Chapter 87 Committed to martyrdom

The Gao family army cut through the gates in the east city and swarmed out.Maoxiang took Dong Xiaowan and his servants to Yangzhou by boat.However, the ship entered the city from Nanshuiguan, so they did not encounter the thrilling scene that Hou Fangyu experienced.When Mao Xiang ordered Dong Xiaowan and the servants to stay behind carefully to moor the boat at the pier, and took Mao Cheng to the Governor's Xingyuan, intending to meet Shi Kefa, the incident had passed and the city of Yangzhou basically returned to calm. This time, because he accepted Zheng Tingqi's urging and fled Nanjing in a hurry, Mao Xiang escaped Ma and Ruan's clutches.When passing through Zhenjiang, news of Zuo Liangyu's defeat in Jiujiang came again, which eased the crisis of Jiangnan's own collapse due to civil strife.It is true that Mao Xiang no longer has any illusions about the improvement of the political situation of the imperial court, but he still hopes that with the end of the crisis on the Eastern Front, Shi Kefa can at least turn around and try his best to block the southward advance of the Qing soldiers.In fact, whether Yangzhou can stick to it will not only directly determine the fate of Jiangnan, but also closely related to the safety of his hometown Rugao, so he has to pay special attention.

Now, Maoxiang was holding an oil-paper umbrella for him by Maocheng, braving the dense yellow plum rain, and hurriedly walked on the streets of Yangzhou where there were few pedestrians.He found that the scene in the city had become more desolate and dilapidated than when he passed through this place from Rugao to Nanjing in August last year.If it is said that Yangzhou, as a city that used to be crowded with extravagance, still retained some of its old style half a year ago, then the city is now in a tense atmosphere where soldiers are approaching the city. From the city head, the city gate to the In the city, there are soldiers with swords and guns everywhere.Even in the civilian homes near the city gate, soldiers kept coming in and out.What is particularly conspicuous is that on the towering city wall, there are iron cannons squatting one after another, all of which are facing the outside of the city.However, due to the insufficient width of the city head, in order to accommodate these behemoths, we had to temporarily erect large wooden planks extending out of the battlements one by one.In this way, the residential buildings under the wall are under the threat of Mount Tai all day long, making them look precarious.Perhaps it was this kind of situation that made Mao Xiang's already quite confused heart more tense, and his desire to see Shi Kefa as soon as possible became even more urgent.

The two masters and servants came to the Governor's Xingyuan.Maudao Cheng stepped forward and asked the doorman to pass in the greeting card.After a while, an aide in a square scarf and Confucian uniform appeared.Although Mao Xiang immediately felt that the other person's face and figure were very familiar, he was still taken aback for a moment, and then suddenly recognized that it was his old friend Hou Fangyu. "Ah, I haven't seen you for a few months, and Chaozong has become so powerful? It's nothing more than dark and thin, but how could he be so depressed, as if he was ten years old all of a sudden!" Mao Xiang was thinking, Hou Fangyu had already greeted him come.

"Hey, Chaozong, it turned out to be you! What a coincidence!" Meeting an old friend by accident made Maoxiang somewhat excited.Because it might be inconvenient for him to ask Shi Kefa some questions, but in front of Hou Fangyu, there is no need to avoid them. However, Hou Fangyu seemed preoccupied.He didn't respond to Maoxiang's surprise about the "coincidence", and he didn't even smile politely. He just nodded, bowed back, and said: "Shi Gong is dealing with business right now, and he can't see brother immediately, so he ordered brother to go to the west hall to serve tea first."

Mao Xiang blinked, feeling quite surprised by the coldness of his old friend and a little unaccustomed to it, but he could only obey and walked in suspiciously. "Well, brother this time, is he intending to join the army, or is he just returning home?" After Maoxiang sat down on the chair in the west hall and the servant brought tea, Hou Fangyu sipped the tea silently. After a while, He raised his head, stared at his friend questioningly and asked. Mao Xiang didn't speak immediately.It wasn't because of the other party's attitude a while ago that made him feel unhappy. After more than a year of various risks and setbacks, the arrogance he had back then has worn away a lot, and he no longer cares too much about such things.However, when it came to the purpose of coming here, he was a little undecided.Undoubtedly, ever since he decided to leave Nanjing, there were only two choices before him, as Hou Fangyu said, either to return home and not care about worldly affairs from now on;Originally, the arrival of the Qing army at the city was imminent. Whether it was to balance the defense of the south of the Yangtze River or the defense of the hometown, the only way out was to fight desperately.But can Yangzhou really hold on?If you can't keep it, I'm afraid you will inevitably die as a martyr.When the country is in such a state, death is not something to be feared in the first place; moreover, dying for being loyal to the enemy is considered a well-deserved death.It's just that the father is still working in Haining County, Zhejiang, while the old mother, wife and children were left at home in Rugao.Then, it seems that the family members should be sent to the father first.But after going back and forth like this, the time may be a little too late...

"In my brother's opinion, should I stay or go?" Feeling that it was difficult to make a decision for a while, Mao Xiang finally had to turn around and ask his friends for advice. Hou Fangyu's eyes flickered for a moment, and then he lowered his eyelids: "Is this - each has its own advantages and disadvantages, it all depends on how you make up your mind." He answered ambiguously. "But……" "If you stay here, you will be able to serve the country bravely and live a long history, but you will definitely die. If you leave, although there is the ridicule of greed for life and fear of death, you may be able to survive in troubled times."

Mao Xiang was slightly taken aback, her face turned red.This is not only because the friend's words hit his heart; it is also because of the obvious sarcasm in the other party's tone when he said this.However, what he heard next surprised him again. "However," Hou Fangyu suddenly looked left and right, then lowered his voice, and his eyes became a little fierce, "Like such an imperial court, such a gang of foxes and dogs in power, brother Mo Fei thinks that we are worthy of loyalty. What festival are you dying for?" "So……" "Hmph, I heard that when Zuo Bing came to the east, Ma Yaocao once said, 'It is better to perish in the Qing than in the Zuo', so let him die! Maybe they are finished, and we can still live happily some!"

Mao Xiang's eyes widened, looking at his friend who was gnashing his teeth, he couldn't help being stunned.But gradually, a resentment began to emerge from the bottom of my heart.Because from the seemingly impassioned and decisive words of his friend, he faintly felt a terrible and despicable intention. "Ah, bro..." "No!" Hou Fangyu waved his hand roughly, and stood up and left the chair, "I didn't say anything, and I don't want to say anything!" He walked away abruptly, as if trying to get rid of some invisible force that made him feel irritable and frightened. entanglement.However, after only a moment, he turned around again, walked back again, and said loudly in a quarrel:

"Brother, let's talk about it. When the situation has reached this point, what is there to hope for? Zuo Liangyu died, and the Zuo soldiers were defeated. Zuo Menggeng led the remnant soldiers to flee to Jiangbei and surrendered to the northern soldiers. Xuzhou has long since fallen. A few days ago, Xuyi It has surrendered, and Sizhou also surrendered yesterday. Huaiyang has lost all its barriers. At five drums this morning, Li Benshen led the high-level battalion troops out of the city again. There are only a few remnants left. How can the city be defended? Once the northern soldiers arrive Is it because Shi Gong is incompetent? No! Is it because Huaiyang’s soldiers are all useless? No! It’s because the horse and Ruan dog thief knew that a catastrophe was imminent, but they still took advantage of it. Shi Gong invited several times to enter the court, intending to face the big plan, but was rejected, and suspected that he wanted to respond to the left soldiers. Shi Gong even sent soldiers and horses to reinforce Yangzhou, but was also secretly blocked by Ma and Ruan. Obey your orders. Isn’t this clearly going to force Shi Gong to death! This kind of court, this kind of power traitor, why should you be loyal to him and fight for him! To be honest, I know that only fools stay, but my brother Decided to go, go today!"

Hou Fangyu complained angrily and roared loudly.Obviously, this kind of distress and anger has been accumulated in his heart for a long time, so that once he has a chance to vent, he can no longer control himself. He doesn't even care about where he is at this moment and what he should hold. . "Besides—" he said aloud again, probably still wanting more, but an instinctive feeling made him look back.For a split second, he choked.Because I don't know when, Shi Kefa finished the official business at the signing office, and has already reached beyond the threshold. Shi Kefa undoubtedly heard Hou Fangyu's last words, but he seemed surprisingly calm.After he stepped through the threshold, he was neither angry nor anxious, just nodded to his staff and said lightly:

"When Xiongtai came a few months ago, the students said that this place is a place of death, not a paradise, and only those who risk their lives can stay here. At that time, I didn't believe it, and I insisted on staying. Now I know that what the students said is true. , If you want to leave, then go!" After expressing his permission in this way, he ignored Hou Fangyu, turned his skinny black face to Mao Xiang, and said in a slightly more friendly tone: "I knew that my brother was coming, but the students were hindered by official business, so I was very offended!" After a pause, he probably saw Mao Xiang standing blankly without saying a word. He smiled again and said: "Brother Tai thought this time to stay home for himself? Even though the journey was in a hurry, he still didn't forget to be distracted. The students are very kind!" Seeing Shi Kefa, the father whom I have always admired, became more and more weak due to extreme toil; thinking of the sad situation of the other party who was lonely and loyal, struggling to survive the crisis, but was raped by the faint king and power, Mao Xiang felt his heart tremble, and tears welled up in his eyes.Hearing such a kind inquiry again at this moment, he couldn't bear the excitement in his heart any longer. He took two quick steps forward, knelt down on the ground, and said loudly, choked with sobs: "My nephew is here, and he intends to defect to the lord and serve under his command. Please ask the lord for permission, so that Mao Xiang can apply for Suzhi, in order to repay the kindness of your knowledge!" Hearing what he said, Shi Kefa seemed a little surprised, but soon shook his head resolutely: "Brother Taiwan's heart to serve the country, the students are very grateful. But the matter has come to this point, and it cannot be undone by manpower. There is no need for my nephew to do nothing. If you stay there, you will burn everything!" While speaking, he stretched out his hand, intending to help Maoxiang up. But Maoxiang persisted, refusing to stand up: "If Yangcheng is not guarded, how can we end up alone? My nephew will steal his life and return home, so what's the use of it? So I would like to stay here and do my best with the army and people of Yangcheng , even though he was heartbroken, he dared not resign! I hope that my lord will learn from this, and my nephew will be very grateful!" Shi Kefa was silent for a while, he seemed a little moved by Maoxiang's determination, but he also seemed to be considering a way to persuade him. "Well, brother, please get up first and listen to the students!" He said. But Maoxiang became more stubborn because he felt the hopelessness of the situation: "Please allow my nephew's request, otherwise my nephew will never get up!" Shi Kefa stopped talking.After standing for a moment, he suddenly walked away. "Ah, nonsense!" He stopped suddenly, stomped his feet vigorously, turned around, and shouted angrily, "What I want here are soldiers and generals! What's the use of you as a scholar? Besides, your parents are old, Weak brothers are still in their infancy, and chaos is imminent. Once you die, it will be easy. Who will take care of them if you leave them? If you stay here, not only will you not help the city guard at all, but it will make me more A heavy concern. No way! I will never allow this! Go, go!" After expressing so resolutely and sternly, probably seeing Maoxiang straightened up, with his face up in a daze, showing a sad and bewildered expression, he raised his right hand with the middle finger wrapped in a cloth, and eased up again. In a tone of voice, he said earnestly: "The current situation in Yangcheng is already in dire straits. The soldiers from the north are coming sooner or later. The student has just written a bloody letter, urging the Ministry of War to send troops to help as soon as possible, but I'm afraid it may not be useful. The student has decided to live and die with Yangcheng. This body will be last year The March 19th change is an unforgivable crime. Therefore, those who have endured death until now are only trying to gain a little life for the Ming Dynasty. Once the matter is settled, the students should judge themselves to thank the late emperor. Today, due to lack of morality and incompetence, state affairs are repeated again and again. Mistake, even if you fight to death, there is no way to atone for Shi's crime, but if Yangzhou is lost, it may be difficult to stay in the capital, and Jiangnan will be in trouble from now on! What I firmly believe today is that "although Chu has three households, it must be Chu when Qin is destroyed". From now on, brothers, don’t forget about the country, and hide its front well. When the rebel army rises everywhere, you will serve the country loyally and destroy these strong captives. Even though Kefa is under the nine springs, you should be grateful!" After finishing speaking, he saluted deeply, and without waiting for Mao Xiang to answer, he turned around and strode out. Mao Xiang listened blankly, knowing that Shi Kefa's will was firm and difficult to change, but the grief churning in his heart became more and more intense.Finally, he threw himself on the ground and burst into tears...