a month later.
With the deliberate cooperation of Kun Wushang, Gu Shubai led his army all the way to Xixian City.
Kun Wushang used to be the general of the army. He had some resources in the army, but it was not so smooth.
Breaking through the city all the way was too easy, but Kun Yuyang and the others found it strange and worried that it was a trap.
Gu Shubai didn't find it strange at all.
"Just look at the soldiers who surrendered and recruited."
Out of curiosity, Kun Yuyang went to see the camp of surrendering soldiers himself, and only then did he discover something strange.
Half of these soldiers had Dong Ling's accent, and they talked enthusiastically about "the son of the Gu family" without any discouragement from being defeated.
It was as if they were not Xikun's soldiers, but Beili's soldiers in the first place.
"We are neither from Xikun nor from Beili, we are all from Dongling!"
The soldier said to Kun Yuyang: "If Dong Ling hadn't become like this, how could we have come to Xikun in exile and become Xikun's soldiers? We don't know anything else, we just know that the prince is one, he Whichever side we go to, we must be right!"
Kun Yuyang couldn't help being amused, she really underestimated the prestige of Gu Jiajun in the hearts of Dongling people.
Emperor Kun had a good idea, thinking that by attracting refugees like Dongling to Xikun to join the army, he would strengthen Xikun's military strength. Who would have thought that it was these people who weakened Xikun's defense
When they saw Gu Shubai, they rushed to flee, not caring about Xikun or Beili.
—In this troubled world, all land and cities are bargaining chips in transactions between countries. Today belongs to Dongling, and tomorrow it may belong to Xikun.
The country's gravitational pull on the people is too small, and only a true hero can respond to everyone.
Gu Shubai is exactly like that.
"Report-"
A message came from outside the tent, "General, the Seventh Prince is no longer available. Our people are still inquiring about what happened. We only know that the Xikun court is in chaos!"
Gu Shubai frowned, "What does it mean that you can't get in touch? I don't know the specific situation, don't you even have a rough guess?"
The soldier hurriedly said: "The spies said that as the army approached Xixian City, the royalist faction in the court and the faction that supported Kun Junyue gradually turned their spearheads on the Seventh Prince. Before the Seventh Prince lost contact, the spies saw courtiers leading people into the palace." The Seventh Prince's Mansion, and then there is no news of the Seventh Prince. Our people can't enter the mansion, but what can be concluded is that the Seventh Prince should not have left the mansion."
He lost contact without leaving the house, was either imprisoned or assassinated.
Gu Shubai didn't want him to have an accident. First, he was able to lead the troops straight to Kun Wushang. The original exchange condition was that Kun Wushang would cooperate with him, and he had to arrive as soon as possible to save Kun Wushang's life.
If Kunwu was injured and died, not only would he feel guilty, but the situation in Xikun would also become more chaotic, and no one could take the lead.
Gu Shubai looked at the soldiers, "Is there no news from the Xikun court?"
"No, there has been no reply or surrender for a long time."
After all, Xixian City is the capital of a country with a dense population, and there are many clan nobles and courtiers. For such a city, it is always necessary to persuade it to surrender before mobilizing troops.
The letter persuading surrender has been sent to the court, but there has been no movement.
He could imagine that there must be a heated discussion in the court of Xikun at this moment, whether they should surrender or resist.
Surrendering is not the style of Xikun, a warlike country, but stubborn resistance... The strength of Beili's army is not inferior to that of Gu's army back then, and they have no capital to resist at all.
Gu Shubai pulled a command arrow from the case, "Don't wait, since they can't make a decision, then General Ben will help them."
Let the arrows fall, and the artillery fire flies to Xixian City.
Among the three kingdoms in the Kyushu mainland, only Beili has firearms, but people have only heard of them and never seen them.
Today, they finally met.
The bright red fireball flew towards the Xikun Palace with raging flames. When it landed, it was accompanied by the sound of the earth shaking and the mountains shaking. Half of the palace was blown away in an instant.
Kun Yuyang knew the layout of Xixian City very well, and commanded the Firearms Battalion to fire the artillery in the direction of the Xikun Palace to avoid hurting innocent people in the city.
The courtiers in the palace were arguing endlessly in the Golden Palace, but when they were bombed by the artillery, they immediately fell silent.
"What is this movement?"
"It's a cannon, it's Beili's cannon!"
"Isn't it true that Bei Li has artillery? I've never seen them use it!"
Just as he was talking, another cannon fell on the square in front of the hall, blowing up bursts of black smoke, and the ministers in the hall lay on the ground in disarray, in extreme distress.
"Cough, cough..."
All their blood and fighting spirit vanished in front of this powerful weapon. They knew that no matter how skilled the Xikun warriors were, they could not stand against this kind of artillery.
It was like a condemnation from the heavens, they could only endure it with their heads down, and they could not compete with manpower.
"Report-"
Soldiers hurried in from outside the hall, "My lords, this is the letter from the Beili army that just shot up the city wall. The general ordered his subordinates to send it to the palace immediately!"
All the ministers tore open the letter in a hurry, and someone read: "If there is no surrender letter in half an hour, the Xikun Palace will be razed to the ground. The signature is... Gu Shubai?!"
Hearing the words Gu Shubai, the military general of the court was more discouraged than seeing the artillery explode in front of him.
Xikun has almost never defeated Gu Jiajun, they could not defeat Gu Huaijiang before, and they cannot defeat Gu Shubai now, let alone Gu Shubai who has artillery.
In the barracks outside the city, many soldiers who had never seen it surrounded the artillery in amazement, but they didn't dare to use it.
They didn't see the scene where the artillery exploded in the Xikun Palace, but they could hear the horrifying sound of the explosion, and saw the wood and stones that were blown away from the palace flying into the air.
Such lethality makes people dare not even touch it.
"General, you actually asked His Majesty for firearms and came here. Why didn't you say anything when you were in Weizhou? I only saw such a magical weapon today."
Kun Yuyang was amazed, she was personally directing the direction just now, and she also understood some of the operation methods of this artillery, so she still didn't dare to act rashly.
Gu Shubai said: "When I heard the news of the attack on Weizhou, I came here overnight with my troops. How could I have the time to ask His Majesty for firearms? I have only heard of what firearms are, but I have never seen them. It is His Majesty who is worried that Weizhou cannot Chang An Ning ordered people to send these firearms later, if there is another surprise attack by the army in the future and the troops are insufficient, these firearms can be used to deter the enemy."
Yan Zheng followed behind and heard something was wrong, "Ah? So His Majesty asked the general to use these firearms to frighten the people of Xikun, and he didn't tell you to really shoot them out! It's all right now, the Xikun Palace is about to be destroyed. Is it really okay if we blow up half of it?"
Gu Shubai turned his head and glanced at him, not angry but pretentious.
Yan Zheng shrank his neck, trying to smooth things over for himself, "The last general is talkative, but your majesty and the general have a good understanding, so they naturally know how to use it."
Kun Yuyang couldn't help snickering, and Gu Shubai said seriously: "The Gu family army has fought against Xikun for decades, and they have been planting spies in Xixian City to learn about the news of Xikun's court. Ministers of Xikun I understand their temperaments very well, they are belligerent, arrogant, and ambitious, but the more they are like this, the easier it is for them to be overwhelmed by existences stronger than them. Yuyang, what do you think?"
Kun Yuyang nodded, "The general is right."
Gu Shubai said again: "Beili has always had firearms, and the Ministry of War has a firearms room. Although the firearms are not used, they have never stopped improving and further researching. The reason why they are not used is because they are too lethal and worry about innocent people being killed. But Today we are not using firearms on innocent people, but in the palace. If those ministers surrendered out of fear, many casualties would be reduced, which does not violate His Majesty’s original intention.”
Everyone benefited a lot from hearing the words, Yan Zheng couldn't help but asked curiously: "Then you said just now that you bombed the palace if you didn't see the letter of surrender for half an hour... Is it true or not?"
"I'm afraid you will never know the answer to this question."
Gu Shubai narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Xixian City. Someone had hung a white flag on the city wall, fearing that if he moved slowly, a cannon would fly towards him.
At the same time, the gate of Xixian City opened, and a group of envoys tremblingly came out holding the surrender letter.
"Please forgive me, General Gu. His Majesty in our country has a new funeral. The crown prince is also in your Beili and has not returned yet. Therefore, the lower officials will deliver the letter of surrender."
If Emperor Kun and Kun Junyue weren't there, and there was no one in the court, they wouldn't have no hope of surrendering so soon.
Gu Shubai didn't care about this, he just took the surrender letter and flipped through it casually, then handed it to Kun Yuyang, "Where's the seventh prince of your country?"
The envoy was taken aback for a moment, wondering why Gu Shubai mentioned Kunwu's injury, after thinking about it, he had a strange speculation in his heart, and looked at Gu Shubai with a bit of unwillingness.
"The lower official is just a small official in charge of diplomacy in the court. I don't know about the Seventh Prince. Please ask the general to ask someone else."
Gu Shubai quickly understood what he meant. He believed that Gu Shubai's army was able to drive straight in because of the cooperation of Kun Wushang, and he despised this kind of behavior, so he was unwilling to tell Gu Shubai the situation of Kunwushang.
Gu Shubai didn't count on him, turned his head and said loudly to the soldiers: "After entering the city, the rules are still the same as before. Qiu has committed no crimes and treats the prisoners well. Anyone who violates the order will be executed!"
After finishing speaking, he got on the horse first, ignoring the surprised gaze of the envoy standing aside.
make a decision...
Looking at the usual eyes of the soldiers behind him, it was obvious that Gu Shubai had always managed the army like this, no wonder when he handed over the letter of surrender and left the city, the people and soldiers in the city did not show much worry.
They knew that Gu Shubai's army had strict military discipline, even if they broke down the city, they would not kill innocent people indiscriminately, so their worries and resentment naturally decreased.
The envoy suddenly trembled all over, thinking carefully and terrified.
I don’t know if Gu Shubai is really strict in running the army, or if this appearance enables him to capture other countries’ cities more smoothly...
Gu Shubai ordered Kun Yuyang to go to the Seventh Prince's Mansion to look for Kun Wu's injury. As the leader of the army, he must go to the palace to stabilize the situation in the city.
Unexpectedly, when he arrived at the palace gate, he saw a familiar figure. The man was wearing unfit coarse linen clothes and a bamboo hat on his head. When he saw Gu Shubai, he took off the hat and smiled at him.
"You didn't go to the Seventh Prince's Mansion to find me first, it was in vain that you were the first thing I thought of at the moment of life and death, and I didn't even think of Yu Fu."
Who else could laugh so heartlessly at this time, except Kun Wushang
Gu Shubai took a look at him, "It's good that you have healthy limbs. You think I don't know, but it's me you think of, the bag I gave you, right?"
Kun Wushang snorted softly, Gu Shubai stretched out his hand and pulled him onto the horse, galloping all the way into the palace.
I saw that there were many traces of scorched and exploded palaces in the palace, and even the square in front of the main hall was blasted into a black pit by artillery, Kun Wu was amazed.
"The cannons are all used, if Yufu decides to use them sooner, will I still have a chance to surrender to you?"
Gu Shubai looked back at him, "Of course. We are your elders, so we will naturally take care of you."
Kun Wushang: "..." It's fine that Yu Fu is a senior sister, what kind of elder does he come to pretend to be
Only then did he remember that Yu Fu and Gu Shubai were married, and the two are now a legitimate couple, and they really deserve to be said by their elders.
He got off his horse in the square in front of the hall, "You go first, I'll change my clothes before I come back, I don't want those ministers who look down on me to look down on me."
After finishing speaking, he walked towards the harem, and Gu Shubai saw bloodstains on the back of his clothes, as well as traces of wear and tear.
I don't know what he has been through these days, the dignified prince is so embarrassed.
Gu Shubai didn't think too much, and took the lead to lead people into the golden palace, and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty looked at him in fear, they didn't want to go through the thing like the cannonball thrown into the palace just now.
Gu Shubai originally thought that he would be condemned by all the officials when he went to the Golden Palace, so he was already mentally prepared.
Unexpectedly, all the ministers just looked at him anxiously, and no one dared to speak.
He suddenly understood that there is no leader in a group of dragons, no matter how tempered these ministers are, they dare not stand out at this time.
He smiled and looked at everyone, "I, Beili, have good relations with Xikun. His Majesty promised Emperor Kun that he would never invade during his lifetime. But Xikun took the lead in tearing up the treaty and attacked Weizhou City in Beili twice. The last time he attacked Gui The Crown Prince personally went to the capital to explain it, but His Majesty did not pursue it. The attack has intensified this time, and His Majesty still abides by his promise to Emperor Kun, only defending and not attacking."
He stood at the top, glanced at everyone, his eyes were slightly cold, "Now that Emperor Kun is dead, it is God's will that I, Bei Li, should fight back. Otherwise, you would think that Bei Li is the same as Dong Ling in the past, only defending and not attacking."
All the ministers shrank their necks subconsciously, and his righteous words were irrefutable.
Back then when Gu Shubai was Dongling's Gu Family Major General, Xikun repeatedly invaded the border of Dongling, and the war continued for years. Now that Gu Shubai has become Beili's general, his aura is getting more and more aggressive, not as modest as Gu Houye was back then.
Wouldn't he take this opportunity to avenge himself publicly
When the ministers were feeling uneasy, Gu Shubai suddenly pulled out the sword from his waist, "Although Xikun is unrighteous first, I, Beili, am not a tyrannical country that treats people without mercy. Since Emperor Kun is dead, as long as All the ministers here have no dissent, they sincerely surrendered and asked for peace. This general will never treat you harshly. The soldiers in the army will not invade the people. This general can guarantee this. But if there are those who intend to rebel and start a war, don’t blame them This general is merciless!"
After saying that, he threw a sword towards the outside of the palace gate, cutting half of a seven-inch thick mahogany carved door, and it fell to the ground with a loud noise.
Everyone couldn't help being frightened.
Kun Wushang changed his clothes and walked outside the palace gate, just in time to see this scene, patted his chest and walked in, "Fortunately, it was cut on the door, how painful would it be if it was cut on a person?"
As he spoke, he squatted down and used his fingers to show the thickness of the wooden door, "Tsk tsk, I don't know if a person's shoulders are as thick as seven inches."
The ministers who were standing close to him couldn't help being afraid, and moved away from the shattered wooden door one after another. Kun Wushang stood up and looked at the ministers in the hall.
"My lords have been waiting for a long time. My lords are worried because my prince has been ill for the past few days and has not been allowed to enter the court. Didn't your lords always want to know what happened when the father died?"
He was full of smiles, and he didn't look like his father who had just died. "This prince has come here specially to clear up your doubts. I also ask General Gu to be a witness."
He walked to the top, stood beside Gu Shubai and said: "Father was poisoned to death, but it is different from what your lords think, it was not my prince who was poisoned to death, but the crown prince."
Junyue's henchmen in the imperial court immediately became unhappy when they heard the words, "You are talking nonsense! When His Majesty passed away, the crown prince was not in the imperial court at all, and you still want to pour dirty water on him?"
"Because he is not in the court, it proves that it is his handwriting."
Kun Wu was not flustered at all, and said to the outside of the hall: "Come here, invite all the imperial doctors of the imperial hospital to the hall, and let all the adults ask clearly and understand."