Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 206: Escape Plan
"Captain!"

As a call was sounded, several feathered creatures suddenly flew out from a small lake outside Liyang City. Then a man dressed as a farmer went straight in. The originally quiet lake immediately became noisy.

"You still dare to call me Captain? You are asking for your life!"

Normally, there wouldn't be many people coming to this kind of lake, so it didn't really matter what name it was called.

But these men dared to hide here in broad daylight. If we connect the two things together, we can probably guess what these men are avoiding.

"I'm used to it. I'm used to it."

The man laughed and didn't care about the scolding. When he saw a figure coming towards him, he quickly took two steps and hurried over.

"Boss, we have found out the situation. The road on the left leads to Yingtian, and the road on the right leads to Zhenjiang."

The figure coming towards him was none other than Wang Siwa, the captain in Li Benshen's army.

That day, an internal conflict broke out in the Hangzhou camp. Seeing that it was hopeless to suppress the conflict, Li Benshen simply led his men and left Hangzhou.

But the internal conflict broke out too suddenly, and even though he tried his best, he ultimately left the camp with only less than a thousand cavalrymen.

Some of the remaining troops surrendered, some were at a loss, and Wang Siwa, after some thought, led dozens of people to follow Li Benshen.

By making such a decision, Wang Siwa can be said to be risking everything.

You have to know that in times of peace, traveling through mountains and rivers can cost you half your life, let alone crossing the vast enemy-occupied area in times of war and chaos.

It's not that he is so loyal to the Qing Dynasty that he wants to risk his life to travel thousands of miles to find his master.

The main reason was that when they were in power, they bullied Liu Zeqing's subordinates too harshly. If they really followed the Ming Dynasty, they didn't know what kind of revenge they would suffer. It would be better to take a chance and maybe they could find another way out.

Finally, Wang Siwa successfully arrived near Liyang, but after various twists and turns, only a dozen of the dozens of people who had followed him were left.

If you ask what kind of twists and turns could cause such heavy casualties among the battle-hardened soldiers, we can only say that everything is within reason.

When Hongguang and Ma Shiying fled south, they abducted many people from Yingtian. After the subsequent war, except for those who followed them to Hangzhou, most of them became bandits on the spot.

These bandits naturally did not dare to act rashly when facing a large army, but Wang Siwa only had a few men, and they all took off their armor and put them in packages. Which king would not be tempted by such a "fat sheep"?
In addition to those who fled due to various unfavorable news, and those who were taken away by wolves, tigers and leopards while crossing the mountains and forests, all these things added up, and naturally there was only a small half of the number left.

However, God helped those who worked hard, and they finally arrived in Liyang when they were about to collapse.

In this situation, they naturally had to send someone to investigate before deciding what to do next.

"Any other news?"

Wang Siwa was of course concerned about the road conditions that the man mentioned, but what he was most concerned about was not this, but how the war was going.

When they first fled north, they still had a glimmer of hope, thinking that as long as they could reach a certain city, they would have escaped.

But the further north they went, the worse the news they received. After a battle with a group of bandits near Anji, they even received news that the Qing army had been defeated in Xuancheng.

Wang Siwa was still a little skeptical about this, but considering what happened in Hangzhou, he didn't dare to go to Xuancheng to look for the large group of people.

Under such circumstances, it is easy to imagine what will happen next.

Since they had no plan to go to Xuancheng, there was naturally no reason for them to go to Wuhu, so they eventually ended up in Liyang.

"Everything else is normal, except that I heard the battle in Wuhu seems to be over."

Hearing this, Wang Siwa couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart.

In fact, this news did not surprise him. After all, since Duoduo and Kong Youde left the Hangzhou camp, everyone knew that this was the end of the battle.

But he never expected that the situation would collapse so quickly. Less than half a month had passed and the battle of Wuhu was over.

"Boss, what should we do? Should we go to Yingtian or Zhenjiang?"

How to do?
Yeah, what to do?
Hearing his subordinates' questions, Wang Siwa became more hesitant.

Although they had already arrived in Liyang and seemed to be on their way out, they still had to think carefully about where to go next. Otherwise, if the main group had already evacuated, they would just go in headfirst.
According to the earlier situation, Yingtian was the location of the main camp and Zhenjiang was the retreat, but the situation has changed so rapidly in recent days. Who knows if the original way out has become a dead end?

Does Wang Siwa think too much?
Probably, but it was also because of his considerations that this team was able to arrive near Liyang smoothly.

If it is taken for granted as some people do
"I want to see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! I want to see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

The Qing army camp outside Xuancheng had become a prisoner camp several days ago, and Li Benshen, who had escaped from the Hangzhou camp before Wang Siwa, was now imprisoned there.

It was bad luck for him. He knew Duoduo's plan, so after escaping, he plunged into Tianmu Mountain.

But who knew that when he entered the mountain, there was not even anyone who could show the way. As a result, by the time he and his cavalry got out of the mountain, it took several times longer than Duoduo.

Otherwise how can you say it's bad luck.

If he came out earlier, he might be able to arrive before Duoduo left Xuancheng. If he came out later, he might be able to arrive after the battle of Xuancheng was over.

But as luck would have it, he arrived at this very moment. As soon as he entered the military camp, he hadn't even had a hot meal when the Ming army surrounded him.

Familiar formula, familiar taste.

As a person with experience, Li Benshen did not respond in the same way as before.

After all, the task assigned to him by Duoduo was to confuse the Ming army in Hangzhou, and what happened in Xuancheng had nothing to do with him.

But the reality is always cruel. During the journey, not to mention the war horses, even the soldiers had become extremely thin. He just tried to rush out but was beaten back by the Ming army who were ready for battle.

In fact, when the situation developed to this point, he didn't really give up.

After all, he had met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince once before, and he was always wondering if he could pay some price to get himself out of this situation.

As for what the cost is.
"Snapped!"

His shouting finally attracted the attention of the guarding soldier, but the soldier didn't care whether the man was an admiral or a general, and whipped him before speaking.

"What are you yelling about? Is it possible for a rebel like you to see the Crown Prince whenever you want?"

The soldier thought clearly. Although he didn't know the identity of the guy imprisoned here, he was like a fallen phoenix since he had fallen to this point.

If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wanted to see him, he would have met him long ago. Why was he locked up here for such a long time?

not to mention.
"I am Admiral Li Benshen. Just report it and tell him that I have important military information to share. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will definitely meet me." "Military information? You have been locked up for several days. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

The soldier's voice was filled with a strong sense of sarcasm, and it was obvious that he did not believe this so-called "military intelligence" from the bottom of his heart.

This is no wonder. Now that he has been captured, his life and death are in the hands of others. Under such circumstances, if there really was any military discrepancy, it would have been revealed long ago. How could he have been detained for so many years before talking about all this nonsense?

To be honest, Li Benshen had lost contact with Duoduo a long time ago, and he had no military intelligence at all. However, he still wanted to return to the Qing Dynasty, so he had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.

Of course, he still has some chips in his hand, and it's not that he is completely bullying, but those chips are somewhat insignificant when put out there. It is somewhat unsafe to rely on them to meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

"Just go ahead and tell me. If His Highness blames me, just give me a whip."

humble
As a military admiral, no matter where he is, the ground will tremble when he stomps his feet.

But at this point, the only bargaining chip he had to persuade the soldier to report it was "whipping me".

Seeing this situation, the soldier felt a little embarrassed and after hesitating for a while, he told the truth.

"It's not that I won't report it for you, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already left Xuancheng. Even if I want to report it, I have nowhere to report it."

gone?

Hearing this, Li Benshen felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

He was eager to get away. To put it bluntly, he was afraid of implicated his aunt and cousin who were still in Jiangbei. If he got away too late, he would definitely attract the attention of those who had ulterior motives when he returned.

If someone started a rebellion, what bargaining chips would he have as a commander who had lost his troops? If he really caused his aunt and cousin to fall into trouble, how would he face his uncle after he went to the underworld?

"General Chang is still here, how about I report it for you?"

"Chang Guanlin?"

"Ah."

Earlier, Chang Guanlin was just an ordinary commander in Yingtian City, but in the past two months, under Zhu Cilang's arrangement, he fought wars in the south and the north and gained some fame.

As a result, the fact that he was Zhu Cilang's confidant naturally reached Li Benshen's ears.

"Thank you for your trouble. If I can help you out, I will reward you handsomely."

"Let's not talk about that. I just think you're a good person, much better than the one imprisoned over there. Otherwise, a small pawn like me wouldn't be concerned about such a thing."

After saying this, the soldier turned and left, leaving Li Benshen alone. After a while, he returned with a few people and took Li Benshen to the Ming army camp not far away.

If it were an ordinary person, he would probably become gradually nervous as the distance got closer, but Li Benshen was a general after all. Even though most of his official positions were related to his uncle, he had been honing his skills in such a position for so many years, and his mentality was unmatched by ordinary people.

After a while, he was brought to a small military tent. When the soldiers guarding outside the tent saw him arrive, they went inside to report. After a while, he was brought into the tent.

"The criminal will pay his respects to General Chang."

Li Benshen was very humble. As soon as he entered the tent, he bowed to the ground without even waiting to see the people inside.

He had suffered a lot in his early years, and if you think about it carefully, he had been beaten by life.

Although he later held higher official positions and had more power, the marks left from his early years did not disappear but were merely hidden by the outside world.

"Admiral Li, thank you for your courtesy. His Highness once said that your town deserves death for its crimes and that its situation is pitiable, but there is no need to do this."

When Li Benshen heard Chang Guanlin's words, his mind suddenly buzzed, and then all the excuses he had already thought of disappeared, and his eyes only felt sore.

He had anticipated what would happen after meeting Chang Guanlin: humiliation, accusations, verbal abuse, and torture. He had prepared himself mentally for all of this, but he never expected that the first sentence he would hear from Chang Guanlin would be this!
Did Li Benshen surrender to the Qing Dynasty willingly?

Things have come to this point, and no one would believe him even if he presented the best of reasons.

But it is true that he actively prepared for the war with his uncle back then, and it is also true that he did his best to maintain the situation after Gao Jie was killed.

But it's too late to say anything now. We can only blame His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for not taking power sooner, and blame God for not giving him the chance to meet a wise ruler.

Thinking of this, the tears that were about to fall from his eyes were immediately withdrawn. He then bowed to the ground once more and said in a trembling voice, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your consideration."

"Well, if that's the case, there will be many opportunities for us to spend time together. After a long time, you will understand how kind His Highness is."

Chang Guanlin said this, but he felt the same way in his heart. When he was under the command of Grand Tutor Lu, he had seen that gentleman suffer all kinds of injustice.

Even after meeting Zhu Cilang, the thought came to his mind more than once: I have not met a wise leader.

But people are always different. Even though that adult knew he was being plotted against, he still fought to the last moment.

This is something that Li Benshen and his colleagues could never catch up with.

"I wonder what Admiral Li has to do today?"

After a few casual words, Chang Guanlin brought the conversation back to the main topic.

After all, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had a purpose in keeping him in Xuancheng. Both the Southern Anhui Volunteer Army and Zuo Menggeng's troops took up a lot of his energy, so he didn't have the time to spend on a surrendered general.

"I am willing to recruit cavalry for Your Highness, and I only ask Your Highness to let me go back."

After listening to the first half, Chang Guanlin was indeed happy.

Most of Gao Jie's troops came from Shaanxi, and many of them were even the original troops of the border army.

If Li Benshen could come forward to recruit, he might be able to gather a powerful cavalry for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Even if it is not needed now, it is a good idea to make some preparations for the Northern Expedition in advance.

But when he heard the second half, not only did the good mood caused by the first half disappear immediately, but a fire of ignorance and karma appeared in his heart.

"You are such an ungrateful person! His Highness has not punished you, yet you are only concerned about going back to be a dog for the Tartars!"

Li Benshen was scolded all over, but he just bowed his head to the ground without saying a word. When Chang Guanlin's scolding slowed down, he said, "General Chang is right. Na Duoduo abandoned me in Hangzhou, and never thought about us when he arrived in Xuancheng. But my aunt and cousin are still in the hands of the Tartars, and my uncle has been very kind to me. How can I bear to abandon them?"

After hearing this, Chang Guanlin's anger subsided a lot.

Looking at the history of China, people who value friendship and loyalty always receive various preferential treatments. When it comes to Chang Guanlin, he feels even more sympathy for Li Benshen.

just
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already returned north. This..."

(End of this chapter)