For some reason, Wu Sangui's heart trembled and he quickly said: "Let her in quickly."
A woman wearing a cloak was brought in by the soldiers. Her head was covered by a hat and her face could not be seen clearly, but her figure was obviously not that of Chen Yuanyuan. Wu Sangui's heart suddenly dropped and he didn't know what to say for a moment.
The woman lifted her hat and said in a somewhat hasty tone, "I have a letter here for you, sir." She took out an envelope.
The soldier took the envelope and pinched it. There was something very small inside, which did not look like a hidden weapon. He placed it on Wu Sangui's table with confidence, and then went back and guarded it with his hand on the handle of the knife.
The envelope was not sealed. Wu Sangui poured out the contents and took a look. His eyes immediately turned red and he said to the soldiers: "You guys get out."
The soldiers knew that the commander was brave and would never attempt an assassination, so they withdrew, leaving only the woman behind.
Wu Sangui picked up the hosta on the table and said in a trembling voice: "Where did this thing come from?"
The woman said: "General, please save my young lady."
It turned out that this woman was Chen Yuanyuan's maid. According to her, after Chen Yuanyuan and Mao Pizhang got back together, within a few days of good times, Mao Pizhang took in three more wives and four concubines, neglected Chen Yuanyuan, and often beat and scolded her.
Recently, Wu Sangui was awarded the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, and Chen Yuanyuan became concerned about the reports in this regard. This angered Mao Bizhang even more, and he directly escorted Chen Yuanyuan to the front of the battle, intending to kill this bitch in front of Wu Sangui.
On the one hand, it put pressure on Wu Sangui, and on the other hand, it cleared up his own hatred.
After hearing this, Wu Sangui's expression became complicated. He held the jade hairpin and his face was uncertain. This hairpin was always carried by Chen Yuanyuan. There was no lie. All the situations the maid said were also very true. At least Wu Sangui felt that
Mao Pizhang was such a heartless man. After thinking for a long time, he said: "How can we save Yuanyuan?"
The maid said: "The young lady is being held deep in the camp and is under heavy guard. It is impossible to rob her by force. There is no other way. When I came out, the young lady told me a plan. I wonder if the general has the courage to do it?"
Wu Sangui said: "Say."
The maid immediately started talking non-stop: "Miss said that she did have a long-lasting date with Mr. Mao in the early years, but she didn't live up to him with what happened last time. Too many things have happened during this period, and Miss has seen enough.
The world is full of vicissitudes of life, and she feels that the best person for her is you, the general. She no longer wants to live in a prosperous place, but only wants to find a place with no human habitation and beautiful mountains and clear waters to spend the rest of her life with the general."
"Stop it, I'm asking you how to save people." Wu Sangui interrupted her.
The maid hurriedly said: "It's not difficult to save people. Now the war has started again. The two armies are facing each other. If the general wins, the young lady's life will not be saved. If the general loses, if the master wins, the young lady can survive. But
I wonder if the general is willing to give up a victory in exchange for the young lady’s life.”
Wu Sangui knocked his hand rhythmically on the chair, stared at the maid, and said, "Continue talking."
The maid said: "The general is so brave that he has a good chance of winning when the two armies go to war. For this reason, Mr. Risk is very afraid, fearing that it will affect his own future. If the general gives him a victory, he will naturally give the young lady back. Anyway, he is very interested in it."
The lady has no feelings anymore."
Wu Sangui sneered and said: "What a sharp-tongued maid, but I didn't know that there was such a capable person around Yuanyuan. These words must have been taught to you by Guo Pizheng."
The maid looked inappropriate and said: "I am a general and a man of affection and righteousness. I didn't expect that he is just like Mao Bizhang. He is a thin lover. He forgets his confidante in the presence of glory and wealth. Men, they are all the same. I pity my young lady."
I thought the general was different from that Mao Pizheng."
The maid repeatedly mentioned Mao Pizheng, which aroused Wu Sangui's anger. He slapped the table and said: "Don't mention that coward. You stay here for the night until I can think of a countermeasure."
Seeing that Wu Sangui had made up his mind, the maid said no more and followed the arrangement.
Although the two armies went to war, the battle lines were not as clear as the border. Both sides were from the countryside, and it was relatively easy to travel. After a night of careful consideration, Wu Sangui finally agreed to rescue Chen Yuanyuan. The maid immediately rushed back to the Hongguang Army outside the city with the reply.
Daying, rushed back in the afternoon, this time bringing some definite news, and Mao Pizhang agreed to meet with Wu Sangui.
The meeting place was by the canal outside Changzhou City. The terrain was open and it was difficult to hide ambushes. Both parties could rest assured. Wu Sangui brought twenty cavalry to the agreed place as promised. He saw dozens of cavalry coming from the opposite side. The leader was exactly
Get rid of the deadlock.
The enemy was extremely jealous when they saw each other, and Wu Sangui could not help but breathe quickly, but after all, he was a general who commanded tens of thousands of troops. After calming down a little, he returned to normal.
The two sides stood across the canal. Although the canal was not wide, it was impossible to jump across it with a horse. Both sides had firecrackers, bows and arrows, and the number of people was equal. No one would take advantage of this moment to take action.
There was a veiled woman in the Maopizheng team. She was slim and dressed in plain white. Seeing the familiar figure, Wu Sangui couldn't help but whisper: "Yuanyuan."
The visitor was none other than Chen Yuanyuan. She lifted up her veil, glanced at Wu Sangui with a resentful look, and then lowered her veil. Wu Sangui couldn't help but take two steps forward on his horse, until he reached the edge of the canal, his horse neighing.
He didn't wake up until he refused to move forward.
Seeing that Wu Sangui was losing his composure, Mao Pizhang knew what was going on. He shouted across the river: "It's been a long time, General Wu. Let's put aside the grudges between us for the time being. How about doing a business today?"
Wu Sangui said in a deep voice: "Speak."
Mao Bizhang said: "You help me seize Shanghai. After that, I will let Yuanyuan go with you. You two will go far away. From now on, we will have nothing to do with each other and have nothing to do with each other."
This is simply a lion's mouth. Even though Wu Sangui was thinking about Chen Yuanyuan, he couldn't help but sarcastically said: "I don't think you have such good calculations. Do you think that the tens of thousands of soldiers in Shanghai are all listening to the orders of a certain Wu? We are obeying from a distance."
I am the supervisor of the country. If Wu is defeated again and again, he will not be qualified to lead the army. He has been deprived of his position long ago. It is simply a dream to help you capture Shanghai. Besides, even if I can help you capture Shanghai,
You have unified the south of the Yangtze River, and naturally all the birds are gone, so how can I survive? I am afraid that I will be killed by you with a sword at the risk of becoming an adult."
Mao Bizhang laughed loudly and said: "I thought Wu Sangui was a well-known man. It turns out that being timid is just like a villain in the market. It doesn't matter. Since you can't trust me, I won't force you. In a word, if you want to replace Chen Yuanyuan in Changzhou, will you do it?"
Do it? If not, let’s just say goodbye and see you and Chen Yuanyuan again in the next life.”
At this moment, Chen Yuanyuan lifted the veil again, and looked at Wu Sangui with a pair of big eyes. She didn't say anything, didn't even have an expression. She just glanced at him. The veil was still lowered, but Wu Sangui still heard the sound in Chen Yuanyuan's heart.
sigh.
A voice sounded in Wu Sangui's heart: Don't miss this opportunity! Whether you can win her heart back depends on this time."
"Okay, I promise you!" This sentence almost blurted out. After hearing this, a smile appeared on the corner of Mao Pizhang's mouth, flicked the hair on his forehead, and said: "General Wu is really happy, here is the plan I made, you
Just follow the plan." After saying this, someone tied a letter to an arrow and shot it.
Even if the matter was settled, Wu Sangui suddenly shouted: "Wait a minute!"
Mao Bizhang was startled, then turned around and said, "Is General Wu going to regret it now?"
"No...I want...I want to have a word with Yuanyuan."
Mao Bizhang calmed down a little, pointed at Chen Yuanyuan and said: "Go see General Wu, don't talk nonsense."
Chen Yuanyuan urged her horse forward, lifted her veil, her eyes turned red, and whispered to Wu Sangui on the other side of the river: "Why are you doing this?"
The woman's voice was low, but the wind brought these words to Wu Sangui's ears. For a moment, his heart felt sour, and then he raised his chest and said: "For you, I can give up even if the country is in front of me..."
Relatively speechless, with only a few tears, the yellow flowers and dead grass beside the canal in autumn witnessed this touching scene.
The Southern Expedition Army of the Hongguang Court was composed of the Jingying Army and Liu Zongmin's Han Army. The food, pay, and weapons of the Jingying Army were second-rate, and their combat effectiveness was far inferior to that of the Han Army. Therefore, if they wanted to win the battle, it was not a bad idea.
To improve one's position in the Hongguang court, official positions are no longer important these days. The only thing that can strengthen one's back is the army, the army that can fight.
Mao Pizheng proposed to Liu Zongmin that he would be responsible for the main attack on Changzhou. The Han army only had to act according to the plan and capture Changzhou equally between the two sides. Boss Liu Zongmin was unhappy. Did Xiaomao go crazy? Facing Wu Sangui, even the Han army would not do anything.
Dare I say that I am sure of winning? How come you, a little scholar, have such a good chance of winning? Only when Mao Pizhang explained his plan did Liu Zongmin and others burst into laughter. Liu Zongmin burst into tears of joy and patted Mao Pizhang on the shoulder.
He smiled and said: "Xiao Mao, you are so talented! You can come up with such a plan, we rough guys are not as good as you."
Mao Bizhang quickly said that he was not willing to take it. The two sides agreed on a specific action plan before he left. As soon as he left, Hao Yaoqi spat on the ground: "Bah, even my own mother-in-law can sell it. This is also
Scholar!"
Liu Zongmin snorted: "Wai Qi, you don't understand. Women are like clothes, you throw them away when they are worn out. I think it's not easy for someone to cheat. We have to be careful about him in the future."
Two days later, Hao waved his flag and raised his troops to attack Changzhou Prefecture. Wu Sangui sent one of his generals out of the city to meet the enemy. Ten thousand troops were lined up with wild geese wings. The troops and horses were really strong. It can be said that the elite defenders of Changzhou came out.
The current method of warfare is very different from that of a few years ago. When two armies fight, firearms come first. In field battles, musketry is the main focus. Soldiers line up in a three-tiered horizontal formation and use this to roughly aim and shoot at the opponent. No one can
Whoever couldn't hold on would be defeated. Both sides started shooting from a long distance away. For a time, the front of the formation was filled with gunpowder smoke. A large area of the Han army fell in the front row, and the rear became unstable. Some people lost their guns and turned around and ran away. Officials
Instead of trying to stop them, they also ran for their lives. The huge military formation collapsed in an instant, and thousands of troops fled in the face of the wind. Naturally, the Changzhou Prefecture army here was victorious and pursued the poor bandits bravely. With a shout, the army pressed forward and chased after them.
For a time, all the soldiers and horses outside Changzhou City were gone, but in the blink of an eye, another army came over. Seeing that the flag was Hongguang, he rushed to break up the stalemate. The city gate of Changzhou City was tightly closed and remained motionless.
Mao Pizheng, wearing a feather fan and silk scarf, looked like an outsider. He sat on his horse and pointed at the city gate and shouted: "Hurry up and open the door."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sound on the top of the city. It was obvious that someone was making trouble. Then the city gate creaked open and Mao Bizheng waved his feather fan: "Charge!"