had not moved at all.
"Huang Da!" Liu Guogong roared in a deep voice.
Huang Da was always not far behind him, but after calling him this time, he didn't hear Huang Da's response.
A lieutenant behind him replied: "Your Majesty, Mr. Huang has gone to mobilize the troops and set up defenses."
Ye Guogong frowned and said: "Even if the troops are mobilized and deployed, why hasn't the Minzhou army made any move?" A cold murderous look flashed in his eyes, and he glanced at Liu Guogong, only to see Liu Guogong looking at him, and the two exchanged a look.
They all noticed a trace of suspicion in each other's eyes that was extremely difficult to detect.
The rumbling sound started again, and the shaking feeling came to every rebel in the square again.
Xue Poye, who was at the top of the city and was extremely confused, finally saw the black cavalry rushing into the city from outside the city. The Imperial Palace is the most majestic building in Kyoto City, the tallest building. Standing at the top of the Imperial Palace City, overlooking Kyoto City, although it is
In the dark night, it is quite clear.
Looking over the Nanyu Gate in the distance, the reinforcements were holding banners that covered the sky. In front of them were the dark cavalry clearing the way. They were quickly rushing into the Kyoto city and rushing towards the imperial palace.
"Sir... that is the Chu-character flag, the reinforcements from our imperial court!" Gongyang Yue pointed at the reinforcements flag and said, a faint smile appeared on his usually stern face.
Xue Poye was convinced that the incoming troops were reinforcements from the imperial court. His tense heartstrings relaxed slightly, but he still said seriously: "Even if they are reinforcements, I am afraid that together they are not strong enough to fight with the rebels. The rebels are too powerful."
It’s too powerful, so be prepared to fight to the death to protect it.”
"Deputy General Guard Xue... something seems to be wrong." Pan Zhenhai frowned. He had been observing the movements of the rebels and suddenly noticed a strange situation in the rebel formation.
Xue Poye followed his instructions and saw an extremely strange scene in the rebel formation.
At the end of the military formation was the Minzhou Army. At this time, the Minzhou Army formed a different military formation. Unknowingly, the Minzhou Army formed a semi-arc formation. Although its strength was not as high as that of
The garrison seemed to be surrounded from the rear, and the garrison was obviously not aware of the actions of the Mzhou Army.
Xue Poye's eyelids twitched, he looked at Pan Zhenhai and whispered: "No...impossible?"
Could it be that the Monzhou Army is staging the Chu version of Infernal Affairs? This is a crazy plan.
Xue Poye's heart beat rapidly. What kind of game is this? Just imagine that a moment ago, the palace was still facing the most powerful attack by tens of thousands of rebels. It was only a matter of time that the palace was breached, but
As of now, although it is not certain that there will be any major changes in the outcome, many details have already made subtle changes in the situation of this rebellion.
Reinforcements arrived, the Minzhou Army acted strangely, the Yulin Army was stationed in the palace, and the garrison...!
Just as the reinforcements were getting closer, the Minzhou Army did something that surprised everyone. Their chief general, the Governor of Minzhou, did not know when he had reached the rear of the Minzhou Army.
Under the escort of a general named Mingzhou Xingying, he held a bow and arrow in his hand and shouted loudly: "The Holy One has decreed that the garrison is rebellious and will be killed without mercy!" Before everyone could react, they had already bent their bows.
He nocked an arrow and shot it out with a whoosh, hitting a garrison commander.
The commander didn't react at all. When the sharp arrow was shot, there was no reaction at all. It entered from the back of the head and came out from the forehead, and shot through. The commander immediately fell from his horse and twitched on the ground.
If it goes down, it won't move.
Before the garrison could react, several commanders of the Mzhou Army shouted: "Kill!" and took the lead in cutting down the garrison sergeant beside them.
Not only the garrison did not expect, but even the soldiers at the camp in Minzhou did not expect that their superiors would slash their allies with machetes. All they did was follow orders. Before the rebellion, of course they themselves did not know the role they played in Infernal Affairs.
They were just following orders. Until then, they suddenly understood the orders given by their commanders before setting off for the expedition.
"Wherever my sword goes, you go there. Don't ask why, and don't show mercy, because... if you don't kill them, they will kill you!"
So the Minzhou Army was just stunned, but soon slashed the sword in their hands at the garrison who were allied just a few minutes ago.
In just the blink of an eye, hundreds of garrison soldiers lay dead in front of the palace, and the marble square was suddenly stained red with blood.
The two princes did not panic. They already knew that there was a huge flaw in their plan. Although they were extremely scheming, they were shocked, but they would not really panic in the face of sudden changes.
They understand one thing very well. Once even they panic, the end of the garrison will come.
They still have tens of thousands of garrison troops on hand. At this moment, even if they fall into a carefully designed huge trap, they still have the capital to make a last-ditch effort.
After all, the garrison is not an ordinary army. They are the elite army of the Chu Kingdom. They suffered sudden changes, but their formation was not disrupted.
"The rear army becomes the front army, and the front remains unchanged. Kill the rebels!" the garrison's military order sounded.
As a result, the swords and spears of the garrison soldiers also attacked the Minzhou Army. The entire rear of the square suddenly erupted in the sound of killing. The Minzhou Army and the garrison strangled each other, and the screams continued.
When the prince on the top of the city saw this sudden change, he was filled with surprise and said loudly: "Okay, okay, you... you go out and help them."
Xue Poye said calmly: "Your Highness, the situation is still unclear, we must not act rashly... Who can guarantee that this is not a trap set by the rebels?" However, he was quite sure in his heart that the Minzhou Army had indeed staged an Infernal Affairs plot.
Good show.
The prince glanced at Xue Poye viciously, but he had to admit that at this time, it was better to honestly protect the palace first. As for the fight under the city, let's see the progress first.
The fourth prince's face turned green.
Huang Da came here on his own initiative and was extremely diligent. He also tested him several times to confirm that this person had truly surrendered to him. The fourth prince was very proud of being able to gain the power of an army.
It's just that we never expected that at the most critical moment of the war situation, the Minzhou Army rebelled and Huang Da rebelled.
The fourth prince still can't figure out why Huang Da rebelled? The situation is obvious. At this time, the fourth prince is very powerful. Even if the court has reinforcements, the chance of winning is very high. Once he wins, Huang Da, as a meritorious minister, will definitely get a big reward.
Reward.
But he rebelled.
For the sake of the prince? Of course it is impossible. The prince is too weak, and even a weak person cannot support him on the wall. Moreover, it is impossible for the prince to have such powerful scheming and means to lurk the Minzhou army among the rebels.
Who is it for? Who in the world can drive Huang Da?
His Majesty the Emperor? This is of course a good explanation, but His Majesty the Emperor is dead. Huang Da cannot give up a great future just for the orders of a dead emperor.
The fourth prince's mind was in a mess, and he suddenly felt that his palms were a little cold.
The garrison and the Mzhou Army were fighting to the death in the square.
Huang Da's eyes shone with an extremely confident light, the kind of light that would make people think...the rebels will be defeated, and the imperial court will eventually be the victor.
Why does Huang Da have such confidence?
At this time, the reinforcements carrying the "Chu Zi Banner" had passed through more than a dozen streets. Thousands of cavalry were divided into more than a dozen long dragons and charged into the chaotic battle group without hesitation.
The infantry behind them blocked more than a dozen street intersections, making it easy for people to think of the phrase "catching a turtle in a urn".
The reinforcement cavalry clearly understood that the Minzhou Army was one of their own. They shuttled back and forth, slashing at the garrison with their sabers. The impact of thousands of cavalry caused heavy casualties to the garrison and caused chaos in the formation.
Xue Poye on the top of the city sighed and murmured: "The mantis stalks the cicada, please note...the oriole is at ease!" dd