Prince Rong laughed: "You want me to wipe out my own people?"
Su Wanwan looked at him quietly without saying a word.
Prince Rong turned his gaze away, his tone icy: "You are truly a wicked woman."
"It's a good thing I didn't marry you, otherwise, you would have ruined me to the bone."
Su Wanwan: "Mm."
Prince Rong snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and left.
Everyone was exhausted from the journey. Su Wanwan, who was already in poor health, fell ill and coughed so badly that she was on the verge of death.
Prince Rong fell ill after being affected by her illness.
Zhao and Liu also rushed to Xiping County to join them.
The body of the magistrate of Xiping County was still hanging on the flagpole, but his hands and feet had been cut off.
Because Wang Zuo, the magistrate of Xiping County, was a tough guy. When he heard that bandits were rising up everywhere, he organized manpower and resources to build city walls.
When the bandits attacked, Magistrate Wang took the lead and shot arrows from the city wall, wounding many of them.
Enraged, the bandits launched a full-scale attack on the city. Magistrate Wang fought to the last moment, exhausted but still refusing to yield, cursing incessantly. In the end, he was hung from a flagpole and shot dead to intimidate the soldiers and civilians in the city.
The magnificent land of China is filled with loyal and heroic sons and daughters.
This catastrophe left the area north of the Yangtze River devastated and ravaged.
It's time to end this catastrophe.
...
Now, Liu Qi's main force has been severely damaged and is no longer a threat.
The remaining small force was repeatedly defeated by the Xuanfu guerrilla general in Shandong, who killed hundreds of enemy soldiers.
Henan had the most bandits.
Lu Xingjian discussed with the Ministry of War that Qiu Yue, a brave and skilled general, should be appointed as the governor of Henan's military affairs, with local troops such as Feng Zhen and Shi Yuan assisting him.
The number of bandits gathered in Henan has increased to more than 30,000 cavalry.
Yuzhou was in dire need of help, but no reinforcements arrived. The prefect led his people to flee, the city fell, the defending general was killed, and three thousand civilians were killed.
However, there was also good news.
Deputy Commander-in-Chief Shi Yuan defeated the rebels in Yangwu County, Henan Province, beheading 378 people.
There are also good news about the bandit suppression in Sichuan: more than 1,300 people have been captured or killed, and more than 10,000 people have been recruited.
Lu Xingjian issued an order instructing all teams to submit their lists of promotions and rewards as soon as possible, ensuring that those who deserve promotion are promoted and those who deserve rewards are rewarded, without delay, so as not to affect morale.
As a result, many officers and soldiers in various places received various rewards, which greatly boosted morale.
...
Due to Rong Wang's deliberate stay and recruitment efforts in Xiping County, many bandits flocked to the county.
Soon, the number of bandits roaming inside and outside Xiping County reached more than 20,000 cavalry.
The Henan government troops arrived quietly and launched a surprise attack on the bandit group.
With nowhere to hide, half of the bandits fled into Xiping County.
When government troops blocked the city gates, the bandits hid in civilian houses.
Deputy Commander-in-Chief Feng Zhen ordered the burning of civilian houses.
In an instant, the bandits scattered and fled, with thousands killed and more than three thousand burned to death.
This battle resulted in a crushing defeat for the bandits, who fled in disarray.
...
Prince Rong and Su Wanwan stayed in the county government office in Xiping County. Fortunately, the guards were very capable, and the bandits who tried to break in were all dealt with.
However, the fire continued unabated and eventually reached the county government office.
Su Wanwan was trapped in the fire and couldn't find a way out.
She simply gave up looking for it.
Prince Rong was outside when his bodyguards pulled him away.
Where is Su Wanwan?
"She's probably out. Cough cough, let's go!"
Thick smoke billowed and flames soared into the sky; they had probably been choked to death by the smoke.
Prince Rong paused for a few moments, then wet a quilt, wrapped it around himself, and rushed inside.
If it's his fate to die here, he can accept dying this way.
Su Wanwan's eyes were red and swollen from the smoke, and she could no longer see, but she heard someone calling her name.
"Wanwan, Wanwan!"
Su Wanwan was a little stunned, and replied, "Why are you here?!"
Prince Rong came over, wrapped her in a quilt, and led her outside, saying, "Quickly!"
The roof beams at the entrance were engulfed by flames and were on the verge of collapse.
As the two crossed the doorway, the roof beams suddenly collapsed.
Prince Rong gave Su Wanwan a sudden shove, sending her flying.
"Brother Youting!" Su Wanwan stumbled and turned around to see a thick roof beam knocking Rong Wang to the ground.
Prince Rong spat out a mouthful of blood: "You wicked woman, nothing good ever comes from being associated with you!"
Su Wanwan quickly called for people to lift the roof beams and rescue Prince Rong.
Her face was covered in tears, and her voice was hoarse like a broken bellows: "Then stay far away from me from now on, so you don't get caught up in this!"
Prince Rong turned his head away from her.
Su Wanwan had no time for sentimentality. She quickly called for people to help Prince Rong to a safe place to hide, so that he would not be killed by the bandits to vent their anger.
Now, the entire Xiping County is a giant hell.
The government troops and the bandits clashed fiercely, their battle cries shaking the heavens and their firelight illuminating the entire sky as if it were daytime.
Whether you survive or not depends entirely on your own abilities.
All of this is so similar to the great fire at Qingning Palace back then.
Yet they are different.
At that time, the fire was confined to Qingning Palace.
Afterwards, Zhou exercised restraint and did not launch a large-scale crackdown, using a policy of appeasement to create a peaceful atmosphere throughout the court and the country.
The corruption and collusion between officials and businessmen behind the scenes are all hidden beneath the facade of peace and tranquility.
Now the fire is raging everywhere.
No matter how much silver one embezzles, in this catastrophe, one will only be treated as a fat sheep and slaughtered by bandits.
Those bureaucrats who took shortcuts and colluded with Zhao to cover up their mistakes now deeply regret their actions.
Because they knew the area well and had scouted it out beforehand, the bandits preferred to plunder and rest in these county towns. After looting and eating and drinking their fill, they would change into fine horses and clothes before leaving.
That night, many bandits broke through the gate and fled.
Similarly, Prince Rong personally braved the fire to rescue her.
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