Old River Estuary.

The imperial soldiers who fled here in Jiangbei filled the area within a radius of six or seven miles.

At the ferry pier and on the surrounding hills, the imperial guards sat or lie down, and people squeezed their backs against each other.

At this time, the embarrassed Ming soldiers had long lost their pride as imperial guards. Many soldiers held muskets and leaned against their companions, with dull eyes and miserable expressions.

After the Datongshan granary was burned by the Qing army, the Ming army retreated south in a panic and fled to the old river mouth. It had not been a whole day, and the rice had not entered. In addition, in the winter, the weather was cold and there were no tents. The cold and hunger bit the defeated soldiers, eroding their last trace of will.

Li Guo sat on a wooden box at the ferry pier, in a messy shape, his armor was broken and his hair was disorganized, almost covering his face.

Around him were the same embarrassing soldiers of the Biao camp, each huddled together, but there was no sound around him, as if no one wanted to speak or mention this crushing defeat.

At this time, Li Guo, who was sitting on the wooden box, looked around and looked like water.

He was originally stationed in Fengxiang Prefecture and Luzhou Prefecture to defend against the Qing army, but the court ordered him to lead his troops to intercept the Zhejiang army to attack Nanjing.

Before sending troops, Li Guo wrote a letter to the court, claiming that the army needed to guard against the Qing army, but the cabinet and the emperor issued an order to rush to Yangzhou and block the Zhejiang army from crossing the river.

Li Chengdong and Zhang Mingzhen were famous generals of the Zhejiang clan. The emperor issued a transfer order, and Li Guo could only lead the main force to Yangzhou to fight against the Zhejiang army. This caused the original defense zone to be empty and gave the Qing Dynasty an opportunity to take advantage of it.

Ajige took advantage of the freezing of the Huai River and the army headed south, and the light cavalry advanced, and the remaining troops could not resist at all. Due to insufficient troops, the Huai River defense line was full of loopholes. The Qing army's light cavalry advanced and raided the Datongshan Grain Depot, causing this disastrous defeat.

Looking back now, if it weren't for the court's miscommand command and decision-making, this crushing defeat could have been completely avoided.

For a moment, Li Guo looked at the miserable appearance of the soldiers around him and couldn't help but feel indignant. The court had a capable minister like the Tuge Division, so why did he use He Tengjiao and a pig?

"Duke, eat something!" Hao Yaoqi, with his broken armor, held a bandage in one hand and brought a bowl of porridge in the other hand, and handed it to Li Guo.

Li Guo looked up at Hao Yaoqi, but shook his head, "I really don't have an appetite, let me give it to the soldiers!"

"Duke, the army is trapped in the mouth of the old river. The Tartars will definitely attack. They still need to eat something to have the strength to deal with it!" Hao Yaoqi sighed.

Li Guo looked around. The army retreated in panic and lost all its food, supplies and supplies. More than 100,000 troops would soon eat up all the food left. How long can they last?

Now more than 100,000 people are crowded in a narrow and small land. In front of them is the rolling Yangtze River and surrounded by the Qing army's battalions. The army is in a desperate situation. Even if the Qing army does not attack, the army will collapse at most for a few days.

It was necessary to find a way. Li Guo took the porridge bowl from Hao Yaoqi's hand, raised his head and drank it all.

The hot porridge that had penetrated his stomach restored a little warmth and his mind became clearer.

At this time, on the periphery of the defeated soldiers, several furious soldiers, carrying a thin man wearing a long gown, a full hat, and a marten cloak, walked through the crowd and towards the dock.

The thin man looked as he walked and saw the miserable appearance of the Ming soldiers around him, and a hint of pride appeared on his face.

At this time, the leading general of the defeated soldiers stepped forward to Li Guo and saluted: "Duke, the Tatars have sent an envoy here!"

Li was too early to pay attention to the group. He looked at the man, who was in his thirties and dressed up by a scholar. He frowned and waved, "Let him come here!"

The Qing army has been in the pass for more than ten years. After shaving the hair and reorganizing and killing a group of people, the remaining people have basically been enshrined in the Qing court.

Under the rule of the Ming Dynasty, wars and bandits were rampant in the north. If it weren't for the brutal rule of the Qing army at the beginning of entering the pass, the people in the north would not have missed the Ming Dynasty at all.

In the past two years, the north has been stable, and the Qing Dynasty has gradually changed its ruling strategy. In addition, the north and south have negotiated peace, and the Ming Dynasty gave up its claim to several northern provinces, which is equivalent to giving up the people of the north, and has hurt the hearts of many gentry and people in the north. Many people in the north have gradually changed their ideas and no longer regard the Longwu court as the court, but regard the Qing Dynasty as orthodox.

When the Ming soldiers heard the order, they took away the sword and released the Qing army envoy. He walked to Li Guo and did not politely. Instead, he looked directly at Li Guo and smiled and said, "I have heard of the name of Duke Li for a long time!"

Li Guo narrowed his eyes and said coldly: "What did the Tartars ask you, the dog, to do?"

When the Qing envoy heard the words, he looked unhappy on his face, but then he said without caring: "I'm here to be a lobbyist, and the lives of Duke Li and more than 100,000 soldiers!"

Li Guo suddenly laughed and said, "Mr. Li was originally a thief. His Majesty refused to abandon him. He ignored his past grudges and entrusted him with important tasks. Do you think I will betray Your Majesty and the Ming Dynasty?"

The envoy smiled and said, "Duke Li, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty is mean and ruthless, how can he compare to this pilgrimage? From a distance, when Emperor Taizu of Ming was a country, he must have known how to treat the meritorious ministers. If this is too far away, he would say it from a close distance. When Sun Chuanting died in Tongguan in battle, Emperor Chongzhen not only refused to posthumously, but also suspected that Sun Chuanting escaped. In the current Longwu court, Zhu Yihai and Zhejiang Army made great contributions to the Longwu court. How did Emperor Longwu treat the Zhejiang army? From these things, can the Duke not see the harshness of the Ming Dynasty emperor? The Duke felt that he was valued by Emperor Longwu, but the Duke was only useful to Emperor Longwu. If it was useless, I can guarantee that the customs of the Ming Dynasty emperor would definitely not be able to tolerate the Duke. They could not even tolerate the Zhejiang army, and could they still be able to invade Beijing and force Emperor Chongzhen to death?"

Li Guo's face turned extremely gloomy as he heard Qingzun's words.

Seeing this, the Qing envoy couldn't help but smile and said, "Duke, for himself and for more than 100,000 soldiers, it's better to surrender to the Qing Dynasty!"

Li Guo did not answer, and the Qing envoy continued to increase his responsibilities: "Duke, Confucius Youde was still happy, Geng Zhongming surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, and I, Emperor Taizong, immediately appointed three people as kings. The Qing army entered the pass, and the regent of the regent also named Wu Sangui as King Pingxi. The Ming Dynasty emperor was not so generous. Of course, the Duke might say that Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, not only did he not receive the reward, but he was under house arrest. However, Zheng Zhilong had a strange intention and wanted to secede Fujian. If he was like the Sanshun King and the Pingxi King, he would have been crowned kings long ago. As long as the Duke truly surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, Prince Ying said that he could retain the throne of Duke, and his subordinates would form a town, similar to King Pingxi!"

I have to say that the messengers sent by Ajige are wise and are talented, and the conditions they speak out are also very tempting.

After the Qing envoy finished speaking, he stared at Li Guo and waited confidently for the reply.

Li Guo sneered, "The difference between the Han people and the barbarians is that we have faith and righteousness. In a desperate situation, Shunjun was treated as a confidant. How could I betray Your Majesty just because of this few words? Besides, even if I am desperate, why would I not betray Your Majesty if I am spoiled by the barbarians and be scolded!"
Chapter completed!