Ming Zuo

Chapter 769 Smoke from Ancestral Graves
What Zuo Menggeng said to Yang Yipeng was not a forecast, but a fact.

On the day when Shandong's new army came to Huai'an Mansion, the Northwest Rebel Army had already broken through Fengyang.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Shangyuan Festival.

The breath of the new year has not dissipated, and people still live leisurely.

On this day, from early in the morning, the streets of Fengyang were extremely lively.

Walking around the streets to buy food, going in and out of temples to offer incense and pray for blessings, and grass troupe performing juggling everywhere on the street.

In this chaotic era, it is rare for ordinary people to have such a day of peace.

Fengyang, also known as Zhongdu, was built by Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, taking the meaning of "standing in the middle of the world and governing the people of the world".

Since it is called the capital, there will naturally be a palace.

There is also the Forbidden City in Fengyang City.

There are four gates in the Forbidden City, namely Meridian Gate, Donghua Gate, Xihua Gate and Xuanwu Gate.

In addition to the main hall in the Forbidden City, there are two halls of Wenhua and Wuying, two buildings of Wen and Wu, three palaces of East, West and Hou, Jinshui River and Jinshui Bridge, etc.;
Other national institutions such as Zhongshu Province, Taimiao, Dadudufu, Yushitai, and Dasheji have also been established.

Inside and outside the city of Zhongdu, there are also Town God's Temple, Guozijian, Huitong Pavilion, Star Observatory, Million Warehouse, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, etc. There are [-] workshops, [-] streets and alleys, three markets, and two downtown entrances. A bustling capital city.

On the barren land of northern Anhui, Fengyang's appearance was so abrupt and deformed.

At noon that day, a pilgrimage team came to Fengyang City along the official road on the south bank of the Huaihe River.

I saw that the team was very large, with gongs, drums and guards of honor as the guide.

Dozens of gongs and drums were carried by a group of big men, knocking as they walked, very mighty.

Behind them there was a long line of people holding scented wax and carrying sacrifices, which was several tens of feet away.

Behind them, there are rows of strong men on horseback. The strong men are still holding high the flags fluttering in the wind, which is really spectacular from a distance.

Behind the horse team, there were still pedestrians who could not see the end. It is not known whether they came to offer incense together, or followed to watch the fun.

This formation looked like a big family, and the soldiers guarding the city did not dare to stop them, allowing them to enter the city smoothly.

Of course, this group of people did not come to offer incense, but to kill.

With the help of Neiying, Zhang Xianzhong figured out the reality of Fengyang, but he was still more cautious and did not choose to attack by force.

Taking advantage of the Shangyuan Festival, he dispatched an elite team disguised as incense, and successfully sneaked into the city.

In the evening, the excitement in the city still hasn't dissipated.

But Zhang Xianzhong's main force had already rushed to the city.

Thousands of horses are galloping, thousands of troops are fighting for change, and the earth is agitated for it.

Seeing this scene, the sentry on the city wall issued a stern alarm.

Fengyang City, which was originally peaceful and peaceful, suddenly became murderous.

Yan Rongxuan, the magistrate of Fengyang, was drinking and having fun with other officials. She was so drunk and confused that she couldn't organize a resistance quickly.

But the Northwest Rebels would not wait for him.

Just after finishing the formation under the city, Zhang Xianzhong ordered a strong attack.

The morale of the Northwest Rebel Army was so high that they carried all kinds of siege equipment and rolled towards Fengyang City like a tide.

The Ming army on the city was not organized and could only resist sporadically, and it was in jeopardy all of a sudden.

But it happened that the room was leaking and it was raining all night. When the Ming army was in a panic, a group of vicious warriors suddenly came up behind them.

As a result, under the internal and external attacks, Fengyang's city wall only lasted for half a stick of incense before it was completely lost.

The Central Capital of the Ming Dynasty has completely opened its arms to the Northwest Rebels.

Neiying opened the gate of the city, Zhang Xianzhong was full of vigor, and pointed with a long knife.

"Rush into the city, arrest the dog officer, and destroy Emperor Zhu's dragon veins."

Knowing that the Northwest Rebel Army had entered the city, Yan Rongxuan peed on the spot in fright.Before he could escape in time, he thought of a flirty idea.

That is to run into the prison, change into a prison uniform, and pretend to be a prisoner.

Because wherever the Northwest rebels pass, the prisons will be opened and the prisoners will be released.

Anyone who was imprisoned by the Ming Dynasty must have hatred for the Ming Dynasty no matter what.

The release of these people by the Northwest Rebel Army is tantamount to increasing its own strength.

Yan Rongxuan tried to use this method to get away with it.

Just when Zhang Xianzhong's troops invaded Fengyang, two other major troops arrived from the northwest, namely Gao Yingxiang and Li Zicheng.

Seeing that Fengyang had been broken, the two dared not neglect, and also sent troops into the city.

At this time, Zhang Xianzhong did not stay in the city.

He passed through the city and headed straight to the east.

Not long after leaving the city, the Northwest Rebel Army collided with a group of Ming soldiers who rushed over.

This group of Ming troops was Zhu Guoxiang and his three thousand soldiers and horses stationed in Shangyao.

Neither side was prepared, and a chaotic battle ensued immediately.

There were few soldiers in the Ming Dynasty, good and bad were mixed, and they had no will to fight. When they encountered the mighty Northwest Rebel Army, they were overwhelmed by a single encounter.

Zhu Guoxiang tried his best to maintain and stabilize his position, but he didn't have that ability at all.

A troop of cavalry galloped past him, and his head flew into the sky.

Zhu Guoxiang's soldiers and horses are the last military force in Fengyang.

So far, Fengyang has completely lay flat, at the mercy of the Northwest Rebels.

Zhang Xianzhong still didn't stop, and went straight to the imperial mausoleum.

A large group of soldiers and horses rushed into the imperial tomb, and when they saw the eunuchs and soldiers, they were executed on the spot, and the slaves and people were released at the same time.

The reborn slaves and common people fought bravely to be guides and led the rebel army to arrest officials and eunuchs everywhere.

These officials and eunuchs who are domineering on weekdays have no power to resist the strength of the rebel army.Either be killed or become a prisoner.

The only pity is that Yang Ze, the eunuch guarding Fengyang, was not caught.

It turned out that this guy knew that the rebel army was coming towards the imperial mausoleum, and knew that something was wrong, so he fled away with a few cronies without anyone notifying him.

The fighting in the imperial tomb soon subsided.

Zhang Xianzhong rode a tall horse, surrounded by generals, and came to the magnificent mausoleum.

"Is this where the ancestor of the dog emperor is?"

Some people kneeled and kowtowed.

"My lord, this is where the ancestor of Emperor Zhu who killed a thousand swords is buried."

Looking at the magnificent mausoleum, Zhang Xianzhong was furious.

"Hey, we built a lot of construction for a dead man, but our people's families were ruined. Today, I will avenge the people of the world, and make that dog emperor bear the infamy of disloyalty and disfilial piety."

With a wave of his hand, he gave an order.

"Come on, dig up the grave of Emperor Dog's ancestors for me, and then set this place on fire."

Tens of thousands of rebels suddenly took orders and started to fight one after another.

The Fengyang Ancestral Mausoleum, which cost the Ming Dynasty countless state funds to build and maintain, was completely destroyed overnight, and then the fire that shot up into the sky lit up the entire sky.

The red night sky is more like the blood and tears of countless people rolling.

(End of this chapter)