Inside and outside Jinling City.

The torch was bright, and it lasted all night, and it was full of cavalry and armored soldiers who captured the assassins.

Wu Liang floated out of the stinky ditch of the moat, spit out a leftover salted fish from his mouth, and snorted.

A troop of cavalry rumbled past the city gates.

He saw that there was no one nearby, so he greeted Que Quan.

Soon, Que Quan also came out.

Covered in sewage and mud, like foul-smelling beggars, the two escaped in embarrassment, walked on the path outside the city to avoid pursuit, and headed to the bank of the river.

On the bank of the Yangtze River, they had already prepared a boat to cross the river in a hidden place, and they were to return to the other side and flee to Huainan.

The two of them were in a hurry.

Wu Liang said worriedly: "Lord Xiangguo, the little dusk marquis is not dead, and this assassination failed." Let's go back to Huainan, how will we face this great change in the world next? ”

"The situation has reached this step of assassinating Xiao Duhou, and the overall situation is irreparable, and it will only get worse.

The lord has great ambitions, and he will definitely raise an army to overthrow the tyranny! ...... However, the powder gun unit of the little dusk marquis was too powerful. If you rebel, I'm afraid it's more than lucky! ”

Que Quan's heart was extremely heavy.

He saw with his own eyes the assassination in Jinling City.

Danyang elite soldiers, this powder gun unit is too fierce.

A mere 100 Danyang soldiers, not at all a powerful elite army famous in Great Chu, shot and killed these first-class assassins of various vassal states, killing more than 30 people, resulting in heavy losses for the assassins.

The remaining cavalry of the Li family and tens of thousands of soldiers in Jinling City only killed more than 30 assassins and captured more than 10 assassins.

"A hundred musketeers are so powerful. Once there are thousands, tens of thousands, of these musketeers, they can almost walk sideways on the battlefield. Ordinary sword infantry, crushed at the touch of a button, is by no means its opponent.

Ben Xiangguo originally thought that our biggest enemy in this rebellion would be the Great Chu God of War, Taiwei Li Rong.

But now it seems that Xiao Duhou is much more powerful than Li Rong. It was rumored before that Xiao Duhou won a big victory at the Military Martial Arts Academy, which is not a lie! ”

Que Quan sighed.

He is no longer optimistic about this rebellion.

More than a dozen princes and kings divided half of the Great Chu Dynasty, and seemed to be on par with the strength of the Great Chu Dynasty, and joined forces to raise troops and share the equals.

Xiang Bi, King of Wu, Xiang Anshi, King of Huainan and other princes all boasted that they had tens of thousands of elite soldiers and iron armor, and how powerful they were.

But if you really fight, I'm afraid.... It's like looking for death.

"yes!"

Wu Liang also had palpitations.

It's not just musketeers who are powerful.

And the same terrifying powder packets.

He spent a huge price of several thousand taels of silver to get a few packets of gunpowder. A few gunpowder packs blew up half of several inns, and the flames soared into the sky, and countless people cried and called their mothers.

On the battlefield, a gunpowder bag is thrown over, and I am afraid that no one within a radius of ten zhang will be able to stand.

However, there is a factory in Taiwei's Mansion that is manufacturing such gunpowder bags on a large scale.

The Great Chu army had a large number of gunpowder packs in their hands, which was enough to equip a large army.

How terrifying is the power of gunpowder!

If the princes rebel, it is a dead end!

Que Quan and Wu Liang already had a shadow of musketeers and gunpowder, and they were afraid in their hearts.

However, what can you do if you don't rebel?

"When we go back,... Try to save the life of the lord, and also the lives of you and me! ”

Que Quan said in a low voice.

"Will this work?"

Wu Liang showed shock, and quickly gritted his teeth, "Okay, everything is under Xiangguo's orders." ”

...

Late at night.

Palace.

Brightly lit.

In the palace where the emperor lived, Emperor Xiang Yanran was lying on the bed with a pale face.

Only Empress Cui, Yang Guifei and others were by her side, sobbing in a low voice.

They wanted to cry but didn't dare to cry.

Cai and the great eunuch urgently recruited the imperial physician Ling Song Yi to come to the emperor for medical treatment.

Song Yi hurried over with the medicine box on his back, and when he saw the emperor lying on the bed with a pale face, he couldn't help but change his expression, "Your Majesty, what's the situation?" ”

"The emperor was watching the Qixi fireworks festival outside the palace, and was inadvertently hit by the explosion of gunpowder. Lord Song, show it to the emperor. ”

Cai He's big eunuch's eyes were red and he said urgently.

Song Yi didn't ask any more questions, and hurriedly checked the emperor's pulse, "There are no external injuries, but the qi and veins are unstable, and I have internal injuries." In addition, the inhalation of the burning gas caused damage to the lungs. ”

"Lord Song, is this situation serious?"

"It's... It's not too serious, but it needs to be well healed. Don't get tired during this time. ”

Song Yi hurriedly prescribed a prescription to treat his injuries.

When Empress Cui and Yang Guifei heard this, they immediately burst into tears.

"Ahem~, I'm not dead, what are you panicking about!"

Xiang Yanran coughed a few times, his eyes were cold, and said, "When I went on the Northern Expedition, the injuries I suffered were not lighter than this, aren't they better!"

I'm only suffering a minor injury right now, it's not a big deal, and I can't spread it.

When someone asked outside, you said that the concubine twisted her foot and needed to heal her injuries.

Yin of Jinling Mansion was assassinated, and the assassins brazenly besieged the imperial court officials in Jinling City, and the princes of the world couldn't bear it.

Now, it is a critical period, once rumors spread from the outside world, the situation in the imperial court is unstable.

If there is any rumor from the outside world, what is wrong with me, I am the only one who asks. ”

In fact, the emperor had more than the big picture in mind.

And face.

The Assassins frantically besieged the Marquis of Darkness, who was unscathed.

He, the emperor, had an accident instead, what is this?!

"Yes!"

The eunuchs and physicians were silent.

They already knew that something big was going on in Jinling City tonight.

Xiao Duhou held a fireworks festival in the Qinhuai River.

Hundreds of assassins suddenly appeared and besieged Jinling Mansion Yin. Except for the princes, no one could have invited so many Assassins in one go.

It's just that no one expected that the emperor made a temporary decision to watch fireworks with the queen and concubines nearby, and was affected by this fish pond.

"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is here!"

Cai and the great eunuch hurriedly said.

"Your Majesty, why are you injured?"

Empress Dowager Shen hurriedly entered the palace, her face full of panic.

"The queen mother doesn't need to panic!"

Xiang Yanran briefly said what happened at night, and then said: "This injury is nothing, just cultivate for a few months."

The queen mother, the princes openly assassinated the court officials, contempt the court, and tantamount to rebellion. The retainers want to change the law and cut their titles. ”

Empress Dowager Shen has actually always been against cutting the domain.

If he wants to solve the princes and kings, he must first get the support of the Empress Dowager Shen... If the Queen Mother is opposed, the royal family of the Xiang clan is afraid that they are unwilling to express their support, and there is great resistance.

Xiang Yanran thought about it, and directly had to make it clear to the Empress Dowager Shen.

"But what those Confucian officials said?"

Empress Dowager Shen saw that the emperor's injury was not too serious, so she calmed down a little and said, "Your Majesty, do you know that Great Qin has lost the world, but there are no royal brothers to defend the country.

My Xiang family can sit firmly in the world, relying on the help of the Xiang family's uncles and brothers, as well as the support of the gate valve nobles.

What have they Confucians done over the years... Except for swearing, I didn't see them doing anything serious.

The emperor wants to cut the domain, this is to cut his own wings, the Xiang family is in the same room, I am afraid that it will be too hasty! ”

"They assassinated the Marquis of Xiao Duan today, and they will dare to assassinate their sons tomorrow. If I don't cut down their vassals, they will kill their ministers!" ”

Xiang Yanran coughed a few times, his face turned pale, and he gritted his teeth.

Empress Dowager Shen couldn't help but be silent when she saw the emperor's expression. On one side is the uncle and brother of the Xiang family, and on the other side is her son, when it comes to an incompatible step, it will be a trade-off after all.

She sighed, "That's it." When it comes to this, there is no way back! They have to kill themselves... Nor can it be kept. ”