When Cao Yanming was attacked at the Six Gate Inspection Department of Shendu, the entire Luoyang City fell into chaos almost instantly.
The east, west and south sides of Luoyang City caught fire almost at the same time. It was not an ordinary arson, but someone prepared a large amount of tung oil.
And every hundred or so steps, a large amount of dry firewood or even charcoal and other fire starters were filled in specific houses.
It was early winter, the weather was dry, the north wind was blowing, and a large number of houses in Luoyang used wooden structures. Under the manipulation of thoughtful people, the fire became difficult to control from the beginning.
Under the emergency, Wuhou from Henan and Luoyang Fukuo counties in Luoyang City, guards from major chambers of commerce, and men from various neighborhoods were immediately mobilized.
Of course they didn't know something big was going to happen tonight, so they all went out to put out the fire. For a while, people were fetching water, and people were pulling water dragons. Frightened women and children were running around on the road, and some of their relatives were trapped in the sea of fire, and they were crying loudly.
The people of Luoyang were completely unprepared for such a large-scale fire. What was even more frightening was that Luoyang had experienced repeated wars since the late Tang Dynasty.
Especially since the end of the Liang Dynasty in the Later Tang Dynasty, four large-scale wars have been experienced in the past twenty years, and each time Luoyang was almost beaten to a pulp.
It can be said that in Luoyang City today, even teenagers have experienced at least two horrific wars. After Zhang Zhou Dingding Central Plains, they only lived a peaceful life for less than three years.
At this moment, the sky-high fires were ignited everywhere, and the chaos on the streets was like hell. Many Luoyang people were immediately hit by the fear of the past.
In the chaos, many people did not want to put out the fire, but a large number of people helped the old and the young, led the animals and carried their bags, and actually wanted to run out of the city under the cover of night.
Along the way, various rumors began to spread like a plague, saying that Emperor Shaoming had been killed like Emperor Zhuangmiao.
Why did the Hebei feudal town raise troops again and go south? The Khitan even said that the Turks were coming in again and that they would continue to support an emperor and so on.
Li Renshu and three hundred people lurked in a house not far from Ziwei Palace, only two to three hundred steps away from the imperial city.
And those who can own a house here are naturally not ordinary people. Shi Chongmin, the uncle of Rouyuan, put on the cotton armor that he rarely wore. He held a long horizontal knife in his hand and looked at the imperial city with eyes full of hatred.
He is the owner of this house, and of course he is not an ordinary person. Strictly speaking, Shi Chongmin can even be classified as a member of the Yuancong sect.
When Zhang Hao first arrived in Khotan, in order to demonstrate the power of gunpowder to Li Shengtian, he asked Li Shengtian to assign him a team of miners who were good at digging.
Shi Chongmin was the leader of these miners. He even followed Zhang Gao before Liu Zaisheng and others. Later, Zhang Zhang used these miners to form Fenjindu. Fenjindu made great contributions in the two battles of Shule and the capture of Ningyuan Fortress Juzhanti.
At that time, Shi Chongmin could even be regarded as one of the only core members of Zhang Gao who could lead the team independently.
However, the first battle was Shi Chongmin's highlight moment. Since then, Zhang Hao rarely relied on blasting to capture the city. Of course, the more important reason was that Shi Chongmin's abilities were limited and his talent was not high enough to be cultivated.
Therefore, after more and more talents joined Zhang Yan's team, Shi Chongmin's status showed a free-fall decline.
However, as the earliest old man of the Yuan Cong sect, although Shi Chongmin did not have much credit and was not regarded as one of his own by other members of the Yuan Cong sect, his qualifications were there.
After Zhang Yan established the Zhou Dynasty, Shi Chongmin was also named an earl for his past achievements. He was called Rouyuan Bo after his hometown of Rouyuan County in Yinzhou.
Although his Earl cannot be hereditary, he still has a title based on his hometown, which can be transferred to descendants for three generations.
But today, Shi Chongmin still stood on the opposite side of the emperor he once looked up to. During these years, he thought he should belong to the Yuan Cong Sect, but the Yuan Cong Sect did not look down upon him at all, and he did not bother to compare himself with the East Return Sect such as Guo Guangsheng and Pei Tongyuan.
In his heart, he hoped that the emperor could re-appoint him, but at the same time he was full of resentment that the emperor was unwilling to even give him a hereditary title.
Last year, Shi Chongmin's second son was reselling pig iron in Dunhuang, which was strictly prohibited for sale on the grasslands. He was caught by the Hexi Provincial Inspector Si Yamen patrolling the border, and was directly sentenced to exile by Pei Yuan, who held the military and political power in Hexi.
Shi Chongmin asked for help in many places but could not get it, and his beloved second son finally died in Huangcaoyi in Beiting Province.
This completely knocked Shi Chongmin down, and he quickly joined a small group headed by Cao Renzun who hoped to use the Hexi Chamber of Commerce to dominate the trade routes. He was even the most radical among these people.
As time passed by, Huaibei thief Li Renshu became a little out of breath.
"How long do I have to wait? If I wait any longer, it will be completely dark. Where will I find Concubine Cao then?" Shi Chongmin glanced at the hourglass on the table and hummed softly,
"Do you think Ziwei Palace is a wealthy village in Huaibei? Let me tell you, even at night, the main hall where the imperial concubine and the prince live is brightly lit." After saying that, Shi Chongmin glanced at the fire rising into the sky in the distance.
"Don't worry, Concubine Cao is well known to a certain family. If the gods are in such chaos, she will definitely be unable to bear it and send the palace guards and fire brigade out to help put out the fire. At that time, it will be the final step of our attack. Good time." As soon as he finished speaking, as if to confirm Shi Chongmin's words, the closed door of Ziwei Palace in the imperial city opened for the first time.
Groups of palace guards, fire prevention teams, and even chamberlains dressed in various colors, pulling fire-extinguishing water dragons, rumbled from Ziwei Palace to the various fire locations.
When they had left but had a cup of tea, the torch on Yingtian Gate, the main entrance of Ziwei Palace, swayed three times up and down three times, which was the agreed upon secret signal.
Li Renshu was overjoyed. Before Shi Chongmin could act like a commander, he immediately ordered someone to carry him to Yingtianmen.
. . Lady Cao Sanni was sitting on a water dragon, holding a sleeping baby of over one year old in her arms. It was Zhang Xianzai, the eighth son of the emperor.
Not long after, the water dragon cart reached the corner of a high-walled compound, and more than ten soldiers immediately poured out. The leader was Zhao Hongyin, Zhao Kuangyin's father.
Old Man Zhao's son can fight all over the world, but he is only in his forties. He has been practicing martial arts all year round. Although he has average abilities in leading troops in battles, serving as an official, and as a person, his martial arts value is quite high.
The dozen or so soldiers around him were all old Imperial Guards from the Tang Dynasty who came from Jiama Camp in Luoyang, including Zhao Kuangyin's father-in-law He Jingsi and others. Zhao Hongyin knew them well and was very reliable.
Nine-year-old Zhao Kuangyi followed his father in a sneaky manner. This kid had been practicing martial arts since he was a child, stealing and slipping. He refused to work hard on his writing unless his mother was watching him. However, he was a social cow and was very lovable in his words.
Not to mention people, even the wild dogs in Jiama camp that bite people when they see them don't bite Zhao Kuangyi. At this moment, he saw Mrs. Cao Sanniang coming in with Zhang Xianzai in her arms. Although Brother Zhao didn't know who Mrs. Cao Sanniang was, he had a keen sense that she was a big shot.
The boy rolled his eyes and saw that he was actually wearing the toy paper armor usually used by his friends to ride horses and fight. He was holding a small wooden sword in his hand and pretending to be close to Cao Yannai, looking like a arrogant warrior.
Zhao Hongyin was originally timid and an honest man. When he saw Zhao Er coming over, he immediately wanted to drive him away.
How could my second brother Zhao let go of this opportunity? He stretched out his belly.
"Yeah, please underestimate Erlang. Erlang can also protect noble people!" Cao Yannai was a little nervous at first, but when he saw the appearance of Brother Zhao, he couldn't help but smile.
"This Erlang, how did you know that this person is a noble person and needs protection?" Brother Zhao pretended to be innocent and asked.
"Back to my wife, my servant Ye Ye is a high-ranking official. The person he can welcome must be a noble person! Ye Ye always wears armor at home. Isn't it because noble people need protection?" The phrase "big official" made the thin-skinned Zhao Hongyin It's so shameful. He is a Forbidden Army General, Marquis Yu. How can he be considered a high-ranking official?
Lady Cao Sanni found this boy more and more interesting.
"Now that so-and-so has arrived, how will Xiao Erlang protect him?" Brother Zhao drew out his small wooden sword and made two gestures.
"Of course I use my sword!"
"What if I can't protect you?" Brother Zhao stretched out his hand and pointed.
"A certain person is good at driving a donkey. The green tiger in the courtyard can run faster than a galloping horse. As long as we hitch the cart, we can carry the nobleman to Jinyong City. There are many powerful soldiers there who will definitely protect the nobleman's safety." Zhao Hongyin opened his mouth wide and was stunned. Looking at Zhao Er, he suddenly realized that he knelt down on one knee and said to Cao Yannai: "Madam, I never mentioned this to him." It turned out that Cao Yannai's plan was to escort Zhao Hongyin's family by them if they were in danger. Retreat to Jinyong City.
Cao Yannai smiled and waved his hand. Since he wanted to choose Zhao Hongyin as the internal agent, he knew that this person was reliable.
Besides, even if Zhao Hongyin spilled the beans to his children, for Zhao Kuangyin's sake, it was impossible to blame him.
At this moment, the little prince Zhang Xianzai was suddenly awakened. The little baby came to a strange environment and immediately started crying.
Brother Zhao had just been glared at by his father's murderous eyes. He who had been shrinking at first perked up immediately when he heard the cry.
He pointed at Zhang Xianzai who was crying loudly and said: "He must be hungry. My mother just gave birth to her third brother. She cries like this when she is hungry." As he said this, Zhao Er looked at Cao Yannai again.
"Your Majesty, please come with me. The servant has plenty of milk. I guarantee that he will be full of milk. He will stop crying when he is full." Cao Yannai thought about it, and it seemed that it was indeed possible. Zhang Xianzai had been away from his mother these days. , has been a little uncomfortable with it, maybe the smell of breast milk and breast milk can make him feel better.
"Marquis Zhao Yu is really well-educated! Uncle Zhongzhou is the pillar of the country, and the future of these two men will be unlimited tomorrow." Cao Yannai sighed sincerely, with a brother like Zhao Kuangyin, the Zhao family can save him tonight. This Zhao Er is even more so ghostly, he looks very promising no matter how he looks at it.
