The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 67 Zhang Lian
When Zhang Lian heard the news that Wu Ze had "disappeared," he froze on the spot, his face turning deathly pale.

He suddenly grabbed the messenger's collar, his voice trembling with anger:
"What do you mean 'gone missing'? How could it possibly be gone?!"

The messenger trembled with fright, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, and stammered back:
"Lord Wu first sent his accompanying centurion to Andingmen to instruct them to guard the city."

"Then he said he was going to inspect Shunyang Gate and Dongsheng Gate, and then he took a few personal guards and went to Shunyang Gate. After that, he disappeared without a trace."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Nian gritted his teeth in anger:
"Patrol my ass! The thieves are at Anding Gate, yet he insists on going to Shunyang Gate. That Wu Ze! He must have run away!"

"You, Wu Ze, deserted your post! I will certainly impeach you severely!"

He suppressed his inner turmoil, took a deep breath, and, feigning composure, gave the order to the messenger:

"Go! Pass on my order! Summon all the remaining garrison troops to the prefectural government office!"

"This government will fight these bandits to the last man!"

These words were spoken with great passion and fervor, carrying a sense of fearlessness in the face of death.

Upon hearing this, the messenger's eyes flashed with excitement, and his previously slumped shoulders instantly straightened.

Although the commander abandoned them and ran away, the prefect was still holding on, which rekindled his hope.

He knelt on one knee, cupped his hands in greeting, and loudly replied:

"As ordered!"

"We will fight to the death, follow you to the last man, and fight the enemy to the last man!"

After saying that, he immediately got up, rushed out of the government office, mounted his horse, and headed straight for the north gate.

Zhang Nian stood there, his gaze gloomy, and the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

He spoke passionately, but in his heart he had already given up.

Fight to the last soldier? He himself would laugh at such nonsense; it could only fool these soldiers.

Can't you see that there are no assistant officials left in this huge prefectural government office?
The magistrate, the sub-prefect, the judge, and the magistrate—all have long since disappeared, leaving only a few low-ranking clerks still on duty in the yamen.

Zhang Nian shook his head, hurried back to the inner hall, and waved to dismiss the servants in the yamen and the clerks outside:

"You may all leave. I will fight the bandits to the death here!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present gasped, their faces filled with shock and admiration.

He truly deserves to be the head of a prefecture. His integrity and will are admirable. If there were more prefectural officials like him, what would prevent the Ming Dynasty from prospering?

Even more so, upon hearing this, some stopped running and insisted on following Zhang Nian's footsteps to fight the enemy soldiers together.

This startled Zhang Nian. "I was just making an excuse to get you out of here. Why did you take it seriously?"

Zhang Nian quickly shook his head and shouted sternly:
"Confused!"

"You are in the prime of your lives, yet instead of thinking about preserving your lives to serve the court in the future, you want to fight to the death with me against those bandits. What kind of logic is that?"

"Retreat immediately! Let me hold off the enemy soldiers for you!"

Upon hearing this, the group's eyes filled with tears. They kowtowed twice to Zhang Nian and reluctantly turned to leave.

The night was deep, and the flickering candlelight in the government office made Zhang Nian's face appear even paler.

Once everyone had left, he could no longer keep up the act, quickly got up, and headed straight for the backyard.

He looked around to make sure no one was there, then quietly pushed open the back door and slipped into a nearby alley, disappearing into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Nian doesn't usually live in the government office. Instead, he owns a large, ornately decorated mansion in the east of the city, which used to be bustling with visitors. But now it's as deserted as an empty city.

He pushed open the side door, crossed the courtyard, and hurried towards the inner courtyard.

The servants in the house looked at him with surprise and doubt upon seeing his appearance.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

The old steward came forward, but before he could finish speaking, Zhang Nian impatiently waved his hand to interrupt him:
"Disperse! The enemy is attacking the city! The city is about to fall, so flee for your lives!"

Upon hearing this, the servants were first stunned, then erupted into chaos. Some screamed and ran to the backyard, while others busied themselves packing their valuables. In the blink of an eye, the house was in complete disarray. Zhang Nian ignored them and rushed into his study. He found his official seal and ivory token on the desk, then rummaged through a hidden compartment and pulled out several silver ingots, stuffing them all into a cloth bag.

He knew very well that Yan'an Prefecture was no longer safe, and that saving his own life was the most important thing right now.

But just then, there was a rapid knocking at the door:

"My lord, what has happened? Have the enemy soldiers already broken in?"

Annoyed by his noise, Zhang Nian suddenly stood up, opened the door, and shouted angrily:
"What's all the noise about! Come in and talk!"

A loyal servant rushed in and asked anxiously:
"Sir, should I prepare the horses?"

Zhang Nian remained silent. Prepare a horse? There must be bandits everywhere outside the city now. Riding out on horseback would be like walking into a trap.

He glanced at the servant in front of him, a wicked plan forming in his mind.

Zhang Nian shook his head nonchalantly, casually picked up the cloth bag, and "accidentally" spilled the gold and silver inside all over the ground.

Upon seeing this, the servant quickly knelt down to help pick it up.

While the servant was focused on picking up the silver, a ruthless glint flashed in Zhang Nian's eyes. He seized the opportunity to grab the inkstone from the table and smash it hard against the back of the servant's head.

With a muffled thud, the servant collapsed to the ground, blood slowly flowing out.

Zhang Nian snorted coldly, threw away the inkstone, and bent down to strip the servant of his coarse clothes.

Immediately afterwards, Zhang Nian quickly took off his official robe and put on the coarse cloth clothes, and changed his official boots into cloth shoes.

Then he took off his official hat, let his hair down, and transformed himself into a down-on-his-luck commoner.

Then, he put the official robe, hat, and boots on the servant, and even put the official token and seal into the servant's pocket.

After doing all this, he found a tinderbox and set the curtains in the study on fire.

The flames suddenly shot up and quickly ignited the Xuan paper on the desk, then spread to the wooden shelf, and the entire room was soon engulfed in flames.

Zhang Nian turned and ran out of the study, standing in the courtyard, watching helplessly as the fire gradually engulfed the house.

The firelight illuminated his face, and the thick smoke made him cough incessantly. A resolute glint flashed in Zhang Nian's eyes as he muttered to himself:
"It's better to burn it than for it to fall into the hands of thieves."

He shook his head,
"When the enemy troops broke into the city, Zhang Nian, the prefect of Yan'an, refused to surrender and set himself on fire."

"This should fool those bandits, right?"

The fire grew larger and crackled loudly. He dared not linger, so he slung his cloth bag over his shoulder and, under the cover of night, meandered through the alleys, heading straight for the west of the city.

There was an inconspicuous little villa in the west of the city, which was given to him by the Li family in his early years.

It has remained unknown to outsiders for many years, making it a good hiding place.

He pushed open the courtyard gate; the courtyard was overgrown with weeds and desolate.

Zhang Nian went straight into the inner room, threw the cloth bag into the stove hole, and buried it in the ashes.

The room was dark, and the air was filled with a pungent musty smell.

But Zhang Nian dared not light any lamps, and could only keep the gate tightly shut, praying that the bandits would not find this place.

He huddled in the corner, hugging his legs tightly to his chest, the faint sounds of bandits shouting and cannons booming in his ears, his body trembling involuntarily.

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down, and silently recited in his mind:

"If I can just hold out until tonight, and wait until the enemy soldiers lower their guard, I can escape."

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(End of this chapter)