noveltune Chapter 5524 The Wind Rises and the Clouds Gather
Chapter 5524 The Wind Rises and the Clouds Gather
Chapter 5524 The Wind Rises and the Clouds Gather
"Lord Ying, why have you come to this?"
Upon arriving at the Duke of Ying's residence, Cheng Yaojin and Liang Jianfang were shocked to learn that Li Ji had placed Li Jingye under house arrest, and they tried to dissuade him.
Cheng Yaojin said, "The eldest son is the eldest grandson of the Duke of Yingguo's family. He is brave, heroic, loyal, filial, and righteous, and is highly valued by His Majesty. His future is limitless. It is no exaggeration to say that he will be a pillar of the future. To imprison him now would be tantamount to completely ruining his future."
Liang Jianfang also said, "That Fang Er is too much of a bully. Da Lang was already full of resentment after being humiliated in public by him. It would be one thing if Ying Gong didn't stand up for him, but instead imprisoned him. It's really too unfair."
Almost everyone believed that Li Jingye would skip over Li Zhen and Li Siwen and become the heir to the Duke of Yingguo directly. Moreover, he was extremely brave and had a rough and bold personality. His prestige had always been high, and with His Majesty's high regard for him, his future was limitless.
Now, having been repeatedly beaten and humiliated by Fang Jun, and then imprisoned by Li Ji, this is tantamount to a huge and indelible stain, which will inevitably affect his future...
Besides, it was Li Jingye who was beaten, so wasn't Fang Jun the one who made the mistake?
Li Ji would not reveal his thoughts to the two of them. He would not forget the principle that "if the ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers; if the ministers are not discreet, they will lose their lives; if matters are not kept secret, they will be ruined." Moreover, he was only guessing.
"Having achieved fame at a young age and gained the emperor's favor, Dalang is now arrogant and complacent. Experiencing some setbacks may not be a bad thing, so let's not talk about him."
He solemnly told the two men, "After you return, do not make a fuss. Secretly assemble the troops and have them ready to be ordered outside the city at any time."
Cheng and Liang were greatly surprised.
"Lord Ying, what has happened?"
"Without an imperial edict or a military order, any action we take may cause an uproar!"
The capital region is a crucial area, and the military's every move is under scrutiny. Any unauthorized action would have unimaginable consequences!
Li Ji pointed at the two men and said in a deep voice, "No need to ask any more questions, just follow orders. Knowing too much is not a good thing."
Cheng and Liang both looked solemn and dared not say a word.
Acting on orders and acting with ulterior motives are naturally two completely different things.
But has it really come to that?
The study fell silent for a moment.
Liang Jianfang couldn't help but say, "If something really happens, what can we do outside the city? Once the Left and Right Imperial Guards suddenly mobilize and take control of all the city gates, we will be too far away to do anything."
This is a way of saving face for himself.
The reality is that once the Left and Right Jinwu Guards launch their attack and quickly seize all the city gates, their abundant firepower and advantageous terrain will make it difficult for the Left Wuwei and Left Lingjunwei armies to break through the city walls and enter the city. They can only watch helplessly as the city undergoes dramatic changes.
But we can't boost the morale of others and diminish our own in front of Li Ji, can we?
It can only be expressed euphemistically.
Li Ji understood perfectly, but could only sigh helplessly.
The continuous improvement of firearms manufacturing and research and development technologies, the optimization of gunpowder formulas, and the enhancement of power have directly led to a complete transformation of the mode of warfare. The military strategies recorded in ancient and modern military books are no longer applicable to the new type of warfare that uses firearms on a large scale.
The armies that were most adept at using new tactics were the Anxi Army, the Royal Navy, and the Left and Right Jinwu Guards, which were derived from the "Left and Right Garrison Guards".
The fact that Cheng and Liang turned pale and were filled with fear when they talked about it cannot be considered a sign of their incompetence.
"Chang'an is the capital of the empire. How can we recklessly wage war? We are all loyal to His Majesty and the empire. We must not do anything that would destabilize the court and bring chaos to the capital."
Cheng and Liang nodded repeatedly.
What is meant by "capital city"?
This is the residence of the Son of Heaven!
Once weapons are drawn, things become unclear; who is loyal and who is treacherous? Who can tell the difference?
Even if one is fully loyal to His Majesty, there may be endless troubles in the future.
Moreover, they could understand Li Ji's unspoken meaning: he was merely holding onto his military power, observing from the sidelines, and then acting according to circumstances and bargaining.
They had no intention of capturing Chang'an at all.
Otherwise, even if the Left and Right Imperial Guards were strong, if the two armies chose a city gate outside the city to concentrate their forces and destroy the defensive facilities with firearms, they would not be completely powerless.
As long as they don't lead an army to storm Chang'an, there's room for maneuver.
Cheng Yaojin was relieved, but still asked, "What exactly happened? Lord Ying should tell us in detail so that we have a clear understanding."
Li Ji shook his head and said calmly, "It's just taking precautions; perhaps nothing will happen."
Cheng and Liang, of course, did not believe it.
Considering that Li Ji placed Li Jingye under house arrest, it seems one can understand something...
*****
As dusk fell, snowflakes began to fall again, and streetlights were lit in all the neighborhoods of Chang'an, casting an orange glow on the white snow.
Inside a courtyard in Wubenfang, the canal water flows slowly, and snowflakes melt instantly on the water's surface, condensing into a thin mist. The Imperial College's dormitories are located on the opposite bank of the canal.
Inside a small building by the canal, Censor Wei Siwen, Attendant Tang Zhiqi, Director of the Imperial Secretariat Du Qiuren, and Supervising Censor Xue Zhongzhang were gathered around a small stove. On the stove was a copper pot of boiling soup, with thin slices of mutton floating in the broth.
Du Qiuren picked up a piece of mutton with his chopsticks, rolled it in the sauce, and put it in his mouth. He chewed it with great relish and said indistinctly, "News just came from the Duke of Ying's mansion. After returning home, Da Lang was scolded by the Duke and then confined to the side courtyard."
Wei Siwen swallowed the mutton in his mouth, took a sip of wine, put down his chopsticks, and frowned, saying, "Why did Li Chongzhen discover the armor and crossbows hidden in the palace? Fortunately, he couldn't figure out the inside story and dared not go to the Wude Hall, so he had to go home. This gave Dalang the opportunity to send people to hunt him down. Otherwise, there would definitely be complications and the situation would be unimaginable."
Du Qiuren also put down his chopsticks, raised his cup to clink with everyone's, and drank it all in one gulp. As he picked up the wine pot to pour more wine, he said, "The problem is not only how Li Chongzhen discovered those armors and crossbows, but also whether Fang Jun's words in public were just a bluff or if he really intended to do so. I plan to personally go to the 'Hundred Cavalry Division's' garrison later to contact Dalang's confidants and see if there is any other story."
"No!"
"No!"
Wei Siwen and Xue Zhongzhang spoke almost in unison.
The two exchanged a glance, and the latter warned, "Judging from Fang Jun's words and actions in Longqingfang, he seems convinced that Li Chongzhen's death is related to Dalang. If it's just a deception, that's fine, but if the news leaked from within the 'Hundred Cavalry Division,' then going to contact Dalang's confidant now would be like walking into a trap, extremely dangerous."
Du Qiuren said helplessly, "But if we don't know what happened, how should we deal with it? If we rashly sneak into the Duke of Ying's mansion to find Dalang, and the Duke discovers us, all our plans may be in vain."
The Duke of England's mansion wasn't impenetrable; Li Ji could easily contact Li Jingye if he wanted to. However, Li Ji already suspected Li Jingye of having some secret schemes. If he were discovered at the mansion, wouldn't that confirm the suspicions? In that case, the guards on his eldest son would become even tighter, which would ruin everything.
After much discussion, weighing the pros and cons, the group was caught in a dilemma, unsure of what to do next.
In the end, it was Wei Siwen who made the final decision: "Everything is proceeding according to plan. At this time, we must find a way to infiltrate the Duke of England's mansion and contact the eldest son to formulate the next step of the plan based on various factors, so as to avoid any unexpected twists and turns."
Tang Zhiqi, who hadn't said much until now, asked, "So, things outside will proceed as planned?"
Wei Siwen nodded and said, "We will continue to operate these things as usual. It would be a waste of time and effort to stop and then restart them abruptly, and if we are too late, it will cause serious problems. You should continue to operate as usual, and if we need to be patient after we find a way to contact Dalang, then it is not too late to stop them."
The group reached a conclusion and all breathed a sigh of relief.
Du Qiuren said angrily, "Fang Er is really meddling in other people's business. What does Li Chongzhen's life or death have to do with him? Why does he have to interfere? He has completely disrupted our plans!"
Xue Zhongzhang said, "Fang Jun is arrogant and domineering. He acts recklessly, relying on his power. If he really goes to look for Da Lang when the seven-day deadline is up, then we will be in trouble."
Within this group, Li Jingye, a scion of a prestigious family, a favorite of the emperor, and wielding immense power, is the undisputed core. If Fang Jun were to target Li Jingye, it would lead to an unexpected outcome, and all previous plans would be completely ruined.
Wei Siwen listened to everyone's discussion, pondered for a long time, and suddenly said, "Do you think Fang Er deliberately used the seven-day deadline as an excuse to put pressure on Dalang, with the aim of forcing Dalang to launch the operation before it was fully prepared, just as we think?"
"This... can't be right?"
Du Qiuren hesitated and said, "Even if Fang Er could guess that Li Chongzhen's death was related to Dalang, how could he know about Dalang's plan? Only the five of us know about this matter, and there is absolutely no way it could be leaked."
If the information had truly leaked, the entire city would have been sealed off and searched thoroughly, with every inch of the city turned upside down, to bring those individuals to justice.
The fact that he can still sit here so calmly means that Fang Jun is unaware of the full picture.
Wei Siwen also realized that he was worrying unnecessarily, and let out a sigh of relief, saying, "We'll try to contact Dalang tomorrow and then make further plans! But until then, everyone should continue with their respective tasks as usual, without any delays!"
"it is good!"
"Don't worry, everything is under control."
"Having accomplished such a great feat, we will surely be remembered in history!"
"A true man, if he cannot live on five tripods of food, then he shall die cooked in five tripods!"
The young people were excited about the important things they were about to do. Although they dared not shout, they clapped and encouraged each other with great enthusiasm.
As the wind follows the tiger and the clouds follow the dragon, this is the time for good men to make their mark and achieve great things!
*****
At midnight, snowflakes fell in clusters, silently.
The curfew in Chang'an had long been lifted, and from time to time, groups of military officers would patrol the streets, their clappers ringing out the time in the snowy night, carrying far and wide.
A carriage slipped past patrolling soldiers and, hidden by the heavy snow, stopped at the back gate of a large house in Yanshoufang. The driver jumped off the carriage and went outside to gently knock on the door knocker. After a few knocks, the door opened a crack, and someone inside peeked out before opening the door.
The coachman returned to the carriage and drove it into the gate. Someone peeked out and looked around but found nothing suspicious. Then he gently closed the door and bolted it shut.
A man dressed in a brocade robe jumped down from the carriage and quickly walked into a house that was lit up.
Upon entering, the host, who had been waiting there, rose and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Attendant-in-Ordinary Pei."
The visitor returned the greeting, then said urgently, "Lord Tong'an, the situation is not looking good!"
Zheng Rentai remained calm and said indifferently, "For a high-ranking official like yourself to visit the residence of a general at night is indeed not a good idea if you are discovered..."