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The situation in Ma Yongzhen's tent was tense. His men were just waiting for Ma Yongzhen's order to kill Qin Mu and separate his head from his body.
Qin Mu sat in the tent, holding a wine glass, and said calmly: "The brave general who came with me today is called Meng Ke. He was once Yuan Chonghuan's trusted general. He fought against the Tartars in Liaodong for many years. He is not only brave, but also calm, courageous and strategic.
Now that Ganzhou City has been handed over to him for full defense, and Governor Yang has great trust in him, if Ma Dangjia kills me, it will not only be of no help in attacking the city, but may also arouse the indignation of the defenders, which is not worth the loss. "
Ma Yongzhen sneered, "I only know that Lord Qin is my rival. If I don't kill Lord Qin today, I'm afraid I'll be defeated by him sooner or later. Since Lord Qin didn't drink the toast and drank the penalty wine, don't blame me."
After Ma Yongzhen finished speaking, he signaled to Ma Liuliang, who immediately drew his sword and rushed towards Qin Mu.
Qin Mu poured wine from his cup, splashing Ma Liuliang's face with it, and quickly slammed the table and stood up, saying, "Even thieves have their own code of conduct! Boss Ma should know very well why Li Zicheng and his men have been rebelling for nearly fifteen years but have not been able to achieve anything. I dare to guarantee with my own life that even though Li Zicheng is now powerful, he still cannot escape the fate of rising quickly and falling suddenly. Do you want to learn from him?"
Qin Mu's words seemed to have nothing to do with the current situation, but Ma Yongzhen understood what he meant. The key lies in the first four words "Thieves also have their own code of conduct".
Qin Mu kept talking, "If Ma Dangjia kills me today, he will be no different from Li Zicheng. I dare to come here today, and I am betting on Ma Dangjia's personality. Since Ma Dangjia doesn't even want his own personality, don't say that you can't capture Ganzhou City. Even if you capture Ganzhou City, it will be a flash in the pan and it will be difficult to achieve success. Why should I cherish my life? Come on!"
Don’t think that rebellion doesn’t require personality. On the contrary, the more high-risk the business is, the more it needs good personality charm to support it.
No matter how despicable you are in private, you must be open and aboveboard in your appearance, otherwise you will not be able to convince others and no real talents will be willing to follow you.
Li Zicheng and his people rebelled for more than ten years, and at their peak they had hundreds of thousands of soldiers. However, when the Ming Dynasty was in tatters, they still did not have a solid base. This was largely due to his despicable character.
Most of those who followed him were desperate criminals, speculators, or people who had difficulty making a living. As long as they could make a living, there were not many people willing to follow Li Zicheng, not to mention the talent. Except for Li Yan who had some knowledge, those around Li Zicheng were basically short-sighted. Just look at what they did after entering Beijing.
Ma Yongzhen's mind was mixed with thoughts as he looked at Qin Mu coldly. Qin Mu came here alone, and it would be unkind and unjust to kill him. Perhaps of course Xiang Yu did not kill Liu Bang because he did not want to ruin his own personality. For a person who values personality, it is really difficult to get over the hurdle in his heart to do something treacherous.
"Master Qin, please leave. There is no need to discuss the matter of recruiting you."
"Okay, let's not talk about the matter of appeasement for now. I really admire Mr. Ma's character. I came here today because I really want to have a chat with him."
"We are mortal enemies. What is there to talk about?"
"The general trend of the world is that after a long period of division, there will be unification, and after a long period of unification, there will be division. The same is true for people. Today we are enemies, but who knows if we can become friends tomorrow? The Ming Dynasty is in chaos now. Qin has been looking for someone with insight to talk to and listen to different views. Don't you want to hear Qin Mou's views on the current situation in the world, Mr. Ma?" Qin Mu instigated.
His words immediately touched Ma Yongzhen's sore spot. Although the generals in Ma Yongzhen's tent were as close as brothers, none of them had real insight. Although Qin Mu was unrestrained in his laughter, anger and scolding, he was a person he admired from the bottom of his heart.
"The boss is a hero of the moment, why should he be so cautious? Regardless of whether we will be mortal enemies tomorrow, since we are drinking at the same table today, we are friends."
"Okay! Ma will make you his friend today, and we'll meet again tomorrow to see whether we live or die."
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Yan Mao was originally Wang Yuncheng's deputy general, and they defended Qizhou together. When Zuo Liangyu retreated from Kaifeng to Xiangyang last year, he drove the people of Xiangyang County to form his army and looted on a large scale.
Wang Yuncheng attached himself to Zuo Liangyu and became even more aggressive. He destroyed Jiande, plundered Chiyang, and moored his boats at Sanshan and Digang, 40 miles from Wuhu. He seized all the grain and salt ships to transport soldiers. The people fled to the mountains and valleys, and many were killed by the soldiers.
Chongzhen ordered Zuo Liangyu to kill Wang Yuncheng, but Zuo Liangyu turned a deaf ear to him and protected him in the army. Yan Mao was Wang Yuncheng's deputy general, and the two of them were in cahoots with each other. Zuo Liangyu called them "Yan Wang" in the army.
Such a person was naturally very arrogant. He never expected that anyone would dare to resist violently. He was careless and the guard beside the car pointed a dagger at his throat. The skin on his throat was pierced and blood dripped down, staining his front red.
This sudden change made the troops on both sides scream in surprise, and they all drew their swords and pointed them at each other, and a battle was about to break out. Shopkeeper Xu screamed, "Zhang Hong! What are you doing? Put down the dagger."
"Manager Xu, look at them. They don't look like soldiers. They are more brutal than bandits. If the goods are stolen this time, we won't be able to explain to our boss. Manager Xu, turn the convoy around immediately. Quickly!" The guard named Zhang Hong put a little more force on his hands and shouted, "Tell your people to withdraw immediately. Quickly! Otherwise, I will kill you first."
"Please spare my order, sir. I will order them to retreat now. Retreat, retreat quickly!" Yan Mao was in so much pain that cold sweat broke out. He didn't dare to move his Adam's apple before, and it was difficult for him to swallow. His mouth was full of saliva. When he opened his mouth to speak, saliva flowed out. He looked so cowardly and had no trace of his previous cruelty and arrogance.
The four or five hundred soldiers and bandits were usually afraid of Yan Mao, so after hearing his order, they hesitated for a moment and then began to slowly retreat.
Li Xiangjun hurriedly turned around with Manager Xu's convoy. This time she was ready to die. She was lucky to escape. Before leaving, she looked back at Zhang Hong. Zhang Hong had already ordered Yan Mao to kneel on the ground, with the dagger still pressed tightly against Yan Mao's neck. Hundreds of soldiers and bandits had withdrawn dozens of feet away as ordered. Only Zhang Hong and Yan Mao were left on the scene, one standing and the other kneeling, forming a strange picture.
"Take care, Brother Zhang."
"Miss Xiangjun, please hurry up and leave. The farther the better. Hurry up! These soldiers and bandits will not let you go. Hurry!"
"I'll repay you for saving my life someday. Brother Zhang, please take care of yourself." Under Zhang Hong's repeated urging, Li Xiangjun said this and left in a hurry.
Shopkeeper Xu was very fat and had difficulty moving normally, but at this moment he was running around, sweating profusely, and loudly urging the caravan to move faster.
Who can be sure whether the soldiers and bandits who were ordered to retreat will catch up again? At this point, there is no room for reconciliation between the two sides. Once they are caught up again, it will no longer be a matter of loss of goods. I am afraid that no one will be able to return alive.
The convoy, stretching for half a mile, fled eastward at the fastest speed. The road was covered with yellow dust. Everyone, whether guards or employees, were sweating profusely, shouting and horses neighing, and were extremely nervous.
A horse-drawn carriage loaded with lacquerware was shaken so violently that its axle suddenly broke, the lacquerware scattered all over the ground, and the horses pulling the carriage were twisted to the ground and struggled to get up.
Manager Xu did not hesitate at all. He immediately asked his guards to cut the reins, then pushed the cart and the cargo down the slope at the side of the road and hurriedly made way.
In this moment of panicking and fleeing, Li Xiangjun could not help but think of Qin Mu in her heart, "Why don't men take Wu Gou and take over the fifty states of Guanshan?" He made such a bold statement, and he went to the post alone, but he was able to wipe out all the bandits along the way. If he was there, the situation would definitely not be so dangerous.
The more this happened, the clearer Qin Mu's shadow became in her mind, and she wished he would appear in front of her immediately.
Zhang Hong had been in a stalemate with Yan Mao for half an hour. His hand holding the dagger had become numb. Yan Mao was like a cheap prostitute, begging him for mercy.
"Brother Zhang, please be merciful and leave me alone. I have a lot of valuable treasures on me. You can take them all. If it's not enough, I will give you as much as you want later..."
"Stop talking nonsense. I can't stand people like you. As a soldier of the imperial court, not only can you not protect the country and the people, but you also burn, kill and plunder. You are more hated than traitors...ah!"
Zhang Hong's hand holding the dagger was too tired and began to tremble slightly. Yan Mao saw this opportunity, quickly grabbed a handful of mud and sand and threw it in his face, then rolled on the ground to escape the threat of the dagger.
Zhang Hong was caught off guard and dazzled by the mud and sand. He could hardly open his eyes and waved his dagger wildly. Yan Mao had already jumped up quickly, rushed to his horse, drew his long sword and pounced back.
At this time, Zhang Hong was rubbing his eyes and running away. Yan Mao screamed in hatred, rushed back, jumped on his horse, and chased after Zhang Hong.
"Puff!" Zhang Honggang rushed into the river by the roadside, and an arrow shot out and penetrated into his shoulder. He fell into the water and was pushed downwards by the current. Yan Mao was not satisfied, so he shot another arrow, and the river was filled with streams of blood.
After dealing with Zhang Hong, Yan Mao rode back to gather his men and chased the caravan again. From the previous conversation between Zhang Hong and the woman, he had guessed that the woman in the car was Li Xiangjun, a famous Qinhuai prostitute.
Thinking of her petite and exquisite figure, her stunningly beautiful face, her clear and melodious voice, even when she was angry she was so moving; if I could hold such a stunning beauty under me and ride her as much as I want, listening to her melodious cries, I don't know how exciting it would be.
Yan Mao swore that he would catch up with Li Xiangjun and make her his own, even if he had to chase her all the way to Nanjing or to the ends of the earth.
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ps: Second update today, I will sleep in the bed tonight, please vote, please help me with a girl!
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