Zhao County, Zhao Prefecture.
Yang Qiu, who was ordered to investigate Liu Kui's rebellion, led his 500 palace attendants and Wang Yue's 5,000 Imperial Guards to garrison here after receiving the emperor's secret order.
Inside the government office, Yang Qiu was discussing military matters with Wang Yue when a messenger suddenly rushed in.
"Report!!"
"Reporting to the Commandant and General Wang! Liu Kui, the King of Bohai, launched a rebellion two days ago, and Bohai, Anping, and other places have fallen into the hands of the rebels...!"
Subsequently, the messenger provided Yang Qiu and Wang Yue with a detailed report on the latest situation of the two rebel forces.
Upon hearing that Liu Kui had raised an army in rebellion, Yang Qiu and Wang Yue not only did not lose their composure, but instead showed a hint of relief on their faces.
Yang Qiu waved the messenger away, grinned, and then looked at Wang Yue.
"General Wang, the rebels have risen up; it's time for us to take action!"
Wang Yue cupped his hands and said, "Lieutenant Yang, please give your orders!"
Soon, the Prefect of Zhao County, along with a group of officials of all ranks, a dozen or so officers of the Imperial Guard, and several clerks from the Sili Office, were summoned to the prefectural office.
Yang Qiu, seated at the head of the table, glanced around at everyone, then stood up and said:
"Gentlemen, Liu Kui has launched a rebellion, and the rebel army within Ji Province has already captured several counties, including Anping, Bohai, and Qinghe!"
Prefect Fan Ming of Zhao Commandery asked in a trembling voice, "Commander Yang, how many rebels are there?"
Yang Qiu frowned and said, "It's still unclear at the moment, but it shouldn't be less than 60,000!"
"Sixty thousand...!"
Upon hearing the number of rebels, all the officials of Zhao County, including Fan Ming, trembled and their faces showed fear.
Fan Ming hurriedly said, "Commander Yang, this matter should be reported to the Emperor immediately, and the court should be asked to send troops to quell the rebellion as soon as possible!"
Yang Qiu said, "That's natural, but it will take time for the imperial court to mobilize a large army. Right now, the rebels have already begun to gather in Xindu, the capital of Anping County. We should make preparations in advance!"
"What plans does Commander Yang have? Please give your orders, and we will certainly act accordingly!"
Fan Ming also hurriedly led all the officials of Zhao County to express their willingness to follow Yang Qiu's instructions.
Yang Qiu said coldly, "To quell external aggression, we must first secure internal stability. Many members of the gentry have participated in Liu Kui's rebellion. To prevent anyone in the city from colluding with the rebels, the most important task at present is to eliminate the hidden dangers within the city!"
After saying this, Yang Qiu immediately took out the Emperor's Sword, then looked at Wang Yue beside him and said in a deep voice, "General Wang, immediately lead your troops to begin the operation and investigate the scholars and powerful families within Zhao County. Anyone who is associated with the rebellious scholars should be arrested first!"
"promise!!"
Wang Yue responded loudly, took the Emperor's Sword, and led his officers outside.
After Wang Yue left, Yang Qiu looked at the group of officials in the room and a cold smile appeared on his lips.
"Someone come here!!"
With a sharp shout from Yang Qiu, two teams of eunuchs dressed in black robes rushed into the government office, weapons in hand.
"This... Captain Yang, why is this?"
The officials were shocked and all looked at Yang Qiu with panicked expressions.
"Why? Someone is attempting to collude with the rebels to seize Zhao County, and I have turned a blind eye to it?"
Yang Qiu sneered, then took out a list and several secret letters.
As Yang Qiu finished speaking, more than a dozen officials present couldn't help but shudder.
Yang Qiu's cold gaze swept over the officials, and he said in a chilling voice, "Take them down!!"
"promise!!"
The group of eunuchs responded loudly, and then, according to the list in Yang Qiu's hand, they took away all the officials who were associated with the scholars.
In a short while, more than half of the officials in the Zhao County government office were gone.
Looking at the few remaining officials in the room, Yang Qiu said in a deep voice, "Now that the rebels are powerful, you should all go back immediately to organize the provisions and supplies, and at the same time issue a notice to recruit local militia and speed up the preparation of the city's defenses!"
"promise!!"
The remaining officials dared not neglect their duties and departed in obedience.
Wang Yue's 5,000 Imperial Guards also began a large-scale purge of the gentry and powerful families within Zhao County, based on information from the intelligence bureau.
At the same time, Zhang Rang, Huang Zhong, Ma Teng, Gongsun Du and others in Changshan, along with 10,000 Youzhou soldiers, like Yang Qiu, did not rush to send troops to quell the rebellion. Instead, they first began a large-scale purge of the scholars and powerful families in Changshan and Zhongshan on charges of treason.
On the other side, the imposter Lu Qing did not linger after capturing Shunyin, but led his rebel army directly towards Xindu. After two days of marching, they finally arrived outside Xindu, the capital of Anping County.
Han Yuan, the rebel leader of Anping County, also personally led his men out of the city to welcome them.
"Haha~, Patriarch Lu is indeed a man of great talent. He arrived here in just two days. With your 20,000 troops, I feel much more at ease!"
The imposter Lu Qing laughed and said, "Patriarch Han, you flatter us. In order to help His Majesty eliminate those treacherous officials in the court as soon as possible, we naturally dare not neglect our duties!"
Han Yuan laughed and said, "Patriarch Lu is right, let's go into the city and talk!"
"Alright, Patriarch Han, please!"
After entering the city and taking their seats, Lu Qing asked first, "Patriarch Han, what is the current situation?"
Han Yuan laughed and said, "Now all the county towns within Anping are under my control."
Everything is going smoothly in Bohai and Qinghe as well. The King of Bohai and the head of the Zheng family are leading their army this way and will arrive tomorrow!
Lu Qing then asked, "Well, that's good. I wonder what the situation is like in Qingzhou and Yanzhou?"
"Things are alright over there. I heard that Li Ying and Zhu Jun's cavalry are trapped on the plains, and Xun Shuang and Xu Rong's Sheshui camp are trapped in Jiyin."
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