The flames of the White Tiger Gate were still burning wildly. After Yuan Shu poured grease on them, he piled dry peat stones in front of the palace gate. The billowing waves of flames raised raging black smoke, illuminating the left and right sides of the White Tiger Gate as brightly as day. The wealthy people around were deeply disturbed. They lay under the window sill and looked out of the house. They saw soldiers surrounding the palace gate, bows drawn and arrows drawn. The arrows were thrown behind the palace gate, and screams were heard.
Zhang Rang saw that He Jin's remaining troops not only set fire to the door, but also dared to shoot arrows into the palace. The eunuchs under his command could neither open the door nor dare to leave. I could only carry water to pour water on the fire despite the rain of arrows, and I felt very anxious. He immediately shouted to the rebels outside the door: "The country has given birth to you and raised you, and this is how you repay the country?"
Yuan Shu responded directly outside the door and said: "Mr. Zhang, you have been causing trouble for twenty years. You have demanded bribes and corruption, and you have unjustly killed Dr. Liu Tao. Your infamy has spread far and wide. With Zhang Gong's head in my hand, I went to the Han Dynasty Ancestral Temple to express my condolences to my ancestors. The dish is You are serving the country! Mr. Zhang, if you think about the country, you go out and die, and I will spare the lives of your family! If you stubbornly resist, that family will be destroyed, and it is you who are to blame, Mr. Zhang!"
Zhang Rang was so speechless that he stopped answering and ordered his men to find the pottery vats in the palace. Then, with the mouth of the vat facing down, he held the pottery vat against the rain and slowly transported it to the palace gate. He then filled the vat with water in a bucket and mortgaged some beams, wood and gravel on the water vat in the hope of delaying the process for a while. time.
Unexpectedly, after a while, Yuan Shu shouted outside the palace gate again: "Mr. Zhang, if you don't open the door, don't blame Yuan for being ruthless!" After that, Zhang Rang saw something being thrown into the wall. Those things rolled on the ground and then became motionless. Several Huangmen came forward with torches to check and saw clearly that they were all heads. They did not dare to neglect and shouted to Zhang Rang: "Mr. Zhang, come and take a look." .”
Zhang Rang looked at the faces under the firelight and found that they were his nephew Zhang Zhi, his adopted son Zhang Feng, his adopted son's wife He and others. The blood was not yet dry. Zhang Rang held up Zhang Feng's head and could still feel the residual warmth of the blood. He knelt on the ground, feeling very sad for a moment. He thought of Yingchuan's tragically slaughtered hometown, and he was secretly confused: I am the only one left in the clan, what's the point of living?
But a fire quickly burned in his heart, which was endless hatred for the party members. Yuan Shu, who was outside the palace, mocked loudly at the right time and said: "Eunuch, please stay with me for a while, and I will reunite your whole family!"
Zhang Rang stood up and shouted to the outside of the palace: "Tie Yuan! This matter is not over yet! When our reinforcements from King Qin arrive, none of you and other rebellious ministers will be dead!" But he didn't know that Zhao Zhong, Fan Ling and others had all been killed. Although he was captured, he only stubbornly believed that He Miao and others would be able to establish the overall situation.
Since learning that He Jin entered the palace, He Miao has also been waiting for news in the palace. But he was sitting in the palace, but could not see a messenger until night fell. Just when he thought nothing happened today, the blazing fire ignited in the southwest of the city caught him off guard. He had no choice but to send his own guards to find out the news. The personal guard came back and said: The general is dead. The remaining troops of the general and the Huben army are united and burning Qingsuo Gate.
He Miao was greatly eclipsed. He hurriedly rode to the West Garden and tried to mobilize the Eighth School Army in the West Garden. When the Eighth School saw his arrival, the leader of the Right School Lieutenant Chun Yuqiong stepped forward and asked: "Chariots and horses, the west of the city is in chaos. Regiment, does General know the reason?"
He Miao looked troubled. He didn't have an edict, and he didn't dare to say that General He Jin was plotting a rebellion. He only said hastily: "I don't know either. I just looked at its location. It seems that there was a disturbance at the White Tiger Gate of Nangong. There was a lot of movement. As the imperial army, we should maintain the situation first, and you should quickly mobilize your troops to follow me, so as not to disturb the king and cause a big disaster."
The officers in Xiyuan all agreed, but things started in a hurry. About ten thousand people in the Xiyuan Army's Eighth Battalion had fallen asleep. It would take at least two hours to organize and send out troops. He Miao didn't have this time, so he hastily ordered the third battalion first. The soldiers and horses then marched south.
Along the way, he thought about the situation again and again, and said to his soldiers: "If there is a fire at the city gate, I will help put out the fire. If there are rebels, I will do my best to kill the thieves!" As he was speaking, a knight behind him appeared. Pointing to the south, he exclaimed: "It's gone! It's all gone!"
He Miao looked further south and saw that in addition to the Baihu Gate, there were four or five more fireworks lighting up further south. Looking at the direction, they were roughly the Bus Gate, Zhuque Gate, Nan Tuen Gate, Canglong Gate, and the seven dignified Nangong Gates. Five doors were already on fire. He Miao looked uncertain. He wondered how many rebels there were in the city, but he had no answer in his heart.
But there was more than one big change. He Miao was worried about heading south. It happened that another group of troops entered from Yongmen and collided with him between the North and South Palace Road. The leaders were He Yong, the Lieutenant of the Northern Army, and the Colonel of Tunqi. When they saw He Miao, Dong Min, who also served as the captain of chariots, stepped forward and asked: "The general was murdered by the eunuchs, are the chariots and cavalry also here to avenge the general?"
He Miao saw that the Northern Army had also taken advantage of the situation to enter Beijing. Judging from their numbers, it seemed that all five battalions had come out. He couldn't help but cursed in his heart that there were traitors everywhere. At this time, he knew that the situation was over and Chang Shi had been defeated. He immediately bowed his hands to He Yong and turned to the mobilization personnel of the three battalions under his command: "Miao was ignorant for a moment and did not recognize Chang Shi's face. It hurt his brother to have such a disaster. Everyone, listen to my orders, if you encounter eunuchs, kill them without mercy and leave no one alive!"
When the soldiers of the third battalion heard that the Changshi had plotted against the general, they were furious and called for battle to attack the palace gate. He Miao also made a false declaration, but he glanced at the Northern Army and suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said to He Yong and Dong Min: "Now My eldest brother has been killed, and the situation in the palace and province is unclear. It is difficult to know the safety of the Queen Mother. As a rider, I must bear heavy responsibilities. I hope you will listen to my orders and tide over this great crisis for our family and country."
He Yong remained silent, while Dong Min said in a low voice: "There is no need to worry about the chariots and riders. The three armies are thinking of your kindness. How can we not avenge the general? No matter who framed the general, we will sacrifice our lives for justice!" He Miao hit a nail, and with a smile, he joined forces with the Northern Army and marched toward Baihumen in parallel.
When they arrived at Baihu Gate, Yuan Shu had already left south. They asked the residents and found out that the Huben army had gone to Zhuque Gate. He Miao had no choice but to continue south to Zhuque Gate. He was burning the gates along the way and sending troops to guard him. The mansion was ransacked. In addition to Zhang Rang's family members who had all been killed, the Huben army raided their homes and captured 34 relatives of the Bilan clan, 51 relatives of the Zhao Zhong clan, and 26 relatives of the Gaowang clan. Hundreds of people were tied in a circle with ropes tied around their necks and forced against the wall by swords, trembling uncontrollably.
And more soldiers shuttled back and forth in front of the palace gate, carrying wood that one person could hold in his arms, planning to build a high platform on the street. As He Miao got closer, a group of tiger knights came up without knowing it. The swords in their hands were shining with sharp edges. Several ferocious human heads were tied between the saddles. The sound of war drums was playing in the wind and the belly of the horse. It was a regular sound. The servants and dead men who had been favored by the servants in the mansion were all killed at this time, as a tribute to the Huben army.
He Miao looked in his eyes and felt cold in his heart. He cursed at the approaching knights: "Are you so stupid that you can't recognize the chariots and riders?!" He shot an arrow towards the ground with his bow, grazing the leg of a horse. Nailed to the ground, the knights were startled and replied: "It's very dark at night and I can't see the person coming."
He Miao had no intention of arguing with them. He only asked, "Where is General Zhonglang?" "General Zhonglang is counting the prisoners." "Go and call him. I have something to ask him."
The knight responded and left. When he came back, not only the general Yuan Shu, but also Zhong Yao, Wu Kuang, and Zhang Zhang came. Yuan Shu was walking in front. Without dismounting from his horse and saluting, he asked He Miao casually, "Why are the charioteers doing here if they are not in the palace?"
He Miao's residence was outside the palace, how could it be inside the palace? He Miao knew the irony, but could only pretend not to hear it, and said to several of them: "The capital is currently in unspeakable chaos. As a cavalry general and a brother of a general, I have the responsibility of revenge and the security of the country." As for me, you can reorganize the army first, wait for me to observe the situation in the palace, and then see how to enter the palace."
After he finished speaking, Yuan Shu immediately turned around, rode his horse, and ran back to the prisoners. He Miao saw him cutting off a man's rope, hanging the end of the rope on the saddle, and then riding the horse to drag the prisoner back, waiting for him to come to He Miao again. , He Miao asked with a smile: "What are you doing on the highway?"
When the man heard He Miao's voice, he seemed to be clinging to life. He endured the pain of being dragged, raised his head and said tremblingly: "Cheqi, save me! Cheqi, save me! Our two families have been friends for nearly ten years. For the sake of the Shark Pearl last month, please save my life!"
These words drained the man's energy, and the surrounding soldiers could clearly hear it. The man then curled up on the ground and trembled slightly. Others could not see the man's face clearly, so Yuan Shu explained: "This man is Zhao Xi, the adopted son of Zhao Zhong. "
He Miao suddenly felt that his whole body was like an arrow. Under the firelight, his face was as red as pills. He kept waving his horsewhip and defending himself: "I am just pretending to be a snake. I just come and go. I often live in the palace, and my hands and eyes can reach the sky. There are more than 5,000 court officials in the capital, how can they not interact with the eunuchs!"
Zhao Xi was in despair when he heard this. He touched his wound in the dust and sobbed, which turned into howling. He Miao was upset after hearing this. He drew the green ox-horn bow given by the emperor, attached an arrow with the shovel head, and shot Zhao Xi's lower neck with the shovel head. The shovel head broke off the bones and nailed them into the soil, leaving only the back of the neck connected with flesh and blood. Blood spurted along the shovel head.
The crying stopped immediately.
At this time, Yuan Shao led the foreign troops to Baihumen. He held the edict in his hand, dragged Zhao Zhong's body on horseback, and held a high banner with the word "He" behind him. When he saw He Miao and the three camps in the West Garden behind him, he laughed and said, "Are the chariots here to destroy us?" He spread out the edict and read the contents aloud in front of everyone.
After Wu Kuang heard this, he took out his knife and sneered at He Miao: "I knew that the chariots and cavalry must support you, so that the eunuchs and servants would have the confidence to stab you openly. That day when the chariots and cavalry came to the garden, I advised the general to kill you." You eliminated the harm, but the general was soft-hearted for a moment, which led to today's disaster."
He Miao was greatly frightened. He rode his horse back into the palace and ordered his subordinates: "Wu Kuang and Yuan Shao are planning to rebel. If you see it with your own eyes, shoot arrows quickly to kill the thieves!" The generals were silent in response.
Wu Kuang shouted angrily at his colleagues: "The one who killed the general was a chariot and rider. Can the officials retaliate?" The soldiers all replied in tears: "I am willing to die as retribution."
Take the initiative to make way for Wu Kuang. Wu Kuangxin rushed to He Miao on horseback. He Miao was able to pull out his saber. Before he could raise his sword to fight, he slit Wu Kuang's throat with the sword and fell to the ground. Wu Kuang also dismounted and took off the riding iron. He cut his chest with a knife on each side to vent his anger, and finally cut off his head and said sadly to the sky: "The general has a spirit, I have killed the leader of the thieves! Within three days, I will kill all the eunuchs and repay the favor." .”
Yuan Shu looked bored, turned around and commanded his men, threw Zhao Xi back into the prisoners, and forced the prisoners to gather together. He piled hay and firewood on top of his body, and compacted it with beams, logs and boulders. Before the prisoners could cry out in pain, the tigers rushed over. Soldiers poured down grease and threw down torches.
Next to the flames at the palace gate, a new fire was lit. These giant rats and borers that inhabited the country could not struggle in the flames and could only scream in agony. However, the soldiers were reveling in the carnival. They danced in the charred fire waves and laughed loudly: "The turbid current will lead to death! The filth will cause death!" Officials will die! Thieves will die!"
