Tang Chen: Starting from the Xuanwu Gate Incident

Chapter 5 Useless Meetings

Upon receiving the order, Shen Ce felt a sense of relief and his mood lightened considerably.

In just one day, he not only received a beating but was also thrown into the air several times. He suffered greatly, but it was worth it...

He didn't care about the yellow robe or whether it was useful or not. He only believed in one thing: he, Shen Ce, had dodged the deadly battle in front of Xuanwu Gate.

Turning around, he saw that his brothers were still watching him. He put away the military task that Cheng Yaojin had given him and put it into his pocket.

He was no longer the same squad leader he once was. Given his military skills, if he rashly led his men into battle, he would likely be a burden to everyone.

If he could extricate himself now and hand over the important task of leading the troops to the older fire chief, it would be the best of both worlds.

Shen Ce straightened his armor, stepped forward, fixed his gaze on the crowd, and slowly spoke: "Today, thanks to the trust of my brothers, I was able to meet the King of Qin and report the successful mission. I thank you all."

He then bowed to his fifty subordinates, who, upon seeing this, turned aside and responded in a nonchalant manner.

He then changed the subject, saying, "However, I have gained General Cheng's trust and have been transferred to serve him. Tomorrow I will not be able to lead everyone in advancing and retreating together."

"Qin Chuan"

"Someone is here"

"Tomorrow you'd better keep an eye on everyone for me. If anything goes wrong, I won't let you off the hook."

"promise"

Although they had only spent a day together, Shen Ce was also touched by the frankness of the Northwestern men. He immediately promised his brothers that if he returned alive and received a reward, he would use it to pay for the soldiers who died in battle the next day.

They all knew that in war, people always die; it's either you kill me or I kill you, there's nothing to be afraid of. Fear only makes you die faster.

Shen Ce received a military order not to confront the Crown Prince head-on with Yuchi Gong, but to intercept Li Yuan's messenger at Nanhu Pond in the west. Since it was an interception, it was naturally necessary to have someone skilled in archery and horsemanship.

Zhou San, Feng Erhu, and Lü Bajin, as Shen Ce spoke, those who were called upon filed out in succession.

"After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, gather your equipment and follow me into the palace. The rest of you, obey Qin Chuan's orders."

The group accepted the order in hushed tones.

Strategic maneuvering doesn't require perfect planning; if a solution can be found in a simple and direct way, there's no need for roundabout methods.

The most direct methods are to hold meetings and treat people to meals.

Matters that are conducted in accordance with etiquette and rules naturally carry a sense of seriousness, which is the most effective way to put people at ease.

Zhuge Ke died here, Han Xin died here, and Caesar also died here.

Li Er accused the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi of having illicit relations in the palace. The two denied it, so the Emperor had no choice but to summon them both to the South Lake for a "meeting" to confront each other.

To be honest, what's the point of confronting this? It's just for show. Can Li Shimin actually produce a DNA report?

As for witnesses, given the immense implications, Li Yuan would consider any testimony from any party to be part of a factional struggle.

Even with all the witnesses and evidence, would Li Yuan admit to being cuckolded in front of high-ranking officials, historians, and his sons?

Therefore, the outcome of this meeting was predetermined from the very beginning.

Since the advantage is not in my hands, I must start early. At four o'clock in the morning, the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi were still embracing their beauties on the bed, while the Qin Prince's men were already fully equipped and left the Qin Prince's mansion.

The horse's hooves, wrapped in burlap, made only a slight sound as they trod the street. The thugs who were supposed to be patrolling at night had long since disappeared.

The Yongzhou prefectural government and the Chang'an county government were both controlled by the Prince of Qin's mansion. They pretended not to know about the mobilization of the mansion's soldiers. Even with a knife to their throats, they had to pretend not to know.

They looked at each other in silence, with only the occasional snorting of horses and the soft rustling of armor plates. Yuchi Jingde rode slowly past the front of the formation, his gaze cold and gloomy, sweeping over everyone as if measuring the life and death of each person.

Of the eight hundred soldiers stationed by the King of Qin, one hundred were to guard the palace, and six hundred were to block the Crown Prince's two thousand Changlin Army soldiers outside Xuanwu Gate. The one hundred cavalrymen, however, would enter Xuanwu Gate.

Following the King of Qin's gesture, one hundred riders advanced in three columns, heading towards Fanglin Gate.

The guards at Fanglin Gate had already been "informed" by the King of Qin, and they had already opened the gates, waiting for him.

Starting from Hongyi Palace, one enters the outer city through Fanglin Gate, and heads east along the main road outside the north city wall of the palace gate. The journey is less than two miles and takes only a quarter of an hour.

Shen Ce looked up and saw the Xuanwu Gate looming in the thin mist. The gate was dark and gloomy, like the open mouth of a giant beast. He wondered how many people would lose their lives here today.

After exchanging coded signals and pulling at each other, the heavy central gate of Xuanwu Gate was finally opened by Chang He.

The ten men at the head of the group stood at the doorway as soon as they passed through the gate, replacing the original guards.

Yuchi Jingde took the lead and entered the palace gate first, while Shen Ce and the other ten people were at the rear of the procession. When riding through the city gate, he even looked at the door hinges and saw that they were indeed oiled. History is indeed true.

Upon entering the palace, the Prince of Qin turned his horse around, his eyes sharp, and said in a deep voice to the crowd: "The three guards of the Prince's Palace, follow me to the Linhu Palace and await my orders."

Then, shifting his gaze to the end of the line, he raised his bow and pointed at Shen Ce, saying, "When you go to South Lake Pond, remember not to let a single person escape."

Shen Ce responded by lightly tapping his breastplate.

At this point, there's nothing more to say; we can only take action now, and success or failure hinges on this one move.

The group of eleven passed through the dense forest, dismounted, and took the coin out of their mouths.

Shen Ce spat out the wood chips in his mouth and stretched his facial muscles. He hadn't eaten anything good for the past two days.

Looking up to the north, the terrain is flat, and the shallows are covered with reeds taller than a person, densely packed together, making it a good place to hide.

"Feng Erhu, you are in charge of keeping watch over the Xianhu Palace on the east side. If there is any message, call with a long voice and a short voice. The rest of you, follow me. Take the small path, and you will reach Nanhu Pond after passing through this reed field." Seeing this, Shen Ce gave the order without hesitation.

The soldiers responded that they only needed to obey orders given by their superiors. On the battlefield, they only needed to bring their eyes and ears, not their brains or mouths.

The South Sea Pool is formed by drawing water from the Qingming Canal. The water surface is wide, wide from east to west and narrow from north to south. The ferry is located on the south side of the lake. At that time, the emperor and several ministers will be on the dragon boat. Cheng Zhijie's words from last night still echoed in his ears.

The sun was just beginning to rise, and the thin mist had not yet dissipated.

Shen Ce parted the reeds, lay down on the ground, and observed the dragon boat through the gaps.

"Pei Ji, Xiao Yu, Chen Shuda, Feng Lun, Yuwen Shiji..." As Shen Ce read out the names one by one, everyone looked at their squad leader in surprise.

"Boss, do you know all these high-ranking officials?" Zhou Can couldn't help but ask.

"Bullshit, I'm counting heads, I've seen a few."

"Has the emperor arrived?"

"The one eating between the two maids must be the one."

"We'll intercept and kill the messengers if they come out, but what if the ministers come out by boat to deliver the orders?"

Recalling General Yuchi's instructions that no messenger should leave the South Sea Pool alive, Shen Ce gritted his teeth and said, "Kill them all."

"What if a sage were to appear?"

"Go to hell."

Shen Ce's laughter and scolding helped everyone relax their tense nerves.

There is no room for hesitation now; anyone who gets in the way of today's plans must die.