Outside the east city of Chengdu, more than 50,000 troops slowly approached the capital standing on the plain. From the top of the city, it seemed as if the ocean had spread to the Shu basin, and it was a vast sea of people.
Lady Huarui wrapped herself tightly and climbed to the top of the city wall accompanied by several eunuchs, wanting to see the moment when the country fell. She seemed to hear some kind of broken voice deep in her heart.
The walls of Chengdu Prefecture are completely free of the smell of war, and even have many peonies planted. Meng Chang got the inspiration from Lady Huarui and ordered to plant peonies everywhere, even on the walls. But now the flowers have withered. Lady Huarui likes peonies, but people have gradually forgotten how so many peonies were planted. This tall wall looks majestic, but it has not been tested by war for a long time.
Below the city wall, a cavalry of several hundred men was organizing their ranks. The Grand Marshal of the Army, Hou Mao, was ordered to go out of the city for a decisive battle, but he could only muster this few men, and the soldiers who were unwilling to come out were not forced to do so.
Hou Mao drew his sword, and the soldiers took up their weapons and mounted their horses one after another. The banner in front read: Great Shu.
Hou Mao shouted loudly: "Gentlemen, the weapons in our hands are to protect the people of Shu. Now, the capital is about to be ravaged by the enemy. Do we have the face to watch the people being trampled?"
The soldiers were in an uproar, shouting: No soldier should be killed or humiliated.
The general shouted: In this battle, we are determined to fight to the death and to defend the land to the last man.
Hou Mao gritted his teeth and nodded, sighing: "My good brother, Hou Mao, who had failed the imperial examination several times, was quite moved. Spring has passed and the flowers have fallen, but next spring, the heroic spirits of the warriors will turn into beautiful peonies blooming on the city walls of Chengdu, guarding the ancient city and the prosperous hometown forever."
Seeing this, Lady Huarui on the city wall burst into tears and almost fainted. She sobbed and said: All the real husbands are dead, the city is empty, and only the weak people are left to live in shame and endure humiliation.
At this moment, Hou Mao pointed his sword forward, and a group of cavalry began to jog forward, rushing straight into the center of the Zhou army's 50,000-strong army.
Like a drop of water in the ocean, it could not stir up the slightest wave. In the distance, there seemed to be a sound of fighting, vague, ethereal and indistinct.
Meng Chang ordered Li Hao to write a surrender letter and surrender to the Zhou army, which had an absolute advantage in combat power, announcing the demise of Shu. Li Hao received the order and wrote a surrender letter. The next morning, he was ready to go to the Zhou army camp. When he opened the door, he saw a few big words posted on the door: The Li family, who wrote a surrender letter, is the first in the world.
Li Hao's beard stood up in anger. He reached out to tear off the paper, but stopped and sighed.
When the Former Shu Kingdom fell, it was Li Hao who wrote the surrender letter; now that the Great Shu Kingdom fell, the surrender letter came from his hand again. People scolded him as if they were not wrong, as Li Hao witnessed the fall of two regimes.
There were two other people who accompanied Li Hao out of the city. One was Wang Zhaoyuan's son-in-law Li Liangyou, and the other was the eunuch Wei Zhong who was brought along by the imperial concubine Lady Huarui.
The three of them rode in a carriage along the road to the Zhou army camp. Wherever they went, they saw the Zhou army's flags like clouds, their horses and soldiers in order, and the tents in the camp were arranged in an orderly manner. The appearance of the army was completely different from that of the Shu army.
The scouts on the road found out the situation, and while escorting them to the camp, they sent someone back to report.
Soon, a neat team of cavalry came towards them. A tall and strong young man clasped his fists on his horse and said: "Dong Zunhui, the vanguard of the Great Zhou Imperial Army, has been ordered to welcome the envoys of Shu. Please
Li Hao and others got off the car to greet each other, and then continued on their journey in the carriage. The cavalry led the way and they were not questioned again.
When they arrived in front of the big tent, they saw two rows of heavy-armored infantrymen covered in strange iron plates. They were all tall and strong men, covered in iron. The heavy and orderly footsteps were very shocking. Li Hao saw this and thought to himself: How can the Shu army not be defeated
A general in front raised his sword diagonally, and all the soldiers turned around on the side of the road, raised their spears in unison, and stood on both sides with their heads held high. The cavalry general dismounted and said: Only the envoys from Shu are allowed to enter to see Marshal Guo, and the rest of them will obey orders outside.
Li Hao calmed down and followed the general named Dong Zunhui to the tent door. As soon as he arrived at the tent door, he heard the voice of Hou Mao who had spoken in the hall that day: There is no point in talking more, I just want to die.
Another low and gentle voice said: I don’t want to hear how you die, I want to hear how the people of Shu live.
My lord, the envoy from Shu has arrived, another voice said.
Li Hao was brought in, and saw a tall and handsome general sitting at the top. He had a handsome face and bronze skin that was a little rough. He looked very young. Li Hao did not expect that the most powerful general of the Zhou army, known as Guo the Blacksmith, was such a young man.
This man was only a general of the Zhou army, not the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty. Even if Shu surrendered, he didn't have to kneel according to etiquette. Li Hao pondered for a moment, glanced at Hou Mao, and bowed, saying: "Li Hao, the Prime Minister of Shu, is here to see Marshal Guo on the order of the king."
The man above nodded, just staring at him without saying anything. Li Hao held up the surrender letter with both hands: The Shu army was defeated, and now the Great Zhou army is at the gates of the city. My king does not want to see the people suffer, so he presents a surrender letter to the Great Zhou and apologizes.
Guo Shao received the surrender letter, unfolded it calmly and read it, then carefully put it back into the envelope. He turned around and said: Send it 700 miles to Tokyo and present it to the Queen Mother.
Get the order.
Guo Shao still didn't talk to Li Hao. This silence made Li Hao look a little nervous. Guo Shao glanced at him and finally said: At this time, Mr. Li must be very nervous.
Li Hao said: As a minister of a fallen country, I can only let Marshal Guo deal with me. There is no point in being nervous.
Guo Shaodao: Actually, I am also worried about the demise of the Shu regime. This is not the end, but just the beginning. The Meng family has ruled Shu for decades, and the people of Shu have become accustomed to it. They will feel the humiliation of losing their country.
Li Hao and Hou Mao stood there in surprise, not saying a word.
Guo Shao turned his head to look at Hou Mao, and said: Shu Kingdom is not without people. General Hou led hundreds of people to charge into our formation. This courage deserves the respect of our army.
He then flipped open his booklet, searched for Li Hao among the scribbled words, and reviewed the information he had gathered from the Shu prisoners of war and officials. As he read, he tapped his fingers on the rough chopping board without realizing it.
Mr. Li, your reputation in Shu is not very good. Guo Shao said with a smile.
Li Hao was speechless.
Guo Shao said: "But judging a person is not just based on his reputation, but also on what he has done and said. I think if Shu had listened to you earlier, maybe it could have held out for a while longer."
Li Hao hurriedly said: Everyone serves his own master, and the guilty official did not intend to be an enemy of the Great Zhou.
Guo Shaodao: Lord Li, you have seen the fall of the former Shu Kingdom, so you should understand that this is just a change of ruling power, right
"Yes, Marshal." Li Hao replied respectfully that as long as the Zhou court treated the people of Shu well, everyone would soon return to the country, and no matter who was in power, they would all be family.
Guo Shao immediately became interested: Mr. Li, what do you think our dynasty should do in Shu
Li Hao hesitated for a long time before bowing and saying: Try to prevent soldiers from burning, killing and looting, and restore government laws and regulations as soon as possible. The guilty official said that although the Zhou army occupied Shu, once it aroused uprisings in all directions, it would be more troublesome to mobilize troops to quell the rebellion.
Guo Shao said, "Shu State no longer exists, and your original position is gone. I will now temporarily appoint you as the judge of Chengdu Prefecture, a lower position than before. Are you willing to do it?"
Li Hao was surprised: Marshal Guo can trust the guilty official
As long as you trust me, I trust you. Guo Shao looked at his face seriously.
Li Hao immediately bowed and said: I thank Marshal Guo and am willing to accept your orders.
Hou Mao, who was standing by, said in surprise: Mr. Li, you
Li Hao said: We should be thankful that you surrendered quickly.
Guo Shao added: "I will lead the elite troops into the city and only take over the defense of the city gates. The army will camp outside the city and is prohibited from entering the city. Wait for military orders. Strictly order all troops not to hurt any civilians, otherwise the crime will be increased."
Li Hao was even happier after hearing this.
Guo Shao said: Let's settle the affairs of the Li Mansion in the camp for the time being. When I have made all the arrangements, you will follow me into the city to hand over the defense.
Then he turned to look at Hou Mao, reached out and took out a piece of paper: "You and the soldiers go home. If you think it through one day, before I leave Chengdu, bring this visiting card to me, and I will let you continue to be a general of the Zhou army. If you really don't want to, let the brothers go home and live a good life."
Hou Mao had a complicated expression and blurted out: What does Marshal Guo mean? Why should I risk my life to fight for what
Guo Shao said: In order for your great Shu emperor to continue to exploit the people and collect money for his own enjoyment. I heard that the Shu lord has kept tens of thousands of beauties, which is enough to form a women's army. Let's go.
Hou Mao took the paper from the guard blankly, shook his head, and walked out of the tent. His short figure cast a long shadow under the sunlight at the door, looking very lonely.
After the people of Shu had left, Guo Shao's eyes swept from Cao Bin's face to Xiang Gong: "General Xiang praised Cao Bin for his merits, including his kindness and justice to others, and his troops did not harm anyone. What he said is true."
Xiang Gongdao: Xiang and Marshal Guo have known each other for many years. When have I ever deceived Marshal Guo
Haha, Guo Shao couldn't help laughing. Cao Bin, you will be the garrison commander of Chengdu Prefecture. All the troops stationed in various cities of Chengdu Prefecture will be under your control.
Cao Bin stood up and said:
Guo Shao flipped through the booklet casually. He remembered that he had not learned about Cao Bin, but he seemed to have heard of him somewhere, a long time ago, but he could not remember it at the moment. So for the time being, he did not know much about this general. Fortunately, he was recommended by Xiang Gong, so he should be more reliable. Guo Shao did not trust Cao Bin, but at least he trusted Xiang Gong.