The light rain was like a crisp, and outside the city of Taiyuan Prefecture, the soldiers and horses of the Ming army of various battalions and units were deploying in an orderly manner in their predetermined positions. The Shun army cleared the field twenty miles in advance, demolished the houses and sheep and horse walls, and all the troops retreated to the city, seemingly ready for the final decisive battle.

Three days ago, the two armies of Zhao Dangshi and Guo Ruke swept through Jinzhong and arrived at Taiyuan Fucheng, where the camp of Emperor Li Zicheng of Dashun was located. Yesterday, Guang Wenlu, who pacified the southeast of Jin, also led the army to arrive, and the three armies converged, with more than 70,000 people, and cut off all the traffic outside the Taiyuan Mansion City, just waiting for the siege.

Zhao Dangshi stationed in Ma and looked at the Taiyuan Mansion City standing in the drizzle, and his eyes stopped at the top of the fluttering "Shun" word for a long time. Guo Ruke and Guang Wenlu accompanied him, equally silent. Their absence from speaking does not mean that they are silent and negative, on the contrary, they try to suppress the hottest flame that is beating in the depths of their hearts, to ensure that it can burst out unreservedly at the most opportune time.

"At present, there are only a few battalions to arrive, and it is still necessary to arrange for a day. At the latest, the whole army could be engaged in the siege. For a long time, Guang Wenlu looked at Zhao Dangshi, whose face was like a mountain.

Zhao Dangshi nodded slightly, and then asked, "Are bird guns, artillery, etc. available?" ”

Guo Ruke replied: "Don't worry, my lord, there is nothing wrong with this little rain." He added, "From Pingyang Mansion all the way to here, hundreds of miles in a row, along the way, the thieves fought and lost one after another, and there was almost no enemy." It is expected that no matter how low morale is, it will not be so weak. The only thing that makes sense can only be that all its elites were basically killed and wounded in the battle of Yumendu, and there are still 20,000 or 30,000 people on the surface, but there are probably not many people who can fight inside. ”

Guang Wenlu said: "Exactly, it can be seen from Li Chuang's move to withdraw all the field troops in the suburbs into the city that he has no heart to fight with our army. "Talking and laughing, "The thief Ma Jun is known as fierce, but now he would rather choose to shrink out, which is really a big joke." ”

Zhao Dangshi said in a deep voice: "The thieves are too fast, and the defeat is too fast." Rushed for months, the foundation is not strong. It's like the castle in the sky, when the glitz of the upper floor fades, the lower floor is empty, and there is nothing. ”

Guo Ruke nodded and said: "What the lord said is very true, our army has been dormant for several years, and it seems that it is full of patrols, but sharpening the knife is not wrong for chopping wood, and the tenacity is revealed." The thieves could not turn over after a few defeats, and our army was the opposite. Not to mention the nearly 100,000 soldiers here on the Shanxi front, Shaanxi, Huguang, Sichuan and other places, there are more than 100,000 reserve united soldiers who have stayed behind and raised the Yamen, and they are all athletes who have been trained tirelessly. I think that even if this battle is fought for another ten years, our army will be able to do it with ease. ”

Zhao Dangshi said: "The short-term war is in the soldiers, and the long-term war is in the wealth of the country." Li Chuang's foundation is only a few provinces in two or three provinces, how can he compete with my Ming Dynasty. Now there is only a corner of Taiyuan Mansion left, and there is no possibility of repeating. The destruction of the thieves is a certainty. ”

Guo Ruke continued: "I listened to Mr. Gu talk about history, borrowed the past to discuss the present, and said that Li Chuang can be described as Chen Youliang, eager for quick success and quick profit, in a vain attempt to swallow the world in one bite, but in the end he was inevitably beaten back to his original form by a big defeat. He also said that the lord is the reincarnation of Taizu, pursuing the strategy of accumulating grain and raising troops to repair the city, not slow, step by step, with the right path of peace and stability, and the direction is unstoppable, until the group of ugliness is swept away. ”

Zhao Dangshi shook his head and said: "Mr. Gu is open-mouthed, how can I be comparable to Emperor Taizu Wu, this kind of talk will not be mentioned in the future." ”

Guo Ruke and Guang Wenlu glanced at each other, and saw that there were only a few old brothers such as Zhou Wenhe left and right, so they dismounted one after another, bowed to Zhao Dangshi and said: "Lord, the bright room is dark and visible to the naked eye. Li Chuang is about to be destroyed, and the destiny of heaven is in my Song, so it is better to plan as soon as possible. With that, he knelt down and kowtowed a few times.

Zhao Dangshi exclaimed: "Why do you say this? ”

The two got up, and Guo Ruke approached the horse and said: "Recently, there have been folk songs circulating, saying that Emperor Taizu Wu originally sank the boat to murder King Han and Song Xiaoming, so he stole Song Zuo for nearly three hundred years, and now the gas is about to run out, and the unification should be returned to Song." The lord's surname is Zhao, and he is more inherited from the Song Dynasty than King Xiaoming, and his name is 'the world', which is more faintly meaningful, isn't it the will of heaven? ”

Zhao Dangshi smiled bitterly: "I don't think you two can think of these words, they should come from Mr. Gu's mouth, right?" This Mr. Gu, it's just a matter of talking about history and books, how can he still see the stitches and spread private goods, I have to say a few words to him when I go back. ”

Guo Ruke said frankly: "Although Mr. Gu mentioned it first, we all know it. In the humble opinion of his subordinates, he can take this opportunity to repair the family tree of the lord and connect the last descendants of the Song family to show orthodoxy. ”

Guang Wenlu also nodded yes.

Just when Zhao Dangshi was quite stunned, Pang Jinming came to the front by wading on a horse from the left and said, "Lord, there is something important." At the same time, he lowered his voice and said a few words to Zhao Dangshi.

Zhao Dangshi said solemnly: "I know, you go first." ”

Pang Jinming looked at Guo Ruke and Guang Wenlu suspiciously, and went by himself.

Zhao Dangshi turned his horse's head around and sighed: "The thieves and the northern captives are undecided, everything is too early. I can save the thoughts of the two of you, but the priority is not here, the power is important, and you must not chew on such words in the future. Then he said, "The matter of arranging the formation, you two should keep an eye on it, don't delay, I still have something to do, go first." ”

Guo Ruke and Guang Wenlu agreed to see Zhao Dangshi and the others ride away, both with a look of joy on their faces.

According to Pang Jinming's words, Zhao Dangshi went out of the siege position, galloped to the southwest of Fucheng with more than ten horses, and soon arrived at Hanging Urn Mountain.

The mountains and forests are verdant, and the drizzle is fluttering. Zhao Dangshi met Pang Jinming at the foot of the mountain and asked, "Are people on it?" ”

"Yes, along the mountain road, you can see the Ten Mile Pavilion. His subordinates found out that he was the only one waiting in the pavilion. ”

Zhao Dangshi has a good reputation, leaving Pang Jinming, Zhou Wenhe and other more than ten to ride at the foot of the mountain, and walk to the mountain on foot.

The mountain road is flat, it is not muddy to walk, the Berlin road on both sides, the forest canopy is like a cover, lush and green, and everything you can see is green at a glance. There are mountain streams along the road, the water of the stream is crystal clear, and there are countless pebbles of various colors. Raindrops fall, sparsely falling, and occasional waves splash. The mountain light and birds are singing, and the atmosphere is refreshing.

Walking across a section of wooden bridge, there is an octagonal ten-mile pavilion standing near the stream. A person in the pavilion was sitting with his back to each other wearing a cloak, but Zhao Dangshi's heart tightened, and his steps unconsciously slowed down.

"Here we are."

Approaching the kiosk, the cloaked man, who could hear the footsteps, stood up and turned around. The rain and dew swept across his weather-beaten cheeks, leaving slippery stains, and he nodded at Zhao Dangshi as if he was smiling.

"Breaking the King......

The old things of the past instantly came to his mind, and Zhao Dangshi couldn't help but exhale softly.

"Sit down." Li Zicheng's expression was a little haggard, and his voice was a little hoarse, but between his gestures, he still had the spirit of a dragon and a tiger.

"King Chuang...... "......Zhao Dangshi sat down with him, and he didn't know what to call for a while.

"You and I are brothers." Li Zicheng smiled, "Xi'an and Beijing have been lost, and Dashun has long been gone." ”

Zhao Dangshi sighed and said, "Brother Li, I won't see you here if I don't want you." ”

Li Zicheng looked at the rain curtain outside the pavilion and said, "Since the defeat of Yumen, I know that this day will come after all. ”

Zhao Dangshi said solemnly: "Brother Li, you and my brother, even if the swords and soldiers meet, it is for the sake of state affairs." I will never forget your kindness to me. With a solemn face, "Now that nearly 100,000 of our army will attack Taiyuan Fucheng, the younger brother implores the eldest brother to stop making useless resistance." Not only for themselves, but also for the soldiers of the department. The younger brother guarantees his life, and he will definitely save the lives of the eldest brother and the soldiers. The younger brother's disposition in Xi'an, the eldest brother must also know. ”

"I know." Li Zicheng said lightly, and then coughed lightly, "Since I started the incident, I have been dominating the world for more than ten years, killing countless dog officials and vassal kings, and burning countless warehouses and mansions. My brother can say what he said to save my life, which shows his heart. Then he shook his head and said, "But the word surrender, he Ma Shouying, Luo Rucai, Zhang Xianzhong and others can do it, but I Li Zicheng can't do it." ”

Zhao Dangshi couldn't bear to say: "Why should the eldest brother be persistent. ”

Li Zicheng said: "Life in the world, only fame and profit, I don't seek profit, but fame." If you can't have both your name and your life, you just give your life. He asked rhetorically, "Brother Zhao, if this thing were reversed, would you surrender?" ”

Zhao Dangshi sighed: "Little brother understands. ”

Li Zicheng got up suddenly, and the loud voice ran through the mountains and forests, and said: "Everyone says that I, Li Chuang, am happy and greedy for fame and fortune, and I have been fighting for more than ten years just to climb the golden dragon chair and pass the addiction of being an emperor." But who knows, I don't want to be the emperor myself, but I want to find a way out for my brothers. Speaking of this, he laughed to himself in vain, "It's a pity that no one believed these words when they said them ten years ago, and now they say them, and no one believes them." ”

Zhao Dangshi said: "Since the eldest brother thinks about the brothers who broke into the camp, why should he resist surrendering, he only gave 20,000 or 30,000 lives in vain. It's not that the younger brother is boastful and complacent, now the strength and weakness are clear, as long as Taiyuan starts fighting, the eldest brother will have no chance of winning. In the past few days, the besieging Ming army has continued to shoot arrows with letters of persuasion into the city, trying their best to tell the benefits and harms, and Li Zicheng is certainly no stranger.

But when Li Zicheng heard this, he laughed.

Zhao Dangshi thought he was not convinced, and said: "Big brother, it's okay to laugh, little brother is just telling the truth." ”

Li Zicheng shook his head and said: "I don't believe it, but I really think of the past when you and I first met, and I just sighed." After a pause, he continued, "The past is like smoke, it has come to this point, and it is useless to bring it up again." But to tell you the truth, I'm here to ask you for a favor. Don't miss the old things, just look at the brotherhood between you and me. ”

Zhao Dangshi also stood up and said, "The eldest brother said that as long as the younger brother can do it." ”

"My brother advised me to surrender, for my own sake, I will never surrender. However, when it comes to the great affairs of the whole army, if I die, my brethren in my camp will fight to the death to avenge it. Brother said, it's just death. I don't want to see such a scene, only if I don't die can I save them. ”

"That's what Big Brother said."

"Although most of the soldiers and horses in my city are unbearable, there are still thousands of elite horsemen, led by Li Guo and Gao Yigong. Rather than let them die here, at the hands of their own people, it is better for them to find another world and find the meaning of continuing to serve their lives. ”

When Zhao Dangshi heard this, he was shocked, especially the words "died in the hands of his own people", which pierced his heart word by word.

"Breaking into the camp and fighting with Daming for more than ten years, after all, it was the snipe and the clam that competed, allowing outsiders to take advantage. Since it is difficult to become the master of the Han family without the mandate of heaven to revitalize the foundation of the Han family, I do not want to become a sinner for thousands of years, so that my Han people will suffer and leave a stench for thousands of years. Although I am rude, I still understand this righteousness. ”

Zhao Dangshi said angrily: "The words of the eldest brother are deafening. With this insight, the younger brother admires. Then he said tentatively with a little doubt, "But what is the eldest brother's plan?" Li Zicheng made it clear that he would never surrender, but he had to leave his life to avoid the anger of the soldiers who broke into the camp, and the two seemed to be contradictory in Zhao Dangshi's view.

"I think about it, only in this way can I take care of my name, can Li Guo become Li Chixin, Gao Yigong can become Gao Bizheng, and tens of thousands of soldiers can end up." Li Zicheng said as he reached out and lifted off his cloak. Zhao Dangshi stared at it, and couldn't help but look stunned, but when he saw that Li Zicheng's head was full of green silk, his head was bare, and he seemed to have already shaved his face.

"From now on, there will be no king Li Zicheng in the world, only the monk Fengtianyu of Wutai Mountain. You and I will never see each other again. ”

Li Zicheng's hands were slowly folded, his canopy swayed lightly in the breeze, and the sharpness of the past had faded, and what remained seemed to be only a trace of kindness and stability in the corners of his eyes.