Sanguan Temple was originally the only temple built by the Ming people in the city of Shenyang, when the Jin people entered the city because of the many faith shamans had burned down, and then with the development of the Jin country, gradually the banner of the noble people have believed in Buddhism. In the second year of Tiancong, Hong Tai ordered to rebuild the temple on the original site of the Sanguan Temple, called a Mongolian monk to preside, and the temple placed more than 100 monks who were captured from the Ming Kingdom.

Manchuria's belief in shamanism is mostly witchcraft, Hong Tai is very disgusted, and after succeeding to the throne as Khan, he will strike harder, so that the influence of shamanism in Manchu is not as good as before, and it is replaced by the prosperity of Buddhism, among which Tibetan Buddhism is the most popular in Manchuria. However, the most populous Han people still firmly believe in Buddhism, and the years of war have made the Han people who have become slaves empty of faith, and in order to have a pure land in their hearts, they are more obsessed with the false gods and Buddhas, which makes Sanguan Temple, the only temple in Shenyang, become prosperous.

In the past few days, the Sanguan Temple, which was originally full of incense, has become silent, and there are not a few believers who worship the Buddha in a day. The idle Mongolian monk knew that the reason why the believers did not come to offer incense was that the Ming army came from outside the city, so he didn't curse anything, but just turned back to the room and continued to drink his spirits, and after drinking, he covered his head and went to sleep. For him, an outsider, whether it is a Ming person or a Jin person, as long as they believe in Buddhism, they can continue to be a great monk, and it really doesn't matter if they can't do it, there will always be dead people in this world, and I'm afraid that no one is willing to spend money to ask him to do things?

Compared with the Mongolian monk's incomparable freedom, the Han monks in the temple were much more worried, and after eating fasting early, they entered the sutra hall under the leadership of two elderly monks and recited in unison, so that the Buddha would bless the soldiers from slashing their swords.

In the backyard of the temple, there was also an old man who was holding a scripture book in his hand and reading, but he only read it and did not read it out loud. Through the light of the window, you can vaguely see that the old man's hair has turned white, and what makes people strange is that the old man is not dressed up, but dressed in the clothes of the Ming people, and his head is also wrapped in a net scarf unique to the Ming people.

The old man looked at the scripture in his hand motionlessly, and for a long time, he raised his head slightly, but he lowered his head again in an instant, ignoring the things around him. This made the man who had been sitting on the right side of the room a little angry and anxious, but he didn't dare to interrupt the old man's reading, so he just sat there respectfully and waited, but from time to time he swept his eyes out of the courtyard.

This courtyard was originally a miscellaneous room for the monks to store firewood, after being cleaned for the old man to live temporarily, Xu is to know the old man's heart, and the monks carried some flowers and plants, so that this courtyard seems to be a little vibrant. It's just that in this cold day, the flowers and plants have long withered, and the dead branches and leaves are all over the courtyard, how can there be vitality.

Time passed minute by minute, and finally, after confirming that the guards outside had not come, the man finally stood up, walked gently to the old man's side, and whispered, "Isn't the old man really unwilling to wait for me to have a path of repentance?" ”

This old man is the Shaoqing of Taifu Temple who led the army to aid the defeat and capture of Daling River, and Zhang Chun, the military commander of the Daoist Army. In order to win people's hearts and gain fame, Hong Tai did not execute Zhang Chun, but arranged him in this Sanguan Temple, imagining that one day this loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty would be able to change his mind and kneel in front of him. However, it backfired, Zhang Chun always wore Hanfu during his detention, did not shave his head, insisted on the dress of the Ming Dynasty, adhered to the integrity of the Ming Dynasty, and would rather die than reduce the gold, which made Hong Tai hate and admire, so he simply made up his mind to lock him up in Sanguan Temple to die, to see whether this old man would descend or not.

If that man was Shi Dayong's presence, he would be able to recognize at a glance that this person was Zu Dashou's deputy general Liu Tianlu. Although Mrs. Hong did not allow Zhang Chun to take a step out of the Sanguan Temple, he allowed the Han people to go to see him, thinking that these Han officials could help persuade him to surrender, but in addition to being scolded back again and again, there was no good news coming back.

Hearing what Liu Tianlu said, Zhang Chun put down the scripture book in his hand, slowly raised his head and pretended to be strange: "It's strange, but I don't know how the old man can give you a way to repent?" ”

Liu Tianlu smiled bitterly: "The old man asked for some reason, the last general is really helpless to surrender with Zu Shuai, the city of Da Linghe has long relied on killing people for food, and the old man was defeated on the bank of the Xiao Ling River, there is no food and grass inside, there are no reinforcements outside, and the last general can't think of what else he can do that day except to surrender with Zu Shuai?" ”

Hearing this, Zhang Chun said with an angry face: "How not! Die to repay your father! ”

"You can say it, but you can't do it." Liu Tianlu sighed, "Who in this world does not spare his life, but there is a way to live, how can we choose the way to die." "He's telling the truth, ants are still stealing life, but people are still alive.

"How can He Kegang calmly die?" Thinking of He Kegang's death, Zhang Chun was heartbroken and closed his eyes in pain.

"Alas"

Zhang Chun mentioned He Kegang, Liu Tianlu was also speechless, after a long time, he suddenly gritted his teeth and knelt in front of Zhang Chun, pleading: "As long as the boss says a word, I can live when I wait, please agree to come down for the sake of our loyalty to the Ming Dynasty!" ”

Zhang Chun slowly opened his eyes, and said with a wry smile: "The old man defeated the Da Ling River, buried countless Da Ming Erlang, and now he is captured by slaves, in the eyes of the court, I am afraid that it is not better than you, you ask for the old man, and the old man asks for whom?" ”

Hearing Zhang Chun's tone a little soft, Liu Tianlu was overjoyed, and said busily: "The emperor was captured only after knowing that the master of the Dao did not surrender in battle, and the last general heard that the emperor never blamed the adult, but expressed the idea of wanting to redeem the adult several times, which shows that the emperor trusts the adult, and will reuse the boss in the future, so as long as the boss is willing to speak for us, the emperor will definitely be lenient to us." ”

After listening, after a long time, Zhang Chun sighed lightly: "That's it, since you are willing to repent, the old man will not cut off his life, but" Speaking of this, he showed hesitation, stared at Liu Tianlu and asked worriedly: "Can you really open the city gate and let my army enter the city?" ”

In the cold wind of hunting, on the head of the small south gate, Zhang Cunren, the former deputy general of the Liaodong Army, looked at the Hunhe River in the distance with a complicated face, and in the night, he could vaguely see countless bonfires on the south bank. At this time, how similar is it, didn't he see this similar scene on the head of Dalinghe City back then.

I don't know how long I watched, Zhang Cunren retracted his gaze, shook his head with a wry smile, and wanted to go down to the city very lonely, but saw two soldiers walking over with lanterns not far away, but walking behind was his old acquaintance, Cao Gongcheng, the former general of the Liaodong Army, who was also the guard of this small south gate, and had a battalion of soldiers under him.

After seeing Zhang Cunren, Cao Gongcheng waved his hand to signal his soldiers to step aside, and then walked to Zhang Cunren's side, first looked at the Ming army camp on the south bank of the Hunhe River for a moment, and then turned to Zhang Cunren and said: "Brother Zhang, you must have seen those things that Mang Gurtai shot in, right?" ”

"However, Mang Gurtai slandered the words of the Khan King, a few people will believe him, he just shoots in no matter what's the matter, if he wants to take down Shenyang City, he has to come with real knives and guns, and he just wants to make people laugh." Zhang Cunren didn't know why Cao Gongcheng came to the city late at night, and why he asked about the enemy's text, so he looked at him very suspiciously.

Seeing Zhang Cunren's doubts, Cao Gongcheng glanced around, and Fang said in a low voice: "Look at the situation, the Ming army will attack the city tomorrow, and now there are just you and me here, but I don't know what Brother Zhang plans to do in his heart?" ”

"Intended?" Zhang Cunren was slightly stunned for a moment, and said: "On the day Zu Shuai took us to reduce the gold, we had no way back, and we could only live and die with this Shenyang City." ”

Cao Gongcheng shook his head and said: "That's not the case, isn't there anything we can do to reduce the gold that day, we can also be regarded as loyal to the Ming Dynasty to the end, there is really no way to surrender, if we can repent and return to the Ming Dynasty, the court may not blame us, maybe it will continue to reuse us." ”

"How do you think that?"

Zhang Cunren was taken aback, he didn't expect Cao Gongcheng to say such a thing to him, you must know that Cao Gongcheng is very stammered with the Eight Banners on weekdays, so he was valued by Dai Shan and entrusted him to be the guard of the South Gate. I thought that this person was a hardcore and a golden man to the end, but I didn't think that he would have the idea of rejoining the Ming Dynasty, which was really unexpected by Zhang Cunren.

Ever since he heard that the army had crossed the sea, fought all the way to Liaoyang, and went straight to Shenyang, Zhang Cunren knew that there would definitely be people among the generals who had other ideas, but he really didn't expect Cao Gongcheng to be one of them. He saw Cao Gongcheng swearing to defend the south gate in front of Sun Degong and Zu Zerun, and it didn't take a few hours for "defending the south gate" to become "rejoining the Ming Dynasty", and the contrast could not help but surprise Zhang Cunren.

Cao Gongcheng ignored Zhang Cunren's surprise, and only asked: "You and I are both people with soldiers, whether this Shenyang City can be defended or not, you and I know it in our hearts, does Brother Zhang really want to live and die with Shenyang City?" ”

"This"

Zhang Cunren didn't know whether Cao Gongcheng was testing him or really wanted to do it anyway, so he didn't dare to express his position easily, and after squeaking a few times, he smiled bitterly: "Even if we are anyway, the court will not let us go, not to mention anything else, He Shuai's death, the court will always ask for the guilt, right?" ”

"He Shuai was killed by Zu Zerun and Zu Dacheng's uncle and nephew, what does it have to do with us?" Cao Gongcheng's voice was very affirmative, as if he did not participate in the killing of He Kegang at all that day. Cao Gongcheng's denial left Zhang Cunren speechless.

"Actually, Brother Zhang, you actually didn't want to reduce your money that day, although you have never shown your mouth, but my brother has worked with you for so many years, how can you not know what you think? This Shenyang City can't hold it anyway, let's not turn back to the Ming Dynasty, I'm afraid that after the city is broken, it will be the place where you and I will land! Don't hide it from Brother Zhang, I have already made up my mind to do it, Brother Zhang is willing to be with my little brother, please give me a clear word. ”

Cao Gongcheng obviously didn't want to talk too much nonsense with Zhang Cunren, so he directly showed his attitude, and at the same time that he showed his attitude, the two Cao Gongcheng's personal soldiers quietly surrounded Zhang Cunren on the left and right, and their right hands were pressed on the hilt.

Seeing this, Zhang Cunren knew that Cao Gongcheng was not testing himself, he really wanted to do it anyway, if he didn't agree to be with Cao Gongcheng, he was afraid that he would immediately become a ghost under the knife.

"Who else is involved in this?"

Zhang Cunren had long wanted to defect to the Ming Dynasty, but because he had no soldiers under his command and could not control a city gate, he could not do anything. But now Cao Gongcheng also wants to be anyway, he naturally won't hesitate anymore, and immediately wants to know who else is involved in this matter. After all, Shenyang City is still in the hands of the Jin Army, and if there are too many people involved or unreliable, then there is a possibility that the matter will leak, and they will have no place to bury them.

"Except for General Liu, no one else is involved in this matter." Cao Gongcheng did not hide anything from Zhang Cunren.

"Liu Tianlu?"

As soon as he heard that Liu Tianlu was going to do it anyway, Zhang Cunren suddenly relieved his heart, and Cao Gongcheng's next words made him even more happy, he told Zhang Cunren that Liu Tianlu had gone to Sanguan Temple to contact the imprisoned Zhang Chun, as long as Zhang Chun was willing to participate, they did not have to worry that the court would investigate their past crimes afterwards. At that moment, the two of them discussed the details in secret anyway, and after finalizing everything, they waited for tomorrow. Just in case, the two didn't even get down the city wall, and slept in the gatehouse of the city head that night.