Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 125 Han People
Ma Bao licked his lips, looked at the young man in the dark, and suddenly spoke softly.

"If you want to get people out of the city as quickly as possible, I have a way."

"Say"

Zhu Lang turned his gaze to Ma Bao, with no expression on his face.

"The reason why the messenger in the city was killed was because he was too conspicuous when he rode out of the city. If you only rode people out of the city, it would be difficult for Li Chengdong to find the whereabouts of the messenger in the city."

Zhu Lang had a bad look on his face. This was complete nonsense. Didn't he know that just dropping people out of the city would be a smaller target?

But what he wanted to fight for now was time, but Ma Bao didn't care about the look of the young man in front of him and continued to speak.
"Once the messenger leaves the city, the only problem will be the horses."

"If you are willing to let me leave the city, I can take care of the horses and will not delay the messenger's delivery."

Ma Bao kept silent after he finished speaking, but his eyes were fixed on the young man in front of him.

"So you are willing to help us deliver the message, then why do you want to help us deliver the message?"

Zhu Lang looked at Ma Bao in front of him and suddenly sneered

"You have 20,000 men in Zhaoqing. If the troops from Zhaoqing come, they should be able to scare the Tartars away."

"Enough Han people have died. Just think of me as doing this for the hundreds of thousands of people in Guangzhou."

Ma Bao saw the sneer on Zhu Lang's face and was silent for a moment before he spoke softly.

Zhu Lang heard this, his face was full of sarcasm, and he said coldly
"People, how dare you mention the people?"

"Do you really think I don't know what you guys have done? How many people have you and Li Chengdong killed in Jiangnan? In Yangzhou and Jiading, there must be at least 200,000, if not 100,000. Now you are talking to me about the people?" Zhu Lang's eyes flashed with disgust.

"What happened in Yangzhou and Jiading has nothing to do with me"

Ma Bao's face changed when he heard this, and he immediately spoke

Zhu Lang said nothing, but looked at Ma Bao in front of him with a mocking expression.

Ma Bao didn't care about the expression of the person in front of him, and said in a deep voice
"I followed Li Zicheng and fought for more than ten years, from west to east and from east to west. I did kill a lot of people over the years, and I dare not say that I have never killed innocent people."

"But the events in Yangzhou and Jiading have nothing to do with me."

Ma Bao said it again in a deep voice, but his eyes were fixed on the young man in the dragon robe in front of him.

"You think I will believe it?" Zhu Lang sneered.

"I was originally a subordinate of Li Zicheng. The year before last, Li Zicheng was defeated at Shanhaiguan, and then the Shun army was defeated in Shanxi Province. It was at that time that I followed the remnants of the Shun army and surrendered to the Tartar prince Duoduo."

"After Jin surrendered, we were driven by the Tartars to serve as the vanguard of slave soldiers to attack the city. We suffered heavy casualties along the way. We followed Duoduo to Jiangnan last year. After I arrived in Jiangnan, I was assigned to Li Chengdong's army."

"I have only been in Li Chengdong's army for a year. Jiading City is so rich and powerful that it is not for outsiders like us to interfere."

"Li Chengdong ordered us newcomers to guard the rear outside the city to block the reinforcements. Those who entered the city to loot were all Li Chengdong's trusted men."

"But it is precisely because he does not trust us foreign soldiers that we did not enter the city."

"The whole city of Jiading was in a frenzy at that time. Once the soldiers entered the city, it was impossible to control them. If Li Chengdong had allowed me to enter the city at that time, I'm afraid my hands would be covered in blood now," Ma Bao said in silence.

Zhu Lang stared at Ma Bao in front of him, but Ma Bao's face was calm.

The two were silent for a long time, but Zhu Lang suddenly sneered, "After all, you still want to escape."

"My eldest son is still in your hands. If you let me out of the city, I will not betray you. Every moment of delay will put you in more danger. This is also the best choice for you." Ma Bao's eyes flickered, but he did not respond to Zhu Lang's words.
Zhu Lang heard this, but his expression remained cold.

"You won't betray me?"

"If the 20,000 troops from Zhaoqing arrive, you will be the ones to die. How can your son's life be compared to your own life?"

Ma Bao looked at the cold-looking Regent in front of him, and was stunned for a moment. Then a strange look appeared on his face, and he spoke softly:
"Let's not talk about whether you can win or not, even if you win, so what?"

"I just want to protect the thousands of men under my command. The lives of the Tartars have nothing to do with me."

"If the Qing army is really defeated, I will just lead my people to escape. Why should I risk my son's life for a group of Tartars?"

"Besides, my son is still in your hands. If I really betray you, when the Tartar army arrives, you will tie him to the top of the city wall. I will still be suspected of collaborating with the enemy. Why should I give up this escape route for the Tartars' victory?"

"If you let me out of the city, I can not only help you pass the message, but if there is a chance, I can also secretly inform you of the situation of the Qing army outside the city. Whether you want to fight or leave, the intelligence of the Qing army should be very important to you."

“Right now, only I can do this.”

Zhu Lang looked at Ma Bao, who was becoming more and more confident as he spoke, but his face was slightly surprised.
How could he not understand what Ma Bao meant? It turned out that Ma Bao was planning to be a double agent!
In the Qing army, he was a loyal general under Li Chengdong, but secretly he was a messenger for the Ming Dynasty.
In this way, whether it is a clear victory or a bright victory, he can swing left and right and remain invincible.
Zhu Lang looked at Ma Bao in front of him, and a trace of amazement flashed in his heart.

Ma Bao is indeed a famous figure in history. Even in such a desperate situation, he was able to seize the opportunity and immediately find a glimmer of hope for himself.

Although Zhu Lang admired it in his heart, his face was expressionless.
Zhu Lang didn't say anything. Seeing Zhu Lang's expressionless face, Ma Bao was a little confused about the thoughts of this strange regent, so he didn't dare to speak rashly.

He knew that if he was too eager and deliberate at this moment, it would make the person in front of him suspicious. Neither of them spoke, and the upper realm on the top of the city suddenly fell into silence.
Zhu Lang was silent for a while, then suddenly spoke softly.

"Why did you tell me about Tong Yangjia this afternoon?"

Zhu Lang's eyes flickered slightly. This was also what he had always been confused about. In the afternoon, he also saw that Ma Bao had already made up his mind to die. If this was the case, he should not talk about Tong Yangjia's matter anymore.

If he had not told them that there were still 10,000 Qing troops under Tong Yangjia, the court would only know about the 6,000 troops under Li Chengdong.

From Ma Bao's perspective, Zhaoqing had 20,000 troops, but Li Chengdong had only 6,000. If the Ming Dynasty took the risk and chose to defend the city and prepare to dispatch troops to eat up Li Chengdong's 6,000 troops, it would immediately fall into danger.
As long as the Ming court made this choice, when Tong Yangjia's 10,000 men appeared, the Ming army would surely be defeated, which would be considered revenge for him.
But for some reason, Ma Bao told Zhu Lang all the real situation of the Qing army and advised him to flee the city as soon as possible. This really puzzled Zhu Lang.
Ma Bao was silent after hearing this. After a long while, he spoke softly.

"You haven't seen the scene in Jiangnan. The Tartars killed too many people in Jiangnan."

"You are the only one of the Zhu family I have ever seen who dares to dismount and fight in battle formation. I just think that if you were alive, you might be able to lead us Han people to seek a way out."

Zhu Lang had no expression on his face when he heard this. He neither refuted nor agreed. The two of them fell into silence again.
The night wind blew past, and after a while, Zhu Lang waved his hand gently. Li Chengzhi on the side immediately stepped forward and took Ma Bao down.

Seeing that His Royal Highness the Regent was still unwilling to speak, Ma Bao's eyes flashed with reluctance.

But at this time Li Chengzhi had already stepped forward. He hesitated for a moment, but finally did not speak. From the previous conversation, he also vaguely understood the temperament of the Ming Dynasty Regent.
The person in front of me is in a high position and has a brave character. The decision made by such a person cannot be changed by a few words. If I suddenly speak out at this time, I will only bring shame upon myself.
Ma Bao's eyes dimmed, and he followed Li Chengzhi silently.

"I don't believe you"

Ma Bao had just taken a few steps when a cold voice suddenly came from behind him.
Ma Bao paused, standing in the darkness with his back to Zhu Lang.

Ma Bao stood in silence for a moment, then suddenly spoke softly

"Believe it or not, I have been a Han Chinese for decades, but I just can't stand this rat-tail braid behind my head"

Ma Bao paused for a moment, then walked towards the tower without hesitation.

There was silence on the tower, only the clanking of chains echoed quietly.
Zhu Lang stood in the darkness, staring at Ma Bao's back. The figure in front of him gradually moved away, and finally disappeared completely in the firelight at the end of his sight.
(End of this chapter)