The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 80 Tongzhou! Tongzhou!
"Hurry! Hundreds of thousands of saints are here—"

Zhuosheng urged his horse as hard as he could and rushed into the palace gate. Before he could finish his words, he was dragged off his horse by the noisy soldiers and beheaded.

The chaotic soldiers kicked the bloody head of the captured general away and shouted: "This fellow disturbs the morale of the army, kill him!"

"Sigh!" As soon as the scouts who had followed the captured general came in and saw this scene, they cursed, threw away their short spears, and rode away. The other scouts were also furious and drew their swords to cut down the chaotic soldiers.

One man failed to escape and fell off his horse.

Swish, swish, swish, dense figures immediately surrounded him and shouted, "What's the situation?!"

"The infantry and cavalry were marching for more than ten miles. Our scouts were ambushed. Except for us who managed to escape, the rest were killed! The royal army is rushing towards Changchun Palace!"

"Are there really a hundred thousand people?" the soldiers shouted.

The scout said angrily, "The banners are endless, the sound of horses' hooves shakes the mountains and the earth, the dust raised by the cavalry covers the sky, and the infantry march in ten columns without armor. I don't know how many of them there are!"

It was like a bolt from the blue exploding in Changchun Palace, and the soldiers who were watching the excitement were suddenly in an uproar and stunned.

"You useless piece of shit! Die!" The blade chopped down with a clang, the scout screamed, and debris splattered.

The soldiers were very excited and there was commotion everywhere.

"We recommended Shi Cong as the successor, but he escaped at night. We recommended Fei Zhongkang, but he also escaped!"

"The saint is here to kill us!"

"If you don't leave now, when will you wait?"

"We can't stay in Changchun Palace any longer. We need to go to Dali City to join the main force and assist in the defense."

"Woo-"

"What about the family? Are the valuables thrown away? Are the robbed concubines, imperial concubines, and female crowns taken with them?"

"..."

The soldiers were running around, some screaming, some laughing, some going home to look for their wives and daughters, like leaves struggling in a stormy sea.

More than a dozen large pots in the Palace Square were overturned to the ground, and the smoking hot lard spilled everywhere.

The fire was kicked apart, and the blackened sticks of firewood flew everywhere, mixed with charcoal.

With a loud bang, blazing flames rose into the sky, and the ignited kerosene depot instantly illuminated the entire Changchun Palace. The beautiful female imperial concubine who was dragged by her hair had a muddy face and struggled desperately with her feet kicking the ground.

Soon, a large wave of evacuation took shape, with people gathering at the west gate and running away.

Beggars, refugees, officials, concubines, and Taoists crowded around.

The elderly and children were trampled underfoot and cried loudly.

Pigs, sheep, chickens, dogs, donkeys, and cows were running everywhere, and people, horses, and carriages were crowded and trampled.

A large group of rebel soldiers came. Faced with life, most warriors had abandoned their wealth and baggage, and only took dry food and their families. A few who were unwilling to leave, groaned as they carried large and small bags. Some even grabbed a crying palace maid and beat and kicked her to force her to leave quickly.

"Go away!"

"Pfft."

"what!"

The warriors ate and drank, and dressed in armor and weapons, and quickly fought their way out. At this time, the sun was setting in the west, and the sky and the earth were full of red. The king's army was probably coming. The chaotic soldiers didn't care about anything else, and they hurried away one by one. It was not easy to escape from Changchun Palace, and they didn't want to be regarded as trophies.

On the hill, dozens of riders stood with their backs to the setting sun. Their faces could not be seen, but from their outlines, it was clear that many of them had braids or had their hair shaved white on the sides, leaving only a few tufts on top. The bellies of each horse were filled with messy heads, quivers, and sheepskin bags filled with dry food.

Looking at the chaotic soldiers running towards the setting sun on the field, they observed leisurely while eating vinegar cakes, drinking water and feeding their mounts.

After a while, there were another hundred riders on the hill. The number kept increasing, with dozens or hundreds of riders appearing on the horizon. They had obviously received the news. But they did not rush to attack, but blocked the road ahead from a distance.

The rebel army slowly stopped, like a boiling hot pot, and they took weapons and armor from the vehicles, organized the troops and prepared for battle. However, deep panic appeared in everyone's eyes.

"The emperor must be here to kill us. We should head south into the mountains."

"I think there are tens of thousands of cavalry scattered around. Where can we escape to? We might as well fight the dog emperor to the death."

"I can't surrender. Will he catch me and make me a villain?"

"Alas!" The Dog Emperor came too fast and had too many cavalrymen under his command. They took a lot of time to pack their luggage and lacked the strength to walk. As a result, they had only walked for a short while when their way was blocked.

"Whoa--" The saint rode his horse to the small hill.

The cavalrymen made a commotion, made way for him, and pushed him out of the crowd.

Looking down at the plain from a high point, Li Ye pointed with his whip and asked, "When can we strike?"

"The enemy is at their peak strength now. If they fight in formation, it will be disadvantageous to us." Fu Cunshen, the leopard commander of the cavalry, rode out and suggested, "We can send light cavalry to patrol far away, shoot arrows and shout, so as to scare the livestock in the enemy's convoy and harass the families of the rebels."

The battle of Meibize seemed to be similar.

It is indeed useful, but... The saint pondered and said, "I see that there are many women and children in the chaotic army-"

"They are all the wives and children of the thieves." The brother-in-law He Chuyu snorted coldly: "If the rebels know the current situation and surrender for their families, they can live. If they resist to the end, they deserve to die. Why should the government be soft-hearted?"

The saint was silent. He had gone to war three times, and each time the plan he fantasized about before the war had never been perfectly executed. When the warriors got excited, they always fought like wild horses running wild.

Ugh!
Seeing that her brother-in-law ignored her, He Chuyu thought for a moment, leaned close to his ear and whispered, "If it's for the sake of reputation, the government can retreat ten miles. I will do this after we win. In this way, the saint will not know about it, and it will be my reckless behavior."

"That's enough!" The saint turned his head and glared at him, scolding him. Then his eyes softened and he said, "I am not a sanctimonious emperor. I will take on the responsibilities that I should take."

You get all the benefits, and all the problems and troubles are solved. How can it be so cheap in the world?
When the sun completely sank and dusk enveloped the fields, the saint waved his hand and said, "Attack."

Boom boom boom!
Amid the sound of drums and horns, the sound of horse hooves within a ten-mile radius was like thunder, and the cavalrymen stationed in various places squeezed their horses' bellies - like a mudslide pouring down the hillside, unstoppable. Like a strong wind blowing through the woods, moving slowly. Like a spark meeting dry grass, gathering towards the chaotic army formation.

A total of 11000 light and heavy cavalrymen came from the four directions of southeast, northwest, northeast and southwest, and fired wave after wave of arrows at the chaotic army formations.

Harass! Keep harassing them until the soldiers are exhausted, then charge head-on and finish them off.

"Kill..." Tens of thousands of horses galloped non-stop across the Luoshui Plain.

The weeds were trampled to the ground, the fireflies were blown up into the sky by the strong wind created by the knights' staggered movements, and the dandelions were turned into powder.

The ground shook violently.

The more than 2,000 rebel soldiers completed their assembly in the last possible moment and formed a hexagonal formation to fight around their families and baggage.

Dadada! A wave of cavalry came roaring and threw short spears at them.

Puff, puff, puff! Another barrage of arrows pierced the shield.

"Woo--" Women and children hid behind the cart, crying and screaming, trembling. "Shut up!" The warrior kicked his wife over, baring his teeth and cursing: "If you scream again, I'll kill you!"

This scene is exactly the same as the scene when Shi Le besieged Sima Yue, King of Donghai during the Sixteen Kingdoms period.

"——Kill!!!" A few cavalrymen entered the formation, and the enemy soldiers' eyes were bloodshot, and they shouted and stabbed fiercely. Dozens of people were swept off their horses and stabbed into meat paste without even making a sound.

"Boom, boom, boom--" Another wave of enemies arrived.

Three hundred red-clad knights hugged the horses' necks and lay on their backs. When they got close, they swiftly picked up the crossbows, took a quick aim at the enemy's formation, and shot out powerful crossbow arrows filled with kerosene.

"Sit down!" With an order, a large group of infantrymen in the distance sat down with guns in hand and pulled the rope of the crossbow.

"Fire!" the officer shouted. The bang sounded so loud that it hurt people's eardrums. Hundreds of large arrows filled with wool and lit by fire cut through the twilight.

The ferocious faces of the soldiers who were fighting bravely finally revealed unsuppressible fear, and the despair in their pupils was so intense that it could not be more intense.

"Boom!" The raging fire illuminated half the sky red.

"——Ah!!!!" The chaotic soldiers screamed madly, calling out over and over again, with veins bulging on their foreheads.

The family members hid everywhere, crying and shouting.

A young woman had been separated from her warriors, and she didn't know whether her daughter was dead or alive. But she didn't even have time to check, she just hugged the baby tightly and dodged desperately behind the car.

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain, and the young woman lost her balance. Blood gushed out of her mouth, and the swaddling clothes fell to the ground. She knelt down, holding her throat, and stared at the charred remains of a body with her eyes wide open.

"Kill!!!" A bandit soldier was dragged out of the formation!

Qian Silang rushed out of the sea of fire.

He held his brother on his shoulders with one hand, dragged a few corpses over with the other hand and piled them in front of him as a cover, muttering like a madman: "They won't die, they won't die. If we fight for a while, they should surrender--"

The younger brother had a half-cut horse spear stuck in his stomach, and he said in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "Promise me, we will no longer serve in the army, for the rest of our lives--"

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!" Another wave of overwhelming arrows came.

Qian Silang carried his brother on his shoulders and ran madly: "I promise you, I promise you!"

"You...send..."

"——I swear, I swear!" Qian Silang slapped his brother's rough face: "You f*cking make a noise!!" He ran for his life, tears pouring out of his eyes uncontrollably, and he shouted all the way like a possessed person: "I swear, Alda——"

A spear pierced his chest from behind.

"Haha..." Qian Silang's eyes widened as corpses were stepped on by pairs of staggering feet.

It was completely dark, and only 500 to 600 of the 2,000 rebel soldiers were left, and the bodies of the elderly, the weak, and their families were scattered all over the ground. Groups of cavalrymen were like wild wolves, staring with bloodshot eyes, holding up torches and circling around them, biting and shouting: "Surrender or not? Surrender or not? Surrender or not!!!"

On the hillside, disheveled He Chuyu rushed back, wiped the blood and residue on her face, and shouted: "The rebellious army has been defeated!"

"I saw it." The saint had been watching the battle, but he didn't expect that these people would resist to the end. Could it be that the punishment of the evil army was more terrible than letting them die?
"drive!"

He led hundreds of guards down the mountain, intending to persuade them to surrender. Warriors, if they die, they die. Forgive him for not being able to bear these old people and children!
In front of the battlefield, small-scale fighting was still going on, and hundreds of surrounded remaining soldiers were still fighting like trapped beasts.

"Ah!" A woman with a baby on her back was dragged out by a horse lance with a scream. Fu Cunshen, who was standing nearby, saw this and was about to stop the knight, but suddenly he heard the sound of armor leaves swishing, and it was Zhazhu riding his horse forward.

Without waiting for Fu Cunshen to greet him.

Zhazhu snatched the child from the woman's arms.

The women cried out in pain.

Seeing Zhazhu's ferocious expression, Fu Cunshen hurriedly stepped forward and advised: "Take him back to Chang'an and castrate him to be a eunuch. The saint does not like to kill innocent people, so don't offend him."

"What do you mean innocent?" Zhazhu shouted, "You want to keep this thief alive until he grows up and continues to rebel and avenge his father?"

"No!" Mei Zang Qiqi also shouted.

Zhazhu pretended not to hear, threw the child away and stabbed him with a spear.

Fu Cunshen closed his eyes.

Zhazhu ignored the crying woman holding the baby in her arms, slammed his horse spear into the ground, and shouted at the enemy army: "If you don't surrender, we will break through the formation and kill everyone, young and old!"

Beside the horse, a woman with a wooden expression held the bloody swaddling clothes and murmured to herself: "My son, my son"

In the dead silence, hundreds of remaining soldiers fell silent. But looking over there, under the illumination of torches, there were bodies everywhere.

When the saint arrived, these sweaty warriors were supporting each other and forming a line.

Looking at those faces that were filled with resentment, he snorted, "Let's deal with it the old way. Those who don't obey will be buried alive."

More than a thousand surviving family members were taken aside and kept under guard.

These people are not ordinary people! Having killed their sons, husbands, and fathers, the hatred between the two sides has already formed, and Li will not let them become good citizens.

He picked out the boys and girls under the age of five and sent them back to Chang'an overnight, handing them over to the Ye Ting Bureau and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to raise them so that they could train new eunuchs who had no foundation in the palace. The rest of the old, young, women and children were also taken to the capital and exiled to Fengxiang, Guanzhong and other counties to cultivate land.

"Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission." Zhang Jide, the commander of the cavalry, bowed and said with all the generals, "We have annihilated 2187 rebels in Tongzhou, captured 497 people, and lost their families. We have captured more than a thousand cattle, sheep, horses, chickens and other livestock, carts, nearly sets of various weapons and armor, and countless other materials."

"All the wealth and livestock will be given to the athletes!" said the saint.

"Long live the emperor!" The soldiers complimented the emperor in unison, then made a fire, cooked, and rested, waiting for the spoils to be divided immediately. Have a good rest for the night, and march to Dali tomorrow!
"47 palace maids and 22 female crowns have been identified." He Chuyu rode over and reported.

"Send it back to Chang'an."

"Also, Concubine Meng was found in Changchun Palace. The captive was tortured to find out the whereabouts of Concubine Zheng, and was taken to Dali City." He Chuyu added: "Concubine Meng was abused repeatedly and has been seriously injured. She can't walk..."

The Saint's face was livid, and he was a little nervous. He called He Yuqing's third brother, He Zongyi, and ordered, "Immediately take 300 riders to escort Meng Cairen back to the capital and hand him over to the Privy Councilor."

"Yes."

He had originally planned to go meet his sister-in-law, but considering her situation, he was worried that she would commit suicide out of shame after seeing him, so he decided to leave her alone for now, and then return to Chang'an to try to help this beautiful and talented but ill-fated widow out of her nightmare.

He then summoned the generals of the cavalry and infantry divisions to discuss the next arrangements.

"I saw that the Tongzhou army was scattered everywhere with no discipline. My army did not retreat until they were twenty miles away, and we caught them red-handed. I have not seen a battle like this in more than ten years." The saint opened his mouth and spoke.

The turmoil of the feudal army had weighed on his mind like a midnight ghost, making him breathless and afraid to act. But after three battles, he realized what these things were.
In the battle of Qishan, Wu Xiong dared to come out with only 3,000 soldiers to fight with your 10,000-plus infantry and cavalry. In the battle of Mipi Ze, the Qi thieves rushed on in the rain, with only their eyes set on robbing Chang'an - one can't help but wonder, would they die if they set up camp and slowly advance?

Today, after the battle at Changchun Palace, the rebels started to think about running away because the situation was urgent. That was fine, but they were reluctant to leave anything behind, and followed the soldiers like refugees. Were they escaping or moving?
Everyone laughed when they heard this.

"My suggestion is that we split our troops into two groups the next morning. One group will attack Pubanjin to cut off the enemy's retreat, and the other group will surround Dali." The sage sat on the Hu bed with a big horse and a golden sword, and said directly: "Sizhou, Yanzhen, you two groups of 10,000 people will go to Pubanjin. If there are soldiers guarding it, try to attack it. If not, defend it."

　After reading everyone's messages, I still can't stop. Thank you all for your support and encouragement. I am overwhelmed with fear and humility. I bow my head and respectfully bow again. I sincerely wish you a happy May Day, everlasting happiness, longevity, and a long life.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)