(There has been something going on in the past two days, and there is only one shift today.) Thank you all for your continued support! Speechless will always work hard! Everyone is welcome to join the discussion group and discuss the storyline together. ）

"But no, if he hadn't withdrawn quickly, we would have taken him down in Jiujiang!"

"That's it, this time I have to cut off the head surnamed Liu!"

Seeing that everyone looked like a light enemy, Yao Qisheng hurriedly reminded on the side.

"Although the Qing captives of this Ningxia town are not adapted to the water and soil in the south of the Yangtze River, and most of them are plagued by diseases, but in the end it is the elite of the Qing captives, and Liu Fangming is also a Qing captive general, and now it is necessary to take some effort to defend the city according to the city, after all, the high walls of this Wuchang city are solid, even if the city wall is broken, if the Qing captives in Ningxia Town are stubbornly resistant, who wins and who loses is still between the two."

Li Ziyuan also said.

"What Xi Zhi said is extremely true, now Liu Fangming and others can be said to be trapped beasts fighting, and we must be mentally prepared for a vicious battle, and we must not be careless. Today, let's talk about it roughly, after the siege of the city, how to fight, I don't need to say much, in a word, sweeping away the remnants of the enemy must be fast and ruthless, once a little breakthrough, when attacking the city, we must not give the Qing army a chance to breathe......"

After emphasizing the precautions for attacking the city, Li Ziyuan added.

"For now, take Wuchang City completely. After entering the city, the brothers must strictly enforce military discipline, one is not allowed to set fire, two is not allowed to plunder, and three is not allowed to harm the people, you must know that Wuchang City will be our foundation in the future, and the people here are also the people of my Ming Dynasty, so they must be cared for. ”

For Li Ziyuan, who already regarded Wuchang as his own foundation, he naturally needed to emphasize military discipline, unlike the Qing army, which completely burned the outer city in order to defend the city. This is related to whether he can win the hearts of the people in the future.

When the generals heard the order, they all stood up and spoke.

"Yes, we will do as we are told."

The next day, the soldiers of the attacking force began to dig tunnels in the outer city of Wuchang that was burned into ruins, and the artillery on the nearby mountains continued to fire into the city, for Liu Fangming in the city, many years of conquest made him guess from the sound of artillery that the Ming army had begun to prepare for the siege, knowing that it had not been long for him, lying on the couch listening to the sound of the cannons, the whole person fell into contemplation.

After thinking for a long time, Liu Fangming struggled to sit up, and when the maid helped him up, he instructed the house slave beside him.

"Quick, go and ask Kong Chaoqin to come over."

Kong Chaoqin is Liu Fangming's staff, the Kong family has been the Qing clan of the Ming Dynasty for generations, after the Qing clan was destroyed by the Liukou, Kong Chaoqin has been displaced in Ningxia, making a living from private acquaintance, until Liu Fangming quelled the Ningxia rebellion, he was recruited into the scene, so that he can be regarded as settling down, Kong Chaoqin has contributed a lot to it over the years, and Liu Fangming has also relied on it a lot, which will make him drink tea and read a book, lying on the recliner is quite leisurely and complacent.

For Kong Chaoqin, since the grain and grass in this city were burned a few days ago, he knew that this city would not last long. The reason why he is so leisurely and contented at this time. It is precisely because of this awareness.

On the other hand, of course. He felt that he had no power to return to heaven, and he was also powerless against the current situation. So instead of worrying, it's better to get by.

Kong Chaoqin, who was sipping tea and reading a book, heard that after the Lord of the Military Gate summoned him, he first pondered for a moment, and then sighed. Finally, after packing up a little, he went to the back house, and stayed in the bedroom of the military gate, and after the domestic slave reported, he heard the words of the military gate coming from the room.

"But Yunlin has arrived, come in quickly."

Kong Chao hurriedly walked into the house, but as soon as he entered the house, he saw Liu Fangming get up and say.

"Yunlin, please at this time, there is really something important, I am disturbed, I am disturbed."

The politeness of the military gate made Kong Chaoqin hurriedly salute and said.

"If there is something in the military gate, just summon someone Kong, why do you need to be so polite, you should obey the orders of the military gate."

Liu Fangming's politeness made Kong Chaoqin vaguely mean, this time I am afraid that he must have encountered something embarrassing, and what else can he be embarrassed about now?

Liu Fangming, who was sitting on the bed, asked him to sit down, then looked at Kong Chaoqin and said:

"You and I are friends, not subordinates, how can there be subordinates under friends?"

For readers, especially talented readers, Liu Fangming can be said to have great respect, and the same is true for Kong Chaoqin. The subordinate made tea for Kong Chaoqin, and after retreating, Liu Fangming said.

"I heard that you have returned to the heart of the hidden forest again?"

The question of the military gate made Kong Chaoqin nod and said.

"When I first withdrew to Wuchang, I wanted to return to Ningxia because of this unsuitable water and soil, but at that time, the crisis was everywhere, and the military gate was kind to the subordinates, and naturally I could not abandon the military gate in the lower parts, so I could only help the military gate in Wuchang to barely maintain. Now Wuchang is surrounded by the Ming army on all sides, the crisis is so, even if there is the ability to pass through the sky, it can't do anything, this Wuchang can't be saved, rather than so, it is better to go home and be my free people. ”

Kong Chaoqin said it directly, without even the slightest concealment, without concealing his true thoughts at all - now that the situation is in crisis, he is powerless, rather than this, he should go home and be a flat-headed citizen. If someone else said this, I am afraid that Liu Fangming would be angry, but when he heard Kong Chaoqin say this, he just nodded, then looked at him and said:

"Since Mr. went out of the mountain to help me, Ningxia local party has been maintained, the society has been stabilized, and then helped me pacify the bandits in Ningxia, Mr. can be said to be indispensable, originally I wanted to recommend Mr. to enter the court as an official, but Mr. did not decide to enter the court......

Looking at Kong Chaoqin, Liu Fangming's tone was extremely sincere, there are very few people like Kong Chaoqin in this world who are not greedy for power.

Seeing Liu Fangming mention the old things, Kong Chaoqin said.

"Back then, the military gate promised to be in the bottom, and the people who were trying to do it were only for the safety of the people of Ningxia, and the reason why they helped the army was also for the fathers and elders of Ningxia. And not to make a fortune as an official. This time, the military gate moved to another province, and the younger brother came here with the military gate, which has violated his original wishes, and today's crisis is so that it is beyond the power of manpower to save it, and the younger brother can only be selfish and plot for himself. ”

This is exactly where Liu Fangming admires him, when he invited Kong Chaoqin to go out of the mountain, he said that it was to return the people of Ningxia to stability, so that Kong Chaoqin entered his shogunate, and Kong Chaoqin also had three chapters with him, and this time he came to Wuchang to violate his original vow. Last year, in order to keep him in Wuchang, Liu Fangming even said that the soldiers and guest troops of Ningxia Town stationed in Wuchang will definitely hurt the local people, and ask him to stay in Wuchang to help him for the safety of the people of Wuchang.

Even if he left, Liu Fangming couldn't say anything. He has already done his duty. After all, the two had an appointment in advance.

"Mr. went out of the mountain for the people of Ningxia back then, and today Mr. wants to leave this place and stay out of the matter, but half of the soldiers in Ningxia Town are also from Ningxia, Mr. ignores Liu, does he not care about the lives of 20,000 brothers in Ningxia Town?"

Liu Fangming, who knew that it was difficult to recover his thoughts, had to look at him and said.

"Now Wuchang is surrounded by the Ming army, once the Ming army breaks the city, the lives of more than 10,000 green battalion brothers in Ningxia Town are still unknown, but those who enter the Han army flag will definitely be killed by them, and please save our lives!"

At this time, Liu Fangming's posture was very low, and his tone even carried the meaning of pleading, so Kong Chaoqin was speechless for a while, he looked at Liu Fangming, looking at the thin face that was tortured by the disease,

"If the military gate intends to save everyone's lives, the only way to do this is to return to the Ming army!"

Return to the Ming Army!

In Kong Chaoqin's view, this is the only choice for Liu Fangming and others, but before that he did not make this suggestion, for him who had already given birth to the heart of retreat, staying in Wuchang was just to maintain the local people of Wuchang from being disturbed by soldiers, before the Ming army's westward expedition, he did not offer advice for Liu Fangming to help him defend the city, and now he can also not make a plan to make him surrender, this is his way of life.

But now that Liu Fangming asked him, he naturally said his only choice.

"Return to ......"

With a wry smile, Liu Fangming shook his head and said.

"From Mr.'s point of view, with Liu's past trip, how can he return to the Ming army, even if he returns to the Ming army, how can he use it?"

Liu Fangming's rhetorical question made Kong Chaoqin silent for a while, indeed, maybe when he went out of the mountain to help pacify Ningxia, he had been promised by him not to slaughter a city or a town, but before that, slaughtering a city was a common thing, if he entered the Ming Dynasty as an official, he would definitely have an official to investigate the matter in the future, and when the time came, not to mention Liu Fangming himself, even his subordinates may not be able to do it carefully.

Kong Chaoqin, who has been a vassal king for generations, naturally knows the history of the Ming officials, maybe they don't have the ability to govern the country, but the impeachment of the officials and generals of the DPRK and China is never polite, not to mention that he is a Ming general like Liu Fangming, who was demoted first to the Qing Dynasty and then to the Ming Dynasty. It's no wonder he's worried about this.

Seeing that Kong Chaoqin was silent, Liu Fangming continued.

"It's not that I don't want to surrender, but this Ming ...... Mr. knows that if someone investigates what Liu did in the past in the future, it will be Liu himself, but Liu can't help but consider the other generals in this army, what they did at the beginning was all under Liu's orders, how can Liu cause them to blame the court for Liu's fault in the future? ”

Liu Fangming's words are all for the sake of others, but Kong Chaoqin knows that he is not worried about other people, he is still worried about himself, and he is worried about the Liu family. As for the others, they are just an excuse, if the court does not pursue others, it will naturally not pursue the Liu family.

However, Kong Chaoqin did not break his mind, but just sat there silently, holding the teacup with one hand, pinching the lid of the cup with the other, but did not open the teacup, just sitting there, Kong Chaoqin thought a lot, he kept thinking about all kinds of possibilities, but no matter from any angle to find a solution, there was no way to save Liu Fangming, if it was possible, of course he hoped that Liu Fangming could return to the Ming Dynasty, although now Qing Fan is no longer there, but he has been a servant of Qing Fan for generations, In his bones, he still agrees that the Ming Dynasty is the orthodoxy of China, and as for the Manchu Qing, it is just a barbarian.

But for a while, Kong Chaoqin couldn't find the slightest way to protect Liu Fang's name.

There's really no way!

Even if he surrenders to the Ming Dynasty now, it is difficult to guarantee the future. In the future, when the Ming Dynasty is in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, if there is no courtier to pursue it, he Liu Fangming will naturally be able to live a stable life, but how can there be no official in order to get ahead, and impeach him with Liu Fang's name, so as to exchange for personal utilitarianism.

Kong Chaoqin understands the nature of speech officials, and Liu Fangming also understands that most of the speech officials are not of high rank, or even very low, but their political status is extremely prominent. They are free to impeach any dignitary with impunity. And the reward for the speaker can be described as quite generous! If the admonition and impeachment are successful, the speaker can often ascend to the sky in one step. It is precisely because of this that the speech officials will "hear about the matter", and they will make a name for themselves by admonishing the emperor and impeaching their colleagues. Anyway, their admonition and impeachment are at no cost, but once they succeed, they can be promoted, so how can they let Liu Fangming go? Let go of a bad general like Liu Fang's name as a stepping stone to his advancement?

No one will let go of such a stepping stone!

Seeing Kong Chaoqin holding a teacup like this, Liu Fangming, who knew that he must be thinking about it, stared at him with blank eyes, waiting for him to come up with a way to save him from his current predicament, for him, he never believed in the past, after all, he had used the same four words to recruit many traitors, but in the end he said "the past is not to blame", but at the same time he killed those people, "Only the dead can not blame the past".

Finally, when he took a sip of tea, put down the teacup and looked at Liu Fangming, and was about to say to him that he couldn't help it, Liu Fangming's sick face made Kong Chaoqin's heart move, and a sentence suddenly appeared in his mind, the sentence that Liu Fangming often said.

"Only the dead can be blameless!"

Only a dead person can not blame the past, silently reciting this sentence in his heart, Kong Chaoqin stared at Liu Fangming, looked at his sick face, thinking about the "past is not to blame" that he said when he surrendered those rebels, and suddenly asked rhetorically.

"How is Junmen's health lately?"

The reason why Kong Chaoqin asked this question was because he had his plan. And after Liu Fangming heard him say this, he immediately understood something. He looked at Kong Chaoqin and said.

"What do you mean......"

In fact, there is no need for Kong Chaoqin to continue. Liu Fangming also knew what he meant?

What he meant couldn't have been clearer. It's nothing more than that, thinking of this, Liu Fangming fell silent, is there really only this choice?

"Junmen, there is no better choice now. After all, what you need to protect now is the Liu family, and if you want to keep the Liu family, I'm afraid this is the only choice. Otherwise, I'm afraid ......"

Liu Fangming nodded, and then said.

"Let me think again, think about ......"