The prince is more stable

Chapter 970 The Army Sieges the City
Liu Zening was very lucky; in the last moments of his life, he met Zhao Xi of the Imperial City Guard.

Perhaps it was Heaven's mercy, unable to bear seeing a loyal minister perish; Heaven is merciless, but in the end, it left people a glimmer of hope.

Xiayi County was still in chaos. The local militia and village militia had been mobilized, and tens of thousands of troops from various places had surrounded the two county towns, but they had only besieged them and had not attacked them.

It wasn't that they dared not, but that the imperial court had issued an order.

Given the current state of corruption in Yingtian's officialdom, the emperor and the court could no longer trust the local government and local militia. The suppression of the peasant uprising was taken over by the Palace Guards of Bianjing, and the Imperial Guards led by Di Zi were already on their way.

The counties of Xiayi and Chuqiu were occupied by rebels, and before the imperial army could suppress them, they were already in chaos.

Popular uprisings are impulsive choices, and after the impulse subsides, calm must eventually return.

Once people calm down, they regret their impulsive actions, especially when they impulsively commit rebellion. The rebels are ordinary people; who wouldn't be afraid?
Having occupied two county towns, they had already rebelled against the Heavenly Gang. Faced with the siege of tens of thousands of local and township troops outside the city, the rioters inside were filled with fear and unease.

The powerful landlord who deliberately incited and misled the people to start a popular uprising has disappeared without a trace. The city is leaderless and the rioters have no idea what to do, so they discuss electing a leader to guide them.

Something magic happened.

No one wanted to be the leader. They would throw a tantrum and refuse to be beaten to death whenever their name was mentioned. They wouldn't even participate in drawing lots. Some people simply started cursing, saying that they were just spectators who had been innocently dragged into the city by the crowd, and that they were innocent, kind, and obedient citizens...

Although these rioters were illiterate and didn't understand any grand principles, they still knew a little about the basic laws of the land.

At least they knew that they were rebelling. If they became the leader of this group, they might have power and glory for a while, but once the imperial army broke through the city, the leader would be executed along with his entire family.

No way, the leader would rather die than do it.

A few days later, the imperial army broke through the city. He could still explain that he was innocently dragged into it, but once he became the leader, he didn't even have a reason to defend himself.

No one fantasizes about success; it's impossible.

Times have changed. I heard that the imperial army is equipped with something called "firearms." This weapon is indestructible. The Song army used it to defeat the Liao army, and the Song Dynasty was able to hold its head high from then on.

Even the fierce and ruthless Liao army couldn't withstand more than a few rounds of firearms. What were these rabble of rioters, who could be described as a "disorganized mob"? How many bullets could they possibly take?
They didn't even have proper weapons; they relied on farm tools like hoes and rakes to occupy the county town.

Zhao Xi, leading his subordinates from the Imperial City Guard's secret service, secretly picked up Liu Zening, who was high in fever and unconscious, from a mountain temple not far from Xiayi County. After receiving simple treatment on the way, they were rushed to Bianjing.

Meanwhile, in Yingtian Prefecture, Han Zhongyan's carriage had already arrived.

Accompanying Han Zhongyan were a thousand imperial guards cavalrymen from the Palace Guard, armed with firearms and mounted to closely protect him.

Standing outside the city to welcome Han Zhongyan, Li Huai, the Nanjing garrison commander, felt his heart sink to the bottom upon seeing the scene and the atmosphere.

When civil officials from the capital went on tours to other regions, no matter how high their rank, the imperial court would not send a thousand cavalrymen to escort them.

Han Zhongyan was a supervising official, whose rank was equivalent to that of the current prime minister, but he was not qualified for such a grand display unless the emperor was on an imperial tour.

But why did Han Zhongyan bring so many people this time? What does that mean?
This indicates that the officials and the court had become suspicious of the officials in the capital and thus became wary.

Li Huai, leading the officials of Yingtian Prefecture, stood outside the city gate without changing his expression, bowing to Han Zhongyan.

Han Zhongyan squinted at Li Huai, memorizing his appearance, and then nodded.

"Lieutenant Li, you need not stand on ceremony. I am here on imperial orders to inspect Nanjing. I presume you know why?" Han Zhongyan said calmly.

Li Huai bowed and said, "Yes, I beg for forgiveness. I deserve to die ten thousand times. The riots in Xiayi County under the jurisdiction of Nanjing are my fault."

Han Zhongyan's tone grew colder: "The two counties of Xiayi and Chuqiu have been occupied by rioters. There is no need to rush this matter. The imperial court has already dispatched the imperial guards to quell the rebellion. The rioters will surrender in the next two days. I want to know how this uprising happened and why it happened. I hope that Governor Li can give me a reasonable explanation."

Li Huai cautiously replied, "I have already made it very clear in the memorial I sent to Bianjing..."

Han Zhongyan squinted and slowly said, "Does Li Liushou mean that the popular uprising was instigated by Liu Zening of the Censorate?"

Li Huai lowered his head and remained silent, but his silence answered everything.

Han Zhongyan then glanced at the other officials of Yingtian Prefecture and saw that they were also bowing their heads and remaining silent, which clearly indicated that they had tacitly agreed to this statement.

Han Zhongyan gave a cold laugh and said, "The truth will eventually be revealed. The imperial guards have surrounded Xiayi Chuqiu, the peasant uprising is about to be quelled, and the truth of the matter will come to light."

Li Huai couldn't help but say, "Doctor Han, do you mean you don't believe what I and the officials of Yingtian Prefecture said? You can't show favoritism and cover up for Liu Zening just because he is an official of the Censorate. That would be unfair."

Han Zhongyan nodded: "'Fairness' must be based on reason and evidence. We can't just believe everything you submit, can we? I'm here to verify the evidence, which is also the Emperor's intention."

The moment the two met, the atmosphere was thick with tension.

Li Huai took a deep breath, stopped talking about the topic, and respectfully invited Han Zhongyan into the city.

Han Zhongyan waved his hand and said, "I live in the Imperial Guard camp outside the city. You can come to the camp to discuss matters in person."

Li Huai was somewhat surprised, and his expression grew increasingly grim. The fact that he wouldn't even enter the city clearly showed that Han Zhongyan was deeply wary of him. Li Huai was now certain that his memorial to Bianjing was not very convincing, and the Emperor and the court had already become suspicious.

"Prefect Li, there is one more matter, which is also an imperial decree. Within half an hour, please prepare the household registration, population, land, and tax records of Yingtian Prefecture and its seven counties. My accompanying clerks need to review them."

Li Huai and the officials of Yingtian Prefecture were startled and looked at him with pale faces.

Before Li Huai could react, Han Zhongyan had already turned around and said in a deep voice to a commander of the Imperial Guards who was accompanying him, "Please send five hundred soldiers into the government office to urge the officials to bring all the account books. They must be completed within half an hour."

After saying this, Han Zhongyan gave Li Huai one last deep look. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he saw a fast horse galloping towards him.

Han Zhongyan stopped and squinted at the approaching rider.

The knight stopped in front of Han Zhongyan, dismounted, clasped his hands, and said, "Reporting to Doctor Han, an urgent report has come from the Imperial City Guard. They have found Liu Zening at the Mountain God Temple, ten miles northwest of Xiayi County. He is still alive, but has a high fever and is unconscious. He has been urgently sent to Bianjing."

Upon hearing this, several thuds were heard behind them, and several officials from Yingtian Prefecture collapsed to the ground, their faces pale and filled with despair. They tried to stand up, but found that they had no strength left in their bodies.

Li Huai was so frightened he almost collapsed. This news was a bolt from the blue for him and the officials of Yingtian Prefecture.

Liu Zening is still alive?
When the uprising occurred, hundreds of people besieged him and dozens of imperial guards. Under such circumstances, how could he possibly have survived?

Li Huai was also in despair. At this moment, only one thought remained in his mind: all was lost.

Han Zhongyan's reaction was quite different. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Looking at Li Huai's pale face, he stroked his beard and said slowly, "Li, the garrison commander, do you remember that your memorial said that Liu Zening died on the spot from the fists and kicks of the rioters?"

Li Huai was speechless.

Han Zhongyan sneered, "As I have said, right and wrong will eventually be judged, and Heaven will be the judge of loyalty and treachery."

"The truth about the peasant uprising in Xiayi County will soon be revealed to the world. Let's wait patiently."

…………

Outside Xiayi County, chaos and turmoil reigned, and inside the county town, the rioters were in utter disarray.

After more than 20,000 rioters occupied the county town, there was no unified command, no leader, and no unified allocation of food and supplies. No one cared about their food and drink, so the rioters split into two factions.

One faction became extremely vicious, setting fires and looting throughout the city; these people became the true rebels.

The other faction, however, was purely a surrender faction. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, they climbed over the city wall, quietly descended, left this place of trouble, and silently returned to their hometowns, pretending that nothing had happened.

In just two days, the number of rioters in Xiayi County had decreased by about 10,000. These people were considered relatively rational and knew how serious the consequences would be. They did not hesitate to risk falling off the city wall and becoming disabled in order to escape the city.

The chaos in the county town did not last long.

On the third day after the rioters occupied the county town, an army of tens of thousands arrived outside the city.

This army was well-equipped, with soldiers wearing armor and helmets, each carrying a firearm, and forming a neat formation to surround Xiayi County from four directions.

The leading general had a stern expression and calmly stared at the city wall of Xiayi County and the pitifully thin city gate below it.

The city walls of the county town were actually quite simple, mostly built of rammed earth. Moreover, Xiayi County was located deep in the interior of the Song Dynasty and had basically never experienced the ravages of war, so its city defenses were practically non-existent.

The leading general was Di Zi, whom Zhao Xiaoqian personally appointed to quell the peasant uprising.

With the arrival of 20,000 soldiers from the Bianjing Palace Guard, the rioters in Xiayi County panicked even more. Seeing the well-organized and flag-waving elite troops of the imperial court outside the city, the rioters inside the city were terrified.

Many people disregarded the danger and desperately climbed the city walls, trying to escape. Many more put down their farm tools, which they used as weapons, and squatted at the foot of the walls. The entire city's rioters showed no will to resist whatsoever.

Faced with the elite Imperial Guard under Di Zi's command, even the most ignorant and arrogant rioters knew very well that they were no match for them.

Giving up resistance might still result in punishment from the court, and with luck, one might survive, since the law does not punish the masses.

But if you take up arms to resist, you will truly be classified as a rebel, and the imperial court will kill you without hesitation.

The army besieged the city without delay. Once the 20,000 imperial guards had surrounded Xiayi County, they immediately waved their hands, and the soldiers pushed out a red-coated cannon.

Under the horrified gaze of the rioters, the cannons in red coats aimed directly at the flimsy and pitiful city gate, lit the fuse, and with a deafening roar, a large hole was breached in the city gate.

With the city gates breached, the last glimmer of hope held by the rioters was finally extinguished.

Several Imperial Guard knights galloped around the city walls, shouting loudly as they rode.

"Listen up, rioters inside the city! The imperial army is here! The general orders you to surrender immediately. Anyone who refuses to leave the city after half an hour will be considered a traitor and executed without mercy!"

(End of this chapter)