Chapter 14 Ten Thousand Deaths Thousands of Deaths Thousands of Deaths
The flames of the White Tiger Gate were still burning wildly. After Yuan Shu poured grease on them, he piled hay and charcoal in front of the palace gate. The billowing waves of flames raised raging black smoke, illuminating the left and right sides of the White Tiger Gate as bright as day. The surrounding wealth and wealth
The people were deeply disturbed. They lay down under the window sill and looked outside the house. They saw the soldiers surrounding the palace gate, drawing their bows and drawing arrows. The arrows were thrown behind the palace gate, and they heard screams.
When Zhang Rang saw that He Jin's remaining troops not only set fire to the door, but also dared to shoot arrows into the palace, the eunuchs under him could neither open the door nor dare to leave. They could only carry water to douse the fire under the rain of arrows, and felt greatly anxious. He immediately
He shouted to the rebels outside the door: "The country gives birth to you and raises you. Is this how you repay the country?"
Yuan Shu responded directly outside the door and said: "Mr. Zhang, you have been causing trouble for twenty years. You have demanded bribes and corruption, and you have wrongfully killed Dr. Liu Tao. Your infamy has spread far and wide. I will take Mr. Zhang's head in my hand and go to the Han Dynasty ancestral temple to comfort my ancestors."
Serving the country! Mr. Zhang, if you think about the country and go out to die, I will spare the lives of your family! If you resist stubbornly, that family will be destroyed. It is Mr. Zhang who is to blame!"
Zhang Rang was so speechless that he stopped answering and ordered his men to find a pottery vat in the palace. He then turned the mouth of the vat downwards, held the vat against the rain, and slowly transported it to the palace gate.
The bucket filled the tank with water, and some beams and gravel were mortgaged on the water tank in the hope of delaying the process for a while.
Unexpectedly, after a while, Yuan Shu shouted outside the palace gate again: "Mr. Zhang, if you don't open the door, don't blame Yuan for being ruthless!" After that, Zhang Rang saw eight or nine things being thrown into the wall.
Those things rolled on the ground and then became motionless. Several Huangmen came forward with torches to check and saw clearly that they were all heads. They did not dare to neglect and shouted to Zhang Rang: "Mr. Zhang, come and take a look.
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Zhang Rang looked at the faces under the firelight. It was his nephew Zhang Zhi, his adopted son Zhang Feng, his adopted son's wife He, and others. The blood stains had not yet dried up. Zhang Rang held up Zhang Feng's head and could still feel the residual warmth of the blood.
. He knelt on the ground, feeling very sad for a moment. He thought of Yingchuan's tragically slaughtered hometown, and was secretly confused: I am the only one left in the clan, what's the point of living?
But his heart soon burned with endless hatred for the party members. Yuan Shu, who was outside the palace, mocked loudly at the right time and said: "Eunuch, if you wait a little longer, I will reunite your whole family!"
Zhang Rang stood up and shouted loudly outside the palace: "Tie Yuan! This matter is not over yet! When our reinforcements from King Qin arrive, none of you and other rebellious ministers will be dead!" But he didn't know that Zhao Zhong, Fan Ling and others had all been killed.
I just stubbornly believe that He Miao and others will be able to determine the overall situation.
Ever since he learned that He Jin had entered the palace, He Miao had also been waiting for news in the palace. However, he sat in the palace without seeing a single messenger until nightfall. When he thought nothing happened today, a blazing fire ignited in the southwest of the city.
He was caught off guard, so he had no choice but to send his personal guards to inquire about the news. The personal guards came back and said: The general is dead, and the remnants of the general and the Huben army are united and burning Qingsuo Gate.
He Miao was greatly eclipsed. He hurriedly rode to the West Garden and tried to mobilize the Eighth School Army in the West Garden. When the Eighth School saw his arrival, the leader of the Right School Lieutenant Chunyu Qiong stepped forward and asked: "Chariots and horses, the west of the city is in chaos.
Regiment, does General know the reason?"
He Miao looked troubled. He didn't have an edict, and he didn't dare to say that General He Jin was plotting a rebellion. He only said hastily: "I don't know either. I just looked at its location. It seems that there was a disturbance at the White Tiger Gate of Nangong. There was a lot of movement.
As the imperial army, we should maintain the situation first, and you should quickly mobilize your troops to follow me, so as not to disturb the king and cause a big disaster."
The officers in Xiyuan all agreed, but things started in a hurry. About ten thousand people in the Xiyuan Army's Eighth Battalion had fallen asleep. It would take at least two hours to organize and dispatch the troops. He Miao didn't have this time, so he hastily ordered the third battalion first.
The soldiers and horses then marched south.
Along the way, he thought about the situation again and again, and said to his soldiers: "If there is a fire at the city gate, I will help put out the fire. If there are rebels, I will do my best to kill the thieves!" As he was speaking, a knight behind him appeared.
Pointing to the south, he exclaimed: "It's gone! It's all gone!"
He Miao looked further south and saw that in addition to the Baihu Gate, there were four or five more fireworks lighting up further south. Looking at the direction, they were roughly the Bus Gate, Zhuque Gate, Nan Tuen Gate, Canglong Gate, and the seven dignified Nangong Gates.
Five doors were already on fire. He Miao looked uncertain. He wondered how many rebels there were in the city, but he had no answer.
But there was more than one big change. He Miao was worried about heading south. It happened that another group of troops came in from Yongmen and collided with him between the North and South Palace Roads. The leaders were He Yong, the Lieutenant of the Northern Army, and the Colonel of Tunqi.
When they saw He Miao, Dong Min, who also served as the captain of chariots, stepped forward and asked: "The general was murdered by the eunuchs, are the chariots and cavalry also here to avenge the general?"
He Miao saw that the Northern Army had also taken advantage of the situation to enter the capital. Judging from their numbers, it seemed that the fifth battalion had come out in full force. He couldn't help but cursed in his heart that there were traitors everywhere. At this time, he knew that the situation was over and Chang Shi had been defeated. He immediately bowed his hands and saluted He Yong.
, turned to the mobilization personnel of the third battalion under his command and said: "Miao was ignorant for a moment and did not know the face of a regular servant. He was so sad that his brother suffered such a disaster. Everyone, listen to my order. If you encounter eunuchs, kill them without mercy and leave no one alive!"<
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When the soldiers of the third battalion heard that the Changshi had plotted against the general, they were furious and called for battle to attack the palace gate. He Miao also made a false declaration, but he glanced at the Northern Army and suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said to He Yong and Dong Min: "Now
The eldest brother has been killed, the situation in the palace and province is unclear, and it is difficult to know the safety of the Queen Mother. As a rider, I must bear heavy responsibilities. I hope you will listen to my orders and tide over this great crisis for our family and country."
He Yong was silent and did not answer, while Dong Min said in a low voice: "There is no need to worry about the chariots and riders. The three armies are thinking of your kindness. How can we not avenge the general? No matter who framed the general, we will sacrifice our lives for justice!"
He Miao hit a wall, smiled, joined forces with the Northern Army, and marched toward Baihumen in parallel.
When they arrived at Baihu Gate, Yuan Shu had already left south. They asked the residents and found out that the Huben army had gone to Zhuque Gate. He Miao had no choice but to continue south to Zhuque Gate. He burned the gates along the way and sent troops to guard him.
The mansion was ransacked. In addition to Zhang Rang's family who had all been killed, the Huben army ransacked the house and captured 34 relatives of the Bilan clan, 51 relatives of the Zhao Zhong clan, and 26 relatives of the Gaowang clan. One hundred people were tied up with ropes.
They were tied in a circle around their necks and forced against the wall by swords, trembling constantly.
And more soldiers were shuttled back and forth in front of the palace gate, carrying lumber that each person could hold in their arms, and planning to build a high platform on the street. As He Miao got closer, a group of tiger knights came up without knowing they were coming, their swords shining in their hands.
With sharp edges, several ferocious human heads were tied between the saddles, beating the sound of war drums in the wind and the horse's belly. They were all dead soldiers who had been raised by the servants in the mansion. They were all killed at this time. As a tribute to the military achievements of the Huben Army,
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He Miao looked in his eyes and felt cold in his heart. He cursed at the approaching knights: "Are you so stupid that you can't recognize the chariots and riders?!" He shot an arrow towards the ground with his bow, grazing a horse's leg.
Nailed to the ground, the knights were startled and replied: "It's very dark at night and I can't see who is coming."
He Miao had no intention of arguing with them. He only asked, "Where is General Zhonglang?" "General Zhonglang is counting the prisoners." "Go and call him. I have something to ask him."
The knight responded and left. When he came back, there were not only the general Yuan Shu, but also Zhong Yao, Wu Kuang, and Zhang Zhang. Yuan Shu walked in the front and did not dismount from his horse to salute. He asked He Miao casually: "The knight is not here."
What are you doing here in the palace?"
He Miao's residence was outside the palace, how could it be inside the palace? He Miao knew the irony, but could only pretend not to hear it, and said to several of them: "The chaos in the capital is unspeakable. As a general of chariots and cavalry, I
We are also brothers of the generals. We have the responsibility of revenge as well as the responsibility of safeguarding the country. You will organize the army first and wait for me to observe the situation in the palace and then see how to enter the palace."
After he finished speaking, Yuan Shu immediately turned around, rode his horse, and ran back to the prisoners. He Miao saw him cutting off a man's rope, hanging the end of the rope on the saddle, and then riding the horse to drag the prisoner back, waiting for him to come to He Miao again.
, He Miao asked with a smile: "What are you doing on the road?"
When the man heard He Miao's voice, he seemed to be clinging to life. He endured the pain of being dragged, raised his head and said tremblingly: "Cheqi, save me! Cheqi, save me! Our families have been friends for nearly ten years.
For the sake of the shark beads last month, please save my life!"
These words drained the man's energy, and the surrounding soldiers could clearly hear it. The man then curled up on the ground and trembled slightly. Others could not see the man's face clearly, so Yuan Shu explained: "This man is Zhao Xi, the adopted son of Zhao Zhong.
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He Miao suddenly felt that his whole body was like an arrow. Under the firelight, his face was as red as pills. He couldn't help but wave his riding whip and defended himself by saying: "I just pretend to be a snake and come and go. I often live in the palace, and my hands and eyes can reach the sky.
There are more than 5,000 court officials in the capital, how can they not interact with the eunuchs?"
When Zhao Xi heard this, he was in despair. He stroked his wound in the dust and sobbed, which turned into a howl. He Miao was upset after hearing this. He opened the green ox-horn bow given by the emperor, put on a shovel-head arrow, and shot an arrow.
He shot Zhao Xi in the lower neck. The shovel head broke off the bones and nailed them into the soil. Only the flesh and blood of the back of the neck were connected, and blood came out along the shovel head.
The crying stopped immediately.
At this time, Yuan Shao led the foreign troops to Baihumen. He held the edict in his hand, dragged Zhao Zhong's body on horseback, and held up a banner with the word "He" behind him. When he saw He Miao and the third camp of Xiyuan behind him, he laughed and said:
"Are the chariots and knights here to destroy us?" He spread out the edict and read the contents aloud in front of everyone.
After Wu Kuang heard this, he took out his knife and sneered at He Miao: "I knew that you must have the support of chariots and cavalry, so that eunuchs and regular servants can have the confidence to assassinate you openly. That day when you came to the garden with chariots and cavalry, I advised the general to kill you."
You eliminated the harm, but the general was soft-hearted for a moment, which led to today's disaster."
He Miao was so frightened that he rode his horse back into the palace and ordered his subordinates: "Wu Kuang, Yuan Shao is planning to rebel against the enemy. If you see it with your own eyes, quickly release arrows to kill the thieves!" The generals were silent in response. p>
Wu Kuang shouted angrily at his colleagues: "The one who killed the general was a chariot and rider. Can the officials repay him?" The soldiers all replied in tears: "I am willing to die as retribution."
The crowd took the initiative to separate a lane for Wu Kuang. Wu Kuang rushed to He Miao on horseback. He Miao was able to draw his sword. Before he could raise the sword to fight, Wu Kuang slashed his throat with the sword and fell from his horse to the ground. Wu Kuang followed suit.
He got off his horse, took off his rider's iron armor, slashed his cheeks on both sides to vent his anger, and finally cut off his head and said sadly to the sky: "The general has a spirit, I have killed the leader of the thieves! Within three days,
I will kill all the eunuchs and repay the favor."
Yuan Shu looked bored, turned around and commanded his men, threw Zhao Xi back into the prisoners, and forced the prisoners to gather together. He piled hay and firewood on top of his body, and compacted it with beams, logs, and boulders. Before the prisoners could cry out in pain, the tigers rushed over.
The soldiers poured down grease and threw down torches.
Next to the flames at the palace gate, a new fire was lit. These rats and insects that inhabited the country could not struggle in the flames and could only scream, but the soldiers were reveling in the burning waves of fire.
They danced in the house and laughed loudly: "The turbid current will die! The dirty officials will die! The thieves of the country will die!"