The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 87 Revisiting the Imperial Guard Headquarters
At 3:15 PM, the setting sun stretched the shadow of the city tower, dividing the snow-covered street into two sections.

"Who is coming?!"

Just as Xiao Yi stepped into the shadows, a loud shout suddenly came from the distant arrow tower. He put down his paper umbrella, looked up, and let the snowflakes fall on his face.

"Haha, so the commander deliberately held up an umbrella to test if I'd let my guard down. Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on you."

Back on the city wall, Li Chongjin turned around and looked at the scene with surprise on his dark face.

"Brother Xiao, why are you carrying such an effeminate umbrella? A real man is not afraid of wind and frost, don't be like a pale-faced man."

"Ha, what does this black fellow know?" Wang Chengxun said, "Young Master Xiao is handsome and dashing; this gift must have come from a young lady who admires him."

"Hehe, so you went to see your lover."

Xiao Yi ignored them and asked, "How did it go?"

Hua Nong said, "Two men have been sent to keep watch under the banner of the southeast corner ward, and a sentry post has also been set up on the west side. As instructed by the commander, I arranged for two familiar soldiers to go to the Imperial Guard's office to check on their movements, but they have not yet reported back."

"No rush, stay calm and wait."

"I've prepared the water clock and the clapper. Commander, take a break. I'll call you when it's time."

"it is good."

Xiao Yi then closed his eyes to rest.

Guo Xin had been very quiet these past two days, but he still sat next to him, repeatedly stroking his sword and making a soft sound.

She accidentally fell asleep again, until Hua Nong woke her up.

"What time is it?"

"It's past 3:45 PM, and Li Hongjian still hasn't arrived."

"what happened?"

Liu Tingrang hurried into the city tower and said, "The man hasn't come. Could it be that he's noticed the ambush?"

“No,” Wang Chengxun said. “If he had noticed, he would have sent troops to seize the south gate long ago.”

Tang Jin pointed at Sun Zhong and grinned, saying, "Perhaps this donkey isn't telling the truth. Let me interrogate him, and I'll make him vomit his guts out."

Sun Zhong burst into tears upon seeing Tang Jin's appearance, and hurriedly said, "This subordinate is telling the truth! Perhaps he was delayed by something. This matter... should we send someone to inform him that the Flying Dragon Envoy, Kuang Zan, is trying to escape?"

Wang Chengxun paced back and forth, pondering, and said, "Since Li Hongjian isn't coming, instead of trying to lure him, why not lure Liu Zhu?"

Li Chongjin said, "That's right, I was just about to say that, but he beat me to it."

"Don't rush," Xiao Yi said. "Hua Nong, send someone else to investigate."

A soldier jogged over from a distance.

Hua Nong had just turned around when she hurriedly said, "It's Shou Tao, whom I sent to the Imperial Guard Headquarters, who has returned."

Xiao Yi looked over and saw that the soldier was not wearing armor, but was dressed in an ordinary short jacket. He had a pointed head and a big face, and looked like a peach, but he moved very fast.

"You idiot, I've found out."

Shou Tao muttered something, then knelt on one knee before Xiao Yi, clasped his hands, and said, "Reporting, I saw that the Grand Master has prepared more than thirty carriages to load military provisions and supplies. Li Hongjian's banner is still inside. It seems he doesn't intend to patrol the city."

"wrong!"

Then Kuang Zan suddenly shouted, his voice beautiful, like a nightingale singing in a valley.

"With the Southern army defeated and Yan Kunlun dead, the cowardly generals are too busy surrendering to need provisions. He must be trying to escape with Li Ye. That carriage is just a cover; it's carrying the imperial treasury's gold!"

Xiao Yi pondered for a moment and said, "Hua Nong, send someone trustworthy to deceive him. Tell him that the Flying Dragon Envoy is involved in palace secrets and ask him to come to the South Gate in person."

"Here."

The wait was long, so Xiao Yi ordered his men to eat in batches. Dinner consisted of dry rations, soup noodles, and cured meat.

After they finished eating, Lü You, Fan Si, and Wei Liang returned together, bringing with them more than ten imperial guards.

"Commander, these are the most trustworthy brothers in the army. They are reliable and all hope to join Commander Guo."

"We are willing to abandon darkness and embrace light, and submit to Lord Guo. Please, Commander, take us under your command and give us a chance to serve you!"

"Good! You are all heroes."

Xiao Yi helped them up one by one and asked their names.

Finally, he turned to Lü You and asked, "Where is Lü Chou?"

Lu You said worriedly, "Commander, Ah Chou followed Nie Wen in and out of the city. I'm really afraid he'll be too stubborn and surrender too slowly..."

"It's alright, even if they all surrender, they still have to wait in line, there's still time."

Xiao Yi then asked, "Have you made arrangements for your family?"

“Yes, we have no more worries.” Fan Si grinned and said, “Grandpa praised me for my good taste. Lu You’s wife is hidden away. She’s not as beautiful as he said.”

"That's because you're blind..."

Soon, Zhang Mantun also returned.

Upon seeing them, Tang Jin couldn't help but laugh and say, "Silly donkey, look at them, how come you only brought a single root? I knew you had bad interpersonal relationships."

"You bastard, all you know is how to sniff farts! This one man I brought back is worth a hundred of them!"

These words were too arrogant, and everyone looked at the person behind Zhang Mantun.

The man was dressed as a captain of the Imperial Guard. He was in his twenties, tall and strong, with a square face, a flat nose, and small eyes, but his gaze was simple and honest, exuding a loyal and straightforward temperament.

He stepped forward, clasped his hands in a neat and standard salute, his expression serious and meticulous, his words resounding.

"Li Chongju, First Commander of the Right Wing of the Holy Army, greets Commander Xiao!"

"Are you willing to submit to the commander?"

"willing!"

"Why?"

"It's perfectly legitimate!"

"Explain in detail, what does 'legitimate' mean?"

"I have received great kindness from the Grand Tutor, and I should repay him with all my heart. However, the Grand Tutor has suddenly died, and the court is pressuring me with an imperial edict. I am in a dilemma, as I do not want to let down the Grand Tutor, nor do I want to betray the court. Iron Tooth said that Lord Guo's plan to purge the court of corrupt officials is to kill the treacherous ministers around the Emperor. This is righteous and can avenge the Grand Tutor. This is justified. I don't need to think about it; I know that's what I should do!"

"Well done."

Xiao Yi nodded repeatedly, knowing that Li Chongju was the generals' favorite soldier—capable, honest, and single-minded; once an order was given, he would execute it without much thought. He was a man of few words, only speaking in detail after being explained. His speech revealed a humble background, yet he occasionally used idioms, showing his eagerness to learn. "If I want to control the Imperial Guards in the city, what are your thoughts?"

"This humble officer is willing to capture Li Hongjian and rally the Imperial Guards to surrender!"

"well!"

Seeing Xiao Yi nod, Zhang Mantun couldn't help but feel smug. He glanced at Tang Jin and proudly raised his head.

Before long, the soldier who had been sent to deliver the message returned with Li Hongjian's reply.

He said, "He ordered Sun Zhong to handle the matter himself."

"anything else?"

"That's it."

"What's the situation at the Imperial Guard headquarters? Which city gate does he plan to use?"

"He sent someone to Liangmen in the west of the city, and the carriage is almost ready."

"Damn it! Forget about Li Hongjian." Li Chongjin suddenly stood up. "I've wasted the whole afternoon with this old bastard. Since he's not coming, let's go kill Liu Zhu first, take the North Gate, and the big things will be settled."

Guo Xin rarely spoke, but his voice was hoarse as he said, "Not bad!"

Seeing Guo Xin looking at him with hope, Xiao Yi pondered for a moment, but still shook his head.

"If Liu Zhu continues to resist stubbornly, killing him will be as easy as turning one's hand once the army arrives. Even if we are worried that he might escape, we can simply send someone to keep an eye on him. However, the commander-in-chief will need a lot of money to reward the soldiers. Stopping the use of the imperial treasury's gold would be a timely help."

His goal upon entering the city was to maintain stability and prevent plunder; he had to remain steadfast in this principle. Only then could he seek revenge for the Guo family.

Wang Chengxun had clearly anticipated this, and pondered for a moment before saying, "But what if Li Hongjian doesn't come?"

Xiao Yi said, "If he's not coming, then we'll go."

"Great!" Liu Tingrang exclaimed excitedly, "Let's just storm the Imperial Guard's headquarters. Ambushing them is too boring; I'm already sleepy."

"Haha." Li Chongjin said, "Alright, hurry up and go. The sooner we take that old bastard Li Hongjian, the sooner we kill Liu Zhu. Shouwen, are you scared?"

"Afraid of eggs? Then go to the Imperial Guard's headquarters!"

Surprisingly, not a single person was afraid.

Xiao Yi did not intend to take everyone with him. He wanted Guo Xin and Guo Xin to stay behind, but they insisted on going. In the end, Guo Shouwen stayed behind to guard the South Gate, while Liu Tingrang, Cui Yanjin, and Hai Jin led troops to assist him, and Hua Nong was left to assist him.

Before leaving, Hai Jin touched Kuang Zan's face and said, "No wonder she's the emperor's woman, damn it, she's prettier than all the women I've ever been with!"

Hou Kuangzan was so frightened that his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

Xiao Yi could only instruct, "Don't touch him."

"Here."

Xiao Yi then selected more than fifty men, dressed them in drums and flags, and sent them to the Imperial Guard headquarters.

On the way, Wang Chengxun volunteered, "I will persuade Li Hongjian to surrender later, so as to avoid fighting and causing unnecessary casualties."

"Look at you, you're so capable! Just kill all those who are slow to surrender!"

"..."

As night fell, the Imperial Guard's headquarters were brightly lit inside and out.

Xiao Yi and his group hid in the shadows at a street corner to scout the location.

Compared to last time, the somber atmosphere was less pronounced, replaced by a flurry of activity. As Shoutao had said, carriages were being loaded inside the gate, and were almost finished.

Armored soldiers stood guard, halberds in hand; squads of soldiers led their horses, ready to depart.

Xiao Yi beckoned to the crowd and said, "Brother Chengxun and I will go inside to persuade them to surrender. If we fail, I will blow the whistle as a signal."

"Just the two of you going? That's too dangerous..."

"Hush. Sanlang, Chongjin, you take thirty men and guard this place. If I blow the whistle, rush into the gate immediately and capture and kill Li Hongjian. Remember, make a commotion and spread the word that the commander-in-chief has entered the city and will only kill the ringleaders; those who surrender late will die."

"got it."

"Tangjin, protect them, but don't let them get carried away with the killing."

"Order."

"Zhang Mantun, Lü You, Fan Si, and Li Chongju, you will lead your men to circle around and contact more generals who are willing to surrender. Once you hear the commotion, immediately take the generals of the Imperial Guard and start an uprising."

"Here!"

"Shoot anyone who dares to resist immediately, but do not set fires or kill indiscriminately, lest you frighten them into running away. This is to intimidate them and make them surrender in an orderly manner. Do you all understand?"

"understand!"

After assigning tasks, Xiao Yi thought of something else and said, "If anything unexpected happens, blow the whistle to remind us."

"it is good."

"let's go."

Wang Chengxun straightened his robes slightly, calmly stood up, and stepped forward with Xiao Yi.

"who?!"

"Go and tell Li Gong, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, that an old friend is requesting an audience. My surname is Wang, and I come from Chanzhou."

Waited for a while.

The shadow of the government office seemed to be swallowing Wang Chengxun and Xiao Yi whole.

Finally, several soldiers came out and said, "Young Master Wang, please! But... please leave your weapons behind."

Wang Chengxun scoffed, seemingly mocking Li Hongjian for not being a hero enough, and casually tossed the knife away.

Xiao Yi also handed over his sword, and the dagger hidden in his boot was also found during the search.

After passing through the ceremonial courtyard, they entered the grand hall with beams reaching five feet high. Outside the hall, armored soldiers surrounded them with halberds, while inside, guards stood at attention with their hands on their swords.

Apart from that, there was only a nine-section whip on the general's desk, and no other weapons.

Wang Chengxun showed no fear, while Xiao Yi remained calm and composed.

When he revisited the place, he realized that he was no longer the same person he used to be.

(End of this chapter)