The morning sun shines on the Anhua Palace in Nancheng. The majestic hall in the middle of the palace has been burned to a white ground. This was the most exquisite and tall building in Ningxia City. At this moment, only a pile of collapsed rubble and broken walls are left with smoke rising.
However, the houses between the outer walls were not affected. The hundreds of houses that originally surrounded the palace in the middle like a bouquet of flowers were now surrounded by just a pile of ruins.
Zhang Yanling, Zhang Yin, Chen Shiyi and others arrived here. Although the ruins were unsightly, Zhang Yanling had seen the majestic palace in the middle yesterday. The scale and size of the palace could even be compared with some of the palaces in the Beijing Imperial Palace. Comparable.
From a regulatory perspective, the palace is allowed to be built by the prince. Not only can the prince build a palace, but he can also have eunuchs as chamberlains and set up various institutions. In fact, it is equivalent to a small palace.
However, although the construction of palaces is allowed, the scale and regulations of the palace are limited. The size and height of the palace and the scale of the palace are all particular. Not to mention that Zhu Zhixiu, the Anhua King, is just a county prince. The Prince's Palace did not dare to build such a large scale and luxurious palace, which actually rivaled the palaces in the Royal Palace.
Of course, the size of the house and the luxury of the palace have not been pursued in recent years. However, this may also show that Zhu Zhixiu has long been ambitious.
The fire started yesterday morning and didn't go out until midnight. Therefore, the entire fire place was still steaming and extremely hot. The ruins of the bluestone, green bricks and glazed roof tiles were all burned into a black mass. Occasionally, some Anhua Palace can be found. Proof of its previous level of luxury, such as some exquisite stone railings, some broken auspicious animals, twisted exquisite metal flower rails, etc.
Zhang Yanling frowned and sighed as he looked at the huge pile of ruins in front of him.
Chen Shi said: "Master Hou, is it a pity that this palace has been burned down? We can't live in it, so we can burn it down."
Zhang Yanling smacked his lips and said, "I just feel sorry for the money. How much money did it cost to build this palace? How many treasures in it must have been burned? Damn it, this bitch Zhu Chixiu didn't even remember him before he died. He must* *. Otherwise, we will have to copy a lot of good things."
Chen Shiyi and Zhang Yin were angry and speechless. It turned out that the Marquis was worried about this. Indeed, if they could loot this hall, they would really make a fortune. They all understood that the firearms and equipment that the Marquis made by himself were used to strengthen the army. We have spent a lot of money on guarding the camp. Now I am afraid that I will try every means to get some money. I waited for this good opportunity, but unfortunately I didn't get anything.
"Order people to water, extinguish the embers, and cool down the bricks and tiles." Zhang Yanling ordered.
Zhang Yin said in astonishment: "What are you doing, Lord Marquis? Just let it cool down slowly. There are some embers inside, but it's impossible to burn them again. It's just some wood buried underneath that is smoking." "
Zhang Yanling said in a deep voice: "You want to see a person in life, and you want to see a corpse in death. Zhu Zhixiu died, but have you and I seen his body? How do you know that he didn't escape from the golden cicada? How do you know that he didn't escape by fire? The court asked Get up, what is my answer? Even if he is burned to ashes, his body must be found."
"Oh, isn't it? I actually forgot about this. We have to find Zhu Zhixiu's body." Zhang Yin suddenly said.
Chen Shiyi also said: "Isn't that right? We have to dig."
Zhang Yin frowned and said, "But how long will it take to dig out such a large pile of rubble? I'm afraid the brothers will die from exhaustion."
Zhang Yanling said: "Recruit some people to clean up this place and pay them, but you have to look carefully. If you dig out anything, don't let the people steal it. Don't destroy the corpses either. Dig out one and identify it." One body."
Zhang Yin quickly agreed and hurried to arrange the matter. Soon hundreds of people came to come. First, they watered the ruins with wooden barrels to cool down, and then started to clean up the ruins.
Zhang Yanling watched the scene for a while and saw that the progress was very slow and no results could be obtained for a while. So he took Chen Shiyi and others to the surrounding markets to have a look.
Zhang Yanling's idea was to see if the people in Ningxia city were full of hostility and panic, so as to determine the next steps to be taken.
At a crossroads, Zhang Yanling saw many people gathered around the bulletin board to watch. So he took someone over to take a look. What the people were watching was the notice issued by Prince Qing's Mansion to calm the people.
"The thief rebelled against the throne and was favored by the imperial court. He did not think about serving the country with loyalty and filial piety, but he had the heart to rebel. This thief has obvious ambitions. He colluded with some generals of the border army and drove the people of Ningxia to cause trouble and chaos with the intention of treason. Now the imperial court The emperor ordered the commander-in-chief of the counter-rebellion, and the Marquis Jianchang of the Ming Dynasty arrived with a large army to conquer the city. The rebels were killed and Ningxia Town finally saw the light of day again. Prince Qing's Mansion was also freed from the control of the rebels. All the people in Ningxia Town, including me, have since There is no need to be alarmed. The Marquis of Jianchang made it clear that this time he adheres to the principle of "only punishing the chief culprits, not involving the general public. Only punishing traitors, not involving family members." Zhanghou knew that the thieves had no choice but to suffer, so he Show mercy beyond the law. The Qing Palace would like to advise the people that they should remember the kindness of the court and not cause trouble again. They should actively report the culprits of the rebellion and do not condone it. The people in the city need not panic. However, if there is no involvement in the rebellion, it is harmless. There is no need to be frightened by the actions of others. In addition, His Royal Highness Prince Qing also hopes that if your father, brother, husband, or son is still in the rebel army, you should promptly advise and pass on the news so that they can rein in their horses and turn back the prodigal son. Those who are stubborn may risk their own lives. Destroying people is unforgivable."
Zhang Yanling looked at the notice and nodded slightly.
Strictly speaking, this is not a complete notice to calm the people. It is a good way for Zhu Qingyi to use this to urge the people to persuade the thieves' soldiers to turn back. Because most of the rebels are actually local military households. Their parents, wives, children, and family members In Ningxia Town, urging them to turn back through their families is obviously the best way and the most effective way to break up the rebels.
After walking around, the mood of the people on the streets seemed to be very stable. It seemed that my judgment was correct. Zhu Zhixiu's rebellion did not seem to be supported by the people of Ningxia Town as rumored. Although he was running a business here It has been many years, but it seems that his prestige among the people is average.
The injury on Chen Shiyi's leg had not healed, so it was a bit hard to walk. But he insisted on following and protecting Zhang Yanling, so Zhang Yanling found a teahouse to rest. As soon as he sat down and served the tea, before he had a few sips, there were horse hooves on the street. There was a sound. Qiu Yue came flying over with several soldiers.
"Master Hou, we found you. News from Lingzhou has arrived." Qiu Yue rushed in with a small bamboo tube in his hand.
Zhang Yanling was overjoyed and took the bamboo tube. The wax seal sealing the mouth of the bamboo tube was not damaged. Qiu Yue obviously had not read the letter in the bamboo tube.
Zhang Yanling crushed the wax seal and took out a roll of parchment. There were many words written densely on it. Zhang Yanling read it quickly and frowned in a daze.
Qiu Yue said: "What did Shi Yong say? What's the situation over there?"
Zhang Yanling frowned and said: "This is Yang Yiqing's letter, not Shi Yong's. Alas, our news is a step late. Yesterday morning, Yang Yiqing led his army to cross the river. More than 2,000 people were killed or injured. The crossing was unsuccessful."
"What?" Qiu Yue and Chen Shiyi said in shock at the same time.
"This Yang Yiqing is so stupid. The Marquis tried to persuade him, but he still did it. How can there be such a stupid person in the world? It's incredible." Chen Shiyi shook his head and sighed.
Qiu Yue said: "Master Hou, what impact will this incident have? Will it hinder the overall situation?"
Zhang Yanling shook his head and said: "That won't happen. Ningxia City has been captured by us, Zhu Zhixiu is dead, and those rebels are now homeless dogs. Once the news spreads to the rebel camp, the morale of the army will inevitably be weakened. Master Yang's defeat, It is nothing more than giving away the lives of thousands of brothers in vain, which is regrettable. It has no decisive impact on the overall situation."
Qiu Yue nodded and said: "That's true, I think so too. In that case, there's no need to worry about it. Is Master Yang Yiqing ready to cross the river to attack? Now is a good opportunity."
Zhang Yanling shook his head and said: "He asked me to send troops and horses to attack the rebels' front and back, so as to cover the army's crossing of the river."
Chen Shiyi shouted: "What? I'm afraid this old boy is crazy. He wants us to send troops at this time? Just one old fool and Lingzhou's 50,000 troops still need our help?"
Zhang Yanling shouted: "Don't talk nonsense, they are all counter-insurgency soldiers and horses. He did this in order to cross the river smoothly. Only by successfully crossing the river can the remnants of the rebels be completely surrounded and suppressed, and the counter-insurgency be completely successful. Otherwise, He Jinyiding They have a large number of soldiers and horses in their hands, which is a disaster. It is also a huge threat to the city of Ningxia."
Qiu Yue said: "Does the Marquis mean to send troops?"
Zhang Yanling nodded slightly and said: "Of course. On the one hand, it is to suppress the rebellion as soon as possible. On the other hand, we cannot allow He Jinyi and others to lead their troops to flee, kidnap more people, and even surrender to the Tatars. We send troops to stop him. Escape route."
Qiu Yue pondered and nodded: "What the Marquis said is absolutely true. Zhu Zhixiu had made an alliance with the Tatars before. However, he has not yet received a reply from the little Tatar prince. The Tatars do not have many troops in the northwest this time. Otherwise, the Tatars will definitely take advantage of the chaos and take action."
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "That's not the case. If Batu Monk is in the northwest and the Tatar army is in the northwest, I would not dare to lead three thousand cavalry to dig out my heart. The Tatar army is quelling the civil strife in Modong. This is what I did before I came. Got the news."
When Qiu Yue heard this, he was speechless for a long time. This Marquis was really not reckless, he had calculated and came prepared. Before, Qiu Yue really felt that Zhang Marquis's raid was a bit bold and reckless. Success has a lot to do with luck. Now, he doesn't see it that way.
Chen Shi said: "Master Marquis, you cannot go in person. You are too injured to ride a horse. Brother Zhang Yin wants to stay here to defend the city. How about I go this time? Give me five hundred cavalry. That's enough."
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "You can't even ride a horse with your legs. How are you going to go? It's better for Zhang Yin to go. Let him take General Feng with him. Also, Brother Yuan Cheng will also go this time, leading fifty gunmen. Go. Brother Yuancheng should be promoted."
Zhao Yuancheng was overjoyed and thought to himself that his brother-in-law finally thought of him.
Qiu Yue said goodbye and left. Zhang Yanling took everyone to the Anhua Palace to discuss the dispatch of troops with Zhang Yin. Along the way, Zhang Yanling looked strange while holding the letter in her hand.
Chen Shiyi felt strange and asked a few questions. Zhang Yanling smiled and did not answer. He only said: "It's not that I don't want to tell you some things, but it's that there is no benefit to you knowing."
Chen Shi just smashed his mouth and didn't ask any more questions.