scourge the qing dynasty

Chapter 179 Hidden danger
As the head of Oboi was passed on to the public by Wu Jun, the magnificent Guizhou War finally came to an end. Of the 22 Qing troops that entered Guizhou, only less than [-] remnants were defeated and fled back under the leadership of Tu Hai and Yue Le. In Huguang, the rest were either annihilated or captured. The loss of military horses, money, food, weapons and luggage was incalculable, and the loss could not be estimated at all.What's more terrible is that the grassroots generals in the Qing army suffered heavy losses, and the elite was almost empty. Without three to five years of battlefield training, it is impossible to recover.

Of course, in the era of cold weapons, if you kill one thousand enemies, you will lose at least eight hundred. Although Wu Sangui's army, with the full help of Lu Fatty, has rapidly transitioned from cold weapons to hot weapons, after a battle, it is still worthless. There are more than [-] Yunnan-Guizhou soldiers who have been buried forever on the land of Guizhou on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. The weapons and ammunition consumed are also countless. At the same time, because of the scorched-earth tactics adopted by the deputy commander of the Qing army Tuhai when he retreated, the towns and cities of Guizhou along the way will be destroyed. The villages were completely burned, and the Qing army was deliberately allowed to burn, kill and loot, venting the anger of the main force's disastrous defeat on the people of Guizhou, and the losses of the people of Guizhou were even more immeasurable.

It is precisely because of Tuhai's brutal policy that it completely angered the people of Yunnan and Guizhou, which are already tough and tough, and caused countless people of Yunnan and Guizhou to besiege the Qing army's captive team, and they wanted to swallow the captured Qing army soldiers and generals alive and destroy them for their own innocence. Although the old traitor Wu strictly prohibited them from exchanging these captives for their children and grandchildren, many Qing army captives died tragically under the angry bricks, stones and fists of the people of Yunnan and Guizhou.As for the stragglers of the Qing army who fled into the deep mountains and old forests, they died more miserable one by one. Not many people in Yunnan and Guizhou were willing to exchange the captured Qing soldiers for silver when they released the captives.

Tuhai listened to Zhou Peigong's suggestion to adopt scorched earth tactics to destroy the villages and cities in Guizhou on the way to retreat. It was not just for venting. The main force of the Wu army provides countless conveniences. Instead of doing this, it is better to completely destroy it, leaving a piece of ruins to cause headaches for the Wu army, leaving a large number of homeless and foodless Guizhou people to increase the burden on the Wu army, and delay the counterattack speed of the Wu army's main force. , Increase Wu Jun's financial burden of money and food.

Another important purpose of scorched earth tactics is to boost morale and stabilize the morale of the army. It is well known that the Qing army is more brutal than the devils who invaded China. If Hai is still as foolish as Oboi and strictly enforces military discipline and prohibits disturbing the people, then within three days, the brutal Manchu generals and soldiers will definitely be torn apart, and Tu Hai, who has just been released from the sky prison for a few days, will no longer be taken away. The deputy commander looked at it, and the army split and collapsed faster.

In view of these circumstances, Tu Hai simply disregarded Yue Le's strong opposition, no longer restrained military discipline, and allowed the mite Qing army to rape and plunder in order to buy people's hearts and stabilize the army's morale. The next step is to resist the Wu army's counterattack and lay the foundation, which will achieve multiple goals in one fell swoop. ——As for the life and death of the people in Guizhou, the notorious scholars of Tu University and Admiral Zhou, who are notorious in terms of military discipline in history, don't have the heart to care so much.

Faced with the shameless tactics of the Tuhai army, although the whole army of Yunnan and Guizhou was furious, the army was too tired, and the transportation of ammunition and food was inconvenient, so it was impossible to launch a counterattack immediately. And go, only to catch up with a few Qing army troops in the rear to annihilate and retaliate, and can no longer severely injure and annihilate more Qing army troops in Guizhou, holding back their anger and waiting for a full-scale counterattack to demand this blood debt.

After a short four-day rest, the troops of the Wu army recovered their physical strength and morale one after another. The captured more than 6000 soldiers of the Qing army were also detained in a prisoner-of-war camp outside Guiyang City, waiting to be screened and selected to supplement the army. Important Prisoners of war such as Jieshu, Leerjin, Zhangtai and other Qing Prince Baylor were held incommunicado, waiting to be used for hostage exchange.On the 11th day of June, [-]th year of Mite Qingkang Mazi, old traitor Wu saw that the time was ripe, so he held a meeting in the Chinese military camp outside Guiyang City to discuss the next tactical plan with important civil and military officials of the Wu army.

Having just won a decisive victory, the important generals and officials of the Wu army were naturally very relaxed. There was constant laughter at the meeting. Fatty Lu was worried, and asked deliberately: "Yifeng, what's wrong with you? Everyone is smiling, but you have a mournful face. Did you lose money again when you gambled last night?"

All the generals in the Wu army laughed together, thinking of Fatty Lu's name as a frequently defeated general.Fatty Lu replied with a sad face: "Back to grandfather, grandson-in-law will lose every time he gambles. That time he won't lose money? I'm used to it! What worries grandson-in-law is how to fight the next battle. In the battle of Bajiang, grandson-in-law and grandson-in-law Thousands of 100 people were beaten to less than 700 people, and almost all of them were injured, so I couldn’t laugh.”

"Who told you that you are greedy for merit?" Gao Dejie laughed and said, "If you met me in Pingba that night, if you said hello to me, I would have to borrow thousands of troops from you to copy the dog queens." Lu. Who told you to take the credit for yourself and not tell me on purpose, now you are getting retribution, right?"

"Brother Dajie, I've said it several times." Fatty Lu's face was even more mournful, and he explained with a guilty conscience: "That night, when I arrived at Maomao Cave, I suddenly remembered that there was a small road leading directly to Longli. I just took the army to hunt down the back of the dog, and I didn’t have time to report to my grandfather, and if I had time to ask you for help, I definitely didn’t want to take the credit for it.”

Gao Dejie laughed, and didn't bother arguing with Fatty Lu who was eager to show off his meritorious service. The old traitor Wu also laughed and said: "Okay, okay, your words are almost making our ears callused. For the sake of playing hard, beautifully and with integrity, I don't bother to care about your greed for success, so your explanation has passed."

After laughing, the old traitor Wu thought for a while, and then said: "How about this, you go to the captive team to pick 1000 people, and I will draw 1000 people from Ying Qi's team for you to replenish your troops. In addition, your The Qujing Green Battalion made a great contribution this time, and they are the number one contributor to our army's annihilation of the main force of the Manchus. In addition to the rewards already stipulated, I will reward you with 5 taels of silver separately as encouragement!"

"Thank you grandfather for the reward, then grandson-in-law will not be polite." With the reinforcement of troops and money to take, Fatty Lu immediately showed a smile on his face, and hurriedly saluted and thanked him.

"Stinky boy, are you happy now?" Old Man Wu cursed with a sinister smile, then waved his hand and said, "Let's put down other things first. Everyone, stand up and sit down, and start discussing. Now that the main force of Mangou has been wiped out by us, the next step is ours. How to fight, let everyone express their opinions.”

"Father, do you still need to ask?" Wu Yingqi yelled: "Now that the main elite of Mangou has been slaughtered by us, of course the whole army will immediately enter Huguang and take down the grain-producing area of ​​Pianyuan (Hunan). "

"Fart!" The old man Wu scolded: "Now Mangou still has [-] troops in Chongqing. In addition, Geng Juzhong, Shang Zhixiao, and Sun Yanling's troops of more than [-] in Guangxi are also watching the tiger, threatening our Yunnan-Guizhou northern line and In the hinterland, the whole army goes north to Huguang, so that they can copy our old den, right? Don’t open your mouth about such things!"

Wu Yingqi, who was really not good at this, shut up honestly, and didn't even dare to take a breath. Most of the other rough and fierce generals who were similar to Wu Yingqi did the same, and didn't dare to make old man Wu angry with nonsense.On the contrary, Wang Pingfan, a former general of the Wu Army's hussars who was quite resourceful, stood up and said in a deep voice: "My lord, according to the opinion of the last general, our army has already wiped out the main force of all dogs. In the Central Plains, there is no other army that can compete with our army." To fight against the front, it is better to play the banner of anti-Qing and Ming Dynasty or to win the hearts of the Han people in the world. At the same time, write letters to Shang Kexi in Guangdong, Geng Jingzhong in Fujian, Zheng Jing in Taiwan, Luo Sen Wu Zhimao in Sichuan, and Wang Fuchen in Shaanxi and Gansu, and let them respond with troops , then the pressure on our army’s eastern and northern fronts will be relieved, and the prince can also go north with all his strength and settle down in the Central Plains!”

"General Wang is justified, and the students agree." Wang Shirong, an important aide of old traitor Wu, stood up and echoed: "Now that the prince has defeated Oboi, the world will definitely be shaken. It is a favorable moment for people to panic and change their minds. If the prince can hold high the flag of righteousness at this moment and raise troops against the Qing and Xinghan, then the event will be settled."

"I also agree." Wu Guogui also agreed, "Now that our army's morale is high after a big victory, and the army is full of fear after a big defeat, this is the best time to raise troops to fight against the Qing."

"It makes sense, and the last general also agrees." Wu Yingjing, Gao Dejie, Wei Pu, Zu Shushun and other generals all agreed, and other generals also nodded.Only Fatty Lu, Hu Guozhu, and Fang Guangchen expressed their opinions, and old traitor Wu also hesitated. After turning his attention to Fatty Lu and Hu Guozhu and others who did not express their opinions, old traitor Wu asked: "Mr. Yanxian, Guozhu, Yifeng, What do you three think?"

Fatty Lu, Hu Guozhu, and Fang Guangchen exchanged glances with each other, shook their heads slightly, and then replied together: "Go back to your lord, we object."

"Why?" The old traitor Wu asked.

"The elder son and the younger grandson are still in the capital, so we must exchange them back." Hu Guozhu replied: "At the beginning, my father-in-law recruited all the generals, in order to exchange them for the elder son and the younger grandson. It is not good for negotiating with Mangou."

"Our army lost a lot in the decisive battle in Guizhou. It's too hasty to raise troops now." Fang Guangchen also said: "It's better to take advantage of Mangou's anxiety to clean up the interior and buy time to rebuild the army. Psychologically, pretending to negotiate peace with Man Gou, first get more money, food and land from Man Gou to strengthen our army's strength, and in addition, we can also exchange back the son and grandson of the prince, so that the prince will have no worries, and finally it will not be too late to suddenly raise troops The reason why the Qin eradicated the six kingdoms and the former Jin eradicated the Northern Song Dynasty is also true."

"Grandfather, grandson-in-law thinks about everything." Fatty Lu always talked the most at such moments, and this time was no exception. It is all thanks to our army's new firearms to show their power. However, after the First World War, our army's grenade is almost exhausted. Although the consumption of rockets is not a lot, rockets are expendable weapons. Every time one is used, it costs less One, the supply is all from the rear, and it is impossible to obtain materials locally."

"In this way, the weakness of our army's weak financial resources in the rear of Yunnan and Guizhou will be fully exposed. If our army's front-line firearms are all supplied by Yunnan, then the narrow and steep mountain roads on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau will become our Achilles' heel. Firearms are enough to bring down Yunnan and Guizhou, and Yunnan and Guizhou are already meager in manpower and material resources, so why talk about restoring the economy and consolidating the rear? How can we use additional troops to supply the front?”

"There is a more terrible point, that is, the food behind us in Yunnan and Guizhou cannot be self-sufficient. At this moment, we are playing the banner of anti-Qing and rejuvenating the Han Dynasty, and we are going to a full-scale war with the Mangou. The Mangou will spare no effort to block our army and use scorched earth tactics to destroy our army. It makes it impossible for our army to obtain food locally to supply the army, drags down our already weak self-sufficiency in food and grass, and makes us even more stretched in terms of ammunition and food supplies."

"According to my son-in-law, my grandfather is now fully anti-Qing, and it is not difficult to wipe out the Manchu army south of the Yangtze River. But in the future, we must guard against the counterattack of Mangou's national power and support the national anti-Qing battlefield. Crossing the Yangtze River and attacking Jiangnan, with the current comprehensive strength of our army, it is really beyond what we can afford, and I am afraid that we will be in danger of being dragged across by the power of the whole country."

"That's why my son-in-law thinks that if we want to completely fight against the Qing Dynasty, we must buy time first, build a new rear where we can get our own food and grass, move our firearms production base to the new rear, gather more food, delay becoming king, and then Only then can we conspire the world.”

When Fatty Lu finished speaking, all the generals and officials of the Wu army were lost in thought, thinking about the truth in Fatty Lu's words, while Wang Pingfan said cautiously: "Master Lu, what you said is indeed very reasonable, and I am not against your opinion, just What I want to remind you is that it is beneficial to fight against the whole country with one corner. If it is delayed for a long time and the whole dog mobilizes the power of the whole country, I am afraid that they will become stronger and stronger, and we will become weaker as we fight. We will be defeated by their endless human and material resources Dragging across. The only way to learn from Zhu Di's recklessness and go all out south to capture Nanjing is the best strategy for the enemy to conquer the whole country."

"General Wang, what you said is also very reasonable, but the times are different and the background is different, Zhu Di's strategy is really difficult to apply mechanically." Fatty Lu said very sincerely: "I don't know if General Wang has noticed this point. Although Zhu Di and our prince are the same He is the king of one side, but Zhu Di is the son of Zhu Yuanzhang, and the rebellion against Zhu Yunqi is just a battle for the throne between uncles and nephews, not to overthrow the Ming Dynasty, and it is not for the purpose of changing the dynasty, killing all the officials and gentry of the Ming Dynasty, and replacing them with a new batch of officials and gentry Enjoying the glory and wealth, so the resistance encountered was not too fierce, and this was a fluke."

"But what about our lord? If the lord plays the banner of anti-Qing and Ming Dynasty, revitalizing the Han and destroying the Manchus at this moment, it is tantamount to making enemies of the Manchus all over the world and the Han officials and gentry who are closely colluding with the Manchus. We want to eliminate them and replace them with a new one." Grouping officials and gentry to enjoy the glory and wealth, the resistance they will encounter is bound to be extremely fierce, and it is difficult to succeed by advancing alone. In addition, in Zhu Di's era, firearms were not developed, and Zhu Di attacked from the north to the south, taking advantage of bow horses and iron cavalry, but the prince Attacking from the south to the north, the advantage of horseback riding and archery is in the hands of the dogs. The number of cavalry is far above our army, and there are some advanced firearms that are not inferior to our army. If our army wants to take risks and advance lightly, the difficulty will be different Generally high."

"Besides, I don't know if General Wang has noticed? Zhu Di said that the army advanced lightly. In fact, it was based on the basis of defending first and then attacking. First, he wiped out most of Zhu Yunqi's main force, forcing Zhu Yunqi to gather heavy troops to guard Shandong, and then bypassed Shandong Qingqi only got it when they went south. But now, our army’s cavalry is not as good as Mangou’s, and the natural danger of the Yangtze River is also in the hands of Mangou’s navy. Our army has insufficient cavalry, no warships, and the consumption of firearms depends on Yunnan. Did Zhu Di decide the Central Plains in one battle?"

Wang Pingfan nodded and said nothing more.At this time, Fang Guangchen stood up and said in a deep voice: "My lord, Yifeng has a very high opinion. Taking advantage of Mangou's current panic, he first took the Pianyuan grain production area as our army's new rear, and forced Mangou to recognize our army. The proceeds, negotiating terms and gaining time to actively prepare for war! At the same time, we will exchange for our sons and grandsons, relieve our worries, move the firearms camp to supply the army, take the opportunity to build a navy, lay the foundation for our army to cross the river and capture the south of the Yangtze River, and finally plan the world."

Fatty Lu's proposal took into account the various situations of Wu Sangui's army, as well as the worries of old traitor Wu. After Fatty's proposal, old traitor Wu asked a new question, "Yifeng, what if Mangou sees through our intentions and refuses to negotiate peace with us?"

"Grandfather, don't worry, if Man Gou refuses to agree, they will die faster." Fatty Lu said confidently: "Man Gou refuses to negotiate a peace, then they will definitely fight back against Pian Yuan, and won't let us To gain a firm foothold in Pianyuan, and our current strength is not enough to plan the country, but it is more than enough to hold Pianyuan. By then, the Mangou army will come and die as many as possible. After a long battle, let's see how much national power he can squander. At the same time Our army can also use Pianyuan as a base, gradually encroach on Jiangxi and Jiangnan, and continue to consume a lot of national power. When the time is right, the national power is exhausted, and civil strife is rampant. It's all about winning!"

Speaking of this, Fatty Lu added cautiously, "Grandfather, I don't know if you still remember? That's how Mangou Nuerhachi and Huang Taiji consumed Daming to death."

The old traitor Wu was silent back then. After thinking for a long time, the old traitor Wu said slowly: "What should I do specifically?"

"Divide the troops." Fang Guangchen hurriedly said: "First, we will use the banner of clearing the remnants of the Obai Party, take Sichuan all the way, and unite with Wu Zhimao, Luo Sen and Tan Hong to annihilate or drive out the Mangou Labu army stationed in Chongqing, and take Sichuan into our hands." , Stabilize our army's northern line, and at the same time open up the connection with Shaanxi and Gansu. Take Guangxi all the way, force Ma Xiong, Ma Xiongzhen and Sun Yanling to respond to our Qing emperor's side, drive the Guangdong and Fujian troops out of Guangxi, wipe out the Manchu forces in Guangxi, and defend The hinterland of Yunnan and Guizhou. Since both Sichuan and Guangxi have troops loyal to the prince, the upper two routes don’t need many troops, as long as they bring more new firearms to achieve their strategic goals, the main force will be sent out of Guizhou to capture Pianyuan and establish a new rear.”

"At the same time, I asked the Mangou court to send envoys to negotiate." Hu Guozhu also said: "I want Mangou to kill the remnants of the Aoboi Party in the court, and hand over Pianyuan, Guangxi and Sichuan to my father-in-law. At the same time, I will exchange prisoners and use our prisoners. Mangou's dignitaries and princes were exchanged for their children and grandchildren, and they also asked Mangou to provide a large sum of money, food and weapons as compensation. No matter whether the Mangou court agrees or not, as long as our army has a firm foothold in Pianyuan and moved the firearms camp to In the front, we can continuously provide our army with new firearms, so we don’t have to be afraid of anything.”

"Then let's do it this way." The old man Wu waved his hand and ordered: "Mr. Yanxian, Mr. Liangchen and Guozhu, you should work hard. Get out the memorial to the Mangou court today, and other conditions of the negotiation. After sorting it out, the main force of our army will set out to capture Pianyuan!"

"Of order." Hu Guozhu, Wang Shirong and Fang Guangchen agreed together.Fang Guangchen also suggested: "Your Majesty, General Wang Pingfan is brave and resourceful, capable of taking on important responsibilities, and has a lifelong friendship with General Wu Zhimao and General Wang Fuchen, so it is easy to communicate and contact. I suggest that he be the commander of the North Route Army. Sichuan, please give me your permission."

"Yes." The traitor Wu also knew that Wang Pingfan was reliable, so he immediately nodded in agreement.At the end, the old traitor Wu pointed at Wu Shizong again, and said, "Shizong, the Eastern Route Army is entrusted to you, don't be harsh, just drive Shang Kexi and Geng Jingzhong's lackeys out of Guangxi, and stay on the front line, so we can meet each other in the future , to leave a way for the future to persuade Geng Jingzhong and Shang Kexi to raise troops against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty.”

"The general will follow orders." Wang Pingfan and Wu Shizong came out together, clasped their fists and agreed.I never thought that after some calculations, the old traitor Wu immediately pointed to Fatty Lu and said, "Wait, Yifeng, you lead the headquarters to assist Shizong, and go to Guangxi together."

"Grandfather, I'm going to Guangxi too?" Fatty Lu was taken aback, he never thought that the traitor Wu would send him to Guangxi.

"Who will you go if you don't?" The old man Wu said with a treacherous smile: "The situation in Guangxi is complicated, and the forces of all parties are intertwined. We must send someone who is good at planning the past to adapt to the situation. It just so happens that you have old friends with Lan Guoan and his son. Shang Zhixiao is your second brother-in-law. , isn’t it just right for you to go to Guangxi? Besides, Pianyuan is so big, can it be fought in a day or two? You went to stabilize the Eastern Front, and when you come back, you can command the relocation of the firearms battalion, isn’t it just right?”

"There is also Yifeng and Xiaotu's marriage, which can also be done by the way." Hu Guozhu said with a smile: "The eastern front has been stabilized, and we can get married by the way when we move the firearms camp. It can also save us all a lot of worry."

"Hey, old traitor Wu is quite considerate this time." Fatty Lu murmured in his heart, and had to respectfully agree. Finally, Fatty Lu worriedly reminded: "Grandfather, grandson-in-law has another suggestion, Wuchang (Wuhan) ) The thoroughfare to the nine provinces is the most important point of Huguang's gateway. If we win this place, our army can advance, attack, retreat and defend. It is very advantageous strategically. Grandfather Wanwang must not stop at Yuezhou in Changsha. It can ensure that the foundation of Biyuan is stable, and cut off Mangou from Jiangxi and Sichuan."

"You don't need to teach me this. I have fought all my life, so I still don't understand this truth?" Old Han Wu laughed treacherously.

"It's good if you understand? In history, you, an idiot, failed to attack Wuhan and immediately retreated. Let Man Gou calmly gather in Wuhan, and finally let Yue Le Man Gou go to Jiangxi, cutting off your connection with Jiangnan. The situation." Fatty Lu murmured again in his heart, but he continued to tell him uneasy, "Grandfather, please allow my grandson-in-law to repeat a word, Wuchang is an important town, the city is high and the moats are deep, full of dogs must gather heavy troops to defend, if the siege fails, You can use tunnels to bury explosives to blow up the city, and the city will definitely be broken."

"Understood, can I remember it?" Old man Wu scolded with a treacherous smile, barely remembered Fatty Lu's suggestion in his heart, and then ordered: "After a while, you and Ying Qi go to choose the army. Let him give you more elite soldiers, and the speed must be fast, the war in Guangxi is raging, and there is no delay."

Fatty Lu respectfully agreed again, and the old traitor Wu discussed with the generals about various issues of troop deployment, and soon announced the adjournment, and hosted a banquet for the generals to celebrate the victory in Guizhou. Fatty Lu and Wu Yingqi left temporarily to go to Wu Yingqi The army selected the [-] troops that the old traitor Wu promised to supply, and at the same time ordered Li Tianzhi and Kong Fanlin to go to the prisoner camp to select qualified prisoners to be used to replenish the army.

"Second Prince, Lord Lu, wait a minute." Just as they were about to walk out of the Chinese army camp, Wu Yingqi and Fatty Lu, who were chatting and laughing, were suddenly stopped by someone. When Fatty Lu looked back, he saw that this person turned out to be Wang Shirong, who has always seldom paid attention to him.Fatty Lu couldn't help laughing and said, "Mr. Wang, where does the sun come out today? Did you hear me right?"

"If it wasn't for something important, I wouldn't be bothered to talk to you." Wang Shirong still looked as if Fatty Lu owed him 800 taels of silver, and then cupped his hands to Wu Yingqi and said, "Second Prince, the student wants to say a few words to Mr. Lu. I wonder if the second prince can wait for a while?"

"Hurry up." Wu Yingqi said lazily: "We still have to draw out the troops, it's getting late."

"Understood, soon." Wang Shirong cupped his hands, and gave Fatty Lu another wink. Fatty Lu understood, and hurried to a place away from other people with Wang Shirong.

"Lord Lu, the strategy you proposed today is correct." Wang Shirong said in a low voice, "But have you thought about it? It's been a long time, and the prince's age is here. In case..., who else in our army can Convincing the public, who else can command the entire army like arms and fingers? Do you want to count on our two hundred and five-year-old second prince? Or count on our grandson who is only eight years old?"

"Isn't this kid stupid, to think about the unfavorable situation if the traitor Wu dies halfway?" Fatty Lu sneered in his heart, and replied in a low voice: "Mr. Liangchen thought it right, and it is precisely because of this consideration One point, the students suggested that the prince should be replaced by the eldest prince, the eldest prince is a son with outstanding talents, he is a natural and convincing heir, with him in charge, what do we have to worry about?"

"The eldest prince can come back, so of course we don't have to worry about anything." Wang Shirong said in a gloomy tone, "But if Man Gou also considers this and insists on making the eldest prince... what should we do?"

"With Laozi here, what are you afraid of? If Wu Yingxiong really comes back, Laozi's early life will be even more difficult." Fatty Lu smiled colder and colder in his heart, and sighed on his mouth: "Mr. Why isn't the official worried? But besides this method, what else can we do to rescue the eldest prince?"

Wang Shirong was speechless. After a long silence, Wang Shirong sighed and said, "I hope so. If the eldest prince is killed, then our troubles and hidden dangers will be too great."

(End of this chapter)