Chapter 1278 Rightly and legitimately
Shi Yuxin hesitated for a moment, but still said in a deep voice, "No matter what, we must stop Prince Qi from killing Xiao Yuansui. If it is absolutely necessary to kill him, it must be done by us, even if it is the Princess Consort."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's breath hitched.
Although she had anticipated this day would come sooner or later, ever since Xiao Yuansui submitted to the Crown Prince and Yuwen Ye decided to take action, hearing these words clearly from the mouth of someone close to her still made her heart sink.
She asked in a hoarse voice, "Why?"
Shi Yu thought to himself, "Because Xiao Yuansui's rebellion is now a foregone conclusion, and he is a member of the Eastern Palace, his rebellion... means that the Eastern Palace is not clean either."
"..."
"Once this is confirmed, it will show that the Crown Prince has ulterior motives and is plotting a rebellion! Your Highness, if we take action, it will be to quell the rebellion."
"..."
"That way, we'll have the right to do so!"
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat, and her gaze suddenly sharpened.
As Shi Yuxin followed her towards the door, she whispered, "Although I don't know Prince Qi's character, having worked with Xiao Yuansui for so long, I do know him to some extent. He treats the Princess Consort..."
At this point, she consciously shut her mouth.
Shang Ruyi didn't feel embarrassed. After all, when she was captured and taken to Hulao Pass, everyone had seen Xiao Yuansui's attitude towards her, and his feelings were no secret.
So he simply said, "Go on."
Shi Yu thought to himself, "This humble general only wants to remind the princess that if it really comes to that point... we cannot be soft-hearted."
By this time, they had already walked out of the gate and reached the front of the procession. Wo Xue had already led her horse over. As soon as Shang Ruyi took the reins, she saw a short sword hanging on the side of the saddle. She reached out and picked it up, weighing it in her hand. Although it was lighter than an ordinary sword, it was still very heavy. When she pulled out half of it, it gleamed with a cold light.
Looking back at Shi Yuxin's expression, he knew that it was something she had prepared for him.
Shang Ruyi calmly sheathed her sword and hung it at her waist, then said calmly, "We've reached a life-or-death situation. To show any mercy now would be tantamount to courting death. I will take it!"
After saying that, she mounted her horse, gripped the reins, and with a shout of "Giddy up!" she galloped off.
Shi Yuxin then mounted her horse and led the others to follow.
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At Mingde Gate, tensions were high and fear was palpable.
Guarding the city gates was not a troublesome task under normal circumstances. After all, this was the capital of the Great Sheng Dynasty, the most important place under the emperor's nose. Apart from the previous outbreak of plague, it had not experienced any war or chaos. Therefore, the duty officer of the Xiaowei Army was not very busy. He only needed to lead his men to patrol the city tower every two hours.
However, things have changed recently.
The main issue was the increasingly obvious conflict between the King of Qin and the Crown Prince and the King of Qi. Of course, it was clear to discerning people that the power struggle between the King of Qin, whose achievements threatened the emperor, and His Majesty the Emperor was becoming increasingly fierce. As a result, the guards in Chang'an were constantly being reinforced, and the officers on duty no longer dared to be as leisurely and carefree as before, or even sneak into the watchtower to drink. They had to be alert at all times and could not slack off when it was time to roll call.
The situation is even more urgent today!
Originally, the departure of the Prince of Qin and his trusted generals from Chang'an was a welcome relief for the entire Crown Prince's camp. However, no sooner had the Prince of Qin left than Xiao Yuansui, the Right General of the Thousand Ox Guard under the Eastern Palace, rebelled. As soon as the emperor issued his decree, the city gates were immediately closed in broad daylight, and the number of soldiers guarding the city was increased several times over. Everyone was on edge, guarding the city gates with their swords half-drawn.
The most nervous of all was Zhao Tiefu, the Right Valiant Guard Captain who was on duty guarding the city gate today.
Standing atop the city wall, he could barely see clearly in the distance due to the blinding sunlight and was drenched in sweat from the intense heat. He kept wiping away the sweat and asked the person beside him, "How is it? Can you see clearly? Has Xiao Yuansui arrived yet?"
The other soldiers standing on higher ground also found nothing: "We haven't seen anything yet."
Zhao Tiefu flew into a rage: "What are you lot good for?!"
After saying that, he kicked one of the soldiers to the ground and was about to hit him again when another young soldier, squinting at the front, suddenly shouted, "I saw it, I—"
A sharp sound suddenly cut him off.
Immediately afterward, a bolt of lightning shot towards him with a whoosh. Before the soldier could even finish speaking, he let out a short scream and fell backward to the ground.
The people around were terrified and rushed forward, only to find that he had been shot right in the face and was already dead!
Zhao Tiefu was shocked and rushed forward to lean against the wall to look down. But the dazzling sunlight pierced his eyes like needles once again. He could only vaguely see several black dots on the official road leading to the distance outside the city gate, moving quickly toward them. Before he could see what they were, he heard a few whooshing sounds and several streaks of cold light shot toward the city tower.
"Get out of the way!"
He shouted and ducked under the wall.
Before the other soldiers could react, they were all struck by arrows and fell to the ground. The others were so frightened that they turned pale and hurriedly ducked to avoid the arrows.
"It's Xiao Yuansui! Xiao Yuansui has arrived!"
"They're attacking!"
"Watch out!"
Shouts, screams, and a barrage of arrows turned the entire city tower into chaos. Everyone lay prone on the ground, too afraid to move. Some young soldiers, who had never experienced such a scene, were so frightened that they tried to run down the tower, but as soon as they stood up, they were hit by arrows. In an instant, several corpses lay scattered on the ground, blood flowing everywhere.
Zhao Tiefu shouted, "Don't panic!"
The crowd was stunned by his thunderous shout and stopped to look at him. They saw Zhao Tiesheng huddled under the city wall and said to the crowd, "They don't have ladders or crossbows, what are they afraid of?"
The soldiers then calmed down.
Chang'an City was well-fortified and easy to defend. Although Xiao Yuansui was famous, the Thousand Bull Guards he led were not a large army and did not have siege equipment. Apart from shooting arrows, they had no way to deal with the people inside the city.
Zhao Tiefu continued, "Have the archers prepare!"
At his command, the archers who were waiting on the ramp immediately crouched down and came up, hiding behind the battlements as arranged. When a volley of arrows flew by and a gap appeared, they quickly drew their bows, nocked them, and released the arrows towards the city gate!
A soft whistling sound, like countless wasps flying by, was heard, and immediately, several shrill screams echoed from afar below the city wall.
Zhao Tiesheng immediately stood up and took the opportunity to look down. The black dots that were previously indistinct were now less than an arrow's length from the city wall. He could see their attire clearly and confirmed that they were indeed members of the Thousand Bull Guard. The leading rider released the reins and drew a powerful bow to its full extent. The arrows on the bow gleamed coldly and were aimed directly at Zhao Tiesheng!
Zhao Tiesheng's eyes widened in fury. He quickly dodged and felt a chill on his ear as an arrow grazed his temple!
"Captain!"
Those around him gasped in shock as blood gushed from his face, staining half of it red. Zhao Tiesheng reached up and touched his cheek, discovering a deep, long gash that almost exposed the bone. He gritted his teeth and snarled, "Archers, fire!"
At his command, the archers drew their second arrows, nocked them, and fired them again towards the area below the city wall.
Another burst of arrows rained down.
This time, the soldiers below also fired arrows at the city tower. A rain of arrows swept across the area, and several nearby archers were immediately hit, their blood splattering everywhere. Once again, several shrill screams and the panicked neighing of warhorses echoed from below the city tower.
They were getting closer and closer to the city gate.
However, the city gates were tightly closed, and even if they reached the foot of the city wall, they had no way to get in!
Zhao Tiesheng wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand, took a few steps back, stood up, and said to the people around him, "Don't panic. They don't have siege weapons, they can't get into the city. Just keep fighting them until they run out of arrows!"
"yes!"
The people around calmed down at this time. Several soldiers came forward and dragged away the archer who was hit by the arrow. Another group of archers were already fully equipped and ready to fight. They immediately stepped forward to fill the gap, and another dense rain of arrows flew down.
In an instant, countless cold lights flashed in mid-air.
Just then, a group of people came galloping along the Vermilion Bird Avenue in the city. One of the two people walking side by side at the front saw the panicked figures on the city wall and immediately said to the other, "Your Highness, Xiao Yuansui has arrived!"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Cheng hurriedly raised his head.
As soon as they looked up, they heard a sharp, long whistling sound from the sky, and then an arrow flew over the city wall and towards them.
"Your Highness, be careful!"
Su Changjing shouted and hurriedly drew his sword from his waist and swung it forward—the arrow was already at its last gasp, and at this moment it had little strength left, and its speed had slowed down considerably. With one sword, he cut the arrow in half in mid-air!
Upon seeing this, the surrounding soldiers cheered, "General, you are mighty!"
Su Changjing himself was somewhat surprised, and then, amidst the cheers, he became a little smug. He swung his sword twice before sheathing it and turning to Yuwen Cheng: "Is Your Highness alright?"
Yuwen Cheng frowned, but didn't say much, only saying, "Summon the city guards down!"
After saying that, he spurred his horse and retreated to the city gate.
Outside, the thunderous sound of horses' hooves and incessant roars could be heard, clearly indicating that Xiao Yuansui and his group had arrived outside the city gate.
Soon, Su Changjing's men summoned Zhao Tiesheng, who was leading his men in battle against the Right Thousand Bull Guards outside the city gate. Half of Zhao Tiesheng's face was stained red with blood, and even one of his eyes was red from being soaked in water, making him look somewhat ferocious and terrifying. However, as soon as he saw Yuwen Cheng and Su Changjing, he immediately bowed down and said, "Your Highness Prince Qi, General Su, what brings you here?"
Yuwen Cheng frowned: "Do I need your permission to come here?"
Zhao Tiesheng immediately replied, "No, this humble general wouldn't dare. It's just that now—"
Yuwen Cheng waved his hand impatiently and said, "I know, Xiao Yuansui is back now."
"yes,"
Zhao Tiesheng gritted his teeth again, and said with great resentment, "His Majesty trusted him so much and made him the commander of the Thousand Bull Guards, but he actually dared to rebel. He is simply guilty of heinous crimes. Please rest assured, Your Highness, we will definitely obey the imperial decree, guard the city gates, and absolutely not let them set foot in Chang'an."
Upon hearing his words, a cold glint flashed in Yuwen Cheng's eyes.
He said, "The Emperor's decree was indeed to keep the city gates closed before, but now the Emperor has a new decree."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Tiesheng hurriedly knelt down again: "I wonder what Your Majesty's decree is?"
Yuwen Cheng said, "His Majesty has ordered you to open the city gates."
"What!?"
Upon hearing this, not only was Zhao Tiesheng greatly surprised, but even the soldiers guarding the city gate showed astonished expressions, looking at Yuwen Cheng in disbelief, as if to say, "How could the Emperor change his mind so easily?"
Zhao Tiesheng also asked in confusion, "Wasn't the Emperor's previous decree—"
Yuwen Cheng said, "His Majesty previously ordered you to close the city gates to guard against others causing trouble. But now, there is only the traitor Xiao Yuansui and the Right Thousand Bull Guards outside the city gates, so naturally we must capture him and execute him in a public manner. That is why I ordered you to open the city gates."
"this……"
Zhao Tiesheng hesitated and remained silent.
Yuwen Cheng frowned: "What, you dare to disobey the imperial decree?"
Zhao Tiesheng hurriedly said, "No, this humble general dares not!" As he spoke, he still hesitated, looking at Yuwen Cheng and then at Su Changjing, before saying, "Since it is the Emperor's decree, may this humble general see the imperial edict?"
"presumptuous!"
Yuwen Cheng was furious and pointed at him, shouting, "What do you mean? Do you suspect that I am forging an imperial edict?!"
Zhao Tiesheng hurriedly kowtowed: "No, this humble general wouldn't dare. It's just that Xiao Yuansui is currently leading the Right Thousand Bull Guards outside the city. The city gates could have stopped them, but if we let them in—"
"nonsense!"
Yuwen Cheng said, "If we only rely on the city gates to defend against the enemy, what use are you bunch of good-for-nothings!"
Hearing this, Zhao Tiesheng was speechless. In the short time they were talking, several more screams came from the city wall. It was clear that the battle was getting intense. Arrows from below the city wall were being shot at the city wall more and more densely. Before long, several more wounded soldiers were carried down from the city wall.
Zhao Tiesheng looked at Su Changjing in a panic, as if seeking help—after all, he was the Right Valiant Guard General, and if anything happened, he would be the one to take responsibility.
But Su Changjing remained indifferent and simply said, "Captain Zhao, disobeying an imperial order is a capital offense!"
At this point, Zhao Tiesheng had no choice but to stand up and say in a deep voice, "This humble general obeys the imperial decree."
After saying that, he said to the soldiers guarding the city, "Open the gate."
The soldiers looked at each other, their faces filled with fear, but none of them dared to disobey the order. Several soldiers could only push each other and hesitantly step forward to remove the two heavy gateposts that had been placed against the city gate. At the same time, someone went over to remove the huge bolts.
Just as the bolt was about to be pulled out, a furious shout came from behind on Suzaku Avenue—
"Don't open the door!"
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