Lu Tong stood in the lobby with a serious look on his face.
Naturally, the source of news for Shuntian Prefecture was not as good as that of Luo Wang and the Imperial City Division, but the Imperial Guards suddenly gathered around Kyoto and left their camps. It was impossible for Lu Tong not to receive news about such a major event.
But as news came one after another, Lu Tong felt panicked.
It's not that his temperament is not calm enough, but that this happened too suddenly, too unexpectedly, and too hard to believe.
As the governor of Shuntian, Lu Tong expected that the battle for the new emperor would plunge Kyoto into war, but he never thought that this chaos would spread so widely.
The problem now facing Lu Tong is how to ensure the safety of Kyoto.
The millions of Imperial Guards cannot be trusted, nor can the Twelve Regiments and Battalions.
He didn't know who to trust inside or outside Kyoto.
As for the Imperial City, he had already gone there just now and was turned away.
He can understand this situation, but now he seems to have lost control and can only rely on himself.
However, there are only a few thousand officers in the Shuntian Prefecture. It is okay to maintain order at the gates of Kyoto, but if it is used to defend the city, it is of no use at all.
"There are still those troops in the city!"
"Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division?"
"They belong to the Ministry of War, but the Ministry of War!"
"Zhenwu Si! They are trustworthy. Prince Rui is not in Kyoto, so they will definitely not participate in the rebellion. However, Zhenwu Si only has two Qianhu Si in the city."
"The rest are the guards from the Ministry of War! But these guards are not trustworthy!"
Lu Tong was filled with confusion.
There are millions of imperial troops outside Kyoto, but there are not many troops inside Kyoto.
The officers of Shuntian Prefecture, the soldiers of the Wucheng Army and Horse Division, and the Qianhu Division of the Zhenwu Division are only ten thousand people in total. In addition to these are the guards and officers of the major yamen and major mansions.
For example, in the past, Qin Wei's prince's palace had more than 130 guards. Every major palace had guards, and every major noble family and official family also had guards. These guards were all under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War. If these guards were summoned, there would be
Tens of thousands of soldiers.
But the problem is that Lu Tong cannot summon these guards. He does not have the qualifications and the ability.
Just when Lu Tong was struggling, a burly servant came to the main hall and reported: "Sir, someone wants to see you."
"Who wants to see me!" Lu Tong looked at the guard in front of him in confusion.
The officer lowered his head and said, "I am in the west garden wing. You will know when you get there."
"Yeah!" Lu Tong's eyes suddenly became sharp.
"Which class are you a servant in?"
he asked in a deep voice.
where is this place?
It is Shuntian Fuyin, and it is his territory.
But someone wanted to see him here, but he didn't know.
"This subordinate is a policeman from the arrest squad!" the policeman said with a normal expression.
There are many types of servants in the Shuntian government office, which can be divided into inner classes and outer classes. The inner classes serve in the yamen, such as disciples and attendants; the outer classes also have Zaoli, Ma Kuai, Bu Kuai, Xiaoma, etc.
Jailers, gatekeepers, archers, gangsters, grain messengers, patrol battalions, etc.
In terms of status, they can be divided into secular service and recruitment.
The so-called secular service refers to those not very important jobs, which are inherited from father to son and performed from generation to generation, such as doorman, lampman, warehouseman, etc.
The so-called conscripts are servants recruited from the private sector. Generally speaking, conscripts hold more important positions, such as catchers, jailers, archers, etc. They are basically warriors.
There is a world of difference between the two in terms of status and treatment.
The officer in front of me was obviously a warrior recruited from the civilian population.
Lu Tong looked at him with a cold face and asked, "I want to know who asked you to come."
When the officer heard this, he took out a jade pendant from his sleeve and handed it to Lu Tong, saying, "Your Excellency, you should understand after seeing this!"
Lu Tong looked down at the jade pendant in his hand, and his pupils shrank suddenly.
"Why is he in Kyoto?"
He couldn't help but exclaimed.
The guard didn't speak, just waited quietly.
The look in Lu Tong's eyes beat slightly, and there were thousands of thoughts in his heart.
After a long time, he said: "Take me there!"
"Here!"
Afterwards, the two people left the lobby and walked towards the West Garden Wing.
Standing in front of the door of the wing, Lu Tong took a deep breath with a complicated expression, then opened the door and entered the room.
The room was a little dark. After Lu Tong entered the door, he could only vaguely see a slender figure.
"His Royal Highness Prince Rui!"
Lu Tong said with some uncertainty.
Qin Wei turned around slowly, with a faint smile on his handsome face, and said, "Master Lu, long time no see."
Looking at Qin Wei's face, Lu Tong showed a wry smile.
"I pay homage to His Royal Highness Prince Rui."
Qin Wei chuckled and said, "Master Lu, are you surprised to see me?"
"It's more than just an accident!" The bitterness on Lu Tong's face became even stronger.
Today's Kyoto is already chaotic enough, and now King Rui has appeared. He doesn't know whether to be happy or worried.
Qin Wei smiled lightly and said nothing, and the bitter smile on Lu Tong's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a look of determination.
"If His Highness is here to persuade the officials to open the city gate, then don't mention it."
"Why?" Qin Wei asked.
"I am the Yin of Shuntian Prefecture. At this time, without the order of the cabinet and the will of His Majesty, I will never open the city gate." Lu Tong said solemnly.
Qin Wei said: "Your Majesty is asleep and the cabinet ministers are in the imperial city. At this time, they dare not give you any orders."
The Shuntian Prefectural Government is the highest local administrative agency in Kyoto, so the position of the prefect is particularly prominent, with a rank of the third rank, two to three levels higher than the general prefect, and the same position as the chief secretary of each state.
None of the ministries in the court have any ownership relationship with the Shuntian government office. Only the cabinet can take charge of the Shuntian government office.
But now the cabinet does not dare to act rashly, and Lu Tong can only make the decision for Shuntian Mansion.
"Then the official can only guard the city gate!" Lu Tong said in a deep voice.
Qin Wei nodded slightly. He knew that Lu Tong was a principled person, which was worthy of admiration, but sometimes he seemed particularly stubborn.
It's very, very difficult to convince him.
That's why Qin Wei came to see him in person.
"The imperial army in Nanping City was mobilized by King Ning Qin Jun, the imperial army in Jiushan City was mobilized by King An, and the imperial army in Tonghe City was mobilized by King Ping."
"Now many generals of the Forbidden Army have joined them, so they can create such a situation."
"I know your worries, but in fact you don't need to worry too much."
Qin Wei said slowly.
"Why?" Lu Tong asked.
Qin Weidao: "If they want to enter Kyoto, they must decide the winner outside the city now."
Lu Tong was startled, he had never considered this before.
It's not that he hasn't thought about it, it's that he doesn't know whose orders those forbidden troops follow.
"What about the Twelve Battalions? Why did they leave the camp?" Lu said.
"It is my king's order for the twelve battalions to leave the camp!" Qin Wei said.
Lu Tong's expression changed slightly.
Sure enough, King Rui’s participation is indispensable!
"Your Majesty is asleep and no one inside or outside the imperial city can scare everyone. The situation in front of us will inevitably lead to chaos." Qin Wei continued.
"Your Majesty cannot let the 12th Regiment enter the city." Lu Tong said firmly.
He looked directly at Qin Wei with no intention of giving in.
Qin Wei smiled and took out a yellow scroll from his sleeve.
"Imperial decree!"
Lu Tong exclaimed.
He took the imperial edict, opened it and read it.
The content of the imperial edict is very simple, that is, Qin Wei is asked to governor all matters in Kyoto City, and all yamen must obey Qin Wei's orders.
But after Lu Tong read it, his face became extremely pale.
Because this edict is not sealed!
In other words, the imperial edict is simply a piece of waste paper.
"Your Highness is going to falsely convey the imperial edict!"
Qin Wei shook his head and said: "It's not that I pretended to pass the imperial edict, but that Eunuch Lu didn't dare to seal it!"
"Eunuch Lu!" Lu Tong's pupils shrank suddenly.
"Open the city gate and let the twelve regiments enter the city. This is Eunuch Lu's wish, and it is also my king's wish."
"If it's too late, we'll be in trouble when all the imperial troops arrive at the gates of Kyoto."
Qin Weidao.
Lu Tong was still hesitant.
The imperial edict is useless, but it represents Eunuch Lu's attitude.
He did not doubt Qin Wei on this point.
"Why does Eunuch Lu want to help His Highness?" he asked.
Qin Wei shook his head and said: "He is not helping me, but guarding the capital."
"As long as the twelve regiments enter the city, even if the Forbidden Army outside the city attacks the city, they will not be able to break the city."
"The 12th Regiment Battalion entered the city not to fight an offensive and defensive battle with them, but to tell them that it was impossible for them to capture Kyoto."
Lu Tong was still a little hesitant.
Qin Wei was also a little helpless. This old man was too stubborn. He even moved Eunuch Lu out, but he still didn't make the old man compromise.
"If you need it, I can ask Mr. Chief Assistant for a warrant, but I'm afraid it's too late!"
Qin Weidao.
In fact, Ji Yuanchen's warrant should be more effective for Lu Tong than Eunuch Lu's fake imperial edict.
However, Ji Yuanchen was also a stubborn old man, and it was not easy for Qin Wei to persuade him, so he had to do the next best thing and ask Eunuch Lu for help.
Although Eunuch Lu was only a eunuch, he knew more about Emperor Li's attitude and cared more about Emperor Li's thoughts.
Moreover, he and Qin Wei have already reached an alliance, so it is naturally easier to ask him for help.
Lu Tong paced back and forth in the room several times, and finally sighed heavily.
"Your Highness, I will leave this old life to you."
Seeing his compromise, Qin Wei was also very happy, "I will not take your life."
Lu Tong said sternly: "If Your Highness wants to do something treacherous, the life of this official is in His hands."
Only then did Qin Wei understand what he meant.
He was worried that Qin Wei had evil intentions, but now he had to compromise.
If Qin Wei really has evil intentions, then he will put his life in Qin Wei's hands.
To put it simply, he threatened Qin Wei with his own life.
This threat seemed very weak, but it also proved his determination.
Qin Wei didn't say much, just nodded.
He has no idea of taking over the imperial city now, he just wants to wait until Emperor Li wakes up.
There isn't much time left, and it's almost time for a showdown.
Qin Wei planned to wait for Lihuang to wake up and then find an opportunity to have a showdown with Lihuang.
After Lu Tong compromised, he immediately arranged for the officers of Shuntian Prefecture to open the south gate of Kyoto, and then Li Ji led the 12th Regiment Battalion into the city.
Qin Wei also came to the south city wall, waiting for the arrival of the imperial army.