BSI Chapter 64: A Sudden Change
Chapter 64: A Sudden Change
Perhaps something unexpected happened.
For example, soldiers might intentionally carry an extra day's worth of fodder to save time.
Or it could be a sudden increase in demand.
However, Xia Chengzong always preferred to make calculations based on the worst possible outcome.
He felt that if Prince Yizhong were to rebel, the time of action would likely be tonight.
So he became wary.
He secretly hid many arrows beforehand, and slept fully clothed at night, always wearing his inner armor.
He conserved his energy and prepared for the eventuality.
He closed his eyes, but was not sleepy at all.
Time passed slowly, until the third watch of the night, when suddenly torches were lit outside, followed by screams.
it has started!
He quickly got up, fitted his sword, grabbed his longbow, and loaded his quiver.
He waited a little longer—if he went out immediately, it would mean he had made prior preparations, which would arouse suspicion.
Having calculated that the time was almost up, he rushed out of the barracks, drew his sword, and headed straight for Emperor Yonglong's palace.
The palace was completely surrounded by layers of inner guards, making it impassable.
As soon as Xia Chengzong showed his face, he was targeted by dozens of crossbows.
He quickly stopped in his tracks.
"It's me! I'll protect Grandpa Emperor!"
Dai Quan emerged from the shadows and said, "Please, Third Master Zong, disarm yourselves before you go in."
Just as Xia Chengzong was about to speak, he heard Emperor Yonglong say from inside the room, "No need, let Zong-ge'er come in."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Xia Chengzong strode into the palace and found that there were eight more eunuchs in the palace.
He had never seen these eight eunuchs before.
This must be one of Emperor Yonglong's trump cards.
Xia Chengzong stood before Emperor Yonglong, sword in hand, and loudly proclaimed, "Your subject has come to protect Your Majesty!"
Emperor Yonglong laughed loudly, "Excellent! As expected of my beloved grandson! Now, let's see how we, grandfather and grandson, defeat the enemy!"
"Zong-ge'er, come with your grandfather!"
"Yes, Grandfather."
The two walked out of the palace and stood on a high platform outside.
Emperor Yonglong laughed and said, "Brother Zong, what do you think of the battle between the two armies?"
Xia Chengzong looked toward the scene of the battle and saw that countless torches were lit up, illuminating the area brightly.
The inner guards, all clad in armor, took up advantageous positions and fired wildly.
Arrows rained down from the sky, and the attacking rebels below were constantly struck by arrows and fell to the ground, howling and screaming in agony.
Although the rebels launched a surprise attack, they were caught off guard.
The interior defense was clearly better prepared than they were.
Xia Chengzong immediately realized that Emperor Yonglong had been prepared for this rebellion.
He said with a smile, "Grandpa Emperor was a man of foresight. He laid a trap long ago, and it's laughable that they walked right into the encirclement without even realizing it."
"Grandpa Emperor is truly a master strategist, a brilliant planner who wins battles from afar!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Yonglong laughed loudly, "It's not that my imperial grandfather is a master strategist, but rather that some people are just too stupid!"
"Does he really think I'm a dead man, completely unaware of what they've done?"
Just then, Xia Chengxu and several others arrived.
Their faces showed fear and panic, but they still held their weapons and put on a brave front.
"Grandpa, don't be afraid, we're here to protect you! With us here, we will never let you get hurt in the slightest!"
Emperor Yonglong laughed loudly, "Haha, good, they are all my good grandsons!"
"Just watch how Grandfather defeats the enemy!"
On the battlefield below, the rebels, suffering heavy casualties, charged forward rapidly.
With the two sides less than ten paces apart, they raised their long swords high, their faces contorted with rage, ready to unleash a massacre.
The rebels in the front row ducked and stepped directly into the trap, letting out a shrill scream with a crisp cracking sound.
They had actually dug a trap beforehand!
They had anticipated their own betrayal all along!
At this moment, one by one, the Imperial Guards, each holding a long spear, rose from their hiding places.
They formed a battle formation and thrust their spears at the rebels.
An inch longer, an inch stronger; the front-line rebels could not withstand the onslaught and fell one after another.
The rebels' momentum stalled, their offensive slowed, and they were on the verge of collapse.
At that moment, a man in the rebel army stepped forward.
He took off his black cloak, revealing a bright yellow robe underneath.
He shouted, "All soldiers, listen to my command! Today is your day to make a name for yourselves!"
"The first warrior to storm the palace will be granted the title of Marquis, promoted three ranks, and rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces!"
"The first warrior to capture a tyrannical ruler will be granted a dukedom! He will be promoted to the rank of Grand General and rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces!"
"Those who bravely fight the enemy will be granted the title of Earl, promoted one rank, and rewarded with a thousand pieces of gold!"
"I will fight alongside my warriors, charge bravely, capture the tyrannical ruler, and restore order to the world!"
As the saying goes, under heavy rewards, there must be brave men.
After this instigation, the rebels were in high spirits and their pace of attack suddenly accelerated.
Xia Chengzong and his men saw that the man in the yellow robe among the rebels was none other than Prince Yizhong.
Emperor Yonglong sneered, "As expected of my good brother! He's quite the actor; he almost fooled me too."
"But you don't know yet, I've already prepared a great gift for you, haven't you?"
Emperor Yonglong waved his hand, and immediately another squad of over a hundred heavily armored soldiers wielding long-handled swords rushed out from outside the palace.
Although the number of heavily armored soldiers was small, each of them was exceptionally tall and covered in thick armor.
The ground even shook when they charged.
One hundred men charged forward with the force of a thousand troops.
Soon, they were engaged in close combat with the rebels.
The rebels' longswords struck their armor, sparks flew, and the swords shattered.
With a single swing of their thick, long-handled swords, they could cut a rebel soldier in two.
The scene was overwhelmingly bloody and one-sided.
The rebels suffered repeated defeats.
At that moment, Prince Yizhong shouted, "Army, make way! Fire!"
He raised his long sword high and brought it down heavily.
Xia Chengzong noticed that Emperor Yonglong's expression had become serious.
Xia Chengzong noticed that there were flashes of fire three hundred paces below.
His mind raced, and suddenly a terrible idea popped into his head.
artillery?
The rebels actually hid artillery in the hunting grounds.
He suddenly remembered that the hay was significantly twice the size of usual during the day.
The artillery was probably hidden under the hay.
The shells of this era are still solid shot.
But even solid shot is something that flesh and blood cannot withstand.
Boom! Boom!
With two loud bangs, two cannonballs slammed heavily into a hundred heavily armored soldiers.
Heavy armored soldiers in its trajectory were crushed like weeds by the projectiles, falling in droves in an instant.
These heavily armored soldiers were either crushed into mincemeat or had their limbs severed; not one of them survived intact.
After crushing the heavily armored soldiers, the bullet continued to travel for more than ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) until it crashed into a mound more than ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) in front of the palace, where it finally exhausted its strength.
Wherever the bullet passed, it carved a deep trench, inspiring awe and fear.
These two shells directly extinguished most of the morale of the internal guards.
The rebels, on the other hand, were in high spirits.
Prince Yizhong brandished his long sword and shouted, "Charge!"