Chapter 52: Quick Transmission Strategy for the Soldier King (Ten)
The deafening shouts and earth-shaking drumbeats woke me up from my sleep. I grabbed the sword beside me and rushed out of the tent. The scene in front of me made me terrified.
The Qing soldiers were overwhelming like a tide, covering the mountains and plains, with no end in sight. Wu Ergou's proclamation of surrender to the Qing spread rapidly across the land of Jiangnan like a plague, causing panic among the people, and the righteous armies in various places dispersed one after another. The once prosperous Jiangnan was reduced to a hell on earth in the blink of an eye.
"Zi'ang, are you okay?" Bi Yuntao was dressed in military uniform and his face was covered in dust, but he still couldn't hide the worry in his eyes.
I shook my head, suppressed the fear in my heart, and tried to calm myself down: "I'm fine, but... I didn't expect Wu Ergou to really surrender to the Qing Dynasty. He will be infamous for thousands of years!"
"It's no use saying this now," Bi Yuntao said with a hint of helplessness and sadness, "All we can do now is to try our best to hold the last line of defense!"
The Qing troops' attacks came one after another, like raging waves, hitting our precarious defense line. Bi Yuntao led his brothers to repel the enemy's attacks again and again, but the number of Qing troops was too large, our strength was getting smaller and smaller, and the casualties were getting more and more serious.
"General! It's bad! The Qing soldiers are coming from the east!" A soldier covered in blood staggered over, his tone full of despair.
Bi Yuntao looked solemn and decisively ordered: "Pass my order, all the generals and soldiers, follow me to meet the enemy!"
We fought a desperate battle with the Qing soldiers under the eastern city wall. Amid the flashes of swords and shadows, I seemed to see countless heroic souls crying in the air. The blood dyed the earth red, and also dyed my eyes red. Just when I was about to despair, an unexpected person appeared.
"stop!"
A clear voice pierced through the deafening shouts and cries. I looked in the direction of the sound and saw a gorgeous sedan chair guarded by local soldiers in the center. A woman in plain clothes slowly walked out of the sedan chair.
She had picturesque features and a noble temperament. Even on the battlefield, she could not conceal her beauty that could move a country or a city.
"Chen Ermaizi!" I recognized her. She was Wu Ergou's concubine, the legendary peerless beauty who controlled the kingdom of Qing. Wu Ergou had fallen in love with Chen Ermaizi since they separated from me.
How did she end up here? Could it be...
A glimmer of hope suddenly arose in my heart. Could it be that she was here to persuade Wu Ergou to turn over a new leaf?
"Ermazi, why are you here? It's dangerous here, go back quickly!" When Wu Ergou saw Chen Ermazi, a look of surprise appeared on his face. While commanding the local soldiers to resist our attack, he spoke to Chen Ermazi anxiously.
"General Wu, why are you doing this? For a woman, you betray the court and your country. Aren't you afraid of being infamous for eternity?" Chen Ermaizi's voice was not loud, but every word was sonorous, like a heavy hammer hitting Wu Ergou's heart.
"I..." Wu Ergou was speechless for a moment. He knew very well that what he did was wrong, but there was no turning back. He had to go on this path. In such a chaotic world, who could go against the current? He, Wu Ergou, a military leader, was just being pushed around. Without supreme power, how could he ensure the safety of those around him?
If it were someone else like Zhang Ergou or Liu Ergou, they would have taken the same path, and everyone would have been staring at them like jackals, tigers and leopards.
So Feng Ziang left after not understanding him, and Wu Ergou was upset and sad, but when he met Chen Ermaizi, his heart seemed to be healed. This was someone who understood him and would not just stand on the commanding heights and blame him. Everyone wants to be a good person, but the road one has to take is often beyond one's control.
Feng Ziang was born into a noble family and had never suffered any grievances since childhood, but Wu Ergou was different. He was born into a rural peasant family. His father died when he was three years old, and his mother was raped and killed by the pig butcher next door when he was six. Later, he was sold to others in the village to do hard labor. At the age of twenty, he met Feng Ziang, who was like a rich young man and bought him from the stable sweeper for one hundred taels of silver.
He only said one sentence: "You are so ambitious, why do you have to stay under the horse?"
Wu Ergou left. He went up the mountain and gathered a group of people to revolt, but he always remembered Feng Ziang's words and knew not to kill any old, weak, women or children, because he overheard this when he went to find Feng Ziang later. The young man told others that he wanted to do something big to save the people and provide a place for the elderly and children.
"General Wu, it's not too late to turn back. As long as you are willing, I can help you plead with the court and ensure that you will enjoy a life of wealth and glory." Chen Ermaizi pleaded bitterly.
“That’s enough!”
Wu Ergou suddenly became furious. "Who do you think you are? What qualifications do you have to teach me? I tell you, I have already promised Dorgon that as long as he helps me kill Li Zicheng, I will give Jiangnan to him!"
Wu Ergou knew that she could not drag Chen Ermaizi down. As a woman in this chaotic world, she was like a floating duckweed and could only rely on the man she met. Only if she was a little fierce could Chen Ermaizi have an easier time with the enemy.
But this time Chen Ermaizi didn't understand. When Chen Ermaizi heard this, her face turned pale. She didn't expect that Wu Ergou had become so heartbroken.
"Li Zicheng? Why is he here too?" I was shocked when I heard Wu Ergou's words.
"Hmph, that traitor Li Zicheng has been eyeing Jiangnan for a long time since he heard that Wu Ergou surrendered to the Qing. Now he is leading a large army from the west, trying to take advantage of the situation!" said a Qing soldier with disdain.
My scalp suddenly went numb. It was really a double whammy. We were attacked from all sides. We were really finished!
The Qing army and Li Zicheng's army, like two ferocious beasts, madly bit our stormy city from the north and south. The people in the city were displaced, and the land was filled with sorrow. The once prosperous streets were now in ruins.
Bi Yuntao and I led the remaining rebels to engage in street fighting with Li Zicheng's troops in the city. We were outnumbered and defeated, and the situation was extremely critical.
"Kill! Sacrifice your life for your country, today!" Bi Yuntao held a long sword and fought hard. He had been wounded in many places and his battle robe was stained red with blood, but he still fought unyieldingly like a wounded lion.
"Yuntao, be careful!" I saw one of Li Zicheng's soldiers sneaking up on Bi Yuntao from behind, and I quickly warned him.
Bi Yuntao heard my shout, turned around and chopped the soldier to the ground. But at this moment, an arrow shot from the side and back of me. I couldn't dodge it in time, and I screamed "Ah" as the arrow hit my shoulder.
"Zi'ang!" Bi Yuntao's eyes were red with anger when he saw me being shot by an arrow. He rushed to my side and protected me behind him.
"Don't worry about me, just go!" I knew we were surrounded and it would be too late if we didn't leave. I endured the severe pain and said to Bi Yuntao.
"Let's go together! Otherwise we will die together"
At that moment my heart ached. Bi Yuntao refused to leave me. He carried me on his back and tried to break out of the encirclement.
"Catch them!"
At this time, a general under Li Zicheng, with a group of troops, surrounded us.
"Put down your weapons and I will spare your life!" the general pointed at us and said, holding a spear.
"Dream on!" Bi Yuntao refused to surrender. He brandished his long sword and fought a desperate battle with the enemy.
"You are overestimating yourself! Capture us alive!" The general sneered and ordered the soldiers to attack us.
We were outnumbered and were quickly subdued by the enemy. I was escorted by Li Zicheng's soldiers, walking on the chaotic streets. The blood from the wound on my shoulder was still flowing, but I could no longer feel the pain. In my heart, there was only one thought, that is, how is Bi Yuntao? Is he okay?
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