Chapter 130: The Coup

Wei Bo dodged aside, looked up at the gate, and shouted, "Close the gate quickly! Xue Chongjian and Liu Youqiu are plotting a rebellion!"

The soldiers at the gate immediately turned the windlass. With a series of creaking, discordant groans, the massive gates of Xuanwu Gate slowly began to close.

Ma Sizong was terrified. If the gate were shut, the momentum would be lost, and the soldiers participating in the rebellion would surely lose heart. Drawing his saber, he roared, "Success or failure rests on this one stroke! Lads, charge and take the gate!"

With that, he let out a howl and charged forward, his men following like a tidal wave toward Xuanwu Gate. But the vermilion gates were already closing, just inches beyond Ma Sizong’s reach. With a muffled thud, the two massive doors slammed shut. Ma Sizong howled like a rabid beast, throwing his body against the wood in a desperate attempt to force them open. Because of the numerous spies loyal to the Wei clan in Chang'an, they had been unable to prepare large siege engines like battering rams, leaving them with no choice but to use their own bodies.

The cavalry behind them arrived, and soldiers pulled Ma Sizong aside. The riders lined up, shouted in unison, and galloped toward the gate. At the last moment, they pulled back on their reins, causing the horses to rear up and strike the gate with their heavy hooves. Yet, beyond shaking loose a cloud of dust, the gate did not budge. After a dozen attempts, the horses were exhausted, and fresh riders rotated in. After scores of strikes, the gate remained as solid as a fortress, marked only by a dense array of hoof prints.

Arrows rained down from the battlements, killing many of the cavalrymen. The fallen men and horses blocked the path, preventing the remaining cavalry from charging. They had no choice but to take up their bows and return fire at the wall.

Wei Bo laughed aloud, "You treacherous rebels! This gate was reinforced after the Li Chongjun rebellion; even if you break your horses' legs, you will never smash through! Your time has come!" With that, he swung his gilded axe, engaging Xue Chongjian and Liu Youqiu in fierce combat.

The sounds of slaughter reached the Daming Palace. The imperial guards donned their armor, took up their weapons, and formed ranks to meet the enemy. Monk Purun whispered to the few fire-tending acolytes beside him, "The Prince's forces are blocked at Xuanwu Gate. Please, seize the gate and open it at once, or all will be lost once the Capital Garrison arrives!"

Those acolytes were actually Ma Beifang, Sha Tonghai, and their companions in disguise. Ma Beifang cast off his cassock, leapt onto a table, and shouted, "Wuxun Battalion! With me, take the gate!" He charged ahead toward Xuanwu Gate. Nearly half of the monks in the hall stripped off their robes to reveal the black, tight-fitting garments beneath, drew long, slender curved blades from beneath their cushions, and followed Ma Beifang. Sha Tonghai led the remaining Japanese warriors to strike at the palace guards, and in an instant, the palace was in chaos.

When Ma Beifang reached the inner gate, the defending guards thrust their spears at him. Ignoring them, he leapt over their heads and onto the gate tower. Before he even touched the ground, he swung his sword, striking down two flag-bearing officers. The Japanese warriors behind him surged into the ranks like crazed tigers, clashing with the guards. The guards on the tower, unaware of the attack from the rear, continued to fire arrows downward.

Ma Beifang swept past like a cold gust of wind; dozens of guards fell instantly. The remaining guards, realizing the attack came from behind, turned and aimed their bows at him. Seeing the arrows flying toward him, he channeled the techniques taught to him by Zhu Wuming, focused his energy in his dantian, and let out a sharp cry as he swung his long sword. His internal energy erupted, and the rain of arrows was caught by the gale of his power, vanishing into the air. Ma Beifang sneered coldly, "A mantis trying to stop a chariot. Overestimating yourselves!"

He swept his sword horizontally. The sword qi sliced through the air, and the guards felt as if struck by a blade; before they could even scream, they were decapitated. In a short time, Ma Beifang had single-handedly cleared the tower. He stood proudly atop the battlements, looked down at the still-fighting Wei Bo, and shouted, "The guards on the tower are all dead! Will you not surrender?!"

Wei Bo looked up and saw that, apart from Ma Beifang, the tower was empty. He was struck with terror. Seeing his distraction, Liu Youqiu immediately swung his long spear at Wei Bo's waist. Wei Bo raised his gilded axe to parry, shouting, "Little thief! You dare slaughter the Imperial Guard? Do you not fear the extermination of your nine clans?" Xue Chongjian roared, "If we feared that, we would not be here!" He swung his great saber down, and Wei Bo, caught off guard, was struck from his horse.

Below, the Japanese warriors fought with death-defying ferocity, and after suffering heavy casualties, they finally seized the gatehouse. They slaughtered the remaining guards, grabbed the windlass, and turned it with all their might. Xuanwu Gate creaked open once more. Seeing this, Ma Sizong spat out the blood he had been holding in his mouth and yelled, "Heaven aids me! Lads, charge!" His foot soldiers surged forward to occupy the gate.

The cavalry of Liu Youqiu and Xue Chongjian galloped directly toward the inner palace. Wei Ping, a Commander of the Imperial Guard, heard that Xuanwu Gate was in jeopardy and led dozens of men from the palace to reinforce Wei Bo. Unexpectedly, just as he arrived, he found the gate had already fallen. The rebels were sweeping through the palace like a broken levee. Just as he turned to flee, Xue Chongjian galloped up and struck him from his horse with a single blow; hundreds of cavalrymen followed, their iron hooves trampling him into a pulp.

When the guards burst into the sleeping quarters and dragged the Empress Dowager Wei from her bed, she was still unsure if she was in a nightmare or reality. She continued to curse incessantly. Her personal eunuch, ignoring her struggles, hurriedly dressed her and carried her out of the sleeping quarters on his back. Only then did she regain her senses.

Terrified, she clung to the guard's back, trembling, allowing him to carry her through a secret passage to escape the palace. Sha Tonghai and his men pursued them closely. The Japanese warriors were fearless and extremely vicious. They had not gone far before most of the guards were killed or wounded. Wei Dowager looked up to see a faint light in the distance at Fengming Pavilion and ordered the guard to head there. The guard could not help but ask, "The situation is critical, why is the Empress Dowager still thinking of the people in Fengming Pavilion?!"

Wei Dowager snapped, "What do you know! This concerns whether we live or die!" The guard dared not say more and obeyed, rushing toward Fengming Pavilion.

Shangguan Wan'er had heard the fighting from within Fengming Pavilion and had already risen to change into her combat gear. Ever since the death of Li Xian, she had known the cold-blooded nature of the Wei clan, so she had kept to herself, rarely involving herself in affairs, hoping to remain safe. Although Wei Dowager was jealous of her, she had left her alone, fearing her formidable martial arts skills and using the excuse that "private weapons in the palace disturb the harmony" to confiscate the long sword she had cherished for years.