Chapter 1288 Cleansing the Emperor's Side and Punishing the Evil Officials!
At that moment, almost everyone held their breath, gripped by fear and panic.
Yuwen Ye is actually here?
Why did he appear at Xuanwu Gate?
Didn't he already leave the city for Luoyang? What exactly is going on?
The first to speak was naturally Yu Dingxing, who was standing at the very front. Although he was also astonished, he managed to calm himself down, looked up at Yuwen Ye, who was shining brightly in the firelight, and said in a deep voice, "Prince Qin? What are you doing here?"
Yuwen Ye stood on the city wall and slightly raised his chin.
Why can't I be here?
Hearing his self-righteous words, Yu Dingxing, who was already somewhat frightened by the unexpected incident, felt a surge of anger. He pointed at him and shouted, "The Emperor has clearly issued an edict ordering you to go to Luoyang, but how dare you return to Chang'an on your own? And even set up an ambush here? You are simply disobeying the imperial edict and committing treason!"
Upon hearing this, the elite guards behind him were immediately encouraged and became excited.
It's important to understand that the phrase "having a just cause" sounds simple and seems mundane. It doesn't involve sturdy armor or sharp swords, and it may not seem to have any real effect. However, in battle, the belief in justice is often sharper and more invincible than any blade. Once an army possesses the belief in justice, it can often overwhelm the enemy in terms of morale.
Having a legitimate reason for a war signifies having a belief in justice.
Now, the King of Qin, who should have retreated to Luoyang, has actually appeared here with his men. It is clear that they are deceiving the emperor and intending to cause trouble. If the Imperial Guards were to send troops to quell the rebellion at this time, they would be of great merit, and there would be no need to worry about the trivial matter of them delaying their arrival at the palace for so long.
Yu Dingxing immediately ordered, "The Valiant Guards, listen to my command!"
At his command, the soldiers behind him immediately roared in unison, and the swords in their hands reflected a chilling light in the firelight.
But just as he was about to give the order, an even more deafening roar came from inside the wide-open city gate ahead.
A tall figure clad in armor, wielding a long spear, and riding a magnificent crimson horse, leaped out of the darkness from the gate and charged to the city gate. The firelight illuminated his bearded face, revealing his fierce eyes, wide mouth, and broad nose. His breathing was like a tiger's roar, and his steps shook the earth. It was none other than Shen Tu Tai, the most valiant general under Yuwen Ye!
Upon seeing him, almost everyone present gasped.
This man's reputation in the army was well-known. He was invincible and the bravest in the army. Even before he made a move, his mere presence exuded a powerful aura of intimidation, causing the members of the elite guards to subconsciously hold their breath.
To everyone's astonishment, several more figures galloped out of the palace gates right behind Shen Tu Tai, seemingly breaking through the night to reach the firelight. Each one was brave and fearless, even more dazzling than the firelight itself—
Shan Tong'er, Jiang Yan, Liang Youying, Shi Yutao, Xue Lin, Mu Xian, Cheng Qiao...
Each of them was accompanied by a squad of men, who soon lined up in front of Xuanwu Gate, their formation resembling an endless dark cloud spreading out before everyone, containing immense thunderous power. The men, wielding swords, spears, and halberds, slammed their fists into the ground, producing a deafening roar that shook the very earth!
Faced with such an imposing battle formation and hearing such roars like dragons and tigers, Yu Dingxing was momentarily filled with fear. His warhorse was also startled by the deafening roar and took two steps back.
As he retreated, the soldiers behind him followed suit.
The situation was turned around in an instant!
No one expected that they would encounter such a group of evil spirits at the Xuanwu Gate, the very place they were just one step away from the palace and perhaps the last step away from imperial power. Even more unexpectedly, Yuwen Ye not only did not leave, but also led his army back to Chang'an!
Seeing this, Yu Mingyue's heart was breaking!
Looking again at the three bold and colorful characters on the gate, although they were only shining brightly in the firelight, she felt as if the sun was hanging in the sky and the three characters were emitting a dazzling light that almost made her dizzy.
Xuanwu Gate!
It really is right here at Xuanwu Gate!
From the moment she came into this world and realized her position, she understood who their greatest enemy was and where their greatest crisis came from. So she had always been dedicated to eliminating this person and avoiding this crisis. But she never expected that all the scheming and plotting, the smoke and fire of war over the years would ultimately lead to this person standing in this place.
At this moment, Yuwen Ye stood atop the towering Xuanwu Gate, while Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Cheng also gathered there.
Is it ultimately inevitable that everything is destined to happen?
Just as she was struck dumb, as if her soul had been ripped out, leaving only a stiff shell sitting on the horse, unable to even react, Yu Dingxing refused to back down and immediately pointed at Yuwen Ye angrily, saying, "You really are going to rebel!"
Yuwen Ye stared coldly at him. At the same time, two other figures slowly walked up to his side from behind him. The firelight illuminated two equally handsome faces, namely Shen Wuzheng and Pei Xingyuan.
Yuwen Ye turned to look at the two of them, but before he could ask, Shen Wuzheng said, "The inner court and the Liangyi Hall are under control."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye let out a deep breath.
Pei Xingyuan continued, "However, we need to act quickly on our side."
"..."
"After all, we can't keep His Majesty like this forever—"
At this point, a rare serious expression appeared on his usually carefree face—after all, what they were doing was no ordinary thing. Tonight, almost everyone standing inside and outside the Xuanwu Gate had their heads, their families' heads, and even the lives of their entire clans hanging on this critical moment. If it collapsed, it would have earth-shattering consequences for them.
After exhaling, Yuwen Ye said in a deep voice, "I know."
"..."
"But I have to take this last step carefully and there can be no mistakes."
In everyone's eyes, he was an adventurous man. Before every battle, he liked to scout out the enemy's situation, always alone or with only a dozen or so elite cavalrymen. This was extremely risky for a general, and it had repeatedly drawn the ire of enemy forces, leading to encirclement and pursuit. This had happened countless times since he first entered the battlefield, and he had been reprimanded by Yuwen Yuan countless times for his love of adventure, which he said would easily bring disaster upon himself.
Only Yuwen Ye himself knew that this was his true composure.
Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle. He always made his move only after thoroughly understanding the enemy's situation, and he never fought a battle he was not confident of winning.
But today, he also took a risk.
Instead of following the plan he had discussed with everyone—to leave Chang'an with the people of the Prince of Qin's mansion, take the Wuguan Road, stop in Lantian, and wait for the right moment to return to Chang'an and expose the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi's conspiracy—he turned back to Chang'an shortly after leaving the city.
Because he suddenly realized that Xiao Yuansui was a restless person.
This person, under the Crown Prince's command, will not only disobey the prince's orders, but will even use those orders to pave the way for his own grand ambitions once again.
What he wanted to do was never to be someone else's general or soldier.
He wanted to become king.
Right now, the closest place to Xiao Yuansui where he can fulfill his dream is Chang'an. As long as he gets the troops given to him by the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi, he will fight with all his might, even if it means giving his last drop of blood, to fall on the road to becoming king, rather than working for someone else's benefit.
Therefore, Xiao Yuansui will definitely return to Chang'an.
Yuwen Ye immediately turned back, but to avoid being discovered by the people in the city, he chose another route to detour. After hearing the warning gongs and drums in the city, he realized that Xiao Yuansui had indeed broken into the city as he had guessed. He immediately changed direction and entered the city through the north gate of Chang'an.
At that time, all the troops and guards in the city were focused on the Mingde Gate, which was being attacked head-on. No one noticed that the North Gate was also under attack. Even if the nearby city gates heard the warning from the North Gate, they would think it was a warning from the Mingde Gate. In the end, the city was breached.
Then, he immediately led his troops to occupy Xuanwu Gate. Since the Jinwu Guards who guarded the palace were set up by him, they surrendered almost without resistance and helped him control the rest of the palace gates. They waited for the Crown Prince and Prince Qi to finish dealing with everything in the city before coming here.
We've arrived at the final gate, Xuanwu Gate!
Having reached this "final step," he must proceed cautiously and without any mishaps, especially since—
Just as his gaze swept coldly across the crowd below once more, Shen Wuzheng suddenly saw something in the crowd below, and his eyes widened in surprise. He instinctively took a step forward.
But his movements suddenly stopped, as if someone had pulled him back.
Shen Wuzheng frowned and looked at Yuwen Ye. He calmly stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over every face below without hesitation before finally settling on Yuwen Qian in the center of the group. He said in a deep voice, "Who exactly is rebelling?"
"..."
"Xiao Yuansui led over ten thousand Right Thousand Bull Guards, conspiring with the Tongguan garrison commander to ambush my Prince Qin's forces en route. To plot against a prince is tantamount to rebellion! Who on earth gave them such an order?"
"..."
"When his first plan failed, Xiao Yuansui led his army into Chang'an, plotting rebellion and deceiving the emperor! Who gave him such instructions?"
"..."
"To protect myself, and even more so because I am worried that wicked officials are vying for power around the Emperor and plotting to seize the throne, I fear that the Emperor may fall into the trap of these villains. Therefore, I secretly returned to Chang'an and am stationed here to protect His Majesty's safety. Who led troops into the palace in the dead of night with ulterior motives?"
"..."
"Now that the rebels have appeared, I must naturally send troops to quell the rebellion—all generals, heed my command!"
At his command, everyone under the Xuanwu Gate responded in unison.
Yuwen Ye raised his hand, pointed to the army in front of him, and said clearly, word by word, "Follow me to purge the court of corrupt officials and punish the wicked!"
Upon hearing the words "Purge the court of corrupt officials and punish the wicked," Shen Tu Tai, standing below the city wall, immediately raised his long spear and let out a deafening roar. At the same time, the generals beside him and the soldiers behind him also rose in fervor, raising their arms and shouting—
"Purge the court of corrupt officials and punish the wicked ministers! Purge the court of corrupt officials and punish the wicked ministers!"
Upon seeing this scene and hearing the overwhelming roar, Yu Dingxing's face turned ashen. He subconsciously turned to look at his side, where his daughter, Crown Princess Yu Mingyue, was already deathly pale, her eyes dark and lifeless, as if her entire soul had been stunned at this moment. She was not only motionless but also completely silent.
On the other side, Yuwen Qian remained motionless, but he did not seem to be intimidated.
He simply faced the unexpected turn of events with composure.
It seems that he has been indifferent from the very beginning. Even now, with both sides surrounded by swords and on the verge of death, he remains unmoved.
He entered this primordial chaos with both clarity and composure!
Although he was followed by a large number of soldiers from the Imperial Guard, as well as the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, and the Prince of Qi, and with the Princess of Qin by his side, for some reason, Yu Dingxing suddenly felt somewhat isolated and helpless. Especially after listening to Yuwen Ye's words and seeing Shen Tu Tai and others leading the twelve guards in a line in front of him, he felt fear for the first time.
On the battlefield, sometimes morale is more important than the swords in one's hand.
But what can inspire the fighting spirit of an army even more than a just cause is the will to survive!
This wasn't a case of the ruler ordering his subjects to die, but rather someone had arranged for an ambush on their way back to Luoyang, a drastic concession. Furthermore, after their counterattack, their resistance and attempt to survive were deemed "rebellion," leading to a complete annihilation of them. This was a blatant attempt to leave them no way out and ensure their demise.
In this situation, who can tolerate it?
Who should be patient?
These soldiers understood that they had been driven to the brink of despair. If they did not resist, they would face certain death, and their wives, children, and relatives would also be implicated. In such a situation, even a commoner would fight to the death. More importantly, when their desperate struggle turned into "purging the court of corrupt officials and eliminating evil ministers," success would bring them fame and glory. Who would cherish their life then?
Yuwen Ye's words not only pointed out the other party's sinister intentions, but also portrayed their unauthorized return to the city as a righteous act of "purging the emperor's inner circle and suppressing the rebels." It was not only about survival, but also about making a name for themselves. In this way, they were truly justified in their actions, and their momentum immediately overwhelmed the Crown Prince's forces!
Cleanse the court of corrupt officials and punish the wicked!
The deafening shouts of the crowd instantly echoed from Xuanwu Gate, soaring straight into the heavens!
As the soldiers below charged forward amidst deafening roars, a look of panic flashed across Shen Wuzheng's eyes once again. Just as he was about to speak, the ranks of the elite guards in front suddenly parted, and that familiar figure clearly entered everyone's eyes!
At the very front of the group, Shen Tu Tai, who was brandishing a long spear and exuding a murderous aura, immediately blocked the people behind him!
"Do not move!"
Immediately, everyone around could see clearly that in the elite guards in front of them, a slender figure had been pushed to the very front of the crowd, and a gleaming short sword was held across the center of her neck!
It's Shang Ruyi!
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