Chapter 154: No Longer Trust.

The vast military camp instantly became bustling, with soldiers coming and going, quickly forming ranks according to their respective units.
"Third Qu Battalion, Second Platoon, assemble!"
"3rd Unit of the 6th Melody. Assembled!"
"4th Unit of the 10th Melody, assembled..."
Amidst the strong and powerful shouts, nearly thirty thousand troops have assembled in just half a cup of tea's time. Guns like mountains, knives like forests, the overwhelming killing intent causes the world to change color.
Wei Gao did not dare to waste any time, and he stood side by side with Gao Chongwen, commanding the army to march towards the tomb.
Gao Chongwen worriedly exclaimed, "What should we do if it is a rebellion by the Western Sichuan army?"
"Then let's wipe them all out!" Wei Gao said firmly.
Chengdu Prefecture.
The soldiers on the city wall, as well as the local officials, scholars, and common people in the city, were all stunned.
Everyone widened their eyes and stared in astonishment towards the east, west, and north directions of the city.
Even those who have never stepped onto a battlefield can discern the terrifying bloodlust in the echoing sound of the trumpet, and a profound fear swiftly envelopes the entire city of Chengdu.
"What on earth is happening?" Alongside shock and fear, many people are perplexed and puzzled.
The rebellions of Liu Bi and Duan Zizhang have been suppressed by the imperial army, and the officials in Sichuan led by Bai Zhenjie and Yang Sheng have decided to truly submit to the jurisdiction of the imperial court. The current emperor is patrolling and governing the Western Sichuan.
All this seems to indicate that war and turmoil will be completely eradicated, and the future of Xichuan will be bright.
Only those who have suffered from the tribulations of war know how important stability is!
Because of this, Chengdu and even the whole of Sichuan, both top and bottom, are genuinely happy and excited about the arrival of Emperor Dezong...
But why...
At this moment, why is there a resounding horn sound?
What terrifying things will happen again!
Is it inevitable that there will be war again?
In the moment the bugle sounded, Yang Cuo knew something was not right.
In fact, because he was worried that someone might take advantage of the ritual to plot sinister schemes, he had made all the necessary preparations.
And in order to prevent the worst-case scenario, Yang Cuo also specially arranged for a bugler to accompany him in case of any unexpected circumstances.
However, unexpectedly, things happened suddenly, and among the assassins, there was actually a detachment from the Western Sichuan Army.
Yang Cuo himself was caught off guard.
This assassination was designed quite "cleverly" and the preparation was also quite sufficient.
The mastermind not only arranged for the assassin to mix with the people who were watching the memorial ceremony, but also arranged for people to be stationed along the road, guarding and holding banners in the entire Western Sichuan Army. They even arranged for a small accident in advance to "distract" Bai Zhenjie.
Taking advantage of Emperor Daizong's benevolence towards the people, several assassins disguised as the elderly, weak, and young initiated the assassination. Subsequently, the accomplices who had infiltrated the Western Sichuan army also launched their attacks one after another, resulting in this chaotic situation.
The key point is that after this disturbance, Yang Cuo couldn't figure out whether the assassin had infiltrated the Xichuan army or was a defector from the Xichuan army itself.
Due to the unclear situation, he didn't dare take any risks. In order to ensure the safety of Emperor Daizong, Yang Cuo had to lead a group of guards to retreat towards the mountain, taking advantage of the terrain to block the enemy. In this way, they became separated from another group of guards.
The bugler soldier, unfortunately, couldn't keep up.
In a critical situation, it's possible that the bugler may have been ordered by someone to sound the horn and call for Wei Gao's assistance.
Wei Gao, who was already on high alert under Yang Cuo's command, must have taken emergency actions upon hearing the urgent request for help.
One mistake, and if both sides overreact, the situation will spin out of control, and a war may become unavoidable.
"Brother-in-law..." Suddenly, Daizong's voice came from behind.
"Your Majesty, how are you?" Yang Cuo raised his hand to signal the soldiers to remain vigilant, then turned and walked to Emperor Daizong's side.
"It's nothing, fortunately I have the Dragon Scale Armor to protect me, it's just a slight pain, not hurting my skin." Emperor Daizong smiled faintly, waved his hand and said, "Brother-in-law, quickly contact Bai Zhenjie and Yang Sheng to stabilize the situation as soon as possible. We must not provoke war, to prevent countless innocent lives. Moreover, if the chaos continues, it will only fulfill the desires of those unscrupulous individuals..."
Although Emperor Daizong's breathing was slightly rapid, his expression remained calm, with no signs of panic in his eyes.
Prominently, there were two large holes in the chest of his silk robe, which were caused by two crossbow arrows.
Due to the close distance of the assassin and the powerful force of the crossbow, both layers of clothing worn by Emperor Daizong were pierced, revealing a light grey dragon scale armor.
If it weren't for the protective armor gifted to him in his earlier years, Emperor Daizong would likely not have survived this ordeal.
This fact made Yang Cuo feel both frightened and extremely angry.
Although he had been prepared for the possibility of assassination, when the assassination really happened and the crossbow arrow pierced Emperor Daizong's chest, Yang Cuo's heart almost stopped beating.
Whoever dares to harm the Emperor of Great Tang, Yang Cuo will make them regret coming into this world.
After taking a deep breath and slowly regaining composure, Yang Cuo nodded, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I know my boundaries!"
Order Yang Zhilian to lead the 300 royal guards to continue protecting Emperor Dezong and withdrawing to higher ground, while Yang Cuo alone commands the 100 elite troops of the "Shanzibing" battalion to confront the outnumbering Western Sichuan army of over 2,000.
Although there is a discrepancy in numbers, the actual battle may not be able to break through the defense of the "Shanzibing" battalion.
Due to not carrying the tyrant phoenix spear, Yang Cuo holds a Tang sword in his right hand, pointing towards the Western Chu army in front, and shouts loudly, "Do you all know what you are doing? Assassinating the current emperor is a heinous crime of treason that will result in the extermination of nine generations..."
"Don't listen to his nonsense. If the court steals Xichuan, the hundreds of thousands of people in our region will have no way out. Charge over there and kill them..." someone in the Xichuan army shouted loudly.
"Kill..." hundreds of people responded, threatening to kill.
Yang Cuo shouted loudly, "I dare you to move."
These people were so frightened by Yang Cuo's loud shout that they didn't dare to move a step.
However, most people seemed confused and indecisive. They first glanced at Yang Cuo's side, then looked around, but didn't take any substantive action.
Some were eager to give it a try, while others were hesitant and indecisive.
In short, the thoughts are very complicated.
Having seen this situation, Yang Cuo already understood in his heart – the assassination of Emperor Daizong is unlikely to be the work of Bai Zhenjie, Yang Sheng, and others.
At least Bo Zhenjie did not participate in it.
If he was the mastermind or Han Cheng participated in it, the Western Sichuan Army would not have such a confused reaction.
The only plausible explanation would be that certain unscrupulous individuals have controlled a small number of soldiers and attempted to coerce others to participate in the antithesis amid the chaos.
By this time, Yang Cuo decided to act decisively.
"Bo Zhenjie, where is Han Cheng?" Yang Cuo's voice surged from his dantian, shouting like thunder.
"Yang Wu'an, please calm down. Bo Zhenjie is here!" Bo Zhenjie's penetrating voice came from afar.
"All soldiers of General Chuan, gather immediately at the foot of the mountain. Any soldier who disobeys orders shall be killed by the superior. If the superior himself disobeys orders, the subordinates are authorized to replace and kill him. If a whole unit disobeys orders, the neighboring units shall join forces to annihilate them. Officials will be promoted by three levels and soldiers will be rewarded with a thousand coins!"
As soon as the order from Baizhenjie was transmitted, the more than two thousand troops of the Xichuan army confronting Yang Cuo immediately showed signs of division – most of the soldiers, already aware that the situation was not favorable, dared not disobey the order and slowly lowered their weapons, moving towards the foot of the mountain. However, there were still about three hundred individuals who stubbornly remained in place, fighting like trapped beasts, and vigorously inciting others not to obey the order.
Quickly, these people realized that the situation was not good – more than 1,700 of them retreated towards the mountain, but at the same time they raised their weapons again, except this time their target was each other.
At this moment, even the slowest person knows what to do - more than three hundred people hurriedly caught up with the main force and retreated down the mountain together.
After two cups of tea, Bai Zhunjie and Yang Sheng went up the mountain together to seek an audience with Emperor Daizong.
"You guys wait here for now and deter the Xichuan Army."
Yang Cuo used this as an excuse to keep them from approaching.
The Xichuan Army has all rebelled, so they cannot be relied upon.
But it cannot be stated explicitly.
At this moment, the flags of the two flying military camps, Wu Dang and Wu Qian, have appeared within sight.
Wei Gao's reaction is indeed fast!
Only then did Yang Cuo take them to meet Emperor Dai Zong.
"Your Majesty, it is all my fault that you were startled. I beg General to forgive me!" Seeing that Emperor Daizong was unharmed, Bai Zhenjie and Yang Sheng both visibly breathed a sigh of relief, but they still knelt on the ground with bowed heads, apologizing.
“This is not the fault of Bǎi Zhēn Jié or Yáng Shèng, and I have not been harmed. There is no need to blame yourselves too much...” Ignoring the persuasion of the guards by his side, Emperor Dàizōng walked slowly to Bǎi Zhēn Jié and Yáng Shèng, helping them up and comforting them in a gentle voice.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Despite being assassinated, Emperor Daizong insisted on completing the ceremonial worship at Gao Shi's tomb.
However, due to this heinous event, the accompanying officials have lost their proper mood.
Everyone knows that a big storm is brewing, and it is difficult to anticipate the consequences.
Especially when seeing the killing intent on Yang Cuo's face, intense and unyielding.
You just know that this seasoned veteran of the battlefield will never show any mercy.
After returning to Chengdu, Bai Zhenjie begged Yang Cuo to personally investigate the matter and, after repeated pleas, Emperor Daizong agreed to let Wei Gao accompany him in the investigation.
At first, Yang Cuo did not agree, but Emperor Daizong considered some things and nodded in agreement.
However, due to the fact that the assassins pretending to be common people either died or fled, making it difficult to trace, Bai Zhenjie was very clear that the key to thorough investigation lies in the complicity of the assassins within the army. Therefore, he decisively took control of over 2,000 soldiers from the West Sichuan army who had confronted Yang Cuo in the past.
After a careful interrogation and investigation, hundreds of suspects were quickly ruled out.
To everyone's surprise, the leader turned out to be Liu Junsheng, a Captain of the Xichuan Army who was highly trusted by Bai Zhenjie.
Liu Junsheng was a loyal general under Bai Zhenjie in the past.
Under the strict interrogation of Bai Zhenjie, Liu Junsheng admitted his involvement in the assassination plot but only claimed that he was unwilling to surrender the Western region to outsiders, so he acted out of anger. He denied the existence of any other accomplices or masterminds.
However, under Wei Gao's interrogation, Liu Meng still revealed many flaws.
At this time, the nameless flying army responsible for lurking outside Chengdu sent back two intercepted confidential letters, in which the content was to prepare for collusion with officials from other provinces to resist the Tang Dynasty's control over Western Sichuan. The letters even vaguely mentioned assassinations, and the signatory was Niu Chang.
However, much to their surprise, after Yang Sheng confirmed it multiple times, the handwriting of the two letters is completely different from that of Niu Chang, and even has no resemblance to any of the literary and martial figures that Yang Sheng knew in Sichuan.