Chapter 101 - 100 The Secret Passage
The Tongguan Palace is the palace where the Sovereign of Gen resides. It’s said that in the past, the Great General actually stationed his troops on the old site of the Tongguan Palace, training soldiers and guarding the Northern Fan. Later, as the military camp expanded, the Ye Capital City gradually took shape.
Later on, after the great victory in the Northern Expedition, the world was pacified, and the seas were cleared. Emperor Wu undertook massive construction projects, using the wealth heaped up like mountains in the arsenal and inner treasury to build the three platforms: Copper Stork, Golden Phoenix, and Jade Qilin.
Among them, Tongguan Palace, entirely cast in copper, occupies the largest area, standing ten zhang high with a hundred and one rooms. A copper stork on the rooftop spreads its wings as if flying, and on the platform, pavilions connect in series, with flying eaves and exquisite carvings, showcasing magnificent grandeur. Naturally, it became the palace for successive Sovereigns of Gen.
However, as Zhen Baiyu mentioned, by now the Tongguan Palace was deserted, as urgent reports had just arrived that morning, saying the Kan Army had massacred a hundred thousand people. The people of Ye Capital hadn’t even had time to don mourning clothes before they rushed to court and found out, well, the Sovereign had already fled across the Gen River! Isn’t this just ridiculous??
As a result, a large number of officials lost their lives following the Sovereign in the southward escape, leaving only those of lower status, who hadn’t the qualifications to enter the palace and missed the opportune moment due to lack of information. Of course, there was a very small number who, due to their longstanding residence in Genzhou and lack of considerable family property in the south, voluntarily stepped forward to host the defense.
By the time the majority reacted, the vanguard horse riding troops were rolling southward. Attempting to flee south with family in tow became impossible as the mountain passes were blocked, and no boats could be found at the ferries, so they simply chose not to flee. Giving in—they thought—better to surrender as one form of obeisance is always the same.
Therefore, outside the Tongguan Palace now, only a few soldiers were guarding the palace gates, preventing riotous people from entering to plunder. It seems a smart person had the foresight to prepare to present this platform intact to the new master, as an offering of loyalty.
Tie Dan, under Zhen Baiyu’s guidance, entered the city by scaling walls and crossing ponds through a side gate and found a side hall of the cold palace beneath the Copper Crane Platform.
"This well is where the Great General once diverted Zhang River water underneath this platform, leading through secret passages to the Xuanwu Pond, used for training the navy.
Following the secret passage down the well, you can stealthily sneak out along the Zhang River secret passage underneath the Imperial Music Bureau."