That night, the Xuanjia Tieqi were divided into three parts, stationed at the Huangji Dian, the Wenhua Dian, and the east gate of the Donghua Inner Gate.
The city defense of the Donghua Inner Gate was also taken over.
The original garrison of the Imperial Army retreated.
There was no conflict between the two sides. The Imperial Army retreated immediately upon seeing the Xuanjia Tieqi, as if they had received an order.
The imperial city was quiet that night, yet it was not quiet at all.
People’s hearts were restless.
The news that the Eighth Prince had arrived at the Dongzhimen with his army spread throughout the capital, thanks to the efforts of those who were deliberately spreading rumors.
The great families, who had not yet recovered from the withdrawal of the Mongols, heard that the Eighth Prince had arrived at the Dongzhimen with his army from Jiangnan.
Everyone understood that this was a struggle between the Emperor and the Eighth Prince.
The martial nobility chose to sit on the sidelines.
They swore allegiance to the Retired Emperor. As long as the Retired Emperor was alive, their loyalty would always be to him.
Moreover, this incident made it clear that the Retired Emperor favored the Eighth Prince.
Since his ascension to the throne, the Fourth Prince had received little help, aside from the imperial power itself.
He had no control over any army, and few civil officials pledged their loyalty to him.
The only people he could control were a few eunuchs and officials of the Fourth Prince’s Mansion.
Compare that to the 100,000 Jiangnan Army under the command of the Eighth Prince.
It was clear who the Emperor favored.
When the Eighth Prince fled from the capital to Jinling, it was a move orchestrated by the Retired Emperor.
If the Mongols had conquered the capital, the Retired Emperor would not have fled.
The Eighth Prince, far away in Jinling, could have rallied the people and claimed the throne in Jinling.
The Retired Emperor and the Fourth Prince would have been in the same situation as the Zhao Song dynasty years ago.
No one had expected the Mongol attack to be so half-hearted. They spent so much time and lost so many lives.
But they never even reached the city walls.
They left a pile of corpses outside the capital and fled in disgrace.
This was also something the Retired Emperor had not anticipated.
This led to the current situation.
As dawn broke.
The Eighth Prince, outside the Dongzhimen, could no longer contain his impatience.
He had received a message from the palace the previous night, ordering Niu Jizong to open the gates of the Dongzhimen.
He could lead his 100,000 Jiangnan Army through the Dongzhimen and head straight for the Donghuamen.
However, the eunuch who delivered the message solemnly warned him not to harass the common people in the city.
He also brought another message: the Emperor had a cavalry unit, and once that was dealt with, there would be no more obstacles.
After receiving the message, the Eighth Prince prepared himself, mounted his tall horse, and donned a silver-white armor.
With a wave of his hand.
Six thousand cavalrymen took the lead.
隆隆隆 (Longlonglong)
The Jiangnan Army had not seen war for 20 or 30 years.
The Wokou along the coast were not their concern. The Shandong Beiwo Bing were responsible for the coastal Wokou, while the Jiangnan Army was responsible for suppressing the entire Jiangnan region and ensuring the tax revenue of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
After the establishment of the Great Zhou Dynasty, inheriting most of the Ming Dynasty’s system, they also made preparations for some of the things that happened in the Jiangnan region of the Ming Dynasty.
The Jiangnan Army was a huge military organization established to prevent the recurrence of similar situations in the Ming Dynasty.
The soldiers of the Jiangnan Army who accompanied the Eighth Prince to the capital were in high spirits.
This was a chance to gain merit.
Once they overthrew the Emperor who currently occupied the throne, the Eighth Prince, whom they followed, would become the supreme ruler of the country.
Even if they were low-ranking, those who helped the Emperor would receive generous rewards.
They would at least get silver and other supplies.
If they were lucky and performed well in battle, they might even be promoted.
For those who were just biding their time in the Jiangnan Army, this was no less than a windfall from heaven.
Some of the well-informed among them knew that their opponents were just a few thousand cavalrymen.
Although only a few of them had seen actual combat, their sheer numbers were overwhelming. They could even crush the enemy by sheer weight.
Each cavalryman secretly encouraged himself.
They had to show their bravery in this battle.
His Majesty the Emperor was watching them!
The morale of the Jiangnan Army was sky-high. They entered the capital gates, which they had never been through before.
As they entered the city, they saw buildings on both sides, the lowest of which were three stories high.
Behind these buildings, they could see buildings that were five or even six stories high.
They had thought that Jinling was the most prosperous city, but they realized they were frogs at the bottom of a well after coming to the capital.
The Eighth Prince’s army entered the city without any attempt at concealment. The news quickly reached the Huangji Dian.
The Emperor heard the news. His eyes were bloodshot from a sleepless night.
"Good, good, good." The Emperor said "good" several times, laughing in anger. "The Eighth Prince wants to fight? Then let him fight. There are only Emperors who die in battle, not Emperors who surrender."
"Xia Shouzhong, arm me!"
"Yes!" Xia Shouzhong, Liu Gonggong, and the other eunuchs had already put on their leather armor.
If the Emperor was going to fight, they would not be left behind.
Jia Yu had just finished his breakfast and entered the hall. He saw the Emperor putting on his armor.
"Your Majesty, why are you putting on armor?"
"To fight side by side with you, of course." The Emperor did not care about the etiquette anymore. "The Prince of Wu, leading the Jiangnan Army, is advancing towards the Donghuamen with a fierce momentum.
Since ancient times, the struggle for the throne has been bloody. If he wants to be Emperor, he’ll have to step over my corpse."
Jia Yu understood.
The Emperor was lacking confidence.
"Your Majesty, last night, while I was on duty outside, I had a good chat with the Imperial Army that was supervising us.
Three thousand Imperial Army soldiers are willing to join our ranks."
"???"
The Emperor, Xia Shouzhong, Liu Gonggong, and the other eunuchs in the hall turned to Jia Yu.
Since his ascension, the Emperor had been trying to win over the Imperial Army.
But he had not been able to win over a single one.
Jia Yu had a chat with the Imperial Army, and he won over three thousand?
"Is that true?" The Emperor couldn’t believe it.
Jia Yu made up a story, "It’s true. They said that they wanted to pledge their loyalty to you, Your Majesty. But there were always people watching them, and they couldn’t find a good opportunity.
Last night, they were transferred to the Huangji Dian and contacted me. This morning, when I was eating, they came to tell me that they had decided to follow you, Your Majesty."
It was a ridiculous explanation, but the Emperor didn’t want to investigate further. "Is it believable?"
Jia Yu said confidently, "Believable. I also discussed with them that they should take their soldiers and ambush on both sides of the Donghuamen outside the city. When I defeat the vanguard of the Jiangnan Army, the enemy’s formation will be in disarray.
They will attack from both sides, and the battle will be decided in one fell swoop."
The Emperor frowned at this plan. "With these three thousand Imperial Army soldiers, shouldn’t we defend?"
Jia Yu shook his head. "We can defend against other enemies.
But against the Jiangnan Army led by the Prince of Wu, we need to decide the battle in one fell swoop.
We need to crush them, defeat them as quickly as possible.
If we get into a prolonged battle or a stalemate..."
Jia Yu swallowed, "The people in the Longshou Gong will definitely intervene.
This battle must be quick!"
The Emperor thought for a moment and laughed self-deprecatingly. "You’re right. We can’t afford a long war. Do as you say."
....