Chapter 409: A Vicious Plan
Xiao Beicheng glanced at Su Qinyao and Helian Feng:
"To capture the city, we must disrupt their formation."
Helian Feng snorted coldly, with a hint of impatience between his brows:
"Do you think I haven't thought about it? I once ordered people to try to incite the generals of the Imperial Guard to rebel, but those people were all loyal to Xiao Nanyan. I sent assassins to sneak into the city to steal the military token, but that bastard Fu Yunqing had set up many traps in the Regent's Palace, and the people I sent out never returned..."
Helian Feng mentioned it in a few words, but his frustration and anxiety in recent days were clearly revealed.
Su Qinyao echoed:
"Isn't it? We led our troops to attack Yandu several times, intending to capture it by force, but Fu Yunqing defended the city so well that we had no chance at all."
Xiao Beicheng's lips curled up when he heard this, as if he had expected this situation.
"Your method is too hasty and too superficial."
Helian Shu asked anxiously: "Dad, do you have any good plan?"
Xiao Beicheng tapped the table with his long fingers, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes:
"That Xiao Nanyan is relying on the young emperor's youth to hold the emperor hostage and control the other princes. You're right to rebel in the name of clearing the court of corrupt officials, but a frontal attack isn't the answer. Shoot the horse first, capture the leader first. Find a way to break into the palace at night, capture the young emperor, and force him to write a letter of abdication, handing over the throne to you, the former crown prince. That way, you'll have your first trump card."
"Second, we'll start with the grain within the city. Zhang Qian, the commander of the granary west of the city, received my favor years ago and has always been grateful for that friendship. However, Fu Mingyuan is keeping a close eye on him, so he dares not act rashly. Send someone disguised as a grain merchant to sneak into the city, meet up with Zhang Qian at night, and burn the grain to disrupt their formation."
Helian Feng's eyes lit up:
"The plan is brilliant, but the actions are extremely dangerous."
Xiao Beicheng sneered, "If we talk about the degree of familiarity with the Tianqi Palace, no one is better than you, Your Highness the Crown Prince. You know better than me where the secret passages in the palace are and where they lead to. Therefore, you have to personally take charge of this matter of kidnapping the little emperor."
Su Qinyao frowned slightly, with a hint of worry in her tone:
"But even if we get Helian Ji out of the palace and force him to sign the abdication edict, Xiao Nanyan can easily support another prince to ascend the throne after his return, and still legitimately control the government. Wouldn't our efforts be in vain?"
Xiao Beicheng narrowed his eyes and sneered:
"If all those princes were killed, who would Xiao Nanyan establish? If rumors were to spread that Xiao Nanyan was plotting to usurp the throne and personally murdered the princes, would the Tianqi army be in turmoil? Wouldn't the court and the people curse him?"
“No!”
Helian Feng's body trembled violently, and he shouted sternly:
"They... they are my royal brothers after all. I absolutely cannot kill them. I absolutely do not agree!"
Su Qinyao's eyes flashed quickly, and she hurried forward to hold Helian Feng's arm, and comforted him softly:
"Don't worry, Feng'er. General Xiao was just saying it casually. Consider our brotherhood, so we won't kill him. Let's think of another way."
She spoke sincerely, but she glanced at Xiao Beicheng quickly from the corner of her eye, murderous intent flashing in her eyes.
Xiao Beicheng smiled knowingly:
"It seems that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is truly kindhearted and possesses the demeanor of a king. If so, then we should simply force the young emperor to sign a decree of abdication. As for the other princes, we must find a way to capture them and temporarily imprison them. We must not leave them as pawns for Xiao Nanyan."
Helian Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief and said nothing more, but his expression remained gloomy.
Xiao Beicheng changed the subject:
"Xiao Nanyan's army will arrive in Yandu in a month at most. We don't have much time left, so we must make plans as soon as possible. The reason I held back before was because I was waiting for an opportunity."
"What opportunity?" Helian Shu asked in confusion.
"Right now, Xiao Nanyan is not in Kyoto, so we have to rely on Fu Yunqing to take charge. He is very resourceful and his martial arts skills are no less than Xiao Nanyan's. With him guarding the city, a direct attack will be extremely difficult."
Xiao Beicheng paused, a calculation flashed in his eyes:
"I've been hanging around the Regent's Palace lately, and I've learned that his wife, Xuan Yue, is about to give birth."
Su Qinyao's eyes lit up, and she instantly understood his intention:
"Are you planning to take advantage of his wife's labor to cause trouble? To disrupt his mind, force him to be distracted, and then seize the opportunity to attack the city?"
"That's right." Xiao Bei nodded:
"The method we used to deal with Jiang Qingyue, the Queen of the South, can be used again. No matter how skilled Fu Yunqing is, if he wants to cure the Nightmare Tapir Gu, he'll have to go to southern Xinjiang to pick the Spirit-Awakening Herb. If he loses his composure, how can he focus on defending the city?"
Helian Feng took a deep breath and frowned:
"This... is too cruel to do this to a pregnant woman."
"Vicious?"
Xiao Beicheng sneered and retorted:
"If Your Highness is too soft-hearted, then you will be crushed to ashes by Xiao Nanyan. When he returns to the capital, he will have time to deal with you. By then, your mother, your sister, your kingdom, your life, and even the beautiful woman you long for will all be gone!"
These words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Helian Feng's heart hard.
His whole body trembled, and Xiyan's face appeared uncontrollably in front of his eyes, and his fingertips tightened suddenly.
Helian Feng couldn't understand when he was forced into a desperate situation and had to do those vicious things against his will, but he didn't want to lose Xiyan completely. The struggle in his heart was like being torn between two forces, and the pain made him almost unable to breathe.
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