Tianliangyuan

Chapter 415 Falling into a trap

After Xu Junting finished recounting the whole story, Xu Junan arrived.

"According to the information we have so far, several carriages did indeed leave through the East Gate. General Li and Prince Consort Cui have already led men to pursue them. I am worried about their safety, so I have also dispatched three hundred of my men there. I am concerned that there may be a trap outside the city, so I am requesting permission to go and provide support."

"Someone, bring Lu Jin here."

Emperor Yong'an thought for a moment and said, "Go to the palace gate and relieve General Xie. Let him lead the men to pursue them."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After Emperor Yong'an gave a few more instructions, Xie Xiaolin led three thousand imperial guards out of the city.

Xu Zhaozhao sent a message to Yunqi Manor, saying that if she wasn't mistaken, there would be a fierce battle there tonight.

Li Sheng did not arrive in Beijing until the afternoon.

"It's uncertain whether there will be another bandit attack at Baiguoyuan, so I can't assign you any manpower there. But I have fifty guards here, take them with you to Yunqi Manor. Remember, you must protect the manor, I mean protect the people, not the things."

"Yes, I understand."

"Anyone who dares to invade will be killed without mercy!"

At this point, whether or not to leave any survivors is no longer important.

As long as the person who came loses his life, the rest can be investigated slowly. In any case, we cannot let them hurt our own people.

At any time, people are the most important thing.

"This is a medicinal powder. If the enemy has too many people, you should sprinkle the powder out. Remember, don't let your own people get it on them. This medicine will make them weak and powerless, unable to even lift a cup. At that time, you can capture them alive if you want."

"Yes, Your Highness."

After Li Sheng and his men left, Xu Zhaozhao called Zisu back and asked her to return to the Marquis's residence. At this time, no link in the chain could go wrong.

Li Zhangping was shot in the arm with an arrow, while Cui Chong was unharmed, but his soldiers suffered heavy casualties.

Fortunately, His Majesty sent Xie Xiaolin. As soon as the three thousand Imperial Guards arrived, those people began to retreat and fight.

If it were Xu Junan, his first priority would be ensuring the safety of Li Zhangping and Cui Chong, and only then would he pursue the deserters.

Xie Xiaolin, however, completely ignored the two men and led his men in a direct charge.

In fact, offense is the best defense.

His charge forced the enemy to retreat while fighting, until they were finally rendered powerless.

With their retreat, Li Zhangping and Cui Chong were naturally out of danger.

Xie Xiaolin had extensive combat experience, so while charging forward, he sent out two groups of cavalry to quickly cut off their retreat.

After a fierce battle, a count of the battlefield revealed that a total of 1,028 enemy soldiers had been killed.

Xie Xiaolin estimated that the number of people who ultimately escaped would not exceed one hundred.

When the group returned to the capital to report, it was already completely dark.

Emperor Yong'an was furious!

At this point, everyone understood that the two farmers and the emblem on the Prince of Fu's carriage were all deliberate flaws left by the other side.

However, Cui Chong should not have acted so impulsively and rashly, which resulted in Li Zhangping being injured and many more of his subordinates being lost.

Xie Xiaolin clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. No more than a hundred of those bandits escaped this time. Moreover, when I returned to the capital, I sent someone to Lantian County to deliver a message. They will most likely rest in Lantian County tonight."

Based on the direction they fled, Xie Xiaolin made this judgment.

Emperor Yong'an frowned: "Lantian County?"

"Your Majesty, there are over a thousand soldiers in Lantian County. I have already sent orders to the commander of the Zhechong Prefecture there. I believe they will be on high alert and will ultimately annihilate these treacherous officials!"

Emperor Yong'an paced back and forth in the hall, his hands behind his back: "I remember Xu Zhaozhao's fief is in Lantian County. Do you think these people might be heading for Yunqi Manor?"

Xie Xiaolin's expression turned slightly grim. After those people escaped, his men chased them for more than twenty miles, killing more than thirty people before recalling them.

Afterwards, they cleaned up the battlefield and returned to the capital to report. Calculating the time, if their target was Yunqi Manor, they should have already engaged in combat by now.

Although Xu Zhaozhao was in the capital, Xie Xiaolin was still somewhat worried.

"Your Majesty, I am leading men to Lantian County to arrest the suspect."

"No!" Lu Jin stopped him first: "You must stay in the capital. At any time, you are the Great General, you cannot act rashly!"

They're just a bunch of rabble; why would the General need to personally take action?

Where is Xu Jun'an?

"Wei Chen is here."

"You shall immediately lead a thousand Imperial Guards to Lantian County, and in coordination with the local government troops and the county magistrate, you shall ensure that those bandits are wiped out and that the property of the County Magistrate of Anle is safe."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Once a thousand cavalrymen have assembled, they will head to Lantian County, which is more than seventy li away. If it is daytime, it may take one or two hours.

But it was nighttime, and they had to be careful of ambushes along the way, so they sent out scouts to explore.

When Xu Jun'an arrived in Lantian County with his men, he found that Yunqi Villa was brightly lit inside and out.

Magistrate Fang Youwei of Lantian County, along with dozens of yamen runners, local soldiers, and guards, successfully captured 26 thieves and killed 106 others.

"Magistrate Fang, you will accompany me to the capital to meet the Emperor."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As the captain of the guards at Yunqi Manor, and also as a key member of the bandit suppression team, Li Sheng naturally had to go along.

Despite the magnitude of the event, the lights in the Taiji Hall remained on all night.

As dawn approached, Xu Jun'an led his men back to the capital.

Fang Youwei had already written a memorial while waiting for Xu Junan to arrive in Lantian County, which was the county magistrate's intention.

I didn't understand it then, but now I naturally understand the county magistrate's meaning.

If he can get his name recorded by His Majesty again, he will have a good chance of being promoted in the future.

Indeed, Princess Anle was the true lucky star.

"Your Majesty, among them are thirty-five people. We searched the county town immediately after receiving the letter from the Princess of Anle and found them to be suspicious. We searched six houses and found a large amount of kerosene and weapons. We also found more than twenty boxes of copper coins and two boxes of gold and silver jewelry."

"I had just verified these facts when I received a signal from Yunqi Manor. Afterwards, I, along with the county constable and others, and in coordination with Commandant Zhang, went to Yunqi Manor to jointly suppress the bandits."

After Fang Youwei finished reporting, he did not dare to raise his head and bowed again: "Your Majesty, when we arrived with our men, the bandits were already in a state of disarray. Guard Li, along with the guards of the manor and the men who had taken refuge there, protected the entire Yunqi Manor behind them. Moreover, before that, they had already laid a trap outside the manor."

Emperor Yong'an nodded: "Where is Li Sheng?"

"Wei Chen is here!"

Li Sheng was the captain of the guards that Emperor Yong'an bestowed upon Anle, so he also held an official position.

Why was this arrangement made?

"Your Majesty, the Hundred Fruit Garden was attacked, resulting in one death and several injuries. The county princess was deeply saddened upon learning of this and summoned me to the capital to discuss the matter. Anticipating further actions from the other side, she ordered me to prepare for defenses."