Chapter 1656: Bewildering the Army's Morale

The black ladybug, which had been following Zhao Song, also flew over, eager to see what was happening in the dense fog. However, just as it approached, something flashed within the white mist and dragged it in as well!

Not even a small ladybug was spared.

Soon, Yuquan Palace returned to tranquility.

With Bai Hengbo dead, Zhao Song, having severed his head with a single strike, couldn't suppress his curiosity and went to inspect the back of the palace.

It seemed… the enemies had just been dragged into the area behind the palace?

However, the area behind the hall was completely empty. Apart from a few pieces of peeling plaster and mortar on the ground, and some debris frozen in the cracks, there was nothing else to be seen.

Zhao Song scratched his head but didn't dare to dwell on it. Taking 300 palace guards with him, he quietly instructed the remaining men, "Return the way you came and ensure the King's safety!"

King Yao had previously specified that the attack on Bai Hengbo must take place in Yuquan Palace to avoid any missteps.

So, the King was well aware of what would transpire here?

With the situation tense, Zhao Song had no time for further thought. He led his men rushing towards Frost Immortal Hall, while the other palace guards quietly retreated.

Although all were returning to the same place, their methods differed. The so-called "original path" was, in fact, an underground tunnel!

Indeed, though it sounds insignificant, a secret passage connected the rear hall of Frost Immortal Hall directly to Yuquan Palace.

This secret passage had been built into the palace during its renovation years ago.

However, before this very night, no more than three people in the world were aware of its existence.

Not even Qiu Long, the old palace attendant who served King Yao closely, was privy to this information.

In this critical moment, King Yao disregarded the need for secrecy. He not only sent Zhao Song's three hundred palace guards through the tunnel but also dispatched over a hundred more from his own imperial guard to lie in ambush at Yuquan Palace beforehand, all to ensure Bai Hengbo's defeat was absolutely certain!

Bai Hengbo held a crucial position, too vital to Qingyang's planned uprising. King Yao's strategy was to first cripple Qingyang's forces while simultaneously neutralizing the most potent threat close to him.

The moment Bai Hengbo died, King Yao felt the suffocating pressure dissipate by more than half, allowing him to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

This was the crucial advantage He Xiao's tip-off had provided him!

The first major threat had been neutralized. Now, attention turned to the palace city's South Gate, as Zheng Da, having regained his authority as Judicial Supervisor, was about to undertake an even more critical mission—

Replacing the palace guards at the South Gate!

In warfare, speed is paramount.

Bai Tan, leading the reorganized army, immediately surged towards the South Gate of the royal palace.

King Yao's palace, situated in the northern center of the city, had its gates locked and closed every day after sunset, only reopening at dawn the following morning.

The royal palace was a city within a city; its walls were as thick, if not thicker, than the city walls of Tianshui, and it contained numerous defensive structures. As the final stronghold protecting the royal family, it also benefited from the reinforcement of many powerful arrays. A direct assault with Bai Tan's current forces would make it impossible to capture in a short time.

Launching a secret uprising within Tianshui City meant they lacked suitable siege weaponry. Furthermore, the defensive capabilities of the Yao Palace walls were formidable, with no record of them being breached in the past two hundred years.

If King Yao managed to hold the palace gates, Bai Tan might not be able to breach them even after more than ten days of siege.

By then, troops from across the Yao state would converge to reinforce the King.

However, as the old saying goes, the strongest palace gates are always opened from within.

Bai Tan and his nephew had made preparations long ago. Xu Yankun, the gate captain on duty at the palace city's South Gate today, had formerly been a subordinate of Bai Tan and was now a trusted confidant of Bai Hengbo.

"Faster, faster, faster!"

Bai Tan issued several rapid commands, urging his army northward.

General Bai's short temper was well-known, so none of the commanders dared to object, and they led their troops at a breakneck pace.

Soon, they charged right up to the base of the palace city's South Gate.

"Halt! Halt!"

"The palace gates are forbidden ground! How dare you trespass! Come any closer, and you'll be riddled with arrows!"

Figures crowded along the top of the palace walls, and a chorus of warnings rang out.

Bai Tan held his official command token high, and with a forceful breath, bellowed, "I am Bai Tan, ordered to enter the palace to eliminate the rebels and protect our King. Xu Yankun—open the gates immediately and let us through!"

There was no response from atop the city gate, and Bai Tan's heart sank.

Could it be?

The city gate guards parted, revealing a new figure who looked down at him from above.

Bai Tan's heart plummeted:

The fluorescent spores on the palace walls shone brightly, clearly illuminating the person.

It was Zheng Da, another Judicial Supervisor from within the palace!

Xu Yankun, who was supposed to be guarding the palace gate tower and providing Bai Tan passage, was nowhere to be seen, replaced instead by Zheng Da.

This was trouble, Bai Tan instantly clenched his fist.

Zheng Da gave a mocking smile. "By order? Whose order are you falsely claiming to follow?"

He then tossed down a severed head. "Your lackey, Xu Yankun, has already been executed by me!"

In the flickering firelight, the head's grimacing expression clearly belonged to Xu Yankun himself.

Zheng Da raised King Yao's handwritten decree high and bellowed, "By our King's decree, Bai Tan and Bai Hengbo have conspired in rebellion, and are hereby stripped of their..."

Before he could finish speaking, a dozen arrows whistled up from below, and he quickly dodged.

With torches blazing across the palace city, Bai Tan seized the moment of interruption to bellow with full force, "Zheng Da, you conspire with traitors! You previously failed to assassinate the Fourth Prince, and now you forge decrees to murder Xu Yankun and obstruct my efforts to defend the King! Your crimes warrant death!"

He swung his long saber forward and, with a powerful voice, commanded, "Attack the city! Bring down this turncoat!"

Zheng Da absolutely could not be allowed to further sway the morale of the troops.

Both men spoke with righteous indignation, each accusing the other of being a rebel leader, and both held up official tokens. The soldiers, both on and below the city walls, listened to one then the other, momentarily bewildered, unsure whom to obey.

Neither sounded as if they were speaking falsely.

Yet, when it came to reputation, status, and even character, everyone knew General Bai Tan to be a staunch royalist and a loyal supporter, deeply trusted by the King.

His image remained consistent and unwavering.

As for Zheng Da, he should also be loyal, as it would otherwise be impossible for him to serve in the royal palace for so many years, given that palace security was of utmost importance. However, Master Zheng had recently been implicated in the Fourth Prince's poisoning case, which exposed his shortcomings of abusing power for personal gain and engaging in nepotism.

Some matters were commonly understood but rarely spoken of. Once brought into the open, however, they became quite unsightly.

There was no time to allow the soldiers to ponder. Bai Tan's trusted lieutenants seized the moment to bellow, "Charge! Through the palace gates, kill the scoundrels, save our King!"

Slogans needed to be concise and catchy to rouse the majority. So, their subordinates joined the chant, creating a deafening, overwhelming wave of sound.

Then, the army began to batter the gate with resounding thuds.

With so few men stationed on the palace gate tower, how could they compete with the sheer volume of those below?

The guards on the gate tower hesitated with their arrows. On one hand, General Bai genuinely did not appear to be a rebel. On the other hand, the front ranks of the assaulting force consisted of palace guards who frequently encountered the gate guards; many were familiar faces, comrades who had patrolled and even shared meals together just the day before.

How could they bring themselves to attack?

Seeing Bai Tan's blatant distortion of facts still winning public support, Zheng Da was furious. He gathered his internal energy and bellowed, "By the King's imperial decree, Bai Tan is stripped of all his official posts, emoluments, and honors, and is declared the ringleader of the rebel faction! All who collude with him shall be treated as accomplices and punished accordingly!"