In the sixteenth year of the New Yuan Dynasty (776), on the seventh day of September, in the back hall of the Luo Mansion.
Luo Anyuan stood at the entrance of the hall, looking up at the sky.
Chang'an in September was different from previous years. The weather was obviously gloomy, but not a drop of rain fell.
Luo Yingcai, who was always talkative in the past, first looked at his eldest brother, then at Yuan Zai who was sitting not far away, and at Wang Jin at the back of the hall. Finally, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and closed his eyes rarely.
Mouth, dare not speak.
Luo Anyuan turned around and cast his gaze on Yuan Zai: "Duke Yuan, how are you these days?"
Yuan Zai raised his chin and said slowly: "I know what General Luo wants to ask."
Luo Anyuan was speechless and just stared at Yuan Zai.
Yuan Zai: "From the beginning, Yuan Mou has always been interested in the prince. As for the disturbances in the family, they are all trivial matters. General Luo does not need to worry about it."
Luo Anyuan withdrew his gaze and chose silence.
At this time, Wang Jin said: "Your Highness is here."
After hearing this, Yuan Zai stood up from his seat, and Luo Anyuan also left the door and leaned over.
Prince Zhou Xiao walked slowly into the hall from the corridor at the back of the hall. Compared with his high spirits before, now he looked haggard, his eyes were black, and he looked as if he had been seriously ill.
When Yuan Zai saw Zhou Xiao, he bowed first and then advised: "Your Highness, now Shuofang's army is getting closer and closer to Chang'an. The situation has become so urgent that there is no need to hesitate. Please make a decision as soon as possible."
Zhou Xiao looked solemn and said nothing.
Luo Anyuan followed up and said: "The right time, place and people are all present. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Your Highness. If you don't do something right now, it will be impossible again."
Zhou Xiao turned his head and looked at Wang Jin beside him.
The latter nodded slightly.
Zhou Xiao gritted his teeth and said, "Tell me, what should we do next?"
Hearing that the prince was willing to act, Yuan Zai and Luo Anyuan looked at each other with relief on their faces.
Yuan Zai made a gesture, and Zhang Yanling behind him took the map of Chang'an Imperial City and spread it on the desk.
Yuan Zai pointed to the map and said: "The emperor is currently in the Zichen Hall in the Daming Palace. The surrounding troops are the left and right prison guards of the Sixteenth Guards, the left and right Qianniu Guards, the Jinyi Guards and the Beiyuan Forbidden Army."
Luo Anyuan: "The left and right prison guards and the left and right Qianniu guards, half of the generals, have now been replaced by my men. If the prince gets into trouble, they will definitely sacrifice their lives to help him."
Yuan Zai: "There are about a thousand sergeants in Jinyiwei Nan Town. They are all good at fighting and charging. They are all ready and are just waiting for His Highness's order."
Zhou Xiao: "Let's not talk about friendly forces for the moment. Are there still those armies that are not under control?"
Luo Anyuan paused for a moment and said: "The left and right prison guards and the left and right Qianniu guards guarding the palace gate. The total number of soldiers on duty that day was about six thousand, including the Rong from Danfeng Gate, Xuanfu Gate, Jiafu Gate, Xing'an Gate and so on.
We haven't had time to recruit them yet, and the number is about three thousand."
Yuan Zai: "There are about 800 soldiers on duty in Jinyiwei North Town. Wang Xu has always been loyal to the emperor, so naturally he cannot be persuaded."
Zhou Xiao thought for a moment and asked: "Just now you said that among the defenders of Zichen Palace, there are Beiyuan Forbidden Army?"
Luo Anyuan: "Most of the Beiyuan Forbidden Army are recruited sergeants. They mainly guard Chongxuanmen and Xuanwumen. They used to be called Beiya. Later, they were demoted to imperial guards by the emperor because of their poor performance in the Battle of Chang'an.
.”
Yuan Zai: "Although there are two thousand people in the Beiyuan Forbidden Army, they are all soldiers with poor fighting ability. I only need to tell the name of their commander, and His Highness will understand."
Zhou Xiao: "The commander of the Beiyuan Forbidden Army? Who is he?"
Yuan Zai: "Fan Jinnian."
Hearing this name, Luo Anyuan unconsciously showed a look of disdain: "What kind of army can a eunuch bring? Take the Qianqiu Festival as an example. The emperor knew that the Beiyuan guards had low combat effectiveness, and even patrols and guard work were not done.
Nothing is assigned to them."
Zhou Xiao nodded, first expressed his understanding, and then said: "So, the troops that are against us are the three thousand soldiers from the left and right prison gate guards and the left and right Qianniu Guards, as well as the 800 soldiers from the Jinyi Guards South Town, and finally there are
The two thousand Beiyuan Imperial Guards add up to six thousand people... So it seems that our military strength is not superior?"
Luo Anyuan shook his head and said: "Have you forgotten, your Highness, that many generals who were alienated from Your Highness were eliminated because of their involvement in the assassination case. After that, the left and right guards, the left and right Xiao guards, the left and right Wu guards and the left and right Jinwu guards were placed in
Quite a few of our people.”
Zhou Xiao: "How many troops are willing to join me?"
Luo Anyuan: "There are about 12,000 troops that can be mobilized and commanded in Beiya and Nanya. If we add the 1,000 people from Jinyiwei North Town, His Highness will have 13,000 troops in his hands."
Yuan Zai said from the side: "Thirteen thousand versus six thousand, His Highness's advantage is obvious."
Zhou Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and felt a little at ease.
Prince Young Master Wang Jin came over from behind, pointed at the map and said: "Since Your Highness has made up his mind, there will definitely be a battle with the palace. And in this battle, there are several key points that must be paid attention to."
Zhou Xiao: "Sir, please clarify."
Wang Jin: "First of all, an army must be sent to occupy the entire imperial city, including Taiji Palace, to control the officials there and prevent them from reporting information to the outside world. The prince must know that outside Chang'an City, there are
There are tens of thousands of troops stationed on the side. If one person is lost in the imperial city and a large army is attracted, then our plan will fall short."
Luo Anyuan nodded and said: "Yes, capture the imperial city, cut off the connection between the imperial court and the outside of the city, and delay as much as possible the time for the troops outside the city to come for reinforcements."
Wang Jin: "Secondly, Jinyiwei North Town is located on the west side of Yongchangfang. The mansion is located on a high ground and has advantages such as towers and walls. Once chaos breaks out in the city and makes them alert, it will turn into a fortress.
Easy to defend but difficult to attack.”
Yuan Zai: "Although Yuan doesn't want to admit it, most of the soldiers in North Town are from the border army. In terms of combat power, they are indeed much stronger than those in South Town..."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! At this point, Yuan Zai looked back at Zhang Yanling, who bowed his head in shame.
Wang Jin: "Moreover, Jinyiwei's residence in North Town is located at the junction of Taiji Palace and Daming Palace. If we can capture it, we can connect the military lines on the east and west sides to facilitate the planning of the next war.
"
Yuan Zai: "Young master Wang's words are right. First, we must capture that old guy Wang Xu."
"Finally, and the most critical point..." Wang Jin moved his finger to the Zichen Hall of Daming Palace and said: "If you want to get close to the emperor's palace, you must pass through Danfeng Gate, Guangfan Gate, Zhaoqing Gate and Xuanzheng Gate.
Palace, and finally arrive at Zichen Palace."
Zhou Xiao muttered: "Danfeng Gate, Guangfan Gate and Zhaoqing Gate are guarded by four imperial guards. It may not be easy to break through them."
Luo Anyuan: "Your Highness, there is no need to worry. I have secretly gathered a large amount of gunpowder. All I need to do is blow open the city gate. It will take some effort at most."
Wang Jin: "So, in this operation, there are three locations that must be divided and controlled, namely Taiji Palace, Beizhen Mansion and Daming Palace."
Yuan Zai: "Let me take care of Beizhen, you just take care of the rest."
Wang Jin nodded and looked at Luo Anyuan.
Luo Anyuan: "There are not many defenders in Taiji Palace, so we can leave it to the guards. As for the Daming Palace where the emperor is, I will personally lead the troops there."
Zhou Xiao suddenly said: "The general is going to Daming Palace, and I will go with him."
Luo Anyuan was a little surprised: "There are no swords and guns on the battlefield. Your Highness the Crown Prince is so noble, how can you put yourself in danger?"
Zhou Xiao: "No matter what you say, on that day, I have to go to the Zichen Palace in person to meet my father."
Seeing Zhou Xiao's resolute attitude, Luo Anyuan sighed and had no choice but to give up.