Di Ming

Chapter 374 The Great Siege of Yizhou!
The noise in the plains south of Xi'an was deafening. Thousands of torches flickered and lit up half the sky, their glow contrasting with the still-burning Qin Prince's Mansion inside the city, illuminating the more than 20,000 troops.

But all that could be heard were shouts of men and neighing of horses, the roar of firearms, and screams of agony; the scene was grand yet tragic.

The people standing on the city wall could clearly see that the Hui people, dressed in white and with white headscarves, were surrounded on three sides by government troops.

The most striking sight was the cavalry of the Lishan Cavalry Battalion, which swept through the rebel ranks like an iron torrent, killing countless rebels under their hooves.

Many people couldn't help but stomp their feet and say, "Alright! Alright! The royal army has arrived! We're safe now!"

At this time, the Hui tribe was on the verge of annihilation. The garrison eunuch Xu Gui, the governor Mei Yousong, and others were all relieved.

The Hui people had a numerical advantage because they were used to carrying swords and were more warlike and martial than the Han people. They also had a certain degree of organization, but in the end, they were still a motley crew that had never fought or been trained.

With their numerical advantage and fervent fighting spirit, they had a good chance of defeating the Qin King's guards and city defense soldiers who were lax in battle formation and lacked combat strength, but they had no chance against the elite Ming army.

Under the fierce attack of the Lishan Cavalry Battalion and the Yansui Garrison's elite troops, the 15,000 Hui rebels collapsed instantly.

With a loud "boom," the rebellious civilians of the Hui tribe, who had finally managed to gather, scattered like ants from a disturbed nest, and were easily wiped out by the combined forces of the Flying Cavalry Battalion and the Elite Battalion.

Having regained their footing, the Qin King's guards and the city's defense forces launched a counterattack with renewed vigor, determined to save face.

"Kill the traitors! Suppress the rebellion!"

Although the rebels still outnumbered the Ming troops, the outcome was now completely decided. They were surrounded by a smaller number of Ming soldiers and were in a hopeless situation.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—bang bang bang—"

Amidst the barrage of arrows and three-eyed muskets from the Ming army, the Hui tribes were ravaged like crops, enduring constant and brutal slaughter. They suffered heavy casualties, yet found it difficult to inflict significant damage on the Ming army.

"Ah—" The dying screams of the rioters echoed throughout the land, as if the end of the world had come, venting their endless pain and fear.

Before they raised their army, they thought the imperial court was nothing special. But now, from the chieftains down to the ordinary soldiers, they realized that rebellion was just a fantasy; if they actually rebelled, they would be no match for the imperial court.

Bai Deshou himself also died under the hooves of the Ming army.

On his deathbed, he suddenly realized that Li Bishi, who had always been with him, had disappeared without a trace, and he didn't know if he was already dead.

Ma Jiusang led several thousand men in a desperate escape from the encirclement, fleeing westward. Little did he know, he couldn't cross the Wei River, because the Wei River navy had also arrived.

"Those bandits from the Hui tribe, how dare they rebel!" Xu Gui, now completely at ease, said viciously. "Pass on my orders to Li Xiazhong and He Shixian: slaughter all the Hui bandits! Anyone who dares to rebel deserves to die!"

Xu Gui hated rebellion more than anything, let alone a rebellion by the enemy. What a close call! If Xi'an had fallen into the hands of the enemy, he would have been dead for sure.

After issuing the military orders, he muttered to himself, still puzzled:
"How come Li Xiazhong and He Shixian's troops arrived so quickly? I just sent someone to deliver the message not long ago, and they shouldn't arrive until tomorrow morning. What's going on?"

Although he harbored doubts, the eunuch also breathed a sigh of relief. Li Xiazhong and He Shixian's timely rescue meant Xi'an was safe, and the rebellion was suppressed in time, giving him a chance to clear his name and pass through easily. However, spending money on bribes was unavoidable, and a significant financial loss was certain.

Governor Mei Yousong thought to himself, "How could Li Xiazhong and He Shixian arrive so quickly? In any case, it's a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. Xi'an is of paramount importance and must not be lost. As long as Xi'an is secured and the rebellion is quelled, everything else is fine. It's just a way to atone for our mistakes."

The government troops, in a bloodthirsty frenzy, slaughtered the vast majority of the rebels within an hour, leaving behind more than ten thousand corpses. Leaders such as Bai Deshou and Ma Jiusang were all beheaded, with only a very few, including Li Bishi, escaping into the Zhongnan Mountains.

Li Bishi seemed to have been prepared for this, and was quick to seize the opportunity. Before the government troops could encircle him, he led several hundred men out of the battlefield and successfully escaped.

He also took away the teaching token and scripture box of Bai Deshou, the chief of the Hui tribe. These two items represented the authority of the chief and had a certain influence on the entire Guanzhong region and even the northwest Hui tribe.

The government troops won a great victory, and Xi'an was saved from danger.

Only then did the Ming army enter the city to put out the fire. But everyone knew that the fire at the Prince of Qin's residence was beyond saving; it was merely a formality to give the emperor an explanation. Even the Prince of Qin's two thousand guards understood that the residence was already destroyed and beyond saving. At this moment, their only concern was the safety of the Prince and his family.

At that moment, the Ming army entered the city one by one to put out the fire. The garrison eunuch, the governor, the imperial inspector, and others reined in their horses at the city walls, supervising the troops to enter the city to put out the fire and clear the battlefield, but none of them were willing to go into the city first to find the Prince of Qin.

Upon seeing the corpses of the rioters scattered across the fields, the garrison eunuch Xu Gui shouted:

"A great victory! A rare and great victory! The rebels plotted a rebellion, gathering 100,000 people to cause chaos, burning down the Qin Prince's Mansion, and capturing the Western Capital. Fortunately, the situation was handled properly, and the troops were mobilized in time, finally quelling the rebellion in one fell swoop. The Emperor is blessed!"

"Minister Mei, Master Chen, let's submit a memorial to report our victory together."

"Reporting victory?" Governor Mei Yousong, Imperial Censor Chen Xiao, and others shook their heads and smiled bitterly.

Indeed, the shamelessness and depravity of these eunuchs were truly despicable.

Even if it was a great victory, the rebelling forces numbered only a little over ten thousand, not one hundred thousand. Isn't that just blatant lying? They wouldn't even have the audacity to report a victory based on that number.

Mounted on horseback, Mei Yousong gazed worriedly at the still-smoky city of Xi'an, and said dryly:
"Lord Xu, the fate of the Prince of Qin is unknown, and his palace was burned down in the chaos. This is a crime of losing a prince. Let's postpone the report of victory for now and first confirm the Prince of Qin's safety."

The Imperial Censor Chen Xiao nodded and said, "I hope the Prince of Qin is safe and sound. Otherwise, we would be committing a grave sin by abandoning our own princes."

They all hated the King of Qin, and secretly hoped that such a scoundrel would suffer. But since they couldn't escape responsibility if the King of Qin died, they also hoped that he would escape danger and be saved.

Xu Gui chuckled, "Minister Mei, Daoist Chen, a great merit is a great merit, and a great fault is a great fault. Only in this way can merits be used to offset crimes. The Holy Emperor is fair in rewarding and punishing. How can he erase our immense merits with a single stroke just because of the crime of losing a prince?"

When civil officials such as Mei Yousong and Chen Xiao heard about the "immense merit," they blushed and felt their faces burning with embarrassment. However, thinking of the phrase "to atone for one's crimes with merit," they silently swallowed their rebuttals.

Xu Gui, thinking that he would have to pay money to avoid disaster, hardened his heart and gritted his teeth, saying:

"The rebels have committed a heinous crime! They dared to rebel in such a depraved manner! The army will enter the city and kill all the families of the rebels in the seven temples and thirteen wards. They are all rebels!"

"Guards, seize my imperial envoy's seal, destroy seven temples and thirteen wards, burn down the ancestral temples, and annihilate the rebels!"

The imperial inspector Chen Xiao frowned and said, "Lord Xu, the families of the bandits are all elderly, weak, women and children. They did not directly participate in the rebellion. How can they all be executed? Where is the court's way of showing leniency? I beg Lord Xu to think it over."

"Think it over?" Xu Gui's eyes widened. "His Highness Prince Qin may have already been assassinated, his palace reduced to ashes, and Guanzhong was almost thrown into chaos. What kind of leniency is this? Is the court's leniency policy designed for rebels? If the rest of the world follows suit, who wouldn't dare to rebel!"

Just as he was getting angry, three Ming army generals in armor walked over together and saluted in unison with a click.

"This humble general, Li Xiazhong, Commander of the Lishan Cavalry Battalion, pays respects to Eunuch Xu! Pays respects to the Governor and the Inspector!"

"This humble general is He Shixian, commander of the Yansui Elite Battalion and a guerrilla general..."

"This humble general is Yang Kui, the guerrilla commander of the Wei River naval force..."

Xu Gui smiled broadly and said, "The three generals arrived so quickly. Speed ​​is of the essence in war. It's as if divine troops have descended from the heavens. The 100,000 enemy soldiers were wiped out in the blink of an eye. I will certainly commend you and ask for your reward."

One hundred thousand enemy troops? Isn't that too many? The three generals looked at each other, unsure how to respond.

Governor Mei Yousong then asked directly, "Why have the three generals arrived so quickly?"

Li Xiazhong bowed his head and said, "Reporting to the Governor, this afternoon I received a military order jointly issued by the Governor, Eunuch Xu, and His Highness Prince Qin. Only then did I learn that the Xi'an rebellion was about to break out. Knowing that it was extremely urgent, I immediately came to carry out the order and dared not be negligent in the slightest."

He Shixian and Yang Kui gave the exact same answer.

After the three finished speaking, they presented the military order together.

Mei Yousong and Xu Gui withdrew their transfer orders. Although they both appeared calm, they felt a chill run down their spines.

Judging from the handwriting and the official seals, it's clearly there. But it's definitely not!
At this point, how could the two not realize that something was amiss?

The two men did not immediately question it, but remained silent in thought. Xu Gui then said, "That's right. The Prince of Qin, the Governor, and I learned in advance that the Hui tribe was going to rebel, so we jointly issued an order to mobilize troops. If we hadn't noticed the change in time, and if you hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"Minister Mei, what do you say?"

Mei Yousong frowned, stroking his beard with a troubled expression, and finally nodded, saying, "It's fortunate that we foresaw the rebellion of the Hui tribe in advance and ordered the troop deployment ahead of time; otherwise, Guanzhong would have been lost and the Northwest would have been in chaos."

Xu Gui sighed, then suddenly wiped away his tears and said, "It's a pity that because there are few soldiers in the city and the Hui people are numerous and powerful, in order to stabilize the Hui people, His Highness Prince Qin deliberately stayed in the palace to attract the attention of the rebels, even at the cost of letting the rebels attack the palace first. He sacrificed the palace to save the city, and sacrificed the palace to save Guanzhong!"

"Now, although the main force of the rebels has been wiped out, the fate of His Highness remains unknown. The thought that he might have met with misfortune breaks my heart as his subject. Your Highness! This old servant is late… Hehe…"

Xu Guizhen burst into tears, seemingly heartbroken. He pointed to the Qin Prince's mansion, now reduced to ashes, and cried, "My heart is burning! My heart is burning!"

After speaking, his face was filled with sorrow, and suddenly he swayed and slowly fell off his horse!

"Godfather!" Two young eunuchs rushed forward and caught Xu Gui as he fell off his horse. They pinched his philtrum and cried out in their hoarse voices, "Godfather, Prince Qin is unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness. Good people are always blessed by heaven. Godfather, don't be sad."

Mei Yousong: "..."

Chen Xiao: "..."

The three generals, including Li Xiazhong, exchanged bewildered glances, all thinking to themselves, "So the King of Qin is such a heroic and loyal man? We misunderstood him before?"

After a while, Xu Guicai slowly "woke up." He stood up shakily and looked at Li Xiazhong and the others, saying, "Generals, listen to my command! Kill all the rebels in the city for His Highness Prince Qin! Those who dare to rebel will be executed along with their entire clan!"

"Understood!" Li Xiazhong and the others responded with thunderous approval.

The governor and the imperial inspector opened their mouths, but swallowed the words that were about to come out, and could only sigh.

The fate of Xi'an was thus decided.

This was a bloody night!

.........

Meanwhile, the young Ma Shouying led several hundred cavalrymen, lit torches, and went north out of the city to pursue the King of Qin. After chasing him out of the stone-paved road, they indeed found cart tracks.

He chased them to the Dragon King Temple and found many corpses. It seemed that some of his brothers had actually caught up with the King of Qin, but unfortunately, they were outnumbered and were all killed by the King of Qin's guards.

Many people died in the Qin Prince's mansion, including the princess, but the Qin Prince himself was not among them.

The King of Qin still fled.

"Chase!" Ma Shouying cracked his whip.

However, the hundreds of horses trampled the barely wide dirt road, instantly flattening the original ruts. After the hundreds of cavalrymen passed by, the original ruts were no longer visible, only messy hoofprints remained, as if the hoofprints had covered the original ruts.

Ma Shouyin never imagined that his cavalry pursuit was part of a pre-planned scheme.

Even if he hadn't offered to lead the cavalry north to pursue the King of Qin, Li Bishi, who was loyal to the White Master of the Hui tribe, would have induced others to gather cavalry for the pursuit.

The result was the same.

Following the hoofprints, Ma Shouying actually tracked them all the way to a remote, rarely used dock.

The area around the dock had clearly been cleaned up; the wheel tracks were gone. But Ma Shouying was still certain that the King of Qin had escaped by water. He knew he could no longer catch up.

hateful! hateful!
Ma Shouying had no choice but to lead his few hundred cavalrymen back. As a result, the dirt road was trampled again by horses' hooves, and the wheel tracks were completely destroyed, making them difficult to discern.

When Ma Shouying arrived near the Dragon King Temple again, preparing to continue south, he suddenly saw on the official road several miles to the west, the sound of horses' hooves thundering and torches flowing like a river.

It appears that a large contingent of elite cavalry is heading south to Xi'an.

"Oh no!" Ma Shouying's expression changed. "It must be the Ming army's elite troops arriving! They're here so fast! We've lost!"

One of the cavalrymen said, "Young master, can't we take a gamble?"

"Fight my ass! That's suicide! That's definitely the Flying Cavalry!" Ma Shouying glared fiercely at the Ming cavalry not far away, his youthful face resembling a little wolf in the torchlight. "Run!"

Another person said, "What about the Grand Master and the Headmaster?"

Ma Shouying clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, saying, "How can we manage? With just a few hundred cavalry? It's too late! Let's go! Even if my father were here, he would let me escape! If I escape, he'll be the happiest!"

"Follow me! Keep heading north! Leave Guanzhong!"

Although Ma Shouying was only a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy, he was very decisive. He immediately led several hundred cavalrymen and fled north under the cover of night.

……

The next morning, Xi'an was completely restored to order.

However, many people still dared not go out, and a terrifying atmosphere lingered over the ancient capital of the Han and Tang dynasties, with dark clouds covering the sky.

Because many, many people died last night.

Not only outside the city, but also within the city's seven temples and thirteen wards. The rebels and their families were wiped out overnight.

I heard that the government troops were busy transporting corpses out of the city until midnight.

The government posted a notice saying that this was the consequence of rebellion.

I also heard that the entire Qin King's family was massacred by the rebellious Hui rebels; it was a terrible tragedy. Almost no one survived in the entire Qin King's palace. Even the wild animals in the palace's animal enclosure were killed.

In the afternoon, someone finally found the body of the King of Qin.

It was in a grove of trees near the Dragon King Temple.

The authorities couldn't find the whereabouts of the Qin Prince's gold and silver, claiming it was taken by a group of rebels. Those rebels fled north. The authorities are still pursuing them, but it's uncertain whether they'll catch the group that murdered the prince and seized his wealth.

On the third day, the memorials from Xu Gui, Mei Yousong, and others were sent out of Xi'an and to Beijing.

These memorials all say that thanks to the Emperor's good fortune and the soldiers' bravery, a great victory was achieved in Xi'an, with 50,000 rebels killed. They also say that the Prince of Qin took the initiative to kill the rebels and fought to the death, which is enough to set an example for the royal family and make him worthy of being the head of all the princes in the world.

As for the gold and silver in the Prince of Qin's mansion, the men all reported that the Prince of Qin's mansion did not have much wealth left. This shows that the Prince of Qin was concerned about the suffering of the people and did not care about profiting and accumulating wealth. He was a good example for the imperial family.

Several people suggested that the court and the emperor issue an edict praising the Prince of Qin, hoping to bestow upon him a posthumous title such as "Virtuous," "Precious," or "Peaceful."

After careful consideration and discussion, the group had no choice but to write it down reluctantly. As for how the court would handle the matter, they could only leave it to fate.

.........

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Just as Ning Caiwei was planning the Xi'an Incident, Zhu Yin, the military commissioner in Korea, finally completed the encirclement of Uiju!
Three days after the Battle of Shuozhou, more than 100,000 Ming and Korean allied troops, centered on Yizhou, firmly surrounded the main force of the Japanese vanguard, numbering 60,000!

The 60,000-strong Japanese vanguard was completely cut off from the main army in the rear, becoming an isolated force with no way to escape!
Note: The Guanzhong storyline is finished; the next part is the North Korean storyline. Thank you, and please vote with monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)