Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 735 Swear
"I don't know..." Zu Dashou replied with his head lowered. It was absolutely impossible for him to say that he knew at this time, so he simply denied it.

"You don't know? Really?" Gong Dingzi raised his eyebrows and asked sternly.

Zu Dashou gritted his teeth and denied: "I really don't know! Where did you get this news? Don't be fooled."

"Cheating? Haha, hahaha!" Gong Dingzi suddenly burst into laughter. After a few laughs, his face turned serious. He took out something from his arms and threw it directly in front of Zu Dashou: "Zu Dashou! Look carefully at what this is!"

“What is this...?” Zu Dashou looked carefully, and when he saw clearly what Gong Dingzi took out, his eyelids twitched instantly.

The thing that Gong Dingzi slapped on the table was a letter, and Zu Dashou's name was written on the envelope. Zu Dashou recognized who wrote it at a glance. It was clearly the handwriting of Huang Taiji.

In the past two years, Zu Dashou and Huang Taiji had a lot of private correspondence, and he was already familiar with Huang Taiji's handwriting. However, Zu Dashou did not keep any of those letters and secretly burned them afterwards. Where did Gong Dingzi get this letter today?

"Sir, who wrote this letter? It seems to be addressed to me from the words on the letter." Zu Dashou pretended to be confused and looked at the envelope.

"Haha, speaking of this letter, I also got it by coincidence. Marshal Zu wants to know who wrote it, why don't you just take it and read it?" Gong Dingzi said with a sneer on his face, raising his hand and pointing at the letter.

Zu Dashou thought about it carefully and did not refuse. He took the letter in front of Gong Dingzi, opened it, took out the letter paper and read it carefully.

Zu Dashou's guess was correct. The letter was indeed given to him by Huang Taiji. If he was not mistaken, Huang Taiji had tied the letter to an arrow and shot it into the city, otherwise it would not have fallen into Gong Dingzi's hands.

The content of the letter was still the same old stuff, it was nothing more than talking about how Huang Taiji was eager to seek talents, how much he valued Zu Dashou, etc. In addition, Huang Taiji also told Zu Dashou that his nephews and nephews were living well in the Qing Dynasty. Huang Taiji not only gave them official positions but also set up residences in Shengjing for them, and they even had no shortage of women.

Huang Taiji also told Zu Dashou that the Ming emperor was unjust and rebellions were everywhere. As the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, he was following the will of heaven by launching an attack on the Ming Dynasty. He hoped that Zu Dashou would follow the will of heaven and stand on his side. As long as Zu Dashou could come over, Huang Taiji would guarantee that Zu Dashou would be given a high position and generous salary, even if it meant being granted the title of a king. When they conquered the Ming Dynasty and occupied the Central Plains, Zu Dashou would be the first meritorious official of the Qing Dynasty, and the title of a king would be passed down from generation to generation, and the glory and wealth would not be in vain.

In addition, Huang Taiji also agreed with Zu Dashou that if Zu Dashou was willing to surrender, he would respond as soon as possible, and then Huang Taiji would go out to meet him in person. If Zu Dashou was stubborn and insisted on defending Jinzhou, Huang Taiji would not show mercy, because his eight banners had surrounded Jinzhou, and Jinzhou was already an isolated city.

Jinzhou was definitely not going to be able to be defended. Why bother destroying Jinzhou with it? Zu's family was originally from Liaodong. Why should they be buried alive for the Ming Dynasty, which was doomed to perish? Even if Zu Dashou didn't consider himself, didn't he consider his children and nephews? Didn't he consider the continuation of Zu's family? And the soldiers and civilians in the city? At this moment, don't act on impulse and make mistakes!

Looking at the letter, Zu Dashou was so angry that his whole body trembled and his old face turned red.

"Shameless! Shameless! My ancestor Dashou and the Jiannu are sworn enemies! How dare Huang Taiji, who is so cunning, deceive me like this?"

Zu Dashou slammed the table and cursed with red eyes, he was so angry that he could not help shouting to Gong Dingzi: "Your Excellency, this is clearly Huang Taiji's plan to alienate us. Your Excellency must not be fooled by such a treacherous villain like Huang Taiji!"

Originally, he thought that Zu Dashou would be horrified after reading the letter, or would get angry and turn against him on the spot, but Zu Dashou's reaction was beyond his expectations, which stunned Gong Dingzi for a moment.

"Could this letter be fake? Tell the truth, Marshal Zu, this letter was shot into the city by the Jiannu outside the city and fell into my hands."

"Sir, I am not blaming you, but this letter cannot be trusted!" Zu Dashou suppressed his anger and said with a wronged look, "Sir, don't you think about it? If I have colluded with Huang Taiji privately, how could Huang Taiji send this letter into the city in this way? Shoot the letter with an arrow? Can he ensure that the letter will fall into my hands as soon as possible?"

"This..." Gong Dingzi was stunned. What Zu Dashou said made sense. Logically speaking, even if they were conspiring privately or persuading Zu Dashou to surrender, they should have communicated secretly. It was indeed too risky to send the letter into the city in such a fair and open way. Just like now, the letter first fell into the hands of Gong Dingzi, and after reading the letter, Gong Dingzi was so angry that his face changed, and he went straight to Zu Dashou to question him.

Zu Dashou continued, "The Jiannu have always been cunning. Although they are besieging Jinzhou now, the city defenses are strong, and there is no shortage of soldiers, food, and other supplies in the city. It will not be easy for Huang Taiji to capture Jinzhou."

"It is really difficult for Huang Taiji to break Jinzhou at the moment. To be conceited, no matter how powerful his Eight Banners are, as long as I am in the city, they will definitely have no problem holding on. But Huang Taiji came up with such a letter and sent it into the city in this way. It is clearly a plan to sow discord and stir up conflicts between you and me in the city, intending to alienate you from me and even cause civil strife."

"As long as there is chaos in the city, the Jiannu outside the city will have an opportunity to take advantage of it. Huang Taiji is always insidious and vicious, how can you trust his words? Sir! Don't be fooled! My ancestors have guarded Liaodong for generations, and my grandfather Dashou has fought with the Jiannu for decades. I don't know how many Jiannu died in my hands, and my ancestors' children have been harmed by the Jiannu?" "It is no exaggeration to say that I have a deep hatred for the Jiannu. I wish I could eat their flesh and sleep on their skin! What's more, I was defeated in Dalinghe that year. If I wanted to surrender to the Jiannu, I would have surrendered at that time. Why would I risk escaping? Huang Taiji is using this strategy now. He really underestimates me and you! This shameless guy, I will never forgive him!"

Zu Dashou's impassioned speech made Gong Dingzi hesitate for a moment. He originally came to ask for punishment, and even planned to turn against Zu Dashou. If Zu Dashou hesitated or even looked guilty, Gong Dingzi had already thought about what to do next, and even prepared to directly capture Zu Dashou and seize his military power.

But now Zu Dashou's reaction really surprised him. Zu Dashou not only denied the matter, but also said these words in great anger. Gong Dingzi carefully pondered what Zu Dashou said, and had to admit that Zu Dashou had some truth in what he said. His originally hot head gradually calmed down.

"Is what Zushuai said true?"

"Every word I said is true! If you don't believe me, I swear to heaven!" Zu Dashou said solemnly, and swore in front of Gong Dingzi that if he really had the intention of surrendering to Huang Taiji, he would be struck by lightning and die a miserable death.

Hearing Zu Dashou's oath, Gong Dingzi's expression finally relaxed. As a scholar, he did not know how to fight a war, but he was familiar with history books. Moreover, after careful consideration, he felt that the letter was indeed a bit strange. Maybe it was really a plot to sow discord as Zu Dashou said.

However, even so, Gong Dingzi did not dare to trust Zu Dashou completely. He still wanted to ask Zu Dashou another question. If Zu Dashou gave him a satisfactory answer to this question, then Gong Dingzi would be completely relieved.

Gong Dingzi immediately asked Zu Dashou how he could defeat the enemy when the Jiannu army was at the gates of the city? How could he break the siege of the Jiannu army? Didn't Zu Dashou say that he was planning this when he came just now? He wanted to hear what Zu Dashou had to say.

Zu Dashou immediately told Gong Dingzi that Huang Taiji was now adopting the tactic of besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements, targeting Jinzhou for siege. Once the Ming army from Ningyuan or Shanhaiguan went out to rescue Jinzhou, Huang Taiji could mobilize heavy troops to attack the reinforcements, thereby defeating the Ming army in a field battle and completely depriving Jinzhou of external support.

In this case, the risk of risking rescue was too great, so Zu Dashou decided to hold on to Jinzhou. In terms of Jinzhou's city defense, it was not easy for Huang Taiji to take Jinzhou. If he fought hard, even if Jinzhou was eventually broken, the losses suffered by the Eight Banners would be something Huang Taiji could not afford.

There is no shortage of food in Jinzhou City at the moment, and it is enough for the entire military and civilians in Jinzhou City to eat for nearly half a year. Taking advantage of the opportunity that the encirclement is not tight, Zu Dashou has sent a message to Wu Xiang, asking Wu Xiang to find a way to send some supplies to Jinzhou City. As long as there are enough supplies in the city, Jinzhou will be safe if they can defend it for a year or two.

Zu Dashou had fought with the Jiannu many times and knew their situation too well. Although the Jiannu were good at fighting, they had too few Eight Banners and could not afford heavy losses. Moreover, Liaodong did not produce much, and Huang Taiji probably did not have enough food. The best way now was for both sides to fight it out and see who could outlast the other.

When Huang Taiji himself can no longer bear it, his only choice is to withdraw his troops. At that time, the siege of Jinzhou will be naturally lifted. So now the only thing Zu Dashou can do is to hold Jinzhou and delay time.

"Is that it?" After listening to Zu Dashou's explanation, Gong Dingzi asked back with wide eyes.

"That's right. This is the safest way." Zu Dashou nodded and replied.

"Haha, Marshal Zu, are you deceiving me?" Gong Dingzi asked with a sneer.

"What do you mean, sir?" Zu Dashou asked in confusion.

Gong Dingzi said, "The enemy army is at the gates of the city, and you, as the commander, don't think about how to repel the enemy, but hide in the city like a coward? Although I don't understand military affairs, my eyes are not blind. Isn't this passive avoidance of battle and fear of the enemy?"

"Could it be that the Grandmaster really intends to surrender to the enemy as he said in the letter just now? Otherwise, why is that? Your family has been a military family for generations, and the court has never treated you unfairly. Now the court has given you the title of Earl of Loyalty. Grandmaster, you should not forget what loyalty is!"

"With a powerful enemy at hand, as the commander, we should aim to defeat the enemy and lead the army to a decisive battle! As for what Zu Shuai just said about besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements, I have never heard of it. Moreover, even if the Jiannu use this strategy, can't our army defeat it with its own tactics? As long as the reinforcements arrive, the Jinzhou defenders and the outer reinforcements will attack together, one inside and one outside, and attack the Jiannu together, so that they can't respond to the end. Isn't this a good opportunity to defeat the Jiannu?"

Gong Dingzi was talking eloquently and excitedly, and if he had a feather fan in his hand, he would be just like Zhuge Kongming reborn. However, Zu Dashou was listening with his eyes wide open, stunned, and could not believe his ears.

(End of this chapter)