Chapter 52 Go out your eyes on May Day

Peng Yulin and Bao Chao commanded three hundred Xiangyong to rush out from the city and opened the Wenchang Gate, and Xiangyong rushed into the city from Wenchang Gate like a tide.These Xiangyong who rushed into the city first, hacked and killed one by one like crazy, and the order in the city was in chaos.Other Xiangyongs outside the city swarmed in from the blasted gap.They killed anyone they saw, burned houses when they saw them, and robbed gold and silver when they saw them.The flames soared into the sky, and the cry moved the ground.Wuchang City was captured by Xiangyong. Before dawn, when the city was filled with flames of war and street fighting was still going on, Zeng Guofan took Guo Songtao, Liu Rong, Chen Shijie and a group of staff, under the protection of a hundred brave men from the old Xiangying camp of Wang Fu, rode on horseback. Enter the city from Wangshan Gate.Seeing that the most famous city in Huguang had been recovered by himself, Zeng Guofan felt indescribably excited.He turned his face, smiled and said to Liu Rong: "Meng Rong, this situation reminds me of your good words in the early years."

Liu Rong also smiled and said: "This situation also reminds me of your good words in the early years." Zeng Guofan read: "The bright moon is halfway through the forest and the halberd is painted, and the autumn wind blows thousands of miles into sadness. Why should you drum up the quiet swallow's breath, bind the Tianjiao and sacrifice to Mo Xie. This poem is simply written for tonight." Liu Rong also read: "The voice of the country is ten thousand miles away, how can there be a big body to stop the weak mantis. Collect the black and synthetic powder, and sooner or later the red flag will report to Weiyang."

The two looked at each other and laughed in the dark.Guo Songtao said dissatisfiedly: "You all have old works to meet today's scene, but I don't." "Others say that Guo Da has a talent of seven steps. If you don't have old works, you can recite a new poem!" Zeng Guofan encouraged with a smile. "Okay, I'll make a song for you to read." After humming softly for a while, Guo Songtao read aloud: "The smoke of the riverside rises in the middle of the night, and the hearts of the people are half withered every year. Literati also have heroic dreams. Long whales control the tide. What do you guys think?"

"Good poems, really good poems!" Zeng Guofan rapped the horse's back with a whip, admiring from the bottom of his heart. Wang Chi, who was walking behind, saw them reciting poems, and his heart was itching for a long time. Hearing Zeng Guofan's praise of Guo Songtao, he finally couldn't help but shouted: "You praise Guo Hanlin's seven-step talent, but you look down on me, who has not passed the exam. It was Wang Chi." Liu Rong said: "You didn't win the exam, and I didn't win the exam. No one looks down on you. If you keep silent, no one knows that you have a very elegant mood."

Wang Chi is the strongest man. Seeing that Guo Songtao wrote a poem in seven steps, he also said, "Look at me, I can also write a poem in seven steps." Hearing the sound of the horse's hooves, Wang Chi also read: "The famous city of catastrophe will stop its soldiers, and the scholar will make a name for himself tonight. Ten years of hard work can be recalled..." When I read this, I suddenly got stuck.Guo Songtao shouted: "It's already more than ten steps!" Chen Shijie also urged: "Come to the end!" Wang Chi pondered for a while, and then raised his voice in a calm manner: "I will live up to the deep night and face the short-haired man."

Everyone said together: "Good knot!" Zeng Guofan said happily: "Pu Shan is still coming from behind, and today he has taken the top spot of the Poetry Society." When everyone was enjoying themselves, Peng Yuju suddenly shouted from the side: "Be careful!" Zeng Guofan hurriedly lowered his head, only to hear a gust of wind pass over his head, and his hat fell behind his horse's buttocks. He broke out in a cold sweat from fright, and ordered angrily: "Peng Yuju, bring people to surround this house!" Peng Yuju and Wang Chi divided Bai Xiangyong into two groups, outflanking the house where the cold arrow was shot from the left and right sides.After a fierce fight, except for the dead, more than a dozen Taiping soldiers guarding the house were all captured by Xiangyong.Zeng Guofan and others entered a nearby teahouse.The owner of the teahouse had already run away in fright, leaving a few empty houses.Peng Yuju and Wang escorted the dozen or so Taiping soldiers in. Zeng Guofan was still angry and asked ferociously, "Who shot the arrow just now? If you have the guts, stand up in front of the main hall!"

One person in the team replied: "Your grandfather shot it, how is it? It's a pity that the shot was a little higher, and if it was an inch shorter, you would have died long ago." Zeng Guofan stared at this man.He was surprised that this short and thin man had such guts, and he didn't take him, the commander of Xiangyong who conquered the famous city, into his eyes at all.Zeng Guofan was frustrated, and suddenly shouted: "You perverted bandit, you are so presumptuous when you are about to die! Do you know that if I say a word, your head will move?" The man laughed loudly and said: "If your grandfather Wei Kui was afraid of death, he would have hidden and fled away. You don't have to be wordy, kill or chop, it's up to you."

When Zeng Guofan heard the word "Wei Kui", he thought to himself: "This man is the leader of the Chuanzihui, the bandit who was said to be the green face and the fangs?" He approached Wei Kui and took a closer look. Apart from his stubborn face, there was not a trace of banditry in his delicate features.He asked strangely: "Are you Wei Kui from Chuanzihui?" Wei Kui opened his eyes wide, spit on Zeng Guofan's face, and cursed: "Zeng Shaved your head, you inhuman animal, you killed the good-looking Lin Xiucai. If I had a knife in my hand today, I would like to peel your hair off." Skin!"

Zeng Guofan was furious and shouted: "Take them all out, goug out their eyes and disembowel them, and put them to death!" Zeng Guofan thought of the humiliation of being reprimanded by Luo Dagang, and the embarrassment of Yuezhou's escape, especially the ugliness of being caught in a treacherous scheme, Jinggang's disastrous defeat, and suicide by drowning. Ju ordered: "Immediately convey my order to the whole city, all the long-haired ones who dare to resist, after being caught, regardless of gender, age or age, they will all have their eyes gouged out!"