Chapter 3 The four commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard - Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise take action!

"There's an ambush?!!!"

Wang Fang remained calm and pretended to patrol for a while, pretending that he found nothing. However, the sense of danger conveyed by his keen intuition became stronger and stronger. Whenever he got close to Liu Bian, this feeling became more and more obvious.

"We must mobilize troops to conduct a thorough search!"

It was a critical period for Dong Zhuo to be deposed and enthroned. The Xiliang army would rise and fall together, and there must be no mistakes or accidents. Even if we were suspicious and cautious, it was better than capsizing in the gutter!

After the two guards came back from their inspection, they shook their heads at Wang Fang without thinking too much: "General, everything is normal, but it's a bit strange that the little emperor is still awake in the middle of the night?"

"Well, just report this to Mr. Dong and let him make the decision. We have no right to interfere, so don't meddle in it!"

"I obey my orders!"

Wang Fang nodded, pretending not to care, and turned to leave. He never greeted Liu Bian or asked him any questions.

But from their communication, we learned that Dong Zhuo seemed to have forbidden his soldiers from communicating with the Han emperor, which explains the contempt and arrogance of Wang Fang and others.

Two bodyguards followed him and left.

It all seemed like it was just a sudden check and it went smoothly.

But as Wang Fang gradually walked out of the hall, his heart beat faster and faster, his hands subconsciously clenched, and his whole nerves were in a tense state because he felt the sense of crisis becoming stronger and stronger.

It was as if he was ready to strike, staring at his ambush and seemed about to make a move!

...

Liu Bian felt a little relieved!

I got through this time without any danger, but I can't sit and wait for the lottery so late at night in the future. It's too suspicious! Who doesn't sleep at all? !
Wang Fang turned and left. Liu Bian thought he had gotten away with it, but suddenly there came a voice from Suzaku behind the screen, and it was unknown when it moved from the beam to behind the screen:

"Your Majesty, this general seems to have noticed something unusual. His eyes flickered, his hands clenched subconsciously, and his heart beat faster. These are all signs of nervousness. Just in case, do we need to stop him?"

Can you see this?!
Liu Bian frowned and looked at Wang Fang who was walking towards the palace gate.

What if it was just Suzaku's illusion? Then it wouldn't be as simple as a misunderstanding, but would alert the enemy!
But if Wang Fang really finds out something, then it won’t be a matter of alerting the enemy, but rather a siege by the Xiliang army!

Thinking of this, Liu Bian decisively ordered: "Stop them!"

"Whoosh whoosh—"

Upon hearing this, Qinglong and others immediately took action.

Wang Fang, who was standing in front of the palace gate, seemed to sense a sense of crisis. His tense nerves were immediately triggered, and he shot out of the palace gate like an arrow. As long as he could leave the palace, he could attract the patrolling soldiers with a loud shout.

It was not difficult to tell from his reaction that Wang Fang had discovered something, and it was just as Zhuque said!

The two soldiers following behind him hadn't noticed yet. They were stunned for a moment and subconsciously asked in surprise: "General, why are you..."

The voice was still floating in the air, and the two men had been strangled by the throat by the white tiger from behind. They made "ho ho ho" sounds of struggle, but they were unable to break free from the tiger's claws that were like steel pliers!
Wang Fang did not run far. He only took two steps and Zhuque, waving his folding fan, was already blocking the palace gate.

Wang Fang didn't waste any words and drew his sword with a "clang". But before he could make a move, Qinglong had caught up with him. He blocked Wang Fang's attack with his scabbard and then drew his sword out in a flash.

"Don't kill him, we need to torture him for information!" Suzaku said softly.

The knife flashed and Wang Fang's weapon fell. He covered his throat with both hands and made a "ho ho ho" sound. Blood seeped from his palms. He had lost his fighting ability, but he was still alive.

Qinglong sheathed his sword again, as fast as lightning.

It sounds slow, but in fact it was just a blink of an eye and the fight was over.

Zhuque took out the golden wound medicine and bandaged him simply, obviously wanting to stop the bleeding temporarily so that he could interrogate him for information.

"Why is this happening?!"

"Why does this little emperor suddenly have so many hidden masters?!"

"With such a trump card, why are you willing to let Lord Dong propose the dethronement?!"

Wang Fang thought in horror, with a hundred thousand questions popping up in his mind.

The superb martial arts and wonderful performances of Azure Dragon, White Tiger and Vermillion Bird made Liu Bian sigh that the system's lottery rewards were really amazing. There was not a single unnecessary burden, and they were all talented!
Cao Zhengchun had been protecting Liu Bian. After seeing this, he smiled and muttered to himself, "The East Factory needs talents like this!"

"Your Majesty, Qinglong only cut off the trachea of ​​the thief general, and did not injure his artery. He can still live for a while. I have given him a simple treatment to stop the bleeding. You can torture him for information about the Xiliang army."

Zhuque stepped forward and reported, holding a folding fan.

"You did a great job, Suzaku. You were observant and acted decisively. You prevented Wang Fang from escaping and a disaster was avoided. This is a great achievement. I will remember it for now and I will reward you according to your merits later."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

If Wang Fang was allowed to leave, based on his performance just now, he would definitely bring troops to search, and Cao Zhengchun, Qinglong and the other four would be exposed, and Liu Bian's life would be in danger. Zhuque had made a great contribution.

After a pause, Liu Bian said with some concern: "This general is one of Dong Zhuo's generals. If he disappears for too long, it may cause trouble. After all, it will alert the enemy..."

This accident caught everyone off guard. Liu Bian did not expect Wang Fang to suddenly come over to check, nor did he expect that he would discover any clues. In the end, he had no choice but to take action!

But in this case, a general disappeared, and he disappeared while patrolling Deyang Palace. The Western Liang Army would definitely be suspicious and conduct a thorough investigation and interrogation of Liu Bian, and they would probably find some clues.

We need to think of a foolproof plan for this matter.

"Da da da--"

What you fear will come true. Suddenly, footsteps were heard outside the palace gate, followed by the voices of Xiliang soldiers asking:
"General Wang, we heard the sound of swords and weapons. Did something unexpected happen?!"

The sound of Wang Fang drawing his sword and fighting with Qinglong in close combat, as well as the sound of the defeated weapon falling to the ground, still aroused the suspicion of the patrolling soldiers of the Xiliang Army outside the hall. They were all brave soldiers and were most sensitive to the sounds of swords and weapons.

It was really like when it rains but it leaks. When Liu Bian was considering whether to let Cao Zhengchun and his men launch an attack, a voice suddenly sounded, and it was exactly the same as Wang Fang's tone:
"Don't be alarmed. The entire palace is heavily guarded. We are all brothers from the Xiliang Army. How could there be any accidents? I will take a short rest in the palace. Tomorrow, Lord Dong will summon all officials to discuss the matter of deposing and enthroning the emperor. We must conserve our energy. Don't let your guard down either!"

"I obey my orders!"

After hearing this, the Xiliang soldiers outside the hall did not suspect anything and retreated as ordered, with the sound of their footsteps gradually fading away.

Liu Bian in the hall was a little surprised. He looked towards the source of the sound and it was clearly the sound coming from Xuanwu in the corner. The sound was so real that it did not arouse the suspicion of the Xiliang army soldiers.

You must know that Wang Fang only said one sentence just now, but Xuanwu could draw inferences from this sentence and imitate Wang Fang's tone and voice. He is really a talent!
Perhaps seeing Liu Bian's surprise, Zhuque explained:
"Your Majesty, Qinglong is good at swordsmanship and can kill people with just one strike. Baihu has deep internal strength and is protected by diamonds. His tiger claws can break metal and stone. His subordinates are unrivaled in light skills and hidden weapons, and are also good at playing chess, calligraphy, painting, medicine, divination, and astrology. Xuanwu is good at disguise, and is proficient in bone shrinking and ventriloquism."

They are all talented, not a single one is a burden!!!
Liu Bian nodded in satisfaction. The more powerful his forces were, the sooner he would start a rebellion. Dong Zhuo was about to be deposed, and he couldn't just sit there and wait for death!
Suddenly, an idea came to him. Xuanwu is proficient in disguise? Bone shrinking? Ventriloquism?

This gave Liu Bian a sudden idea!
At this time, Zhuque also said: "Your Majesty, Wang Fang will not live long. The sudden disappearance of the Xiliang general, and his disappearance in Deyang Palace, may arouse suspicion. Why not let Xuanwu disguise himself as Wang Fang and take over the magpie's nest?"

"Just what I wanted!"

Liu Bian nodded in agreement, and Xuanwu walked towards Wang Fang after receiving the order.

Xuanwu reached out and felt something on Wang Fang's face, from head to toe, and even untied his armor to feel around, not missing any details, such as size, length, etc. Then, there was a "crackling" sound of bones connecting. Xuanwu, who was about 1.7 meters tall, actually expanded to 2 meters tall through bone shrinking.

Then she fiddled with bottles and jars, started putting on makeup and applying facial masks, and gradually her appearance changed to Wang Fang.

One of the four great sorcerous arts of China, makeup has reached perfection and pinnacle in Xuanwu's hands!

Finally, he put on Wang Fang's clothes, armor and weapons, and wore a few more layers of inner armor and linen clothes to fill out his body muscles, and finally he was done.

It's a bit of an exaggeration to say they are very similar, but they are at least 70% similar, just like twins carved from the same mold. With the same tone of voice and a little disguise, they can be completely mistaken for the real thing.

"Your subordinate Wang Fang greets His Majesty!"

Wang Fang, disguised as Xuanwu, bowed and said, his voice sounded like they were cast in the same mold:

"Your Majesty, the bone-shrinking skill has its limitations. If it exceeds one's own body shape by too much, the skeleton will appear loose and hollow, like a castle in the air, vulnerable to attack. Moreover, muscles and fat can only be filled by wearing more clothes, so it is difficult to hide the fact when encountering an obese person.

"The most perfect disguise is to find a person with a similar appearance to the disguised person, such as Baihu who looks like Wang Fang. However, Baihu is not good at ventriloquism and has difficulty imitating Wang Fang's tone of voice, and there is also the risk of being exposed.

"So it is difficult to achieve perfect disguise. I can only try my best to understand the words and deeds of the person I am disguising myself as, so I need to torture Wang Fang to perfect the disguise. Please allow me, Your Majesty!"

...

Liu Bian nodded slightly and felt relieved!

If Xuanwu's disguise technique could be 100% accurate, he would be more frightened than surprised.

Although the characters summoned by the system lottery are all 100% loyal, he still has some reservations. Now that he knows there is no way to disguise himself 100%, he feels relieved.

After receiving the order, Xuanwu tortured Wang Fang.

After Zhuque's miraculous treatment, the wound on Wang Fang's throat had temporarily stopped bleeding, but he was breathing out more than breathing in, and it was clear that he would not live long. He said nothing, and it was obvious that he had decided to resist the strict punishment until death.

"Your parents will not be guilty of this crime, and your wife and children will not be harmed. Tell the truth, and we will treat your parents, wife and children well, allowing them to live out their days in peace. We will not implicate your family. You should understand how to choose."

Zhuque only said one sentence, and Wang Fang opened his eyes instantly. Then he looked hesitant and subconsciously looked up at Liu Bian.

If it was before, the Xiliang army would have disdained this little emperor. But after this incident, Wang Fang has realized that this seemingly cowardly but actually hidden emperor is the real mastermind behind the scenes!

It was still unknown whether Dong Zhuo could succeed in his reckless attempt to depose and enthrone the emperor. But now he was in a predicament and was about to die. His only concern was his parents, wife and children at home, which was also his only weakness.

But Zhuque's promise was not enough to convince Wang Fang!

Liu Bian understood Wang Fang's intention and noticed his hesitation. He promised: "I will give you a chance to redeem yourself and pardon your child!"

Wang Fang breathed a sigh of relief, and then said in a hoarse voice: "You...whatever you want to ask...just ask!"

Xuanwu began to question Wang Fang, getting to know Wang Fang's habits, words and deeds, as well as details about how he treated the generals of the Xiliang Army and Dong Zhuo. He gradually perfected his disguise and also let Liu Bian hear a lot of secrets.

An hour later, it was almost Yinshi (around four in the morning) and the sky was gradually turning pale.

Xuanwu, disguised as "Wang Fang", left with two disguised personal soldiers - Qinglong and Zhuque. Because Baihu's form was too tall and abnormal, he could only hide in Deyang Palace and protect Liu Bian closely with Cao Zhengchun.

"General Wang."

This period of time was when the patrols that stayed up all night were the most tiring. In fact, many soldiers had already dozed off. They were awakened by the sound of armor colliding, and they saluted and greeted "Wang Fang" and pretended to be on guard.

"Ah."

Wang Fang just nodded slightly and turned a blind eye during the inspection, which made the guards feel relieved. As they walked along, no one noticed that Wang Fang was no longer Wang Fang, which showed that Xuanwu's disguise was superb.

The cuckoo has taken over the magpie's nest, perfectly!
Taking advantage of the withdrawal of patrol soldiers, Xuanwu disguised as "Wang Fang" and Qinglong and Zhuque disguised as two personal soldiers even took the opportunity to dispose of the bodies of Wang Fang and the two personal soldiers.

Considering that Wang Fang told everything he knew before his death, he was able to make amends for his mistakes and make up for his crime, so there was time to give him a proper burial. Liu Bian also promised to treat Wang Fang's parents, wife and children well, so his death was a worthy one!
...

At the time of Zhengmao, which is around six o'clock, the relieved general Niu Fu came over to take over from Wang Fang. There was no suspicion during the communication. At the same time, he ordered Liu Bian to change his clothes and tie up his hair. Dong Zhuo would summon all officials at the time of Zhengchen (eight o'clock) to discuss the matter of deposing the emperor.

Liu Bian stayed up late last night and felt a little swollen and painful in the brain after being woken up, but he was very clear-headed and not in a dazed state. Perhaps it was because his former life of luxury had left him in good physical condition, or perhaps it was because he had a trump card that made him feel confident and refreshed.

Cao Zhengchun and Baihu were hiding in the dark to guard against the attack. Qinglong and Zhuque, who were disguised as "Wang Fang" and two "personal soldiers", were communicating with Niu Fu. They did not arouse suspicion, but gradually infiltrated the high-level positions of the Xiliang Army.

Under the supervision of the soldiers of Xiliang Army, Liu Bian changed his clothes and tied his hair. The black robe and red skirt of the Han Dynasty were very complicated, and he was the only one wearing them. The soldiers of Xiliang Army urged him to do it, but he dressed slowly.

Niu Fu was upset when he saw this. At this time, Wang Fang said casually:

"All the eunuchs in the palace were killed by Yuan Shao and his men, regardless of age. Now the young emperor doesn't even have a personal servant. We need to report to Lord Dong to recruit some eunuchs."

"The young emperor is about to be deposed. If there are no accidents during today's discussion on deposing the emperor, it will probably only take a few days. What else do we need eunuchs for?"

"Even if the young emperor is deposed, Lord Dong wants to make the Prince of Chenliu the emperor. It's impossible for us soldiers to serve him then, right?"

"Well, Brother Wang is the most thoughtful one. I will find a chance to report it to Mr. Dong." Niu Fu thought so and nodded.

The White Tiger disguised as "Wang Fang" was to divert attention, so that Niu Fu would not be upset and disturb the emperor, and they could not stop him, so as not to expose their disguise. Secondly, it was also to plant spies.

They are now alone and need to build up their own power!

After hearing this, Cao Zhengchun, who was hiding in the dark, had an idea. He felt that the East Factory also needed to recruit talents, otherwise wouldn't it be outdone by the Embroidered Uniform Guard?
These four Jinyiwei commanders have seriously threatened his position as the director of the East Factory. He is the most loyal dog in the eyes of His Majesty!

Cao Zhengchun also wanted to support the East Factory. If he could trick Dong Zhuo into recruiting eunuchs, that would be exactly what he wanted.

Finally, Liu Bian finished dressing and walked towards Nangong Chongde Hall under the surveillance of the Xiliang army.

Along the way, the Xiliang army was on high alert and had large numbers of troops.

Walking from the Deyang Palace in the North Palace to the Chongde Palace in the South Palace, Liu Bian made a preliminary estimate in his mind that the number of defenders alone was nearly ten thousand.

The entire South and North Palaces have fallen into the control of the Xiliang Army!
Not to mention that after Dong Zhuo surrendered to Lu Bu and killed the Prefect of the Guards Ding Yuan, he took control of the area of ​​the imperial city patrolled by the Prefect of the Guards. The Western Liang Army had already controlled the entire imperial city, and even the entire capital!
The forces under Liu Bian's command - Cao Zhengchun, the supervisor of the East Factory, and the four commanders of the Jinyiwei, Qinglong, Baihu, Suzaku and Xuanwu, are all highly skilled in martial arts, extraordinary in skills, and each has their own specialties.

But at the end of the day, there are only 5 of us!

Dong Zhuo's Xiliang Army + the annexed Bingzhou Army + the five schools of the Northern Army and the Xiyuan Army that were eroded by He Jin's former subordinates, now his army has reached 200,000!
A full two hundred thousand soldiers and horses!!!
Liu Bian still seems to be alone and weak! He is still short of people!
In this situation, Liu Bian can only stay quietly behind the scenes. This is not cowardice. If he jumps up and down at this time, he will be courting death. Keeping a low profile, staying behind the scenes, and growing stronger is the smart choice!

But I wonder how much time Dong Zhuo will have to lie low and grow after he deposes and enthrones the emperor? !
Liu Bian's heart gradually became heavy!

It's a pity that the historical plot of "Ding Yuan's death" failed to be changed. Otherwise, with Ding Yuan controlling the Bingzhou Army and confronting Dong Zhuo's Xiliang Army, the two armies would have been pulling and restraining each other, and Liu Bian would have had enough time to develop!
But now that Ding Yuan is dead, there is no longer any obstacle to Dong Zhuo's dethronement and enthronement, and time seems to be running out!

Amid Liu Bian's worries, they also came to Chongde Hall.

Liu Bian withdrew his thoughts and cheered up. He just wanted to see if there were any loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty who would stand up and if there was any room for maneuver. Of course, no matter what, he would stop the enemy and block the water.

They entered the Chongde Hall.

……

(End of this chapter)