Wu Xiang wiped his face with his hands and looked outside the tent with blurred eyes.
At this moment, his mind was not completely clear.
"Father, something happened at the Eight Banners Camp. Hundreds of riders escaped. Please help me analyze it." Seeing that his father was still awake, Wu Sangui had to say it again.
Wu Xiang was silent for a long time, and then he said, "Could it be that someone was afraid and escaped from the camp in the middle of the night?"
"Maybe, but I think it's not that simple." Wu Sangui shook his head slightly.
Even though his father and uncle said so, he still felt that there must be something he didn't know about.
Wu Xiang said: "Okay, don't think so much. You should rest early and hurry up tomorrow morning. I didn't expect the tiger thieves to be so ferocious. Even the Eight Banners soldiers are no match for them."
"Father, are your injuries okay?" Wu Sangui looked at Wu Xiang's left arm.
In the previous battle, although Wu Xiang escaped under the desperate protection of his soldiers, his left arm was hit by an arrow. Fortunately, he was protected by armor and the wound was not deep, but it was inconvenient to use his left hand in a short period of time. , need to rest.
"The wound has been treated with medicine. It's not a big deal. But you should be more careful during these days. Avoid confrontation with tiger thieves and hide as much as possible. There is no need to work hard for the Qing Dynasty. We are Han people and we have come to seek refuge with the Qing Dynasty." Just because we have a place to stay does not mean that we will work hard to follow the Qing Dynasty." Wu Xiang reminded.
He was a businessman since he was a child, and part of the reason why he gave up business and joined the military was to fight against the old slave. Unexpectedly, he ended up becoming a slave who worked for the descendants of the old slave.
But if he wanted to make him work for the Qing Dynasty like the people of the Han Army Banner, he simply couldn't do it. He had many little thoughts of his own.
Wu Sangui, who was about to leave, heard his father's words and sat directly by the bed, asking: "Father, what on earth do you think, tell me everything?"
"What can I think? Take it one day at a time. Uncle Ning Yuan is responsible for the above matters. As long as we follow Uncle Ning Yuan, we will not suffer any loss." Wu Xiang said.
After hearing this, Wu Sangui shook his head and said: "My father thought so in the past. It was okay in the past. Now that Guan Ning's army has suffered such heavy losses, it is impossible to replenish the troops for Guan Ning's army when he returns to Liaodong and the Qing Dynasty. Now Guan Ning's army has lost so much." The army is no longer what it used to be, and my uncle’s status in Long Live Master’s heart is probably not as high as it used to be.”
They, Guan Ningjun, could live relatively comfortably in the Qing Dynasty. He knew that this was because Guan Ningjun was strong enough. The Qing Dynasty did not dare to really do anything to Guan Ningjun. At most, they would make some small moves secretly.
But now that the strength of Guan Ning's army has been greatly reduced, his status is naturally not as good as before. He is worried that Huang Taiji will take action against Guan Ning's army when he returns to Liaodong.
"Your worries are reasonable." Wu Xiang rubbed his chin with his fingers, looking thoughtful.
The reason why the Guan Ning Army has a special status in the Qing Dynasty is because the Guan Ning Army is strong enough. Otherwise, why would Zu Dashou, a Han general who had recently joined the Qing Dynasty, be named Ning Yuanbo? He would also be the only Han general to be knighted. .
These are the benefits brought by Guan Ningjun.
Wu Sangui said: "Father, we have to think of a way out for ourselves. We can't put all our money on my uncle."
"What do you want to do?" Wu Xiang asked.
Coming from a businessman family, he thought it was normal to make multiple bets, so he didn't have any discomfort with Wu Sangui's idea.
Wu Sangui thought for a while and said: "My child hasn't made up his mind yet. If possible, my child still wants to join the Tiger Flag. After all, they are also Han people. Of course, it would be better if they could go south to join the Ming Dynasty." "
"Don't even think about going to the Ming Dynasty. There is a tiger-shaped flag in the middle. Unless we go alone, we can't lead an army beyond the tiger-shaped flag's sphere of influence." Wu Xiang shook his head.
Their ancestral home of the Wu family is in the south, so it would be best to go to the Ming Dynasty. And based on their father and son's understanding of the Ming Dynasty, as long as they go back, they will definitely gain importance, provided they have soldiers and horses in their hands.
But the Tiger Character Banner was not easy to mess with. Even if he had confidence in his son's ability, he did not think that Wu Sangui could lead an army through the area under the Tiger Character Banner and come under the rule of the Ming Dynasty.
Wu Sangui said: "Is it okay if we take refuge in the Tiger Flag? With the strength of the Tiger Flag, we may really be able to win the world."
"What if the Tiger-Charactered Banner takes over the world? What good will it do to our Wu family?" Wu Xiang said, "Do you think if we go over there and the Tiger-Charactered Banner will give you a position as a general or a general? "
Wu Sangui said: "In fact, the child's requirements are not high. As long as the tiger character flag gives the child a camp, it will be fine. It would be even better if the child can be given a teacher."
"Do you think it's possible?" Wu Xiang asked.
Wu Sangui's face collapsed and he said: "I'm afraid that if the child goes to the Tiger Flag, the soldiers and horses under his command will be divided. Without the soldiers, the child will be a cow and a sheep to be slaughtered."
"Since you know everything, don't think about defecting to the Tiger Flag, and don't think about defecting to the Tiger Flag until the last moment. The Tiger Flag has no place for you and my father and son," Wu Xiang said.
He was able to suddenly gain a high position in the Ming army. In addition to selling his property and setting up a team training camp, part of the reason was his relationship with his ancestral family.
Otherwise, why would the Ming Dynasty give a businessman a high position? If he is lucky, he will be given a top-notch general defense at most. The most likely possibility is that the Liaodong general will think him a bandit and have his head cut off to add merit to the general.
Wu Sangui said: "But besides the tiger character flag, who else can we rely on? We can't accompany my uncle all the way to the dark side. If something goes wrong, our Wu family will really be doomed."
"Why do we have to surrender to the Tiger Flag? Even if Uncle Ning Yuan doesn't exist, we can still find a force from within the Qing Dynasty to defect to." Wu Xiang glanced at his son.
I feel that my son's brain is too rigid and he doesn't know how to adapt.
Wu Sangui asked quickly: "Father, does he have a target to seek refuge with?"
"Originally, my father wanted to wait until he returned to Liaodong to see the situation before telling you. Now that you have mentioned it, my father will tell you directly. It is better to seek refuge with Long Live Lord than anyone else in the Qing Dynasty. As long as Long Live Lord accepts you. , our Wu family has a backer in the Qing Dynasty." Wu Xiang said.
Wu Sangui frowned and said: "Doing this is tantamount to betraying the entire Guan Ning Army and betraying my uncle. In the future, the people of the Guan Ning Army will regard our father and son as traitors who betrayed them."
"Does it mean that you betrayed Guan Ning's army by joining the Tiger Flag? The result is not the same." Wu Xiang sneered at Wu Sangui's idea.
Wu Sangui said: "The Tiger Character Banner is a Han force. It can be said that we took refuge there for the sake of righteousness. However, if we stay in the Qing Dynasty and betray Guan Ning's army, I will always feel uncomfortable."
"I didn't expect that my son is actually loyal." Wu Xiang praised him, then scolded him with a frown on his face, "You are so stupid, your loyalty is nothing like this, and no one will say good things about you. They will only call you a bastard." idiot."
