Chapter 83

The sunlight filtered through the thin morning mist, casting an orange glow. A cool morning breeze brought a refreshing feel. Li Jiancheng, leading a large cavalry, slowly approached the Xuanwu Gate. Beside him, Li Yuanji was riding a chestnut horse, nodding his head as if dozing off. Li Jiancheng turned his head, furrowing his brows as he looked at his third brother. This guy had gone to the Wanhu Lou last night again. Was the woman named Xiaoxingxian really that captivating? Li Jiancheng had never been to such places as a brothel because he was the crown prince, representing the dignity of the Tang Dynasty. However, Li Yuanji didn't care about such things. Although it wasn't a good thing for a prince to visit brothels, for Li Yuanji, who only cared about toppling Li Er, it was nothing.

Xue Wanren was riding a brown horse, guarding Li Jiancheng, but he was deeply worried. His younger brother, Xue Wanche, had led a group to attack the Qin Wang's residence ten days ago and had since disappeared without a trace. He had mobilized all his connections to find out what happened that day, but all he learned was that everyone either died in battle or was captured alive, with no other news.

Last night, the crown prince and Xue Wanren went to the Sixteen Guards, using the pretext of consoling the troops to secretly contact the generals who had defected. They planned to act after Li Er left the palace today, using the absolute strength of the Six Guards' 30,000 troops to crush Li Er's 3,000 Black Armor soldiers, thus securing victory. To dispel the concerns of the other ten armies that had not defected to the crown prince, they drank until they were thoroughly drunk in the camp, finishing more than ten jars of Jiu Xian Jiu from the Jiu Xian Ju. Li Jiancheng, who had to attend the court assembly, did not drink much. Xue Wanren, as the commander of the royal guards, also did not drink much to ensure the crown prince's safety. The other sixteen guards' commanders were all drunk. Even the stubborn royalists who usually opposed them drank heavily last night. They secretly gathered their forces and quietly approached Chang'an, expecting to be in position by the hour of Si, while the court assembly began at the hour of Chen. Li Jiancheng would use this opportunity to challenge Li Er, delaying the critical two hours.

The large group arrived at the Xuanwu Gate. Xue Wanren looked up at the tall city gate, feeling something was off. But upon closer inspection, the soldiers guarding the gate were all standing straight and firm, like towering white poplars, just as they usually did. Xue Wanren shook his head, dismissing the uneasy feeling.

At this moment, Li Jiancheng was scolding Li Yuanji: "You! I told you to stop wasting your time on that woman. She's just a courtesan, and it's beneath your status as Prince Qi! Why won't you listen? Besides, you've been frequenting her place for so long and still haven't even kissed her. It's embarrassing." It turned out that Li Jiancheng had learned that Li Yuanji had spent no less than ten thousand taels of silver on this woman named Xiaoxingxian, and all he did was listen to music and chat.

"Big Brother, you don't know how strange she is! Whenever she plays that ancient zither, all the dirty thoughts in my mind fade away, and I end up talking about highbrow things. It's really strange, so I have to conquer her. It's a different kind of enjoyment, only a bit less satisfying than defeating the Second Brother!" Li Yuanji shook his head, his large ears almost touching his face.

Li Jiancheng shook his head: "You're hopeless. Forget it. As long as today's plan succeeds, you can do whatever you want. But for the next half day, you must use all your strength. I'm not good at fighting, and our side has far fewer fierce generals than the Second Brother. We can only rely on numbers. This time, don't run away!" Li Jiancheng warned again, not wanting the incident in Luoyang to repeat. If Li Yuanji led the retreat, it would be over.

"Don't worry, that time was against Wang Shichong's 100,000 troops. This time, it's just the Second Brother's 3,000 troops, and we have 30,000. What's there to fear?" Li Yuanji replied.

They didn't notice, but the soldiers guarding the gate had a flash of cold light in their eyes, which quickly disappeared.

But Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji not noticing didn't mean Xue Wanren didn't. He immediately sensed the fleeting aura of killing: "Assassins! Protect the crown prince!" His voice echoed through the gate.

"Truly worthy of Xue Wanren, truly worthy of a general who has fought through thousands of troops! Close the gate!" A voice came from the city tower, clear and loud.

"Qin Wang!" Xue Wanren's face turned pale. He didn't expect Li Er to act first, and their plans were the same, to act at the Xuanwu Gate. But their reinforcements were at least an hour away, and in that time, Li Er could easily wipe out their 300 men.

"Second Brother! I didn't expect you to act now. Aren't you afraid of Father's punishment?" Li Jiancheng tried to remain calm as he shouted.

"Big Brother, this is the last time I call you that! Do you think I don't know what you've been up to all these years? You're good at dealing with defenseless women and children! But you miscalculated. I wouldn't act without Father's permission. You know what you've done, don't you?" Li Er's voice came from the city tower.

"Since that's the case, even if it means mutual destruction, I will fight you!" Li Jiancheng's face hardened. "Prepare for battle, form the Three Talents Formation, and prepare for a fight to the death!" He ordered the 300 soldiers behind him.

"Understood!" Truly worthy of the crown prince's six commanders, these men were loyal to the crown prince. Even though they knew they were surrounded and outnumbered, not one hesitated. The 300 men acted as one, their voices echoing through the gate.

"Crown Prince, we might be able to turn back and kill the two soldiers guarding the gate to open it!" Xue Wanren suggested.

"Do you think the Second Brother is a fool? There are over 2,000 men outside the gate. Turning back would mean certain death. Charge forward, through this section to the palace. There, the civil and military officials will be waiting in front of the Taiji Palace. The Second Brother wouldn't dare kill us in front of them. This is our only chance for survival! Soldiers, follow me!" Li Jiancheng drew his sword, a decorative but practical weapon, which would now be stained with blood again.

"Charge!" The 300 men, mounted and armed with lances, spurred their horses. They hadn't dismounted upon entering the gate, sensing the ambush. If they had dismounted and sheathed their swords, Li Er could have attacked them in the palace, leaving Li Jiancheng with no choice but to surrender. The Black Armor soldiers' admiration for Li Er made them lose control when Li Yuanji belittled him, leading to their failure.

"Men, what are you waiting for? Establish your merit, and your wives and children will be honored! Follow me!" Qin Qiong shouted, and behind him, Cheng Yaojin, Duan Zhixuan, Qu Tongsu, and Liu Hongji led a group of fierce warriors charging out.

"Charge..." The sound of hooves echoed in the narrow palace gate passage as the two sides clashed.

On one side were the crown prince's six commanders, wearing swallow feather armor and red tassels. On the other side were the Black Armor soldiers, clad in black armor with black tassels. The numbers were roughly equal, with 300 men on the crown prince's side and 340-50 men on the Black Armor side. The Black Armor had sent 500 men to Luoyang to guard the Qin Wang's residence, some were stationed on the walls to mislead Li Jiancheng, and nearly 2,000 were hidden outside the gate to prevent a retreat.

Thus, the Black Armor and the crown prince's forces were evenly matched. The sounds of battle soon filled the air, and the thin morning mist did not obscure Li Kuan's view. Through the mist, he could vaguely see the battlefield.

A Black Armor soldier, wielding a saber, sat on his horse and split a crown prince's soldier in two, the bright red blood splattering on his face, igniting his bloodlust. He smiled savagely, licked the blood from his lips, and charged at another.

On the other side, a crown prince's soldier, armed with a lance, impaled a Black Armor soldier, lifting the body on his lance and throwing it away.

"Cheng Yaojin again! Do you dare to rebel? Taste my lance!" Cheng Yaojin, on his horse, swung his lance, killing several soldiers. Seeing the soldier who had impaled his comrade, he shouted and charged at him.

"Your opponent is me! Don't pay attention to others!" Li Yuanji, surprisingly, did not run but charged at Cheng Yaojin with a lance he had taken from a fallen soldier.

"Don't be arrogant! I haven't shown my true strength, and you dare to act so recklessly! Taste my whip!" Yuchi Gong, not to be outdone, swung his dual whips like a windmill, crushing the heads and limbs of countless enemies.

Li Yuanji faced Cheng Yaojin, their lances clashing with a clear sound. Both used direct and dangerous moves, straightforward and lethal. This kind of spear technique was used by seasoned warriors. Cheng Yaojin was expected to be skilled, but Li Yuanji's ability to match him was surprising. Wasn't the third prince known for running away?

On the other side, Qin Qiong faced Xue Wanren, the only Shangzhu Guo of the Tang Dynasty, a general who could take an enemy's head in a thousand troops. They were evenly matched, not because Xue Wanren was strong, but because Qin Qiong was somewhat weakened. Over the years, he had fought in countless battles and suffered numerous injuries, which had drained his strength. If not for his unparalleled skills, he might not have been Xue Wanren's match.

Li Er surveyed the battlefield and sighed: "Qin Qiong has fought in countless battles, but he has come to this. The Qin Wang who could take an enemy's head in a thousand troops is no more. I owe him too much. If I succeed, I will let him rest."

The situation became clearer. Although the numbers were roughly equal, Li Er's side had more fierce warriors. The balance of power quickly tilted in Li Er's favor.

"These guys are too few, not satisfying to kill!" Duan Zhixuan threw a head and laughed.

"Then let's see who can kill the most! The loser buys the drinks, and the Jiu Xian Jiu from Jiu Xian Ju will be endless!" Qu Tongsu shouted.

"Count me in!" Yuchi Gong responded.

"Me too!" Liu Hongji added.

"Ha... You guys are bullying me and the Second Brother because we're tied up! Count me in, and I'll join after I finish this guy. The ones before count as a favor!" Cheng Yaojin shouted, how could he not be included in the drinking?

PS: Thank you, Meng Tianxia, for the three consecutive rewards, and thank you, Tourist 4811 and Liu Mang Weixie Nan, for your monthly votes! I appreciate it!

Page AD starts

Page AD ends