On June 15th of the third year of the Jingkang era, Liu Yanzong led two thousand cavalrymen of the Central Army into Taiyuan City, which was also the day Huangfu Chen captured Shi Jian.
Zong Ze's 10,000-strong army was still within the territory of Longde Prefecture.
Under the protection of the Central Army, Liu Yanzong met Huangfu Chen at the Imperial City Guard.
Huangfu Chen respectfully said, "Greetings, Imperial Censor Liu."
"Brother Huangfu, there's no need for such formalities. Where is Shi Jian?"
Huangfu Chen chuckled and said, "I'm being taken care of by my brothers right now."
"How is Commander Wang?"
"All is well and safe."
"Very well, the Emperor has given instructions that you must ensure the safety of Commander Wang."
"Don't worry, Shangguan." Huangfu Chen gestured for him to proceed.
In reality, Liu Yanzong's Censorate and Imperial City Guard were two completely opposing systems, but in terms of rank, Liu Yanzong was a Grand Minister of the Imperial Court, at the level of a prime minister.
Huangfu Chen was considered to be on par with a high-ranking official in charge of a region, equivalent to a deputy military commissioner.
When you meet someone of the rank of prime minister, you should be polite to them, regardless of whether you are on opposing sides.
However, Huangfu Chen held Liu Yanzong, a surrendered official, in utter contempt and even disdain.
When Liu Yanzong saw Shi Jian, Shi Jian was screaming in utter misery, having been tortured beyond recognition.
With his willpower crumbling, Shi Jian is reciting the names of all those who plotted this rebellion.
Huangfu Chen took the list and glanced at it.
Surprisingly, there's Guo Huai, the Deputy Military Commissioner!
This involved a staggering 1,300 officials of all ranks in Hedong!
Even Huangfu Chen frowned. The implications were so far-reaching that if a decision were to be made, it would be necessary to report to the imperial court!
Then he realized why the emperor had sent Liu Yanzong.
Liu Yanzong looked at the list and said, "Brother Huangfu, if that's the case, then let's begin arresting people."
Huangfu Chen reminded him, "Liu Yusi, this involves several commanders of the Xiang Army."
His meaning was clear: if someone in the military commits a crime, they should be arrested, but it's not easy to do so.
"It's alright. The purpose of our visit this time is to rectify the military discipline in Hebei. Brother Huangfu, just arrange the arrests. If you need our support, just say so!"
"Thank you for your help, Imperial Censor Liu!"
"We are all sharing the Emperor's burdens, so why express our gratitude?"
In fact, Liu Yanzong was under tremendous pressure. Zhao Huan instructed him that if similar rebellions occurred in Hedong in the future, his head should be displayed in Taiyuan.
Therefore, in order to survive, Liu Yanzong was determined to dig three feet into the ground and eliminate all traces of the enemy.
Han Shizhong slaughtered so many in Hebei that rivers of blood flowed, and for hundreds of years no bandits dared to set out.
Liu Yanzong also set a goal for himself: that no rebels would dare to emerge from this place for the next thousand years!
What should I do?
Of course, we should nip it in the bud!
As night fell, a bloody storm erupted in Taiyuan.
The vanguard of the Central Army, three thousand cavalrymen, had just entered the city. Guo Huai was still at his residence discussing the matter of launching an attack that night with the three military commanders.
The messenger rushed to Guo Huai's residence to inform him that Shi Jian had been imprisoned.
When Guo Huai learned of this news, he said to his three subordinates, "There is no time to lose. Whether we can rise to prominence in the future depends on this battle!"
All three generals pledged their loyalty to Guo Huai and immediately planned to return to their respective camps to mobilize troops.
But as soon as they stepped out of the front yard, the sounds of hacking and slashing came from outside.
A bloody head was thrown over and rolled to Guo Huai's feet. The head belonged to his personal guard, Li Jie.
Li Jie's eyes were still wide open as he looked at Guo Huai.
Guo Huai's expression changed drastically. The maids outside were so frightened that they ran to the front yard. The children who were playing nearby were also frightened and sat on the ground crying helplessly.
Huangfu Chen led his men in.
Guo Huai angrily said, "Huangfu Chen, what do you mean by this?"
"Guo Shangguan, someone has accused you of plotting a rebellion. Please come with me to the Imperial City Guard!"
"How dare you! I am the Deputy Military Commissioner of Hedong, Huangfu Chen. You have no evidence whatsoever, yet you dare to trespass on my residence. So what if you claim to be a member of the Emperor's personal guard? I have now impeached you!"
"If Guo Shangguan wants to impeach me, he should wait until he's released from the Imperial City Guard!" Huangfu Chen said. "Men, throw everyone in the Guo household into jail, including Li Zihang, Liu Yuchang, and He Jingliang!"
"How dare you, Huangfu Chen! You arrest us without any evidence!"
"Enough talk! Take them all away!"
Guo Huai drew his sword and roared, "Guards!"
His guards immediately rushed in from all directions.
"What? Guo Huai, are you going to arrest me again?"
"Huangfu Chen, what exactly do you want!"
Huangfu Chen did not answer him directly, but said, "Guo Huai, since you're going to arrest him, don't blame me for being impolite!"
"Kill them all!"
A scream rang out, and the pedestrians at the entrance of the Guo residence saw Lin Yu's Central Army soldiers in armor and holding crossbows, and heard the scream from inside. They immediately took a detour and dared not stop for a moment.
Within moments, most of the guards in the Guo residence were killed, their deaths extremely gruesome, mostly from a single arrow or a single sword strike.
This is a typical method of killing in the military. Soldiers' fighting skills on the battlefield are very brutal. They will kill someone with one blow and will never use a second blow, in order to ensure their survival on the battlefield.
Looking at these armored men who were moving with extreme efficiency, Guo Huai's heart sank.
Compared to these people, the local militia in Taiyuan City were like heaven and earth.
He trembled and turned pale, never expecting things to develop in such a way.
Huangfu Chen said coldly, "Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"
Then, people saw from afar that hundreds of people from the Guo family were being escorted out of the mansion.
A large, round moon rose above the treetops, enveloping Taiyuan City in a silvery glow.
Tonight, a curfew is in effect throughout Taiyuan. The once bustling streets are deserted, and people who had just gone out immediately returned home, locked their doors, and stayed indoors.
He Chengyi, the military commander, had 5,000 men under his command. In addition, there were three more armies outside the city, led by Li Zihang, Liu Yuchang, and He Jingliang, for a total of 15,000 men.
But now all three have been imprisoned by Huangfu Chen, leaving the three armies outside the city leaderless.
He Chengyi was extremely anxious. He was quickly gathering his troops and deploying his forces. The news that the Central Army, which had just entered the city that night, was going to carry out a major purge had already spread throughout the city.
The arrow is on the bowstring; it's no secret that the Imperial Guards have completely exposed themselves.
Everyone in the Central Army is eating heartily right now!
Once we've eaten our fill, it's time to get started.
Their sabers at their waists were itching for a fight!
Zong Ying, the commander of the Third Army of the Central Army, led his men to the drill ground, where the war drums began to thunder like lightning.
The two thousand people who were eating inside immediately put down their bowls and chopsticks, came out in an orderly fashion, and quickly lined up in formation on the drill ground.
They were covered in sweat, and their armor was dusty and grime-covered.
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