The pattering rain could not disperse the blood flowing on the city wall, nor could it cover the gradually brightening morning light. The densely packed rebels under the Chongming Gate launched wave after wave of offensives under the leadership of more than 5,000 "Woye Town Private Soldiers".
Like the tide, they climbed up and charged towards the city without fear of death.
Li Siwen was already covered in blood, and the Bailian horizontal sword in his hand had been curled. He stood majestically on the top of the city. He had killed countless rebels and his arms were numb. However, the rebels below the city still attacked desperately, and the solid
The defenses began to loosen.
The army led by Donggong Liu also fought to the death, even though the number of defenders at the top of the city was gradually reduced, and gaps gradually appeared in the rigorous defense line. They immediately filled the gap regardless of their own safety, and hacked and killed the rebels.
On top of the city, there was blood flowing under the feet of the defenders. The corpses of both the enemy and ourselves filled almost every place. The battle was extremely fierce.
…
In the command post of Tai Chi Palace, Li Jing, who had not slept all night, did not feel sleepy and exhausted. His waist was still straight and his steps were still steady and strong. However, his eyes were already red, whether from being smoked by the lamp oil or feeling sorry for the soldiers under his command.
When the news came that Chongming Gate had been attacked by "private soldiers from Woye Town", he did not feel the slightest bit of relief or pride in "predicting the enemy's attack first". Instead, he fell into a deep sense of powerlessness.
Even if the "Military God" came to the world, it would be impossible to create a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals at the snap of a finger. Facing the rebels who had an absolute advantage in numbers, he commanded the six soldiers of the East Palace to rush back and forth, causing the disparity in the strength of the two sides.
The disadvantages are minimized as much as possible, but the huge gap cannot be made up by excellent commanding art.
In the face of absolute power, any tricks are useless, even Li Jing, who has never been defeated in his life and has great military achievements...
Once the Chongming Gate is breached, the entire East Palace will fall in an instant, and it is impossible for him to divide his troops to continue reinforcements. At that time, the rebels will swarm into the East Palace, launch an offensive from the high wall between the East Palace and Taiji Palace, and unite with the rebels at the Chengtian Gate in front.
This makes Taiji Palace vulnerable to enemies on both sides.
Changsun Wuji was really crazy. Sending "private soldiers from Woye Town" into the city to participate in the siege was no longer just about breaking the boat. It could be called "living for death" because once Fang Jun noticed that the camp outside Jinguang Gate was empty.
, using the main force to launch a surprise attack, it is very likely that the mob stationed outside Jinguang Gate will be defeated, and they will rush into Chang'an City in one fell swoop. By then, they will directly attack Yanshou Fang, and the Guanlong rebels will have to accept the bitter consequences of complete defeat.
However, now that Chang'an City is besieged by rebels on three sides, and the Xuanwu Gate, the only exit from Taiji Palace, is blocked by Zhang Shigui, where can the news get out?
Li Jing was helpless when he clearly saw the biggest flaw of the rebels but was unable to do anything about it...
As a commander, you must have full confidence in your soldiers, but you must also prepare for the worst-case scenario.
…
The Neizhong Gate was established and the prince's residence was established. Xiao Yu, Cen Wenwen, Ma Zhou, Li Daozong, Liu Jie and other ministers gathered here and constantly persuaded the prince to abandon the Neizhong Gate and withdraw from the Taiji Palace.
Xiao Yu stroked his beard and said worriedly: "The rebels are now too strong, especially the Yuwen family's private army of Woye Town who have entered the city to participate in the siege. The two defense lines of Taiji Palace and East Palace are in danger. If any one of them is broken through, it will lead to
The collapse of the entire defense line, the defeat is certain, and it will be difficult to recover. I and Cen Zhongshu have taken turns lobbying Zhang Shigui before. Although they have never given an accurate answer, his mind has been shaken. If the prince leads the palace family members to retreat, he will definitely let him go.
City gate."
What he said was that he actually didn't know what he was talking about.
Everyone in the government and the public knew that Zhang Shigui was extremely loyal to His Majesty. Even though he might have some pity for the Crown Prince, it would be extremely difficult for him to completely betray His Majesty's edict.
But now it is not a question of whether Zhang Shigui will let go of the Xuanwu Sect, but that Li Chengqian has made up his mind to live and die with the Taiji Palace, and would rather die than withdraw from the Taiji Palace. This is troublesome.
Regardless of the inheritance of the empire, the orthodoxy of the country, as well as the future prospects and personal interests of many officials in the East Palace, the prince will never be allowed to die in the Taiji Palace.
Li Daozong also said: "The current situation is critical. If the front line of Chengtianmen is breached and the rebels advance into Taiji Palace, it will be too late to retreat! Please also take the country, the country, and the inheritance of the empire as your consideration. Don't be impulsive and incur any consequences."
Eternal regret.”
All the ministers were chattering and anxious, and Li Chengqian was also a little upset.
Originally, Fang Jun had set fire to the rebels' supplies, and the entire war situation had been tilted towards the East Palace. Who knew that the situation would change due to negligence, and Changsun Wuji risked his life to reverse the situation, causing the Taiji Palace to collapse in an instant?
He did not want to retreat, and would rather die in Taiji Palace than retreat to Hexi, causing the empire to have two courts, one internal and one external, completely establishing the pattern of civil strife. No matter who wins in the end, the elites of the empire will be lost in every battle.
, what is consumed is the vitality of the empire.
But if he doesn't withdraw, how can he cope with the ministers in front of him who have always been loyal to him and support him with all their strength? How can he cope with his wife and children?
When the ministers saw the change in Li Chengqian's expression and remained silent, they knew that His Highness had committed the same indecision and soft-heartedness as before...
Ma Zhou admonished: "Your Highness clearly knows that although Taiji Palace is in danger at the moment, even if the rebels occupy this place, they may not be able to completely control the government. Don't forget that there are hundreds of thousands of British troops stationed to pass the customs, waiting for danger. How can you
Can the rebels be allowed to completely occupy the center? We might as well withdraw from the Taiji Palace for the time being, station ourselves in the Youtunwei camp, and wait and see what the British government will do. If the British government cares about the country and cannot bear the empire to fall into civil war, they will definitely send troops to Beijing and arrive at the capital.
If the British prince only cares about His Majesty's decree and insists on going his own way, then we will accompany His Majesty to fight back, and even if we die under the city of Chang'an, we will have no regrets!"
These words were immediately approved by everyone.
Even if Taiji Palace fell, the situation has not reached the final stage. We have to see how Li Ji plans to deal with the rebellion, right?
If Li Ji only cared about deposing the East Palace and eventually colluded with the rebels, then it wouldn't be too late for everyone in the East Palace to come back and fight to the death. Is it really not easy to die for the country?
But if the prince withdraws from the Taiji Palace, separates himself from the rebels inside and outside, fights against each other, and prepares to withdraw to Hexi at any time, this will put Li Ji on the stage to influence the situation of the world. He will tacitly allow the rebels to contribute to the Taiji Palace, causing the prince to withdraw to
Will Hexi cause the empire to split and fall into civil war, or will he take action to exterminate the rebels, eliminate the mutiny, and restore peace to the empire?
Ultimately, regardless of whether Li Ji had the imperial edict in hand, sitting back and watching the rebels wreak havoc on Chang'an and eventually overthrowing the East Palace and deposing the prince was definitely not within the limits of orthodoxy. If it came to that, he would not even dare to make His Majesty Li Er's edict public to the public.
- Is it possible for the world to know that His Majesty Li Er connived with the rebels to contribute to the Tai Chi Palace, destroyed the city of Chang'an, and single-handedly drove the prince to a dead end?
It is a characteristic of Chinese culture to keep taboos from respected people. Li Ji could only swallow the bitter pill himself, and even be reviled by history books for eternity... But was Li Ji such a person who could endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens?
Everyone agrees that Li Ji would probably not do that.
Therefore, the prince's withdrawal from the Tai Chi Palace was a backhand to force Li Ji to the point where he had to make a choice. It can be said that he had both offense and defense.
Li Chengqian was undecided, but the faint cries of his concubines from the back hall made him feel like a knife. After weighing for a long time, he let out a long sigh, covered his face with his hands and said: "Since I was established as a prince, I have been working hard and studying hard. Q: We respect etiquette in everything we say and do, and dare not slack off in the slightest. However, for more than ten years, we have never been able to get the approval of our father. This stupid talent cannot be exploited, and we are sincerely afraid. Today, the rebels are raging, Chao Gang has been corrupted, the country is in turmoil, and my father is probably in trouble... As a human son, if my father is still thinking about Yi Chu when he is dying, how can I dare to be greedy for the throne? I thought of dying to thank the world and my father, However, when things come to an end, I find that even if I die, it will be difficult to achieve what I want, and I will be lonely and ashamed..."
Hiding his face and crying loudly.
All the officials and ministers of the East Palace looked at each other with sadness in their hearts.
He was the eldest son at birth. From the day His Majesty Li Er usurped the throne, he was appointed Crown Prince by Jin Dian. He was granted the title of Crown Prince at a young age and received the most systematic imperial education. He was treated as a Crown Prince by everyone in the court and outside the palace. I am respectful and have high hopes.
However, His Majesty Li Er was picky about him in every possible way, and found it hard to look at him. From time to time, he would have the desire to save money, which made him frightened and worried about gains and losses... Not everyone can bear this crime. After so many years, the prince has not grown crooked, nor has he been around. It is extremely rare to have any psychological problems.