Chapter 91 "Either don't do it, or don't be afraid."

Gray clouds were floating in the sky, and fine raindrops were flying in the air, but they were blocked outside the tent that was temporarily propped up by spear poles.

Gao Mulin was ordered to arrange the hundreds of troops, but he refused to go. However, Gao Minggong said that they had risked their lives for us, so he must go. He went with tears in his eyes.

Gu Guan, Xie Yun and others went to rescue the wounded and were very busy.

Under the tent, he thanked Gao Minggong and stayed with him.

Gao Minggong looked at Gao Mulin's crying back as he walked away, feeling tender and nostalgic. He just didn't want the child to stay by his side and wait for him to die.

He averted his gaze. The simple tent cloth didn't fully cover the sky above him. He tilted his head slightly, gazing at the flowing leaden clouds, and muttered, "...I am an unfilial son."

He never regretted disobeying the imperial order or his actions on the battlefield, but he suddenly felt a little sad, thinking of his mother at home who was already in her seventies. He failed to fulfill his filial duty and saw her off to the end of her life, and now she had to wait for her to die before her. He felt that he was an unfilial son.

Gao Minggong was very simple. Under the torn armor, one could see a half-worn piece of undergarment, the collar of which was slightly fuzzy from frequent starching.

No different from Xie Ci's father.

Xie Ci's heart ached. He held his hand and said solemnly, "I will take good care of her, as well as your wife and Mu Lin."

Do the best I can.

Gao Minggong finally became a little excited. He nodded vigorously, held Xie Ci's hand with his backhand, and tears finally welled up in his eyes.

I have been tough all my life, but when I think of my family, my heart becomes sad.

Everyone is the same.

Gao Minggong took a while to calm down. He let out a long breath. He had suffered many injuries, big and small, over the years, but he didn't feel too much pain. It was just that in the last few moments, after the ups and downs of his heart, the memories flew away. He murmured, "...I have some regrets."

At the last moment of his life, something broke through, and he suddenly recalled the battle between Feng Kun and the old emperor.

Gao Minggong obeyed the imperial edict and rushed to Wuguan Pass. He did not advance into the capital, but he could imagine what the scene would be like.

It felt like something was pinching my heart and I was suffocating.

"You didn't do anything wrong."

Gao Minggong never dreamed it would turn out like this, did he? He was doing his duty silently, and there was nothing wrong with that.

Xie Ci said calmly, "There's nothing to regret. It's better to mend the fence after the sheep have been lost."

Xie Ci no longer showed any emotion when he heard this topic again. Bringing up the past was pointless, and he had never considered criticizing Gao Minggong.

Even in the past, when he knew Feng Kun was defeated, he just said it was God's will.

However, at this moment, Xie Ci knew clearly that he could no longer rely solely on fate.

The time has come for him to do something!

The clouds were getting thicker and thicker, with only a ray of cool light in the distant sky. Xie Ci suddenly raised his eyes and looked towards Jiazhou.

What he has to do now is to make up for the loss.

It's only a matter of time before the damage is done.

There's still time.

…

Xie Ci comforted Gao Minggong with a few words and waited until Gao Mulin arrived. Gao Mulin quickly rushed back, along with Gao Minggong's only remaining personal guards and trusted generals who had just been driven away with him.

He stood up, leaving the last bit of space to them.

When Xie Ci found Gu Wan, the injured had been almost dealt with. Gu Wan was leading people to pick up the best weapons and tie them into a bundle at the entrance to prepare to take them away later.

Only after being a housewife did she realize how difficult it was. Now she has developed the habit of thinking about whether she can use anything she sees.

Four spear poles held up the cloth tent. After Xie Ci turned around the pass, Xie Yun, Xie Zi and the others automatically retreated to a farther distance to keep watch.

Xie Ci leaned over to help Gu Wan move the bundle of things on the ground to the side. He stood in front of Gu Wan with a very calm expression, "Even now, he is still considering his royal interests."

Xie Ci smiled sarcastically. Perhaps in the eyes of the old emperor, if it were not for the Li family's empire, the Northern Rong would be no different.

After a period of indignation and resentment, Xie Ci's mind finally cleared up. "Not every time there's a Gao Minggong. The next time it falls apart, it's just the next time."

Feng Kun once said that it was so natural for the old emperor to look down on his ministers and think that those who refused to die were disloyal.

Never before has a thank you been so profoundly clear about this sentence.

"The old emperor can't live any longer. I'm going to kill him!"

It was impossible for him to work for this dynasty again, even for the sake of face.

One thing after another, one thing after another, it has crossed the line that must be punished by death!

I could still tolerate my personal thanks for the greater good, but if the old emperor continued to live, the loyalist warlords would not only fall apart, but all those first-rate generals who could fight and command troops would die! The land beneath our feet would become a slave farm for the Beirong people, and they would all become slaves of a conquered nation!

Not only does he want to kill, but he wants to kill as quickly as possible.

Xie Ci was more aware of this than ever before, but when he returned to Gu Wan, he felt a little uneasy again: "I'm sorry, Wan Wan, I..."

He made this important decision without consulting her. He was determined to do it, but he felt uneasy and uneasy.

The drizzle gradually grew heavier, falling on the brown and yellow half-worn tent cloth, and a slightly cold wind was blowing.

The two stood face to face. Gu Guan was at such a critical turning point in his fate, so she didn't dare to give him any advice, fearing that it would have a bad influence on him because of his past and present lives.

So she just said, "Okay, anyway, I support you!"

She pinched his arm, and his muscles were indeed tense. She lightened her tone and said, "We've been fugitives before, after all."

"There's nothing to be afraid of."

Her expression was so calm and she smiled at him.

Xie Ci moved suddenly, he hugged her tightly, took a deep breath, and kissed Gu Wan's neck.

After a while, he said, "I'm sorry, Wanwan, he can't live. If he lives any longer, even ten Gao Minggongs can't stop him!"

Xie Ci knew very well that if the old emperor died at this moment, the Central Plains would probably fall apart.

But even if it were torn into pieces, it wouldn't be as bad as this!

Let him do all this!

Xie Ci was actually not as calm as he appeared. He leaned on her head and took a deep breath for a while, then suddenly said in a hoarse voice, "I think of Pang Huai."

In fact, he was also thinking of his father and brothers, who were buried in the four small tombs by the Bashui River in the Jingji Plain.

I suddenly felt extremely sad.

"He doesn't deserve it."

Too many emotions surged to the extreme, and her voice was dumbfounded. "He really doesn't deserve it!"

He feels bad for Pang Huai!

I feel sorry for his father and brother!

Such a king is not worthy of such a strong-willed minister.

He deserves to die.

He should continue to rot.

It is only suitable for him to have the same corruption as the emperor and his ministers in the court. He does not deserve to have a pillar to turn the tide.

So, he wants to kill him!

Only when he dies, will there be hope for life on this land that gave birth to him, raised him, and is the land on which millions of Han people depend for their livelihood!

…

As soon as the thought of thanking him arose, he became as resolute as a rock.

He gave Gu Wan a few words of advice, then quickly mounted his horse and headed northeast, joining the battle.

A earth-shaking battle lasted for half a month and eventually successfully drove the unstable Beirong army to the north bank of the Yellow River.

There were still many scattered gold and silver ornaments and broken porcelain and jade in the Beirong camp. The Beirong people would rather smash and tear to pieces those that they did not have time to drag onto the boats than leave them to the Wei people.

Xie Ci laughed coldly.

Standing on the south bank of the Yellow River where the cold wind was blowing, he stood in a dark heavy armor with a sword in his hand. The wind blew and he could not move. Xie Ci did not stop the soldiers who were picking up the gold and silver. He only reminded them to be careful and not to loot the gold and silver before distributing them. He suddenly turned around and left quickly.

The rainy season is coming, and the ground is getting deeper and deeper. It is not suitable to cross the river to fight again. According to the seasonal calculations in the Jianghuai area in recent years, Xie Ci's beheading plan may take a month, or more than half a month, or perhaps ten days and a half to complete.

It wasn't a lot of time, very little compared to what he wanted to do.

But Xie Ci still waited patiently for a few days before ordering those who had managed to sneak into Jiazhou City to begin in-depth deployment.

Because Gao Minggong had taken over his position in battle, and many people knew about his arrival before his death, he had to wait at least a few days before contacting Gao Minggong's family to prevent anyone from noticing anything. According to custom, Gao Minggong's coffin would be carried back to his hometown for burial a day or two after the battle by Gao's servants and guards.

Gao Mulin is wearing armor and won't go, so my mother, wife, and daughter-in-law will automatically find excuses not to go for unspeakable reasons.

Xie Ci had to wait until Gao Minggong's coffin was farther away before taking action, so as to prevent him from dying in peace.

It can be deployed during this period.

Xie Ci galloped across the battlefield, the black smoke, the fallen triangular tents and the mud all mixed together. Xie Feng and several other riders dressed in ordinary sentry clothes came to meet him. When they saw him, they whipped their horses to speed up and soon met up with him.

Xie Ci asked, "How are the Gao family members?"

Xie Feng said, "After being taken out of Zhongdu, he was first placed in the Huangjue Temple in the inner city of Jiazhou. Later, he and many other ministers and their families were moved to Linxinfang in the inner city. He lives very close to the palace in the secondary capital. However, the emperor has not made any move. Can he wait for us to take action and then take him out together?"

Xie Ci nodded slightly, not surprised. With other ministers and generals still around, even if the old emperor was narrow-minded, he would not take action at this moment.

After Xie Feng finished speaking, he carefully took out a rectangular object three fingers wide wrapped in blue cloth from his arms and presented it to his master with both hands.

Xie Ci took it and felt around with his fingers.

——This is the golden order that Pang Huai left for him.

When he returned to Shuofang, he thought that this golden order would not be used, but who knew that due to unexpected turns of events, it would be put to such a use!

Xie Ci lowered his eyes and looked at the golden command arrow with body temperature, just like when Pang Huai took it out of his arms that year.

He thought to himself, he let you down, but I won’t!

I will get all of this back from you.

You are so outstanding, you have been working hard one after another, and I will not let anyone trample on your hard work!

Xie Ci wrapped the golden order in a blue cloth and stuffed it into the inner pocket of his arms. He shouted, "Let's go!"

"yes!"

The wind was howling, and the group of people galloped on their horses without saying a word.

Xie Feng, Xie Yun and the others followed Xie Ci closely. They exchanged glances, their expressions revealing a resolute and fierce determination like galloping horse hooves.

…

The drizzle was getting heavier and heavier, and Gu Guan had already set up a tent at the edge of the battlefield and was waiting for them.

In March, the grass is lush and the birds are singing. The long thatch and the small hill in front block the view, hiding the green and yellow tent inside.

Gu Guan also changed into an olive-colored short-sleeved shirt that was close to camouflage green, which he wore over his chain mail, and a small oilcloth cap of the same color. He sat on a large rock on the side of the hill and could see soldiers cleaning the battlefield in groups of three or two from afar.

The soldiers wore uniforms from different states, but all had cheerful expressions on their faces. Although there were tears and blood on their faces, they were all happy because they had just defeated the Northern Rong across the Yellow River.

Perhaps of all wars, this is the only one that can make soldiers from all over the world have the same emotions.

But they were unaware of the undercurrents that had just emerged between the Jiedushi, Duhu and generals above them.

The old emperor really deserves to die!

Gu Guan had never felt that someone deserved to die like this.

I really don't want this disgusting thing to live even for a single day. Does he deserve to enjoy the offerings from the world?

Pooh!

Gu Guan sat for a while. When the wind changed and the long grass blew to the other side, she jumped down and went into the tent to wait.

She and Xie Zi waited for about a quarter of an hour, and heard the dull clatter of horses' hooves tied with grass from behind. Xie Ci and his group dismounted from a distance and walked over, holding the reins.

Half a month is enough time for all the turbulent emotions to calm down and for people to calm down completely.

When they discussed these matters, they would either discuss them vaguely on horseback without naming names or in the open air, as they were doing today, without mentioning them in the tents of the main camp.

As soon as he saw Xie Ci and the others coming, Gu Guan quickly spread out a piece of oilcloth on the flat stone under the tent, then opened another oilcloth, peeled off several layers, and took out the two large hand-painted sheepskin pictures and several pens from the innermost layer.

The deployment actually started half a month ago. Except for the Gao family, everyone else who can move has already started.

Gu Wan summarized the latest information and drew a map. "This is a map of the Jiazhou Palace, and the other is a map of Jiazhou City."

The latter one is very detailed because it shows all the places where Xie Kar-wai can go.

As for the first picture, the periphery is already relatively clear. The Daqin Hall and several nearby palaces that the old emperor might visit, as well as the main buildings of the imperial palace, have all been depicted and marked.

Based on the direction of the outer river, Gu Guan of Jinshui River marked the location of the inner river section with dotted lines.

But there are still a lot of blank spaces.

"It can only be this clear."

Unless you break into the palace, you won't be able to find out what's going on inside.

Xie Feng continued, "Master, our people can only take us to the second palace gate at best. If we impersonate them, we can only take us to the waiting room at best."

The waiting room is much closer to the Daqin Hall, but in addition to body searches and sword removal, even the face has to be checked, so the risk of exposure is very high.

Fortunately, the Jiazhou Palace was much smaller than the Zhongdu Imperial City. It was designed to accommodate the site's conditions, being approximately two-thirds smaller, and its layout was divided into outer and inner courts. Standing at one end of the perimeter, one could overlook the perimeter at the other. The Daqin Hall's base had only thirty-nine steps, and its gate could be seen from many locations.

Xie Ci said, "I don't know how many secret guards the emperor has. As far as I know, two died in Sigan Mountain." Pang Huai, Yin Luo, and Zhao Xi worked together to kill them. "One of them should be a leader. Another one also died on the day Feng Kun forced the emperor to abdicate."

It is very difficult to assassinate the emperor.

Even with Pang Huai's golden order, it would be extremely difficult to achieve this goal, even arduous.

If the emperor could be killed so easily, he would have died a thousand times already.

It was the hasty relocation of the capital and the death of three of the emperor's top secret guards that gave them some chance of success.

In the past, there would have been absolutely no chance of that happening in Zhongdu.

Xie Ci had some prominent people in Jiazhou, who were officials. When they saw that the emperor was about to escape, regardless of whether they were key people to be taken away, they quickly squeezed in and were taken to Jiazhou together.

The Jiazhou court is now stationed in the palace for twelve hours, but with such a huge change, it is possible that they may feel unwell. They can leave the palace and return home, and then take them with them.

Not everyone is willing to do it. Two of them were afraid and refused to do it, which made them really sick.

But this route is obviously not the best choice.

Xie Ci still preferred the spies that Xie Jiawei had previously placed among the imperial guards outside the palace. He gave the small group to Feng Kun, but Feng Kun ignored them and they were still there.

Gao Mulin also came over quietly. He had suggested before that his father and his family had many good friends in the imperial guards.

But Xie Ci shook his head and refused, "It's not appropriate."

Those who had close ties with Gao Minggong and the Gao family were all of his kind. Gao Minggong had a breakthrough before his death, but they hadn't experienced this.

It is totally unsuitable and failure is almost foreseeable.

Gao Mulin tried hard to open his red and painful eyes, thought for a moment, and finally said: "And the Gao family, if one suffers, all will suffer. The old emperor is so stingy, and many of my brothers and cousins know it."

Xie Ci's concerns were indeed reasonable. After careful consideration, he abandoned all his family friends and his father's friends, leaving only the Gao family. He didn't want anyone he was unsure about. Several of them had complained to Gao Mulin privately, and Gao Mulin knew that they all understood in their hearts that the person above them was narrow-minded.

After experiencing this incident, Gao Mulin has grown up. Only interests and involvement are the best guarantees. If something goes wrong, no one with the surname Gao will suffer.

Xie Ci finally nodded, "These few people can be used."

"Master, we have done our research. We can set fire to Yuanyang Palace and force the old emperor out!"

After such a long period of intensive investigation and supplementary planning, a plan gradually took shape - to disguise the patrolling imperial guards and leave the team, carrying the kerosene that had been smuggled and hidden under the Jinshui River in the past few days, and sneaking as far as the Yunyang Palace at most.

The palace is small, and although the Yunyang Hall can only be considered the inner core, if the fire is fierce, the emperor will most likely flee in a hurry. This is because the Jiazhou Palace is quite old and has rarely been repaired. The wood is very old, and a fire can easily cause serious consequences.

Xun Xiao also came. He was wearing a gray coat with a hood and stood quietly at the back. Then he said in a hoarse voice, "I'll go too."

His skills are not inferior to Xie Ci, so he is not suitable to pretend to be a royal guard, but he can provide support after an incident occurs outside.

Xie Yun dropped to one knee with a thud: "Master, I will go with you!"

Xie Feng, Xie Ping, Zhang Qing, Zheng Yinglian, Gu Wan, and Xie Zi, all the other guards, knelt down on the ground and loudly requested, "I will go with my master!"

It is very dangerous, people will definitely die, and once you go, you may never come back, but they are not afraid!

Gu Wan was silent for a while, then she whispered, "This plan is a bit too risky."

She is also an adventurous person, but she was really nervous and didn't quite agree with it.

Xie Ci called Xie Ping and the others up first. He frowned, thought for a long time, and finally shook his head slightly, "You're right."

There are too many uncertainties.

"What if the old emperor can't come out because of the fire? We don't even know if there are any tunnels in this Jiazhou Palace."

The former are stuck in a dilemma and are likely to be completely exposed, not to mention the latter, they will never have a second chance.

Xie Ci wanted to kill the emperor, but he was not going to die.

Even if you die after killing the emperor, it is still valuable.

But the probability of the plan going short is too high at the moment.

The river breeze carrying moisture whizzed past, shaking the tent. Xie Ci frowned in thought, but suddenly he raised his head.

Xun Xiao too!

Gu Guan was startled and looked back quickly.

Not far from the green and wet long grass, on the side of another mound, stood a tall and thin man holding a long sword with a black leather scabbard. He had an ordinary face, wore a black cloth short jacket, and wore military boots. He stood very straight, with a silent temperament as if he had experienced many battles and the vicissitudes of life. He stood silently in the long grass in the drizzle.

It's an acquaintance.

It’s Yin Luo.

Yin Luo walked towards this side slowly. When he reached the outside of the tent, he stared at Xie Ci, then glanced at the hooded Xun Xiao, but he quickly retracted his gaze and looked at Xie Ci.

The sky was blue and misty. He spoke in a low voice: "You want to kill the emperor? I can help you."

…

Under the cloth tent, Xie Ci looked Yin Luo up and down, his eyes sweeping over his military boots that were stained with smoke and mud.

It seems that Feng Kun is in this army.

I just don’t know which group of troops belongs to him?

Yin Luo said calmly, "We have some people in the Jiazhou Palace. If all goes well, they can enter the outer perimeter of the Daqin Palace."

He added: "There is no underground tunnel in the Jiazhou Palace."

Although the temporary palace is small, it is only small compared to the Zhongdu Imperial Palace. After Feng Kun forced the emperor to abdicate and the bloody battle at the gates of the city, the defense of the Daqin Palace was simply three layers inside and outside.

But overall, it is much more reliable than the previous fire attack plan.

But Yin Luo said, "I will go with you."

It’s better to say “join forces” than to “help”.

Xie Ci said, "What do you want to do?"

Perhaps, what does Feng Kun want to do?

Yin Luo raised his lips coldly, "Go kill those brats!"

Since the old emperor had already killed Xie Ci, he might as well go and kill those little bastards.

Yin Luo sneered: "What? You think it's wrong, cruel?"

Xie Ci said calmly: "Not really."

For the first time, he lost his compassion for the little child.

In the territory of Beirong, even a few-year-old child lying on the ground crying may pull out a dagger and stab you in the chest at any time.

These little princes must be like this.

They exchanged it for millions of taels of gold, millions of taels of silver, tens of millions of taels of tax equivalent to two years' worth of blood and sweat in the blood of the Wei Dynasty, and ten thousand daughters of the common people.

Xie Ci said, "They don't deserve it."

Yin Luo laughed heartily and said coldly, "You are absolutely right!"

…

Maybe the heavens were on Xie Ci's side, unable to bear to see the mountains and rivers broken and the people dying. Just when Xie Ci and Yin Luo had discussed the general plan.

Xie Hai is here.

He didn't come alone.

Xie Hai is in charge of all external affairs, especially now that Jiazhou and Xie Ci are in frequent contact and are about to have major movements. He is like a needle on a string, unable to move his feet. Unless there is a very important turning point or something happens at the moment, he will never be able to come in person.

Xie Hai hurried over, bringing someone with him. They stopped far away on the other side. Xie Hai came over.

"Master, I was in Zhongdu and met the Fourth Prince on his way to Prime Minister Feng's place."

The Fourth Prince was captured, and they originally wanted to try to use him as bait, but when the Fourth Prince realized their intentions, he became very excited and wanted to help them kill the emperor.

The Fourth Prince was not a cunning person. Before coming, Xie Hai had already confirmed that he was not lying.

Yin Luo was no longer here. He certainly knew that the Fourth Prince was looking for a base, but they ignored him.

When he heard this person, his expression became complicated, and he pursed his lips and dodged.

He didn't want to meet the Fourth Prince at all.

The Fourth Prince was brought here quickly. When he was first discovered by Xie Hai's men, he was dressed like a beggar, but he did not go to the imperial palace or the Jiazhou Palace. He just tried his best to search for the stronghold that Feng Kun had left behind in the past, and guarded it every day.

His clothes were wet and dirty, the soles of his shoes were worn out, and his feet were covered with blisters.

No one paid any attention to him that day. He cried and carried his mother's trampled body on his back, groping his way out of the tunnel.

He ran out to the street, smashed his jade pendant and pawned it as broken jade. He changed a coffin for his mother and buried her in a place facing south.

Concubine Mu's ancestral home is in the south.

He was in a daze for several months, and only came to his senses when he realized that he had to kill the emperor. When he was brought before Xie Ci, crystal tears fell from his eyes that had cried countless times, "I will kill him!"

"I might be able to help you. I'm a prince, and I can lead you straight to the gate of Daqin Palace!"

No matter what, he is a prince after all. Once he is brought back to the palace, he can go straight to the jade steps of the Daqin Palace without being summoned and wait for an audience.

The fourth prince clenched his fists tightly: "I will kill him, I will kill him ah ah ah——"

The more expectations and hesitations there were, the more regrets there were at this moment.

Gu Guan glanced in the direction Yin Luo avoided, and she took the Fourth Prince and left first.

The Fourth Prince held her hand tightly, "Do you know where our foster father is?!"

He burst into tears, "...I wonder if my adoptive father will be willing to see me again?"

He cried bitterly. He was willing to risk his life if he could kill the old emperor. He wondered if his adoptive father would be willing to see him after he killed that man.

Gu Guan let out a breath. She didn’t know what to say.

…

After the fourth prince left, Yin Luo appeared.

He didn't even glance at the Fourth Prince, but only said to Xie Ci, "Do you believe what he said? Whether you believe it or not, make a backup plan."

"The chances of escaping after success are 80% for the former and 50% for the latter."

Yin Luo raised an eyebrow and looked at Xie Ci, "Are you afraid?"

Xie Ci curled his lips slightly, the smile not reaching his eyes. He drew out the goose feather dagger at his side, the three-foot green blade was extremely sharp!

"Either don't do it, or don't be afraid."

Nowadays, there is nothing to be afraid of!

Is there anything more terrifying than being a slave of a conquered nation?

very good.

Yin Luo said, "Then you have to hurry up, otherwise Li Yi will instigate Grand Tutor Wen to push the Third Prince to the throne, and Li Yi will take full advantage."

Xie Ci couldn't help but frown: "Third Prince?"

The author has something to say:

Of course it's assassination. No, it's not assassination, it's more of an open assassination. There aren't enough conditions to issue a manifesto and launch a legitimate attack. Not to mention strength, but we just don't want to be led by external enemies and then fall apart in civil war. (Xie Ci's goal is to turn the tide, to collapse without civil war. If the old emperor is allowed to continue to fight, internal chaos will soon begin.)

In addition, Master Wen may be thinking in a different direction, which is to let the old emperor abdicate and replace him with another emperor to assist him. People who are too upright will always have different ideas.

At this juncture, we must do our utmost to control it and prevent it from falling apart.

Master Wen and the others were knocked unconscious and taken away. The old emperor actually knew very well which people were worthy of being the last guarantee.

(Although the Third Prince was a bit odd and even knocked on the door, his nature was somewhat different from that of the old emperor. The most important thing was that he was the Crown Prince.)

…

The abuse is over. It made Ah Xiu uncomfortable to write it QAQ. Don’t worry! Heart to heart~ See you tomorrow, my dears! What~ (づ￣3￣)づ