Chapter 488: One Man, One Sword, the Army Retreats
Chapter 488: One man and one sword, thousands of troops are defeated (5k)
"Your Majesty is welcome back to the palace!"
How loud was the shout that Zhao Duan made using the energy in his chest?
They immediately started from the South Gate and headed towards the two armies fighting in the Meridian Gate Square.
At this moment, the huge square was filled with the lights and shadows of swords and knives, shouts of killing, and the sounds of weapons clashing.
The rebels of Jinwu Guard and Qianniu Guard formed an alliance and formed a semicircle to protect the hall where the court was held.
The other imperial guards who arrived after hearing the news were trying to sprint towards the semicircle, but the coup happened too suddenly, and many imperial guards generals were still unclear about the situation when they arrived, and they did not dare to fight to the death.
In addition, it was difficult to organize an effective confrontation due to the rush. Although the number of soldiers who had not participated in the rebellion was far greater than the former, they were stuck in front of the iron wall built by the rebels and were unable to break through it.
At this time, many corpses had fallen on the border of the fight.
Just at this stalemate, a shout from behind interrupted the fight.
The soldiers on both sides almost subconsciously and instinctively stopped fighting, took a defensive stance, and looked in the direction of the sound.
The commander of the Yulin Guards who arrived first suddenly turned his head. He was tall and his eyes swept over the heads of the soldiers. He was the first to see the emperor and his ministers walking out of the city gate.
"boom--"
It was as if a bomb had exploded in the commander of the Imperial Guards' brain. His eyes widened and he almost couldn't hold the blood-stained sword in his hand. He thought he was seeing things, so he rubbed his eyes violently with his free hand and looked again.
That's right!
Who else would come here side by side if not His Majesty and Zhao Shaobao? !
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty has returned to the palace..."
Although he had countless questions in his mind, the tall commander wearing silver armor and a silver helmet murmured excitedly, then he opened his throat, raised his sword high, and shouted:
"Your Majesty is welcome back to the palace!!"
In another direction, the commander of the Huben Guard, who had just led a team of imperial guards to the Meridian Gate, suddenly tightened the reins on his horse and stared blankly at the female emperor in a dragon robe who was walking out of the Meridian Gate with a sword in hand, and the man in a crimson official robe beside her.
He was stunned for a few breaths, then suddenly turned over and got off the horse, knelt on one knee, and shouted in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty is welcome back to the palace!"
The example set by these two people was like a signal. In an instant, the outermost imperial guards who were trying to break through the rebels' iron wall turned back, knelt down, and shouted in unison:
"Your Majesty is welcome back to the palace!"
Zhao Duan followed the empress and watched with emotion as thousands of imperial guards in front of him suddenly fell to their knees and retreated to both sides.
It was like the waves were split apart, making way for the king and his minister to lead to the main hall.
How spectacular is this scene?
How amazing?
In contrast, the rebels who stood shoulder to shoulder, forming an iron wall and facing the Meridian Gate, seemed to be frozen in an instant and lost their fighting spirit in an instant.
Countless faces, filled with astonishment, suspicion, fear... seemed unwilling to believe what was happening before their eyes.
Li Yinglong stood among the rebels. He was also wearing armor, holding a sword in his hand, and riding on a warhorse to supervise the battle.
When Zhao Du'an and the empress suddenly appeared and the voices of welcoming His Majesty echoed, Li Yinglong's face turned pale instantly, as if struck by lightning. He stared in disbelief at the two monarchs and ministers whom he recognized even if they turned into ashes.
"No...it's fake...it must be fake..."
Li Yinglong only felt a chill running up from his spine, almost breaking his skull.
His eyes were filled with extreme fear, anxiety, and confusion, which soon turned into an almost insane roar:
"It's fake! What are you staring at? Shoot! Zhao Duan can't possibly be in the capital! He must be a thief pretending to be him!"
He didn't even dare to mention Xu Zhenguan's name!
The young minister's cry had some effect, and the frightened rebels showed signs of life in their eyes.
Yes, at this time, the empress was still fleeing in the south and it was impossible for her to appear here.
Even if they took a step back and assumed that the two people in front of them were real, they would no longer have any way out.
"There are only two thieves. What do we, the thousands of people, have to fear?" The commander of the Jinwu Guard, who had risked his life, was furious and swung his sword fiercely.
The leader of the Qianniu Guards also came back to his senses with a start, and fierceness gushed out of his eyes:
"Release the arrows! Shoot the thieves!"
At this moment, they no longer cared whether the monarch and ministers in front of them were real or fake. Even if it was true, the intelligence was extremely conclusive that the empress had been seriously injured and fallen into a state of decline.
With the addition of Zhao Duan, they are at most equivalent to ordinary warriors. Facing thousands of elite imperial guards equipped with magical instruments, armor and weapons, they have no chance of winning.
"Li Yinglong, I'm ashamed that you still miss me,"
Zhao Duan smiled. He was clearly standing on the ground, looking at the young elder riding a warhorse, but he was clearly looking down:
"At the beginning, I considered the overall situation and let you go for the time being, but I didn't expect that you and your son from the Li family would still be stubborn and unrepentant. In this case, I will send you on your way today."
As the words fell, a low and sharp whistle rang in everyone's ears. The rebels only caught a glimpse of a thin dark golden line passing by a distance of ten feet.
A thin red line appeared on Li Yinglong's neck, and blood oozed out bit by bit.
He was stunned for a moment, as if he had not yet come to his senses. He reached out to cover his neck, only to find that hot blood was spurting out from between his fingers uncontrollably.
"Ho ho..."
Once the most dissolute playboy in the Beijing circle and the incarnation of the leader of the "Li Party", the "Little Prime Minister" who had fought with Zhao Duan several times and always ended up in defeat, gradually showed deathly silence in his eyes and fell off his horse dejectedly.
The helmet fell off with a bang, and the last bit of light in the eyes on the feminine face went out, but the unwillingness before death still remained in his eyes.
Li Yinglong died!
Zhao Duan held the bloody flying knife between his fingers, his expression indifferent and a little distracted:
It turns out that the big shot whom I had to look up to a year ago and who had been scheming so hard was now defeated with just one stroke of the sword.
"Master Li!?"
The two rebel commanders had no time to stop it and witnessed Li Yinglong being killed instantly with their own eyes, and a chill ran down their spines.
The same thought came to mind:
"The world?!"
Has King Zhao entered the realm of a martial artist?
Xu Zhenguan did not go to see Li Yinglong's death. From the moment she stepped into the palace, her divine consciousness in the heavenly realm swept across most of the palace.
At this moment, he did not stop walking towards the distant hall. Golden energy spurted out from his palms, flowing to the tip of the sword like mist, emitting a hazy sword energy halo.
The Taia Sword vibrated and hummed with excitement as if it had drunk nectar.
"Not good!" The two commanders were horrified and wanted to resist, but they felt dominated by fear.
The next moment, a majestic and vast sword energy that was almost as long as a rainbow swept over.
The "iron wall" built by the rebels' flesh and blood collapsed and fell in the sword light.
Zhao Duan raised his right hand and blocked his eyes. Mr. Zhao was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see dead people.
In a trance, he recalled the day of the Xuanmen coup three years ago, when the empress also frightened thousands of soldiers with just one sword.
However, that time, he stood among those imperial guards and was extremely inconspicuous.
This time, he stood beside the empress, second only to the emperor and above everyone else.
……
……
In the main hall.
Four female officials drew their swords at the same time and suddenly rushed towards Li Yanfu.
This sneak attack was so sudden that none of the ministers in the palace had expected it. Kong Wu, who was closest to the palace, was being watched closely by Ma Yan, so he was too late to rush to the rescue.
However, there was no panic or fear in Li Yanfu's eyes. On his left, another veiled guard suddenly took action.
The guard had a slender figure and white hands, and looked like a woman. He took a step forward and stood in front of Li Yanfu, holding a dagger in his hand.
The scabbard was quite simple and square, golden in color, and inlaid with several pigeon egg-sized gems. It was held in the left hand of the female guard.
The sharp blade was unsheathed and chopped down into the air with the right hand!
This knife does not belong to her, but to Li Yanfu. It is the one that has been placed on the study table in Li Yanfu's home for many years and is considered by everyone to be a decorative weapon.
However, at this moment, as the magic power of the woman surged into her body, twisted patterns suddenly appeared on the blade.
Town object!
This knife is actually a good-quality talisman! At this moment, the moment the blade chopped, a circle of azure ripples spread out, and the four female officials' faces suddenly changed, and the sword formation they formed was abruptly split.
Four figures also cried out as if they were hit by an invisible sword energy and flew backwards in the air!
The four female officials took small steps back and managed to steady themselves, but they covered their chests at the same time, with blood flowing from the corners of their mouths!
quiet!
It was quiet.
The smile on Dong Xuan's face froze, and the light in Yuan Li's eyes went out again.
Ma Yan was stunned for a moment, and said in a lost voice: "A sorcerer in the world?"
As soon as he said this, he turned around and changed his words: "No, it's not the real world!"
Li Yanfu smiled, and scanned the expressions of the ministers one by one. He turned his head to look at the female guard and chuckled:
“That’s right, Li Qing is indeed not yet in this world, and I have to admit that it is not easy for a warlock to cross that threshold.
Although my Li family can spend a lot of money to recruit martial arts masters, but when it comes to such a major event as today's cleansing of the court, not everyone can be trusted."
The female guard held a dagger in her right hand and took off her veil with her left hand, revealing the face of a young woman.
This face was extremely unfamiliar to the officials in the palace, and even Ma Yan had never seen it before.
But when he heard the word "Li Qing", he understood:
"The Huaishui Li family is a family of scholars. There are many scholars in the family who have entered officialdom, but in each generation there are also a few who have become military officers or practiced cultivation. My intelligence from the imperial court recorded that there is a woman in the younger generation of the Li family who is a magician. It seems that she is the one."
Li Yanfu nodded and said with emotion:
"Li Qing has good talent and has reached the Divine Chapter Realm. The most important thing is that she is trustworthy. It's a pity that she is not strong enough to participate in today's event. However, if she holds this sword, she can use it for half of the world within one stick of incense. It's still possible."
After saying this, Li Yanfu turned around again and looked at Dong Xuan with a smile:
"It is beyond my expectation that the female official in the palace is actually a hidden worshiper. As you said, His Majesty did make some arrangements, but unfortunately, how many masters are left in this palace?
Fengshan is a big deal, and ultimately much more important than guarding an empty shell of a palace.
If Hai Chunlin was still here, or had already rushed back to the capital, I might not dare to rush into the palace today. Unfortunately... there is no if.
So, Dong Xuan, if you still have guards, call them out. I have hundreds of retainers behind me. You and I will use this place as a battlefield and fight. If you have no more cards to play... Even if you don't think about yourself, you should think more about your family."
Master Dong's expression changed:
"Family? What do you mean? Li Yanfu, are you..."
Li Yanfu smiled:
"At this moment, the people I arranged should have arrived at your homes. Don't worry, I just wanted to protect your families in advance to avoid any chaos in the city. I have no intention of threatening you."
The officials were in a commotion, and Dali Temple Junior Official Lu Zhi suddenly stood up. This newly promoted official, who had risen to prominence because of Zhao Duan, shouted angrily:
"Li Yanfu! How dare you do such a despicable thing?!"
The other ministers also looked angry. A coup was one thing, but attacking family members was another.
Li Yanfu looked strange and sneered:
"Things have come to this point today, do you still think that I would care about these things?"
He thought Lu Zhi was a little ridiculous. Since he had even done something like exterminating nine generations of his clan, he would naturally use all the means he could. Why would he care about any rules?
"Li Yanfu! Don't be too proud!" Dong Xuan said sternly:
"Do you really think that you can do whatever you want by relying on force? I have already stepped half a foot into the coffin, and I have already put life and death aside. If you dare to make a move, I will just refuse their protection. If Ma Yan and the others don't care about anything and just try their best to kill you, do you really think that these retainers and guards can protect you?"
Fighting and risking one's life are two different concepts.
Although Li Qing is a member of the Li family and is loyal enough, he is not strong enough.
Although Kong Wu is strong, he may not risk his life to protect Li Yanfu.
Once Ma Yan, the eunuch who had fought to the death in the Xuanmen coup, gets really ruthless and fights to the death without giving up his life, can Kong Wu really stop him?
Li Yanfu smiled.
He smiled happily, proudly and openly.
The laughter echoed in the hall, making everyone present look surprised, not understanding why the Prime Minister was laughing.
“Hahaha…” Li Yanfu laughed for a while, then slowly stopped smiling, sighed softly, and stared at Dong Xuan:
"Since you can say such things, it seems that you really have no backup plan. Very good, then it seems that the true self has won this battle."
He sneered, looking down at the old Grand Master from a high position, his expression unusually calm:
"You're right. If we fight to the death, with him and them present, my true self may not be able to escape unscathed."
He pointed at Ma Yan and the four female officials.
"But... why do you foolishly think that I really value this life?"
He sneered, and his white hair trembled slightly under his helmet:
"Although I am younger than you, Dong Xuan, I am also half buried in the ground. In this life, I have enjoyed wealth and honor, and I have been a high-ranking official. I have enjoyed everything. If it were only for myself, why would I wade into this muddy water today?
I could have retired to my hometown after the Xuanmen coup, raised fish and played with birds, and enjoyed the happiness of family life, but..."
He took a deep breath, with a self-deprecating smile on his face:
“But you and I were born into this world not to live for ourselves. As the patriarch of the Li clan, I should earn wealth and honor for the Li clan before I die. Dong Xuan, Yuan Li… and you, haven’t you ever thought about this?
Now the five vassal kings are rushing to the capital. If I do not move, when the army comes to the city one day, will you, Dong Xuan, surrender, or will you, Yuan Li, make contributions?"
Dong Xuan was furious: "Traitor, do you think I would be as despicable as you?"
Li Yanfu smiled again, ignored his scolding, and continued:
"So, I dare to come here today, and I am not afraid of death! Didn't you realize that my son is not here? At this moment, Yinglong will lead the soldiers to guard outside the palace. If I die, Yinglong will take over the power in the city. If Yinglong unfortunately dies in battle, I will take charge."
His cold gaze swept across the ministers, each with a different expression on their face:
"I am telling you all this to give you a chance. Now, if you want to live, come to me. If you want to be loyal, I will grant your wish."
He wasn't going to waste any more time.
His Highness fell into an eerie silence. Apart from some royal officials who lost their qualifications to fight in the team, other officials were undecided, but their brows were already wavering.
Just when some ministers gritted their teeth, took a step forward, and prepared to make a choice.
Yuan Li suddenly said:
"Listen, don't you think it's too quiet outside?"
The ministers were stunned and only then noticed that the sound of fighting outside the door had disappeared at some point.
The thick palace door blocked too many shouts and screams, but there was no doubt that the shouts and screams were getting louder and louder, but at this moment, it was eerily quiet outside.
"Triumph? Or is it over?" Ma Yan also frowned.
In today's rebellion, it is obvious that only a small number of imperial guards have problems. As the fighting begins, more and more imperial guards will arrive, so there is no reason to stop suddenly.
As for the end...
It's not realistic.
Although the rebels were few in number, they had the advantage of terrain and were defending themselves against the palace... Most importantly, it had not been long since Li Yanfu and his followers broke into the palace.
All in all, the two sides only talked for a while. How could the fight end in such a short time?
Even Li Yanfu frowned deeply, feeling an inexplicable strong sense of uneasiness.
"Go and take a look." Without hesitation, Li Yanfu immediately instructed a retainer.
The latter nodded, turned around and ran towards the tightly closed palace door behind him. However, before he got close, without any warning, the tall and heavy double-leaf palace door slowly opened with a creak.
Opened...
Being pushed from outside to inside.
"Squeak-"
Amid the sharp metallic wailing sounds, the ten-foot-high palace door was slowly pushed open, and a fishy and cold wind blew into the hall from outside to inside.
The hair of the ministers was lifted up, and the pale light of the sky once again spread in from the crack in the door, illuminating the dark palace.
No one spoke. At this moment, countless pairs of eyes looked towards the open door. The light gradually softened, and a familiar figure walked in from the light.
Zhao Duan pushed open the door, raised his leg and stepped over the threshold. Facing the dull gazes of the civil and military officials in the court, he raised the corners of his mouth and smiled:
"It's so lively. How far has the meeting progressed? It seems we are not too late."
No one answered.
Zhao Du'an stepped over the threshold, ignoring the wooden, pale faces, turned around and made way for the Empress of Yu, who was wearing a dragon robe, with loose black hair and holding Taizu's magic weapon, to come in from behind.
Xu Zhenguan held the Jade Dragon in his hand, his phoenix eyes swept over the ministers, his gaze fell on Li Yanfu's face, and he said lightly:
"Why is Li Xiang speechless?"
(End of this chapter)