Chapter 152: Bringing the News

"Let me in! I need to see the Governor-General! I need to see the Governor-General!"

Not long after noon, a group of mounted soldiers charged up to the gate of the Guangdong Governor-General's yamen, which had been converted from the former Southern Ming Shaowu Emperor's temporary palace.

The man in the lead leaped from his horse and, heedless of the wound on his leg, ran straight for the inner gate, shouting at the top of his lungs as he ran, his face frantic with anxiety, as if he wished he could fly straight into the presence of the Governor-General of Guangdong, Li Shuaitai.

Guangdong in the fifth month was already stiflingly hot, and the noonday sun was fierce.

By custom, no official seeking an audience with the Governor-General was received at this hour, for the Governor-General, having come from the north, had not yet grown accustomed to the southern climate and always took a short nap after noon; otherwise he would have no energy for the rest of the afternoon.

At this time, unless the Prince of Pingnan or the Prince of Jingnan came in person, the Governor-General would see no one and attend to no official business.

Because everyone knew the Governor-General's rule, neither the yamen's aides and clerks nor the guards on duty dared let anyone in at this hour, for fear of disturbing the Governor-General's rest.

So when an officer suddenly appeared out of nowhere, charging at the Governor-General's yamen and shouting at the top of his lungs, the guards at the gate were momentarily stunned, then hurriedly rushed forward to see who had the gall of a bear and the nerve of a leopard to behave so recklessly before the Governor-General's yamen!

When they rushed up and took a look, the yamen guards were all taken aback. It turned out the mounted men were all Green Standard soldiers, and the one charging through the gate was an Assistant Regional Commander.

But for some reason, there was blood on the Assistant Regional Commander's leg; he appeared to be wounded. Then they heard him shouting that he had the most urgent military intelligence to report, and the guards began to hesitate, unsure whether they should let him in.

While the guards were hesitating, a clerk from inside the yamen stormed out through the second gate in a fury: The Governor-General is taking his afternoon rest! What bastard son of a turtle dares to shout and holler outside like this? If the Governor-General is startled, there'll be hell to pay!

"Who dares make a racket before the Governor-General's yamen? Why haven't you seized him yet!"

A seventh-rank official at a chancellor's gate wields real power. The Governor-General of Guangdong was no chancellor, but he was still a high-ranking frontier official of immense authority.

Moreover, the current Governor-General Li Shuaitai's wife was a daughter of the imperial clan personally bestowed by the late founding emperor—a genuine imperial relative by marriage, before whom even the Prince of Pingnan and the Prince of Jingnan dared not put on airs.

Under such prestige, though this man was merely a petty clerk in the Governor-General's yamen, his pride and bearing were no less than those of a chancellor's household servant.

Though he could see at a glance that the man trying to force his way in was a Green Standard Assistant Regional Commander, the clerk still waved his hand and ordered the guards to seize him first.

No matter what rank you hold, at this moment you will not be allowed to disturb the Governor-General's rest!

With the clerk's order, the guards no longer hesitated and immediately rushed forward to make the arrest.

Zheng Guodong had barely escaped from Xinhui City. Along the way, fearing pursuit by the Taiping Army, he had not dared take the official road to the east, instead making a long detour around the Tan River to the west.

On the road he had run into a band of Ming army stragglers, and after a fierce fight, seven or eight of his personal guards had been killed, and he himself had taken a slash to the leg.

To get back to Guangzhou with the news, Zheng Guodong had endured untold hardship along the way, paying no attention whatsoever to the wound on his leg.

Having finally reached the Governor-General's yamen, he had no thought for protocol; he only wanted to see the Governor-General at once, report that the Taiping Army had seized Xinhui City, and beg the Governor-General to dispatch troops immediately to retake it.

The military situation was desperately urgent, yet the people outside the Governor-General's yamen would not let him in, and the clerk was even ordering the guards to seize him.

Zheng Guodong was frantic, cursing the clerk inwardly as a bastard, and shouted in fury: "I have the most urgent military intelligence to report to the Governor-General! Stand aside at once, and do not delay a matter of great importance!"

"What great importance! Even if the sky were falling, you can't go in at this hour!"

The clerk paid Zheng Guodong no heed. No matter what the matter was, even if the sky collapsed, rules were rules.

If everyone were allowed to charge into the Governor-General's yamen shouting and hollering, what would become of decorum? What would become of the rules?

If you truly had urgent military intelligence, that would be one thing—but if you disturbed the Governor-General over some trivial dog-fart matter, who would take the blame afterward?

He himself was on duty today, and if the Governor-General took offense, he would be in deep trouble!

"Damn it, get the hell out of my way!"

Seeing that the clerk clearly meant to keep him out, Zheng Guodong lost all patience and shoved aside the guards who were trying to seize him. The clerk, seeing this, also grew agitated: Hey, we've got a real blockhead here!

"What are you all standing around for? Seize him for me this instant!"

"Yes, sir!"

At the order, the guards hurried forward to grab Zheng Guodong. His leg was wounded and he was utterly exhausted; at any other time, these yamen guards would have been nothing in his eyes, but now he could not hold out against them and was dragged bodily toward the outside.

Zheng Guodong's personal guards grew anxious at the sight, but they dared not step forward to help their commander deal with the yamen guards. This was, after all, the Governor-General's yamen of Guangdong.

Zheng Guodong might dare to force his way in, but they did not.

"Governor-General! I am Zheng Guodong of Xinhui! I have important military intelligence to report!..."

In desperation, Zheng Guodong threw back his head and bellowed toward the interior of the Governor-General's residence, frightening the clerk into hastily ordering the guards to clap a hand over his mouth.

"Who is out there?"

Li Shuaitai, the Governor-General of Guangdong, who was taking his afternoon rest in the rear of the yamen, was startled awake by the commotion outside. Slightly annoyed, he called out: "Who is making that racket out front?"

Two booi whom Li Shuaitai had brought from Beijing and who had been waiting on him outside hurriedly replied: "Reporting to Your Excellency, it is Zheng Guodong from Xinhui. He says he has important military intelligence to report to Your Highness, but he is being held back at the front."

Hearing the booi's reply, Li Shuaitai frowned. What was Zheng Guodong doing in Guangzhou instead of staying in Xinhui? What important military intelligence? Could Xinhui City have fallen?

At that thought, Li Shuaitai was instantly alarmed. He quickly ordered those outside: "Bring him here."

He walked to the tea table, picked up a cup of cool tea, and took a sip, feeling a wave of relief in his chest.

Glancing at the official dispatch from Beijing that still lay on the table, he knitted his brows, sat down on the stool, and began tapping his fingers lightly as he pondered how to reply to Beijing.

Hearing that the Governor-General would see the man, the duty clerk hastily ordered the guards to release Zheng Guodong and led him into the yamen, feeling uneasy the whole way, wondering whether the Governor-General would think less of him over this affair.

Li Shuaitai had no time for the clerk's concerns; his mind was fixed on Xinhui City. The moment Zheng Guodong saw Li Shuaitai, he dropped to his knees with a thud and, sobbing so hard he could barely speak, reported: "Governor-General, your subordinate is incompetent—Xinhui City has fallen!"

"What? Xinhui City has fallen!"

At these words, Li Shuaitai sprang to his feet with a jolt and demanded urgently: "When did the bandits take Xinhui!"