Chongzhen Sunset Song

?one

The snowflakes fluttered lightly and scattered, but from late night to dawn, they never stopped.

"The weather is so cloudy and damp, it's not good for fire attack..." Yang Tinglin looked outside the tent, then at Lu Xiangsheng, who was wearing armor and fully armed, with a worried expression on his face.But Lu Xiangsheng didn't answer, just smiled slightly, and asked Yang Lukai:

"Are the soldiers ready?"

"It's all ready, just wait for your lord's order." Yang Lukai answered crisply.

"Okay. Order, let's go!" Lu Xiangsheng stood up abruptly, his armor clattering and clanging.At this moment, a small school ran into the tent, knelt down on one knee, and reported: "My lord, there are many civilians gathered outside the camp. They claim to be from the Daming Mansion. They must see Lord Lu."

"Oh?" Lu Xiangsheng and Yang Lukai looked at each other, "Take me out to have a look."

"Master Lu, that's Master Lu!" "Master Lu is here!"

As soon as Lu Xiangsheng left the tent, he heard a commotion.He raised his head, and saw a few feet away from the camp, there was indeed a group of people gathered, looking towards his side.He hurriedly walked out of the camp, and raised his hands high to the people.

"Lu Mou is about to go to battle, I don't know why all the elders are here to find Lu Mou at this time?"

"Minggong." An old man with a gray beard walked out of the crowd and bowed to Lu Xiangsheng, "The villain's name is Liu Hengyuan. Minggong Xu doesn't remember the villain. Twelve years ago, when you were the magistrate here, the little one People are the clerks in the government office."

"Oh, so that's the case." Lu Xiangsheng also bowed politely, "I don't know what is the important thing for you to come here?"

"The little people have heard about Minggong's situation. The villain and the villagers came here this time to ask Minggong not to send troops to Julu, and to retreat to Guangde and Shunchang temporarily, waiting for the opportunity." Liu Hengyuan said , with a sincere look.

"This..." Lu Xiangsheng was greatly surprised when he heard the words, and he was not sure what the reason for this sudden request was, and he didn't know how to respond for a while.I only heard Liu Hengyuan go on to say: "The war is raging in the world today, and it hasn't stopped for ten years. However, Ming Gong has disregarded his own safety for ten years, and he has driven out the captives and sacrificed his life. Now, he is framed by treacherous officials with jealousy, so that he has to lead the wounded soldiers to die. The pawn, fighting with the Qing army with their lives, the villain and all the villagers are all unfair to Minggong!" Liu Hengyuan said, his eyes were wet, and his voice trembled slightly, "Minggong, listen to the villain's words, for the time being Withdrew from Guangde and Shunchang, summoned soldiers and horses, regrouped in the future, and then fought a decisive battle with the Qing army. Daming and the people of Guang and Shun counties have received the favor of Ming Gong in the past, and I am grateful for the pictures in my heart. If you respond to every call, join the army with food, and join forces with Duke Ming to fight against the enemy, then the number of troops will increase by more than [-], why do you have to hit a stone with an egg and die immediately when you are alone and helpless!"

"Lord Lu..." "Grandfather..." The men and women gathered in front of the camp, following Liu Hengyuan's words, were full of emotion. Seeing Lu Xiangsheng's silence, they knelt down on the ground one after another.

"Ming Gong, please retreat..."

"Folks... what are you doing, get up, get up!" Lu Xiangsheng was startled, and quickly helped the few elderly people in the front of the crowd, his chest was surging and he was so moved that inadvertently, tears rolled down the corners of his face . "What is the virtue of Lu, why do you bother all the elders to plan for Lu... just to tell you the truth, although Lu has the name of the governor, he is no longer what he used to be, and now he is poor and alone. , being constrained in everything, Lu's life and death are still at stake, how can he implicate all the folks..."

"It's precisely because of this that everyone..." Liu Hengyuan wanted to say something more, but was blocked by Lu Xiangsheng's hand. "Sir, there's no need to say any more." Lu Xiangsheng cheered up, let the cold wind dry the tears on his cheeks, and said loudly: "My father is righteous, Lu understands it, and I am grateful, but the emperor's life is like a mountain, and the ancestors' precepts are earnest. It’s all about dying and daring not to disobey it. Rather than just surviving, it’s better to sacrifice one’s life for righteousness, and Lu Mou set off here, and please fulfill Lu Mou’s loyalty and filial piety!" Said, walked up to the white war horse that Yang Lukai had led, and flew on. , bowed to all the people at last, turned the horse's head without hesitation, and led the army to set off to the north.

two

"My lord, the Haoshui Bridge is ahead." The sky was still gray and dark, and it seemed that there was no change from when we set off, but Lu Xiangsheng's army had been marching for a whole night.Yang Lukai rode beside Lu Xiangsheng, pointing forward.

"Well, let the soldiers rest at Haoshui Bridge for a while, and prepare to raid Jiazhuang after dark." Lu Xiangsheng said, looking up at the sky subconsciously.

"The sky is really cloudy, and I can't tell the time." Yang Lukai also looked up, and said casually, "The dampness is a bit like winter in Changzhou."

"Hmm..." Lu Xiangsheng smiled, but didn't answer.

My lord is really unusual today, I have been silent all the way, I don't know why... Hey, I don't know what to say, why is my lord so silent and depressed, I don't know.Yang Lukai's eyes darkened, he calmed down, and smiled again: "Speaking of Changzhou, my lord hasn't been back for many years. When the Qing army retreats this time, how about I accompany you back to Changzhou to visit relatives?"

Back to Changzhou...?Lu Xiangsheng's heart stopped beating suddenly, his brows twitched slightly, and when he turned to look at Yang Lukai, there was a calm smile on his lips.

"it is good."

The two of them were talking, when they suddenly heard the sound of hoofbeats in front of the road, a fast horse galloped from a distance, and stopped in front of Lu Xiangsheng.

"My lord!" The soldier on horseback jumped off his horse with a tense expression, and said loudly, "The main force of the Qing army is found on the Haoshui bridge in front of us. It's here in no time!"

"What!" Lu Xiangsheng raised it in one breath, and immediately grabbed the rein.Could it be that the taught Qing army discovered their whereabouts and attacked first!I'm afraid there is still some chance of winning the sneak attack at night. If they meet head-on at this time...Yang Lukai's face suddenly changed, and the soldiers who lined up behind him also stopped, looking at each other left and right, all dumbfounded.In this expedition, the hope of survival is as slim as the light of a firefly. Everyone knows this well, but now it seems that it is probably...

Chirping, fluttering.Not far away, frightened birds flew by.And until the birds flew away and disappeared, no one said a word. A mighty army was lined up on a road, but it was so quiet that even the sound of snowflakes falling could be heard clearly.

"My lord... shall we continue to march?"

"Hmm... um." Lu Xiangsheng waved his hand at the messenger soldier, signaling him to step back, jumped off his horse, and walked up to Yang Tinglin's horse.

"What is Master Lu's order?" Yang Tinglin also got off his horse and asked.

"Master Yang must have heard the urgent report just now. Mr. Lu has something to ask. I wonder if Mr. Yang is willing to work hard for Mr. Lu again." Lu Xiangsheng's expression was neither relaxed nor dignified, which made it difficult to detect. What exactly is in his mind.

"Lord Lu, why be polite. As long as the matter entrusted by Lord Lu is within the power of the lower officials, even if they go through fire and water, they will do it!" Yang Tinglin clenched his fists, his tone firm and decisive.

"Okay." Lu Xiangsheng nodded vigorously, raised his arms and pointed to the distance, "From now on, fifty miles to the southwest is Jize. Lu begged Mr. Yang to report to Jize immediately, saying that Lu Xiangsheng encountered the Qing army at Haoshui Bridge , the enemy is alone, please stand up and submerge to send reinforcements to rescue."

"This..." Yang Tinglin was taken aback, hesitating a little.

"What? Lord Yang doesn't want to go?" Lu Xiangsheng said with a little eagerness.

"Hey..." Yang Tinglin sighed, took Lu Xiangsheng's hand and said, "How could Yang be unwilling to ask Mr. Lu, but Gao Qiqian has always been at odds with Mr. Gao's political views, and he is narrow-minded. Right, my lord is asking him for help at this time, is he willing to really send rescuers?"

"Master Yang's meaning, Lu understands." Lu Xiangsheng smiled lightly and lowered his tone, "But now the only one who can be rescued in an emergency is his army. You have to try it anyway, otherwise Lu This time, it’s really bad luck.”

"Hey, no matter! Since Mr. Lu said so, it's not too late. I'm going to Jize, no matter what, I will try my best." Yang Tinglin said, tightly clenched Lu Xiangsheng's hand, paused for a while, his face There was a hint of worry again, "It's not a short time to go, Master Lu must take care of himself before the next official returns!"

"Lord Yang, don't worry."

"Okay. I'll go back as soon as I'm down." Yang Tinglin said goodbye, and under the watchful eyes of Lu Xiangsheng and a group of soldiers, he reined in his horse, swung his whip and headed southwest, while he kept turning his head and shouting: "Take care, my lord, get off!" The officer will go and come back!"

"My lord, Master Yang has gone far."

Yang Tinglin walked for a long time, but Lu Xiangsheng was still staring blankly at the southwest. Yang Lukai walked up to Lu Xiangsheng and called softly.

"Oh..." Lu Xiangsheng came back to his senses, looked at Yang Lukai, exhaled, and walked slowly towards his mount.

"My lord, do we have to wait for Master Yang to come back?" Yang Lukai asked again.

"No need." Lu Xiangsheng kicked his horse and got on his horse, "Send the order to continue marching towards Haoshui Bridge."

"But……"

"Reinforcements won't come." Lu Xiangsheng said lightly, cutting off Yang Lukai's voice.

"Won't you come?!" Yang Lukai was startled when he heard the words, "Your Excellency means that Gao Qiqian won't send troops to rescue Your Excellency? Why then, Your Excellency..."

"Your Excellency Yang is not a man in the battlefield, but also has great insight, serves the country and has a strong will. He is a pillar of the Ming Dynasty. How can we teach him to be buried with us?"

Lu Xiangsheng spoke calmly and calmly, but the word "buried with him" was like a sledgehammer, hitting Yang Lukai's heart hard. "My lord..." He clenched his hand holding the rein suddenly, his throat was hoarse and congested, his dry and thin lips trembled slightly, and he couldn't say a word for a long time.Lu Xiangsheng turned his horse's head and faced the long line of five thousand soldiers, he breathed a sigh of relief and said loudly:

"Soldiers and soldiers! Now that the Qing army is close at hand, it is impossible not to fight! This time the enemy and our forces are disparate. If we fight head-on, we will inevitably have little hope of survival. All the soldiers have been with Lu for many years in the fight against the invaders, going through life and death. It can be said that my loyalty to Daming has been exhausted. If I am still willing to fight against the Jin captives with me at this time, I will be grateful; if I want to leave the army, I will not complain at all, and I will never stop me!"

"My lord, why did you say that!" "If you die, you will die!" "The little one will never abandon your lord...!"

……

The lingering sound of Lu Xiangsheng's words was not over yet, but the soldiers of the army seemed to have already made up their minds that they must die, and no one hesitated for a moment.The determination to scramble to be the first finally merged into a firm word, and everyone shouted in unison, like thunder resounding through the sky.

"Wish to live and die with adults!"

"Okay!" A blush appeared in Lu Xiangsheng's eyes, but the next moment, it was instantly washed away by the iron-like determination in his eyes.He looked at the looming banner in the distance, and tightly held the big knife in his hand.

"My lord..." Yang Lukai also got on the horse, full of reluctance and unwillingness, but he couldn't find words to persuade or stop him.Lu Xiangsheng looked at Yang Lukai, with the last gleam of tenderness in his eyes, just like the light sunlight that quietly parted the clouds when the spring rain in the south of the Yangtze River first stopped.

"This life is over, this is my destiny."

——From then on, Songzhu, the hometown, will meet again indefinitely.

Snapped!With a flick of the reins, the white horse raised its hooves and galloped northward.

"March to Haoshui Bridge!"

three

The battle was fierce and short.By the time Yang Tinglin returned to Haoshui Bridge from Jize alone, the flames of war had been extinguished, and the sound of fighting had dispersed, leaving only a mess on the ground.The corpses of the Ming army were covered with thin white snow, spreading all over the wilderness in disorder, and there was no fresh air around them, and everything was deeply immersed in the deathly silence.

Tried all methods, tried his best, but in the end it was still hard to escape this result... Yang Tinglin stumbled off the horse, clenched his teeth, resisted the sharp pain in his chest, and walked step by step towards the battlefield that had already been dusted .Although the hope was thin as a gossamer, he still carefully identified the faces of the corpses one by one, praying that there would not be any signs to confirm his worst imagination in this small piece of wasteland.All the remains are covered with mud and blood, retaining the last appearance before the end of life, silently describing how brave and heroic they were at that moment.Every time Yang Tinglin took a step, his heart felt like being cut off by a sharp weapon, the blood flowed profusely, and the pain pierced to the marrow. Before he could go far, the gossamer-like hope was finally crushed easily by the scene in front of him. I got the powder.The man with a familiar face closed his eyes and lay quietly on the ground. Dirty mud stains clinged ferociously to that sharp-edged face, staining his pale, white skin without a trace of blood.A large amount of blood seeped into the soil beside him, and a few snowflakes fell, which were melted and swallowed by the bright red soil in an instant.The thin young attendant had dozens of feathered arrows stabbed on his back, lying on the ground tightly protecting the white-faced man's body, he became frozen and stiff, unable to move it away.Yang Tinglin's legs went limp, and he sat slumped on the ground, his atrium was gouged out in an instant, and the tears that were about to burst the embankment could no longer be restrained, and suddenly gushed out of his eyes.The sky was dim, and the chill was getting deeper and deeper. The north wind blew up his lonely weeping, and he kept wandering over the wilderness, whimpering, desolately and coldly, and it didn't go away for a long time.