The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

"General Wu has indeed made preparations to surrender to the slaves..."

Ma Jinzhong's sneer attracted the attention of all the Guan Ning generals on the city wall, and everyone turned their gaze to Wu Sangui.

Zu Kuan, who was initially shaken by the large-scale arrival of the Qing army, now composed himself and turned to look at Wu Sangui.

Zu Kuan looked solemn, took a half step back, subconsciously touched the goose-feather knife at his waist, and stared at Wu Sangui warily.

Wu Sangui's mind sank slightly. The sight of all the officers and soldiers on the city wall turning their gazes toward him simultaneously increased the pressure on him.

"Now, it's my turn to ask you!"

However, Wu Sangui quickly recovered from his loss of composure. His lips twitched, and his eyes were instantly filled with ruthlessness.

"The Earl of Jingnan previously promised that if the Jurchens besieged Guan Ning and there was a change in the northern country, he would send troops north to occupy Shandong first and coordinate with Guan Ning. Why are you now stationing troops in the Huai River region and not moving your troops?"

“Isn’t what the Earl of Jingnan is doing now abandoning my generals of Guan Ning and neglecting the fate of my northern kingdom?”

Wu Sangui turned his head to look to the left and right, then took a step forward, pressing towards Ma Jinzhong.

His hand was already gripping the goose-feather saber at his waist, ready to strike.

At the same time, the two bodyguards behind Ma Jinzhong were tense, their heads slightly lowered, their eyes looking upwards, and they also held the swords at their waists.

However, Ma Jinzhong showed no signs of wariness. He appeared relaxed, and a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes as he looked at Wu Sangui.

"General Wu's questioning was truly righteous and stern, and indeed it was a wake-up call."

Wu Sangui's expression grew increasingly solemn, and a sense of panic inexplicably crept into his heart.

Ma Jinzhong's current demeanor exudes an air of complete confidence and fearlessness.

Could it be...

Just as Wu Sangui was pondering this, Ma Jinzhong revealed the reason.

"General Wu constantly speaks of Guan Ning, always for the sake of the nation, and speaks of the world. He governs the military and the people, and uses righteousness as his guide. He is truly... upright and honorable!"

Ma Jinzhong's smile vanished, but his eyes grew increasingly cold. He took a step back, retreating behind two armored guards, and coldly rebuked them.

"Wu Sangui!"

"Do you really think your schemes can deceive the entire world?"

A blood-stained document was suddenly thrown to the ground by Ma Jinzhong.

Wu Sangui was shaken, his pupils contracted sharply with shock and anger, and then a murderous intent suddenly appeared around him.

In a flash, Wu Sangui took a sudden step forward, and the goose-feather saber at his waist was drawn abruptly.

The blade flashed like a startled swan; all the onlookers saw was a streak of light as Wu Sangui, sword in hand, slashed fiercely at Ma Jinzhong.

"clang!"

As the swords clashed, Ma Jinzhong's personal guards on both sides drew their swords and charged forward in unison.

Wu Sangui's goose-feather saber was deflected by the simultaneous strikes of the two military sabers.

But Wu Sangui was incredibly brave and valiant.

In the past, his father, Wu Xiang, was a military advisor. He was ordered to lead 500 cavalrymen out to scout, where they encountered the Qing army and were surrounded by their large force.

The Qing army was too powerful to be defeated by force. To be on the safe side, Zu Dashou held his troops back, and the generals of Guan Ning also dared not send reinforcements.

Desperate to save his father, Wu Sangui led twenty of his personal guards out of the Qing army's encirclement, shot down a Qing general, and personally killed several others in the battle. He then reunited with his father, Wu Xiang, and together they broke through the encirclement.

Ma Jinzhong's northward expedition brought with him over a thousand soldiers, all directly under Chen Wang's command. The elite cavalrymen of the Imperial Guard were all seasoned veterans.

These cavalrymen of the Imperial Guard followed Chen Wang in battle, killing Li Guo and Gao Yingxiang, defeating the Jurchens in the cities of Zhengding and Jinan, and defeating the two Yellow Banners at Qingshan Pass.

He was undeniably brave and skilled in battle.

However, compared to Wu Sangui, they were ultimately inferior.

As the swords clashed and the blades shifted, Wu Sangui lunged forward, lowering his shoulders and waist, and in a single strike, knocked the enemy on his left to the ground.

Immediately afterward, Wu Sangui rushed out like a tiger descending a mountain.

The armored soldier from the Jingnan Army on the right struck Wu Sangui squarely in the waist and abdomen with his long sword.

But that was precisely the flaw Wu Sangui left for the soldiers.

Wu Sangui was wearing two layers of heavy armor at this time, so how could a long sword easily cut through him?

The long sword grazed the iron armor, making a piercing "crunch" sound and sending sparks flying.

The blade scraped a white mark on the armor plate, but ultimately failed to break through.

Wu Sangui approached Ma Jinzhong.

Ma Jinzhong had already led troops into battle at the beginning of the Chongzhen reign, fighting for more than a decade, and his martial arts skills were not to be underestimated.

Despite the perilous situation, he remained calm and composed. He raised his left hand and used the iron-bound arm ring on his left hand to forcefully block Wu Sangui's attack. Then, he swung his sword horizontally and slashed fiercely at Wu Sangui's neck.

Wu Sangui did not dodge, but merely turned his head slightly and used the iron helmet on his head to take the blow. Then he suddenly raised his leg and kicked at Ma Jinzhong's shin.

Although Ma Jinzhong had anticipated this, he was still kicked to the ground by Wu Sangui.

Without the slightest hesitation, Wu Sangui raised his goose-feather saber, ready to slash straight down and end Ma Jinzhong's life with one strike.

A swarm of Jingnan soldiers rushed forward from behind, trying to stop Wu Sangui's fatal blow.

However, all of them stopped within a step of Ma Jinzhong.

Wu Sangui's fatal blow ultimately did not fall.

Wu Sangui's murderous aura was almost solidified, but the downward thrust of his blade was stopped.

Zu Kuan's face was ashen as he glared at Wu Sangui, his iron hand firmly holding back Wu Sangui's downward-pointing blade.

"Elder Uncle!"

Zu Kuan roared, his eyes flashing with malice, his words filled with resentment.

"You actually want to become a slave!"

The sudden turn of events left the Guan Ning generals and officers on the city wall somewhat at a loss.

Wu Sangui was the commander-in-chief of Ningyuan Town and also the nephew of Zu Dashou.

After Zu Dashou's death, only Zu Zefu held a higher position than Wu Sangui.

Ma Jinzhong represents the Jingnan Army, and behind him stands Chen Wang, who has now unified the southern country and whose prestige is at its peak.

Amidst the astonishment and doubt, no one dared to step forward and stop the fight.

Of everyone present, only Zu Kuan was different.

Although Zu Kuan was originally just a servant of Zu Dashou, he was granted the surname Zu and was therefore qualified to be enshrined in the ancestral hall.

He was later appointed as the garrison commander of Shanhaiguan, a position and rank second only to the current Zu Zefu.

Although Zu Dashou is dead, the Zu family, not the Wu family, is still in charge of Guan Ning!

As Zu Kuan stopped them, all of Zu's personal guards drew their swords. Although Wu Sangui's several close followers had their swords at their sides, they dared not act rashly.

Two servants of the Zu family stepped forward, one on the left and one on the right, and forced Wu Sangui to kneel on the ground.

The officers and soldiers of Guan Ning had different expressions and dared not make a move. They all looked at Wu Sangui and Zu Kuan.

Ma Jinzhong stood up slowly.

Even without Zu Kuan, the soldiers behind him were able to save him.

Wu Sangui was brave, but he was far from being as brave as Xiang Yu or General Chang Yuchun.

At this moment, Guan Ning's officers also picked up the letter that Ma Jinzhong had thrown out earlier.

As everyone read the contents of the letter, the entire fortress erupted in an uproar.

Zu Kuan took the letter from the crowd, his body trembling and his face gradually turning red.

"How dare you! How dare you!"

Zu Kuan's eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaving violently as he questioned through gritted teeth.

Zu Kuan was not particularly loyal to the Ming court.

However, he harbored a deep and unforgettable hatred for the Qing army.

In his youth, he had served Zu Dashou, who treated him like a son or nephew. Zu Dashou bestowed upon him the surname Zu and paved the way for his advancement, elevating him from a lowly servant to a garrison commander.

In the Battle of Songjin, Zu Dashou was killed by the Qing army.

A situation of no return had been created.

Wu Sangui held his head high, and his expression did not show much disappointment.

Although it's a bit of a shame that we weren't able to kill Ma Jinzhong, the game isn't over yet.

Wu Sangui calmly stared at Zu Kuan and sneered.

"The Qing army amassed nearly 100,000 troops to attack Guanning, while the Jingnan Army remained inactive in Lianghuai, disregarding the alliance."

"Whether our Guan Ning troops can hold them off is clear to me, and don't you know it too? All of you know it in the same way!"

"Of the 60,000 soldiers, how many are just ordinary militiamen? Don't you yourselves know the answer to that?"

Wu Sangui emphasized his words and looked around at the group of Guan Ning officers and soldiers.

"You've seen the artillery under Kong Youde's command before."

"The Daleng River is breached; Jinzhou is lost; Songshan is gone; now, the capital is also lost, the entire northern territory has fallen, the northwest is gone, and the southwest is in turmoil."

"Li Zicheng, the Khoshut, and the Mongols of the North all bowed down and submitted to the Qing Dynasty."

"Isn't Chen Wang just as afraid of the Qing army, staying put in the Huai River region and not daring to go north?"

Wu Sangui chuckled coldly.

"The Jingnan Army is strong! They've swept across the southern lands, and are invincible there!"

"But the strong armies within the Great Wall, when sent to Liaodong or these nine border regions, have always been defeated by the Qing army."

Wu Sangui said with a mocking expression and a cold voice.

"What's the point of us continuing to guard Guan Ning?"

"Chen Wang won't go north, and even if he does, it won't be until the second half of the year. But can we afford to wait that long?"

"The Qing army is right outside the pass, and they're about to storm Shanhaiguan. Can you afford to wait?!"

A harsh laugh burst from deep within Wu Sangui's throat.

"Do you know what the consequences will be if you don't surrender?"

"After the Qing army broke through the pass, they carried out a large-scale massacre, leaving behind scenes of broken families and dead people."

"Do we really have to wait until the day our family is wiped out and our ancestral hall is destroyed?"

Wu Sangui's words caused the Guan Ning generals to waver.

Fear is an instinct; when facing death, the fear in a person's heart is hard to suppress.

Between life and death lies immense terror...

The Guan Ning generals and officers on the list were all veterans of countless battles, men who had tasted blood and gore.

Many of them were indeed prepared for death to some extent.

A clay pot will break if it is not left on the well, and a general will inevitably die in the battle.

However, many of them are willing to live such a life, disregarding life and death, largely because they just want their families to live well.

They were able to ensure the continuation of their clan.

to this end.

Many of them were even willing to die.

However, the current situation is indeed as Wu Sangui described.

Under these circumstances, Guan Ning would really find it difficult to hold out.

Sacrifice is utterly meaningless.

Their deaths left nothing but a useless reputation for loyalty in history books.

The Guan and Ning regions will fall into the hands of the Qing army.

Their wives, children, and elderly parents either fell to the Qing army's swords or became slaves.

Everything they own will be burned to ashes after their deaths.

"The Jurchens have already captured the capital and swept across the northern country."

"We...are still holding Ningyuan."

“What’s the point!”

"It's just adding tens of thousands more new graves in Guan Ning, and tens of thousands more lost souls in this northern land!"

Wu Sangui's words ultimately had an impact; all the officers and soldiers on the city wall remained silent, their gazes wandering aimlessly.

They were all pondering what Wu Sangui had said.

The nation was in ruins, and the social order was disrupted.

Is there any point in continuing to hold out?

"So, this is your reason for siding with slaves?"

Ma Jinzhong stood up straight, looking down at Wu Sangui, who was forced to kneel on the ground.

"You actually asked what the point is?"

Ma Jinzhong's eyes were full of mockery, and his tone was full of contempt.

"Twenty years of blood and tears, twenty years of deep hatred, twenty years of humiliation."

"Can't you hear the suffering of millions of Liaodong people, the tens of millions of northerners in the Gobi Desert, the cries of hundreds of millions of people?!"

"Didn't you see the roar of the troops from the eight garrisons and the desperate fight of 100,000 soldiers in the Battle of Songjin?!"

Ma Jinzhong's expression was cold, and anger filled his heart.

"I, Ma Jinzhong, am a former bandit. I've killed countless people in my life; I'm no good."

"But even a jackal like me—"

Ma Jinzhong raised his head, looked around at the wavering Guan Ning officers, and said hatefully.

"I'd rather die standing than live on my knees!"

Wu Sangui's eyes flashed with even more ferocity as he struggled to refute and incite others.

Ma Jinzhong's impassioned words did indeed make Guan Ning's officers and soldiers look ashamed.

However, they remained hesitant and wavering, their eyes darting around uncertainly.

For them, the so-called national righteousness is ultimately too ethereal and unrealistic.

Just as tensions were rising, a series of rhythmic clanging sounds of armor approached from afar.

Everyone's eyes involuntarily turned to the source of the sound.

Under the gaze of the crowd, a majestic general, surrounded by numerous elite armored soldiers, ascended the city gate.

His appearance changed the tense atmosphere.

"General Zu..."

On the city wall, all the generals of Guan Ning, including Zu Kuan, bowed down.

With Zu Kuan still alive, there was only one person left in the entire Guan Ning who could still be called General Zu – Zu Zefu!

Wu Sangui's expression froze, and the fierce light in his eyes suddenly dimmed, turning into fear.

The moment Zu Zefu appeared, Wu Sangui already knew his fate.

Ma Jinzhong's final words completely dashed Wu Sangui's last chance of survival.

“A promise is a promise, and my lord has already made his word beforehand. How could he easily break his promise?”

"Ten days ago, my Jingnan Army assembled 150,000 troops by land and sea, departing from Xuzhou and advancing along the Grand Canal!" (End of Chapter)