Chapter 80: Into the Dangerous City

The one who came to shout the city was a battalion officer named Zheng Guokui under Wu Jianying, who looked simple and simple, but dared to stand alone under Qingpu City, and he was extremely bold and heroic! The Taiping army defending the city was ordered by Gao Yongkuan to let him enter the city, but they did not dare to open the city gate, so they only hung down two thick ropes, let him tie them around his waist, and pulled him up to the city wall alternately.

Gao Yongkuan knew that the people who entered the city at this time, needless to say, were here to persuade them to surrender. But if you think about it, can you survive by surrendering? The last time I fought Shanghai, I was a pioneer, I fought with the Xuan army, and we killed each other, and that's all, the key is the slaughter of Hangzhou, except for Tan Shaoguang, he is the number one in terms of guilt. It is said that Guan Zhuofan tried to kill people in Gaoqiao at the beginning, and he was avenging the people of Hangzhou, but now Guan Zhuofan can spare himself?

Trapped in Qingpu City with him, there are also his sworn brothers, Zhou Wenjia, King of Ning, Wang Youwei, and Zhang Dazhou in the "Nine Tai Sui". After discussing it, several people felt that this matter was too dangerous, and the hope was very slim, so it was better to hold on and wait for the rescue of the loyal king Li Xiucheng and the king of Mu, Tan Shaoguang. Even if you can't keep it in the end, it is nothing more than a death, and your reputation will not fall, it is better than being tied up by Guan Zhuofan to the court to kill your head.

Since this is the case, I don't plan to be polite to the visitor, let's divide the corpse with a knife first, and then use his head to boost morale! Thinking like this, Gao Yongkuan laughed fiercely: "Bring people up!" ”

Zheng Guokui really could hold on, and was escorted in by several soldiers all the way, seeing that the pro-soldiers in the courtyard were all with long knives in their hands, their expressions were not good, and it was obvious that they were going to be unfavorable to themselves, but they still did not change their faces, climbed the stairs, and entered the main hall. I took a picture with a few people in the house. Nor do they salute. Standing there and calmly asked, "Yun Guan, are you going to kill me?" ”

Gao Yongkuan was stunned - Yunguan was his nickname. After taking a closer look, he recognized it, and blurted out: "Fifth uncle, why are you?" ”

Zheng Guokui, like Gao Yongkuan, is a native of Qichun, Hubei, and has been friends since childhood. The two were of similar age, and Gao Yongkuan called him his fifth uncle. It's not really an uncle, but a title from the mother's family.

The two of them successively voted for the Taiping Army, Gao Yongkuan gradually became popular, and he had already been crowned "King Na", and Zheng Guokui had been under Wu Jianying. When Wu Jianying surrendered Guan Zhuofan in February, the news was cut off for half a year, and he didn't know whether he was alive or dead, and now Gao Yongkuan didn't know that Zheng Guokui also surrendered with Wu Jianying.

"I just said that the one who shouted the city was a military attache of the Xuan Army, but I didn't expect it to be you, the fifth uncle." Gao Yongkuan looked at Zheng Guokui. frowned and asked, "Why did you surrender to the officers and soldiers and wear this clothes?" ”

Recognize it. But he didn't sit down, and his tone was not good, which showed that the guard was still there. Zheng Guokui still had that calm expression on his face, and said: "Li Rongfa only takes care of his 'old brothers' in Liangguang, and doesn't treat us Hubei people as human beings, this tone can't be endured, what can I do if I don't do it?" ”

Gao Yongkuan was silent, he knew that what Zheng Guokui said was also the truth, Li Xiucheng's son did have this problem, he started a temper, and sometimes he was really mean to his subordinates who were not from the two Guangzhous.

"Don't talk about him about the past." Gao Yongkuan shook his head, "Fifth uncle, now each is his master, what are you going to do when you come today?" ”

"I saw that you were in a desperate situation, so I begged the commander for this messenger and came to save you!"

"You don't have to say it!" Gao Yongkuan waved his hand and stopped Zheng Guokui's words, "If you want me to surrender, this can't be done." Although I am surrounded here now, as long as His Royal Highness King Zhongwang breaks Jiading, reinforcements will arrive at any time! Fifth uncle, I'll be honest with you, today is your coming, if it were someone else, you would have already been chopped into meat at this moment! I'll have you sent out of the city, and from now on you won't come againβ€”and I won't stop the soldiers if they clamor to kill!" ”

These words were eloquent and impassioned. Zheng Guokui listened, looked around at the few people in the hall, suddenly smiled, and said, "Which one said that he wanted you to surrender?" ”

"Huh? Well? Gao Yongkuan was confused. If it wasn't persuasion, then what was he going to do in the city?

Zheng Guokui dragged a chair over, sat down first, and said with a smile: "Yun Guan, I shouted so loudly that smoke came out of my throat, I will ask you for a cup of tea, and speak slowly." ”

Gao Yongkuan hesitated for a moment, and finally ordered his soldiers to pour tea, and he and Zhou Wenjia also sat down. Zheng Guokui took the teacup, drank it all, wiped his mouth and said: "Yunguan, I will also tell you the truth, the battle has been fought - King Zhong has led people to Suzhou to prepare to aid Tianjing." Now the military on the northern front is presided over by Tan Shaoguang, and the retreat is only a matter of one or two days. ”

This sentence was like a thunderbolt from the sky, and several generals of the Taiping Army were stunned, looking at each other and making no sound.

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Zheng Guokui did not tell a lie, Li Xiucheng left for Suzhou last night.

The battle in Jiading was very stalemate, and Li Hongzhang got Gordon's Second Regiment of Foreign Guns and Liu Mingchuan's Third Battalion of people withdrawn from Qingpu, which was a fresh force of nearly 4,000 people, so he turned the situation back. The Taiping army attacked several times, but the Huai army gritted its teeth and resisted, both sides were very hard, and the casualties were also very heavy, but the Taiping army wanted to go further, but it couldn't.

When the news of the defeat of the Southern Route Army and the capture of Huang Wenjin came, the battle became more and more difficult to fight. When Tan Shaoguang couldn't withstand the pressure of the Xuan army and withdrew north, and at the same time, the Xuan army's partial division began to attack Kunshan. To add insult to injury, Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan has already issued four gold medals in a row, and he is as anxious as a spark, and he wants to summon him back to Tianjing "King Qin"β€”β€”

Zeng Guoquan's more than 20,000 Hunan troops, after gaining a firm foothold in Yuhuatai in Nanjing City, began to dig trenches and besiege the city. The Taiping army on the periphery attacked several times to no avail, and seeing that the length of the trench was increasing day by day, the soldiers and civilians in the "Tianjing" had no choice but to pin their hopes on the loyal king Li Xiucheng.

As a result, Li Xiucheng had to withdraw. He rushed back to Suzhou first, prepared for the affairs of western aid, left Tan Shaoguang on the battlefield in Shanghai, arranged for the whole army to retreat, and made a finish. Therefore, Zheng Guokui said that "the battle is over", which is what he refers to.

Gao Yongkuan has known Zheng Guokui for 20 years, knows his nature, and is a person who never tells lies, so the news he said is about true. And for himself, there is not much difference between true and inaccurate - the dangerous city is lonely, once the Xuan army moves, how long can it last?

Despite this, he was still reluctant to fall on the shelf, and said stubbornly: "We have brotherly righteousness and worship with King Mu, and he will definitely send troops to save Qingpu." ”

Zheng Guokui heard him hold on like this, deliberately didn't answer first, and was cold for a long time before he said slowly: "You 'Nine Tai Sui', the righteousness is true, but Tan Shaoguang is the 'old brother' from Guangxi, do you dare to guarantee that he has you as a Hubei guy in his eyes?" Yun Guan, let me tell you the truth, don't blame me - if he said that he could come to the rescue, why did he abandon the city in the first place? ”

This rhetorical question, irrefutable, shattered Gao Yongkuan's remaining zuihou illusions, and he sighed dejectedly, and said: "That's a big deal to burn the jade in Qingpu City, anyway, even if we surrender Guan Zhuofan, there is no way to live." ”

"Yun Guan, you didn't hear what I said just now." Zheng Guokui said word by word, "Which one wants you to surrender?" ”

"That's right!" Gao Yongkuan seemed to see a glimmer of hope again, "Fifth uncle, what is he going to do?" ”

"Several of your brothers are here, let me say it bluntly, Guan Dashuai is going to take you and exchange a few people!"

"For whom?"

"The three foreigners in your hands, as well as the captured officers and soldiers." Zheng Guokui finally said his intention, "As long as you hand over someone, Guan Dashuai promised to let your whole army out of the city, and there will be no difficulties." ”

This condition can be said to be unfavorable, but Gao Yongkuan listened to it, but he was silent.

"What, Yun Guan, is there anything difficult about it?"

"The three foreigners were escorted back to Suzhou on the same day." Gao Yongkuan said in a low voice, "I have to write a letter to King Zhong, and he is willing to let him go." ”

"King Zhong will definitely be willing." Zheng Guokui gestured with his hand and said with great confidence, "In this room alone, there are two kings and two heavenly generals, of course they can be exchanged!" ”

"And the thirty-four captives of the Xuan Army......" Gao Yongkuan hesitated for a moment before he said with difficulty: "I have already killed them." ”

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(This chapter is written quickly, first.) There is also a single chapter in the evening, and I am ready to break out in the past two days~)

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(On Mondays, ask for a vote count.) οΌ‰

*(To be continued......)