I, Emperor Chongzhen, have extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by five hundred years.

The scorching sun beat down on the earth, sending up waves of heat.

Five thousand soldiers of Changshanwei were on their way, their footsteps kicking up yellow dust that flew into the air and then turned into mud on their faces.

Miao Gang wiped the sweat from his face, looked at the sun overhead, and loudly ordered, "Pass on the order: rest on the spot for half an hour!"

The order was given, and the soldiers stopped, sat on the ground, and drank water in large gulps.

Miao Gang approached Li Yan with a water bottle and said, "Prefect Li, have some water!"

Li Yan took it, tilted his head back, took a big gulp, and then handed it back.

Miao Gang loosened his collar, plopped down on the ground, and said, "Jizhou is just ahead, and Jinan Prefecture is still five hundred li away. We'll be there in two more days."

Li Yan suddenly asked, "Have the scouts been sent out?"

"It's been dispatched!"

Miao Gang nodded, then said, "When I met Liu Zeqing last time, I felt that he was two-faced, and that his words were all pretentious and obsequious. I never expected that he would dare to rebel!"

Li Yan shook his head slightly and said, "The situation is still unclear. There is no conclusive evidence yet as to whether Liu Zeqing has truly rebelled. We are ordered to go to Shandong to investigate cases and assist in defense, not to quell a rebellion. Let's get there first and then decide what to do!"

Miao Gang curled his lip: "His Majesty is determined to rectify the Shandong officialdom this time; otherwise, he wouldn't have sent our Changshan Guard to provide support. If that bastard Liu Zeqing really dares to rebel, we need to prepare early to avoid being caught off guard."

Li Yan remained silent for a moment, gazing at the desolate fields in the distance, and sighed softly, "If war really breaks out, it will be the people of Shandong who suffer..."

"Report!"

Before he could finish speaking, a scout came galloping over.

Upon reaching the two men, he dismounted and knelt on one knee.

"Reporting to the Commander! A small cavalry unit of about a dozen men has been spotted twenty miles ahead; their identities are unknown!"

Miao Gang suddenly stood up: "Damn it, these guys from Shandong are definitely up to something! Otherwise, why would they send scouts to investigate?"

Li Yan frowned and said in a deep voice, "Don't act rashly yet. Send men to investigate again. If we are certain they are scouts sent by Liu Zeqing, we must not let them go back!"

Miao Gang, unable to contain himself any longer, said, "They must have been sent by Liu Zeqing. I'll take men and wipe them out!"

After saying that, without waiting for Li Yan to react, he mounted his horse and called a group of people to go to meet him.

Considering that the enemy is a small cavalry force with limited combat strength but high speed, if too many people are brought along, they might alert the enemy and escape immediately upon discovering the enemy's presence. In that case, it would be very difficult for the cavalry to catch up with the cavalry.

So he took only fifty elite cavalrymen and secretly ambushed them under a hillside.

These cavalrymen were his personal guards, well-equipped and formidable in combat; they were more than capable of handling a dozen or so men!

By the time the other party notices, it will be too late to run!

Da da da……

Da da da……

The sound of horses' hooves came from afar, growing clearer and clearer as they approached.

Miao Gang narrowed his eyes, placed his hand on the hilt of his knife, and whispered, "Ready!"

Finally, a cloud of dust rose up, and the enemy cavalry, completely unaware, plunged headlong into the ambush.

"kill!"

Miao Gang spurred his horse and charged forward, followed closely by fifty cavalrymen who pounced on the enemy like tigers descending a mountain.

However, just as he was about to rush close, he suddenly realized that the situation was not good!

The man at the front suddenly pulled a musket from beside his saddle, its dark muzzle pointing at them, sending chills down everyone's spine.

Miao Gang's pupils constricted sharply, because he recognized that this thing was not a musket, but the latest flintlock musket!

In a flash, he instinctively yanked the reins, and the warhorse reared up with a neigh!

boom!

A deafening gunshot rang out, and the warhorse, struck in the chest, collapsed to the ground with a mournful cry.

Miao Gang was thrown off his horse and fell heavily to the ground. He felt dizzy and it took him a lot of effort to get up.

"Commander!"

The guards cried out and rushed forward, raising their steel swords and long knives, ready to fight to the death.

In that instant, all of the dozen or so men on the other side drew their muskets, held them level with their chests, and prepared to fire.

"Stop! Stop it now!"

Miao Gang shouted, and everyone stopped in their tracks.

In the opposing group, the leader suddenly reached out, signaling the others not to make any rash moves.

Miao Gang rubbed his eyes, stepped forward, and asked in surprise, "Wang Dalong?"

Wang Dalong tucked his musket behind his back and asked, "Commander Miao?"

"Oh my, it's you!"

Miao Gang was overjoyed and hurried over to him.

Wang Dalong dismounted and said, "Luckily you reacted quickly, I almost shot you! Besides, what are you doing..."

Miao Gang chuckled awkwardly, "I thought they were scouts sent from Shandong... By the way, we're here on imperial orders to go to Shandong, what are you doing here?"

Wang Dalong nodded, then said solemnly, "Oral decree!"

Miao Gang was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized what was happening and knelt down on one knee.

"Your subject, Miao Gang, respectfully receives the imperial edict!"

Upon seeing this, the others dismounted and bowed.

Wang Dalong cleared his throat and said, "His Majesty has decreed that Changshan Guard must immediately change course and proceed to Dengzhou to quell the rebellion!"

Miao Gang hesitated and asked, "Has Liu Zeqing really rebelled?"

Wang Dalong's expression was grave as he said, "The night watchman's intelligence reports that three thousand elite troops from Dengzhou Guard have already set off for Jinan Prefecture. It seems Liu Zeqing is going all in!"

Miao Gang suddenly stood up: "Then I should head straight for Jinan!"

"No!"

Wang Dalong shook his head and said, "His Majesty has already dispatched the Warrior Battalion to reinforce Jinan. I've come specifically to deliver this decree to you. Changshan Guard's mission is to seize Dengzhou directly and cut off Liu Zeqing's retreat!"

Miao Gang remained silent for a moment, then suddenly turned to his personal guards and shouted, "Send the order! The entire army turns around and marches immediately to Dengzhou!"

Then he turned back and said, "Since you're going to Jinan, I'll hand over Prefect Li to you and let him..."

"No need!"

Wang Dalong waved his hand and continued, "His Majesty specifically instructed that once we arrive, Commander Miao will be in charge of military affairs, and Prefect Li will be in charge of the people's livelihood. The people of Dengzhou are entrusted to you two."

Miao Gang nodded solemnly: "Don't worry!"

Upon receiving the order, Changshanwei began to turn northeast.

On the only road from Zhengding to Jinan, several scouts waited for a long time, and only after confirming that no large army was coming did they turn back to the city.

As night fell, the Provincial Governor's Office remained brightly lit.

Until the last scout brought back news, Zhang Bingwen put the last cross on the map.

Liu Zeqing said, "There's no military intelligence from any of the routes, so it seems we were worrying unnecessarily."

Zhang Bingwen said, "His Majesty hasn't sent any troops, doesn't that mean... that scoundrel Luo Yangxing is trying to fool us?"

Liu Zeqing chuckled lightly, "Isn't this just a common trick used by the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

"If that's the case, things will be much easier."

Zhang Bingwen turned around, looked at Liu Zeqing and Zeng Hualong, and said, "Tomorrow I'll have the Xiong family continue to exert pressure. If that's not enough, kill a few more. I don't believe they can withstand it!"

Zeng Hualong said, "I have made all the arrangements. Tomorrow morning at the court session, there will be an imperial censor to impeach me."

Liu Zeqing then nodded and said, "The Dengzhou Guard troops will be here soon. I want to see just how stubborn Luo Yangxing really is!"