Daming: Stealing Chen Yuanyuan at the beginning

Chapter 183 Everything Is Predestined

Three days and three nights have passed since the siege of Chengdu started.

The city of Chengdu was shaken by artillery fire. Hong Chengchou stood on the tower, his face livid, and he gritted his teeth: "I can't surrender, I can only die in battle. I must never fall into Chongzhen's hands alive!"

With the determination to die, Hong Chengchou commanded [-] soldiers to fight the Ming army to death.It would be a big mistake to say that he was brave and fearless, and there was only one reason why he resisted desperately, and that was because he knew his sin was serious.

In the 15th year of Chongzhen, the Ming army was defeated in the Battle of Songjin, and Hong Chengchou was captured by the Qing army.After many times of persuasion by the Manchu court, he took refuge in Huang Taiji.

At that time, news came back from the front that Hong Chengchou died and died for the country after his defeat.Emperor Chongzhen immediately gave Hong Chengchou the highest honor, and personally paid homage to him, shedding tears for him.

Later, the ruthless facts showed that Hong Chengchou did not die for the country, but became a traitor.

It can be said that if anyone in this world has hurt Chongzhen the most, it must be Hong Chengchou!

Because of this, Hong Chengchou did not dare to imagine himself falling into Chongzhen's hands.Over the past two years, Chongzhen had killed many big traitors, and every time he heard about similar things, he would have trouble sleeping and eating and having nightmares.

Li Cunming naturally knew what Hong Chengchou was thinking, so he was not in a hurry. He said to Li Dingguo, "Let's spend it slowly. It's better to break through the city of Chengdu later. If the sword hanging over Hong Chengchou's head doesn't fall, he will be tortured." .The big traitor is being tortured, I am more happy than New Year's Eve!"

Having said that, the Ming army continued to fight under the command of Li Dingguo and Qi Dazhuang, and the attack never stopped.

Cannons outside the camp rumbled, and people shouted and neighed.Xia Wanchun sat on the chair blankly, staring blankly at the hexagram in front of him, motionless.

Chen Yuanyuan walked into the camp, wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Master Xiao Xia, if you have nothing to do, you can accompany me to take care of the wounded, okay? This battle was too tragic, and many soldiers were injured in our army... Oh my goodness ,What’s wrong with you?"

Xia Wanchun was awakened by Chen Yuanyuan's scream, and said dully, "What did you say?"

"You've got a nosebleed! My God, that's scary!"

The blood from Xia Wanchun's nose gushed out like a spring, staining his chin and neck red, and soaking the skirt of his chest.He realized it later, reached out his hand to wipe the blood, and passed out after taking a look.

Chen Yuanyuan hurriedly went to inform Li Cunming and went to find a military doctor.

The military doctor stopped Xia Wanchun's nosebleed, felt his pulse, and said, "It's nothing serious, it's just overuse of the brain, and it's just depression in the mind. It's okay to rest well."

After thinking for a while, he added: "Your Majesty, Mrs. Xiao Xia may have something on her mind, so she needs to enlighten her."

"I see." Li Cunming nodded.

When Xia Wanchun woke up, he said a few words of comfort and asked, "What's wrong with you? Tell me the truth!"

"Your Majesty, a catastrophe is about to happen!"

"what?"

"Your Majesty, ever since I made the divination of the old tree blooming in Kunming, I have been restless. Later, when the Tartars fought among themselves, Mr. Fan killed himself and became benevolent. I thought the divination had come true. But today I made a new divination on a whim. The hexagram still shows that His Majesty is going to lose a minister, which means that the disaster will be on someone else!"

Li Cunming frowned, not knowing whether to believe it or not.

……

Kaifeng City, formerly the palace of the King of Zhou.

After Zhou Yuji regained Kaifeng, he cleaned up the mud and sand in the city, and several palaces were preserved in the Zhou Palace.The palace has lost its former glory and is dilapidated. The site is overgrown with weeds and is infested with foxes and rabbits.

Later, the prince Zhu Cixi was ordered to come to the army for training. Zhou Yuji sent soldiers to repair the remaining palace and purchase furniture to serve as the prince's palace.

After Zhu Cihong came to Kaifeng, he also found it interesting and comfortable at first. He often went to the barracks to share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, and also went to the city to observe the people's feelings.

Gradually, he became slack and lazy. He only met scholars such as Liu Zongzhou, Huang Zongxi, Gu Yanwu, etc., and talked about the Tao, and he was no longer interested in military affairs.

As he grew older, Zhu Cihong revealed the gloomy, stubborn, withdrawn, and neurotic characteristics of the descendants of the old Zhu family, and he became moody.

He also resented his father for not understanding him, and cruelly drove him out of Nanjing City. With resentment and dissatisfaction, he became increasingly depressed.

Liu Zongzhou and Zhou Yuji had persuaded him several times, Zhu Cihong accepted the advice and criticism humbly on the surface, but when he turned around, he was still depressed and depressed.

It wasn't until one day that the maid Qingluan climbed onto Zhu Cihong's bed and opened up a new world for him, that he felt that he had come back to life, full of vitality.

Zhu Cihong has experienced the affairs of men and women, eats marrow and tastes, can't stop, hides in the palace all day, and goes to Wushan together with Qingluan.

On this day, after some lingering love, the two hugged each other and lay on the bed.It was snowing heavily outside the house, and the house was full of spring, Zhu Cihong felt that there was nothing else he could ask for.

"My good sister, you are the only one I have, and I can't live without you in this life!" Zhu Cihong said with sincerity as he leaned his head on Qingluan's chest and rubbed it.

Qingluan smiled charmingly and said, "Where did your Highness come from? You will be the king of a country in the future, and the whole world will belong to you. How can there be only slaves and maidservants? In the future, you will also have concubines from the Three Palaces and Six Courtyards, countless palace maids, and the servants from the slave family." I’m afraid I don’t know where I am.”

"No, I only want you!" Zhu Cihong shouted.

He raised his head, tears were about to roll down, and he said bitterly, "If becoming an emperor means losing my sister, it's not appropriate!"

"Your Highness, don't say that!" Qingluan stretched out her jade hand to cover Zhu Cihong's mouth.

Zhu Cihong grabbed her slender hand, kissed her, and said, "Good sister, listen to what I have to say. What's so good about growing up in an emperor's family? Ever since I can remember, my father has been busy all day. Regarding state affairs, the empress mother is also struggling with the palace's limited expenses, why has she ever cared about me? The palace is just a cold and strict family."

"Even so, I still want to share my worries for my father, queen, and queen. I desperately read the books of sages and sages to learn the principles of governing the country. I want to be the king of Yao and Shun, and a wise king praised by the people."

"The imperial court moved south, and my father sent me to Nanjing to supervise the country. I took on the heavy responsibility without complaint. But later, my father never praised me, but said that I did many things wrong. I don't understand. I abide by the teachings of Confucianism and act according to the teachings of the sages, so why did I do something wrong? Where did I go wrong?"

"I finally disobeyed my father and was deported to Kaifeng. On the day I left Nanjing, my father and mother did not come to see me off, and my younger brothers and sisters were nowhere to be seen. I felt abandoned!"

"Qingluan, I was abandoned, do you understand?"

"When I was the loneliest and most helpless, I was lucky to have you by my side. You were a ray of light in my miserable and gloomy days. Without you, I couldn't live!"

At this point, he burst into tears and buried his head deeply in Qingluan's chest.

With tears in her eyes, Qingluan hugged his head tightly, and sighed: "Everything is predestined by heaven, I can't help but think about it at all! Your Highness, even if the whole world doesn't want you, I will never leave you."

"Good sister..." Zhu Cihong reached into Qingluan's clothes.

After a while, Qingluan gasped delicately.The two rolled into a ball on the bed, and the lights crackled and exploded.

In the dead of night, Zhu Cihong was fast asleep.

Qingluan got up quietly, put on a sable fur cloak, and left the palace. On the ruins, facing the gloomy corner, she said: "Bring a letter to the master, and say that Zhu Cihong is completely in my hands."

……

When Li Cunming led the army to besiege Chengdu, there was a sudden abnormal situation in the Kaifeng area.The spies came to report one after another, saying that there was a group of Qing soldiers coming south from Shangqiu and approaching Ningling.

Liu Dacai also sent a letter, confirming the news, and asking Zhou Yuji to rescue Ningling County.

Zhou Yuji took Liu Zongzhou and others to meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.After listening to the report, Zhu Cihong said absent-mindedly: "I came to Kaifeng according to the imperial decree, for the purpose of training. All affairs in the army are decided by General Zhou!"

Zhou Yuji said: "The Tatars have become a mess during this period. His Majesty attacked Chengdu, Duke Jingguo and Duke Xing attacked Xi'an. The Tatars have no time to take care of themselves. How can they still send troops south? Is there any fraud in it?"

Zhu Cihong was still thinking about the lingering situation with Qingluan last night, so he didn't speak.But Liu Zongzhou, Huang Zongxi, and Gu Yanwu didn't understand military affairs, and they couldn't explain why.

In the end, Zhou Yuji still had to take on the heavy responsibility. He said, "Your Highness, no matter whether the Tartars cheated or not, I will lead an army to Ningling, and everything will be clear. If the Tartars really want to attack Ningling Mausoleum, I will ask Governor Du Yinxi to send troops to deal with it."

"It's just that there is no room for loss in Kaifeng City. After I leave, I hope His Highness will not take it lightly. No matter what happens, there is nothing wrong with closing the city gates and sticking to it!"

Zhu Cihong slightly raised his eyelids, and said wearily: "I remember it."

"Master Liu, please help His Highness, please! This general will not delay for too long, we must keep in touch, understand?" Zhou Yuji cupped his hands.

Liu Zongzhou solemnly promised, please rest assured Zhou Yuji.

Huang Zongxi and Gu Yanwu took the initiative to invite Ying Ying and said: "General Zhou, let me accompany you to Ningling. Although we are frail scholars, maybe we can help."

Zhou Yuji thought for a while, and said: "If there is an emergency, you still have to report the news to the Kaifeng defenders and send documents and letters. That's fine, you come with me."

There were 5 people in Kaifeng, and Zhou Yuji left with 1 people.Zhu Cihong didn't take this matter to heart, rubbed his temples, lied about having a headache, and hid in the bedroom.

"The prince seems to be a different person recently. He is not as diligent as before." Liu Zongzhou sighed.

He thought that after some time, the situation in the north would become clearer, and then persuade the prince.At this time, he had to inspect the military camp and arrange various military affairs, so he left the palace in a hurry.

After three days, there was no news from Ningling.As night fell, Liu Zongzhou went up to the city wall for the last time before going to bed, and told the soldiers to stand on guard and keep warm.

At the second quarter of Haishi, Liu Zongzhou was about to return to the government office, when suddenly there was a commotion, and the big alarm bell sounded from Qiaolou.

"No, there are enemies coming!"

Liu Zongzhou rushed to the edge of the city wall, stared intently, and saw a flame flying in the distance, and soon heard the sound of horseshoes flying.

"Meet the enemy!" Liu Zongzhou's old voice floated in the night sky.

The enemy soon arrived at the city, but they were Qing soldiers who appeared from nowhere, at least thirty to forty thousand.The torches flickered below the city, and countless cavalry lined up in a menacing manner.

"Prepare the trebuchet, and the artillery is in place..." Liu Zongzhou had stayed in the barracks for a long time, and he still had some experience in defending the city, but he was stunned before he finished speaking.

I saw a group of people coming to the city wall, and the leader was Qingluan.Holding a dagger in her hand, she grabbed Zhu Cihong who was tied up and put the dagger across his neck.

"Prince, what's going on?" Liu Zongzhou exclaimed.

"Master Liu, don't you see it? Your crown prince has been hijacked by me! If you want to save the crown prince's life, open the city gate and surrender immediately!" Qingluan sternly said.

Liu Zongzhou's hands trembled, his heart sank, and he stammered, "You... are you a spy for the Tartars?"

"That's right!" Qingluan smiled coldly, with force on her hand, the dagger cut a wound on Zhu Cihong's neck, "Surrender or not?"

Many thoughts flashed through Liu Zongzhou's mind, his forehead was dripping with sweat, but his body was chilled.

Wouldn't surrendering be a disappointment to His Majesty?If you don't surrender, what will the prince do?
"His Royal Highness, do you want to surrender or not?" Liu Zongzhou asked.

Zhu Cihong's face was ashen, and at this moment his heart was still on Qingluan, and he murmured: "You lied to me, you lied to me..."

"Prince!" Liu Zongzhou roared angrily, and suddenly aroused infinite courage, and shouted, "There is no king who surrendered in the Ming Dynasty, let alone a prince who surrendered. Prince, the old minister will die with you!"

As he spoke, he raised his knife and tremblingly ran towards Qingluan.One kicked Liu Zongzhou over and cut him twice in the stomach.

Liu Zongzhou was distraught, struggling and said: "Prince...you must not surrender, you must not surrender...Remember, you are the heir of my Ming Dynasty, you must not lose the dignity of my Ming Dynasty, otherwise the old minister will die in peace... "

People died, and blood flowed all over the place.The wind whimpered, and the city of Kaifeng was shrouded in boundless chill and blood.

(End of this chapter)