However, at that moment, Li Fushan emerged from the alley with a group of men. Behind him, several thugs were dragging Feng Dalun, whom the Jinwuwei general had been longing for.
Li Fushan walked up to Lu Xuan and spoke.
"My lord, the leader of the Bearfire Gang has been captured by us."
Lu Xuan nodded slightly, then reached out and grabbed Feng Dalun's clothes, dragging him in front of the Jinwu Guard general.
"I noticed you looked agitated earlier, sir. I wonder if this might cheer you up?" Lu Xuan said, casually tossing Feng Dalun to the ground. Feng Dalun struggled to lift his head and saw the face of the Imperial Guard general. He immediately felt a surge of excitement and wanted to say something.
He opened his mouth, but could only spit out a mouthful of bloody foam. His tongue had already been smashed to pieces by Li Fushan. This was something Lu Xuan had instructed him to do beforehand. He absolutely couldn't let Feng Dalun spout nonsense at the last moment.
As expected, seeing that Feng Dalun couldn't utter a word, the general breathed a sigh of relief. Without another word, he drew his sword and severed Feng Dalun's head.
"All soldiers of the Imperial Guard, listen to my command! Immediately conduct a city-wide search for the rebel members of the Bearfire Gang. Anyone who resists will be killed without exception." Seeing the crowd disperse, he turned to Lu Xuan and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"Chen Yunqiao, the commander of the Youjin Wu Guard."
"Lu Xuan, the county magistrate of Wannian County."
The two men clasped their hands in greeting, but didn't exchange many words, as if tonight's events were merely a chance encounter. Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from the direction of the imperial city.
Lu Xuan couldn't help but feel disdain. This place was only a mile from the imperial city. The imperial guards had only just arrived. This was a level of depravity beyond measure. No wonder An Lushan was able to take control of Chang'an more than a decade later.
The newcomers were a squad from the Right Valiant Guard. They were shocked to see the corpses strewn across the ground. If the Imperial Guards hadn't been present, Lu Xuan and his men might have been captured on the spot.
Chen Yunqiao glanced at Lu Xuan and the others, then took the initiative to go up and win.
"Military Advisor Zhao".
"General Chen." The two were clearly old acquaintances.
Before Zhao, the military advisor, could ask, Chen Yunqiao offered an explanation.
"Tonight, the Imperial Guards encountered a rebellion by the Xiong Huo Gang. Hundreds of swordsmen attempted to storm the Imperial City. I immediately led my men and killed these traitors on the spot. From them, I learned that Feng Dalun, the head of the Yu Department in Wannian County, was the leader of the Xiong Huo Gang and the mastermind behind tonight's events. Now that the leader has been executed, I have dispatched men to various parts of Wannian County to capture the remaining Xiong Huo Gang members."
Zhao Canjun was startled by Chen Yunqiao's words. He certainly knew about Xiong Huo Gang, and had even received bribes from them. To be honest, he didn't believe those thugs would dare to storm the imperial city. But seeing the corpses all over the ground, he had no choice but to believe it. Because this place was less than a mile from the imperial city. If things were really investigated, the charge of storming the imperial city would be unavoidable.
Thinking of this, he made a decision without hesitation.
"Within Chang'an City, there are actually traitors who dare to storm the imperial city. As Right Valiant Guards, we have no choice but to step forward. All soldiers of the Right Valiant Guards, listen to my command and immediately follow me to search for and capture the members of the Bear Fire Gang." He wasn't stupid. Making a gesture at this time could not only avoid dereliction of duty, but if handled well, he might even be able to get some credit.
The Right Valiant Guard of the Golden Guard was responsible for the security of Chang'an City and the Imperial City, respectively. Their duties often conflicted, and their relationship wasn't exactly good. But this time, they joined forces without hesitation. They had only one thought in mind: the Bearfire Gang had to be wiped out quickly. Otherwise, their acceptance of bribes would be exposed.
That night, chaos reigned in Chang'an, and no one could sleep.
------------
Chapter 43 What happened that night?
In the early hours of the morning, Li Longji was awakened from his sleep.
"What's all the commotion outside?" he asked, somewhat annoyed. The eunuch on night watch immediately replied.
"Your Majesty, it is said that there are rebels who intend to attack the Imperial City. The Dragon Martial Army and the Right Valiant Guard are strengthening their defenses."
"Traitors!" Li Longji was also startled. Traitors within Chang'an?
At this moment, a middle-aged man strode into the outer room. The inner room, of course, was off-limits; the Taoist priest Taizhen had just finished his dual cultivation with the Emperor and was currently recuperating.
The visitor was from the Secret Service, a royal spy for Li Longji.
"Your Majesty, I have ascertained the details of tonight's events."
"speak......"
..............
At the same time, Prince Yong, Li Lin, was also awakened.
"What's all this noise?" he roared furiously. The servants in the house were so frightened that they hurriedly knelt down.
"Your Highness, Feng Dalun is dead."
"Feng Dalun? Which one?"
"It's... the one who gave you a horse not long ago."
"Oh...it's him. I remember I asked him to do me a favor, to bring over a few shops from the East Market. Did he get it done?"
This Prince Yong seemed completely unconcerned about whether Feng Dalun lived or died; he only cared about whether the tasks he had been assigned had been completed.
"Your Highness, I'm afraid it wasn't done well."
"Useless... By the way, how did he die?"
"Your Highness, it is said that he led over a hundred thugs to storm the imperial city, but was killed on the spot by General Chen Yunqiao of the Right Jinwu Guard."
"Pfft..." The mouthful of hot tea that Prince Yong had just drunk sprayed all over the face of the person who had answered. The servant didn't dare to move an inch and endured it.
"Are you sure you're sure about storming the capital? That's a crime punishable by the extermination of three generations of your family. Could there be a mistake?"
"Your Highness, it should be correct. The Left and Right Golden Guards, and even the Right Valiant Guard, and the Dragon Martial Army have joined forces and are currently pursuing the members of the Bearfire Gang."
Prince Yong listened and fell silent. He felt as if a thousand alpacas were trampling on his face. He felt nothing but a splitting headache.
After a long while, he spoke again.
"Who in your household is in charge of liaising with him?"