Chapter 69: Recruiting Soldiers

Yuan Yuzong was just calculating whether he would receive a promotion and a title after surrendering to the Qing dynasty when a Seven-Star Sword suddenly pressed against his neck, frightening him so badly that he collapsed to the ground.

"Prince Pingxi, you cannot kill your subordinate! This subordinate is willing to surrender to the Great Qing!"

"Hahaha, Yuan Yuzong, take a good look. Is your grandpa Wu Sangui, that dog of a traitor?"

With these words, the man flung his helmet aside. Yuan Yuzong hurriedly turned his head to look, and instantly was dumbfounded. He had met Wu Sangui once and vaguely remembered that Wu Sangui had a round face, very fair and refined, looking much like a scholar. However, the man before him had a long, narrow face with a scar by his temple; clearly, he was not Wu Sangui.

"You—what person are you?"

"To tell you the truth, I am Guo Yunlong, a top general under the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage, Gu Zhenhua. Surname Yuan, I never expected you were also eagerly waiting to become a traitor to the Han Chinese. What a pity, it seems you won't live to see that day."

Without a second word, several soldiers stepped forward and bound Yuan Yuzong tightly. The city gates swung wide open, and Gu Zhenhua led the rest of his men charging in without encountering any resistance.

"Hahaha, I never expected the defenses of Tianjin Guard to be so lax. It was simply there for the taking!"

Sun Cheng also laughed and said, "In order to impersonate Wu Sangui convincingly, Number Five even imitated Wu Sangui's speech and mannerisms while on horseback, and almost fell right off his horse!"

Everyone burst into laughter. Guo Yunlong also walked over with a blushing face and cursed, "This fellow Yuan Yuzong knew long ago that Wu Sangui had surrendered to the Manchus, and he was just waiting to be a running dog for them. As soon as he saw this prince, he came scurrying out of the city without the slightest hesitation."

Guo Zhenhua snorted. "Traitorous scum, not a single one shall be spared. Off with all their heads."

"Don't be in such a hurry," Li Xu laughed. "The Dashun army is still attacking the city. Let's send these immortals on their way first; we can deal with them however we please once we turn back."

Hearing this, Gu Zhenhua hastily laughed as well. "My mind was slipping there. Let's all go meet an old friend!"

...

"My husband, Second Brother has broken through!" Red Lady said with pleasant surprise.

Li Yan also nodded with a smile. "I didn't expect the garrison at Tianjin to be so brittle. But while capturing Tianjin is easy, holding it will be difficult. I shall have to ask the dashing king for more troops."

Just as Li Yan was scheming on how to take control of Tianjin, a scout came galloping over in a rush.

"Reporting to General Commander, a force of cavalry has appeared north of the city, numbering at least several thousand."

"Cavalry?" Li Yan was instantly struck with terror and hastily asked, "Are they Tartars?"

"No, but..."

"But what?"

"Judging by the banners, they appear to be Wu Sangui's subordinates."

"Ah!" Li Yan let out a cry of anguish, stamping his feet and beating his chest. "The Tartars indeed have shrewd strategists among them! To seize Tianjin ahead of us—this is Heaven destroying Dashun!"

"My husband, the Tartars are nothing extraordinary. Let us fight to the death; it will be just right for avenging our fallen brothers at Shanhai Pass!"

"Wife, say no more. Morale is shattered. Facing the Tartars, we have absolutely no chance of winning. We must quickly retreat to the capital, or else even this small force will be wiped out!"

...

Just as Li Yan gave the order to retreat, a large red banner suddenly rose upon the city wall, embroidered with three golden characters: Pacification Army!

When Li Yan and Red Lady witnessed this scene, they were both dumbfounded. They had never heard of any Pacification Army whatsoever.

"Wh-whose army is this?"

While they were still questioning this, Gu Zhenhua had already led his soldiers to completely surround Li Nian and his subordinates.

Li Nian was originally fighting with high spirit, but the sudden charge of countless cavalrymen had given him a tremendous shock. However, as the two sides drew close, Li Nian was momentarily stunned and cried out in astonishment, "It's you!"

"Second General Li, trust you have been well since we last met. It is indeed yours truly, Gu. The early bird catches the worm; Tianjin now belongs to our Pacification Army, and it's none of your business. Considering our past camaraderie of fighting side by side, this marquis can allow you to leave. Should you fail to appreciate the favor, this marquis will have no choice but to be discourteous!"

Gu Zhenhua waved his hand, and the cavalry dispersed, encircling Li Nian and his subordinates tightly. One by one, they looked on with playful smiles, watching them triumphantly.

...

"General Li, we meet again as old friends!"

Li Yan jerked his head up. Right beneath the banner of the Pacification Army stood a tall general who, with his hand resting on the pommel of his sword, was smiling and staring straight at them.

"How could it be you?"

Li Yan's eyes almost popped out of his skull. No matter how hard he racked his brains, he could never have imagined that the suddenly appearing Pacification Army was none other than Gu Zhenhua and his gang. It felt utterly like a dream.

"Gu Zhenhua, why are you like an unyielding ghost? Wherever there is excitement, you run right to it!"

"Hahaha, General Li, that is not a fair way to put it. This marquis left Shanhai Pass even earlier than you did, and by rights, I should have occupied Tianjin Guard long ago. To tell you the truth, I encountered Wu Sangui's pursuit along the way, fought a major battle with him, and took over two thousand enemy heads."

"What? Gu Zhenhua, don't you try to fool me."

"Believe it or not as you wish. This marquis has already lopped off the heads of those traitors, running dogs, and Tartars, and piled them into a tower of skulls."

Upon seeing that Gu Zhenhua had seized Tianjin first, Red Lady felt no anger in her heart; instead, she felt an extra surge of curiosity. Hearing that over two thousand heads had been severed, a flash of brilliance suddenly crossed her bright eyes, and she hurriedly asked, "Marquis Gu, is what you said true?"

"Of course. This marquis never speaks falsely. General Li, the Tartars and those traitorous running dogs are our common enemies. Both sides should cooperate rather than confront each other. Don't you agree?"

"Gu Zhenhua, you speak so nicely. If you are truly sincere about opposing the Tartars, why don't you submit to the Dashing King?"

"Is Li Zicheng worthy of this marquis's loyalty? Li Yan, if you are able to abandon the Dashun army and join hands with this marquis, it is not impossible for us to accomplish great things."

Hearing this, Li Yan's face flushed crimson, and he wanted to order the attack to resume. At that moment, the city gates suddenly swung wide open, and Li Nian led his troops fleeing out in a panic. Following right behind Li Nian came squad after squad of musketeers, marching out neatly and forming a pristine battle formation.

Having just emerged from a fierce battle, the smell of gunpowder smoke had not yet dissipated from these musketeers, enveloping them in a powerful aura of slaughter. Seeing this, even the battle-hardened Li Yan could not help but feel his heart leap in alarm. What kind of otherworldly monster was this Gu Zhenhua? How did he manage to conjure up so many musketeers out of thin air? Could it really be that he possessed the magic to turn beans into soldiers?

The musketeers formed a neat array about two hundred paces away, their pitch-black gun muzzles aimed squarely at the Dashun army. At the same time, the cavalry on both flanks charged out, enclosing them like a folding fan.

"Li Yan, if you withdraw your troops, this marquis might still consider helping Li Zicheng. If not, you already know how this marquis treats his enemies."

Gu Zhenhua's words rang with resolute force. From the capital to Shanhai Pass, and now to Tianjin—starting from absolute nothingness to commanding several thousand formidable troops—whether it was Li Zicheng, Wu Sangui, or the Manchus, whoever crossed paths with this fellow was bound to meet misfortune. Yet his strength kept growing stronger by the day, and he was thriving beyond measure. How could Li Yan not feel anxious?

...

"My husband, Tianjin falling into Gu Zhenhua's hands is still better than falling into the hands of the Manchus. It is better not to come to blows!"

Li Yan thought and thought, hardened his heart, and stamped his foot. Glancing once more at the high-morale Pacification Army, he realized he truly had no chance of victory and could only issue the order to retreat. Having fought all night long, the Dashun army was utterly exhausted and departed Tianjin with downcast spirits.

Red Lady followed closely behind Li Yan. At the very moment she was leaving, she suddenly whipped her head around to look up at the ramparts. Atop the wall, a pair of burning eyes was fixed intently upon her.

For a split second, Red Lady felt as though her heart had been struck by lightning. She hurriedly shook her head and rode away swiftly alongside Li Yan.

...

"Milady, why is your face so red? Has that wicked fellow woken up yet?"

Mei Junruo was leaning her cheek on her hand, seated by a table. Zhu'er's remark startled her so thoroughly that a flush instantly spread all the way down to the base of her neck.

"Zhu'er, stop calling him a wicked fellow all the time. Aren't you afraid he'll get angry and have your head chopped off?"

Zhu'er instantly stuck out her little tongue, hurriedly handed the medicine bowl to Mei Junruo, and said with a palpitating heart, "Milady, please don't scare me."

With that, the little maid turned and bolted. Watching her retreating back, Mei Junruo let out a soft chuckle. Turning her head, she happened to catch a pair of eyes staring at her, brimming with amusement.

"You—you're awake?"

Gu Zhenhua gave a slight nod. "I've been awake for a while. I woke up when you were undressing me and applying the medicated plaster!"

Hearing this, Mei Junruo's delicate face instantly shifted from red to pale. A flash of anger swept across her features, and biting her lower lip, she said with indignant vexation, "How can you be such a person? Clearly you were already awake, yet you still—still..."

Mei Junruo was so angry that tears welled up in her eyes. Gu Zhenhua scratched his head and said, "My dear Miss Mei, it seems I am the one getting the short end of the stick. My entire body was completely seen by you, and my ribs were kneaded up and down by your heavy-handed massage for ages. What are you crying about?"

"How dare you still speak! I'm not going to pay you any attention anymore!" Furious, Mei Junruo made as if to run outside.

"Ouch!" Gu Zhenhua cried out in pain. "Doctor Mei, have pity on this humble soul and bring the medicine over to me."

Mei Junruo stopped in her tracks, holding the medicine bowl with a frown, and walked up to Gu Zhenhua.

"Drink it. Why is it that every time I see you, you're injured? Don't you even know how to cherish your own body?"

Gu Zhenhua also shook his head with a bitter smile. In the nearly two months since he had arrived in this spacetime, the times he could truly rest properly were countable on one hand. Maneuvering between various factions meant he had to sleep with one eye open even when resting. Robust though his physique was, it was starting to wear thin.

Especially back at Shanhai Pass, where Wu Sangui had slashed at him with a sword. Although he had managed to block it with a quiver, a massive dark bruise had been left on Gu Zhenhua's ribs. Having had no time to recover properly, there was even a risk of it turning into a hidden internal injury.

Right after sending Li Yan off, Gu Zhenhua had suddenly fainted, prompting everyone to frantically summon a physician to treat him. Mei Junruo had previously tended to Gu Zhenhua's injuries, and as she happened to have arrived in Tianjin along with several other former wounded soldiers, Sun Cheng had given her special instructions to continue taking care of Gu Zhenhua.

"Miss Mei, as the saying goes: when Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility upon a man, it first tests his resolve, exhausts his muscles and bones, and deprives him of sustenance. A small injury like this is nothing."

"Hmph, you don't care, but does that mean others don't care or feel heartache?"

"Hahaha, with Miss Mei sharing such sentiments, this scholar is practically fully healed," Gu Zhenhua said with a smile. "There are still many major tasks ahead of us here in Tianjin Guard. I need to recruit soldiers, accumulate strength, and sooner or later, make those Manchu Tartars regret ever crossing the pass!"