Chapter Eleven: The Ruler of a Fallen Nation

  It's absolutely crazy to threaten the Duke, and yet he's doing it right in his own palace, surrounded by a bunch of guards. This is utterly absurd!

  However, Gu Zhenhua did exactly that, and the sharp blade was placed on Zhu Chun's neck, with a thin layer of white flesh already showing a red line. The guards around him not only didn't intend to rescue him, but they all looked like they were enjoying the show, secretly cheering Gu Zhenhua on.

  "You ignorant youngster, outside the mansion is the army of the Great Ming. If you dare to move a single finger against me, they will cut you into pieces and make you suffer a slow death. Others are no exception, if you are smart, I can let bygones be bygones and spare your dog life!"

  "Hahaha!" Gu Zhenhua laughed loudly: "Zhu Chunchen, what you said is not wrong at all. I will definitely be cut into pieces and die a terrible death. However, you are destined to not see this scene, because by then you will already be dead!"

  Gu Zhenhua said, exerting force on his wrist, the blade was inserted two inches, and a stream of fresh blood immediately flowed out from his neck. The red liquid followed the tip of the knife and dripped onto the ground.

  "Ah!" Zhu Chunshen cried out in pain, almost falling to the ground. Now he understood that it was impossible to intimidate Gu Zhenhua. He could only tremble and say: "Young man, what do you want to do? I'll agree to anything I can."

  Gu Zhenhua smiled slightly: "I said the Duke is a clever man, he won't be foolish. My request is simple, just want to survive, this is also what everyone here thinks. No one wants to die with the Ming Dynasty, nor do they want to fall into Li Zicheng's hands, as long as you can follow my orders, send all the brothers and remaining family members out of the city, I absolutely won't hurt a single hair on your head."

  "Kid, you overestimate me. Outside is full of bandits and soldiers, I can't even protect my own family, how can I send you out?"

  "Zhu Chun Chen, I didn't expect to rely solely on you either. As long as you can help send everyone's family members to Chaoyang Gate, we'll figure out the rest of the escape plan ourselves."

  Gu Zhenhua had long planned that Li Zicheng's attack on the capital was not strong, and the main direction of attack was in the west. If they wanted to escape, they would go east, whether it was to Tianjin to take a boat south or along the Grand Canal to Jiangnan, which were the most convenient options.

  Zhu Chunchen wasn't stupid either, as soon as he heard Gu Zhenhua's words, he knew that this young man was not simple, it was clear that he not only understood the direction of the Dashun Army's attack but also thought out a retreat route in advance. Facing such a cunning guy, one must be extra careful.

  "Little one, the bandits are attacking the city urgently, each gate has its own personnel guarding it, and there is also a curfew in the city. How can I send someone to Chaoyang Gate?"

  Gu Zhenhua sneered: "Zhu Chunchen, if you can't even do this, then your title of Cheng Guogong is worthless. In that case, I won't be polite!"

  As he spoke, Gu Zhenhua turned the blade over and pointed it at Zhu Chun's ear, laughing and saying: "Cheng Guo Gong, if you say you can't do it again, I'll cut off your ear and make you incomplete in appearance. A dignified national duke lacking an ear will probably become a laughing stock for the world!"

  "You scoundrel! You've gone too far!" Zhu Chunshen gritted his teeth in anger, feeling both hatred and fear towards this fugitive.

  "Little one, the Emperor has just issued an edict, putting me in charge of defending the inner city. That's why I've come to gather our family generals. If you trust me, let me go and inspect the city walls. I'll use the opportunity to deploy troops to send you all to Chaoyang Gate. What do you think?"

  "Good." Gu Zhenhua smiled and said: "Those who know the times are heroes, and indeed, the Duke is a wise man."

  "Fourth brother, be careful of deceit!" Sun Cheng had been listening on the side and suddenly interjected: "Fourth brother, if we let Zhu Chun out, with just one order from him, we'll all die without a place to bury our bodies. We absolutely cannot let him go."

  "Hmph!" Zhu Chunshen snorted: "You rats, will I, a noble official, be treated like those despicable curs? Moreover, if you don't release me, I'll be stuck here and unable to do anything. Soon the army will arrive, and you'll all be doomed!"

  Zhu Chun's words frightened many of the guards present, and Tang Zhanxiong quietly pulled at Gu Zhenhua's sleeve, saying in a trembling voice: "Brother Gu, did you hear that? There are horseshoes outside the mansion. Could it be that the Emperor has sent someone?"

  Everyone present was even more frightened, but Gu Zhenhua's face remained unchanged, not at all anxious or flustered. He smiled and said: "Don't worry, brothers, just take care of your families and make preparations. I'll accompany the Duke on his city inspection tour and ensure that he doesn't leave my side for a single step. When it's time for everyone to leave the city, I'll bid farewell to the Duke!"

  Gu Zhenhua was being polite, but in fact, he was holding Zhu Chun's hostage, ensuring that the others could leave the city smoothly. The guards present were not fools either, and this was indeed the best choice. However, there was one thing - Gu Zhenhua had followed closely behind Zhu Chun, and this Duke Chengguo was a cunning old fox. If he let his guard down even slightly, he might be in danger of losing his life.

  Lu Yong hastily said: "Fourth brother, let me keep an eye on Zhu Chunchen, you lead everyone out of the city."

  "That's right, Fourth Brother. Eldest Brother is a few years older and has more experience, so he can definitely keep an eye on Zhu Chunshen. Let me and Second Brother handle it." Sun Cheng also said hastily.

  Although they had not known each other for long, the two men were vying with each other to take their place. Gu Zhenhua's heart was also deeply moved. However, Gu Zhenhua still smiled and said: "Two brothers, don't fight anymore, this time I want everyone to leave the city safely, but also see if we can get something to make our lives better."

  "Big brother, since you've been in the border army, take charge of commanding the whole situation. Second brother, with your exceptional bravery and strength, select some good men to be the vanguard. You must ensure that our brothers and family members are safely escorted out. As for me, don't worry, I absolutely won't cause any trouble."

  Lu Yong and Sun Cheng looked at Gu Zhenhua's resolute attitude, and it was not easy to say anything. Indeed, in terms of courage and brains, they were no match for Gu Zhenhua, only he could compete with Zhu Chunchen in wisdom and bravery.

  At this moment, Huan Hu suddenly knelt down on one knee and said loudly: "Hua Ge, Tiger doesn't understand anything else, only knows that this life was given by Hua Ge, from now on I'll listen to you, let me do whatever you want!"

  Before Huan Hu could finish speaking, Tang Zhan Xiong also knelt down on one leg, and the other guards followed suit one after another. Over a hundred people all knelt down on one leg on the ground.

  "Brother Gu, we owe you a debt of gratitude for saving our lives. From now on, we will follow your lead unconditionally and never question your decisions!"

  "We will follow General Ma's lead and never question his orders!"

  The guards shouted in unison, full of momentum. Gu Zhenhua was also particularly pleased that he could have a team just half a month after arriving in this era, which is absolutely something to be proud of.

  Of course, Gu Zhenhua also knew that this team was now completely because of fear and confusion, and they had to follow him. It would take a long way to truly become his own confidant, after all, conquering people's hearts is the most difficult thing.

  What needs to be done now is to safely lead everyone out of the city and make them believe that following him is the only way out, Gu Zhenhua secretly encourages himself!

  "Everyone, brothers, hurry up and get up. The top priority is to safely leave the city. Everyone must listen to commands and not be slow!"

  After Gu Zhenhua finished speaking, everyone rushed to make preparations. At this moment, Zhu Wang suddenly pulled out a knife and pounced on Gu Zhenhua. Although he was a scoundrel, he had a vicious and ruthless energy. If they couldn't kill Gu Zhenhua, their lives would be at risk at any time.

  Zhu Wang also played with his life, slashing towards Gu Zhenhua's back. The guards who noticed this scene couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

  Just as the knife was over a foot away from Gu Zhenhua, Gu Zhenhua's body suddenly turned and dodged the fatal blow. Zhu Wang, on the other hand, used too much force and his footsteps couldn't be stopped, taking two steps forward. As soon as he lifted his head, he felt a gust of evil wind rushing towards him.

  Ah!

  Accompanied by a shrill scream, Gu Zhenhua's iron spear pierced Zhu Wang's head, just like hitting a watermelon, and it suddenly split into four or five pieces, with the red brain inside splashing out.

  Zhu Chunshen was also not far away, and coincidentally a piece of skull bone splashed into his arms, with an eyeball still attached to it. Zhu Chunshen was instantly shocked as if struck by lightning, terrified to the extreme, paralyzed on the ground, trembling all over, unable to utter a single word.

  Gu Zhenhua was also covered in blood, but he seemed extremely calm and walked up to Zhu Chunshen with a smile: "Duke Guo, I'm afraid I've startled you!"

  Gu Zhenhua smiled, but in Zhu Chun's eyes, he was a devil, the most brutal fugitive!

  "Ah......ah, don't, don't kill me, I'll agree to anything!"

  Gu Zhenhua smiled slightly: "Don't worry, Duke, I'm keeping you for now because you're still useful. Hurry up and go patrol the city."

  Zhu Chun could only nod in agreement, just then Xue Biao brought over several war horses, Gu Zhenhua brought Xue Biao and found six more skilled bodyguards, a total of eight people closely followed Zhu Chun, keeping the old man under close guard.

  They hastily exited the official residence, when suddenly a cavalryman came running from afar, his body covered in blood, with an arrow still lodged in his shoulder.

  As soon as he saw Zhu Chunchen, he hastily rolled down from his horse and said in a terrified manner: "Something big has gone wrong! The Guangning Gate has been opened and the outer city has fallen!"

  Zhu Chunchen and Gu Zhenhua both heard this, the outer city had fallen, and the inner city was likely to hold out as well.

  "National Grandfather, go take a look at the situation."

  Zhu Chun was held hostage and could only nod in agreement. They didn't run far, all the way were defeated soldiers, everywhere were people fleeing in all directions, the capital city was chaotic like a mess of porridge.

  Just as they turned a corner, a cavalry suddenly appeared in front of them, with a dragon flag held high, several eunuchs dressed up, surrounding a middle-aged man wearing a green robe, rushing towards this side.

  "Your Majesty!"

  Zhu Chunshen cried out in surprise, and he didn't expect that Chongzhen would actually run to this place. Gu Zhenhua was also shocked. Just as they were stunned, a eunuch rushed up on horseback and hastily said: "Duke Chengguo, the Emperor is looking for you right now, hurry up and go see him!"