stubborn thief

Chapter 218 The Rebellion
Liu Chengzong reined in his horse and stood on the main street connecting east and west in Pingliang City, facing north.

In his hand was the Dismounting Stele, which was facing the Lingxing Gate of King Han's Mansion guarded by two soldiers. The glazed tiles of the palace covered by the tall gate tower were blackened, and the gate with red lacquer and gold nails opened to him.

Zhou Riqiang stood under the city gate and waved to him, the envoy from the imperial court stood aside with his entourage, and the eunuch in python robe folded his arms and looked at him.

The faces of the soldiers guarding the city gate showed indescribable joy. Everyone in the Lion Camp understood that of course they could stay here and fight on all sides until they were beaten to the brim.

Liu Chengzong said to himself in his heart, it was only one step away.

He is only one step away from getting out of trouble. He will be the king of the West Sea and the co-lord of the snowy region.

Liu Chengzong took a deep breath and walked towards the city gate with his head held high.

At this moment, the sound of hoofs trampling on the ground came from the long street in the east, Liu Chengzong turned his head, and Wei Qian'er, who was slightly panicked, was on horseback.

Wei Qian'er was in a hurry, and he reined in his mount ten steps away. He was almost pushed off. He got off his horse and walked quickly to the front. ,problem occurs."

"An hour ago, Dai Daozi's troops fought against the Guanning army's pond soldiers at Huanglong Waterfall, a hundred miles away. Now Dai's troops gathered the Wutang horsemen and retreated for [-] miles. The Guanning army's soldiers and horses should be more than [-]. Alone on horses, they have entered the valley of the Jing River."

"But they are marching westward in a hurry!" Wei Qian'er lowered his voice and said, "It is estimated that they will reach Jiangou River tonight, and they will reach Sishlipu at noon tomorrow."

At the first moment, Liu Chengzong looked at Wei Qian'er and said nothing.

He forced himself to calm down, knowing why Wei Qian'er was so panicked.

He also had doubts about this in his heart. He didn't want to know why Guan Ningjun appeared here. He just wanted to know what Guan Ningjun appeared in Jinghe Valley at this time.
It shows that all his early warning arrangements other than Tangqi, Fu Renxi at Yongheguan, He Yong at Yuhebao, Gao Yingxiang at Shiziwan, Ren Quaner at Ansai Institute, and Yang Yanchang, the vanguard officer of the Guanning Army, all failed .

That's why Wei Qian'er was so flustered.

But Guan Ning's army didn't come early or late, but today the palace officials have arrived, and tomorrow will be the most relaxed day for the entire lion camp, and the troops are approaching the city.

Although he still doesn't know what went wrong, he is very clear in his heart that it is not surprising that there are problems in every link of what he does.

Under the sudden change of mind, Liu Chengzong suppressed his dissatisfaction and looked as usual.

"The enemy is still eighty miles away, you have done a good job." He raised his hand to straighten Wei Qian'er's wrinkled collar: "Go and ask Mr. Yang and Chief Feng to come to Hanwang's mansion and call the lion camp right Outside the sentry, all the ministries gather in the east of the city, put on the armor and prepare the mules, and let our heroes lead the horses."

Liu Chengzong's calmness made Wei Qian'er regain his composure, and he solemnly clasped his fists and took the order to leave.

King Han stood at a loss, he heard everything, Tang Qi's experience and Liu Chengzong's deployment, all in his ears.

When the war comes, even if you are a prince, you are just a small person caught in it.

So he immediately stated his position: "Grandma, let me say that the fourth ancestor's family has no good people!"

Unexpectedly, Liu Chengzong just smiled at him relaxedly, very calmly, as if he had expected everything a long time ago: "Let's go, Your Highness King Han, let's go to receive the order."

It was nothing more than a letter to declare war, and Liu Chengzong gave Fan Sanlang a wink.

In addition to cheating relatives for money, Han Wang's little wisdom may have saved his life. Originally, Liu Chengzong wanted to be half a step behind him, but he couldn't hold back this guy.

In the end, it was only Liu Chengzong who swaggered forward and led Han Wang to the Lingxing Gate.

Fan Sanlang lagged behind a little, pulled out the Franji hand gun from his waist, loaded the gun, nimbly bit off the paper cover of the fire box, ignited the matchlock, and lifted the gun with the knife at the same pace.

Zhou Riqiang didn't know what happened, he was just happy that the mission Yang He entrusted to him was about to be accomplished in such a daze.

In retrospect, I was frightened a few times, but it was nothing more than a near miss.

Now that the mission is about to be fulfilled, and he doesn't expect Yang He to fulfill his promise to get him a fourth-rank official position, he plans to resign and return to his hometown in Baoding Mansion.

Among the government and the opposition, there are not many people who have experienced him like this, especially during the days when Riqiang and Liu Chengzong were together. Maybe he didn't feel it himself, but the court's Ningzhou magistrate has indeed firmly believed that the chaos in the world will last for a long time No doubt.

He plans to go home and write a book, which can not only record what he has seen and heard, but also remind the world, not to mention that with the prospering style of writing in today's ruling and opposition school magazines, publishing books may make more money than fourth-rank officials.

His mind was completely immersed in the imagination of the future, and he turned a blind eye to Wei Qian'er galloping towards him, and then galloped away after a while.

However, he still remembered that he introduced Cao Huachun, the courtier of the Emperor, "Eunuch Cao, that is General Liu."

Cao Huachun has been watching Liu Chengzong for a long time, and he nodded strongly to Sunday and said: "Sure enough, young and mighty, Second Brother Liu is really lucky."

Said, Liu Chengzong has brought Han Wang to the front.

Cao Huachun was not very satisfied with him walking ahead of the King of Han, but he didn't say much. He cupped his hands and said with a smile: "Your Highness, King Han, this must be General Liu. Husband Feng was born on the ground and started at the end of Qingping."

"The emperor's grandfather said that it's not entirely your fault that the country's youngsters become thieves. Since the general sincerely asks for appeasement, your majesty has the beauty of an adult, and I will grant you your wish."

The letter that Liu Chengzong handed over to the imperial court was also read by Chongzhen later, and it was written with sincerity. Therefore, as Cao Huachun expected, Liu Chengzong, who was still looking forward to Zixiong a moment ago, should accept his head and thank him.

Unexpectedly, Liu Chengzong just laughed and said: "Then the father-in-law will declare the decree."

Cao Huachun is a man who came out of the palace fighting for power and profit. He could see Liu Chengzong's smile full of hostility at a glance. He took the imperial decree from the entourage of the Jing army and held it in his hand. He was not in a hurry to read it, but asked: "The general is out?" What happened?"

"I haven't had an accident."

As soon as Liu Chengzong's words fell, he raised his hand and snatched the imperial decree from Cao Huachun's palm.

Cao Huachun and Zhou Riqiang, no one thought that such a thing would happen when they were about to be appointed as officials, even Han Wang who was beside him didn't expect Liu Chengzong to snatch the imperial decree.

So much so that everyone was stunned for a moment, several Jing soldiers behind Cao Huachun drew their swords out, and at the same time Liu Chengzong shouted loudly from behind: "Who dares to move!"

Fan Sanlang aimed at Cao Huachun with a blunderbuss in his left hand and a knife in his right hand at Jingjun, blocking Liu Chengzong.

Cao Huachun had never been pointed at with a pistol like this before, although his face did not show panic and cowardice, his heart was really sweating: "General Liu, what do you mean?"

Sunday Qiang also said anxiously: "General Liu, this, good things are coming soon, you!"

Liu Chengzong ignored them and just unfolded the imperial decree.

The bright yellow satin of excellent texture is embroidered with auspicious clouds and auspicious cranes by craftsmen with a unique weaving method. There are silver dragons on both sides of the scroll, and the word Feng is written in excellent fonts on the first auspicious cloud in the upper right corner.

Start another line with a taller 'Tian Chengyun', and another line parallel to 'Emperor Zhaoyue Leader Liu Chengzong', followed by a simple text.

He made meritorious service in leading the righteous people to join the Wei Fan, and was awarded the Qinghai Local Xuan Wei Shi Xuan Wei Shi, Shi Zhen Xi Fan, Qin this.

Chongzhen three years, August [-]th.

This decree is written like a fake.

Liu Chengzong laughed again: "The majestic monarch wants to kill me for being reckless, so why cheat?"

"Men don't understand." Cao Huachun was pointed at by the pistol, and his tone was quite firm: "The emperor's grandfather still has a letter for you, and an imperial edict for your brother. He ordered all men to wear it Come on, who lied to you!"

"Your Majesty sincerely appeases you, why are you so disrespectful?"

"Sincerely soliciting?"

When Liu Chengzong asked, the sounds of orderly running and the clang of horseshoes on the ground could already be heard on the long street.

Teams of lion battalion sergeants crossed the long street in a six-way column, and the servants who were practicing in the martial arts field in the west of the city were separated from the torrent of pulling mules and horses, and passed in front of the gate of King Han's mansion, disarming and taking down all the soldiers. .

Feng Ru came sooner, and Yang Dingrui came after him. Seeing the situation at the city gate, he stepped forward and said, "Lion, what's going on? I heard from Wei Qian'er that the Guan Ning army entered the valley?"

Liu Chengzong handed over the imperial decree to Yang Dingrui, and turned to Cao Huachun with a cold eyebrow: "Just use the Guan Ning army who entered the valley to appease you?"

"Guan, Guan Ningjun?"

Cao Huachun's eyes widened, and he turned his head to look at Zhou Riqiang without knowing it: "No, I met Yang Xiuling in Ningzhou before I came, and he said that you have sent a letter to Cao Wenzhao, and let him go back to Shanxi!"

Sunday Qiang closed his eyes in distress and looked up to the sky and sighed deeply. This is all bullshit. When he opened his eyes again, he shook his head at Liu Chengzong and said: "Marshal, I have always been by your side, and I don't know anything about it."

The King of Han also asked Cao Huachun: "Eunuch Cao, what is going on, Your Majesty wants to trap me, Han Fan, to death?"

When Cao Huachun heard this, he immediately became anxious: "His Royal Highness, this is definitely not His Majesty's intention. How could His Majesty put the vassal kingdom in danger...General Liu, is it really the Guan Ning Army?"

"An hour ago, they fought with my Tangqi a hundred miles away. It's still fake, pretending to be the Guan Ning army. Shaanxi still has this talent?"

King Han had just come out of fear until now.

He was finally sure that Liu Chengzong didn't intend to kill him even when he was furious, and now his thinking became clear.

He whispered to Liu Chengzong in a low voice: "Your Majesty, according to Xiao Wang, although there are no good people in the family of the fourth ancestor, the eunuch Cao was the emperor's great companion when he believed in the king. I haven't heard of any mistakes he made. Get in too."

King Han cleared his throat and said loudly, "I think the general calmed down a little. There may be some misunderstanding here."

"Guan Ning doesn't come sooner or later. Today I am comforted, and tomorrow the whole battalion relaxes. Guan Ning's soldiers came to the city and wiped me out."

Liu Chengzong said: "According to His Royal Highness King Han, heh, what misunderstanding can there be?"

Cao Huachun gasped, touched his bare chin and said to himself: "Could it be that Guan Ning's army has mutinied again?"

Liu Chengzong crossed his arms: What the hell is "again" mutiny?

But Cao Huachun thought about it, and shook his head again. Yuan Chonghuan was imprisoned earlier, and Zu Dashou led his troops back out of the pass in fear, but Cao Wenzhao didn't run away.

Then he stared again, could it be, could it be that Yuan Chonghuan's head was sent to Yansui Town?

Cao Huachun couldn't figure it out, let alone who exactly transferred Cao Wenzhao's troops to Pingliang Mansion at this time.

Isn't this trying to kill him and the kings of Han Fan?
Thinking of this, Cao Huachun said: "The general will send someone to ask Governor Yang again?"

Liu Chengzong refused straight away, and the valley was only five or six miles wide. Instead of sending someone to pass a meaningless letter with a narrow escape, it would be better to fight them directly.

He thought to himself that he shouldn't have anything to do with this dysfunctional court.

He feels very much like playing a game now.

The main task of the game is to collect information from the four ministers around you, screen it by yourself, and find the information that can be used.

The four ministers are Zhu Danyi, a life-saving expert, Zhou Riqiang, who pretends to have a beard, and Yang He, who lives in the lines.

The name of the game is the role-playing of Emperor Chongzhen.

When the country is normal, each of the four should know what this army does.

Now Liu Chengzong can only extract two useful news.

First, from Han Wang who would not joke about his own life, Han Fan is not very important, but this eunuch is very important to Chongzhen, which means that this army was not sent by the emperor.

Second, from the eunuch who was very important to Chongzhen, Guan Ningjun mutinied again.

Liu Chengzong felt that the second point was [-]% unreliable. How could Cao Wenzhao, who had killed the Quartet in Shanshan and Shanshan provinces in his memory, mutiny here?
On the contrary, assuming that the Guan Ning army did not mutiny, then Cao Wenzhao should have come to suppress the rebellion.

"Eunuch Cao is right. Since the governors of the three sides sent him back to Shanxi, they are here. They must have mutinied! Isn't it?"

Liu Chengzong looked at King Han very seriously: "They know that I have been pacified, and this is where Han Fan is. Your Highness, these people want to capture the Fan Kingdom."

Han Wang is not stupid, he knows what Liu Chengzong means, whether Guan Ning is not Guan Ning, who cares what they are doing, Han Fan is safe now, but it will not be safe if these people come.

If I turn back and burn the East Palace to the Lord, and then build a small castle on the east side, I will owe Liu Chengzong another 2000 taels.

He blew his nose and stared: "We can't let them get close to the feudal kingdom."

"That's right, they were not sent by the emperor, and they didn't respect the orders of the governors of the three sides, and the king of Han didn't let them get close to the vassal state."

Liu Chengzong is not angry now, he is even very happy.

It wasn't that he was happy to go to war as a matter of course, but because of this incident, he could justifiably skip the entire recruiting procedure and still go to war.

"Chairman Feng helped Mr. Yang defend the city." He reached out and took the imperial decree from Mr. Yang, grabbed the decree shaft vertically with his left hand and spread it out, and pointed to it with his right hand. I'm going to Wei Fan to quell the rebellion again."

After finishing speaking, the imperial decree was stuffed into Yang Dingrui's hand, he turned his head and left, but was stopped by Yang Dingrui: "You might as well wait and fight tomorrow."

"I know!" Liu Chengzong said with a smile: "The weather is still hot and dry at noon, I'm in the west and he's in the east, and the sun is behind me in the afternoon, he's not yet settled down in camp today, my horse is too much, I'll kick him first in the evening, Let's fight against him tomorrow afternoon."

Cao Huachun didn't even realize why Liu Chengzong was so happy when he heard about the war, and then saw Sunday Qiang sighing and shaking his head beside him.

"A few days earlier, Governor Yang appeased and restrained him, unwilling to start a war; a few days later, he he he he..." Zhou Qiang waved west: "He couldn't fight even if he went to Qinghai, but today."

He turned his head and sighed again, and said to Cao Huachun, "Eunuch Cao, do you know that this Liu Shizi has been waiting for Cao Wenzhao for a month!"

　Good morning!I thought I could finish this chapter yesterday, but it ended up here.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)