Chapter 147 Battle of Chengxiang Palace
Dugu Sheng was in a restless mood and made a gesture of picking up the cup to drink tea.
But he had already drunk up the water in the cup.
The old man looked at Zhou Yi with a look of loneliness and sadness:
"Your Majesty once placed great trust in me. Whether it was accompanying the Emperor or mobilizing the Imperial Guards, he was always willing to listen to my opinions. Zhang Xutuo has only been here for a few days, yet he has received such favor. Your Majesty is foolish! I have been loyal all my life, but could I really collude with a rebel?"
"It must be those bastards, the Imperial Censors and the eunuchs, who are spreading slanderous words, that are causing Your Majesty to avoid my sight and ears."
"Although Zhang Xutuo is loyal and righteous, his understanding of the Yuwen clan and the complex relationships and arrangements of the imperial guards is still inferior to mine. Even if he wants to smash the cup as a signal, I should be the one holding the axe."
After saying this, he slapped the coffee table, feeling angry and sighing.
There were only the two of them in the inner hall now, and this was a true expression of his feelings.
Seeing that he looked depressed, Zhou Yi thought that Yang Guang was right in trusting Dugu Sheng.
This old man is not very smart, but he is a strong-willed person.
When Yuwen Huaji rebelled, Pei Qiantong led his troops to Chengxiang Palace, and the guards all dropped their weapons and fled. Pei Qiantong tried to persuade Dugu Sheng to retreat, but he remained by Yang Guang's side, fulfilling his duty as the emperor's guardian and protecting him until his death.
Shaking his head, Zhou Yi also felt a headache.
The situation in Jiangdu is completely different.
If Yu Wenzhi destroyed Guangshen and then returned to the north with the Guanzhong troops, it would be beneficial to him.
But recently, news came that both the Yuwen clan and the Demonic Sect have set their sights on Jiangdu.
If Yu Wenzhi succeeds, he will become a neighbor of the Great Ming Sect, and perhaps also of Shi Zhixuan.
Yang Guang was only concerned with playing music and dancing, but this group of people were full of conspiracies.
In contrast, the Yuwen clan and the Ming Zunjiao should be brought down first.
The problem now is that there is a demon sect involved, so Jiangdu has been in turmoil these days.
If Yang Guang had not been forced into a corner, he would not have taken the risk of looking for Zhang Xutuo.
"gentlemen."
"Mr. Zhou"
Dugu Sheng shouted twice, and Zhou Yi came back to his senses before he asked, "Sir, do you have any good ideas to break the deadlock?"
"Can the Imperial City's Imperial Guards still be trusted?"
"I can't say for sure, but most of my Right Guards are veterans, so they'll definitely be fine. I'm familiar with the people in the Beishen Mansion, but my third brother is no longer on duty there, so their control is greatly reduced. In a critical moment, it's hard to keep them united.
The garrison troops that Xiong's nephew is with are mainly stationed outside the palace. If we want to transfer them to Chengxiang Palace in time, we must inform them in advance, but we are worried about the news leaking out."
“We still don’t have enough manpower.”
"What should we do then?"
Zhou Yi stroked his chin and said in a deep voice, "The Demon Sect has infiltrated the palace. There must be members of their group among the Xiaoguo Army and the Imperial Guards. If we contact Zhang Xutuo to engage in a life-and-death battle with the Yuwen clan, it would be a stalemate."
This matter was of great importance. Dugu Sheng had some ideas in his mind, but he did not dare to make any suggestions:
"Sir, please teach me how to do it."
"No matter what His Majesty said to General Zhang, we must reach a tacit understanding with him."
Dugu Sheng frowned deeply:
"It's a bit difficult. After meeting with Your Majesty, Zhang Xutuo has already said that he will close the door to visitors. I don't know what arrangements he will make. If I come in person, it will definitely attract attention. It's even possible that Zhang Xutuo will suspect me. He has seen Your Majesty's attitude."
"Leave this matter to me, you just need to write the letter."
Zhou Yi looked towards the Linjiang Palace and said, "Also, before the court meeting, you must go to the palace to see His Majesty every day. The more imperial guards you can command, the better."
The two chatted until dark, when Mrs. Zhang came over to light the lamp.
Zhou Yi gathered all the information he knew together, combined it with Dugu Sheng's understanding of the imperial city, and laid out all the strategies he could think of at the moment.
He asked Dugu Sheng to repeat the details twice before he stopped.
Dugu Feng came to the inner hall and called them to have dinner.
While Dugu Sheng was still thinking, Zhou Yi left first.
Madam Zhang flicked on the light and saw Dugu Sheng staring at the two young figures walking away. "What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking that aside from being impolite towards his elders and speaking in a nasty way, this kid is quite good in every other way. In other words, with such ability, it's normal for him to be a bit arrogant, especially since he's so young."
"Why has my husband changed his mind like this?"
Dugu Sheng's face was filled with sorrow. "Madam, Jiangdu is extremely dangerous. If it weren't for this kid, I would have been in danger of death."
He took a deep breath. "Even so, it's hard to imagine what will happen at this court meeting. I have no idea. If I can't return to Dongdu, you will go to my side and fulfill your filial duties on my behalf."
"Nonsense."
Mrs. Zhang frowned and scolded, "Just do the job you have on hand and don't be so careless as usual."
The next day.
Suddenly, the Turks appeared again in Jiangdu City to cause trouble, which showed that Zhang Jun’s camp was unable to completely wipe out the bandits outside the Great Wall that night.
At night, someone sneaked into Zhang Jun’s camp and attempted to set fire.
The masters in the camp were well prepared and fought a fierce battle with them.
After the battle, You Hongda secretly searched for Zhang Xutuo.
At the same time, another thief wanted to sneak into the palace.
However, the group's martial arts skills were not very good, and they were shot to death by the additional left and right military guards and left and right garrison guards before they could even cross the imperial palace wall.
Yang Guang was listening to music in the water palace and was not panicked at all.
Not only was he protected by eunuch masters such as Eunuch Wei, but the five great bodyguards Dugu Sheng, Pei Qiantong, Yuwen Wenji, Yuwen Zhiji, and Sima Dekan were all by his side.
There were also Imperial Censor Pei Yun and Internal Affairs Minister Yu Shiji, the two trusted confidants who were in charge of confidential matters and participated in the government affairs, also accompanying him.
However, the imperial guards were frequently mobilized, and Yang Guang seemed completely unaware of it.
He held a banquet in the palace and drank with these generals and their confidants, talking about the relationship between the monarch and his subjects and the relationships between families.
Everyone was moved and expressed their willingness to swear allegiance until death.
Having said that, the atmosphere in the palace has not changed at all. Now, it is no longer possible to stop it just by wanting to.
Yang Guang saw their attitude and summoned a large number of palace maids to dance after the banquet.
Around the Water Palace, golden lanterns flickered, and colorful lights filled the air, creating a grand and magnificent scene. Countless palace maids danced gracefully, and the sound of orchestral music reached Chengxiang Hall. Yang Guang embraced Empress Xiao and made the Imperial Concubine drunk. The Nanmu Hall was filled with the sound of his laughter.
Accompanied by the lascivious music, the palace guards were moving around the imperial city.
Their purpose, of course, was to capture the assassins who invaded Linjiang Palace.
Yu Wenzhi looked at the winter moon in the Sui Palace, and there seemed to be a trace of fatigue on his clumsy face.
Pei Qiantong and Sima Dekan watched coldly.
Yuwen Zhiji's narrow eyes held a concerned smile. "There's really unrest in the city. I heard Brother Dugu's family was also attacked by an assassin."
"You are really slow to realize it." Dugu Sheng said in a bad tone, too lazy to show him a good face.
Yuwen Zhiji didn't care and just said, "It's my fault for being too busy. Now that the palace has been damaged by assassins, I need to lead people to repair it. If it weren't for these things delaying me, I would have brought people to the mansion to express my condolences. After all, we are old friends."
Yuwen Zhiji was an expert in civil engineering. In addition to being one of the five great guards, he also served as the Junior Supervisor. He supervised the construction of the ten palaces in Shugang, including Guiyan and Huiliu, to the north of Jiangdong City.
Dugu Sheng snorted, "Your Majesty has been sincere to you. I advise you to take care of yourself."
Yuwen Zhiji restrained his smile. He had been naughty and fierce since childhood and liked to fight with others. It was common for him to release hawks and dogs. How could he have a good temper?
At this time, he also responded coldly: "This is what I want to tell you. Everyone knows that the Dugu family is colluding with the rebels. Why are you so shameless?"
Dugu Sheng flicked his sleeves and walked away, while also paying attention to the reactions of Sima Dekan and Pei Qiantong.
Glancing at their expressions, I felt a chill in my heart.
Even if these two did not intervene, given their personalities, as officials in the same court, we should all give both sides some advice.
Mr. Zhou is right. We can no longer have any illusions.
Another day passed, and even more explosive news came from the city.
A captain named Sun in the Xiaoguo Army actually escaped from Jiangdu with eight of his followers.
Yuwen Chengdu was ordered to pursue and capture the defector, and in just half a day, he brought the body of the defector back to the city.
And following the arrangements of the Jiangdu government, these people were hanged on the city wall.
When this news reached the Xiaoguo Army camp, it immediately caused a huge uproar and constant noise in the army.
Fear of Shangguan, longing for Guanzhong, and confusion about Jiangdu.
The feelings of helplessness and anger have been suppressed to the extreme.
Many generals came to the camp and made many promises. From generals to captains, brigade commanders, team leaders, and many soldiers, the atmosphere in the camp was completely different from before.
At this moment, Yang Guang convened a court meeting in Chengxiang Hall of Linjiang Palace.
All the civil and military officials brought from Luoyang to Jiangdu shouted "Long live the emperor" in unison.
Zhou Yi was outside the palace, paying attention to the situation around him.
I thought a war was about to start.
However, there was no large army attacking the imperial city, so the arrangements on the city walls were useless.
"Mr. Zhou."
Dugu Xiong, who was on duty near the city gate, found Zhou Yi and brought him the news about Chengxiang Hall, which came from the palace.
Judging from Dugu Xiong's words, this seemed like an ordinary meeting between the monarch and his ministers.
It was even a little too serious, because Yang Guang had not asked about state affairs for a long time.
It was almost noon when all the civil and military officials left the imperial city in panic.
Zhou Yi waited by the imperial road for a while, and Dugu Sheng also came out with a very complicated expression.
"What's wrong?"
Dugu Sheng said, "This was the longest time His Majesty had ever sat in Chengxiang Hall. He listened to the reports of the officials. Some officials, guessing His Majesty's intentions, reported all the news, including the Jianghuai Army occupying most of Jiangbei, Li Yuan's rebellion, and the Wagang Army attacking Luoyang.
These are news that could not be reported in the past. Now Your Majesty knows the latest situation in the world.
But it is very strange that Your Majesty only scolded Pei Yun and Yu Shiji in public but did not punish them."
"His Majesty scolded you but did not punish you because you were loyal enough, but these two were close friends. If the world were at peace, they might have been beheaded, but killing them now would be futile."
Dugu Sheng waved his hand: "Don't be so depressed."
The old man obviously misunderstood, and Zhou Yi smiled.
"There is one more thing that I cannot figure out no matter how hard I try."
"oh?"
"After His Majesty left the Chengxiang Palace, he summoned me to speak. He said..."
"What did you say?"
"His Majesty said that doing this is very tiring for the Emperor."
"What's so hard to understand? Dealing with state affairs is naturally tiring and exhausting, and everyone gets tired, but when you're in a position, you should do your job."
"I naturally understand this truth, but I don't understand why Your Majesty summoned me alone to speak to me, and why he only said this one sentence."
Dugu Sheng looked eager for advice.
Zhou Yi understood: "It's not that complicated, it's just because I trust you."
"Your Majesty gives me an indescribable feeling, as if an old man were doing the last few things in his life. After watching this, I was deeply troubled. The Great Sui Dynasty has not yet reached this stage. I am relieved to hear your words. It seems that I was just imagining things."
He stroked his long beard and said, "But if it comes to trust, I believe I deserve it."
The old man straightened his back and was about to say something else when he was interrupted by the sound of horse hooves.
A fast horse was approaching with a clattering sound. The guards of the Zuotun Army in front of the imperial city raised their spears and shouted sternly from a distance: "Hold your horses and don't move forward!"
Someone immediately stopped them.
He jumped off his horse and rushed to the gate of the imperial city: "Urgent report!"
Dugu Xiong, who was guarding the city gate, asked, "What's the urgent news?"
The man's voice was so loud that everyone around him could hear clearly: "General Dou led hundreds of men out of Jiangdu and headed towards Guanzhong! General Yuchi Sheng has mobilized nearly 30,000 troops to pursue the rebels and is on his way to capture General Dou."
“What~!!”
Dugu Sheng's eyes widened: "Is this true? Which General Dou is this?"
"It's the General of the Imperial Guards, Dou Xian."
Dugu Sheng felt something was wrong after hearing this. The civil and military officials were originally walking out of the imperial city, but when they heard the news, they walked faster and faster, and dared not even look at Linjiang Palace again.
How could we possibly use 30,000 troops just to capture Dou Xian?!
Are they going to attack Liuhe City defended by Du Fuwei?
"Close the palace gates immediately!"
Dugu Sheng gave orders loudly, but the personnel of the left and right military guards and the left and right garrison guards were not under his jurisdiction.
Even though he, the General of the Right Wing Guard, was directly under the Sui Emperor and had a higher status, he could not act presumptuously.
"General Dugu, without the order of His Majesty, how can we obey orders and act on our own?"
General Yan Jingren of the Left Guard had a gloomy look on his face and did not buy Dugu Sheng's account.
In the past, he was very respectful to Dugu Sheng, but today he treated him like an enemy.
Just then, another team of fast horses arrived.
Everyone looked together and saw that the man in the lead was Zhang Xutuo, who had just left the imperial city and returned.
He was wearing armor and looked very majestic.
"Stop the horse!"
Yan Jingren shouted again, and Zhang Xutuo continued to ride his horse. At this time, the archers in the Zuo Wuwei camp all put their arrows on.
"General Zhang, if you don't obey the order, don't blame me for getting mad!"
“Gee~!”
Zhang Xutuo urged his horse even faster, shouting, "Yuchi Sheng is plotting a rebellion, and Yan Jingren is his accomplice. Put down your bows and arrows. I will bring General Yan to see His Majesty."
The people in the Zuowuwei camp were hesitating. Since the person coming was Zhang Xutuo, how could they dare to shoot randomly?
"Shoot~!"
Yan Jingren shouted, and Dugu Sheng also circulated his true energy and shouted: "Who dares!"
The sound of Cang Langlang drawing his sword rang out in Dugu Xiong's guard camp. After a brief stalemate, Zhang Xutuo's fast horse had arrived in front of Yan Jingren.
The long knife reflected the sunlight into his eyes.
The next moment, blood spurted out!
Before the people in the Zuowuwei camp could react, Yan Jingren's head flew into the sky. Zhang Xutuo kicked his horse's belly, stood up, grabbed the head, and glanced around, but no one looked at him.
Dugu Sheng was also surprised. He didn't expect Zhang Xutuo to be so decisive.
He pulled out a jade pendant from his bosom and said, "This is the imperial guards token personally granted by His Majesty, ordering me to punish the rebels. No matter who the rebels are, I have the special permission of the emperor to execute them first and report to him later."
Seeing this, the people in the Zuowuwei camp drew their bows.
"Dugu Xiong."
Dugu Xiong took a step forward upon hearing this: "I am here."
"Yan Jingren is plotting a rebellion. I will bring him before His Majesty. First, you will be appointed General of the Left Guard and will coordinate with the Golden and Purple Camp to guard the palace gates. There must be no mistakes."
"yes!"
Zhang Xutuo jumped off his horse, tore off Yan Jingren's clothes to wrap his head, and walked straight into the palace.
Old Zhang was indeed reliable. Zhou Yi secretly praised him and entered the imperial city with Dugu Sheng.
Almost none of the guards near the city gate recognized him.
Under normal circumstances, if there were no eunuchs to pass on the message, even if Dugu Sheng brought him, he would not be able to enter the palace gate. But at this time, Zhang Xutuo and Dugu Sheng led him into Linjiang Palace together, and no one dared to stop him.
Soon, there was a chaotic sound of horse hooves near the imperial city.
The entire Jiangdu city also entered an unprecedented state of tension.
The dazzling array of shops on the long street were tightly closed, people and horses were running around in the city, people were shouting and horses were neighing, and the citizens were fleeing home in a hurry. The chaos was at its peak.
All the way to the Yangzijin Ferry, the ships were suddenly congested and stagnant because the gates of Jiangdu were closed and a large number of archers appeared on the magnificent forty-meter-high city wall.
Many people realized that Jiang was about to change the situation!
"Your Majesty~!"
"Your Majesty~!"
"What are you rushing for?"
Eunuch Li ran all the way to Liuzhu Hall and exclaimed, "Yan Jingren rebelled and was killed by General Zhang!"
"If he's a traitor, just kill him. Why panic?"
Yang Guang was drinking and staring coldly at Eunuch Li who disturbed his interest.
Eunuch Li said tremblingly, "The imperial guards in the palace are in turmoil. I'm afraid there will be a disaster. Your Majesty, please hide for the time being."
The wine glass in his hand fell on his legs and wet his dragon robe, but Yang Guang seemed unaware of it.
He was not at all calm in the face of death.
Eunuch Li stepped forward to support Yang Guang who was about to fall to the ground.
"Let's go, let's go~"
Before Yang Guang could give further instructions, footsteps were already approaching from outside.
"His Majesty."
Yuwen Huaji, Yuwen Zhiji, and Sima Dekan came together.
"What do you want, my dear ministers?"
Yu Wenzhi said, "Your Majesty, please go to Chengxiang Hall to discuss this matter."
"We have just called a court meeting today. If you have anything to say, please talk about it here."
Sima Dekan drew his long sword and said, "Your Majesty, please move."
"I'll go with you."
Yang Guang followed a few people, passed Liuzhu Hall and Water Hall, and came to the magnificent Chengxiang Hall.
Seeing the large number of imperial guards lined up outside, he was filled with despair.
The place where officials held court meetings was naturally very large. As soon as Yang Guang entered the hall, he sat on the luxurious and dazzling dragon throne that represented the pinnacle of power.
At this moment, a large number of imperial guards poured in.
The imperial guards on both sides confronted each other but did not take action.
Zhang Xutuo and Dugu Sheng brought people here.
Zhou Yi followed the two of them and saw Yang Guang as soon as he entered the Chengxiang Hall.
Half an hour ago, he was still accepting the worship of his ministers, but at this moment, he seemed to have experienced a lot of changes.
In addition to Yu Wenzhi and his brothers and Sima Dekan, there were also Eunuch Wei, Yu Shiji, Pei Yun, and the Internal History Secretary Feng Deyi in the hall.
Yang Guang's eyes swept over Zhou Yi without paying any attention.
He just looked at Zhang Xutuo and Dugu Sheng intently, as if there was a glimmer of hope again.
"My dear ministers, why are you returning now?"
Dugu Sheng bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Yan Jingren, who was guarding the palace gate, joined Yuchi Sheng in a rebellion, and we are dealing with this traitor just now."
Zhang Xutuo held up the head and wrapped it up: "Your Majesty, I have killed him."
"Good kill, great reward!"
Yang Guang slapped the dragon throne and his expression suddenly changed: "Take out the head."
"yes."
Zhang Xutuo took out the head. Zhou Yi saw that Yang Guang burst into laughter after seeing the dead head: "It is indeed Yan Jingren. I treated him well, but he dared to rebel. Such a traitor deserves to die a thousand times."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xutuo threw the head in the direction of Yu Wenzhi.
Yuwen Zhiji stepped on the man's head and kicked him out of the door.
Yu Shiji and Pei Yun ran over to Zhang Xutuo, pointed at Yuwen Zhiji and shouted, "Young Master, are you planning a rebellion too?!"
Yuwen Zhiji said: "It is not a rebellion, but a desire to restore order to the Sui Dynasty."
"Why do you say that?" Yang Guang looked at him.
Yuwen Zhiji looked at the scholar beside him and said, "Feng Deyi, you speak."
Feng Deyi, the Imperial Secretary, said, "Your Majesty has neglected the ancestral temples, has been on tour constantly, engaged in frequent foreign wars, and indulged in extravagance and debauchery at home. This has led to the people's misery and the rise of bandits. You blindly appoint treacherous officials, cover up your mistakes, and refuse to accept advice."
“That’s enough~!”
Yang Guang glared at him angrily: "Feng Deyi, you are a scholar, how could you commit such a treason?"
After hearing this, Feng Deyi blushed and stepped back.
Yang Guang looked at the two Yuwen clans and said, "I have indeed let the people of the world down, but you have reached the end of your wealth and glory, why are you still like this?"
At this moment, a voice was heard outside.
"Your Majesty, this is exactly why we must stand up for the people."
Outside the Chengxiang Hall, there was another team of imperial guards.
Zhou Yi's eyes lit up. He didn't expect to see an old acquaintance here.
The tall and mighty Yuwen Chengdu laughed loudly. He glanced at the people brought by Dugu Sheng, ignored them, and walked into the hall.
"There are so many people in the world who want to kill Your Majesty that they can line up and circle around Kyushu. We are just one of them."
Seeing thousands of troops coming, Dugu Sheng and Zhang Xutuo also changed color slightly.
Noticing some unusual movements from the two men, Zhou Yi glanced at Eunuch Wei, moved closer, and tugged at the two men from behind, signaling them not to act impulsively.
There are a large number of imperial guards outside Chengxiang Palace, and even with his skills, he has to be extremely careful.
At this moment, any slight move could affect the entire body, so we must not act rashly.
There are people from the Demon Sect mixed in the palace. How could they just sit back and watch the Great Ming Sect succeed?
Once you get anxious, you will only become a stepping stone for others.
After hearing what Yuwen Chengdu said, Yang Guang looked at Yuwen Huaji and asked, "Do you want to kill me?"
"Your Majesty, you only need to do three things to enjoy a peaceful old age."
Yang Guang perked up: "Tell me about it."
"First, the soldiers miss their hometown. Your Majesty, please return to Luoyang with us. Jiangdu will be fully managed by Yuchi Sheng."
"I will go back with you."
"Second, have Zhang Xutuo give up his military power and hand it over to Yuwen Zhiji. He and Yuchi Sheng will deal with the rebels in Jiangnan."
Yang Guang didn't agree immediately: "What about the third point?"
Yu Wenzhi looked at Yang Guang and said, "Third, Your Majesty must abdicate and let a virtuous person take over."
Yang Guanglong fixed his eyes on him and asked, "Do you want to be the emperor?"
"How dare I."
Yu Wenzhi said, "Your Majesty, please establish the King of Qin's son, Yang Hao, as emperor, and I will be the prime minister."
Yang Hao was the grandson of Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, and the son of Yang Guang's younger brother, Yang Jun. Yang Jun died in the 20th year of Kaihuang.
Yang Guang shook his head: "Then my son Yang Gao should be made the heir."
Yang Gao was the third son of Yang Guang. His mother was Concubine Xiao. He was the most favored son of the Yang family. He was named King of Zhao at the age of seven and was taken to Jiangdu.
"Your Majesty, this is difficult to do."
The sound came from outside again, and then three thousand more imperial guards appeared in the wide square outside the Chengxiang Palace.
Two ruthless men walked in together.
Half a body length behind was Linghu Xingda, and walking in front was Pei Qiantong, one of the five bodyguards.
The murderer was covered in blood and was holding a child in his arms.
Yang Guang held the dragon throne in his hand, veins bulged on the back of his hand, and his pale face turned red with anger.
"The King of Zhao is dead. I saw him killed by the thieves with my own eyes. It's a pity that I was one step too late."
Pei Qiantong placed the child's body on the ground, and it was Yang Gao, the King of Zhao.
Zhou Yi sighed and looked at the dragon throne.
In his eyes, the golden dragon throne seemed to be covered with a layer of blood.
Yang Guang, sitting on the dragon throne, seemed to have aged several years. He closed his eyes, and his anger gradually faded, making him look even paler.
“Bang, bang, bang~!”
Outside the Chengxiang Hall, another group of people came running.
It was the troops brought by General Zuo Xiaowei and the Junior Supervisor, and he also stood on the side of the Yuwen clan.
Judging from the military strength, the Yuwen clan has seven teams.
With only the men brought by Dugu Sheng and Zhang Xutuo, they would surely die.
As for the defenders near the imperial palace walls, they were too busy to take care of themselves with Yuchi Sheng attacking the city.
The situation in Chengxiang Hall has reached a point where there is no hope.
Sima Dekan, the top expert of the Xiaoguo Army, stepped forward and said comfortingly, "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. It is better to establish Yang Hao as the emperor first."
Among Yuwen Chengdu's army, there was a plump woman who was leading a young man.
Shanmu watched all this with a smile.
Yang Hao was already a follower of the Zunjiao sect, and later he became the Emperor of Sui, bringing the Ming Zunjiao sect to prominence overnight.
Yang Guang remained silent. Sima Dekan looked at Dugu Sheng and Zhang Xutuo and asked, "What are your opinions?"
Zhang Xutuo and Dugu Sheng both had icy faces as they said, "All matters under heaven are under your majesty's control."
Yang Guang was furious, but he did not lash out.
Eunuch Wei looked at Yang Guang's expression and was no longer sure of his thoughts. He was also extremely worried that he would let Zhang Xutuo and Dugu Sheng, two foolishly loyal guys, compromise.
All the plans fell through.
At this time, he hurriedly winked at Yu Shiji and Pei Yun.
Although they were afraid, they did not dare to disobey.
Taking two steps back towards Zhang Xutuo, Pei Yun suddenly shouted, "Your Majesty, Dugu Ba's debauchery in the harem was orchestrated by the Yuwen family!"
Yu Shiji's words stammered as he exclaimed:
"Your Majesty! You wrote the 'Ode to the Sorrow of the Soul' in memory of Concubine Chen, and later sought out a talented woman from the lineage of Emperor Chen Houzhu to enter the palace. Yet, the Yuwen family has ulterior motives, and that's why they sent Dugu Ba into Concubine Chen's bed! He wants to anger Your Majesty to death~!"
"If they succeed, there will be endless humiliation."
"The Yuwen family has evil intentions. They will definitely use Empress Xiao to insult Your Majesty!"
Upon hearing these words, Yang Guang, the old dragon who found it difficult to shed his skin, felt bloodshot in his eyes. He thought of Chen, and even more so of Empress Xiao who had always been with him.
Yu Wenzhi stared at Yu Shiji and Pei Yun with a glare like a knife: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Suddenly, an angry laugh was heard in Chengxiang Hall.
Yang Guang's chest heaved. "It's better for me to die here. Zhang Xutuo and Dugu Sheng, listen to my orders and kill the rebels for me!"
After he finished speaking, he reached into his bosom, trying to find poison.
The emperor has his own way of dying. When he came to Jiangdu, he had thought of this day and this scene.
But
This small bottle containing poison was left behind in Liuzhu Hall when it was brought by Yu Wenzhi and others.
"Yes, sir!"
The moment Zhang Xutuo and Dugu Sheng received the order, Yuwen Zhiji had already attacked Yang Guang. Eunuch Wei swept over with his whisk, breaking Yuwen Zhiji's icy power into pieces.
But it also shocked him.
The Yuwen clan's icy power was supposed to be just frosty energy, but Yuwen Zhiji was able to produce tiny pieces of icicles, which was obviously not something that could be manifested by his skill.
However, the difference in their skills is too great.
When Eunuch Wei swept out his whisk for the third time, the powerful force had already made Yuwen Zhiji's blood boil.
"You damn eunuch, I think you're courting death!"
Pei Qiantong shouted angrily and was about to work with Yuwen Zhiji to capture this old eunuch who had no vision.
Linghu Xingda, who came with him, also picked up a long sword, eager to fight, and slashed at Eunuch Wei before Pei Qiantong.
"Brother Linghu, I'm here to help you!"
Pei Qiantong shouted again and rushed forward.
Suddenly a strong wind came, and I couldn't avoid it. I felt a pain in my chest. My atrium had been pierced by a steel knife, and it was transparent from front to back.
Linghu Xingda swung his sword and slashed, then turned back to look at the moon and stabbed it.
Although Pei Qiantong's martial arts were better than Linghu Xingda's, he still had to suffer the consequences.
"you!"
Under the astonished gazes of Yu Wenzhi, Zhang Xutuo, Dugu Sheng and others, Linghu Xingda pulled out his knife, bringing out the hot blood from Pei Qiantong's chest.
"Men from the Right Battalion, follow me to protect His Majesty!"
At this moment, General Zuo Xiaowei and the Junior Supervisor, who had just been standing with the Yuwen clan, also shouted, "Men of the Zuo Xiaoying, protect His Majesty!"
As he shouted, he swung both swords.
Beheaded the two great masters of the Ming Dynasty in the army.
In an instant, only five of the seven teams of the Yuwen clan remained.
They still had the advantage in numbers, but when General Lin, who was hiding in the Beishen Mansion, suddenly swung the ancient bronze halberd and led his men to stab the Yuwen clan in the back and start killing, the chaotic scene in front of the Chengxiang Palace immediately turned into a balanced situation!
Sima Dekan was shocked and joined forces with Yu Wenhua and his brothers to kill Yang Guang.
Eunuch Wei, Dugu Sheng and Zhang Xutuo worked together to stop them.
Pei Yun and Yu Shiji pulled Yang Guang down from the throne. At this time, a plump figure flashed out from the Yuwen clan at an incredible speed.
It’s a good mother!
Her target was Yang Guang.
Zhou Yi's mind raced, but he didn't make a move.
Two people emerged from the chaotic army around General Lin, one in front and one behind, and stopped Shafang.
Only then did Zhou Yi see their identities clearly. They were all old acquaintances. The man in front was Bi Shouxuan, and the one behind was Fu Gongju.
Shafang shook the silver stick, and a phantom was scattered. The killing power was extremely terrifying. The six people who rushed up with Bi Shouxuan were killed by her in succession, all of them hit with one blow. No one could shake her aura.
Fu Gongju was hit by a stick and quickly retreated to dissolve it with the Tianlian Sect's secret method of Tianxin Lotus Ring.
His Tianxin Lotus Ring was far inferior to Anlong's, and the scorching true energy stimulated by his heart meridian was not pure enough, and a single blow of it was enough to harm him.
Shanmu was not good at group attacks, and when Fu Gongju was beaten back, she used all her strength.
Bi Shouxuan alone could not stop her Xiaoyaochai. At this time, with a loud shout, Lin Shihong came up and killed her with an ancient bronze halberd in his hand.
Others couldn't stand her temper, but Lin Shihong was not afraid.
He stretched out the cold force field, his face turned purple, and he swept away the halberd shadow to fight against Shanmu!
No movement.
It seems that the Great Master is not here!
Zhou Yi wandered around in the chaos, watching the two men fighting, while keeping a subtle distance from Zhang Xutuo and the others, ready to lend a hand at any time.
“Uh ...
At this time, two screams were heard in succession. Yuwen Chengdu stabbed Pei Yun to death with a gun, and then sent out a palm strike with the mysterious power of ice. This icy palm strike knocked Yu Shiji against the gold-coated pillar.
The two settled the bill on the spot.
After crushing two weak targets, Yuwen Chengdu ignored the fighting around him and saw Zhou Yi, the third weak target.
"die--!"
The spear tassel spun out a red shadow as his spear spun. Yuwen Chengdu held the base of the spear with his back hand, close to his waist, and his front hand, which was holding the middle of the spear, suddenly released it, with the force reaching the tip of the spear, and stabbed it swiftly in a straight line, sending out a wind that was so painful that it scratched people's faces.
With rolling icy energy, he stabbed the spear into the throat!
Zhou Yi held the sword in front of him, and the sword body blocked the tip of the spear and was bent backwards. Yuwen Chengdu had not yet used his strength, and Zhou Yi bent the sword back and swung it to the side, deflecting the tip of the spear.
This time he had restrained his strength, but he was still far superior to Yuwen Chengdu.
Yuwen Chengdu was so frightened that he dared not expose his weakness.
He lacks strength, but his marksmanship is excellent.
It shoots out like an arrow and retracts like a string, guarding the gun in front of the body, blocking three swords in a row, and then chopping with the gun!
“Chichichi~!”
A streak of gold powder was scraped off the golden pillar of Chengxiang Hall. Zhou Yi turned around and dodged, seeing the flaw, but did not rush to use a killing move.
He looked around and fought with Yuwen Chengdu for dozens of moves with ease.
Yuwen Chengdu became more and more shocked as the fight went on, and he had already recognized the Biluo sword technique.
"Who are you?!"
He spoke with a crisp and swift force, and a spear shot straight into Zhou Yi's heart.
Zhou Yi blocked it with his sword, then swung his sword back, causing the spear tassel to fly everywhere.
As he drew his sword, he gathered the sound into a line:
"Yuwen Chengdu, long time no see."
"Who are you?!"
He felt that the opponent's swordsmanship was getting faster and faster. It was difficult for him to speak, let alone retreat. He was gradually forced to the corner of Chengxiang Hall.
"You are so forgetful, my noble man. I am your creditor."
Yuwen Chengdu wanted to reply, but he couldn't breathe fast enough and couldn't make a sound.
"Outside Taikang City, on the banks of the Cai River, if you burn my mountain gate, I will burn your camp."
"Did you forget so quickly?"
After hearing this, Yuwen Chengdu stared at his face, horrified!
He was about to roar when the sword shadow suddenly disappeared before his eyes. His throat gurgled and a note came out that he himself could not understand.
The spear fell to the ground
He held his throat with both hands, his eyes filled with horror and resentment.
Looking at the back of the figure walking towards the center of the Hall of Immortality, a few scattered voices echoed in my ears:
"Now that we meet again, we've settled our old scores and can go on our journey with a clean slate."
…
(End of this chapter)
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