Chapter 38 The Guest of Honor

  Wu Sangui held 50,000 elite troops of the Shanhai Pass, while Li Zicheng was carrying a momentum that swept across the country. Compared to such powerful forces, Gu Zhenhua could be said to have nothing at all.

  To get along with them, you must firmly occupy the moral high ground and wave a big flag to cover up your own weaknesses. Otherwise, once you show weakness, you will be crushed like an ant, without leaving any trace.

  Gu Zhenhua actually thought he was a bit like Zhuge Liang in the Battle of Red Cliffs, running to Eastern Wu empty-handed and trying to deceive them. However, Wu Sangui was much more cunning than Zhou Yu. He couldn't be motivated by the righteousness of monarch and subject, and he didn't believe in Chen Yuanyuan's words. Even ridiculing him for being weak wouldn't work - he was truly a slippery character, worthy of being the number one Han traitor!

  "Pingxi Bo, although you were enfeoffed below, you never even wore a formal official uniform of the Great Ming. Now that you also want to surrender to the Chongzhen Emperor, I don't know if you can lend me the Pingxi Bo's official uniform, so I can wear this attire to meet the former emperor and the ancestors of the Great Ming."

  Wu Sangui did not utter a word, and remained silent for a long time. He finally nodded slightly, and the soldiers quickly brought over a set of Wu Sangui's official robes. Gu Zhenhua was much taller than Wu Sangui, so he couldn't wear them properly, and could only drape the clothes over his body.

  It was just that Gu Zhenhua's movements were extremely slow and meticulous, as if he was reluctant to part with the great Ming dynasty. In reality, he was only stalling for time. His heart was racing: Oh heavens, I couldn't possibly die like this, hurry up and send some reinforcements!

  Of course, Gu Zhenhua couldn't dawdle for too long either. He put on his official uniform and sat down properly on the ground with a straight back.

  He gazed southward and laughed loudly: "This humble duke firmly believes that one day the southern gentlemen will sweep away the dust and revive the great Ming!"

  At this time, the executioner had already raised the ghost head knife high: "Lord Gu, I'm sending you on your way!"

  The ghostly head was raised high, shining with a cold light, like a thunderbolt, and as soon as the hand rose and the knife fell, the head would be gone.

  In a flash, a warhorse galloped over from afar, the rider on its back swaying precariously. Upon arriving at the camp gate, he fell off the horse and landed with a thud, his body covered in mud. Ignoring the pain, he wailed with an open mouth: "Young Master, the bandits have taken our Lord captive! Please hurry to rescue him!"

  Wu Sangui was like being struck by lightning upon hearing this, and he hastily ran three or two steps to the front of this person.

  "Wu An, is what you said true? How's the young mistress?"

  "Young master, a man named Liu Zongmin burst into the mansion and took away Young Madam."

  "Li Zicheng, you are too deceitful!" Gu Zhenhua's words might not be believable, but Wu An was a former subordinate of Wu Xiang, who had been at home for many years and watched Wu Sangui grow up. How could his words not be trusted? Wu Sangui let out a roar towards the sky like a wounded beast.

  "Forced the previous emperor to death, captured my old father, robbed my wife, Li Zicheng! You and I will not live under the same sky!"

  Wu Sangui's furious roar was echoed by the crowd, who were also filled with indignation, especially those who had been unwilling to surrender to Li Zicheng.

  However, among these people, the one who was secretly delighted was Gu Zhenhua, and it seemed that his head was safe. As expected, Wu Sangui scolded for a while, then suddenly turned his head back.

  "Bind these two envoys for me!"

  The soldiers rushed up and pressed Li Jia and Chen Yi to the ground, tying them up like a rice dumpling.

  Wu Sangui suddenly strode to the front of Gu Zhenhua, and with a loud thud, he knelt down on one knee, causing everyone around him to be stunned and cry out in surprise.

  "Great General!"

  "No more words, Duke Gu. I, Wu Sangui, have committed a great sin. You are the true loyal minister of the Ming dynasty, and I am ashamed. Hesitating and wavering, I actually dared to consider surrendering to the rebel thieves. It is truly shameful to the extreme. I, Wu Sangui, beg for your pardon!"

  Gu Zhenhua hastily grabbed Wu Sangui and said with a smile: "Pingxi Bo, to tell the truth, barefoot people are not afraid of those who wear shoes. I, Gu Zhenhua, am alone and have nothing to lose. You are the backbone of tens of thousands of brothers, the master of the house, and you can't just follow your own temper. Everything must be weighed for pros and cons. I understand your difficulties very well!"

  Wu Sangui's eyes turned red with emotion, and he bowed his hands to Gu Zhenhua: "Lord Gu, your magnanimity is unmatched in the world. Wu is deeply impressed. From now on, Wu will raise an army to eliminate the bandits, and I hope Lord Gu can put aside past grievances and help me devise a strategy."

  "I wish to work as hard as a horse and dog!"

  Wu Sangui was also emotionally agitated, tightly grasping Gu Zhenhua's wrist, and said to the generals present: "Everyone listen up, from now on, you must respect Lord Gu as much as you respect me. Whoever dares to be disrespectful will be dealt with by military law!"

  "Yes, I shall obey General's order." Everyone bowed in unison.

  Gu Zhenhua watched with a hint of cold smile in his heart, this was just an act. Wu Sangui wanted to resist Li Zicheng, he had to wave the flag of the Ming Dynasty. And Gu Zhenhua himself wore the halo of a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty, Wu Sangui could not help but show respect and make use of him.

  But if you really think that from now on, your identity will be different from others, then you are confused. However, it's better to have utilitarian value than not having it, at least your head is safe.

  Gu Zhenhua smiled and said: "Ping Xi Bo..."

  "Don't call me Ping Xi Bo." Wu Sangui deliberately put on a fierce face and said: "You are Zhong Yong Bo, I am Ping Xi Bo. If you don't want to be polite, just call me Brother Wu!"

  "Alright, little brother has overreached himself." Gu Zhenhua said: "For now, let's go see the crown prince first."

  "That's right, I should go and apologize to the prince!"

  After finishing speaking, Wu Sangui's gaze fell on Li Jia and Chen Yi, and he said viciously: "Chop off these two things for me!"

  At a word of command, the executioners who had been prepared for Gu Zhenhua were used on them. The knives rose and fell, and two human heads rolled to the ground.

  "Look at you, slightly smiling coldly: do you know what's called the 'Pig Foot Halo'? I've been waiting for so long, my head is still fine, but you two came up with a name like 'Cannon Fodder', and sure enough, you became cannon fodder, finished off with just one knife."

  Two unlucky eggs, Wu Sangui and Gu Zhenhua, were escorted by the crowd to a small grove beside the camp gate. The hundred men brought by Gu Zhenhua were all placed inside, with a large number of Gengjing Army guards outside, not allowing them to leave for a moment.

  The old eunuch Kou Guai pulled along the crown prince Zhu Ciyan, with a worried and bitter face. On the side, Gao Hongtu also sighed.

  "Gu Zhenhua that scoundrel, gone and never came back, most likely was killed by Wu Sangui. His death is not a big deal, but he implicated the master, really despicable."

  "You old eunuch, are you speaking human language?" Gao Hongtu was also not polite at this time: "Master Gu risked his life to meet Wu Sangui, so that we can survive. If he doesn't go, what else can be done? Can we escape? If the Shanxi army and the bandits chase us together, how many of these hundred brothers will survive?"

  "That's right! Master Gu treats us like real brothers. We're willing to die with him. If you dare to spout nonsense again, old eunuch, we'll chop you up first!"

  Several soldiers had already approached with knives in hand, scaring Kou Gui so much that his whole body was shaking like a sieve.

  "You, you martial artists, are truly lawless and unscrupulous."

  "The Emperor is gone, and it's been a long time since we've had any rules. If the martial artists hadn't sacrificed themselves, you'd all be dead by now."

  Just as they were arguing, there was a sudden rush of footsteps outside, and a large group of people came in, all dressed in bright clothes, and could be seen clearly from a distance.

  There was a sharp-eyed soldier who suddenly saw Gu Zhenhua in the middle and exclaimed excitedly: "Look, look! Lord Gu is coming with his men, we're saved!"

  Gao Hongtu's eyes were wide with an incredulous expression, relying on his own strength to persuade tens of thousands of troops to turn against each other. It was probably unlikely that such a situation would occur, unless Gu Zhenhua was a god or something, to have such an ability.

  "Heavens! Is there anything that Lord Gu can't accomplish?"

  Gao Hongtu and they walked three steps at a time, arrived at the edge of the forest, just as Gu Zhenhua also rushed over.

  "Lord Gu, are you alright?"

  "Haha, what can I do? Ping Xibo is a loyal minister of the Ming dynasty, and all his subordinates are patriotic scholars. I told them about the situation, and Ping Xibo came to pay respects to the crown prince."

  When Gu Zhenhua finished speaking, the officials behind him all gave a thumbs up. This guy is really broad-minded! He almost lost his head, but he didn't mention it at all. His magnanimity is truly impressive!

  Gu Zhenhua brought Wu Sangui to the front of Zhu Ciyan, Wu Sangui knelt down and begged for forgiveness. Zhu Ciyan faced with this change, could not bear it either, did not know what to say. Kou Gui was even more ashamed and angry, dared not speak much, the scene was a bit awkward.

  Gu Zhenhua smiled slightly: "Brother Wu, the prince has had a fright on the way here. First, let's arrange for him to rest. The top priority is still to consider the safety of the tens of thousands of troops."

  "That's right, brother. The surroundings are full of bandits and we must come up with a plan quickly. What do you think?"

  Gu Zhenhua thought for a moment, then said: "Brother Wu, I think it's better to protect the crown prince and head south with all our might. The losses may be considerable, but as long as the crown prince reaches Jiangnan, we can make up for the losses with the wealth and manpower of the south. And with your merits, Brother Wu, you will be worthy of being enfeoffed as a king!"

  Gu Zhenhua said this when his heart was already in his throat, if Wu Sangui could adopt his opinion, there would be no problem of the Qing army entering the pass, and history might have been rewritten, and the pigtail would have disappeared...