After the Imperial Guards had steadied themselves, Nangong Qing continued loudly.
"Zhao Zaili, Wang Tingjun, Xue Wenjie, Ding Tinghui, Guo Congqian..."
As each name was uttered by Nangong Qing, these people seemed to have all their strength drained away in an instant, collapsing to the ground...
After the last name was read out, the remaining ministers breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that they were particularly clean, but rather that they hadn't gone so far as to collude with foreign enemies...
"Drag them all out and behead them, execute their entire families, and confiscate all their property to fill the national treasury..."
"Your Majesty is innocent..."
"Your Majesty, spare my life..."
"Your Majesty, please have mercy..."
In an instant, cries for mercy echoed throughout the hall, but the imperial guards seemed completely deaf to them. They dragged out all the ministers whose names were called, and soon after, countless 'crack' sounds were heard. Each sound represented the beheading of a corrupt official who had betrayed the new Tang Dynasty…
Only after everyone's heads had rolled did people realize that the imperial court had just been wiped out by a mere concubine...
But this was only the beginning. Outside the imperial court, the imperial guards had already begun arresting the families of the murdered treacherous officials and even purging spies from within Luoyang...
This purge lasted for three whole days. Even ministers like Grand Tutor Jiang and Liu Ting had never witnessed such a bloody scene; it was practically a massacre of an entire city.
At first, some people tried to stop it, but after the killings continued for three days, these people became as docile as sheep…
The entire city of Luoyang was practically awash in blood, and the water in the moat had become murky and turbid...
Nangong Qing's methods immediately stunned everyone. The officials who originally wanted to impeach Li Zhu were instantly silenced. After such a bloody crackdown, the unstable factors in Luoyang City were almost eliminated. Even if there were still unstable factors, they would hardly affect the overall situation...
After stabilizing the situation in Luoyang, Nangong Qing, in his capacity as Grand Master, issued a decree ordering wandering knights to assassinate those national traitors who were harming the country and its people. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures; in chaotic times, drastic measures are certainly the right thing to do…
Loulan!
At this moment, Mamuti had successfully escaped back into the city, and news of the defeat quickly spread throughout the city. In an instant, the people were filled with panic, fearing that the enemy would breach the city walls...
In the main hall of the royal palace, the King of Loulan looked at Mamuti, who was kneeling on one knee, and wished he could just push him out and behead him. Tens of thousands of troops had been routed and the Abbasid Caliphate had been offended. This was another test of the edge of death...
"Report..."
Just then, a messenger ran in and said in a panic...
"The Abbasid Caliphate's commander-in-chief, Harik, is besieging Loulan City outside the city..."
"What?"
Both the king and Mamut replied in disbelief, never expecting retribution to come so quickly…
"Damn it, they've reached the capital so quickly, what are we going to do..."
The king murmured, clearly resigned to his fate...
"Your Majesty, why not send someone to the Xiongnu to request aid? After all, the eldest prince is still being held hostage there; perhaps they will come to help..."
Upon hearing Mamuti's words, the king seemed to come to his senses and quickly said...
"That's right, send someone to the Xiongnu to ask for help, be sure to request reinforcements..."
Upon receiving the king's order, someone immediately went to request help, but whether it would be of any use, and whether reinforcements could be summoned, remained to be seen...
Harik is truly attacking Loulan at this moment. The reason he is doing this is entirely because he was tricked by Mamuti. Otherwise, he would have returned safely to the Abbasid Caliphate by now, and he wouldn't have suffered so many casualties, nor been forced to attack the city...
The soldiers of the Abbasid Caliphate were also united in their hatred of the enemy, determined not to return until Loulan was conquered…
Lan Fenghuang was hiding with Wang Riqing in a small courtyard inside the city...
It seemed the great battle outside had nothing to do with her. Soon, people from Miao territory returned, each time saying a few words before leaving again, as if they were reporting something…
"You must be looking for something, right?"
Wang Riqing looked at Lan Fenghuang and asked!
"Hmph! Do you think this is a question a hostage should be asking?"
"Blue Phoenix said coldly!"
"Tell me about it, and maybe I can help you. After all, I've stayed in Loulan City for so long, so I do know a thing or two about it. It's better than you searching aimlessly like this..."
Wang Riqing said softly, "Whether we can help or not is another matter; the important thing is to get some information first..."
Lan Fenghuang frowned, thinking that what the other party said made sense; perhaps Wang Riqing really did know some information…
Do you know the Book of the Zodiac?
Upon hearing Lan Fenghuang's words, Wang Riqing frowned. This was a big secret. How did Lan Fenghuang, who was in Miao territory, know about it?
The Book of the Zodiac has already been obtained by Li Zhu, and even fewer people know about this matter. What does Lan Fenghuang mean by asking this question? Is she testing her?
"Zhang Liang, who was once known as the strategist of his time, obtained this book, so of course I know that..."
Wang Riqing replied cautiously, afraid that he might leak some information!
"Since you know about the strategist Zhang Liang, you should also know that he eventually retired after achieving great success and went into seclusion in Loulan, right?"
Lan Fenghuang looked at Wang Riqing and continued to ask!
Wang Riqing shook his head, indicating that he knew nothing about it. Lan Fenghuang didn't suspect anything either, since not many people knew about it...
"Zhang Liang once lived in seclusion in Loulan for many years. It is said that he buried all his knowledge here, including the ultimate secret of the Yellow Path Heavenly Book, and that is the secret we are looking for..."
Lan Fenghuang told Wang Riqing the purpose of her trip, but Wang Riqing sensed another layer of meaning: Miao Jiang had made arrangements around Li Zhu, otherwise he wouldn't know these secrets. After all, even she didn't know the secrets Lan Fenghuang mentioned…
Who is this traitor?
Wang Riqing racked his brains but still couldn't be sure about the traitor among Li Zhu's men; none of these people seemed like the type to betray Li Zhu...
"This is the first time I've heard of this. I wonder what kind of thing you're looking for?"
"If I knew what something looked like, do you think I would need to ask you?"
Blue Phoenix replied coldly!
"The Loulan royal family has always been shrouded in mystery. Their palace is said to contain a mysterious place of reincarnation; perhaps what you seek is there..."
After thinking for a moment, Wang Riqing told Lan Fenghuang some of the secrets of the Loulan royal family that he knew!
Upon hearing her words, Lan Fenghuang suddenly stood up, because she felt that Wang Riqing was right; what they were looking for might be in the palace…
Thinking of this, Lan Fenghuang immediately took out her short flute and began to play it rhythmically. As if summoned by some force, the Miao people quickly returned to the courtyard…
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