Chapter Thirty-Four: Bargaining with a Tiger for Its Skin

"Two brothers, do you still remember what I said before? When the snipe and the clam struggle, the fisherman reaps the benefit. With the Great Ming and the Great Shun at war, the Manchu Qing will surely intervene. It is quite possible that at this very moment, the Manchu armies are already poised and ready to storm through the Shanhai Pass!"

Sun Cheng and Lu Yong frowned, exchanged glances, and could not help but ask, "Fourth Brother, you are right, but do we truly have the ability to turn the tide?"

Gu Zhenhua shook his head. "Not at the moment, but that does not mean we won't in the future! Brothers, to be honest, I insisted on securing silver and weapons from the capital precisely so that when the Manchu Qing eventually invade, we could raise a force to struggle against them to the end. Think back to when the Mongol Yuan ravaged the Central Plains; countless women had their first nights stolen, and the children conceived from such unions were often dashed to death. What a tragic agony that was! It has been less than three hundred years since the Hongwu Emperor raised his armies to destroy the Yuan and restore the Middle Kingdom. Are we to let such a tragedy repeat itself?"

As Gu Zhenhua spoke, his grief and indignation grew, his fists clenching until they cracked. The brutal truth of history lay before them, and the more one knew, the more painful it became.

"Fourth Brother, we may not understand all those grand principles, but we believe in you! Just tell us what you need us to do."

Lu Yong nodded as well. "Big Brother is right. Although we haven't been sworn brothers for long, we have shared life-and-death bonds. Second Brother will follow your lead!"

Gu Zhenhua nodded. "Brothers, the Manchu Qing will strike soon, and Li Zicheng will certainly have no time to pacify the local regions. You should take the soldiers and hide in the mountains to recover from your wounds. Then, watch for your chance to seize the gold and silver that the nobles have smuggled out—the more you get, the better. That will be our capital for the future. For centuries, the elites in the capital have hoarded vast wealth; we must make sure that money is put to good use."

"Well said!" Sun Cheng laughed. "That old fox Zhu Chunchen transported over two million taels of silver that we haven't touched yet. Plus, the other nobles have plenty of wealth stashed away. We have a tally in our minds; we'll just ransack their estates one by one and squeeze every last bit out of them."

With their confidence bolstered, Gu Zhenhua grew spirited as well. "I will temporarily send the Crown Prince to a safe place, then return as quickly as possible to join you both in the search."

"Fourth Brother, which route do you intend to take?"

"Tianjin," Gu Zhenhua replied without hesitation. "The sea carries risks, but as long as we find a few large ships, it is relatively safe. We can land along the coast of Shandong or Southern Zhili; we will certainly be able to avoid the inspections of the Great Shun army."

With the three men in agreement, Gu Zhenhua returned to the temporary meeting room to finalize the distribution of the four squads.

Compared to the overall plan, the logistics of assigning personnel were more challenging, as this force was assembled in haste and consisted of a complex mix of individuals. Gu Zhenhua’s personal presence could ensure loyalty, but once they split up, problems were likely to arise. Thus, he spent considerable effort planning how to balance and check the various factions.

First, Xu Fang was tasked with escorting the families southward along the Grand Canal, and the men assigned to him were mostly palace guards. Since the families were primarily those of the Duke’s estate guards, and the guards were unfamiliar with the palace guards, the possibility of collusion was minimized. Otherwise, if the guards were placed with their own families, they might be tempted to flee or leak information, which would ruin the entire plan. Furthermore, this arrangement served to weaken the Crown Prince's direct influence, ensuring that Zhu Cilang would remain a compliant puppet.

The original guards were left entirely under the command of Sun Cheng and Lu Yong. They were familiar with each other and accustomed to their command. Moreover, with their families heading south, they effectively served as hostages, ensuring no one would dare disobey orders. Gu Zhenhua also left Xie Bin with Sun Cheng to compensate for any deficiencies in leadership.

Gu Zhenhua himself would accompany Gao Hongtu, taking the soldiers from the Capital Battalion to protect the Crown Prince on his journey south. Gao Hongtu possessed the greatest tactical acumen of them all, and Gu Zhenhua could only feel at ease if he kept him close.

After the complex reorganization, the loyalty of the various groups was largely secured. As for the rest, it was up to fate. Gu Zhenhua then invited He Zhonghou to the back.

"Zhenhua, everyone else has been given their assignments. I thought you had forgotten about me?"

"Haha, how could I? A great general stays to guard the rear. Sixth Uncle, your burden is not light," Gu Zhenhua said with a smile. "I have already told my two brothers that it is highly probable the Manchu Qing will take advantage of the chaos to storm the Pass. Therefore, those lands and that silver are merely to put people's minds at ease for now. Once the situation descends into total chaos, these people must all take to the battlefield to slay the enemy; they cannot simply live as wealthy gentlemen."

Upon hearing this, He Zhonghou’s expression shifted. "Zhenhua, are you saying you're deceiving them all?"

"The situation dictates our actions, Sixth Uncle. If things develop as I anticipate, we must raise our banner to resist the Manchu Qing. The antiques and calligraphy you take to the south must be sold off for silver and grain, and those lands must be liquidated as well."

"Zhenhua, without land, will those soldiers still obey?"

"Sixth Uncle, in times of chaos, if you have strength in your hands, why worry about a lack of land?"

He Zhonghou was stunned for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh. "I understand, I understand. You lad are just painting cakes to satisfy hunger."

The old man pondered for a moment before asking, "Zhenhua, since the north is going to be in chaos, how do you intend to handle the gold and silver you've gathered?"

"Sixth Uncle, I intend to leave it with Big Brother and the others to be transported to the south in batches. I will travel light with the Crown Prince and escape with all speed."

"That won't do!" He Zhonghou waved his hand. "We have over a million taels of gold and silver—that is no small amount. Leaving it with Sun Cheng and the others will only drag them down. If Li Zicheng’s forces track them, they won't be able to run, nor will they be able to stay."

"Sixth Uncle, do you have an idea?"

He Zhonghou nodded with a smile. "It's not much of an idea, but we could deposit the silver with the Shanxi merchant banks."

"Would they dare to take it?"

"Heh, these 'Old West' merchants have hearts as bold as pumpkins; there is no money they wouldn't dare to earn. However, if we put it in their hands, they will skim thirty percent off the top. Out of a million taels, they would take three hundred thousand—that's no small sum!"

Gu Zhenhua had long heard of the reputation of the Shanxi merchants. The "Eight Great Imperial Merchants" had sold military supplies to the Manchu Qing for massive profits, becoming a major catalyst for the fall of the Ming Dynasty. Hearing He Zhonghou’s words, it seemed these people were even greedier and bolder than he had imagined. But the greedier they were, the easier they were to manipulate. Gu Zhenhua already had a plan.

"Sixth Uncle, give them the money. Don't worry about thirty percent; even if it were half, let them have it. Sooner or later, I will make them spit out everything they swallow!"

Once everything was arranged, Gu Zhenhua and his party took immediate action, and all four groups were deployed. At the edge of the village, Gu Zhenhua cupped his hands toward the others. "Take care, everyone. We shall meet again!"

"We shall meet again!"

As the words were spoken, everyone felt a lump in their throats, tears welling up. After a long moment, they spurred their horses and departed one after another.

Sun Cheng and his group disappeared into the mountains, while Xu Fang headed first to Xianghe to collect the families who had left the city earlier, then moved south along the Grand Canal. He Zhonghou chose the overland route, heading south to Henan before proceeding to the Jiangzhe region.

Gu Zhenhua led his troops, protecting the Crown Prince Zhu Cilang as they headed east toward the Tianjin docks. Passing through Shunyi, Sanhe, and Yutian, they rode for over two days until everyone was exhausted. The elderly eunuch Kou Gui was nearly shaken to pieces, the Crown Prince’s inner thighs were stained with blood, and even the wounds on Gu Zhenhua’s body throbbed with pain.

Yet, everyone gritted their teeth and pressed on. Two more days and they would reach Tianjin; once they reached the ships, they would have a chance at survival. Everyone urged themselves onward in silence. Just as they were resting to eat some dried rations, a scout came scrambling over in terror. "My Lord, it's a disaster!"

"What is it? Have the 'Roving Bandits' caught up?" Gu Zhenhua stood up instantly, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"No, not the bandits. But there is a massive army ahead of us—several tens of thousands of them, covering the earth and sky. Their banners bear the character 'Wu'!"

Wu!

Gu Zhenhua’s mind raced. Several tens of thousands, and the surname Wu? That could only be the traitor Wu Sangui’s Guanning Army! He was supposed to be at Shanhai Pass; why was he here? Had the Qing troops entered the pass early?

Gu Zhenhua’s thoughts fell into turmoil. "Are you certain?"

"There is no mistake. They have sealed off the road ahead. My Lord, you must make a decision quickly!"

Hearing the scout's report, Kou Gui hobbled over, his face pale. "Lord Gu, this Wu Sangui has likely surrendered to the Great Shun. When His Majesty summoned him to defend the throne, he made every excuse to avoid it. In my humble opinion, we should flee as far as we can!"

Gao Hongtu added, "Indeed, Wu Sangui is certainly no loyal subject of the Great Ming. We must not fall into his hands."

Gu Zhenhua narrowed his eyes, his mind spinning rapidly. After a long moment, he said, "Gentlemen, Tianjin is our only way out. Now that the road is blocked, we cannot escape. I think we had better go and meet Wu Sangui!"

Gu Zhenhua’s decision was completely unexpected. Kou Gui asked in shock, "Lord Gu, are you trying to get us killed? Do not harm the Crown Prince!"

Gu Zhenhua offered a faint smile. "To survive, one must sometimes place oneself in a position of certain death. The path to life may very well lie with Wu Sangui himself!"