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

There was chaos outside; no one knew what had happened.

Zhang Bingwen wanted to ask someone, but after calling out for a long time, no one responded.

He had no choice but to leave the provincial governor's office and go out onto the street, where he saw only soldiers running around.

"What happened up ahead?"

Zhang Bingwen tried to stop people to ask, but no one paid any attention.

He had no choice but to grab a lone soldier and ask, "What's going on? Have the imperial troops attacked?"

The soldier hurriedly said, "The armory has exploded!"

"What the hell?"

"The armory has exploded! We have to put out the fire!"

"You're kidding me! How could an armory explode?"

"I don't know, it just exploded!"

After saying this, the man broke free from Zhang Bingwen's hand and continued running forward.

Zhang Bingwen was horrified. It turned out that the armory had been blown up. No wonder he felt the whole of Jinan shaking just now.

But how could the armory have exploded? Something's not right!

Although the munitions stockpile a large amount of gunpowder, no one would be foolish enough to pile it up together. Even if some warehouses explode, as long as it is properly controlled, it will not affect other warehouses.

Even if they were all blown up, it should have been a series of explosions.

However, the commotion just now was as if all the gunpowder had exploded at the same time; otherwise, such a powerful explosion would not have occurred.

What kind of explosive device could ignite the gunpowder in all the warehouses at the same time?

He looked up and saw the direction of the armory in the southwest. The fire was growing bigger and bigger, almost illuminating half of the night sky.

"Strange, very strange..."

Zhang Bingwen muttered a few words and just then saw a group of people coming over, the leader of whom was Liu Zeqing.

He quickly stepped forward and asked, "Commander Liu, what exactly happened?"

Liu Zeqing's face was grim. He said, "I don't know either. I just received intelligence that the armory exploded!"

"Why did the armory explode? Has the imperial army already...?"

"I have reinforced the city's defenses, and so far I haven't seen any large troops approaching."

"That's good..."

Zhang Bingwen was slightly relieved, but then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is there any situation at the post station?"

Liu Zeqing shook his head and said, "I don't know, I can't deal with it right now. I'll trouble Governor Zhang to take some people to check!"

"Well... okay!"

Just as Zhang Bingwen was about to say, "I don't have anyone on my side," Liu Zeqing had already gone far away.

Left with no other choice, he reluctantly agreed. He went back and counted his servants and guards, about a dozen of them, armed with knives, spears, and clubs. He hurried to the inn and ordered someone to knock on the door.

"Is Commander Luo present?"

The gates of the inn slowly opened, and Luo Yangxing, wearing an outer robe, walked out calmly.

"What brings you here so late at night, Governor Zhang?"

Seeing that he was unharmed, Zhang Bingwen breathed a slight sigh of relief and forced a smile, saying, "There was a sudden incident in the city just now, and I was worried that Commander Luo might be frightened, so I came to check on him."

Luo Yangxing suddenly burst into laughter: "The unexpected event that Governor Zhang mentioned, is it the armory that exploded?"

Zhang Bingwen was stunned: "You...how did you know?"

The words had barely left his mouth when he suddenly realized what he had done, his expression changing drastically: "You did it?"

Luo Yangxing's smile vanished, and he said coldly, "It's too late for Governor Zhang to understand now."

Before he could finish speaking, more than a dozen dark figures suddenly sprang out from the shadows on both sides of the inn. Blades flashed, and Zhang Bingwen's servants and guards didn't even have time to react before they all groaned and fell to the ground, disarmed and subdued.

Zhang Bingwen was terrified and staggered backward: "What...what are you going to do?"

Luo Yangxing stepped forward slowly, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Naturally, it's to quell the rebellion."

"Suppressing what rebellion? That's utter nonsense!"

Zhang Bingwen forced himself to remain calm and said, "Where did these rebels come from? As the Provincial Treasurer of Shandong, I have never heard of any rebellion!"

Luo Yangxing sneered: "You openly defy the imperial court, mobilizing troops and generals without an imperial edict, intending to rebel. Aren't you rebels?"

Zhang Bingwen's face turned deathly pale, his lips trembling: "You...you all planned this all along..."

In the darkness, Wang Dalong strode out, saying impatiently, "Commander Luo, stop wasting time talking to him, we need to hurry and meet up with Commander Li!"

Luo Yangxing nodded and waved his hand, saying, "Someone, invite Governor Zhang into the post station to rest. The rest of you, follow me!"

Two Imperial Guards immediately stepped forward, one on each side, and dragged Zhang Bingwen into the post station.

"Wait, wait!"

Zhang Bingwen hurriedly struggled to say, "I know all of Liu Zeqing and Zeng Hualong's plans. I'm reporting them, I'm exposing them..."

Luo Yangxing seemed to have heard something ridiculous and said, "Now that things have come to this, do you think you still have a chance?"

After saying that, he ignored them and led his men straight to the south gate.

Zhang Bingwen's face was ashen, his body limp, and he murmured, "It's over...it's all over..."

In the darkness of night, at the south gate of Jinan city.

The soldiers guarding the city were staring in disbelief at the towering flames in the direction of the armory when they suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats.

"Who is it?"

In the darkness, Luo Yangxing rode up on horseback, brandishing his token: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is ordered to quell the rebellion! Open the city gates immediately and welcome the imperial army into the city!"

Before the guards could react, several men in black suddenly leaped out from the shadows of the city wall. With a flash of blades, the archers on the watchtowers screamed and fell to the ground.

Wang Dalong led his men to quickly deal with the city gate guards, then climbed up the city wall, picked up torches, and began to wave them in a disciplined manner.

The firelight was very conspicuous in the night sky, and soon the sound of orderly hooves could be heard in the distance.

A well-equipped force appeared like a ghost outside the city gate. Leading the force was Li Ruolian, the commander of the Warriors Battalion, who wore dark gray light armor, carried a new flintlock musket at his waist, and had eyes as sharp as an eagle.

Luo Yangxing hurriedly stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting: "Commander Li, we've been waiting for you!"

Li Ruolian dismounted and returned the salute with clasped hands: "Commander Luo, you've worked hard. How is the situation inside the city?"

Wang Dalong jumped down from the city wall, grinning, "The armory's been blown up, and now the rebels are busy putting out the fire! It's complete chaos!"

Li Ruolian nodded in satisfaction, then turned to his personal guards and ordered, "Bring over the muskets and ammunition."

Several soldiers immediately brought over two wooden crates, inside which were neatly stacked ten brand-new flintlock rifles and their ammunition.

Wang Dalong's eyes lit up, and he quickly called his men over to collect it.

"Brothers, grab your weapons!"

Upon seeing this, Luo Yangxing hurriedly stepped forward: "Commander Li, our Embroidered Uniform Guard is also unarmed..."

Li Ruolian seemed to suddenly remember something, and said with a hint of apology, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry, this operation was urgent, and we didn't have any extra equipment, otherwise... I'd be so grateful to Commander Luo for leading the men to guard the city gate. Please don't let the rebels escape!"

Luo Yangxing's lips twitched, inwardly cursing, but he still had to maintain a smile: "Commander Li's considerations are indeed thorough."

Li Ruolian said no more, mounted his horse, and raised his sword: "Warriors Battalion, heed my command! Enter the city and quell the rebellion!"