Chapter 57 Joining Forces Against the Enemy-Hanming(Toda a história se tornou cinzas.)

"Hahaha." Hearing Gu Zhenhua's words, Li Yan could not help bursting into wild laughter. "Gu Zhenhua, I won't speak of other things, but I truly admire your audacity. I have tens of thousands of troops behind me; if you still have the ability to kill me, then bring it on!"

With a wave of Li Yan's hand, his personal guards surged forward, adopting a posture ready to fight Gu Zhenhua to the death.

"General Li, getting overly angry harms the body. This marquis certainly wouldn't dare to kill you."

"Then what do you mean?"

"Li Yan, speaking of which, you can be considered a sensible man within the Dashun army. This marquis asks you, who is your true opponent in this battle?"

Li Yan frowned and said coldly, "Gu Zhenhua, spare me the mystery, and don't think you can buy time. This general will finish you off right now!"

Gu Zhenhua could not help laughing heartily. "Li Yan, why are you still so unenlightened? This marquis and you are opponents, but the enemy of my enemy is a friend. Logically speaking, I should be cooperating closely with Wu Sangui, but why have I parted ways with him instead? Can you still not figure that out?"

"Hmph, you are two-faced and treacherous; who knows what scheme you're plotting." Though he spoke thus, Li Yan's heart was drumming anxiously.

This fellow Gu Zhenhua was indeed somewhat extraordinary. Starting from the capital with merely a few hundred men, after making a circle around Shanhai Pass, he suddenly had several thousand men behind him. This ability to bewitch hearts was far more formidable than his own. Facing such a figure, he had to be a hundred times cautious.

"General Li, this marquis will speak bluntly. Wu Sangui has already surrendered to the Later Jin Manchus and has been conferred the title of Prince Pingxi. This time, the Manchus have mobilized their entire nation's forces. Prince Regent Dorgon is leading them in person. From seventy-year-olds down to ten-year-olds, banners of Manchu, Mongol, and Han forces are all on the move, totaling more than one hundred thousand..."

"What did you say?" Hearing this, Li Yan widened his eyes and blurted out, "If you want to save your life, you don't need to weave such lies to deceive this general. How could the Manchu army breach the pass so easily? That is utter nonsense."

Gu Zhenhua sighed heavily. Li Zicheng's defeat was not unjust; to this day, they remained utterly befuddled, no wonder they were being swept away like fallen leaves.

"Li Yan, this marquis issued warnings to you long ago, first releasing the surrendered soldiers and then shooting arrows to remind you. Why did I do this? Simply because we are all Han Chinese. Killing and fighting one another is an internal family affair, and outsiders have no business meddling. Yet Li Zicheng remains obstinately blind, completely failing to see the Manchu threat. He is truly unworthy of being a hero!"

Gu Zhenhua said with a heart-wrenching expression, "Do you think the Dashun army destroyed the Ming dynasty? For so many years, the Manchus and you took turns wearing down Ming. Whenever the Dashun army lay dormant, the Manchus would enter the pass to plunder; whenever you rose in revolt, they would watch from outside the pass. Cooperating seamlessly with one another, they completely exhausted Ming's vitality..."

"Shut your mouth!" Li Yan said exasperatedly, "Gu Zhenhua, are you trying to brand us Dashun soldiers as traitors and accuse us of colluding with the Manchus?"

"This marquis did not say you are traitors, but I am saying you are fools, complete idiots! Why are the Manchus able to view the situation of Ming as clearly as if looking at a fire? Do you know how many Shanxi merchants traveling far and wide are working for the Manchus, and how much supplies they have transported outside the pass?"

These few words left Li Yan completely tongue-tied and dumbfounded. In truth, Li Yan had also faintly sensed the Manchu threat, but for the past few years, they had been running themselves ragged, leaving no time to ponder such matters. Having finally grown in strength and smoothly capturing the capital, the Dashun army had rapidly swelled, becoming arrogant and blind to everything.

The mere thought of having neglected the Manchu threat sent a chill rising from the soles of Li Yan's feet, filling him with growing panic.

At that very moment, the city gate suddenly descended into chaos. Countless common people, frantic and panicked, fled wildly outward, while some screamed at the top of their lungs: "The Tartars are coming!"

"The Tartars are coming!"

Amidst the fleeing masses, numerous white banners faintly appeared beneath the city gate, surging forward rapidly. The fleeing refugees were continuously hacked down, then trampled into bloody paste by warhorses.

It truly was the Tartars!

Desperate cries pierced deeply into Li Yan's heart. In an instant, he felt as though he had been struck by lightning, nearly tumbling from his warhorse. Just as Gu Zhenhua had said, ignoring the Manchu threat was an absolute, colossal mistake.

"Li Yan, this marquis spoke the truth. Are you willing to let us pass or not?"

"No!" Li Yan said through clenched teeth, "Li fears neither the Manchus nor you, Gu Zhenhua. If you have the ability, break through my battle formation and escape with your life; otherwise, you will find only a dead end."

Even as they spoke, the Manchu troops had already poured out of the city gate, growing in number by the moment. The soldiers brought by Gu Zhenhua found themselves sandwiched squarely between the Manchus and the Dashun forces, unable to advance or retreat.

Wolves in front and tigers behind—it was quite literally an inextricable dead end. Li Xu, Yue Pori, Guo Yunlong, and the others all exchanged blank, anxious looks.

"Why is the Marquis still wasting words with Li Yan? Let's just charge right through!" Although Li Xu's injuries were far from recovered, he gripped his waist-saber tightly, preparing to fight to the death.

Sweat beaded on Li Jibo's forehead, but he remained relatively calm. "None of you go courting death. Let's see how Gu Zhenhua arranges this!"

"Father, can the Marquis possibly have a way?"

"I don't know," Li Jibo said in a low voice, "but this brat certainly has more tricks than you do!"

They were filled with apprehension, and Gu Zhenhua was no exception. He had not expected the Manchu forces to arrive so quickly. Furthermore, Li Yan was no ordinary adversary; breaking through his blockade would be exceedingly difficult.

A desperate plight!

This was the predicament facing Gu Zhenhua.

Fight it out!

Perhaps he could manage to lead a few people out, but that was completely contrary to his plan of withdrawing unscathed. Moreover, if all his troops were consumed, how would he rapidly reorganize an army to confront the Manchus in the future?

Gu Zhenhua's mind raced furiously. Suddenly, he laughed wildly on horseback, "Li Yan, Gu is a proper and upright man of indomitable spirit. If I fight you to the death, the Manchu army will seize the opportunity to slaughter us both—the snipe and the clam grapple while the fisherman profits. If the Ming dynasty perished in your hands, it was the fall of a dynasty; if it perishes in the hands of the Manchus, it is the fall of the entire realm. This marquis would rather die than see this magnificent rivers and mountains fall into Manchu hands."

With that, Gu Zhenhua cupped his hands toward Li Yan. "General Li, this marquis will now lead his brothers in a desperate struggle to the death against the Manchus, hoping only to buy you a little time. If I should unfortunately fall in battle, I ask General Li to proclaim to the world that Gu did not fight for Dashun, but for the common people of the realm! If the Central Plains still possess spirited men of blood, they should don armor and brandish weapons, expel the Tartars, and defend our mountains and rivers with their boiling blood!"

Having finished speaking, Gu Zhenhua whirled his horse around and galloped back into his own formation.

"Brothers! Death comes to all men, but it can be weightier than Mount Tai or lighter than a goose feather. Gu is willing today to fight the Tartars to the bitter end. I wonder which of you brothers is willing to die alongside me!"

Gu Zhenhua's resonant voice carried far into the distance. Li Yan heard it clearly as well, and utter turmoil churned within his heart. Judging by Gu Zhenhua's conduct, this man was shrewd, valiant, and possessed of great righteousness—especially with his penetrating insight into worldly affairs, making him practically an all-knowing wise man.

Yet what perplexed Li Yan most was which side this fellow was actually on. It was neither Dashun nor Later Jin; could he truly be loyal to the Ming dynasty? But how could such a brilliant man harbor such foolish loyalty and filial piety?

Just as Li Yan was lost in wild thoughts, a red horse suddenly trotted to his side. Astride it sat a woman in red, brimming with heroic spirit, who stared in Gu Zhenhua's direction and nodded repeatedly.

"What a loyal and courageous Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery! That is the true character of a hero!"

Red Maiden praised loudly, "Husband, Marquis Gu's words just now were spot on: the enemy of our enemy is our friend. Now that our primary enemy is the Manchu, why can we not unite with Gu Zhenhua to resist the Manchus together?"

"Wife, this fellow Gu Zhenhua has deep and unfathomable motives. Dealing with him carries immense risks. Moreover, rushing into an alliance without authorization is something I cannot explain to the King of Chuang; Gu Zhenhua has already wounded quite a few of our major generals!"

"Hmph, how petty! Is the breadth of you men's minds actually inferior to a woman's? In times of crisis, one must resort to expediency. How formidable are the Eight Banners of the Manchus? Even fighting them jointly we might not necessarily win. If we sit by and watch Gu Zhenhua die in battle, we will be the next to die."

Hearing Red Maiden's words, Li Yan flushed crimson. Being lectured by his own wife while she praised another man was a supreme mockery to any man's self-esteem. Of course, Li Yan also knew Red Maiden meant no other harm, but precisely because of that, it grated all the more on his nerves. Could it be that he truly fell short of Gu Zhenhua's heroic spirit?

Li Yan gritted his teeth, cupped his hands toward Red Maiden, and said, "What you say is entirely correct, Wife. I will go right now to invite Gu Zhenhua to join forces in resisting the enemy!"

Without delay, Li Yan hurried off with his men to pursue Gu Zhenhua. At this moment, Gu Zhenhua's entire army was forming up; all the carriages had been turned to block the Manchu side, while the soldiers clutched swords and blades, and the archers and musketeers had made all preparations for battle. The entire force was enveloped in an atmosphere of a fight to the death.

"Brothers, the land of China has never lacked courageous men since ancient times. Su Wu of the Han dynasty served as an emissary to the Xiongnu, his spirit as grand as the mountains and rivers, herding sheep at the Northern Sea for nineteen years, swallowing snow and chewing felt. Marshal Yue of the Southern Song resisted the Jin troops and swept away the fires of war. Now that the Tartars have invaded, it is precisely the time to display our true heroic character. Even if we die in battle, our names will be recorded in history and praised for eternity!"

While Gu Zhenhua was passionately boosting morale, Li Yan's warhorse galloped close. Drawing a long breath, Li Yan cupped his hands in salute to Gu Zhenhua.

"Marquis Gu's loyalty and bravery are unparalleled. Li has witnessed it with his own eyes and is deeply admired. I hope to join forces with Marquis Gu to resist the Manchus. Would you be willing to agree?"

Gu Zhenhua paused slightly, stared fixedly at Li Yan, and asked, "General Li, can you trust this Gu?"

"I trust you!" Li Yan uttered those three words with heavy emphasis.

Gu Zhenhua suddenly burst into a loud laugh, nodded, and said, "Very well! Today we fight neither for Ming nor for Dashun, but solely for China. We have already endured the poison of the Mongol Yuan once; we can never let that tragedy repeat itself!"

"For China!"

Thousands of people shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens and overflowing with heroic daring!

Looking at these soldiers, Li Yan could not help nodding—they truly were loyal and courageous men of resolve. He immediately returned to his battle formation, while Gu Zhenhua led his soldiers in close following. Watching from the carriage, Li Jibo could not help wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

"You brat acted so convincingly; even this old man was almost moved."

"Old Li, spare me the chatter. Getting this deeply into character—do you think it's easy for me?"

With an air of awe-inspiring majesty, Gu Zhenhua charged toward the Dashun army, while a pair of bright, captivating eyes had already locked firmly onto him.