Chapter 40 Military Power

  "General Wu, you must have heard some rumors. Don't believe the slander of petty people. His Majesty has already said that as long as General Wu is willing to surrender to Da Shun, both you and Old General will be enfeoffed as marquises. What a glorious honor it would be for one family to produce two marquises! Take me, Zhang Ruoqi, for example. I was originally imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, but when His Majesty entered the city, not only was I released, but I was also appointed as the Minister of War and Government. The imperial favor is as boundless as a mountain. With General Wu's talent, it's possible that you will be enfeoffed as a king in the future... "

  Zhang Ruokui was still talking, but Wu Sangui suddenly waved his hand and interrupted him.

  "What's the use of promising more benefits? I only ask you one question: Is my father well?"

  Wang Zhenyao felt that the atmosphere was not right as soon as he entered the account, Wu Sangui did not have a bit of enthusiasm, and the surrounding generals were all glaring at him, as if they wanted to swallow them.

  As soon as he heard Wu Sangui's words, he suddenly understood that the news from Beijing must have been passed on, which was why Wu Sangui was so angry.

  "General Wu, since you already know, we won't hide it from you either. Indeed, there has been a slight misunderstanding. General Liu Zongmin had General Wu Xiang arrested, but after the Emperor learned of the news, he immediately ordered his release and even offered him kind words of comfort. This time, we have brought with us a letter written in General Wu's own hand, please take a look!"

  Wang Zhenyao took out a letter from his bosom and handed it over to Wu Sangui.

  Father has come!

  Wu Sangui hastily took it over, unfolded it and looked at it. It was indeed written by Wu Xiang himself, saying that the Ming Dynasty had already perished, and the Great Shun had replaced it, letting Wu Sangui know the times and surrender immediately...

  After reading the letter, Wu Sangui was immediately confused. In his bosom, he still had a family letter brought by Wu An himself. The letter written by Wu Xiang was completely different from now, saying that the bandits were searching and plundering the whole city, pursuing the stolen goods and assisting with food, and the old father was in danger, asking Wu Sangui to think of ways to rescue his father.

  One day apart, two completely different family letters, what is true and what is false, what is going on?

  When Wang Zhenyao delivered the letter to Wu Sangui, Gu Zhenhua was immediately on high alert, as it was a matter of life and death, and he couldn't help but feel anxious.

  Although there is history as a basis, Gu Zhenhua did not dare to make fun of his own life. Wu Sangui was originally treacherous and unpredictable, who knows if he would change his mind again? He had already played the role of Ming's loyal minister to the extreme, if Wu Sangui were to betray him, he would definitely be the first to lose his head!

  Having thought of this, Gu Zhenhua couldn't help but secretly observe Wu Sangui, only to see that his eyebrows were tightly locked, seemingly revealing an extremely painful and bewildered expression. Gu Zhenhua's mind was also constantly speculating about Wu Sangui's psychology, then pondering how he should respond.

  Wu Sangui suddenly raised his head, glanced at Gu Zhenhua and smiled: "Gu Xian Di, I am also confused now, I don't know if you can dispel my confusion?"

  "Impossible!" Gu Zhenhua said bluntly, and everyone present was stunned, including Wu Sangui, who was also bewildered. This guy is too straightforward!

  "Brother Wu, I'm also involved in this matter and must avoid suspicion. Firstly, it concerns the safety of Old Master Wu, and secondly, it's related to the life and death of tens of thousands of brothers from the Guanning Army. As an outsider, anything I say would be inappropriate, please forgive me, Brother Wu!"

  "Haha, younger brother, what I admire most about you is your truthfulness and sincerity. A great man should be open and aboveboard. These few people who came to persuade me to surrender made me believe in the second letter, logically speaking, you should have let me trust Wu An's message, but you didn't do that, which shows that you are selfless at heart. Brother wants to ask a favor of you, from your current standpoint, can you analyze the situation for brother?"

  "Wu brother, empty words won't work. I don't know if you can show me the letter from our old father, but I think he should reveal his true intentions."

  "Alright, take it away!" Wu Sangui said as he had someone hand over the letter to Gu Zhenhua.

  Gu Zhenhua took it over and immediately pretended to look at it, but his mind was still rapidly calculating. Wu Sangui is a treacherous person who is unpredictable, and people like him usually have their own opinions in mind. He asked for your opinion just to test whether you are the same as him or not.

  At this time, if you go to persuade loudly, it will only backfire, which is also the reason why Gu Zhenhua shirks. However, it seems that smart people all have a bit of a problem with being humble, and the more they don't speak, the more they force you to speak. In fact, thinking about Gu Zhenhua as a real estate businessman, he has a wide range of contacts and is familiar with the personalities of those big shots.

  The best way to persuade others is to use indirect hints rather than direct accusations. Gu Zhenhua himself has this habit, so he already has a good grasp of Wu Sangui's mindset. Now the question is how to confirm his judgment!

  Just as Gu Zhenhua was rapidly turning his brain, Wang Ze Yao and Zhang Ruo Qi also saw this young man, and they all frowned at the same time.

  "General Wu, may I ask who this gentleman is? I haven't heard of him before."

  "Haha, this is Zhongyongbo, the General of Jizhen Town, Gu Zhenhua, who has just arrived at my military camp."

  "Zong Yongbo? Who conferred it?" Zhang Ruokui asked in surprise.

  "Of course it's very clear."

  "Wu Da Shuai, are you still nostalgic for the Ming dynasty? Zhang Ruoqi said with a pained expression: "Chongzhen is an unenlightened ruler, disasters and famines have occurred year after year, he is stubborn and self-willed. In these years, how many ministers have been killed, how many meritorious officials have been wronged? Such a court cannot be tolerated by heaven. Now the Li Zicheng has responded to heaven's call, the hearts of the people are with him, the provinces of North Zhili, Shandong, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and all the land north of the Yellow River are under the rule of Da Shun. Can't you see the situation clearly?"

  Zhang Ruokui's earnest and sincere advice, however, only made Wu Sangui's face increasingly gloomy, his eyes narrowing into slits. Those familiar with him knew that General Wu had become enraged.

  Gu Zhenhua smiled secretly, Zhang Ruogui's words were all correct, but his attitude was completely wrong, condescending and bossy, which would only provoke Wu Sangui's rebellious psychology!

  "Wu brother, I've read Father's letter."

  "Oh? What's on your mind, younger brother?"

  "It's not that I have any ideas, but rather Old Master has already written his intentions in the letter. Brother Wu, you can take a look at the first and last characters of the letter."

  "Quickly give it to me!" Wu Sangui had also heard of the kind of hidden message in poetry, could it be that his father was still hiding something in the letter?!

  He hastily took over the letter, looked at it carefully, and Wu Xiang wrote in the first sentence "No way to Chongzhen, lost the rivers and mountains, Dashun rose, as it should be", and in the last sentence was "Reunion of the whole family, looking forward to your speedy return!"

  "Leave quickly, you have no way!"

  Wu Sangui muttered twice, and a sharp light suddenly flashed in his eyes. He couldn't help but throw his head back and let out a long howl: "No return, no return!"

  After finishing, Wu Sangui stared at Wang Zhenyao and others, coldly saying: "You bunch of scoundrels, obviously you were subjected to all sorts of torture, coerced my father, and wrote a letter of surrender against your will. How dare you come to deceive me? Take them all into custody!"

  "General Wu, don't be deceived by treacherous people." Wang Ze Yao hastily said: "The old general is as stable as Mount Tai, there is absolutely no safety issue, I can guarantee it with my head on the line."

  "That's right, Zhang can too." Zhang Ruoqi also said: "Just two words, it doesn't count as a secret letter at all. General Wu, this kid is just talking nonsense, your family is safe and sound!"

  "Safe and sound, then let me ask you, where is Chen Yuanyuan?"

  Zuo Mou Tai, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "General Wu, we don't know this person, but I think he's probably a womanizer. As the saying goes, 'A great man has no need to worry about not having a wife.' With wealth and honor, power and prestige, can it be that they are still inferior to a woman?"

  "Shut up!"

  Before Zuo Liangyuan finished speaking, Wu Sangui grabbed the inkstone on the table and smashed it over. Some words might not be a big deal when said behind someone's back, but saying them in this situation was clearly telling Wu Sangui that being cuckolded wasn't so bad after all - he had an official position and money to take...

  A thirty-year-old commander of tens of thousands of troops, with a strong and vigorous spirit, could not tolerate such an insult. Wu Sangui's anger was triggered, his strength was astonishingly great, the inkstone hit Left Lao Tai's chest, instantly producing a cracking sound, Left Lao Tai spat out a mouthful of blood, fell to the ground on the spot, and rolled up his eyes.

  "A man cannot even protect his own wife, what is he living for? Li Zicheng, I, Wu Sangui, and you are not on the same side!"

  With a loud shout, Wu Sangui waved his hand and had the several envoys dragged away. The crowd saw him get angry and didn't dare say more, hastily surged forward, and were about to behead these three guys.

  "Wu brother, these few people can't be killed, it's better to imprison them and let them pass false information to Li Zicheng, so as to buy us some time!"

  Wu Sangui finally calmed down, nodded and said: "Thank you for reminding me, brother. I almost made a mistake. Take them all away."

  After finishing, Wu Sangui looked at Gu Zhenhua again and smiled: "Younger brother, you have excellent strategies, a broad mind, and a high vision. Moreover, you have defeated the famous general who broke into the camp. This time, I will rely on your help to start the army. Two thousand elite cavalry are not many, and I hope you can cut off the enemy's head and make achievements."