I laughed and said, "Whatever's convenient for you."
We understand this. If the bill is under Prince Qi's name, it's considered public funds being used for dining and drinking, and the price will be different; if it's under Xiao's name, they can get a discount, but there won't be any invoices...
I led my 500 well-fed and watered soldiers, mounted my horse, and galloped off at breakneck speed. The soldiers exclaimed excitedly, "It's so great to be with Xiaoqiang!"
We soon reached the military pass. I turned around and instructed, "Everyone, watch my signals. If things look bad, we're out of here." I still didn't know the situation with Wu Sangui, and I didn't want to suffer a loss if a fight broke out. Didn't Zhuge Liang say that the old man would definitely suspect us? He was the one who started the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories; the old traitor was in the eye of the storm.
Zhao Yun was taken aback. He probably couldn't believe that a commander would say something like "If things go wrong, we'll run."
Emerging from Bingdaokou, the place truly was a paradise of birdsong and fragrant flowers. Before us stood a magnificent palace gate, with two large rows of guards standing at the entrance, and three large characters on the plaque above the gate: "Zhaowu Palace." I heard that Wu Sangui adopted the reign title Zhaowu after declaring himself emperor, so it seems the old fellow has indeed become the Emperor of Yunnan (Wu Sangui declared himself emperor in Hunan, with the state title of Great Zhou; readers should not delve into this).
Our appearance caused a stir among the guards, but they quickly drew their weapons and glared at us. Under their cover, some ran into the palace. Moments later, the sound of orderly, powerful troops approaching could be heard. Old Wu's disciplined army lived up to its reputation; in the blink of an eye, the palace gates opened, and approximately 5,000 soldiers surrounded us. A general who emerged later shouted sternly, "Who are you, daring to trespass into the palace?"
I raised my hands and said, "Don't misunderstand, we've come to surrender to His Majesty of the Great Zhou."
The general glanced at us, his gaze gradually becoming confused—we, except for me, were all still wearing cotton-padded clothes and trousers, our faces dripping with sweat and our helmets askew, yet we still wore uniforms. To call us a band of bandits seemed a bit odd, but to call us an army would be giving us too much credit. So the general was quite perplexed. Just then, several of Zhao Yun's soldiers, unable to bear the heat any longer, took off their hats to fan themselves. The general, as if struck by lightning, roared, "Why don't you keep your queues?"
I was startled; I'd completely forgotten about that. In the Qing Dynasty, it was a matter of "keep your hair or lose your head," so all those scenes of long braids on TV were a waste of time. But then I glanced at him and saw he also had the typical long hair of an ancient man, and I couldn't help but say, "You didn't keep yours either, did you?"
The general shouted, "Nonsense! How can we, the citizens of the mighty Zhou Dynasty, be compared to the Tartars?"
I chuckled and said, "Won't we soon be citizens of the Great Zhou Dynasty too?"
The general remained silent with a stern face. After a while, he suddenly ordered the soldiers beside him, "Go and see if their hair is real or fake."
Several Wu soldiers approached us, seemingly intending to pluck our hair. Zhao Yun's soldiers all looked at me questioningly, and I gritted my teeth and said, "Let him pluck!"
Those Wu soldiers grabbed a few at random and shouted, "It's real!"
The general looked at us with increasing suspicion and asked intently, "What exactly is your background?" You should know that in the Qing Dynasty, apart from Wu Sangui's territory, it was difficult to move an inch if you had hair, let alone a group of us who were so conspicuous.
Because I had previously overlooked this issue, I stammered, "We..." The general's eyes were fixed on me, and sweat beaded on my forehead. Suddenly, a thought struck me, "We...we have always been against the Qing and for the restoration of the Ming!"
The general was slightly taken aback by these words, but his expression clearly softened. He then asked, "So why did you decide to come and join us again?"
I gathered my thoughts and said, "We started by opposing the Qing and trying to restore the Ming, but then I thought, even if we restored the Ming, it wouldn't be very meaningful. Besides, we don't know where the Zhu family members have gone. Our Zhou emperor was, after all, a Han Chinese. So we decided to protect the Zhou."
The general didn't seem too convinced and questioned again, "If you now know the whereabouts of the Zhu family, are you going to rebel against Zhou Baoming again?" Truly worthy of being Wu Sangui's subordinate, this is what you call being prepared for a rainy day!
I spread my hands and said, "Brother, stop with the nonsense, okay? Do you know how far we ran to save this little bit of hair? We're people of faith, after all!"
The general almost laughed out loud, but when he spoke again, he was much more amiable, saying, "You wait here, I will go and inform His Majesty."
After he left, Zhao Yun pulled me aside and quietly asked, "Brother Xiaoqiang, what dynasty was the Ming Dynasty?"
I whispered, "Don't ask any more questions, I'll be counting on you in a bit."
Zhao Yun nodded and murmured, "Back then, my second brother protected his sister-in-law for a thousand miles. Even though he was trapped by Cao Cao, he still thought of our lord. In the end, he did not hesitate to pass five passes and kill six generals, and then resigned his post and returned the gold. If you asked him to answer your question just now, I'm afraid we would be dead by now."
Chapter 201 Zhao Family Spear
Not long after the general went inside, I suddenly heard a series of cannon shots from the inner city, which startled me so much that I stumbled. Zhao Yun quickly supported me and asked, "What was that?"
I said indignantly, "It's a cannon. This old geezer is just putting on a show for us."
The city gates swung open, and Wu Sangui, dressed in a yellow robe, slowly emerged, surrounded by his generals. The old man looked much more energetic than when he left me. That saying is true: power is the best nourishment for a man. Every wrinkle on his face shone with vitality. It wasn't like this when he was with me; back then, he was just like Zhao Bailian's father, carrying a stool and a bag of chess pieces.
Wu Sangui stepped out of the city gate, glanced in our direction, and smiled with his hands behind his back: "Have you come to join the army?"
I replied with a forced smile, "Yes."
The old man nodded slightly, seemingly quite pleased. Just as I relaxed, he suddenly changed his expression and said, "Was it that little brat Kangxi who sent you to feign surrender?"
Zhao Yun whispered, "Zhuge Liang really did predict it; he suspects us."
To be honest, I expected this. Don't let Wu's current high spirits fool you; everyone knows that in terms of fighting, Kangxi's strength far surpasses his. At that time, the Manchu Eight Banners could be considered the most elite army in the world. Coupled with Kangxi's appeasement policy towards all of China, he had the support of the people. The Han people were unwilling to help him, and those who opposed the Qing and sought to restore the Ming hated him to the bone. Wu was now a public enemy. For him to come and surrender at this critical juncture could only mean he was foolish or had ulterior motives. I laughed heartily, "I thought His Majesty the Zhou Emperor was eager to find talented people, but I didn't expect him to be such a timid and subservient fellow. I misjudged him—Zilong, let's go." With that, I led the Shu soldiers to turn around. Wu Sangui waved his hand and said, "Wait!"
...I knew he would say that—if I said that, the other side would definitely say that. What's this tactic called again? Playing hard to get. Even if you really are an undercover agent, it's guaranteed to be the first and most effective technique for successfully infiltrating the enemy.
Wu Sangui said with a smile, "You have quite a temper. I was just asking casually, brave warrior, don't take it to heart."
I huffed and puffed, "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated."
Wu Sangui said, "Then let me ask you, why should I believe you're not here to trick me?"
I casually pointed at Zhao Yun and said, "With my brother as our guide, and my unparalleled spear skills throughout history, if we want to get promoted and make a fortune, we should just go and serve Emperor Kangxi."
Zhao Yun tugged at me and whispered, "Brother Xiaoqiang, isn't this going a bit too far?"
I whispered to him, "It's okay, if I say you're invincible, then you're invincible." Zhao Yun wielding a gun is no different from Li Yuanba wielding a hammer—it's all top-notch, unless you're using a submachine gun.
Wu Sangui's eyes lit up, and he looked Zhao Yun up and down, saying, "Is this young man really that capable?"
I challenged her, "Try it if you dare!"
One of Wu Sangui's generals roared, "Insolence!"
Wu Sangui smiled nonchalantly and then ordered, "Gather the troops at the drill ground. All generals, let's observe this invincible young general's marksmanship."
Zhao Yun remained humble, saying, "That's too kind of you, Brother Xiaoqiang."
Wu Sangui led troops throughout his life, and the Imperial City served as his largest military training ground. At his command, 20,000 elite soldiers assembled instantly, surrounded by a group of generals in gleaming armor. The old man sat down on the command platform and pointed towards us, saying, “Generals, over there are two brave warriors who have come to surrender. It is said that the young general possesses extraordinary spear skills. Who among you is willing to step forward and test their skills against him? The victor will be rewarded, the loser will be forgiven; we will reward them all after the battle, so that the world will know that I, Wu, have always valued talent above all else, without favoritism.”
The general who had reprimanded me stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to offer my humble opinion as a starting point and humbly request your permission."
Wu Sangui said with satisfaction, "Granted. General Wang has fought alongside me for many years, and I have always trusted his martial arts skills. However, you must remember that this is just a private sparring match, and you should stop when you've made your point."
General Wang bowed, stepped down from the command platform, drew his sword, mounted his horse, and after three cannon shots, galloped into the arena, displaying an imposing and majestic presence.