All four gates of Zhending City were blocked by sand and gravel, and more than a thousand officers and soldiers patrolled back and forth outside the city, refusing to let them out or in until Weng Zhiqi and Li Chengdong arrived.
Looking at the black bandits on the city, Weng Zhiqi sneered, turned to Li Chengdong and said: "Once you enter the city, life and death are uncertain, are you afraid, Brother Li?".
"Wealth is gained through risk, so what if we take some risks if we succeed in this matter and become famous?" Li Chengdong chuckled, and he saw it clearly. Weng Zhiqi raised his eyebrows: "If it doesn't work out, will it be downgraded?"
Li Chengdong hesitated for a moment, looking slightly embarrassed: "The enemy's army is gone. If the two thieves have any brains, they would rather die than surrender. Even so, they may not kill us just to leave a way out."
Weng Zhiqi smiled and said nothing.
After receiving the order from the leader, the gatekeepers opened the city gate from the inside and dug with the officers and soldiers outside. After a while, they finally dug a hole that only one person could pass through. Weng Zhiqi and Li Chengdong dismounted and led more than ten people to follow them into the city.
As soon as they entered the city, more than ten relatives were detained casually, and the two of them were searched. They were immediately taken to the government office. Since the leader of the thieves had told them not to be rude, the thieves were polite all the way.
In front of the government office, Weng Zhiqi frowned. The imperial government office had been occupied by thieves and turned into a den of thieves. It was really a shame. However, Li Chengdong looked around curiously. When he saw someone coming out of the government office, his eyes lit up and he spoke first.
: "I dare to ask, who are the masters of Ma and Ren?".
It was Ma Shiyao and Ren Jirong who came out to greet them. Seeing their greetings, they quickly raised their hands and said, "Exactly. I wonder who this is..."
"I am Li Chengdong, a subordinate of Commander Gao Jie. I am here with Master Weng on the order of Commander Huang... Oh, by the way, this is Master Weng Zhiqi, a close and beloved general of Commander Huang..."
Ma Shiyao raised his brows, feeling upset for no reason. It turned out that this person was just a companion, and he kept nagging and annoying people. He said "Oh" and greeted Weng Zhiqi, and then welcomed the two of them into the government office.
Tea was served in the hall and the guests of honor were seated. Ren Jirong took the lead and spoke directly: "Two distinguished guests are here. What are you doing here?"
"I don't have anything to do without going to the Three Treasures Hall. I have been ordered by General Huang to come here to discuss surrender with you two. I believe you two should have made a decision in your mind at this time. Why don't you come and listen to it." Weng Zhiqi said with a slight smile.
Ma Shiyao laughed loudly: "Brother Weng is a cheerful person. I like you. You can say it straight away and say it straight away. There's no point in beating around the bush. Since you said it straight away, I won't lie. So what's the point of saying I surrendered?"
Is it good?"
"It's so refreshing to be a boss." Li Chengdong couldn't help but cheer. Just as he was about to continue, he suddenly felt Weng Zhiqi staring at him next to him. He quickly shut up, coughed lightly, picked up the tea cup and drank tea to hide his embarrassment.
Weng Zhiqi slowly put down the tea cup and said with a smile: "Previously, Mr. Huang said, Brother Ma, what position does he hold in the rebel army? What position does he hold in the imperial court? You are still an earl, and you also have a military position."
, I won’t treat you badly…”
"There is no basis for words. Huang Pifu's words are not trustworthy. Li Yan is just a dog-headed military advisor. His surrender is guaranteed by the eunuch. We two hold high positions in the rebel army. How can we be dismissed so easily? Huang Pifu is not qualified."
Ren Jirong groaned and looked unhappy.
Weng Zhiqi laughed and stood up and said, "The two of you are in high positions and have military power. The court naturally values it. However, the war is raging at this time and the Lord Governor cannot come in person on the northern front. Fortunately, we took the risk to contact the Governor last night."
The Lord was overjoyed when he heard this and said that the two of them are great talents, and they will be even more powerful with them. He specially ordered his confidants to come and discuss the big move..."
Ma Shiyao and Ren Jirong were overjoyed and asked where their confidant was. Weng Zhiqiyan was detained outside the government office.
So Ma Shiyao hurriedly invited someone to come over, but it was Hu Ling. He showed the two of them his Dongchang waist badge, saying that the governor valued the two of them very much, and as long as the request was not too excessive, he would comply with it!
Ma and Ren believed most of it when they saw Dongchang's waistband. They happened to learn from Li Yan's letter that the little eunuch was indeed taking command in Baoding City. They believed a little more when they were not here. They couldn't help but be ecstatic. They didn't expect that the little eunuch was actually in charge.
Thinking about it, you feel relieved that you value yourself so much. Yes, Li Yan is just a dog-headed military advisor, but the two of you have soldiers, food, and military power, so they are different.
However, the reason why the young eunuch valued himself so highly was not because of his military power, but because of the sensitive situation at that time. Ma Shiyao was not too stupid, so he tested Weng Zhiqi and said, "You must know that King Chuang is at the gate of Baoding City at this time."
After suffering a defeat, why are you so anxious to convince us to surrender?"
Weng Zhiqi sneered and said: "Just now we were praising the boss's ease, but in the blink of an eye he started to take detours. If the intruders had not been defeated at the gate of Baoding yesterday, we would not have had to surrender the two of them."
Ren Jirong laughed: "How do you say this?".
Hu Ling glanced at him: "You two are pretending to be confused. The governor knew a few months ago that the intruders were just to consolidate the territory of Xi'an and plunder. They had no intention of going north to seize power.
In my heart, after this defeat, I just took the opportunity to return to Xi'an. To put it simply, the intruder is about to escape. At this time, we are really employing people. This is also the best time for the two of you to contribute. Sincerely, the court has it, and it depends on the two heads of the house.
I feel like it."
The young eunuch actually knew the core secrets of the rebels a few months ago, which shocked Ma Shiyao and Ma Shiyao. They winked and found an excuse to leave the lobby and enter the secret room to discuss.
In the lobby, Weng Zhiqi and the other two people were nervous in vain. If it worked, everything would be fine. If not, they might just leave their heads here.
Time passed slowly, and a few people were restlessly pacing back and forth in the lobby. As soon as they reached the door, they were blocked by the rebels and refused to leave the room. The atmosphere suddenly intensified.
After waiting for an unknown amount of time, they heard a creaking sound. Ma Shiyao and Ren Jirong pushed the door open and entered with smiles on their faces, "I'm going to eat in the next pot, please take care of me."
Weng Zhiqi and the other three were overjoyed and stepped forward: "We will be colleagues in the future. The boss of the Ma family is your uncle and you should take care of us."
For a while, there was laughter and laughter in the hall.
Ma Shiyao and Ren Jirong finally figured it out. From being a bandit in order to have food and clothing, to following Li Zicheng in the rebellion to share the gold and drinking with the big shots, and then to conquering the world and dividing the world, all kinds of slogans were shouted loudly. In fact, these chickens
The bloody capital was just to deceive the people below. They, the thieves, knew clearly in their hearts that they only wanted a legal identity and an official position. This was also the reason in history that Li Zicheng negotiated with Emperor Chongzhen when he came to Beijing with troops.
The request is very simple: you can make me a true king and give me Xi'an as a fiefdom. Not only will I not rebel, but I will also help you fight the Tatars... However, Emperor Chongzhen was stubborn and flatly refused and was eventually destroyed. Although this was later
However, it can be seen that the real purpose of Li Zicheng and the gang leader is just to obtain a legal identity.
Since the imperial court could grant legal status at this time and promised high-ranking officials generous salaries, and had the eunuch of Dongchang as a guarantor, why should he still follow Li Zicheng in fearful rebellion?
The effect was huge. If they could help the officers and soldiers capture the leader of the bandit while Li Zicheng was unable to escape, it would be possible for him to become a marquis. After figuring out the link, Ma Shiyao and Ren Jirong gritted their teeth and decided to surrender!
Huang Degong, who was waiting for the news in the river camp, was overjoyed after hearing the news. Regardless of the objections of his generals, he led only half a hundred soldiers to go to Zhending City to meet Ma Shiyao and Ren Jirong.
At this time, the sand and gravel outside the south gate of Zhending City had been dug up to allow two horses to enter the city side by side. Ma Shiyao and Ren Jirong went out to greet Huang Degong in person at the gate of the city. They repeatedly raised their hands and shouted: "General Huang, I have heard about your name for a long time. In the future, I will be the same as yours."
Please take care of me."
Huang Degong laughed and got off his horse. He walked up to the two of them and put his arms around his back: "I have heard about your fame for a long time, and we will work together to build a great cause in the future..." As he said that he and the two of them entered the city, they seemed to dominate the guests. Ma Shiyao was filled with admiration.
, this Huang Degong is really brave, he actually led such a small number of people into the city, this courage is beyond shame.
Everyone went into the yamen to serve tea behind closed doors and discussed the current situation secretly. They believed that the bandit army would move south in a large scale soon, and before that, Li Guo would definitely use troops to clear the way, and a fight between the enemy and us would be inevitable. Ma Shiyao's surrender at this time was a big deal for Huang Degong, who had a small number of troops.
It's a timely help, but if you work with open swords and clear guns, you may not be able to get a good result, it's not as good as...
During the battle last night, the Refugee Protector Army played a trick on Li Guo, allowing Huang Degong to taste the sweetness. At this time, he revealed what was on his mind. Everyone exclaimed, Hu Ling smiled bitterly, and the little governor was the most cunning.
I've heard for a long time that this Huang Degong is a rough guy, but how can he become so cunning after just a few days with the little governor?
After some discussion, it was getting dark, and Ma Shiyao wanted to have a banquet with wine, but Huang Degong refused, and led everyone to leave the city. They blocked the gate with sand and stones again, and sent troops to patrol outside the city. Everything was as usual.
Back in the camp, Huang Degong immediately summoned his generals and laid out the discussion with Ma Shiyao. The generals all praised the ingenious plan. Huang Degong benefited from it so much that he couldn't close his mouth for a long time, but he didn't know what was going on with the northern front.
The Lord should launch a counterattack at this time. (To be continued)