Jiuxi

Chapter 864 862 [Father’s Fault]

Yuan Xingqin had already realized the danger at this moment.

He pretended to be calm while deploying his troops, but in fact he was very nervous.

Although the scouts did not make it clear how many cavalry there were in the north, Yuan Xingqin concluded that it would not be a small group of elite troops. If Lu Chen did not move, it would be fine. But if he moved, he would mobilize all the cavalry of the border army, specifically the Dingbei Army and the Feiyu Army. These two cavalry units were Lu Chen's diehard subordinates, so there would be no hesitation in letting them move south.

As for why the border cavalry was able to cross the river and attack the capital city quietly, Yuan Xingqin already had a guess in his mind.

There was no way they could go south from Dingzhou to Huaizhou and then cross the river from Guangling Prefecture and other places, because Yuan Xingqin knew that Li Shizhi had deployed a large number of spies in Huaizhou to prevent Lu Chen from dispatching troops to Beijing.

The two cavalry units had a total of more than 20,000 people. Even if they were split into small groups, they would not be able to hide from all the spies of the Jinlin Li family.

There is only one possibility. The Dingbei Army and the Feiyu Army did not go through Huaizhou, but went south via Jingzhou. Li Shizhi did not deploy many spies there. On the one hand, he did not have so many capable personnel. On the other hand, Jingzhou was Liu Shouguang's territory, and he was absolutely loyal to Da Qi. How could he allow the Dingzhou cavalry to pass through his defense zone without an order and without informing the court?
However, this seems to be the only possibility at the moment.

The Dingzhou cavalry crossed Jingzhou diagonally. As long as they successfully crossed the river, they could then launch a long-distance raid and leave all the messengers behind before the authorities along the way could react and report to the court.

Because the distance from the south bank of the Heng River to the capital is not long, with the speed of the Dingzhou cavalry and the configuration of at least one person with two horses, they can certainly do this.

Yuan Xingqin thought about these key points clearly and felt a chill in his heart.

What he couldn't understand the most was why Liu Shouguang and the Jingzhou Army stood on Lu Chen's side, allowing him to privately mobilize troops and borrow the road, and even helping the Dingzhou cavalry cover their whereabouts!

Time passed quickly. Just when Yuan Xingqin had adjusted his formation and prepared to deal with the attack from the Jinwu camp and the Dingzhou cavalry at the same time, the scouts reported that the northern cavalry had arrived.

The soldiers of the Beijing Army who were responsible for resisting the cavalry's charge held their spears in their hands, looking at the black mass of cavalry that gradually came into view in the distance. Almost all of them swallowed hard.

If you have never faced a group charge of elite cavalry, you cannot understand the terrifying momentum that is like a tidal wave.

As the cavalry from the north approached, the ground began to shake, and the sound of horse hooves was like rolling thunder, filling everyone's ears.

When the distance was still relatively far away, the soldiers of the Beijing Army could already feel the pressure that almost suffocated them. Now looking again, they saw countless lightly armored cavalry holding spears forming a sharp formation. With each leap of the horses' front hooves, the fierce murderous aura swept over like a huge wave.

They were like the cold-blooded god of death who harvested heads, forming a dark cloud that covered the sky and rushed forward across the land.

All the soldiers of the Beijing Army were terrified.

Yuan Xingqin and his generals all had solemn expressions.

This is the Iron Cavalry of the Border Army of Da Qi today, a god of death forged through countless bloody battles with the Cavalry of the Jing Army!
Two large flags, one on the left and one on the right, fluttered in the wind, with the names "Dingbei" and "Fei Yu" written on them respectively.

"what!"

When the cavalry was less than fifty feet away from the position of the brave camp, a soldier of the Beijing army could no longer control his inner fear and shouted out almost miserably.

Due to the constraints of military discipline, the Beijing Army's formation did not collapse, but loosening was inevitable.

Yuan Xingqin could even imagine the scene of collapse that would occur later.

When countless Beijing soldiers in the front row were cowering in fear, the border cavalry that was getting closer and closer suddenly split into two groups like a torrent, and under the guidance of their respective generals' flags, they galloped to the left and right sides!

Yuan Xingqin and all the generals were stunned.

The soldiers of the Beijing Army seemed to have survived a disaster, with expressions of genuine surprise and disbelief on their faces.

"Oh no, they are going to enter Beijing!"

Yuan Xingqin's reaction was not slow, but the soldiers under his command had just been through the gates of hell, so why would they care where those border army killers were going?

Not to mention that the enemy came and went like the wind, and the brave camp had no ability to stop them at all.

Yuan Xingqin's face was full of bitterness, while Li Jinshan, who was not far away, had a gloomy look on his face.

The torrent rushed southward without wasting any time.

After a while, a general rushed out from the Jinwu camp in the south and came to the front of the Xiongyong camp and shouted: "Jiangyang Bo and all the generals, the Marquis asked me to tell you that no matter what promises Li Shizhi made to you, the overall situation has been decided. He has no chance of winning and will pay a heavy price for those conspiracies! Whether it is the capital army or the border army, we are all men of Daqi. How can we die in infighting?"

"The Marquis also said that even if you don't care about your own lives, how can you bear to let tens of thousands of soldiers become traitors? If you still have some kindness and righteousness, don't make any more meaningless struggles, give up all illusions, and bring the army back to the base. Only in this way can there be a glimmer of hope!"

He was alone on horseback, facing the brave camp with swords and spears like a forest, and he showed no fear.

Li Jinshan was immediately anxious and said quickly: "My Lord, don't be deceived by him. As long as the palace wins the overall situation, the 20,000 cavalrymen are nothing to be afraid of!"

Yuan Xingqin remained silent, turned his head and looked at the generals of the three armies under his command, and saw very obvious fear on their faces.

Looking at the soldiers whose morale had dropped to the bottom and who had no fighting spirit or determination, Yuan Xingqin sighed sadly.

After a moment, he no longer paid attention to Li Jinshan, and gritted his teeth and said, "Order the entire army to stay where they are and wait for the Imperial Guards' response!"

"Follow the order!"

At the central military position of the Southern Jinwu Camp, Chen Lanyu observed the movements on the opposite side. When he confirmed that the other side had no intention of fighting, he couldn't help but look up at the blue sky, with a faint smile on his face.

……

Outside the palace, a solemn and murderous atmosphere permeated the air.

Han Zhongjie looked at the cavalry of the Rui Shi Camp in the distance with an extremely gloomy expression.

After this cavalry rushed into the capital through the east gate, he soon received the news. Although he was furious, it was of no avail because he had only taken over the defense of the Nine Gates for two days. Even if he had great ability, he could not control everything.

If he was given enough time to adjust the commanders guarding the nine gates and replace them with generals he believed to be loyal and reliable, such a big mistake would not have occurred.

There was no point in thinking about these things now. He could only try his best to make up for it. He immediately dispatched 5,000 infantrymen to try to regain control of the east gate, and personally led 7,000 infantrymen to the palace.

In addition, he ordered the guards of the other gates to defend the city gates. Han Zhongjie didn't know if Lu Chen had any backup plans, but he could only do this.

Halfway through the journey, Han Zhongjie received an imperial edict from the empress dowager. He did not tell his subordinates the contents of the edict, but rushed to the Imperial Street outside the palace as quickly as possible.

Now Shen Yulai led more than 10,000 imperial troops to guard the imperial city, and Han Zhongjie brought 7,000 people, sandwiching the 3,000 cavalrymen of the Ruishi Camp in the south and the north.

The Sharp Warriors Battalion was not in a desperate situation. For the time being, they could withdraw from the east and go around to the east gate. However, they did nothing and allowed the two imperial guards to surround them from the north and south. Obviously, they would not abandon Lu Chen who was still in the palace.

This silent confrontation is frightening.

A captain rode up on horseback and bowed to Han Zhongjie, saying, "My Lord, there is no reply from the Sharp Warrior Battalion!"

After Li Shizhi asked him to take away Shen Yulai's military power, Empress Dowager Xu restored Han Zhongjie's title of Marquis of Yongyi without consulting the important officials in the court.

Han Zhongjie said in a deep voice: "Since they refuse to surrender, then pass the order and prepare to attack!"

"Follow the order!"

The captain agreed without hesitation.

The imperial guards gradually took up an attacking formation, and the cavalry of the Rui Shi Battalion were in full view.

Ye Jitang looked back at the towering imperial city and said solemnly, "Prepare to meet the enemy!"

He immediately issued two orders, and one thousand cavalrymen rode their horses quickly to the north to form a battle line, five hundred cavalrymen turned south to face the palace to guard against the imperial guards who might rush out of the palace at any time, and the remaining fifteen hundred cavalrymen continued to stand by.

"Arrogant people!"

Han Zhongjie could naturally see the response plan of the Sharp Warriors Battalion, and at this moment his face was full of violent anger.

Just as the battle was about to begin, there was a commotion behind the northern imperial guards. Then a young man of about sixteen or seventeen rode up to Han Zhongjie and said hastily, "Master Han, please stop!"

Han Zhongjie was extremely displeased. He couldn't believe that the discipline of the Imperial Guards had been so lax that anyone could break into the formation at will?

But before he could attack, the soldiers behind him suddenly made way, and then a thin old man slowly walked towards him.

After seeing the old man's face clearly, Han Zhongjie was startled. He immediately jumped off his horse and walked forward quickly. He bowed and said, "Greetings, old Prime Minister!"

"Zhongjie, long time no see."

Li Daoyan's tone was calm, yet there was a hint of guilt in his voice.

Although Han Zhongjie was conceited, he also knew the status of the old man in front of him, and said more respectfully: "I am ashamed that I have no face to go to Jinlin County to pay a visit to the old prime minister."

"Let's not talk about the past."

Li Daoyan coughed twice, looked over Han Zhongjie's shoulder, looked at the imperial guards who were about to launch an attack, and said softly: "Zhongjie, can you give me a favor and let your soldiers not attack for the time being. I will go to the palace now and try my best to quell this dispute. In any case, the soldiers of the capital and the border are all children of Daqi. Killing each other is a tragic thing, don't you think?"

Han Zhongjie lowered his head and remained silent for a moment, but finally agreed: "How dare I disobey the order of the old prime minister?"

Li Daoyan nodded with relief.

At this time, several more riders came galloping over. Without even a chance to salute, they said in panic, "Your Majesty, the East Gate has not been recaptured, and tens of thousands of border cavalry have appeared, several thousand of which have entered the city from the East Gate. They did not come to the palace, but stayed within the East Gate defense area. The leading general claimed to be Li Chengen, the commander of the Dingbei Army. He said that if the imperial guards act rashly, more than 20,000 border cavalry will charge into the city and will not hold back!"

Han Zhongjie's mind suddenly buzzed and his expression became extremely ugly.

Li Daoyan raised his hand and patted the back of his hand, saying earnestly: "No one wants to see their own people killing each other. Give me half an hour, how about that?"

Han Zhongjie was silent for a long time, and finally sighed and said, "Thank you for your concern, old prime minister."

Li Daoyan shook his head slightly, waved to Li Gongxu who had arrived earlier, and then walked forward step by step with the help of the young man.

The imperial guards silently looked at the old man who had worked hard for Da Qi for decades, and spontaneously separated to both sides.

The sun was pouring down, and the place was completely silent.

Although the cavalrymen of the Rui Shi Battalion did not dismount, they respectfully made way for them. They watched the old man and the young man move forward and saluted in unison.

Li Daoyan looked at these young and strong men, feeling both relieved and sad.

keep walking forward.

Approaching the solid and thick Hening Gate, he looked up at the imperial guards standing solemnly on the palace wall and nodded slightly.

The palace gate slowly opened, and the commander of the imperial army, Shen Yulai, came out to greet them personally.

"Meet the old prime minister."

Shen Yulai bowed.

Li Daoyan said kindly: "It's not easy for you. You have worked hard."

Shen Yulai looked at the old man's vicissitudes of life and felt a pang of grief in his heart, but not for himself.

Li Daoyan looked at the imperial city in front of him, let out a melancholy sigh, and then took a step forward.

Pass through the deep doorway, across the wide square, and head towards the majestic Duancheng Hall in front.

Climb up the stairs.

(End of this chapter)