Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 732 Rendezvous

Jia Lian was about to go see Princess Zhaoyang, but Princess Zhaoyang came to see him first.

On the mountain road, which was ablaze with fire, Princess Zhaoyang saw Jia Lian, who was wearing golden armor and riding a white horse.

Princess Zhaoyang didn't know the story of the Prince Charming, but at this moment, Jia Lian was her Prince Charming, her true love.

She abandoned the guards of the princess's residence, rode her horse to Jia Lian, and revealed her usual warm and welcoming smile.

"Zhaoyang originally intended to go down the mountain to meet the general, but unexpectedly the general had already arrived here."

In one sentence, she not only explained her purpose for coming, but also expressed her surprise and admiration at how quickly Jia Lian had come up the mountain.

When Jia Lian saw Princess Zhaoyang in this state, a long-lost smile appeared on his face. "I was able to get here so quickly thanks to General Pei's great understanding and surrender. Otherwise, I don't know how many soldiers' lives would have been lost if I had to get here."

As Jia Lian spoke, he glanced at Pei Fengnian, who was standing next to him with a smug look on his face.

Princess Zhaoyang also glanced at him.

On her way down, she heard and saw the situation here, and roughly understood that the general guarding the mountain in the North Camp must have surrendered to Jia Lian.

Princess Zhaoyang nodded casually, then looked at Jia Lian again, her expression becoming more serious.

"General, your arrival is just in time. The situation on the mountain is in chaos, with soldiers causing havoc. My father is also trapped inside the palace and urgently needs your troops to rescue him."

Jia Lian's expression changed, and he asked in a deep voice, "What exactly is going on?"

"The elite cavalry and infantry are attacking the palace together, so the guards that were supposed to come to support the general and General Xie have already returned to defend the palace."

"There's no time to lose. General, please come with me immediately to the mountain to protect the Emperor."

Princess Zhaoyang's beautiful face appeared bright and radiant in the firelight.

Although she had previously stated that she would not show favoritism towards her father or grandfather.

But given the circumstances, she still made her choice.

Grandpa lost; only Grandpa lost.

If Father Emperor loses, it will shake the very foundation of the Great Wei dynasty.

In the eyes of the people, it was only natural for the retired emperor to enjoy a life of luxury, while the emperor being deposed or even killed was undoubtedly a shocking event.

At that time, all sorts of monsters and demons will likely emerge, bringing endless chaos and slaughter to the empire.

Jia Lian took a deep breath, then looked at Pei Fengnian and solemnly ordered, "General Pei!"

"Your humble servant is here."

"You and your officers and soldiers are hereby ordered to obey Princess Zhaoyang's commands from this moment until the rebels are annihilated and His Majesty is rescued!"

"Yes……"

Pei Fengnian glanced at Princess Zhaoyang.

To be honest, although he was a defeated general, he was still a third-rank general. He could barely accept being ordered to obey Jia Lian, after all, Jia Lian and his firearms battalion were so powerful that he was truly convinced of their strength.

But to expect him to obey a woman...

Jia Lian seemed to be able to see through his thoughts, and his tone became stern: "Don't think that just because Princess Zhaoyang is a woman, she can make fun of tens of thousands of Oirat troops with only a few hundred guards in the desert."

"Your Highness's talent is highly praised even by His Majesty. Are you still not convinced?"

"This humble servant dares not! This humble servant will obey the Marquis's orders and will certainly follow Your Highness's commands!"

Everything else is meaningless.

His life now, and whether he could preserve his future and the lives of his entire family afterward, all depended on Jia Lian's decision. Of course, Pei Fengnian dared not offend Jia Lian.

Moreover, Jia Lian reminded him that Princess Zhaoyang was favored by Emperor Ningkang, so he dared not show the slightest "resentment".

Princess Zhaoyang, however, seemed oblivious to everything, smiling as she watched Jia Lian, before finally glancing indifferently at Pei Fengnian.

That one glance made Pei Fengnian lower his head even further.

Princess Zhaoyang then let him go and smiled at Jia Lian, saying, "Finally, I can fight alongside the general again."

Jia Lian nodded to her.

Late at night, too many troops would hinder mobility. Moreover, his artillery battalion is specially trained and has its own procedures for coordinating in any situation; bringing along several thousand "small fry" would definitely be inconvenient.

This is also why he put Princess Zhaoyang in command of the surrendered soldiers of the Northern Camp.

……

On the mountain.

Emperor Ningkang stood on the west tower of the imperial palace, his gaze fixed on the large number of imperial guards locked in a fierce battle in the distance.

This is already the umpteenth wave of attacks from the other side.

The might of the Valiant Cavalry Battalion is truly awe-inspiring!

If he had not had a numerical advantage and had not been prepared in advance, and had not been able to defend the terrain, he would have been able to achieve his goal.

Otherwise, he would have already been intentionally focusing on building up his personal guard, making its overall strength a force to be reckoned with...

I'm afraid that at this moment, he is either on the run or has already been captured by the retired emperor.

Even so, the defenses outside the palace had been completely breached, the palace fences were knocked askew, and flames raged everywhere.

One soldier after another fell into pools of blood. The pervasive stench of blood and the pungent smell of burning corpses could be clearly smelled even by Emperor Ningkang, who stood atop a high building.

These are the empire's most elite soldiers.

Emperor Ningkang did not speak, but his unconsciously clenched fist revealed his thoughts.

Many of the close advisors who served Emperor Ningkang couldn't bear to look away.

Faced with such profuse blood, even the most ruthless schemer might lower their noble head.

"Knock knock knock!"

Two generals, their iron boots clattering on the wooden building and their armor stained with blood, strode quickly to Emperor Ningkang. "The enemy's offensive is too fierce. For Your Majesty's safety, we implore you to evacuate the palace!"

As the two highest-ranking military commanders on Emperor Ningkang's side, their words caused a stir among the civil officials around Emperor Ningkang.

But Emperor Ningkang did not move. He did not even turn his head or speak. His gaze remained fixed on the soldiers fighting fiercely in front of him.

Feng Sheng and his companion exchanged a glance, then knelt down and said, "The cavalry of the Xiaoji Camp are fierce in their attacks, and there are no strategic points within the palace. The makeshift trenches and fences we have dug will not be able to stop their charge for many more times."

Once the defense line is breached, tens of thousands of troops will be fighting in chaos, and we will be unable to guarantee Your Majesty's safety!

I have already discussed with Commander Wei that he will escort Your Majesty to a safe place at the foot of the mountain, while I will lead the Imperial Guard to cover Your Majesty's rear, in order to ensure the safety of Your Majesty..."

"Safety?"

Emperor Ningkang slowly turned his head.

Now that things have come to this, there is no foolproof solution.

Thanks to his rebellious son, even if he wins this time, he is destined to be branded as disobedient, treacherous, unfilial, and unrighteous.

At that time, it is unknown how many loyalists or self-proclaimed loyalists will come to rebuke him, oppose him, and criticize him.

He was prepared to deal with these things.

Therefore, he cannot retreat; he must win this battle honorably!

"You may fight the enemy without worrying about me. If the defenses are breached, I will personally draw my sword and join forces with all the soldiers to defeat the enemy."

Emperor Ningkang's calm yet powerful words deeply moved not only generals like Feng Sheng, but also greatly encouraged his close attendants, who knelt down and vowed to follow Emperor Ningkang to the death and to work together with the soldiers to defeat the enemy.

Feng Sheng and Helian Xiong, the commander of the Imperial Guard, exchanged a glance, but neither said anything more. After bowing deeply, the two went down to rearrange the defenses.

As commanders, they naturally don't need to personally fight on the front lines. At least not now.

The bloodstains on his body were merely from the execution of a few wealthy soldiers who deserted during the battle.

No sooner had Feng Sheng and his companion left than sporadic gunshots rang out from afar. Immediately afterward, a large-scale riot broke out behind the "rebel army" that had been charging at the palace at all costs.

Emperor Ningkang was startled and quickly leaned on the railing again to gaze into the distance.

Unfortunately, the attic was too low and the night was too dark, so the battle in the distance could not be seen at all.

But just by the gunshots that shone so brightly in the night sky, Emperor Ningkang knew that it must be Jia Lian's troops who had come up the mountain.

finally come!

Many of those around him guessed that reinforcements from the foot of the mountain had attacked, and overjoyed, they all offered their congratulations to Emperor Ningkang.

But Emperor Ningkang remained indifferent, as if everything was under his control, and the current situation did not arouse any emotional fluctuation in him.

until……

"Your Majesty, Princess Zhaoyang has led a large army to protect you!"

Emperor Ningkang had actually seen it long ago: a force of troops in the southwest had easily broken through the enemy's already weak defenses, but was then blocked by the Imperial Guard and could not advance.

The figure leading the way looked very familiar to him.

"How many men did she bring?"

Emperor Ningkang did not ask Princess Zhaoyang any pointless questions about where her troops came from.

"There are approximately several thousand men, all originally from the Beida Camp, with Pei Fengnian, the deputy commander of the Beida Camp, also present!"

Emperor Ningkang's eyes lit up. Combined with the news that Jia Lian had already gone up the mountain, Emperor Ningkang roughly guessed the beginning and end of the matter.

"Bring her to see me!"

Emperor Ningkang originally intended to wait for Princess Zhaoyang to come and see him, but seeing the increasingly chaotic situation outside the palace, he suddenly turned around and walked quickly down to the pavilion.

Although he could contact the outside world through carrier pigeons arranged in advance, the palace had been sealed off by the retired emperor since yesterday afternoon.

He was eager to see Jia Lian and the others in order to understand the current situation both on and off the mountain.

After waiting briefly at the main gate of the palace, Princess Zhaoyang and several of her attendants arrived in our direction.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

Watching Princess Zhaoyang leap down from her horse and kneel gracefully before him, Emperor Ningkang didn't waste any words. After she rose, he asked directly, "Where do you come from?"

"Your son has just returned from the foot of the mountain..."

Princess Zhaoyang knew what Emperor Ningkang wanted to know, and continued, "When I saw a large number of rebels attacking Father Emperor's palace, I was very worried about Father Emperor's safety."

Originally, he wanted to return to his father's side immediately to protect him.

However, I know that I have no soldiers or generals at my disposal, and I would be of no use coming to Father's side. I suddenly remembered that I had heard that there were troops at the foot of the mountain who had come to rescue you on Father's orders. So I thought of going to meet them on Father's behalf, even if it was just to lead the general who came to the aid of the king, so that he could lead his troops up the mountain a little earlier. That would be my humble contribution.

Unexpectedly, on the mountainside to the southeast, they encountered the Marquis of Zhenyuan, who had come to protect them.

At that time, the Marquis of Zhenyuan had just broken through the enemy forces in the east and won over several thousand soldiers in the northern camp with righteousness.

Upon hearing that the imperial palace was in dire need of help, Marquis Zhenyuan immediately decided to lead his vanguard to its aid.

Now, the Marquis of Zhenyuan is leading his musketeer army to attack the rebels from the rear to relieve the danger to the palace. He is also worried about the Emperor's safety, so he has sent his son, the soldiers of the Northern Camp, to protect him.

Princess Zhaoyang quickly explained the situation.

As soon as she finished speaking, Pei Fengnian, who had been waiting behind her for a long time, hurriedly knelt down before Emperor Ningkang and kowtowed, saying, "This guilty subject, Pei Fengnian, was misled by the Crown Prince's bewitching words and almost caused a great disaster. I beg Your Majesty to grant me death!"

His actions and words made Emperor Ningkang look at him without realizing it.

After a moment, Emperor Ningkang said calmly, "Since he misunderstood the Crown Prince's words and has since realized his mistake, what crime has he committed?"

"This guilty subject kowtows to thank Your Majesty for your mercy in not punishing me."

Pei Fengnian pretended to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and he did feel relieved.

The reason he turned against his master so easily and listened to Jia Lian and others was because he saw the situation clearly and was afraid of being purged by Emperor Ningkang.

Just now, Princess Zhaoyang came to see Emperor Ningkang, and he begged to come along.

He knew very well that Emperor Ningkang was still in danger and needed their loyalty, so this was the time to be most lenient.

If he waits until everything has settled before offering his explanation, Emperor Ningkang might not listen.

Now that Emperor Ningkang has promised to forgive him, it is unlikely that he will go back on his word.

Although Emperor Ningkang didn't pay much attention to Pei Fengnian, just as Pei Fengnian thought, Emperor Ningkang now needed someone to be loyal to him.

"You and your troops will temporarily obey the orders of the Princess. If you achieve merit this time, I will not only forgive your previous mistakes, but also reward you handsomely."

"This humble subject will certainly not fail Your Majesty's great favor and high expectations..."

Nodding, Emperor Ningkang looked at Princess Zhaoyang again after seeing that Pei Fengnian was relieved.

"I still have the Imperial Guard and the Imperial Bodyguard by my side, so I am safe and sound."

On the other hand, Jia Lian's troops were already few in number, and now they were isolated deep behind enemy lines, where a slight misstep could lead to their downfall.

You shall lead your troops to provide support. I will also order the Imperial Guard and the Imperial Guard to cooperate with you, and strive to quell the rebellion before dawn.

Upon hearing this, Princess Zhaoyang looked at Emperor Ningkang with a rare sincerity in her gaze.

"Your subject obeys the decree. Your Majesty, please also be careful."

Regardless of whether Emperor Ningkang was more worried about Jia Lian's safety or the safety of the "Firearms Battalion".

However, under such circumstances, Emperor Ningkang's expression of such sentiments warmed the hearts of his loyal subjects.

Isn't that right, my son? I am also a subject.

……