RPAGF Chapter 5 Chenqiao Mutiny!
Chapter 5 Chenqiao Mutiny!
In the pitch-black night, campfires flickered in the camp, looking like stars hanging upside down from afar.
Seeing that it was already completely dark, Zhao Dezhao, who was in his tent, was wide awake.
At this moment, there was no trace of childish innocence in his eyes, only flashes of sharp glint. In the quiet environment around him, he could almost hear his own heartbeat gradually surging!
The world will change tonight!
Just then, faint footsteps sounded outside the tent flap. A moment later, a corner of the tent flap was lifted, and Li Chuyun's extremely serious voice followed:
"Zhao'er, the time has come!"
"Remember, stay close to me, don't reveal yourself for now, and act according to the situation!"
"Understood." Zhao Dezhao replied in a low voice, and followed Li Chuyun toward a camp.
There will be many supporting roles in tonight's grand show.
Wang Yansheng, Zhang Lingduo, Gao Huaide, Ma Renyu, Li Hanchao, Zhang Guanghan, Li Chuyun...
Each of these names represents a general of the Imperial Guard who is setting off on this day.
The ability to command the submission of so many outstanding individuals is an essential aspect of the personal charisma of a founding emperor!
Perhaps each of them has limited military power, but when a dozen or so Imperial Guard generals are willing to submit to one person, that person already possesses the power to change the world!
Zhao Dezhao was filled with excitement. He followed closely behind Li Chuyun and watched as he gathered the senior generals of the Imperial Guard together and led them to a camp.
Although the tents were simple, they were made of cowhide, indicating that the people living inside must have been of high status.
"Go inside and hide behind me!" Li Chuyun gave Zhao Dezhao a wink before lifting the curtain and entering.
Zhao Dezhao followed closely behind, peeking out from behind Li Chuyun.
There were two people in the tent, both of whom he knew very well.
One was a middle-aged man in a scholar's robe, serious and dignified; the other was dressed in brocade, gentle and polite, with a face that vaguely resembled Zhao Kuangyin, but with slightly softer features.
It was Zhao Pu, his father's confidant, and Zhao Kuangyi!
Zhao Dezhao dared not look any further and quickly shrank back, afraid that the two would notice him.
Fortunately, Li Chuyun was tall and stood in front of him, so neither Zhao Pu nor Zhao Kuangyi noticed him.
"Gentlemen, having no leader, we wish to appoint the Grand Commandant as Emperor!"
Li Chuyun spoke first, followed by Ma Renyu and several other generals who echoed his stance with a firm attitude:
"On the day the army sets out, the commander will be made emperor. This is a prophecy that circulated in the camp yesterday; it is a sign from Heaven!"
"Today, some people have seen two suns in the sky, the new sun covering the old one. Such is the celestial phenomenon; we should naturally follow the will of Heaven!"
This is what people want. All these years of preparation have been for this moment.
However, Zhao Pu put on a stern face and rebuked him righteously, saying, "The Grand Commandant is loyal and devoted, and will certainly not forgive your nonsense!"
"Such behavior, do you have a death wish? Get out of here at once!" Zhao Kuangyi shouted angrily.
Upon hearing this, Li Chuyun remained unmoved, his expression cold and stern, and he immediately drew his sword and stood ready.
"The world is in chaos, and our ruler is young and weak, unable to govern personally. Who will know of our service to the country and our defeat of the enemy? It would be better to first enthrone the Palace Commander as Emperor, and then set out on the northern expedition!"
"Lord Zhao, today you either slaughter us here, or you enthrone the Palace Commander as Emperor. You have no choice!"
"Yes! Either way is a dead end, today Commander Zhao must become emperor!" Wang Yansheng and the others echoed angrily.
Some things, once you choose to start, are destined to have only one path to follow!
Seeing this, Zhao Pu and Zhao Kuangyi exchanged a glance, knowing the time was right. Then Zhao Kuangyi nodded slightly, stepped forward, and said gently:
"We understand your intentions, Lord Zhao and I, but this matter concerns the mandate of heaven and the hearts of the people, so we must proceed with utmost caution!"
He paused, then changed the subject slightly: "Very well, since you all insist on this, I will go with you to see the Grand Commandant. However, he is loyal to the emperor and may not be willing to listen, so you must restrain yourselves."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Dezhao's heart stirred slightly, knowing that the third act of this grand drama was about to begin!
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, he gently touched Li Chuyun's back, then quietly left the tent and, under the cover of night, quickly headed towards the central army camp.
"The climax of this grand drama has finally arrived, and it's time for me to make my appearance..."
……
As time went on, more and more disrespectful remarks began to circulate throughout the military camp.
"The world is in chaos, and the emperor is young and weak. How can a seven-year-old child become emperor? Now, an unusual celestial phenomenon has appeared. We should examine the current emperor and change the world!"
"With the prophecy of Heaven before us, we should obey Heaven's will! Commander Zhao is kind and compassionate, treating his soldiers like his own children. Following him, at least we can have enough to eat!"
"Today, Commander Zhao shall be the Emperor!"
"..."
In any other era, such remarks might have caused uproar and fear within the army, but this was the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the most chaotic and darkest era in history!
The soldiers' awe of imperial power was not even as great as their greed for a few strings of copper coins!
These numerous treasonous remarks not only failed to instill fear in these tens of thousands of elite soldiers, but instead stirred up the wild fire of ambition within them!
Over the decades, there has been a wealth of experience from predecessors that they can refer to.
Just as the fire in his heart could no longer be contained and was about to explode, Li Chuyun and many generals appeared, along with Zhao Pu and Zhao Kuangyi!
"Those who wish to appoint the Grand Commandant as Emperor, come with me!"
One sentence instantly ignited the entire camp!
One by one, fully armored soldiers spontaneously emerged from their tents, like Li Chuyun and others, gripping their sharp blades tightly, raising their torches high, and advancing towards the central command tent.
Now that the decision has been made to appoint Commander Zhao as emperor, then today, he must be emperor!
This is the inevitable trend!
These 100,000 imperial guards could not all be Zhao Kuangyin's men. However, when most of them decided to stage a "military remonstrance," the remaining imperial guards had no choice but to join them in order to survive, embarking on this path of no return with the majority!
Moreover, the army was led by more than a dozen highly respected generals! This made them even more reckless!
Torches began to be lit from the camp!
Before long, the torches spontaneously gathered together, and from a distance, they appeared to have coalesced into a blazing fire dragon!
And yet, dozens of such fire dragons suddenly appeared in this grim camp!
Open the bow without turning back the arrow!
Each leaping, restless fire dragon was resolutely and persistently moving slowly toward the central army camp!
As they drew closer to the central army camp, the dozens of fire dragons, some long and some short, inevitably began to merge together.
When they arrived at the central army camp, the fire dragon had already disappeared, replaced by a vast sea of fire that stretched as far as the eye could see!
A single spark has ignited a prairie fire!