Chapter 528

"Save people? Save who?"

Gu Tingye asked while putting on his clothes.

While speaking, feeling a cold breeze from the side, Gu Tingye turned his head and discovered that the window on the second floor where he was staying was open.

"No, Jinggeer, you came in through the window?"

"Yes! Erlang, hurry!"

Xu Zaijing didn't explain and walked quickly toward the outside of the house.

Outside,

In the courtyard of the Nanyue County post station, it was already a scene of busyness.

Alan, Gao Puyu, and others living in the large dormitory were putting on their clothes with flying speed.

A postman trotted to open the post station courtyard gate.

A rider whose mount was panting heavily was let in.

At this time, Xu Zaijing had already walked downstairs quickly, walked to the side of the rider who was lying on the horse's back and shivering, and said:

"What exactly happened!"

Saying this, Xu Zaijing reached out and, together with He Guan, helped the person down from the horse's back. He Guan and Xu Zaijing were on night watch together, so they were naturally dressed neatly.

"Xu... Young Master Xu, this little one is the manager of the Chai family in Beizhou... last night, there was... there was a Master Gao from the Imperial City Department."

"..."

After finishing the account, the manager continued: "Master Gao specifically instructed not to let this little one go to the government troops south of Beizhou... cough cough... government offices, so this little one borrowed horses from our shops along the way."

"This little one kept changing horses along the way, and only then did I gallop to Nanyue." The Chai family manager said, reaching into his bosom with his shivering hands, taking out the waist token and seal, and said: "This is the token that Master Gao gave this little one."

Xu Zaijing took the token and seal, sighed slightly; the preparations made just in case yesterday had come in handy at this time.

Listening to the Chai family manager's words, He Guan said in disbelief: "Beizhou, the city gate was seized by thieves?"

"Yes."

After the manager finished responding, Gao Puyu walked over not far away while tying his belt.

After hearing He Guan finish speaking, Gao Puyu shook his head in extreme surprise: "This... how is that possible..."

"Heavens! With the twelfth lunar month approaching, the military supplies, wealth, cloth, and grain hoarded in Beizhou city at this time are worth more than several million strings of cash! This... this once something goes wrong..."

Gao Puyu slapped his thigh in annoyance.

The people on the side looked even uglier.

"Jinggeer, what should we do?" He Guan turned to look at Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing's mind raced as he said urgently: "The most important thing now is to send this matter back to the capital, let His Majesty and the great ministers in the court know about this as soon as possible, and make countermeasures."

After Xu Zaijing finished speaking, he turned his head and shouted: "Pan Chen! Are there any carrier pigeons in Nanyue County?"

An Imperial City Department soldier who had been left by Zhao Meifeng at Xu Zaijing's side and was saddling horses not far away replied: "Wulang, no! But there are some in Chanzhou city to the south!"

"Come over and take the seal!"

After Xu Zaijing shouted, he continued: "Qingyun, prepare paper and pen! Get my seal."

"Yes, Young Master!"

After a while, Gu Tingye also walked over.

After hearing Gao Puyu's retelling, Gu Tingye's eyes were full of shock, which then turned into eagerness.

Listening to Xu Zaijing's words, Gu Tingye turned his head and said: "Zhique, go back upstairs and get my seal too."

Inside the house,

He Guan, who had calmed down a little, grabbed Xu Zaijing's arm and said: "Wulang, this matter is extremely important! Based on the words of one person, should we... verify the authenticity before making a decision?"

"Reporting such false military intelligence is a capital crime!"

After Xu Zaijing pondered for a moment, he reached out and patted He Guan's arm, shaking his head: "Brother He, I know! But, yesterday I had an agreement with Brother Zhao! His seal is here now, so the situation must be extremely dire and critical!"

He Guan nodded: "Alright!"

Afterward,

Xu Zaijing and Gu Tingye both wrote the report at high speed,

After writing one, Xu Zaijing first used Zhao Meifeng's seal, dipped it in the ink paste, and stamped it on the report, followed by his own.

Gu Tingye also stamped his seal on it.

Holding the stamped report, Xu Zaijing looked at the Imperial City Department soldier on the side and said: "Pan Chen, take this report, and together with Alan, spare no effort to get to Chanzhou! First release the carrier pigeons, then ask the civil and military officials of Chanzhou to send people to scout to the north."

Pan Chen bowed in acknowledgment, mounted his horse, and galloped toward the outside of the post station.

Turning his head to the Nanyue postmaster who had walked to his side, Xu Zaijing said: "Now, go to the city immediately to notify the Nanyue magistrate, and also send people to scout to the north! Prepare horses in the city, and put bridles and saddles on the horses in the post station, feed them grass and water! The days ahead will be busy."

Saying this, Xu Zaijing walked outside with Gu Tingye.

From the Chai family manager arriving near the post station to call for help,

To Xu Zaijing, who was on guard, coming down from the roof to Gu Tingye's second-floor room,

And then to this conversation and busyness, it took less than two quarters of an hour.

The sky was still dark.

After another rough preparation, Xu Zaijing and his party abandoned the carriages, each with two or three horses, carrying armor, military equipment, and food for men and horses, and rushed out of the post station.

After adjusting the formation on the official road, they slowly accelerated and galloped toward the north under the leadership of Gao Puyu, who knew the way.

Mao hour, third quarter (before 6 AM)

The Chanzhou city gates were still closed,

Under the north city gate, soldiers were feeding grass to two sweating horses.

Several carrier pigeons flapped their wings and flew into the air, hovered for a while, identified the direction, and then spread their wings and flew south.

In the prefecture city, people carrying torches and lanterns were walking on the streets, and the sounds of whips from coachmen and riders could be heard from time to time.

The destination was the Chanzhou Prefecture Office.

At the same time,

The south gate of Chanzhou was slowly opened,

Two riders, each with two horses, galloped toward the south.

End of Chen hour (after 9 AM)

Bianjing city,

The weather was clear,

The sky was blue without a trace of clouds.

Rong Xian, who was on duty, wore a thick cloak and stood on the high palace wall looking out,

He could see gray-white smoke rising from the chimneys on the roofs of nearby streets and houses, and Rong Xian could even see the roof of his younger sister's house.

Without needing to listen carefully,

Although it was cold in winter,

Rong Xian only needed to take off his ear muffs to hear various noisy sounds around the palace city: the sound of blacksmithing, hawking, the sounds of tea and wine scholars soliciting customers, the sound of strings and pipes, the voices of commoners, the sound of bells under the necks of cattle and horses, and so on.

Great Zhou capital,

As prosperous and vast as ever.

Inside the palace wall behind Rong Xian,

The Great Zhou Emperor and officials of all levels in the court were talking about state affairs in a fairly warm hall.

Watching the birds flying in the sky, Rong Xian yawned and rubbed his sore eyes.

Before long,

Inside the palace,

In the eyes of the palace guards, eunuchs, and female officials, who were extremely surprised,

Zhao Zilong, whose hair and beard were turning white,

Was not walking quickly,

But was running toward the hall where the Emperor and the hundred officials were.

Seeing such an undignified scene,

Some female officials went directly back to their palace quarters and told this as an interesting story to a certain concubine.

Others walked in the direction Zhao Zilong went, wanting to find out if something big had happened.

Inside the palace hall,

After talking to several pillars of the country standing in front, just as the Emperor was about to wave his hand to end the morning court, he saw Zhao Zilong, who was panting and looking anxious.

The several great ministers in the front row also saw this scene and turned their heads to look one after another.

The Emperor didn't ask in a hurry and waved his hand at the great eunuch.

"Court dismissed!"

Amidst the shouts of the great eunuch, the hundred officials bowed and shouted in unison before turning and walking out of the hall.

Sheng Hong, wearing a scarlet official uniform,

Stood behind his colleagues and walked out of the hall.

When he had walked more than twenty steps out of the hall, he heard the shouts of the eunuch behind him.

Sheng Hong turned his head in confusion,

And saw several dukes, marquises, and great ministers being called by several eunuchs and guided to walk quickly toward the hall.

Seeing this scene, Sheng Hong had many doubts in his eyes; it was common for the Emperor to call the several first-rank noble officials and great ministers in the front row to discuss matters, but it was rare for them to go so hurriedly.

Inside the rear hall,

Minister Huangfu, Minister Li, Duke Ying, Marquis Ningyuan, Marquis Yongyi, and other civil and military officials of Great Zhou gathered,

Everyone sat on embroidered stools and talked in low voices.

"Duke, what happened?"

Minister Huangfu asked in a low voice.

Duke Ying shook his head: "I don't know either! Elder Brother Lu, have you heard any rumors?"

The Duke of Lian beside Duke Ying thought for a moment and said:

"There is a lot of news, but none that would make us all be in this hall!"

Minister Li of the Ministry of Personnel on the side said: "Could it be that there is a change in Northern Liao or the Jin nation?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the civil and military officials in the rear hall exchanged glances.

Gu Yankai in the crowd took a deep breath, his clasped hands rubbing together anxiously.

After all, if Northern Liao and the Jin nation started fighting, the Guangrui Army under the Gu family would have to be prepared.

Noticing the gaze of his in-law Xu Minghua on the side, Gu Yankai smiled nervously.

Just as Xu Minghua was about to say something,

"His Majesty has arrived!"

The great eunuch's voice sounded outside the door,

Everyone in the hall stood up one after another.

The Emperor walked in with an anxious face, looked heavily at Marquis Yongyi Xu Minghua, and sat on the dragon chair behind the imperial desk.

After sighing with a frown, the Emperor looked at everyone and said: "My beloved ministers, sit!"

After everyone sat down, looking at their concerned and inquiring eyes, the Emperor pursed his lips and said: "I have just received a pigeon message."

"Someone sent a letter saying that Beizhou... thieves incited the commoners, attacked and killed the city guards, and seized the city gate of Beizhou last night."

As soon as these words were spoken, the voices in the rear hall became chaotic.

"Your Majesty...!"

"What?"

"Your Majesty, where did the news come from?"

"How is that possible?"

The Emperor rested one arm on the armrest and pressed down with the other hand.

The rear hall quickly became quiet,

The Emperor said: "It was the news sent by Xu Zaijing, the fifth son of Marquis Yongyi! On the message, there were also the seals of Zhao Meifeng, a manager of the Imperial City Department, and the second young master of the Gu family."

Xu Minghua's eyes widened.

The elderly Duke of An on the side stood up, glanced at Xu Minghua, and said:

"Your Majesty, the youngest son of Marquis Yongyi did not go to Beizhou by fast horse; at this time, he should not have arrived in Beizhou yet, so where did the news of Beizhou come from?"

"Could it be that he reported false military intelligence to round out some rumors?"

The old General Cao, sitting in the front row, looked at the Duke of An expressionlessly, his eyes full of scrutiny.

Xu Minghua took a deep breath and looked at the Emperor without looking sideways.

Marquis Xiangyang sneered: "Hey, I say Brother Tan, to round out a statement, you'd use your head to report false military intelligence? Are you not senile?"

Looking at the Duke of An's expression, Marquis Xiangyang continued: "What? Only you are allowed to speak, and I am not? Hmph, the old fellow's head below was sucked soft by a woman, and the head above is also empty, damn it?!"

"Gu fellow, you!"

Gu Yankai and Marquis Xiangyang both looked over.

"Me, what's wrong?"

The Emperor suddenly slapped the imperial desk, and the two hurriedly closed their mouths.

The Emperor held his temple with one hand and said in a low voice: "It was Manager Zhao of the Imperial City Department who arrived in Beizhou first. He sent the news after the incident."

"The palace has already released carrier pigeons to the prefectures and counties around Beizhou! The eight-hundred-li urgent golden medal military order has also been sent out. We may get definite news tomorrow."

"However, this matter is of great importance! Something big happened in Beizhou; ministers, speak about the possible results and discuss the countermeasures!"

Minister Chen, sitting on an embroidered stool, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, in the twelfth lunar month at the end of the year, the supplies of the various military prefectures and towns in the north have already been transported to Beizhou! If something really happens, the Ministry of Revenue... will take some time to raise money and grain again."

The Emperor nodded.

Another official stood up and said: "Your Majesty, the armor and arrows of the northern military prefectures are only stored in Beizhou..."

Wu hour (after 11 AM),

Inside the Empress's palace,

"Your Highness, His Majesty will not come to your place for dinner today."

The Empress nodded: "How much longer will His Majesty be busy?"

The great eunuch looked troubled: "Your Highness, this slave does not know!"

"Then, what exactly happened in Beizhou, and when will it be clear?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, an eight-hundred-li golden medal military order will take until tomorrow. If the carrier pigeons have a smooth journey, it will be after midnight."

The Empress nodded: "Thank you, great eunuch."

"Then, Your Highness, this slave will return to His Majesty's side."

Wu hour, third quarter (before 12 PM)

Xu Zaijing and his party, covered in dust, ran for four hours and finally stopped their horses outside Beizhou city.

Looking at the towering city wall standing in the sunlight, Xu Zaijing frowned slightly.

"Wulang, it won't be easy for us to enter this city!" He Guan said on the side.

On the other side, Gu Tingye was moving his thighs awkwardly.

Afterward, everyone rode into the courtyard of the Chai family's coal shop, but they didn't see Gao Yunqing.

After asking the shop assistants, Xu Zaijing learned that after Gao Yunqing warmed up, he went out to scout the situation again.

While having lunch in the shop, Gao Yunqing also returned to the coal shop.

After some pleasantries.

"How is the situation?" Xu Zaijing said.

Gao Yunqing shook his head in confusion: "There are no sounds of killing at the four city gates! But, I don't know what's wrong with the thieves in the city; after closing the city gates, they are huddled inside and won't come out! If I had known, I would have jumped into the river with the manager to leave the city!"

"How are the military forces in the city? Brother Gao, have you figured it out?" Xu Zaijing continued.

"There is one army of the Xuanyi Army in the city, two or three thousand people! I don't know how many participated in the rebellion! When they seized the city gate last night, I saw many commoners mixed in. They should be the Maitreya believers in the mouth of the Chai family assistants."

Looking at Xu Zaijing's confused look, Gao Yunqing said: "The 'Maitreya is in the world' slogan shouted by that group of people is the best proof."

Xu Zaijing nodded.

"Wulang, how do we save the manager?" Gao Yunqing asked in a low voice.

Xu Zaijing thought for a while: "I'm thinking, let's try tonight to see if we can shoot arrows onto the city gate tower! As long as we can get on the city wall, everything will be easy!"

Gao Yunqing shook his head and said: "Wulang, before dawn, I observed under the city wall; the thieves patrol the city wall quite frequently, I'm afraid this method..."

"If this doesn't work, then Qingyun and I will find a way to use our finger strength to see if we can climb up directly."

Gao Puyu on the side said: "Wulang, this Beizhou is between two canals; I remember there are water gates leading canal water into the city."

Gao Yunqing said: "When I escaped last night, I jumped into the drainage ditch in front of the water gate! There are wooden fences as thick as a child's arm blocking under the water gate!"

"Tsk!" Gao Puyu clicked his tongue in disappointment.

Xu Zaijing turned his head and asked: "How thick?"

You hour, first quarter (after 5 PM)

Great Zhou Imperial Palace,

In the dim and hazy light, another carrier pigeon fell into the pigeon house.

Soon,

The urgent report brought by the carrier pigeon was transcribed and sent to the palace hall where candles were lit.

Looking at the concerned expressions of the ministers, the Emperor looked at the urgent report and handed the paper to the great eunuch with some gloom.

After being circulated, it turned out that in Bozhou city, soldiers had set fires, killed officials, seized the city gate, and plotted rebellion.

Before everyone could digest this news,

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from Caozhou just sent from outside the palace!"

The Emperor frowned after reading it, slapped the table suddenly, and stood up.

"This is simply outrageous!"

After signaling the great eunuch to let the ministers circulate it, it turned out to be similar to Bozhou, with news of thieves setting fires and attacking the prefecture office in the city.

With news from these two places, the matter of Beizhou, which was further away, was likely true as well.

Early morning, end of Chou hour (after 3 AM)

Outside Beizhou city, it was quiet.

But inside the city,

Screams came out from time to time,

The voices were both male and female.

Suddenly,

"Ah!!"

On the south side of the east city wall, a thief soldier howled while clutching an arrow that had shot into his shoulder.

When a companion ran over to help, another arrow shot fiercely directly pierced the second person's neck.

On the city wall far from the water gate, the howling and shouting instantly attracted the attention of the thieves patrolling the city wall.

At the water gate in the city,

After two muffled sounds,

On the river surface in the city that had not yet frozen, there were faint ripples.

"Over there! That one riding a horse."

"Watch out!"

"Shoot him to death, shoot!"

On the distant city wall, thieves shouted forcefully toward the outside of the city.

And at the water gate of the city wall,

A person with a short blade in his mouth slowly emerged from under the water like a ghost.

His eyes moved, and after confirming it was safe,

One, two... soon, the other four people holding oil-paper packages took advantage of the night to get ashore.

They soon disappeared into the night.

(End of chapter)