Chapter 17: Showdown of Force
Wei Zhongxian had a bad feeling at this time, the new emperor obviously wanted to stay in the Imperial Horse Prison and break with him, and even did not hesitate to use force for a showdown. If this happens, it is very difficult to predict whether his cronies, which are not very reliable, and even the inner court army, will be shaken.
Thinking of many things in the past few years, Wei Zhongxian at this time was also somewhat helpless and lamented. In the hundreds of years since the Song and Ming dynasties, the Confucian education system with loyalty and stability as the core has changed the rules of the game in political struggle to a great extent. Although tricks such as secret room politics and even palace coups are not absolutely impossible to play, whether it is a eunuch, a relative or a military general, it is difficult to easily make waves like in the Tang, Han, Southern and Northern Dynasties era. Even in the late Ming Dynasty, when culture and education were further advanced, the peddlers and pawns also knew that in the era of the white-faced Cao Cao and Taoyuan Sanyi, except for the Wenchen who held the power of ideological discourse, all the power of anyone who seemed to be in a high position seemed to be built on the beach.
If it is a eunuch who comes up in an ordinary way, at this time, he may still fantasize about "fighting Wendou" within the rules, or even wait and see how it changes. However, Wei Zhongxian, who was born in a low class since he was a child and has enough experience and experience, is essentially a decisive character. At this time, Wei Zhongxian already felt that if he didn't take advantage of the situation in the palace to improve at this time, and the Inner Court Army took control of the entire palace, then his big tree might collapse at any time.
Shortly after Cui Chengxiu's return, in the side hall of the Qianqing Palace, the eunuch Li Yongzhen, Li Chaoqin, the eunuch Tian Ergeng, the confidant Wei Liangqing, and the commander of Jinyiwei, Hou Guoxing, a total of five eunuch henchmen whom Wei Zhongxian thought were the most reliable and unlikely to betray, gathered together.
Wei Zhongxian solemnly said to everyone: "The current situation is very clear: the new emperor has made it clear that he relied on the people of the imperial horse supervisor Pang Tianshou to fight against us. If you wait for the new emperor to train his troops to be completed, or if he has a little combat power, those sharp soldiers who rely on the imperial horse supervisor are a difficult bone to gnaw. Only by clearing the monarch's side with lightning speed and controlling the new emperor can you win a glimmer of life, do you understand? ”
These five people don't know how many votes they have handed in in the palace over the years, and they know that even if the newly enthroned emperor is lenient, those civil servants who have been offended will not let go of their people at all, so they replied in unison without conditions: "Grandpa Chang rest assured!" Swear to follow the factory grandfather! ”
"Not counting the new battalion of the Holy Lord, there are some Kanzhan manpower in the Imperial Horse Prison, but the place is not small, so the most important thing is to prepare the necessary gunpowder to attack or cover. Tian Ergeng, feints are also very important, and the direction of the feint is placed in the Imperial Horse Prison to attract the four guards of Long Xiang and the warrior battalion of the battleworthy soldiers. Just light the gunpowder, and then all the people should not be entangled too much, and quickly reinforce from the east to the nearest place to the Imperial Horse Supervision Schoolyard. Li Yongzhen, Li Chaoqin, Hou Guoxing, you will lead your henchmen with our family to attack the new camp where the Holy Lord is located. If you dare to fight, you can muster at least 600 people at most, right? Coupled with the 200 henchmen led by our family and at least 300 elites of Tian Ergeng, although the equipment is said to be not bad, the new battalion that has only been in the army for ten days should be completely sure, right? And at this time, don't be stingy. Behead one level and reward 5,000 taels of silver! Forever give the emperor a hundred hectares! In order to show the faith, it is best for each elite to be divided into a deposit of 1,000 taels of silver, and the title deed documents in black and white for private preparation, and the benefits you get, tomorrow our family will personally tell you: at least one thing can be determined: after the matter is completed, each of you will have a real sense of ten thousand hectares of fertile land and seal the king with a different surname above the territory of the government! Give these people two days to personally deal with these wealth, and then when exactly to do it, waiting for our family's signal... At this moment, Wei Zhongxian not only made certain adjustments to the self-proclaimed people below to increase cohesion. Moreover, the rewards and incentives from top to bottom have reached an unprecedented height even for these high-ranking people, not ordinary soldiers. It's just that in order to prevent accidents, Wei Zhongxian still intends to keep the specific day of the operation at least a temporary secret.
Wei Zhongxian did not intend to hide his plans for Ke Yinyue--- except for the date of the final action.
"So fast? Didn't you act when the Spring Festival was approaching? At that time, many hearts can really belong to us, and we can use more people. And those pregnant palace maids don't take too long... "In the face of the crisis, Ke Yinyue did not have Wei Zhongxian's decisiveness.
"Three or four months is too long, not to mention that at that time, I don't know if the new camp of the Holy Lord will become a bone that is not easy to take, that is, if the Holy Lord makes some moves to connect with the courtiers, it will also bring too many variables. Now there is only hope of survival if we fight to the death... ”
"But if you take a more secure approach, even if you lose power for a while... Ke Yinyue still felt that it was a bit reckless to have a showdown so soon. Wei Zhongxian ignored it for a while, but after a long time, he finally decided to explain: "If he has no intention of leaving the palace, but intends to follow the routine and fight in the court, then you and I may still have a slight possibility of a good death." But our family didn't expect that this young new emperor would have a unique set of military training methods that looked quite like a thing, and it seemed that he didn't plan to return to the palace and rely on those people in the Imperial Horse Prison to fight, so we had to strike first! ”
Ke Yinyue, who felt the huge pressure, originally planned to say something complaining, but after seeing Wei Zhongxian's somewhat resolute gaze, she also understood that it was useless to say more at this moment.
Zhang Yan, who was trapped in Kunning Palace, found that although the person in charge of guarding still existed, it seemed that there were inexplicably fewer people, especially some leaders, who also felt that something was wrong.
"Could it be that Wei Eunuch intends to make a gesture and ease the relationship with the Holy Lord? Or maybe the saint has returned to the palace? A henchman next to Zhang Yan guessed at this time.
"Either way, it shouldn't be so exciting... Zhang Yan, who was in doubt, also suddenly thought of a bad possibility, that is, Wei Zhongxian was likely to prepare for a showdown by force, but he was not very sure.
Zhang Yan, who had been fighting with Wei Zhongxianke Yin Yue and others for many years, was indecisive because of this uncertainty, and decided to do everything possible to send the police message to the Imperial Horse Prison. Even if you endanger yourself because of this, it is obviously much better than sitting back and waiting to die.