Chapter 114: Bloodshed for Imperial Power (Part 5)

Splash! The long sword swept across and pushed back the palace guards attacking the hall. The woman turned around and bowed her fists towards Li Shang, saying, "Regent, please forgive me. I was only following orders to protect the imperial court's important officials." Seeing the woman stop, Li Shang also signaled to stop the fight outside the hall and asked, "Are you a member of the Silver Dragon Guards?" The woman with her fists bowed raised her eyebrows and said to Li Shang, "Reporting to the Regent, I act on behalf of the Holy Command." Li Shang, with narrowed eyes, flung his icy imperial robe and said, "I'm asking again, are you a member of the Silver Dragon Guards?" Seeing the woman remain silent, Li Shang gave the order, "Execute without mercy!" The soldiers outside the hall all acknowledged and raised their spears. Dong! A white smoke suddenly exploded in the hall, and amidst the smoke, a man in a golden dragon robe said coldly, "Retreat!" The woman in the Silver Dragon Guards' robe nodded and followed behind the man, stepping lightly and dispersing the smoke. Li Shang, squinting his eyes, watched the two figures disappear into the night with a furrowed brow.
Morning
In the court, Li Shang led the courtiers into the grand hall with his sword by his side. Tang Ziyi, sitting on the dragon throne, looked at Li Shang coldly, while Li Yan, who was at the side, was already frightened by Li Shang's aura and hid behind the dragon throne. "Regent Prince and courtiers, what brings you here? The morning court has not been announced yet," Tang Ziyi said coldly. Listening to Tang Ziyi's cold words, Li Shang pretended and said, "We just came to pay our respects to Your Majesty as usual." "Oh?" Tang Ziyi narrowed her eyes, looking up at Li Shang, "And also..." Li Shang raised his head and met Tang Ziyi's murderous gaze. At the same time, Li Shang also had a menacing expression as he said, "Last night, assassins infiltrated the Regent Prince's mansion... We reported to Your Majesty and asked her to take care of herself." "Hmph..." Tang Ziyi flicked her phoenix robe and said, "If there's nothing else, you may leave the court." Saying that, she saw that the courtiers did not move, so Tang Ziyi angrily shouted, "Didn't I tell you? Nothing... leave the court!" Li Shang, with his left hand resting on the hilt of his sword, did not turn around and said, "Leave the court!" Watching the courtiers bow and leave, Tang Ziyi suppressed her anger and asked with a fake smile, "Regent Prince, is there anything else?" Looking at Tang Ziyi who was restraining herself, Li Shang ascended the steps step by step and stood level with her, saying, "Last night, assassins attacked the mansion. I feel that the palace's defense is too weak, so... I have arranged for guards to defend the palace." Hearing Li Shang's words, Tang Ziyi became furious and immediately raised her right hand to slap Li Shang, but Li Shang calmly smiled and didn't dodge. Seeing Li Shang not avoiding her attack, Tang Ziyi quickly withdrew her hand. Only to see her palm stop a hair's breadth away from Li Shang's face, while Li Shang, with a face full of smiles, was not scared at all and said, "What did I do wrong to make the empress so angry?" Tang Ziyi took a deep breath and said, "I'm tired... you may leave." Watching Tang Ziyi suppressing her anger, Li Shang snorted, flicked his imperial robe, and left.
Looking at Li Shang leaving, Tang Ziyi turned her head and looked at the trembling boy hiding behind the dragon throne, only to see the jade beads on the crown of the boy's head had already scattered on the ground. Tang Ziyi took a deep breath and supported her forehead as she fell back into the dragon chair.
Maicheng
看着城门口迎接而来的官员，白秦也是翻下下马行礼道：“诸位大人恭迎我等武夫真是受宠若惊。”数名儒袍的男子也是恭敬的回礼道：“白家忠义天下可见，我等治理一方远不及白家牧守边疆之苦。”“哈哈哈。。”撩着胡须的白秦道：“诸位大人自理百姓安康才是真正的劳苦。”寒暄的众人先后入城，只见城中络绎不绝的马车上装满着金灿灿的稻谷，白秦异常
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Happiness said, "This year's Jingzhou has had a great harvest." Upon hearing this, the officials of Maicheng nodded and said, "The court has also issued a tax reduction decree." Listening to the officials, Bai Qin laughed and continued walking on the dirt road.
Guo Fu Center
An undercover soldier in plain clothes, Bai Qin, looked at the wooden tablet wrinkled and said, "The garrison in Jizhou is sending 150,000 troops down south!?" A soldier kneeling outside the door nodded and said, "The garrison in Jizhou only has 200,000 troops, and now 150,000 are heading south.." Bai Qin, setting down the wooden tablet, pinched his forehead and said, "The thing that Duke Cai was worried about has indeed happened.." "General, in my humble opinion, we should directly head north to support Jizhou." Bai Qin, pinching his forehead, looked up at the soldier and said, "Now that the Northern Desert Patrol Office and the Jizhou Army have reached the capital in the north, I don't know what the court intends to do with the deployment of so many troops.."
That Night
Crackle... The heavy iron tiger-headed gate opens slowly. The Ji State garrison and local guards stationed outside stare at the open gate in astonishment. "Alert the entire army!" Three thousand Ji State soldiers gather, brandishing their weapons. "Roar!!!" A loud shout comes from within the Yannorth Pass. Tens of thousands of Sasitharo troops dressed in black light armor charge forward. The Ji State soldiers quickly engage in combat, but as soon as contact is made, the three thousand soldiers are nearly overwhelmed. A Sasitharo soldier ducks to avoid a slashing long knife, while swinging his circular scimitar towards the abdomen of a Ji State soldier. Splurt! The scimitar slices through the cloth armor, and before the Ji State soldier can retreat and defend, another Sasitharo soldier grips the scimitar with a reverse grip and slashes from behind. Splurt! The scimitar stabs into the back of the Ji State soldier, who spits out blood and loses all signs of life. The Sasitharo soldier withdraws the scimitar and swings it towards the next Ji State soldier. On the city wall of Yannorth, a man in a golden robe looks coldly at the Ji State soldiers being slaughtered like lambs, snorts, and turns away.
Jizhou Ancheng
The crowd sat in their seats and listened to the soldiers' report. "Did you say three thousand... three thousand soldiers were instantly defeated?!" The shocked prefect of Ancheng County suddenly realized, "Quick, quick, write a letter to the court! Urgent delivery across a thousand miles!!" As the soldiers bowed and retreated, the prefect of Ancheng County was alarmed. He had originally planned to gain rewards by defending against the foreigners, but now it seemed that avoiding punishment would be fortunate.
"The whole army rests!" A man dressed in yellow and white tiger-patterned armor slowly brings his horse to a halt, looking at the magnificent county city not far away with icy eyes.
In the northern capital, a luxurious six-horse carriage speeds out of the city, causing the passing pedestrians to dodge to the sides in fear. A squad of soldiers follows behind, riding on horses.
"Your Majesty... The North Desert Guard has already stationed near the Northern Capital," Tang Ziyang asked nervously, listening to the eunuch's words. "What about the Western Region Governor's army?" "The Western Region Governor's army has arrived at the Palace, and it will reach the Northern Capital in three days," Tang Ziyang wrinkled her brows and let out a sigh of relief. Her trembling hands in her long sleeves gradually calmed down. With rebel forces at the city gates, it was impossible for her not to panic..."
Pong! In the post station, Li Chen slammed the table without caring about the surrounding gazes and angrily said, "The border is the gateway of the country, but the Patrol House disregards the safety of us, the Shenghua people." Looking at the angered Li Chen, Prince Cheng calmly said, "The only person who can mobilize the Patrol House is the Regent." This unintentional remark caught Li Chen by surprise.
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Stunned, Li Chen sat down and pondered, raising his eyebrows and looking at Wang Zicheng, who was calmly drinking tea. "Is the Regent planning a rebellion?" Hearing Li Chen's words, Wang Zicheng set down his teacup and shook his head. "If the Regent were to rebel first, it would be a confirmed act of treason. However, if the Empress were to rebel first, the Regent could take the opportunity to send troops to suppress the chaos." Hearing Wang Zicheng's words, Li Chen worriedly asked, "What about the safety of the people in Jizhou?" Wang Zicheng lifted his eyebrows and looked at Li Chen, while Li Chen looked at Wang Zicheng with confusion. After a while, Wang Zicheng spoke, "My lord... We must be diligent in ruling, restore order, provide assistance to the people, and ensure the peace of the kingdom." Li Chen, with a frown on his face, began to ponder these words, shaking his head after a while, "The naval forces of the Maritime Affairs Bureau are stationed elsewhere, and I currently have no military power. How can I go north to fight against the foreign invaders?" Hearing Li Chen's helpless words, Wang Zicheng calmly said with a smile, "No hurry... The time has not yet come." Looking at Wang Zicheng, who showed no signs of worry, Li Chen curiously asked, "Not in a hurry... The court is in chaos, and the border is vulnerable." Wang Zicheng, pouring tea, slowly said, "After the south and the East Sea are stabilized, the Empress may take the initiative... Also..." Wang Zicheng continued in a cold tone, "My lord... From now on, we must prepare for the worst." Hearing Wang Zicheng's cold tone, Li Chen also became serious.
Morning
Tang Ziyao couldn't sleep all night in the palace, and she dare not rest now. The soldiers outside the city are all from the same faction as the royal family, and she can already feel that the direction of the wind in the court has changed. With a furrowed brow, she looks at Li Yan playing with mud in the courtyard, wearing a golden dragon robe. For the first time, she has the intention of abdicating the throne and living a normal life with her child instead of living in constant fear.
Looking at Tang Ziyi sitting on the bed in a daze, the man in the silver dragon robe walked in slowly and stood aside without disturbing. After a long while, Tang Ziyi exhaled deeply and asked, "What happened?" The man in the silver dragon robe knelt down on one knee and saluted respectfully, "Your Majesty, Jizhou in the North has been captured." The man's indifferent words surprised Tang Ziyi, "Impossible! How could the 200,000 troops in Jizhou be defeated?" Shaking his head, the man calmly said, "The Regent Prince has dispatched 150,000 troops to move south, and Jizhou fell ten days ago." Tang Ziyi, biting her lower lip, angrily overturned the pastry table next to her and scolded, "This kind of person!! Cannot be allowed to govern! Absolutely not!!" Tang Ziyi, who originally had some doubts, became resolute in her conviction. She initially wanted to transfer 10,000 palace guards to test their loyalty, but unexpectedly, the palace guards refused on the grounds of the border war. And now, the Regent Prince can easily disregard the lives of the people in the North by issuing a transfer order. This blatant collusion with the Regent Prince cannot be tolerated. "Immediately write a decree to hold the palace guards accountable for their negligence." The man in the silver dragon robe nodded and stood up. Before he could turn around, Tang Ziyi stopped him and said, "Wait..." The man continued to kneel and looked at Tang Ziyi, who was deep in thought. [If Jizhou is completely lost, the people of the world will definitely criticize the Regent Prince for secretly mobilizing troops...] As Tang Ziyi looked at the overturned pastries, she continued to think, [I have already arranged for the Bai family to guard Jizhou earlier, so if I pretend not to know, Li Rong will become the target of everyone's attacks...] After thinking it through, Tang Ziyi raised her hand and said, "I am unaware of this matter. Because the Regent Prince led the troops to besiege the capital, information about the border situation could not reach His Majesty." The man, still kneeling with one knee, glanced at Tang Ziyi and said, "Understood, Your Majesty."
(end of this chapter)