In 1647, the first year of the Yongli period of the Ming Dynasty, on the 11th day of the first lunar month, a large flag was flying over Zhaoqing Prefecture City. In the middle of the flag, a large red-shaped word "Ming" was particularly conspicuous, and pedestrians ten miles away could clearly see it.

On both sides of it, there are two slightly lower white-black hanging pole flags with black characters on white background. On the two long-black hanging pole flags, there are four large cursive characters written on them: Expel the Tartars and defeat China! The brushwork of the big characters is vigorous and powerful, and it penetrates the back of the paper, as if it wants to spray the full of grief and anger on this three-foot white cloth.

In the distance, a group of black refugees came over like a tide. Dozens of city gate guards who maintained order were tilted. The gatekeeper who led the team squeezed out of the crowd in sweat, jumped onto a big rock next to the city gate, waved his arms vigorously, and shouted loudly: "The Lord of the Pavilion said that everyone can enter the city, don't squeeze, don't worry, the Tartars are still far away!"...

His shouting did not last long and was drowned in the cry of the refugees. The refugees were dressed in rags, holding the elderly and the young, carrying the only few valuable items, and rushed into the city desperately. Most of them had been on foot for a few days, for more than ten days. Although they were exhausted and could fall down at any time, they still gritted their teeth and tried their best to squeeze into this strong city and save their lives.

Zhaoqing Prefecture City is the temporary capital of the Yongli Dynasty of the Southern Ming Dynasty. It is backed by Beiling and faces the Xijiang River. It controls Cangwu on the top and controls the South China Sea on the bottom. The northern part is the Lihu formed by the Beiling Mountains and the ancient river channel of the Xijiang River. The middle part is the alluvial plain of river valleys. The eastern and western ends are overlapping peaks to lock the river flow, forming Sanrong Gorge, Dading Gorge and Lingyang Gorge. It is a veritable pass and one of the few strong cities in Guangdong. If there is still a place in western Guangdong that can block the Qing cavalry, this is the only place.????

In this chaotic world where life is as cheap as grass, under the threat of the Han people's destruction of the country and the extermination of the race, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in western Guangdong placed their last hope on it. But can Zhaoqing City bear their hope?

The crying and wailing of the fleeing people rose up one by one, and clearly reached the top of the city. Under the desolate banner of expelling the Tartars and repelling China, an old man with a frown and a solemn expression was standing on the battlement of the city gate. Looking at the miserable state of the refugees under the city, he was in a heavy mood, his eyes were red, and his face looked sad.

He had a wide mouth, thick eyebrows and broad eyes, wearing a scarlet dress, a net scarf, and three strands of beard floating under his jaw. In silence, he naturally exuded a kind of majesty.

The footsteps sounded. Zhang Tongbi, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, the admiral of the Beijing camp, and the great-grandson of Zhang Juzheng, a famous prime minister, rushed to the city with a sword. He stood behind the old man, bowed and frowned, and said softly: "Gei, the students have transferred 3,000 stones of grain from the treasury according to your instructions, and built a porridge shed and residence. However, during the supervision process, Zhu Jiantai seemed a little reluctant and did not want to cooperate with the students."

"Hmph!" The old man turned around and turned out that he was the Grand Secretary of the Dongge and was the assistant minister of the Rongzheng Minister of the Beijing Camp.

Zhai Shizuo looked at Zhang Tongbi and said coldly: "You must be willing even if you are reluctant. No matter what, the people must be placed well. They must not be allowed to endure the cold and starve."

Zhang Tongbi's eyes were bright, he clasped his fists to answer, and his voice was low and powerful: "Abide by the orders of the Pavilion Department.?"

Zhai Shizuo nodded and said, "What is the military situation ahead?"

Zhang Tong stroked his lips a few times, but he stopped talking.

Zhai Shizuo sighed softly and said, "Don't hide it from me, just say it."

Zhang Tongbi lowered his head and said, "Just just now, Deputy General Zhang Youde abandoned Sanshui... and led his troops to surrender..."

After hearing this, Zhai Shili's face turned blue and purple, and her teeth clattered. After taking a deep breath, she returned to calm: "Is there any?"

Zhang Tongbi shook his head, with a hint of gloom in his expression. He wished he would report good news to his mentor! Even though the news was insignificant, sadly, what was filled with bad news was one after another.

Grand Secretary He Wuqi, Governor Geng Xianzhong, Hong Tianyao, General Ye Chengen and others surrendered one after another. The western Guangdong area was in chaos and Zhaoqing had become an isolated city. Once the eastern department of Sanshui City was lost, Zhaoqing was exposed under the cavalry of the Qing army. It was only a matter of time before the day the troops arrived at the city.

Zhai Shizuo stopped asking, carried his hands on his back, and looked up at the West. Zhang Tongbi knew what he was staring at, because the soldiers and civilians in Zhaoqing were staring at it, but more than ten days passed, but he did not see a reinforcement coming.

Zhaoqing was originally the Xingdu of the Ming Dynasty and an important city in western Guangdong, but now there are less than 3,000 soldiers in the city, and most of them are from the squad. That is, the guards who are in the Xingdu take turns to train in the garrison, without any combat power. The elite troops have been drawn away by Ding Kuichu. Facing the large number of fierce and good at fighting Qing army, this amount of troops is really insignificant. Therefore, whether enough reinforcements can be gathered has become the key to the survival of Zhaoqing City.

Thinking of this, Zhang Tongbi felt sad. Looking at Zhai Shili's isolated and helpless back, he felt even more sad. He stepped forward and comforted in a low voice: "Teacher, the emperor values ​​you the most. He will not leave you alone. When the emperor summons enough troops to support the king, he will definitely send him to help us. Teacher, please relax."

Zhai Shizui said, "I hope so." He smiled bitterly in his heart. No one knows more about the current generation than him. He is generous and kind, but timid and cowardly. If he is in a peaceful world and has the assistance of capable ministers, he will definitely become a wise king.

But now, what is needed to govern the country and ensure the country is the decisive decisiveness of the king and the ease of change in chaos. These qualities can only be seen by the founding lords of every dynasty. This Western Tour, it is enough to make him feel relieved that the emperor can save his life, let alone send troops to help. He does not have much hope for this, and can only do his best to leave his destiny.

He is not afraid of death. As the central governor, he can die for the country. In his opinion, it is a kind of glory, but the people in the city are innocent, and even for them, he will not give up.

"How long has Nong (Wang Fuzhi, whose courtesy name is Ernong) been to Wuzhou?" After a long time, Zhai Shizuo asked casually.

Zhang Tongbi bowed and replied, "I've been back to the teacher for two days."

Zhai Shizuo nodded and pondered: "About it, I guess I will be able to arrive in Wuzhou in two or three days."

A hint of comfort appeared on Zhang Tongbi's solemn face: "Yes, and the farmer is a traveler. He is young and promising and good at speaking. I believe that his mission will be fulfilled in this trip. He brought the reinforcements sent by the emperor to save Zhaoqing from danger."

Now the situation in Zhaoqing has reached its most critical moment. The Qing army is coming fiercely, and the defenders everywhere are defeated too quickly. The military situation changes several times overnight. Zhai Shizuo frequently dispatched troops, but the Qing soldiers are approaching the border. When the emperor heard the police running west, the morale of the Ming army in western Guangdong has long been in chaos. The military orders are like waste paper. There are some defenders in various places surrender without fighting, some abandoned the city and fled, and there are only one who runs to Zhaoqing to rescue. Until now, the only hope is that the emperor of the West can send reinforcements.

Zhai Shili deeply understood this point, so he was very worried. Not only was he afraid that time would not be too late, Zhaoqing would be captured before he could come to reinforcements, but he was also afraid that the emperor would not be able to send reinforcements.

Before leaving, the emperor asked him to govern the defense of western Guangdong. He also tried his best to strive to save the emperor's order. After several efforts, the panic situation in Zhaoqing City finally made the situation of panic in Zhaoqing City initially stable. At least under his supervision and inspiration, the officials and gentry gathered from all over the country were still in harmony on the surface, but he knew that this was just an illusion. Once the Qing army was at the city, it was difficult to defend the city, and civil strife might immediately break out in the city. Thinking of this, Zhai Shizui felt sad. He raised his eyes and stared at the direction of Wuzhou, Guangxi.
Chapter completed!