My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 415 Li Jing Plans to Ambush the Crown Prince

Go on a long trip.

After being forced to leave by Hou Junji, Li Ji immediately ordered the mobilization of all his troops.

"Prince Jin, an urgent report just came from Xuanwu Gate: the Crown Prince's army has breached the Xuanwu City Gate."

"I thought that the Crown Prince would mobilize almost all of his troops to attack Xuanwu Gate, but now he has left a large number of Liaodong elites in Hou Junji's territory."

Li Ji's expression was serious. As he retreated, he had already ordered his messenger to quickly mobilize troops.

The moment he saw the Liaodong soldiers appear, he sensed something was wrong.

Because this was completely contrary to his and His Majesty's expectations.

Under normal circumstances, the Crown Prince would certainly know the military strength within the palace.

His Majesty himself entered through the Xuanwu Gate, so naturally, he would take extra precautions against it.

As the royal city gate, Xuanwu Gate was not comparable to that of ordinary cities. Even the gates of Luoyang were not as sturdy as Xuanwu Gate.

Everyone thought that the Liaodong troops that the Crown Prince had previously transferred to Chang'an were meant to attack Xuanwu Gate.

But now, Li Ji saw it at Hou Junji's place.

Having fought battles for most of his life, Li Ji had seen all kinds of battlefields. He understood that the fact that the Crown Prince hadn't gone all out to attack Xuanwu Gate at such a crucial moment meant that he must have something to rely on.

"Father is in danger!"

Li Zhi immediately understood the meaning behind Li Ji's words.

He hurriedly bowed and said, "Please, Your Excellency, provide immediate assistance."

Li Zhi knew that if his father lost, all his plans would be in vain.

The only thing we can rely on now is the troops under Li Ji's command.

Li Ji quickly helped Li Zhi's hands, which were clasped in a gesture of respect, and said, "This is simply my duty, and I do not deserve such treatment from the Prince of Jin."

"only."

Li Ji frowned and said, "But the situation at Xuanwu Gate is extremely urgent. His Majesty, worried that the Crown Prince might escape, ordered me to deploy troops to defend all the city gates."

"Therefore, the troops are now dispersed, and in a short period of time, the number of troops that can be mobilized is probably extremely limited."

"Besides, Hou Junji certainly won't let us pass through easily."

Li Zhi immediately said anxiously, "What should we do? What should we do?"

Li Zhi felt extremely powerless at the moment. Was he really going to have to watch helplessly as the Crown Prince forced him to abdicate?

He knew very well what his fate would be if the Crown Prince forced his father to abdicate.

My father will definitely not die; he will be placed under house arrest, just like my grandfather did.

But just as his father had done before, he and Li Tai were doomed to die.

Seeing Li Zhi's flustered state, Li Ji said in a deep voice, "Prince Jin, why don't you go outside and avoid the area for a while? I can send a hundred cavalrymen to escort you out of Chang'an first."

This was a suggestion he had made before. If the Crown Prince could not break through Xuanwu Gate, he would inevitably have to arrest the Prince of Wei and the Prince of Jin.

This would be just like what Your Majesty did back then, holding the heads of the King of Wei and the King of Jin, and Your Majesty would very likely compromise.

Now that the King of Wei is in the hands of the Crown Prince, the situation will be very bad if the King of Jin also falls into the Crown Prince's hands.

Li Ji escorted the Prince of Jin away first precisely to avoid this outcome.

"Your Excellency is mistaken!" Li Zhi abruptly shook off Li Ji's hand that was supporting him.

"When Emperor Gaozu was imprisoned in Taiji Palace, the world was already ruled by the Li family. If Father Emperor is defeated at Xuanwu Gate, this vast empire will be in the Crown Prince's hands in the blink of an eye. Even if I escape to the ends of the earth, can I escape Li Chengqian's blade?"

The global situation is now clear.

Both the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates were destroyed by my father, and the Khan was captured and brought to Chang'an.

Liaodong was pacified by the Crown Prince.

With such a display of force, what desire would the surrounding smaller countries have for unrest?

Even if they try to escape, where can they possibly go?

Once the emperor abdicates and the crown prince ascends the throne, no matter where he tries to escape, he will be trapped.

Countless people across the land would be willing to do everything in their power to curry favor with the new emperor of the Tang Dynasty and send him to Li Chengqian's side.

"Well, since the Prince of Jin has made his decision, I will say no more."

Li Ji understood this principle, but he was also considering the Prince of Jin's interests.

Troops at all the gates of Chang'an were urgently mobilized, but Chang'an was too big a city.

It would take too much time to assemble these troops.

Clearly, the Crown Prince wouldn't give him that much time at Xuanwu Gate.

But Li Ji had no choice but to act as quickly as possible.

At the very least, we should first defeat Hou Junji's forces, which would also secure His Majesty's retreat.

Your Majesty is different from the Prince of Jin. As long as Your Majesty is not placed under house arrest by the Crown Prince, the world still belongs to Your Majesty.

However, this brought even greater turmoil to the Tang Dynasty.

These subsequent matters were not something Li Ji would consider.

Just then, a muffled thunderous roar came from outside Kaiyuan Gate.

The sound came from afar, like the earth beating a drum in one's chest.

"who!"

"Who dares to break through the city gates at night!"

Kaiyuanmen suddenly became tense.

Even Li Ji hurriedly went to the city wall.

He was somewhat worried that these might be reinforcements for the Crown Prince.

Since the Crown Prince could infiltrate 30,000 Liaodong troops into Chang'an, he could naturally infiltrate even more troops.

Soon, the cavalry force under the cover of night revealed its form.

"It's the Duke of Wei!!!"

The people at the front were quickly recognized.

It turned out to be Li Jing.

This was something Li Ji hadn't expected.

Under normal circumstances, even if Li Jing acts quickly, it would still take him two or three days.

How could we possibly arrive today?

At a glance, Li Ji could tell there were at least tens of thousands of horses.

"Open the city gates immediately!"

When the city gates opened, Li Jing led his large group into the city.

The outline of a large army gradually emerged.

It's one person with two horses.

One horse carries a man, and another horse carries armor and weapons.

Li Ji took Li Zhi with him.

Before Li Ji could speak, Li Jing asked first, "What is the current situation?"

Without time for pleasantries, Li Ji quickly gave a detailed account of the changes in the city.

Li Jing frowned upon hearing this.

"It seems that the Crown Prince does not have any other troops lurking in his hands."

"They dared to launch a strong attack on Xuanwu Gate with 30,000 troops, they must have something to rely on."

“The Crown Prince is skilled in using things, and what he relies on must be things like cannons, which are used on the battlefield.”

"His Majesty had ordered craftsmen to reinforce and build the Xuanwu Gate long ago, but the gate was still breached, and Liaodong troops were even allowed to besiege the imperial city."

"It seems the Crown Prince is very confident."

Li Jing, living up to his reputation as a military genius, analyzed the situation clearly after listening to the explanation. Li Ji sighed, "If I had known this earlier, I should have gathered more troops."

It was originally intended to prevent the crown prince from escaping Chang'an, but who would have thought it would turn out like this?

Li Jing shook his head slightly: "The fault is not yours. Although the Crown Prince has broken through the city gate, it is not easy for him. His Majesty's palace is not so easy to break through either."

"Now that I have arrived in Chang'an, I will naturally prevent the Crown Prince from succeeding."

"Without further ado, I'll head to Xuanwu Gate first."

Li Ji nodded: "With the Duke of Wei here, if we attack the Crown Prince from behind, we can surely stabilize the situation."

“I have already mobilized a considerable number of troops, and more are on their way. I will not allow Hou Junji to cause any trouble for Duke Wei.”

Li Jing nodded slightly; he didn't take Hou Junji too seriously.

He was very familiar with Hou Junji, not to mention that he now had more than six thousand cavalry.

Cavalry and infantry are completely different things.

Furthermore, the cavalry personally commanded by Li Jing was a completely different matter.

Li Ji did not ask why Li Jing had arrived ahead of schedule.

After all, the most important thing right now is to support His Majesty.

In fact, Li Shimin was unaware that Li Jing had arrived at this point.

Li Jing never fought a battle unprepared. After defeating the Western Turks, he discovered Su Dingfang's movements.

This means that the Crown Prince has already taken action.

Especially after seeing the Chang'an Gazette about the Crown Prince's plan to offer sacrifices to the Emperor with three harvests of rice, Li Jing had a premonition that the Crown Prince was probably preparing to take action.

Therefore, Li Jing reserved elite cavalry in advance and prepared a sufficient number of warhorses.

When the Emperor's secret edict arrived, Li Jing immediately assembled all his cavalry, one man on two horses, to rescue Chang'an.

The reason for this preparation was that the Crown Prince's record was too terrifying.

Knowing yourself and knowing your enemy can help you win a hundred battles.

Ever since Li Jing sensed that the Emperor and the Crown Prince would eventually clash, he had been collecting and analyzing information about the Crown Prince's side.

They then discovered that the Crown Prince, relying on the power of gunpowder, had broken away from the traditional siege tactics in attacking cities.

Few cities in the Liaodong Three Kingdoms period could withstand two days of attack.

Is it that those cities don't have enough troops?

Li Jing believed that the Crown Prince's strategy was stronger.

In fact, Li Jing was quite knowledgeable about gunpowder after it appeared in the Gunpowder Bureau.

In a practical sense, gunpowder was not a panacea. If it were someone else, would it have achieved the same effect as the prince?

Li Jing thought it was impossible, but the Crown Prince had brought the effectiveness of gunpowder to its fullest potential.

This is not just reflected in the destructive power of gunpowder.

A good grasp of people's hearts, morale, and the overall situation is indispensable.

The Liaodong soldiers trained by the Crown Prince were extremely elite and disciplined.

That is why Li Jing made preparations in advance.

In fact, Li Jing did not know that the war between His Majesty and the Crown Prince would be the fuse for Prince Jin's destruction of the Crown Prince's gunpowder workshop.

The cavalry's entry into the city is nearing completion; after all, it takes quite some time for more than 6,000 cavalry to enter the city.

Seeing that Li Jing was about to leave, Li Zhi hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Lord Wei, may I go with you?"

Li Jing, who had already mounted his horse, reined in his horse and turned to look at Li Zhi, who was blocking his way. His brows were furrowed like iron: "Prince Jin! The battlefield is no child's play. Arrows are raining down at Xuanwu Gate right now. The Liaodong soldiers under the Crown Prince's command are all daredevils. If you come with me, you will only increase the risk!"

"Stay here, and I will bring you back to the palace after I have defeated the Crown Prince's rebel army."

Li Zhi's voice was firm: "Lord Wei! The Duke of Ying just said that if Father Emperor is defeated, even if I flee to the ends of the earth, I will not escape Li Chengqian's sword and axe! Rather than being trapped and dying in Chang'an, it is better to go to Xuanwu Gate with you."

Li Zhi suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot, pointing to the towering flames in the distance: "That is my father, the Son of Heaven of the Tang Dynasty! If even his own son dares not don armor and fight for his father, who in the world would be willing to risk their lives for the Li family's empire?"

Li Jing's warhorse pawed restlessly, the scraping of its armor grating in the night. He stared at Li Zhi's pale yet resolute face, remaining silent for a moment: "In the army, there are no relatives or friends. If you come with me, you must obey military orders and stay in your ranks. Swords have no eyes, and I may not be able to protect you at all times."

"I am at Duke Wei's command!"

Li Zhi suddenly stood up, tore off the jade belt from his waist and threw it to his attendant, then grabbed a personal guard's soft armor and put it on.

Before he finished speaking, an even more intense clatter of drums and gongs erupted from afar. Li Jing abruptly drew his sword, its blade gleaming coldly in the firelight: "Very well! Since the Prince of Jin has such courage, then come with me!"

He took off the black iron breastplate from his waist and threw it to Li Zhi: "Wear it! Remember, stay close to my personal guards, and don't leave their side even for a moment!"

Li Zhi took the cold breastplate and nodded emphatically: "Thank you, Duke Wei!"

Li Ji looked at Li Zhi with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Prince Wei, Li Tai, has already been captured. Just as Li Zhi went with Li Jing to support His Majesty, once things are settled, the two can be compared to determine the new crown prince.

In this respect, the King of Wei was far inferior to the King of Jin, leaving almost no suspense.

More importantly, Li Jing agreed.

This means that, to some extent, Li Jing, who had been neutral, was now leaning towards the Prince of Jin.

Before long, six thousand cavalrymen were in Chang'an City, heading towards Xuanwu Gate.

Kaiyuan Gate is located at the westernmost part of Chang'an.

There used to be two roads leading to the West Inner Garden outside Xuanwu Gate.

One option was to go outside Chang'an city.

However, this road is difficult to travel; it is narrow and difficult to pass through, and many of the roads are easy to defend but difficult to attack.

The second option is to travel through Chang'an city, starting from Kaiyuan Gate, then outside the imperial city, directly to the foot of Daming Palace, and then through the western inner garden.

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves erupted once again.

Six thousand cavalrymen may sound like just a number, but being among them, you can feel their imposing presence.

Even during the day, it stretches as far as the eye can see, let alone at night.

Hou Junji had been on guard against Li Ji's departure from Kaiyuanmen and had been sending scouts to check the situation.

When they learned that several thousand cavalrymen were coming from outside Kaiyuan Gate, they had a premonition that something bad was about to happen.

"It's Li Jing! How could he be so fast!"

Li Jing's arrival completely disrupted Hou Junji's plans.

First, he quickly sent scouts to inform the Crown Prince, but then he hesitated, wondering how to stop him.

There were many soldiers in Chang'an, but in reality, the number of warhorses was not large.

Hou Junji had tens of thousands of soldiers, but the total number of cavalry was only a few hundred.

How can infantry possibly stop the charge of thousands of cavalry?

Even if the attack is successful temporarily, it will result in a significant loss of soldiers' lives.

This was within the city of Chang'an, where there weren't many resources available to construct defensive fortifications.

Furthermore, Hou Junji had already received information about the troop movements at the various gates of Chang'an. If the casualties were too great at this time, Li Ji would surely break through the city.

Gritting his teeth, Hou Junji still dispatched a small number of troops to block them.

Just as expected, they were quickly broken through by the cavalry.

The cavalry, densely packed like a flood, tore apart anything that stood in their way.

"Your Highness, this old minister has done his best."

Hou Junji was helpless; apart from informing the Crown Prince, he couldn't offer any assistance.

Because following closely behind was Li Ji's large army.

Hou Junji was somewhat worried. Li Jing's several thousand cavalrymen might disrupt the Crown Prince's plans and affect the entire situation.

If the crown prince fails, his life will be over.

At this moment, the Xuanwu Gate incident has reached a fever pitch.

(End of this chapter)