Chapter 653 Breaking through the City Gate
The guards received a death order to block the city gates. Anyone who wanted to leave the city had to have a temporary pass, so they did not dare to let anyone in.
However, the people in the residences of Princes Duan and Qi were very tough, and the guards did not dare to offend them, so the leader of the guards had to come forward and explain in a gentle tone.
"During these extraordinary times, the lockdown order was issued by the Regent, and we are acting in accordance with it. I beg your forgiveness, Your Highnesses."
However, a cold snort came from the carriage. The driver was very powerful. He raised his hand and whipped the guard leader fiercely, saying angrily:
"Using the Regent to pressure others? I think you're just being unreasonable! Everyone knows that the ban on leaving the city is for the common people. Are you comparing the Prince of Qi and His Royal Highness the Prince of Duan to the common people? Open the city gates quickly, or you'll anger His Royal Highness and make you pay for it!"
The guard leader was suddenly knocked to the ground by the whip, leaving a long bloody scratch on his face. He was furious, but the other party was the prince after all, so he did not dare to confront him. He just supported himself and got up, gritting his teeth and insisting:
"Your Highnesses, please forgive me. Firstly, the epidemic is spreading within the city, and the Regent is taking this action to prevent the plague from spreading outside the imperial court, as the consequences would be disastrous. Secondly, military orders are as strong as mountains. If we release anyone without a pass, it will be a capital crime. We cannot open the city gates!"
"You!" The driver became even more angry and raised his whip to hit him.
The guard leader was not bad at fighting, but he had been whipped without warning. How could he possibly strike accurately again? He leaned slightly to the side, raised his hand and grabbed the whip, looking at the driver coldly:
"Are you really going to resort to violence at the city defenses? Your Highnesses, it's impossible that you don't know what it means to force your way through the city gates?"
The driver's face changed, showing a bit of fear, and he was at a loss for a moment.
At this moment, an angry voice came from the carriage behind him:
"I have to leave the city for urgent business. Please open the city gate first. I will explain to my uncle afterwards!"
As he was speaking, the carriage curtain was lifted, and Prince Duan stood out with a cold face and a disdainful smile on his lips:
"I advise you not to take chicken feathers as your authority, or else don't blame me for being rude! If a mere guard dares to stop me, I think you are risking your life!"
If an ordinary city guard said this, he would be scared on the spot.
But this time the situation was urgent, and in order to be absolutely sure, Xiao Changheng transferred all the generals defending the city from his own trusted team, and they were the most disciplined.
When assigning tasks, Xiao Changheng gave clear orders, and anyone who disobeyed would be executed.
The leader knew very well that even if he was under pressure from Prince Duan and Prince Qi, if he opened the door today, he would be executed by military law.
But as a force directly under the Regent, he also knew that as long as they could withstand this wave of pressure and stop Prince Duan and Prince Qi, the Regent would definitely provide a backup for the city defense forces.
The guard leader took a deep breath and clasped his fists solemnly:
"Your Highness, Prince Duan, this blockade order is a Class A military order. There is absolutely no room for compromise. As soldiers of Daliang, obeying military orders is our top priority. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."
Prince Duan's face darkened.
In the carriage next to him, the King of Qi also opened the curtain and stood out. He snorted coldly after hearing this:
"Oh? So, you gatekeepers are really ungrateful? What if I insist on leaving?"
The guard leader clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and said:
"If the two Your Highnesses insist on breaking through the city gate, then we will be in trouble!"
The soldiers guarding the city behind him were already on edge. Seeing that they could not reach an agreement, they were on high alert to prevent the carriages of the two royal palaces from forcing their way through.
"Very good!" Prince Duan's face darkened upon seeing this. He raised his hand and gestured, "In that case, come here!"
The King of Qi sneered and raised his hand.
Suddenly, the sound of a large number of footsteps was heard at the corner of the alley. Two teams of palace guards quickly took their positions, each standing behind two carriages, staring at the soldiers guarding the city.
"I will ask you one last time, will you open the city gate or not?" Prince Duan looked at the leader of the guards and asked in a cold voice.
The guard leader's expression changed.
During the spread of the plague, most of the defenders entered the city to help resettle the people. The city gates were mainly used to prevent the spread of the epidemic by preventing the people from entering and leaving. Therefore, there were not many defenders at each gate, only about a hundred people.
Under normal circumstances, no one should force their way in if there is a royal order.
However, there were two or three hundred guards behind Prince Duan and Prince Qi respectively, which added up to more than five hundred people. If a conflict really broke out, the defenders might not be able to stop them!
Seeing their numbers were outnumbered, the guard leader was silent for a moment, and made one last attempt to persuade the enemy with both emotion and reason:
"Your Highnesses, the plague is spreading through the city right now. The goblin blockade is for the benefit of the people of other parts of Daliang. You are members of the royal family. If you insist on forcing your way out of the city, not only will His Highness the Regent hold you accountable, but it will also be detrimental to your reputation if word gets out. Please think twice!"
Prince Duan frowned, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.
But the King of Qi snorted coldly, with a hint of mockery in his eyes:
"Regardless of fame or status, it's only useful if you're alive! This plague is unprecedented in history. Why should I, the king, stay in the city and take this risk?"
The guard leader had a complicated expression. The two princes initially said they wanted to go on an outing, but now they didn't even pretend. It was obvious that they were in a hurry to get out and avoid disaster.
In times of great disaster, some people try their best to mobilize all their strength to protect the people, while others only think about their own safety.
After the King of Qi said this, Prince Duan also made up his mind and said sternly:
"Stop talking nonsense! Since you refuse to open the city gate, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Hundreds of guards behind the two carriages had their hands on the hilts of their swords, ready to strike.
Although the number of guards at the city gate was several times smaller, they were all elite soldiers directly under Xiao Changheng. They did not retreat under the oppression and all held their swords, waiting for the order from their leader.
In the tense atmosphere, Xiao Changheng stepped out and shouted in a deep voice:
"Stop it!"
The leader of the city gate guards turned around abruptly upon hearing the voice, breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately knelt on one knee to salute:
"Meet His Royal Highness the Regent."
"Get up, you've done a great job." Xiao Changheng waved his hand, looked coldly at the uneasy-looking Prince Duan and Prince Qi, and said simply, "Go back."
The two men's faces froze and they exchanged glances, as if they had reached some tacit understanding.
Prince Duan took a deep breath and said:
"Since the Emperor's uncle is here, we two have something to ask him."
Xiao Changheng looked at him expressionlessly:
"What is it?"
In fact, Prince Duan felt a little nervous at this moment. After all, he had been intimidated by the Regent for a long time and never dared to challenge him. This was the first time.
But when he thought of the support of his own men and the King of Qi, a total of several hundred palace guards, he felt emboldened again and said loudly:
"The Imperial Capital is currently plagued by a plague, yet the Emperor's uncle has shut the city gates, preventing those who haven't been infected from leaving the capital to seek a way out. Does he intend to trap everyone in the capital to death?"
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