After drinking the fried noodles, He Tengjiao was no longer hungry. Seeing that Li Guo and the others were still drinking, Cai Renxiong's soldiers were getting some forage to feed their horses. They couldn't leave for a while, so they walked to the side of the road and sat on a stone to rest, thinking about what to say after seeing the emperor.

Seeing He Tengjiao walking away a little, Cai Renxiong shouted at Hao Yaoqi: "Hey, I said, why did you lose Quanzhou? What's going on?"

"Yes, what's going on?" As we ran along the way, we either fought desperately or ran away. No one had thought about this problem. When Cai Renxiong asked, Chen Kuangxia and others also looked at Hao Yaoqi. The east gate was his defense area, so why did it fall?

In fact, along the way, Hao Yaoqi has been thinking about how to face the responsibility for the loss of the East Gate.

There is no doubt that the fall of the East Gate has a direct relationship with him as the general. The surface reason is that he is greedy, but in the root cause it is that he did not take Yang Guodong's military order seriously. If the real reason is told, he will definitely not be able to survive. The 60,000 army is wiped out, and someone must be responsible.

After thinking about it, Hao Yaoqi decided to conceal the truth in order to survive. Anyway, all the soldiers who knew the truth had died at the East Gate, so who could survive and prove that they could not?

However, he thought of many excuses but could not make things happen. He said that the Qing soldiers attacked in force? Not to mention others, he didn't believe it. He said that there were spies in the city? The city gates that were opened by the inside and outside were not allowed. That would not work. The city was besieged for more than three months. If there were spies, they would have done it long ago, and they could have waited until now?

There was no choice but to ask questions and admit that he was negligent and missed the crime of negligence and missed supervision.

"Oh, I blame me. I thought the Qing soldiers retreated, so I relaxed. After dinner, I felt a little tired, so I didn't go to the city to patrol the city and fell asleep in bed. When I woke up, the Tatars entered the city. The whole city was full of Tatars killing people. I took the side and killed more than a dozen Tartars, grabbed a horse, and ran away to death. It was also a pity that Yang Dashen guarded the South Gate, otherwise I would have fallen into it too." Hao Yaoqi put down the iron pot and said with shame.

After hearing him say it, everyone looked at each other. What? He doesn’t know? How did the Heye City be lost? We are all confused? If the emperor asks, how should he answer?

"How did Jeonju lose it?"

"Ah, I don't know."

You don’t know if it’s cloudy and rainy, and you don’t know how the city was lost? Will the emperor kill us like fools?

Everyone found it incredible, but Hao Yaoqi said that, what can others say?

"Hey! General Hao, you guard the East Gate? You eat so much, and it looks strong enough, like a bucket of rice. Why is this so good in war? If you lose, you will lose. Victory and defeat are common in military affairs. Well, you don't even know how you lose. Well, you can drink two more bowls, so that the emperor can kill you and become a starving ghost!" Cai Renxiong grabbed the handle and ridiculed Hao Yaoqi.

"Who do you think is the food? You just now have a gun and a stick, what are you doing? Do you want to fight?" Hao Yaoqi was ridiculed by Cai Renxiong and his face turned red and his neck was thick, and his heart was filled with anger. He rolled up his arms and sleeves and wanted to fight with Cai Renxiong.

"Wow, isn't it? Just hit me, who's afraid you won't be able to do it?" Cai Renxiong stood up as he spoke.

"stop!"

He Tengjiao heard the two of them quarrel and saw that they were about to fight, so he stopped him and walked to Hao Yaoqi and scolded him: "I have damaged so many soldiers. I don't know whether Marshal Yang has lived or died. Do you still have the will to fight?"

"Mr. Governor, I feel uncomfortable. This person named Cai stabbed me in my heart!" Hao Yaoqi said dissatisfiedly.

"Okay, keep your energy and appeal to the emperor." He Tengjiao scolded Hao Yaoqi, turned around and said to Cai Renxiong: "General Cai, don't be as knowledgeable as him. He just lost the battle and was in a state of anger. How about this section be revealed when he sees He's face?"

Cai Renxiong is just a mean person, but he understands that if he just lost a battle, if you laugh at him, isn’t this going to put salt on someone’s wounds? If he talks with Hao Yaoqi, he will laugh at himself, and he will probably have to fight with him.

Seeing that He Tengjiao not only did not blame him, he instead accompanied him on behalf of Hao Yaoqi. He felt that it was boring that he bullied the defeated generals of the army.

"Well, Master He, don't be surprised. The general is just a broken mouth. In fact, his heart is not bad. Really, I blame me just now, don't be angry." Cai Renxiong touched the back of his head and said embarrassedly.

"Okay, General Cai, let's get on the road as soon as possible."

"Sir He, you have been traveling for so long. Are you too tired? You won't have to rest for one night before Niuting Mountain and go to Wushi Mountain tomorrow?"

"No, even if He is exhausted, he will rush to Wushishan tonight to see the emperor."

...

When He Tengjiao and others arrived at Wushi Mountain, it was already late at night on November 16th.

At the age of fifty-five, he rode a horse for thousands of miles a day and night. He Tengjiao's body couldn't stand it, and his whole body seemed to be dispersed. When he arrived at the foot of Wushi Mountain, Li Guo helped him down and collapsed to the ground, and he was unable to stand up any longer.

The sentry reported the news up the mountain, and soon more than a dozen guards carried a pair of stretchers down the mountain, helped He Tengjiao onto the stretcher and carried it up the mountain.

Zhu Youlang had already fallen asleep. After receiving the news of He Tengjiao's arrival, he immediately got up and ordered all the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Li Yong and Yang Yuan to invite them to the imperial tent.

"The criminal He Tengjiao kowtowed to the emperor, long live my emperor!" He Tengjiao was carried outside the imperial tent, struggled to get up, tidy up his clothes and hair, and kowtowed to salute after entering the tent. After the tribute, he lay on the ground.

"He Aiqing, hurry up and calm down! Li Hong, give him a seat!" Seeing that He Tengjiao was in a very embarrassing state, Zhu Youlang quickly ordered Li Hong to help him up, and brought a chair to sit down.

He Tengjiao sat on the chair, and Zhu Youlang ordered Li Hong to pour him a cup of herbal tea. He Tengjiao took it and drank it all.

After this trouble and drinking tea, his body and spirit finally improved a little.

"He Aiqing, you are too tired. After I finish asking a few important words, go down and rest immediately." Zhu Youlang saw that his hair was distracted, his face turned yellow, his eyes were red, and his lips were chapped and white. He knew that his body was almost at its limit, so he quickly said.

"Thank you, your Majesty. Please ask me."

"Where is Yang Aiqing now?"

"Go back to Your Majesty, the city suddenly broke out last night. The Qing soldiers rushed in from the east gate. General Yang ordered General Chen Kuangxia as the vanguard, and our troops were the central army, breaking through the south gate. Lord Yang himself cut off the rear. I was in a retreat in the Baimianshishan area. Forty thousand people were either killed or injured, and only more than a thousand cavalry escaped. General Yang is not aware of his life and death now."

"How did the East Gate fall?"

"When you go back to your Majesty, the person guarding the East Gate is Hao Yongzhong, the surrendered general in Hunan. He also fled back. I have asked him, but he doesn't know the reason for his loss."
Chapter completed!