"I'm glad that after hearing the Emperor's edict to punish you, I'm going to capture you without hesitation!"
"It's great to see that we are here to punish you!"
"Follow the imperial edict to punish thieves! Obey the imperial edict to kill the thieves."
"Bang bang bang"
On the Xiaolan Ferry battlefield, this morning was really lively. The sound of waving flags and shouting almost drowned out the sound of flintlock firing. Except for the people on the Shang family, other people, whether they were people from the Wang family army or The Guangdong people watching the excitement were shouting at the top of their lungs, "I'm here to punish thieves!"
This shouting had a greater impact on the morale of the Shang family army than a flintlock gun!
This is probably a combination of attacking one's heart first and having a guilty conscience - the people on Shang Kexi's side, whether they are the banner soldiers or the green camp soldiers, all have no "ism" and only know that they are working for the Shang family and the Qing Emperor. So when they learned that the Shang family was going to send troops to attack the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, they were already worried.
King Pingnan sent troops to attack the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. Alas, this should not be done!
They are all from the Qing Dynasty, why are they fighting?
At least one of them is a rebel, right? Otherwise, if both sides were loyal to the Qing Dynasty, there would be no fight.
Since at least one of them is a rebel, who is more like a thief? Is Wang Fuchen still happy?
I'm afraid of thinking about this matter. The more I think about it, the more wrong it becomes. No matter how I think about it, it seems to be both acceptable and more disgusting.
It would be fine if the war progresses smoothly, but if it goes badly, the people below will become even more depressed, fearing that they will be buried with this old thief Shang Kexi!
The war is going very wrong now, and it can be said that it’s a bad start! We spent most of the day gnawing at a small ferry, with over a thousand casualties and even being ambushed. Looking at the density of firepower of this shotgun, there must be thousands of enemy troops ambushing Xiaolan Village, right?
Moreover, the Wang Jiajun's shotguns seemed to be numerous and fierce. The Shang Jiajun and Green Camp soldiers who rushed in front were knocked down one by one. The casualties were so heavy!
Under such circumstances, people suddenly shouted "I'm here to punish you" everywhere. Can Shang Kexi's flag soldiers and green camp soldiers, who are familiar with (and listened to) "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", not panic? Can your mentality not collapse?
Not only were they panicked, but Shang Zhixiao and Li Lan were also panicked.
They both feel guilty! Although they all believed that the things Wang Zhongxiao did in Xiangshan, Xinhui, and Xinning counties were worthy of rebellion. But what about themselves? They sent troops to attack the troops under the jurisdiction of the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi without asking for an order, and they sent troops when the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi was ordered to send troops to Guangxi. Isn't this a rebellion?
This kind of behavior is worse than taking away the land of powerful landlords, tearing down the border wall along the coast, and forming a 20,000-strong rural army!
So it seemed natural that Emperor Xiao Mazi would issue an edict to attack the Shang family. But did the edict against the thieves come a little faster? At this speed, it would be too late for a 800-mile delivery!
Just when Shang Zhixiao and Li Lang thought that something was wrong, the slogan "Follow the imperial edict to punish thieves" came from their left and right again like a mountain and a tsunami. The two people quickly turned around and looked over, only to find that two long snake formations with a wide front appeared on their left and right wings at some point!
These two long snake formations are composed of shotgun soldiers and pikemen. The shotgun soldiers are in the middle, eliminating very dense formations. Moreover, the muzzles of their shotguns are equipped with knives, which are shining in the sun. Look. It's a bit scary.
In addition, those shotguns look a bit strange, they don’t seem to have any matchlocks! Are they all "self-generated guns"?
Before they could recover from the panic of being outflanked on both sides, the situation on the front of the battlefield changed again. The shotgun soldiers who had been ambushing Xiaolan Village and the woods on both sides of the village just now rushed out and quickly formed a "long snake formation" in the paddy fields and official roads outside the village! The Guangdong soldiers who had previously pretended to be defeated also turned around and came back. Following the "one-word long snake formation", there was a large area of black warriors with their heads wrapped in red scarves. They were all shouting "I have been ordered to punish thieves"!
However, the Shang Family Banner Soldiers and Green Camp Soldiers on the battlefield did not have the courage to fight the enemies surrounded on three sides. Looking around, they saw a tragic situation of defeat everywhere. The red front composed of Guangdong rural soldiers tightened tighter and tighter. As they advanced, they used shocking volley fire to drive away the panic-stricken Shang Jiajun and Green Camp soldiers. The deputy commander, deputy general, staff general, staff leader, and guerrillas all recognized the flag. The Shang family soldiers and Green camp soldiers wearing red tasseled hats collapsed like ant nests in water.
Before Shang Zhixiao could react, the Li Lan beside him was really good at showing off. As soon as he saw something was wrong, he turned his horse around without saying a word and escaped with his own soldier Ge Shiha.
"Second Master, Li Junmen has escaped!"
"Second Master, let's run too!"
"Second Master."
It was Shang Zhixiao's soldiers and Geshiha who reacted faster. When they saw Li Lan running away, they all shouted to remind Shang Zhixiao to run away. Seeing that Mr. Shang didn't respond, a leader from Geshiha simply pulled Shang Zhixiao up. He took the reins of his war horse and ran towards Xiaolan Ferry.
Shang Zhixiao was dragged to the ferry like this. He was not running alone. There were people beside him carrying his "Commander of the Three Armies" flag and "General Flag of the General"!
These days, generals have to carry flags and golden drums when commanding in battle. Wherever the general goes, he can carry the flag and recognize the flag. Therefore, once the general and recognition flags disappear or run away, the people underneath will at least be shaken in military morale. In the current situation, it will directly collapse.
On the battlefield, there was a huge shout of "defeated! defeated!" for a while. The panic and hustle and bustle swept from outside Xiaolan Village to the north bank of Xiaolan Waterway!
There is also a ferry on the north bank of Xiaolan Waterway. Shang Zhixiao and Li Lan still left two or three thousand people there. When they saw the great rout on the south bank and heard "defeated, defeated" and "the imperial edict was issued to punish thieves," they all fell into despair. Confused. There were many Shunde people watching the excitement near the ferry. Some people were making loud noises there, while others ran away to their own villages - they had to report the news quickly. Fortunately, this old thief was gone!
The weather in Guangdong is about to change!
Shang Zhixiao finally rushed to the pier of Xiaolan Ferry under the protection of his personal soldier Geshiha. The place was already in a mess. The two boats moored at the pier were already crowded with people who could run faster than Shang Zhixiao. The general was routed and defeated.
One of the boats has been seized by Li Ran's people and is slowly leaving the dock. The other boat is so crowded with people and no one is directing it that it has become a mess and cannot leave the dock at all. Shaking and looking like it was about to turn over.
The leader of Shang Zhixiao's Goshiha was a ruthless man. He simply drew out his bow and arrow and shouted: "Get off the boat quickly and let the second master leave first!"
While shouting, he started shooting arrows!
The other Shang Zhixiao Goshiha and the soldiers were also unambiguous. They all picked up their bows and arrows and shot at the ferry!
The archery skills of this group of people are still very good. The sharp arrows swept through like raindrops, sweeping away the rows of people crowded on the ferry. They all fell into the water with a plop. The ferry suddenly became empty. Shang Zhixiao Then he was led onto the ferry, and a group of ferocious-looking Gesheha and his soldiers also followed, paddling hard with their long spears and daggers, and slowly rowed the small boat towards the north bank.
When the Shang family soldiers and Green camp soldiers on the dock saw this scene, they couldn't help but cursed angrily.
"Shang, you are nothing! You escaped first and then you killed your own people."
"Shang Zhixiao, you are so f*cking merciless in killing your own people!"
"No one named Shang is human and should be killed."
"M, the one named Shang is a rebel!"
"Yes! They are rebels. They all deserve to be killed!"
"Let us surrender to the Royal Army!"
"Surrender, surrender."
"Wang Zhijun, we surrender!"
Before Shang Zhixiao arrived at the North Bank, there was already a crowd shouting "surrender" at Xiaolan Pier! Even those who did not call for surrender did not dare to fight anymore. Instead, they threw away their weapons, took off their armor, and began to swim across the river.
For a time, Xiaolan Waterway was filled with braids.
This is no longer a defeat, but a landslide!
How can Shang Zhixiao, who returned to the north bank of Xiaolan Waterway, still have the desire to fight? Run away quickly
The sky is falling in the inner city of Guangzhou!
It has not completely collapsed, because the news of the tragic defeat in the Xiaolan Battle has not yet reached Guangzhou.
However, Chen Shikai, the commander-in-chief of the Humen Navy, a landlubber, had fled back to Guangzhou with the remaining soldiers from Humen Town. He also reported the bad news that Wu Sanwei and Ao Bai had been ordered to attack Shang and that the soldiers were coming.
Now Guangzhou is empty, and the main force is fighting fiercely with the Wang family's Guangdong soldiers over Xiangshan, and they can't be drawn out for a while. The Humen Navy suffered another disastrous defeat at Lingdingyang, and Wu Sanwei and Ao Bai were about to march in along the Pearl River waterway.
What should I do?
In the nine halls of Prince Pingnan's Mansion, Shang Ke, who was already half-blind, put on the cloth armor that he had not worn for many years for the first time. He held a waist knife in his hand and sat on the throne, looking like he wanted the king to conquer it himself.
I don’t know whether I should go to Chaozhou or Shaozhou in person?
Zhu Guozhi, the governor of Guangdong, Fu Honglie, the prefect of Guangzhou, Shang Kexi's military advisor Jin Guang, and Shang Kexi's sons, Shang Zhilian, Shang Zhisheng, Shang Zhizuo, Shang Zhiguang, Shang Zhiyu, and Shang Kexi's two old brothers Shang Keai Monk Ke Ke, everyone rushed over anxiously, and they were all talking about paying attention to Shang Ke!
"My lord, the city of Guangzhou is strong, and there are hundreds of thousands of vassal people in the city. Even if there are only 10,000 or 20,000 of them who can fight, we can still defend it!"
"Amma, hurry up and bring back the second brother from Xiangshan. The soldiers that the second brother brought with him are all elite soldiers. As long as the second brother's soldiers come back, Guangzhou will be impregnable!"
"Amma, let's negotiate for peace! Give Fourth Master Wu and Grand Master Ao whatever they want, as long as they don't want Guangzhou."
"Yes, yes, yes, let's negotiate peace! Now it seems like the world is going to have a surname of Wu."
"Lao Wu, what are you talking about? You are rebelling!"
"Lao Jiu, we have sent troops to attack the governors of Guangdong and Guangxi. Isn't this a rebellion?"
"How can attacking the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi be considered a rebellion? This governor of Guangdong and Guangxi is not the emperor!"
"This is rebellion!"
"No, this is not a rebellion."
Shang Kexi's sons are good at coming up with ideas, and they actually brought the topic to the issue of "definition of rebellion"! He was so happy that he didn't come here. He was so loyal to the Qing Dynasty, how could he rebel? Even if he sends troops to fight Wang Fuchen, it cannot be classified as a rebellion. Because it was Wang Fuchen who rebelled first - he and his son shared land, built private armies, changed the official system, and cut off taxes. These were all rebellions!
"Stop talking! Damn it!" Shang Kexi, who became more and more angry as he thought about it, roared and stopped his sons who were arguing, "You unfilial people, your Ama is going to rebel, how can you have a good life?" End!"
After being yelled at by him, the people below didn't dare to say anything, but just looked at Shang Kexi timidly.
"Boss, boss!"
Shang Kexi shouted twice, but no one answered. After a while, he heard the voice of Shang Kexi's second brother Shang Kexi: "Fourth, your boss is not here."
"Not coming? The sky is falling and he's not coming yet?" Shang Kexi became even more angry when he heard this, "Fourth brother, fourth brother, bring a few people to bring me your eldest brother!"
The "fourth" that Shang Ke calls joyfully is of course not himself, but his fourth son, Shang Zhijie.
But still no one paid attention to him. After a while, he heard someone say: "Amma, the fourth brother is not here either."
Shang Kexi was stunned for a moment, already feeling that something was wrong, "What about Lao Twelve and Lao Fourteen? Are they here?"
“None came”
"What?" Shang Kexi immediately knew something was wrong.
Shang Kexi had many sons, but not all of them led troops. There were not that many soldiers to lead for them. Only five sons, Shang Zhixin, Shang Zhixiao, Shang Zhijie, Shang Zhiying and Shang Zhihuang, could lead troops.
Now Shang Zhixiao is away with his troops, and the four sons who are leading the troops in Guangzhou don't even come to attend the meeting of Jiujian Hall. What do they want to do? what are you doing?
When Shang Kexi knew something was wrong, someone outside the main hall suddenly shouted: "The prince is in trouble, the prince and the second master have been defeated!"
Everyone followed the sound and saw Li Lan, the Admiral of Guangdong, being supported by two private soldiers and crawling on the ground as he threw himself into the hall. This guy shouted "no" and looked "bad". Not good." His head and face were covered with sweat and mud, his coat was soaked, and he didn't know where his hat had gone. After he rushed in, he threw himself on the ground and cried loudly: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, we were killed by Wang Fuchen. defeated."
"Wang Fuchen?"
"What? Didn't he go to beat Sun Yanling?"
There were exclamations in the hall.
"He, he didn't go to fight Sun Yanling!" Li Lan said in a hoarse voice with a hint of crying, "My lord, Wang Fuchen has received an edict and led troops to attack you! He led an army of 20,000 to 30,000 people in Xiaolan An ambush was set up at the ferry, and we were attacked halfway across the river. We were defeated miserably! The second master and the last general had to fight to the death. The second master was picking up the remaining soldiers and asked the last general to come to Guangzhou first to report the news. Your lord, you have to make an idea quickly! "
"Ah? He, he, he." Shang Kexi couldn't hold back anymore, "This is impossible! I am absolutely devoted to the Qing Dynasty! I have done so many things for the Qing Dynasty and killed so many people. You have offended the whole of Guangdong, why did your emperor just listen to the slanderous words of that treacherous minister Wang Fuchen?"
"My lord." Zhu Guozhi was also frightened by the news. If Wang Fuchen was ordered to beg Shang Kexi, then if he mixed with Shang Kexi, would he be considered a rebel? This is going to destroy the nine tribes!
He stammered: "Still, please hurry up and ask my father-in-law to come and discuss countermeasures!"
Shang Kexi had already slumped down on the throne and nodded. He was about to ask his brother "Old Lovely" Shang Kexi to invite Shang Zhixin, but Li Lan interrupted again: "No need to go and invite me. My father-in-law and fourth master, The Twelfth Master and the Fourteenth Master have arrived at the palace."
"Are you here?" Shang Ke was surprised for a moment.
Li Lan nodded: "I saw them when I came in. They were leading their soldiers into the house!"
"What? Leading soldiers into the mansion?" Shang Kexi was shocked, "What do they want to do? Where are they?"
"We're almost at the Nine Rooms Hall"
As soon as Li Lan finished speaking, several palace guards who were guarding outside the Jiujian Palace had already rushed in, one of them was still shouting: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something serious has happened. The Crown Prince, the Fourth Master, The Twelfth Master and the Fourteenth Master led their troops to the Nine Rooms Palace."
"Boom! Boom!"
Two gunshots were heard immediately, and then Shang Zhixin's loud voice said: "Don't be afraid, Ama, I am a filial son. I am here to be a filial son when I bring troops into the government!"
Be a filial son? Be a filial son, right?
Everyone in the hall was speechless. Is this what a filial son should be now?
Just as he was speechless, Shang Zhixin had already come in from the outside with two muskets, three brothers wearing armor and a group of soldiers, and was accompanied by Li Tianzhi, the royal palace chief.
"You, what do you want to do?" Shang Kexi asked loudly.
"I'm here to be a filial son!" Shang Zhixin replied, "Amma, didn't Li Junmen tell you? The emperor has issued an edict to punish you. You have been punished by the court, how can you still be a prince? Do you want to rebel? ?”
"I, I, I"
Shang Ke was so happy that he had nothing to say. He had already been punished, could he still be a prince? Definitely not! Unless you rebel!
"Amma, since you can't be the prince, then who will be the prince?" Shang Zhixin patted his chest, "Then it's just me! I am the crown prince or my father-in-law. I can only be the prince! Amma, Don’t worry, I am a filial son and I will never let you end up like this! I will report it to the emperor immediately and ask him to spare your life!"
(End of chapter)
