The atmosphere in Kyoshi Castle is a little different from what it used to be.

The news of the mobilization of troops and horses in the northern suburbs has been spread, and the soldiers on duty at the city gate are like facing a great enemy, and they closed the nine gates early before the hour came, and galloped away on a fast horse outside the city, and went straight to the 12th regiment battalion station, and then a team of soldiers drove out of the palace, and all the soldiers and horses of the five cities who were originally on duty at the city gate were driven to the city, and all the streets and alleys of the Beijing division were blocked, and no one was allowed to enter or leave without permission, and no one was allowed to enter or leave the house, regardless of the people and officials.

Compared with the tense slaughter in the city, the palace has been full of chickens and dogs, everywhere is the eunuchs wolf rushing figures, running around in fear, there are timid eunuchs quietly roll up the gold and silver accumulated and looted for many years, from the unknown secret door to run out of the palace to hide, there are eunuchs who do not know the door and fled also quietly stole a few valuable ornaments in the palaces and halls, found a remote garden or the back mountain to hide.

In the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Houxi was so anxious that he paced back and forth, and since he heard the bad news about the mobilization of troops and horses in the northern suburbs, his tears have not stopped.

After all, he is only a twelve-year-old child, no matter how he looks scheming, he is actually far worse than those old foxes who have experienced countless winds and waves in the court all year round.

"Why hasn't Miao Kui come yet? Did even he betray me? Zhu Houxi stopped, his eyes were red and he stared at the eunuchs kneeling in the hall, looking like crazy.

"That's it...... It's coming soon, don't worry, the slave has sent ten groups of people to urge......"

"Then send another group of people to urge! Just go! ”

"Yes."

As soon as he finished speaking, a hurried figure outside the temple door knelt outside the high threshold.

"Old slave, the eunuch Miao Kui, the eunuch of the imperial horse supervisor, is edicted to meet His Majesty."

Zhu Houxi was overjoyed, as if he had met a savior, he took two steps forward, and then stopped suddenly. stared at Miao Kui suspiciously, carefully examining the expression on Miao Kui's face, and did not miss the slightest change.

Miao Kui knelt outside the threshold with his head down, waiting for Zhu Houxi's words anxiously in his heart, but he didn't move for a long time, and cold sweat dripped down on the scarlet carpet.

I don't know how long it took, Zhu Houxi asked faintly, "Miao Kui." Since the beginning of the first emperor of Hongzhi, you have been very favored by the heavenly family, the first emperor once sent you to Xuanfu to supervise the army, you did not disappoint the first emperor, in those years really fought a few beautiful battles, on the courage of the military is even more able to carry the crown. One is a hundred, so after the Emperor Zhengde killed Liu Jin, he summoned you back to Beijing, and immediately handed over the position of the palm seal of the Imperial Horse Supervisor to you, Miao Kui, I ask you, what does the heavenly family treat you? ”

Miao Kui touched the ground with his head and said loudly: "The emperor's grace is vast. The old slave can only repay with death. ”

"Are you really still loyal to the Heavenly Family, still loyal to me?"

"The old slave is willing to swear to heaven!"

"Even if the anti-thieves are coming to the city now, the society is in danger like eggs, and it will fall at the touch of a button?"

"Life is a royal house slave, death is a royal ghost soldier!"

Miao Kui's statement was very resolute, and Zhu Houxi finally breathed a sigh of relief at this time, sat weakly on the soft couch, and stared at Miao Kui in a daze. Tears flowed again.

"Since I ascended the throne, everything I have done is worthy of my ancestors and worthy of the world, why did the courtiers mistakenly die, the powerful ministers usurped the throne, and plotted for my country, where did I do wrong?"

Saying that, Zhu Houxi howled and cried again.

Miao Kui was at a loss. I had to kowtow and say: "The old slave doesn't understand state affairs and politics, but the old slave only has one loyalty, and he lives and dies with His Majesty." ”

"When you are embattled, you are the only loyal person, Miao Kui. But if you can survive this catastrophe, I will allow you to be the master of ceremonies and seal the seal, and make you the king of the county. ”

Miao Kui was overjoyed, and hurriedly knocked: "Old slave Xie Xià Longen." ”

"How many men and horses are left in the city?"

"The main guard army of the Beijing division is the twelve regiments and battalions, but at this time, the Liaodong border army is divided into 30,000 cavalry and set up a sniper battalion outside the city, the regimental battalion has been idle for a long time, although the number is numerous, but according to the old slave, the victory or defeat is still unknown, so the main force in the Beijing division is only in the Tengxiang four guards under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Horse Prison, including the warrior battalion, the banner military camp, a total of more than 20,000 people, this is the only elite division in the Beijing division city......"

The more Zhu Houxi listened, the more disappointed he became, his face turned red rapidly, and he said angrily: "Is there only 20,000 soldiers and horses in the capital of the Ming Dynasty?" ”

Miao Kui said with a wry smile: "Of course, there are more than 20,000 soldiers and horses, but the regimental battalion is not stationed in the city according to the ancestral system, and now it is blocked outside the city by the Liaodong border army, and the soldiers and horses in the five cities in the city have a total of more than 60,000, and there are also the so-called 26 guards of the pro-army, more than half of these 26 guards are stationed outside the city, although the remaining 12 guards are in the city, the soldiers have not practiced for a long time, the generals in the army are greedy for ink and lack of personnel, and the twelve guards are no different from lazy men and idle people. These twelve guards and the five cities of the Soldiers and Horses can hardly be considered. ”

Zhu Houxi said in despair: "In this way, the imperial city will definitely be broken?" ”

"That's not, the old slave has been in charge of the imperial horse prison for many years, and he is quite confident in the combat power of the Tengxiang Four Guards, this army of soldiers and horses is a real elite division, in the past years, His Majesty was martial arts, and it was often forbidden to practice martial arts, and it was also this army that was trained, and the old slave could say that their combat power was not inferior to the Liaodong Border Army......"

"That's just over 20,000."

"Your Majesty, you are the Ninety-Five Supreme, you can command the world, we have more than 20,000 elite guards of the city, and at the same time send fast horses to various places, and order the guards around the Beijing Division, especially the Yanshan Guard, Daxing Wei, Jeju Wei, Tongzhou Wei and other soldiers and horses to enter the Beijing Qin Wang, this Qin Wang order came out, the world's guards raised troops from Jingcong, and hundreds of thousands of troops gathered in the entire North Zhili, and they could go to the Beijing Division in a few days to surround the rebel regiments, as long as the Beijing Division City was not broken, the outside of the city was the burial place of the rebels."

Zhu Houxi's eyes flashed with joy, and then he became apprehensive: "If it is...... Is the city broken? ”

Miao Kui sighed and said, "If the city is broken, all the words will be closed, and the old slave is willing to accompany His Majesty to Huangquan together." ”

Zhu Houxi was startled, and said with tears in his eyes: "So, what else to say, Miao Kui, you transfer the horse supervisor and the horse to guard the city, go quickly." ”

"Yes."

After Miao Kui left, Zhu Houxi was still pacing back and forth in the hall, the more he thought about it, the more he felt frightened and uneasy, he thought for a long time, and said, "Someone." Have the soldiers of the Four Guards Battalion ever gotten Qin Kan, Du Hong and other traitors and their families? ”

"Your Majesty forgives the sins, in the evening, the soldiers were edicted to take the thief, the Qin Mansion and the Du Mansion have already been empty, and even the servants are not a single ......"

"I took the regimental battalion and sent a holy decree to the Baoguo Gong and the Twelve Marquis Mansions, so that they could go out of the city and break through the rebel defense line no matter what they wanted. Hold the regiment and battalion in your hands, encircle and annihilate the rebels, and Qin Thief has been the commander of Jinyiwei for many years, and the guards are all cronies, and now Jinyiwei can no longer believe it. I issued a holy decree, all the Jinyi guards in the capital division city removed the saber waist card, concentrated in the north town of Fusi and were not allowed to go out a step, ordered Tengxiang Siwei and Xichang to announce the decree, those who dare to disobey the decree will be punished for rebellion, and there is no forgiveness for killing! ”

"Yes."

"And. I have heard Qian Ning say that Dai Yi, the governor of Dongchang, and Qin Kan have been in collusion for many years, and Dai Yi and his Dongchang can't believe it, and there is also a warrior camp, I heard that the warrior camp and Qin Kan slaughtered thousands of Dongchang fans, and later went to Liaodong to punish thieves and suppress chaos in Tianjin. The officers and soldiers in this warrior camp are afraid that they have already been subdued by Qin Kan, and they are not of the same heart as me, and they will be dealt with together with the warrior battalion, as well as the Qin clan of the six departments of the central government, and the Jingshi has close contacts with them, and the governors who have had too much dealings with them in the Twelve Guards have been investigated. Admiral, Commander ......"

The more Zhu Houxi spoke, the quieter he became, and the more he spoke, the more chilling he became, and he didn't feel it if he didn't mention it. Counting it up, the entire Beijing division was managed by Qin Kan into a leaky sieve everywhere, and it really wanted to uproot the Qin party forces, including Yang Tinghe, the cabinet assistant, Yang Yiqing, the secretary of the ministry, Yan Song, the secretary of the military department, the inner palace celebrant supervisor, the imperial horse supervisor, etc., and even Zhu Hui, the protector of the state who held the largest military power in the Beijing division, also had a very good relationship with Qin Kan, if he really wanted to investigate and eradicate the roots, how to get rid of it?

This is the real time of internal and external difficulties, Zhu Houxi closed his eyes tiredly and desperately, and let the tears flow.

"That's it, order the bell and drum division to hit the bell, and the ministers of the court will come to the heavenly palace to discuss the strategy of retreating from the enemy."

******************************************************************

Approaching the sub-time.

When night fell, the battle clouds in the city of Beijing were thick, people roared and neighed, and the hustle and bustle of the past was long gone.

Officials and civilians were driven into their homes, the guards and horses of the various divisions in the city were frequently mobilized, and the sound of chaotic and noisy footsteps spread in the streets and alleys, this calm and tranquil imperial city, seventy years ago, when the Wara soldiers came to the city, the subjects of the capital were also shrouded in the shadow of war, and after seventy years of peace and tranquility, the war quietly descended on this ancient vicissitudes of life again.

Tengxiang four guards have already taken over the defense of the Beijing division from the hands of the five city soldiers and horses, the nine gates were nailed, the soldiers gathered in the city wall and the road under the city gate, rolling wood, stones, oil, artillery and other city defense weapons were moved to the city wall by the people in the same way, and the city head erected a fluttering Ming Yellow Dragon Flag, showing Zhu Houxi's determination to never give in.

A team of people with torches slowly walked outside the Xizhimen Yongdao, wearing a big red flying fish brocade robe, with a smile like a spring breeze on his bearded black face, but this person was Qin Kan's confidant Li Er.

The soldiers of the four guards of Tengxiang on duty at the Xizhi Gate were vigilant, and they all insisted on fighting against each other, and one of the hundred households drew his sword and shouted: "Stop coming, the city gate is heavy, and no one is allowed to approach!" ”

Li Erhun didn't hear it, he still walked into the corridor, and said with a smile: "You dare to even block our way, are you fucking blind?" Your thousands of adults may not have the courage to do this, you are tired of living in a small hundred households? ”

"Stop! Go any further, don't blame the end of the offend! "Baihu is very vigilant, and he has not been frightened at all.

Li Er stopped, took out a roll of bright yellow silk cloth from his arms, handed it forward, and said, "By the holy decree, we must go out of the city, this is the holy decree." ”

Baihu was in a daze, hurriedly took it and looked under the torch, for a long time, Baihu showed a more vigilant look, his right hand had been pressed on the hilt of the knife on his waist, and he said in a deep voice: "This holy decree is covered with the seal of the Son of Heaven and the seal of the celebrant and the celebrant ......."

Li Er raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "What?" You don't recognize the seal of the Son of Heaven and the seal of the celebrant? ”

Baihu sneered: "I don't dare to deny it on weekdays, but today is different, the palace has already passed the will, today the nine gates of the Beijing division do not recognize the national seal and the seal of the celebrant supervisor, the nine men only recognize the private seal of the Son of Heaven, otherwise it is a false edict, more importantly, you are wearing a flying fish suit, obviously the Jinyi Wei belongs, two hours ago the Son of Heaven has issued an order, but all the Jinyi guards in the city are not allowed to step out of the Beizhen Fusi step, and the offender will be punished for rebellion...... Come on, take down this traitor! ”

"Kill!" Countless spears stabbed towards Li Er without hesitation.

The faces of the Jinyi guards changed, and they took a few steps back, Li Er laughed: "The little emperor is not stupid, he has guarded against our Jinyi guards so early, brothers, take Xizhimen with me!" ”

"Kill-" The hundred Jinyi captains drew their swords out of their sheaths at the same time, and rushed towards the soldiers of the Four Guards Battalion without hesitation, and there was a sudden chaos in the city gate.

The gongs sounded in all directions, and the killing in the corridor attracted countless soldiers to defend the city, and a stream of black people ruthlessly gathered towards Li Er and the others.

At this moment, a terrible scream suddenly came from the sky, and a rocket soared upward, exploding a blood-red firework in midair.

Everyone's hearts sank, and the afterimage of the fireworks still existed, and everyone's pupils never dissipated, only to hear the sound of killing like a tide coming from outside the city gate.

Li Er was overjoyed and shouted urgently: "Send out ten people to block the Yongdao, and the rest of the people will kill the enemy in front of them, and open the city gate to welcome the army from the eastern border of Liao into the city!" ”