"Mr. Zhang, I am just a businessman. I have never cared about politics. As long as I can make money from a business, I will not give up easily. As long as the price is right, let alone food, even prohibited goods such as weapons and horses can be brought into Anyuan. , it just depends on whether someone can afford the price. As for the ban mentioned by Lord Zhang, I think Lord Zhang has some misunderstandings. Our Grand Duke of Jerok Principality has never had any ban. As for Lord Li Wufeng’s army , they are just guests in Jerok. If there is a ban, it should be issued by the interior department of the principality. In short, I have not seen a ban from the interior department, so my business must be carried out as usual. As for entering Anyuan The methods and methods are business secrets. Please forgive me for not leaking them." Pi Hongkui pretended to be a little drunk and glared at the other party impolitely, with a somewhat unpleasant expression.
Zhang Zhentian's heart was moved. He had also heard for a long time that some officials and nobles in the Jeroke Principality were not on good terms with Li Wufeng. Especially the so-called engagement between Li Wufeng and Princess Anne was an alliance under the city and had to be done as a last resort. It seems that Li Wufeng's ban seemed to be against Li Wufeng. Some powerful people in Jerok Principality do not have much restraint, but I can use this relationship to alleviate the food pressure in the territory. If Jerok can be built into a stable transportation channel, although it will be costly in terms of money, It took a little more effort, but it was worth it.
"Haha, I made a mistake. The Principality of Jerok is originally an independent sovereign country. Outsiders should not and cannot dictate your country's internal and external affairs. As for the circulation of goods, it is even a trivial matter, and it should not be affected by external forces. ." Zhang Zhentian apologized with a smile while observing the other person's expression.
Pi Hongkui performed very well, and his slightly drunk face still maintained a shrewd look, "Haha, Mr. Zhang, business is business, please don't get involved in politics. Mr. Li Wufeng's army is here to help us at the invitation of our Archduke Allen. We resisted the invasion of the Kaman people. They should not interfere in government affairs, but they did help us. Otherwise, Merlington might have become the territory of the Kaman people. I am a law-abiding businessman and do not want to be involved in politics. I just want to make more money honestly."
Zhang Zhentian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If this guy behaved too openly, it would arouse his suspicion. But although this guy was a little dissatisfied with Li Wufeng, it was not strong. He was just dissatisfied with some of the measures taken by Li Wufeng's army. This attitude is in line with the attitude of these businessmen who adapt to the changing circumstances.
Pi Hongkui was also trying to figure out what the other party was thinking. Obviously, such a large batch of food entering Anyuan made the other party both surprised and a little suspicious. However, the joy overcame the suspicion, and his own performance also prevented the other party from finding any flaws. The troops escorting the food should be in place by now. Is it time to take action
Inadvertent eyes glanced at the faces of the two adjacent officers sitting diagonally across from each other. I could see a trace of worry and anxiety in the other's eyes, but their behavior was quite normal. If you don't enter the tiger's den, you won't get the tiger's cubs. Now that you are gone. At this point, there is no turning back. He quietly winked at the other party, and after receiving the signal, the general stood up, lifted the wine bottle on the desk, took two steps forward, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, I am in the humble position of guarding the north. It has been a long time since I had a drink with you. Come, Lord Fu, I humbly fill your cup and give you a toast. I hope we can get through this difficulty, and I also hope that the Holy King can return from Heshuo as soon as possible and drive the Northwest Army and the Kaman people out of Beiyuan!"
Seeing that the other party mentioned the Holy King, let alone his own general, Zhang Zhentian naturally couldn't refute the other party's reputation. He nodded and drank the full wine in the wine cup. He sat down and allowed the other party to refill his wine cup. "Ziman, you have worked hard guarding the north. Although there is no big movement in the north, you must not slack off. Now we cannot afford to be negligent. If there is any movement, you must report to me immediately."
"Don't worry, sir. As long as I'm here, not even a mosquito can fly over from the north." He puffed up his chest and patted his chest. A strange look of excitement flashed across the general's face. Even his voice was trembling a little. He was just immersed in Zhang Zhentian, who was in joy, did not notice this.
After drinking the wine, Zhang Zhentian suddenly felt dizzy. Why was this wine so powerful? He usually drank two or three kilograms without any problem. Why did he feel dizzy today before he even drank two kilograms? It seems that some things are a little hazy in front of you? Even his head became a little sluggish. He suddenly saw a few people breaking in from outside the door, how he waved his hands, and several of his capable subordinates fell into the banquet room, and the blood splashed down the curtain behind them. Soaked red, what's going on? Could it be that I'm so drunk that I'm hallucinating
Zhang Zhentian tried hard to open his eyes to see clearly, but everything was still blurry, and the screams and the sound of weapons clashing from the hall seemed to be far and near, and he couldn't hear it clearly. He didn't know clearly at this moment. Are you in a dream? He tried hard to sit up, but then he realized that he didn't have any strength in his body, and he didn't even have the strength to speak. He watched four of his six subordinates fall in a pool of blood, and beheading them turned out to be The bodyguards and management staff who were with the grain merchant felt a violent panic gripping Zhang Zhentian's heart. But no matter what he was thinking at this time, the fact was that he had no strength at all, except that he could still move his eyes. He stared blankly at the fierce fight outside the banquet hall.
When the general Ke Ziman who was guarding the northern pass and his distant nephew Zhang Deshan came in with bloody swords and walked into the inner room of his courtyard to take out the tiger talisman, even Zhang Zhentian was stupid enough to understand what happened. It happened. Ke Ziman's betrayal made him sad and disappointed, but his nephew's defection made it difficult for him to accept it no matter what. However, this scene happened vividly in front of him. The angry and crazy Zhang Zhentian might have In extreme grief and anger, he performed at a super level and squeezed out a sentence from his throat in a hoarse voice: "Why do you do this?"
Ke Ziman's face was unusually calm: "Sir, those who know the current situation are heroes. Our food can't even last for six and a half months. Brothers, what are you going to do with your life? You can't drink the northwest wind, right? Look at the surrounding situation, What else can we do? Where else can we retreat?"
Seeing his distant uncle looking at him, a trace of guilt flashed across Zhang Deshan's face, but it was only fleeting, replaced by incomparable determination: "Uncle, open your eyes and take a look at the world around you. The Taiping Religion is outdated and has fallen behind the times. Now the folks in the countryside outside the city have no food to eat. Can you bear to see them starve to death? Surrendering to Mr. Li is the only way out. , no matter how much we believe in the Taiping Religion, we cannot use it as food. Filling our bellies is the only thought of our brothers and many fellow villagers."
Pi Hongkui, who walked in from outside the house, glanced at Zhang Zhentian, who was still slumped in his seat, and turned to the other two people: "You two, Mr. Zhang should wait for him to stay here, no one will hurt him. We still have We have to deal with more important things, and it won’t be too late to come over and talk in detail after we settle down in the city.”
The fall of Anyuan City was not as simple as Pi Hongkui imagined. Although Ke Ziman and Zhang Deshan helped, the Taiping Army who accepted the Tiger Talisman still doubted why their general did not come to handle the handover in person, and such a large-scale It stands to reason that the master of the palace should also be present for the handover, but he insisted on waiting for the general to arrive before the handover could be carried out.
The other party's insistence made Ke Ziman and Zhang Deshan feel a sense of urgency. Once the affairs in the Fu Zun's mansion were exposed, their two thousand people plus Zhang Deshan's confidants could only be 5,000. They were afraid that they would be immediately overtaken by the more than 20,000 Fu Zun in the city. The henchmen and troops were cut into pieces and could not take over the city gate defense. The Nanjie Locke Army, which had already arrived not far outside the city, was unable to conquer Anyuan City in a short time. Things would change if things were prolonged.
Zhang Deshan, who suddenly changed his color, didn't even say much, and just beheaded the deputy general on the spot. Seeing that the nephew of the Lord Fu suddenly turned against him and killed others, several other generals were stunned for a moment. Zhang Deshan, who looked solemn on his face, announced the execution decision because the other party had blatantly defied the imperial edict and attempted rebellion. Under Zhang Deshan's iron fist, the defense of the north gate was immediately handed over to Zhang Deshan's department, and only half an hour later, the second Nanjie Locke Corps The divisions roared in and swarmed in at regular pace, and immediately started a fierce street battle with the Taiping Army who had just woken up.
The Taiping Army, which had lost its leader and was restrained and persuaded to surrender by some troops who had surrendered, soon divided into several groups. Some of them laid down their weapons and declared surrender when the situation was over, some declared to remain neutral, and a considerable number chose to persist in fighting. , until completely eliminated.
The intensity of the battle made the commander of the Second Division, Yu Chibin, quite annoyed. He did not expect that such an unusual surprise attack would turn into a hand-to-hand street battle. Although the Second Division had the upper hand in both combat effectiveness and momentum, The courage and tenacity shown by this Taiping Army still caused the Second Division to suffer a lot. The battle lasted from noon to the early morning of the next day. Only with the cooperation of the surrendered Taiping Army in the city did the Second Division completely eliminate the Taiping Army that had resisted. Fielding, the commander of the Northwest Theater Command, also visited Anyuan that night to settle the situation in Anyuan. At the same time, he contacted the Northwest Army stationed in Pinglu and prepared to jointly destroy the more than 20,000 Taiping troops stationed in the east and the Kuimen stationed in the west. Yu's 10,000 Taiping troops.