Chapter 43 Jiu Kanglu and 5,000 soldiers of the Taiping Army died calmly and self-immolated generously in Tianwang Palace

In order to attack the city, the bunker city must be taken first, but the bunker city cannot be taken down. The Taiping Army went all out to defend it. Every day, gunpowder and gunpowder were continuously transported into the fort from the Taiping Gate, and the strongest young soldiers were selected to replace the casualties.The city tightened its belt and gave the most precious edible things to those who guarded the fort.In this way, although Tianbao City has been lost for more than four months, Bunker City is still in the hands of the Taiping Army.Zeng Guoquan was furious all day long, and often killed the generals for no reason, which made everyone in Jizi Daying fearful.At this time, the imperial court issued an order to send Li Hongzhang to lead the army to attack Jinling.When the Shangyu arrived in Anqing, Zeng Guofan was troubled by it.Tell Li Hongzhang to go, use Gordon's foreign gun team, Jinling may be able to overcome it quickly, but let others pick the hard-earned results of the Jizi Daying, not to mention the arrogant and competitive younger brother who is not reconciled , even he himself is not reconciled.Why don't you ask Li Hongzhang to go? When will Jinling be broken?Gunpowder, food and salaries cannot be paid for a long time. If there is another accident and the success falls short, won't it make the world ridicule?After thinking about it, he decided to proceed from the overall situation, and it is better to ask Li Hongzhang to quickly bring the foreign gun team to help.At the same time, it was decided that once Li Hongzhang sent troops, he would also set off from Anqing and sit outside Jinling City.

In this way, as the commander-in-chief of the battlefield, he naturally ranked first in the siege of the city; if Li Hongzhang did not go, he would stay in Anqing, and he could not steal his brother's merit. In Suzhou City, Li Hongzhang also encountered difficulties after receiving the decree.For that Zeng Laojiu, he knew very well: he is not very capable, but he has nothing in his eyes, and he thinks he is one of the best heroes in the world.He knew that he would be successful as soon as he left, but since then he has formed a deep hatred with Zeng Laojiu, and it will also make his teacher unhappy.If you don't go, you will violate the holy command.

After much deliberation, Li Hongzhang came up with an excellent excuse: it is not appropriate to use artillery more in hot summer.He played it again and wrote to Anqing and Jinling respectively. "Others are coming to grab credit, do you agree?" Zeng Guoquan sternly asked everyone after showing the edict at the meeting of the senior generals of Jizi Daying. "Is there such a cheap thing in the world? I have been fighting here for three years, with my head hanging on my belt, and they have it ready-made. Li Laoer, if he dares to come, let me see if I don't break his dog legs!" Li Chendian Jump up and yell.

"Jinling is owned by the big camp with auspicious characters. It is our own business to break down sooner or later. No one should even think about it." Peng Yuju shouted. "What are you talking about, foreign gun team, don't even think about showing off in front of grandpa!" Liu Lianjie scolded. Zeng Guoquan was very happy to see his generals so united. He announced: "Tomorrow, each battalion will recommend 30 people. I will choose 1,000 people from them to form a death squad. I must take down the bunker city within three days. Go back and tell them After Jinling is captured, each member of the Death Squad will be rewarded with five hundred taels of silver, and those who died in battle will receive a compensation of one thousand taels of silver."

Zeng Guoquan believes that there must be an ancient saying of a brave man under a heavy reward.He most admires Hu Linyi's three virtues: loving talents like life, killing people like hemp, and spending money like dirt.But he can't do the first one, and he can't do the last two.Sure enough, this move worked, and the battalion officers rushed to sign up.Zhao Liewen, who was sitting on the side, spoke calmly: "Brothers, the achievements of bloody battles cannot be taken advantage of by others. Naturally, it is right. The Nine Marshals rewarded the Death Squad, which is a heroic act. But I think that using one's anger, Brutally attacking and fighting, you will definitely not be able to take down the bunker city within three days, you must learn from the lessons of the past, and change the brutal attack into cleverness."

"Hui Fu, what clever trick do you have? Tell me quickly," Zeng Guoquan urged. "Dragon Neck Fortress, relying on its condescending terrain, caused heavy losses to our army. It is indeed extremely abominable. However, we should not imitate the method of surrounding and building stone fortresses on the mountain, because it is closely connected with the city and cannot be surrounded."Zhao Liewen frowned, and slowly said his method, "So we still have to attack from the front. In ancient times, in wars, two armies faced each other, holding a spear in one hand and a shield in the other. The spears attack the shield and block, each has its own use. Thieves In the stone fortress, the cannon is the spear, and the fort is the shield, which can be attacked or defended. Our army only has cannons but no fortification, that is to say, there are only spears but no shields, and we need to build shields."

"Building a shield?" Li Chen Dianzhang Ba Vajra was puzzled, "What kind of shield can you block the cannonball?" "Brother Xianghe, listen to Huifu, I don't think his shield is made of cowhide," Kang Fu said. "Of course not cowhide." Zhao Liewen smiled, "We also build a wall." "I'm afraid that if the wall is not built well, everyone will be beaten to death by cannons." Zhu Hongzhang interjected. "Don't worry, everyone, listen to me and see if my idea works." Zhao Liewen still said calmly, "We learn how the country people weave bamboo fences and weave dozens of Zhang fences with reeds, bamboo branches and wooden sticks. Put a long, eight-foot-high, two-foot-thick fence, and then mix the mud and smear it on it. This will become a thick wall. Then install a few wheels underneath, and people will push it forward. , the cannon followed. Isn’t this bamboo fence a shield?”

"Huifu's method is good, but can it stop the cannons? Can a fence that is eight feet long and two feet thick be pushed even with wheels?" Kang Fu asked. "A two-foot-thick fence can be blocked by cannonballs, but not by flowering cannons." Zeng Guoquan said, "Eight feet is not necessary. It is enough to make it five feet high. The eldest son can also block it by bending over a little. In order to reduce the weight , You can also change the length of one foot to seven or eight feet long." "Jiu Shuai is right." Seeing Zeng Guoquan's support, Zhao Liewen was happy, "Fences can block firecrackers, but not firecrackers. In the past half a month, Changmao hasn't fired a firecracker. I guess there are not many firecrackers." , so it can be used as a fence. Other dimensions are reduced according to Jiushuai’s instructions.”

Many generals said that this method can be tried, so Zeng Guoquan ordered Zhao Liewen to supervise the production immediately. The next day, fifteen tall and sturdy rolling fence walls were completed, and a death squad led by Peng Yuju and others was also formed.The first group of 300 members of the Death Squad pushed the five living walls towards the bunker city and stopped 300 feet away from the bunker.The Taiping Army in the fort didn't know what the Hunan Army was pushing, and they fired densely at it.I saw the cannon hit the fence, making a "bump" sound, and the fence swallowed it all.The Hunan Army was proud and hurriedly installed shells.A burst of explosive shells began to bombard the side of the bunker city, and some fences boldly advanced fifty or sixty feet, and the shells shattered some of the stones.The commander of the bunker city, Mu Wang He Zhenchuan, ordered the fireworks to be opened.As Zhao Liewen guessed, there were not many flowering shells in the castle, and they were not used until an emergency.The flowering shells were really powerful. When a shell hit the past, the fence was immediately blasted into a big hole, and a large number of Hunan troops behind them died.The daredevils were frightened, and the fence in front of them retreated again.Dozens of explosive shells hit, the five fences were blown to pieces, most of the 300 death squads died, half of Peng Yuju's ear was cut off, and blood flowed all over his face.Zhao Liewen's face was pale, worried that Zeng Guoquan would punish him severely.Unexpectedly, Zeng Guoquan ferociously ordered: "Second batch up!" The second batch of 300 death-defying members were all timid, looking at each other and not daring to move forward rashly.Liu Lianjie jumped out with a big knife in his hand, raised the knife in his hand, and split a wooden stake next to him into two, roaring like thunder: "Everyone charge forward, and anyone who can't move forward is this wooden stake!" The death squad was restrained I had no choice but to push up the fence and move forward with fear.From afar, the cannon started to fire.A few more explosive shells were fired in the bunker city, and two fence walls were blown to pieces. Liu Lianjie urged the next three to continue going up.The three fence walls slowly pushed forward.strangeness!There was only a "thump" on the fence, and there was no more cracking of the cannonballs.

"Jiu Shuai, Changmao's flowering cannonballs are finished!" Zhao Liewen yelled at Zeng Guoquan.Zeng Guoquan picked up the binoculars hanging around his neck and stared silently ahead. Three fence walls speeds things up noticeably.It was only two hundred feet away from the fort, and there were still no shells fired from the embrasures, and even the guns were scarce. "The third batch!" Zeng Guoquan ordered, waving his command knife.Zhu Hongzhang rushed out in response, and while shouting "Go", he took off his sweat-soaked jacket and trousers. He was bare-chested and wearing shorts.Driven by heavy rewards, they bullied the Taiping Army without firing shells. Relying on the power of Western cannons, they pushed forward to the bunker city without fear.Other Hunan troops fired artillery at the Taipingmen tower, suppressing the firepower on the city wall.

"Mu Wang, there are still five flowering cannons, let them go!" The soldiers in the fort asked He Zhenchuan for instructions. "Let them go forward!" He Zhenchuan calmly instructed, looking at the approaching living wall at the foot of the mountain.At this time, tens of thousands of brave soldiers of the Hunan Army without fences as shields, driven by the battalion officers, swarmed towards the foot of the mountain like ants. "Let go!" He Zhenchuan ordered.A flower cannon was shot out, and saw it go into the fence, but there was no sound. "Oops, it's a squib!" It turned out that the remaining five shells were the bottom row, directly in contact with the ground.It was the beginning of June.Jinling in June was originally a big furnace, but the bunker city was filled with more than 300 soldiers, and the crowd was airtight, the heat was unbearable, sweat flowed down like rain, and the muddy ground in the bunker city became mud.The five shells were pressed deep in the mud, soaked in sweat, and the fuzes had completely failed.Another cannon was fired, but it was silent again.The Taiping army panicked. "Fire!" He Zhenchuan ordered coldly.No matter how intense and dense the guns were, they could not stop the Hunan Army from advancing.A burst shell hit the bunker city, blowing open a skylight, and another shot came in, and more than a dozen soldiers fell in a pool of blood.He Zhenchuan lit the fire himself, and shouted: "Brothers, let's go to heaven to meet the king of heaven together!" One after another, Anqing-made and Xiyang-made shells shot in one after another. He Zhenchuan fell, and more than three hundred The soldiers of the Taiping Army fell, and the bunker city disappeared from the dragon's neck. After the Bunker City was lost, there was no fortress outside Tianjing City anymore.The sun was scorching hot every day, and the sky was clear, but in the eyes of the 30,000 soldiers and civilians in the city, the sky was full of haze. Even a three-year-old child knew that the fall of Tianjing was only a few days away.These people in the city are the most loyal citizens of the kingdom of heaven. No one thinks of going out to escape. Everything has been risked. Everything in the world, including the sun, moon and stars, no longer exists. What exists is only themselves and the demons outside the city.They also don't have the concept of defending Tianjing anymore. The purpose of their life is to kill a few more Qing monsters, and they will be brought down when they die.A few days ago, some mothers sent their young children outside the city. They couldn't bear to see their children die with them.Later, when the women saw the corpses of children lined up at the foot of the outer wall of the city, even this idea was dismissed.All soldiers and civilians have invested in digging wells.Once the well meets the tunnel, the gunpowder bag is ignited and thrown down, and the tunnel is immediately blasted away.If there is no gunpowder, pour sewage and feces.In this way, the tunnels were blocked one by one, and Tianjing City miraculously stood still for half a month. In the early morning of June 16th in the third year of Tongzhi, Zeng Guoquan brought all the generals outside Taiping Gate and said to everyone: "Li Junmen's Xinzi camp worked all night last night and dug through three holes. Changmao found out that it was about to ignite and explode. Of the three tunnels, at least one of them blasted through the city wall. Who wants to be the vanguard and rush in through the gap first?" All the generals, you looked at me, I looked at you, and didn't make a sound.Everyone knew in their hearts that the Taiping army in the city had put all their eggs in one basket. Once a gap in the city wall was opened, it would definitely block it with all their might. Besides, it had been heard that they had dug a deep and wide trench along the inner side of the city wall, filled with bamboo. The lottery and thorns, the first to rush in, is no different from making the bricks and stones to fill the ditch.Zeng Guoquan asked again, but still no one answered.Zhu Hongzhang couldn't help it: "everyday, everyone said that they were deeply favored by the emperor. Today is the day to repay their service. Why do they hesitate to go forward. In my opinion, they should be ranked according to their positions." Among the generals and officers at that time, Bao Chao and Xiao Fusi were the admirals of Zhejiang and Fujian respectively, with the highest positions.It is naturally inappropriate for Bao Chao to be the commander-in-chief of the front army, and he is not from a large camp with auspicious characters, and no one wants him to be a vanguard, so he keeps silent.Xiao Fusi also remained silent.Followed by the named admiral, Li Chendian, the commander-in-chief of Guide Town, Henan Province.Li Chendian said to Zhu Hongzhang: "Your suggestion is very good. I have a higher position than you. However, Xinziying failed to dig a tunnel the day before yesterday. All four hundred strong men died in the cave. Last night, a thousand people stayed up all night. Your Huanziying Lend it to me, I will be the pioneer." Zhu Hongzhang sneered and said, "Lend me my Huanzi camp? Are you bullying me that I can't command?" He glanced at Xiao Fusi, "Damn, you usually shout louder than anyone else, but when you are too hard, you become hoarse. Jiu Shuai, Zhu is willing to take Huan Ziying as a pioneer!" "Okay, hero!" Zeng Guoquan pressed his sword and looked around, "Zhu Zongbing has become the vanguard, so I won't report myself, and I will arrange everything!" All the generals obeyed in horror. Zeng Guoquan announced: "After Zhu Hongzhang led his troops to rush in through the gap, he quickly attacked the north gate of the Pseudo-Tianwang Palace. Kang Fu led his troops to enter the gap after Zhu Hongzhang and surrounded the west gate of the Pseudo-Tianwang Palace. Li Chendian led his troops to enter the city after Kang Fu, and together they fought The west gate of Tianwang Palace. Xiao Fusi and Xiong Dengwu led their troops to attack from Chaoyang Gate and Hongwu Gate, and then surrounded the east gate of the pseudo-Tianwang Palace. Liu Lianjie and Zhang Shiri led their troops to attack from Shence Gate and cleared the north of Tianjing City. Peng Yuju from Tongji Enter the city through the gate and go straight to the south gate of the False Heavenly King Palace. All roads are only allowed to move forward, not to retreat; those who advance will be rewarded, and those who retreat will be punished!" "Jiu Shuai, where is the Tingzi Battalion?" Seeing that all the troops had been dispatched, Bao Chao thought he had neglected to mention his troops, because the Tingzi Battalion had always fought independently outside the city.In fact, Zeng Guoquan was not negligent, he deliberately did not send the Tingzi Battalion to attack the city.The first victory in conquering Jinling can only be monopolized by him and his Jizi camp. "Baojunmen, Tingziying has more important tasks." Zeng Guoquan pointed to the city wall and said, "Jinling Thirteen Gates, I have arranged for Peng Shilang and Yang Junmen to guard the waterway gates. Zhongfu Gate, Jinchuan Gate, Shence Gate Gate, Taiping Gate, Chaoyang Gate, and Jubao Gate are connected to Lulu, and these six gates are guarded by Tingzi Ying, if a long-haired man escapes from these six gates, I only ask you!" No matter how naive Bao Chao was, he knew Zeng Guoquan's intentions, but he had the military power in his hands, so he could only bear with him and listen to him. After Zeng Guoquan had finished giving orders, the generals were about to split up when suddenly an old man in a tattered gown and with a messy white beard separated from the crowd and came straight to Zeng Guoquan, knelt down and kowtowed, and said loudly: "Ninth Marshal, I have a few words for this old man. To dedicate." The generals were amazed, and Zeng Guoquan was also surprised. Could it be that this old man has an excellent strategy to attack the city?He crossed his hands in front of his chest, bent over, and tried to put on a kind attitude and said to the old man: "If you have anything to say, please say it!" The old man kowtowed again before saying: "Nine Marshals, your army is about to enter Jinling City. This is God's will. I am here to congratulate you." Zeng Guoquan's face was full of pride, and he entered Jinling in honor of God's will, and the natives offered a congratulatory speech. It will be recorded in the annals of history in the future, and it must be a vivid page! "Since ancient times, among victorious generals who have entered the city, there have been bloodthirsty ones, and some benevolent ones." The old man continued, "The bloodthirsty ones are like the overlord of Chu. , When you enter Jinling, don't kill a single person, and treat the empress of the Southern Tang Dynasty with courtesy, and praises from all ages. The old man hopes that the nine commanders will be kind and generous Cao Wuhui. Book, leaving a good name to pass on to future generations.” Before Zeng Guoquan opened his mouth, the Jiziying general who was eager to make a fortune was already tired of it.Li Chendian rushed forward, grabbed the old man, and shouted: "Where did you come from, the long-haired lobbyist, you are messing with our army with sweet words, I will kill you!" After speaking, he took out the newly-acquired British-made short gun, and the old man trembled in fright. .Zhu Hongzhang came over and slapped the old man with blood.Xiao Fusi scolded: "I don't want to die! What kind of preferential treatment for long hair, sealing up the money bank, what a bunch of nonsense!" In front of these tigers and wolves, the old man was already scared to death.It was Zeng Guoquan who remembered the vivid page just imagined, smiled and said to Li Chendian and others: "Let him go, he is also very kind." Hearing this, the old man hurriedly got out of the crowd with his head in his arms, and ran away.The generals couldn't stop laughing. Zeng Guoquan brandished Wang's ancestral sword and ordered loudly: "Don't pay attention to this old man's sour words. If there is no blood, why fight? I don't want to be Cao Bin. Everyone, feel free to burn and kill!" At noon, Zeng Guoquan ordered the fire to be lit, and after hearing three earth-shattering roars, a gap of more than 20 feet wide appeared in the city wall near the Taiping Gate, and Zhu Hongzhang led the Huanzi Battalion to rush into the gap.Thousands of Taiping soldiers gathered on both sides of the gap, and all of a sudden cannons, guns, stones, knives and spears flew towards the gap.The soldiers of Huanzi Battalion were also red-eyed.After the two sides fought fiercely inside and outside the gap for half an hour, except for a few people including Zhu Hongzhang, more than 400 people in the vanguard of the Huanzi Battalion were all killed.Kang Fu and Li Chendian took advantage of the situation and led their troops to rush in from behind. They stepped on the corpses of the Hunan Army and the Taiping Army, and with a roar, they entered the city first.Then, tens of thousands of people followed, and the Taiping army in the city retreated to the center of the city.Kang Lu rode on a weak horse and shouted: "Brothers, follow me into the Palace of the Heavenly King!" At this time, Yifengmen, Zhongfumen, Jinchuanmen, Shencemen, Taipingmen, Chaoyangmen, Hongwumen, Tongjimen, Jubaomen, Xiaoximen, Hanximen and Qingliangmen all fell one after another. Zhang Wang successively led the remnants into the Tianwang Palace.The young heavenly king Hong Tianguifu was already frightened and panicked, followed by two little queens, they ran down from the watchtower in the palace, pulled King Zhong's lapel and cried, "There are demons all around, what should we do?" The little Wang Niang even had disheveled hair and tears.Young Heavenly King's two younger brothers, thirteen-year-old Guangwang and twelve-year-old Mingwang also came over crying and stood beside Li Xiucheng.Looking at the tragic scene in front of him, Li Xiucheng felt extremely uncomfortable.He forced a smile and comforted the young heavenly king, "Don't be afraid, Your Majesty. When it gets dark, I will protect Your Majesty and rush out." "There are Qingyao's clothes and hats in the warehouse!" In the crisis, Lin Shaozhang suddenly remembered Hong Xiuquan's will.The coat and hat were quickly found.Li Xiucheng selected more than a thousand young soldiers and put on the clothes and hats of the Qing army.Li Xiucheng said to Hong Rengan, Kang Lu, and Lin Shaozhang: "I will lead these more than a thousand people. No matter what, we must protect the young king and rush out. Each of you will also lead an army to protect the two queens and King Guang." , King Ming escaped. After the third watch, we all set off from Tianwang Palace, and everyone went to Jiangxi to find Shixian, and we will meet again at Shixian's place a month later." "Lord Zhong, you go to the palace to have a look, the Queen Mother, Wang Niang and Your Highness haven't made any arrangements yet!" Kang Lu reminded Li Xiucheng for the third time. "Okay, I'll come as soon as I go." After Li Xiucheng finished speaking, he rode to Prince Zhong's mansion. Half an hour later, we returned to Tianwang Palace. "How is it arranged at home?" Hong Rengan asked. "I entrusted everything to Li Rongfa. Life and death are up to God. I can't care less. The most important thing right now is to keep the young king." Hong Rengan saw that Li Xiucheng's eyes were filled with tears. It was getting dark.Hand-to-hand combat broke out everywhere in Tianjing City.It was very difficult for the Hunan Army to advance every step. The streets and alleys were full of corpses and blood.Xin Wang's mansion was breached, and Xin Wang Hong Renfa was killed.The Yongwang Mansion was also breached, and the Yongwang Hong Renda disappeared.Apart from the Tianwang Palace, these two palaces are the richest palaces in Tianjing. The two brothers Hong Renfa and Hong Renda have no other skills but only collect money.During the ten years, the two palaces collected countless treasures, and the house was full of gold and silver.In an instant, they all became the property of the Hunan Army. It was already late at night, and Zhao Liewen saw people from all walks of life looting around the city. Loads of silk, satin, jewelry, gold and silver were picked out from the city gate. Cheng Tianwang Palace.Zhao Liewen saw it and was very anxious. He galloped to a small shed by the gap and reported to Zeng Guoquan who was here.As soon as he entered the room, he saw Zeng Guoquan lying on a pile of firewood and sleeping soundly, snoring like thunder.Looking at Zeng Guoquan, whose face was covered in sweat, black and thin like a monkey, Zhao Liewen couldn't bear to wake him up.Zeng Guoquan has not slept for three days and three nights. When the explosives exploded, the city wall exploded, and at the moment when Zhu Hongzhang and Kang Fu rushed into the city with a large group of people, the heavy stone hanging in Zeng Guoquan's heart fell to the ground with a bang. He fell on the firewood and fell asleep immediately. The flames were blazing, the shells were deafening, people shouted and horses shouted, tearing the sky apart, Zeng Guoquan didn't know anything.But not now, although the outer city is broken, the inner city is not conquered, none of the important criminals such as the Puppet Young Heavenly King, the Zhongwang, the Qianwang, and the Chu King have been captured. A huge loss in a win.Be sure to wake him up!Zhao Liewen made up his mind and shouted: "Jiu Shuai, Jiu Shuai!" Pushing with his hands, Zeng Guoquan finally opened his sleepy eyes. "Jiu Shuai, the soldiers only cared about things and didn't enter the Puppet Heavenly King's Palace. They didn't catch the fake young Heavenly King and the Zhongren. This is not going to work. You have to rush into the city to supervise the division and attack the Heavenly King's Palace!" Zhao Liewen talked a lot like a cannonball, Zeng Guoquan was so weak that he couldn't stand up, he thought to himself, it would be good if he didn't attack the Tianwang Palace tonight, after they captured it, they would definitely take advantage of the darkness to loot it all, and wouldn't he get nothing at all?Zeng Guoquan half-closed his eyes and said to Zhao Liewen: "Huifu, the soldiers have worked hard for several years, so don't make a fuss if you get something. You give me the order, don't let the pseudo-Youtian King and others go away. I want to go back to Xiaolingwei and take care of them." Get some sleep, and fight the Tianwang Palace tomorrow!" A soldier came up, carried Zeng Guoquan on his back and left the small shed.Zhao Liewen shook his head and followed out disappointedly.I saw that the fire in the city was even bigger, and the sky was reflected in orange red, and the noise was deafening.At this time, it is three shifts. In the Palace of Heavenly Kings, Li Xiucheng put Hong Tianguifu on his horse and walked out with more than a thousand soldiers dressed as Qing soldiers, followed by two groups led by Hong Rengan, Lin Shaozhang and others, a total of more than two thousand people.King Kang Lu of Chu didn't want to rush out. He saw thousands of soldiers with broken arms and legs in the palace. Not far from the palace, the young king's horse became lame. Li Xiucheng handed over his war horse "Man Tianxue" to the young king, and brought a horse with luggage beside him, throwing away the luggage as a mount.All they met along the way were the Hunan Army who were busy robbing things. No one thought that there were Young Heavenly King and Zhongwang hidden in this team.They walked through the streets and alleys to the Taiping Gate, and saw that there was no one at the gap. Everyone was secretly happy, thanking the old heavenly king for his blessing, and hurriedly passed through the gap to escape from the city. The three groups of people joined together and headed south. go. Just when more than 2,000 people were about to leave, Zhao Liewen came into the city.He saw that something was wrong, why didn't these people carry a lot of burdens like the Hunan Army?Each of them had only one weapon in their hands, and they were in a hurry when they left the city.Zhao Liewen drove his horse and took a closer look, it's too bad!They all have long hair! "Long Mao ran away!" Zhao Liewen yelled loudly, but no one paid attention.A quarter of an hour later, Liu Lianjie brought a few people over with lanterns. "Nan Yun, a team of captains ran away just now, maybe the fake young heavenly king is in the middle." Zhao Liewen hurriedly told Liu Lianjie. "Really? You can see clearly, how many people are there?" "The black lights and blind people can't see clearly, I'm afraid there will always be thousands of people." "Which way did you run?" "South, let's go after him! Catching the Young Heavenly King will be the first success!" Zhao Liewen urged.Liu Lianjie whistled, summoned hundreds of people, stepped out of the gap, and chased south along the road outside the city. In the early morning of the next day, Kang Fu led a team to the outer city of Tianwang Palace - Sun City.Unexpectedly, they did not encounter strong resistance here, and the Hunan Army rushed into Sun City smoothly.A resplendent palace appeared in front of their eyes, which was the inner city of Tianwang Palace - Golden Dragon Palace.It is said that most of the treasures of Little Paradise are gathered here: the pillars in the Golden Dragon Hall are painted with real gold powder, and every item displayed in the hall is a rare treasure. Splurge on pleasure.The eyes of every officer and soldier of the Hunan Army shot out the fire of greed. Isn't it because of this moment that they have sacrificed their lives to fight for these years?They were about to rush over frantically, but they suddenly saw a strange scene, and they were all stunned, unable to recover for a long time. Several rows of soldiers of the Taiping Army stood densely around the Golden Dragon Hall, more than 5,000 people.Their clothes were torn and their bodies were covered with blood. Long-term hunger and fierce fighting had made them lose their human shapes. Their two big sunken eyes were like two bottomless black holes, and they stared blankly ahead. , looking at the gradually increasing and approaching enemies, there was no expression on his face.Some of them have broken hands, leaving only a hollow sleeve; some have broken feet, and they are supported by a spear. Everyone stood close to each other, arms tightly linked, quietly and silently, like a stone dam, like an iron wall, defending the most noble, holy and most admired symbol of heaven in their hearts - the Golden Dragon Palace. Kang Fu was moved by the scene before him.That night he sneaked into Chu Palace, had a deep talk with his younger brother, and returned to the barracks. He didn't sleep soundly for several nights.Deep down in his heart, he was proud of having such a heroic younger brother.When he was still a teenager, when his father told his brothers about history, he pointed out meaningfully: Do not judge a hero by success or failure.There are many failed figures in Chinese history, no matter in terms of their careers or their personal morality, they are noble. Compared with their opposite, the winners, they are more respectable. The failure of some of them lies precisely in the integrity of their personality.Kang Fu remembered that every time his father mentioned this point of view, he felt a little excited.After returning from Chu Palace, he thought: My younger brother belongs to this kind of failed heroes.However, at that time, he only saw his younger brother among the tens of thousands of Taiping Army soldiers, but today, he saw more than five thousand heroes like his younger brother, each of them is so tall and mighty Although he is an enemy, he has to be admired. The waves in Kang Fu's chest were churning and could not be calmed down.Taking a closer look, he was even more shocked: a two-foot-high piece of dry firewood had clearly been set up in front of the human wall, tightly surrounding the Taiping army behind.A few people were pouring oil on dry wood.They looked serene and serene, like farmers watering the garden or gardeners watering the flowers. The Hunan army standing twenty or thirty feet away, armed with knives and guns, seemed to do not exist in their eyes. Kang Fu was stunned.The soldiers of the Hunan Army behind him were also stunned.Everyone saw the intention of this group of Taiping soldiers: they wanted to set fire to it, and reduce themselves and this Golden Dragon Palace to ashes!For a moment, no one knew what to do, they all stood still, waiting for the upcoming scene like watching a play.Only Li Chendian secretly took out the new British short gun and aimed at Kang Fu standing in front. Li Chendian has been looking for Kang Fu and wants to kill him quietly.Li Chendian and Kang Fu had no previous suspicions. He wanted to kill Kang Fu just because Kang Fu was the first general to lead troops into Jinling City, so he came in second.To be the first general to rush into Jinling City was his long-awaited goal, but he was unwilling to be the vanguard.He knew that the vanguard was most likely a scapegoat. He wanted to follow the vanguard into the gap, stepping on the vanguard's corpse to enter the city, but Kang Fu was one step ahead.Therefore, he wanted to kill Kang Fu.Without Kang Fu, he became the first person to lead troops into Jinling City. Kang Fu looked at it, and suddenly, a great sadness surged in his heart that he had never felt before.He feels that he is not a victor, but an executioner who kills kind and weak lives, a demon who destroys noble and pure souls, and a historical sinner who deserves to be cursed and punished.Thinking of this, his hand holding the knife trembled slightly.At this moment, he saw a young man in his thirties walking out of the human wall in front of the Golden Dragon Hall.Although the young man was described as skinny, he still had a straight waist, with a mighty and unyielding spirit.Holding the torch high in one hand, he walked steadily towards the oiled dry pyre with steady steps.OMG!Kang Fu screamed in his heart, isn't this his younger brother Kang Lu? Ever since the instigation failed, Kang Fu prayed to the heaven every day, hoping that his younger brother would leave Jinling as soon as possible.Last night, I heard that a team of thousands of people rushed out of the gap, and he was by the side at that time, intending to move the troops away.He thought his younger brother must be in the middle, let him escape well.Unexpectedly, my younger brother didn't leave. He wanted to set himself on fire with his brothers to serve their kingdom of heaven!Kang Lu approached the woodpile step by step, Kang Fu became more and more frightened, and his eyes gradually became blurred.Finally, a string of raging fires rose before the eyes, adding tens of thousands of dazzling lights to the majestic and towering Golden Dragon Palace, and reflecting the five thousand soldiers of the Taiping Army like arhats made of gold and bronze... The fire burned hotter and hotter, like a fiery dragon, wrapping tightly around the symbol of the great kingdom of heaven and its loyal guards.Whether it is in the annals of Chinese history or in the annals of world history, this is undoubtedly a unique and shocking picture scroll! It is majestic.This fire sends the persistent pursuit and lofty ideals of human beings to the real heavenly temple, which will surely be admired by all people and worshiped by their descendants. It is tragic.This fire has ruthlessly devoured the elites of mankind and the backbone of the universe, and it will surely arouse stronger resistance and braver struggles. It is deep.This fire was supposed to burn decay and darkness, but why did it turn around?How can beauty and light be obtained?It will surely leave a profound lesson and deep thinking. It is eternal.This fire turned five thousand loyal bones into the purest ashes, and let them sprinkle into the blue sky, fall on mountains, rivers and lakes, and lie peacefully in the vast and thick earth.It will be with the mountains and rivers, and it will last forever with the sun and the moon! When Kang Fu looked at this majestic, tragic, deep, and eternal picture scroll, he didn't think as much in his mind as our readers today, with such a sense of history. Want to rush.Can life be so sad?The elder brother who loves his younger brother so much, but personally drove the hero's younger brother to a dead end, and even watched him die so calmly, so generously, so earth-shatteringly weeping ghosts and gods, so unprecedented! Kang Fu's heart of deep love for his younger brother was cut into pieces; his mind seemed to be sober after being hit hard.His broken heart screamed in despair: "My God, why don't you let me die!" Just then, a bullet shot from behind him.Kang Fu shook twice, then stood still.He turned his head with difficulty, and saw Li Chendian's ferocious face. "Brother, brother is following you!" Kang Fu chanted weakly, and slowly fell down. "Brothers, let's rush over. There are countless gold and silver treasures in the hall. We can't ask Chang Mao to burn them!" Li Chendian raised his pistol and shouted wildly from behind. Thousands of Hunan troops watching seemed to wake up from a dream. , scrambling to rush towards the Golden Dragon Hall.