Fu Shanhe

Chapter 223: Guangzhou Rebellion
Guangzhou City.

“Lord Lou, I really feel sorry for you!

In order to preserve the vitality of the Holy Kingdom, you have suffered a lot. In the end, not only did you not receive any reward, but you were punished instead.

......"

After three rounds of drinks, Chu Er pulled Lou Qinghong aside and spoke casually.

In recent days, the two have become drinking buddies by constantly entertaining each other to get closer.

In order to get Lou Qinghong to join the gang, after every banquet, he would pretend to say a few provocative words to sow discord between her and Governor Chen.

"Humph!"

"Don't worry, Chen won't be so proud for long. Guangdong belongs to the Southern King, not him..."

The words came to her lips, but Lou Qinghong took them back. There are some things that can be done, but cannot be said.

The battle between the Southern King and the Holy Emperor has been going on in secret. Once it is brought to the surface, it will destroy the unity of the Holy Nation.

"Lord Lou is right. Guangdong was conquered by the Southern King. All of us brothers followed the Southern King to conquer the world.

But now the government troops are coming aggressively, and Governor Chen is stubborn and self-willed. Do you generals have any ideas?"

Chuuji asked with a smile.

In the past, he would never dare to say such words. But today the situation is different, and there is only one hour left before the agreed time to steal the city.

Most of the garrisons in Guangzhou were close associates of the Southern King. They were invited here because they were not prepared to let them leave.

If they are willing to follow him and accept the amnesty, then that's fine. If they don't know whether to live or die and want to share life and death with the Holy White Lotus Nation, these people will be his military merits.

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

However, Chen Jingfeng was a strict person and had issued a ban on alcohol in the city long ago. This kind of private gathering was in itself a crime against the law.

"What's there to think about? If an enemy comes, we'll fight him with our troops; if a flood comes, we'll block it with earth.

Guangzhou is a strong city, and the food stored in the city is enough to support the army for a year. We just need to hold on!"

A bearded general said proudly.

Even if you lose the battle, you will not lose the battle. Even if you fail all the way on the battlefield, you must not let others look down on you in terms of momentum.

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

The last time I went to collect military rations, I unexpectedly discovered that many granaries in the city were empty.

Governor Chen has repeatedly urged us to save food these days. The military rations we have received are mixed with chaff.

When the Southern King was here, he never used chaff as military rations!"

Chu Er continued to provoke.

He was not very clear about how much grain was stored in the city, but it was an open secret that there was chaff in the military rations, which even caused chaos at one point.

Judging from the expressions of the crowd, they obviously believed it. Now is the time when everyone is needed to fight for their lives. If there is no shortage of food in the city, why should the soldiers be treated harshly?

“I’m afraid someone sold the grain in the government storehouse for profit. Now that the enemy is besieging the city, they have no way to fill the gap, so they cut the benefits of each department.

Chen Jingfeng, that bastard must have benefited from this, otherwise he wouldn't have tried so hard to cover it up.

Saving food so that we can last longer is pure nonsense.

It has been less than two years since the Holy Kingdom was established from the start of the uprising to now. Isn't it enough to hold out for a year?
If there really was no benefit, given his style, he would have investigated it thoroughly long ago!"

Lou Qinghong decisively chose to put the blame on others.

You can't take the beating in vain. If you don't retaliate, how can you gain a foothold in the army?

"damn it!

It makes me feel ashamed just thinking about it. When have we brothers ever suffered such injustice?

Let's go and settle accounts with him!"

A skinny general who was so angry that he lost his temper shouted on the spot.

Seeing this scene, Chu Er was instantly overjoyed. If civil unrest could break out in the city, that would be great.

"General Liu, calm down for a moment.

If we go to their door like this, Chen will most likely not admit his guilt. He might even turn the tables and order us to be arrested.

Why not gather your men and go check the granary for evidence first! "

Chu Er continued to add fuel to the fire.

He had realized that it would be much easier to stir up internal strife among the defenders than to incite these people to rebel.

After entering the city, the troops from various units were dispersed and assigned, so it was not easy for him to let the government troops in.

If he could persuade everyone to gather troops, he wouldn't be so conspicuous if he mixed in with them.

"If we do this, it won't give the government troops outside an opportunity to take advantage of us, right?"

A general who looked like a scholar asked.

He always felt that something was wrong with today's banquet, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.

"Sour scholar, stop worrying about nothing here.

It's dark now, and the government troops outside the city are several miles away from us. Unless you tip them off, how can they know what happened in the city?

Even if the enemy really launched an attack, they would not be able to fly into the city.

We just want justice, not to withdraw all the troops. Each of us brings 500 soldiers, which is enough to make Chen afraid to act rashly.

If we find evidence that he's selling military rations, we can just arrest that bastard and report him to the Southern King for punishment. That would be a great achievement!"

Lou Qinghong said disdainfully.

Merit can be obtained not only when fighting against external enemies, but also when eliminating internal hidden dangers.

In essence, Chen Jingfeng was the nail thrown by the White Lotus Saint Emperor to prevent the King of the South from completely controlling Guangdong.

Killing this guy legally would be their best chance to show their loyalty to the King of the South.

Without this thing getting in the way, everyone can work together to defend the city and not give the government troops any chance to take advantage.

Of course, if the city cannot be defended, no one will stop everyone from running away.

As a makeshift entrepreneurial team, the White Lotus Holy Kingdom's management of the territory was still very immature and it had no intention of occupying it for a long time.

Apart from anything else, as long as the equal distribution of land was implemented, every time they conquered a place, the local area would become their base, and the government troops would have no chance to play a role.

Unfortunately, this was just a political slogan used to attract people who were eager for land to join the rebellion, and the top leaders of the Holy White Lotus Kingdom did not intend to fulfill their promise.

How high the expectations are, how high the disappointment is.

The Holy Kingdom of White Lotus did not distribute land among the local people as it had claimed, and the people's hearts, which they had just won, were quickly lost again.

Coupled with the lack of grassroots officials and the integration of local forces, the Holy White Lotus Kingdom has become a bloated behemoth.

Although the situation seemed to be very strong, there were actually many internal conflicts. If the government troops had not put too much pressure on them, they might have started fighting internally.

"General Lou is right. If we capture that bastard named Chen, we will make him the King of the South..."

Chu Er responded quickly.

Now, he was a general who was actively trying to get close to the Southern King. It was reasonable for him to want to show off.

After everyone looked at each other, they responded one after another.

They could be slow at other times, but they had to be fast when they were standing in line. Besides, they were generals of the Southern King's faction, so they naturally couldn't let anyone talk about them at this time.

After a brief discussion, the drunken generals took action one after another, and for a while Guangzhou City became extremely lively.

……

Governor's Palace.

“My lord, something terrible has happened!

Outside……"

Before the guard had finished speaking, Chen Jingfeng could not help but scold him:
"Speak slowly, the sky won't fall!

It's just the government troops attacking the city, what's the big deal!"

In his opinion, the most serious consequence now would be the government troops attacking the city.

Last year, the Southern King assembled an army of hundreds of thousands to besiege Guangzhou, but it was only with the help of an insider that the city was captured.

Now that the government troops are coming, facing the sturdy city of Guangzhou, they can only sigh in despair.

"Governor, this is ten times more serious than the government troops attacking the city. Many generals in the city have gathered their troops and are suspected of rebellion!"

The most taboo thing in defending a city is internal strife. The strongest city is always conquered from the inside. The reason for splitting up the troops of the generals was to worry about internal problems. Unexpectedly, the most worried thing still happened.

"Pass the order down, have my officers dispatched to intercept immediately. Order all troops to return to the camp, and those who disobey will be killed without mercy!"

Chen Jingfeng immediately gave the order.

I don’t know what happened, and the best option is to trap people in the camp and never let them connect with each other.

Whether it is treason or not can be investigated later, but for now we need to maintain stability.

……

"Get out of the way!"

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

I had finally managed to stir up everyone's anger and incite them to make a fuss, but how could I be blocked by someone just as I left the house?

"The Governor has ordered that all troops return to the camp immediately. Those who disobey will be killed without mercy!"

The young officer in front warned sternly.

As troops directly under the governor, they are respected wherever they go.

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

Until his death he never understood where Chu Er got the courage to attack him.

"kill!"

The assembled troops immediately killed dozens of Du Biao in front of them.

Compared with Chu Er's decisiveness, the style of other places is different.

Everyone was just drunk and joined in the commotion to vent their dissatisfaction. Now that there was a little breeze, they had mostly sobered up.

Many people didn't have the courage to kill the governors who blocked their way, but they had to do what they had promised.

If someone else arrived at the granary to check as agreed, and he was absent alone, it would be easy for the Southern King to suspect his loyalty if he heard about it.

For a while, various groups of people confronted the Du Biao, and neither side gave in, creating a very lively scene.

Taking advantage of the chaos in the city, Chu Er did not hesitate at all and led his troops directly to the city gate.

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

Cheng Jiliang spoke immediately.

The agreed time for siege was approaching, and the government troops had been ready outside, waiting for them to open the city gates so that they could join forces.

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

The guard refused decisively.

As he spoke, he took two steps back. Although he didn't know what happened, his reason told him that it was definitely wrong for Chu Er to leave the city at this time.

"If you don't drink the strong wine, you will drink the penalty wine!
kill! "

Chu Er ordered coldly.

The chaos in the city will not last long. Once the chaos subsides, he will be exposed.

The plan has reached this stage and he can no longer retreat.

If he opens the city gates tonight and lets the government troops in, he will be an official of the imperial court tomorrow.

Although they are both officials, the value of an official in Dayu is much higher than that in the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus.

With an official position, he could return home in glory, instead of being ridiculed as a traitor as he is now.

The battle broke out suddenly, and the defending soldiers had no time to react. They really couldn't understand why their colleagues would raise their knives against them.

The darkness is the best cover. The defenders nearby clearly heard the shouting and killing, but they didn't know what exactly happened.

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

"The government troops are entering the city!"

The shout of a rebel soldier made the already chaotic city of Guangzhou even more chaotic.

The generals who were originally confronting the governors suddenly became at a loss as to what to do.

They just wanted to check the food reserves in the city and take the opportunity to pull down Governor Chen. But the action had just begun when the government troops rushed into the city.

……

"You are blind, why don't you get out of the way?

I will lead the troops to defend the city. If something important is delayed, can you afford it?"

Lou Qinghong asked murderously.

He was not fooling anyone, he really wanted to lead his troops to reinforce the defenders.

Guangzhou City has great strategic significance, which cannot be compared with Zhaoqing Prefecture. He dared to give up Zhaoqing, but he did not dare to give up Guangzhou.

Once the city falls, the Holy Kingdom will hold them accountable. All the generals who caused the chaos tonight will not be able to escape.

“The Governor has ordered that Lord Lou should return to the camp and rest!
The Governor has his own arrangements for defending the city, so you don't need to worry about it."

Status determines position, and the most important thing for a supervisor is to execute orders unconditionally. Other things are not the concern of a grassroots officer like him.

"Eliminate the stubbornness!
I think Chen Jingfeng wanted to surrender to the government troops, so he deliberately stopped us from helping the garrison."

Captain Du on the side couldn't help but complain.

The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously.

When Lou Qinghong heard this, he immediately became suspicious of Chen Jingfeng.

It would be fine if we just stopped them in front, but now that the government troops are attacking the city, we still have to block them. This is obviously not right.

If the governor was instigated to rebel, the defense of Guangzhou would definitely be a failure.

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

"Step aside!

This is the last time. If you stop me again, I will not be polite to you!"

Lou Qinghong said in a cold tone.

As he spoke, he had already drawn the sword in his hand and made his position clear with practical actions.

"General Lou, please wait a moment. Let's go back and ask the Governor for instructions!"

The middle-aged general who was blocking the road realized that the situation was not good and hurriedly spoke to comfort them.

If a real fight breaks out, the dozens of people he brings with him will not be enough.

"I'll give you half an incense stick of time!"

Lou Qinghong thought for a moment and said.

It is extremely taboo to attack your own people without sufficient reasons.

Now he just suspected that Chen Jingfeng was colluding with the government troops, but it was just a suspicion and he had no evidence in his hands.

If a lower-level official wants to take down a higher-level official, he cannot do it based on mere rumors. Without solid evidence, he cannot take action at all.

……

"The Pseudo-Dynasty army has entered the city?"

Chen Jingfeng asked in disbelief.

The government troops entered the city so easily. When did Guangzhou’s defense become so weak?
In an instant, he thought of the enemy's internal and external cooperation. Only with the cooperation of the defenders in the city could the enemy enter the city quickly.

There just happened to be a riot in the city, so it would not be surprising if one group of people, or several groups in collusion, took advantage of the chaos to open the city gate and let the enemy in.

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

When he wanted to deploy troops, he was worried that he would be walking into a tiger's mouth.

If the reinforcements sent happen to be the enemy's hidden pawn, it will only make the situation worse.

"Pass the order..."

Before he could finish his words, shouts of killing reached his ears.

There was no doubt that the battle was approaching the Governor's Palace.

……

(End of this chapter)