The prince is more stable

Chapter 822 Siege and Suppression
From any perspective, resorting to force to resolve the issue is not in line with Zhao Xiaoqian's plan.

Military strategy dictates that besieging a city is the worst possible strategy.

But now Zhao Xiaoqian has no choice but to attack Bianjing because Zeng Bu has become a variable in his plan.

The Yan-Yun army stationed outside Bianjing suddenly launched an attack. The 100,000-strong army was divided into four parts. Two of them bypassed the city walls and launched feigned attacks to the north and east. One part launched a real attack to the west. Zhao Xiaoqian led a division alone to provide support in the center and intercept the three armies outside the city.

At noon, the city gates of Bianjing were still not open, and the common people and merchants dared not say anything.

In this situation, even a blind man could see that something terrible was about to happen, and no one dared to urge the Imperial Guards to open the city gates anymore.

Zhong Jianzhong and Zong Ze each led 10,000 troops to the north and east walls of Bianjing. With the sound of war drums, the army marched forward in formation, while siege equipment such as ladders and siege towers were prepared in an orderly manner behind them.

The soldiers guarding the two city towers were shocked by what they saw and hurriedly reported to their generals. The generals reported it up the chain of command, and Zeng Bu, who was stationed at the Palace Guard Office, immediately ordered the garrison inside the city to be dispatched to the north and east to defend Bianjing.

As a result, a large number of imperial guards rushed to the north and east of the city. They climbed the city walls and prepared huge stones, rolling logs, oil and other supplies for the defense of the city.

Meanwhile, Zong Ze led 30,000 troops to silently calculate the progress of the feint attacks on the other two fronts. About an hour later, Zong Ze finally ordered the drums to be beaten.

His force was the main force that breached the gates of Bianjing.

"Bring out the red-coated cannons and aim them at the city gate!" Zong Ze roared.

A new era of war has quietly replaced the old one.

The defenders of Bianjing never imagined that the siege and defense of the city would no longer require the sacrifice of their soldiers.

Breaking down the city gates only requires a few cannonballs.

One hundred red-coated cannons were mounted on wheels, their outer oil paper torn off to reveal their black muzzles, and aimed at the Golden Gate of the western city of Bianjing.

On the city tower of Jinyao Gate, the soldiers guarding the city looked curiously at the hundred strange-looking things lined up two miles outside the city, whispering among themselves about what they were.

Located two miles from the city wall, it appeared to pose no threat whatsoever, yet for some reason, the defending soldiers felt a sense of dread, an instinctive fear quietly taking hold of their hearts.

Zong Ze looked at the tightly closed city gate in front of him and the restless Yan Yun soldiers behind him, and slowly said: "After the city gate is breached, remember to immediately occupy the Palace Guard and the Privy Council, capture Zhao Ji and Zeng Bu alive, and finally surround Yanfu Palace."

"After entering the city, no one is allowed to kill civilians or plunder property. Anyone who violates this rule will be executed immediately."

After saying that, Zong Ze took a deep breath and suddenly shouted, "Beat the drums! Attack the city!"

The gunners, who had been training for a long time, immediately lit the fuses. After a series of hissing sounds, a hundred cannons roared in unison, creating a loud bang that shook the ground.

In the blink of an eye, Bianjing's Golden Gate was blasted into dust, and the enormous impact and penetrating force also reduced the Imperial Guards inside the city gate passage to dust.

This volley of fire stunned not only the defenders on the city wall, but also the soldiers of Yanyun themselves.

No one could have imagined that the cannons His Highness had such great power.

What about those siege battles in the past that relied on scaling city walls, fighting bloody battles, and filling the walls with human lives?
The defending troops were terrified, while the soldiers of Yan and Yun were excited. Zong Ze stood in the center of the army, watching the effect of a volley of fire. He was so excited that he stroked a few strands of his beard, and his eyes shone brightly.

"As expected of His Highness, such a divine artifact can destroy a country!" Zong Ze murmured.

"Order the soldiers to rush into the city gates and capture Zhao Ji and Zeng Bu alive!" Zong Ze shouted.

Thirty thousand soldiers of Yanyun responded with a roar, and under the command of their generals, they charged toward the city gate in their respective units.

The defenders on the city wall were completely thrown into disarray. They thought there would be a fierce battle to defend the city, but they did not expect that the dark firearms would be so powerful, easily blasting the city gate to rubble from two miles away.

How is this fight going?
The Yan-Yun army has entered the city; who can stop them?
They are valiant border troops who have fought countless battles; their combat strength and quality are far superior to those of the Imperial Guards in Bianjing who live off the meager rations of peacetime.

The black-clad horde surged through the city gates, their unstoppable and invincible momentum chilling to the bone just by looking at them, let alone resisting.

Having never experienced the baptism of war, the garrison of Bianjing was ultimately far inferior to the Yan-Yun army.

Many of the defenders suddenly dropped their weapons and ran away.

Of course, many soldiers also gripped their weapons and fearlessly went to meet the Yan-Yun soldiers surging into the city gate.

"Traitors must be executed! Who will die with me?" a garrison commander shouted, brandishing his sword.

The Yan-Yun army, surging into the city, raised their guns and unleashed a volley of fire at the approaching defenders. After countless defenders fell to the ground, a Yan-Yun general suddenly shouted, "We have entered the city to quell the rebellion by order of the Empress Dowager! Zhao Ji and Zeng Bu have seized military power in the Palace Guards! They have rebelled!"

"You are innocent, and you should not be ordered around and commit such a grave mistake. Do you want to become accomplices of traitors?" the Yan Yun general shouted sternly.

The fierce battle between the two sides was about to begin, but with this loud shout, the soldiers on both sides involuntarily stopped their movements, and the defending soldiers looked at their general with surprise and doubt.

The garrison commander looked stunned, but then gritted his teeth and roared, "Don't listen to their lies! They are traitors! Kill them!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a gunshot rang out. The defending general was struck in the forehead by a sharpshooter hidden among the Yan Yun army. A bloody hole appeared in the general's forehead, and he fell to the ground with his eyes wide open.

The Yan Yun general stepped forward, stared at the defending soldiers, and shouted: "I'll say it again, we are not rebels, we are here to quell the rebellion on the orders of the Empress Dowager! The rebels are Zhao Ji and Zeng Bu. You will lay down your weapons immediately, and that will count as meritorious service on the battlefield. Otherwise, you will be killed without mercy!"

The Yan Yun soldiers behind him shouted in unison, "Kill!" The word "Kill" resounded through the sky, and a strong killing intent swept over. Many timid soldiers were so frightened that they involuntarily retreated, their right hands seemingly falling apart as if out of control, and their weapons clattered to the ground.

…………

Yanfu Palace.

In the morning, a contingent of imperial guards, acting on orders from the Palace Guards, suddenly stormed into the palace gates and took over the defense of the Forbidden City. The original imperial guards were assembled and transferred to the Jiying Hall for guard duty.

The person in charge of this imperial guard was none other than Emperor Huizong of Tang (Zhao Ji).

With Zeng Bu becoming a variable, the political situation in Bianjing changed again. After Zeng Bu seized military power, Zhao Ji's desperate life finally saw a glimmer of hope again.

With the support of Zeng Bu and the Palace Guards, Zhao Ji was so excited that he became almost manic and hysterical.

He immediately demanded a troop of soldiers from Zeng Bu and headed straight for Yanfu Palace.

After suffering a major setback at yesterday's coronation ceremony, Zhao Ji has matured and become wiser.

Emperors are born to be ruthless and disloyal, and should never trust anyone. In the past, he was too foolish to believe that alliances could last, and thus he mistakenly trusted the Empress Dowager and Zhao Xiaoqian.

Yesterday, the Empress Dowager openly betrayed him in front of the court officials, and the 100,000-strong Yan-Yun army outside the city was secretly mobilized by Zhao Xiaoqian. It was clear that this was a premeditated and meticulously planned move to overthrow him.

My allies, how can people's hearts be so corrupt!
After suffering the biggest setback of his life, Zhao Ji matured and gained enlightenment.

Now that a turning point has finally arrived, the first thing Zhao Ji needs to do is to control the palace and take down the Empress Dowager.

Judging from yesterday's events, the Empress Dowager wields considerable influence over the successor to the throne, and her attitude can affect the decisions of court officials to some extent.

As the imperial guards entered the palace, Zhao Ji's expression remained very abnormal.

It was an expression full of madness and morbidity, with bloodshot eyes that looked like they wanted to devour people, while they kept making strange, chuckling noises, looking like a villain who had reached the end of his rope.

He was dressed in an imperial robe and a crown with twelve tassels, looking every bit the newly enthroned emperor.

After Zeng Bu broke into the Prince Duan's residence and rescued him, Zhao Ji put on the yellow robe again.

The yellow robe was his destiny, his long-cherished wish, and something he wanted to possess all his life.

Stepping back into the familiar Yanfu Palace, Zhao Ji stood in the empty square in front of the Daqing Hall and suddenly roared.

"Find the Empress Dowager, alive! I want to slap this vile woman, vile woman! Vile woman!"

…………

It is located under a wall next to the Gongchen Gate of the inner palace.

Zhao Hao was struggling to stick out his bloated buttocks and climb out of the ladder.

Empress Dowager Xiang, dressed as a palace maid, stood below, looking up at Zhao Hao as he struggled to climb the ladder. Despite the critical situation, she couldn't help but smile.

This chubby guy, who worked so hard it was heartbreaking, would later become her man.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Hao finally climbed to the top of the wall, where many people were waiting to greet him.

In the distance, Yanfu Palace was in complete chaos. Hearing the screams of countless eunuchs and palace maids, Zhao Hao and the Empress Dowager both changed their expressions.

"Zhao Ji has led his army into the palace!" Zhao Hao said in a deep voice.

The Empress Dowager was also terrified, her face turning pale with relief. Then she looked up at Zhao Hao, who was perched on the wall, with gratitude.

If it weren't for him, she would probably be in Zhao Ji's hands by now, and the Empress Dowager didn't even dare to imagine what would have happened to her.

Around midnight, Zhao Hao realized that something was wrong in the city.

After the coronation ceremony, Zhao Ji was taken to the Prince Duan's residence and guarded by the imperial guards.

However, Zhao Hao could not trust the Imperial Guards so much, so he placed spies outside the Prince Duan's residence to closely monitor its movements.

Both father and son knew that Zhao Ji was a menace, and this menace had to be eliminated, but not now, since the matter was not yet settled, and killing Zhao Ji would surely backfire on them.

In the middle of the night, Zhao Hao heard from his subordinates that Zeng Bu had killed Han Song and seized military power in the Palace Guard.

Upon hearing this news, Zhao Hao slapped himself several times.

He secretly slipped out during the coronation ceremony in an attempt to capture Zeng Bu, but he failed and now this has led to disaster.

Early the next morning, Zeng Bu led his troops into the Prince Duan's residence. Zhao Hao immediately knew something was wrong and entered the palace through the Gongchen Gate. He quietly went to the Qingshou Hall, forcefully ordered the Empress Dowager to change into a palace maid's clothes, and escorted her out of the palace.

(End of this chapter)