The distance from Yonglong County to Ezhou is only three hundred miles. The warships can sail down the Han River. If the wind is favorable, they can reach Ezhou in one day and night. Since the Prime Minister's Office of the Song Dynasty established its government in Ezhou, the imperial court has focused more on renovating the post roads that extend in all directions. From Yonglong to Ezhou, the roads along the coast were originally smooth. The Ministry of Industry took advantage of the opportunity to strengthen the river embankment and built a new project on the south side of the Han River. The river embankment was paved with roads and bridges, and a new, more convenient and flat post road was built. The three thousand cavalry led by Fan Qi marched along this post road, and their marching speed even exceeded that of sailing ships. Three thousand cavalry roared past without hesitation, and when they encountered a post station along the way, they took the post soldiers into custody without further explanation, threw the key into the grass, and the spare food and fodder was emptied. In this way, without stopping, when the vanguard arrived at Ezhou, just before the rooster crow and opened the city, Fan Qi ordered all the cavalry to rest temporarily in the pear forest of Shilibao. At this time, the soldiers and civilians inside and outside the capital were still unaware of this cavalry. The few merchants who rested in Lishulin only thought that the imperial army was mobilizing troops. This was a common occurrence under the situation where Khitan soldiers were pressing down on the territory. Thanks to the wide dissemination of Di Bao's news, even the traffickers and lackeys know that today's situation is very different from that of Jingkang. The powerful cities in the north such as Bianliang and Daming are still holding on, and the three major camps in Jiangbei are all intact, especially Xiangyang, the gateway to the north, was still firmly in the hands of the Song army. Ezhou was still far away from the real war. Everyone was doing their own business as usual, without any disturbance. Not long after Fan Qi's troops settled down in the pear woods, the Song troops in Ezhou City were not aware of it, and nearby vendors heard the news and came to sell fruit cakes and other food to the troops. In order not to alert others, Fan Qi ordered his subordinates to drive these vendors away and not speak to them. The three thousand cavalrymen took the time to rest their power and waited until dawn to seize the city. After several years of gathering, Ezhou at this time seems to have the atmosphere of a rejuvenating capital. The sky was dimming, and thousands of people had gathered outside the city gate. Among the carts delivering vegetables and firewood, the truck delivering news from Di Di newspaper, which smelled of ink, stood out. Because housing prices in Ezhou City were so high, most news from Di Di newspapers were printed outside the city and delivered to Ezhou on the same day. , and then distributed them to schools, schools, teahouses, docks, and inns in various prefectures and counties through floods and droughts. Whether you can get a piece of news from Ezhou every day is already one of the most important differences between the clear gentry and the rich local people. In this sense, the knowledge of the gatekeepers and garrison soldiers in Ezhou City is equivalent to that of a junior student in a remote county. The morning breeze brings the smell of cooking smoke, and the smoke from the capital has a particularly peaceful smell. In the pear forest less than ten miles away from the city gate, the cavalry had prepared their horses. After several hours of rest, the spirits of both men and horses had recovered somewhat. Counting the hours, it¡¯s time to open the city gate. "General." The deputy general said to Fan Qi with a complex expression, "Please give the order." "Everyone mount their horses." Fan Qi nodded and turned over to sit on the horse first. He looked around at his subordinates who were mounting their horses one after another, and put on his iron helmet. Although he was just a rough man, Fan Qi's mood was a little complicated at this time. After all, they were attacking the capital of the Song Dynasty. "Soldiers need to be quick!" He forced himself to calm down and ordered in a deep voice, "While the enemy is unprepared, we rush into the city from the west gate together. The first battalion will guard the west gate, and the 23rd and 4th battalions will follow me to protect Your Majesty. Li Quan led the fifth and sixth battalions to attack the Prime Minister's Mansion. ""Obey the order!" the battalion commanders replied in a low voice, and each gave instructions to the centurion. The atmosphere in the pear forest was a bit depressing, and the cavalrymen checked their harness and weapons for the last time in silence. Now that we have reached this point, even if we have no regrets, there is no turning back. "Drive¡ª¡ª" Fan Qi shouted with a gloomy face and cracked his whip hard. The war horse neighed in pain and flew with its hooves. Three thousand cavalry followed the general one after another, running out of the woods like a whirlwind and onto the broad road, with the west gate of Ezhou in sight. Ezhou is the most prosperous district under the rule of the Prime Minister. At Shenshi, all five doorways of the west gate have been opened. The three doorways in the middle can be used for carriages and horses. Pedestrians can pass through the doorways on both sides. There are three gatekeepers standing at each city gate. Simply check the road signs. Then he was told to let them go, regardless of pedestrians or horses, when they passed the doorway, they threw a ten-tong treasure into a bamboo basket. There was a huge crowd at the city gate, but they were flowing into the city in an orderly manner. Because of this, when the roar of horse hooves came from the west, the people waiting below the city turned their heads and looked curiously. "So majestic and evil!" "Which camp's soldiers and horses are these?" Some people whispered. "Aren't you afraid of being impeached if you rush into the city gate without permission?" "It can't be a Khitan, right?" "Nonsense, it's obviously the banner of the King's Master. Besides, the Khitan people are still thousands of miles away!" And looking from the top of the city , the three thousand cavalry were in a mass of darkness. They rushed towards the city gate without any intention of slowing down their horses, and their hostility was not concealed at all. At this time, no matter how slow the city was, they all felt chilled from the bottom of their hearts, but the guards were still at a loss. Stay outside the cityA few servants didn't even have time to resist, and were pushed aside by the galloping cavalry, let alone closing the city gate. "Get out of the way if you don't want to die!" "Get out of the way -" The chaotic horse hooves stepped on the stone road in Ezhou, the sound was deafening. The cavalrymen waved their sabers loudly, shouted loudly, and went straight towards the crowd without caring about the bustling crowd on the street. Prime Minister's Mansion. Fan's wife "First defend the emperor! Then catch the traitor Deng Su!" "The Liao soldiers are coming!" "Oops - oh my god!" "It's not the Liao soldiers, it's the government troops!" "Whatever, the soldiers are coming! Hurry up. Run away¡ª¡ª" Everyone in the market along the way was panicked, and men, women and children were running away. Those who overturned their burdens and those who pushed them into the shed were shouting in panic, mixed with cries, and there was chaos everywhere. Ezhou is located deep in the hinterland of the Song Dynasty. Since the ZTE, the Liao army has never crossed the Yellow River. In the past few years, the world has been peaceful and the people live and work in peace and contentment. Who would have expected that the world would be in chaos all of a sudden. Panic quickly spread in all directions. When the Ministry of War learned that the rebels had entered the city, they urgently notified Prime Minister Deng Su and asked Junzhi Bingfu to dispatch eight battalions of troops outside the city to enter the city to quell the chaos. Street fighting barricades were built on the streets. However, the rebels had already rushed into the city. It still took a lot of trouble to mobilize troops outside the city. The city guards stationed in the city were scattered in various military camps. In the rush, only three battalions of gunmen stationed next to the military headquarters could be mobilized. The troops were stretched thin. As a result, the Ministry of War had no choice but to open its arsenal, and even the government officials on duty in Ezhou's government issued muskets. The rebel cavalry had already rushed into Zhuque Street. At the same time, in the inner wing of the prime minister's office, Deng Su received an urgent report and immediately stayed there, his face turned ashen, and he remained silent for a long time. His eyes were wide open and filled with bloodshot eyes. Last night, he prepared the Henan military pay at the second watch, and then reviewed the memorials. It was not until the fourth watch that he undressed and went to sleep in the signing room. Unexpectedly, when the enemy was at hand, the Liao army was still thousands of miles away, and someone from the Song Dynasty actually rebelled? Is this a quarrel over pay, or an attempt to cause trouble? Even with Deng Su's wisdom and the depth of the city, he couldn't help but be confused for a while. "Should the great ZTE situation be ruined in one day?! Eternal sinner!" Thinking of this, Deng Su felt a sweetness in his throat and dizziness in his head. He had to support the person next to him to stand still. "Prime Minister," Lan Shaozhong, the staff doctor, asked anxiously, "the rebel army is strong, do you want to retreat outside the city for a while?" Deng Su woke up from his trance, came back to his senses, and looked at Lan Shaozhong with bright eyes. , the rebels suddenly came to the city, and the Ministry of War's staff had derelict in their duties no matter what. However, seeing Lan Shaozhong's anxious face, which did not seem to be hypocritical, Deng Su sighed, no one can do anything wrong, Lan Shaozhong was cultivated by him In less than two years, he was promoted from an ordinary officer in Jinyan Mansion to a general agent in charge of secret agents. Whether it was Lan Shaozhong or Deng Su, their foundations were indeed too shallow. In the past few days, they used thunderous methods to After convincing all parties, it is also a cause and effect that the rebels have rushed into Ezhou without anyone warning them. "Which banner is the banner of the rebels who entered the city?" After regaining consciousness, countless thoughts flashed through Deng Su's mind. When the whole country is fighting against the Liao Dynasty, who can be so powerful that it makes them stupid? Could it be that he was really a Liao traitor who led the wolf into the house? "The flag is not clear yet," Lan Shaozhong said shamefully, "but the rebels shouted 'Qingjun side, support Zhaohuang', I guess, it may be Mrs. Cao" "Nine times out of ten, he is the old traitor! "Deng Su interrupted him and said with an ashen face, "I never expected that the old thief would be so stubborn. He made a mistake for himself and the country!" "My lord, that's right." Lan Shaozhong nodded and took a step forward. , and said, the old thief has been planning for a long time, and for the current plan, the prime minister still avoids his edge for the time being." Deng Su pondered for a while after hearing the words, but before he could make a decision, suddenly there was a loud sound of gunshots outside the Prime Minister's Mansion, "bang bang" and "bang bang bang". It was like setting off firecrackers during the New Year. Deng Su seemed to be startled, and looked up at Lan Shaozhong. "This is a musket from the Forbidden Army," Lan Shaozhong listened for a moment, his face became more worried. Said: "The rebels are on the east side of Zhuque Street, only three blocks away from the Prime Minister's Mansion. "Deng Su nodded and was about to speak. Suddenly, there was another burst of gunshots from another direction. Lan Shaozhong turned his face and said in surprise: "There are also rebels attacking from the south. They are ambitious. They are here for your husband. If you don't It's too late to leave, so I'll let the general escort you out of the city for a while. "Deng Su's face darkened, but Lan Shaozhong didn't wait for him to speak, so he forcibly pulled him out of the signing room. A circle of clerks had gathered outside. At this time, no one could care about the military documents thousands of miles away. Everyone looked at Deng Su and Lan Shaozhong with complicated expressions. Lan Shaozhong ignored them and just pulled Deng Su and strode out. "Wait," Deng Su stopped. He looked around at everyone, sighed, and said in a deep voice: "Now there are people who are planning to rebel. General Lan will escort the prime minister out of the city. There are still 40,000 soldiers and horses available in the eight battalions outside the city. The war is dangerous, you waitIf you are willing to follow the truth, you can follow me to gather troops outside the city to quell the chaos. If you want to protect yourself, you can disperse among the people as soon as possible before the rebels invade the prime minister's house. We are all citizens of the Song Dynasty. If the thieves had any trace of their conscience, they would not kill officials and people in the city. "After saying that, he looked at the scribes calmly, his eyes regained their calmness, and no longer looked frightened as before. At this time, there was a sudden loud noise from the east, "Boom¡ª¡ª" The dead branches on the eaves of the Prime Minister's Mansion were blown away. The dust was so loud that it fell down.