Chapter 005: The Solitary Family Comes to Fulfill Filial Piety

"Nonsense!" Zhao Kai's chief military strategist, Chen Ji, shouted loudly, interrupting He Guandao: "Who does not know that the king is in charge of the Imperial City Division, overseeing the palace gates, which is the king's duty? You are merely in charge of the troops; how dare you obstruct the king from leading his personal warriors into the Imperial City? You should understand what the ancestral family laws are."

However, this Zhao Kai is neither as timid as the original Zhao Kai nor as cunning and shrewd. He possesses a soul that is only 17 years old and is very confident that he is the hero chosen by heaven

With the issuance of the imperial edict of succession, Zhao Huan is no longer the crown prince, but rather the heir emperor

He hurriedly shouted: "Wait a moment, Your Majesty, since you have summoned the Imperial City Division, you naturally have the right to enter the palace and meet with the Emperor. As a mere external minister, how could I dare to obstruct you? I will immediately lead my troops back to the camp..."

We are willing to accompany Your Majesty into the palace

Zhao Kai, riding a tall horse, glared with wide eyes, pointing his long spear at He Guan standing on the stone bridge ahead, and shouted loudly.

Chen Ji is not wrong; in the Song Dynasty, how could there be a situation where the three yamen in charge of the military obstructed the officials of the Imperial City from entering the palace? Such an act would be sufficient to be considered treasonous under normal circumstances. Even if He Guan was ordered to set up defenses outside the Donghua Gate, he was not instructed to block Zhao Kai from entering the palace.

Upon seeing Zhao Kai, he urged his horse forward, and He Guan immediately realized, "Your Highness, the Duke of Yun, speaks with reason"

Seeing He Guan shake his head, Zhao Kai was also a bit stunned. This He Guan was someone he knew, so why was he shaking his head? Could it be that he had turned against him because he had become a treacherous minister who helped the foolish monarch escape?

He cupped his fists towards Zhao Kai and said, "I have just received news, Your Majesty has issued an edict to pass the throne to the Crown Prince, the major matter has been decided, Your Highness has arrived too late"

Zhao Kai pointed his gun at He Guan and said, "It would be better for Taiwei He to enter the palace with this king!"

Upon hearing He Guan's words, the arrogance of Chen Ji, Huang Wuji, and Wang Xiaode, who had come along with Zhao Kai, diminished significantly, and their expressions changed drastically.

He Guan truly led 300 elite infantry soldiers to achieve a great victory by slaughtering people outside the Donghua Gate. If Zhao Huan becomes the official, he will definitely kill him! Moreover, the infantry soldiers who followed him in the slaughter will not have a good ending either; they will all be sent to the front lines to die... He Guan has been fighting for forty years, a seasoned veteran, and the 300 soldiers he leads are all seasoned troops from Kaifeng. How could these men not know what the Song dynasty officials fear the most?

Although He Guan had 300 troops from the infantry division after him, these men were neither armored nor equipped with long-handled weapons—these individuals, including He Guan himself, actually lacked the courage to engage in battle with the officials of the Imperial City Division outside the Donghua Gate.

If Zhao Kai's thoughts were a bit more mature now, for instance, if he were a cunning and shrewd individual, this scene would not have occurred at all—avoiding the role of a cuckold is quite simple; he could have escaped from Kaifeng with Zhu Fengying and a few trusted confidants. After hiding outside for a few months, he could have re-emerged after Kaifeng was besieged a second time, raising the banner of resistance against the Jin, and he could still find a position as an official.

Good! Zhao Kai nodded emphatically, then raised his head to look at the three hundred infantry behind He Guan, "You infantry are all fine imperial troops of the Song Dynasty. Are you willing to enter the palace with me to petition the Emperor to retract his orders and jointly safeguard the Song Dynasty?"

Zhao Kai solemnly stated: "Of course, it is to petition His Majesty to retract the decree, to properly serve as the ruler of the Song Dynasty, and to lead everyone in safeguarding Kaifeng, preserving our Han people's territory!"

Zhao Kai also breathed a sigh of relief; he had never killed anyone before, and the thought of actually taking action made him somewhat anxious. Moreover, his horsemanship had not fully "recovered" yet; he could manage to put on a show, but if it came to riding into battle, he might very well fall off.

Is the Prince of Yun really going to lead his troops to forcefully enter the palace? Is this still the Prince of Yun of the Song Dynasty?

He Guanyin immediately recognized the person's face and figure. This individual was originally a soldier from the Western Army, who had joined Tong Guan's victorious troops, and was now serving as the fifth commander under the direct command of Huang Wuji.

However, He Guan shook his head in confusion—he truly did not recognize him! Who are you? How dare you come to storm the Eastern Huamen with two or three hundred soldiers? Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, it seems that such an event has never occurred!

Your Highness, what has happened? He is usually a cultured and refined young prince... Although he commands thousands of troops from the Imperial City Division, he has never presented himself in public as a warrior, let alone with such a murderous aura as today... Who is he planning to kill? Could it be me?

Upon thinking of this, even the battle-hardened He Guan felt a bit of a chill run down his spine. However, he still understood his duty, so he cupped his fists towards Zhao Kai and said, "Your Majesty, I have been ordered to guard this place, and without a command, I dare not allow His Highness to enter..."

The great righteousness and rightful claim have already been attributed to Zhao Huan. If Zhao Kai were to storm the palace again, it would be considered rebellion. If Prince Yun, Zhao Kai, is still the original one, he should be returning home in a state of despair to prepare for becoming the king of cuckolds.

We are willing to protect the Great Song!

As he spoke, Zhao Kai aimed the spear in his hand at He Guan, adopting a posture as if he were about to charge forward and engage in battle, which truly startled the old general—was he really going to fight!

Zhao Kai burst into another hearty laugh, then pointed the tip of his gun at the half-open and half-closed Donghua Gate (the guards at Donghua Gate were also officials from the Imperial City Division, and they certainly would not stop Zhao Kai from entering the palace), and shouted loudly: "Gentlemen, all follow me into the palace!"

Where can the chosen hero find a secluded place to hide and wait for the fall of Kaifeng, anticipating that his sisters will become the playthings of the enemy

He Guanting listened to Huang Wuji's words, hurriedly rubbed his eyes, and carefully looked for a while at the disheveled man beside Huang Wuji, whose cheeks were red and somewhat swollen (this is what it means to puff up one's face), with fierce eyes, wearing linked armor, and holding a long spear. It was only then that he realized that this seemingly madman was indeed Prince Yun, Zhao Kai.

However, He Guan cannot lead the troops back to "fetch weapons" yet, as he has some bad news to convey to Zhao Kai

He took a breath of cold air, with a mournful expression on his face, and asked: "I wonder what the king intends to do after entering the palace?"

However, understanding in his heart, he still had to speak in a formal manner, so he performed a bow to Zhao Kai and said: "Your Majesty cares deeply for the country and the people, I, your humble servant, am greatly impressed and wish to follow your lead to protect the great Song dynasty together"

Where would three hundred soldiers dare to utter a single word of dissent? They would be executed! Moreover, most of their families reside within the city of Kaifeng or its surrounding areas, and they certainly do not wish for Zhao Ji to flee. Even if Zhao Ji were to abdicate first and then escape, it would greatly shake the people's morale, and he would take with him the most elite Shengjie Army (Tong Guan's troops) for protection. At that time, the defenses of Kaifeng would undoubtedly be significantly weakened, and it is uncertain whether they could hold their ground.

Thus, they simply do not don armor, do not carry long weapons, do not bring bows and crossbows, and do not enter the East Huamen Gate. The officials of the two courts have issued orders, and they only need to comply with them. ... If a real fight were to break out, then it would be regrettable, as they have not brought suitable weapons and would need to return to the barracks to fetch them

Moreover, Chen Ji is not merely speaking empty words; he also brings with him "witnesses"—300 robust and formidable men, who, upon a single command from Zhao Kai, can immediately make He Guan understand what true principles are

Seeing He Guandian nodding, Huang Wuji pointed at Zhao Kai and shouted loudly: "He Zhongyuan, can you see clearly? This is His Highness, the Prince of Yun, who is in charge of the Imperial City Division, currently leading 300 cavalry from the Fifth Command into the palace for duty. Quickly clear the way and do not delay His Highness's entry into the palace!"

"Your Majesty, we cannot let him go!" At this moment, Zhao Kai's chief military advisor, Chen Ji, suddenly spoke up to remind him, "He Guan is the commander of the Imperial Guard infantry, holding significant military power. If we let him leave, he might summon a large army!"

Who is it that you can recognize as the solitary king

We are willing to follow Your Majesty

Just pretend!

This is during the Song Dynasty

Zhao Kai suddenly laughed heartily, startling the three people beside him who were somewhat at a loss, as well as He Guan in front of him, and drawing the attention of everyone outside Donghua Gate.

He does not believe a single word of what Zhao Kai said. This king has taken on such a significant responsibility, even to the extent of leading troops to seize the gates. How could he not have thoughts about the throne? Even if he does not intend to usurp the throne immediately, he must first secure the position of the crown prince, right

"He Zhongyuan, do you recognize someone named Huang?" A tall man with a square face, riding closely behind Zhao Kai, shouted angrily

The Son of Heaven is the supreme ruler, enjoying all the worldly glory and wealth to the utmost. After Yao and Shun, who would be willing to abdicate the throne to another? The so-called abdication is merely forced by treacherous ministers and rebels... Moreover, my father, the emperor, is in the prime of his life and could still reign for another thirty years; how could he possibly be willing to relinquish his esteemed position now? Therefore, my father must have been coerced by treacherous ministers and rebels, which is why he had no choice but to abdicate the throne