Chapter 967
: Ambush and Fierce Battle in the Valley
Chapter 967: Ambush and Fierce Battle in the Valley
As the war ended,
The valley bottom was in a mess, and the pungent smell of blood kept coming. Ma Mengquan led his men to the west end of the valley, looked at the cave here, walked in, and saw a lot of food and water bags left here. The hole that should have been half filled had been dug open. He led his men out and climbed a slope. Sure enough, the hunting palace of the royal mansion was right in front of them.
Man proposes, God disposes. It is true.
"Report, sir, all the remaining soldiers at the bottom of the valley were killed, and only a few fled hastily to the depths of the Anyang Mountains. The brothers were heavily armored and could not catch up with them, so they escaped!"
Captain Zhang Tao knelt on the ground, looking a little unhappy. He had not yet accomplished his goal.
Ma Mengquan didn't care. He waved his hand and asked everyone to get up. He walked out of the cave and looked around. To the east, he heard the rumbling sound of horse hooves. It must be Yuan Qing who was on the road leading the warhorse.
"Get up, we have finally solved a major problem. You keep this on file and write a memorial when you go back. Tonight, we have wiped out more than 5,000 Taiping Sect troops marching north. The leader of the bandits was beheaded on the spot. The merit will be recorded. This commander will report it to the governor for review. However, we need to keep someone watching this place. No bandits can appear again."
Zhang Tao couldn't help but hear the hidden meaning in his words, so he quickly agreed.
"Yes, sir. I will keep these camps in my hands and send soldiers to patrol them every day. I will not let any thieves come out of the mountains."
"Well, just remember this. The Southern Pacification Division has not made any achievements so far. Today's battle is enough for us to complete our mission. Also, leave secret guards on the official road. We can't wait until something happens around the capital before we find out. It will be too late."
Ma Mengquan's eyes were gloomy. He thought that he could rest easy after ascending to a high position. Unexpectedly, the higher he went, the more he felt restricted. Moreover, the more he knew, the more he understood the difficulties of the court. Not to mention the four kings and eight dukes, the princes in the interior of the country were ready to make a move. Even the information from outside the country said that the power of Luo Yunhou was rapidly expanding. Although it was not clear how many troops he had, it was unbelievable that he could take in all the refugees sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the interior of the country.
But no one in the entire court, or even in the Imperial City Department, dared to report this matter. It was really strange.
"Withdraw the troops and return to the city,"
"Yes, my lord,"
Zhang Tao felt relieved and immediately returned to the cave to withdraw his troops.
The time of one stick of incense,
The Imperial City Army mounted their horses and hurried back to the capital.
We rode non-stop all the way, and just as we were about to enter the city gate,
The city gate in front had already been opened, and some voices could be heard faintly, which seemed to be good news!
Inside the palace,
The Hall of Nourishing Heart,
The lights were on, making the courtyard as bright as day.
The courtyard was surrounded by guards from the Imperial City. They were wearing shiny armor and holding spears, standing still like statues. In other hidden places, there were also people from the Imperial City Bureau patrolling the courtyard, guarding tightly.
The eunuch Yun Gonggong was inside the gate of the Yangxin Palace, and he took a nap on a reclining chair at the door. Around him, the inner palace eunuchs were in charge, and they led a group of eunuchs to explore around the Yangxin Palace.
The emperor has not been sleeping well these days.
Therefore,
The Yangxin Palace must always be kept bright, this is also what godfather instructed. After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Yunzi opened his eyes and asked;
"What time is it?"
"In reply to Eunuch Yun, it is already past the third watch, and there are still two hours until dawn."
The waitresses around him were supervising everything and answering carefully, fearing that there would be any mistakes. In the past few days, many waiters had been beaten with sticks.
"Well, you guys will have to work hard tonight. When it gets light, the guards will be replaced and you can go back and have a good rest. In addition, each of those who have been on duty for the past few days will be rewarded with five taels of silver."
"Thank you, Eunuch Yun, for your reward. I would like to thank you on their behalf."
The eunuch in charge was very happy. Fortunately, it was Eunuch Yun who was in charge of them. If it was the old ancestor, he would have been beaten more.
"Ah."
He waved his hand,
He lay down again, covered himself with a blanket and took a nap, thinking that his godfather would be back from the Ministry of Internal Affairs tomorrow.
Just thinking,
But they didn't know that several messengers came to the Meridian Gate of the Imperial Palace, ran to the Imperial City, dismounted, and immediately shouted,
"Good news from Daliang City, urgent delivery of 800 miles,"
"Good news from Daliang City, urgent delivery of 800 miles,"
The voice was hoarse and tired. After several days of traveling, changing horses but not people, they finally arrived at the imperial city.
After the messenger dismounted, he could hardly stand and was immediately supported by the soldiers of the imperial guards. The captain on duty, Sun Shan, yawned and was almost frightened by the shouts of several people.
I hurried over and asked,
"But Marquis Luo Yun sent a message,"
"Yes, sir,"
The messenger was already exhausted and panting, trembling all over, standing against the wall. Seeing this, Sun Shan quickly sent someone over to help the man in.
"Hurry, help him in and have someone prepare some tea."
"Yes, Captain,"
After a lot of noise,
coincidentally,
The commander of the Wumen Imperial Guard tonight was Yu Dingzhi, who was on rotation here. Upon hearing the commotion below the city, he led his men down the tower early.
Looking at the messenger in front of him, he took a few steps forward and asked;
"But what about the urgent news from the front? Where's the letter?"
"General, here is this, written by Marquis Luo Yun and Prince Jin, express delivery of 800 miles."
After taking a breath, he took out the secret box from his arms and handed it over.
Yu Dingzhi took it and checked it carefully. After making sure it was correct, he immediately ordered,
"Sun Shan, you stay here and guard this gate for me. I will go to Yangxin Palace to report immediately."
"Yes, General, I will obey your orders."
Sun Shan did not take it lightly today. All the guards at the gates of the imperial city received orders from the governor. No matter where the report came from, they had to be sent to the Yangxin Palace immediately upon receiving it. They must not be neglected. Originally, they could take a nap while on duty, but now they have not slept well for several days and nights.
Yu Dingzhi said nothing more, took the secret box, and hurried into the palace with a team of imperial guards.
After a while of walking,
When we got to the Yangxin Palace,
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he was stopped by the guards.
"Who is coming?"
"The commander of the Wumen Imperial Guard is Dingzhi, please see Eunuch Dai. At the city gate, Marquis Luo Yun and His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin are rushing for 800 miles."
After he finished speaking, almost everyone turned their eyes to the secret gate wrapped in bright yellow brocade in General Yu's arms.
The captain on duty clasped his fists and said;
"Please wait a moment, General. I will go back and report."
After saying this, he turned and ran towards the Yangxin Palace. As footsteps were heard, Eunuch Yun in the inner palace could not fall asleep. He stood up and led a group of eunuchs to take a look.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw the captain of the imperial guards on duty running up to him and asking;
"Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Replying to Eunuch Yun, Marquis Luo Yun and His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin have urgently reported to the capital and have been escorted outside the courtyard by General Yu."
The captain did not dare to neglect and answered quickly.
As soon as this word comes out,
Eunuch Yun stirred and immediately regained consciousness. He walked quickly to the gate of the courtyard with his men. As expected, he saw General Yu there. He approached him and asked,
"Where's the secret gate?"
"Greetings, Eunuch Yun, the secret gate is here. The messenger is still resting at the Meridian Gate. They said that there is good news from Daliang City, and the message must be sent urgently for 800 miles. They didn't say anything else!" Yu Dingzhi hurriedly presented the secret gate in his arms with both hands, with some excitement on his face. It has only been a few days since the good news came. Marquis Luo Yun is really powerful. The thought flashed through his mind.
Looking at the bright yellow brocade, Eunuch Yun's heart tightened. The whole capital had been turbulent in the past few days. Fortunately, it was a victory message. After reaching out to take it, he checked it with the light of the torch to make sure it was correct before wrapping it up again with brocade and putting it away.
"General Yu, thank you for your hard work. The guards of the Meridian Gate will require your attention these days. Send a messenger and someone will come to reward you tomorrow morning. You can go back first."
"Yes, thank you, eunuch."
After the secret gate was delivered, Yu Dingzhi quickly said goodbye and led the imperial guards back to the Meridian Gate. There were some things that he could not ask about.
After collecting the secret gate, Xiao Yunzi hesitated a little. He returned to the Yangxin Palace with the secret gate in his arms, but did not go directly to the East Warm Pavilion. The eunuchs behind him were puzzled when they saw that Eunuch Yun did not go to the East Warm Pavilion to announce the good news, but they did not dare to say much. Only Eunuch Chang, his confidant, seemed to know what Eunuch Yun was thinking, and came over and whispered;
"Eunuch Yun, the Yin hour is almost over,"
Like a reminder,
Xiao Yunzi did not move, but ordered;
"You guys, stay here and stop anyone who comes. Xiao Changzi, follow me in."
"Yes, Eunuch Yun."
Several eunuchs were in charge of the affairs, standing with their heads bowed. The eunuchs around them lowered their heads and dared not move. Only the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard in the hall.
Arriving outside the East Warm Pavilion,
Eunuch Yun winked at the eunuchs who were accompanying him, and they all stopped and waited there. He just gently opened the door, walked in carefully, walked to the screen curtain, and called out softly,
"Godfather, Godfather,"
The sound was not loud, but it was extremely harsh in the silent room.
As soon as there is a noise,
Dai Quan in the room opened his eyes, touched his robe and put it on. Hearing the voice behind the screen, he knew it was Xiao Yunzi.
After getting up,
He walked out carefully, and saw Xiao Yunzi standing there stealthily. He knew something was wrong, so he didn't say much. Instead, he put on his clothes and walked out of the house, asking;
"what's up?"
"Godfather, the urgent report was sent at Yinshi, written by Marquis Luo Yun and His Royal Highness Prince Jin, an urgent victory report from Daliang City 800 miles away. My son has carefully checked it, and there is no problem."
Xiao Yunzi was slightly excited and handed over the secret gate wrapped in his arms. Dai Quan was stunned for a moment, and then overjoyed. The emperor had been waiting for this day. He hurriedly opened the package. The sandalwood secret gate was sealed with red sealing lacquer. Yes, it was this thing.
"Okay, okay, I'll give you credit for your contribution, but the emperor has just fallen asleep, so it's not appropriate to disturb him. Please keep your voices down."
Although Dai Quan gave the order in a mature and prudent manner, even the quietest words could be heard far away in the silent room.
"Dai Quan, what's going on outside?"
Several people paused. The emperor was still awake. Dai Quan's eyes were filled with distress. He took the secret gate and quickly entered. Only Xiao Yunzi followed him. He first lit a candle to illuminate the room.
"Your Majesty, this is a handwritten letter from Marquis Luo Yun and His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin, reporting victory from Daliang City, urgent delivery from Bali."
During the conversation, Dai Quan was so excited that he burst into tears, with a hint of crying in his voice.
"What, okay, haha, okay,"
Almost instantly,
Emperor Wu woke up and laughed. He had been waiting for so many days. He lifted the quilt and said roughly:
"Quick, bring the secret gate over here,"
"Yes, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, don't worry. It's very cold at night. Xiao Yunzi, change your clothes quickly."
Dai Quan stood up, put the secret door on the table, took the dragon robe and walked over. The two of them hurriedly helped Emperor Wu put on the robe, then helped Emperor Wu sit down. Looking at the secret door in front of him, Emperor Wu immediately opened it, took out the secret letter and began to read it.
Your Majesty,
Your servant, Marquis Luo Yun, the King of Jin, is deeply awed and terrified and bows his head twice.
I am reporting to Your Majesty today. Since the Taiping Rebellion, the imperial court has lost many counties south of Beijing. The siege of Daliang City is imminent, and the people south of Beijing are in dire straits. The situation is devastating. I, Zhang Jinyu, follow Your Majesty's divine order and go south with His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin.
Now, under the city of Tongzhou, we have set fire to the enemy's Hongyun. One day ago, we fought a bloody battle with the elite main force of the Taiping Sect to the north of Daliang City and the east of the Anyang Mountains for four hours. The enemy army was defeated and our army won a great victory. This battle directly wiped out more than 200,000 elite main forces of the enemy army, thus lifting the siege of Daliang City.
This is due to your Majesty's great fortune and the soldiers' dedication. I have also attached the military achievements of each camp. Later, I have continued to raise troops and attack Linshan County City. For the subsequent suppression, I will carefully plan and live up to your Majesty's trust.
Your Highness, I, Marquis Luo Yun and King of Jin, respectfully submit this memorial to pray for Your Majesty’s well-being!
"Good, good, good, Marquis Luo Yun has lived up to my expectations, has lived up to my expectations,"
After reading the letter,
Emperor Wu said several good words, and the heart that had been hanging for several days finally settled down. The main force of the Taiping Sect was weakened by half, and the remaining ones were not to be feared. All they had to do was to prevent the White Lotus Sect from joining forces with the Taiping Sect thieves.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty. Marquis Luo Yun lived up to Your Majesty's trust and joined forces with King Jin. He is truly fearless."
Dai Quan came over, carefully poured a bowl of hot tea for His Majesty, and placed it on the table.
"You old fellow, you actually said that this battle is led by Marquis Luo Yun, and it has nothing to do with Prince Jin. Also, send someone to tell Prince Beijing Shui Rong to hold back the White Lotus thieves to buy time for Marquis Luo Yun."
Emperor Wu opened the military merit book again and took a look at the list. They were all generals from the Beijing camp, as well as a list of officers and soldiers who had died in battle. But why was it so thick? He took it and looked at it carefully. More than 30 lieutenants, more than 40 deputy generals, more than 200 lieutenants, more than half of the main generals were injured, more than half of the imperial guards were lost, etc. He looked at the last signature, which was written by Luo Yunhou and King Jin.
The joy that had just appeared on his face disappeared immediately. He compared the two again and was absolutely sure that he was not mistaken. The loss was so great, and so many officers died. How could this happen?
I searched through the secret door again and found a note at the very back, which read:
"Your Majesty, I led my army to fight against the bandits and found something different. Among them, there were 100,000 bandits who looked like the imperial court, fully equipped with weapons and armor, and skilled in battle formations. After discussing with the King of Jin, I used all my cavalry to encircle and annihilate them. I guess these soldiers are not from the Taiping Sect, but from the imperial court."
Looking at the signature again, it is still written by Luo Yunhou and King Jin.
The more Emperor Wu looked at him, the gloomier his expression became. He became angry.
Dai Quan, who was serving beside him, was somewhat puzzled and asked;
"Your Majesty, is there anything wrong?"
"Humph, not only is it inappropriate, it is simply playing me and the court with their hands. Come, take a look, there are 100,000 soldiers and armors, who has the strength to do this, and who is behind this?"
Dai Quan almost forced out the words through his teeth. He realized something was wrong and immediately took the note from the table and glanced at it. He was shocked and immediately knelt on the ground.
"Your Majesty, it is my fault that I failed to do my job well and failed to find out the information about Jingnan. If what the Marquis said is true, there are only a few people who have this ability. I think only Yu Shiyuan, the governor of Jingnan, has the right to mobilize troops. But I couldn't find Yu Shiyuan's whereabouts, so I deserve to die."
Although the secret reports investigated by the Imperial City Bureau all pointed to Yu Shiyuan, the former governor of southern Beijing, they had no evidence. In addition, Lord Yu's family was no different from ordinary people, even the way he went out to buy food every day was the same. If they really confiscated their property, it would definitely cause unrest in the court. With the birthday banquet of the retired emperor approaching, how could they create trouble?
"Hmph, I can't find out. If it was really him, there would be no way he wouldn't leave clues. Yu Shiyuan, that old guy, wanted to go to Jingnan all along. Seeing his loyalty and courage, I reluctantly agreed to his request. After all, there were many things involved, and the Su family also needed him to clean up the mess. I never thought that he would raise a traitor. I know what's going on, and I vaguely feel that it might be related to what happened ten years ago."
Emperor Wu suppressed his anger.
He was also sorting out some things in his mind. If you were to ask who had the ability, there were several princes in the interior who had it, but there were probably not many who could really do it perfectly. Such a large-scale transportation of supplies and weapons would certainly not be concealed. Even if the princes were very careful, there were many secret agents in their fiefdoms, so it was impossible for them to get nothing. Therefore, there had been no secret reports yet, which meant that someone else had done it.
another,
It was the secret of the capital ten years ago. The Su family almost lost their lives for Prince Yi Zhong. Although Yu Shiyuan was away, he was my eldest brother's teacher after all. It was understandable that he could do these things, but for whom was he doing this?
Only Dai Quan, who was kneeling on the ground, had sweat on his forehead. The matter of Prince Yizhong was a taboo in the capital, involving too many people. Besides, the old prince had already passed away, so he quickly bowed his head and said;
"Your Majesty, the past events are already a thing of the past. Few people know about what happened ten years ago, and even fewer are still alive today. Regardless of whether it is true or false, or they have other purposes, Luo Yunhou's grace to the Chengtian family swept all the way, even if it is true, what is the use, after all, it is just a dream."
There are some things you can say, and some things you can't say. Today, the emperor should be calm and not lose his composure, so he said this.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Wu turned his gaze to look at Dai Quan, who was kneeling on the ground, with a smile on his face.
"You old fellow, you are the only one who can see clearly. Get up. You must take care of all the places in the south. They all want to come to the capital. How can I not agree? For so many years, I also hope that you brothers can make some progress."
He shook his head slightly. If they really had the courage of Prince Yi Zhong, the position of Crown Prince would not have been his. Brother Prince Zheng brought out the troops, but in the end they retreated in disgrace. How could such cowardly people participate in the rebellion in southern Jing? Or maybe someone was connecting them together. Who was that person?
Emperor Wu thought about it over and over, but was puzzled. After his eldest brother died in the East Palace in the capital, even if some of the remnants escaped, it would be of no use, unless, Emperor Wu's face turned pale with horror, unless, his eldest brother was not dead!
(End of this chapter)