Late Tang Dynasty: Descendants of the Imperial Clan

In the courtyard, all the soldiers of the garrison had gathered.

Suddenly, twenty men in tight-fitting clothes rushed out of the side hall, each wielding a sharp blade, and approached him menacingly, causing a commotion.

The brigade commander, leading the group, instinctively gripped his sword and shouted sternly:

"What are you doing?!"

Xu Tai strode forward, brandishing his short sword, and shouted:

"By order of Commandant Li, we are confiscating your weapons and armor! If you know what's good for you, hand them over obediently!"

Upon hearing this, the hundred or so soldiers in the town immediately erupted in uproar.

Soldiers rely on food and rations, and their weapons and armor are their lifeblood.

Without these, they are like tigers with their teeth pulled out; how are they any different from ordinary people?

Moreover, they were well aware of what was happening in the hall at that moment.

We dare not move at this moment, for fear of harming the innocent.

But if they are disarmed, wouldn't they be like fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others?

The brigade commander's expression changed several times, and he gripped his sword even tighter, but he did not lower it as instructed. Instead, he said in a deep voice:

"Brother, we are guards of the military supervisor's office, and we only obey the orders of the military supervisor."

Xu Tai was a hot-tempered man, and he had been holding back his anger in the courtroom, so he couldn't hold back any longer.

Seeing that the brigade commander dared to make excuses, he immediately flew into a rage and shouted:

"What military supervisor?! Can't you see what's going on in court? Peng Jingrou colluded with Huang Chao, intending to surrender the city to the rebels. The evidence is irrefutable, and he's already a prisoner under my command! You still want his order? Could it be that you're also an accomplice of that eunuch?!"

The brigade commander was speechless after being rebuked like that, but he was ultimately unwilling to put down his weapon.

The soldiers behind him, seeing that their commander did not move, also raised their swords and spears and assumed a defensive posture.

For a moment, in the courtyard, twenty imperial guards and about a hundred garrison soldiers faced each other, swords drawn, in a standoff.

Seeing this, Xu Tai was so angry that he laughed instead. He tightened his grip on the short knife in his hand and was about to forcibly step forward to take the brigade commander's weapon.

Just as tensions were running high and a conflict was about to erupt, the officers and soldiers in the hall finally realized what was happening.

Li Changyan was the first to stand up and shouted loudly outside the court hall:

"Li Fu! Bring the men in!"

At his shout, a guard captain waiting outside the courtyard immediately responded and led another of Li Changyan's guards across the courtyard toward the main hall.

As these personal guards passed through the garrison soldiers, the soldiers involuntarily moved aside to make way for them.

Seeing this, the other officers and soldiers followed suit, calling in their personal guards and servants.

"Wang Yi! Come in!"

"Zhao Hu! Bring the brothers over here!"

"Zhang Cheng!"

For a moment, shouts and cries rose and fell.

The officers' personal guards and servants, who were originally outside the courtyard and in the side hall, had already heard everything that was happening in the main hall. Now, hearing their master calling them, they all rushed towards the main hall.

They passed through the garrison soldiers, some going straight into the main hall and standing behind their masters, while others stopped under the eaves and stood with Xu Tai's twenty imperial guards, facing the hundred or so garrison soldiers together.

In this way, the numbers on both sides of the standoff were immediately reversed.

Xu Tai's side originally had only twenty men, but now, with the personal guards and servants of the various officers and generals, there were nearly a hundred men in total, facing off against the hundred or so garrison soldiers across the courtyard.

Although they were not wearing armor or carrying weapons, they were in no way inferior in terms of imposing presence.

Upon seeing this, the brigade commander's expression grew even more unpleasant.

The soldiers behind him also showed uneasy expressions.

Although they outnumbered each other, they were ultimately in the wrong, and the people on the other side were all garrison commanders and officials.

Moreover, their military supervisor was currently being held at knifepoint; even if they wanted to fight, how could they dare to actually lay a hand on him?

Seeing that his side had gained fresh troops, Xu Tai's courage grew even stronger, and he shouted at the brigade commander:

"Put down your weapons! Do you really want me to use my fists?!"

Having said that, he stepped forward to forcibly snatch the sword from the brigade commander's hand.

The brigade commander instinctively took a step back, holding his sword horizontally in front of him. The soldiers behind him also thrust their swords and spears forward in unison, shouting:

"Back off!"

Xu Tai was unwilling to back down.

He was the type of person who got more and more excited the more people tried to stop him, and seeing that the other party dared to obstruct him, his anger surged even more. He pushed aside a long spear in front of him and tried to force his way in.

Just then, Li Cenji's voice came from the hall:

"Xu Tai! Stop!"

The shout, neither too loud nor too soft, clearly reached the ears of everyone in the courtyard.

Xu Tai paused abruptly, turned to look at the hall, his face full of confusion:

"Captain!"

Li Cenji didn't look at him; his gaze swept past the crowd and landed on the garrison commander. He said in a deep voice:

"Who is the brigade commander of your brigade? Step forward and speak."

Upon hearing this, the brigade commander straightened up, sheathed his sword, and Li Cenji, who was in the court, clasped his hands in a salute and said:

"This humble general, Zhang Yansi, is honored to be the commander of this brigade. What are your orders, Commandant Li?"

Li Cenji looked him up and down, nodded slightly, and said:

"Commander Zhang, I ask you, did you and your hundred or so brothers willingly surrender to the rebels under Peng Jingrou?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yansi's expression changed, and he quickly shook his head, saying:

"My family has served in the military for generations; my father and grandfather were both soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. How could we willingly surrender to the rebels! However... we are ordered to guard the military supervisor's office, and I dare not disobey the orders of the military supervisor. As for the purpose of the banquet hosted by the military supervisor tonight, I truly did not know the details beforehand."

Li Cenji nodded and said:

"Very well. Since you were unaware of the details beforehand, I will tell you. This eunuch Peng Jingrou, under the guise of Lord Zheng, secretly colluded with Huang Chao, intending to hand over Fengxiang City to the rebels. Huang Chao's envoy has just been beheaded by me in the hall. Peng Jingrou has also been captured by me. This matter has nothing to do with you. You were merely acting under orders and were deceived by this eunuch. The blame does not lie with you."

Upon hearing these words, Zhang Yansi's expression shifted uncertainly.

He glanced at Wang Jing, who lay in a pool of blood in the hall, and then at Peng Jingrou, who was being held hostage by Li Cenji. His Adam's apple bobbed several times, but he didn't know how to respond.

Li Cenji then said:

"I, the general, here today, using my family name Li and my status as the great-great-grandson of Emperor Gaozu and the great-nephew of Emperor Taizong, guarantee you that as long as you and your brothers lay down your weapons and surrender your armor, I will ensure your lives are safe and will not pursue the matter further. Tonight's events were entirely the work of Peng Jingrou alone and have nothing to do with you."

He paused, his voice growing increasingly solemn:

"I, Li Cenji, always keep my word and never go back on my word. If you trust me, then tell the brothers to lay down their weapons."

After hearing his words, Zhang Yansi was torn between his own thoughts and his own mind, and he hesitated and could not make a decision.

He looked back at his brothers and saw that their faces were filled with confusion and unease.

These ordinary soldiers, barely literate, how could they possibly understand the profound principles of loyalty to the emperor and serving the country?

All they know is to be soldiers, get paid, and obey orders.

Now that the military supervisor is a prisoner, and a member of the royal family is standing opposite them, they truly don't know who to listen to.

Zhang Yansi gritted his teeth, then raised his head to look at Li Cenji and asked:

"Commander Li, if I may be so bold as to ask... can you truly guarantee the safety of these sworn brothers?"

Li Cenji did not answer directly, but instead turned his gaze to the officers and generals in the hall.

Seeing this, the officers and soldiers knew that those who were not armored could not possibly defeat those who were armored. If they acted rashly, they would most likely meet with bad luck. So they went along with it and all spoke up to vouch for them.

This appearance speaks louder than any words.

Zhang Yansi finally made up his mind.

He took a deep breath, unfastened the sword from his waist, held it in both hands, and slowly stepped forward, respectfully placing it at Xu Tai's feet.

Then he turned around and shouted loudly at the soldiers behind him:

"Did you all hear that! Peng Jingrou has committed treason and collusion with the enemy, a crime that cannot be forgiven! Commander Li is a member of the imperial family; since he has vouched for him, his word is law! Brothers, lay down your weapons! Lay down your armor!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers looked at each other for a moment, and finally someone took the initiative to move.

With a clang, a long spear was thrown to the ground.

This sound was like a breach in a dam, followed by a cacophony of clanging swords, spears, and halberds falling to the ground.

The soldiers threw all their weapons on the ground and began to remove their lamellar armor.

The leather straps were torn open, and the armor plates fell down with a rustling sound. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, all the hundred or so soldiers in the town had been disarmed and stripped of their armor.

They stood in the cold winter wind, wearing only close-fitting linen undergarments, shivering from the cold, yet afraid to move.

A hundred or so people crowded into the courtyard and corridors, making the originally spacious courtyard completely packed, a dark and imposing sight.

Xu Tai led the twenty imperial guards to gather the confiscated weapons and armor together, piling them into a small mountain.

He held a newly captured sword in his hand, pacing back and forth in front of the garrison soldiers, his face full of smugness, like a tiger that had just taken over the mountain.

The soldiers kept their heads down, none of them daring to meet his gaze.

Li Cenji also handed Peng Jingrou over to Xu Tai, instructing him to take her away and ordering the Imperial Guards to keep a close watch on her.

The officers and generals in the hall breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the standoff in the courtyard had finally been resolved.

Sun Chu straightened his clothes and stood up from the table.

His outburst of tears just now was entirely genuine.

His eyes were still red, and there were still tear stains on his gray beard.

He bowed to the assembled officials in the court, cleared his throat, and began to speak:

"Fellow colleagues, tonight's events were made possible thanks to Commandant Li's decisive action in executing the traitorous envoy and capturing the rebellious eunuch, thus preventing us from making a grave mistake. However, with Lord Zheng currently ill and the Yellow Rebels arriving at any moment, the city cannot be without a leader for even a day. In my opinion, the most urgent task is to devise a plan to prevent a situation where everyone is leaderless and acts independently, which could ultimately ruin everything."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Li Changyan spoke first, his voice so loud that the candlelight in the hall flickered:

"What Clerk Sun said is absolutely right. Lord Zheng is seriously ill, but military affairs cannot be delayed. In my humble opinion, the details of government affairs, finances, and official correspondence should be handled jointly by Clerk Sun and Commander Wang. Both of them are old comrades-in-arms of Lord Zheng and are familiar with the affairs of the state, so they are the most suitable."

He paused here, his gaze sweeping over the generals in the hall, and then continued:

"As for military affairs, campaigns, and troop deployment, I am not capable, but I am willing to take on this responsibility together with Commander Zhao. Commander Zhao has a long-standing reputation in Longyou Town, and I also have some influence in Fengxiang City. If the two of us discuss military affairs together, I think the soldiers will not have any objections."

Upon hearing this, the people in the hall exchanged glances, and no one voiced any objection.

The Zhao family's commander, Zhao Buying, was the very person who had just slammed his fist on the table and angrily rebuked those who had surrendered.

Upon hearing Li Changyan's words, he stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the crowd, and said:

"General Li's words are exactly what I was thinking. I am a rough man, barely literate, and completely ignorant of political affairs. But when it comes to supervising military discipline and reorganizing military affairs, I believe I can say a few words among the officers of these two garrisons. Since General Li does not mind my crudeness, I will join him in taking on this responsibility."

Sun Chu nodded, then looked at Wang Chu, the military commander.

Wang Chu was an elderly civil official in his early fifties. He was thin and vigorous, with a neatly trimmed goatee. He was not talkative, but he was a man of great insight.

Seeing Sun Chu's gaze fall upon him, he stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and said calmly:

"I have worked with Registrar Sun for many years and know each other very well. We can discuss and handle government affairs together. I only hope that Lord Zheng will recover soon and resume his post so that we can be relieved of this heavy burden."

With these words, the four men had properly assigned military and political affairs during Zheng Tian's critical illness.

The other officers and soldiers, seeing that someone had stepped forward to take on the main responsibility, were happy to have something to worry about and all chimed in with their opinions, without a single one raising any objections.

Li Cenji stood in the hall, the short blade in his hand already sheathed in his sleeve. His expression was calm, but he nodded inwardly.

Of these four, Sun Chu was Zheng Tian's trusted advisor, Wang Chu was the military commander, Li Changyan was the military commissioner of Fengxiang, and Zhao Buying was the military commander of Longyou. They were both civil and military leaders, and the two towns of Fengxiang and Longyou each had their own representatives, which was quite a balance.

Moreover, these four men were all longtime subordinates of Zheng Tian, ​​sharing his glory and his downfall, and would never do anything detrimental to him.

Once the matter was settled, there was no reason for anyone to linger.

Those officers and soldiers had experienced this dramatic turn of events tonight, from tacitly agreeing to surrender to weeping bitterly, and then turning against each other and cursing Peng Jingrou. They were utterly exhausted.

Seeing that everything was settled, they all stood up and bowed to Sun Chu, Wang Chu, Li Changyan, and Zhao Buying to take their leave.

Li Changyan walked up to Li Cenji and looked him up and down.

The military commander of Fengxiang had a rather complex gaze, containing both admiration and an indescribable meaning.

He reached out and patted Li Cenji's shoulder twice, saying in a deep voice:

"Li... Commandant, I am more than ten years older than you, so I call you Jingzhi... Tonight, thanks to you, Jingzhi, we will report this merit truthfully to Lord Zheng when he wakes up."

Li Cenji clasped his hands and said:

"General Li, you flatter me. I was merely doing my duty."

Li Changyan waved his hand, said nothing more, and strode away with his brother Li Changfu.

Li Changfu followed behind his elder brother, glancing back at Li Cenji as he left.

He had just cursed Li Cenji as "shameless" at the banquet, and now he looked rather embarrassed. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just cupped his hands to Li Cenji and turned to leave.