Tang Dynasty: Taking the Empress Dowager to a brothel, Father Emperor, what a coincidence!

Cui Mingan then looked at Hou Junji and shouted:

"General Hou, don't be intimidated by him. Ballistae are slow to reload. Let's charge in one go and the situation will be settled."

Hou Junji, a seasoned veteran, immediately understood.

Once you start a rebellion, there's no turning back.

Hou Junji raised his sword:

"All soldiers, heed my command! Purge the court of corrupt officials and vanquish the wicked! Charge in, and the reward will be ten thousand taels of gold, and you will be ennobled and appointed general!"

Upon hearing of the hefty reward, the rebels raised their weapons and prepared to charge.

Li Shimin was about to order the Xuanjia Army to engage in battle.

Li Chengqian, however, said without any concern:

"Father, please rest. Fighting in this sweltering heat is exhausting."

Li Shimin glared angrily at Li Chengqian:

"You unfilial son, still spouting nonsense at a time like this! Xuanjia Army, listen to my command..."

Before the words were finished, a series of mechanical sounds suddenly rang out from the previously empty high walls on both sides of Xuanwu Gate.

"Click-clack-click-clack!"

Countless heads wearing iron helmets peeked out from behind the parapet.

Immediately afterwards, a dense array of crossbows emerged from the top of the wall, directly locking onto the rebel formation below.

Two thousand archers led by the Crown Prince's guards.

Cui Mingan's smile froze.

Hou Junji's heart skipped a beat.

Why is Donggong Weishuai here?

He had clearly sent people to keep a close watch on the Crown Prince's palace.

Just then, a tall, chestnut-red horse slowly emerged from the Xuanwu Gate.

A burly figure sat on horseback.

The man was dressed in gleaming armor, wielding two golden maces, and wearing a half-bronze mask on his face.

The moment he appeared, a murderous aura of mountains of corpses and seas of blood instantly spread out.

"Qin Qiong, Duke of Yi of the Great Tang Dynasty, is here!"

The entire room fell silent instantly.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the person on horseback.

Li Shimin's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Shubao?

He has already passed away, hasn't he? He personally arranged his funeral.

Is this a zombie coming back to life?

After a brief silence, a loud shout suddenly came from the ranks of the military officers.

"Second Brother!"

Cheng Yaojin shouted at Qin Qiong,

"Second Brother, you're not dead! I, Old Cheng, have missed you so much!"

That's why they say Cheng Yaojin is a cunning old fox.

Even knowing that Qin Qiong was alive, he could still act as if it were real.

Yuchi Jingde also roared excitedly:

"Good! With Second Brother here, we'll be fine today."

Niu Jinda, Duan Zhixuan, and their group of old comrades also had tears in their eyes, and they roared as they charged forward.

Li Shimin turned to look at Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian shrugged and said innocently:

"Father, please don't look at me like that."

Uncle Qin's illness was a serious one, and the incompetent doctors in the Imperial Hospital couldn't cure it. I just happen to know a little about folk remedies.

We couldn't announce his recovery everywhere, so we let him recuperate in the Eastern Palace for a while.

Li Shimin was so angry at these words that he gritted his teeth.

Is this what you call good manners?

You've hidden the greatest warrior of the Tang Dynasty in the Eastern Palace, even from me. What are you planning to do?

Hou Junji's reaction at this moment was more exaggerated than seeing a ghost.

Hou Junji was fearless in his life, except for Qin Qiong.

Back when he was conquering the world, Hou Junji suffered many losses at the hands of Qin Qiong.

Qin Qiong's two golden maces were practically Hou Junji's childhood nightmare.

Whenever Hou Junji tried to steal credit or act cunningly, Qin Qiong would smash him with his mace without saying a word, leaving him bedridden for half a month.

In Hou Junji's heart, Qin Qiong was an insurmountable mountain.

"Qin...Second Brother Qin..."

Qin Qiong snorted coldly, pointing his golden mace at Hou Junji:

"Hou Junji, you've grown bold? You dare to lead troops to besiege Xuanwu Gate? And you even dare to draw your sword against His Majesty and the Crown Prince."

"Is your head too heavy? Do you want me to take it off for you?"

Hou Junji's legs went weak, and he almost tumbled off his horse.

The rebels and private soldiers of powerful families behind him were originally a hastily assembled rabble.

Seeing the legendary Tang Dynasty war god come back to life, morale plummeted to rock bottom.

Many people have already started to back away.

Cui Mingan shouted anxiously:

"General Hou! He only has two thousand men. We have ten thousand."

Don't be afraid of him! Charge at him and kill him.

Hou Junji suddenly turned his head, looked at Cui Mingan, and roared:

"Shut up!"

Cui Mingan was stunned by the shout.

Hou Junji looked at Qin Qiong and forced out a smile that was more like a grimace:

"Second brother, this is all a misunderstanding... I was forced into it."

Qin Qiong wasn't buying it at all:

"Lay down your weapons, dismount and surrender. I will spare your life."

Otherwise, this place outside Xuanwu Gate today would be your burial ground.

Hou Junji's expression kept changing.

Surrender means death, and not surrendering also means death.

He glanced at the tens of thousands of soldiers behind him, and then at the two thousand archers on the city wall.

Fight!

Hou Junji bit his tongue, using the intense pain to bring himself back to his senses.

"My soldiers! Qin Qiong is terminally ill and is now at his last gasp. Charge in! Glory and wealth are within your grasp!"

Hou Junji raised his sword and roared.

"kill!"

Hou Junji squeezed the horse's flanks with both legs, and the warhorse neighed and charged forward.

Seeing their commander leading the way, the private soldiers of the powerful families behind him also roared and charged forward.

"act recklessly."

Qin Qiong snorted coldly and pressed the golden mace down in his hand.

The captain of the Eastern Palace Guard on the city wall immediately waved his command flag.

"put!"

A dense barrage of arrows rained down on the rebel camp.

The few hundred private soldiers from powerful families at the forefront were instantly riddled with arrows.

Hou Junji brandished his sword to deflect several stray arrows, but when he looked back, his heart sank.

Those servants and guards who usually bullied men and women in the village had never seen such a regular army formation.

A volley of arrows rained down, terrifying them all.

One by one, people cried out and retreated, some even trampling on each other.

"Supervisory Team! Anyone who retreats will be executed!"

Hou Junji roared in frustration.

But where are the supervisory teams now?

The battlefield was in complete chaos.

Qin Qiong hung the two golden maces on the saddle and then took a twelve-foot-long lance from the Victory Hook.

"Eastern Palace Guards, follow this old man to break the formation."

Qin Qiong squeezed his legs together, and his chestnut horse charged straight into the center of the rebel army.

Two thousand Imperial Guards emerged from the passageways on both sides of Xuanwu Gate, joining forces with elite Hundred Cavalrymen who appeared out of nowhere, and charged into the rebel army's formation.

Qin Qiong took the lead, his lance flying up and down.

The rebel soldiers blocking his way were sent flying into the air, weapons and all.

It was a completely one-sided massacre.

Hou Junji looked at Qin Qiong, who seemed to be in his own backyard, and felt a pang of regret.

If Qin Qiong were still alive, he would never dare to agree to the aristocratic family's plan, even if he were beaten to death.

But where in this world can you buy a pill to undo your regrets?

He gritted his teeth and spurred his horse to charge towards Qin Qiong.

"Qin Shubao! I, Hou Junji, refuse to accept this."

Hou Junji gripped his sword tightly with both hands, and using the momentum of his horse, he slashed at Qin Qiong with the force of splitting a mountain.

Qin Qiong didn't even glance at him. He suddenly flicked his lance, and the tip of the lance struck Hou Junji's blade like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

"when!"

The horizontal sword in Hou Junji's hand flew out of his hand.

Before he could react, Qin Qiong's spear had already struck his breastplate.

Hou Junji screamed and was thrown backwards from his horse.

Several elite cavalrymen rushed forward and tied him up.

Once their commander was captured alive, the remaining rebel army completely collapsed.

"We surrender! We surrender."

"Don't kill me, I was forced to do it."

Tens of thousands of rebels threw down their weapons and knelt down in a dark mass.

Cui Mingan lay prone under the chariot, and when he saw that something was wrong, he hurriedly tried to crawl backward.

"Old dog Cui, where do you think you're going?"

A large foot stepped on Cui Minqian's back, knocking him to the ground.

Cheng Yaojin said with a smile:

"I've been watching you for ages, Lao Cheng."

The rebellion lasted less than half an incense stick's time.

Once everything was finished, Li Chengqian stepped out of the group.

Li Tai and Li Ke followed him eagerly.

When the fight broke out, Li Tai was so scared that he covered his head and squatted on the ground. But now that he saw that the fight was over, he immediately perked up.

He walked back and forth among the kneeling prisoners.

Suddenly, Li Tai noticed Hou Junji's helmet lying on the ground.

He quickly ran over, picked it up, hugged it to his chest, and turned to shout excitedly at Li Chengqian:

"Big brother! Look! My spoils of war."

Li Ke disdainfully took two steps away:

"Fourth brother, can you please stop embarrassing yourself?"

Li Tai retorted, unconvinced:

"What do you know? I've been on the battlefield before. I'll put this helmet on a pedestal when I get back."

Li Shimin walked to the center of the square with a dark expression.

Hou Junji and Cui Mingan were forced to kneel before him.

"Hou Junji, oh Hou Junji."

Li Shimin pointed at Hou Junji and demanded,

"I have never treated you badly. I have given you high office, generous salary, wealth and honor. What have I not given you? Why do you want to rebel?"

Knowing he was doomed, Hou Junji became even more defiant.

"Has His Majesty treated me well?"

Hou Junji sneered.

"I followed His Majesty through thick and thin, and conquered half of the Tang Dynasty."

But now? The civil officials in the court overshadow me, and even the Crown Prince doesn't respect me. I, Hou Junji, am not reconciled.

Li Shimin, enraged, laughed instead.

"Just because of this? You've brought this rabble to force me to abdicate?"

Hou Junji was about to open his mouth to continue his defense.

"Father, please don't ask anymore."

Li Chengqian strolled over to Li Shimin's side and casually interjected a comment.

Li Shimin turned his head and glared at Li Chengqian, asking:

"What? What brilliant idea do you have now?"

Li Chengqian shrugged:

"Is that even a question? They must be complaining that you're not paying them enough."

Li Shimin was taken aback: "Salary? What's that?"

"It's just salary."

Li Chengqian pointed at Hou Junji,

"Look at him, the Minister of War, risking his life for that old dog Cui's worth of scrap metal. Isn't that just complaining about the pay?"

You should pay your officials more salaries in the future, otherwise they'll easily be poached by outside bosses.

Cheng Yaojin, standing to the side, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Yuchi Jingde's face also turned bright red from holding back his anger.

Hou Junji almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Am I doing this for the salary? No, I'm doing it for power. For an everlasting dynasty.

Li Shimin was also speechless.

This unfilial son never misses an opportunity to crack jokes.