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The chilly spring weather has not yet subsided, but the training ground is bustling with activity. Tens of thousands of soldiers are roaring like thunder and fighting fiercely, raising clouds of dust that roll directly onto the command platform.
Meng Ke did not even frown at the yellow dust blowing in his face. He stood on the reviewing platform like a sculpture, with only his icy eyes scanning the entire parade ground.
Although the Qin army did not advance northwards after capturing Shouzhou due to a shortage of food and fodder, they never slackened in their daily training.
Meng Ke withdrew his gaze from the parade ground and turned to the north bank of the Huai River. He silently gazed at every tree and blade of grass on the north bank, hoping that one day he would lead his troops to recapture the Central Plains, return to Liaodong, and return to the land where blood and tears had been shed.
Although, if the flower blooms again, it will not be on the same tree, and the person we meet next time will not be the same.
But his desire to return to Liaodong became stronger and stronger, and he was eager to fulfill his old friend's ambition to pacify Liaodong in the near future.
At the beginning, he and Cui Feng and the other three were not determined to follow Qin Mu. Qin Mu also knew this, so he had been cultivating his own direct lineage and suppressing him intentionally or unintentionally.
Meng Ke could understand these, after all, they did have other ideas at the beginning.
He waited silently, hoping that one day he would be able to complete the battle back to Liaodong.
Thinking of this, his hand holding the hilt of the knife was unconsciously filled with strength, and the veins on his hand bulged like snakes.
When he first met Qin Mu, he was down and out and being hunted by the factory guards. At that time, he almost gave up the idea of returning to Liaodong. Who would have thought that in just two or three years, Qin Mu's miraculous rise made him see hope again.
Qin Mu seemed to have seen through his thoughts. During this period of time, the court was in turmoil. Qin Mu asked Ye Bushou to send him a note with only ten words on it: "Train with peace of mind. Strive to recover the Central Plains and even Liaodong by the end of the year."
Qin Mu did this to reassure him and to appease the army before solving the problems in the court. This was a political tactic, but Meng Ke still felt very relieved after reading the note.
"General Meng, I just received news that Duoduo of Bozhou seems to be inclined to move south." The military assistant Wanli hurriedly stepped onto the platform to review the generals.
Hearing this, Meng Ke frowned, thought for a moment and said, "Master Wan, don't panic. Even if Duoduo really wants to go south, I'm afraid he's not coming for us."
Meng Ke spoke slowly and steadily, exuding a kind of confidence that was very convincing.
Wan Li thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Commander-in-Chief Meng is right. The rebels in the Central Plains are still making trouble. Dongfang Sheng in Shandong has moved to fight in the Yanzhou area. The situation is already spreading like wildfire. Duoduo just suffered a great defeat in Chuzhou. His morale is low and he is short of food and grass. From all aspects, he is not capable of attacking Huainan again... Hiss! Commander-in-Chief Meng. Could it be that Duoduo is coming for Aobai?"
"It's almost certain." Despite this conclusion, Meng Ke still ordered to strengthen the defenses along the river out of caution just in case.
Wanli waited for him to give the order and then said, "The fact that Governor Meng Duoduo went south means that our plan to counter the traitors has worked. Aobai has been struggling for more than 20 days. Now we are at the end of our rope. We might as well send someone to Yingshang again. Maybe this time we can convince Aobai to surrender."
"This is exactly what I am thinking. Let Yu Keming go again."
Yu Keming received the order and rode a white horse to Yingshang again. It was only 10 miles from Shouzhou to Yingshang, which was very close. Yu Keming rode as fast as he could and arrived at Yingshang in one day.
Although the distance between the two places is less than 100 miles, there is a world of difference between the two places. This is most evident in the mental outlook of the people in the two places.
After Shouzhou was recovered, the Qin Dynasty immediately allocated money and grain for relief. Officials were busy re-measuring the land and distributing it to farmers. Cattle, grain seeds, furniture, etc. were also transported in batches. With relief, the people saw hope again. Although life was still very difficult, everyone was refreshed and smiles returned to their faces.
But Yingshang gave people a lifeless feeling. The people along the street looked numb, pale and thin, ragged, like zombies, lifeless. Yu Keming was filled with emotion and really wanted the army to march north immediately to recover all the lost land and save the people from the dire situation.
He was taken to the county government by the Qing army. When he saw Aobai again, Yu Keming was shocked and almost didn't recognize him. He saw that Aobai's eyes were sunken, as if he was seriously ill, he was thinner, his beard was messy, and his eyes were sinister.
When Aobai saw that it was Yu Keming again, he immediately said angrily: "What are you doing here? Aren't you giving up yet?"
Yu Keming replied calmly, "General Guaerjia, I am here to save Guaerjia's life."
Aobai glanced at him and suddenly burst into laughter, shaking Liangyu and making dust fall down. "I, Aobai, have been a hero all my life. Why do I need you to save me? Who do you think you are?"
"It is true that General Guarjia was a hero in his lifetime, but even heroes have to face their end. At this point, if General Guarjia is still unwilling to face reality, his fate may be worse than that of a bear."
"Looking for death!" Aobai suddenly drew his sword.
Yu Keming didn't dare to gamble with his life. Aobai seemed crazy at this time, and no one knew whether he would really kill someone. He took two steps back, but fortunately Aobai didn't chase him. He just looked at him coldly, his eyes full of mockery.
Yu Keming coughed twice, sighed and said, "General Guaerjia wants to take my life, and I have no power to fight back. But please let me finish what I want to say, and it will not be too late to kill me then."
"Okay, go ahead and tell me. I want to see if you can make it sound amazing."
"General Guaerjia, I know that you are dissatisfied with our King Qin in your heart. You think that our King Qin is using tricks instead of defeating you Manchus in an upright manner."
"So what? I, Aobai, just look down on that brat Qin Mu. If he has the guts, let him fight me in a fair fight. If he wins, I, Aobai, will bow down to him and be his slave. I'm just afraid that he doesn't have the ability." After saying this, Aobai returned to the armchair in the middle of the hall, sat down with his sword, picked up the wine jug and started drinking as if no one was around.
"Hahaha... .."
"What are you laughing at?" Aobai slammed the wine pot on the table with a bang. Fortunately, the wine pot was a copper pot. If it was a porcelain pot, it would have broken into eighteen pieces.
"General Guaerjia is such a hero, but he actually said such childish words. Sun Tzu's Art of War says: War is the art of deception! At the beginning of the rise of the Qing Dynasty, how many battles were fought with drums in front of the people and gongs in front of the people, and with the Ming army? Hearing General Guaerjia's remarks today, I can't help but doubt that my king is so fond of General Guaerjia, but he may have made a mistake."
Aobai sneered and said, "You don't have to provoke me. Such tricks won't work."
This time, Yu Keming mocked without giving in, "General Guaerjia can only show off his power in front of a weak man like me. I believe Duoduo will soon come to Yingshang to take General Guaerjia's head. General, you should first think about how to deal with Duoduo and how to make your men willingly obey your orders and fight Duoduo. I'll put it this way. When Duoduo's army really comes to Yingshang, there will be no more than 200 people willing to follow General Guaerjia to fight Duoduo. If General Guaerjia is really brave, do you dare to gamble with me?"
"What's the bet?"
"Let's bet on how many people are willing to follow the general to fight against Duoduo when the Duoduo army arrives. If there are more than 200 people willing to follow General Guaerjia to fight the enemy, without being forced, I will cut off my head and offer it to you without General Guaerjia having to do anything. If there are less than 200 people willing to follow General Guaerjia to fight against Duoduo, all you have to do is for General Guaerjia to swear to be loyal to my King Qin for life."
Yu Keming spoke with great enthusiasm, looking at Aobai without any hesitation.
Instead, Aobai remained silent. Since he arrived in Yingshang, there had been deserters in his army every day. Of the original 5,000 men, nearly 1,000 had already fled, and the rest were wandering around all day long.
He knew very well in his mind that when Duoduo's troops arrived, except for a few dozen of his personal soldiers, let alone two hundred people, probably no one would be willing to die with him.
During this period of time, there were waves of purges in the Qing court, and those who did not submit to Dorgon had no good end. If it were someone else, they could save their lives by lowering their heads, but Aobai had no chance;
Duoduo needed him to take the responsibility for the defeat in Huainan, and also for the thousands of troops in Ashan who were left behind in Shouzhou. This responsibility must also be borne by him. Only in this way could Dorgon and Duoduo explain to the Qing Dynasty.
At this moment, it is no exaggeration to describe his situation as being at the end of his rope.
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ps: I have so much backache from typing that I even put a plaster on the back of my neck to relieve cervical spondylitis. I am not a human being if I am exaggerating. Brothers, I have managed to finish two chapters today. If I work hard for a few more hours tonight, I can probably finish another chapter, and I can add more tomorrow.
You know what makes me work so hard! I just took a look and found that the last few books have received more than 100 votes today. The number of votes is like crops eating manure, growing rapidly!
Please give me monthly tickets! I really want monthly tickets! Brothers, please give me your support!
.(To be continued..)
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