He (Wu Sangui) cut off his braids in his later years, and the people eventually forgave him. ——***

Question: "Anyway" is the proper name of "Rebellion of the Three Feudatories", and "anyway" means "to put things in order".

Wu Sangui, the word Changbai, the name Yanling General, was born in the 40th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1612), and was a native of Jinzhou, Liaoning. Originally the general army of Shanhaiguan in the Ming Dynasty, after the Qing Dynasty, he went south to pursue and suppress the rest of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, and went deep into the Burmese border, captured the Yongli Emperor of the third regime of the Southern Ming Dynasty, and sent him to Yunnan.

In the first year of Kangxi, Kunming City. In March, Kunming was a harmonious scene, Wu Sangui got up from the barracks, and was about to have breakfast, when he suddenly heard the bustling and noisy voices outside the window, so he asked the deputy general Gao Dejie:

"Dejie, what are you doing outside in the morning, so noisy?"

"Lord Wang, it was King Yongming who escorted him back last night, and people rushed to see it."

"What a bunch of barbarians who have never seen the world." Wu Sangui was a little disdainful.

"It's not just the barbarians," Gao Dejie said, "After bringing King Yongming back this time, he was temporarily placed in the old Bangpo Golden Cicada Temple, but he didn't expect it to attract great attention from the people." Those who have seen it say that his life is very great, his face is like a full moon, his beard is longer than the umbilicus, his sun horns are long, his hands are above his knees, his ears are hanging down his shoulders, and his nails are like hands. Not only the Han people, but also many Manchu officials also rushed to see it, kneeling and bowing, and calling him the true dragon son of heaven. ”

"Is there such a thing?" Wu Sangui was incredulous.

"Lord Wang, it's true. The citizens of Kunming are almost 10,000 empty, and everyone who sees them is in tears. ”

"Hmm. You're exaggerating. By the way, what is the record of this southern expedition? ”

"A total of 72,000 officers and soldiers and their families were captured and surrendered in this southern expedition, 8,226 horses, 110 official seals of various kinds, 1,179 edicts, and 11 official defense pieces." Gao Dejie continued, "At the same time, the personnel sent from Myanmar include the pseudo Yongli, the pseudo Empress Dowager Ma, the pseudo Empress Wang, the pseudo prince Zhu Cixuan, and 14 princesses, palace maids, 7 internal supervisors, and a total of 100 people such as the wives and daughters of the deceased ministers. ”

Wu Sangui nodded and expressed his satisfaction: "This time you captured the pseudo-Yongli, you have made the first contribution, and this king will go to the court to reward you." ”

"Thank you, Lord Wang, for your kindness!"

Wu Sangui asked again: "What is the origin of this Yongming King?" ”

"Pseudo Yongli is Zhu Youlang, the grandson of Mingshenzong Wanli, and the fourth son of Zhu Changying, King Gui. King Gui's fief was in Hengzhou, the thief Zhang Xianzhong broke through Hengzhou, Zhu Youlang's eldest brother and second brother were executed, King Gui fled to Wuzhou, Guangxi with his palace dependents, and Zhu Youlang fled to Wuzhou after a long time of twists and turns after being separated from his family. Soon after, his father and three brothers also died, and he became the sole heir to the throne of King Gui. After the fall of the puppet Longwu regime, Qu Shiyun, Lü Daqi and others gathered in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, to discuss and support the establishment of the puppet new monarch. Everyone unanimously agreed that Zhu Youlang was the grandson of Wanli, and it was most appropriate to be a pseudo-new monarch. In the third year of Shunzhi, these ministers sent people to Wuzhou to welcome Zhu Youlang to Zhaoqing to take the throne, but his mother strongly opposed it. The ministers insisted on the request, and insisted on taking Zhu Youlang to Zhaoqing and becoming emperor. In this year, Zhu Youlang was 24 years old, and when he ascended the throne, he continued to call it the second year of Longwu to show the continuation of the puppet Longwu regime, and the following year, it was changed to the first year of Yongli. ”

"The small court of the Southern Ming Dynasty, what kind of Ming Jun can there be, wait for this king to meet him for a while!"

"Lord Wang, are you going to see King Yongming?"

"Exactly, look at this so-called true dragon emperor, it is estimated that he is actually just a gentleman, a wine bag and a rice bag. Dejie, you go and lead the way, go! ”

Just go, Gao Dejie's introduction aroused Wu Sangui's great interest, this was the first time he saw the late monarch of the Ming Dynasty since he descended to the Qing Dynasty, so there was an inexplicable excitement in his heart. The old Bangpo is not far away, and the Golden Cicada Temple is not very large.

Wu Sangui ordered Gao Dejie to wait at the door, straightened his clothes, and strode into the main hall. I saw Emperor Yongli sitting in the south, his appearance did not change, he wore a horse hat, wore a pure silk robe with large sleeves, and a yellow ribbon around his waist.

Since Wu Sangui stepped into this Golden Cicada Temple, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable, and he couldn't tell what was wrong. He looked at the Yongli sitting on it, and he really had a bit of the emperor's majesty, and he was worthy of being called "Little Wanli". Not only his appearance, but even his demeanor is very similar to his grandfather Wanli. But Wu Sangui said that he was the king of Pingxi and the victor, while Yongli was just a pseudo-king and a prisoner. So, I didn't bow down.

"Who's coming?" Yongli was the first to break the silence, and he looked at the uninvited guest with puzzled eyes.

The voice was not loud, but it struck Wu Sangui's heart like a bell, and he almost stumbled and fell to the ground. Wu Sangui didn't answer, he was holding on.

"Who's coming?" Yongli saw that Wu Sangui didn't answer, and asked again.

First Emperor! Wu Sangui's brain buzzed, as if it had exploded. This scene was too familiar, and his mind suddenly returned to nineteen years ago, which was still the spring of Chongzhen's sixteenth year. That year, Wu Sangui received an urgent order from the imperial court to rush to the aid of the Beijing division to resist the Qing army that had penetrated deep into the Ming Realm and raged for half a year. Oh Sangui succeeded and smashed the enemy's attempt to attack and harass Gyeonggi. Emperor Chongzhen received him in the Wuying Hall and gave Shang Fang a sword.

"But Wu Sangui!"

With a plop, Wu Sangui fell to his knees. His mental defenses completely collapsed, and the scene in front of him made his mind go blank.

"Yes." Wu Sangui spit out the word from his mouth with difficulty as if he were dead, but the voice was so small that only he could hear it.

"What a thief!" Yongli questioned Wu Sangui.

"Be a thief! Am I not the king of Pingxi, am I not the commander of the Qing army? Could it be—" Wu Sangui's heart turned upside down, but he couldn't say a word.

"Daming is sorry for you, but you want to surrender to the Qing people, lead the Qing soldiers into the customs, and take away my Daming country. Wu Sangui, do you think it's worth it by betraying thousands of Han people in exchange for a hat of the King of Pingxi?! Yongli continued to question. Yongli said a lot more, but Wu Sangui couldn't hear a word, his mind was in turmoil, and he couldn't move on the ground.

Yongli saw that Wu Sangui didn't speak, but just fell on the ground and trembled, so he didn't continue to reprimand, and finally asked: "I want to see the Twelve Tombs and die, can you let it be?" ”

"I can do it." Wu Sangui exerted all his strength before he reluctantly replied.

"Let's go down." Emperor Yongli waved his hand and motioned for Wu Sangui to retreat.

But where did Wu Sangui retreat, he couldn't even stand up. His face was as dead as ashes, sweating profusely, and he couldn't move. Seeing this, Gao Dejie hurriedly came over to help, but he couldn't pull it at all. So he hurriedly called a few eunuchs, and everyone carried Wu Sangui out with all hands and feet.

"Hey, do you know, when our prince saw the true son of heaven, he was so scared that he was so embarrassed, not to mention how embarrassed it was!" One of the men said to the other outside the tent with a fluttering eyebrow.

"Huh? Are you sure? We—" The other was about to echo, but saw Gao Dejie coming over.

"Nonsense, General Ben, cut out your tongues!" drank so much in this life that the two of them hurriedly dodged away.

"Go do your job!"

"Yes, yes, General Gao." The two of them hurriedly begged for mercy.

After Wu Sangui was brought back, he lay in bed for a day, thinking about the day's events repeatedly. Is it fear? No, he is the king of Pingxi, there is no need to be afraid of a prisoner. Is Yongli too majestic? Not necessarily, although Yongli is indeed very emperorly, but Wu Sangui is also a person who has seen big scenes after all, Dolgon, Emperor Shunzhi, and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, he has seen them all, but he has never been so out of shape. Wu Sangui was puzzled, his brain hurt terribly, "Forget it, don't think about it." He muttered to himself and fell asleep in a daze.

"Wu Sangui, the king of Pingxi, takes the order!"

Suddenly, the sound of the decree frightened Wu Sangui, and he hurriedly turned over from the bed and knelt down.

"Fengtian carrier, the emperor said:

Wu Sangui, the king of Pingxi, was obedient and rebellious, and he was full of honor. In this southern expedition, he worked hard and strategized, so that the national prestige spread far and wide, and the rebellion was peaceful, which made great contributions. Special gifts, in order to show favor, promoted to the prince. And give gold books, gold treasures, benefit loyalty, and the royal family. Chin this! ”

"Thank you, Lord Ron!" It turned out that the holy decree of the crown prince had arrived, and Wu Sangui breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Congratulations to Lord Wu, congratulations to Lord Wu. This time, the emperor crowned you as the Prince of Pingxi, which is really an unprecedented honor for Han officials since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, and you should cherish the kindness of my Great Qing Dynasty to you! The eunuch who announced the decree said with a strange smile.

"That's for sure. The ministers must be smeared with liver and brain, and do not forget the emperor's grace. ”

"Very good, very good. The old slave went back to his life first. ”

"Thank you, father-in-law."

After sending off the eunuch who announced the decree, Wu Sangui sat alone in a daze. Prince Pingxi, this is the glory that Wu Sangui longed for before. The national policy of the Qing Dynasty was not to be crowned a king with a different surname, but the newly enthroned nine-year-old emperor Kangxi gave him the title of prince! What a great favor this should be for a Han Chinese. But Wu Sangui was not happy at all, he was still thinking about meeting Yongli in his mind, "Why be a thief", these four words were too heavy, and Wu Sangui was out of breath.

Emperor Yongli has been coming to Kunming for seven days, and there is an endless stream of people who come to Jiubangpo every day.

"Father, what are you writing?" When the crown prince Zhu Cixuan heard that Yongli was going to write a letter to Wu Sangui, he was a little anxious.

"Is there anything wrong?" Yongli was very happy to see the prince coming.

"Then it goes without saying, what kind of person is Wu Sangui, that is a big traitor and traitor who everyone will be punished! Isn't it bad enough for him to hurt us Daming, there is no one in the world who knows more shamelessness than him! Zhu Cixuan said angrily.

"I think he may also be in the camp and in Han, like Hong Chengchou, he is a little involuntarily, and he may have his own unspeakable hardships."

"You just have a good heart and think about the good of everyone. I don't think they can understand your kindness, and in the end they will be happy. ”

"Let's be a dead horse as a live horse doctor." Yongli said helplessly, "By the way, is there any news from Li Dingguo, the king of Jin?" ”

"No, I only heard that the King of Jin led his troops to the Jinglian area, preparing to go to Jiaogang and Jiaozhi to enter Guangdong."

"Hey, the King of Jin is really a loyal minister, and he is loyal to our Daming, but it's a pity, if it weren't for Sun Kewang's defection and informant, with the talent of King Jin's soldiers, he would not have been defeated so quickly." Yongli said sentimentally, "How is Zhu Shugui's side?" ”

"I heard that Zhu Shugui, the king of Ningjing, had sailed to Taiwan, and Zheng Chenggong, the surname of the country, personally visited him and respected him as a prisoner."

"Oh? So Zhu Shugui is already in charge of Taiwan? Then we still have hope! Yongli said excitedly.

"Yes, King Ning Jing also brought your father's holy decree and named Zheng Chenggong as the king of Chao. But Zheng Chenggong insisted on not accepting it, and still called the king of Yanping. After Zheng Chenggong recovered Taiwan, he changed Taiwan to the eastern capital of Mingjing, and was called the Yongli year, saying that he was recruiting a general and insisted on resisting the Qing Dynasty. ”

"Good! Good! Zheng Chenggong insisted on resisting the Qing Dynasty, and my Ming Dynasty would never die. I really regret that I didn't listen to Li Dingguo's words and sailed to Taiwan. As a result, he mistakenly died in Myanmar and fell to the end he has today. Yongli said sadly, "And Bu Mige, is there any news?" ”

"Not confused?" Zhu Cixuan looked at Yongli with puzzled eyes, "Father, what are you talking about?" ”

"I'm talking about the Western missionary Mr. Bumige."

"Oh." Zhu Cixuan suddenly realized, "You're talking about him, I always feel that this is weird, and I can't understand words like 'God' and 'worship' in my mouth all day long." When he was leaving, his sons saw that he had carefully put away the letters written by you and the Empress Dowager, and repeatedly promised me that he would go to the Holy See for help, and that when the crusaders arrived, they would be able to solve the danger of my Ming Dynasty. Look, he is a liar, he must have brought his credentials with him, and he doesn't know where to sell them for money. ”

"He won't, although I can't understand what he said, but I feel that this person has a lot of feelings for us Daming, but he may suffer from the long distance, and there is no news when he goes." Yongli sighed.

As he spoke, Yongli had already written the letter, "General Gao, I would like you to hand over this letter to King Pingxi in person." "Yongli greeted Gao Dejie, who was guarding the door, because when he was in Burma, it was Gao Dejie who finally carried Yongli ashore, and although he was an enemy general, he also felt closer," Trouble told King Pingxi that I wanted to meet him. ”

Gao Dejie put the letter away and didn't say much.

Since he escorted Emperor Yongli back to Kunming, Wu Sangui has not had a day of stopping. Every day, thousands of citizens come to pay homage to Yongli, beating their chests and feet, and crying and crying, which makes Wu Sangui anxious. What was even more excessive, first Kuang Guogong went on a hunger strike in bearskin. When this person heard that Yongli was captured and went on a hunger strike for 7 consecutive days, Wu Sangui arrested him, so he scolded Wu Sangui. Wu Sangui was helpless, and the bearskin continued to go on a hunger strike, and it took another 7 days before he died, with 11 people deceased; Then Gong Yi, the former Ming Dynasty household secretary, prepared his own banquet, and met Yongli in the court, but was blocked by the guards. And he cried out, This is my king, and I insist on seeing it. Wu Sangui had no choice but to let him see him. He held a banquet in the hall of Yongli, performed a pilgrimage, and offered wine to Yongli. Yongli cried bitterly when he saw this, and he couldn't drink, so Gong Yi knelt on the ground and cried. He repeatedly persuaded Yongli to drink, but Yongli was not good at drinking, but he had to reluctantly drink three glasses. Gong Yi knelt down and bowed, and then hit his head on the ground, his brain burst and died, Yongli saw this, and cried to death several times; In the end, there were Manchurian Zhenglan Banner Jingzhang Erte and Shao Erdai and others, who planned to kidnap Yongli to Shaanxi and establish themselves as monarchs. A traitor told Wu Sangui that Wu was shocked, and hurriedly went to suppress it, and executed more than 2,000 people including Erte, who had rebelled.

The succession of these three things made Wu Sangui very embarrassed.

"They are all putting pressure on this king!" Wu Sangui slapped the table angrily.

At this time, Gao Dejie walked into Wu Sangui's tent, "Lord, King Yongming asked me to give you a message, he said he wanted to see you." Also, he wrote a letter to you. As he spoke, he gently placed the letter on Wu Sangui's desk.

"No, no!" Wu Sangui was about to be driven crazy, where did he dare to see Yongli again, "Dejie, you also make trouble for me, don't you know who King Yongming is, he is a prisoner of the imperial court, you still dare to accept his letter, don't you embarrass me." Now they are putting pressure on me, wanting me to let Yongli go, and the whole court is staring at me, how is this possible! It's really hard to ride a tiger now, and I already know that I have listened to Lord Hong Chengchou. It's not to kill, it's not to kill, I really don't know what to do! Wu Sangui sighed.

"Lord, you can play the imperial court."

"Playing the Imperial Court? What's played? Wu Sangui asked puzzled.

"What to do with the eternal calendar! Throw this pressure on the imperial court. ”

"Wonderful!" Wu Sangui slapped his thigh and suddenly realized, "Good strategy, so that I can throw this hot potato to the imperial court, and when the court says kill it, then kill it, and if it says that it will be sent to the capital, it will be sent to the capital, so it has nothing to do with this king!" ”

Gao Dejie echoed, "Yes, so that the world also knows your predicament." ”

"Well, that's good. You've got a lot of brains. Wu Sangui finally smiled, "Bring the letter, I'll see what is written." ”

Gao Dejie took the letter to Wu Sangui, and Wu asked Gao Dejie to read it, so Gao Dejie opened the letter and read it:

"The general is the lord of this dynasty, and the male town of the new dynasty. The rank of a knight, the feudal frontier, the emperor of Lie is very generous to the general. The country of Yiyi was not created, rebelled and wantoned, broke through our capital, forced my first emperor to death, and plundered and killed my people. The general swore an oath and raised troops to ask for the guilt, but the original intention of the day was not fulfilled. However, the Qing soldiers entered Beijing, and the false name of revenge was exerted, and the actual plan of the Yin Xing won the championship. Hongyan was fortunate to have the old master, and suddenly forgot that after the rebel thief was beheaded, and the Tuyu in the Jiangbei area was not owned by this dynasty. The important ministers in the south can't bear to subvert our society, thinking that half of the south of the Yangtze River cannot be fully mapped at the beginning. The public opinion is not warm, and the horse is dead. Emperor Min had not been on the throne for a long time, and his car was covered with dust. Min Zhen Xingshi, reinvigorating the position, can not be the whole sect in the east of the soil, or can be in a corner. However, he did not get tired of his ambition and took Emperor Longwu and destroyed it. When it was, I traveled far away to the east of Guangdong, heartbroken, and almost never came back to life, so why did I have time to think about the sect's social plan? The ministers still can't bear the sacrifice of my two ancestors, and they are strong again and again, and they have become unified. Since I ascended to the pole, I lost in one battle, and died in Xiyue in another battle. I wear the stars and the moon, and I am innumerable. Fortunately, Li Dingguo welcomed me in Guizhou, served me in the south and An, and claimed that he had no trouble with others and no dispute with the country. It is the great virtue of the general who forgets the monarch's father, and the Fengxun who wants to create, supervises the division into Yunnan, and commits my Tianque, so that an inch of land in southern Yunnan has been unavoidable. The general's work is great! The general's heart endures? Can't bear it? I used to abandon China, swirl across the Sand River, and talk about borrowing Burma to consolidate my country. Out of danger and into the depths, not only lost the world, but also reextended the first in the foreign service, but also fortunate. The general did not avoid hardships and dangers, went to the desert in person, raised hundreds of thousands of people, and chased the king of the cocoon brigade, how to look at the world too narrow! How can the heavens and the earth be overturned, and there is no room for me! After being crowned King Xijue, he will still invite merit with annihilation! Emperor Di Sigao was in the wind and rain in the world, and I couldn't bear the piece of land, thinking that the general could make meritorious contributions. The general has ruined the clan, and now he wants to break my father and son, and he is grateful for the chapter of the owl, can he not feel miserable? The general is still a Chinese person, and he is still a descendant of Shilu. That is, not for my pity, but not for the first emperor? That is, if you don't read the first emperor, you don't think about the two ancestors? That is, if you don't think about the two ancestors, and don't think about your own ancestors, if you are a father? I don't know what kind of relatives the new king is better than the general, and what hatred and resentment of the lonely guest is against the general? He is loyal and dedicated, and this is the root of the weed, if this is the general's self-righteous wisdom, but does not know that he is stupid. The general thought that he was thick in the Qing Dynasty, but he didn't know what was thick, and he went down with all kinds of worship, which was recorded in the history books, and said why the general was like a person. Today, my soldiers are weak, although they are temporarily allowed to snore on the side of the couch, and it is clear that the fate of father and son hangs in the hands of the general. If you want to get the leader of me, blood will be spattered on the moon and the sun, and you will not dare to resign. If you can turn the disaster into a blessing, you will be safe when you are in danger, and you will be able to sit in the south and prepare the co-master, but the general's life. Although the general was subordinate to the Qing Dynasty, it can be said that he did not forget the blood of the old lord and lived up to the kindness of the previous emperor. But I want to make a choice. ”

Silence, deathly silence.

"Lord Wang, I'm done reading." Gao Dejie saw that Wu Sangui was silent for a long time and said.

"Hey, it's impossible." Wu Sangui sighed, "Dejie, you can draft a note to the imperial court, remember to attach this letter as well, so as not to be suspicious of the imperial court." ”

"Yes!" Gao Dejie took the order and left.

It's impossible, indeed, after Wu Sangui listened to Yongli's letter, his heart was very entangled, especially at the end of the letter, Yongli was almost begging him, which made Wu Sangui even more ashamed. "Alas, if you want to blame, blame God for not bless Daming!"

After several successive incidents, especially the rebellion of Jingzhang, Wu Sangui felt that the situation was serious, and hurriedly ordered people to place Yongli in Shienfang, that is, in the mansion of Chongxin Bo Li Ben, and strictly guarded it, and no one was allowed to enter or leave without authorization. Wu Sangui originally wanted to deal with the tricky matter of Yongli to the imperial court and throw it to Kangxi. But Kangxi was not stupid, and replied to the edict, "Grace will be exempted from sacrifice, and the king of Pingxi will dispose of it arbitrarily." ”

Wu Sangui was dumbfounded, he wanted to take the opportunity of the performance to hand over Yongli to the imperial court for processing, and by the way, he also fulfilled his promise to Yongli to "see the twelve tombs and die". But now, the imperial court ordered to dispose of it on the spot, the so-called "disposal" and "treatment" are actually "beheading", but Kangxi didn't know what to say, he naturally didn't want to bear the notoriety of killing Emperor Ming, so Wu Sangui had to carry this black cauldron. He thought of Bai Qi, a famous general of Qin, who captured more than 400,000 soldiers of Zhao in the Battle of Changping, and sent more than a dozen pieces to King Zhaoxiang of Qin, asking for instructions on how to deal with it. But King Qin Zhaoxiang just didn't give a clear answer, only said that all affairs on the front line were arbitrary by Bai Qi, and at the same time he didn't give Bai Qi grain transportation, forcing Bai Qi to surrender to the pit, and finally made Bai Qi get a notoriety of "human slaughter".

Now, the same dilemma is in front of Wu Sangui. He understands the insidiousness of the court very well, but he can only eat the yellow lotus dumbly, who called you a prince? With great power comes great responsibility. After thinking about it, Wu Sangui had no other way than to kill Yongli.

April 25 was the day of the execution. Wu Sangui sent his henchmen Wu Guogui and Yang Kun to Yongli's residence and escorted Yongli and the prince to Grate Slope. The execution ground was surrounded by the people on three floors inside and three layers outside, and everyone rushed to see off Yongli and the prince.

Yongli bowed his head and was silent, but the crown prince Zhu Cixuan held his head high.

"The people of the Ming Dynasty," the prince was undaunted and impassioned, "today, although the Manchu dog officials killed us, the Ming Dynasty did not die. Zhu Shugui, the king of Ningjing, has been imprisoned on the sea, and Zheng Chenggong, the national surname, is still insisting on resisting the Qing Dynasty in the southeast. ”

"Shut up!" The executioner wanted to stop Zhu Cixuan, but to no avail, and the onlookers wept one after another.

"Don't cry, justice will be served. Wu Sangui, you traitor, as a Han but working for the Qing people, you will not end well! Ha, ha, ha......" Zhu Cixuan laughed loudly.

"Execution!" The executioner's face was red, and he strangled Yongli and the prince to death with a bowstring.

Wu Sangui was at the scene, he witnessed all this, but he didn't dare to say a word, he couldn't wait to find a crack in the ground to get into.

"Oppose the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty, and swear to kill Wu Sangui!" A few bold young men muttered quietly. Wu Sangui pretended not to hear, and hurriedly ordered his soldiers to disperse the crowd of onlookers, and returned home first.

When Wu Sangui returned to the mansion, it was getting late. He felt physically and mentally exhausted, so he went to bed early. Lying on the bed, he tossed and turned, he had been on the battlefield for a long time on weekdays, and he could be described as murderous, but today he felt terrified, and he still had palpitations until now. "Am I old?" Wu Sangui muttered to himself and fell asleep grogily.

"Wu Sangui, you dog minion, don't kneel down for me quickly!"

It's the Emperor of Yongli! Wu Sangui was terrified, and was about to plead, but when he saw that he was already kneeling on the grate slope, he desperately wanted to stand up, but he couldn't move.

"Wu Sangui, you have made a big mistake by luring the Qing soldiers into the customs. And now you have killed the king, and you have made more mistakes than mistakes, and your sins are heavy. Emperor Yongli sat on the dragon chair, shining brightly, stabbing Wu Sangui from opening his eyes, "Wu Sangui, are you guilty?" ”

"I have done my best for the previous dynasty. The Ming Dynasty has fallen, and I can only be loyal to the Qing Dynasty. Wu Sangui wanted to defend himself.

"Wu Sangui, you are still obsessed with your death. Looks like I can't save you. ”

"What! I'm going to die? That's impossible! Wu Sangui wanted to get up and chase Yongli, but saw that Yongli had drifted away and disappeared. Wu Sangui desperately wanted to take a step, but he couldn't move. When he looked down, he was suddenly frightened, and it turned out that he was actually standing in the underworld! Countless pairs of dead people's hands grabbed Wu Sangui's feet, legs, and arms...

"You, who are you?" Wu Sangui was creepy.

"We are all the people of the Ming Dynasty who were slaughtered by the Qing soldiers!" The dead let out a terrible wail, "Wu Sangui, you have hurt us so badly!" We will pick your skin, drink your blood, and eat your flesh! ”

"Nope! No! Wu Sangui screamed and sat up from the bed suddenly.

"It turned out to be a dream." Wu Sangui's face turned pale and panted. Apparently he hadn't recovered from the nightmare he had just had. Wu Sangui looked up at the window, and the sky had already begun to brighten.

"Lord Wang, what's wrong with you?" Fang Guangchen came in to visit, but saw Wu Sangui sitting on the bed in embarrassment.

"It's fine." Wu Sangui said.

Fang Guangchen looked at it for a while. "Oops! Lord, your braids! Fang Guangchen looked at Wu Sangui with an extremely surprised expression, "Why is it all white!" ”

"What? All white? No way! ”

"Really! Even his beard and eyebrows turned white. Lord Wang, if you don't believe it, take a look in the mirror by yourself. With that, Fang Guangchen handed a bronze mirror to Wu Sangui.

Wu Sangui stretched out his hand and slowly took the mirror, looked at himself in the glasses, and couldn't help but be surprised! In the mirror, his face was haggard, and his braids, beard, and eyebrows were all white as if they had been beaten by frost and withered grass! He seemed to have aged a lot overnight. Wu Sangui was silent, he already understood a little in his heart.

"Hey! Old! Wu Sangui sighed, "Now this king is also over half a hundred years old!" ”

"No, my lord, I saw you yesterday." Fang Guangchen pondered, "What do you have on your mind?" ”

Wu Sangui was silent for a long time, "What's the matter, it's just that I've been overworked in order to deal with King Yongming in the past few days." ”

As soon as he heard the words "King Yongming", Fang Guangchen understood. Fang Guangchen, whose name is Xianting, is a confidant and strategist who has followed Wu Sangui since Liaodong. He reads poetry and books, and often compares himself with Guan Zhong and Zhuge Liang. Wu Sangui's abnormal behavior, where can he escape his fiery eyes.

"Lord Wang, if you have anything on your mind, you might as well talk to the old minister and listen to it, it's better than being stuffy in your heart alone."

"Hey, Xianting, I won't hide it from you, I had a nightmare just now, very..." Wu Sangui wanted to use the word "terrible", but he felt that he couldn't say it, so he said, "Strange." ”

"Oh? What dreams? ”

Wu Sangui hesitated for a moment before saying, "I dreamed of King Yongming just now. ”

When Fang Guangchen heard this, he was secretly taken aback in his heart, as he expected, "And then?" ”

"I knelt on the slope of the grate, and the king of Yongming scolded me for being obsessed and betraying the country. I was just about to plead my case, but many dead people rushed to me and wanted to pick my skin and eat my flesh..."

Fang Guangchen had already seen Wu Sangui's thoughts, but he felt that the time had not yet come, and it was not easy to open his mouth. Today, Wu Sangui confided in himself, so he mustered up the courage to say: "Lord, Weichen has a sentence hidden in his heart for a long time, but he has never known how to speak. ”

"You've been following me since Liaodong, if you have anything else to say, let's say it."

"Lord Wang, you have such strength, why should you wronged yourself as a thief."

"Be a thief!" Wu Sangui blurted out, "Why do you also say that I am a thief?" ”

"Has anyone else said that?" Fang Guangchen asked puzzled.

"King Yongming also said it. I am the king of the Qing court, how did I become a thief? Wu Sangui was a little angry.

"Then do you know the last words of Kong Youde, the king of Dingnan?"

"Kong Youde still has his last words? He was loyal and martyred for the Qing Dynasty in Guilin, and he must have taught his children and grandchildren to be loyal to the Qing Dynasty for generations. ”

"Hmph," Fang Guangchen smiled slightly, and told Wu Sangui the story of that time. Fang Guangchen said affirmatively: "Lord Wang, I don't think you are the kind of villain who is willing to be a thief, why don't you go against the Qing Dynasty and return to the Ming Dynasty and become a hero early?" ”

There was silence for a long time.

"I've thought about it when I turn against the Qing Dynasty and return to the Ming Dynasty, but how can it be so lightweight. Now that the Qing Dynasty has been in the Central Plains for more than ten years, and the world has settled down, at this time, if I oppose the Qing Dynasty, people will not call me a 'chaotic minister and thief'? Wu Sangui said, "Furthermore, what reason do I have to oppose the Qing Dynasty, if the name is not right, it will not be good?" ”

"Expelle Hulu and restore China!" Fang Guangchen said, "This is the instruction of Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. At that time, the Yuan Dynasty had ruled China for nearly a hundred years, and even longer. But Taizu's righteous banner is not the world's response? If you don't oppose the Qing Dynasty, people will call you a traitor. ”

"Expelle Hulu and restore China." This is something that Wu Sangui never thought of before, he has been fighting all his life, but poetry and books are not what he is good at, listening to Fang Guangchen say this, he suddenly realized, "Oh, it turns out that Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang raised an army against the Yuan Dynasty and played this banner." It's no wonder that so many heroes and heroes have defected to him. The Yuan people are Hulu, and the Qing people are also Hulu. This banner is very good, so that if this king raises an army against the Qing Dynasty, no one will oppose it. ”

Wu Sangui was very excited, and he suddenly felt that his life had meaning again. "But now that Yongli has been killed by me, the bloodline of the Ming Dynasty has been cut off by me, the people will definitely not forgive me, and if I say 'anti-Qing and Ming' now, I will definitely be ridiculed by the antenna people as a repeated villain." Alas, it's too late, it's too late. When Wu Sangui thought of this, he couldn't help but become discouraged again.

"Li Ling returned to Han and was a loyal minister. Lord Wang, haven't you heard the story of Su Wu and Ming Yingzong? All of them were once trapped in Hulu, but in the end, they returned to Han with their tenacious will, and were praised by the world. Besides, there were many founding heroes in the Ming Dynasty, such as Liu Bowen and Xu Da, who were also officials and generals in the Yuan Dynasty. The prodigal son does not change his money, so you don't need to worry so much. ”

"The prodigal son does not change his money. That's right. This king has already missed once, and he can't be wrong again and again. Dedication to the court, listening to the king's words, is better than reading ten years. Wu Sangui said, "But this matter is very important, and it is not trivial, and if you don't get it right, it will be a matter of losing your head." How many anti-Qing fighters have died under the butcher's knife of the Qing court! Let me think about it again. ”

The death of Emperor Yongli aroused great sympathy among the people of Kunming, and the merchants boycotted the market one after another, and the people wept one after another. People pretended to be "Ding Jian" and wore filial piety for Yongli. There are a few citizens who are not afraid of death, risking their lives to bury the bones of Yongli in the grate slope of Taihua Mountain, which is moving.

The death of Emperor Yongli was also a turning point in Wu Sangui's life. The killing of Yongli greatly touched Wu Sangui's heart, and he turned white overnight. Yongli used his life to awaken his long-lost conscience. From then on, he began to develop the will to oppose the Qing Dynasty, and finally embarked on the difficult road of rebellion.