Xie Junbao kept staring at Li Zicheng, his lips moved several times, and finally he couldn't help it, this person occupied his seat, not to mention, even the entire Nanyang City, "You are the Grand Governor of the Heavenly Mandate Army?" ”

"Exactly, I don't know what the prefect has to say?" Li Zicheng has a good impression of Xie Junbao, as a civilian official, at the critical moment when the enemy is attacking the city, it is rare to be able to walk up to the city in person regardless of the danger, Xie Junbao is not like an official of the Ming Dynasty, but more like an official of the Mandate of Heaven!

"I don't dare to see the sect, it's just a general of the defeated army," Xie Junbao sighed softly, "However, the Heavenly Mandate Army used the people to cause chaos in the city before taking Nanyang City......" He shook his head with a look of contempt.

"The prefect is a civilian official, so he shouldn't know the art of war, right?" Li Zicheng laughed, "Soldiers, treacherous ways are also ...... Surprise, itself is part of the war," turning his gaze to Ma Shile, "just like a horse general, knowing that he is invincible, when he escapes, there is nothing wrong with changing into the clothes of the people, right?" ”

Ma Shile blushed and lowered his head unconsciously, Xie Junbao glared at Ma Shile fiercely, and muttered, "If it weren't for this waste ......"

"Is the prefect saying that if you continue to resist, the governor of Pontus will not be able to take Nanyang City?" Li Zicheng said: "It's just an increase in casualties in vain, General Ma Shen is a person who understands, knows that he can't do anything, in order to reduce casualties, lay down his arms, it's not a shame!" ”

"Since you have eaten the court's money, you should be loyal to the court!" Although Xie Junbao is a civil official, he is more stubborn than the general, "If you are greedy for life and afraid of death, you should not have joined the army in the first place, as a general in the city, you will either defend the city or die in the ......."

Li Zicheng smiled indifferently and said, "In this way, the prefect is preparing to die in the city?" ”

"Nanyang City is broken, and this official should be martyred," Xie Junbao paused suddenly, hesitated for a moment, but said to Li Zicheng: "This official never asks for people, and after today, he has the cheekiness to beg the metropolitan governor, and begged the metropolitan governor to spare the people in the city......"

"Why?" Li Zicheng stared at Xie Junbao's eyes and said, "Since you decided to die in the city, you will die a hundred times, what do the people in the city have to do with you?" Besides, you are a prisoner of war of the Providence Army, so why should the Pontus grant your request? ”

Xie Junbao's lips twitched, he thought for a moment, and said: "This official is the highest official in the city, Nanyang City is lost, this official can only apologize for his crime with death, but God has the virtue of a good life......"

"Don't tell the Governor of Pontus these words of sages, the Governor of Pontus has little reading, he doesn't understand these truths, and he doesn't want to understand these empty truths," Li Zicheng interrupted Xie Junbao's words, paused, and said: "The Governor of Pondu only knows benefits, you begged the Governor of Pontus to spare the people in the city, what benefits can you give to the Governor of Pontus?" In exchange, perhaps the governor of Pontus could spare the people of the city! ”

Xie Junbao lowered his head, obviously trying his best to think deeply, but after a while, he shook his head, "This official is incompetent and can't give you the benefits you want." ”

Li Zicheng said: "Do you know what benefits the Governor of Pontus needs? ”

"What the rogues need is nothing more than money, food and women...... Xie Junbao shook his head and sighed: "This official can't give you these, if the governor refuses to let go of the people in the city, this official ...... In the future, the court will avenge the people in the city, and the days of the Mandate of Heaven Army will not last long! ”

Li Zicheng laughed and said: "The governor of Pontus has a way to exchange the safety of the people in the city, I wonder if the prefect is willing to sacrifice himself for the people?" ”

"This official ......" Xie Junbao raised his head and said, "This official is a person who is about to die, I don't know what I can do for the Grand Duke?" ”

"Sacrifice the flag!" Li Zicheng said lightly: "Since the prefect has the determination to die, it is better to make some contributions to the people in the end, if the prefect leaves his life and lets the Heavenly Mandate Army sacrifice the flag, the governor of Pontus will really let the people in the city go." ”

"Can the Metropolitan really spare the people in the city?" Although Xie Junbao heard the gongs and drums of the Heavenly Mandate Army and the words of the soldiers on the street, he didn't believe it at all, this must be the Heavenly Mandate Army deceiving the people, "Isn't it for the money and grain in the city that you lost your troops and will take Nanyang City?" If you let the people go, won't you work in vain? ”

"It's not in vain," Li Zicheng said in his heart, at least let the people of Nanyang City know about the existence of the Heavenly Mandate Army, "Actually, the people are poor, how much food do they have at home?" If the prefect agrees to leave his life and let the Mandate of Heaven Army sacrifice the flag in the city, the Governor of Pontus will let the people in the city go, what's the matter, it's all death anyway, but the reputation is worse than ......"

Xie Junbao was not at ease, "Then you ...... attack the city"

"Naturally, it's for money and food," Li Zicheng said with a smile: "You are the prefect of Nanyang, so you will naturally know where the money and grain in the city are mainly concentrated!" ”

Xie Junbao hesitated for a moment and said, "Tang Wangfu? ”

"That's right, Tang Wangfu," Li Zicheng's face turned cold, and said: "Tang Wangfu is not engaged in farming, but it occupies a lot of money and grain, they shouldn't belong to ordinary people, right?" According to the Governor of Pontus, they are completely parasites of the Ming Dynasty, if the Governor of Pontus copied the Tang Palace, will the court thank the Governor of Pontus? ”

Ma Shile's body was shocked, and he glanced at Xie Junbao, but he didn't speak, Xie Junbao sighed, knowing that he couldn't stop the Heavenly Mandate Army, shook his head slightly, and said, "They are the royal relatives of the clan, the emperor's relatives......"

"The governor of Pontus doesn't care about any relatives of the emperor," Li Zicheng smiled coldly, and asked his soldiers to take Xie Junbao down, but said to Xie Junbao: "Lord Prefect, now you are already a member of the Heavenly Mandate Army, eat and drink enough, and wait for the Pontus Governor to sacrifice the flag!" ”

Xie Junbao sighed, his eyes lost their light for a moment, he lowered his head and followed his own soldiers, came to the door, turned around and glanced at Li Zicheng, just shook his head and said nothing.

Li Zicheng waited for Xie Junbao to leave the small hall, and only now turned his gaze to Ma Shile, "General Ma is a person who knows current affairs, and the governor of Pontus likes such people!" ”

"Dadu Governor ......" Ma Shile's body trembled, not knowing what Li Zicheng meant exactly, and his eyes flickered.

"General Ma Shen don't have to worry, the governor of Pontus doesn't like to kill people," Li Zicheng said lightly: "However, the governor of Pontus also has to give an explanation to the brothers who were killed and wounded, after all, they are prisoners of war, and if they want to live, they must make meritorious contributions to the Mandate of Heaven Army!" ”

"Meritorious?" Ma Shile said cautiously: "I don't know how the villain can make meritorious contributions to the Metropolitan Governor......"

"There are many ways to make meritorious contributions," Li Zicheng glanced at Ma Shile, although he didn't like such a character very much, but the Heavenly Mandate Army would have to leave Nanyang City sooner or later, and some things would depend on him, just like the Taoist Inspector Li Zhiqiang, he would use it if he could, "The next move of the Heavenly Mandate Army is to attack the Tang Palace, I don't know if General Ma Shen can help?" ”

"Tang Wangfu?" Ma Shile hesitated for a moment, but bowed down and said: "The villain has a few acquaintances in the palace, but now that the palace is surrounded and isolated from the inside and outside, the villain really can't contact them......"

Li Zicheng snorted coldly, give you a chance to live, if you don't want it, don't blame the governor of Pontus, although the Heavenly Mandate Army needs manpower to manage Nanyang, it won't leave waste, "General Ma, it shouldn't be difficult to gather the remaining soldiers in the city, right?" ”

"This," Ma Shile was overjoyed, and said busily: "The villain is familiar with the soldiers in the city, and this can serve the Grand Governor!" ”

"That's good," Li Zicheng's expression slowed down, he thought for a moment, and said: "The matter of gathering the remnants of the army, we will start tomorrow, you first tell the governor of Pontus about the palace!" ”

"Something about the palace?" Ma Shile said: "I don't know what the Metropolitan Governor wants to listen to in the palace?" Is it the guards of the palace, or the money of the palace......"

"The governor of Pontus is willing to listen to all the affairs of the palace," Li Zicheng wanted to attack the palace, and he always had to stand on the moral high ground, so he said: "You first talk about the things in the palace that bully men and women and cause trouble to the people." ”

Ma Shile pondered for a moment and said, "The Metropolitan Governor can know that in Nanyang City, why do people choose to travel in the middle of the night?" ”

"Why is that?" Li Zicheng doesn't understand the meaning of Ma Shile, the land of China, east and west, north and south are thousands of miles away, the folk customs are different in various places, and it is also a common thing, about the time of a woman's marriage, some places are in the afternoon, some places are before sunset, in the later generations, he has also seen it with his own eyes, some places marry a girl, but it is a very early get-up, and the woman who marries must rush to her husband's house before dawn.

There are historical reasons for the formation of customs in various places, he never thought about it before, but after listening to the words of Ma Shile, he has another feeling that the formation of each marriage custom has his reasons, such as rushing to the husband's house before dawn, the distance should not be too far, is this regional protectionism, to prevent the bride from marrying outside?

"Does the Metropolitan Governor know that outside the back door of the palace, there is a palace mountain?" Ma Shile said: "Wangfu Mountain is a rockery, all the Taihu Lake stone is selected, the mountain is five feet high and six feet, standing on the top of the mountain, the whole city is in full view!" ”

"Taihu Stone?" Li Zicheng sneered: "There are many hungry people in the world, and the Tang Wangfu is so luxurious? ”

"Who's to say it isn't?" Ma Shile saw that Li Zicheng was angry, and he was happy in his heart, and said: "Dadu Governor, the key is not the Taihu Lake Stone, but the height of Wangfu Mountain......

"You mean that the palace uses the height of Wangfu Mountain to manipulate the government affairs and military affairs in the city?" Li Zicheng frowned, isn't the Ming clan not allowed to interfere in local affairs and interact with local civil and military officials? Could it be that the Tang Dynasty Mansion blatantly violated the ancestral system of the Ming Dynasty?

"That's not true, except for the ninth year of Chongzhen, Tang King Zhu Yujian raised troops without authorization, Chongzhen was angry, and detained Zhu Yujian in Fengyang, Tang Wangfu did not interfere in local government affairs," Ma Shile's face suddenly changed to a strange smile, "Wangfu Mountain is actually the lookout of the palace, if anyone in the city marries, they will snatch the bride over, serve in the palace for three days, and then return it to the husband's family...... The people in the city dared to be angry and didn't dare to speak, so they had to marry in the middle of the night, neither setting off firecrackers nor playing suona, it was completely sneaky! ”