"Bang", the exquisite teacup made of gold fell to the ground, although it was not broken, and the residual tea in the gold cup did not cause much stain, the female officer who accidentally missed it still quickly knelt down on her knees and kowtowed to Yang Xiuqing again and again, "Long live the East King, long live the East King." Pen %Fun %Pavilion www.biquge.info"

"Drag it out! Hit a hundred rods! Beat! Beat! Beat! ”

Yang Xiuqing's roar echoed in the Golden Dragon Palace, the female official howled and begged for mercy, and the civil and military officials of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom present also stuck their foreheads to the ground, and they didn't even dare to take a breath of air, for fear that like the poor female official, they would become Yang Xiuqing's punching bag and be dragged out and beaten to death.

The poor female official really died under the cane, but Yang Xiuqing, who usually knows how to pity the fragrance and cherish the jade, went against the norm and ordered the female official's body to be fed to the dog before stopping. Then, Yang Xiuqing, who was still angry, yelled again: "Why is there no news from Yang Yuanqing's side? Did you withdraw to Yanzhou? ”

None of the civil and military officials dared to answer Yang Xiuqing's question, so they could only cast their pleading eyes on Yang Xiuqing's third brother Yang Runqing, Yang Runqing was helpless, in order to prevent Yang Xiuqing from continuing to kill indiscriminately in a rage, he could only stubbornly answer: "Long live the king of Huidong, there is no news for the time being." ”

Of course, Yang Xiuqing couldn't spill his anger on his younger brother, so the golden dragon case in front of Yang Xiuqing was naturally overturned, "What are you eating?" Why is there no news yet? Send someone to urge again, and tell Yang Yuanqing and Shi Dakai that as soon as these wastes return to Yanzhou, they will immediately return to Tianjing for this king to take the blame! ”

Why Yang Xiuqing's temper is so big, the reason must not be wordy, in fact, the current Yang Xiuqing is already relatively calm, when he first received the news of the fiasco of the Northern Expeditionary Army and the annihilation of the entire naval division, Yang Xiuqing killed nine female officers and guards who accidentally made small mistakes on the same day, and Yitian Hou Ji Chengzi, who was deeply trusted by Yang Xiuqing, just persuaded Yang Xiuqing not to be angry with others, and was also beheaded in public by Yang Xiuqing by drinking orders to launch the Golden Dragon Palace.

This is not counting, as long as they are the generals of the Taiping Army who participated in the Northern Expedition, all their families were ordered by Yang Xiuqing to be taken down and put in a prison cell to await punishment, including Yang Yuanqing's wife and children. And Wei Jun's family, who rebelled and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, was even more miserable, all of them were executed by five horses, including Wei Jun's ten-year-old son.

Two days later, although Yang Yuanqing finally sent the news that the remnants of the Taiping army had successfully withdrawn to Yanzhou, Yang Yuanqing reported that Shi Dakai, Zeng Lichang and Li Shixian and other generals all refused to return to Tianjing, and they all had to stay in Yanzhou to reinvigorate themselves, and then march to Huibei to eliminate the Qing army Weng Xincun there. During this period, Yang Yuanqing tried to coerce Yang Xiuqing's saber, but Shi Dakai, Zeng Lichang and others held their own camps, refusing to go out of the camp to meet Yang Yuanqing.

"It's the other way around! It's the other way around! These rebels are reversed! Give Yang Yuanqing an order to take down all the traitors such as Shi Dakai, Li Shixian and Li Kaifang! Escorted back to Tianjing for trial! ”

Yang Xiuqing's order issued in a rage shocked all the civil and military officials present, and no one dared to speak up to receive the order, but Yang Xiuqing, who was angry, yelled even more, asking why everyone present had become mute? In the end, there was no way, Yang Runqing could only stand up again to block the gun, and said with a sad face: "Brother, what if you really force Shi Dakai and them to rebel if you do this?" The second brother's army suffered heavy losses, if Shi Dakai and them joined forces to rebel, how could he be able to suppress it? ”

"This king personally led his troops north to kill all these thieves! Kill all these thieves first, then kill all the Qing demons, and then kill all the Wu demons! Kill! Kill! Kill! ”

It took three days, and the subordinate officials of the Dongwang Mansion finally calmed down Yang Xiuqing and withdrew the order to take the initiative to provoke a civil war, but how to deal with Shi Dakai and others who were ineffective in combat and disobeyed orders became a thorny problem.

With no other choice, Yang Xiuqing could only listen to Hou Qianfang's suggestion, and decided to clean up Shi Dakai and others by killing people with a knife, while demoting Shi Dakai and Zeng Lichang and others first, while forcing them to continue to attack the Qing army in Shandong, and weaken these warlords with the help of the Qing army.

The hot-tempered Yang Xiuqing endured countless endurances before he reluctantly accepted this suggestion of Xu Xu's punishment, and the main reason why Yang Xiuqing was able to endure so much was not the hard persuasion of the subordinate officials of the Dongwang Mansion, but that Yang Xiuqing did not have much way to clean up these warlords from other places, and the army system led by the generals had long been destroyed, and the heads of the large and small armies regarded the army as private property. In fact, it is Anqing Lin Fengxiang, Jiangyin Wu Ruxiao and Songjiang Lu Shunde, who are close at hand, and Yang Xiuqing has already begun to command a little.

What was even worse for Yang Xiuqing was that in the Northern Expedition, his descendants also suffered heavy losses, and many loyal descendants were killed, and the vitality of the descendants army was greatly damaged, and of course, there was no way to deter and restrain foreign warlords. So no matter how reluctant he was, Yang Xiuqing had to admit a cruel fact, he no longer had the strength to eliminate the Manchu court, and he had to recuperate, give priority to his strength inward, and solve the problem of militarization of military leaders that had been clearly revealed.

Then, as expected by Wu Chaoyue, Zhao Liewen and others, Yang Xiuqing really hated the Wu army in Hubei, which was of little help to the Taiping army in this Northern Expedition, not only sent a letter accusing Wu Chaoyue of failing to effectively contain the Qing army for the Taiping army, but also opened his mouth to ask Wu Chaoyue for food and weapons, and asked Wu Chaoyue to unconditionally help him regain his strength.

In order to temporarily stabilize Yang Xiuqing, Wu Chaoyue of course more or less promised to give Yang Xiuqing a little money, food and weapons in the reply, but this was far from satisfying Yang Xiuqing's huge appetite. As a result, when Yang Xiuqing scolded Wu for being stingy and stingy, Rong Lu, the envoy of the Manchu court, who had been promoted to the deputy envoy of the Zhengsipin General Political Envoy Department, also came to Nanjing by boat with the determination to die, and went directly to the Nanjing Taiping Army to ask to see Yang Xiuqing.

Here we still have to praise the Taiping soldiers for their unswerving anti-Qing stance, Rong Lu had just identified himself to the Taiping soldiers on the Xiaguan Wharf, and was immediately taken down by the Taiping soldiers, not to mention, he was immediately beaten by the Taiping soldiers with a blue nose and swollen face, and his head was broken and bleeding, if it wasn't for the Taiping generals guarding the dock to stop him, Rong Lu was probably divided by the Taiping soldiers on the spot.

Yang Xiuqing's curiosity also saved the life of Rong Lu, the last Manchu boss in the late Qing Dynasty, when he heard that the Manchu court sent an envoy to meet him, Yang Xiuqing's first reaction was to think that he had heard it wrong, and asked the guards who came to report the news several times if he had passed the wrong word? Then naturally, under the premise of being extremely curious, Yang Xiuqing, who hated people so much that her eggs hurt, also gave Rong Lu a chance, and ordered the guards to escort Rong Lu to meet.

Accompanying Rong Lu to Yang Xiuqing, there were also expensive gifts from the Manchu court to Yang Xiuqing, but Yang Xiuqing, who had long been accustomed to seeing gold, silver and jewelry, was more interested in Rong Lu.

"Your name is Ronglu?" Yang Xiuqing asked tentatively.

"Back to His Royal Highness the King of the East, the little envoy is called Rong Lu." Rong Lu replied neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Manchurian Zhengbai Banner, Guarjia clan, the grace of the Empress Dowager of the two palaces of the Qing Dynasty, is currently temporarily in the position of deputy envoy of the Yamen of the Qing Dynasty. ”

"The demon is full of dogs." Yang Xiuqing scolded contemptuously.

"Yes, under the rule of His Royal Highness the East King, the little envoy also has a title called Qing Demon Mangou." Rong Lu replied calmly: "It's like you, the soldiers of your army and His Royal Highness the King of the East, are called long-haired bandits in the bandit den of Wu thieves in Hubei. ”

"Bold!" Hou Qianfang, Li Junliang and other Yang Xiuqing cronies who were waiting on the side were all furious, and they all scolded: "Shut up! Long live the East King, Hugh is presumptuous! ”

"The little envoy is a little presumptuous, but he is also telling the truth." Rong Lu replied very calmly, and then asked rhetorically: "Don't you really know that although Wu Chaoyue rebel has formed an alliance with your Royal Highness the Eastern King, his subordinates still insult your Royal Highness the Eastern King and you as long-haired bandits?" ”

Hou Qianfang and the others were speechless, but Rong Lu said to Yang Xiuqing: "His Royal Highness the East King, the little envoy is really not sowing discord, if His Royal Highness the East King doesn't believe it, you can send someone to investigate, if Wu Chaoyue is among the rebels of the rebels, there is no contempt and insult to your army, then the little envoy is willing to lead Ling Chi's crime." ”

Yang Xiuqing was also speechless, because Yang Xiuqing knew early on that the attitude of the soldiers of the Wu Army towards the Taiping Army was still mostly contemptuous and hostile, but the Taiping Army was also a virtue, including Yang Xiuqing himself who usually called the Transcendence Demon when he mentioned Wu Chaoyue, so Yang Xiuqing never cared about such a trivial matter.

Unable to refute Rong Lu on the issue of title, Yang Xiuqing could only change the topic and asked, "What are you doing here?" Don't you know that I have always hated you for being full of demons and dogs, and you will slaughter one by one? ”

"Back to His Royal Highness the King of the East, of course the little envoy knows this." Rong Lu said in a calm tone: "In fact, the little envoy's father, Changshou Gong, and his uncle, Changrui Gong, were both killed by your army in the Battle of Yongan Longliao Ridge, and their bodies were all covered with scars. ”

"The Battle of Yong'an Longliao Ridge?" Yang Xiuqing recalled for a moment, and immediately said: "I remember, that battle was fought when my Heavenly Army broke through, your Mangou Father and your Mangou Uncle were both the chief soldiers of the Qing Demon at that time, right?" ”

"His Royal Highness the King of the East is a celestial talent, and he really deserves his reputation." Rong Lu complimented: "I can't imagine that after nine years, His Royal Highness the East King can still remember the official position of the little envoy's father, and his ability to never forget it is really admirable." ”

"Don't talk about these nice things, don't think that you can survive by slapping the king's ass." Yang Xiuqing's face, which had been gloomy for many days, finally showed a little smile, and said with a smile: "Since your father and uncle died at the hands of this king, then you still have the courage to come to see this king?" ”

"Sacrifice your life to go to the country, and see death as if you were going home." Rong Lu replied lightly and said, "His Royal Highness the King of the East, the little envoy is here today for the state affairs of the Qing Dynasty and to save your life. ”

"Bold fanatic, Hugh is rude!"

"Come on, push this demon full dog out and cut it down!"

The subordinate officials of the Dongwang Mansion present shouted again, and some people rushed up to punch and kick Rong Lu in order to show their loyalty, Rong Lu endured the pain and did not dodge, and said to Yang Xiuqing with a smile: "His Royal Highness the East Wang, maybe you yourself know the danger very well, maybe you still don't understand, but before the little envoy is executed, can you let the little envoy finish his words?" ”

Yang Xiuqing hesitated, but waved his hand to tell his subordinates to stop and shut up, and then asked Rong Lu, "Are you here to save the life of this king?" This king is fine now, what do you need to save? ”

"Why does His Royal Highness the King of the East knowingly ask? Deliberately testing the envoy? Rong Lu asked with a wry smile, and then said in a sincere tone: "His Royal Highness the King of the East, with your wisdom and wisdom, you must also know very well that now our Qing Dynasty can no longer threaten you, and it is still difficult to protect yourself, let alone recover Jiangning and regain the lost land." Now there is only one person in the world who is the biggest threat to you, who can have the power to kill you and harm you, and that is Wu Chaoyue. ”

"Beyond the little demon? Just him? Yang Xiuqing asked with a sneer.

"Yes, maybe Wu Chaoyue doesn't have that ability yet." Rong Lu didn't argue with Yang Xiuqing, but just pointed out: "But His Royal Highness the East King, the biggest threat to you and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom now is not our Qing Imperial Court, but Wu Chaoyue's rebels, you should always admit this, right?" ”

Yang Xiuqing was silent, and Rong Lu said more sincerely: "Your Royal Highness the King of the East, you must know very well in your heart that Wu Chaoyue has not attacked you yet, because our Qing Dynasty is still there, but if our Qing Dynasty is wiped out, with Wu Chaoyue's viciousness and despicability, we will inevitably start a war against you at the first time and destroy your Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, this is inevitable, right?" ”

Yang Xiuqing still didn't say anything, just nodded slightly, and acquiesced that Rong Lu's words were true-in fact, this is indeed a true truth.

Seeing that Yang Xiuqing was shaken, Rong Lu said again: "His Royal Highness the King of the East, the little envoy has come to ask you for a truce on behalf of the Qing Dynasty this time, and asks your army to cease fire and stop the war, and join forces to crusade against Wu Chaoyue's traitors. ”

Laughter erupted in the Golden Dragon Palace, and Yang Xiuqing also asked with a mocking face: "Are you Qing Demon Imperial Court crazy about gains?" Do you think it's possible for this king to agree? ”

"It's not a secret, the little envoy actually knew for a long time, His Royal Highness the East King, you would never agree." Rong Lu replied calmly: "Who are you, Your Royal Highness the East King?" How could the Han heroes who killed us Manchus and killed the blood-stained Jiangnan and were determined to expel the Tartars, how could they betray your original ideal and join forces with us, the demons and dogs? ”

"And you're still here?" Yang Xiuqing asked with a sneer.

"Because the little envoy knows that although His Royal Highness the Eastern King will never agree to join forces with us to join forces with the Qing Demon Mangou, he will never refuse another request from the little envoy." Rong Lu smiled and said: "Please ask His Royal Highness the East King to lend us the road, let us Qing Demon Mangou and Wu Chaoyue rebel fight a lose-lose situation, and let His Royal Highness the East King sit and reap the profits." ”

"Lend you a way? How to borrow? Yang Xiuqing hurriedly asked.

"Please let go of the Yangtze River waterway, let us clear the demon Mangou and the fleet of the Rakshasa Kingdom to attack Hubei, and capture and kill Wu Chaoyue's rebels."

Rong Lu finally said his true intention, and said: "If His Royal Highness the King of the East agrees, then there is no need to use a single soldier, so that the Qing Dynasty Court and Wu Chaoyue will both lose and be injured, such a good opportunity, His Royal Highness the King of the East, your wisdom and martial arts, you must definitely not refuse, right?" ”

There was a big uproar in the Golden Dragon Palace, and the light in Yang Xiuqing's eyes began to flicker, staring at Rong Lu, Rong Lu looked at Yang Xiuqing with a calm expression, and said: "His Royal Highness the East King, the opportunity to kill people and weaken the Wu thief with a knife is in front of you, please don't miss it." The little envoy dared to say bluntly, if you miss it, Your Royal Highness the East King, you will definitely regret it for the rest of your life! ”