Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 404: Secret passage? Stop kidding.

Xingne felt very regretful.

Although he intercepted and killed the messenger sent by Hauge to Sichuan, his subsequent actions always seemed not proactive enough.

Therefore, after a delay of some time, Liu Jinzhong finally got in touch with Haoge and finally won a great victory in Jinniu Road.

Of course, because of his origin from the Zhengbai Banner, Hanzhong did not receive the detailed information of the war at the front.

It was just that the teams transporting military supplies came and went, and some information about various situations could still be reported. After learning that Hauge had captured almost all the senior officials of the Great Western Empire without a single battle, it was understandable that he regretted his previous conservatism.

In his original plan, since the middleman in charge of liaison was dead, one of the two parties would definitely lose his patience. When another messenger passed by, he would be able to follow the clues and figure out the whole story.

At that time, as long as he could put the wrong person on the wrong person and report the whole thing to the court first, he would also get the credit.

This is not Xing Ne's fantasy.

Although Dorgon had lost his position as regent at this time, he was still able to suppress Hauge in terms of power in the court. As long as his description here made sense, it would not be too difficult for him to get some of the profits from this huge achievement.

To get back to the root of the matter, Huang Taiji was only concerned with recruiting people and horses into Hauge's hands, and did not hand over the power of the court to him.

After his sudden death, Hauge's power showed obvious weaknesses, and it was understandable that Dorgon played tricks on him using the court rules.

But then again, it's a little late to think about these things now. After all, the previous battle has been fought, and he is still trapped in Hanzhong. If he can still grab the credit in this way, Hauge will probably lose his life.

"Master, it's time for dinner."

"Oh, what's for dinner?"

With a low cry, Xing Ne's attention shifted from the book in his hand to the general in the room. After hearing his question, the general thought for a moment and reported it.

"The kitchen made fried pork with yellow vegetables, lamb tripe dish with salted drum mustard, steamed chicken with five flavors, hot and sour vinegar kidney and three fresh soup."

"Vinegar kidneys? They must be smelly in this weather."

"Master, rest assured, they are all freshly killed, so they are guaranteed to be fresh."

After listening to the general's explanation, Xing Ne nodded and turned his attention back to the book in his hand. However, the general waved his hand outside the room after getting his master's approval. Then several soldiers carrying various dishes came in one after another.

"I didn't hear any noise today. Could it be that the bandits outside have changed their minds?"

While the soldiers were placing various utensils, Xing Ne reached into the basin of water that the general had placed in front of him, and then asked the general indifferently.

According to common sense, he should not be able to maintain such behavior in his situation.

Even though he was not as embarrassed as the ordinary people who were surrounded, he was not so leisurely.

But there are exceptions to everything.

Firstly, the granary was well stocked with all kinds of supplies, and with the two thousand men under his command, they would not suffer from famine even if they held out for another three or four months;

Secondly, this granary was the most solid place in the city. After he took control of Hanzhong, he took the lead in strengthening it. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is as solid as a rock.

This is the third one
"Master, please understand. In the past few days, the bandits prepared in the morning and attacked in the afternoon. Today, there is still no movement at this time. I am afraid it is time to change the rules."

"Change the rules?" Xing Ne raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard the words. After wiping his hands with a clean towel, he continued, "What rules do you want to change? Without tools, it will be useless even if he changes the rules."

Xing Ne's words might have been a mockery, but the general could sense a hint of emotion in his ears, as if he was regretful that the bandits had no siege equipment.

Faced with such an extremely divided feeling, he thought he had misheard the emotion in the tone, but when he was about to respond, Xing Ne's voice came again.

"I'm going to go outside for a while, you get ready first."

"twitter."

The general was somewhat puzzled by the words, but after hesitating for a moment he finally responded.

He knew that his master was not good at fighting, and he also knew that the current situation was not good.

But no matter what, they were just trapped in the granary and were not really at the end of their rope. As long as the prince received the letter, reinforcements would arrive within five or six days.

By then, with the cooperation between inside and outside, the bandits in the city will have no way out, and they who have guarded the retreat of the army will also be able to receive some credit.

Under such circumstances, he really didn't understand why his master was so depressed.

Xing Ne could sense a little bit of his own followers' doubts, but
Alas~~~~~.

Yu sighed in his heart, and Xingne stared at the dishes on the table in a daze.

How could he not know that he was different from the ordinary? How could he not understand why?

But given his current situation, he has no choice but to wait for fate to decide with such a negative attitude. He really has no other choice.

In the eyes of ordinary people, he behaved like this because he was surrounded here at that time.

Even though Xing Ne was not good at fighting, he had obtained this position based on his merits. If even his close followers could see it clearly, how could he, a dignified Shangshu, not see it clearly?

The reason why you feel helpless has to do with what happens in the future.

At this time, Hauge had already captured Zhang Xianzhong and other high-ranking officials of the Dashi region, so he could at least successfully occupy central Sichuan.

In comparison, although Duoduo occupied Lianghuai, he suffered repeated defeats in Jiangnan and had to fight for survival. Ajige was even more straightforward and simply trapped his huge army directly in Ganzhou.

The Manchus have always valued military achievements, and victory brings them power and status. After Haoge returned to the court, Xing Ne naturally thought of how his master's already bad situation had become even worse.

Normally, people in his position of power can only watch helplessly as their masters gradually lose ground, and then quietly wait for the purge from the victors.

But I don’t know whether it was God’s intention to give him a chance, or he wanted to see the ant’s dilemma, but he, a mere Shangshu, was not only thrown into Hanzhong, but Hanzhong was also attacked by the enemy.

It's difficult.
As his thoughts turned, a wave of worry welled up in his heart. After he finished drinking the wine on the table, the choice that had been lingering in his mind for several days appeared in his mind again.

Judging from the current situation, he has only two options.

One option was to hold on to Hanzhong and preserve the army's food supply as much as possible; the other option was to abandon the city and flee, thus cutting off Hauge's possibility of expanding his victory.

In ordinary thinking, the first option was his duty. If he chose this option, it would be like adding insult to injury to his master, which would inevitably lead to a situation in the court that was not favorable to the two white flags. By then, not only would Haoge not be able to accept his favor, but there would be no place for Xingne in the two white flags. Who was he working so hard for?

Obviously, the first path is not the best choice, but Xing Ne is not a reckless man who only knows how to fight hard. In his mind, the second path is more dangerous.

Everyone knew the situation in central Sichuan. Even though the Dashi regime had dissipated, this place was simply unable to support the needs of a large army. Moreover, the Ming Dynasty was eyeing Hanzhong covetously. Once Hanzhong was lost, Hauge would have no other choice but to lead his troops to retreat.

In this way, even though Hauge had the merit of capturing Zhang Xianzhong, he did not gain the opportunity to expand the territory. Even if he could be more arrogant, he might not be able to reverse the situation in the court. Dorgon's faction still had a chance to rise again after a period of dormancy.

But this huge pot of blame had to be firmly placed on Xingne.

It's difficult.
With a sigh in his heart, Xing Ne drank another glass of wine. However, when he thought of the bandits outside, he could not suppress the hatred in his heart.

If there had not been this army outside the city, he would not have deliberately abandoned the city no matter what happened in the future;

If the troops outside the city were stronger, he would not have been in such an embarrassing situation.

But unfortunately, this sudden group of bandits was of such a low quality that he didn't know whether he should continue to hold the city or abandon it.

Honestly speaking, no matter whether they abandon the city or hold on, as long as they can kill one side with one blow, Xing Ne will surrender to the other side at all costs.

But no matter how one deduces, the gains and losses of Hanzhong are far from reaching that level, and his future seems to be cut off here.

Forget it, leave it to fate.

After thinking for several times, Xing Ne finally turned his attention to the dishes on the table. But before he could pick up a few pieces of food with his chopsticks, the door was pushed open, and then his trusted general rushed in breathlessly.

"What's the matter?!"

"Master! Something terrible has happened! There's a fire in the warehouse!"

"Snapped!"

When Xing Ne heard these words, he, who was already in a bad mood, suddenly became furious. He slammed the table and stood up suddenly.

He has been quite depressed these days, but that doesn't mean he can accept such things.

You know, the Hanzhong granary is not very big. Apart from the place where the soldiers are stationed, the surrounding areas are densely packed with storage warehouses. It seems that in such an area, fire prevention is naturally the top priority, and he has reminded his generals more than once to be on guard against this matter.

But now the fire has actually started. It is obvious that his generals have let down their guard due to their own negligence.

"Beware of fire! Beware of fire! Beware of fire! I've told you so many times, why are you still so careless?!"

"Master, I have searched for it before, and this fire was not caused by our negligence."

Facing the general's explanation, Xing Ne's first reaction was to look for the horsewhip, but in just a moment, he seemed to have heard something, and then even his expression became strange.

For Xing Ne, the dilemma would not be completely resolved by this fire, but if handled properly, it would be possible to escape from this dead end.

He had sent a letter to Hauge for help before retreating into the granary. When such an inexplicable fire suddenly broke out at this time, Xingne had done his best. Even if he would inevitably be dismissed from his post, it was better than ending up with his head and body separated.

After all, it is impossible to lead troops into battle without ever being defeated. As long as he is not caught, Dorgon may come forward to protect him.

As long as I can get through this.
"The fire came from a strange source. Could it be that the bandits have set up a secret passage?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the general was surprised, while Xing Ne went straight to the armor, obviously ready to meet the enemy.

It must be said that his guess was indeed a bit bizarre, but when bursts of shouting and killing sounds were heard outside, the general had to admire his master's keen insight.

just
"It's on fire!"

Just when Xing Ne saw a glimmer of hope because of the sudden fire, Li Dingguo and others outside the granary had already decided to fight to the death.

With the arrival of the two letters, the two groups of troops not only joined together, but their leading generals also learned that the Tartars were already on the way to retreat.

After calculating the time it took to go back and forth, they naturally realized that it would not take much time for the Tartars to arrive.

If they fail to capture the granary soon, the only option waiting for them is to flee.

Fortunately, He Zhen had been stationed in Hanzhong City for a long time and was more familiar with the various conditions in the city than the Tartar garrison commander.

Therefore, after the meeting, Li Dingguo's first question was to ask He Zhen if he had any way to break into the city.

If it were in an ordinary storybook, He Zhen would certainly tell Li Dingguo with great satisfaction: There is a secret passage in the granary leading to the outside.

No matter what, what kind of good person would set up a secret passage in a granary for no reason?
Even though He Zhen had occupied Hanzhong for a full year, after thinking for a long time, he could only come up with an unreliable method based on his understanding of the granary.

"Ladder! Up!"

Seeing the fire in the granary caused by several rockets shooting into it, Li Dingguo and his men immediately rushed towards the city wall near the fire.

To be honest, this little fire was really nothing compared to the huge granary. If the Tartars in the granary had reacted faster, it might have been completely extinguished in just half an incense stick of time.

But this half incense stick of time was also gained by He Zhen with great effort. If they can use it properly, it will be the only chance to attack the granary.

According to He Zhen, although the granary covers a large area, there are several storage buildings inside that are only thirty or forty steps away from the wall.

At this point, he naturally didn't know whether the Tartars had made any changes to their internal layout, but facing the current situation he could only try one or two things.

Fortunately, the Tartars had used most of their manpower on building city defenses and were unable to adjust the location of the internal warehouses in time.

By this time, the plan of trying to get something for nothing had come true.

"Snapped!"

With a slight sound, the soldier in front of Li Dingguo placed the ladder on the wall of the granary, and at the same time as the sound was heard, he stomped on the ground and jumped onto the ladder.

At this point, he naturally wouldn't care about hiding his whereabouts or anything like that. After exerting force suddenly a few times, his hands had already climbed up to the top of the parapet with a few light sounds in succession.

"Enemy attack!"

"Kill the Tartars!"

(End of this chapter)