When Han Xiao and Han Xiao were distressed about not being able to get what they wanted, a violent explosion suddenly came from outside. The sound was like thunder, earth-shaking, one after another, and even the tables and chairs in the room seemed to shake a bit.
Both of them were shocked, Xiao Talin said: "What's going on? Could it be an earthquake?"
"It doesn't look like it!" Handerang glanced around and pointed: "Go out and have a look!"
After saying this, the two of them quickly walked out to observe. They were not the only ones to be alarmed. The entire concierge was abuzz with people, peeping around, looking around, looking at each other, obviously not knowing what was going on.
Han Derang and Xiao Talin hurriedly climbed up to a viewing pavilion in the museum and looked up. The sound came from the northeast, about two miles away. The explosions continued, one after another, each explosion was like It was like a thunderbolt falling from heaven.
The fire was soaring into the sky, almost reflecting the entire night sky red, thick smoke was billowing, and the fire was spreading. Although it was difficult to see clearly, the chaos inside was visible to the naked eye, and the faint wailing in the distance was also frightening.
"This, the big man has committed some kind of divine punishment, and God has sent this disaster." Looking at the movement and momentum in the distance, Xiao Taolin couldn't help but sigh.
Handerang was also in a trance, his eyes reflected the shadow of flying tongues of fire, and said: "It must be their gunpowder magazine that exploded!"
In the years of fighting against the Han army, the Khitans were somewhat familiar with the various sharp weapons of the Han army, such as those gunpowder weapons. Xiao Talin has also been exposed to this, and the reason why he said that was somewhat gloating about others' misfortune.
Although the Concierge Hotel was far away, with the force of the explosion and the spread of the fire, it might not be safe. After reacting, the envoys and guests in the hotel could not help but become restless.
Several officials from the Concierge Hotel also hurriedly appeared at this time, leading their servants to maintain order, comfort the envoys, and at the same time send people to understand the situation. In the midst of panic and busyness, Han Derang shook his head and said softly: "Let's go back to the room first, so as not to cause trouble for them!"
When going downstairs, Han Derang paused and smiled bitterly again: "Look at the explosion and fire, I don't know how many houses were burned down, and I don't know how many people died. It will be a sleepless night tonight. How can the Han court take care of the situation in such an emergency?" us."
"Prime Minister Han, in my opinion, it's better to go back to China!" Hearing this, Xiao Talin was slightly angry: "Since the Han court has no intention of accepting sincerity, what's the point of us waiting here? What's more, you If you stay away from Mobei for a long time, there is no guarantee that something unexpected will happen!"
Handerang frowned, and thought of the opposition in the upper echelons of the Khitan in Mobei, the nobles who were always trying to pull him down, and a hint of hidden worry was evoked.
Shaking his head slightly, Handerang said soberly: "This trip to the south to make peace is actually about surrendering and asking for peace. It is my proposal. Even most of the nobles in Mobei agree, but if we return without success, we will inevitably give others excuses. .
In Mobei, Privy Envoy Yelu is in charge of the overall situation. There should be no major problems. You and I can rest assured. On the contrary, at this moment, we must not leave Kaifeng! "
"Why?" Xiao Talin asked.
Handerang pointed to the direction of the explosion and said seriously: "We still don't know the cause of this incident. Whether it was an accident or someone deliberately causing the disaster needs to be investigated. If we leave in a hurry, won't we attract suspicion?"
Xiao Talin was slightly startled, then quickly became serious, and responded: "What Prime Minister Han said is true. If he is involved, even if it is justified, it will be difficult to explain clearly, and his life may even be at risk!"
Handerang nodded and ordered: "Let the entourage stay in the hotel and not go out!"
"yes!"
As Han Derang guessed, the accident occurred in the gunpowder depot in the city. It was located in Yanqingfang in the southeast of Luocheng. It was originally a gunpowder factory of the Ordnance Supervision and was also the largest gunpowder factory in the city.
In recent years, with the large-scale use of gunpowder in military, engineering and other aspects, the imperial court also invested heavily in expanding production. As the scale increases, problems such as management and storage also arise one after another, especially safety issues.
The gunpowder workshop is a highly confidential military unit. It was built in the imperial city just to keep it secret. But later, this incident aroused the worries and worries of many courtiers in the court. It was a dangerous thing. Most of the people living in Luocheng were dignitaries. How could the dignitaries be allowed to associate with them, especially the people in Yanqingfang.
Last year someone suggested moving the gunpowder workshop out of Luocheng, to an outer city, or even outside of Tokyo. After some detailed discussions, the report was submitted. At the suggestion of Prince Liu Yang, Emperor Liu agreed. After all, it was indeed unreasonable to open the workshop in the city center.
The matter of relocating the gunpowder factory was decided. Not only that, some various workshops originally built in the inner city were also relocated one after another. Before the explosion, almost all the gunpowder factories in Yanqingfang had been moved out, leaving only a few gunpowder depots that had not yet been cleaned up.
However, it was in this closing moment that something went wrong. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but the top priority is to rescue the disaster as soon as possible, extinguish the fire and restore order.
Yanqingfang has become a sea of fire. The disaster came so suddenly that no one was prepared. Even though isolation protection was set up outside the gunpowder magazine, it could not stop the exploding fire dragons.
The officials and people who lived in the area all fled in a hurry. Those who reacted slowly were basically harmed by the flames and smoke. Those who managed to escape were shocked and rejoiced, but they couldn't help but watch their houses and property being swallowed up.
In Yanqingfang, there was almost a blazing inferno, and it even tended to spread towards Yankangfang in the north. Fortunately, it was stopped by the patrol soldiers who rushed to the rescue and some soldiers and civilians who spontaneously put out the fire. The officers and soldiers of the Tokyo government were a little slow to respond to many things, but in the face of such major changes, they were extremely efficient.
There is no other way. When such a big thing happens, it is the most cost-effective and necessary thing to ignore the pursuit of responsibility later and actively perform meritorious services. A large number of patrol soldiers were fighting the fire. Under such a fire, the fire-fighting water tanks kept in the workshop were of no use at all.
Soon, military-specific water bags were transferred, and buckets of river water were moved to the front line, which was not far from Bianshui. They could be transferred nearby, which saved some time.
Inspection envoy Zhang Yongde personally went to the fire-fighting front line to focus on fire fighting and disaster relief. With the quick and powerful response of the inspection soldiers, the spreading fire in Yanqingfang was finally controlled.
Even as the houses along the streets were pushed inward, the fire was continuously suppressed. Zhang Yongde walked along and saw that the buildings in Yanqing were burned more or less severely. But it was obvious that if they were not extinguished in time, the entire Yanqing would be destroyed It is inevitable that the workshop will be destroyed.
Inside the building, fireworks filled the sky, and a large number of patrol soldiers set up ladders and used water bags to douse the burning houses. Seeing such a scene, Zhang Yongde looked extremely serious. He didn't talk much, but when he opened his mouth, he was mobilizing for disaster relief.
Liu Jichang, the prefect of Kaifeng, took action as soon as he received the news and sent out officers to help put out the fire. He also ordered people to prepare water, sand and tools for fighting the fire.
When Liu Jichang arrived at Yanqingfang, it was too late. With a quick glance, he noticed Zhang Yongde standing on the "front line" and hurriedly ran up: "Inspector Zhang, how is the situation?"
After looking at him, Zhang Yongde pointed his hand and replied: "The fire on the outside has basically been controlled, and it is gradually being cleared inward!"
Hearing this, Liu Jichang couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief and asked: "Do you know how it was triggered? How many soldiers and civilians were injured or killed?"
Zhang Yongde spread his hands and said with a wry smile: "I don't know yet. However, it should be related to the gunpowder depot!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Jichang's expression immediately turned bitter. The poison in the air made him sweat profusely. Liu Jichang was wailing in his heart, feeling that he was having bad luck.
The food price turmoil in Tokyo has just passed, and public sentiment has calmed down a bit. The former prince went on a tour and discovered that the market was in chaos. He also worked hard to rectify the situation and even cut off part of the small business tax to the Finance Secretary, and then he barely passed the test.
The matter has not completely subsided, and such a big explosion and fire occurred again. It would be fine if the civilians in the outer city were in Guizhou. Although the residents in Yanqingfang were not high-ranking households, they were also among the powerful, and they had some influence.
If the losses were great and many people were killed or injured, how could he, the governor of Kaifeng, get a better deal? There is no need to even assume that the situation at the fire scene can be seen intuitively. Liu Jichang can almost be sure that this level will not be easy to pass.
"I have brought some manpower and tools, all of which are at the disposal of Inspector Zhang. Please put out the fire quickly and save lives!" Liu Jichang calmed down and said to Zhang Yongde.
Zhang Yongde was not polite, nodded, and made arrangements immediately. The cries and howls continued, and Liu Jichang glanced at some of the Yanqing residents who had escaped. They were all crying and miserable.
Liu Jichang couldn't help lamenting again: How can I explain this to His Majesty?
