My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 343: Seizing the city gate and entering Chang'an

Qixia Gate.

Xue Rengui swarmed in with thousands of people.

The sudden appearance of a thousand soldiers frightened the gatekeepers of Qixia Gate, and they quickly ordered guards.

"Here is the Crown Prince's order, order the gatekeepers of Qixia Gate to open the city gate immediately."

The city gate guard Gu Yong was stunned.

Gu Yong was still the same city gate guard, the one who was dismissed by Li Chengqian due to the curfew at night.

Of course, he was not really dismissed afterwards, but once the city gates were opened, it was considered a crime.

Normally, Gu Yong should be transferred or demoted.

But no one wants to take this position.

So he did this, and several years passed. Gu Yong was still working in Qixiamen, and his colleagues around him had been replaced several times.

But Gu Yong could never have imagined that it would take several years.

The prince's order to open the city gate came again.

"Here, General, please show us His Majesty's imperial edict."

"According to the city gate regulations, it can only be opened with the order of His Majesty."

Gu Yong spoke weakly, and this was the same rhetoric he used before, with almost no change.

In fact, nothing can be changed.

"The prince has ordered you to do something. How dare you, a mere city guard, disobey him?"

Xue Rengui sneered and asked.

No matter how stupid Gu Yong was, he understood that in this extraordinary period, if he opened the city gate as he did before, His Majesty would definitely not let him go.

After all, there are the prince's 30,000 troops outside.

Can this be put in?

What’s more, it was the prince himself who came back then.

"I am acting in accordance with the regulations."

"If this general has an imperial decree from His Majesty, I will open the city gates."

Gu Yong's tone became a little tougher.

Xue Rengui was not surprised by this, and he had not expected the gate guards to open the city gate at this time.

The reason why I ask this again is entirely because of the instruction from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

"Okay, now that His Majesty is in a coma, the Crown Prince is the regent."

"The power of the regent is equivalent to the imperial edict of a saint."

"Now that you have refused the Crown Prince's order, you are tantamount to treason, which is the most unforgivable."

"Come here, bring up the artillery and blow open the city gate for me."

It was obvious that Xue Rengui was already prepared.

As soon as the words fell, the soldiers behind him immediately launched their artillery.

There are not many, only about twenty.

This was smuggled in through a secret passage.

If you bombard the city from outside, it will naturally be difficult to shake it.

But this is inside the city.

"We can talk about it, General. We can talk about it."

When Gu Yong saw the cannon being pushed out, he was completely dumbfounded. Among the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, everyone knew the power of the Prince’s cannon.

Although rumors were prohibited in the army, the news of General Li Jing's defeat at Tongguan had already spread.

After all, this matter is too big to be concealed.

The city gate officer's official position was not high, but he was well-informed, and he had been notified about the matter of guarding the city before.

"late."

Xue Rengui snorted coldly and didn't bother to pay attention.

If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had not given the order, he would have set up the artillery and launched a strong attack, and would not have wasted time talking to him.

However, we must obey the instructions of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

"ignition!"

"fire!"

Under Xue Rengui's loud command, the soldiers at the back began to light the cannon fuses directly, leaving no time for the soldiers defending Qixia Gate.

"Run, run quickly!"

Gu Yong didn't care about all this and shouted immediately.

When the soldiers guarding the city heard what the gatekeeper said, they ran away.

In fact, many soldiers had already started to run away when Xue Rengui gave the order to fire.

It’s not their fault.

Before the imperial court, they demonstrated the Thunderbolt to the soldiers defending the city and informed them of its power.

This is also to prevent the soldiers defending the city from being frightened when facing artillery bombardment.

Therefore, the soldiers defending the city had some knowledge about the Prince's Thunderbolt Fire and artillery.

"But no one has ever said that this artillery can be fired from inside the city."

Gu Yong almost crawled on his knees to find cover to avoid the artillery bombardment.

If this hits a person, there will be no trace left.

Boom boom boom! ! !

Twenty cannons roared directly towards Qixia Gate.

Although the city gate has a certain degree of defense against internal fire, it is almost useless against artillery.

After a bombing.

The city gate was not actually blown up.

In order to prevent artillery fire, the current city gates have long been reinforced and are covered with a layer of iron sheets.

Although the city gate was not broken, the soldiers guarding the city gate no longer had the ability to let go.

This was an attack from within the city and was not taken into account at all.

"Capture the city gate."

Xue Rengui gave the order and led the charge.

Eight hundred soldiers followed closely behind him.

The soldiers at the city gate had lost their fighting spirit, so how could they put up any decent resistance?

In a short while, the city gate was captured.

In fact, there were still a lot of soldiers at the city gate, but these soldiers were not all concentrated at the city gate, but were scattered.

There was a huge roar, and the soldiers at the city gate were seen fleeing. When other soldiers saw this, they did not dare to move forward rashly.

"Open the city gate."

As soon as he captured the city gate, Xue Rengui immediately ordered it to be opened.

outside the city.

The artillery is the secret signal.

When the artillery fire sounded at the Qixia Gate, the Shenwu Army immediately surged towards the city gate.

The city gate opens.

A large number of Shenwu troops quickly entered the city and immediately began to control the city gates.

The first person to enter the city was the Prince's eunuch Wen Zhong.

"Your Highness."

Wen Zhong, who entered the city, immediately found Xue Rengui to ask.

"Your Highness should still be on Suzaku Street." Xue Rengui thought for a moment and replied.

A total of two thousand people lurked in the secret passage of Furong Garden.

A thousand soldiers were definitely not enough for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so another thousand soldiers were sent to support the Crown Prince.

Xue Rengui brought another thousand soldiers and artillery to seize the city gate.

If everything went well, Xue Rengui should have raided Qixia Gate at night.

However, the prince encountered an ambush, so he should directly seize the city gate.

If the Shenwu Army does not enter the city at this time, the prince will be in danger.

"Hurry up, take three thousand riders and follow me to Suzaku Street."

Wen Zhong said in a hurried tone.

If Li Chengqian wants to enter the city, Su Dingfang and Pei Xingjian must be brought along.

Xue Rengui arranged a surprise attack.

But the army outside the city could not be left unattended. After some thought, Li Chengqian asked Wen Zhong to be responsible for responding to any movement.

For the eunuch Wen Zhong, his goal was to become someone like the emperor's eunuch Zhang Ananda.

This is also the ultimate goal of all eunuchs.

And now, he has this opportunity.

Opportunity to lead troops.

Even if it was only for a short while, it represented the prince's trust in him.

"Eunuch Wen, the Crown Prince asked me to guard the Qixia Gate."

Xue Rengui said with some embarrassment.

He must faithfully carry out the prince's orders.

Besides, Qixia Gate is also very important to the prince.

"I'll take someone there."

Wen Zhong also reacted and almost ruined the Crown Prince's plan.

Xue Rengui immediately mobilized 3,000 cavalrymen and followed Wen Zhong to rescue the emperor.

There is no need to worry about the issue of military power.

Because these soldiers all came from the Military Academy.

And they had met the prince.

As long as they arrive at Suzaku Street, they will naturally obey the prince's orders.

There is absolutely no need for tiger talismans or anything like that.

the other side.

On Suzaku Street, the roar of artillery still echoed in everyone's ears, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder.

Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin saw the movement at Qixia Gate in the distance and immediately felt something was wrong.

Cheng Yaojin's face turned pale as he stared at the flames rising in the distance. Yuchi Jingde also clenched the lance in his hand.

The prince's 30,000 troops are not scary.

What’s scary is how much artillery these 30,000 troops will bring.

Tongguan was vulnerable to artillery fire, and it was useless for General Li Jing to defend the city.

Now that they have entered the city, how can we fight?

"Generals, this is a golden opportunity that only comes once in a lifetime! The Crown Prince is now plotting a rebellion and openly using artillery to attack Qixia Gate. His intentions are obvious. If we wait for his 30,000 troops outside the city to enter, the situation will be completely out of control, and our Great Tang will be in danger!"

"To catch a thief, we must first catch the king. The prince is right in front of us. As long as we capture him, what will 30,000 troops do?"

Yuchi Jingde frowned and said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, the King of Wei, His Majesty has made arrangements. We must obey His Majesty's orders and must not act rashly."

When I came here, His Majesty gave me instructions.

They didn't come here to capture the prince.

But to save the lives of the King of Wei and the King of Jin, or to save the life of the Crown Prince.

Brothers may fight, but they cannot kill each other.

Li Shimin didn't want to see his sons walk the same path he had walked himself.

Li Tai stamped his feet in anxiety, and turned to Cheng Yaojin, saying anxiously: "General Cheng, you have been fighting for many years, how could you not know the truth that raising a tiger will bring disaster? Once the prince gains power, will those of us who have opposed him have any chance to survive? Think about it, in the Battle of Tongguan, how many soldiers lost their lives due to the prince's artillery, don't you want revenge? Now the prince is right in front of us, as long as we catch him first, the army outside the city will be leaderless and there is nothing to be afraid of!"

Cheng Yaojin hesitated.

He felt that what the King of Wei said was indeed correct.

In fact, he thought so too.

But His Majesty had previously ordered them not to arrest the prince by force.

At this time, Li Zhi hurriedly added: "General Yuchi, General Cheng."

"The general is outside, and military orders are not obeyed."

"The Crown Prince openly bombarded Qixia Gate with artillery. This is treason."

"If we miss this opportunity, it will be too late when the prince's 30,000 troops enter the city."

At this point, Li Zhi paused and said, "Father, I never thought that the prince would be so bold as to even rob the city gate."

"After this, when the emperor knows what the two generals have done, he will definitely reward them and not blame them."

"And in the end, it's just for the emperor to make the decision. What can I and my fourth brother do?"

Yuchi Jingde pondered for a moment.

Yes, the matter of capturing the crown prince was handed over to your Majesty, not to the King of Wei or the King of Jin.

Your Majesty will make your own decision on what to do when the time comes.

How could they have done anything wrong in bringing the people there?

Cheng Yaojin then asked Yuchi Jingde: "I think what the King of Jin said makes some sense, what do you think?"

Yuchi Jingde hesitated and said, "I think so too. It will be handed over to Your Majesty for disposal."

Cheng Yaojin laughed and said, "Okay."

Then he looked at Li Chengqian and said loudly: "Your Highness, please follow me into the palace to meet His Majesty."

Yuchi Jingde immediately ordered: "Surround the prince's carriage."

The Yulin Guards quickly surrounded them.

Wei Wang Li Tai, with his round belly, squeezed to the side of Yuchi Jingde, with a smug smile on his face: "Brother, if you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? You can still save some dignity by surrendering obediently."

He didn't expect that his father actually had such a trick up his sleeve.

He had felt a little scared before, after all, he and Zhinu had ambushed the prince together, so to be honest he was somewhat at fault.

But compared to the prince's seizure of Qixia Gate, this is nothing.

Now that the prince is plotting rebellion, it is a fight like a trapped beast.

In the end, it was Li Tai who won.

"So, you think you have me?"

Li Chengqian said calmly.

Even at this time, when it seemed like the situation was hopeless, Li Chengqian remained calm.

If he dares to bring a thousand soldiers into the city, how can he be unprepared?

I just didn't expect it to be so fast.

"Your Highness, please don't cause any innocent casualties."

Yuchi Jingde said with a frown.

In his opinion, the prince was going to fight to the death.

Li Chengqian nodded in agreement: "General Yuchi is right, innocent casualties should not be caused."

After saying this, he gave the order to Su Dingfang beside him: "Open the dragon chariot."

Su Dingfang cupped his hands: "Yes, Your Highness."

Then, a horse was brought over.

Li Chengqian got off the dragon chariot and mounted the horse.

Everyone was confused. Has His Royal Highness the Crown Prince given up struggling?
Then, Su Dingfang shouted, "Open the dragon chariot."

With the order given.

The surrounding guards suddenly shouted in unison and slashed at the dragon chariot with their weapons.

The gilded copper nails flew out, the sandalwood carriage wall exploded, and the originally magnificent and majestic dragon chariot was torn into pieces in an instant.

Seeing the dismantled dragon chariot, the smile on Li Tai's face froze instantly, and his fat body staggered back a few steps; Li Zhi's face turned pale, and he subconsciously grasped the sword at his waist.

Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin both had their pupils tightly locked.

As the wreckage of the dragon chariot scattered, three black cannons were revealed, with their muzzles pointed at the surrounding Yulin Guards.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Three cannons aren't many, but they are enough for this Suzaku Street."

Cheng Yaojin looked at the black muzzle of the cannon, and thought of the tragic scene of blood and flesh flying outside the Tongguan City, and his hands trembled slightly.

Li Tai's legs went weak and he could not help but hide behind Yuchi Jingde, his fat face full of fear: "You... you dare to use artillery in the imperial city!"

Li Chengqian said: "Qingque, you and Zhinu dared to ambush me, so I can't use artillery?"

These three guns are different from the other guns.

It was meticulously crafted by a master craftsman, and the fine copper used was refined through thousands of hammerings.

Other cannons would be almost scrapped after firing about ten rounds, but these three cannons could easily fire fifteen rounds.

It looks like there are only five more rounds.

But this Suzaku Street seems to be 150 meters wide.

In front of the artillery, it really seemed a bit crowded.

Let alone fifteen, even if there were thirty artillery shells, how could the Yulin Guards fight back?
Moreover, with the range of this artillery, if a fight really broke out, if it was a little more accurate, it could capture both Prince of Wei Li Tai and Prince of Jin Li Zhi in one fell swoop.

No matter how powerful Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin are, they cannot withstand the bombardment of artillery.

(End of this chapter)