On the fifth day of April in the thirteenth year of Yongli reign, on the official road at the junction of Fenyi County and Xinyu County, the armies of the Ming and Qing Dynasties faced each other at a distance of about three miles.

According to the agreement, both sides could not have more than a thousand troops within a radius of twenty miles. Therefore, the Zuo Xiang Battalion at the southwest meridian and the Ming Army's Iron Cavalry Battalion reined in their war horses and observed each other's movements.

Clouds slowly drifted across the sky, blocking the official road between the two armies from the increasingly scorching sunshine. At this time, there were signs saying "Taibao and Crown Prince and Grand Master, Minister of the Ministry of War and Right Deputy Governor of the Metropolitan Inspectorate"

, managing the six provinces of Huguang, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou, with the banner of "The Governor of Military Affairs and Management of Money and Food", and the banner of "Prince Taifu, Secretary of the Ministry of War and Censor of the Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Governor of Guangdong"

, Jiangxi military affairs and money and grain management, the two flag-bearers of the Chen-character banner of "Datong Marquis" returned to their respective camps after a brief exchange.

Next, two good horses slowly came out of the crowd and walked leisurely towards the midpoint in front of the two armies. After a while, the two horses were about two meters apart from their respective owners.

They stopped under the restraints and looked at each other, just like their respective owners.

One, wearing a nine-python four-claw mandarin robe style python robe, hanging beads on the neck, a ruby ​​​​top is a warm hat, a pale money rat tail came out from under the warm hat, with a slightly withered and old tail, only

It was the pair of seemingly cloudy eyes that still flickered from time to time; and the other one simply wore a crimson plate-collar right-hand uniform embroidered with crane patches, and the black gauze was worn securely and neatly.

The prime-year civil servant, with his neatly tied hair, had a faint smile on his lips.

"Supervisor Hong is so courageous. Although I am not a warrior, I have killed quite a few thieves and barbarians with my own hands. How dare you come to see me alone? You are not afraid that there is something hidden under my official uniform.

A loaded flintlock gun?"

The words "supervisor" really touched Hong Chengchou for a moment, so much so that the corners of his mouth twitched unconsciously. But in response to Chen Kai's teasing, he just snorted: "If Chen Zhijun really gives up his credibility, I will

I’m also willing to accompany you.”

"I really can't bear to part with it." Chen Kai curled his lips and then said with a smile: "Back in Yingde, Governor Hong was a bit stingy. Later, I thought about it and my younger brother Chengzhen was in Quanzhou. I wanted to ask him to contact me on his behalf, but I heard

He said that he had built a Shuangzhong Temple in the countryside. The point where Xu Yuanji was pointing was the door of your house, so he had to give it up. If he hadn't been lucky enough to capture some bannermen women and children this time, he would have had to rush to Changsha to see them.

I got your Excellency."

The battle between Ying and Germany was the first official fight between the two. The two of them played the eight words "openly repairing the plank road and secretly passing through Chencang" to perfection, but the result was that gods fought and mortals suffered - Chen Kai

Defeated Suk Saha and captured Nangan, the gateway to Jiangxi; Hong Chengchou killed Lianchengbi and recaptured Wuzhou, the gateway to Guangxi. After a back and forth, it can be regarded as a draw.

In the days that followed, although there were some secret conflicts between the two sides in private, Chen Kai was busy restoring local people's livelihood while accumulating strength, while Hong Chengchou controlled the Changsha shogunate to support the Manchus. Until the internal strife among the three kings of Xiying broke out, no formal confrontation took place again. This time

, Chen Kai has regained almost the entire Jiangxi and weakened the enemy forces in front of him to a very dangerous situation. As for Hong Chengchou, with his support, the Qing army is making smooth progress in Yunnan and Guizhou, and the success of the country's destruction seems to be within five fingers.

middle.

"I am too old to be able to blow the wind. If you have anything you want to ask, just say it."

Yes, the two of them really have nothing to talk about. Moreover, now that Chen Kai has arrived at the gate of Huguang, since he wants to protect the retreat for the country-destroying army, no one can fault him if he is more conservative in theory.

However, common sense does not rule out some things. At this moment, he was indeed a little curious about Chen Kai's weirdness, but out of instinct, he hoped to end this transaction as soon as possible - whether it was for the Qing court

, it is the best choice for the army behind him, or for him personally.

"Director Hong has taken advantage of my noble character of respecting the elderly and caring for the young. In this case, I will not waste our time. I remember that when your Excellency defeated Songshan, Emperor Lie thought that Your Excellency had fulfilled his duty and had done so.

At one time, a temple was set up to pay homage. I wonder if you were so ashamed when you dreamed about it at midnight that you wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl in, or were you calling a cat crying and a mouse showing mercy?"

Speaking of which, it was Chongzhen who pressed for a quick victory and led to his defeat and capture. It was Chongzhen who mistakenly believed that he had sacrificed his life for his country and paid tribute with great fanfare. Over the years, Hong Chengchou has been humiliated by countless people just because of this incident - Zuo Maodi

, Jin Sheng, Sun Zhaokui, and even that little kid Xia Wanchun dared to expose his scars in front of his face. In this way, he is not inferior to Chen Kai.

Here, Chen Kai spoke lightly, as if he didn't take it seriously and was just chatting. However, in such a humiliating way, if it were in the past, he would have let this person's blood splatter five steps, but now: "This is Your Excellency

The problem?"

"No, I'm just curious."

Chen Kai shook his head naturally, but the anger of the man opposite him only became more intense. However, he did not let him endure it for too long, and said bluntly: "Be diligent but cannot love the people, be honest but cannot abide by the law.

With great ambition and talent, eager for success, suspicious of killing, and self-willed, Emperor Lie was indeed a foolish king. The only thing worthy of praise in his life was his death. However, this is not enough to constitute a reason for you to betray this nation. What's more,

You still surrendered the title of governor before the Tatars entered the customs. I have always been curious about what prompted you to ignore the infamy behind you, so I asked around and heard some rumors, so I wanted to ask you

Governor Hong, please confirm."

Seek confirmation?

Hearing this, Hong Chengchou just sneered. Over the years, he has already done what he said: "If you want to humiliate me, then please do so."

"Humiliation? No, I just want to leave an answer for future generations of history readers."

Chen Kai's words were so conclusive that his original smile disappeared. In a daze, even Hong Chengchou once doubted his intentions. Especially after just hearing such treasonous comments about the emperor who died for his country, it even made him doubt the guy in front of him.

It seemed that he was more of an enemy of the Ming Dynasty. However, when Chen Kai's next words were heard clearly, even though he had already mastered the Qi-nurturing Kung Fu to perfection through years of scolding, he almost turned an old man into a man.

Blood spurted out.

"I have heard that the Empress Dowager of the Imperial Court is extremely beautiful. In the past, she was known as the most beautiful woman in Manchuria and Mongolia. Governor Hong surrendered to the Imperial Army because she stayed with you for one night. Is this possible?"

"you!"

His index and middle fingers, like dead branches in the wind, trembled and pointed at the junior civil servant in front of him. Hong Chengchou felt his blood surge up to the top of the sky, and even his eyesight turned black. His chest heaved violently, and his other hand died.

He held on to the reins for a long time before he regained his composure. When his eyes refocused, what he saw was still the face that was not even a hint of joking, and his cold eyes seemed to be nothing more than seeking knowledge.

It was still a humiliation. Hong Chengchou could be sure that Chen Kai was still humiliating him, just like Xia Wanchun and others back then. However, Chen Kai was more vicious than Xia Wanchun and others when they humiliated others, even if he was mentally prepared for it.

, it is inevitable that you will lose your composure because of this.

"That's absolutely not the case!"

He had already roared out, regardless of whether there would be ears through the wall. Hong Chengchou knew early on that there was no good banquet and no good meeting, but he had to come.

The Qing Dynasty behind him was not like the Ming Dynasty where the emperor could be directly abolished if he was captured. The Eight Banners of Manchuria already had a limited number of people, and the few Manchu military flags stationed in Nanchang that guarded the Eight Banners all came from the Two Yellow Banners.

How dare he only think about his own safety and ignore the life and death of his master and his family, just a slave of the Han army with a yellow flag, who is the treasure of the emperor's heart.

He still has to be patient, continue to be patient, after all, the initiative is in the hands of the other party. If he was angry for a moment, made this person unhappy, and suffered the humiliation for so long, wouldn't it be in vain?

Secretly, he engraved the oath in his heart that "I will not be punished unless I take revenge", but I still asked Chen Kai if he had any other questions.

"No more. However, youdao cannot stand alone. Your testimony alone is not enough to constitute a credible set of testimonies. When I catch the Tatar Empress Dowager, it is best to catch her dowry. Hiss,

What is it called, oh, the Tatar maid of Sumaragu, listen to what they have to say, especially the latter’s testimony should be more credible.”

After saying that, Chen Kai turned the horse's head and prepared to leave. Unexpectedly, the good horse had just twisted half of its body when he heard Hong Chengchou ask anxiously and with anger: "Aren't you going to fulfill your promise?"

After hearing this, Chen Kai turned his head slightly and looked sideways at this angry high-ranking official of the Qing court: "Traitors are really not done by humans. Only after seeing Governor Hong with my own eyes today can I know what my choice was back then.

It's correct." As soon as he finished speaking, he rode his horse away, spitting the words "Don't worry, I can't ruin my reputation for an old dog" into the rising east wind.

Hong Chengchou didn't know how he returned to Fenyi County, and he didn't know how to resolve Zhang Dayuan's suspicions about interrogation. He only knew that Chen Kai had set a trap for him, a trap that could strangle him at any time.

The only good thing is that although he may not be able to untie this trap, as long as the battle of annihilation in the southwest can be completed, he can guarantee that this trap will not be tightened enough to strangle him.

"Old manager, it's time to step up the military situation."

In the direction of the west gate of Fenyi County, a fast horse passed through the gate, and the horseshoes clattered on the stone road, making it seem brisk and rapid. That was the direction of southwest China, and the direction of the Manchu Qing Dynasty's ongoing war to destroy the country.

When the fast horse approached, Hong Chengchou immediately recognized from the knight's figure and movements that he was a close aide of Wang Fuchen of Youxia Camp.

"Lord Zhang Jia, it seems that the situation in Yunnan and Guizhou has been decided!"

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Chapter completed!