Last night's sleet and snow completely brought Yangzhou into winter, and also lowered the temperature in Yangzhou by a few points. The streets, which were already empty of people, looked even more desolate and silent.
In the early morning, the morning breeze that shuttled between the shadows of the trees had already brought with it a bit of obvious coldness. The half-withered and half-green leaves fell with the morning wind, swinging to the ground like an out-of-control boat.
The ground was covered with a thin layer of dead leaves, and the heavy soles of the boots made a soft crunching sound when stepped on.
Shi Kefa was short and strong, with a dark complexion, slow steps, straight back, and shining eyes.
He was full of perseverance, and the scene in front of him could not shake his will at all.
When the Qing army was about to attack, the people in Yangzhou City rushed out as much as possible to avoid the disaster, but he just let them go.
He turned his head and said seriously.
"Dingxin, the situation is difficult now, and you are the only one who is dedicated to serving the country!"
On the side, Liu Zhaoji, who had a strong back and a strong back, had bright eyes, cupped his hands, and said in a loud voice: "It is my duty to serve the country at the end of the day. The superintendent is so complimentary."
Liu Zhaoji was born as a general in Liaodong, and he was a hereditary commander of Qianshi. He had made many military exploits. He was born to be literate and able to read and write, and he was somewhat elegant.
Therefore, compared to those rude warriors, he has broad knowledge and understands the principle of loyalty to the emperor. Once Shi Kefa calls, he immediately leads troops and horses to support, even if it is not more than a thousand people.
Shi Kefa was very happy for his answer and sighed: "In the four towns in the north of the Yangtze River, Liu Zeqing surrendered to the thieves, Gao Jie acted unruly, Liu Liangzuo died innocently and tragically, and Huang Degong defended Nanjing. You are the only one who can come."
"Supervisor, how many troops are there in Yangzhou City?"
Liu Zhaoji frowned.
"About twenty thousand!"
Shi Kefa said solemnly: "The city of Yangzhou is strong and high. It is expected that it is feasible to defend Yangzhou."
When Liu Zhaoji heard this, he smiled bitterly.
This governor is really naive. Twenty thousand people might not even be able to stand on the Yangzhou city wall, let alone hold it.
"Supervisor, I apologize for offending you."
He couldn't help but look at the straight-backed supervisor, shook his head and said:
"The general has fought many battles in Liaodong before and has a deep understanding of the Jiannu. They have many artillery. No matter how strong the city wall is, it is just like paper in front of the red cannon..."
Shi Ke frowned. Listening to his words, his mood became more and more depressed, but he still forced himself to cheer up:
"In any case, since I am in charge of Yangzhou, I cannot leave. Yangzhou must be defended even if it cannot be defended. I must not give up lightly."
"Superintendent, there is also a lack of troops and horses in Nanjing..." Liu Zhaoji couldn't help but say.
"Nanjing has Huang Degong and the capital camp. Yangzhou is the barrier to the capital. Once something goes wrong, the huge Nanzhili will be exposed to the iron heel of the Manchus. The city of Yangzhou must not be abandoned."
Shi Kefa said categorically, with a fearless look on his face.
Although Liu Zhaoji was helpless, what else could he ask of a civil servant who was not afraid of death?
Isn’t this no better than those in Nanjing who fight against the party?
Perhaps, this is also the reason why I came to Yangzhou!
"Director Liu, you will be responsible for guarding the west gate!"
Shi Kefa explained.
"The last general should do his best!" Liu Zhaoji gritted his teeth and guarded one gate with three or four thousand troops, which was barely enough.
At this moment, a rush of footsteps came, interrupting the chat between the two of them.
Liu Zhaoji looked back and saw a middle-aged Confucian scholar with fair skin and long ears, which made him look whiter than his face.
At this time, he looked ugly and was covered in dust.
Of course he knew that this was Yan Ermei, Shi Kefa's staff member, the tycoon of Fushe, who was quite famous in Nanzhili.
"Supervisor, something bad is going on!"
Yan Ermei walked over and said in a suppressed voice: "Brothers Zhang Tianlu and Zhang Tianfu from Guazhou have surrendered to the Qing army. Four thousand soldiers and horses are gone, and Yangzhou has become an isolated city."
"Shameless person!!" Shi Kefa spat, his face turned livid with anger.
Guazhou is located on a sandbank in the middle of the Yangtze River. Its geographical location is important. It is between Zhenjiang and Yangzhou. It is an important place from Yangzhou to Nanjing in the west.
Not only were there troops and horses, but there were also ships. Once the Manchus captured it, not only Yangzhou would be in danger, but even Nanjing would be in danger.
Yan Ermei sighed and turned pale: "The country is so decadent, so what should we do?"
Yangzhou was completely turned into a place of death, which made him feel sad. At the same time, he also had great complaints against Shi Kefa, who only had a noble heart.
When he first learned that the Manchu Qing was marching south to Shaanxi, he offered three strategies:
One is to cross the river and go north to regain Shandong.
The two of them marched westward to Henan and joined forces with the King of Yu in Luoyang.
The three of them stayed in Xuzhou to watch the battle in the Central Plains.
These three strategies were not chosen. Shi Kefa was deeply concerned and only wanted to return to Yangzhou to guard this prosperous city and serve as the fortress of Nanjing.
In this regard, Shi Kefa's indecision was brought to the extreme.
If this was done, how could Jiangbei be so corrupt?
At that time, he was completely disappointed with Shi Kefa and the gentlemen of the court, but Yangzhou had an important status and had to stay.
"Yong Qing, do you have any strategies?"
Shi Kefa turned his head and asked.
"Supervisor, Yangzhou has lost all its geographical advantages and human resources. I'm afraid our efforts will be in vain."
Holding on to his strength, Yan Ermei analyzed the situation and squinted his eyes and said: "Fortunately, Yangzhou has Hangou and the Three Bays of Yangzhou. It is difficult for the Qing army to completely encircle it, so it is still late to evacuate Nanjing."
"The governor can cross the Yangtze River, go to Zhenjiang, then go to Suzhou, Songjiang Prefecture, or go to Hangzhou."
"Hangzhou?" Shi Kefa narrowed his eyes.
"If something goes wrong in Nanjing, the Holy Emperor is in danger, and King Lu is in Hangzhou..."
Yan Ermei's eyes were bright and she begged, "Supervisor, this is the last hope. If we don't leave, it will be too late."
When Liu Zhaoji heard this, his face was full of hope.
Shi Kefa was silent.
He turned his back and sighed deeply: "I have written a suicide note, appeased my family, and entrusted my life to Yangzhou. My only vision is to be buried in Nanjing with Taizu beside me after my death..."
"If you want to leave, just leave!"
"Supervisor!"
Yan Ermei shouted, completely disappointed with him.
Fushe, several societies, and even the Donglin Party, what on earth are these? They are worse than the Eunuch Party...
After cupping her hands, Yan Ermei shook her head and left, naturally choosing to leave the dead land of Yangzhou.
"Why doesn't the governor leave?"
Liu Zhaoji was named the Left Governor and the Crown Prince's Taibao, with a higher status.
Faced with Shi Kefa's doubts, Liu Zhaoji shook his head with a look of helplessness on his round face: "The governor and the civil servants are not afraid of death. As a warrior, I have been favored by the emperor in my life, so naturally I don't dare to escape."
"Okay!" Shi Kefa said with a rather tragic smile: "Let us die together and strengthen the power of Ming."
After two days, Azig was finally ready to completely besiege Yangzhou.
Dozens of red cannons descending from the canal were also placed one by one, facing Yangzhou City.
The huge and dark appearance made the entire city of Yangzhou tremble.