Gu Wen stepped out of the carriage and saw that the royal residence was surrounded by imperial guards in heavy armor, all equipped with spears, crossbows, swords, and shields.
The average armor weight of a Daqian soldier was forty kilograms, while the typical imperial guard wore iron lamellar armor, weighing up to fifty kilograms, which under normal circumstances could not be worn every day. Inside Bianjing, the daily attire of the imperial guards was cloth armor and chain mail, so the ability to wear iron lamellar armor on a daily basis meant they must be the elite of the imperial guard, and the most loyal soldiers of the Emperor.
One of the imperial guard's three divisions was the esteemed guard.