Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

Faced with the elite troops of the Twelfth Regiment, the Tongzhou Garrison troops were powerless to resist.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Liu Shun, the commander of Tongzhou Guard, led dozens of his servants to try to escape through the south gate, but they were intercepted by cavalrymen who had been lying in ambush outside the city.

Liu Shun's horse was tripped by a rope, and he tumbled off the horse. The ambushers rushed forward and captured him and all the officers and soldiers.

Lan Yu then rode into the city, ordering his men to divide their forces to control the four gates, granaries, armories, and garrison offices, while he led his personal guards eastward along the main street to wipe out the remaining enemy.

The army entered the city, their armor clanging and their weapons like a forest. The routed soldiers on the streets, seeing no way to resist, dropped their weapons and knelt down, covering their heads.

Lan Yu's soldiers shouted, "Those who lay down their weapons will be spared death!" Those who surrendered fell to the ground like snowflakes after being doused in boiling water.

As the army marched to the East Street of Tongzhou City, a large, dark mass of people suddenly appeared in front of them.

These people were dressed in a mixed style; some wore long silk robes, some wore short brown robes and carried knives, and most were young and strong men carrying sticks, hoes, and pitchforks.

Several men dressed in fine silk and satin, resembling gentry, stood at the back of the crowd, pointing at the army and shouting:

"Listen up! These bandits are here to seize our land! Drive them all out!"

"They dare not lay a hand on the common people. We are law-abiding citizens protected by the laws of the Han Dynasty! Stop them and drive them all out, and you will be richly rewarded!"

This incitement caused the servants and able-bodied men to become agitated, brandishing hoes, short knives, and various other weapons, and yelling as they approached the army.

They stood in several rows, completely blocking the entire East Street.

Several daring servants brandished long swords and shouted:

"Go back to your barracks! Tongzhou City is ours!"

Lan Yu reined in his horse, his tiger-like eyes sweeping across the road ahead, and cursed, "You bastard! You don't know what's good for you!"

His personal guards drew their bows and arrows, awaiting his command.

Lan Yu said coldly:

"Repeat this: Anyone who blocks the road with weapons or obstructs government troops will be punished the same as the rebels! Anyone who dares to lay a hand on them will be killed without exception!"

The guards rode forward on horseback, loudly relaying the order.

Those gentry, oblivious to their own mortality, continued to shout and yell:

"Don't be afraid! Charge forward, they won't dare to attack... Ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lan Yu raised his hand and coldly uttered a single word: "Kill!"

At a command, the crossbowmen in the front row pulled their triggers, and bolts flew out like locusts, instantly turning the dozens of knife-wielding servants at the forefront into pincushions.

Immediately afterwards, the armored infantry formed a wedge formation, roared in unison, and pushed forward like a forest of spears, the tips of which pierced into the crowd, and screams of agony filled the air.

Seeing the situation was not good, several gentry turned to flee, but were caught up by cavalry from behind, and their heads rolled far away with swift strokes of their swords.

The young men who had been incited were terrified and dropped their weapons, kneeling down and crying for their parents.

Lan Yu ordered his men to escort them away in groups.

The stench of blood mixed with gunpowder smoke permeated the streets, corpses lay scattered on the bluestone slabs, and blood flowed slowly down the drainage ditches along the street.

Just then, another group of people rushed over from North Street.

The leader was about fifty years old, wearing a black gauze hat, a green robe, and black boots, followed by dozens of yamen runners with swords.

It was Zhang Erhe, the prefect of Tongzhou.

He pushed through the crowd and saw the scene of corpses strewn across the street and blood flowing like a river. His face turned ashen. He strode to Lan Yuma and shouted sternly:

"Why has the general ordered his troops to slaughter the people and gentry of Tongzhou? Stop now!"

Lan Yu reined in his horse and looked back, his tiger-like eyes piercing, and said coldly:

"The 12th Battalion has been ordered to quell the rebellion in Tongzhou and take over the defense. Anyone who resists with weapons or obstructs military affairs will be treated as a traitor and executed without mercy. And who are you?"

Zhang Erhe puffed out his chest and snorted coldly:

"I am Zhang Erhe, the Prefect of Tongzhou, the father and father of all the people of this prefecture! Your entry into the city with your troops was already against the rules. Now you are indiscriminately killing people in the city. How can I stand idly by!"

"Prefect Zhang is the father and father of this prefecture..." Lan Yu sneered, his voice like tearing silk, and shouted.

"Where were you when the mutinous troops gathered and caused trouble? Where were you when the garrison soldiers blocked the city gates and resisted the law with weapons?"

"Now that the city has fallen, you still have the audacity to lead your yamen runners out and block my horse. Where were you before?"

Zhang Erhe's face turned pale, and he said stiffly:

"How I act is none of your business, you military man! If there is unrest in Tongzhou, the imperial court will handle it according to its laws."

"How dare you, a mere military man, act so recklessly and openly kill people within the city? I will certainly impeach you and punish you for the crimes of unauthorized troop deployment and indiscriminate killing of civilians!"

Lan Yu laughed heartily, but before his laughter subsided, his expression suddenly turned serious, and he said:

"I am acting on imperial orders to quell the rebellion. How dare you make false accusations! I'll give you one more chance. Take your yamen runners and get back to the prefectural government immediately. If you dare to obstruct the army's suppression again, you will be executed without mercy!"

Seeing Lan Yu's reaction, Zhang Erhe, enraged, laughed instead and pointed at Lan Yu, saying:

"Insolence! I am an official appointed by the imperial court, how dare you, a mere military man, be so disrespectful! I will stand right here today and see who dares to move..."

Before the words were even finished, the blue jade longsword was already drawn, its cold light flashing.

Before everyone's eyes, Zhang Erhe's head, which was wearing an official hat, flew off, tumbled halfway through the air, and rolled to the feet of the several pale-faced yamen runners.

An incredulous look still lingered in his mind!

The constables were terrified and knelt down, begging for mercy.

Lan Yu sheathed his sword and said coldly:

"I will say it one last time: the 12th Battalion has been ordered to quell the rebellion and take over Tongzhou."

"Anyone who resists stubbornly, riots with weapons, or obstructs military affairs will be treated as a traitor and executed without exception. Anyone who dares to linger in the streets will be killed. This is an example to follow!"

Lan Yu's decisive and ruthless actions left countless onlookers stunned, realizing that the imperial court was serious this time.

No officials or gentry in Tongzhou City dared to oppose the army anymore. They all fled home, locked their doors and windows, and were so frightened that their legs went weak!

Ordinary people in Tongzhou had already returned home to avoid the turmoil, and no one dared to get involved.

Once the situation in the city had calmed down, Lan Yu issued another order: "Anyone who takes advantage of the chaos to loot will be executed! Anyone who harasses the people will be executed! Anyone who disobeys military orders will be executed!"

He then rode his horse to the front of the garrison office. At this time, Liu Shun and more than a hundred officers and soldiers of Tongzhou Garrison had been tied up and were kneeling at the entrance of the office.

Lan Yu glanced over and said coldly:

"Do you think I won't dare fire, or that I'm trying to stall for time and wait for that old man from Nan'an to come to your rescue? Let me tell you, if he dares to come, I'll take care of him all at once!"

He ordered Liu Shun and others to be escorted back to the capital for trial, while the rest of his followers were executed on the spot.

With Tongzhou pacified, Lan Yu dared not delay and immediately summoned his generals in the yamen to plan the next steps.

Now is the time to race against time. Once Tongzhou falls, the gateway to the east of Shenjing will be completely wide open, and the Prince of Nan'an and others in Jizhou must have already heard the news.

It's unclear whether they will choose to defend the fortified city or dare to venture out and engage in open battle!

After a moment's thought, Lan Yu ordered his vanguard to send out dozens of scouts under cover of night to investigate the enemy situation in the directions of Sanhe and Jizhou. He also ordered a detachment to stay in Tongzhou and control the canal wharf.

He then unfurled a map, drew a heavy line at the location of Jizhou, and said in a deep voice:

"The army shall immediately set off for Jizhou!"

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