Guilin Mansion, the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

At dusk, the sky is dark, and black clouds are pressing down on the city, just like the current battle situation.

The breeze tugged at two special military flags, one with a yellow silk background depicting a beautiful red cross, and the other with a red silk and white cross.

Wenchang Gate Tower.

"The sun and moon are obscure, the sky is not foggy, and the rivers and mountains are broken and cold......"

Qu Shiyun muttered two lines of poetry that fit the situation, the temperature is actually not so low, and it is the human heart that is colder than the weather. The emperor moved from Zhaoqing to Wuzhou, then to Guilin, and now to Wugang. In Qu Shiyun's words, every time the emperor moves, his courtier's heart is like a pound, and his minister's face is like a cut. Qu Shiyun dissuaded Yongli, but Yongli said that what Mr. asked for was nothing more than death. Qu Shiyun was speechless at the time, and the emperor saw it clearly.

Put away the broken memories.

There are several very new copper cannons around Qu Shiyun, which are Achilles. The sharp weapon that Pang ordered at the Bugarao Artillery Yard was one of the battles for Qu Shiyun to guard Guilin.

There were some smashed corpses of men and horses outside the city, which were a small group of troops belonging to Li Chengdong who had come to harass today.

The city repelled this few enemy strikers with artillery, and Jiao Lian led the cavalry to chase them out.

Young Nicholas. Ferreira was the commander of these guns and made a great contribution today.

Ferreira is only 25 years old and is a Chinese born in Macau. Pang Tianshou asked the Macau Council for assistance, and Macau sent a 300-strong force. Most of the soldiers, like Ferreira, had parents who were Chinese in Macau.

Ferreira looked up at the military flag, "Thomas, we held Guilin, but this is temporary. The emperor went to Hunan, and Guangxi was left with us and Glostin in the south. We need reinforcements, do you have news from the south? ”

Qu Shiyun smiled bitterly, "Dear Nicholas, according to the confession of the captive, the Tatar general Du Yonghe personally led his troops to attack Guinan, and the pressure on Gross was even greater. I'm afraid we can't expect reinforcements from the south. ”

In addition to the actual military pressure, Qu Shiyun didn't think that Ding Kuichu would come to save him. Ding Guang and the three of them are as they say, three lights. Wherever you go, you will be greedy, and you will not stop until you sweep the territory clean. In Qu Shiyun's evaluation, Ding Kuichu is very dirty.

Ferreira: "Alright, then there will only be Lucas and my troops in Guilin City. The number of people is too small, we have to expand the army, and the expansion of the army needs money. ”

Qu Shiyun didn't have anything to do with money. The whole Guangxi Province is only more than 110,000 yuan a year, which is only half of Wujiang County, Suzhou Prefecture. A province only reaches half a county in southern Jiangsu, not to mention that Qu Shiyun can control only a few prefectures in northern Guangxi, and he has gained even less. Guilin's land is about to be scraped clean.

"Nicholas, I'm afraid not for the time being. Only by waiting a few more months will there be money for the summer grain to be on the market. ”

"Thomas, do you think Lucas and I alone will be able to make it to that point?"

Qu Shiyun's heart was depressed, "I do my best, I do my duty." ”

Ferreira sighed, "Well, no matter what, Lucas and I will accompany you in your faithful duties. ”

Guilin is now a Catholic-defended city. Catholicism was very influential in the Yongli court, not only Ferreira's mercenaries, but also several priests such as Qu Shawei serving in the court. Fr. Francis also organized a second batch of reinforcements in Macau.

Qu Shiyun was baptized by the famous Julius with the Christian name Thomas, and Ding Kuichu was known as Gross. After the loss of Wuzhou, the two of them jointly defended Guangxi, one north and one south.

There were only two defenders in the city, one being a church reinforcement from Macau. The other is the governor of the same army, Jiao Lian, who hangs the seal of the general to suppress the conquest. Jiao Lian was born in the Datong Border Army and joined the Catholic Church many years ago, with the Christian name Lucas.

There were 300 men in each of the two divisions, Ferreira as the infantry artillery and Jiao Lian as the cavalry.

There are only these 600 defenders in the huge Guilin.

Jiao Lian's banner appeared in the distance, and Qu Shiyun opened the telescope and breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the team's appearance, it is a win.

Qu Shiyun's student Zhang Tongchang found the teacher, "It's cold at night, so let's go back to the government to rest." I'm on duty at the castle tower tonight. ”

Qu Shiyun nodded, he really couldn't hold it anymore.

Li Chengdong's soldiers pressed the border, Guilin City was shocked three times a day, and Qu Shiyun moved his office to the city tower, as it has been for a week. While you are victorious, it's time to go back and rest.

"Don't be mountain, then you should be careful. Call me anytime you have something. ”

"Teacher, rest assured."

Zhang Tongchang is the great-grandson of the famous minister Zhang Juzheng, and he has not yet joined the religion not long after he entered the Qu Shiyun sect.

Qu Shiyun returned to the yamen, took the soup made by the concubine Gu, and drank it but was not in a hurry to sleep. Qu Shiyun took a concubine after joining the Church, and he was only a shallow believer.

When I returned to the study, I opened a letter from home in the dim light.

The letter was a bonus.

Qu Shinan Zhili Suzhou Chang Acquaintance, when he was young, he worshiped under the door of his fellow villager Qian Qianyi.

Since Hongguang traveled to Guangxi in the first year, he has been away from home for nearly 2 years, and his mother, sons, daughters, grandchildren and grandchildren are all in Changshu. Jiangnan was in turmoil, and Qu Shiyun couldn't wait to fly back to his hometown. A drawer full of letters from home could not be delivered. Jiangxi was cut off by soldiers, and Qu Shiyun sent people several times without success. Unexpectedly, along with Hainan Zeng Ying's reply, there was also a long letter from Changshu.

It's not the first time Qu Shiyun has read a letter from his eldest son Qu Xuanxi, and every time he opens it, he bursts into tears.

“…… On the 14th day of the seventh month, the captives broke through the city and plundered it all. Subsequently, the captives checked the family property, treacherous officials, pursued and demanded, and the loan was bitter, and the pawn sale was exhausted. Picture scroll, sold out easily......"

Every time I read this paragraph, Qu Shiyun felt like he was walking on his home, and his heart was like a knife.

Qu Shiyun picked up his pen and wrote a reply letter to his son, in which he first wrote about the current situation.

“…… On March 11, the capture of Pingle Mansion, the 11th went straight to the province, and with hundreds of horses into the city, fortunately I urged Jiao Lian to arrive one day first, but to die, the city was fortunately finished. Shang has entered Wugang Prefecture, for Liu Chengyin to coerce him, I still stay in Guilin as a superintendent. The texture is very good, it can really be for Yao and Shun, and he has been out of school since he was a child, and he has not studied at all.

…… I was so busy with my body and mind that I didn't have time to think about him, like a kind of numb, but when I closed my eyes, why wasn't I in my hometown? Why don't you get together with your children and see each other! However, I vow that if the world is not turned upside down, I vow not to return home. Since I am a promise to the country, I should not take care of my family. ”

……

After writing the letter home, Qu Shiyun wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. Open the secret letter sent together, from the teacher Qian Qianyi.

Qian Qianyi's letter contains hundreds of words, and he will never be cold and warm. After Qian Qianyi returned south from Beijing, he devoted himself to the great cause of restoring the country. He used his prominent status to connect the righteous people of the southeast. In Zhoushan Shen Tingyang, students Zheng Chenggong and Qu Shiyun were in close contact. Jianyu, many high-ranking officials, are covering for Qian Qianyi.

In the letter, Qian Qianyi gave Qu Shiyun an analysis of the restoration of the country, "all, want, anxious." Qian Qianyi was thousands of miles away, and this letter was actually written to Emperor Yongli, in which Qian Qianyi also excitedly revealed that he had successfully rebelled against Wu Shengzhao, the governor of Suzhou. Now Jiangnan is empty, and Wu Shengzhao's department is the largest field force in Jiangnan. The remnants of the Ming army in Jinshan and other places also participated, and Shen Tingyang agreed to lead the Ming army in Zhoushan to meet at sea. Once the uprising is successful, the southeast half of the wall will be shaken, and the recovery of Nanjing is not an extravagant hope.

Qu Shiyun took the contents to heart and lit the letter with a candle. This letter is so important that there must be no mistakes, and it is only safe to burn it.

Spreading out the blank folds, Qu Shiyun reported Qian Qianyi's retribution to the emperor.

……

Guangxi, Wuzhou Prefecture.

Cao Ye, the governor of Guangxi, knelt beside the road, threw himself to the ground, sobbed and said: "Ye does not know the destiny of heaven, failed to serve the general early, and provoked the general to be angry with Wuzhou, which is my sin." If the general feels that the crimes of the captured soldiers are not forgiven, then it can only be left to the general's disposal. If God is fortunate enough to be blessed by General Meng and keep Xiang Shang's head, Ye should reform himself. Everything depends on the grace of the general. ”

Li Chengdong is in a good mood, and so far he has neither slaughtered the city nor surrendered in this Guangdong campaign.

"Get up, you won't die."

Cao Ye hurriedly got up from the ground, lowered his head, and only dared to look at Li Chengdong's horse legs.

There was a commotion on the street in the distance, Cheng Dong frowned, and said to his adopted son Li Jianjie: "Go and see, what's going on." ”

Li Jianjie agreed, urging the war horse to rush to the place of the incident.

Soon, Li Jianjie grabbed one person and returned, and the strange thing was a huge wooden turtle dragged on the ground.

"Father, this guy is making trouble. Are you going to kill? ”

Cheng Dong looked down and saw two big characters written on the turtle shell, "Cao Ye." ”

Li Chengdong found it quite interesting, "Who are you?" ”

"Cangwu County Order, Wan Sikui."

"Local parents, why are you making this turtle?"

Wan Sikui said angrily: "Half a month ago, I made this wooden turtle. Let people drag on the streets of Wuzhou, and the book 'Those who surrender are like this.' 'If someone is going to make this turtle, I may have to satisfy him.' ”

Cao Ye listened to it on the sidelines, embarrassed.

Li Jianjie was furious, pulled out his saber and was about to do it.

"Stop."

"Father?"

Li Chengdong brought the reins of the horse, and suddenly felt a little excited, "Forget it, let him go." ”

Li Jianjie was stunned.

Li Yuanyin sighed secretly and pulled out the knife to cut the rope that bound Wan Sikui.

Wan Sikui's somewhat stumbling figure disappeared into the streets of Cangwu, Li Yuanyin turned his head, and his father-in-law Li Chengdong's eyes were a little distant.

Waving his hand to drive Cao Ye away, Li Yuanyin asked, "Father, where should we march next, and will Guilin still fight?" ”

"Tong Yangjia sent a letter, Chen Zizhuang, Zhang Jiayu and Chen Bangyan raised troops to surround Guangzhou, he can't bear it anymore, let's go back and save him."

Li Jianjie was very surprised, "Father, the forward cavalry has returned, Guilin is very empty, and our army is just around the corner." Take Guilin, seize the eternal calendar, and you will be able to build a miracle. ”

"Jianjie," Li Yuanyin interrupted his righteous brother, "Emperor Yongli didn't stay in Guilin, he went to Wugang more than half a month ago, which is Kong Youde's attack area, and it's none of our business. ”

Li Jianjie is a brave cavalry general, who has just returned from the front line, and he doesn't know a lot of things.

"Even then, Guilin is also a provincial capital, so it's a pity to give up like this."

Li Yuanyin thought for a while, "Father, what Jianjie said is also right. Let's withdraw a little slower in the name of fighting Guilin, Tong Yangjia only has 300 soldiers, maybe he will ......"

"Hehe," Li Yuanyin smiled a little weirdly, "At that time, who else can do the position of governor of Liangguang except my father?" ”

Cheng Dong brought the reins of the horse, "Don't talk nonsense." Guangzhou is the fundamental place of our army, and there is no room for error. Send someone to tell Du Yonghe that after he leads the army, we will go first. ”

……

Wuzhou Mansion, Beilu Town, Cenxi County.

Shen Dianwei commanded Tong Zhi Lu Zhan, Lu Konghai, and walked back to his camp and fort with a curse.

Yang Lu, the defender of the strategically important Teng County, surrendered the Tartars without firing a single shot.

Du Yonghe, the general soldier of the Tartars, did not go to Xunzhou to fight Chen Bangfu along the main stream of the Xijiang River, but traced up the Rong River to Cen River.

Du Yonghe sent an envoy to surrender, but Ding Kuichu refused.

Lu Zhan knew why Du Yonghe came to Cen Xi, half of Guangdong Province's tax silver last year and Ding Kuichu's silver that had been greedy for so many years were Cen Xi. Lu Zhan didn't know the exact number, but it was at least a few hundred thousand taels.

Du Yonghe is here for silver.