Chapter 223: The Chaos in Guangzhou

Guangzhou City.

"Lord Lou, brother, I really don't think it's worth it for you!

In order to preserve the vitality of the Holy Kingdom, you, old brother, have suffered a lot. As a result, not only did you not receive a commendation, but you also brought about punishment.

..."

After three rounds of drinking, Chu Er pulled Lou Qinghong and said carelessly.

In recent days, relying on constant banquets to get closer, the two had become drinking buddies.

In order to pull Lou Qinghong into the group, every time after the banquet, he would pretend to accidentally stimulate him with a few words, provoking his relationship with Governor Chen.

"Hmph!"

"Rest assured, that guy surnamed Chen won't be proud for many days. Guangzhou is the Southern Prince's Guangzhou, not his..."

When the words reached his lips, Lou Qinghong took them back. Some things could be done, but they couldn't be said.

The fighting between the Southern Prince and the Holy Emperor had always been going on in secret. Once it was put on the table, it was destroying the unity of the Holy Kingdom.

"Lord Lou is right; Guangzhou was captured by the Southern Prince. We brothers are all following the Southern Prince to fight for the world.

But now the imperial army is coming fiercely, and Governor Chen is arbitrary; do you generals have any ideas?"

Chu Er asked with a smile.

In the past, he would never have dared to say such words. But today the situation was different; now there was only one hour left until the agreed time to steal the city.

The garrison in Guangzhou City was mostly the Southern Prince's confidants. Inviting these people over was not intended to let them leave.

If they were willing to follow him to accept the recruitment, then that would be it. If they didn't know whether to live or die and wanted to live and die with the White Lotus Holy Kingdom, these people would be his military merit.

In fact, the one he wanted to invite most was Governor Chen Jingfeng. If he could take this person, capturing Guangzhou would be easy.

It was just that Chen Jingfeng was rigorous, and he had long ago issued a ban on alcohol in the city. Such a private gathering was itself a violation of the ban.

"What is there to think about? Soldiers come to block, water comes to cover.

Guangzhou City is strong, and the grain and grass in the city are enough for the army to use for a year; we can just hold on!"

A bearded general said heroically.

Losing people but not losing the formation; although they had been losing all the way on the battlefield, they absolutely couldn't let people look down on them in momentum.

"General Zhou, I'm afraid things are not as simple as you say. The grain stored in the city probably isn't enough for a year.

Last time I went to collect military grain, I accidentally discovered that many granaries in the city were empty.

In recent days, Governor Chen has repeatedly ordered us to save grain. The military grain issued even contained chaff.

When the Southern Prince was here, he never used chaff as military grain!"

Chu Er continued to provoke.

How much grain was stored in the city, he didn't know very well, but the appearance of chaff in the military grain was an open secret, and it even caused a mess once.

Judging from everyone's expressions, they clearly believed it. Now was the time when everyone needed to sell their lives; if the city wasn't short of grain, why would they treat the soldiers harshly?

"I'm afraid someone sold the grain stored in the government treasury for profit, and now that the enemy army is besieging the city, they have no way to fill the gap, so they reduced the treatment of each department.

Chen Jingfeng, that bastard, must have taken benefits from it, otherwise, he wouldn't be so hard-working to cover it up.

Saving grain so that they can persist for a longer time is purely nonsense.

From the uprising until now, the Holy Kingdom has been established for less than two years; isn't holding on for a year enough?

If there were really no benefits, with his style, he would have investigated it to the end long ago!"

Lou Qinghong decisively chose to put a hat on him.

His beating couldn't be in vain. If he didn't retaliate, how could he stand in the army?

"Damn it!

Thinking about it makes me feel stifled; when have we brothers ever suffered such grievances!

Let's go, let's go settle the account with him!"

A thin general who was drunk and went to his head shouted on the spot.

Seeing this scene, Chu Er was instantly overjoyed. If internal chaos could break out in the city, that would be the best.

"General Liu, calm down a bit.

If we go to the door like this, that guy surnamed Chen probably won't admit it. It might even bite back and order us to be taken down directly.

It's better to assemble the troops and go to check the granary to find evidence first!"

Chu Er continued to fan the flames.

He could see that provoking internal fighting among the garrison was far easier than inciting these people to defect.

After entering the city, the troops of various departments were scattered and assigned, and it was not easy for him to let the imperial army in.

If he could bewitch everyone to assemble troops, and he mixed in to follow the assembly of troops, it wouldn't be so eye-catching.

"If we do this, won't it give the imperial army outside an opportunity?"

A general who looked like a scholar asked.

He always felt that today's banquet was wrong, but he couldn't say where it was wrong.

"Sour scholar, stop worrying about heaven falling here.

Now it's dark and the imperial army outside is several miles away from us. Unless you inform them, how could they know what happened in the city.

Even if the enemy really launches an attack, they can't fly into the city.

We just want to ask for justice, not to withdraw all the troops. If everyone brings five hundred soldiers, it will be enough to make that guy surnamed Chen fear the rat.

If we find evidence of him selling military grain, we can directly take that bastard down and report it to the Southern Prince for disposal, which is a great merit!"

Lou Qinghong said disdainfully.

Merit, this thing, can be obtained not only when facing foreign enemies. It can also be obtained when clearing internal hidden dangers.

In essence, Chen Jingfeng was a nail thrown over by the White Lotus Holy Emperor, making the Southern Prince unable to fully control Guangdong.

Legally getting rid of this guy was the best opportunity for them to show loyalty to the Southern Prince.

Without this guy being an eyesore, everyone could work together to defend the city and not give the imperial army an opportunity.

Of course, if the city couldn't be defended, no one would stop them from running away.

As a grassroots startup team, the White Lotus Holy Kingdom's management of the territory was still very immature, and they didn't want to occupy it for a long time at all.

Not to mention anything else, as long as the "equal field order" was implemented. Every time they captured a place, the local area would become their basic board; how could there be any business for the imperial army.

It was a pity that this was just a political slogan used to attract people who longed for land to join the rebellion; the high-level officials of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom didn't want to fulfill their promise.

The higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

The White Lotus Holy Kingdom didn't equalize the land as it claimed, and the hearts of the people it had just harvested were soon lost again.

Coupled with the lack of grassroots officials to integrate the power of the local area, the White Lotus Holy Kingdom became a bloated giant.

It looked like a great momentum, but in reality, there were contradictions everywhere. If it weren't for the pressure from the imperial army being too great, maybe they would have started fighting internally.

"General Lou is right; take down that bastard surnamed Chen for the Southern Prince..."

Chu Er hurriedly responded.

Now he was a side-line general who was actively leaning toward the Southern Prince. Wanting to show off was reasonable.

After looking at each other, everyone responded one after another.

At other times, one could be slow, but when standing in line, one must be fast. Not to mention they were originally generals of the Southern Prince's line; naturally, they couldn't leave people with words at such a time.

After a brief discussion, the generals who were drunk and went to their heads acted one after another, and for a time, Guangzhou City became exceptionally lively.

Governor's Mansion.

"My lord, something bad has happened!

Outside..."

Before the personal guard could finish speaking, Chen Jingfeng couldn't help but rebuke:

"Speak slowly, the sky won't fall!

Isn't it just the imperial army attacking the city? What's the big deal!"

In his view, the most serious consequence now was nothing more than the imperial army attacking the city.

Last year, the Southern Prince gathered hundreds of thousands of troops to besiege Guangzhou, and it was only by relying on internal agents that the city was broken.

Now that the imperial army had killed their way over, facing the strong Guangzhou City, they could only sigh at the city.

"Governor, it's ten times more serious than the imperial army attacking the city. Many generals in the city are assembling troops, suspected of wanting to rebel!"

The biggest taboo in defending a city is internal chaos; the strongest city is always captured from the inside.

Splitting the troops of the generals was because he was worried about internal problems. Never did he expect that the thing he worried about most still happened.

"Pass the order down, let my Dupi (direct command) troops immediately move to intercept. Order all departments to return to the camp, and those who violate will be killed without pardon!"

Chen Jingfeng ordered immediately.

Not knowing what happened, the best choice was to trap people in the camp and absolutely not let them connect.

Whether it was rebellion or not, it could be investigated slowly later; for now, stabilize the situation first.

"Clear the way!"

Seeing someone blocking the way, Chu Er immediately rebuked angrily.

It was not easy to provoke everyone's anger and incite everyone to make a scene; how could he be blocked just after going out.

"The Governor has an order, all departments return to the camp immediately, those who violate will be killed without pardon!"

The young officer in front warned sternly.

As a direct command unit of the Governor, wherever they went, they were respected.

He thought this time would be the same, but what greeted him was a big knife. A cold light flashed, and the head flew out directly.

Until he died, he didn't understand where Chu Er got the courage to dare to take action against him.

"Kill!"

The assembled troops immediately beheaded the dozens of Dupi troops in front of them.

Compared to Chu Er's decisiveness, the painting style in other places was different.

Everyone was just drunk and went to their heads, following along to make a scene to vent their dissatisfaction; now that the wind blew, the wine had already woken up more than half.

Letting them behead the Dupi troops blocking the way, many people didn't have the courage. But the agreed good thing couldn't not be done.

If someone else arrived at the granary to check according to the agreement, and he was the only one absent, it would be easy to be suspected of loyalty when it reached the Southern Prince's ears.

For a time, the troops of various routes confronted the Dupi troops, neither side giving way, and the scene was very lively.

Taking advantage of the chaos in the city, Chu Er didn't have the slightest hesitation and directly brought his troops to the city gate.

"Open the city gate, our general wants to leave the city!"

Cheng Jiliang said immediately.

The agreed time for attacking the city was coming soon, and the imperial army had long been ready outside the city, just waiting for them to open the city gate to cooperate from inside and outside.

"General Chu, without the Governor's order, you cannot leave the city without authorization!"

The garrison general refused decisively.

While speaking, he also took two steps back. Although he didn't know what happened, reason told him that Chu Er leaving the city at this time was definitely not right.

"If you don't eat the toast, you will eat the punishment wine!

Kill!"

Chu Er ordered coldly.

The chaos in the city wouldn't last too long. Once the mess was calmed down, he would be exposed.

The plan had reached this step, and it didn't allow him to retreat.

Tonight, open the city gate and let the imperial army in; tomorrow, he would be an official of the imperial court.

It was also being an official, but the gold content of the Great Dayu's officials was far higher than that of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom.

With an official status, he could return home in glory, instead of being mocked as a chaotic thief like now.

The battle broke out suddenly, and the garrison soldiers didn't react at all. They really couldn't understand why these colleagues wanted to raise butcher knives against themselves.

The dark night was the best cover; the nearby garrison clearly heard the shouting and killing, but didn't know what exactly happened.

The city gate opened slowly, and the army ambushed outside the city, after receiving the signal, immediately sent troops to seize the city gate.

"The imperial army has entered the city!"

A rebel soldier's shout made the already chaotic Guangzhou City become even more chaotic.

The generals who were originally confronting the Dupi troops were at a loss for a time.

They just wanted to check the grain stored in the city and take the opportunity to pull Governor Chen down. How could the imperial army have killed their way into the city just as the action started.

"Are you blind? Hurry up and clear the way.

I am going to lead troops to defend the city; if I delay the big event, can you afford it?"

Lou Qinghong asked murderously.

He wasn't fooling people; he really wanted to lead troops to reinforce the garrison.

Guangzhou City had great strategic significance, which Zhaoqing Prefecture couldn't compare with. He dared to abandon Zhaoqing, but he didn't dare to lose Guangzhou.

Once the city fell, the Holy Kingdom would hold them accountable. All the generals who caused chaos tonight wouldn't be able to run away.

"The Governor has an order, Lord Lou should go back to the camp and rest!

As for defending the city, the Governor has his own arrangements, no need for you to worry."

Identity determines the position; the most important thing for Dupi troops is to execute orders unconditionally. Other things were not for him, this kind of grassroots officer, to worry about.

"Stubborn!

I think Chen Jingfeng wants to surrender to the imperial army, so he deliberately blocked us and didn't let everyone go to help the garrison."

Du Battalion Commander on the side couldn't help complaining.

The speaker had no intention, but the listener had intention.

Falling into Lou Qinghong's ears, he immediately became suspicious of Chen Jingfeng.

Blocking them before was one thing, but now the imperial army was attacking the city, and he still had to block them; it was clearly not right.

If even the Governor was defected, then the Guangzhou defense battle would definitely be cold.

Thinking of the terrible consequences of Guangzhou falling, cold sweat broke out on Lou Qinghong's forehead.

"Move aside!

This is the last time; if you block again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Lou Qinghong said with an icy tone.

While speaking, the sharp sword in his hand had already been unsheathed, using practical actions to show his position.

"General Lou, wait a moment, we will go back and ask the Governor for instructions!"

The middle-aged general blocking the way realized that the situation was not good and hurriedly spoke to appease.

If they really fought, the dozens of people he brought were simply not enough.

"Give you half a stick of incense time!"

Lou Qinghong thought about it and said.

Without sufficient reason, taking action against his own people was a very taboo thing.

Now it was just his suspicion that Chen Jingfeng colluded with the imperial army, but it was only suspicion, and he didn't have evidence in his hand.

Lower-level officials wanting to take down higher-level officials couldn't be based on hearsay. Without conclusive evidence, he couldn't take action at all.

"The pseudo-dynasty's army has killed their way into the city?"

Chen Jingfeng asked in disbelief.

The imperial army entered the city so easily; when did the defense of Guangzhou City become so fragile?

In an instant, he associated it with internal and external cooperation; only with the cooperation of the garrison in the city could the enemy possibly enter the city quickly.

It just so happened that there was turmoil in the city just now, and it wouldn't be strange for one group, or several groups of conspirators, to take advantage of the chaos to open the city gate and let the enemy in.

Having insight into the truth, Chen Jingfeng became even more distressed. He didn't know who the traitor was, and he didn't know how many traitors were lurking in the city.

Wanting to mobilize troops, he was worried that it would be like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth.

If the people sent to reinforce were exactly the enemy's dark agents, it would only make the situation even worse.

"Pass the order down..."

Before he finished speaking, the shouting and killing reached his ears.

Undoubtedly, the battle was approaching the Governor's Mansion.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 224 =====