Late Tang Dynasty: Descendants of the Imperial Clan

The doctor said no more, but his meaning was already clear.

After hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and the hall fell silent for a moment.

If the military commander is unable to speak, then how should we discuss the grand plan to conquer Huang Chao?

While they were hesitating, the supervising officer Peng Jingrou spoke first.

This man was about forty years old, with a fair complexion and a plump, prosperous appearance. His face was smooth and clean-shaven, and he always had a slight smile when he spoke, making him appear very kind.

However, everyone in the hall knew that although this Supervisor Peng was a eunuch, he held the power of military supervisor personally granted by the emperor. Even when Zheng Tian was healthy, he had to show him some respect.

Peng Jingrou sighed and slowly said:

"Governor, your health is so poor, we should not disturb you any further. Perhaps we should disperse for now and allow you to rest well. As for military affairs..."

He glanced around at the generals in the hall, his gaze indifferent.

"We can discuss it another day."

His words were plain, and his expression was concerned; he had the appearance of someone who cared about the plight of his subordinates.

However, as soon as these words were spoken, a strange look flashed across the eyes of several people, and then they all lowered their heads and remained silent.

Seeing that the general's illness was indeed serious, the other officers and soldiers figured that they would not be able to come up with a solution in a short time, so they all clasped their hands in farewell and left one after another.

Li Cenji stepped aside to the doorway, standing with his hands at his sides, watching the group of generals, military commanders, and registrars file out.

After everyone had dispersed, leaving only a few close advisors and servants in the hall, Li Cenji cupped his hands in greeting to the Crown Prince and said in a low voice:

"Registrar Sun, I'll trouble you to take care of things here, Commander. I'll be on duty in the corridor. If you need anything, just send someone to call me."

Sun Chu nodded and sighed:

"Thank you for your help, Jingzhi."

Li Cenji retreated outside the hall and gently closed the door.

The cold wind still blows under the eaves.

He stood under the eaves, silent for a long time.

Xu Tai's hushed voice came from behind:

"Captain, the commander-in-chief..."

"He's sick."

Li Cenji sighed softly.

"And he is quite ill."

Xu Tai opened his mouth, hesitated, and finally swallowed his words.

Li Cenji turned around, looked at Xu Tai, then glanced at the soldiers with worried expressions under the eaves, and suddenly smiled, saying:

"Don't look so dejected. The sky won't fall down, and even if it did, there are tall people to hold it up."

He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping across the faces of the crowd, his voice low but clear and distinct:

"Everyone, stay alert. Those who need to stand guard should stand guard, and those who need to rest should rest. We'll discuss tomorrow's matters tomorrow."

After speaking, he casually sat down on the steps of the corridor, placed his sword across his lap, closed his eyes, and remained silent, lost in thought.

Seeing the captain so calm, the imperial guards breathed a sigh of relief and returned to their posts.

------

Li Cenji sat on the steps of the corridor for a long time, closing his eyes to rest. However, as the afternoon approached, the unease in his heart grew stronger.

He then went through the records in the history books he had read in his previous life in his mind again and again.

He remembered it clearly; it was written in the history books:

After Zheng Tian fell ill, Huang Chao's envoys came to Fengxiang to persuade him to surrender.

The supervising officer, Peng Jingrou, was originally an eunuch serving the emperor, but he was a spineless scoundrel.

Seeing that Zheng Tian had suffered a stroke and was unable to manage affairs, he took it upon himself to draft a letter of thanks in Zheng Tian's name, presented his official seal, and submitted to Huang Chao.

Then a grand banquet was held to entertain the envoys, and the generals and officials were summoned to discuss the matter of surrender.

Just as I was pondering this, I suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps outside the courtyard gate.

A soldier who was on duty at the entrance of the military governor's mansion jogged in, approached Li Cenji, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:

"Commander, a man has arrived at the gate of the mansion. He claims to be a servant of the military supervisor, Lord Peng, and says he has an important message that must be relayed to the officers and soldiers in the governor's mansion. When I asked him what it was about, he only said that the military supervisor had given an order and dared not reveal it. I dare not act on my own initiative, so I have come to report this."

Upon hearing this, Li Cenji felt a slight chill run down his spine, but his expression remained unchanged. He simply nodded and said:

"Since he is from the military supervisor's office, let him in."

The soldier responded and turned to leave.

Before long, he led in a man dressed as a servant.

The servant was about twenty years old, with fair skin, wearing a short blue tunic and a cloth belt around his waist.

Upon seeing Li Cenji, he quickly bowed and greeted him with a smile:

"This must be Commandant Li? I pay my respects to the Commandant."

Li Cenji waved his hand and said:

"No need for formalities. What message does Lord Peng have?"

The servant straightened up, cleared his throat, and said:

"The supervising officer sent me to deliver a message: A simple banquet will be held at the mansion tonight, and all the officers and generals of the general's residence are cordially invited to attend. The supervising officer said that the general is feeling unwell today, but the army cannot be without a leader for a day, and there are some matters that need to be discussed with you generals. I hope that you will all attend and not refuse."

His tone was respectful, but the meaning behind his words was quite intriguing.

Upon hearing this, Li Cenji thought to himself:

"As expected."

A smile appeared on his face, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying:

"Please convey our message to Lord Peng: We understand and will proceed accordingly."

Seeing that Li Cenji answered readily, the servant bowed again and said with a smile:

"In that case, I will return to report. Commandant, please continue with your duties; I shall take my leave."

Li Cenji nodded, took out a dozen or so coins from his sleeve, stuffed them into the servant's hand, and said:

"Thank you for your hard work, Your Excellency. This is just a small token of my appreciation for the tea."

The servant feigned a couple of refusals, then accepted it with a smile and left happily.

Li Cenji watched the servant leave the courtyard, his smile gradually fading and his brows furrowing slightly.

"How did they arrive so quickly..."

He said something in a low voice.

Xu Tai, who was on duty nearby, stepped forward and asked in confusion:

"Captain, what arrived so quickly?"

Li Cenji glanced at him but didn't answer. He simply stood up, dusted off his robes, and said:

"Go and select twenty capable and shrewd brothers from your troops who are on duty in the manor. I have something to tell you."

Seeing Li Cenji's solemn expression, Xu Tai dared not ask any further questions, responded, and turned to leave.

Before long, Xu Tai summoned all of his two most capable groups (military units, ten men per group, with a leader) to the corridor.

Li Cenji stood on the steps, looking at the soldiers in front of him who looked tired but still stood tall, and nodded to himself.

Although the number of imperial guards under his command was small, they were all elite soldiers selected by Zheng Tian from the various armies of the Northern Army.

With superior equipment, well-trained, and having undergone several months of reorganization, they are far superior to the local garrison troops of Fengxiang.

These people were the foundation upon which he made his living in this chaotic world.

He glanced around and said:

"Xu Tai, you take these two men, change into civilian clothes, conceal short knives, and come with me to the banquet. The rest of you remain here on guard duty; there must be no mistakes."

Xu Tai was taken aback upon hearing this and asked:

"Attending a banquet? Which banquet?"

Li Cenji said:

"Supervisor Peng hosted a banquet and invited all the generals and officials to attend. I was naturally among those invited."

Xu Tai frowned and said:

"Commander, the military supervisor usually keeps to himself and doesn't interfere with us. Why did he suddenly decide to invite us to drink today? And with Lord Zheng seriously ill, isn't this a trap?"

Li Cenji smiled and said:

"Whether it's a scam or not, we'll find out when we get there. You go and make the arrangements first; I have other important matters to attend to."

Seeing that Li Cenji was unwilling to say more, Xu Tai stopped asking and simply selected two of his men, ordering them to change into civilian clothes, conceal short knives, and prepare to accompany him.

After Li Cenji had made the arrangements, he summoned two soldiers and instructed one of them:

"Go to the camp and invite all four brigade commanders here. Tell them I have urgent military matters to discuss. Go and return quickly."

After instructing this one, he gave instructions to the other:

"Go and inform Registrar Sun that Military Supervisor Peng has invited the officers and soldiers of the General's residence to a banquet tonight, and ask him to make his own arrangements."

The two soldiers obeyed and left in a flash.

Li Cenji returned to his residence. It was a side room, not spacious, but clean.

He pushed open the door and sat down on the edge of the couch, secretly making plans in his mind.

"That Peng Jingrou, Zheng Gongfang fell into a coma in the morning, Huang Chao's envoy arrived in Fengxiang in the afternoon, and that evening he was going to hold a banquet to discuss surrender. This is too fast and too coincidental."

The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

unless……

Peng Jingrou had long been secretly communicating with Huang Chao, and the envoy did not come from Chang'an, but was already waiting in Fengxiang City.

"There's something fishy about this."

Li Cenji muttered to himself.

However, he also understood that these intrigues and deceitful schemes were not his biggest concern at the moment.

What he needed to do at this moment was to protect Zheng Tian's life first, and then act according to the circumstances.

As for other matters, we'll discuss them after tonight.

Just as I was pondering this, footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by a rough, loud voice:

"Captain, Xu Tai has arrived as ordered!"

Li Cenji got up and opened the door, only to see that Xu Tai had changed into a short, tight-fitting outfit, with bulging waistbands, clearly concealing weapons.

Behind him followed twenty men dressed similarly, each one strong and capable, with sharp eyes.

Li Cenji nodded and said:

"You've come very quickly. Come in and sit down; we can talk after the others arrive."

Xu Tai responded and told the twenty brothers to go and rest to conserve their energy. He then went into the house and sat down on a chair.

He glanced at Li Cenji's expression and tentatively asked:

"Captain, what exactly happened? The way you're being treated doesn't look like you're going to a banquet."

Li Cenji glanced at him and said:

"Please be patient. I will tell you everything once everyone has arrived."

Xu Tai opened his mouth, but seeing Li Cenji's calm expression, he had no choice but to swallow back the words he was about to say and sit obediently to wait.

About half an hour later, footsteps came from outside the door again, this time all four of them had arrived.

The first man was broad-shouldered and burly, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a full beard.

This man, named Chen An, was the oldest of the five brigade commanders, in his early forties, and had served in the army for over twenty years. He was calm and composed in battle.

Following closely behind was a tall, thin man with dark skin and high cheekbones.

This man, named Zhao Shun, was impetuous and reckless in battle, willing to risk his life for others. He was a brute no less than Xu Tai.

Behind Zhao Shun was a man of medium build, with a round face and large ears, who appeared very amiable.

This man, named Zhou Ping, was steady and meticulous in his actions, and the most astute among the five brigade commanders.

The last person to enter was a young man in his late twenties, with regular features and nothing particularly remarkable at first glance.

However, his hands were covered with thick calluses, marks left from years of wielding knives and drawing bows.

This man, named Wu Kang, is the youngest of the five, but also the one who has served in the army the longest besides Chen An. He joined the army at the age of sixteen and has been serving for twelve years. He is highly skilled in martial arts.

The four entered the house and bowed to Li Cenji with clasped hands.

"This humble general greets the Commandant!"

Li Cenji waved his hand and said:

"We're all brothers, no need for formalities. Please find a place to sit."

After everyone was seated, Li Cenji finally spoke:

"I have summoned you here today because I have something important to tell you."

He briefly recounted Zheng Tian's stroke and subsequent coma that morning, and also mentioned that the supervising officer Peng Jingrou had sent someone to announce a banquet tonight, inviting all the officers and generals to attend.

Upon hearing this, Xu Tai was the first to lose his composure and said:

"Captain, do you perhaps suspect that the supervising officer is plotting to seize power?"

Li Cenji glanced at him, neither denying it nor openly discussing the matter of Huang Chao's envoy with them, since there was no conclusive evidence yet.

Chen An frowned and said:

"Commander, Peng Jingrou is merely a eunuch. Although he wields some power, the majority of the troops in Fengxiang City are under the control of garrison commanders like Li Changyan. How much trouble can a mere supervisor cause?"

Li Cenji said:

"Better safe than sorry. This matter concerns the safety of Zheng'an; we must take precautions."

Zhou Ping pondered for a moment, then said:

Chen An said in a deep voice:

"Captain, what are your plans?"

Li Cenji stood up, paced around the room a couple of times, and said:

"I intend to send another brigade into the capital to ensure the safety of the commander-in-chief. The three brigades in the camp will monitor the movements of the other troops. If anyone incites trouble, ignore them; seizing the city gates is the priority. This way, we will have a way to advance or retreat."

After listening, Chen An pondered for a moment and said:

"Captain, with such a large-scale operation, the news may be difficult to keep secret. Moreover, if it turns out to be just a false alarm, you may be held responsible if the matter is investigated."

Li Cenji smiled and said:

"The troop rotation was originally scheduled for tomorrow, so I simply moved a brigade into the manor the night before. No one who comes here can find fault with that."

He paused, then said:

"As for holding me accountable... I am a member of the Tang imperial family. Even if they truly want to hold me accountable, what can they do to me!"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

The Commandant had always been low-key, and although everyone knew he was a member of the imperial family, they didn't know his true background. Seeing his words today, everyone had their own speculations, which need not be elaborated upon.

Li Cenji's gaze swept across the five people's faces, and he said:

"Zhou Ping, take your troops into the manor. While Xu Tai and I are away, all defenses in the manor will be under your command."

Zhou Ping suddenly stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:

"Your humble servant obeys!"

Li Cenji then looked at Chen An and said:

"Chen An, those three brigades in the camp are now under your command. Remember, just keep watch, don't act rashly. If anything unexpected happens, seize the city gates first and await my orders."

Chen An also stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:

"Your humble servant obeys!"

Li Cenji then looked at Zhao Shun and Wu Kang and said:

"Both of you will follow Chen An's orders tonight and are not allowed to act on your own. If either of you ruins this important matter, don't blame me for not showing brotherly affection."

Both men knew that Li Cenji's words made sense, so they clasped their hands in agreement.