Munitions Empire-Chapter 971 - 893 is gradually becoming clear

Chapter 971: 893 is gradually becoming clear Chapter 971: 893 is gradually becoming clear On this day, the Imperial Capital was in chaos, and all the streets were under control, with trucks full of soldiers passing by from time to time.

Even the high-ranking officials couldn’t just walk around the streets at this time, all government offices were closed, many buildings had drawn their curtains, and residents dared not look out to see what was happening outside.

Nobody knew exactly what had happened, but everyone had heard the explosion from the vicinity of the Prince’s Mansion and the intense gunfire that followed.

In fact, the busiest place was the telephone exchange of the Dahua Empire’s Imperial Capital. Dozens of switchboards and numerous operators were busy ensuring smooth communication throughout the Imperial Capital.

These operators were continuously changing the plugs on the switchboards, as many people were calling to inquire about the situation, and the ranks of these people were intimidating.

The Prime Minister, the Minister of War, the head of the intelligence department, generals of the City Defense Forces… These were all people that the telephone exchange operators could not afford to offend.

Some people tried to go outside to see the situation themselves, like Zhao Yu’s butler, who was ordered to go out and gather information.

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However, he hadn’t gone 200 meters before he was blocked by a checkpoint—even though he was Zhao Yu’s confidant and had a royal pass, he was still stopped by the Guard.

Their rationale was quite reasonable—they weren’t being unaccommodating, but were concerned for the personal safety of Zhao Yu’s butler. After all, there were assassins ahead, and if something went wrong, who could be held accountable?

Not long after, the butler returned to Zhao Yu’s side, bowed his head, and reported what he had learned outside: “Dozens of streets were blocked, all manned by the City Defense Forces… It seems they were intercepting, not inspecting…”

His words were very vague, actually providing no useful clues. From what he saw, Zhao Yu couldn’t deduce anything; thus, hearing the report only heightened his anxiety.

For Zhao Yu at this moment, what he hoped most was that Zhao Ji had already died. As long as the Crown Prince was dead, he would be mostly safe.

Without the Crown Prince, even if Zhao Kai was convinced that it was Zhao Yu who had Zhao Ji killed, he would have to accept this fact and allow Zhao Yu to succeed Zhao Ji as the new Crown Prince of the Empire.

For Zhao Kai, there was no better choice for Crown Prince: compared to others, Zhao Yu, the most capable prince, albeit sinister and ruthless, was still the most suitable heir to the Empire.

Thus, amid the chaos, Zhao Yu first thought of the outcome most beneficial to him. He turned to his strategist, anxiously seeking reassurance, “Could it be… they succeeded, but couldn’t break through?”

“There is also that possibility,” the strategist spoke carefully. In fact, he wasn’t a miracle worker and naturally couldn’t conjecture anything substantial from such uninformative reports.

“Master! … I’m still worried… If it really failed…” Zhao Yu was still very panicked; he was genuinely afraid.

The city was already in turmoil; if something really went wrong, his life would most likely be forfeit.

The young strategist still spoke to comfort him: “Stay calm! Isn’t the tunnel under the mansion fixed? Your Highness doesn’t need to panic. Even if we’re surrounded here, we can still leave. Everything is ready.”

Hearing the reassurance, Zhao Yu finally felt somewhat relieved. After pacing around, he plopped down next to the strategist and once again fretted, “Can we really leave the Imperial Capital smoothly?”

“We can.” The young strategist smiled reassuringly.

What a joke, if he didn’t get you to Fengjiang, wouldn’t all the preparations be in vain? Even if all the Great Tang Empire’s spies in the city died, you must go to Fengjiang! Operation Tianping has already started, and no one can stop it!

…

Inside the Imperial City, Zhao Kai and Zhao Ji were waiting for news. They were also very tense; battling within the capital was the last thing the Emperor wanted to see.

For up to now, whether it was Zhao Kai or Zhao Ji, they both relied on guessing to try to figure out what exactly was happening outside.

If it weren’t for the existence of telephones, they would have been ten times more anxious: although there were few places where calls could get through, the limited few were still within Zhao Kai’s control, which indeed reassured him a lot.

At least, there was positive news from the City Defense Forces, and the Prime Minister had not been involved. Many ministers had called to inquire about His Majesty The Emperor’s safety, which also helped restore a lot of Zhao Kai’s courage.

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If this had been in ancient times, when an Emperor heard that a fight was occurring outside the palace’s forbidden walls, he would have been scared half to death: for he could not grasp the situation, nor did he know what had happened, and all he could rely on were guesses.

He dared not deploy the City Defense Troops, for once the troops were mobilized, the situation could become even more chaotic, and it might even give the rebels a chance to exploit.

Therefore, when a battle occurred within the ancient Imperial Capital, the Emperor’s most common choice was to close off the palaces and wait for the chaos to end before dealing with the aftermath. However, now with the invention of telephones and telegraphs, communication had become much more convenient.

After a long wait, a servant finally gathered some useful information to report to Zhao Kai, “Your Majesty! The exact news is as follows: a band of thieves attacked the Prince’s Mansion in broad daylight and engaged in a fierce battle with the Crown Prince’s guards.”

Since the City Defense Army and the remaining guards of the Prince’s Mansion had subsequently recaptured control of the Mansion, which was equipped with a telephone, they were then able to report the situation after fixing it.

Next, the same servant continued to report on the losses at the Prince’s Mansion: “They broke into the back house of the Prince’s Mansion, killed the Crown Princess Consort, and slew many servants and guards.”

His main purpose in speaking this way was to remind Zhao Kai that the enemy indeed had the capability of murdering Zhao Ji, for the back house had been overtaken, and had Zhao Ji been present at the time, his fate would likely have been the same as the Crown Princess Consort.

Upon hearing of the killing of his Crown Princess Consort, Zhao Ji immediately let out a cry of anguish and collapsed back into his seat: he truly had feelings for his Crown Princess Consort, she being his wife, openly and duly married.

The sorts of plots favored in historical dramas, involving favoritism toward concubines, actually didn’t occur that often. An ancient rightful wife, provided she did not bring disaster upon herself, generally maintained a very stable position.

Those who immediately feel secretly pleased at the death of a wife are ultimately the minority; after all, people are emotional creatures, and grief in that moment is indeed real grief, the subsequent secret rejoicing would be another matter.

Zhao Kai also grew very angry after hearing the report, his anger mostly stemming from the fact that such a vicious event could happen within the Imperial Capital under his own supervision: “Rubbish! In broad daylight, someone managed to burst into the Prince’s Mansion! What were the guards doing? Damn it! They all deserve to die!”

As an Emperor, if he could not fully control even this little patch within the Imperial Capital, he would feel utterly powerless. That feeling of losing control was most fatal for an Emperor.

He could endure distant failures, losing a large territory, successive defeats on the battlefield, even submitting and paying tribute… but he could not tolerate someone causing trouble in his own Imperial Capital!

The servant immediately explained nervously, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger! However, the thieves were soon repelled, they withdrew from the Prince’s Mansion and then attempted to break through and leave…”

The actual situation was that these thieves had not found the Prince, otherwise, they would have killed him before leaving… The nuance of this report depended entirely on the speaker’s artful use of language.

Indeed after saying this, Zhao Kai glossed over the series of details concerning the attack on the Prince’s Mansion—he also didn’t really want Zhao Ji to dwell on this matter.

“Continue!” Zhao Kai commanded naturally.

The servant didn’t delay and immediately continued, “Yes, Your Majesty! Later, reinforcements from the City Defense Forces intercepted these individuals halfway, and the enemy fought fiercely, so gunfire was heard in several nearby blocks.”

“General Li Mingshun led a hard attack, capturing four alive, but all the rest were killed.” This was reported to him by phone from Li Mingshun’s side.

The battle had ended, Zhao Yu’s confidants either committed suicide or were killed, and those who were afraid of dying had already surrendered.

General Li Mingshun was one of Zhao Kai’s most trusted officers and truly one of his intimates. Back when Zhao Kai had contended for primacy, Li Mingshun had followed him, thus he controlled the troops stationed in the Imperial Capital, occupying this key position.

Hearing the name Li Mingshun, Zhao Kai showed a trace of appreciation: he still had a few trustworthy people, which somewhat restored his confidence in being an Emperor.

“Regarding the interrogation, General Li Mingshun did not dare make a decision on his own, so he still needs Your Majesty to order someone to take charge.” The servant bowed his head, then stopped and waited for Zhao Kai’s command.

Zhao Kai waved his hand, indicating for the servant to leave: “Hmm, I understand…”

Before the servant could exit, Zhao Ji suddenly threw himself in front of Zhao Kai, crying out loudly, “Father, Your Majesty! I wish to personally interrogate these assassins!” His wife and many concubines had been killed, how could Zhao Ji swallow this grievance?

What he intended was to catch that damned mastermind, hoping it would turn out to be Zhao Yu, so he could avenge his wife and eliminate his greatest threat.

However, what Zhao Ji was thinking was completely different from what Zhao Kai was pondering; Zhao Kai’s mind was filled with thoughts that this matter must never be fully uncovered.

For he had already guessed there was a high likelihood that Zhao Yu was behind it: because apart from Zhao Yu, no one else in the Imperial Capital would have the audacity to orchestrate the assassination of Zhao Ji, the Crown Prince of the Empire.