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Ten days before Qin Rigang was sent to attack Taizhou, the King Of The East, Yang Xiuqing, suddenly summoned the King Of The East, Wei Changhui, who had been beaten a few hundred times with a rod a few months ago and was still bedridden, to the King's residence. He ordered him to lead the troops to Jiangxi.
Five days after Wei Changhui led the 8,000 troops out of Tianjing City, the King Of The East, Yang Xiuqing, called Qin Rigang into the King Of The East's residence. First, he scolded Qin Rigang for his failure at Tianjia Town. After scolding Qin Rigang for being worthless, the King Of The East ordered Qin Rigang to lead the troops to attack Taizhou.
Qin Rigang led the troops out with a belly full of anger. Along the way, he saw Vézé, who was now doing very well, and his mood was even lower. However, the King Of The East's orders were very strict. If anyone disobeyed his orders, they would definitely be beheaded. He never expected that the North King, Wei Changhui, who had been on the move for a few days, would suddenly appear on the road to Taizhou. Jiangxi and Taizhou, one went southwest while the other went northeast. These were opposite directions.
However, Qin Rigang didn't want to cause any trouble at this time. If people found out that the North King had suddenly appeared here, Wei Changhui might not be able to keep his life. Even the King Of The East, Yang Xiuqing, might not dare to kill Wei Changhui. At the very least, he would be beaten a few hundred times. Therefore, Qin Rigang didn't say much. He first got his trusted aides to guard the tent and then brought Wei Changhui to the back.
Wei Changhui wasn't as nervous as Qin Rigang. After entering the tent, he lifted his hood and looked around casually. Then, he said in a mocking tone, "Brother Qin, seeing how careful you are, I guess you're afraid of Yang Xiuqing."
Qin Rigang carefully closed the tent flap, turned around, and said anxiously, "North King, why are you here? Shouldn't you be on your way to Jiangxi now? "
Wei Changhui was over 180 centimeters tall and had a sturdy body. He looked down at Qin Rigang and said, "Brother Qin, the Heavenly King said that you have always been loyal to him. Now the Heavenly King has issued an order for you to take your troops and follow me. Are you willing? "
"Heavenly King's decree?" Qin Rigang was taken aback. It had been a long time since the Heavenly King issued any special orders. Even if he did, it was just the same old words. "All of you listen to the arrangements of the King Of The East and serve the Heavenly Kingdom!"
Now, all of a sudden, Hong Xiuquan had a decree, and it was a decree for the North King, Wei Changhui. Qin Rigang couldn't help but feel extremely surprised. His heart was filled with doubts, but he could not directly question it. After thinking for a while, Qin Rigang said, "North King, although you weren't ordered to go to Jiangxi, you still have to go. I can't report this matter to the King Of The East. How about this, I'll arrange for a fast boat for you to leave quickly. Although there was a difference in time, they could still catch up with the troops. I'll make the arrangements now! "
Upon hearing this, the proud and calm expression on Wei Changhui's face suddenly softened. He said with great relief, "Brother Qin, at this point in time, you still put my safety first. I didn't misjudge you, and neither did the Heavenly King! "
With that, Wei Changhui took out an imperial decree and held it in his hand. In a solemn voice, he said, "Prince Yan, Qin Rigang, listen to the decree!"
"North King, why are you still doing this at a time like this?" Qin Rigang didn't believe Wei Changhui's words. Instead, he thought that Wei Changhui was acting on his own. He wanted to try and get Wei Changhui to stop doing this and hurry to Jiangxi. He didn't want the King Of The East, Yang Xiuqing, to find out that he had secretly come to Taizhou.
"Prince Yan, Qin Rigang, don't you believe that this is an imperial decree from the Heavenly King?" North King Wei Changhui said coldly. "If it wasn't for the Heavenly King's imperial decree, would I dare to risk my life and come to your army?"
"This …" Qin Rigang was shocked by Wei Changhui's aura. After a moment of silence, Qin Rigang finally knelt down and said, "Your subject, Qin Rigang, accepts the decree!"
When Qin Rigang opened the imperial decree in Wei Changhui's hands, he was surprised to see that it was written in Hong Xiuquan's familiar handwriting. He then looked at the large seal that was signed off. It was indeed the Heavenly King's seal. Wei Changhui was worried that it was a fake. He stood up and walked to the light to look at it himself. Finally, he confirmed that it was real. Only then did his heart return to its original place. He looked at the contents of the imperial decree again. It actually ordered Qin Rigang to bring his trusted subordinates and follow North King Wei Changhui.
Putting down the imperial decree, Qin Rigang asked excitedly, "North King, where are we going?"
Wei Changhui took out another imperial decree and held it in his hand. "The Heavenly King has already given the order, but I can only show you this imperial decree after we reach the place!"
"Alright!" Actually, Qin Rigang already had some idea of what to do. However, at this moment, he felt a sense of joy. Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan, the supreme ruler of the Taiping Rebellion, had finally given his order. After suffering so much under Yang Xiuqing's hands, Qin Rigang naturally chose to follow Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan.
Qin Rigang's anger towards Yang Xiuqing had been going on for a long time. This was not because he was stripped of his title after the defeat at Tianjia Town. Qin Rigang felt that he had indeed lost the battle, and it was not a grievance for him to be stripped of his title.
The incident that caused him to completely lose his loyalty towards Yang Xiuqing happened in early 1854. At that time, Qin Rigang's Wrangler was sitting in front of his door. Yang Xiuqing's uncle, who was born in the same year as him, passed by Qin Rigang's house. The Wrangler did not stand up to greet him. Yang Xiuqing's uncle was furious and whipped the Wrangler 200 times.
Yang Xiuqing's uncle was still angry after the whipping, so he brought the Wrangler to see Qin Rigang. Of course, Qin Rigang would not punish his Wrangler indiscriminately. Seeing this, Yang Xiuqing's uncle immediately brought the half-dead Wrangler to the Ministry of Justice's Huang Yukun to ask for "severe punishment". The uncle of the Yang family demanded another 200 strokes of the Wrangler.
Huang Yukun, the Minister of Justice and Marquis Wei, felt that Yang Xiuqing's uncle was too arrogant and disrespected him. Yang Xiuqing was even more furious. He kicked over Huang Yukun's table and turned around to complain to his nephew, Yang Xiuqing.
Yang Xiuqing was furious when he heard this. Huang Yukun not giving his uncle face was equivalent to looking down on him. Therefore, he immediately ordered Shi Dakai, who was in charge of the Ministry of Justice at that time, to arrest Huang Yukun. Huang Yukun immediately wrote a resignation letter to Yang Xiuqing after receiving the news. Qin Rigang felt that this matter had arisen because of him. Huang Yukun resigned, and so did Qin Rigang. Zuo Tianhou, Chen Cheng? He was Qin Rigang's loyal brother. He also submitted his resignation letter. Yang Xiuqing was furious and ordered Chen Cheng to be beaten. Out of the 100 strokes, Qin Rigang was beaten 200 times and Huang Yukun was beaten 300 times. Finally, the unlucky Wrangler was dismembered by five horses to appease his uncle.
At that time, Qin Rigang hoped that Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan would regain his power. As long as the Heavenly King was in power again, Yang Xiuqing would not be able to do whatever he wanted. Qin Rigang and his friends would not be bullied by Yang Xiuqing. Now, the Heavenly King's decree that he had been waiting for had finally arrived. Qin Rigang could not help but feel excited.
"North King, I will leave with you tomorrow with my men!" Qin Rigang said impatiently.
Wei Changhui had already returned to his usual friendly self. He said in a low voice, "You cannot leave with your entire army. The decree clearly states that you must bring along your reliable brothers. The rest will continue to Tai Prefecture! "
"Alright!" Qin Rigang answered straightforwardly. He did not even think about how Wei Changhui knew that his destination was Tai Prefecture.
Because they had something to do the next day, the two of them quickly rested. The next morning, Qin Rigang immediately selected his loyal army of more than 2,000 people. The other thousands of soldiers were led by his deputy general to Tai Prefecture. Qin Rigang was at the back in the name of holding the line. When the troops in front of him could no longer be seen, Qin Rigang led the 2,000 people across the Yangtze River and went ashore. They went straight to the south of Tianjing City.
Yesterday, Qin Rigang's troops had only traveled for one day. Today, they had traveled for less than half a day. It was not a long journey. At this time, the Jiangnan and Jiangbei Barracks had been destroyed for a few months. The once tense defense of Tianjing City had long relaxed.
After the troops went ashore, they went straight to the south gate of Tianjing City. Halfway there, they were met by someone. Qin Rigang and the others used the flags of other troops and swaggered straight to the south. Finally, they arrived at the south gate of Tianjing City after dark.
There were already troops waiting outside the south gate. From the looks of it, there were about four to five hundred people. When the two armies combined, there were three thousand people. At this time, Qin Rigang's troops had been marching for a long time and were exhausted. Everyone simply sat on the ground and tried to rest.
However, Wei Changhui did not stop. He took out another imperial edict and held it up under the light. "Prince Yan, Qin Rigang, receive the edict!"
This time, Qin Rigang did not hesitate. He knelt down to receive the edict. When he opened it, it was still written in Hong Xiuquan's familiar handwriting. There was only one sentence written on it. "Order Qin Rigang to follow Wei Changhui to the capital to kill the traitors!"
This sentence was vague, but Qin Rigang's words were not vague. Of course, there was a traitor in Tianjing City. This traitor was the King Of The East, Yang Xiuqing. Qin Rigang put away the imperial edict. He knelt straight and said loudly in the direction of the Heavenly King's residence, "Subject Qin Rigang receives the Heavenly King's edict!"
When Qin Rigang got up, Wei Changhui said, "Brother Qin, going in to kill the traitors is my business. You just need to send troops to surround the traitor's residence. No matter who escapes, kill them! "
"I will obey the North King's edict!" Qin Rigang answered without hesitation.
Wei Changhui saw that Qin Rigang had completely understood the order. He took off the hood on his head and threw it on the ground. He pointed in the direction of the city gate and said, "Go! Kill the traitors! "
Three thousand troops lined up neatly and headed straight for the south gate of Tianjing City. In the dark of the night, the south gate was tightly guarded. However, as the troops approached, the tall gate first shook and then slowly opened. When Qin Rigang and Wei Changhui led the troops to the gate, the gate was completely open to the troops.
The inside of the gate was pitch-black. One could vaguely see the muzzle of a cannon pointing outwards. The cold winter wind blew through the gate. Qin Rigang couldn't help but shiver when he was hit by the wind. The cannons at the city gate were set up by the North King, Wei Changhui, when he was in charge of the defense of Tianjing City. Qin Rigang suddenly had a feeling that the cannons at the city gate would open fire at him and Wei Changhui, turning the two of them into minced meat.
However, the cannon did not open fire. Wei Changhui completely ignored the existence of the cannon. He shouted, "Light it!"
The soldiers behind him immediately lit the torches in their hands. The light illuminated the surroundings. Qin Rigang saw that there was no one operating the cannon, and there was no one guarding the south gate.
"Let's go!" Wei Changhui unsheathed his long sword and led the way through the south gate of Tianjing City.
Qin Rigang followed closely behind Wei Changhui and rushed into the city.
Source: Book Library
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