Zhang Cheng sat down on the blood-stained ground.

At that moment, the danger was extremely high. If Quzhen had arrived a moment later, Tao Dayong would have established a foothold on the city and opened a gap. Once these brave soldiers were allowed to swarm up the city wall in large numbers, the inner city would have been destroyed.

break.

Qu Zhen arrived first, and closely behind him was Zhang Chao leading a large number of subordinates of the Upper Fourth Army.

When the banner with the character "Zhang" was flying in the capital, and when the news of Zhang Chao's return to the capital spread, all the stragglers who had been defeated and fled by Qin Min came after hearing the news, and gathered one by one.

Under Zhang Chao's banner, the number of his followers increased.

The prestige of having been in charge of the army for many years and the commander of all four armies was fully demonstrated at this moment.

I don't know how many guys who fled home and shivered. As soon as they heard that Zhang Chao was back, they immediately put on their armor again, picked up their swords and guns, rushed out of their homes, and found the nearest unit to join them.

I don’t know how many troops who were defeated but were still organized, but had some strange thoughts and were ready to see what the situation was and then decide what to do. As soon as they heard that Zhang Chao was back, they didn’t hesitate at all and immediately took them with them.

The subordinates gathered towards the large banner with Chinese characters.

Zhang Chao, on the other hand, gave them nothing but praise. Without saying a word, he took them under his command, especially those who had returned from the establishment, and even rewarded them with promotions on the spot.

The military morale of the Fourth Army, which was extremely low, was lifted to a high point in an instant.

Lu Ben'an, the Liao general who followed Zhang Chao, was secretly frightened.

Zhang Chao, the Taiwei of the Song Dynasty, was truly extraordinary.

Not only is this person one of the few in the world with great military skills, but he is also the best choice for his scheming and sincere government.

But think about it, over the years, the Song Dynasty has produced many capable military generals, but there is no one like Zhang Chao who can stay in Bianliang for fear of power.

If the scheming government had failed, he would have long ago, like some of his colleagues in the past, either gone to report to the Lord of Hell, or went home to look after his grandson.

Zhang Chao surrounded the inner city like an iron barrel.

At this time, the number of soldiers and horses gathered under his command exceeded 50,000.

He even had the spare strength to send nearly 20,000 people to guard various city gates and block traffic arteries.

There is no doubt about victory, but there will be more troubles to deal with after the victory. These rebels must not be allowed to escape. Otherwise, once these people successfully escape and scatter among the people, they will become a serious problem in the future.

.

Zhang Chao used the powerful troops in his hands to almost set up an ambush on all sides in Tokyo.

Because he knew very well that if these rebels composed of border troops wanted to break through, it would be very difficult to stop them. The only thing he could use was to use the troops in his hands to fortify them layer by layer, consuming the opponent's troops bit by bit.

Under such a defense, the chance of thousands of rebels trying to escape is almost zero.

However, Zhang Chao was slightly wrong.

The rebels did not escape.

After discovering that Zhang Chao had returned to Beijing, the army had surrounded them. They had no chance to break through the inner city and kidnap the emperor. The rebels who completed this coup did not panic or be timid. They calmly began to gather their troops.

, arranging their ordnance, their calmness made Zhang Cheng, who was on top of the city, feel terrified.

He managed to stand up, holding the top of the city, staring at the small military formation below the city and the few fluttering battle flags.

Dingwu Army, Guangxin Army, Xin'an Army, Anyu Army...

These military flags had not been seen before, but at this moment, they were shot out.

The flags are all worn out. The Guangxin Army's flag has a big hole in the middle. The Xin'an Army's flag is about to turn into a strip of cloth. Only half of the Anyu Army's flag is left. It's barely legible, except for the better one.

It's the Dingwu Army, but it's also full of patches.

Xia Jie Chen Gui stood at the top of the city with a serious look on his face.

Xia Jie has been in Hebei for many years and of course knows these armies.

Chen Gui had always been in charge of military affairs in the Privy Council, and generally understood what the other party wanted to express.

"These rebels haven't surrendered yet. Do you want to stick around and resist?" Zhao Suo's cold voice came from behind. Zhang Chao came back and the rebels were surrounded. Zhao Suo, who was completely relieved, decided to go to the city.

, take a look at how this traitor of yours and these traitors were eliminated.

"Officials, I request an order to surrender these rebels!" Xia Jie suddenly raised his hands and said: "The rebels are stubbornly resisting and will inevitably cause heavy losses to the Fourth Army. I ask the officials to issue an order to pardon these people's death penalty.

"

"I second the proposal. I would like to go with the chief assistant to surrender!" Chen Gui also said with a cupped hand.

Zhao Suo sneered: "After all the work of eradicating evil, how can I be merciful at this moment? Chief Assistant, Privy Council, have you forgotten my laws of the Song Dynasty?"

"The officials' kindness comes from above. Just a word from the officials can save countless lives!" Xia Jie pointed to the city and said: "After all, these people have made great contributions to our Song Dynasty."

"I have already rewarded you for your merits in the past." Zhao Suo said with a sullen face: "I have never deprived them of half a penny of food and money. Therefore, this offense will naturally be punished, so there is no need to say more."

Xia Jie and Chen Gui looked at each other and retreated silently.

The city gate was cleaned up, which made the inner city gate wide open. However, at this time, there was nothing to worry about. Groups of soldiers from the Fourth Army poured into the inner city, and Zhang Chao,

Along with these tribesmen, they also appeared in front of Zhao Suo. Along with Zhang Chao, there was also a face that both Xia Jie and Chen Gui didn't want to see again, Yushi Zhongcheng Cui Ang.

This incident was started by Cui Ang, but later the East and West Prefectures took over the initiative. When the rebels finally launched, the East and West Prefectures did not even notify Cui Ang.

Both of them wanted Trai Ang to be killed by the rebels, then things would be perfect.

Who do the rebels hate the most?

An official?

I'm afraid not.

What the rebels hate most is Cui Ang.

The officers of the frontier army such as the Guangxin Army, Xin'an Army, and Anyu Army did not die when they faced the Liao people, but they were completely killed by Cui Ang in the end.

Once an uprising occurs, the rebels will kill Cui Ang and then quickly.

I really didn't expect that this guy came back alive and kicking, and he came back with Zhang Chao.

This makes people very unhappy.

"Guan family, the general came back late, which frightened the officials!" Zhang Chao saluted.

"Who would have thought that this treacherous son would actually do such a rebellious thing!" Zhao Suo shook his head: "The Qing family has been running all the way, and they are just in time. Let's capture these traitors first!"

"Officials, the rebels are already the best among them, so there is nothing to worry about." Zhang Chao turned around, glanced at the rebel formation in the distance, bowed again and said: "Your Majesty, please show mercy and spare these people.

A life is coming."

Zhao Suo was a little annoyed: "Why do you all say that? The crime of treason should be punished by the clan!"

Zhang Chao exhaled a breath of turbidity and said slowly: "The officials and these people have all made great contributions to the Song Dynasty. This rebellious act this time is indeed a crime worthy of death, but there is a cause and effect after all. And

These people are fierce and good at fighting. Once they know that their chance of survival is cut off, they will definitely jump over the wall and fight desperately. They are very likely to cause heavy casualties to the Fourth Army. Therefore, I feel that it is not worth it. How about opening up a side and letting them live, and then slow down later?

How about taking it slow?"

Zhao Suo's eyes swept across these important ministers one by one. Xia Jie, Chen Gui, Zhang Chao and others all said so. If he persists, he will inevitably disappoint these people. They are just some defeated soldiers. Zhang Chao just said

It was a taboo, but Zhao Suo understood it clearly.

Let these people put down their weapons first, wait until this matter calms down later, and then deal with them one by one. By then, whether they want to kill or behead them, will these people be able to grow wings and fly?

At present, the army is here to chop them into mincemeat, which is refreshing, but it has caused heavy casualties to the Fourth Army. It is like a big ink stain on a good picture. Not only does it not look good, it is also difficult to see.

Aftercare.

"What did Cui Qing say?" Zhao Suo cast his gaze on the face of Cui Ang, the censor.

"What your husband and Lieutenant Zhang said makes sense." Cui Ang said: "There will be a long time to come, so why rush it? Besides, His Royal Highness King Jing is among the rebels at the moment, and there is also Xiao Xiao there.

If Prime Minister Ji, Prime Minister Luo, and Prime Minister Li really want to fight, it would be bad to hurt them. It would be better to persuade them to surrender!"

Zhao Suo snorted, stood up and walked to the city wall, looking down at the small group of people in the small military formation.

His eyesight was very good, and he could see that the person sitting in the middle was his son Jing Wang Zhao Zhe, and the people beside him were naturally Xiao Yu, Luo Song, Li Guang and others.

"In the official family, according to what I know, after the rebellion, these ministers were robbed by the rebels and taken to Prince Jing's Mansion. There were also hundreds of officials imprisoned in Prince Jing's Mansion. They were all sent by the rebels.

They were arrested." Zhang Chao quickly said with his hands.

"Whether he was arrested or a traitor, we can always find out later!" Cui Ang said with a smile.

"Officials, the current plan is to stay safe." Zhang Chao glanced at Cui Ang and said again: "The envoy of the Liao Kingdom, Ye Lujun, is about to enter the capital. This time, in order to quell the chaos, I even borrowed it from him.

We have recruited some elite troops, so we can’t let these Liao people see our jokes.”

"Okay, okay, let's leave this matter for later!" Zhao Suo waved his hand impatiently, "Yelujun doesn't want to let him enter the city yet. He will be stationed outside the city first."

"Then I will go to see the King of Chu and persuade the rebels to put down their weapons!"

Among them, I have worked with King Jing for many years, and the traitor generals Tao Dayong, Qin Min, etc. are also familiar with me, so they will not harm my life!"

Chen Gui nodded silently.

In any case, at this moment, Xia Jie, the chief assistant, still has his responsibilities.

King Zhao Zhe of Jing wore a helmet and armor and was fully armed. He had only worn Liao Liao several times in his life.

At this moment, he was sitting upright on the big chair, spreading his legs, standing with a knife in both hands, and staring at the city wall in the distance.
To be continued...