After listening to Gao Wencai's story, Gong Yonggu took another look at the opponent's blood-stained armor and knew that things were not that simple.
Although he couldn't bear it and wanted to know the details, he didn't speak.
Because he knew that if he had not been greedy for fame and rushed into Shaanxi before the time was ripe, there would not have been the previous defeat, and tens of thousands of troops would not have been put in danger.
Now when he was powerless, Gao Wencai took action to deal with the aftermath, so who was he qualified to say anything about it.
Furthermore, the battlefield is the most cruel and ruthless place in the world. Not to mention sacrificing two people, even if twenty, two hundred, or even two thousand people are used to exchange the lives of tens of thousands of people, it is really normal.
This is his solid wifely kindness. How can he blame others?
What's more, after Gao Wencai arrived, he did not report it to him, but just handled Li Yan's matter on his own, which shows that His Majesty is already dissatisfied with his handling of affairs.
The reason why he is not punished now is because the war is not over yet and he is afraid of shaking the morale of the army.
Now, as a person facing crime, if he no longer knows how to advance or retreat, and says some unpleasant words that cannot change the reality, not only will he not be able to escape punishment, but the Gong family may also be implicated.
Therefore, after Gao Wencai finished speaking, Gong Yonggu held the letter of surrender in his hand and was silent for a while before speaking: "Commander Gao, what are your instructions?"
When Gao Wencai saw Gong Yonggu's expression, it was as if he had seen himself escaping from Xi'an, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness in his heart.
He forced himself to calm down and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty did not give any instructions. He just sighed at the end of the world and said that if you can put down your... burden, you will be able to turn the crisis around!"
"Put down your baggage?"
"Put down the burden!"
Gong Yonggu subconsciously repeated it twice and sighed: "Yes, if I hadn't cherished feathers and didn't want to bear the stigma, how could I have ended up in this situation!"
As he spoke, he remembered Zhu Yuanzhang's advice in Yu County, and he felt even more guilty. His words were full of self-blame and regret, and he burst into tears.
Seeing this, Gao Wencai consoled him: "Ping Xigong, now is not the time to blame yourself. After all, Li Mou has surrendered, and we still have a chance to turn defeat into victory..."
Hearing this, Gong Yonggu immediately stopped his grief and said with a firm face: "Yes, although I have fulfilled your majesty's great trust, I cannot let your majesty's hard work go to waste."
After he finished speaking, he quickly browsed the letter of surrender in his hand, then looked at Gao Wencai and said, "Commander Gao, do you think Li Mou can be trusted?"
Gao Wencai was silent for a while, then shook his head and said, "It's hard to say. If ordinary people go through this change, they will definitely do the opposite!"
"It's just that Li Mou admired Li Yan very much, and although Li Yan died, his power was still there. Just like before, Li Mou and Hao Yaoqi had obviously surrendered, but they surrendered and rebelled again because of Li Yan's letter."
"And according to the information from Jin Yiwei, when Li Mou went to attack Li Shi, he only brought more than a thousand soldiers under his command."
"Although his sudden move almost killed Li Guo, he failed in the end, and no general among the rebels was killed."
"Furthermore, after he broke out of the siege, although Li Guo pursued him, his actions were a little slower. In the end, Li Mou and more than 10,000 people escaped safely, which was also a bit abnormal."
Gong Yonggu frowned and said: "If Li Mou is not available, wouldn't Ren Zhihua and Li Yan's sacrifices be in vain?"
Gao Wencai couldn't help frowning when he heard this, and there was a trace of hesitation in his eyes.
It turned out that before Gao Wencai came, Zhu Yuanzhang had told him that if Gong Yonggu could break and then stand up, he would just follow his lead.
If Gong Yonggu still cannot break through, he will need to hint Zhu Yuanzhang's battle plan to Gong Yonggu.
At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang repeatedly warned him to act cautiously and not to act too hastily, lest Gong Yonggu be devastated.
At this moment, he saw that Gong Yonggu had not met Zhu Yuanzhang's requirements. After a moment of reflection, he said in a deep voice: "Li Yan set up such a killing situation, and Li Yan's death will be a matter of time."
"What's more, even if Li Yan's death cannot make Li Mou surrender, it will still put a thorn in his heart that can be used in the future."
"At the same time, we can also use Li Mou as bait to mobilize the besieging rebels to buy us time to open the way back east."
Gong Yonggu saw that Gao Wencai had a sullen look on his face, and he immediately understood and said seriously: "Commander Gao said that we don't need to compete with the rebels for supremacy now, as long as we return to Shanxi and guard the main road leading to the capital. It will be beneficial to the invincible position.”
"It's just that Zuo Liangyu's troops have been hiding in the dark and are eyeing us. How can we break the situation?"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but look at Gao Wencai. Seeing that the other party was silent, he continued: "I have asked Xu Wenpu to deliver a letter of surrender to Liu Zongmin, which may be used to cause me and the rebels to march into Shanxi together and force them to retreat. Zuo Liangyu’s soldiers and horses, and then..."
Gao Wencai listened to Gong Yonggu's story, and his originally calm face gradually softened.
While the two were talking, Xu Wenpu came back to report that Liu Zongmin was willing to accept Gong Yonggu's surrender, but she needed the Pingxi public seal as proof.
Hearing this, Gong Yonggu looked at Gao Wencai again. Seeing that the other party was still silent, he said, "Didn't I ask you to tell Liu Zongmin that I have been deprived of my title? Where did you get the seal from him?"
"If he insists on proof, you can give him my private seal..."
When Gao Wencai saw that Gong Yonggu had not received the imperial edict and told him about being deprived of his title, he knew that he understood Zhu Yuanzhang's thoughts and couldn't help but admire him.
After Gong Yonggu discussed the details with them, he let them leave.
Then he walked to the marching map, carefully analyzed the situation, and couldn't help but frown again.
In fact, Gong Yonggu was not the only one frowning at the marching map at this moment. Liu Wenbing, who was hundreds of miles away, was also frowning at the marching map.
Because just when he was about to take the risk and divide his troops to assist Gong Yonggu, he suddenly received news that Gao Di was preparing to leave the border to support Wu Sangui.
You must know that since Wu Sangui led his army out of the customs without permission, there were only 10,000 soldiers and 20,000 local warriors in Shanhaiguan.
If Gao Di leads his army out of the customs again, Shanhaiguan will be in danger of destruction once the Jurchens attack.
Although Liu Wenbing wanted to stop him, Gao Di was not one of his subordinates. In addition, there were frequent reports of good news outside the pass, so there was no reason to stop him.
While he was deep in thought, a personal guard came in to report that Zhu Chenggong and Huang Ting were outside seeking a meeting.
After Liu Wenbing heard the report, he quickly calmed down his worries and asked his personal guards to invite them in.
After Zhu Chenggong and Huang Ting bowed and saluted, they chatted for a few more words, and then pretended to be unintentional and said: "Dong An Guo, I heard that Duke Pingxi was besieged by rebels in Shaanxi. I wonder if this is true?"
Liu Wenbing saw that although Zhu Chenggong was smiling, there was a solemn look in his eyes, and chuckled: "That's what happened, but it's not that he was besieged, but a trick to lure the enemy."
"Because Shaanxi is a place heavily defended by the rebels. After Gao Jie and Zuo Menggeng captured Xi'an, they were under great pressure. In order to disperse the rebels' strength, Ping Xigong staged a play with Li Mou and others to disperse the rebels. , and then defeat them one by one!"
When Zhu Chenggong heard this, his expression slowed down, but he still looked at Liu Wenbing suspiciously.
Some people died, but not completely...
