The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 282 One-eyed Dragon (I)

On the tenth day of the eighth month of the third year of Qianning, upon learning of the invasion of Yue, the Hedong Army marched into the deserted Western Capital and looted it together with the ruffians and citizens who had stayed behind.

Wang Congxun and Zhao Fu strictly implemented the sage's spirit of "Chang'an can be abandoned if necessary" and firmly defended Weibei.

Therefore, the Hedong army and the rioters marched straight in, and the Qionglin Treasury and the imperial palace became their gold and silver mountains.

The troops stationed in the Weibei camp were also in an uproar upon seeing this, and many of them rushed out of the camp, taking the opportunity to make a fortune.

Unfortunately, the city palace that the court had spent so much effort to renovate since Jingfu was destroyed again.

However, it is not surprising. The Shen Ce Army could burn even the imperial palace, and the Hedong Yamen could rape, plunder and set fire to the neighbors in Taiyuan. How could you, the emperor, not rob them? Saints were robbed and Chang'an was robbed more than once, and everyone was used to it.

As for the common people, they have either fled for their lives or sought wealth and honor in danger during every turmoil since the beginning of the hard times. They are both victims and perpetrators.

"Plundering the treasury" has become a specialty of the citizens of Chang'an.

"Bang!" Li Cunjin broke the copper lock and kicked the warehouse door open.

"It's simply blinding my eyes." The mountains of gold, jade, money and grain lifted up her skirt. Black copper coins, bright silk fabrics, fragrant tea, colorful South China Sea snake skin... The soldiers shouted and rushed in.

"Judge Zhang, you come to register." Li Cunjin ordered as he checked.

"Move them all?"

"of course."

"That's really a fortune. The saint has been dedicated to conquering and amassing wealth for many years and has accumulated a huge fortune. Although most of it was taken away by the prime ministers, he still lost a lot of money." Judge Zhang said with a smile.

"It is only right that the emperor give some money to support the army in our fight against the enemy." Li Cunjin jumped on his horse and continued to search for the next location.

Zhuque Street was in chaos. Everywhere there were convoys of people transporting valuables, soldiers rummaging through boxes and cabinets, masked thieves holding sharp blades, and some holding the hands of crying palace maids.

Li Cunjin and his men were busy sweeping the outer markets, while Gao Shuangquan was also dealing with the "trophies" in the palace.

At this time, one cannot help but sigh at the overwhelming wealth.

The tributes of armor, gold and silver objects, scriptures, rare treasures, beasts, and all kinds of palace utensils from various states. The lifelike golden lotus lamp, the green bird platform, the lacquer table, the jade clothes... and the clothes of the concubines - were divided up by the warriors on the spot. In order to fight for the original blasphemous clothes, they even fought. If we can't play with the saint's women, can't we smell them?
"Is this how the saint usually governs the country?" In the Penglai Palace, Gao Shuangquan walked back and forth in front of the throne, desire and ambition in his eyes.

If there weren't so many people, I really want to sit on it and experience it!
Pity!
"Why not try the dragon bed inside?" Qiu Chengtan said with a flattering smile.

This is also a smart man. After escaping from the city and joining Li Keyong that day, he took the initiative to say that his family had been in the palace for more than a hundred years and was familiar with everything in the palace, and was willing to be a tour guide. If he helped them kill the saint and regain power, it would not be impossible to give the Li Tang country to Sikong.

Gao Shuangquan stood at the door of the bedroom and looked around. He saw that the room was covered with heavy curtains and looked very eerie. In the middle of the room was a five-story Bagua platform covered with yellow banners and purple gauze. He immediately glared at Qiu Chengtan and said, "You told me this is a dragon bed?"

"That's right, that's right." Qiu Chengtan nodded repeatedly and chuckled, "General, you don't know, this is a big bed specially made by the tyrant emperor, which can accommodate more than a hundred concubines and female concubines to sleep on the same bed at the same time. The tyrant emperor called it heaven on earth, but it is actually a place for men to enjoy......"

After a long while and taking a few deep breaths, Gao Shuangquan managed to calm down, but in the end he still didn't dare to try sleeping on the dragon bed.

It was not for anything else, but because he was afraid that Li Keyong would become suspicious.

"Don't stay, business is important." Gao Shuang turned around cruelly and stopped looking at Tian Shang Ren Jian. He just picked up a piece of underwear from the desk in the study that looked like Shu Fei's, Zhao Ruxin's, or Liang Xiaoyao's, with some seductive residue on it, and sniffed it.

The smell alone is unbearable.

Saints are also confused! With so many beautiful wives and concubines, and such a warm and fragrant land of gentleness, why do they still fight and kill all day long?

It's a misuse of energy and a waste of natural resources.

"Well." Qiu Chengtan ignored his abnormal behavior and suggested, "After taking the things, we need to set fire to the palace."

Gao Shuangquan glanced at the dead eunuch and snorted coldly: "You are really a scoundrel who will cut off your descendants. We are here to seek wealth, not to kill people or set fires. Do you want to burn down the imperial city and make Sikong and the saint your mortal enemies?"

"General, you are absolutely right." Qiu Chengtan nodded and said with a smile.

Under the guidance of Qiu Chengtan, Diwu Kefan, Luo Quanguan and others, Gao Shuangquan packed up all the valuables he could find and took away the property, which was estimated to be worth hundreds of thousands of strings of cash.

Fortunately, most of the assets in the palace had been transferred in advance by the court, otherwise Li Keyong would have been too tired to walk.

Just as Gao Shuangquan and his ilk were pulling treasures out of the palace, the sage's 50,000 infantry and cavalry had already passed Sanchuankou.

…………

The heavy rain made the ancient road soaked with boiling water.

Everything was silent except for the sound of the falling rain.

The evening bell of the lonely Prajna Temple is faint.

Inside the Mahavira Hall, the bearded abbot was flipping through Buddhist scriptures and leading his disciples in evening prayers.

Under the screen wall, two young monks carrying water urged each other.

In front of the mountain gate hall, the dog was sleeping soundly.

The chaotic noise, footsteps and horse hooves suddenly broke the peace.

A large number of warriors wearing straw raincoats rushed out of the rain and climbed up the stairs. "Donor, donor—" the gatekeeper monk stepped forward to ask, but was knocked down by the back of a knife: "Get lost!"

The Prajna Temple suddenly fell into chaos.

All the monks who were doing evening prayers immediately ran away, kicking over their utensils and crashing into the wall.
The old abbot staggered to the mountain gate hall, leaning on his staff, and kowtowed repeatedly to beg for mercy.

"I don't rob!" The saint jumped off his horse, ran to the palace, patted the old abbot on the shoulder and shouted: "Lend me your temple for a while!"

As he spoke, he had dozens of rolls of silk brought and piled them at the foot of the porch pillars.

"These are my two wives, giving birth on the way." He turned and pointed into the rain.

In the rain and fog, the dying Zhang Hui and Zhang Yueyi were transferred from the carriage to the flat bed. A dozen soldiers and servants gathered on both sides of the bed, holding umbrellas for them. The soldiers raised their swords and guns and waded through the puddles to make way.

Heavy rain fell from the sky, making the umbrella bang loudly.

The water splashed on Zhang Hui's face, but she showed no reaction. Her face was frighteningly pale, and in the blink of an eye, the blood flowing from her thighs dyed the white sheets red. Zhang Yueyi, who was giving birth for the first time, let out a piercing scream, her pupils were filled with fear, and her hands tightly grasped the edge of the bed.

On the road, armies wearing straw raincoats marched past the mountain gate.

"Are you going to have a child in our temple?" the abbot asked in embarrassment.

"Why, is it not possible?" The saint glanced at the old monk unexpectedly.

The abbot was terrified by this and said hurriedly, "Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. We will certainly help. But there is no one in our temple who knows how to deliver babies. We need to find a few experienced women nearby. General, please wait a moment..."

"I found it!" said the saint, and the abbot saw a group of soldiers escorting several ragged young and middle-aged women towards the mountain gate.

"Okay." The abbot nodded and said, "Let's take the two benefactors to Guanyin Temple first." He then told the young monk to prepare hot water and other things that might be useful. The saint bowed and thanked him, "I'm in your care, mother and child!"

"General, you are too polite. Human lives are at stake. I'm sure the Buddha will bless you." The abbot returned the greeting.

"Madam." When the Zhang Hui sisters passed by, the saint gently shook hands with each of them.

Zhang Hui, who had obviously lost weight, closed her eyes tightly and moved her lips, but in the end, she coughed violently, causing the lungs to move. She didn't say a word. Not long after leaving Tongwan City, the wind and rain continued. She caught a cold and was bumpy for hundreds of miles. The reason she was able to hold on was because she was tall and strong, unlike ordinary people!

"I hope I can see Li Lang again." Perhaps because they have been together for such a long time and have experienced so many things together, Zhang Yueyi no longer has the previous vigilance and unfamiliarity. Her face is pale and withered, and she just keeps murmuring the same words over and over again like in a dream: "I'm so cold, I'm in so much pain, I'm so scared..."

"It will be fine!" the saint affirmed, and then grabbed a few imperial doctors around him and said anxiously: "You go too, help!"

"No." Xu Shifu bowed and said, "There are differences between men and women. The two ladies are the emperor, so it is not appropriate for us to be present. Don't worry. We have already taught those common women the key points. Since the emperor is pregnant for the third time, I think there will be no problem..."

"Go!" The saint's eyes, bloodshot from long-term toil, were filled with cruelty: I just want to be safe, what do you mean by the distinction between men and women? How can I regret it if something goes wrong? Do I want to kill you gentlemen?!"

Xu Shifu was startled and quickly pecked at rice: "I'll go right away!"

Several people ran quickly into the mountain gate. The saint walked back and forth at the mountain gate a few times, turned around and followed.

"Bang." The saint knelt on the cushion with one knee, took off his armor and threw it aside. With disheveled hair, he faced the statue of Avalokitesvara, put his palms together and prayed devoutly: "The three saints and attendants chant my name, and with the power of thought, they will help me transcend troubles... The heir of the Li family only asks that all disasters befall me... The Immortal Lord Changsheng and the Lord Lingyin save me from drowning, and help me transcend and succeed. If I have to use my life to exchange for the safety of my relatives and the happiness of every family, why should I cherish this life?..."

Gods and ghosts sneered at him, and he knelt in the temple for a long time, unable to get up. All he wanted was a place to rest and peace of mind.

Queen of Heaven, my love, my favorite, please don't let me become the broken-down Tai-Hang-Zhu, Zhu Lao-San. If I lose you, what does it matter if I win the world... Without you, what's the meaning of all this!
After finishing his prayer, the saint collected his thoughts, blocked out the noise around him, and strode out of the Guanyin Temple.

"How far is Sanchuankou from Weibei?" the saint spread out the map and asked.

"About 160 miles." Zhao Jia blurted out, "If we march carefully, we will arrive in seven days."

"Seven days..." The saint repeated silently: "What is the current situation in Chang'an?"

"Great chaos. The rebels from Hedong and the common people competed with each other to plunder, rode donkeys to the palace, and went deep into the imperial palace. Wang Congxun and Zhao Fu stayed at home, defending Weibei and Hongmen. Many of their subordinates escaped from the camp and joined in the plunder, and the generals and officers were unable to stop them."

"What a bunch of idiots!" The saint was so angry that he asked, "Did they burn the city?"

"No."

The saint's expression eased a little. In this case, let's just rob. Anyway, there are only some scraps and meat left. As long as the big head is fine and the city is not burned, it's fine. These people will have to pay back what they stole from the tiger's mouth today, even ten times.

The finger moved to Meiyuan: "Li Keyong is still in Dongluchi?"

"We have been stationed in Meiyuan for many days."

"What about the court?"

"We are staying in Youfufeng temporarily. Everything is fine. Do you want to order Lord Zheng and others to join us?" Zhao Jia asked.

"No need." The saint rejected it. "Let them take care of the assets. Let's wait for Li Keyong and I to decide the winner before we talk about the next step. Wait, since we are not going to give face to the one-eyed dragon... tell Zheng Yanchang to dismiss him from all his positions and titles, including the governor of Hedong, the governor of Taiyuan, the governor of Beijing, the prince of Longxi, the acting grand tutor, the minister of the central secretariat, the minister of works, the minister of the imperial court, the minister of the imperial court, the minister of the imperial court, the general of the cavalry, the prince of Zheng, and so on, as well as his blood relatives and family members. Send envoys to various provinces to make it public."

"Also, the governor of Hedong has offered a reward for his head."

"I'm offering a reward for the positions of commanders of Zhenwu, Datong and Zhaoyi. If you kill the commanders and surrender, I'll grant you the title of military governor."

"Appoint the four commanderies of Chengde, Youzhou, Weizhou, and Henghai to be ready for the expedition."

(End of this chapter)