Chapter Thirty-Five: How Majestic! The Earl of Loyalty and Valor (Part I)

Gu Zhenhua’s mind raced as he analyzed the situation before him. The sudden appearance of Wu Sangui had completely disrupted his plans. However, this might not necessarily be a bad thing; the enemy of an enemy is a friend. At the very least, since Gu Zhenhua and Li Zicheng were currently adversaries, Wu Sangui was a force that could potentially be leveraged.

*An angry outburst for the sake of a beauty!*

Gu Zhenhua sighed silently to himself. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. That was it! Wu Sangui had not immediately opposed Li Zicheng; it was only after learning that his father, Wu Xiang, had been tortured and his beloved Chen Yuanyuan had been seized that he resolved to fight the Great Shun army and collude with the Manchus to enter the pass.

In other words, before that point, Wu Sangui might have harbored intentions of surrendering to Li Zicheng and had even left Shanhai Pass, making a journey to pay homage a genuine possibility.

Gu Zhenhua gradually began to piece the situation together. In fact, his deductions were quite close to the historical reality. Li Zicheng had sent a surrendered general, Tang Tong, to persuade Wu Sangui to defect. The great traitor had initially agreed, only to renege halfway through. As for the reasons, opinions varied, but the most widely known was the so-called "Chen Yuanyuan factor."

"Lord Gu, Wu Sangui's troops are not far away. You must make a decision quickly!" Kou Gui said anxiously.

Gu Zhenhua suddenly lifted his head, smiling with quiet confidence. "Eunuch Kou, do not panic. Wu Sangui is a subject of the Great Ming. Since we are protecting the Crown Prince, we should meet him openly and honorably. We shall demand to know why Wu Sangui failed to raise an army to save the throne, allowing the rebel bandits to occupy the capital. We are going to hold him to account!"

Hearing this, Kou Gui nearly collapsed in terror. This man had lost his mind! Wu Sangui wouldn't even listen to the Chongzhen Emperor; would he care about a mere Crown Prince? And to hold him to account? With tens of thousands of troops, they could drown their small group in spit alone. Was this not walking straight to their deaths?

"Lord Gu, the safety of the Crown Prince is tied to the survival of the nation. This is no joking matter."

"Eunuch Kou, where do you see me joking? I am deadly serious. If Wu Sangui truly surrenders to Li Zicheng, with the Great Shun’s elite troops and fierce generals, even if we escape to the south, it will be nothing more than a lingering, gasping death. Our only hope now is to persuade Wu Sangui to raise his troops against Li Zicheng. That is the only sliver of a chance we have!"

"He's mad, he's mad, he's truly gone mad!" Kou Gui was so angry his lips trembled. He wished he could tear off Gu Zhenhua’s head to see what was going on inside. To think he wanted to sway a commanding general—did he really think his title as the so-called 'Loyal and Brave Earl' was worth anything at all?

The old eunuch felt more and more that handing the Crown Prince over to such an unreliable person was a colossal mistake.

"Earl, do you truly have the confidence to persuade Wu Sangui?" Gao Hongtu also asked, trembling.

"We shall try. There is always a way." The lighter Gu Zhenhua spoke, the more uneasy Gao Hongtu felt.

Just as everyone was trembling with fear, the sound of hoofbeats echoed in the distance. A troop of cavalry in black armor and black robes charged over the horizon.

This unit was entirely different from Li Yan’s subordinates. They were wrapped in a palpable aura of slaughter. Their horses galloped like dragons, and the riders sat like fierce tigers. Wherever they passed, even the eagles in the sky retreated. Their momentum was truly formidable.

A black wave rolled across the ground, causing the earth to tremble. Not one of the soldiers could keep from feeling terrified, cold sweat streaming down their backs.

*What majesty, what killing intent! Truly worthy of the Guanning Iron Cavalry,* Gu Zhenhua could not help but praise.

Although Wu Sangui was a notorious traitor, one could not deny that he held a powerful force in his hands. Dealing with a fickle, cunning, and immensely powerful opponent was like walking a tightrope over a bottomless abyss; the slightest misstep would lead to total destruction.

Gu Zhenhua also knew that Wu Sangui was currently caught in hesitation. The Great Ming, the Great Shun, and the Great Qing—all three were tearing at Wu Sangui. To put it bluntly, the current Wu Sangui was like a three-headed hellhound; no matter which side you stood on, you risked being bitten to death by one of the other heads.

This was the vortex of history. The trajectory of the Middle Kingdom for the next several centuries was being decided in these very few days. Standing in the middle of it, Gu Zhenhua felt a genuine sense of suffocation.

***

Living two lives, the situation before him was undoubtedly his greatest challenge yet.

"Who goes there?"

"Halt!"

As Gu Zhenhua’s brain worked at high speed, the Guanning Iron Cavalry had already reached the place where they were resting. The soldiers raised their weapons, blocking their path.

The arrogant and domineering Guanning troops did not even look at this ragged, fleeing group. With a sharp rattle, they all drew their weapons. The two sides stood at an impasse, the air turning frigid.

Gu Zhenhua suddenly burst into a loud, clear laugh. "Brothers, sheath your blades. Look at who they are—the magnificent Guanning Army, the finest troops under heaven. Do you think you've lived long enough?"

Hearing Gu Zhenhua’s command, the soldiers sheathed their weapons. Gu Zhenhua walked out with his head held high, stepping to the front of the group.

The leader of these Guanning soldiers was a Thousand-Man Commander named Yue Polu. He was barely over twenty, with a gallant and heroic air, looking almost like a scholar. But one should not be fooled by his appearance; he had been in the military for five or six years, rising from a common foot soldier to a commander through sheer competence.

He had been responsible for scouting ahead when he happened upon Gu Zhenhua’s sentries and followed them here. He had not expected to encounter over a hundred cavalrymen, so he was on high alert.

"Who exactly are you, and why do you fly no banners?"

"We dare not fly banners. The rebel bandits are everywhere. Do you expect us to seek death?"

"Rebel bandits?" Yue Polu frowned. "Are you defeated troops of the Ming?"

"Indeed. I am the Left Pillar of the State of the Great Ming, Earl of Loyalty and Bravery, General of the Dragon and Tiger, and Regional Commander of the Jizhen Garrison, Gu Zhenhua. If I am not mistaken, you are a subordinate of Regional Commander Wu of the Guanning Army. I ask that you take me to see the Earl of Pingxi; I have words for him!"

Upon hearing this, Yue Polu could not help but sneer. "If you want to impersonate an official, at least find one that’s believable. I have met Regional Commander Zhang Shixian of the Jizhen Garrison. Who are you exactly? If you don't tell the truth, we shall not be so polite!"

Gu Zhenhua laughed toward the heavens. "Whether I am real or fake is not for you to decide. Go quickly and tell Wu Sangui that the Crown Prince of the Great Ming is here, and command him to come and pay his respects immediately!"

What? This caught Yue Polu off guard. "You... you say the Crown Prince is here?"

Gu Zhenhua turned his face away, not even bothering to look at him, and reached to his belt to untie a large seal wrapped in yellow cloth, holding it in his hand.

"The seal of the former Emperor is here. Will you not kneel?"

At this moment, a Hundred-Man Commander behind Yue Polu rode forward and laughed, "Commander Yue, this is what they call a windfall. The Earl of Pingxi is about to pay homage to the Emperor of the Great Shun, and he happens to be lacking a gift. This Zhu Ming Crown Prince would be perfect. Why don't we just tie them all up!"

"Wait!" Yue Polu reached out to stop him. "Do not be reckless. First, we have not verified if this is true. Second, you and I are both subjects of the Great Ming; even if the dynasty changes, we cannot be disrespectful to the Crown Prince."

Yue Polu looked back. "Why have you not gone to report to the commander yet? Ask the Earl of Pingxi to decide!"

The soldiers hurried away. Gu Zhenhua acted as if no one were there, sitting on a large rock under a tree and continuing to chew on his dry rations.

"Are you not afraid?" Yue Polu asked, increasingly shocked by this man.

"What is true cannot be false; what is false cannot be true. It is Wu Sangui who should be afraid. Since ancient times, a two-faced subject has never met a good end."

"Do not slander the Earl of Pingxi!" Several soldiers drew their sabers, glaring with rage, but Gu Zhenhua remained indifferent.

"Do not act out of turn. Await the military order!" Yue Polu said in a deep voice.

Finally, after a full half-hour, the horsemen returned.

"Commander Yue, the Earl of Pingxi has ordered that these people be brought forward. He wishes to see them himself!"

Gu Zhenhua heard this and gave a self-mocking laugh. "Don't blame others for being rude—a fallen phoenix is worse than a chicken. Let us go; I, too, wish to see the famous Earl of Pingxi."

Yue Polu escorted Gu Zhenhua and his men to the temporary camp. Everywhere they passed, the Guanning troops appeared in bright armor and polished weapons, their presence imposing.

Yue Polu was secretly watching Gu Zhenhua, noting that this man did not seem to care about the thousands of troops around him, a hint of a scornful smile lingering on his lips. Judging by his demeanor alone, he truly resembled a great general.

They arrived at the main tent. On both sides stood burly men holding ghost-head sabers, looking majestic and murderous.

"Please enter. The Earl of Pingxi is waiting inside!"

A frost settled over Gu Zhenhua’s face. "Not even the basic courtesies? Very well, I shall announce myself!"

"Left Pillar of the State of the Great Ming, specially promoted Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince, Left Commander-in-Chief, Earl of Loyalty and Bravery, and Regional Commander of the Jizhen Garrison, Gu Zhenhua, is here to meet the unfilial and disloyal traitor, Earl of Pingxi Wu Sangui! Will the rebel not come out and meet me?"

Gu Zhenhua used his internal energy to shout these words, each one clear and carrying far. The burly men on either side were instantly enraged and raised their sabers.

"How dare you insult the Earl of Pingxi! We will mince you!"

The ghost-head sabers reflected the cold light—there were dozens of them. If they fell, Gu Zhenhua would instantly be turned into mincemeat.

But just at this critical moment, a voice from inside the tent roared, "Stop!"

Following this, a military officer in his early thirties, surrounded by his retinue, strode out and locked eyes with Gu Zhenhua.

"You are the Earl of Pingxi, Wu Sangui. Truly, a magnificent sight."

"You flatter me."

"I meant it is a pity to waste such majesty on an unfilial and disloyal wretch!"