Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 907: The bells in the capital ring again
The Imperial City,

In the Yangxin Hall,

In Jingyi's study, there was a faint smoke, and the finest ambergris was burning in the incense burner, refreshing the mind. The sun was hanging in the sky, illuminating the entire study. Emperor Wu was wearing a dragon robe, with a tired look on his face, concentrating on the mountain of memorials in front of him.
On one side of the desk, Dai Quan, the chief eunuch of the Six Capitals, was still waiting in the room. The eunuchs only left three trusted confidants at the entrance of the imperial study to serve.
inside the house,

There was only the sound of Emperor Wu reading the memorials.
suddenly,

A burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence, and the eunuch in charge of the front hall ran in in a panic, holding high in his hands three urgent secret letters with red leather covers. He trembled all the way, and just as he entered the imperial study, he fell to the ground, lying on the ground, panickedly picked up the memorials, and shouted;
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, there are urgent reports from Daliang City in the south of the capital, Runan City in Xihe County, and Jinling City in the south of the Yangtze River. The Daliang City has raised a three-color blood flag and is fighting to the death!"

Emperor Wu suddenly raised his head, his eyes wide open, and slammed the memorial in his hand on the table. He felt a sudden panic in his heart, but then he calmed down and quickly stretched out his hand. Dai Quan hurried forward and handed the memorial to him.
Get the secret letter,

First came the urgent report from Jingnan, which Emperor Wu was most concerned about. He immediately tore open the envelope and opened the letter, only to see that it was covered with bright red handwriting.
Your Majesty,

Your Majesty, I am Wang Ziteng, the minister who led the army southward and fought against the main force of the Taiping rebels in the north of Linshan County. However, the rebels were too powerful and I led my troops to fight hard. However, we were outnumbered and suffered heavy losses. Now I am leading the remaining troops to retreat northward and are trapped in Daliang City. However, something strange happened in Linshan County and it fell in a hurry. I am unable to determine what happened in Linshan County. I hope Your Majesty will understand.

However, the Taiping Rebellion army has been relentless in pursuit, besieging and attacking. Linshan County City has been lost. The rebels have obtained food and grass, and have also had a chance to breathe. They are as numerous as ants. Our army has just been defeated and is fighting to defend the city. More than half of our troops have been lost and we are exhausted. Most of our baggage has been burned. Daliang City is in danger. I have committed a great sin in this battle. I am determined to live and die with Daliang City. Your Majesty, please make preparations early. The Central Plains is related to the safety of the world. If the rebel army breaks in, the world will be shaken and the country will also be severely damaged.
Although I am only a civil official, I know that I should be loyal to my sovereign and father. If the imperial court is in danger, I will never retreat. There are still more than 60,000 defenders, and I will not retreat a single step. As long as the city is intact and the people are strong, we will fight to the death.

Your humble servant Wang Ziteng is extremely terrified and respectfully reports this to you.

A few words came to my face like tears of blood. There were bloodstains on the letter, and the handwriting was sloppy, obviously written in a hurry.
"How could Wang Ziteng be defeated so thoroughly? All officials in Linshan County should be executed. Where did they get so many people? How could Daliang City be besieged?"

After three questions in a row, not only Emperor Wu was confused, but Dai Quan was also horrified. How could the enemy army be so powerful that they could defeat the imperial army?

"Your Majesty, I feel that Wang Ziteng's troops were either ambushed, or there are really too many enemy troops. Perhaps Linshan County has colluded with the enemy."

This was also what Dai Quan could think of in a hurry, and he blurted out. After all, they were hundreds of thousands of elite troops of the imperial court. There must be a reason why they were defeated in such a short time.

Emperor Wu took a deep breath, tore open the secret letter from Wei Xiangping, the governor of Runan County, and opened it.

What caught my eye was the trembling handwriting.
Your Majesty is wise and wise;

I, your humble servant Wei Xiangping, shed tears and bow my head as I present this memorial. Today, Runan City is under siege and attack by the White Lotus rebels from Huaizhou. The rebel leader, the White Lotus leader, has reappeared. The situation is extremely critical. I have no choice but to write this memorial to report to Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will quickly lend a helping hand to save the people from the dire straits and turn the tide.

The White Lotus Sect bandits came out in full force, and they were everywhere in the mountains and plains, like hungry wolves and tigers. They were coming in a menacing manner, and they used the common people as their slaves. They took turns to attack the city, and they would not stop until the ladders fell and all the people were killed. I led my troops to fight desperately and fought bloody battles, but the bandits seemed to have an infinite number of people and could not be killed.
The city defenses were mostly damaged, and the defense equipment was in urgent need. Although they tried their best to repair it, they were still unable to resist the strong attack. Although there was food and grass, there were not enough soldiers. Although some people fled, most of them hid in the inner city. There were many injured, and the tragic situation was heartbreaking.

I am fully aware of the heavy responsibility. Since the enemy army besieged the city, I have not dared to slack off even a little. As the sun sets, my troops are doing their best. Without reinforcements, the city will fall in a flash. Runan City cannot be defended, and there will be countless lives lost and rivers of blood, which will intimidate the important areas south of the Yangtze River.

I hope Your Majesty will make preparations early, show mercy to the loyal and brave soldiers, and quickly send the heavenly troops to rush to the aid of Runan. I will lead the soldiers and civilians of the entire city to hold on and wait for help. Even if there is only one man left, we will not surrender to the enemy to repay Your Majesty's great grace and protect our mountains and rivers.

Your humble servant Wei Xiangping is extremely terrified and guilty of the death penalty.

After hearing the memorial, Emperor Wu could no longer maintain his composure. His cold eyes, like a man-eating tiger, captured everyone's heart.

"White Lotus Sect, didn't the White Lotus Sect die out all those years ago? How come they are back again and are besieging Wei Xiangping in Runan? What on earth are the Imperial City Division doing?"

The harsh words frightened Dai Quan so much that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, I am guilty of a capital crime. The White Lotus Sect has not been heard from since the last leader was executed. After so many years, it has reappeared at this time. It must be related to the Taiping Sect. Perhaps some villain is taking this opportunity to cause chaos in the world."

Emperor Wu took a deep breath and quickly recalled what happened back then. He had personally witnessed the White Lotus Sect being executed. It was indeed the case, but the way it came out now was too strange.
"Get up, okay? We'll discuss this later. If the court can kill them once, it can kill them twice. Ring the Golden Sun Bell. Today is the grand court meeting. As for Jiangnan, they are a bunch of people who are more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything!"

I casually opened the letter and saw that it said that the Jiangnan-Xinbei dike had burst, flooding nine counties in the south and north of the Yangtze River, destroying the rich land in the south of the Yangtze River. They were a bunch of rubbish and deserved to be killed...

Emperor Wu was furious, his face was solemn.

"The dike in Jiangnan has breached. This matter will be discussed at the court meeting. Send someone to Jiangnan to find out what happened."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will certainly find out."

In a panic,
Dai Quan quickly stood up and replied, then personally led his men out of the Yangxin Palace, went to the bell tower, opened the door, walked up, waved the bell pestle, and started striking the Jinyang Bell!

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The bells rang one after another, resounding through the sky for a long time. Then, they went downstairs and returned to the imperial study.

And outside the palace,
The ministers of the court were already startled by the sound of the Golden Sun Bell, and quickly returned to their residences to change their clothes and prepare to attend court.

The streets and alleys of the capital city had long been filled with rumors from the people. Some said that the Taiping Religion's bandits were about to arrive in the capital city, and would burn, kill, rob and commit all kinds of evil. Others said that the Taiping Religion came to save the people and would not pay taxes. In short, there were all kinds of rumors.

As a result, wherever there were people in the capital, there were people talking about it. Although people in wine shops, teahouses, casinos, and brothels did not dare to talk loudly, they would start to talk quietly in private when they were drinking.
"Brother Wang, how could Jingnan be so devastated? The court's elite troops of more than 100,000 would not be wiped out in one day. If the thieves enter the Central Plains, the capital will not be in chaos, right?"

The scholars who were taking the imperial examinations nodded one after another, their faces full of worry. Several of them sat around in a tavern on the corner of the street, eating. They were all scholars who were taking the imperial examinations, and they were all worried about the major events in the world.
When people first heard about this, they all reacted with disbelief. However, the messenger who reported the urgent news had traveled across the entire capital, and so many people had seen it, it couldn't be false. So, having come to this point, how could one not feel that the world was in turmoil?

"Who can say for sure? Do you remember the White Lotus Sect back then? Those people had fought their way to the city of Tongzhou. If it weren't for the two Duke Ning and Rong who led the Beijing Army and the Imperial Guards to fight their way out, it would have been dangerous then. It seems to be the same situation now."

The student who was called the prince's brother had a look of fear on his face. At that time, countless people died. Human life was too cheap. The court would not repeat the same mistake.
The people sitting around were obviously thinking about this, but they kept silent.

"My brother is right, but the imperial army and the imperial guards are still strong. As long as the commander is smart, they may not be so scary. It seems that Marquis Luo Yun is still in the capital."

"That's true."

The few people felt relieved. Luo Yunhou's reputation was known to the world. With him in command of the world's army, the enemy army would definitely not be able to enter.

"Come on, let's not talk about this. Let's get through today and fill our stomachs first."

"Yeah, come on, eat."

A few people didn't dare to say anything more. Some things are beyond our control. They always have to fill their stomachs first.

In a flash, many officials were already outside the street, riding in sedan chairs and carriages, heading to the palace.
The chief minister of the cabinet, Li Chonghou, was being served and dressed in the room. Outside, the eldest son, Li Chaosheng, was waiting anxiously. Seeing that his father was still slow, he had no choice but to tell his father something.
"Father, the Golden Sun Bell has rung, and the court officials have all set out,"

"Yes, I understand. I am not deaf."

Li Chonghou tied the belt around his waist and shook his sleeves with both hands. A mature and steady aura came over him. Li Chaosheng quickly lowered his head and went over to support him.
"Tell me, where did this urgent news come from?"

"Yes, father. The first letter came from Runan City. I guess it was a detachment of the Taiping Sect. Wei Xiangping is very capable. Runan City is a strategic junction between the east and the west, and there are many garrisons. Logically, there shouldn't be any urgent news."

Li Chaosheng took his father's official hat and carefully put it on him, inserted a hairpin, and combed his hair.

"Humph, that's not reasonable. Wei Xiangping is a very arrogant person. If he could put down his face and ask for help and report to the capital, I think that it was not a detachment, but the main force of the rebel army," Li Chonghou narrowed his eyes, recalling Wei Xiangping's arrogant figure in the capital. This person is very conceited. He would not ask for help unless it was absolutely necessary. By the time he asked for help, it was too late to save him.

But why would the Taiping Sect go east? Wouldn’t that mean Linshan County would be abandoned?
The eldest son Li Chaosheng thought about what his father said, it was not right, if the Taiping Sect was the main force, what would happen to Daliang City?

"Father, you are wrong. The troops going to Runan must be a small group, because the second urgent report, the three-color blood flag, was sent from Daliang City. Wang Ziteng wrote a letter a few days ago, and it arrived in Daliang City. It was an urgent 600-mile journey, so it must be in imminent danger."

Li Chonghou was slightly startled, and his squinting eyes opened. He looked up at his eldest son beside him. It didn't seem like he was lying, but how much strength would the Taiping Cult need to be able to send troops to the east and west at the same time?

"Yes, that's true. Their main force should be in Linshan County. Then there's something fishy going on under Runan City. Wei Xiangping doesn't dare to lie. There might be something else going on. Oh, and where did the urgent report come from?"

The eldest son let out a long sigh. His father was not impatient, which meant that the matter still needed to be discussed. So, there might be another mystery behind this matter. As for the last one, it was the most intriguing.

"Father, the last urgent report came from Jiangnan, but Jing Cunliang did not inform his son in advance. What is the matter that is so urgent? His son guessed that it was about changing the fields to mulberry trees."

"Okay, Chaosheng, you need to keep your distance from the matter of converting farmland into mulberry trees. This is a matter between the palace and the Ministry of Personnel. We don't need to ask how the Ministry of Revenue fanned the flames, but we need to consider the overall situation. Let's go to the palace and see which people in the cabinet have a hand in this."

"Yes, father."

Then, the two of them stood up and surrounded each other and walked out of the house. The sedan chair was outside the study. After helping his father get on the sedan chair, Li Chaosheng immediately shouted;

"Take up the sedan chair and go to the Imperial Palace, quickly."

Luoyunhou Mansion,

In the West House,
Zhang Jinyu had already put on his court robes. As the saying goes, what you fear will come true. Just as he sat down to speak, he heard the sound of the Jinyang Bell from the direction of the palace. This was only for important matters in the court. He couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. Why would someone ring the bell in the palace?

"Ningbian, is there anything going on outside today?"

"My Lord, everything is normal. We have not received any intelligence reports. Or maybe it is the case."

Just as the words came to his lips, a secret guard pushed open the door and rushed in, kneeling in the inner hall and reporting;
"My Lord, something terrible has happened. In half an incense stick of time, Daliang City in the south of the capital has sent an urgent message 600 miles away. The same is true for Runan City and Jinling City in the south of the Yangtze River. In particular, Daliang City sent an urgent message 600 miles away with a three-color blood flag. I dare not neglect it and report it immediately."

Zhang Jinyu's eyes were startled. The three-color blood flag represented a fight to the death. Wang Ziteng of Daliang City was defeated, and it was a crushing defeat, otherwise it would not be like this. How many of the hundreds of thousands of troops would be left?
After some calculations, I couldn't guess the enemy's military strength. Was it really brave or relying on the large number of people, the quantitative and qualitative changes, that they simply piled up Wang Ziteng's troops and killed them. Even hundreds of thousands of people couldn't hold on. According to this, how many people should the enemy have? They should not be underestimated.

He was startled, thinking of the battle outside the Great Wall with the Jurchens. It was just a coincidence that he had the advantage of the city and the enemy was short of food and grass.

However, the Taiping Sect is short of food, but after the loss of Linshan County City, the shortage of food and grass will be alleviated. In this way, the Taiping Sect thieves will get a rare chance to catch their breath. Therefore, if you want to defeat the enemy, you still need one word, fast. Attack first with speed, and then fight slowly.
As for the number of people,

The soldiers and horses of the Beijing Camp and the Imperial Guards must be brought more. In terms of numbers, the imperial court still has an advantage. Now no one in the world can compare to them. Leading the army by yourself can also increase your experience in leading a large army, which is rare.

In this case, the court should immediately send troops and not wait any longer. Thinking of this, the order was issued;

"Notify Duan Hong immediately to prepare the luggage and the army to set off. As soon as I leave the court and give the news, immediately lead the army into the capital, pass through the East City, and head straight to the South City to the Anhu Camp. In addition, take my token and order all the troops in the Anhu Camp to prepare their baggage and obey my orders."

"Yes, my Lord, I will obey your orders."

The deputy commander of the secret guards nodded and bowed before leaving. Only Ning Bian frowned and asked softly;

"My Lord, the three princes still have 500 elite cavalrymen each. Should we withdraw them?"

"No need. Not only can we not withdraw, but we must also patrol the three princes' residences in a high-profile manner. And the personal guards of the Marquis' residence must not be moved. They are not needed. To do this, we need to reassure the palace."

Zhang Jinyu shook his head. With hundreds of thousands of people fighting, both sides needed to be cautious in sending out troops. This was not something that could be decided by just a few thousand people.
When the two armies face off, the imperial court has the advantage of weapons and armor, so the enemy army will surely flee. The only thing left is to defend the city. As for the things for siege, doesn't the Ministry of Works still have so many things? Take them all.

"Also, Ningbian, the Ministry of Works must bring enough siege equipment, and all the craftsmen must be mobilized. Let's go to the palace first and talk on the way."

"Yes, Lord Marquis, I will finally understand."

He answered and then followed Marquis Luo Yun out of the mansion. The noise was far less than what he had heard. In order to avoid delays, before getting on the horse, he instructed the doorman to prepare some medicine and clothes for the marquis in the carriage, and to inform Baozhu to bring more. Then he got on the carriage.

"Do it quickly, don't delay."

"Yes, General Ning, I will pass the message on right away."

As the whip was waved and the carriage drove away, the gatekeeper Zhang hurried back and went to the inner courtyard to find the butler Wang to explain the matter, and then hurried to the East Garden to look for Miss Baozhu.
"Miss Baozhu, Miss Baozhu, wait a moment,"

His forehead was slightly sweaty, and his legs were trembling as he walked. Miss Bao, the lady's spy, had been wandering around the mansion's courtyards since early morning, and finally waited in the courtyard.

"Manager Zhang, why did you enter the East Courtyard instead of staying at the gatehouse? Is there something wrong?"

"Of course there are. The Marquis just left the mansion. Before he left, General Ning told me to tell Miss Baozhu to pack some clothes and medicine for the Marquis and prepare his luggage."

Manager Zhang didn't dare to talk nonsense. It was clear that General Ning was preparing to go to war. Thinking of the three memorials from the capital, he always felt uneasy. Could it be that the Marquis was needed to go to war again?

"What, packing your bags and medicine, where are you going?"

Baozhu didn't react for a while, thinking that the Marquis wanted to go back outside the Great Wall, but when she saw the doorman looking a little scared, she realized that the Marquis might go to war. She became anxious and hurried into the main house to tell her young lady,
He ran all the way and rushed into the house, shouting,

"Miss, Miss, my son-in-law sent someone to tell me to pack clothes and medicine for the Marquis. I don't know where the Marquis is going."

In the inner hall,
Qin Keqing was wearing a plain dress and a black brocade robe, and was embroidering on the kang in the room. The person accompanying her was Ruizhu. For some reason, Ruizhu, who was always lively outside, became much quieter after entering the mansion. On the contrary, the timid Baozhu became bolder in the mansion, and she worked as a manager in a hurry.
Hearing Baozhu's words, Qin Keqing stopped taking medicine and changing clothes. Thinking of the bell sound coming from outside, it must be related to this, she asked;

"But something happened outside,"

Baozhu walked around the screen and ran in, panting and saying,

"Grandma, I heard from the servants outside that a messenger came from the capital today with an urgent report that a big problem had occurred in the south. I didn't take it seriously, but later the doorman Zhang said that the Marquis was wearing his official uniform and hurried to the palace, and he also said these things. Is the Marquis preparing to go to war?"

The little girl Baozhu was anxious and asked her grandmother instead. Qin Keqing was panicked. Something happened in the south, that is, the south of Beijing. Her husband had mentioned before that he would change clothes. Could it be that he was really going to lead the army to go to war? She was worried.

"Baozhu, go pack your clothes first, and go to Zixiang to prepare more medicines for injuries and secret medicines. Ruizhu, go to Dongyun Tower and talk to the old lady about something."

She immediately stood up, without even putting away the needlework she was embroidering, and Ruizhu followed closely behind her, shouting;
"Grandma, don't be in a hurry, walk slowly."

(End of this chapter)