Chapter 966
Zhou Xiu flees in panic
Chapter 966 Zhou Xiu flees in panic
"Ding, ding, ding!"
"It's dry, be careful with fire."
"Ding, ding, ding!"
"It's dry, be careful with fire."
Night in Beijing,
Eventually, the situation calmed down, and the people were able to live and work in peace and contentment. In the dead of night, only the night watchmen on the street, beating gongs, could bring a hint of the atmosphere of life.
After midnight,
A curfew was imposed on the streets of Beijing.
The Five Cities Military Department would send more people to the city gates at this time, and the city would be patrolled by the imperial guards. Tonight was no exception. However, outside the South Pacification Office, two thousand soldiers were already ready to go. There was already a clue that the Taiping Sect had infiltrated the rebel army.
"Everyone, get on your horses. We must search thoroughly tonight."
"Yes, my lord,"
Li Yun, the captain, had a cold face. He waved his hand and more than 2,000 imperial city guards mounted their horses. There was the sound of armor colliding, followed by the sound of horses' hooves, and they headed straight for the South City Gate.
now,
Ma Mengquan, the commander of the Southern Pacification Division, sent a number of hunters into the Anyang Mountains to search, and indeed found something strange. In order not to alert the enemy, he had to temporarily suspend his actions and mobilize elite troops from surrounding areas and the Northern Pacification Division to gather 5,000 troops to prepare to wipe out the bandit army.
Although the Five Cities Military Department also knew the news, when he heard that it was the Taiping Sect's bandit army lurking in the capital, Commander He was also jealous of these military achievements, but when he thought of the group of people in the Military Department, the brave soldiers were all guarding the city gates, except for the 3,000 heavy armored soldiers who were left behind, the rest were nothing more than eating and waiting to die. Those people from the Taiping Sect who could lurk in the capital were not easy to deal with. Since the Imperial City Department wanted to monopolize this matter, Commander He would not get involved.
On the top of the South City,
Tonight, Commander He, Fu Yuancheng, the co-governor of the Southern City Military Department, and Han Ling, the city gate guard, were standing on the top of the city wall. When they heard the sound of horse hooves coming from the inner city, Fu Yuancheng immediately gave the order;
"General Han, open the city gate and let them out,"
"Yes, my lord,"
Han Ling nodded and went down the city wall. This was all instructed by his master and the commander. He thought the Imperial City Department had already given notice.
After a while,
The cavalry team approached from far away. When they got close, they were all wearing heavy armor, reflecting a cold luster in the darkness. When they passed the city gate, there was only the sound of horse hooves, and no other noise. Han Ling's eyes flashed with a trace of solemnity. These were people from the Northern Pacification. It seemed that the Imperial City Bureau had invested a lot of money.
Soon, the cavalry passed by. Han Ling waved his hand, and the gate guards slowly closed the gate and put up the top wood. After checking that everything was correct, Han Ling returned to the tower to meet his master.
"Commander, Sir Fu, the city gates have been closed. I will check to make sure everything is safe."
"Okay, well done. Let's not tell anyone about what happened tonight. Only we should know about it."
He Yongxi nodded, and looked at the soldiers going away, feeling a little melancholy in his heart. He also knew about the massacre of the manor of Jinxianghou Mansion. After all, any movement near the capital would affect the whole body. Even the manor of his own mansion could not be guaranteed to be safe.
these days,
All the caravans were transporting wood and stone materials out of the city. It was good to build a fort, but who wouldn't feel sorry for the money? I sighed and lamented, "It's a troubled time."
"Yes, Commander, I understand. But I just discovered that the people who left the city didn't seem to be from the Southern Pacification Division, but rather from the Northern Pacification Division. Isn't it said that they have always been at odds with each other?"
Han Ling was a little surprised. He had been at the South City Gate for so long, but he had never seen the South Pacification Office so majestic.
"You are already an old man in the government office. There is no distinction between the north and south in the Imperial City Office. Not to mention the South Pacification Commander, even the thousand households and hundred households in it were all transferred from the North Pacification Office. The thousand households Li Yun who just led the troops out of the city is in the North Pacification Office, but he has been reporting to the South Pacification Office. Can you still tell the difference? We will not interfere in matters outside the city, but the city gate is of utmost importance. Yuan Cheng, you must pay attention to this place."
He Yongxi shook his head gently. He didn't know since when, the capital city had become increasingly unstable, especially the South City, which used to be the most leisurely place, but now it was the most troublesome place. How could he not be careful?
"Yes, Commander, I will never let my guard down. Whenever I am free, I will come here to inspect. General Han is a responsible person, so how dare I be distracted? I hope you can rest assured."
Fu Yuancheng clasped his hands together. He knew the old man's worries. The country was in turmoil. The princes from all over the country were about to enter the capital. In addition, the civil unrest in the south of the capital had already spread to all counties. People's minds were changing and the situation was turbulent. The capital naturally became the focus. The Five Cities Military Department was responsible for the security of the capital, and it was their duty.
"It's good that you have the intention. No matter how big the matter is, it's the business of the Beijing Camp and the Imperial Army. The Imperial City Department monitors the world, and we have no right to interfere. As the saying goes, less trouble is worse than more trouble. Although you may be avoiding it, you may not have no way to deal with it. Only in the capital city, you need to keep an eye on it. During the day, the Military Department will patrol, and at night, the Imperial Army will patrol. Don't slack off."
He Yongxi tightened his cloak. Although it was early summer, it was still too cold at night. This was not a good year.
"Yes, old sir, rest assured, I understand."
Fu Yuancheng looked cautious and clasped his fists in response. Now that things have come to this, what can we do? We can only hope that the world will be more stable. Now I am afraid that the eyes of the whole world are focused on Luo Yunhou. Nearly 500,000 troops are heading south. If Luo Yunhou is defeated, what will happen to the world? The idea suddenly appeared from nowhere, and Fu Yuancheng was so shocked that he quickly suppressed the idea in his mind and dared not think about it any further.
"Okay, now that this matter is over, I will go back. Be careful."
He Yongxi waved his hand. He was old and not as energetic as before, so he led his men down the tower. Fu Yuancheng and Han Ling bowed quickly.
"Farewell, sir,"
As the sound of wheels came from under the city wall, a group of people and horses protected the carriage and left the city gate. The two people on the tower breathed a sigh of relief.
"My Lord, I heard that the princes from various places will come to Beijing one after another to attend the birthday banquet of the emperor. It won't be long before they enter from the south city. By then, Marquis Luo Yun may not be able to come back."
Han Ling lowered his head. There were some things he couldn't say. If Marquis Luo Yun hadn't been there to stand up to the princes, who knows how they would have made such a fuss. His son was so domineering. He felt his scalp tingling instantly.
Fu Yuncheng's face turned a little ugly when he heard this.
"Humph, how can I not be worried? I dare not offend the leaders of this group of people, so they can only deal with us officials. Tomorrow, I will request the transfer of 1,000 heavy armored troops from the Military Department to the South City. You must remember that no matter who you are, you are not allowed to bring troops into the city. This is the bottom line."
Fu Yuancheng felt helpless, but he still had to remind people what he needed to do. The capital was an important place, and even a vassal king had to abide by the rules.
"Yes, sir, I understand. You should go back and rest. I will rest on the tower tonight."
It was late at night and the air was a little colder. Fu Yuancheng nodded, patted Han Ling's arm, and without saying much, he quietly went down the city wall with the steward, got on the carriage and left. It was a long time before the carriage disappeared at the end of the street.
South City,
At the bottom of the valley,
The leader of the Taiping Sect, Zhou Xiu, had been hiding at the bottom of the valley with his men. Three days had passed, but unfortunately, the imperial court soldiers were patrolling nearby, so they had no chance to get out.
"Report, Master, the imperial cavalry has just left, and three miles north of here, the officers and soldiers have set up a camp, and it seems that they intend to stay there for a long time."
From the cave entrance,
A leader of the altar quietly came back and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The imperial cavalry was coming more and more frequently.
Hearing these words, Zhou Xiu felt increasingly uneasy.
"What we did before didn't leave any loopholes, and the imperial court is actually following closely behind us. It seems that those henchmen of the Imperial City Department and the imperial court have invested a lot of money. By the way, have Lao Liang and the others returned?"
"Reporting to the hall master, the people have returned and are eating at the south end. More than half of the brothers who went out have died, and Liang Xiangzhu was also slightly injured."
The confidant beside him whispered that it was a blessing to be able to come back.
"Well, let him come over after dinner. You go down and set up the camp first. I feel a little uneasy tonight. Also, send someone to check the road in the back mountain. If anything goes wrong, we will retreat."
"Yes, Hall Master,"
The people around clasped their fists and immediately dispersed. Everything became quiet, and that feeling of uneasiness reappeared.
The Taiping Sect camp at the bottom of the valley,
Liang Xiangzhu and his brothers who had returned were sitting there eating. Many of them had torn clothes and pale faces. They had been fleeing for several days and looked like dogs that had lost their homes.
"Brother, what should we do next? This time, there are only a few of us old brothers left."
"Yes, Master Xiang, the court's henchmen have more sensitive noses than dogs. Will they be able to find this?"
The people around were eating, their eyes full of worry.
Liang Xiangzhu swallowed the naan in his hand in one gulp, drank a little water to pass the time, and replied;
"Brothers, this place is hidden. The number of the hawks and dogs of the Imperial City Division is not large. They will not enter the dense forests of the mountains on a large scale. Even if they can find us, it will not be now. Don't worry."
After eating and drinking a little, Liang Xiangzhu had already recovered some of his strength and went around to the west. Although there were many manors, they were more densely packed, and the manor guards did not leave the manors. Fortunately, there was an official road to Anyang, but he did not know if it was a way out.
"Master Liang, Master Zhou is looking for you,"
"Okay, I'll be right there." Looking back, it was Master Cheng Xiang who called him with a serious face. Boss Liang nodded, followed him, and entered the cave.
After walking a few steps, I saw Master Zhou sitting there with a worried look on his face. After walking closer, he clasped his fists and said;
"Master,"
"Sit down, Lao Liang, there is a way out to the west."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Master Zhou. There was no way out in the east, so he could only go to the west. However, the road to the west was very unfamiliar.
"Master, there is an official road to Anyang in the west. We can walk along the inner side of the mountains, or go directly into the mountains to save food. It should be possible."
Boss Liang gritted his teeth and advised directly that they could not take the official road. There were pursuers in the east, so they could only go through the mountains. There was nothing but water and food. They had already robbed so much. With enough water, they should be able to hold on. As long as they reached the south of Beijing, they would have a way to survive. Seeing the hesitant look of the hall master, Xiangzhu Liang advised again;
"Master, we came here to attract the court's attention. Now that our goal has been achieved, the remaining several thousand old brothers are all the old members of the Left Protector. If they all die here, how can we explain to the Left Protector? In addition, the court's lackeys will definitely bite us for military merit. They have set up camps outside and may dispatch troops to search for us. I think it is better to leave now, the sooner the better."
Zhou Xiu looked at his confidant in front of him, but he hesitated, so he nodded and ordered;
"Okay, in that case, let's do as you say. Quickly pack your bags and head south."
"Yes, Hall Master."
"Drive, drive,"
"Hurry, huh"
The northernmost section of the Anyang Mountains.
Li Yun, a captain of the Northern Pacification Division, and Zhang Tao, a captain of the Southern Pacification Division, had led two thousand imperial city guards to the dense forest south of Tongzhou City. In front of them was Ma Mengquan, the commander of the Southern Pacification Division. After many days of traveling, the commander was covered in dust.
"Report, sir, we have found a valley. We checked along the way and found that the Taiping sect bandits who escaped that day followed the vines at the cliff mouth and went down to the valley bottom to survive."
In front,
Shi Kai, the captain of the Southern Pacification Division, had already knelt on the ground to report. Within three days, he led the elite troops of the Pacification Division to go deep into the dense forest to investigate, and only then did he find a clue.
Seeing that the master was right in front of them, Li Yun and Zhang Tao did not dare to disturb him. They dismounted and walked up to him, standing there motionless.
"These thieves are quite clever. They hid at the bottom of the valley. They must have found another exit and ambushed us secretly. I think there is an exit at the headquarters of Prince Zhongshun's mansion, but it is hidden well."
Almost instantly,
Ma Mengquan sorted everything out.
Looking at the two who had returned, he asked;
"Have you finished your business?"
"Your Excellency, I have already mobilized 3,000 elite soldiers from the Northern Pacification Division, and they are ready to go down to the bottom of the valley at any time."
Li Yun quickly spoke up. This time he and Zhang Tao went back and mobilized 3,000 armored soldiers from the Northern Pacification Office, plus 2,000 cavalry, to ensure that nothing could go wrong.
"My Lord, two thousand cavalrymen have arrived and are ready to dismount and provide support at any time."
Zhang Tao was not slow either. The two thousand cavalry could be transformed into infantry at any time. These bandits had already killed many people. The pressure on the adults could be imagined. Now that they had finally found a clue, it was impossible for them to give up.
"Good, well done. Tonight, Captain Shi has already found out that there is a gap in the middle of the valley that can lead to the lower reaches. The valley south of Tongzhou City has been checked and no thieves were found. So, they are still in the west, or even near the palace. In order to avoid alerting the enemy, you all should follow me and ambush and kill them."
Ma Mengquan was holding a simple geomancy map in his hand, which he had someone carefully draw in the past few days. There was a straight line, representing the direction of the valley bottom. The east side had been crossed out, leaving only the west side. He guessed that the thief was here.
"Yes, sir, I am willing to be the pioneer,"
"Okay, get off your horse and chase after him,"
"Yes, my lord,"
Almost in an instant, four thousand elite guards of the Imperial City, armed with crossbows and long swords, rushed into the valley through a gap. The valley was humid and the vegetation was lush. Once the crowd dispersed in it, they disappeared. Only the chirping of insects in early summer could be heard.
"Sword and shield soldiers are in front, archers are behind, move forward carefully."
At the front were Li Yun and Zhang Tao, the captains of the army. They led the soldiers on the left and right, and walked side by side. After an hour of walking, the vegetation became much sparser, and the ground was not as slippery as before. At the end of the team was Ma Mengquan, who led the rear troops.
Looking at the geomancy map in his hand, he immediately ordered,
"We are almost there, Ling Chong. If you find any movement ahead, lead your troops to support us immediately and leave no one alive."
"Yes, sir, I understand."
The captain called Ling Chong, with a full beard and sinister eyes, is an old man from the Criminal Court of the Southern Pacification Division. Now he has been sent here by the commander to suppress the rebellion.
The night is bright,
There was rustling all around.
The Taiping sect members who had already packed up, half of them, led by Liang Xiangzhu himself, went to Anyang Pass first, went up the mountain to store their baggage,
The rest of the troops were taken care of by Hall Master Zhou himself. He ordered his men to block the entrance to the cave. When they had just blocked half of it, they noticed something was wrong at the bottom of the valley. It was supposed to be a night with birds and insects chirping, but it was unusually quiet tonight. His face changed and he immediately shouted;
"Master Chengxiang, be alert,"
Before he finished speaking, a hail of arrows from short crossbows came at him. In an instant, the brothers who were still on duty fell to the ground and wailed. Fortunately, they had already woken up and were ready to withdraw.
"Enemy attack, enemy attack,"
A shrill cry echoed through the valley.
"Kill,"
Following a loud shout from the officers and soldiers, the imperial troops rushed out like ghosts, followed by the sound of weapons clashing and screams!
"Master, hurry up! They are the henchmen of the Imperial City Department, coming from the east. We can't tell how many there are, they are so dense. Let's go up the mountain first. The people from the imperial court wearing heavy armor can't catch up with them."
Master Chengxiang has already brought his confidants into the cave, persuading them,
Zhou Xiu's face was gloomy. He didn't expect the imperial henchmen to come so quickly. Now that things have come to this, he can no longer hesitate.
"Okay, tell the brothers to fight and retreat at the same time, up the mountain, deep into the mountains,"
I don't hesitate either.
He took the long knife and rushed to the gap with his men. He went up the mountain first. Looking back, he saw that the brothers at the bottom of the valley had been entangled and were almost beaten. Looking to the east, he saw dense figures flashing. He didn't know how many people had come.
Zhou Xiu took a deep breath and shouted,
"Brothers, retreat quickly, up the mountain,"
In an instant,
The Taiping sect members who could run and walk at the bottom of the valley swarmed here and scrambled to climb up, so that almost all the sect members at the bottom of the valley were slaughtered. Zhou Xiu was so shocked that his eyes almost burst, but Cheng Xiangzhu held his arm tightly.
"Master, it will be too late if we don't leave now. You guys, drag the Master away."
"Yes,"
With the help of Master Chengxiang and his men, the crowd ran fast, up the mountain along the mountain path, and then ran down the mountain from the middle of the mountain, and soon they got rid of the imperial court's pursuers.
"Report, Sir, the bandits are too fast and have entered the depths of the mountains. The brothers can no longer chase them."
Looking at the panting Baihu Shi Kai,
Zhang Tao was so angry that he cursed;
"You useless bastard, we are too late. Pull the people back and guard the valley entrance."
"Yes, my lord."
Shi Kai nodded aggrievedly. Who would have thought that there was a way up the mountain from here? The brothers were all wearing heavy armor and the mountain road was rugged. How could they catch up? Isn't this difficult!
(End of this chapter)