Chapter 211 Lu Jing
Late at night, the palace was like a dead city. Everything was silent except for the cold wind whistling through it and blowing wildly.
The palace maids and eunuchs were all worried and terrified all day long.
In the side hall, Doctor Fang and Doctor Xu were taking a short break. They had been fighting for a long time and were exhausted. Su Qingwan was still lying quietly on the couch with her eyes closed, and she had not yet woken up. Qingyun tiptoed in, looking at the unconscious Su Qingwan, anxious, and called softly: "Girl, girl..."
Qingyun knew a little about medicine. She reached out and felt Su Qingwan's pulse, which was so weak that it was almost unnoticeable. Although the palace was heated by the floor heating and warm, Qingyun was worried that the cold wind outside would take away the girl's fragile life at any time. Qingyun did not dare to touch Su Qingwan casually. After all, there were spies from Huainan and the southwest all over the palace. As long as she gave an order, these spies would definitely respond. But the girl was so weak now that she could hardly move. What should she do? Qingyun was so anxious that her eyes turned red.
Just after midnight, there was an earth-shaking vibration and Qingyun was awakened suddenly.
Then, she vaguely heard bursts of fighting sounds coming from afar.
Qingyun hurried to the door and looked around. He saw flames rising to the sky in the distance, illuminating half the sky. This was the inner courtyard of the imperial city, the core of the capital. The imperial guards had set up layers of defenses, surrounding it like an iron barrel. It was thought that not even a fly could fly out, and similarly, no one could easily break in.
But the sudden change in front of him made Qingyun's heart beat faster.
At this time, the eldest princess came in a hurry, followed by a team of imperial guards and royal guards, all of whom were her confidants. "Everyone, stay in the palace, and defend it to the death. Don't retreat even a single step!"
The princess looked stern as she gave a loud order, her voice was particularly clear in the night sky. After the order was given, the palace gates were quickly closed, and everyone was on high alert.
Qingyun was filled with anxiety and asked hurriedly, "Your Highness, what happened?"
The princess spoke briefly, but every word was powerful: "Lu Jing, together with Marquis Anyuan and General Chen, led 60,000 troops from the capital to besiege the imperial city. The north gate has been breached, and a group of troops has entered the city!"
Qingyun was stunned at first, then she was filled with joy and almost jumped up with excitement. Lord Lu is back! He is finally back! The girl is saved! It turned out that after Lu Jing left the capital, he took the emperor's secret order and took Anyuan Hou, General Chen and others out of the capital, and then rushed to Gaolan.
If it was only Marquis Anyuan and General Chen who went to Gaolan with the imperial edict, General Liu might not believe it. General Liu was a real royalist, and the tens of thousands of soldiers in the Jingji Guard were all the emperor's private soldiers.
In terms of loyalty, the Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards were originally loyal troops. However, they had long been infiltrated by clans and powerful families.
Most of the clans' children were sent to the Imperial Guards and Jinyiwei for training, and held important positions there. But the Capital Guards were different, they were directly under the Emperor's jurisdiction, there were no wars on weekdays, and they were well paid and well fed.
If a coup really happened in the imperial city, the Jingji Guard would be the emperor's last trump card. Previously, the relationship between the emperor and the generals was tense, and General Liu knew about it.
Marquis Anyuan and General Chen were both injured during the coup and were ordered to recuperate at home. If they took the imperial edict to Gaolan to mobilize troops, General Liu would even worry that they might be faking the imperial edict.
Because of this, Lu Jing went in person to convey the order, which enabled General Liu's tens of thousands of troops to be successfully mobilized.
A few days ago, Lu Jing secretly left the city and came to Gaolan, bringing the emperor's secret order to transfer the Jingji Guard to Dulan Grassland in the name of training. This place is only half a day's journey from Kyoto, and if an accident really happens, it can be rescued in time.
After Lu Jing passed on the order, he handed over the military power to Anyuan Hou and General Chen, and hurried back to Beijing with the Jinyiwei. Anyuan Hou and General Chen were both veterans with rich experience. Although the Jingji Guards did not often fight in wars, there were 3,000 elite soldiers brought by Anyuan Hou and General Chen. They were the vanguards in the southwest battlefield.
On the other hand, the Wucheng Army and Horse Division, which was only good at talking about war on paper and had no actual combat experience, was no match for Marquis Anyuan and General Chen. Once they started fighting, they were defeated. After the North Gate was breached, the South Gate was soon conquered as well. In the name of rescuing the king, the army rushed into the imperial city like a tide.
The soldiers defending the city were defeated step by step and were killed and their weapons and armor were abandoned without a single piece left.
The last line of defense of the imperial city is the Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards! The soldiers of the Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards are all first-class fighters. If they fight alone, An Yuanhou and General Chen may not be their opponents.
However, this was a life-and-death duel, who would fight you one-on-one? Marquis Anyuan and General Chen each led a team of soldiers and horses, and they pushed all the way to the palace, forcing the imperial guards and the Jinyiwei back to the inner court of the palace. For a time, the inner court of the palace became the main battlefield, which was the first time in the hundreds of years since the founding of the Dayuan Dynasty. The messengers ran back and forth, so busy that their feet were fuming, and the news quickly reached Prime Minister Lu.
"My Lord, Marquis Anyuan and the general have surrounded the imperial palace. Let's surrender!" an official said in a panic, with a trembling voice.
"Why did the Jingji Guard arrive in the capital so quickly? How is this possible? Could it be that they have been waiting outside the city for a long time, waiting for us to force the emperor to abdicate? Have we been fooled?"
"The Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards have never been to the battlefield. They can't beat Marquis Anyuan and the general. Sir, please surrender. Our situation is hopeless and our lives are over!" Another official pleaded in despair.
Prime Minister Lu had a gloomy face and an extremely ugly expression. He had experienced three dynasties and was born into a prominent family. As the eldest son, he had shouldered the mission of the family's rise and fall since he was a child.
Over the years, he has indeed not let his people down, and has developed the Lu family into the number one family in Dayuan. The Lu family is now at a point where they can no longer advance or retreat, and can only go all out. After all, the eldest prince will ascend the throne tomorrow!
"As long as the prince ascends the throne, the soldiers outside the gate are rebels and anyone can kill them. Why are you panicking? The people of the world are on our side!" Prime Minister Lu gritted his teeth, unwilling to admit defeat. He felt that he was only one step away from winning.
"My Lord, the people of the world only stand on the side of justice and morality. Besides, the troops are in their hands. This is not the Southwestern Army, but the Capital Guard, which can't be mobilized without an imperial edict. Lu Jing must have used the imperial edict to mobilize the troops. The names of traitors are often written by the victors. We have no chance of winning!" An official advised earnestly.
After hearing this, Prime Minister Lu was so angry that his chest rose and fell violently, and the pain was unbearable. It was all Lu Jing's fault... It was Lu Jing who ruined his plan. He frequently left the capital, and it turned out that he had contacted Gao Lan a long time ago.
He also has the surname Lu, but he actually betrayed his family. How despicable! Prime Minister Lu tried several times to recruit Lu Jing into the family tree, to support this branch child who was looked down upon by the Lu family ten years ago, and to make him his right-hand man in the court. However, Lu Jing was ungrateful and refused several times. Now, Lu Jing has become his biggest enemy.
"Where is Her Royal Highness the Princess? Send someone to look for her!" Prime Minister Lu was furious and said in a deep voice, "Send someone to bring the Princess of Southwest. I don't believe that Lu Jing dares to be so arrogant."
At this moment, a cold voice came from behind: "Lord, I am in the palace, why are you looking for the princess? It is really unnecessary."
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