Originally, he had the intention of waiting for the price to sell, and heard that it was Yang Yuanqing's soldiers who escorted the Manchu court's surrender envoy to contact him, suspecting that Yang Yuanqing had surrendered to the Manchu court, Yang Fuqing, of course, had no reason to refuse to meet with Liu Fan, and just received the news, he immediately replied and ordered his subordinates stationed in Huaiyin to send Liu Fan as soon as possible, and asked for the sooner the better.

After a period of rest, and after obtaining the winter clothing supplies provided by the rear, the Wu army Cao Yanzhong Corps and the Wu army water division have continued to join forces to go east, including the newly incorporated Taiping Army, and once again broke through the 50,000 giants, which can be described as menacing and murderous, and the Yizheng Taiping Army did not dare to fight with the Wu army at all, and directly abandoned the city and fled to Zhenjiang. Wu Dingcai, the general of the Taiping Army guarding Zhenjiang, also directly withdrew the defenders of Guazhou with great shame, concentrated his forces to defend the city, and deliberately gave way so that the Wu army could go directly north to fight Yangzhou, and used Yang Fuqing to share the pressure for himself.

Under such circumstances, Yang Fuqing, who knew that he had a few catties and taels, of course hoped to quickly find out the price code offered by the Manchu court, and then compare the conditions offered by Wu Jun, so that he could decide which side he was on. - By the way, Yang Fuqing is also a smart person in history, seeing that the situation in the defense of Nanjing is critical, and the defeat of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has been decided, Yang Fuqing simply disbanded the army and fled for his life alone, and later wanted to defect to the Qing army in Fujian to be a soldier, and was executed after being recognized.

It is a pity that the speed of Wu's army exceeded Yang Fuqing's imagination, and after leading the Eastern Expeditionary Army to the Zhenjiang battlefield, Cao Yanzhong commanded the army to surround Zhenjiang City, and at the same time divided 10,000 troops on the same day, and handed them over to Hu Huaizhao, who performed well in the Battle of Nanjing, and asked him to march north by land, and at the same time launch an attack on the two cities of Zhenjiang and Yangzhou.

The strength of the Wu army's partial division is not too much, and Yang Fuqing, who lost a lot of losses in the civil war of the Taiping army, can't do it in the field, but he is not sure about the city defense, but Yang Fuqing is very clear that it is not as good as before, and now if he does not quickly make up his mind to choose who to surrender to, then even if he can hold Yangzhou City for a long time, he is destined to be starved to death, the only two ways are to surrender to the Wu army to save his life, or to surrender to the Qing army, counting on the Qing army to send troops to rescue and abandon the city and retreat to Shandong, there is no other choice, It's all a dead end.

Fortunately, just when the Wu army arrived at the city of Yangzhou, the Taiping army on the Jiangyin side finally sent the Manchu envoy Liu Fan in time and sent Liu Fan to Yangzhou City first. Yang Fuqing was overjoyed when he heard the news, and hurriedly arranged the specific city defense affairs, repeatedly told the troops to only hold on and not attack, and then immediately met with Liu Fan, who was in the back hall.

Wu Junbing's arrival in the city was bad news for Yang Fuqing, but it was an opportunity for the resourceful Liu Fan to take advantage of, and after meeting, he just introduced himself and Yang Fuqing politely, Liu Fan immediately asked Yang Fuqing with a panicked expression: "General Yang, I heard that Wu Chao's soldiers and horses are coming?" How many thieves came? Is Yangzhou City sure to be able to hold it? ”

"What are you asking all this for?" Yang Fuqing asked vigilantly.

"I don't dare to deceive General Yang, the ants are still stealing, and this is for the safety of my own life." Liu Fan said with some twists: "If the thief army is strong and General Yang, the situation here is critical, I want to leave quickly and return to General Yang Yuanqing." ”

"You're direct." Yang Fuqing snorted coldly and said, "Don't worry, I can stop the soldiers and horses that surpass the little demon, you are very safe in Yangzhou City." Unless you are acting for the Qing Demon to deceive and deceive in a vain attempt to disadvantage the Emperor of the Kingdom, your head can rest assured that it will be on your shoulders. ”

"Thank you, General Yang, thank you, General Yang."

Liu Fan hurriedly bowed his hand, nodded and thanked him again and again, but just when Yang Fuqing showed a disdainful look on his face, Liu Fan suddenly stood up straight, put on a serious expression, and said loudly: "But General Yang, even if you can stop Wu Chaoyue's soldiers and horses for the time being, what about after a long time?" Are you still sure that you can stop the Wu thief rebel army? ”

was snatched away by Liu Fan's sudden exudation, Yang Fuqing was suddenly a little stunned, and he didn't know how to answer Liu Fan's question for a while. Liu Fan continued: "General Yang, presumably you should also be very aware of your current situation, Wu thieves are coming to the city, and the battle of Yangzhou is imminent, but you are fighting alone, and there is no help, even if you can temporarily block the thieves with the advantage of the city, as soon as the food and grass run out, there is only the only option left to abandon the city and flee." When the time comes, let's not talk about whether you can highlight the demon soldiers and surround it, even if you can fight your way out, there is nowhere to go, nowhere to throw, and no return! In this dilemma, I don't know what countermeasures and plans you have, General Yang? ”

"Of course, General Yang, you have another choice, which is to surrender to the Wu rebel army." Liu Fan continued: "But General Yang, have you thought about how Wu Chaoyue will treat you when the time comes?" With his current strength and strength, how could he reuse a general like you who was forced to surrender? How can your property be preserved, General, you have a reputation for accumulating money, even if Wu Thief himself is not rare in your money and jewelry, how can his gang of jackals, tigers and leopards let go of such an opportunity to make a fortune? When the time comes, Wu Thief's subordinates will extort and extort you, will you give it or not? If you don't give it, how can the thief Wu let you go? ”

"And." Liu Fan continued: "Isn't General Yang afraid that the Wu rebel thief will be greedy, just find an excuse to kill and execute you, and take the opportunity to swallow up all your family property and beautiful wife and concubine, General Yang, you have worked hard to accumulate for so many years, isn't it in vain to cheapen the Wu rebel thief army?" ”

Yang Fuqing, who was notoriously greedy for money, was a little shaken, and after thinking for a long time, he asked, "Then you say, what should I do?" ”

"Rather be the head of the chicken, not the queen of the cow!" Liu Fan replied categorically, and said: "Our Qing court is now forced to move the capital to Guanwai, but Liangguang, Fujian, Shaanxi, Gansu, Tibet, Shandong, Mongolia, and many land and cities on the North China Plain are still in the hands of our Qing army, and Rakshasa Russia has also promised to fully assist our Qing court. ”

"So, General Yang, if you choose to abandon the darkness and surrender to the Qing Dynasty at this time, not only can you be reused immediately, but you can also get the help of reinforcements, and when you really can't do it, you still have a way to go, and you have a home to go back to! How is it, General Yang, do you think you are right? ”

Yang Fuqing was even more shaken, and after thinking about it for a while, Yang Fuqing also asked tentatively: "Yang Yuanqing sent someone to send you to me, has he already surrendered to you?" ”

"Is it just General Yang Yuanqing?" Liu Fan replied to the question, and said: "General Ji Wenyuan's side, we also sent people to persuade him to surrender, General Ji deeply hates Wu Chaoyue and the thief, and also hopes to avenge your Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Heavenly King Long Live and countless soldiers and brothers, I think he will also make a wise choice." ”

Yang Fuqing stopped talking again, Liu Fan also took out Luo Bingzhang's handwritten surrender letter and presented it with both hands, and the soldiers next to him hurriedly took it and forwarded it to Yang Fuqing, Yang Fuqing carefully read the letter that was similar to persuading Yang Yuanqing to surrender, and gradually had an idea in his heart, and said secretly: "This demon envoy is right, the situation of the Qing Demon Court is not very good now, but because of this, I will definitely be able to be reused immediately if I surrender, and the Qing Demon Court will not only dare not do anything to me, but will definitely do their best to rescue me." , because to help me is to help themselves. And in the future, if it is really like what this demon envoy said, the Qing Demon Court will have the day of the comeback, then I will be their hero. ”

When Yang Fu was liquidating, Liu Fan had been secretly and carefully observing his expression, and when he saw Yang Fuqing's brows gradually loosening, Liu Fan was also overjoyed in his heart, and said secretly: "Okay, there is hope." ”

"Report ——!"

The pro-soldier who suddenly came in to report disturbed Liu Fan's good deeds, knelt down on Yang Fu's knees, and hugged his fists and said: "Yu Guozong, a messenger came from the demon soldiers' side, and the messenger who claimed to be the demon soldier was called He Qinghan, and brought a letter from Cao Yanzhong, the acting governor of Liangjiang, and a gift, asking Guozong to see. ”

"Sure enough, it came."

Yang Fuqing was not surprised by this, and when he was thinking about whether to meet him, Liu Fan also sneered and said: "Sure enough, General Yang, whether you are willing to meet with Wu Rebel Envoy or not, I dare to bet with you that the letter brought by this thief envoy is nothing more than a promise to you of a fictitious official position, persuading you to surrender in exchange for your life, and then disband most of your army, forcing you to take some soldiers and horses to go north to fight with General Yang Yuanqing, and use your hand to weaken Yang Yuanqing, so that they can sit back and enjoy their success." ”

"I was really hit by this demon envoy." Yang Fuqing, who had already received a letter of persuasion, secretly praised Liu Fan's foresight in his heart, and secretly calculated: "It's better to meet, if you go beyond the little demon and make concessions, I can also think about it." After all, surpassing the little demon is now powerful, and it has been directly hit under Yangzhou City, and the hero can't suffer the loss in front of him. ”

After making up his mind, Yang Fuqing immediately nodded and agreed to the meeting, and Liu Fan did not stop him, but just arched his hand and said: "General Yang, there is a reluctant request below, please let me accompany you to meet the envoy of Wu's rebel army, and expose his hypocrisy to his face, I don't know if it is okay." ”

"Okay." Yang Fuqing nodded again, and said in his heart: "This is the best, let the demon soldiers know that the Qing demon is also recruiting me, and they will pay more attention to me, if it is really time to negotiate with the demon soldiers, the demon soldiers will also make more concessions." ”

The distance is quite far, and it was a long time before He Qinghan, a civilian official of the Wu army who helped Hu Huaizhao to handle military affairs, was led to Yang Fuqing and Liu Fan. What is the school? ”

"It turned out to be Liu Mengrong's brother, disrespectful, disrespectful." He Qinghan hurriedly returned the salute and said, "I wonder if Brother Meng Rong is safe now?" Has his calligraphy improved now? ”

"Do you know my brother?" Liu Fan was stunned.

"Acquaintance." He Qinghan smiled and nodded, and said: "My father, He Shaoji, passed by Hunan when he was supervising Sichuan Xuezheng, Brother Ling once followed his mentor Jingming Gong to kowtow in front of his father, and asked his father for guidance. At that time, he was serving with his father, and Jing Ming Gong repeatedly said that Brother Ling was his proud disciple, so he was deeply impressed by Brother Ling. ”

"Are you the son of Dongzhou Gong?" Liu Fan was dumbfounded on the spot, and suddenly looked like a deflated ball, and there was no longer any momentum - compared with the He family of Daozhou, who had produced countless dignitaries and dignitaries for generations, but Liu Rong, a famous family in Tongcheng, was still too far away.

"Exactly." He Qinghan nodded with a smile, and said: "By the way, Brother Ling's mentor Jing Minggong is a disciple of his father, and he is the same generation as him. ”

Liu Fan completely closed his mouth, and didn't dare to take He Qinghan's stubble anymore - if he continued to entangle, he would have to kneel down and kowtow. After the famous family, He Qinghan didn't bother to continue to entangle with Liu Fan, but turned to Yang Fuqing, who was dizzy to hear it, and said with a smile: "General Yang, if you don't guess wrong, this Liu Fan and Liu Gongzi must have come to persuade you to surrender for the rebellious party, right?" Also, Liu Rong Liu Mengrong is currently serving in the shogunate of the Duke of Ruzhai, and his younger brother came to see you, so I want to bring a letter from the Duke of Ruzhai to you, right? ”

"Who is the Duke of Ruzhai?" Yang Fuqing asked in confusion.

"I'm also confused, talking to these long-haired people with no ink on their chests, why are you still so crepe?" He Qinghan smiled bitterly and blamed himself, and then replied: "It is the governor of Shandong appointed by the chaotic party, Luo Ruzhai and Luo Futai, who is known as Luo Bingzhang." ”

"I said it was Luo Bingzhang earlier." Yang Fuqing suddenly realized, and asked extremely strangely: "Luo Bingzhang has a letter to me, but how do you know?" ”

"General Yang forgives me, please let me answer this later." He Qinghan politely apologized, and then said: "General Yang, since you can lead Liu Gongzi to meet with you, I think Liu Gongzi has already had a deep conversation with General Yang." In the next bold speculation, in addition to encouraging you to surrender to the rebellious party with rhetoric such as preferring to be the head of the chicken rather than the queen of the cow, Liu Gongzi must have not slandered our king of Zhennan and the rebel army, right? Say that as long as we surrender to the rebel army, we will definitely die without a place to be buried, neither can we protect the territory of the army, nor can we save the lives of the whole family, and the property and family will definitely be divided up by us. General Yang, did you say that you guessed right? ”

"How do you know?" Yang Fuqing's mouth opened wide.

"Because since ancient times, lobbyists have basically played this game." He Qinghan muttered in his heart, but he didn't answer directly, but just arched his hand and said: "General Yang, it's time to talk about the most important thing, our Cao Junmen of the rebel army already knows the answer you gave before, but unfortunately, the conditions for you to surrender are from the meaning of our Zhennan King himself, and the Cao Junmen of our rebel army can neither be changed, nor have the right to change, so we can only grant you the position of Sanpin General, and we must also incorporate your army." ”

"And what are you doing here?"

Yang Fuqing was furious when he heard this, and Liu Fan next to him was also like a treasure, and hurriedly said, "General Yang, did you hear it?" That's right, Wu rebels don't take you seriously at all! ”

"Liu Gongzi, don't be impatient." He Qinghan nodded and smiled at Liu Fan, then turned to Yang Fuqing and said, "General Yang, Cao Junmen, he rejected your conditions and sent him down to meet you, because he has a very important gift that needs to be presented to you by himself." Cao Junmen believes that as long as you see this gift, you will definitely make the right choice. ”

"What important gifts?" Yang Fuqing hurriedly asked.

He Qinghan finally took out a piece of music from his arms, but he didn't rush to hand it to Yang Fuqing, but first showed Liu Fan and said with a smile: "Liu Gongzi, do you see it, whose music is this?" ”

Taking a closer look at the cover of the concert in He Qinghan's hand, he saw that it clearly read the nine words 'Luo Bingzhang, the governor of Shandong Province', and it was obviously Luo Bingzhang's own handwriting, Liu Fan was taken aback and blurted out: "Our Luo Futai wrote a chapter to the imperial court? How can it be in your hands? ”

"Of course, it was Zeng Guoquan and Zeng Jiushuai's soldiers and horses intercepted on the road." He Qinghan replied with a smile and said: "Because the content is very interesting, Zeng Jiushuai sent a clipper to the southeast front, originally wanting to present it to our king of Zhennan, but our king of Zhennan has already returned to Hubei, so this piece of music is handed over to our Cao Yanzhong Cao Junmen." And because this piece of music is also related to General Yang, Cao Junmen issued a decree and asked him to send it to General Yang for a look. ”