Then, Li Jiancheng led a squad of about twenty guards into Xuanwu Gate. It's important to understand that the difference between these guards and elite soldiers was that they lacked armor. Their weapons were merely swords and knives; they had no bows or arrows.
However, with twenty guards fighting fearlessly, they could still buy some time. With Shi A present, they might be able to escape with their lives.
Besides, even if Li Jiancheng really died, as long as I protect his son, then lead the army to break through Xuanwu Gate, kill Li Shimin, and support his son to become the crown prince, wouldn't that be enough?
Therefore, just after Li Jianchen entered Xuanwu Gate, Lin Yang quickly arrived at Changlin Gate. Here, an elite force, the Changlin Army, was stationed.
Under General Lin Yang's command, two thousand Changlin soldiers quickly assembled. Moreover, they were fully armed and clad in armor.
"Soldiers, whose food are you eating?"
"Your Highness, Your Highness!"
"Whose clothes are you wearing?"
"Your Highness, Your Highness!"
"Who is your master?"
"Your Highness, Your Highness!"
"Good, very good. I just received news that Prince Qin, Li Shimin, intends to harm the Crown Prince. Tell me, can we agree to this?"
"No, no!"
"Alright, listen to my command, let's go!"
Seeing this fervent morale, Lin Yang felt confident that the army's morale was high. Everything seemed promising; if Li Shimin could stage the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he could too.
At that time, we will break through Xuanwu Gate, kill Li Shimin, imprison Li Yuan, and have Li Jiancheng don the yellow robe and ascend the throne directly.
"Hey, Xuancheng, now that everything's started, I wonder if His Highness the Crown Prince will blame us," Lin Yang said with a headache, looking like a rough-around-the-edges guy.
"Haha, Feipeng, don't worry, the Crown Prince will definitely understand. Wealth and honor are just around the corner," Wei Zheng said with a smile.
"Haha, in that case, Xuancheng, please quickly contact General Feng Li of the Eastern Palace and General Xie Shufang of the Qi Prince's Mansion, tell them our plan, and have them send troops to quickly break into the Qin Prince's Mansion and take control of the entire Qin Prince's family." Lin Yang said with a loud laugh.
It's truly fascinating how the Xuanwu Gate Incident led to Li Shimin being forced to wear the yellow robe. One wonders if the ruthless Li Shimin, upon learning this news, would have thought, "How can there be someone even more shameless than me! Can't you have any shame at all?"
Just as Lin Yang's two thousand Changlin soldiers were marching towards Xuanwu Gate, the true protagonist, Li Shimin, had already appeared.
At this moment, Li Shimin looked as if he were about to go to battle. He was wearing armor, holding a sword, and even had a helmet on.
"Xuanling, is there anything we haven't prepared yet?" Li Shimin asked.
"It's gone, and even if it were, it's gone now. The current situation is like an arrow on a bowstring, ready to be released. Your Highness, we have no way out. Today's battle means certain death!" Fang Xuanling said excitedly, holding his sword.
Judging from the wear and tear on the scabbard, this was a frequently used sword. It seems that even a scholar like Fang Xuanling was already prepared for battle.
"Yes, Your Highness, in today's battle, there is no turning back. We have no other choice," Du Ruhui said, his face ashen.
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin, seeing the somewhat dejected mood of the crowd, suddenly burst into laughter.
"Haha, in my opinion, we are bound to win today."
"First, the Crown Prince is incompetent and blind to the truth. The King of Qi is extremely tyrannical and treats the people like straw dogs. Therefore, our actions are like the revolution of Tang and Wu, using the righteous to fight against the wicked. Justice is on our side. You must know that since ancient times, evil has never prevailed over good. Therefore, this time, we will surely win."
"Secondly, we will attack the unprepared with the prepared. The Crown Prince will never expect that I will ambush him here. When the time comes, dozens of our armored soldiers will charge forward together, and he will surely die! As long as the Crown Prince is dead, we will have won."
"Thirdly, Chang He, the commander of Xuanwu Gate, is one of my men. Once the Crown Prince enters Xuanwu Gate, it will close. At that time, there will be no way to escape!"
"Tell me, with these three things, are we sure to win?" Li Shimin raised his right hand and shouted loudly. Whether they believed him or not, Li Shimin himself believed it.
Victory is certain!
Victory is certain!
"Okay, let's go!"
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Chapter Twenty-Eight: For wealth and glory, for the eternal generations of dukes and marquises, all soldiers, follow me and charge!
"Your Highness, be careful!" The words had barely left his lips when Shi A effortlessly deflected the deadly arrow fired by Li Shimin. Historically, it was this very arrow that easily took Li Jiancheng's life. It is said that the arrow struck his throat, killing him instantly.
But at this moment, under Shi A's protection, the arrow was blocked. Even Li Jiancheng was suddenly awakened. He just didn't expect Li Shimin to be so shameless, he wasn't really brain-dead.
"Very well, the Prince of Qin has led his troops into the palace without permission, this is treason! All soldiers, listen to my command, we must proceed immediately to Linhu Palace to report to the Emperor and execute the rebels!" Li Jiancheng was also ruthless. Since Li Shimin took his benevolence as weakness, there was no need for him to hold back any longer.
"Your Highness, I fear that the Prince of Qin has already made preparations at Linhu Palace. After all, of the eight hundred elite warriors of the Prince of Qin's mansion, only seventy-odd have arrived, plus Yuchi Gong. What about Qin Qiong? Cheng Yaojin? And the remaining seven hundred-odd elite warriors? I'm afraid that Linhu Palace is already surrounded!" Shi A said loudly.
Upon hearing this, Li Jiancheng's face turned extremely grim. Even he had to admit that his second brother, though ambitious and ruthless, was indeed a brilliant strategist. Perhaps, at this very moment, Linhu Palace was truly surrounded by him.
Otherwise, what good would it do to kill himself if Li Yuan didn't agree to him becoming the crown prince? So, at this point, Li Yuan was either finished or on his way to being finished.
Thinking about this, Li Jiancheng couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. If he had listened to Wei Zheng and Lin Yang's advice earlier and struck first, would the situation be any better?
"What?! Li Shimin, you despicable villain! You even dared to lay a hand on my father! You are truly an unfilial wretch!" Li Yuanji roared.
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's face turned extremely ugly. Then, he said firmly, "Hmph, since the Tang Dynasty pacified the world, I have made such great contributions, so why haven't I been named Crown Prince? If I were the Crown Prince, how could I have achieved all of this today?"
"Hmph, the pen of history is like a knife. Aren't you afraid that all of this will be recorded in history? At that time, you, who killed your brother and imprisoned your father, are an unrighteous and unfilial person. No matter how great your achievements are, you will still be nothing more than a despicable villain." Li Yuanji said with a very ugly face.
"Hahaha, history is written by the victors, and I am destined to be the victor, so naturally I will write the history books. What 'killing my brother and imprisoning my father'? This is the revolution of Tang and Wu, in accordance with Heaven and the people, a forced counterattack! As long as I govern the Tang Dynasty and bring about a golden age, the world will understand me then," Li Shimin laughed loudly.
It wasn't just Li Yuanji who was stalling for time; he was stalling for time too. Sure enough, the people he was waiting for had arrived. Then, Yuchi Gong led over seventy cavalrymen and charged forward.
Looking at the seventy-odd armored cavalrymen before him, Li Jiancheng's face was extremely grim. His side, however, consisted of only twenty guards, none of whom wore armor. The disparity between the armored and the unarmored was simply too great.