scourge the qing dynasty

Chapter 344 The Dying Traitor
On the same night that Nanjing was in distress, that is, the night of March 14th in the second year of the second year of Kang Mazi and the [-]th year of Kang Mazi, Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province.

After more than half a year of the city's offensive and defensive battle, the majestic Xi'an city in the past has become a bit dilapidated, and the 98 city towers that are proud of the world have disappeared. They were either burned by the war or smashed by shells, leaving a pile of stones on the city wall. The piles of ruins and the reconstruction sites full of bricks, stones, beams and woods silently tell the cruelty and intensity of the previous Xi'an war, and also reveal a kind of sadness that makes people feel lonely and melancholy.

The situation on the streets in the city was not much better. The houses in the streets of the outer city were first destroyed by artillery fire, and then ransacked by the rebels in the street fighting. Most of the houses and shops in the city had been turned into ruins. Build a shack on it for temporary shelter.However, the situation in the inner city of Xi'an, which is exclusively for mites to live in, is better. After Wu Gou broke through the outer city of Xi'an, the general of Xi'an, Valka, did not occupy the city and wait for help. Instead, he chose to lead his army to flee to Tongguan. The Wu army drove straight into the city, and together with the fierce Shaanxi people, they slaughtered all the people in the city and kept most of the houses and streets.So after Wu Jun entered the city, the old traitor Wu naturally arranged a temporary residence in this mite city, and lived in the luxurious Xi'an General's Mansion left by Varka.

Nearly two o'clock, a fast horse arrived in front of the Xingyuan gate where the old traitor Wu was, and sent a military report from Yuezhou into the Xingyuan, and sent it to the sick bed of the old traitor Wu, who was seriously ill. After reading the letter In spite of the late night and his serious illness, the traitor Wu ordered to summon five confidant civilian officials including Wang Shirong, Fang Xueshi, Qiu Kesun, Che Wenlong and Yang Shanzi, and asked them to meet in his ward overnight.

After Lu Xia arranged for the guards to convey the orders of Old Traitor Wu separately, Wang Shirong and the other five entered into the bedroom of Old Traitor Wu, and knelt down on one knee to salute. Just halfway through the lifting, there was a numbness and stiffness in the arms and shoulders, and he fell back on the bed weakly. The old man Wu had no choice but to pant and said with difficulty: "Get up, Hu Guozhu just sent someone to send a letter, you all have a look , I will comment after reading it. Lu Xia, hand over the letter to Mr. Liangchen."

Wang Shirong and the others thanked him and got up, and Lu Xia over there also picked up the letter that the old traitor Wu put on the bedside, and handed it to Wang Shirong. The various situations in the Jiangnan battlefield recently, one is that Fatty Lu turned against Geng Jingzhong because of a woman; the other is that Wu Yingqi believed that Xia Guoxiang favored Geng Jingzhong and joined forces with outsiders to bully Lu Fatty, so he refused to provide food and grass for Xia Guoxiang to enter the army; the third was that Xia Guoxiang was defeated in Chizhou, Lost troops and lost two airships and countless ammunition. After returning to Wuchang, he had a falling out with Wu Yingqi; fourth, Wu Yingqi once again asked to be the coach of the Eastern Expedition, but Hu Guozhu was worried that Wu Yingqi would not be Lu Fatty’s opponent, so he needed to ask Mr. Wu for instructions. The traitor temporarily held Wu Yingqi down.

At the end of the letter, Hu Guozhu once again expressed his worries about Fatty Lu's growing up in Jiangnan, and suggested that the old traitor Wu take countermeasures as soon as possible, and put Fatty Lu back in the cage and lock him up, or secretly order Fatty Jiangnan The old man Wu Jun in the army took action, confiscated the military power of Lu Fatty, and escorted him back to the rear to control and imprison him, so as to prevent Fatty Lu from getting too big.

"How is it? What do you think of this letter from Guozhu?" The old man Wu estimated that everyone had read it, and then asked hoarsely: "Do you think that Yifeng is really dangerous enough to get rid of it?"

Wang Shirong and the others were silent. After a while, Fang Xueshi said cautiously: "My lord, I still insist that Lu Yifeng should still be loyal to the lord, and we shouldn't do such things that make loved ones hurt and enemies happy. Otherwise, with With Lu Yifeng's current military strength and financial resources, he has long raised the flag to be independent."

"You, you are too honest." The old traitor Wu was not angry, he just hummed and said out of breath: "The reason why that little Lu Yifeng has not raised the flag and openly betrayed the king is not because he didn't want to, It's because he knew that at this time, he raised the flag to rebel, and the core backbone of his army would not go with him, so he didn't do anything. He is just waiting now, waiting for the man to consume the king to death, and then there will be no second in the world. Two people can restrain him."

"My lord thinks too highly of Lu Yifeng." Cao Wenlong, an officer of the Wu army, nodded and said with a bow, "My lord, please don't forget that Lu Yifeng and the wives and children of Gao Dejie, Han Daren, and Wang Xu are still here." Guo Zhuangtu, the lord's left-behind general in Yunnan, would not dare to disrespect the lord even if he lent them a hundred courage."

"If you don't have a wife, you can remarry, and if you don't have a son, you can regenerate." The old man Wu said indifferently: "There have been many beauties in Jiangnan since ancient times. Those little bastards have guns, food and money in their hands. Are you afraid that there will be no three wives and four concubines? Having three wives and four concubines, are you afraid that you will not have a son? The old man can be sure that those bastards will already have a lot of beautiful wives and concubines. Maybe they have already started to marry each other's in-laws. .”

Che Wenlong was speechless, and retreated embarrassingly. The old traitor Wu glanced at the silent Wang Shirong out of the corner of his eye, and asked, "Mr. Liangchen, why don't you speak? What are you thinking?"

"The student is regretting two things." Wang Shirong replied with his head bowed: "The first regret is that the student did not try his best to dissuade the prince from appointing Mr. Mao Xia's student as Zhengdong's coach. The second regret is that the student did not try his best at the time. Not doing everything possible to dissuade the prince from going to Shaanxi and Gansu, not only aggravated the prince's condition, but also kept the prince away from the command center of the national battlefield, allowing Mr. Mao Xia's students to take advantage of it."

"This king is also regretting these two things." The old man Wu sighed with deep sympathy, and murmured with a wry smile: "Originally, this king didn't want to give that fat loach a chance to become a dragon and fly into the sky, and wanted to bring him Shangan, but considering the pressure on the Eastern Front at that time, and feeling that only the fat loach could take on this burden, they made the decision to appoint him as the coach of Zhengdong. Looking back now, the king's decision was both It’s so accurate, it’s so confusing.”

"As for the personal conquest of Shaanxi and Gansu." The old traitor Wu's smile was even more bitter, "Originally, this king was sure of winning. He planned to wipe out the main force of Shaanxi and Gansu in two months, capture Xi'an in four months, and break through Tongguan in five months. , and then leave Wangping Fan to guard Shaanxi and Gansu, and this king will lead Wang Fuchen to go south from Tongguan and return to Huguang to conquer Jiangnan. Man Gou's strength makes it easier for me to conquer the south of the Yangtze River. It's a pity that people are not as good as God, and God doesn't help me! Who would have thought that on the day when Man Gou surrounded the main force in Shaanxi and Gansu, this king would suddenly fall ill and return to work all day? I have been sick for more than a year."

Wang Shirong, Che Wenlong, Fang Xueshi and others listened quietly, no one dared to interrupt Old Traitor Wu's recollection of the past, and felt deeply sorry for Old Traitor Wu. However, the main force of Qing, Shaanxi and Gansu, surrounded by Wu Jun's heavy troops, had no chance to persist until Tong Guogang's reinforcements arrived!If it hadn't been for the serious illness of the old traitor Wu that has been protracted for a long time, with good times and bad times, then the Shaanxi battlefield, which has a large number of friendly troops to support and support, will never be delayed until now. Don't even think that he is still lingering in Gansu!But unfortunately, sometimes luck is really too important.

Of course, if Wang Shirong and the others knew that Ji Qishan’s big camp refused to supply firearms to the Fat Army under the pretext of insufficient production, it was in fact secretly instructed by the old traitor Wu when he was leaving Shaanxi and Gansu, then Wang Shirong and the others would definitely lament even more——Wu Why do you recite the old traitor's ideas like this?They have already made careful calculations and farsightedness to this point, so why did they let that dangerous little fat man grow up? !
"Okay, it's useless to regret the past, don't bring it up again, let's get down to business." The old traitor Wu broke the silence with a sigh, and asked: "The team of messengers sent by the Empress Dowager Mangou, what's the situation now?" How's it going?"

"Return to the lord, according to your instructions, temporarily detain the messengers in the city." Fang Xueshi replied respectfully: "They have not caused trouble, and they have not made a firm request to meet the lord, just begging the lord, you will give them the opportunity as soon as possible." An answer, so that they can return to Beijing to return to their lives."

"Then give them an answer." The old traitor Wu nodded slightly, and ordered: "Zhongzhou (Yang Shanzi), you write a book for me, and write a letter to the Queen Mother Mangou, telling her that her plea , The king agreed, let her send an envoy to formally negotiate, in order to express the sincerity of the peace talks, the king will order in advance to let Wang Pingfan and Wu Zhen who attacked Tongguan withdraw their troops."

"My lord, you really agreed?" Yang Shanzi exclaimed in a low voice, "The situation of our army is very good now, as long as we break through Tongguan, there will be no danger for Mangou in the Central Plains and Shanxi!"

"Man Gou is no longer a threat to our Dazhou." The old man Wu said indifferently: "The biggest threat to our Dazhou now is Lu Yifeng. If you don't solve his hidden danger quickly, the king will kick his legs that day , All the hard work and sacrifices we put in before turned into making wedding dresses for Lu Yifeng, and our old Wu family also carried long-term labor for the old Lu family for nothing."

"Then how does the prince plan to eliminate this hidden danger?" Wang Shirong asked tentatively.

"Go in three steps." The old traitor Wu said the plan that had been brewing in his heart for a long time, "First, first, stop the war with Mangou, and obtain all the land south of the Yangtze River through negotiations. Great justice confers all officials and establishes the successor. Thirdly, this king returns to Huguang and personally leads an army to conquer Jiangnan. If Lu Yifeng is smart, this king will naturally make him rich and honored for life. If he is not smart, this king will personally go to Jiangnan and immediately You can make him into a powder in no time. As long as you complete these three steps, this king will no longer have to worry about anything."

"My lord, the students don't object to your decision, it's just your body...?" Wang Shirong reminded worriedly.

"It doesn't matter, this king can still hold on." The old man Wu replied confidently: "The doctor has also said everything. My illness was mainly caused by the severe cold in Sichuan the year before. As a result, the climate in the south of the Yangtze River is much warmer than that in Xi'an."

"But my lord, the doctor also said that your illness must be recuperated in peace and not overworked." Wang Shirong contradicted him neither humble nor overbearing, and persuaded: "Your lord, let Hu Jinwu go, and General Xia Guoxiang sits in Yuezhou. Hu Jinwu led the army eastward to open up the connection with Jiangnan, Hu Jinwu was mature and prudent, courageous and resourceful..."

"It's a pity that he lacks courage." The old man Wu interrupted Wang Shirong with a sneer, and said with a cold snort: "If he has any courage, in this case, he shouldn't ask the king for countermeasures at all. The most important thing is to make a quick decision, or Is it to send orders to Gao Dejie, Wang Xu, and Han Daren to launch a mutiny to detain Lu Yifeng, or to lead the army decisively and personally to open up the connection with Jiangnan! This king left him with the skills that he has honed thousands of times on the Huguang battlefield. The [-] elite soldiers are just to prevent changes in the other routes, but unfortunately he just can't pay attention to this king's painstaking efforts, and dare not make such a determination!"

Wang Shirong, Fang Xueshi, Che Wenlong and others were silent again. They all knew that Hu Guozhu was good at everything. He was able to lead troops with resourcefulness and strategic and tactical vision. Prestige, all the way to the south of the Yangtze River, as a junior, Fatty Lu would not dare to meet him with a sword even if he had a hundred guts!Even if they really do it, the core backbone of the Fatty Army, Old Man Wu Jun, will only listen to Hu Guozhu, not Lu Fatty!
"Speaking of it." When this topic was mentioned, a long-buried regret could not help but surfaced in the old man Wu's heart, and the old man Wu couldn't help sighing: "It would be great if the eldest son of the old man is still there, or Yifeng belongs to the old man." It’s even better if you have close relatives and flesh and blood! The world must belong to our Great Zhou.”

"My lord is right." Wang Shirong lowered his head and sighed from the bottom of his heart: "If Mr. Maoya's student is really the lord's close relative, who in the world can be our opponent?"

Thinking of the unfortunate Zaoshi's capable eldest son, old traitor Wu felt even more sad. His limbs were numb, his breathing was difficult, his chest was surging with qi and blood, and he couldn't calm down for a long time. His face gradually turned pale, and cold sweat oozes from his forehead. Seeing that the situation was not right, the man hurriedly asked: "My lord, do you have heart palpitations again? Do you want to call me a doctor?"

"No need..." The old man Wu wanted to shake his head and refuse, but when he moved his head, he felt dizzy again. Pale, consciousness gradually blurred.

"No, the prince's illness has worsened again! Hurry up and call the doctor, the sooner the better!" Wang Shirong, who is proficient in medical skills, hurriedly shouted.The guards at the side rushed out, and soon brought in a doctor who was resting in the next room and was ready to rescue old traitor Wu at any time.Seeing that there were so many Wu army officials in the old traitor's room, the doctor couldn't help but screamed: "My lord, it's the second watch, why haven't you rested yet? Are you still busy? Caomin has said countless times that your illness is absolutely serious. I can't be tired."

"Langzhong, stop rambling, and ask the prince for his pulse!" Wang Shirong shouted.

The doctor didn't dare to be negligent, so he hurried over to check on old traitor Wu, and found that old traitor Wu had a relapse of his old disease of wind dizziness, and there was thick phlegm in his throat blocking his trachea, so he quickly called the maid to suck the phlegm for old traitor Wu, and quickly took out some With a silver needle, take off the socks on Old Man Wu's feet, and apply first aid on the Zu Sanyang points on Old Man Wu's feet.After tossing and tossing for half an hour, Old Traitor Wu's complexion finally improved, and his consciousness gradually recovered.

"Lang Zhong, is the prince's illness important? Can it be completely cured?" Fang Xueshi asked worriedly.

The doctor didn't dare to answer, until Fang Xueshi, Wang Shirong and others asked again and again, the doctor replied hesitantly: "My lord's wind-dizzy disease is not only serious, but also has the symptoms of abundant phlegm fire and failure of clear orifices. Now phlegm fire is tormenting the kidneys." Water causes the deficiency to benefit from deficiency, and the excess to benefit from reality. It not only clears the orifices and stagnates, but also the kidney water has been exhausted. Jade body, so maybe..."

"Maybe what?" Wang Shirong asked.

The doctor didn't dare to answer, but Old Man Wu opened his mouth and said with difficulty: "Maybe I can last for a few more days, right? I know my king's body."

The doctor still didn't dare to answer, but just lowered his head, while Wang Shirong slammed his fist on the medicine box, and said bitterly: "It would be great if Doctor Zhu was still here, with his medical skills, he will definitely make the prince's illness better." get well."

"My lord, why don't we draft an order for you to ask Lu Yifeng to send Zhu Fangdan?" Fang Xueshi suggested, "Anyway, Lu Yifeng is your grandson-in-law, and you want him to send Zhu Fangdan to treat your illness." , even if he had a hundred guts, he wouldn't dare not listen."

"No need, now I want the king to die. It's not Kangxi's son, but this king's grandson-in-law." The old man Wu moaned and said a truth that couldn't be truer, and then moaned: "There is still At this time, let him send Zhu Fangdan to treat this king, and he will immediately understand that this king is dying of illness, and he has nothing to fear when he is in the south of the Yangtze River."

"My lord, you have to rest, you can't talk anymore." Lang Zhong protested.

Old Hanjian Wu waved his hand with difficulty, and after taking a few breaths to gather his spirits, Old Hanjian Wu said weakly: "You all go back to rest, and do your best to prepare for the enthronement ceremony of this king. This king will be enthroned in the city of Xi'an on the first day of April. Proclaim yourself emperor, change the name to Yuan Zhaowu, change the name of the country to Zhou, set the capital at Wuchang, and appoint the eldest grandson Wu Shifan as the eldest grandson of the emperor, no matter how hasty it is, you must prepare well, don't..., lose face of the king."

"Of order." Wang Shirong, Fang Xueshi and others replied with tears in their eyes.

"Wang Shirong, put your ears up." Old traitor Wu ordered again, and Wang Shirong quickly put his ear to Old traitor Wu's mouth, and Fang Xueshi and others over there hurriedly retreated to the distance knowingly, and old traitor Wu was weak He said in a low voice: "Prepare an order for me, give it to Han Daren, tell him that when the time comes, let him act according to the plan, and when it is done, Da Zhou will make him king."

"Let Han Daren act according to the plan?" Wang Shirong was taken aback, and when he saw the cunning light in old traitor Wu's cloudy old eyes, Wang Shirong finally came to his senses - when old traitor Wu arranged Han Daren to help Fatty Lu to mix sand, he must have I have agreed with Han Daren to get rid of Fatty Lu when necessary!Maybe Han Daren's getting closer to Fatty Lu over the past year was also arranged by the traitor Wu!

Thinking of this, Wang Shirong nodded, and then stood up straight, but the old traitor Wu muttered in a low voice, "He, why is he not the flesh and blood of this king? Otherwise, what else can I worry about... No more?"

(End of this chapter)