"Deputy Commander." A gloomy man's voice came from behind. Guan Shan turned around and saw a young man with a face that looked like a mourner. He frowned and said, "Is it you? Is something wrong?" It turned out that the person who came was Hua Xu's assistant in Xiou City, named Deng Mingqi. The local government and military generals disliked Huaxu's people, so Guan Ping felt very unhappy when he saw him.
Deng Mingqi said: "There is something I need to tell the deputy governor. Regarding the governor's matter, I have sent a letter to our chief minister and His Majesty."
Guan Shan was shocked, strode up to Deng Mingqi, grabbed him by the collar of his clothes, and shouted: "You stabbed us in the back! You bastard!"
Deng Mingqi still looked sad, looking at Guan Shan's angry face, and said: "I'm not targeting you, I'm just doing my duty. I went to see Du Tong a few days ago and wanted to persuade him, but he He didn't listen and even scolded me. Yesterday I told the deputy commander that if the commander-in-chief couldn't rein in the situation within one day, I would have no choice but to report the matter to the chief minister and His Majesty."
Guan Shan then remembered what Deng Mingqi had said to him yesterday. During this period, he had been worried about his brother's affairs and had not paid attention to many things. Guan Shan let go of Deng Mingqi, frowned and said: "Brother, he was just confused for a moment." Deng Mingqi shook his head, "I don't think so." Guan Shan said angrily: "My brother is definitely not a despicable person!" Deng Mingqi said: "He is all the same. It doesn’t matter what kind of person he is now. The Grand Councilor and His Majesty will naturally make a judgment.”
Evil fire suddenly surged in Guan Shan's heart, he stared at Deng Mingqi with murderous eyes, and said coldly: "You harmed my brother, I will kill you!"
Deng Mingqi said calmly: "It would be easy for the deputy commander to kill me. But in this case, can the deputy commander still say that he and the commander are not despicable villains? They are the same as the traitors of the previous dynasty who took bribes and perverted the law to frame loyal ministers and righteous men. What's the difference?" Guan Shan's heart trembled. The murderous look in his eyes quickly receded, and he became overwhelmed and murmured: "My brother and I have been dependent on each other since we were young, and I can't live without him." Deng Mingqi said: "If the commander-in-chief can rein in the situation now, it may not be too late. Although punishment is no longer possible. Avoid it, but His Majesty and the cabinet should deal with it leniently." Guan Shan said gloomily: "Brother, he doesn't listen to my advice at all!"
At this moment, rapid footsteps sounded. Guan Shan and Deng Mingqi couldn't help but follow the sound and saw a large group of soldiers running over under the leadership of an officer close to Guan Ping and surrounding them. Guan Shan raised his eyebrows and shouted sternly: "Do you want to rebel?"
The officer clasped his fists and said, "Deputy Commander, we are here to catch the traitor on orders from the Commander-in-Chief!"
"Who is the rebel?"
The officer pointed at Deng Mingqi and said, "That's him! He colluded with foreign enemies and tried to betray Xiou City! Come on, take him down!" All the sergeants immediately stepped forward to take action.
Guan Shan immediately stood in front of Deng Mingqi and shouted sternly: "Who dares?!"
The officers and soldiers were startled and stopped. The officer asked in confusion: "Why does the deputy commander want to defend the rebellion?"
Guan Shanhe asked: "Do you know who this person is?"
The officer glanced at Deng Mingqi and said, "I don't know who he is. But since Lord Dutong said he was a rebel, he is a rebel! Deputy Dutong, what do you mean by defending rebellion?"
Guan Shan smiled coldly, pointed at Deng Mingqi and said, "This is the leader of the Huaxu faction on Xiou Island. Could he be rebellious?"
The officers and soldiers were startled and looked at each other, not knowing what to do for a moment. They are all subordinates of Guan Ping. They have always obeyed Guan Ping's orders and have become accustomed to it. However, they also know that Huaxu is a secret agency directly under His Majesty's empire. It specializes in cooperating with the Supervision Department to monitor officials. At the same time, he also shoulders the task of spying on the military situation. To a certain extent, he can be said to be His Majesty's personal army. He represents His Majesty and the Ming Dynasty. These officers and soldiers did not dare to disobey Guan Ping's orders, and they never doubted Guan Ping's orders, but they did not dare to betray the Ming Dynasty and the emperor.
Guan Shan glared and shouted: "Get back here!" All the officers and soldiers retreated with fear in their hearts.
Deng Mingqi said: "Thank you, Deputy Commander, for rescuing me."
Guan Shan frowned and said: "Brother must be worried that you will pass the news to His Majesty, so he wants to strike first, but he doesn't know that you have actually passed the news back." He glanced at Deng Mingqi and said, "It's no longer safe here. .Brother will definitely not give up here. He might bring someone here personally next time. You run away." Deng Mingqi frowned and said: "It's easy for me to leave. What will happen to Xiou City? Guan Ping is so messy, I I’m worried that Xiou City will not be able to defend it sooner or later!”
Guan Ping said: "It's useless for you to stay. You don't have to worry about Xiou City. I'm still here. I will be more vigilant and guard against death. The enemy will never succeed!" Deng Mingqi thought for a while and nodded. He cupped his fists towards Guan Ping and said, "Farewell." Then he turned around and left. Guan Shan looked at Deng Mingqi's back, frowned tightly, and couldn't help but sigh.
Not long after, Guan Ping brought someone as expected. Guan Ping rode on his horse and shouted sharply: "Where is that little man Deng Mingqi?"
Guan Shan frowned and said, "He has already left."
Guan Ping looked at Guan Ping and asked angrily: "Did you let him go?"
Guan Shan couldn't help but feel anxious and angry, and said loudly: "Brother, what are you doing? You have been corrupt and perverting the law. Do you still want to kill Hua Xu's subordinates now? You need to wake up quickly, otherwise you will be doomed!" Guan Ping was furious! , pointed at Guan Shan and cursed: "I'm your brother, it's not your turn to teach me a lesson! Say, where is Deng Mingqi?" Guan Shan sighed and said, "I wouldn't tell you even if I knew." Guan Ping snapped. Said: "How dare you betray my brother!" Guan Shan said angrily: "You betrayed His Majesty, betrayed the Ming Dynasty!" Guan Ping was so angry that his murderous intention suddenly appeared, and he pulled out the Hengdao. Guan Shan was very sad when he saw this, "Do you want to kill me? Well, let's do it. With you like this, I don't want to live anyway!"
Guan Ping looked at his younger brother. Although he was furious, he was still blood thicker than water and couldn't do this. He snorted, sheathed the knife, and turned the horse's head.
Guan Ping was so sad that he felt as if he didn't recognize the brother in front of him at all.
Soft footsteps sounded behind him, and then Yan Ji's voice came: "Husband, my people sent an emergency report from Xiou Island. The matter is a bit serious."
Yang Peng retracted his thoughts, turned around, and saw Yan Ji holding a piece of paper, frowning tightly, and asked: "What's going on?"
Yan Ji said: "Deng Mingqi sent a message saying that the Sinhala Kingdom sent a large amount of gold, silver, jewelry and four beauties to Guan Ping. Guan Ping accepted them all. Moreover, in the past few days, he has been intoxicated in the gentle countryside. Big things are forgotten.”
Yang Peng frowned, "Why did Guan Ping become so confused?"
Yan Ji said: "He was born as a water pirate, and his nature is hard to change."
Yang Peng walked up slowly and frowned: "Now that the English fleet is approaching, he still has the leisure to play with women!" Yan Ji said: "Aren't all men like this?" Yang Peng said with a smile: "You These words have framed me in." Yan Ji rolled her eyes at her lover and said charmingly: "I don't know who sneaked into my concubine's room last night!" Then she frowned and said: "Husband, this matter is very serious. , I’m worried that Xi Ouchen won’t be able to defend himself if Guan Ping behaves like this!”
Yang Peng nodded and asked, "Didn't Guan Shan be mentioned in the report?" Yan Ji shook her head and said, "No, there should be no problem with Guan Shan."
Yang Peng said: "The two brothers Guan Ping and Guan Shan, Guan Ping is arrogant and violent, and some think they are going their own way, while Guan Shan always puts the overall situation first. But Guan Ping is Guan Shan's brother after all, and Guan Shan won't be able to control him even if he dares." After a pause, he quickly walked into the cabin, and Yan Ji followed.
Guan Ping sat down behind the desk, wrote a piece of order, and then stamped it with his personal seal. After folding it, he handed it to Yan Ji and said, "Fei Ge will pass the letter to Deng Mingqi immediately." Yan Ji agreed and ran down. A moment later, a homing pigeon took off from the flagship and flew toward the vast sea to the west.
Guan Ping was faced with the overwhelming pressure of the English fleet, but he ordered his troops to hunt down Deng Mingqi and his subordinates throughout the city, causing panic throughout the city. Guan Shan tried to stop it, but he couldn't control it.
At this time, Deng Mingqi and his men were hiding somewhere in the city. Although their location was very secret, Guan Ping would be found sooner or later if he searched like this.
As night falls, the city is still noisy. A shout suddenly came, and Guan Ping immediately ran over with his soldiers and horses, following the sound, and came to an inconspicuous courtyard. At this time, there were already more than a dozen officers and soldiers outside the door. When the officer saw Guan Ping coming, he immediately pointed to the yard and said: "Sir, the people inside are very suspicious. The seven or eight people we went in to search were caught by them." Guan Ping smiled coldly and murmured: "Finally I found your rat's nest!" Then he shouted into the yard: "Deng Mingqi, I know you are in there! Get out of here! Otherwise I will take you with you Hit someone in!"
At this moment, the sound of cluttered footsteps came from the street on one side. Guan Ping couldn't help but turn around and saw his younger brother Guan Shan coming with hundreds of people, and he couldn't help but frowned.
Guan Shan led people to rush to the courtyard. Seeing that he was not late, he couldn't help but let go of his choice.
Guan Ping shouted coldly: "What are you here for? Are you here to fight against my brother again?"
Guan Shan looked at his brother and frowned: "Brother, do you know what you are doing?"
Guan Ping said loudly: "I'm here to catch the traitor!" When Guan Shan heard this, he was angry and sad at the same time, and said: "I think the reason why you and I brothers were wandering around in the green forest back then was because the officials framed Zhongliang for corruption and perverting the law. Brother, what is the difference between what you did today and those bastards we hated back then? How did you become like this!"
Guan Ping glared and shouted: "Nonsense!" Then he pointed at Guan Shan and threatened: "If you stop it again, don't blame me for being rude to you!"
Guan Shan felt sad and said with a bitter smile: "I didn't expect that our brothers would reach this point! Brother, when things have reached this point, I have nothing to say. You and I, brothers, have no choice but to end our friendship today!" Then he pulled out the horizontal sword with a cry. , pointed at Guan Ping and shouted loudly: "Guan Ping accepted bribes, corrupted the law, and tried to kill Hua Xu to cover up his crimes. He committed a heinous crime. All Ming soldiers must obey my order and capture Guan Ping!"
All the soldiers were very uneasy when they saw the two brothers turning against each other. Now seeing Guan Shan say this, they were shocked and at the same time in disbelief. Guan Ping also choked and pulled out his horizontal sword, pointed it at Guan Shan, and shouted loudly: "Guan Shan colluded with traitors for evil intentions. All Ming soldiers obey the order and have Guan Shan executed on the spot!" Guan Shan couldn't help but feel sad when he heard this. To the extreme.
When the soldiers saw that the two generals were pointing at each other as treason, they were unable to judge at the moment and only felt in a dilemma.
Seeing that the soldiers were hesitating, Guan Ping shouted sternly: "I am your commander-in-chief. Are my words false? Execute the order quickly!" All the soldiers subconsciously wanted to attack Zhang Shun. Guan Shan shouted sternly: "Don't you know who I am, Guan Shan? Get Guan Ping for me quickly!" When the soldiers heard this, they subconsciously felt that Guan Shan was right, and were at a loss for a moment. , in a dilemma.
Guan Shan glared at Guan Ping and said loudly: "Brother, let's not make it difficult for the soldiers! It seems that one of you and I must fall for this matter today! Who is right and who is wrong will be left in our hands Let the sword speak!" Guan Ping said loudly: "That's fine! It's better for you to be in my hands than to die in the hands of outsiders."
The two men rode out, and all the officers and soldiers retreated to make room.
Guan Ping looked at Guan Shan and said angrily: "My good brother actually wants to kill his own brother for the sake of outsiders!" Guan Shan sighed, then condensed his eyes and said: "Brother, you have become unrecognizable to me. ! Rather than letting you be executed by His Majesty, it would be better for you to die in the hands of my younger brother!"
Guan Ping waved his hand and said, "Nonsense!" Then he waved the horizontal knife in his hand and said coldly: "We brothers have never been able to tell who is better. Let's see who is better today!"
The two men stared at each other, holding the reins tightly in their left hands and holding the horizontal knife tightly in their right hands. The scene was completely silent. Suddenly, Guan Ping moved, and he was seen riding his horse towards Guan Shan, howling like a wild beast from his mouth. Guan Shan immediately shouted and urged his horse to meet him. In the blink of an eye, the two knights crossed each other, and there was only a loud clang sound, the two blades intersected, and sparks flew everywhere.
The two horses passed each other, then turned their horses' heads and charged towards each other again. After several rounds of this, the two riders were entangled together. Both of them were waving their swords vigorously. The light of the swords flickered, and the swords kept colliding with each other, making a loud ping-pong-pong sound. The light of the swords reflected the madness of the two brothers. The bloody face and the powerful and ferocious aura overflowed from all directions, making people's blood boil and frightened at the same time.
After more than twenty rounds, there was no winner between the two. The two brothers were equally skilled in martial arts, and they fought evenly.
The two rode their horses apart, and then rushed towards each other, both holding their swords high, and their aura was extremely fierce. Suddenly, Guan Ping's horse stumbled, and he flew off the horse and fell heavily to the ground. Zhang Shun jumped off his horse, ran to Guan Ping's side, and put his horizontal knife on Guan Ping's chest. Guan Ping fell off his horse and suffered a heavy fall. He spat out a mouthful of blood, stared at Guan Shan and shouted sternly: "Heaven is going to kill me, you kill me!" Guan Shan's eyes showed a fierce look, and he was about to strike. However, the scenes of his brother's treatment of him in the past could not help but come to mind. This is his brother whose blood is thicker than water. How could he do this? !
Guan Shan stood up and said: "I will not kill you. What to do with you is your Majesty's business!"
Guan Ping struggled to stand up, chuckled, turned around and shouted to the soldiers: "Get up, get up! Kill this traitor!" The soldiers were still at a loss. Guan Ping shouted sternly: "Damn it, he committed the following crime, didn't you see?" Then he grabbed an officer by the collar and shouted: "Why don't you do it?" The officer quickly said: "We, we don't You know who is telling the truth!" Guan Ping was furious and pushed the officer away.
At this moment, Deng Mingqi and others came out of the yard. Deng Mingqi held up a piece of paper in his hand and said loudly: "I have just received an order from His Majesty to revoke all of Guan Ping's positions and place him in custody. Guan Shan will act as the acting capital commander and will be fully responsible for guarding Xiou City!"
Guan Ping sneered: "You said it was His Majesty's imperial edict, is it His Majesty's edict?"
Deng Mingqi handed the note to an officer and said: "You can judge for yourself." The officer quickly looked at the note and then said to the officers and soldiers: "It is really your majesty's order, with your majesty's seal!" and then passed it on. It was given to other officers, and they circulated it to confirm it. The eyes of all the officers and men looking at Guan Ping changed.
Guan Ping was shocked and annoyed. He took a few steps back and shouted sternly: "Are you going to rebel?"
An officer said coldly: "You are the one who rebelled!"
Guan Shan shouted: "Arrest Guan Ping!" All the soldiers stood up and agreed, but several people rushed over and twisted Guan Ping's arms. Guan Ping glared at Guan Shan with a look of resentment.
Kill...ah...! Chaotic shouts suddenly came from the south city gate. Everyone couldn't help but be startled. Guan Shan followed the sound and frowned: "What's going on?" Then they saw fire coming out from many places in the city, and chaotic shouts came from the western coast and the eastern city gate.
Guan Shan immediately ordered people to check. More than a dozen officers and soldiers took the order and ran down. As soon as they left, Zhang Hong stepped back and said in a panic: "It's not good, it's not good! The enemy has entered the city!"
Guan Shan frowned, "Don't worry! We can drive them out!" Zhang Hong shook his head and said, "This time the situation is completely different from before! Those Sinhalese and Tamil people in the city The people all rebelled. They raided the city gates and opened the city gates. The English fleet approached from the sea, the Marines entered the city from the south gate, and the Sinhalese and Tamil troops entered the city from the east gate! We You’ve been fooled, they have already colluded with the English!”
Guan Shan was shocked. When Guan Ping heard this, he suddenly woke up and thought of the servility of the Sinhalese people and the tenderness and charm of the four Sinhalese beauties. It turned out that they were all a trap to confuse him. Infinite hatred surged into his heart, and Guan Ping wished he could kill all of those people!
Guan Shan said to Zhang Hong: "You immediately gather mercenaries to attack the east city gate, and I will gather my troops to attack the south city gate." Zhang Hong clasped his fists in agreement and ran down.
Guan Ping yelled: "Let me go! Let me go! I'm going to kill those bastards!"
Guan Shan glanced at Guan Ping and said to the sergeants who were guarding him: "Let him go!" The sergeants did so.
Guan Shan walked up to Guan Ping and said, "The thing you were most worried about finally happened. Brother, you and I have sinned so deeply that we cannot explain it to His Majesty!"
Guan Ping snorted, "I will bear my sins!" Then he turned around and ran towards the city.
Deng Mingqi walked to Guan Shan and said, "Guan Ping is a repeat offender, and you just let him go like this?"
Guan Shandao: "In this situation, can we still take care of the prisoners?" Then he said: "You stay in the city to deal with the aftermath, and I will lead people to fight back the enemy." Deng Mingqi nodded, greeted his men, and ran towards the city. go. Guan Shan ordered the defenders to defend the city while gathering troops to counterattack towards the south gate.
When Guan Shan led the supporting troops and horses to rush to the south gate, he saw that a large force of English Marines had entered the city and were attacking the gate defenders together with the Sinhalese and Tamil people in the city. The figures were longing and the shouts were loud. , the city gate defenders were no longer able to hold on.
Guan Shan didn't think about it carefully and immediately led his army to charge forward. The Tamils and Sinhalese did not expect that the Ming Dynasty army would suddenly come from behind. They were caught off guard and slaughtered like sheep and dogs. Blood and flesh were everywhere on the scene. The Tamils and Sinhalese screamed and hugged each other. Heads thrashing around.
The reinforcements and defenders met together, and without the need for language exchange, they cooperated with each other and launched a counterattack against the English Marines who had entered the city gate. For a moment, the sword flashed, blood rained all over the sky, and corpses filled the streets and ditches with blood. The area near the South City Gate turned into a bloody slaughterhouse! The counterattack of the Ming Army was fierce and unstoppable, like a landslide, a tsunami, a fierce tiger, or a wolf. However, the English Marines were also fighting desperately and attacking frantically. In addition, their strength was far greater than that of the Ming Army. Therefore, the Ming Army simply could not Unable to drive the enemy out of the city, the two sides formed a stalemate near the city gate.
At the same time, the situation of the mercenaries on Zhang Hong's side was the same. Fortunately, the combat effectiveness of the Tamils and Sinhalese was far inferior to that of the English Marines. Therefore, although the mercenaries had fewer counterattack forces and more enemies, they were still able to achieve an unbeatable situation.
The Acropolis was on guard against the approaching English fleet and was unable to provide any support to the battle in the city. The English fleet, however, stayed away from the defenders of the Acropolis and did not really launch an attack.
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
