Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 40 Arrival
At the foot of Zhaoqing City, Su Guansheng stood beside the carriage, looking at the city wall in the distance. As time passed, the city gate did not open for a long time, and Su Guansheng could not help but feel a little anxious.

Su Guansheng was getting anxious, and the soldiers lined up beside him were also getting a little agitated.

Although it was already October, the weather in the south was already hot. The seven or eight hundred soldiers in front were wearing armor, but they were all carefully selected elites in the army and could barely maintain their formation.
However, the soldiers in the rear formation were already somewhat agitated. Fortunately, this place was still some distance away from the top of the city wall, and the people on the top of the city wall could not see the situation in the rear formation clearly.
Su Guansheng paced anxiously beside the carriage. On the distant city wall, the hanging basket finally landed again.
A figure walked out of the hanging basket and rushed towards the army formation. Soon the official who entered the city was brought to Su Guansheng.

Su Guansheng looked at the clerk in disheveled clothes, and his heart sank. He asked

"What is the saying in the city now?"

"I went to the city to ask the lords to open the city gates, but one of the lords suddenly became furious and ordered someone to drag me away."

The green-robed official stole a glance at Su Guansheng, who looked gloomy, but did not dare to hide it and continued
"Not long after I was suppressed, someone brought me an order from the city and asked me to come back and tell Lord Su."

"Say," a cold voice came

"The lords in the city said that Lord Su had made great contributions in transporting the autumn grain, so they appointed Lord Su as the governor of Nanyue and ordered him to leave the autumn grain here and return to Guangzhou as soon as possible without delay."

"wishful thinking"

As soon as the official finished speaking, he heard a familiar roar.
Su Guansheng's face was filled with anger. What Governor of Nanyue? It was obvious that they were going to drive him back to Guangzhou.

He also left the autumn silver behind. This silver was to be transported to the court for the King of Gui and the imperial court, not for those treacherous people in the city.
Even if he sank the silver into the sea, he would never hand it over to the thieves in the city.
Su Guansheng had a gloomy look on his face. He had not expected that the officials in the city would be so bold. After verifying that he was really ordered to enter the court, these people still closed the city gates and refused to let him in.
Su Guansheng was furious, but at this moment, another sound of footsteps was heard. Gu Yuanjing and Chen Jitai, who was wearing armor, hurried towards Su Guangsheng.

"Lord, what is the situation now? Why don't you let us enter the city? The soldiers in the army are already getting agitated."

Gu Yuanjing wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face looked a little ugly.

The soldiers in the army received an order to escort Qiu Yin to the court. Although the trip was quite urgent, Su Guansheng was quite generous this time. He gave them enough money to move out of the camp and issued new uniforms to everyone. No one said much.

However, these soldiers traveled day and night and finally arrived in Zhaoqing, but Zhaoqing closed all four gates and refused to let them in. How could this be justified?
They came to send money to the court. Why is the court closing the door?
Some clever generals began to realize that something was wrong and kept asking their superiors to find out what was going on. The soldiers in the army had been exposed to the sun for half an hour and were becoming increasingly irritated.

"General Chen, the soldiers in the army may fight for a while," Su Guansheng said with a serious face.

"Lord, we can't fight like this. The soldiers in the army only know how to pay silver to enter the court. If they are suddenly asked to go into battle, I'm afraid they will immediately panic. We can't fight like this." Chen Jitai's expression suddenly changed when he heard this.

Their army was formed only half a year ago, and they had retreated all the way from Jiangxi Province to Guangzhou. They probably had less than two months of proper training. How could they possibly fight?
If we had told these people in Guangzhou that we were going to fight in Zhaoqing, most of them would have fled along the way.

Su Guansheng knew that his men were good at intimidating people, but they were not capable of fighting, so he replaced them with better armor and weapons in order to scare the officials of Zhaoqing.
But who would have thought that the officials of Zhaoqing would hate him to such an extent that even when he showed the handwritten order of the King of Gui and the troops were already there, they still refused to let him enter the city.
"Go down and appease the army first, find some water nearby, and let the soldiers take turns to rest. Don't let the army cause any chaos. I will figure out a way to deal with this matter."

Su Guansheng looked at the two people with panicked expressions, his face darkened, and he ordered
"Yes, I'll be there soon."

After hearing this, the two of them had to retreat in a hurry and go to appease the soldiers.
Su Guansheng had a gloomy expression on his face. In fact, he had no other options.

There was absolutely no way for him to retreat now. In fact, he couldn't retreat at all. The moment he set out from Guangzhou, he had no way out.

If he retreated back to Guangzhou at this point, he would be convicted of leading his troops into Korea and disturbing the central government. He would not be able to clear himself even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

If you really accepted the imperial edict and led your army into the court, why didn't you persevere to the end? Why did you suddenly retreat out of guilt?

The people in the city are just trying to buy time by asking him to retreat. Once he retreats, the King of Gui will be isolated and helpless, and the court will inevitably fall into the hands of those fierce officials. By then, the King of Gui will not be able to protect himself, let alone him.
His only way to survive now is to enter the city and help the King of Gui to control the situation. This is his way to survive. Retreating to Guangzhou is just waiting to die.
Su Guansheng glanced at the soldiers not far away, and a hint of cruelty flashed in his eyes.

Since he led the army here, he has never thought of going back. You are determined, so how can I, Su Guansheng, not be determined?
If the officials of Zhaoqing were really ready to fight, then why would Su Guansheng be afraid of a fight? Even if Su Guansheng died, he would splash the blood of the three people in the city.
Su Guansheng made up his mind and sat back in his chair without any hesitation.

He quietly looked at the black city wall of Zhaoqing in the distance. There were faint crowds of people on the wall. He didn't know who could take Su Guansheng's good head.

Su Guansheng sat in the army with a calm demeanor, while Gu Yuanjing and others let the soldiers take turns to rest and distributed food and water. For a while, the situation became more peaceful.

In just half an hour, Gu Yuanjing came running over with a panicked look on his face.
"Sir, something terrible has happened. An army is coming from the south of the city. It is composed entirely of cavalrymen, numbering about 1,000 to 2,000 people. They are flying under the banner of the Guangdong-Guangxi Governor's Office."

"The Governor's army is really coming to attack us," Gu Yuanjing said with a terrified look on his face.

In fact, there was no need for Gu Yuanjing to report. When Gu Yuanjing ran over, the sound of rumbling horse hooves could be heard from the official road camera.
Countless cavalrymen in leather armor rushed towards Zhaoqing City. Dust rose up on the road, the ground shook slightly, and loud rumbling noises echoed everywhere outside the city.
The red cavalry torrent suddenly stopped, like an iron wall, standing two or three miles away from Su Guansheng's army formation, spying on Su Guansheng's army formation.

Not far away, cheers could be heard from the top of Zhaoqing City.
"Master Su, let's retreat."

Gu Yuanjing looked at the cavalry formation in the distance, his face pale.

"Retreat, where to retreat?"

"I am Su Guansheng, the Grand Secretary of the Dongge of the Ming Dynasty. I am ordered by the Regent Gui to lead the army into the court to support the government. Now the Regent is trapped in the city by the rebels. I have to lead the army into the city to eliminate the rebellion, save the Regent from danger, and support the country from danger. Where can I go?" Su Guansheng said calmly.

"Crazy, crazy"

Gu Yuanjing looked at Su Guansheng, who looked a little crazy, with a dull expression.

He originally thought that the real danger would come after entering the city, but who knew that the killing would begin even after entering the city. Su Guansheng became even more crazy at this time.

"Why, do you think I'm crazy?" Su Guansheng glanced at Gu Yuanjing, who looked dazed, with an indifferent expression on his face.
"Lord Gu was implicated by me, and he had nothing to do with this matter. But Lord Gu and I are now on the same boat, and I'm afraid he can't jump off the boat," Su Guansheng actually laughed softly at Gu Yuanjing.

"If Lord Gu is afraid, then run away. Run as far as you can, run back to Guangzhou City, and send a letter to all the cities in Guangdong Province, saying that Grand Secretary Su Guansheng was killed by traitors in the court and died for his country under the city of Zhaoqing. Let the people of the world kill all the traitors in this city and then welcome Your Highness back."

Su Guansheng's voice was calm, but his face was unusually red. He stood up and looked at the blue sky in the distance, his eyes were burning as if they wanted to burn through the sky.

Gu Yuanjing looked at Su Guansheng in front of him, and a sense of fear suddenly rose in his heart.

He finally understood why he, a Jinshi who passed the imperial examinations twice, was only a provincial governor after more than ten years, while the man in front of him, a student from the lower class, could suddenly become a cabinet minister of the imperial court. This man in front of him was simply a madman.

"This is also the only way for Lord Gu to survive. Lord Gu, do you understand?"

Su Guansheng suddenly turned his head and looked at Gu Yuanjing, his face was indifferent, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

Gu Yuanjing finally came back to his senses at this moment, his expression changed several times, and then he suddenly bowed to Su Guansheng in front of him.

"Take care, Lord Su. If I am lucky enough to escape this time, I will make sure that everyone in the world knows the name of Lord Su."

"Very good, very good."

Su Guansheng chuckled and sat back at the table without looking at Gu Yuanjing.

Gu Yuanjing bowed to Su Guansheng again, and then left in a hurry.

At this time, Su Guansheng's army was already in chaos. Chen Jitai tried hard to maintain the hundreds of soldiers in the front line, while the soldiers in the back line were already panicked and in chaos.

But Chen Jitai could no longer care about all these. Just maintaining the front line had already exhausted his energy. This was because the cavalry did not launch a charge. Once the cavalry started to charge, these new soldiers in front of him would probably be defeated immediately.

When Su Guansheng's army was in chaos, the Zhaoqing city wall in the distance suddenly released more people. This time it was not just one person, but twenty or thirty people.

The twenty or thirty men, wearing armor, came down from the city and ran towards Su Guansheng's army. They stopped a few dozen steps in front of the army.

"Listen, Governor Su Guansheng of Nanyue. The court has issued an order. Governor Su Guansheng led his troops into the court without the court's order, disturbing the court. Considering that there is a reason for the incident, I will forgive your disrespect for the time being.

"Order Su Guansheng to unload the autumn silver on the spot and quickly retreat to Guangzhou. If he does not withdraw his troops after a quarter of an hour, he will be charged with treason and will not be tolerated."

Thirty soldiers shouted in front of the battle line, and the soldiers in front of Su Guansheng's battle line were suddenly in an uproar.

They were bringing silver as collateral to the court, when did it become a rebellion?

As soon as the soldiers in Zhaoqing City finished shouting, dozens of soldiers appeared in front of Su Guansheng's formation and shouted to the city:
"Listen, officials of Zhaoqing. I am Su Guansheng, the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion. I have received the handwritten order from the King of Gui and am leading the army to escort the autumn silver to the court."

"The treacherous officials in the city have their own troops and control the government. Now they have placed the King of Gui under house arrest and have closed the city gates, intending to lead their army to attack and kill the loyal soldiers of the Ming Dynasty."

"If the officials in the city still have a trace of loyalty, they should quickly capture the treacherous officials in the city and rescue the King of Gui, so as not to let the emperor fall into the hands of the thieves."

Su Guansheng's soldiers shouted in front of the battle line, and the people on the top of the city wall also made a faint noise for a moment, but soon a rain of arrows fell from the top of the city wall, and the soldiers shouting below the city wall immediately scattered and hid. Outside the city, there was only the shouting of the soldiers from Zhaoqing.

"Sir, what's going on now? Come up with a decision quickly," Chen Jitai rushed over with a few personal soldiers.

"If you want to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty, then you can form a battle formation and kill the enemy. If you are afraid of death, I will not stop you and you can escape with your life."

Su Guansheng looked at Chen Jitai who looked anxious and spoke softly.

Chen Jitai opened his mouth slightly, looking at the calm figure in front of him, not knowing how to react.

A quarter of an hour passed in a flash, and Su Guansheng's army formation had already begun to become chaotic. At this moment, a row of flags on the top of the city suddenly waved.

Su Guansheng looked at the cavalry that was beginning to stir in the distance, a smile appeared on his face, he straightened his robe, and sat quietly on the chair.
Dying for the king in times of danger can also be considered as keeping one's loyalty

"There is an order in the city, all troops are ready to kill the rebels"

In front of the cavalry, a general suddenly raised his long sword and shouted behind him:
The knights behind him pulled the reins tight, waiting for the long swords to fall, and then rushed towards the chaotic army in front.

But before they could make any move, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from afar, and the entire ground began to shake.

Suddenly, smoke and dust rose up at the end of the road in the distance, and a red cavalry suddenly rushed out of the official road.
The cavalrymen were all tall and strong, wearing red cotton armor, with bows and muskets hanging on the sides of their horses, and long spears in their hands. Like a torrent, they rushed straight into the gap between Su Guansheng's army and the Guangdong cavalry, separating the two armies.
The leading general raised his sword, and the cavalry behind him suddenly stopped charging, standing in the middle of the field like a mountain, with their spears turned upside down, aiming at the Guangdong cavalry that was about to charge.
There was a sudden change in the field. Everyone was looking at another red Ming army in the field, wondering what was going on.
The cavalry that had suddenly charged out suddenly stopped, and then the leading general, with a dozen cavalrymen, suddenly rushed towards the city of Zhaoqing.
The general, who was wearing a fine iron armor, pulled the reins of his horse in front of the city, raised his horse's head high, and a loud shout suddenly rang out below the city.
"I am Li Chengzhi, the personal guard of the Prince of Gui. The Prince of Gui has ordered that the Grand Secretary Su Guansheng be summoned to the palace to meet him."

After the leading general shouted, the cavalrymen behind him also shouted

"Prince Gui ordered that Grand Secretary Su Guansheng come to the palace to meet him."

Dozens of cavalrymen rushed out of the army formation, running back and forth outside the city and shouting. For a moment, the city was completely silent. Only the voice of the King of Gui's instructions could be heard, echoing inside and outside.

On the top of the city wall, Ding Kuichu looked at the cavalrymen shouting below the city wall, and his expression finally became completely gloomy.
(End of this chapter)