Just as Chang Suining had deduced, this rebellion in Bingzhou was destined not to last too long because of the clear situation.
At this moment, in Bingzhou, two thousand miles away from Xuanzhou, the war has entered its final stage.
It all started six days ago when Hedong Jiedushi Xiao Chuan suddenly led his troops to attack Cui Jing.
Xiao Chuan accused Cui Jing of wrongfully killing Bingzhou Chief Clerk Dai Cong and that he was the real traitor. Once this rumor spread, with the instigation of Xiao Chuan's accomplices, civil unrest soon broke out in Bingzhou City.
Throughout history, there have been Grand Marshal's Offices set up everywhere, and the position of Grand Marshal was mostly held remotely, while the person who actually governs and controls the affairs of a state is the Chief Secretary, and Bingzhou is no exception. Those who were loyal to Dai Cong, instigated by some people with ulterior motives, quickly turned to Xiao Chuan.
However, Cui Jing's prestige was there. Although he did not personally govern and manage Bingzhou, more than half of the people still did not believe Xiao Chuan's words and were willing to defend Bingzhou with him, thus preventing Bingzhou from falling into the hands of the internal rebels.
At the same time, some people secretly left the city to seek help, but most of the messages were intercepted by Xiao Chuan's men along the way.
All this proves that Xiao Chuan's ambition to kill people and seize the city was not a spur-of-the-moment idea, but was premeditated.
On the third day, Xiao Chuan broke through the defenses outside Bingzhou City and led his army to the gate of Bingzhou City with an unstoppable force.
The people in Bingzhou City were in a state of panic and stayed at home, not daring to go out.
Xiao Chuan did not rush to order a violent attack, but instead spoke words of benevolence and righteousness, claiming that he only wanted Cui Jing's head to avenge his brother Dai Xian, and that he had no intention of harming innocent people as long as Cui Jing was handed over in the city.
He was very clear about gratitude and resentment and had a sense of justice. He had already established a solid image before entering the city.
Hearing this, Cui Jing took the initiative and climbed up the city wall on his own without anyone helping him.
Seeing the young man in black soft armor appear, the atmosphere among the soldiers under the city suddenly became tense and alert, and they did not dare to relax even in the silence.
The reputation of Xuan Ce's army has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and this young man who led the Xuan Ce army to countless victories at a young age has always been known as the number one general in Dasheng. His numerous achievements are known to everyone.
Xiao Chuan sat on his horse, looking at the imposing young man on the city wall. Even though he was afraid, all of that fear was dispelled by the strategic planning at the moment, and was replaced by excitement and passion in his eyes.
What if he was the famous commander of the Xuan Ce Army? He would still die at his hands? Kill Cui Jing and take his head, and his name, Xiao Chuan, would spread throughout the states!
Thinking of this, Xiao Chuan pointed his gun at the top of the city wall and asked loudly: "Does Commander Cui dare to fight Xiao alone first?!"
Cui Jing: “Not appropriate.”
Xiao Chuan was startled for a moment, then laughed sarcastically: "Why, Commander Cui doesn't dare?"
"I mean..." The young man looked down at him and explained, "You are so eager to die. It's too early and it's inappropriate."
Xiao Chuan's smile froze and turned into anger of being humiliated.
Although he is not as powerful as Chang Kuo who can greet the opponent's eighteen generations of ancestors in front of the battle, Cui Jing has the ability to choke people to death with just a few words, and he never uses any dirty words. Combined with the Cui family's naturally arrogant temperament, the effect of irritating people to death is even better, and it is very easy to break people's defense.
At this moment, Yuan Xiang beside Cui Jing burst into laughter, but when he saw Xiao Chuan's angry gaze coming over, he pursed his lips and kept silent, with an expression that said "Sorry, I couldn't help it for a moment."
Xiao Chuan became even more furious, and sneered through his teeth: "...But you are a dying man, why are you putting on airs in front of me! The Changsun family is dead, and I guess the day of your Cui family being exterminated is not far away!"
"You, the sons of noble families who claim to be noble and upright, are actually shameless and sinister! My virtuous brother has been diligently governing Bingzhou for many years, but in the end he ended up taking the blame and dying. Last night he even came to me in a dream to tell me about his grievances..."
Xiao Chuan said, a look of grief on his face: "Today I will take your head with my own hands to avenge my brother!"
As he spoke, he was about to raise his hand to order an attack on the city, but the next moment his eyes suddenly widened, as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
"I was busy with city affairs last night and had no time to sleep all night. How could I have ever talked to Brother Xiao in my dreams?" Dai Cong, wearing a black cloak, walked to Cui Jing, took off his hood, and asked in confusion.
Xiao Chuan, who was on the horse, looked at his brother who was supposed to hold the script of "Wrongful Death" firmly, and his cheeks trembled suddenly: "......!"
Dai Cong is not dead?! The "wrongly dead brother" looked at him and said, "It turns out that the person who stole my private seal, forged the correspondence between Xu Zhengye and me, and framed me was you, Brother Xiao."
As he spoke, he looked somewhat ashamed: "Brother Xiao took the trouble to set up this trap, intending to steal Bingzhou and trap and kill Grand Commander Cui... but I am not dead, which disappoints Brother Xiao."
Seeing Dai Cong "come back to life", Xiao Chuan's army under the city wall was in an uproar.
At this point, Xiao Chuan still had no idea. Dai Cong was faking his death and teamed up with Cui Jing to lure the snake out of its hole! And just now, Dai Cong claimed that he was busy with the city affairs overnight, and it was obvious that he had pacified the city!
"The traitor Cui Jing, I don't know where he found this fake from, and he even dared to pretend to be my brother Dai!"
Xiao Chuan sneered and did not acknowledge Dai Cong. Instead, he gave a loud order: "Follow me into the city and take Cui Jing's head. There will be a reward of 100 taels!"
It doesn't matter if my brother pretends to die, he will turn this fake death into a real death! Not everyone in his army has seen Dai Cong, and there are also confidants who know the inside story among those who followed him in the rebellion. At this moment, they all shouted in agreement and attacked the city gate.
The soldiers at the back had no idea what was happening on the city wall. When they saw the flag waving, they drew their swords and held their guns and moved forward. The army was like a dark cloud approaching, raising billowing dust and smoke, and the shouting almost covered the sky.
Knowing that the city had been taken, Xiao Chuan made up his mind to capture the city as quickly as possible to prevent any further incidents, so his attack was fierce.
Soldiers kept climbing up the city wall with ladders. After one group was killed and repelled, another group followed. The city gate was also hit by the huge trees, making a deafening sound. Iron spikes were used at several places to drill through the city wall to create a breakthrough.
Dai Cong was distressed, and felt that a lot of banknotes were burning to ashes before his eyes: "General, please let me lead the troops to fight!"
Cui Jing raised his head and glanced at the sun.
A loud shout soon rang out: "Open the city gates and fight!"
The soldiers on the tower raised their guns and shouted: "Fight!"
The moment the city gate was opened, the attackers outside the city gate who were carrying huge woods could not keep their balance for a moment. The Bingzhou army held shields in front, swords and spears in the back, and archers at the end, and rushed out in an orderly manner.
Xiao Chuan frowned suddenly when he saw this.
If the other party had stayed inside and held on, they might have been able to hold out for two days. But now, with only 10,000 soldiers in the city, they dared to open the gates to fight against his 80,000-man army. Did they think that death was not fast enough? He was able to gain Dai Cong's trust and steal the private seal without leaving any clues. He set up this trap all the way, which showed that he was not a stupid person. It was impossible for him to be completely unvigilant at this moment and really think that the other party was looking for death.
There must be something wrong when things are abnormal... Dai Cong's fake death may be just one of the links!
But the arrow was on the string and had to be shot. The current situation did not allow him to calm down and think carefully. He could only ride his horse and attack.
As the two sides fought, the sharp and loud sounds of arrows whistled above their heads one after another.
Xiao Chuan felt even more uneasy, and soon he heard soldiers running behind him in panic, shouting, "... Envoy Xiao, the Xuan Ce Army is heading this way!"
What?!
Xiao Chuan couldn't believe it: "Are you sure? How many people are there?"
The soldier's voice was trembling: "The scouts said it's hard to tell exactly how many there are, but there are at least 50,000 or 60,000 people! Or maybe even more!"
Xiao Chuan was shocked, how could it be possible!
Xuan Ce's army rushed to the northern border after Cui Jing, and they marched north from the capital. Their marching route should have been the Guannei Road. How could they suddenly appear in his Hedong Road? Even though he didn't want to believe it, the rear of the army soon showed signs of defeat.
The news that "Xuan Ce's army is coming" quickly spread among the soldiers, causing great chaos in the army.
Xiao Chuan was unwilling to stop there, and issued a loud order: "... To capture the thief, first kill the thief leader. Kill Cui Jing! Take over the city tower, enter the city and close the gates immediately!"
Capturing the leader first is indeed a good way to shock the enemy's military morale.
so……
Taking advantage of the enemy's disorganized formation, Cui Jing shot Xiao Chuan's right arm with a bow.
The war bow used by Cui Jing was not comparable to ordinary cavalry bows. It was a Nine-Force Bow, and the arm strength of the person pulling the bow was far beyond that of an ordinary person. Therefore, the arrow had great power and could break ordinary armor. When Xiao Chuan was hit by the arrow, he groaned and fell off his horse due to the impact.
Dai Cong took advantage of this opportunity and led the main force to attack forward, killing Xiao Chuan's left and right guards.
Xiao Chuan gritted his teeth and pulled out the arrow. Just as he was about to sit up, countless swords and spears were pointed at him and surrounded him.
After receiving Cui Jing's order, Yuan Xiang shouted, "Xiao Chuan, the wicked man with evil ambitions, has been captured alive. Those who surrender will not be killed! Those who resist will be regarded as accomplices of the traitor and will be executed!"
This order was spread out one by one.
In the chaos, Dai Cong seized the flag of Xiao Chuan's army. Without the flag to command, he heard that Xiao Chuan was captured. Later, Xuan Ce's army was pressing forward, and some people in Xiao Chuan's army soon threw down their weapons and surrendered.
Most of them had no idea of the truth and were just blindly forced to follow orders. Now that they saw the situation reversed, they quickly lost their fighting spirit.
There are always people who resist stubbornly, but judging by the situation, they are doomed to fail.
Cui Jing stopped watching the battle and walked down from the city wall.
Yuan Xiang followed quickly beside him. Seeing the war bow in his own commander-in-chief's hand, he suddenly felt something was wrong: "Commander-in-chief...where is your Wan Yue? I don't think I've seen you with her for a while?"
In the past, whenever the Grand Commander put on his armor, Wanyue would always be with him.
Cui Jing: “Put it away.”
Put it away?
Yuan Xiang was confused, but soon some soldiers came up to him. The battle was not really over yet. Yuan Xiang was not a person who could not distinguish the importance of things, so he did not bother to ask any more questions and went on with his work.
Cui Jing held the bow in his hand and looked towards the south.
Wan Yue's owner has returned, so it is naturally inappropriate for him to use her without authorization.
He will keep it safely and return it to its original owner one day.
The riot lasted until the next morning, when it was completely quelled everywhere inside and outside the city.
But there were still many follow-up matters that needed to be taken care of. Cui Jing stayed up all night and interrogated Xiao Chuan all night. According to Xiao Chuan's final confession, he did have an accomplice, who was Xu Zhengye's gang.
He claimed that he and Xu Zhengye had conspired to start an uprising in the south while the other occupied the northern capital of Bingzhou. Then they would join forces to attack the capital and support the prince to ascend the throne.
As for setting up a trap to kill Cui Jing, it was because he controlled the Xuan Ce Army and was also a minion of the empress. If he was not eliminated, he would be destined to be the biggest stumbling block on their road to achieving their great cause.
Because of this, he was able to obtain Xu Zhengye's authentic handwritten letter, successfully deceive the empress, and frame Dai Cong.
After Cui Jing had his testimonies compiled, he ordered them to be sent to the capital by express horse. He also ordered people to spread the news that the riot in Bingzhou had been quelled to various places as soon as possible in order to reassure people.
After arranging everything, Cui Jing stood alone in the study and suddenly felt that he should write a letter himself to Chang Suining to report his safety, even if it was just for Bingzhou.
But he suddenly thought that he didn't know where she was at the moment. She had told Yuanxiang before that she planned to leave Beijing, so she might not be in the capital at the moment.
At this time, Yuan Xiang came in, holding a stack of letters: "Grand Commander, these are the letters that were previously sent to Bingzhou, and were intercepted by Xiao Chuan's men."
"I have specially selected some for our Grand Commandery. Most of them have been opened and inspected by them. They are all here. Please have a look."
In order to lower Xiao Chuan's vigilance, they deliberately showed weakness and allowed him to "control" the outside of Bingzhou. They pretended to be oblivious to everything, and only then were they able to successfully secretly transfer Xuan Ce's army here.
Watching Yuanxiang put the letters on the desk, Cui Jing didn't know what he was thinking about. He first looked through the letters one by one without rushing to open them. Finally, he saw the words he wanted to see on an envelope that had been opened. There were four words written on it - From Cui Jing himself.
Cui Jing then opened the letter.
In the letter, Chang Suining reminded him that there might be a scam in his trip to Bingzhou, asked him to be more vigilant, and told him that she was on her way to Xuanzhou and would stay in the Grand Princess Xuan'an's mansion for a few days.
Finally, he was reminded that if he had noticed something, he should not reply to avoid leaking secrets.
"Grand Commander, has something happened again?" Yuan Xiang couldn't help asking when he saw the Grand Commander just holding the piece of letter and looking at it over and over again.
Cui Jing came back to his senses: "...Nothing."
Yuan Xiang breathed a sigh of relief and noticed that his Grand Commander seemed to be in a good mood.
Yuan Xiang racked his brains for a long time and asked tentatively: "Grand Commander... is that Madam Chang's letter?"
Cui Jing's mouth corners unconsciously rose slightly, and he said "hmm". He folded the letter neatly and put it back into the envelope, putting it aside separately before opening other letters.
Yuanxiang suddenly realized what was going on, and he said, "How come the commander-in-chief is reading a letter with such interest that he won't put it down after picking it up!"
After quietly waiting for the Grand Commander to finish reading the letter, Yuan Xiang earnestly suggested: "Grand Commander, aren't you going to write back to Madam Chang? Why don't I help you grind the ink?"
Cui Jing didn't say anything, but just started to spread out the letter paper.
Yuanxiang grinned, understood and went forward to grind it.
Cui Jing picked up the pen and glanced at his subordinates who were still standing beside him.
Yuanxiang quickly stepped back and waited for his commander-in-chief to finish writing the letter so that he could arrange for people to deliver it as soon as possible.
But what happened next shocked Yuanxiang.
Our own commander-in-chief, who never made mistakes when writing because of his meticulous and clear thinking, actually wasted seven or eight sheets of paper but was still not satisfied.
Noticing the strange gazes from his subordinates, Cui Jing remained silent for a moment, then looked at the pile of discarded paper next to him and said, "Take these and burn them first."
Yuanxiang quickly agreed and stepped forward to pick it up.
"No peeking."
Hearing this warning, Yuan Xiang was startled: "Yes!"
After his subordinates left, Cui Jing spread the paper again and ground the ink - this was one of the reasons why he had to send Yuan Xiang away. The entire inkstone had been used up, and he hadn't written a single word... If he asked Yuan Xiang to grind it again, the atmosphere would become strange, which would be bad for both of them.
As Yuan Xiang walked out of the study room holding the pile of discarded letters, he ran into the Chief Secretary Dai Cong.
Yuan Xiang hurriedly pulled the man to the corridor and whispered, "Does Chief Dai have anything important to say? If it's not urgent, you can go in later!"
Dai Cong's face was solemn: "I came to apologize to the Grand Commander. It was my negligence that gave Xiao Chuan an opportunity to take advantage of it, and almost implicated the Grand Commander and the entire Bingzhou..."
Yuan Xiang glanced in the direction of the study: "None of this is important..."
Dai Cong: “……?”
So what is important?
He noticed the pile of crumpled paper in Yuanxiang's arms and couldn't help asking, "What are these...?"
Dai Changshi: What are these?
Yuan Xiang: It's the love brain of the Grand Commander! Weigh it by the pound! ps: The Grand Commander is writing a letter overnight...
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