Huan Rong

In the blink of an eye, the city of Chang'an was on fire.

Because most of the buildings in the city are made of wood, and they were sprayed with oil in advance, they almost ignited in case of fire.When the north wind blows again, it helps the fire even more.

The fire formed into a long dragon, and the entire Chang'an City was shrouded in flames.

The flames engulfed the entire alley, and the smoke filled the air, making people unable to open their eyes.

Regardless of packing their luggage, the people fled from their homes one after another.Some people covered their mouth and nose with a wet cloth, but they were still awake.Some people were completely defenseless in a panic, coughed again and again after running out for a long time, their eyes were stinging, and finally fell to the ground.

During the chaos, a private soldier wearing leather armor rushed into the crowd, shouting: "Your Highness has orders, no one in the city will be left, and sacrifice to the late emperor!"

Before everyone could react, the sharp blade had already fallen.

There were screams everywhere, and snow light splashed.

People fell to the ground one after another, all of them were killed with one knife, and they were merciless.

Seeing this situation, the crowd was in an uproar, at a loss, startled and frightened.I can't believe that the Qin brothers would issue such an order, but I have to believe the evidence.

"Not one? Really not one?"

"This is to massacre the city?!"

"His Royal Highness ordered? Which Highness?"

In panic, no one would have thought that something was wrong, that someone had planted the blame.When life is threatened, the first reaction is to turn around and run, trying to escape the falling long knife and escape from the city!

The private soldiers chased after the crowd, brandishing long knives non-stop.No matter men, women, old or young, they all kill with a raised knife, without any mercy.In order to protect the child, a woman did not hesitate to block the knife with her body, but the villain persisted, pulled the child out of the dead woman's arms, and pierced the chest with a knife.

More and more people died, the blood filled the air, and the crowd fell into complete panic.

As the fire continued to approach, everyone's fear reached its peak. The screams, howls and cries of children rang out together, like a hell on earth.

When rushing towards the city gate, the people who were fighting the fire shouted repeatedly: "Your Highness wants to slaughter the city, why do you put out the fire, run for your life!"

The person in front of him was unknown, so he was still carrying a pole and a bucket, and looked at everyone in astonishment.

"His Royal Highness ordered the massacre of the city? How can this happen?"

Seeing that the other party didn't believe it, he stood in the middle of the road again, and the fleeing people rushed forward and knocked him away.

The man didn't pay attention, and was hit straight, the pole fell to the ground, and the bucket fell.Before he could get up in time, he was trampled by the crowd, and there was no sound in an instant.

"Dalang!"

Seeing this scene, exclamations suddenly sounded.

Seeing his relatives in danger, the man's family immediately rushed forward, and the neighbors who were fighting the fire together got entangled with the hitter.

"open!"

One party desperately wanted to escape from the city, but the other party desperately stopped him, "You still want to leave after killing someone?!"

Anger and fear were intertwined, and the two sides were quickly torn together, as if they were fighting for their lives.

The private soldiers mixed in the crowd, raised their knives and slashed wildly, not forgetting to shout loudly: "Your Highness wants to massacre the city and sacrifice to the late emperor! Run quickly, only by running out can you escape!"

"Stop them and don't let them go, they must be accomplices!"

This statement makes no sense, is fundamentally inconsistent, and cannot withstand scrutiny.But the crowd has long lost their minds, and they can't tell the difference at all, and the situation has fallen into complete chaos.

Fires spread, rumors spread, chaos arose, and panic grew.

Fear to the extreme, everyone suddenly felt a resentment, could not find a way to vent, forced their eyes to turn red, and gradually lost their minds, and with the help of people with good intentions, there was a tendency to form a riot.

What's more, Xiaoxiao took advantage of the lawless opportunity to loot and smash everywhere, snatching gold and silver and hiding them on his body. Relying on his familiarity with the road conditions and no one guarding the gate, he hurried to the gate of the city, wanting to take advantage of the chaos to leave the city, flee south or go west.

The battle at the top of the city was over, and the rebels headed by Xia Houpeng were either killed or captured.

When a fire breaks out in the city, just by looking at the location of the fire, one can tell that someone set the fire on purpose.

Qin Jing made a prompt decision and ordered his soldiers to rush to the city to fight the fire.Unexpectedly, chaos broke out in the fire, and some people took the opportunity to spread rumors and even raised knives to kill people. The people fell into panic and a riot broke out.

"Zhang Lian, Ranhu."

"The servant is here."

"Lead people to the south city and west city to fight the fire. Anyone who causes chaos will be killed immediately!"

"promise!"

It is an extraordinary time and an extraordinary law.

Even if there will be wrongful killings, the first priority is to quell the riots and prevent the chaos from getting worse and worse.

"The head of the city is entrusted to Brother. Brother, you go to the East City."

After saying that, Qin Jing quickly stepped down the city wall, took the reins from the soldiers, jumped on the horse, and personally led the men to clear the North City.

Qin Yu stood at the top of the wall, watched the two brothers leave, turned his gaze to Xia Houpeng, saw that he was also shocked, and he was not half-satisfied, so he couldn't help sneering: "Why is General Xiahou surprised, isn't this the general's plan? "

Xia Houpeng was taken aback for a moment, but when he understood what Qin Yu said, he couldn't help but fly into a rage.Regardless of the wound on his shoulder, he got up and cursed.Kneeling on the ground by the soldiers, he still struggled endlessly and said loudly: "I rebelled and forced Qin Bomian to death. I admit my crime! But I am not a beast, so I will not set fire to Chang'an!"

"Didn't the general give the order?" Qin Yu sneered and raised his eyebrows, not believing it.

Based on Xia Houpeng's actions, this kind of rebuttal is very feeble and not enough to win people's trust.

"you!"

Xia Houpeng was furious, his face flushed red.

He knew that he was bound to die, and the bloodlines of the three races would all be cut off.That being the case, why lie about it? !

After Zhou Yang was captured alive, he sat paralyzed by the side all the time, his face pale, and he remained silent.Hearing Qin Yu and Xia Houpeng's words, he seemed to be touched, suddenly raised his head, and said hoarsely: "Wang Pi."

"What did Zhou Shangshu say?" Qin Yu turned his head.

"Wang Pi, Wang Pi, the attendant of the scattered cavalry." Zhou Yang muttered, his voice suddenly raised, "It was Wang Pi who set the fire! It must be Wang Pi! Damn him! Damn him!"

Xia Houpeng was the first to react, and immediately said loudly: "It's him, it must be him!"

Wang Pi?

Qin Yu frowned tightly, thinking of the confession given by Xia Houduan and the confession obtained during the interrogation of Wang Xiu, without hesitation, he immediately ordered people to rush to the city, find Qin Jing and Qin Jue, and explain the matter at the top of the city.

"Tell brother, you must get the king's skin!"

The soldier took the order, ran down the wall at high speed, rode his horse and swung his whip away.

At this time, Qin Jing was calming down the chaos in Beicheng. He personally killed two private soldiers who caused the chaos.

Some people still didn't believe it, shouted in their mouths, motivating everyone, desperately wanting to rush out.

Qin Jing's face turned cold, and he rode his horse to block the way, put the point of the spear on the leader's forehead, and said word by word: "I did not order the massacre of the city! You are so eager to make trouble, what is the real reason?"

Noticing that the man's expression was different, he subconsciously grabbed his waist.The tip of the gun dropped immediately, tearing open the man's short robe.

There was a sound of gold and silver falling to the ground, everyone took a closer look and found out what the man was hiding, and there was an instant uproar.

"This is a thief!"

"These are thieves!"

"What Your Highness said is true!"

"We were cheated!"

Seeing that something was wrong, the few people who followed the man and wanted to retreat were immediately blocked by the crowd.

Facing the angry faces one after another, several people knew something was wrong, and wanted to speak up to defend themselves, but they were punched hard in the face before half a sentence was finished.

"Fight, kill these damn thieves!"

The accumulated anger and panic finally had an outlet, and the thieves were quickly surrounded by angry crowd, with fists and kicks on their bodies.

The screams went from high to low, until there was no sound at all.

When the crowd dispersed, there were only puddles of flesh and blood on the ground, and no human figure could be seen.

The emotions were vented, and everyone gradually regained their senses.Seeing Qin Jing in Xuanjia, they all showed shame and bowed down.

"Your Highness forgive me!"

"No, it's important to put out the fire."

Everyone responded and rushed to pick up buckets and wooden basins first, and scooped water everywhere to put out the fire.

A fire a few years ago almost destroyed half of Chang'an City.In order to prevent fire hazards, Qin Ce ordered wells to be dug in the lanes of Sicheng. If there are no wells, open channels will be dug and large tanks will be prepared to store water.

When the fire broke out, it was not private soldiers who took the opportunity to create chaos, and the people took water to save themselves. The fire would never have spread so quickly.

Seeing the burned houses, everyone regretted it too.

"It should have occurred to me a long time ago that His Highness loves the people, so how could he be the one who would order the massacre of the city!"

"that is!"

"What's the use of talking about it now, put out the fire quickly, at least a few things can be saved."

There were soldiers organizing and urging them on the sidelines. Everyone was a little confused at first, but soon became orderly. Those who should carry water should carry water, and those who should put out fires should put out fires.

I couldn't lift the bucket or the wooden basin, so I cleaned up the open channels everywhere to ensure that the waterways would not be blocked.Or help out at the well if you can.

The chaos in Beicheng gradually subsided, and the people joined the firefighting team one after another, and the fire was quickly brought under control.

Nancheng and Dongcheng followed closely behind, while Xicheng was slightly slower.

Perhaps it is because there are more Hu people in Xicheng, it is not so easy to control the situation.Fortunately, the one who was sent was Ran Hu, a Xianbei nobleman who had followed Murong Ping in his early years and had his own way of suppressing the Hu people.

As the chaos in the city subsided, the fire began to be brought under control.At the same time, Qin Jing and Qin Jue personally came forward to reassure the people, and the rumors of the massacre of the city were self-defeating.

Qin Jing got a report from a soldier and knew the source of the fire, so he immediately sent cavalry to search for Wang Pi.

"Strictly guard the gates of Chang'an, and don't let anyone out of the city until you get the king's skin."

"promise!"

The cavalry rushed to send messages everywhere, and the north gate and west gate of Chang'an were closed at the same time.The east gate and the south gate were more damaged, so they were guarded by heavy soldiers, and the rebels who had seen Wang Pi were arranged to identify them. If they could make meritorious service, they could avoid death.

The gates of the city were tightly guarded, and entry and exit were strictly restricted, and it was difficult for Wang Pi to fly even with his wings.

In the evening, the cold wind suddenly picked up, and a light rain fell from the sky.

The rain changed from small to large, and fell in a patter.The cold wind swirls, rolling in the rain, and dispelling the last wisps of smoke in the city.

The people fighting the fire breathed a sigh of relief, put down their carrying poles and buckets, and stood in the rain with their heads up, catching the rain with their mouths open.Some even sat down directly on the ground, wiped off the black ashes on their faces, and screamed a few times happily, roaring out the stale air accumulated in their chests.

The soldiers began to clear the battlefield.

Some soldiers rushed to make thin coffins, and the comrades who died in battle were properly buried.The rebels dragged them outside the city, burned them and dug a pit to bury them.Doctors in the city were summoned one after another, especially those who were good at treating trauma and setting bones, and all of them were brought to the barracks to treat the wounded soldiers.

Knowing that there were not enough medicinal materials in the camp, Empress Liu and Concubine Liu Shu put on sarongs, took people back to Gui Palace, and brought out wound medicine and food from the palace.

It goes without saying that the wound medicine is handed over to the doctor.

Grain has other uses.

"Take the big pot at the top of the city, set up firewood to cook porridge, and distribute it to the people."

There is another advantage of doing this, the people in the city can be gathered in batches, if there are rebels hiding among them, they will be caught immediately, making them have nowhere to escape and nowhere to hide.

"In the early years, there were many spies in Wubao. If you want to find out, how can you use less methods?"

Empress Liu and Concubine Liu Shu personally arranged to ensure that there would be no mistakes.Once they got busy, the two of them had no time to think about other things. Although the body was tired, the spirit was much better, and the sadness was also diluted.

Xia Houpeng and Wang Pi never imagined that the cauldron prepared at the top of the city would now have this purpose.

The aroma of rice porridge permeates the air, and the roasted meat is sprinkled in the porridge, which makes the aroma even stronger.

The cavalry scattered into the city and told the people to get porridge from the city gate.

First came the chaos of war, and then the fire. Everyone was exhausted mentally and physically, so they had no intention of lighting a fire to cook.Hearing this, everyone was grateful for the kindness of the Queen and Concubine Shu, and gathered in front of the city gate, waiting in line to receive the porridge.

Jaco had a secret library in the city, and because he dug it underground, he escaped the fire by luck.

Thinking of Huan Rong's order, knowing that he may not be able to stay in Chang'an for a long time, he decided to make another good relationship, take out all the stored food, donate it to Qin Jing for free, and distribute the porridge to the people of Chang'an.

"It's Shopkeeper Jia!"

Some people recognized Jia Ke and saw him driving to deliver food. They couldn't help feeling grateful and praised him for his great kindness.

Jia Ke returned the salute one by one, cupped his hands with a smile, and said: "You don't need to do this, Chang'an suffered such a catastrophe, I just tried my best."

Xia Houpeng raised his troops to rebel, and all the tyrants who refused to follow him were killed, and those who followed him were captured, and now they are being held at the top of the city.As a result, Jia Ke was the only one who delivered the food, and there was not a single local tycoon in Chang'an.

Near midnight, the crowd still hadn't all dispersed.

The cavalry scattered in the city to search, and the people led the way. They quickly found Wang Pi's hiding place and arrested him and two old servants.

Wang Pi wanted to commit suicide, but he couldn't do it when the situation came to an end.

It's ironic to treat others like ants, but it's his turn to cherish his life.

Being dragged out of the hiding place by the cavalry, tied behind the horse's buttocks, and dragged all the way to the city gate, Wang Pi felt even more resentful and cursed at himself.

To this person, Qin Jing didn't want to say a word.

"Take it down, behead it tomorrow, and sacrifice to the late emperor."

Wang Pi was gagged and taken to the camp outside the city, where he was detained together with Wang Xiu.

Seeing his brother who should have escaped, Wang Pi finally showed a trace of panic.

"Brother," Wang Xiu turned his head, his face was dirty, and the corner of his mouth was grinning, showing a strange smile, "See you here, brother, did you expect that?"

The cloth strip in Wang Pi's mouth has been taken away, and he looked at Wang Xiu in disbelief, "Why are you here? Where is fourth brother?"

"Where? Of course he is dead."

Wang Xiu laughed more and more strangely, and slowly approached Wang Pi.Because his hands were tied behind his back and one end was tied outside the fence, the distance he could move was limited, and he finally stopped half a step away from Wang Pi.

"Brother, have you thought about today?"

Wang Pi didn't make a sound.

"The Wang family is gone, gone." Wang Xiu murmured. After being detained for many days and witnessing Xia Houduan's tragic situation, his spirit had long been eroded by despair and panic, and he began to fall into madness. At this moment, his eyes were confused. Modesty look.

"Brother..."

It's okay that Wang Pi didn't make a sound, but suddenly he opened his mouth, as if pressing some kind of switch, Wang Xiu's eyes turned red instantly, regardless of the tightness of the rope, his hand was strangled white, he roared and rushed towards Wang Pi, biting his right hand. Ear.

"what!"

The severe pain hit, Wang Pi screamed and struggled desperately.

Wang Xiu had already fallen into madness, and refused to let go of his mouth. In the end, he bit off Wang Pi's ear, chewed it up and spit it on the ground.

"It was you who caused the extinction of the family. I wish I could drink your blood and eat your flesh!"

Under the severe pain, Wang Pi staggered back.After a few steps, there was a sudden pain in the waist.

It turned out that he didn't pay attention, and just retreated in front of Zhou Yang's two sons.The madness of the two couldn't match Wang Xiu's. Seeing Wang Xiu biting someone, they all followed suit, grabbed Wang Pi's robe corner, and bit him hard on the side of the waist.

"what!"

"open!"

The movement in the fence attracted the attention of the soldiers.

The flames swept across and saw Wang Pi rolling on the ground, bleeding profusely from his ears and waist, the soldiers were about to open the fence immediately.

"Wait first, don't be so anxious." The soldier was stopped by the corporal leader, and he only heard the other party say, "You can't die with a few pieces of meat. If you want me to say, such a disaster should be hacked into pieces. One knife is too cheap for him!"

Thinking of what Wang Pi did, and thinking of the clan brothers who died in battle, the soldiers' expressions darkened, and instead of opening the fence, they stood coldly behind the door, hearing the screams from inside the fence, and felt extremely happy.