Chapter 69: Recruiting Soldiers

  Yuán Yú Zōng was thinking about whether he would be promoted and enfeoffed after the Qing dynasty fell, but suddenly the Seven-Star Sword was placed on his neck, and this guy was instantly frightened to the ground.

  "General Pingxi, you can't kill me, I'm willing to surrender to the Qing dynasty!"

  "Haha, Yuanyu Zong, take a good look, isn't Grandpa that traitor Wu Sangui?"

  This man spoke, and tossed his helmet to one side. Yu Rongzong hastily turned his head to look, and was immediately stunned. He had met Wu Sangui once before, and vaguely remembered that Wu Sangui had a round face, very fair and refined, just like a scholar. But the person in front of him had a long, thin face, with a scar at his temple, clearly not Wu Sangui.

  "Who are you?"

  "Let me tell you the truth, I am General Guo Yunlong, a subordinate of Zhongyongbo Gu Zhenhua, with the surname Yuan. I didn't expect that you also wanted to be a traitor, but unfortunately, it seems you don't have this fate."

  Several soldiers didn't say a word and tied up Yuan Yu-zong. The city gate was wide open, Gu Zhen-hua led the others in, charging in unimpeded.

  "Haha, I didn't expect Tianjin Wei's defense to be so lax, it's simply within reach!"

  Sun Cheng also laughed and said: "Lao Wu was so focused on imitating Wu Sangui that he even practiced Wu's speech and movements on horseback, almost falling off the horse!"

  Several people burst out laughing, and Guo Yunlong also walked over with a red face, scolding: "Yuan Yu Zong this guy, he knew long ago that Wu Sangui had surrendered to the Qing dynasty, but he still hoped to be a running dog for the Qing dynasty. Seeing me, the king, he hurriedly left the city without any hesitation."

  "Gu Zhenhua snorted: 'Traitors and scum, not one can be spared, chop them all down.'"

  "Don't be in a hurry." Li Xu smiled and said, "The Dashun Army is still attacking the city, let's send these gods away first. We can deal with them later."

  Gu Zhenhua also hurriedly laughed and said: "I'm confused too, let's go see our old friend together!"

  ……

  "Master, Second Brother has made his move!" Hongniang exclaimed with delight.

  Li Yan also smiled and nodded: "I didn't expect the defenders of Tianjin to be so vulnerable, but occupying Tianjin is easy, wanting to hold on to it is difficult. I still need to ask for troops from Chu Wang."

  Just as Li Yan was planning how to control Tianjin, a scout horse suddenly rushed over.

  "Reporting to General, a cavalry troop of several thousand men has arrived from the north of the city."

  "Cavalry?" Li Yan was suddenly shocked and hastily asked: "Are they Tatars?"

  "Not really, but..."

  "But what?"

  "Judging from the flag, it seems to be under Wu Sangui's command."

  "Ah!" Li Yan cried out in pain, stamping his foot and pounding his chest: "The Tartars really do have wise men after all! They've actually occupied Tianjin first - this is the end of the great Qing dynasty!"

  "Brother, the Tartars are nothing special either. Let's fight to the death and avenge our brothers who died at Shanhai Pass!"

  "My lady, don't say any more. The army's morale is low. We absolutely have no chance of winning against the Tartars. Let's hurry back to the capital, or else we'll lose all these troops!"

  Just as Li Yan ordered the withdrawal of troops, a red flag suddenly appeared on the city wall with three golden characters: "An Guo Jun"!

  Li Yan and Hong Niangzi also saw this scene and were both stunned. They had never heard of the An Guo Army before.

  "Whose troops are these?"

  Just as they were in doubt, Gu Zhenhua had already led his soldiers to surround Li Nian and his men.

  Li Nian was originally fighting with great vigor, but suddenly countless cavalry rushed over, startling him greatly. However, as the two sides approached each other, Li Nian suddenly froze and exclaimed in surprise: "It's you!"

  "General Li, you're back unscathed! It's just Gu. Coming early isn't as good as coming at the right time. Tianjin is already under our control, the An Guo Army has taken it, there's nothing for you to do here. Out of consideration for our past battles side by side, I can let you leave peacefully. If you don't know what's good for you, then I'll have no choice but to be impolite!"

  Gu Zhenhua waved his hand and the cavalry dispersed, surrounding Li Nian and his men in a circle. Each of them wore a mocking smile as they looked at them with satisfaction.

  ……

  "General Li, old friend, we meet again!"

  Li Yan suddenly raised his head and under the great flag of Anguo Army, a tall general stood with his hand on the hilt of his sword, smiling as he stared at them.

  "What's wrong with you?"

  Li Yan's eyeballs almost fell out, he thought hard, but couldn't have imagined that the suddenly appearing Anguo Army was actually led by Gu Zhenhua and his gang, it was like a dream come true.

  "Gu Zhenhua, why are you always lurking around, wherever there's excitement, you run to wherever?"

  "Haha, General Li, this statement is not correct. I, the Duke, left Shanhai Pass earlier than you and should have occupied Tianjin Wei long ago. To be honest, on the way, I encountered Wu Sangui's pursuit and had a big battle with him, beheading over 2,000 of his men."

  "What? Gu Zhenhua, you think you can deceive me?"

  "Believe it or not, I have already beheaded the Han traitors and Tartar slaves, piling their heads into a spectacle in the capital."

  Hong Niangzi saw that Gu Zhenhua had taken Tianjin first, and she didn't feel angry in her heart, but instead became more curious. As soon as she heard that he had beheaded over 2,000 people, a flash of light appeared in her eyes, and she hastily asked: "Lord Gu, is what you said true?"

  "Of course, our lord has never told a lie, General Li, the Tartars and those Han traitors are our common enemies, we should cooperate rather than oppose each other, don't you think?"

  "Gu Zhenhua, your words sound pleasant, if you truly want to resist the Tartars, why don't you surrender to the Prince of Lu?"

  "Is Li Zicheng worth your loyalty, Li Yan? If you can abandon the Great Shun Army and join hands with me, perhaps we can achieve something together."

  Li Yan's face turned bright red as soon as he heard, and he wanted to order the continuation of the attack on the city. At this time, the city gate suddenly opened wide, and Li Nian led his troops in a hurry from inside. Behind Li Yan was team after team of musketeers, walking over in an orderly manner, forming neat rows.

  They had just gone through a big battle, and the gunpowder on their bodies had not yet dispersed, shrouded in a strong killing aura. Li Yan, who had been through many battles, also couldn't help but feel shocked and frightened after seeing it. Who was this Gu Zhenhua, how did he come up with so many more firearms soldiers, could he really make beans into soldiers?

  The musketeers, about two hundred paces away from them, formed a neat array, with their black muzzles aimed at the Dashun Army. At the same time, the cavalry on both wings also charged out and surrounded them like a fan.

  "Li Yan, if you retreat your troops, I might still be able to help Li Zicheng. If not, I'll deal with my enemies in the same way, and you know it."

  Gu Zhenhua's words were loud and clear, from the capital to Shanhai Pass, and then to Tianjin, from having nothing to commanding thousands of troops. Whether it was Li Zicheng, Wu Sangui, or the Qing dynasty, anyone who encountered him would be unlucky, and this guy's actual power just kept getting stronger, rising with the wind and waves, how could Li Yan not worry?

  "Brother, it's better that Tianjin fell into Gu Zhenhua's hands than the Manchu's. Let's avoid conflict!"

  Li Yan thought and thought, gritted his teeth, and stomped his feet. He looked at the morale-boosted An Guo army again, and he really had no chance of winning, so he could only order a retreat. The Da Shun army, which had been fighting all night, was exhausted and left Tianjin with their heads hung low in despair.

  Hong Niangzi also closely followed behind Li Yan, just as she was about to leave, suddenly turned her head and looked towards the city wall. At this time, there was a pair of piercing eyes on the city wall, staring at her.

  In an instant, Hong Niangzi's heart was like being electrocuted, she hastily shook her head and followed Li Yan to leave quickly on horseback.

  ……

  "Girl, why is your face so red? Has that bad guy woken up?"

  Mei Juanruo was leaning against the armrest, sitting in a chair, when Lu Zhu's words suddenly startled her, and a flush spread to the base of her neck.

  "Zhuer, don't always be a bad guy. If you're a bad guy, people will get angry and chop you off."

  Lu Zhu suddenly spat out a small tongue, hastily handed the medicine bowl to Mei Juanruo, and said with a frightened tone: "Miss, don't scare me."

  Xiao Yatou finished speaking, turned around and ran away. Mei Juaner looked at her back, chuckled to herself. Turning her head around, she happened to see a pair of eyes staring at her with a smile.

  "Are you awake?"

  Gu Zhenhua nodded slightly: "I've been awake for a long time. You took off my clothes and applied the bandage when I was already awake!"

  Mei Juanru's face suddenly turned from red to white, a flash of anger crossed her face, she bit her teeth and hummed: "How can you be like this, obviously awake, still, still..."

  Mei Juan's eyes welled up with tears, and Gu Zhenhua scratched his head: "I'm saying, Mei big sister, it seems like the one who got taken advantage of is me, right? You looked all over my body, and even rubbed my ribs for half a day, what are you crying about?"

  "How dare you say that! She's ignoring me!" Meiqin was about to storm out in a huff.

  "Ah yo!" Gu Zhenhua cried out in pain: "Dr. Mei, have mercy on me, bring the medicine over quickly."

  Mei Juan stopped in her tracks, holding the medicine bowl, frowning, and walked to Gu Zhenhua's face.

  "Drink up, how come every time I see you, you're injured? Don't know how to take care of your own body."

  Gu Zhenhua also shook his head with a wry smile, having been in this time and space for almost two months now. The times when he could truly rest well were countable on one hand, as he was busy navigating between various forces, even when sleeping, he had to keep one eye open. Even with an exceptionally strong body, it was somewhat unbearable.

  Especially at Shanhai Pass, Wu Sangui cut him with a sword. Although he blocked it with his quiver, a large bruise was left on Gu Zhenhua's ribs. Due to the lack of timely treatment, there was even a risk of turning into an internal injury.

  Just as Li Yan was sent away, Gu Zhenhua suddenly fainted, and everyone quickly found a doctor to treat him. The last time Mei Juan treated Gu Zhenhua's injuries, she happened to arrive in Tianjin with some of the original wounded soldiers, so Sun Cheng specially arranged for Mei Juan to continue taking care of Gu Zhenhua.

  "Plum Blossom Girl, as the saying goes: 'Heaven will not give great responsibilities to a person unless it first makes his heart and intentions firm, starves his body and bones, and empties his pockets.' A small injury is nothing."

  "Hum, you don't care, does it mean others won't feel heartache either?"

  "Haha, with Mei's intention, I'm completely satisfied." Gu Zhenhua smiled and said: "When we arrive at Tianjin Wei, there are still many big things to do. I want to recruit soldiers and horses, accumulate strength, and make the Qing dynasty regret entering the pass!"