Huangming

Chapter 327 Luring the enemy into a trap, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.
From the cellar in the Duke Yansheng's mansion that had just been pried open, shrill screams could be heard intermittently, sometimes as sharp as tearing silk, sometimes as faint as a mosquito's buzz, sending chills down one's spine.

The one who made this sound was none other than Kong Yinzhi, the once high-ranking "future Duke Yansheng".

Li Hongji stood outside the cellar entrance, listening to the sounds inside, his face expressionless.

He felt no pity whatsoever for this kind of person who had oppressed the people for generations, who was all talk of benevolence and morality on the surface but was actually a scoundrel in the heart.

Every tael of silver extracted by the Duke of Yansheng's mansion is stained with the blood and tears of the tenants. Today, let Kong Yinzhi taste the pain of being slowly sliced ​​to death, as a way to avenge the blood debts of those poor people who were forced to ruin their families.

Deep inside the cellar, the faint sound of a sharp blade cutting through flesh could be heard, mixed with Kong Yinzhi's increasingly weak moans.

Even though Li Hongji was used to seeing life and death, he couldn't help but clench his fists unconsciously when he thought of the scene of flesh being torn apart and bones being crushed in the cellar.

This punishment was far too cruel, but for someone like Kong Yinzhi, it seemed that only in this way could the deep-seated grievances of the people be somewhat appeased.

Just then, a guard rushed over from the outer courtyard, his face showing a hint of caution: "Reporting to the general, His Majesty has sent word that he intends to move into the Duke of Yansheng's residence and convert this place into a temporary palace."

"Hey!"

Upon hearing this, Li Hongji immediately sneered, a sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

Xu Hongru, who hid in the back and disappeared during the siege, is now running faster than anyone else, eager to reap the rewards, now that the city has fallen.

He glanced at the mansion behind him and said coldly, "Go back and tell 'His Majesty' that the Duke of Yansheng's mansion has just been ravaged by war and is already in ruins. It has now been requisitioned by this general as a command post."

He paused, a sly glint in his eyes: "If we're talking about grandeur, the Confucius Temple has magnificent halls and a large area, which is just right for His Majesty's status. Let him stay there."

The guard was taken aback upon hearing this, and a troubled expression appeared on his face.

Although Xu Hongru was a self-made emperor, he was still the nominal commander-in-chief. Such a response would likely offend people.

But when he looked up and met Li Hongji's gaze, it was as cold as ice, as if if he dared to say even half a "no," his head would roll on the ground the next moment.

The guard felt a chill run down his spine and quickly lowered his head: "Your subordinate... Your subordinate obeys! I will go and report to His Majesty immediately!"

Having said that, he didn't dare look at her again and turned to leave in a hurry.

Li Hongji watched his retreating figure and snorted coldly.

Xu Hongru wants to seize the Duke Yansheng's mansion?
dream.

The shady dealings hidden in this place must not be allowed to be discovered by this incompetent emperor.

He turned to look at the cellar entrance and said in a low voice to the guard beside him, "Make sure things inside are handled cleanly."

"Yes!"

The screams inside the cellar had completely subsided at some point.

Nine hundred and ninety-nine cuts, no more, no less.

Kong Yinzhi ultimately could not endure the torture of being slowly sliced ​​to death. He had already died in excruciating pain, leaving only a mangled and bloody skeleton, a testament to the end of the centuries-old privileges of the Duke of Yansheng's mansion.

At that moment, on the street outside the Duke Yansheng's mansion, Xu Hongru's grand procession had arrived at the entrance.

With yellow flags fluttering and drums and music filling the air, a dozen or so eunuchs wearing crooked black gauze hats surrounded a sedan chair carried by eight men, making a spectacle even more ostentatious than that of a real emperor's procession.

But when Li Hongji's personal guards reported that "the mansion has been requisitioned," Xu Hongru immediately lifted the curtain and stepped out of the sedan chair. His face, swollen from excessive drinking, was full of anger. He pointed in the direction of the mansion gate and began to curse loudly:
"That Huang Hu! He's utterly audacious! Is he the emperor, or am I the emperor?!"

Seeing this, several of his close confidants echoed his sentiments, each adopting an indignant demeanor:

"Your Majesty is right! Huang Hu is truly unruly and has no respect for Your Majesty whatsoever! We must not tolerate this!"

"That's right! If this continues, who will be able to tell who is the master and who is the servant? If word gets out, the whole world will laugh at His Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, please issue an order immediately to have Huang Hu bound and brought in for questioning, as a warning to others!"

Amidst the angry shouts of the crowd, Xu Hongru's face turned pale and then red.

How could he not want to punish Li Hongji?
The clenched fist hung in mid-air, but eventually slowly loosened.

He knew better than anyone that Li Hongji had a very high reputation in the midst of the chaos, especially since he had just captured Qufu and his soldiers were in high spirits, and he was surrounded by many battle-hardened elites.

If a real fight breaks out, I might not gain the upper hand, and I might even lose money.

"Humph!"

Xu Hongru angrily flicked his sleeve, suppressing his anger, and forced a magnanimous expression onto his face.

"Enough! I have the world in my heart, how can I stoop to his level?"

He turned to the guards behind him and said, "Pass down the order that I will stay at the Temple of Confucius today! Since it is a temple dedicated to a sage, it is surely more fitting for my status!"

He paused, then added through gritted teeth, "Furthermore, summon Huang Hu immediately and have him come to the Confucius Temple to see me to discuss subsequent military and important matters!"

His confidants, though unwilling, dared not say anything more when they saw him back down, and could only bow and agree.

The sedan chair, carried by eight men, turned around and headed towards the Confucius Temple, which was not far away.

The drums and music started again, but there was a hint of awkwardness in their lack of energy.

Xu Hongru sat in the sedan chair, his fingers gripping the armrest tightly.

He knew that if he swallowed his pride today, it would be even more difficult to control Li Hongji in the future.

But Qufu has just fallen, and it is time to enjoy the fruits of victory. He really doesn't want to break ties with his most capable subordinate for the sake of a mansion.

As for whether Li Hongji will come to the Confucius Temple to see him?
Xu Hongru narrowed his eyes, a sinister glint flashing in them.

He didn't believe that Huang Hu would actually dare to defy the imperial decree.

Li Hongji naturally would not disobey the imperial decree.

The current uprising by the Wenxiang Sect has reached the point of decisive action.

How far he can advance in the imperial court after lying low for so long depends on how he plays these last few moves.

What the government troops hoped for most was that these rioters could gather together.

In this way, the entire operation can be completed in one battle, saving both time and effort.

However, if they are allowed to disperse, either to hide in the deep mountains and become bandits, or to roam around various provinces and cause trouble, then the subsequent suppression of the rebellion will be a hundred times more troublesome, and the military pay and food supplies consumed will be a bottomless pit.

His visit to Xu Hongru was a perfect opportunity to use the pretext of a meeting to further incite this motley crew and bring them together completely.

not to mention……

He had his eye on Xu Hongru's head for a long time.

This is the greatest credit for suppressing the rebellion, and it must not be given to anyone else.

Therefore, after the guards loaded and sealed all the gold, silver, jewels, land deeds, and other valuables looted from the Duke of Yansheng's mansion, Li Hongji selected over a hundred elite guards and headed straight for the Confucius Temple.

As soon as I stepped into the gate of the Confucius Temple, chaos came into view.

The once solemn and dignified Apricot Altar and Stele Forest were now crowded with soldiers wearing red scarves. Some sat or lay down, and some even used sacrificial vessels from the Confucius Temple as wine jugs. Their filth stained the bluestone slabs, which was out of place with the ancient cypress and pine trees around them.

After passing through the courtyard, which was in terrible condition, Li Hongji met Xu Hongru in the inner hall, which was mostly destroyed.

This shameless man sat on the original shrine of the Confucius clay statue, with several stolen brocade robes under his body. He looked down at him with a malicious smile: "Huang Hu, how are the women of the Duke of Yansheng's mansion?"

Li Hongji sneered inwardly.

It turns out that this good-for-nothing was in such a hurry to enter the Duke Yansheng's mansion not because he was after the wealth, but because of the women.

His face remained impassive, his tone as calm as iron: "The people in this mansion were all parasites who oppressed the poor, and they have all been executed. As for how they tasted, this humble general does not know."

Upon hearing this, Xu Hongru's expression changed drastically, and he straightened up from his divine seat: "You killed him?"

Li Hongji nodded: "Yes." "Kill them all?"

Xu Hongru's voice suddenly rose, his eyes filled with unbelievable greed and anger.

"Not one left."

Li Hongji answered decisively.

"Oh dear! You idiot!"

Xu Hongru slapped his thigh, jumped down from the altar, and pointed at Li Hongji's nose, cursing loudly.

"What a waste! Absolutely a waste! Even if you're going to kill, you should at least taste it first! What do you, a boorish brute, know about romance? What do you know about enjoyment?!"

He was spitting as he spoke, stamping his feet in distress.

Those were the women of the Duke of Yansheng's household, women of extremely high status, yet this scoundrel killed them all with a single blow, leaving him not even a trace of them.

Looking at his lustful appearance, Li Hongji felt even more contemptuous.

Does someone like this deserve to be called "Emperor"?
He lowered his eyes, concealing the murderous intent within them, but his tone carried a hint of subservience: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. In my humble opinion, the most urgent task is to reorganize the troops and guard against a counterattack by the government forces. As for these women, they are nothing but troublemakers; keeping them around will only disrupt the morale of the army."

Xu Hongru was speechless after hearing his words. Although he still felt sorry for the women he hadn't yet won over, he also knew that now was not the time to indulge in pleasure.

He sullenly sat back down on his shrine, saying dejectedly, "Forget it, there's no point in arguing with a warrior like you. Tell me, what's the next step?"

Li Hongji stepped forward, his voice firm and resolute: "Your Majesty, according to reports from scouts, the main force of the government army has been stationed in Yanzhou and may launch an attack at any time. In the current situation, if we cannot defeat them in a head-on confrontation, it will be useless even if we flee to the ends of the earth. The government army's iron hooves will be chasing us, and we will die sooner or later."

He abruptly changed the subject, his eyes gleaming with a seductive light: "In my humble opinion, why not ask Your Majesty to issue an order to gather all the righteous armies in the land at Qufu? Let us concentrate all our forces and have a decisive battle with the government army! If we can defeat them even once, not only Qufu, but also Yanzhou City and the entire Shandong province will be Your Majesty's possession!"

These words were like a fire, instantly igniting the ambition in Xu Hongru's heart.

If he can truly gather the righteous armies of the world and defeat the government troops, then his title of "Emperor Fulie, the Restorer of the Dynasty" will be truly established!
But his excitement didn't last long. Worry crept back onto his face, and he rubbed his hands hesitantly, saying, "Wait... what if we can't win? Wouldn't we be putting all our eggs in one basket?"

"Your Majesty, don't worry!"

Li Hongji patted his chest, his tone full of certainty.

"With me leading the troops, what is there for you to worry about? Qufu is known as a fortified city, but I can conquer it in a single day; although the government troops are brave, in my eyes they are nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs, utterly vulnerable!"

Looking at his confident demeanor, Xu Hongru's mind began to shift.

Huang Hu was indeed a fierce general. Ever since he joined the rebels, they had never hesitated to attack cities and capture strongholds. It was not entirely an exaggeration to say that he could defeat the government army.

He paced back and forth a few steps, gritting his teeth.

If they keep fleeing, they will eventually be like stray dogs, and will be wiped out by the government troops sooner or later.

It would be better to take a gamble, concentrate our forces and fight the government troops. If we win, we can control Shandong.

Lost...

The worst case scenario is death.

"it is good!"

Xu Hongru nodded emphatically, a fierce glint in his eyes.

"I hereby issue an order to all the righteous armies in the land, summoning them all to Qufu! I hereby appoint you as the Grand General of the Armed Forces, commanding all the righteous armies! If you can win this battle, I will bestow upon you the title of King of the First Rank, sharing the empire with me!"

Seeing that Xu Hongru had completely taken the bait, Li Hongji showed just the right amount of excitement on his face, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands and said loudly, "This humble general thanks Your Majesty for your great favor! I will certainly live up to your trust and wipe out the government troops for Your Majesty and unify Shandong!"

Beneath his lowered eyelids, however, lay a chilling smile.

To gather righteous armies from all over the land?

To put it nicely, it was nothing more than luring all the rebels to Qufu so that the government troops could wipe them out in one fell swoop.

As for that empty promise of "one word alongside the king"?

The promise will only be fulfilled when Xu Hongru's head is chopped off.

The incense and candles in the inner hall had been half-extinguished by the wind at some point. In the dim light, Xu Hongru was still excitedly rubbing his hands and dreaming about the future, completely unaware that he had stepped into the inescapable trap set by Li Hongji and the government troops.

the other side.

The main camp outside Yanzhou City.

The news that Qufu would be besieged by the rebel army had already reached the government army camp in Yanzhou City three days earlier.

Yuan Keli sat upright in the military tent, stroking the urgent report that had been delivered to him, but his face showed no sign of urgency.

Instead of immediately deploying troops, he filled his desk with intelligence reports from various scouts and repeatedly analyzed the battle situation.

On the surface, this Shandong uprising was a suppression of rebel troops, but secretly, he wanted to use this opportunity to completely eliminate the long-standing problems that had plagued Shandong for many years.

Those deeply entrenched local powers, especially those like the Duke of Yansheng's mansion that wield privileges and are too powerful to be controlled, will surely become a major threat in the future if they are not dealt with decisively.

Therefore, when the Provincial Governor sent a fervently written document urging the troops to march, when the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner beat his chest and stamped his feet outside the gate, and when the Prefect of Yanzhou knelt outside the tent almost crying, emphasizing with all his might that "Qufu is the hometown of our late teacher and the place that the Duke of Yansheng has guarded for generations. If it falls into the hands of the enemy, the hearts of the people of the world will surely be in turmoil," Yuan Keli remained unmoved.

He even received a proclamation entitled "Punishing the Traitors and Protecting the Holy One," which circulated throughout Shandong's officialdom. The proclamation denounced the rebel army for "burning and looting the holy city, insulting the descendants of the saint, and destroying our cultural heritage. Heaven and earth cannot tolerate this." The proclamation was full of indignation and was clearly intended to use the words "loyalty and righteousness" to force him to send troops.

Even the commanders of Yanzhou Guard and Yizhou Guard, which are closest to Qufu, took turns to see him with their officers, patting their chests and guaranteeing that they could lift the siege of Qufu within three days.

But Yuan Keli simply waved his hand, telling them to go back and prepare their troops, and await further orders.

The wind outside the tent grew stronger and stronger, and the urging voices became more and more urgent, as if if the troops were delayed even a moment, Qufu would be reduced to ashes.

Yuan Keli, however, remained as steadfast as a rock, continuing to check military intelligence and inspect troops daily as if the safety of Qufu had nothing to do with him.

On the evening of the third day, a sealed letter was quietly delivered into the tent by the guards.

Yuan Keli unfolded the letter, and his fingertips paused slightly when his gaze swept over the four characters "Qufu has been destroyed".

He frowned slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

According to his calculations, Qufu's city walls were sturdy, and with the assistance of the Confucius family's troops, even if they couldn't stop the chaotic army, they could at least hold out for three days. Unexpectedly, it fell in less than a day.

Is it that the fighting power of the chaotic army far exceeded expectations?
Or was it that the morale of people in Qufu had already collapsed and the defenses were ineffective?
He pondered for a moment, then shook his head. The reason was no longer important; what mattered was that the time he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Now that the rebel army has captured Qufu, they will inevitably gather and regroup there, and may even try to recruit more rebels, as hinted in the secret letter.

This gave the government troops an opportunity to wipe them out in one fell swoop.

Yuan Keli held the secret letter to the candle flame and lit it. As he watched the pages turn to ashes, a sharp light suddenly flashed in his eyes.

He suddenly stood up and walked to the hanging map of Shandong.

"Pass on my orders!"

"The Yanzhou and Yizhou garrisons shall immediately break camp and march swiftly along both banks of the Sishui River, arriving at a camp ten li outside Qufu before dusk! Also, dispatch twenty cannons from the Shenji Battalion to follow the main force!"

The guards outside the tent responded with a resounding roar, and their footsteps quickly faded into the distance.

Inside the military tent, the candlelight flickered, illuminating Yuan Keli's resolute face.

The next battle will not only quell the popular uprising, but also seize the opportunity to sever the corrupt roots that have been entrenched in Shandong.

Qufu has fallen, the rebel army has gathered, and the government troops are poised to attack.

This grand drama seems to be about to enter a new phase.

PS:

Extra chapters at night

(End of this chapter)