The large group of people came out from the east gate. Against the backdrop of the twilight of the grassland, it was very spectacular.
Xiang Shaolong and Teng Yi personally led the team, and after leaving the city, they headed towards Dashi Village, fifteen miles away where news reported that Xiang Shaolong appeared.
This group of nearly 5,000 city guards was just a pretense. They would station themselves wherever there were trees to hide. After entering the dark, they would go around to the designated location and be commanded by Wu Guo to ambush the Qi army entering the city from the south gate.
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Xiang Shaolong, Teng Yi and others turned around and sneaked back into the city, managing the overall situation in secret.
They hid in the file room and listened to the information flying in like flakes.
The sun slowly sets under the vast land outside the ancient city, and everything is as usual at the lights of Handan City.
When the news of Xiang Shaolong's appearance reached Xiao Cheng's ears, he immediately acted according to his plan and ordered Zhao Mingxiong to go to the command post to take charge of city defense in place of Xiang Shaolong. The Imperial Guards under the command of Cheng Xu implemented martial law throughout the city. Everyone knew that Xiao Cheng
Xiang Shaolong and Xiang Shaolong were already frightened, and no one suspected that Xiao Cheng had taken advantage of the situation and had other motives.
From this moment on, Zhao Mu's external communication was completely cut off. No matter what happened to Zhao Mingxiong and others, he would not know.
Zhao Mingxiong was not aware of the deception and led more than a hundred personal guards to the command post. When he entered the lobby, he suddenly felt that all his followers were blocked outside the door, and the door slammed shut behind him.
Zhao Mingxiong shouted in astonishment: "What's the matter?"
The guards next to him swarmed forward, with more than a dozen spears pointing at various vital points on his body.
The sound of crossbows and screams could be heard outside.
Xiang Shaolong and Teng Yi leisurely walked out of the side door and came to him.
The color on Zhao Mingxiong's face immediately drained away, and he said angrily: "General Dong, how did you mess this up? My subordinates did not make any mistakes."
Teng Yi said coldly: "Colluding with Zhao Mu and the Qi people and conspiring to rebel, does this count as a mistake?"
Zhao Mingxiong's face became even more ugly, and he said in a trembling voice: "Don't frame me up."
Xiang Shaolong calmed down and said, "A magnificent new tunnel has been built under your official residence. Zhao Mingxiong, you can't say you don't know."
Zhao Mingxiong thought of his beloved wife and son at home, his legs softened and he knelt down.
Teng Yi despised spineless people the most and shouted coldly: "Tie him up"
The surrounding elite soldiers opened their spears, swarmed over him, and tied him up tightly.
Xiang Shaolong came to Zhao Mingxiong who was kneeling on the ground and said coldly: "If you are willing to cooperate with the city guard, I will let you live and let you and your family escape from the city. If I have any lies,
Teach Dong Ma to be a fool and not to have a good death."
Zhao Mingxiong raised his head in shock and looked at the man in front of him, who was as majestic as a god descending from the world, as if he couldn't believe what he heard.
Teng Yi said: "But you must explain clearly how to communicate with Zhao Mu. As long as we feel that what you said is true, we will immediately let you escape from the city through the east gate. We will also give you food, horses and passes. Someone will open the door for me."
.”
The door was opened, and more than a hundred people, including Zhao Mingxiong's family, maids, men, women, and children, were escorted in. Everyone looked anxious. The best thing was that they all put on their travel attire and carried large and small baggage.
Zhao Mingxiong said most excitedly: "I am grateful for my kindness, and I am convinced. No matter what orders Dong Chengshou gives, I will obey them."
Xiang Shaolong knew that the psychological offensive was effective and said: "Let Brother Zhao go immediately."
The rope that tied Zhao Mingxiong was immediately cut.
When Zhao Mingxiong stood up, Teng Yi said with a smile: "First put Mrs. Zhao, the young master and others into the carriage and escort them to the dense forest outside the city. Don't be rude, so as not to scare the madam."
The guards agreed and escorted the Zhao family members out.
Xiang Shaolong took out the prepared pass document, handed it to Zhao Mingxiong, and said sincerely: "Handan has too much to take care of itself these days. As long as Brother Zhao travels overnight and leaves Zhao territory, he will be able to live in peace for the rest of his life. Brother Zhao doesn't need to teach you personally."
What should I do?”
Zhao Mingxiong said with tears of gratitude: "A villain should tell everything he knows and speak everything he knows."
Xiang Shaolong and Teng Yi looked at each other and smiled. Zhao Mingxiong, who was well aware of Zhao Mu's conspiracy, was willing to cooperate wholeheartedly, so they were afraid that Zhao Mu and the Qi people would not fall into the trap they carefully laid.
Under the hostage of Xiang Shaolong and others, Zhao Menxiong came to the North Gate Military Guards, summoned nearly a hundred soldiers who were co-conspirators with him, and announced his change of allegiance to Xiang Shaolong.
These people didn't know they were defeated, so they knelt on the ground, kowtowed and begged for sin.
Xiang Shaolong said: "If you can take the blame and perform meritorious service, as long as the defenders of this city do not tell the truth to the king, no one will know that you intend to rebel. However, you must obey my orders absolutely. Otherwise, not only will your life be saved, but your family and relatives will also be harmed."
Everyone hurriedly called for service.
When they walked all the way to the North Gate, Zhao Mingxiong had already revealed the entire plan. Now that he controlled the North Gate, it could be said that he was even more confident in winning.
This group of rebel generals all knew that their families had fallen into Xiang Shaolong's hands. They also saw that they were all very popular and had detailed plans. They all knew that the situation was over. Who dared not to cooperate obediently? Under Zhao Mingxiong's instructions, they split up to work.
went.
Xiang Shaolong asked Teng Yi to stay in the north city, and led Ji Yanran and nearly a hundred members of the kind and gentle elite corps to leave the north gate and escort Zhao Mingxiong onto the quiet streets where the atmosphere was tense before the Battle of Handan.
Just as they turned into another long street, Jing Jun led more than a hundred people toward him.
The two teams met in the middle of the street.
Jing Jun said excitedly: "Gan Zhu, Li Ming, and Zhao Ling were all captured by the imperial army led by Cheng Xu. Now the whole city is under our control."
This is where Xiang Shaolong and Sheng Yi are smart. If they take everything on their shoulders, it might arouse Xiao Cheng's suspicion and fear. However, if they divide half of the task into other guards, Xiao Cheng will have less of this worry.
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When Zhao Mingxiong saw that they were leading the way, he couldn't help but regret in his heart. The reason why he was willing to work hard for Zhao Mu was because he hated Xiang Shaolong for taking his position as city guard. More importantly, he believed that Zhao Mu's conspiracy was foolproof, but he didn't know that he had failed so badly.
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Xiang Shaolong's voice rang in his ears: "Now our city guards will escort Brother Zhao out of the city to meet his family. When the first signal rocket shoots up into the sky, my people will let Brother Zhao go.
"
Zhao Mingxiong said shyly: "It is Zhao Mingxiong's biggest regret in his life that he cannot serve under General Dong."
Xiang Shaolong patted him on the shoulder affectionately and said with a smile: "Brother Zhao, take care, have a safe trip."
Riding on horseback.
Ji Yanran chased after him and said sincerely: "General Dong's ingenious strategies have opened Yanran's eyes and she is full of admiration."
Shanrou on the other side pouted and said, "This guy just has a bit of a shady way of doing things. Yanran Nasu admires him so much that he falls to the ground."
Xiang Shaolong and Ji Yanran exchanged affectionate glances and smiled knowingly.
Under the illumination of the wind lanterns, the long streets of the ancient city have a solemn atmosphere, with only the sound of hooves falling, giving people an extraordinarily mysterious feeling in the depths of night.
With the two beauties accompanying him, Xiang Shaolong felt that everything in front of him was like a dream. When he first arrived in Handan that day, he had never thought that Handan would fall into the palm of his hand and he would decide the fate of this beautiful ancient city.
He couldn't help but think of the "past" of the 21st century again, and while he was confused, the sound of footsteps woke him up.
Zhao Ba strode out from the shadows and greeted him.
Xiang Shaolong jumped off his horse and said with a smile: "Hello, Master"
Ji Yanran was afraid of being recognized by him, so she said happily: "Everything is arranged properly. The Hou Mansion has been heavily besieged. It is guaranteed that no one can get out."
Xiang Shaolong said: "The attack on the Hou Mansion is left to the master of the palace. When the first signal rocket is shot into the sky in the north of the city, Zhao Mu's people will come out in full force and attack the palace separately with the Qi people. Then
Only then will we be given a head-on attack. But no matter how the situation develops, you must not attack the Hou Mansion until I send out the promised rocket signal, because I have been ordered by the king to personally sneak into the manor and capture Zhao Mu, the traitor alive."
Zhao Ba knew that he had become the commander-in-chief, and when Xiang Shaolong put the credit into his hands, he was overjoyed to accept the order.
Xiang Shaolong said: "Tonight's command has been changed from 'The Qin people will be defeated' to 'Long live my king'. Don't let the enemy go. It's almost time. Let's take the mark."
With a gesture, the men took out the prepared red cloth from their arms and tied it on their right arm.
Zhao Ba also went happily after complying with the instructions.
Xiang Shaolong and others walked to a place where they could overlook the Hou Mansion. At this time, the three thousand elite city guards, plus hundreds of Zhao Ba's men, all entered the strategic position and surrounded the Hou Mansion.
, the main force was placed on the street leading to the palace.
Everyone wears red cloth wrapped around their right arm to identify ourselves and the enemy.
Xiang Shaolong sighed in his heart: "Let's see where Zhao Mu can fly to today."
He was so ambitious that he ordered: "Xiaojun"
Jing Jun bowed and said: "Please give me the city guard."
Xiang Shaolong couldn't help laughing and said: "Go"
Jing Jun agreed and led more than a dozen elite corps members there.
At this time, Zhao Ba also made arrangements and came to his side to discuss it carefully. Ji Yanran was so frightened that she had to hide in the crowd.
Zhao Ba said proudly: "We have prepared two siege vehicles. We guarantee that we can break through Zhao Mu's wall in a few strokes. At that time, they will not be able to do it even if they want to die."
Xiang Shaolong was afraid that he was eager to win, so he repeatedly told him to act according to the signals.
Zhao Ba was so impressed that he couldn't help but nodded in agreement.
More than an hour later, Xiang Shaolong saw that time was almost up. After ordering Zhao Ba to stay at his post, he led other members of the elite regiment and sneaked into the Hou Mansion that night with Shanrou, which was located at the entrance of the waterway in the dense forest outside the mansion.
Jing Jun and others were busy throwing prepared sandbags into the stream, blocking the stream, and diverting the stream elsewhere so that it could not flow into the house.
When Xiang Shaolong was imagining the situation where the water in the pool in the house was constantly lowering, there was a "bang" sound, and he saw a rocket from the north of the city soaring into the sky, bursting into a golden firework, and then sprinkled down with dots of light rain, in the night sky
It's extremely splendid and beautiful.
Ji Yanran looked up at the darkened night sky and exhaled: "Qi Ren's vanguard is here."
There was an unusual sound, and the cattail cloth, which was half wet, came out of the water channel.
Jing Jun hurriedly pulled him up.
Pu Bo said: "Zhao Mu fell into the trap and has no idea what is going on outside."
Xiang Shaolong asked: "Will he personally lead his troops to attack the palace?"
Pu Bu said disdainfully: "How dare this coward dare to take risks himself? Otherwise, there would be no need to hide in the back house. There is a secret way to escape from the house."
Shanjudo: "Is there anyone guarding the exit of the waterway?"
Pu said: "Everyone gathered in the square and prepared to attack the palace. Now there is no one guarding the pond."
Xiang Shaolong asked: "How are you brothers doing?"
Jing Jun came over and handed over dry clothes for Pu Bu to change into. The two girls were so frightened that they turned around.
Pu Bu said while changing his clothes: "They all know how to respond. The best thing is that Zhao Mu organized them into a group, and Liu Chao and I commanded them. It is very easy to advance and retreat."
Although there was no sound in the Hou Mansion, everyone knew that Zhao Mu's army had been dispatched and walked to the palace not far away. This group of people all changed into the uniforms of the imperial guards and formulated a detailed attack strategy. If they had not been prepared in advance,
Coupled with internal response, the chance of success is indeed very high.
Xiang Shaolong saw that the stream had been blocked and the river bed was exposed, so he ordered: "Go in"
Jing Jun waited for a long time, and after hearing this, he took the lead and got in. Other members of the group also filed in.
When Pu Bu saw everyone's agility, he was very impressed.
Shanrou snorted and grabbed it.
Xiang Shaolong put his arms around Ji Yanran's waist and said with a smile, "Have Ji Yanran ever thought about accompanying me, Xiang Shaolong, to drill the ditch?"
Only then did Pu Bu know who the soldier was, and he took advantage of the moonlight to stare at Ji Yanran dumbly.
The beautiful woman responded gently: "It's no problem to go up to the sword mountain or fall into the gun pit, let alone just crawl into the hole comfortably."
Xiang Shaolong silently counted the time and knew that when Zhao Mu's men entered the trap set by Zhao Ba, it was the moment when they all sneaked into the house. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's our turn."
Suddenly, the sound of killing rang out from the north of the city. Needless to say, Zuo Chengxu's imperial guards and Teng Yi's city guards were attacking the Qi people who had sneaked in through the tunnel. I wonder if those Qi soldiers were led by Dan Chu. If so,
, Tian Dan will lose his beloved general tonight.
In tonight's operation, except for the capture of Zhao Mu, none of his elite troops directly participated in the battle. To be able to capture Zhao Mu alive and take him back to Xianyang without losing a single soldier was beyond his expectation.
Ji Yanran pushed him and then she woke up, collected herself and jumped off the river bed.
When Ji Yanran and Xiang Shaolong got out of the dry pond one after another, everyone was ready and loaded the crossbows with arrows.
Liu Chao and more than fifty brothers were waiting for them, and everyone looked excited.
Xiang Shaolong has become a famous figure in the world, and they are overjoyed to be able to follow such a good master.
Shanrou said impatiently: "Hurry up"
When Xiang Shaolong was about to speak, the sound of killing came from the direction of the palace, rippling like a tidal wave.
To make a long story short, Xiang Shaolong ordered: "You are not allowed to kill maids, servants, women and children. Pubu will lead the way and go."
Pu Bu drew out his long sword and took the lead, leading Xiang Shaolong towards the inner palace.
Just as they turned into the long corridor that passed through the garden, more than a dozen famous generals who were guarding there with vicious dogs suddenly saw so many people coming. When they were shocked, the crossbow arrows rained down, leaving no one behind.
More than a hundred people formed a formation and rushed towards the inner palace where Zhao Mu was hiding like a broken bamboo.
The guards were caught off guard and fell to the ground one after another, without even a chance to fight back.
The maidservant stayed at the place of residence on Zhao Mu's orders, which relieved them a lot of worries.
They killed everyone they saw and moved extremely quickly. They killed more than 200 people who were guarding the inner palace by chopping melons and vegetables.
Zhao Mu, who was waiting for the news of victory in the palace, still didn't know that the danger was coming. He saw a group of big men like wolves and tigers swarming into the hall under the leadership of Pu Bu. When he stood up in panic, more than a dozen personal guards in the hall were already there.
Amidst the sound of the crossbows firing, people fell to the ground one after another, no one was spared.
Zhao Mu hurriedly drew his sword. When the enemy of Shanrou saw him, he was extremely jealous and rushed up to him. When he was in shock, he used his skill to knock his sword away and kicked him to the ground.
Five or six elite soldiers rushed over and tied him up.
"Papa"
Shanrou slapped him twice and cursed with his halberd finger: "Does the traitor know who I am? I am the daughter of a good official in the state of Qi. Do you remember that you caused the death of my family?"
Bright red palm prints appeared on Zhao Mu's cheeks, blood flowed from the corners of his mouth, and he looked at Shanrou in a daze.
Xiang Shaolong moved in front of him, smiled happily and said, "Master Hou, are you okay?"
Zhao Mu was shaken all over and said angrily: "Hello, Dong Kuang!"
Xiang Shaolong said calmly: "I am not Dong Kuang"
Zhao Mu said "Ouch" and kicked Shanrou again, making him extremely embarrassed.
"Wang Zhuo, I already knew that you are a despicable person who forgets his own righteousness."
Xiang Shaolong smiled leisurely and said in his original voice: "I am not Wang Zhuo either."
Zhao Mu stared at him in astonishment and said tremblingly: "You are..."
Xiang Shaolong reached out and tore off the mask, handed it to the person next to him, and ordered: "Act according to the plan."
When Zhao Mu saw his true face, he groaned and was speechless.
Xiang Shaolong sneered and said, "When you raped and killed my Xiang Shaolong woman, did you ever think that this day would happen?"
Jing Jun stepped forward and punched him in the stomach, causing him to kneel down in pain.
Ji Yanran shouted from a corner: "We found the entrance to the tunnel."
Xiang Shaolong said to Jing Jun: "You go first and find out if there is no problem before we come. Don't take off your mask yet."
"boom"
Zhao Mu was kicked by Shanrou again and rolled to the ground with a ferocious look on his face.
Jing Jun took off his mask, handed it to his men, and led more than ten people into the tunnel.
Xiang Shaolong pulled Shanrou to stop her from beating Zhao Mu again.
Shanrou let out a cry of sorrow, threw herself into his arms, and burst into tears.
Xiang Shaolong understood her mood, caressed her shoulders lovingly, and ordered to his men: "Find two people with similar figures to me and Master Jun to put on the two masks, and then set the house on fire. Be careful."
The enemies outside the wall will come back to attack."
The men went as ordered.
Shanrou's crying gradually stopped and she whispered: "I want to kill Zhao Mu."
When Xiang Shaolong was dumbfounded, Shanrou chuckled and said, "Looking at you, I'm just here to scare you for fun." She left his arms as soon as she broke away, her face turned red and she was a little embarrassed because of her gaffe.
Ji Yanran returned to him and listened together with him to the deafening sound of fighting coming from the palace.
Liu Chao and others were familiar with the place, and soon they brought a large amount of firewood and piled it up everywhere. As long as the fire broke out, no one could break in or put out the fire.
At this time, Jing Jun sent someone to report that the tunnel was clear.
Xiang Shaolong laughed and ordered someone to gag Zhao Mu before transporting him into the tunnel.
With an order, everyone threw the lit torches to dozens of piles of hay and firewood. Buildings in this era were mainly made of wood. If a fire broke out, even the gods would be unable to save it.
Before entering the tunnel, Xiang Shaolong fired a signal rocket.
The time has come for Zhao Ba to attack the Hou Mansion.
When they invade the palace, they will find that the entire palace is in flames. Hundreds of corpses will be found afterwards, making it difficult to identify whether Zhao Mu is among them.
Or they found the corpses that seemed to be those of Dong Kuang and Xiao Jun, mistakenly thinking that they were trapped in the fire, and died together with Zhao Mu.
As for why the fire was so out of control, of course Zhao Mu had placed firewood in the house in advance, and when he failed to rebel, he committed suicide and died. Unexpectedly, it would have harmed Dong Kuang and his men, leaving none of them alive.
Everyone in Handan will miss him, but not Xiang Shaolong, but Dong Kuang, the all-powerful horse fool.
If one day the people of Zhao knew that the real Dong Kuang was still in Chu, they would probably not believe it.
As for Teng Yi, he would also use a stand-in to pretend to be dead in battle. Unless someone dared to be disrespectful to the corpse and try to offend the stand-in, the truth would never be revealed. The exit of the tunnel was in another uninhabited house nearby. In the back garden, everyone happily followed the route they had set earlier, avoiding the two battlefields in the north of the city and outside the palace, and arrived at the north gate without anyone noticing.
Teng Yi led dozens of brothers to meet them at the city gate. When he saw Zhao Mu being captured, he smiled and said, "Master Marquis is really thoughtful, and he still has time to visit us."
He led the people, mounted their horses and went straight out of the city gate. He also said to the generals guarding the city: "You guys hold the city gate securely, and I will lead people out to hunt down the enemies."
A large group of people and horses galloped into the vast grassland with great force.
The stars in the sky are widely scattered, making people feel cheerful. Only by screaming loudly can the joyful feelings in the heart be expressed.
After leaving the plain, everyone looked west, which was the direction of Qin State.
After walking for five or six miles, Xiang Shaolong climbed onto a raised hill and looked back in the direction of Handan.
Fires broke out in many places in the city, turning half the sky red.
At this time, the sound of hoofbeats sounded, and Wu Zhuo and Wu Guo led the remaining dozens of brothers and rushed to meet them in time.
When they saw Zhao Mu, who was tied to a horse like a rice dumpling, they all burst into joy.
Xiang Shaolong looked at everyone and smiled, and raised his voice, "Have everyone gathered yet?"
Everyone is happy to report that they arrived safely.
Xiang Shaolong laughed and said, "Then let us go home."
The riding crop was raised and lightly slapped on the buttocks.
The war horses should be whipped down the hill.
The two of them also roared in unison and galloped in pursuit.
The men and horses quickly disappeared into the wilderness covered by the beautiful starry night.