The main hall of the Imperial Bodyguard's North Discipline Commission was empty. Under the painting of a fierce tiger descending from the mountain, Yang Ling sat on a golden chair made of white tiger skin. Ten Iron Guards who accompanied him to the capital stood beside him, unmoving as a mountain.
Gently taking a sip of the premium Pre-Rain Tea picked by a Jiangnan tea picker with the tip of her tongue and dried by her breasts, Yang Ling leisurely crossed his legs. Even though he had been secretly on guard and cautious, the feeling of having power in his hands was truly comfortable.
'Awake holding a killing sword, drunk lying on a beauty's lap' is nothing more than this, right? At the mention of beauties, Yang Ling sat on the soft tiger skin chair, resting his chin on his hand. He suddenly thought of Dai Lou'er and Gao Wenxin. They had only brought forty guards with them, but they had attracted the attention of twenty-four to five thousand ferocious East Faction Guards. Would there be any accidents?
She felt a little uneasy, but then she remembered that there were more than a thousand roads in and out of the capital, and that the East Faction Guards could not mobilize the local officials and soldiers, so they had to divide their forces to guard each road with only a few dozen people. The forty selected guards should be able to ensure their safety, not to mention that there was a resourceful and resourceful Second Gear Commander who could adapt to the situation.
If it is not possible, they can retreat to Shijiazhuang. There is a group of guards stationed there. The Head of Household is the brother-in-law of the South Discipline Commissioner Shao Jiewu. Right now, the two factories are fighting privately and have no right to use the army. But Dai Lou Er has Magistrate Shao's token. If they retreat to Shijiazhuang, they can still protect them. Once the situation in the capital is settled, the foreigners will have to follow the scenery and the danger will be eliminated. Thinking of this, Yang Ling calmed down.
The fourth reporting guard rushed into the hall and saluted: "Reporting to the Factory Supervisor, Deputy Chief Cheng has entered the Dong 'an Gate."
Yang Ling's eyes flashed, and he passed the teacup to the side. A foreigner reached out to take it. Yang Ling straightened his back and asked in a low voice, "What's the news from the East Faction Guards?"
The guard replied: "When the lanterns are lit, the foreigners come and go frequently. But after an hour, the gate is closed and there is no movement."
Yang Ling thought for a moment and asked: "What about the Dongchang spies monitoring Gao Lao Village? No one returned? "
The guard replied with a smile, "Yes, Your Highness! Da Dangtou's troops came very quickly, those East Faction Guards spies who were alerted and wanted to report back were all killed by our men in secret. "
Yang Ling nodded. Outside the door, the sound of boots clanging could be heard as Wu Jie and Peng Jizu strode in. Yang Ling was overjoyed. Not waiting for the two to kneel, he rushed over to support them and asked: "Elder Wu, Brother Peng, is everything?"
Wu Jie respectfully replied: "Yes, everything is according to the Factory Supervisor's arrangements. The two Prefectural Secretaries Lian Delu and Feng Tang are deploying troops to surround Dongchang."
Peng Jizu beamed with joy and said: "Daren, ever since you left the capital, we have been bullied by those bastards. We even have the right to supervise them. Not to mention those soldiers, I am so angry that my lungs are about to explode. This time, we can finally take care of them."
Yang Ling smiled and asked: "Where are the things?"
Peng Jizu puffed out his chest and said: "Yes, they are all piled up in the courtyard. I left three hundred men for use. But … the foreigners in Dongchang are usually only responsible for spying and arresting people. Most of their weapons are swords and spears. They don't even have many bows and crossbows. Everyone says that Dongchang has a lot of Jianghu people who can fly high. No matter how high they jump, can they compete with our crossbows, guns, and cannons? What is Daren preparing these things for? "
Yang Ling smiled and said: "There are still eight thousand foreigners in Dongchang. Among them, there is no lack of good men recruited from Jianghu. To fight with our army is like striking a rock with an egg. But if they escape during the chaos, it will be difficult to stop them. We must surround them in Dongchang and prevent them from escaping."
"Besides, in war, the less casualties the better. Soldiers have no fixed shape. Deceit is the way. We don't have to fight head on!" He patted Peng Jizu's shoulder and said with a laugh: "Today's extermination of Dongchang, I will focus on 'chemical warfare', 'firearms warfare', 'psychological warfare', and 'propaganda warfare'. Put away your broadsword and follow me to the roof to watch the show!"
Peng Jizu was baffled and said: "What chemical warfare? Propaganda? I have led soldiers for half my life. How come I have never heard of it? "
Wu Jie also found the term strange when he heard it in Jinling. He had already asked Yang Ling about it, so he said to Peng Jizu with a smile: "Have you seen the Flying Godfire Poisonous Dragon Spear? The chemical warfare that Daren mentioned is similar to this Poisonous Dragon Spear. "
The Flying Godfire Poisonous Dragon Spear invented by the Ming army sometimes attached a fire arrow to the tip of the spear. When facing the enemy, the fire arrow would be ignited and the arrow would fly to kill the enemy. If the enemy was hiding in a cave or a tall building, the spear could also be tied to the top of the spear and ignited. After Wu Jie's explanation, Peng Jizu finally understood.
However, this kind of weapon was not widely used and its power was not great. Therefore, Peng Jizu was limited by his habits and did not think that this method could be widely used in urban warfare to avoid large-scale head-on clashes.
Yang Ling came up with this idea because he had fainted from the smoke at Luoyan Beach. The memory of that time when he choked to death was still fresh in his mind. This time, he had each soldier carry a large bag. Not only were there many smoke-prone, spicy and choking things, he also had Gao Wenxin write a prescription to prepare many Chinese herbs that could confuse one's mind and make one's body weak.
Yang Ling climbed to the roof of a house. Most houses in the north were in the shape of raised roofs. This one was no exception. Later, because the roof was placed on top of the courtyard, it became a wooden platform. The North Town Provost and the East Editing factory were neighbors. Other than these two, no one else on this street was willing to be neighbors with them. The empty space was convenient for the troops of the Inner Factory to make their move.
There was an open space between the two courtyards. The moonlight was like water. Yang Ling could vaguely see that many soldiers had already surrounded the East Editing factory. There were few people in the Inner Factory, but the courtyard of Dongchang was huge. If they were to force their way in, there would be gaps in the blockade. This kind of defense outside could ensure that neither wind nor rain could get through, ensuring that not a single person would slip through.
Yang Ling nodded. Peng Jizu waved his hand to summon a foreigner over. He took his bow and personally shot a whistling arrow. The sharp whistling sound pierced through the wind. On Yang Ling's side, many soldiers lit the bags on their backs and ran to throw them over the ten-foot-high wall. The 'chemical warfare' had begun.
* * *
In the small hall on the left of the main hall of Dongchang, Fan Ting sat under a large plaque that read 'Devoted to serving the country'. His face was as calm as still water and he did not say a word. The seven high-ranking officials all sat below. These ruthless officials who killed without blinking were like docile kittens in front of the factory officials. There was no trace of their usual domineering and arrogant attitude.
Fan Ting was silent for a moment before he said gloomily: "The Palace has locked the gates four hours in advance. We have sent out four groups of people, but we have not received any news at all. What do you think is going on in the Palace?"
The high-ranking official Song Shijun hesitated for a moment before he said: "Factory Officials, today the Three Ministers, Nine Ministers, and more than a hundred officials from the capital have jointly submitted a petition to force the Emperor to kill Yang Ling and the Eight Tigers. The Palace has suddenly locked the Palace. Could it be that the Emperor is afraid and does not know how to respond, so he …"
Second File Chief Balong's triangular eyes flashed fiercely. He rudely cut off his boss's words and said: "Big File Chief, I'm afraid something is wrong. Even if the Emperor has locked the Palace, it is impossible that the people from the Bureau of Rites have no way to send out news. Besides, all the Palace Guards have our people inside.
Right now, there is no movement in the Palace. Our people have used all kinds of methods to contact the four gates, but there is no sound from inside. In my opinion, it is not that the Bureau of Rites has no news to send out, but that it cannot even if it wanted to. "
The officials of the Editing Factory were not arranged according to the court's rank and the number of positions. They were all set by the factory owner. Fan Ting did not set a parallel rank. Instead, they were arranged according to their rank. Fourth File Chief Gan Jingtang's expression changed when he heard this. He said in disbelief, "How is this possible? Does the Emperor have such guts? The internal and external courts have already joined hands. Would he dare to capture the eunuchs of the Bureau of Rites? Besides … does he have soldiers to use? Fan Ting of the West Factory is not an idiot. Would he listen to orders? "
Fan Ting said thoughtfully, "The young Emperor is arrogant and full of spirit. It is not impossible for him to act recklessly without thinking of the consequences. If he gives a strict order, and Miao Kui is not on the same side as us, would he dare to disobey the imperial edict?"
"Oh … just in case, immediately send out more scouts to observe the movement in the capital. Everyone else stay in the factory and do not act rashly." He laughed coldly and said, "So what if the Emperor controls the Palace? Tomorrow morning, if the Palace gates are still not opened, we will use the reason that there is a rebellion in the Palace and force our way in. "
Sixth File Chief Zhou Qifeng hesitated and said, "Master Chang, could it be that the Eight Tigers have heard the news and are desperate to force the Emperor to lock the Palace? Or … has Yang Ling secretly returned to the capital? "
Fan Ting was startled and thought for a moment. He shook his head and said, "No, once we heard that Wang Qiong was killed, we immediately secretly sent people. If Yang Ling returned to the capital, how could the spies in the Inner Yard, Weiwu Mansion, and the Palace all be wrong? And these days, the Inner Yard has retreated step by step under our provocation and has not made any moves. It does not look like they have a backbone … "
Although he said this, his expression was still a little uneasy. Before he finished, he suddenly stood up and said, "Quickly give the order to recall all the people sent out to the capital. Also, Qifeng, immediately go to the Discipline Commission and ask Commander Zhang and Discipline Mou to mobilize the Imperial Bodyguards from the surrounding towns to return to the capital. Now that we have Mount Tai to crush an egg, we can not care so much. Let Yang Ling step into this dragon's pool and tiger's den himself."
Zhou Qifeng stood up and said, "Yes, I will obey!"
Just as he finished speaking, there was a commotion outside. Someone coughed and shouted, "There is a fire, there is a fire, there is a lot of smoke, cough, cough, cough, cough …"
Fan Ting said angrily, "Where is the fire? Quickly go and take a look! "
The two guards quickly got up and rushed out the door. As soon as they reached the main hall, there was already light smoke slowly flowing in. It was light smoke, but the smell was pungent and pungent. Sha Hongxu, the seventh guard, covered his nose and ran out the door. He saw some foreigners running against the wind towards the direction of the smoke. He quickly asked, "Where is the fire? Cough, cough, cough … "
In this short period of time, the smoke made his tears flow and he coughed for a while. He felt dizzy. Sha Hongxu was originally a great bandit, and occasionally he would steal flowers. Now that he had not picked up his old trade for a long time, he had somewhat neglected it. Right now, he felt that the smoke really did not look like a fire. He suddenly became alert and couldn't help but shout, "Not good! Someone is releasing poisonous smoke, quickly be on guard, to prevent … cough, someone from attacking … cough … entering … "
On the main street of Dong 'anmen, ten cannons were lined up in a row across the street. The black muzzles of the cannons were aimed at the main gate of Dongchang. The second guard, Feng Tang, was dressed in military uniform, just like he was in the Shenji Battalion. With a calm expression, he looked at the tightly shut main gate and shouted loudly, "Fire the cannons horizontally, load up the solid bullets, the gunpowder is 100%!"
The grenadier picked up the large iron balls and placed them into the cannons. The gunner used a long wooden hammer to pound the gunpowder. The gunner set up the cannons and lit the fuse. Ten violent explosions followed one after another. The heavy iron balls were ejected, wood chips, stone chips and bricks flew everywhere. The lofty Dongchang gate in front of them collapsed with a loud bang. More than half of the brick walls on both sides also collapsed.
Half of the heavy pear wood door flew up into the air and landed in an empty alley half a mile away. With a 'bang', it smashed into pieces. The two squatting lions that were caught in the blast were also smashed beyond recognition.
This kind of solid projectile has a long range, but it has little direct lethality. It was originally specially used to besiege cities, to penetrate city walls and fortifications. At such a close distance, its power was displayed to the fullest. The smoke and dust in front of them filled the air, but in front of them they could vaguely see the main hall of the Dong Ji Military Factory and some dumbstruck foreigners in front of it.
The crossbowmen on both sides aimed their arrows at the Editing Factory, but no one rushed out. These cold-blooded foreigners had never seen the power of this kind of heavy cannon before, and never would they have thought that one day they would have to face the threat of it with their own flesh and blood. The foreigners who were exposed to the cannons even forgot to run away and just stood there in a daze.
Feng Tang did not see the situation in front of him at all. He continued to carry out the order of the Big Puncher meticulously and shouted loudly, "Fire the cannons upside down! Load the Thunderbolt Bullets and use 90% of the gunpowder!"
The ground trembled as the ten 'Thunderclap Heaven Shaking Bombs' flew past the dumbfounded foreigners and smashed into various parts of the factory. The violent explosion sounded and the foreigners in front of the main door seemed to wake up from a dream. They screamed and immediately scattered in all directions, crying and shouting in the pungent smoke as they tried to find a way out.
Under Feng Tang's order, the cannon was leveled again. This time, it was loaded with Torrential Bees. This kind of cannonball had a maximum range of only one mile. It was the most lethal weapon of the Ming Destiny Cannon. When several liters of lead-iron alloy pellets were poured into the barrel, if any Jianghu heroes like Cloud Crane or Sky Flipping Sparrow Hawk dared to pounce out, it would be strange if they did not turn into firebirds.
After the Left Sentinel Army of the Shenji Battalion was changed to the Inner Factory, the military no longer distributed large combat firearms. Moreover, the heavy cannons and other weapons should be taken back. When the Left Sentinel Army was still the Emperor's personal army, they had dragged the heavy cannons to Gaolaozhuang. Since the Left Sentinel Army was later changed to the Inner Factory, Yang Ling was busy expanding his territory and did not have time to return the heavy weapons. Due to his status in front of the Emperor, the Shenji Battalion did not dare to take the initiative to ask for it.
However, this was the last batch of ammunition. They had already used up more than half of it during the training in the mountains. However, after this round of deterrence, no one dared to have the idea of escaping from the main door.
The moment the main door was blown down, Hong Shaxu and the others had already helped Fan Ting to escape in a hurry. They gathered a group of remaining soldiers and pounced toward the source of the thick smoke. The effect of the hypnotic Chinese medicine was greatly reduced after being burned by the fire. It was no longer able to knock these people out, but it still affected the sensitivity of the people. In addition, the spicy medicine was choking their throats and burning their noses. A group of foreigners with tears and snot, coughing so hard that their lungs were almost choked out, had not even found the source of the thick smoke when they were shot back by the Inner Factory soldiers who had climbed up the wall with arrows.
This was a strict order from Yang Ling. It was to reduce the casualties of his own troops as much as possible, to avoid direct hand-to-hand combat as much as possible and not give them any opportunity to escape.
A series of cannons blew up their main door, followed by a rain of arrows. There were countless casualties, but they did not even see the appearance of the enemy. The choking smoke was getting thicker and thicker, but they did not know who the enemy was, how many there were, or what the enemy's purpose was.
Their weapons were inferior, their morale was inferior. The Dongchang foreigners, who had always been arrogant and thought that their father was number one and they were number two, realized for the first time that if someone dared to belittle their authority, then they would not be able to withstand a single blow.
Fan Ting used a warm towel to cover his mouth and nose. He bent over and said in a trembling voice, "What happened? Could it be that the Emperor has mobilized his troops? Is it the capital barracks or the regimental barracks? These shameful commander-in-chief and generals eat our food and take our money. They actually really attacked. "
Baron anxiously said, "Chang Gong, let's gather our troops and kill our way out from the south. That alley is very narrow. Once we pass through it, we will enter the residential area. Cough, cough, cough … no matter how many troops they have, they won't be able to capture us."
There were still eight thousand foreigners in Dongchang, but Yang Ling's strategy was to attack their hearts. He only attacked them fiercely. Not a single one of them revealed their identity or purpose of coming. This made Fan Ting and the others feel a heavy psychological pressure. They could only think of the worst and could not muster the slightest will to resist.
Hearing this, Song Shijun repeatedly applauded and said, "Chang Gong, right now there is thick smoke everywhere. Even if we want to organize a counterattack, it is impossible. Let's gather as many people as possible and charge out first."
Fan Ting was full of tricks in the officialdom, but he did not have any experience in dealing with this kind of situation. He had long been at a loss. Hearing this, he hurriedly ordered all the leaders to quickly organize their troops. In a short while, more than three thousand people were gathered. Armed with sabers and swords, they charged toward the south courtyard wall.
By this point, the smoke had gradually thinned. The foreigners, whose eyes were blurred with tears, became spirited. There were three doors under the south courtyard wall. They were usually locked. As long as they could break the iron lock and charge out of the alley, they would be able to escape from the heavens.
An open space, which was originally the training ground for the Dongchang foreigners, was now neatly lined with torches. The torches were held by people. Nearly a hundred strangely dressed people stood upright on the ground. The torches reflected on their cold and solemn faces.
The foreigners who were rushing over saw a row of people holding torches from afar. Each one of them was bloated. One person seemed to have become three people. When they were about a hundred meters away, they realized that these people were wearing iron helmets. On their backs, there was a concave box. Their bodies were nested inside the concave box.
The north gate had arrows and the main gate had cannons. They did not expect that there would be no ambush at the south gate. But this side was the short alley and the woods. It was the only way to escape from this group of terrible death gods. The foreigners with red eyes raised the steel sabers in their hands. Shouting desperately, they charged toward the mere hundred people.
Nearer, even nearer. Nearly a hundred people holding torches suddenly turned around. The Dongchang foreigners were stunned. They were at a loss. With an inexplicable joy, they were surrounded by a large group of people and horses and madly charged over.
It was unknown where the first spark came from, but it was followed by the second, the third, the straight, the curved, and the slanted angles. Like a meteor shower, thousands of fire arrows shot over like a swarm of bees, their tails spitting out sparks.
In the night, the sky was filled with shooting stars. How romantic and glorious was that?
But this glory came to reap human lives. The people charging at the front were the first to bear the brunt of the arrows. Their bodies were pierced by dozens of arrows. Because the arrows were still pushing forward, the bodies that were charging forward flew backward.
A foreigner raised his steel saber. He watched helplessly as his comrade, who was extorting money with him in the morning, playing with women in the afternoon, and drinking with him in the evening, flew backward with flaming arrows in his eyes, mouth, throat, and lower abdomen. Before he could let out a terrified scream, a crooked fire arrow had already pierced through his temple. The arrowhead came out from the other end.
An ordinary wooden box was made by military craftsmen using local materials from the mountain. There was a baffle with a hole in the front. This was the fire arrow that Yang Ling had instructed him to make when he was training in the back mountain of Gaolaozhuang. It was made from the military's' Hundred Tigers Charging Arrows'. The cost was low, easy to make, easy to carry, and it could be thrown away after use. It was a purely disposable weapon.
Although this kind of fire arrow solved the shortcoming of slow loading speed of firearms, the arrow could only carry a limited amount of arrows. Its range was not far, and its accuracy was not high. Taking into account the weight carrying capacity of the soldiers, each box only contained 75 arrows. However, it was an extremely sharp weapon used to fight this kind of lousy battle.
After the fire arrow was finished, more than a thousand people fell to the ground on their backs. The arrow shafts of some of them were still emitting sparks. Those who could stab a red-hot iron rod into the prisoner's thigh without hesitation and watch him scream wildly and drip with oil were shocked. The executioners who loved to pour boiling water on the prisoner's body and use an iron brush to peel off the flesh layer by layer until the bones were exposed were shocked.
The excessive fear made people lose the desire to escape. Pairs of dull eyes watched as the torch-bearers threw down the chests, threw away the torches, and ran into the darkness. The torch-bearers couldn't help but let out a blood-curdling scream from their throats, and rushed forward with even greater speed.
The poor foreigners were like a woman who was blocked by a small insect in a dead end. They were terrified and wanted to run as far away as possible. However, they could not help but stamp on the box crazily.
However, under the shadow of the high wall, another row of torches was lit. The people who rushed past hid in the darkness, and another row of people stood there like nails. Every one of them was still carrying a box.
The foreigners finally broke down. They immediately turned and ran back. If anyone even slightly blocked their way and hindered their escape, they would slash at them with a crazy knife. They did not have the courage to look back, but their minds were filled with the scene of thousands of arrows being shot, the miserable figures of people who died with their bodies and faces full of sharp arrows.
Fear was like a contagious plague. The foreigners ran back twice as fast as they rushed over. The foreigners who heard the news did not see anything. They were frightened by their ghost-like appearance and the strange screams coming from their throats. They followed closely behind them and ran wildly.
At this time, countless voices shouted in unison from all directions, "According to the Emperor's decree, the inner factory is to arrest the people. Those who surrender will not be killed!"
※ ※ ※
The inner factory soldiers rushed into Dongchang to arrest the people. Only four hundred people were sent in. More than six thousand pale Dongchang foreigners were as obedient as lambs. One person was watching over dozens, hundreds of Dongchang foreigners. Not a single one of them had the thought of resisting.
Yang Ling sat on the platform on the roof of the Imperial Bodyguard's house, listening to Lian Delu who rushed over excitedly reporting the results of the battle.
Peng Jizu laughed and said, "Your Excellency, I also expected that the Dongchang people are no match for us, but I did not expect them to be so weak. Damn, don't be fooled by Dongchang's fierce cries. They are like weak little girls. We can do whatever we want, they can only endure."
Lian Delu saw that Yang Ling was also very satisfied with the results of the battle. He could not help but laugh and said, "Can only endure? There are benefits to being able to endure. At least they don't have to worry about their impotence. Hahahaha … Old Peng, don't be too proud. If it weren't for the Factory Supervisor's clever plan, you would have become a laughing stock in Dongchang. "
The two men finished talking and laughed. Yang Ling really could not make such a vulgar joke. He stood up and said to Wu Jie who had been standing calmly at the side, "Old Wu, I'll leave the rest to you. Is everything ready?"
Wu Jie nodded and said, "Your Excellency, rest assured that the things are guaranteed to be found in Fan Ting's room by the Dongchang people."
Yang Ling nodded his head and tightened his grip on his robe. "Alright, then I'll leave the matters of the East Faction Guards to you. I'll go meet up with Chief Cheng now."
Wu Jie laughed softly and said, "When Your Excellency returns to the capital 'seriously injured', should we tell Madam and the others to welcome him?"
Yang Ling paused and thought for a moment. He smiled and said, "Forget it. Let's not put on this show. Going too far is as bad as not going far enough."
Peng Jizu and Lian Delu had already received Wu Jie's orders. After getting rid of Dongchang, their Excellency would secretly leave the capital. So when they saw Yang Ling stand up, they hurried over to welcome him. Yang Ling said, "Brother Peng, Brother Lian, lead the troops to be stationed in Dongchang tonight. I'll leave the affairs of the capital to you."
As Yang Ling walked down the stairs, he heard Peng Jizu give a fierce order to the soldiers beside him on the platform. "Go, follow father to Dongchang. Pay attention to my eyes and act accordingly. Those who should disappear, make them disappear. Be quick!"
Yang Ling stopped in his tracks. Leaning on the railing, he looked up at the bright moon in the sky and sighed faintly. "Those who should be killed will finally have to raise the butcher's knife. How can it be easy to be prudent in such a life of officialdom?
Those people in the internal court who only know how to use their fists can be dealt with with the knife. But those civil officials who look down on all knowledge except for the Four Books and Five Classics and look down on everyone except for the imperial examinations, how can I deal with them? "
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