At the same time, in the Imperial Palace, at the Imperial Guard's duty station.
Zhang Han sat at his desk, toying with a tiger tally in his hand.
This is the Imperial Guard's troop deployment token; one half is with him, and the other half is with Li Jingang.
With this tiger tally, one can mobilize three thousand imperial guards in the palace.
The door was gently pushed open, and a guard slipped in, kneeling on one knee: "Commander, there's movement at the Cui residence."
"explain."
"Feng Liang, Cui Mian, Wang Ke, Liu Wei, and Zhao Cheng secretly discussed and planned to launch an uprising at midnight tonight." The guard reported the contents of his conversation in detail.
After listening, Zhang Han remained silent for a long time.
He is forty-nine years old this year. He was originally a blacksmith in Xiazhou. He followed Li Jingang and rose from a small personal guard captain to the commander of the Imperial Guard.
Li Jingang treated him well, bestowing upon him a mansion and land.
But now, he is about to betray the lord who treated him like a brother.
"Commander," the guard whispered, "Feng Liang and the others said you would cooperate with them to open the palace gates. We..."
Zhang Han raised his hand to stop him: "I understand. Continue to monitor, and report any unusual activity immediately."
"yes."
After the guards withdrew, Zhang Han walked to the window.
As dusk deepened outside the window, palace lanterns lit up one after another.
This palace, which he has guarded for two years, may change hands tonight.
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry," Zhang Han said softly to the void. "I cannot die with you. I still have a family and three thousand Imperial Guard brothers. I must find a way for them to survive."
He walked back to his desk and picked up his pen to write a letter.
The letter was addressed to Zhao Muyun, and its contents were very simple:
"General: At midnight tonight, the east and south gates will open. I have already made arrangements for the palace gates. I only request that after you enter the city, you restrain your soldiers and ensure that they do not harm the civilians or kill any surrendered officials. Zhang Han bows."
After writing it, he sealed it with sealing wax and summoned his most trusted captain of the personal guards: "Shoot this letter to the Yin army camp outside the city."
"Commander, are you really going to..."
"Go." Zhang Han waved his hand and closed his eyes wearily.
The captain of the personal guards gritted his teeth, tucked the letter away, and turned to leave.
Zhang Han sat alone in the darkness, listening to the drumbeats.
At 2:45 PM, the guards were stationed at the East Gate.
A charcoal fire burned inside the barracks, making it warm and cozy.
Four side dishes were laid out on a square table: braised beef, roast chicken, fried peanuts, and cucumber salad.
In the center is a jar of wine sealed with mud, with red paper pasted on the jar, which reads "Zui Xian Lou · Twenty Years of Daughter Red".
Liu Wei and Chen Wu sat facing each other.
Chen Wu was twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a burly build and a full beard. He was the only son of Zhang Han's sister and Zhang Han's most trusted junior in the army.
"Brother Chen, you've worked hard today."
Liu Wei broke the clay seal, and the aroma of the wine immediately filled the air. "I've stored this jar of wine for two years, and I've been reluctant to drink it. Today, I'll drink with my brothers, and we won't leave until we're drunk!"
Chen Wu grinned and said, "Brother Liu, you're too kind. But I'm on duty tonight, and I'm afraid I'll mess things up if I drink too much..."
"Hey, it's only 7 PM, there are still two hours until the shift changes at 9 PM." Liu Wei had already filled two bowls with wine. "A few bowls won't make things difficult. Come on, bottoms up!"
They clinked their wine bowls together and drank it all in one gulp.
The Nu'er Hong wine has a mellow taste and a long-lasting aftertaste.
Chen Wu smacked his lips: "Excellent wine! No wonder it's the prized possession of Zuixianlou!"
"Of course." Liu Wei poured more wine. "Brother Chen, I heard you're getting married next month? Congratulations!"
When the topic of marriage came up, Chen Wu smiled and said, "Yes, I'm marrying the daughter of Vice Minister Wang. My uncle said that after we get married, he'll promote me to Commander of the East Gate."
"From now on, I'll have to call you Commander Chen!" Liu Wei raised his bowl. "Cheers!"
I ate the second bowl.
While urging Chen Wu to drink, Liu Wei observed his expression.
Seeing that the other party was completely unprepared, I felt a little relieved, but I felt more guilty.
Although Chen Wu rose through the ranks quickly thanks to his uncle's connections, he was straightforward and not very cunning.
We've worked together for three months, and I've treated myself, as a "senior colleague," with respect.
Now we have to use this method to deal with him...
"Brother Liu, why aren't you drinking?" Chen Wu asked, seeing Liu Wei holding the wine bowl in a daze.
"Drink, drink." Liu Wei came to his senses and drank the third bowl of wine in one gulp.
He had secretly added "Immortal's Poison" to this bowl of wine.
Chen Wu, without suspecting anything, also finished his third bowl.
After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,
Chen Wu gradually became more talkative.
"Brother Liu, do you think this battle... can still be fought?" He lowered his voice. "I heard from the brothers on duty in the palace that His Majesty fainted in the palace today and hasn't woken up yet. There are 160,000 troops surrounding the city. How long can our 8,000 men hold out?"
Liu Wei's heart skipped a beat, and he tentatively asked, "Brother Chen, what do you mean...?"
“What could I possibly mean?” Chen Wu smiled bitterly. “I’m just a soldier. I’ll defend when I’m ordered to defend and fight when I’m ordered to fight. But Brother Liu, I’m getting married next month… I don’t want to die here.”
He leaned closer, his breath reeking of alcohol: "To be honest, my uncle talked to me today, saying... saying that if the situation doesn't look good, I should act according to circumstances. I don't quite understand what 'act according to circumstances' means?"
Liu Wei felt a chill run down his spine.
Zhang Han had indeed made arrangements in secret.
“Brother Chen,” he said, choosing his words carefully, “your uncle is a wise man. This city cannot be defended. King Zhao has thunderous cannons; ninety thousand can break through two hundred thousand. What are our eight thousand men? Rather than resisting to the bitter end, we should… find a way to survive.”
Chen Wu's eyes lit up: "Brother Liu, you're right! Then... then what should we do?"
"Wait," Liu Wei said in a low voice, "wait for the right opportunity. When the time comes, follow your uncle, and you won't go wrong."
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