Late at night, Jiang Guozhu personally led the team to the city gate. After leaving the city with six generals including Gan Hui and Zheng Chenggong, Jiang Guozhu walked up to the city tower and stood at the forefront of the urn city to look at the Ming army camp, with a look of sorrow on his face. Jiang Guozhu did not dare to notify Guan Xiaozhong for his actions tonight, for fear that his allies would be stubborn and would have to destroy the agreement between him and Deng Ming.

"There has been a success. All the things that should be done are done. I hope Guan Qizhong can wake up and work with me." Jiang Guozhu silently thought in his heart. This was his last chance. If he could not kill Lang Tingzuo and Liang Huafeng in one fell swoop when Deng Ming retreated, he would never have the chance to blame all the charges on his opponent.

A team of cavalry sent by Jiang Guozhu were also sent by Jiang Guozhu. They were ordered to closely monitor Deng Ming's whereabouts. Whenever the Ming army retreated ten miles, they would send someone to Nanjing to report. Jiang Guozhu was very worried that Deng Ming would suddenly kill a retaliation and sneak attack the city gate while he was fighting against Liang Huafeng, but he could not miss this last chance: "I just hope that the Bodhisattva will bless me and let me survive this disaster."

When Gan Hui and others walked to the Ming army camp, they saw that the opposite side was brightly lit, with Ming army soldiers covered in their bodies, and lined up to welcome them in front of the camp gate. After seeing several haggard men coming over, the Fujian army officers beside Deng Ming immediately cheered and immediately reported to Deng Ming: "That's right, this is General Gan, this is General Wan..."

Deng Ming walked forward and bowed to Gan Hui and others: "General Gan, I have long admired Daming."

Gan Hui and others suffered a lot in the prison and were tortured to the point of being skinny. Before being taken out by Jiang Guozhu today, the Qing army even applied them with rouge, so that the faces of these Yanping generals could be a little bloody.

The few Fujian military officers standing next to Deng Ming were all in good health among the group released yesterday. Most of the others are now in the camp. These people are also busy meeting them and introduced to Gan Hui: "This is Admiral Deng."

As Zheng Chenggong's confidant, Gan Hui and Yu Xin both knew Deng Ming's identity as "Young King of Tang", so Gan Hui was stunned for a moment and didn't know how to treat him. At this time, his colleagues who were both sad and happy around him had already bowed to Deng Mingshen to thank him: "The admiral is very kind and great, so that the last general will be a human being again."

Yu Xin walked at the end of the team. When he was just captured, he had been shaken and even thought of surrendering and begging for his life. Although he later regained his courage under Gan Hui's scolding, he felt unable to raise his head during this period. Seeing the young master right in front of him, Yu Xin felt even more frightened. His already shaky body could no longer hold on. He knelt down on the ground with a thud: "Admiral, sin will be a coward, it is really not worth mentioning."

Deng Ming hurriedly called the stretcher over and looked at Gan Hui with some confusion.

The latter looked at Yu Xin who was kneeling down and sighed softly: "Old Yu almost lost his life later."

After hearing this, Wan Li knelt down suddenly. When he saw Yu Xin wanting to surrender, Wan Li also knelt down to Lang Tingzuo. However, when he saw Gan Hui scolding Yu Xin, Wan Li, who was ashamed, hurriedly stood up together. Now Wan Li remembered his weakness at that time, and was ashamed.

After hearing Gan Hui briefly narrate the story, Deng Ming suddenly fell into the ground. He was afraid that these two people would have revealed some military secrets of Zheng Chenggong to the Qing court, or did anything else that seriously endangered the Ming army. Although Deng Ming's view of this kind of mistake during his capture was not completely unforgivable, if such behavior was really done, with the values ​​of this era, they would be similar to traitors. Deng Ming comforted Yu Xin and Wan Li with kind words: "The two generals don't have to blame themselves. Who hasn't shaken the time? Please get up quickly."

"The admiral not only came to rescue him, but also personally welcomed him out of the camp. He was so ashamed to kill the sinner." When Yu Xin was pulled up, he still did not dare to look up at the person. He just kept swearing: "The sinner will fight to kill the enemy in the future and redeem his sins."

"It's just the relatives of a few generals, I really can't find their whereabouts." Deng Ming said with a hint of apology. The families of the captured Fujian army were all divided up by the Qing army, and Lang Tingzuo couldn't tell who took them away, let alone where they were taken. Therefore, although Deng Ming wanted to ask for them, he could not do it at all.

Like the Fujian Army officers who were released yesterday, although Gan Hui and others were mentally prepared for this, they all looked gloomy after hearing the bad news with their own ears and being broken all their hopes.

"Send a few generals to the camp to rest." Deng Ming ordered.

Gan Hui and Yu Xin saw Mu Tan one after another. They looked at Mu Tan for a moment, then looked at Deng Ming together, winked at Deng Ming repeatedly.

Seeing this, Deng Ming was surprised and followed the two of them to the tent and left the guards outside.

After there were only three people in the tent, Gan Hui and Yu Xin bowed to Deng Ming again and shouted in a low voice: "Your Highness."

Then Yu Xin asked in a hurry: "Your Highness, where is the king now? Have you returned to Fujian? Your Highness will go to Fujian with us. In the end, we will be able to keep His Highness fully alive."

After saying that, Yu Xin's face suddenly turned red. He just thought that he was rescued by Deng Ming, and he claimed that he could protect the other party. This sounded like a shameless feeling.

"No, I won't go to Fujian." Deng Ming shook his head: "Don't call me that either."

"Your Highness," Gan Hui said anxiously: "There are more than 100,000 soldiers in Fujian and a large number of boat soldiers, which are as safe as Mount Tai."

"Yes," Yu Xin also echoed: "When I abandon my country today, your highness will ascend to the position of governor to calm the people's hearts."

"If I go out to sea, wouldn't I have abandoned the country?" Deng Ming knew it was inappropriate as soon as he said it. He was not a royal family, and he did not say anything about abandoning the country. As soon as he said this, he seemed to admit that he was the young Tang King. Deng Ming hurriedly remedy: "You should call me an admiral. I am not a royal family. And now the soldiers in Sichuan and Huguang are fighting bloody battles. I cannot leave them."

Seeing that the two had to argue, Deng Ming told them: "The Prince of Yanping will probably arrive tomorrow, and you will meet the Prince of Yanping. If you don't go to Fujian, I will explain to him personally. The two generals should rest with peace of mind."

At this time, Lang Tingzuo also heard the movement outside and guessed that Gan Hui and the others had been released.

"Jiang Guozhu, Guan Yixian, you two are really dead and not enough to abolish their sins." Now Lang Tingzuo has believed from the bottom of his heart that all the responsibility is Jiang, Guan and Deng Ming's transaction is forced to do so. The culprit is also these two people. Lang Tingzuo is now hoping that Liang Huafeng will quickly transport the money Deng Ming wants so that he can escape and return to the city to eliminate the harm to the country.

After accepting the prisoners of war released by Deng Ming, Jiang Guozhu asked the silver cart to leave the city and took his troops to Guanfu, where Jiang Guozhu found Guan Qizhen, a drunken man.

After hearing that Jiang Guozhu not only released all the prisoners, but also gave Deng Ming 500,000 taels of silver, Guan Qizhong jumped three feet high again: "You are a fanatical thief and betrayal of the court!"

"You had a share at the beginning!" Jiang Guozhu retorted unwillingly: "Don't you know when he proposed Deng Ming to kill Lang Tingzuo and gave him information to ambush Liang Huafeng?"

"A big mistake, I'm so confused." Guan Xiaozhong howled: "I just thought about waived the crime and protecting my family, and I hated Lang Tingzuo for causing trouble. I was so angry that Liang Huafeng's face, who was a villain, actually did such a thing! I'm sorry for the late emperor. If I knew that so many Haibians would be let go in the end, I would never agree to the deal with Deng Ming at the beginning. I would chop the messenger he sent into meat sauce and feed the dogs."

"Stop shouting, if you don't fight hard now, we will all play." Jiang Guozhu angrily pulled Guan Yizhong and put it in his ear and shouted: "I used 500,000 taels of silver to buy Deng Ming for three days. Take this opportunity to solve Lang Tingzuo and Liang Huafeng. Don't you want to chop his messenger into meat sauce? Have a chance! I have promised Deng Ming that he will give him some money when he comes back. At that time, we will eliminate the serious troubles of Deng Ming. Then I will hand over the messenger he sent to ask for money to you, hang it at the city gate, and then ridicule him fiercely. Aren't you ashamed of the late emperor? There are also opportunities to atone for merit and atone for sins. Deng Ming might be so angry that he can attack the city. At that time, he can fight with Deng Ming, atone for sins and repay the kindness of the late emperor to you."

"I won't go." Guan Xiaozhong heard that he wanted to be fired and Liang Huafeng, and immediately began to shake his head: "I have made a big mistake. Now the emperor cut me into pieces and I don't have a complaint. Fired and Liang Huafeng will give Deng Ming a chance to attack Jiangning. Moreover, Liang Huafeng is definitely not a loyal minister like me. If he fails, he might go to Deng Ming and sell Jiangning to a thief. Then I am a great sinner who endangers the Southeast."

"Will I be afraid of this? We have at least two days to consolidate the city defense." Jiang Guozhu told Guan Xiaozhong that he had sent people to follow Deng Ming's army and would not give Deng Ming the opportunity to attack Nanjing: "You have also said that the city built by Zhu Hongwu will never be easily compromised. As long as there is no Lang Tingzuo and Liang Huafeng causing trouble for us, will we still be afraid that Deng Ming will not succeed?

But no matter how Jiang Guozhu persuaded him, Guan Qizhong was like a dead dog and refused to do anything. He was still drinking. When Jiang Guozhu went to grab it, Guan Qizhong grabbed the wine glass tightly and shouted: "Let me drink it to death, I will be imprisoned soon and I will never have a chance to drink again."

"Where are your family?" Jiang Guozhu was still making his final efforts: "Where are your mother, wife, and children? Don't you think about them?"

"This is all given to me by the late emperor. Without the late emperor, I was a slave and would not have a wife or children. Now that I have committed such a great sin, they should have any consequences."

When Jiang Guozhu left the Guan Mansion empty-handed, he looked like he was already in a state of dismay: "What to do? What to do?" Jiang Guozhu felt that relying on his own strength probably could not beat Liang Huafeng. In terms of his appeal in Nanjing, Jiang Guozhu felt that he could not compare to Lang Tingzuo: "Where is my way of life?" After thinking for a while, Jiang Guozhu sent an envoy to Liang Huafeng's military camp: "Now Lang Tingzuo has hated me to the core, and he cannot contact him in Deng Mingying. I don't have much old grudges with Liang Huafeng. See if he can say a few good words to me."

After Liang Huafeng talked with Jiang Guozhu's confidant, he immediately expressed passionately that he was willing to be an intermediary between Jiang Guozhu and Lang Tingzuo to resolve their resentment.

After sending away the envoy who had been grateful, Liang Huafeng sneered: "Governor Jiang, what did you say that you betrayed my whereabouts Guan Xiaozhen? You don't know anything about it. Do you think I am a three-year-old child? You just cheated me?"

"Then the lord agreed to tell him the governor?" asked a confidant who was listening.

"Hmph, let's comfort him." Jiang Guozhu's confidant just now said that his master wanted to turn against him and work with Liang Huafeng to deal with Guan Qizhong. Liang Huafeng saw Jiang Guozhu's performance and knew that the other party was already desperate about the situation. Although Liang Huafeng felt that he was invincible, he was becoming more cautious and cautious. He did not want to force Jiang Guozhu to jump over the wall to join Deng Ming. The Ming army is still outside the city, and Jiang Guozhu and Guan Qizhong not only have a group of followers, but also control several city gates. Liang Huafeng felt that the great contribution of defending Nanjing was about to be obtained, and he could not force his opponent to rebel at this moment.

Liang Huafeng has already sent the money to Deng Ming, and Lang Tingzuo will be back tomorrow night. Liang Huafeng plans to persuade Lang Tingzuo to pretend to forgive Jiang Guozhu first, and then settle the accounts with him. As long as Jiang Guozhu turns against him, Liang Huafeng's military advantage will become great, and the opponent will be able to be solved soon, and the losses will be much smaller, and he is not afraid of Deng Mingqiang's attack on the city.

Outside the city, after Deng Ming checked the amount of silver, he informed Lang Tingzuo that he could pack his luggage.

"This guy has done more than Jiang Guozhu." Li Laiheng said mockingly.

"Yes, because he has a noble purpose." Deng Ming commented: "Jiang Guozhu and Guan Qizhong knew from the beginning that what they did was wrong. They felt ashamed of the Tartars, so they were hesitating; but Lang Tingzuo was different. He had already firmly believed that he was doing something amazing. He wanted to eliminate harm for the court. Only when he returned alive could he defend the southeast for the Tartars." Deng Ming felt that Lang Tingzuo had hypnotized himself, so he felt righteous no matter what he did: "The more a group of people think that the goal is noble, the more they can use despicable means without any scruples. Or in order to be able to do evil unscrupulously, a group of people should find a very glorious reason for themselves."

"What the admiral said is very interesting." Zhang Huangyan nodded in agreement: "That is why our army must always remind ourselves that we must not harm the people just because we want to expel the Tartars."

"What Zhang Shangshu said is very true." Deng Ming sighed lightly. Fortunately, Lang Tingzuo's purpose was to defend the southeast for Shunzhi. If his ambition was to liberate all mankind, then people like him would be able to commit all crimes against humanity with peace of mind.

...

The next morning, Zheng Chenggong finally led a team of troops to the city of Nanjing. He did not use his own banner, but instead brought some personal guards to Deng Ming's camp without attracting attention.

"The name of the king is well-known." Deng Ming did not meet Zheng Chenggong alone because he was too lazy to explain his life experience. He also returned the Fujian army soldiers rescued in the past two days to Zheng Chenggong.

After seeing Gan Hui, Yu Xin and others, Zheng Chenggong was also mixed with emotion. In front of Deng Ming, Li Laiheng, Zhang Huangyan and others, Zheng Chenggong apologized to his subordinates and said, "I am careless and implicated the soldiers. If you can come back safely, it is really the heaven that will never abandon me."

After saying that, Zheng Chenggong clasped his fists to Deng Ming and said, "This time, the city of Nanjing was defeated, and more than 20,000 soldiers were lost. It was all a success. It was a natural punishment for the admiral to punish him. However, the great cause of Zhongxing was not achieved. Success still wanted to have a chance to make up for his merits. I hope the admiral allowed me to make meritorious contributions. If I suffer another defeat, I will punish myself to thank the world."

Although Zheng Chenggong said it very seriously, the generals of Yanping vassal around him did not show too much excitement. The military law of Yanping County Prince has always been very strict. He usually only gave the defeated generals once again. If he was defeated, he would often be beheaded. For example, Yu Xin had this experience before: after defeat, Zheng Chenggong ordered him to redeem himself. Yu Xin knew that he would die if he was defeated, so he rushed to death, defeated the Qing army and saved his life.

However, not every general is like Yu Xin. After being attacked by Xiamen last time, Zheng Chenggong executed the most responsible general and ordered another general Huang Wu to fight and atone for his sins. However, Huang Wu was afraid of losing again, so he simply surrendered to the Qing court. Later, this person offered advice to the Qing court to move the boundary and ban the sea.

Zhang Huangyan was shocked when he heard this. It was not that Zheng Chenggong's speech shocked him. Zhang Huangyan also knew Zheng Chenggong's character and temper. What puzzled Zhang Huangyan was that Zheng Chenggong would actually say such words to Deng Ming, just as Deng Ming was not the admiral of Jiangnan appointed by Wen Anzhi but the emperor, who was like a country supervisor.

Looking around the people around, Zhang Huangyan saw Gan Hui and the Fujian Army officers other than Yu Xin were also a little confused, but the first two did look as usual.

"They are both Yanping's confidants. Yanping is so respectful to Deng Ming that they shouldn't be surprised at all, so they must know something." Zhang Huangyan immediately made such a judgment, and then his eyes swept to Li Laiheng again.

Seeing that Li Laiheng was acting as if nothing had happened, Zhang Huangyan's heart suddenly skipped a beat again: "What? In the eyes of Duke Lin, is it reasonable for Prince Yanping to apologize to Admiral Deng?"

Although Deng Ming and Li Laiheng were both tight-lipped, Zhang Huangyan always believed that Deng Ming was indeed a royal family, which also explains why Wen Anzhi trusted him so much. But the main reason for Zhang Huangyan was: Wen Anzhi was not completely at ease with the camp, and he could not follow the army when he was old, so a young royal family needed to act as his eyes and representatives in the army.

But if this is the case, Zheng Chenggong has absolutely no reason to apologize to Deng Ming. Zheng Chenggong and Wen Anzhi are both on par, even slightly higher. How could he be willing to be under Wen Anzhi's representative?

At this time, Deng Ming, who was embarrassed, smiled bitterly: "The Prince of Yanping is so serious." He glanced at Zhang Huangyan next to him. Deng Ming did not continue to talk, but instead changed the topic: "Please sit down, Prince of Yanping, we are discussing the matter in Nanjing."

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The author’s note: I am quite grateful to see that the Post Bar has issued a policy and will post it to update later.
Chapter completed!