Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 346: Fenyi
Outside Jieyang City, the elite troops of the Ninth Army in the front quickly moved to the rear. More than a hundred cavalrymen were divided into two teams, each rushing out and starting to drive the mob towards the city wall.
On the top of the city wall, Chen Yanyu looked at Huang Linyou, who was wearing a blue official robe, and said in a deep voice:
"Your Excellency, these nine bandits have failed to sow discord in our city, and now they are sending people to attack us. I'm afraid they are still determined to do this."

Huang Linyou looked at the rioters rushing in from the city with a serious expression on his face and said

"This time, thanks to Mr. Chen's early warning, the city was able to prepare in advance. Otherwise, if these evil bandits broke into the city, the consequences would be disastrous. Afterwards, I will report Mr. Chen's contribution to the defense to the court."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yanyu's face straightened and he said

"Your Excellency is too kind. Jieyang is also in the countryside. As the descendants of the sage, we should be the first to fight for justice and defend the land and the people. This is our responsibility. How dare I ask for credit?"

Chen Yanyu glanced at the rioters outside the city, his eyes flickered slightly, and he spoke again

"There are only a few hundred real Ninth Army bandits outside the city. Most of these rioters outside the city are actually the people of Jieyang."

"The imperial court wanted to seize the land in Chaozhou and give it to the army. The people in the county were in a panic. This gave the Nineth Army and other bandits the opportunity to incite the people to revolt. Today's chaos is also caused by this incident."

"The fact that the imperial court seized the land is shocking. If this continues, and if there are traitors who instigate it, there will probably be chaos in our county again, and there will be no peace for a day."

Huang Linyou frowned upon hearing this. He was a student and was one of the soldiers who responded to the imperial edict to defend the city of Guangzhou that day.

After the imperial court recovered Chaozhou and Huizhou, Huang Linyou followed the Guanzhengtang people to the two prefectures and served as the magistrate of Jieyang County.

On that day, His Royal Highness the Regent announced in the city that land would be granted to defend the city. Huang Linyou was also a witness.

The Guanzheng Hall was the direct line of His Majesty the Regent. As an official from the Guanzheng Hall, Huang Linyou naturally supported the court's plan to seize the land and distribute it to the various armies.
But at this time, Huang Linyou saw the rioters outside the city and began to hesitate.

Huang Linyou thought for a moment, then said in a deep voice

"The imperial court's strategy is not something that a lowly official like me can comment on. However, I will report the situation in Jieyang to the imperial court later. At this time, we should focus on defending the city."

"What the county lord said makes sense. No matter what strategy the court adopts, it is definitely not a reason for these unruly people to cause chaos. At this time, we should prioritize defending the city."

Chen Yanyu responded respectfully, but a strange look flashed in his eyes.

The court was going to seize the land in Chaozhou, and even the central government was still arguing about it. How could the people in Jieyang City receive the news from the court so quickly?

The news outside Jieyang City was actually spread secretly by Chen Yanyu and others.
The court's rule of confiscating the land of wealthy households with more than 100 mu was also spreading, and it became that the court wanted to confiscate the land of all the people in Chaozhou, which instantly caused panic among the people outside the city.

Moreover, the people who initially led the people to riot and killed the rich families in the village were the people secretly sent by Chen Yanyu and others.

No one knows better than Chen Yanyu and other local gentry which wealthy families in and outside Jieyang are stingy and which have the most resentment among the people.

They only need to do something secretly to provoke the anger of the villagers, and as long as blood is seen on their hands, these people will have no way out.
The reason why Chen Yanyu paid the Ninth Army to attack Chaozhou was to put the blame on the Ninth Army for the unrest among the villagers.

Chen Yanyu warned the city of Jieyang in advance in order to clear himself of suspicion.
One is a bandit who harms the locals, breaks into cities and kills officials, and the other is a scholar who warned the city in advance and saved the people in the city. It is not a big deal that the court will believe who
The people of Chaozhou rose up in turmoil because of the plot to seize land. The gentry and officials in the court had an excuse and would certainly compete with each other for the throne. The new system of the court would certainly be difficult to implement.
Chen Yanyu and others completely hid themselves behind the scenes, without taking any risks at all. It is even possible that Chen Yanyu and others could be rewarded by the court for their meritorious service in assisting in defending the city.
As long as the plan is implemented, Chaozhou gentry such as Chen Yanyu will eventually be able to sit on the shore and reap all the benefits.
Under the city wall, a group of rebels were driven to the front of the city wall by the elite troops of the Ninth Army.
At this time, there were at least two to three thousand soldiers under the city. Looking from the top of the city wall, the area below was almost full of surging figures, which was extremely shocking.
Although there were many rebels, the fighting between the city walls was not fierce. These people were called rebels, but a month ago they were almost all farmers and civilians outside the city.

Although there were ladders between the city walls at this time, no one climbed up the ladders except for a few brave villagers and the elite soldiers of the Ninth Army who were mixed in with the rioters.
The yamen runners, local soldiers, and servants of various gentry on the top of the city pushed down the ladder, and then continued to throw stones at the city. As the stones fell from the top of the city, the chaotic troops below the city immediately retreated.

The rebels under the city retreated seven or eight meters away to avoid falling rocks. They waved pitchforks and hoes, yelling at the people in the city to open the city. The gentry and militia on the top of the city also shouted to the rebels below the city, asking them not to join the rebellion again.

There were constant shouting and yelling from both inside and outside the city, but it was a mess.

Liu Gongxian and others in the rear saw that the villagers had stopped moving forward and were about to send their elite troops forward to drive them away, but at this moment, the sound of horse hooves suddenly rang out on the official road behind them.
On the official road north of the city, three hundred cavalrymen in red armor suddenly rushed over. At first, the ground only shook slightly, but in the end, the sound of horse hooves could no longer be concealed, and it roared outside the north city.
More than 300 red-armored cavalrymen came down the official road, but they ignored the remaining 2,000 to 3,000 chaotic infantrymen and rushed directly towards the cavalry in the rear.

The Ninth Army was also unprepared for these sudden attacks by armored cavalry. There was a commotion in the Ninth Army, but they were unable to react.
When the Red Armor Cavalry had already rushed to the front of the battle formation, hundreds of elite soldiers from the Ninth Army hastily turned their horses around and charged at the incoming cavalry.

Ma Chongxi looked at the cavalrymen of the Ninth Army who were charging at him with their swords raised and shouting angrily, but a trace of disdain flashed in his eyes.

A group of red-armored cavalrymen followed the general's flag and sprinted silently, two hundred meters, one hundred meters, eighty meters, and when there was only sixty meters left between the two sides, Ma Chongxi finally shouted loudly!

"Raise the Bow"

When Ma Chongxi raised his bow, the three hundred cavalrymen behind him also drew their bows and raised their arrows almost instantly.
The number of the Ninth Army Cavalry was almost twice that of the Ming Army, but the Ninth Army Cavalry, who were originally roaring and shouting, saw the bows raised in unison and their formation began to fall apart.

Chi Chi Chi

Three hundred iron arrows flew through the air, and the cavalry of the Ninth Army on the opposite side was plowed away in an instant. Nearly a hundred cavalrymen of the Ninth Army fell off their horses in an instant, and their screams rose and fell, and were soon drowned out by the rumbling sound of horse hooves.
Ma Chongxi raised his long sword and shouted loudly

"rush ahead"

"Kill, kill, kill"

Three hundred cavalrymen in cloth armor shouted loudly, and then charged directly at the cavalrymen of the Ninth Army. The Ninth Army's formation collapsed instantly. In the chaotic formation, the cavalrymen of both sides kept swinging their swords and slashing, but after fighting for a while, the Ming Army cavalrymen were almost unharmed, while the cavalrymen of the Ninth Army on the opposite side were constantly chopped to the ground.

Ma Chongxi ignored the swords and kept rushing forward to kill. A figure in black leather armor rushed left and right in the formation and knocked down two imperial guards in a blink of an eye.

Seeing this, Ma Chongxi rushed forward without saying a word.
Liu Gongxian had a ferocious look on his face, brandishing his sword and roaring, but Ma Chongxi on the opposite side had no reaction. More than a dozen armored guards rode past on horseback.
The two sides crossed each other, a head flew up, and the roaring sound suddenly stopped. Liu Gongxian, a great bandit who had been roaming Guangdong Province for more than ten years, was killed silently in the battle array.
Ma Chongxi threw away the bloody long knife in his hand, but he was unaware of it and continued to kill the rest.

Ma Chongxi thought he had killed a bandit leader, but he did not realize that he had killed the leader of the Ninth Army.
Or maybe Ma Chongxi didn't care even if he knew. If we talk about big bandits, who in the world dares to call himself a big bandit in front of Shunying?
The three hundred armored Ming soldiers charged recklessly, and hundreds of the Ninth Army cavalry were quickly hacked to death. After the cavalry collapsed, the Ming cavalry suddenly split into two teams and rushed to the front of the chaotic army's infantry formation.

The cavalry of the two sides surrounded the infantry formation and kept driving and shooting arrows. The rain of arrows fell down, and the chaotic army fell down layer by layer like wheat. The infantry formation under the city collapsed in an instant.

The chaotic army fled in panic, and the city was filled with terrifying screams.
The cavalrymen under the city continued to hunt and shoot. After the cavalrymen of the Loyal Camp had shot half of their arrows, they drew their swords and rushed into the chaotic army.
The Ming army below the city hacked and killed for a quarter of an hour, and the defenders on the top of the city also watched for a quarter of an hour. The gentry on the top of the city watched the Ming cavalry being hacked and killed, and all of them looked pale.
After a quarter of an hour, there was no longer a single standing soldier on the field. The three hundred cavalrymen gathered together again, and then several of them rushed to the gate and shouted:

"We are the imperial guards of the Loyal Camp of the imperial court. We have come to Jieyang to suppress the rebellion under the order of His Royal Highness the Regent. Now that the rebels have been eliminated, please open the city gates immediately."

The gentry guarding the city walls were awakened by the shouts from below and hurried down to open the gates.

As for verifying their identities, there was no need to do so. Regardless of whether these people were imperial guards or not, they were definitely not something that Jieyang City could resist at this time.
On the top of the city wall, Huang Linyou came forward with a group of Jieyang gentry. Ma Chongxi looked at Huang Linyou in a blue official robe and spoke directly.

"I am Ma Chongxi, the commander of the left battalion of the Loyalty Battalion of the Imperial Guards, and you are the magistrate of Jieyang County."

"Yes, I am Huang Linyou, the magistrate of Jieyang County. I am honored to meet General Ma."

Ma Chongxi confirmed his identity, but he didn't waste any words and spoke directly

"Since you are the Jieyang County Magistrate, you may know a scholar named Chen Yanyu in the city. Quickly mobilize the city to determine his whereabouts."

Everyone in the field was stunned when they heard this, and then their eyes instantly focused on Chen Yanyu behind Huang Linyou.
Chen Yanyu's expression changed slightly, but at this moment, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Chen Yanyu had no way out, so he had to stay calm and speak.

"I am Chen Yanyu. May I ask what General Ma wants from me?"

Ma Chongxi was also stunned when he saw the middle-aged man who suddenly stepped out of the line. He did not expect that this traitor would be so bold.
When the imperial army arrived, this traitor did not run away, but dared to approach them blatantly. He was really bold.

Ma Chongxi's face turned cold instantly, but he did not hesitate and shouted directly

"Quickly capture this traitor"

Several soldiers stepped forward and dragged Chen Yanyu out of the crowd. Huang Linyou was shocked when he saw Chen Yanyu being dragged out. He couldn't help but say

"General Ma, this Chen Yanyu is a scholar from Jieyang, and he has made great contributions in defending the city. What exactly does General Ma mean by this?"

"The traitor Chen Yanyu colluded with the Nine Armies bandits and secretly instigated chaos in Jieyang. I, following the order of the imperial court, came to Jieyang to capture the traitor."

Huang Linyou was shocked when he heard this, but Chen Yanyu, who was standing beside him, spoke loudly.

"I discovered in advance that the Ninth Army was moving in the opposite direction, which caused them to fail in their surprise attack and capture the city."

"The nine bandits outside the city are so angry that they slandered me. General, you must not be deceived by these bandits' nonsense."

"What about the Ninth Army and the Eighth Army? Chaozhou Li Shichang and Weng Rulin have been arrested for treason and rebellion. These two betrayed you. If you want to appeal for justice, go and complain to these two."

Ma Chongxi had a cold expression on his face. Chen Yanyu was also stunned when he heard the names of Li Shichang and others, and then a look of despair flashed across his face.
Li Shichang and Chen Yanyu are the core figures of this plan. Now that Li Shichang has been arrested, he will not be able to escape.
Chen Yanyu looked at the armored soldiers around the city, his eyes suddenly filled with bloodshot, and he shouted loudly:
"We, the gentry of Chaozhou, have always been law-abiding, but the imperial court is indiscriminately trying to seize our land. The imperial court is perverse, and we, the gentry of the two prefectures, do not accept it! We do not accept it!"

The surrounding gentry looked at Chen Yanyu who was roaring loudly, but their faces were all terrified, and they retreated instantly.
Huang Linyou looked at Chen Yanyu, whose hair was disheveled and he was struggling, with a look of horror on his face.
Upon hearing this, Ma Chongxi's face instantly turned cold, and he shouted

"Stop his mouth and take this thief away for safe keeping."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers nearby stuffed a piece of black cloth into Chen Yanyu's mouth and dragged him down.

Ma Chongxi no longer cared about Chen Yanyu at this time, and spoke in a cold voice

"The Yang family, Cai family, Huang family and other eight families are all traitors. According to the order of the court, immediately seal the four gates and arrest the eight traitors. Do not let any of them escape."

As soon as Ma Chongxi finished speaking, five or six gentlemen in the crowd behind Huang Linyou looked terrified and fell to the ground in an instant.
Ma Chongxi waved his hand, and the soldiers behind him immediately stepped forward and dragged several gentry off the ground. The Loyalty Camp Imperial Guards were divided into eight teams, and quickly sealed the city gates and dispersed into the city.

The rebel army outside the city besieged the city for several days, and the city was always peaceful. However, after the imperial army entered the city, the city of Jieyang suddenly became chaotic.

(End of this chapter)