PDLP Chapter 214 Siege
Chapter 214 Siege
The fall of Xuanwumen was expected by everyone.
Xie Jinghan, who had personally set up the defenses, had already anticipated this scene, but his subordinates beside him looked solemn.
After all, this is the capital city. Apart from the overthrow of the previous dynasty a hundred years ago, the capital city has never suffered from war. Now, seeing the broken city gates, they felt terrible.
"If it doesn't break, it won't stand."
Xie Jinghan glanced at them indifferently, and they all lowered their heads. Then they heard Xie Jinghan slowly say, "Using a city gate to cleanse the court is the most worthwhile deal."
The court is currently in turmoil, with Prince Yan and Prince Xin harboring ulterior motives, and several princes eager to take the lead, especially the second prince.
Tonight's coup attempt involves three forces.
Once these three forces are completely eliminated, those princes and noble families with ulterior motives will no longer be able to harbor any other thoughts.
"Let's go now." Xie Jinghan said, his tall figure disappearing into the night with his hands behind his back.
Several subordinates immediately followed.
At this very moment, the Prince of Yan's army, which had stormed through Xuanwu Gate, sped toward the imperial city.
"I've heard that Chong'an Ward is home to many aristocratic families. How many treasures must be inside?"
Some soldiers looked longingly at the grand gates and courtyards hidden in the night.
If they could just plunder any family they wanted, they would never have to worry about anything for the rest of their lives. They had heard that these powerful families were extremely extravagant, with the best food, drink and everything else they used. A single cup of tea could be worth more than ten years' worth of food, clothing and other necessities for an ordinary family.
"Don't even think about it! These are all people our prince wants to win over. Besides, do you think these aristocratic guards are easy to deal with? You'll probably lose your head before you even get close to their door."
"Moreover... the prince had previously strictly forbidden us from trespassing on the territories of these powerful families."
The older men gave serious instructions to the eager young soldiers around them.
Hearing that they had missed such a great opportunity to make a fortune, many people sighed in disappointment.
“However…” the man drawled, and when everyone looked at him, he smiled meaningfully, “How can the wealth of aristocratic families compare to that of the emperor?”
"If we can just storm the capital, we can pick up any one thing and live a life of ease."
Upon hearing this, the soldiers around him lit up.
One of them slapped his forehead: "That's right! Our prince hates this emperor to the core, so naturally he wants to take all his wealth and women away!"
"Once we can enter the palace... hehehe... wouldn't we be able to do whatever we want?"
These rampant and obscene laughs reached the ears of the King of Yan, who remained silent on the matter.
"Tell them that as long as they can breach the imperial city," the Prince of Yan sneered, "the things inside the imperial city, aside from the emperor's private treasury, they can take whatever they want!"
He fought his way from Xuanwu Gate to the gates of the Imperial City, and only a little over 10,000 soldiers remained under his command.
Of those more than 10,000 people, only a few thousand will likely survive.
He was still willing to give away this little bit.
Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in cheers once again.
The army marched forward in an orderly fashion through the thick rain.
Xie Jinghan and General Chu's army appeared to have gone to the border, but in reality, most of them turned back at Zhenbei Pass, leaving only 10,000 men to escort Yelü Dan to the border.
Yelü Dan was very dissatisfied with this. She and Xie Jinghan had always been at odds, and the moment she saw him, she felt that he was her lifelong enemy.
Now it seems that this is indeed the case.
With such a powerful enemy... she fears she will never be able to set foot in Dali again in this lifetime.
If Xie Jinghan can be eliminated, Dali will be nothing to fear.
Unfortunately, her strength was no match for Xie Jinghan, and she was able to return to Beidi safely thanks to Xie Jinghan.
Yelü Dan watched the procession ahead gradually disappear, her lips pursed, a hint of bewilderment in her eyes.
Can the Northern Barbarians, under her leadership, truly possess the power to rival the Great Li?
She was filled with endless confusion, but Huyan Tu spoke up at this moment, interrupting her thoughts: "Princess, we should set off."
They are almost at the border, and Yelü Dan must leave the army before reaching the border.
Once her presence is discovered, she is likely to be harmed.
Moreover, they needed to catch Prince Xin off guard, and their presence could not be discovered before Xie Jinghan sent a message.
Yelü Dan's face showed a slight chill, but after a moment, she calmed down.
“I know.” Her voice was low. “Our most urgent task right now is to return to the royal court immediately.”
Only by returning to the royal court can she put her wisdom to use and fulfill her promise to Wen Shuyao.
Thinking about it this way, she felt much calmer.
Even though she could not live to see the rise of the Northern Di, as long as her descendants followed her plan, they would surely surpass the Great Li one day.
Huyan Tu stayed by her side the whole time. Seeing her expression change from gloomy to cheerful, he still had some doubts in his heart.
"Princess, what's wrong...?"
“Return to the Northern Barbarians now.” A sly glint flashed in Yelü Dan’s eyes. “I will write a letter now, and deliver it to the Prince of Xin in three days.”
She could almost picture Prince Xin's furious expression; he would probably be in prison three days from now.
Thinking of this, Yelü Dan laughed with pleasure.
Hearing her laughter, Huyan Tu felt somewhat helpless.
But since it was her order, Huyan Tu readily complied and immediately nodded: "I will definitely send someone to deliver this letter to Prince Xin completely."
Given their cooperation with Dali, sending a letter to a defeated enemy would not be difficult.
……
At this moment, apart from the Imperial City, the rest of the capital was quiet.
The people all know that the rebels have stormed the capital and are now attacking the imperial city. Once the emperor is captured, the rebellion will end.
They lived in constant fear, dreading that the rebels would come to their homes to burn, kill, and loot.
Fortunately, the rebel army was small and had already concentrated outside the capital, so the common people were not affected.
They all hoped the rebellion would end soon, whether the emperor or the Prince of Yan won; neither wanted to suffer from war again.
Outside the imperial city, the Prince of Yan's patience was gradually wearing thin.
It should be noted that there were only three or four thousand imperial guards guarding the imperial city, while he had more than ten thousand men under his command. However, after several hours of fighting outside the city gates, there was no sign that the imperial city had been breached.
What is going on?
At that time, there were only so many imperial guards at Xuanwu Gate, and the city walls of Xuanwu Gate were much higher and thicker than those of the Imperial City!
He was completely baffled, and his cold gaze swept over his staff.
The aide met his gaze and forced a calm demeanor: "Your Highness, perhaps we should wait a little longer."