“Chen Wu…” Cui Mian narrowed his eyes, “This man is fond of wine, especially the twenty-year-old Daughter Red wine from ‘Drunken Immortal Pavilion’. Tonight at the hour of Xu, invite him to drink, and slip the wine with drugs.”
"Drugs?" Liu Wei was stunned. "Minister Cui, this..."
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures," Cui Mian said resolutely. "Are you going to wait until midnight to lead five hundred men to fight eight hundred?"
Liu Wei gritted his teeth: "Fine! I'll invite him to the barracks for drinks when the time comes. But where will the medicine come from?"
Cui Mian took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and gently placed it on the table.
The porcelain vase is covered in blue and white glaze, and its slender body gleams with a cool, eerie light under the candlelight.
"This is 'Immortal's Intoxication,' which is colorless and odorless. After three cups, it can make a person sleep for six hours, and when they wake up, they will only think they were drunk."
Cui Mian said slowly, "Remember, you must watch him drink it with your own eyes, at least three cups."
Liu Wei took the porcelain bottle, his palms sweating.
He had killed many people on the battlefield, but this was the first time he had used such methods to deal with his comrades.
Feng Liang sighed softly: "Now there is no turning back. Gentlemen, success means wealth and glory, failure means the extermination of your entire family. I hope we can work together to overcome this difficult time."
The five people clasped their hands together again. This time, each hand was trembling slightly.
The secret meeting continued until early afternoon. The specific division of labor was as follows:
At the hour of Xu: Liu Wei hosted a banquet for Chen Wu, and poisoned three hundred of Zhang Han's loyal followers at the East Gate.
At 9:00 PM: Wang Ke, under the pretext of "changing shifts," transferred three loyal officers of Zhang Han from their posts at the South Gate.
At midnight: Liu Wei opened the east gate, and Wang Ke opened the south gate, allowing the Zhao King's army to enter the city.
Meanwhile, Zhao Cheng led the city defense command to control the main streets to prevent chaos.
Feng Liang and Cui Mian each led three hundred elite guards straight to the palace, where they coordinated with those inside to capture Li Jingang.
"Who is the one providing support inside the palace?" Zhao Cheng asked.
Cui Mian and Feng Liang exchanged a glance, and Cui Mian slowly uttered two words: "Zhang Han".
"What!"
Wang Ke suddenly stood up. "Zhang Han? He captured Li Jingang on the city wall, isn't that...?"
“He’s not trying to steal credit; he’s trying to save his life,” Feng Liang said. “I’ve already spoken with him in private. Zhang Han said that Li Jingang has gone mad, and following him will only lead to death.”
"But as the commander of the Imperial Guards, if he openly rebelled, his subordinates might not listen to him. So today, by capturing the king in public, he both showed goodwill to the King of Zhao and left himself room for maneuver—it can be said to be a 'his Majesty's urgent illness'."
Wang Ke suddenly realized: "So he'll cooperate with us?"
"He will open the palace gates, but he will not appear in person."
Cui Mian said, "He said that there are still some loyalists in the Imperial Guards, and if he openly defected, it might cause internal strife. Therefore, he needs our people to enter the palace, and he will assist them in secret."
The plan seemed meticulously crafted.
However, the five people did not notice that a tile at the ventilation opening on the top of the secret room had been quietly moved aside with a crack.
An eye flashed in the darkness and then disappeared.
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