Chapter 36: How Magnificent! Zhong Yu Bo (Part 2)

  Wu Sangui was not tall in stature, but his limbs were sturdy, especially when he was just over thirty years old, his whole body exuded a vigorous and heroic spirit. Behind him followed the General of Shanhai Pass Gao Di, the Governor of Liaodong Li Yutian, as well as the generals of the Guanning Army, each with an air of majesty and an aura of killing intent.

  "My lord, where did this guy come from? He dares to be so presumptuous! Let me execute him!" A general behind Wu Sangui was about to rush out, but Wu Sangui stopped him with a wave of his hand. His gaze fell on Gu Zhenhua.

  He was only in his early twenties, almost a head taller than Wu Sangui, with a robust and majestic physique. Although he was covered in dust, his face was clear and handsome, especially his eyes, which shone like stars, exceptionally bright.

  From these eyes, it seemed to read condescension, pity, and amusement, but not a single hint of fear. Wu Sangui's anger suddenly flared up.

  "Little boy, there is no such person as Zhongyongbo in the great Ming dynasty. If you want to imitate those madmen and insult me, General Wu will fulfill your wish!" As he spoke, Wu Sangui's hand was already on the hilt of his sword, his whole body shrouded in a layer of murderous aura, his eyes gleaming like a sharp knife.

  Gu Zhenhua smiled slightly: "Ping Xi Bo, I came to your military camp with my life and death already put aside. I just want to discuss a business deal with you."

  "What business?" Wu Sangui asked in surprise.

  "Haha, this isn't a place for conversation, let's go into the main hall first. My mouth is dry and my tongue is parched, my waist hurts and my legs ache, there should be a place to rest."

  Wu Sangui had been on the border for a long time and had never seen anyone as calm as Gu Zhenhua in front of thousands of horses and soldiers, so he was also curious and walked ahead to lead him into the big tent. He gave him a seat and even let the soldier pour a bowl of tea water.

  Gu Zhenhua sipped his tea while secretly calculating, facing Wu Sangui, saying he wasn't afraid was a lie, but he had to pretend to be confident and bold. Otherwise, Wu Sangui might not even bother to see him, and directly send someone to get rid of him, and his muddled head would be gone.

  However, since we've met Wu Sangui, we need to think of a way to persuade him. At this time, Wu Sangui should be wavering. Let him firm up his resolve and engage in a bloody battle with Li Zicheng; it would be best if they both suffer heavy losses, which would be most beneficial for Gu Zhenhua.

  "Kid, if you've got gas, let it rip, don't make this handsome guy lose his patience."

  Gu Zhenhua fell silent for a moment before speaking: "Duke Pingxi, with all the words in the world, let's start from my identity. Just ten days ago, I was just a guard at the residence of Cheng Guogong Zhu Chunmin, an insignificant small fry that you wouldn't even bother to glance at. But then fate played its trick, and on the day the city fell, the late emperor entrusted the crown prince to Cheng Guogong. As it turned out, Cheng Guogong died in the chaos, and I, along with my brothers, risked our lives to rescue the crown prince from the capital, escaping all the way here."

  Wu Sangui and the people present heard this, their eyebrows also furrowed. The news of Chongzhen's death had already spread, and Crown Prince Zhu Cizhao was indeed missing. It was thought that he had died in the chaos of war, but it was never expected that he would be rescued and appear before them, leaving everyone shocked and surprised.

  Gu Zhenhua continued: "The titles and official positions I hold were all conferred by the Crown Prince, so you can't count the Pingxi Earl. You, Gu Zhenhua, are still a humble house servant. However, in my heart, I have already regarded myself as a subject of the Great Ming, and the kindness of the monarch is as heavy as a mountain. As a minister, I only have one death to repay it!"

  "Count, how can you not count!" Wu Sangui had not spoken yet, when the Liaodong Governor Li Yutian suddenly stood up and walked to Gu Zhenhua's front, making a deep bow.

  "Your Excellency, Lord Guo, Li Mou was a jinshi appointed by the previous emperor. When the country was destroyed and his family ruined, the previous emperor died for the country, and Li Mou also felt ashamed of the imperial grace. Today, I can see Your Excellency, and only then did I know that the Great Ming still has loyal and brave scholars. Please accept my humble bow!"

  Li Yutian said, and made a deep bow. Many of the generals present cast admiring glances at Gu Zhenhua. Especially Vice General Yang Kun, who stood up and cupped his hands in respect, saying: "Yang has long heard of Zhao Zilong's rescue of his lord on Changban Slope. Lord Gu's rescue of the crown prince from the capital is no less impressive than Zhao Zilong's feat during the Three Kingdoms period. I am deeply impressed."

  The actions of these people were all seen by Gu Zhenhua, who couldn't help but secretly rejoice in his heart. From the behavior of these people, it can be seen that there are not a few people who miss the Ming Dynasty, and the unruly Ganning Army is not willing to surrender to Li Zicheng.

  In that case, one must play the role of a loyal minister to the end, evoke these people's nostalgia for the Ming Dynasty, and ultimately influence Wu Sangui's decision.

  As a mature entrepreneur, Gu Zhenhua has a strong insight into public opinion manipulation and social psychology. The more miserable, the more sincere, the more it can evoke the support of sympathizers.

  Gu Zhenhua also cupped his hands to the crowd, then sighed and said: "I originally wanted to protect the crown prince to Tianjin, take the waterway to the south, but coincidentally met with your army, the road has been sealed off, and also heard that the Liao Yuansheng in Tianjin has surrendered to Li Zicheng. The big house is about to collapse, and it's hard to support it alone, so I came to meet you, Ping Xi Bo."

  Wu Sangui listened to Gu Zhenhua's words, his brow furrowed, and after a long time he said: "Mr. Gu, your loyalty is admirable, but I have already decided to surrender to the Great Shun, and we are now enemies of the Ming dynasty. If you come to my camp, not only will you be unable to save the prince, but you may also lose your own life."

  "Hahaha!" Gu Zhenhua suddenly burst out laughing: "Ping Xibo, I had long heard that the Ganning Army was the most powerful in the world, stationed outside the pass, fighting bloody battles with the Tartars, all loyal and dedicated soldiers. Originally, I thought that when the prince arrived in the south, he would immediately raise an army to march north, while the Ganning Army marched south, surrounding the capital from two sides, still having a glimmer of hope to drive out the bandits. But unexpectedly, the Ganning Army, which had received imperial favors for generations, also surrendered! The lifeblood of the Ming dynasty has been severed, whether I live or die makes no difference."

  "Hum, since there's no difference, what business are you talking about? Are you trying to deceive me?"

  "No." Gu Zhenhua said: "The crown prince can't escape, and I don't want to escape either. But I have a decree from the late emperor here. If Ping Xibo still has a shred of loyalty to the country as a minister, just raise his noble hand, let one or two small troops go south, and deliver the decree to the scholars in Nanjing. Maybe there are still loyal ministers like Yue Fei who can hold up the crisis, revive the Ming dynasty, and I will be at peace in the afterlife."

  After finishing speaking, Gu Zhenhua took out a bloody will from his bosom, held it with both hands, and hastily sent it to Wu Sangui's desk. Then he turned around and walked towards the outside of the big account.

  "Wait, sir!" Li Yutian hastily shouted loudly.

  "What I want to say has already been made clear, I only wish to accept punishment and have no other requests."

  At this time, the eyes of all the people present fell on Wu Sangui. At this time, Wu Sangui seemed to casually open the blood book, but his fingers were also trembling.

  The value of the will, how could he not be clear? With this thing, it is a legitimate and rightful regent minister, who can command the loyal old ministers of the Ming court.

  How could a prestigious general's family like his own stoop to the level of those rustic Li Zicheng and his followers? Wu Sangui was also in a state of intense struggle.

  Although he stared at the will, not a single word was taken in, the blue veins on his temples bulged, and his fists clenched involuntarily, making a cracking sound. It wasn't until about three minutes later that Wu Sangui finally calmed down, and the opened will was quickly closed.

  He sneered and said, "Mr. Gu, since I have decided to surrender to the Emperor of Shun, I must be loyal with all my heart. Your request is absolutely impossible for me to fulfill. On the contrary, you, the prince, and the will, all must be presented to the Emperor of Shun."

  "Great General, think thrice!" Several generals present spoke in unison. Wu Sangui abruptly waved his hand: "My mind is made up, don't say any more."

  At this time, Gu Zhenhua suddenly looked up at the sky and laughed wildly, with tears almost flowing out. The generals all didn't know why he was like this, and thought he had gone mad.

  "Flat West, Gu certain long wrong eyes, thought you still have monarch and minister's great righteousness in your heart, never mind! Pursuing glory, wealth and nobility is human nature, I shouldn't say more. It's just that when I came out of the capital to kill, I happened to pass by Wu Fu, there was a general named Liu Zongmin who rushed out from inside, with a beautiful woman lying on his horseback, her face was simply like a heavenly fairy, rarely seen in the world, what Xi Shi, Yang Guifei, all are not worth mentioning..."

  "What?" Wu Sangui heard this and suddenly stood up in anger, his eyes bulging like a fierce cow: "You, have you seen Yuanyuan?"

  "Yuan Yuan?" Gu Zhenhua sneered: "I suppose it's the respected madam, then Liu Zongmin is the king's right-hand man, Ping Xi Bo and he have a deep friendship, will be promoted to high-ranking official soon!"

  "Rebels, take him out and behead him!" Wu Sangui roared.