Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4963: Defeat and Capture
Li Wenliang knew that he had no chance, so he chopped down an old soldier in front of him with his sword and shouted, "Everyone, retreat quickly, go back along the way you came and evacuate the East Palace. There is still a glimmer of hope!"

At this moment, the battle in Lizheng Hall has not yet ended. The strategy of coercing the prince is no longer feasible. All the ministers in Wude Hall have arrived, and the extravagant hope of supporting the new emperor has been shattered. What's the point of fighting?

It is better to retreat to the East Palace quickly and leave the palace from Zhide Gate along the way. Then, no matter you sneak back to the mansion to organize troops and make plans, or escape from Chang'an from the West Inner Courtyard and go into exile, it is better than dying here.

Li Shenfu was immediately furious. He slapped Li Wenliang on the back of his head and shouted angrily, "Bullshit! You cowardly and incompetent person, shut up! Success or failure is just around the corner. If you persist, there is hope. How can you retreat in the face of difficulties and fail at the last moment? Don't listen to him. Follow me and charge into the Wude Hall!"

He just couldn't believe it. Li Chengqian had faced mutinies several times and always turned defeat into victory at the last moment. How could he be lucky this time?
Besides, things have come to this point. Apart from charging to the death, is there any way to retreat?
If they cannot break into the Wude Hall and take control of the situation, there will be no place for them, the royal family members, to stay in this vast world!

Whether it is outside the Great Wall in the north, in the western desert, or in the foreign countries in the East and overseas islands, the flags of the Tang Dynasty army are everywhere. Under the emperor's order, there is nowhere to escape!
Instead of hiding like a rat and eventually killing your entire family, you should fight to the death today and do it in a grand manner!

The royal family members hesitated, looking at the "old soldiers of Yuancong" who were struggling but still had not collapsed, the "Hundred Cavalry Division" who were guarding the Wude Hall, and the reinforcements that were bypassing the Wude Hall from the left and right sides. Could they still rush into the Wude Hall?
Looking at Li Shenfu, who was furious and looked like a madman, he didn't know what to do for a moment.

Li Wenliang was slapped on the back of the head by his father, and then scolded. However, he did not muster up the courage to continue charging. Instead, he cried and shouted, "Father, can you be so heartless? My brother is already dead, do you want me to watch me die in front of you? You can not care about me, your son, after all, you have many sons, but if I die here, what will happen to my wife and children? Father, please forgive me for being unfilial!"

After saying that, he turned around and ran back, shouting as he ran: "If you want to live, follow me!"

He suddenly fled from the battlefield, causing the rebels' morale to completely collapse.

Most of the royal family members may be willing to fight to the death, but that is only under the premise of the possibility of gaining huge benefits. Now seeing that more and more troops are coming to support the king, but have not been able to attack the Wude Hall, they have long been discouraged and are just in a dilemma. Seeing that Li Wenliang abandoned his old father and turned around and ran away, how could these people still hesitate?
He retreated like a tide, and then followed Li Wenliang to the East Gate of Wude. In a blink of an eye, he crossed the armory and came to the east palace wall. He nimbly climbed over the wall and returned to the East Palace...

In front of the Wude Hall, the situation of a bloody battle that had just been evenly matched was reversed in an instant. The "old soldiers of Yuancong" who had been suppressed all this time gritted their teeth and mustered up their remaining courage to turn defense into offense, quickly surrounded the remaining rebels and rushed and attacked them fiercely.

Li Shenfu was surrounded by his own soldiers and death warriors. He remained indifferent to the crazy attack of the "Yuancong old soldiers". He looked at his son's back and let out a long sigh.

The defeat was complete and irreversible.

At this point, the anger he felt for his son, who had disobeyed his orders, given up the fight and escaped alone, had quickly dissipated, and all he hoped in his heart was that his son could escape.

Since His Majesty had been prepared for this situation and had planned it on purpose, it meant that the Xiangyi County Prince's Mansion in Chang'an City had already been under surveillance, and the rest of the family's descendants would definitely not be spared. If they wanted the Xiangyi County Prince's bloodline to continue, they could only hope that Li Wenliang would go into exile and continue his bloodline...

In a trance, the warriors around him fell one by one, and the guards coming to support from both sides of the Wude Hall surged in like a tide, surrounding the only remaining small group of rebels.

Li Shenfu knew that he was in a desperate situation and had no chance at all, so he sighed, laid down his weapon and surrendered on the spot.

Although the final fate of these family soldiers around him was certain to be death, he could not bear to watch these people die in front of him after their meaningless resistance.

Li Junxian stood on the steps and said in a deep voice: "Quickly capture this beast!"

He was afraid that Li Shenfu would slit his throat in despair and end his life, which would not be a good thing. As a member of the royal family and the Prince of Xiangyi, how could His Majesty's wisdom and bravery be better demonstrated than executing him publicly?
"Yuan Cong's old soldiers" bravely stepped forward, dispersed the rebels in one fell swoop, and then rushed forward and pinned Li Shenfu to the ground.

Li Shenfu had thought about committing suicide to avoid humiliation, but death has always been the hardest thing in history. When the blade was placed on his neck, he felt that cutting the blood vessels would definitely be very painful. After hesitating for a moment, he no longer had the determination to commit suicide. He could only sigh and surrender.

Seeing that the situation was settled, Li Junxian turned around and entered the Wude Hall.

After a moment, he turned around and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty has ordered to summon Xiangyi County Prince Li Shenfu and Tongshi Sheren Li Siliang to enter the palace!"

As soon as these words came out, Li Shenfu's whole body was shocked, his eyes widened, and his face was full of disbelief.

Li Siliang, who had been hiding in the shadows under the rain corridor, felt as if his heart was being tightly grasped by a pair of invisible hands, and even his breathing stopped for a moment...

His Majesty summoned me?!
How can it be!

Li Shenfu turned around and saw Li Siliang in the shadow of the corridor. He was immediately furious and yelled, "You thief, I was deceived by you. I will not let you go even if I die!"

The fact that His Majesty could still summon him at this time showed that everything was fine. Li Siliang, who swore that he had "succeeded", was obviously His Majesty's man, and he was tricked into falling into the trap. It was a pity that he and many members of the royal family actually believed his lies and used him as an insider to launch this mutiny. How could they not end up in complete failure?
The most hateful thing is that in order to be loyal to His Majesty, this man not only harmed the royal family, but also betrayed his brother. It is absolutely impossible to fake that Li Anyan led the army to attack Lizheng Palace. His end can be imagined...

Li Siliang's body was shaking like a sieve. He opened his mouth but could not utter any words to defend himself.

He saw His Majesty taking the "medicine" with his own eyes, and carefully collected information, confirming that His Majesty had had sex with Concubine Jieyi several times overnight, but why was His Majesty safe and sound?

However, in addition to fear, Li Shenfu's curse also made him have a flash of inspiration: perhaps, he could pretend to be a "victim" who was "forced". Although he was driven by the traitor, he did not dare to do anything to harm His Majesty because he had the emperor's grace in his heart. The "medicine" had already been replaced by him, otherwise how could His Majesty be safe and sound?

Although there are still many loopholes, Li Siliang can't think of any other way to save himself in a moment, so he can only leave it to fate...

He immediately walked out from the rain corridor, walked quickly to the front of the Wude Hall, knelt down, bowed his head, and cried loudly: "Your Majesty, I am guilty of a capital crime! I dare not make excuses, but I am also deeply persecuted and threatened by the thieves, so I have no choice but to do so! However, I dare not blaspheme the emperor's grace in the slightest, and I dare not harm your majesty's body in the slightest. Please understand your majesty!"

Li Shenfu's eyes were red with anger: "You thief, you really deceived me. Even your brother was harmed by you. You will not die a good death!"

He was filled with deep regret for the fact that the link he thought was the most reliable had such a huge flaw. He even wished he could skin and grind this bastard Li Siliang to dust!
If he had not failed to judge people, how could his eldest son have been killed in battle, his youngest son had to flee for his life, and the rest of his descendants would have faced slaughter?
He was filled with anger and remorse. In a state of panic, he felt dizziness in front of his eyes and a blockage in his chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood and his whole body languished, like a dying wild dog...

Li Junxian's expression remained unchanged, and he said, "If you have anything to say, you may as well go into the hall and talk. I will give you a chance to speak."

With a wave of his hand, soldiers came forward, tied up the two men separately, and escorted them into the Wude Hall.

Ministers such as Liu Li, Ma Zhou, and Han Yuan also arrived at this moment. Seeing this, they hurriedly asked, "General Li, is His Majesty all right?"

This is what all the ministers are most concerned about. After all, Li Shenfu first sneaked into the East Palace, intending to capture Lizheng Hall to coerce the prince, and then entered Wude Hall to take control of the overall situation. All these actions mean that Your Majesty has encountered an accident, otherwise what is the use of coercing the prince?

Your Majesty will not abdicate just for the Crown Prince's life, right?

Not to mention that a prince is not worth the entire country, your majesty has more sons than just the prince...

Li Junxian said, "Your Majesty, are you well? Please allow me to go inside and report."

Without His Majesty's order, he naturally did not dare to let anyone into the Wude Hall...

Liu Li heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this, and hurriedly said, "Go quickly!"

A huge stone in my heart was completely removed.

When Your Majesty was still alive, you favored Fang Jun and gave him important positions, but you were still able to reserve some power for the sake of your own imperial power, and you knew how to support civil officials to counter the military in order to ensure the balance of the court.

But once His Majesty met with an accident and the Crown Prince ascended the throne, the child not only had no cultivation as an emperor, but also admired and believed in Fang Jun extremely. Fang Jun's identity as the "Grand Marshal" became increasingly solid, and his power was overwhelming.

Moreover, let's not forget the rumors about the Queen and Fang Jun that were circulating in the streets and the palace. If His Majesty passed away, the orphans and widows would be at a loss in the face of the political situation, and they would naturally trust Fang Jun even more...

By then, looking around the world, who can check and balance Fang Jun?

Not to mention "loyalty to the emperor and patriotism", anyone who reaches the position of a powerful official who has absolute power over the world will inevitably develop a heart of usurpation.

Being only one step away from ruling the world and being the supreme ruler, I'm afraid no one can suppress the unreasonable desires in their hearts, right?

Seeing Li Junxian turn around and enter the hall, a group of ministers looked around at the tragic battlefield in front of the hall after the battle, all with different thoughts and inexplicable feelings.

After this battle, your majesty's prestige has soared, and no one dares to look down on you anymore.

However, the royal family suffered a heavy blow, and the foundation for maintaining stability in the country was lost. The future was uncertain and the political situation was in turmoil...