Outside Shanhaiguan.
The soldiers, bored and just waiting for their shift to end, suddenly spotted a group of about three hundred elite cavalrymen in the distance.
And the banner they were flying was Li's.
Soon the 300-strong cavalry force stopped in front of the tightly closed city gates of Shanhaiguan.
A soldier on guard duty at Shanhaiguan immediately poked his head out and asked:
"Who goes there?"
Just after the soldier finished speaking, one of the three hundred elite cavalrymen rode out on horseback and shouted to the soldiers on the city wall:
"I am Qi Duchen, the captain of General Li Qin's personal guard. Our general has come to the capital on His Majesty's orders."
"Open the city gates quickly and let us through."
As he spoke, Qi Duchen took out the imperial edict that Li Qin had given him from his bosom and held it above his head.
The soldiers on the city wall, upon seeing the imperial edict, the three hundred elite armored cavalrymen, and the fluttering Li-character flag, were astounded.
They immediately believed their identities, because outside the Great Wall, apart from the Li family of Liaodong, very few people could muster three hundred elite and armored cavalrymen.
What's even more surprising is that they were a luxurious setup with one person and three horses.
After basically believing their identities, they also confirmed the imperial edict in their hands.
The soldier immediately replied without hesitation:
"Please wait a moment, General Li. I will send someone to inform our general immediately."
After saying this, he sent someone to the city to report to their general, He Xiuwu.
Soon after, He Xiuwu, who was drinking in his own house, received a report from a soldier.
"What? Li Qin is here?"
"Yes, General, it is Li Qin's banner. There are three hundred men, and they are also carrying His Majesty's edict."
The messenger soldier spoke respectfully to He Xiuwu in front of him.
Upon hearing the soldier's report, He Xiuwu immediately thought of the Crown Prince's death.
He secretly thought that Li Qin's trip to the capital with the imperial edict must be related to the sudden death of the crown prince in his jurisdiction.
According to rank, when a high-ranking official like Li Qin arrives, he should personally go to greet him.
But then he remembered that Li Qin was entangled in the matter of the Crown Prince's death.
To protect himself, he decided it was best to avoid any further contact with him.
Otherwise, if Li Qin is really convicted by the court, he will be implicated as well.
He should stay as far away as possible now.
He then gave the following instructions to the soldiers in front of him:
"Okay, I understand. Let them in."
As for me, just tell Li Qin that I am busy with official duties and will not personally go to greet him.
"Send him to the capital as soon as possible; don't keep His Majesty waiting."
"yes."
Upon hearing this, the soldier who was reporting immediately ran out to report the order.
Soon the soldiers guarding the city gate received orders from He Xiuwu, the garrison commander of Shanhaiguan.
They began to proactively open the tightly closed gates of Shanhaiguan.
Meanwhile, Qi Duchen and the others outside the city gates were becoming increasingly anxious as time went by.
Upon seeing the gates of Shanhaiguan slowly open, I was immediately overjoyed.
Then a shout came from the city gate:
"General Li, our general has official duties and cannot personally greet you."
General, please proceed to the capital as soon as possible and do not linger.
Qi Duchen, who was outside, immediately nodded in agreement.
He then immediately assigned tasks to those around him: who would capture the city tower, who would control the gates of the barbican, and who would control the inner city gates.
You should know that all three hundred of them were fully armed with iron armor under their cloaks.
Moreover, each of them is a seasoned veteran and elite soldier.
Against this group of garrison soldiers who have never seen blood and are often unprepared for war, holding out for a while is still enough time for General Li Qin to personally lead his cavalry to charge in.
With the preparations complete, three hundred fully armed cavalrymen slowly formed a long line and entered Shanhaiguan.
This important northern town, the capital's protective barrier, was thus tricked into opening its city gates.
Just as Qi Duchen led these three hundred men into Shanhaiguan, he immediately drew his weapon, killed a Shanhaiguan soldier standing nearby, and said:
"Let's do it."
As soon as Qi Duchen gave the order, the three hundred well-trained and battle-hardened elite cavalrymen immediately charged toward their target.
Qi Duchen immediately led his men to his target, the city tower of Shanhaiguan.
The garrison at Shanhaiguan were stunned and stood frozen in place upon witnessing this sudden scene.
They are in charge of Shanhaiguan, a major town north of the capital.
But this is, after all, the interior of the empire.
There are still many cities ahead serving as barriers.
There hasn't been a fight here for decades.
They were all out of practice and hadn't fought in a long time; most of them weren't even wearing armor.
Moreover, the vast majority of them are people who have never seen blood.
Upon witnessing this scene, I was so shocked that I froze on the spot.
They then began to flee in all directions, offering no resistance whatsoever.
After all, they serve in the army here just to earn a living and make a living.
Although they kept saying they were preparing, no one truly believed they would go to the battlefield.
Although they now also have knives, they are facing Qi Duchen and other seasoned veterans of the borderlands, engaging in a life-or-death struggle and slashing at them.
They simply didn't have that kind of courage.
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