In the sky outside the temple gate, there were clouds of lead and snowflakes. The first heavy snow after the winter of the second year of Zhaowu was earlier than in previous years.

Wu Sangui seemed to be recalling the past and remembering the snowy scenery in Liaodong.

When people get old, they always like memories, and they will take half a day to remember.

After a long time, Wu Sangui's old voice suddenly rang: "How many enemies are there?"

"Report to your Majesty, there are about a thousand people!"

Wu Sangui was stunned and answered that he was not his confidant general Wu Guogui, but a young general.

In a trance, he remembered that an hour ago, his son-in-law Wu Guogui was killed by Far East Army artillery shells while retreating, and he died for his country.

This is the eighth senior general who has been killed since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

After a while, Wu Sangui asked again: "Have you contacted the prince?"

The young general was a little depressed and replied: "It is said that the Eastern Capital City has been destroyed, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince may have escaped."

Wu Sangui shook his head slowly, and a wonderful scene gradually appeared in front of him: the sound of killing inside and outside the Eastern Capital shocked the sky, and a sea of ​​fire rose up. The fire surrounded the palace, and the prince Wu Yingxiong had no way to escape."

"Where are the other horses in my Great Zhou?" he asked in a low voice.

The young general looked depressed: "Your Majesty, the Ming army is chasing too tightly, and we are missing contact with other troops."

Wu Sangui's old face twitched, and an unseen look of panic appeared on his face.

Outside the temple gate, there were loud shouts of killing sounds, and a Ming army rushed up the hill and assaulted under the wall.

After receiving the order to break through the encirclement, Wu Jun, who was guarding behind the encirclement, rushed out of the encirclement reluctantly and the two sides started a hand-to-hand combat.

As night falls, heavy snow is still rising.

Thick snow covered the blood and corpses, dyeing the hills and the unknown small temple white.

Wu Sangui and the last twenty Wu soldiers were surrounded in the main hall of the small temple. The shouts of killing stopped, and the Ming army outside the hall stopped attacking.

In the main hall, there were dead silent, and only a few soldiers left were holding cold muskets tightly, looking at their emperor without any hesitation.

Outside the hall, the snow fell silently, and the world was silent.

Wu Sangui, with his hands behind his back, looked at the clay sculpture general, and seemed to have figured out a truth:

A nation needs heroes, and a nation with hope cannot be without heroes!

Wu Sangui just figured out why "serving the country with loyalty" is the goal pursued by soldiers throughout their lives?

It is precisely with these "heroes" that national security can be guaranteed, the interests of the people and the dignity of the nation can be maintained! Only with great civilization can it continue to continue!

However, what I did in this life seemed to go against it.

For selfish interests, wealth and honor are temporarily become the negative teaching material of history.

Wu Sangui suddenly shook his head and murmured: "How could I have such a foolish idea? Those so-called heroes are just fools who do stupid things!"

"Since ancient times, success and defeat of the king, and defeat of the enemy, history books are written by winners. No matter how shameless I am, as long as I win, I can write history as much as I want!"

"The so-called national integrity and the glorious deeds of those heroes can be completely covered up and vilified, and drowned them in the long river of history!"

Wu Sangui looked at the direction of the Ming Dynasty and said with resentment: "If I win, you will all be the dust of history and the sinners who hinder the development of historical trends!"

"Zhu Tianwu is the biggest tyrant in history! I am the true lord and wise king! The eternal emperor who supports the country!"

Outside the small temple, a fire suddenly appeared, and the flames shone through the dilapidated doors and windows of the main hall, illuminating the dark hall.

The Wu soldiers were in a commotion, and the bayonets on the muskets emitted a dazzling red light under the fire.

A fluent Ming Dynasty mandarin was heard outside: "The Ming Dynasty prince-in-law, the governor of the Far East Province, and the commander of the Far East Army, please ask the Xibo Wu Sangui to speak!"

When Wu Sangui heard the three words "Ping Xibo", he was moved and turned around and faced the front door.

The main entrance was wide open, and in the open space outside, a row of Ming soldiers held up torches, illuminating the outside of the hall. A young man with dark face stood in the center of the venue, facing the main hall, expressionless.

Wu Sangui was secretly annoyed. The young man was Xu Mingwu, the son-in-law of the Ming Dynasty, a thing that came out of nowhere!

What Wu Sangui didn't expect was that Xu Mingwu actually called him "Pingxibo".

You should know that this title was given by Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty to commend his outstanding performance in the Liaodong War.

At that time, Emperor Tianwu, who was still young, fought a national destiny battle with the Qing Dynasty with all the elite troops of the Ming Dynasty and the only remaining food and grass.

Crown Prince Zhu Cilang, military supervisor Fang Zhenghua, governor of Ji Liao, Hong Chengchou, general of the Northern Expedition, Sun Yingyuan, Huang Degong, Cao Bianjiao, Zhou Yuji, Mao Yuanyi, Li Shaoyou, Lu Xiangsheng, Wang Tingchen, Hu Dawei, Yang Guozhu, Jin Guofeng, Zu Dashou, Zu Dale, Jiang Xiang, Chen Xinjia and others gathered together to fight for the country!

Thinking of that time, Wu Sangui often couldn't do it himself.

Those people have different destinies, some have sacrificed their country heroically, some have surrendered to the enemy, and some have died in a cowardly manner.

Like Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War, who would have thought that Emperor Chongzhen would personally take the sword to kill him under the imperial stairs?

But more, they were also more lucky. They followed the crown prince Zhu Cilang, and had the power to follow the dragon, and then fought against the east and west.

I heard that Qi Guangyang, Xu Qingshan and others, who were just a small group leader back then, are now ranked among the Duke of the State.

Yang Guozhu, who was on the side of the old ninth border, even married the imperial family and had his grandson, King Han!

On the contrary, their Liaodong generals made one mistake, one step wrong.

Although he had been granted a title and even ascended the throne, he was just a flash in the pan and quickly defeated him, and his descendants were in danger!

Wu Sangui walked out of the temple gate, and the only twenty remaining Wu soldiers followed him with rifles.

"Are you Xu Mingwu?" Wu Sangui asked.

"Yes, it's just below." Xu Mingwu's face looked dark and there was no expression.

Wu Sangui shook his head slowly: "I heard that the Governor of the Far East Xu Mingwu is a smart general, but you don't even know the identity of your opponent. My identity is the Emperor of the Great Zhou, not the Pingxibo!"

Xu Mingwu smiled coldly: "In my eyes, you are just a fucking traitor. What a shit Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, who gave you the title?"

"presumptuous!"

The Wu soldiers raised their rifles and pointed the bayonet at Xu Mingwu.

Wu Sangui's face turned pale. Naturally, he would not say that this was his own condemnation and would not bother to explain anything to the person in front of him.

Given the huge gap in strength between the two sides, it is meaningless to continue this battle. Wu Sanhui waved his hand and asked the soldiers to put down their guns and refuse to fight to the death.

They had no ammunition or food, and there was not even firewood to keep warm. The severe winter had arrived and the temperature dropped sharply at night. In just one night, the Wu army in the temple would be frozen to death!

Since the Ming Dynasty prince consort asked him to speak, there must be some talks, and if you can talk, there will be hope for life!

"If you have anything to say, say it." Wu Sangui hoped that the other party's request would not be too excessive.

Xu Mingwu asked seriously: "Wu Sangui, I asked you, is your coffin slippery or flip-flop?"

"What?" Wu Sangui was stunned, thinking that he had heard the wrong hearing of deafness and tinnitus.

Xu Mingwu said seriously: "What I mean is that if you refuse to surrender, there is only one way to die. If you surrender voluntarily, there is still a glimmer of life. I will bring you back to the Ming Dynasty and accept the court's judgment. At that time, whether you die or live can only leave it to fate!"

"It's too much!"

Wu Sangui shouted almost madly: "I am the Emperor of Great Zhou! The Emperor of Great Zhou! I am not a Pingxibo, I would rather die than return to Middle-earth!"

Xu Mingwu glanced at him contemptuously, turned around and waved his hand: "Tie him! Others, either surrender or die!"

Without any unnecessary nonsense, the Far East Army immediately shouted and ordered Wu Sangui's personal soldiers to put down their weapons, but some hesitant shot and killed them on the spot!

Half a quarter of an hour later, sporadic gunfire stopped, and Wu Sangui and his grandson Wu Shifan were tied up in a prison car.

Xu Mingwu took a few more glances at his spoils, then looked up at the sky and sighed: "Time flies so fast. It's time to return to Middle Earth. I don't know what's going on in the capital now."

According to the time stipulated by the court, I will return to Beijing to report my duties in a few months. If I can bring the living Wu Sangui to the capital, it will be a great contribution!

Xu Mingwu planned to wipe out America and eliminate the remnants of the Qing Dynasty. The contribution was also considered to be the destruction of the country. My father-in-law would not be a duke or something?

Think about the duke in his early thirties, looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, he is also the first one!
Chapter completed!