Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

I deeply regret not bringing my beloved iron mace. If I had it, with Li Xi's meager skills, I could have defeated him in a single move, even if he was followed by a thousand troops who wouldn't have had time to come to his aid. As the saying goes, "With the four-sided green lotus mace in hand, I'll slay all the lousy dogs in the world"... oh wait, I mean, "I'll slay all the pretentious dogs in the world!" So what if it's a precious sword? Under my mace, it's just brittle stuff that shatters upon contact; so what if it's a national prince? I'll just kill a few to make a name for myself!

So he pretended to be outmatched, rolling and dodging while looking around for the other half of the broken sword—where had it gone?

Out of the corner of my eye, I suddenly noticed a dark iron rod on the ground beside me—what is that thing?

Seeing Li Xi step forward and bring his sword down again, Li Ji saw an excellent opportunity. He didn't care what the thing on the ground was, grabbed it, and forcefully knocked it away with a "clang." Then he leaped forward, grabbed Li Xi's shoulder with his left hand, and slammed his right knee down, striking Li Xi squarely in the abdomen.

—Ouch, that hurts!

Li Xi was indeed wearing heavy armor; otherwise, Li Ji's knee strike would have ended the fight on the spot. Even so, Li Ji only felt pain in his knee, while Li Xi felt as if he had been struck by a sledgehammer, his internal organs churning in agony. He opened his mouth, nearly vomiting, and his precious sword fell to the ground. His movements slowed, leaving him temporarily "stiff." Li Ji seized the opportunity, leaping upwards and pressing his entire weight down on Li Xi with a loud thud. Then, he brandished an iron rod at Li Xi's face and roared, "Anyone who dares to come up here, I will kill the King of Yue!"

It wasn't until then that I realized that what I had hastily picked up from the ground was actually a "key".

The main gates of most official residences were double-leafed, sealed on the inside with wooden or iron bolts. For some reason, the gate to the "Flying Dragon Stable" was unlike those of the former Imperial Kitchen in Luoyang; it was not only narrow but also single-leafed, and could not be bolted, but only secured with a key. These keys, horizontally called "guan" and vertically called "jian," were mostly inserted vertically on the upper outer side of the door leaf, much like a modern-day "bolt," and were all made of metal.

When the Shence Army broke down the gate of the Flying Dragon Stables, they didn't knock the entire gate down or fly away; they only knocked off the bolt, and the key fell to the ground, which Li Ji happened to pick up. This key was quite large, shaped like a carpenter's square, with a diameter of more than two fingers. One section was over two feet long, and the other section was about five inches long. In short, it was heavier and easier to use than the broken sword that Li Ji originally had.

In a sense, the longer section of this "key" is just like a miniature "mace," which Li Ji can use to unleash his mace moves.

In a flash, Li Xi was pinned to the ground, screaming like a pig being slaughtered. Both sides, inside and outside the government office, were shocked, but subconsciously, they all felt this was the natural course of events.

It's not surprising that Li Erlang defeated the King of Yue in one move—this world is still normal.

Upon hearing Li Ji's threat to kill Li Xi, two cries of alarm rang out simultaneously from within the yamen. One was from Li Xi himself—"Don't kill me!" The other came from Li Yu—"Don't harm the King of Yue!"

Only half a second later, a third shout came from outside the gate: "Don't worry about the King of Yue, rush up and kill Li Ji!"

The one who shouted this time was naturally Prince Yan, Li Xian. Li Xian truly hated the Li faction. He thought to himself, according to the Empress's plan, in this coup, you were the master and I was the assistant. You went to assassinate the eldest son and Li Fuguo, and I sealed off the palace gates. But Li Yu didn't go to the Right Silver Terrace Gate, but came to the Flying Dragon Stable, and I happened to run into him. This is the will of Heaven, and it is my turn to make a contribution. I have a share in the crown prince position, so why are you in such a hurry to come and seize it?

Yes, Li Yu's life is important to both of us, but in this operation, what's more important is capturing or killing Li Fuguo. If Li Fuguo dies, Li Yu will be like a man without an arm; given his weak character, he'll be powerless. But if Li Fuguo lives, even if Li Yu dies, the old eunuch can still find a way to enthrone princes like Li Tan, Li Jin, and Li Quan, and even the grandson Li Shi. So, when I asked you about Li Fuguo, what was your answer? Not "The old eunuch has been eliminated," or "He has been captured," but rather—"What is there to fear from the old eunuch? Let's kill Li Yu first!"

This means Li Fuguo is still alive and has not been captured. So why are you rushing here instead of commanding the battle at the Right Silver Terrace Gate?

And you even dared to go alone and charge straight at Li Ji, playing the trick of a one-on-one duel... I even suspected that you were hiding your strength, but it turns out that you are still the same as expected.

Second brother, I know you've always been foolish, but I never knew your stupidity had become so deep-seated and incurable! This idiot, I'm ashamed to be brothers with him. I'd rather be killed by Li Ji with one stab... no, one click!

That Li Fuguo is cunning and ruthless; he's not easy to deal with. Without a prince to oversee things, victory near the Right Silver Terrace Gate is uncertain. I can't stay here leisurely any longer; I need to break through Li Ji's defenses and kill Li Yu quickly, or all my efforts will be in vain—forget about my stupid brother, everyone, let's attack together and get rid of Li Ji first!

Although he shouted and gave orders, his soldiers hesitated for a moment and dared not obey. After all, the Shence Army was not a private army trained by Li Xian himself, but only temporarily serving. Li Xian could drive them to charge at Li Yu—shouting to kill, but when they actually got to him, Li Xian would most likely have to do it himself, and the soldiers would not dare to—but he could not make them completely disregard the life of a prince.

Li Xi lay on the ground, straining to turn his face away, exhaling a breath of foul air, and shouted, "Sixth Brother is utterly heartless! If you kill me now, do you think you can live on your own?"

For some reason, Li Ji wanted to laugh when he heard this—you keep talking about killing your own brother, and then you have the nerve to criticize your brother for being heartless?

Just then, Li Yu walked over.

He was initially surrounded by Cheng Yuanzhen and the others, but everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the fight between Li Ji and Li Xi. They were also shocked by Li Xi's capture, causing them to temporarily overlook Li Yu. This allowed Li Yu to break through the crowd and reach Li Ji's side. He then bent down, picked up the precious sword that Li Xi had dropped, and handed it to Li Ji, saying, "Guard, you may force back the rebels, but please do not harm my brother."

Li Ji frowned, glanced at Li Yu, and thought to himself, "From now on, I will have to look at this Crown Prince with new eyes."

Back when Li Yu knelt before the Uyghur Crown Prince outside Chang'an, Li Ji felt that the fellow was cowardly in a way reminiscent of his father, and thus began to look down on him. To be honest, if Li Shi were Li Yu's son, Li Ji wouldn't have needed to pave the way for that little guy; he wouldn't have bothered to put in the effort or take the risk to protect Li Yu.

However, now that life and death are hanging by a thread, it is unexpected that Li Yu would have such courage; it is truly rare.

So he threw down the door key, took the precious sword, held it across Li Xi's neck, and glared at the Shence soldiers, shouting, "Retreat immediately!" Then he lowered his voice and warned Li Yu, "Your Highness, retreat, beware of cold arrows."

Instead of backing down, Li Yu puffed out his chest and loudly called out to Li Xian, "Sixth brother, I hope you will pull back from the brink and leave now. If you do, I will not punish you for what happened today." He pointed upwards and said, "Heaven above bears witness to my oath!"

Li Xian smiled wryly and said, "Brother, the arrow is on the string, and we have no choice but to release it." As he spoke, he picked up the bow.

None of the Shence Army soldiers dared to fire arrows at Li Yu; as for the two hundred eunuchs brought by Li Xi, even if they had bows, they might not know how to fire them, and even if they did, they might not hit the target; now, the only one who dared to shoot arrows at Li Yu was Prince Yan, Li Xian.

Li Xian thought to himself, "I've also practiced archery. At a distance of only twenty paces, it's theoretically impossible for me to miss. Besides, I killed Li Yu first, and then shot Li Xi with another arrow—but that guy was lying on the ground, so aiming wasn't so easy." As for shooting Li Ji, he didn't even dare to think about it.

Li Ji naturally noticed Li Xian's intention. On the one hand, he urged Li Yu to retreat, and on the other hand, he kept a close eye on the other's movements, ready to swing his sword to deflect the arrow at any time—but the distance was too close, and he didn't know if he could do it in time.

With a "bang," the bowstring was drawn and the arrow was released, followed by a scream...

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Northern Army

Before leaving the Eastern Palace, Li Yu sent someone to Bai Sun's residence to inform his eldest son, Li Shi.

As the Crown Prince, he had been confined to the palace for a long time, making it difficult for him to contact the outside world, which naturally dulled his political sense. Li Shi was different—especially since Li Yu had been appointed as regent, allowing him to summon the prime minister and enabling timely communication between the Eastern Palace and the Prince of Fengjie's residence—when Empress Zhang ordered someone to lure Li Yu into killing Li Fuguo during the day, and Li Yu refused, an imperial edict arrived that evening, summoning him to the palace. Li Shi instinctively sensed that something was wrong.

So he led a few trusted men and hurriedly slipped out of Baisun's residence to Pingkangfang to find Li Ji.

Although Li Ji had moved and taken in more than twenty new servants, the old gatekeeper remained in his post and immediately opened the door to let Li Shi in. Li Shi asked where Li Ji was, but the old man couldn't explain. It was Yuan Jing'an, whom Li Ji had asked to stay behind to protect the house before leaving, who then recounted the whole story in detail.

Li Shi stamped his foot in dismay: "How can he possibly leave the city at a time like this?!"

This seemed to foreshadow an eventful night. Having exhausted all other options, Li Shi risked everything and went to the Mingfeng Gate, knocking and asking to be let in. The Shence soldier guarding the gate replied, "The superior has ordered that the palace gates be locked; no one may be let in."

A single sentence revealed an ominous message. Logically, they should have replied to Li Shi, "Even a prince cannot enter the palace without an imperial edict." This was the law, a legal provision; there was no need to specifically emphasize "an order from a superior." Li Shi was frantic—"What should I do?"

The attendants suggested, "Lord Li is at the Right Silver Terrace Gate, or perhaps he hasn't finished his shift yet. Why doesn't Your Highness go there to meet Lord Li and discuss a plan?"

Li Shi shook his head: "The Empress had already implied that the Crown Prince should kill Li Fuguo during the day, and now she has ordered the Shence Army to lock the palace gates. She will most likely send troops to the Right Yintai Gate... I have no troops at my disposal. Wouldn't going there be like walking into a trap?"

He desperately wanted to escape Chang'an and head to Longyou to seek refuge with his third uncle, Li Tan, but he was unwilling to give up—years of planning had been thwarted in a single night, and in such a bizarre way that he hadn't even caught a glimpse of the enemy…

He spun around twice in place, then suddenly remembered—"Go to Yanxi Gate."

Yanxi Gate was the eastern gate of the Western Inner Palace, situated to the east and west of Anfu Gate, flanked by a side street. South of this street lay the Imperial City, while to the north was the Palace City. Upon arriving at Yanxi Gate, Li Shi revealed his identity and asked the guard, "Which general is on duty today?"

The guard replied, "It is Commander Li."

Upon hearing this, Li Shi couldn't help but exclaim in delight, "This is Heaven's help to me!"

Since returning from Fengxiang, Li Ji has continued to win over the generals of the Shence Army while also getting involved in the Weiyuan Army. He has made many good friends and even sent a list of reliable people to Li Shi. Among them, the one who was closest to Li Ji and strongly recommended to Li Shi was Li Sheng, also known as Li Liangqi, the Left Guard General and the actual commander of the Left Wing of the Weiyuan Army.

Li Shi summoned Li Sheng to see him, recounting the entire incident and pleading for Li Sheng's protection as he proceeded to the Right Silver Terrace Gate. Li Sheng hesitated, but Li Shi stamped his foot in exasperation, saying, "I am a friend of the Changwei, and you are also a friend of the Changwei. Don't you trust me?" Li Sheng smiled wryly, "This matter is of great importance, Your Highness..."

Li Shi waved his hand, interrupting the other party, and pleaded, "Liangqi, the situation in the Eastern Palace is currently unclear. If I were to ask you to lead troops to help me enter the palace and quell the rebellion, it would be putting you in a difficult position..." Li Sheng thought to himself, "Whether there is a rebellion or not, and who is causing it, I still don't understand." He continued, "However, asking you to lead a contingent of troops to escort me to the Right Silver Terrace Gate shouldn't be too difficult, right? If we reach the Right Silver Terrace Gate and find out that it was I who intended to cause the rebellion, you can immediately capture me, which would be a great achievement!"

The Imperial Guards are now disorganized and far from their peak. Generals often drive their soldiers to do their own private business. So, with Li Sheng's power, leading a team of men to act as bodyguards, even if it's just to earn extra money, is not a big crime. In fact, as long as he doesn't get caught, he can easily get away with it.

Li Sheng was slightly moved. After a moment's thought, he clasped his hands and said, "I hope Your Highness will not fail Changwei, then I will not fail Your Highness either." He then gathered more than a hundred people and escorted Li Shi to the Right Silver Terrace Gate.

A fierce battle was taking place near the Right Silver Terrace Gate, with hundreds of Shence Army soldiers surrounding Li Fuguo. Fortunately, the old eunuch knew he had too many enemies, both in the inner court and the outer court, many of whom wanted to devour him and sleep on his skin. Therefore, he had always kept fifty brave soldiers as his personal bodyguards, as well as dozens of junior eunuchs under his command, all of whom were strong and capable.

The key issue is that Li Xi fled to the Flying Dragon Stable to kill Li Yu, leaving the Shence Army without a leader. The generals and soldiers were all suspicious and, fearing Li Fuguo's power, no one was willing to fight to the death. This is why the fierce battle lasted for a long time without a clear winner.

Just then, Li Shi and his men arrived. Li Fuguo was overjoyed and ordered Li Sheng, "Quickly summon the entire Weiyuan army to come here and annihilate this rebel!" As the Minister of War and in charge of the Inner Palace Secretariat, he was able to give direct orders to Li Sheng from any perspective.

Li Sheng sent someone back to mobilize the entire Weiyuan Army, while Li Shi anxiously asked, "Where is the Crown Prince?"

Li Fuguo said, "There are rumors that it is in the Flying Dragon Stable."

Li Shi grew anxious and, ignoring Li Fuguo, asked Li Sheng to allocate him half of his troops. He then hurriedly circled around the west wall of the Daming Palace to the Flying Dragon Stables. From afar, he saw hundreds of Shence generals charge into the stables, among whom a golden-armored general, mounted on horseback and wielding a bow, stood out most prominently in the lamplight. Li Shi immediately drew his bow and arrow, and without a word, rode to within forty paces and fired a powerful arrow.

With a "bang," the arrow was released, and Prince Li Xian of Yan was shot off his horse.

Li Xi was captured, and Li Xian was seriously wounded and fell from his horse. With hundreds of Shence soldiers losing their leader, chaos immediately ensued. Li Yu seized the opportunity to shout, "You have been misled by treacherous people. Since you did not harm me, you should turn back now to avoid your past transgressions..." Li Ji, finding his words too polite, yelled at the top of his lungs, "Anyone willing to follow the Crown Prince to kill the rebels will have their past transgressions forgiven and will be richly rewarded!"

His voice was naturally loud, and this roar shocked the entire scene. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, several Shence Army generals raised their arms and shouted, "In the name of the Crown Prince, kill the rebels!" They then raised their spears and swords and chased down the eunuchs who had followed Li's faction.

Cheng Yuanzhen led his men over and brought Li Xi and Li Xian—the Shence soldiers ultimately dared not offend the prince, but merely made way, revealing the heavily wounded Li Xian—stripped of his armor and bound with ropes. Immediately, Li Yu ordered all the imperial horses in the stables to be brought over and distributed as rewards to the generals.

Thus, Li Shi was also able to enter the Flying Dragon Stables and meet Li Yu. The father and son held hands and wept. Li Ji impatiently reminded him, "The unrest has not yet subsided; Your Highness should not linger here any longer." He then asked Li Shi, "How is the palace?"

Li Shi briefly explained the situation, and Li Ji immediately said, "We must rush into Xuanwu Gate and capture the Empress!"

Li Yu hurriedly waved his hand: "You must not offend the Empress."

Cheng Yuanzhen presented Li Yu with the golden armor, but Li Yu refused to accept it, saying, "I have a long guard, which is better than armor." He then ordered, "The long guard is hereby bestowed upon you."

Li Ji replied, "The time is of the essence, and there is no time to put on armor. Your Highness, please come with me to the palace immediately."

So the group mounted their horses and, led by Li Ji and Li Shi, escorted Li Yu through Chongxuan Gate, and then Xuanwu Gate. Wherever they went, they ordered the surrendered Shence Army generals to shout and persuade them, and many soldiers came to surrender—including many brave soldiers who had previously guarded the palace gates but had been transferred by the Shence Army under false orders and imprisoned inside the gates—by the time they reached the Paoma Tower, there were nearly a thousand people.

At this time, the other two armies also arrived one after another and came to join them.

One of Li Fuguo's troops, with the assistance of Li Sheng, defeated the Shence Army. Soon after, the Weiyuan Army arrived to reinforce them. Li Fuguo first divided his forces to surround Empress Zhang at Penglai Palace, then took over the defense of Changsheng Palace. He himself hurriedly headed north to find Li Yu. Upon seeing Li Yu from afar, the old eunuch immediately dismounted, stumbled towards him, and knelt before his horse, crying out, "Thank goodness Your Highness is unharmed! This old servant almost could not see Your Highness again!"

Li Yu comforted him, saying, "Lord Li is a pillar of the nation, and now he has helped the young prince quell the rebellion. His merits are great for the country. I believe that when the emperor hears of this, he will surely appoint Lord Li as prime minister."

Li Ji, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. But then he saw that Li Fuguo had brought no less than a thousand people... Well, now is not the time to start infighting again.

The other reinforcement was the Yingwu Army led by Ma Sui.

Liu Xixian didn't take the hundreds of Yingwu soldiers guarding the palace in the central and inner courts seriously at all. Moreover, Empress Zhang didn't want him to enter the palace. So, after handing over some troops to Prince Yue, Li Xi, and Prince Yan, Li Xian, Liu Xixian led the main force to surround the Yingwu Army's office.

The Shence Army had already silently locked all the gates of the outer court, blocking over a thousand Yingwu soldiers between the palace walls, Guangfan Gate, Jianfu Gate, and the Imperial Bridge. Liu Xixian rode out and loudly proclaimed, "The Empress has decreed that all Yingwu soldiers lay down their weapons and remain seated; none are to leave!"

Actually, the Yingwu Army wasn't allowed to go out casually, especially in the dead of night when the palace gates were locked, so his shout was unnecessary. That night, Ma Sui was on duty and was shocked to hear this. He realized that the Empress had used the Shence Army to launch a palace coup, and her target must be Crown Prince Li Yu.

Ma Sui knew very well that from Dou Wenchang and Huo Xianming down to Li Ji, the core of the Yingwu Army was mostly the Crown Prince's faction, while he himself was a fence-sitter, unwilling to take a clear side. But even without a faction, as a scholar, if the Empress and the Crown Prince were to fight, he would definitely side with the Crown Prince—the Crown Prince was also known as the "foundation of the state," and changing the Crown Prince would shake the foundation of the state, something no one wanted to see; as for the Empress… although she was of higher seniority, in the traditional order of ruler and subject, she was ranked after the Crown Prince.

Therefore, Ma Xunmei hurriedly ordered the Yingwu Army to be armed and on guard, and then appeared to question Liu Xixian: "Even the Empress cannot order the Imperial Guards. The only ones who can order us, besides the Emperor, are the Crown Prince who oversees the country—where is the Crown Prince now?"

Liu Xixian's eyes flickered: "I don't know." Then he puffed out his chest: "Who dares to disobey the Empress's command? Xunmei would be better off obeying."

Ma Sui bowed deeply and said, "Lord Liu, this is a chaotic order. Please forgive me for not being able to obey." Before Liu Xixian could react, he immediately stepped back and ordered the Yingwu Army—"Shence has rebelled! Kill them!"

Liu Xixian was taken aback; he truly hadn't expected Ma Sui to dare to fight him.

Although the Northern Army is still divided into six armies, only the so-called "Upper Three Armies"—Yingwu, Shence, and Weiyuan—possess a certain level of armed force. The other three armies are merely ceremonial guards. Among the "Upper Three Armies," the Weiyuan Army guards the Imperial City and the offices of the officials, but has no right to set foot in the Forbidden City. Of course, they also guard the Taiji Palace, but everyone knows that the Taiji Palace is merely a prison for the retired emperor and the crown prince. The perennial third-ranked army is content with its lot, while only the Yingwu and Shence Armies have always been vying for power.

On the surface, the Yingwu Army, guarding the inner and central courts and being closer to the emperor, should rightfully be in charge. However, the Shence Army outnumbers the Yingwu Army by a factor of two and has only been in the capital for a short time, so its fighting strength has only slightly weakened. Consequently, the officers and soldiers inevitably underestimate the Yingwu Army to some extent. Especially considering their seniority, the Shence Army actually entered the capital before the Yingwu Army—when Li Heng was in Ding'an—so why do you think you can be superior to us?

Both armies were commanded by eunuchs, but the true leaders were Li Ji and Liu Xixian, respectively. The two had once quarreled and even fought directly inside the Mingfeng Gate. Since then, they had refused to exchange a single word and would glare at each other whenever they met. The grudges of their commanders naturally affected their subordinates. Fortunately, Li Ji often hosted banquets for the Shence Army generals, thus avoiding daily conflicts—Li Changwei himself dealing with the Shence Army was another matter entirely.

At the same time, Ma Sui, under the instruction of Dou Wenchang and Huo Xianming, allocated monthly activity funds specifically to bribe Chen Xianfu and Liu Xixian, thus establishing a superficially close relationship with Liu Xixian. Even in private conversations, Ma Xunmei would go along with Liu Xixian's lead and make a few disparaging remarks about Li Ji, which led Liu Xixian to consider him a close friend.

Therefore, Liu Xixian thought that if the opponent were Li Ji, even if he truly had the imperial decree in hand, Li Ji might still fight him. Now, he heard that the Empress had sent someone to say that Li Ji had been lured out of the city, and that Ma Sui was on duty in the Yingwu Army, who was a good friend of his. Surely he wouldn't turn against him? Moreover, if he persuaded him a little more, he might even listen to his orders, thus strengthening his own forces.

He never expected that in just a few words, before he could even finish his sentence, Ma Sui would lead his troops to attack!

This move caught Liu Xixian completely off guard, and even his Shence Army was stunned.

Because Ma Sui immediately accused the Shence Army of treason, slapping a heavy label on himself. But when the Commander of the Capital Garrison brought us here, he didn't mention the Yingwu Army's rebellion. The Empress's order was for the Yingwu Army to lay down their weapons and remain seated, forbidden from leaving. Therefore, their actions could at most constitute "disobedience," a serious crime, but a far cry from "treason"!

Then they "disobeyed orders" and "rebelled" against me... The morale of the Shence Army immediately fell into chaos.

Thus, with superior numbers, the Shence Army was surprisingly pushed to the back foot. Fortunately, Liu Xixian, the bravest of the army, led from the front, charging with his spear, barely managing to halt the retreat. Liu Xixian hated Ma Sui intensely and was determined to find Ma Sui in the enemy ranks and kill him with a single spear thrust—only by killing Ma Sui could they turn the tide of battle.

Unfortunately, Ma Xunmei was very clear about his own abilities and had a very accurate self-assessment—"Although I have also practiced archery and horsemanship, I am ultimately a civil official. Not all civil officials are as good at fighting as Li Ji." Therefore, he retreated to the rear and hid in the shadows to command the battle. Unless Liu Xixian broke through the Yingwu Army formation in front of him, he would not be able to touch Ma Sui at all.

Liu Xixian charged forward for a while but failed to achieve any success, so he had to retreat temporarily. Several generals surrounded him and asked, "Commander-in-Chief, what should we do now?" Liu Xixian stared wide-eyed and said, "What else can we do but fight the enemy with all our might! If we cannot defeat the Yingwu Army and have to wait for the Empress and the Prince of Yue to kill the Crown Prince and Li Fuguo before issuing an edict to order them to lay down their weapons, what merit can we have?"

Several generals looked astonished: "The Empress wants to kill the Crown Prince? Wasn't it only said that Li Fuguo was plotting a rebellion?!"

Liu Xixian had blurted out something indiscreet, and was inwardly annoyed, but there was no time to explain. He could only shout, "You all should refrain from interfering in matters of the imperial family and instead charge in..."

Before he could finish speaking, five or six long swords slashed down from different directions at the same time...