Chapter 1300: The Death of Wu Sangui!

Li Dingguo was taken aback. What was wrong with his son? Why was he asking about Wu Sangui's diet? And who were these commoners? Could they be Wu Sangui's cooks?

"Speak up, speak up!" Li Puxing roared at the commoners. "Tell the truth and we'll spare your lives. Being exiled to Ü-Tsang for military service is a fine place — just a bit high up."

The commoners, seeing Prince Li, all dropped to their knees with a thud. Hearing they would be exiled to Ü-Tsang, they all wept until they were drenched in tears.

But weeping aside, confessing honestly was still mandatory — otherwise they wouldn't even get to go to Ü-Tsang!

"Spare us, my lord! This humble one will speak truthfully. Xiangshan Fortress ran out of grain long ago — ten days ago it was already exhausted!"

"Nonsense!" Li Dingguo glared. "With nothing to eat for ten days, even if you didn't starve to death you couldn't fight! And you lot don't look like starving corpses! You crafty commoners — do you think that just because I've become a prince, I've forgotten what hunger feels like?"

Indeed! Li Dingguo had experience in this matter — he had risen from a peasant uprising, and he had seen far too many people starve to death!

"The grain is gone, but there is food," one "crafty commoner" said through tears. "The Duke of Liang — no, the traitor Wu — started forcing everyone to eat meat ten days ago."

"Eat meat?" Li Dingguo seemed to realize something, and at once felt a wave of nausea, nearly vomiting up the mutton soup with flatbread he'd had for lunch.

"Ada," Li Puxing said excitedly, "that traitor Wu Sangui is eating human flesh — the flesh of those who died in battle! Damn it all, he's turned into a man-eating demon!"

Wu Sangui had become a demon!

Li Dingguo shot his son a sideways glare. "What nonsense are you spouting? Eating a bit of human flesh — how does that make someone a demon? Your Ada, back in the day—"

Back in the day, when driven to desperation, he had eaten it too! And wasn't he perfectly fine now, not turned into any demon?

But those words truly could not be spoken aloud. In the end he just glared at the "crafty commoners" and said, "Human flesh is not easy to handle. If it isn't cleaned properly, eating it will make you sick. Has Wu Sangui fallen ill?"

The "crafty commoners" all looked at Li Dingguo with admiration. One of them nodded and said, "My lord is wise! My lord truly knows everything — he even understands the matter of eating human flesh!"

"Nonsense! How would I know anything about eating human flesh? I was still young back then." Li Dingguo barked again, "Speak quickly — what has become of Wu Sangui?"

"He fell ill three days ago — vomiting and diarrhea. At first he forced himself to hold on, but since last night he's been failing. He started running a fever and keeps raving deliriously. It looks like he's about to go. That's why the few of us climbed over the wall and fled the city to join the Great Shun Heavenly Court. Spare us, my lord!"

Wu Sangui was on the verge of death!

Thank heaven and earth!

Tears nearly welled up in Li Dingguo's eyes. Once Wu Sangui died, the Great Ming's campaign into Sichuan would have to be postponed. The Shun would have time to arrange its westward and southward advances. If worst came to worst, perhaps they could even go to India and establish a new foundation there.

"Since Wu Sangui is nearly done for," Li Dingguo glared again, "why haven't the people on Xiangshan surrendered?"

One "crafty commoner" answered through sobs, "Wu Sangui is failing, but the personal guards under him are still utterly obstinate. Every one of them has the blood of Great Shun heavenly soldiers on their hands — they dare not surrender!"

"There's also a Sichuan man named Wang Youwen who is willing to be a running dog for the Zhu traitor. He gathered a batch of villains like himself and forced us good commoners to resist the heavenly soldiers. The few of us only found a chance to escape when the heavenly soldiers climbed onto the city wall."

Li Dingguo clenched his teeth. "Damn it, not a single one of them is worth anything! When we capture them in the future, they won't even get Ü-Tsang — all of them will be beheaded!" He waved a hand. "Take them all away. Send them to Ü-Tsang for military service later!"

Still going to Ü-Tsang. The "crafty commoners" wept even harder upon hearing Li Dingguo's sentence, but the Great Shun garrison soldiers escorting them paid no mind and dragged them off.

Li Puxing sidled up to his father and said excitedly, "Ada, let me lead troops to attack! While that villain Wu Sangui dies of illness at the front, we can take Xiangshan Fortress in one surge!"

Li Dingguo waved a hand. "Forget it. You can't take it."

"Ada—" Li Puxing was stunned. "Why not?"

"They've even resorted to eating human flesh. What do we have left to attack them with? They're determined to hold out to the bitter end — holding on a few more days is no problem for them!" Li Dingguo said. "We ourselves are in a dangerous position. Three Great Ming armies under the Zhu clan are attacking fiercely all around us. If even one breaks through, we won't be able to get away!"

"If we all perish here in Lüeyang, how will we ever advance west and south in the future? The reason I refused to leave before was fear that Wu Sangui would send troops to pursue us while we withdrew. Now it seems that won't happen. I can withdraw at leisure."

"Ada, once we retreat, the Qishan Road, the Sanguan Road, and Hanzhong and Yunyang will be—"

Li Dingguo waved a hand. "Say no more. I've done my utmost, and the brothers have done their utmost too. But the Zhu Ming's fortune has not yet run out, and there's nothing we can do! Pass down my order: summon all army commanders to attend a council of war!"

"The roving bandits are withdrawing! The roving bandits are retreating! We've won—"

"Victory at last—"

"Wuwu—"

As cheers resounded from the summit of Xiangshan and the walls of Lüeyang, Wu Sangui — Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi for the Great Ming, Military Commissioner of Hexi, Grand Protector of Anxi, and Duke of Liang who had overcome hardship — was already somewhat delirious from the high fever. His face was badly swollen, taking on an ashen pallor, and covered with many rose-colored rashes. His body trembled constantly, wracked with chills.

The disease he now had was called typhoid fever! The cause was not necessarily eating spoiled human flesh — it could also have been drinking contaminated water. On the entire summit of Xiangshan, he was not the only one who had contracted typhoid — several hundred had, and some of them had already passed away. The rest were still struggling against death.

But Wu Sangui was utterly exhausted and could struggle no longer. His life had reached its end.

"My lord, my lord, you must not come to any harm!"

Wu Yinglin had come up from Lüeyang city below the mountain to see his father off. Seeing his father Wu Sangui on the brink of death, the great filial son also wept into a sodden mess.

Seeing his son, Wu Sangui's spirits suddenly lifted a little. He asked, "Did we win?"

"We won, we won! Li Dingguo has withdrawn. The Qishan Road and more than half of Hanzhong are in our hands! Father, you have won a complete victory!"

"At last I have not failed His Majesty's trust!" Wu Sangui let out a breath. "Second son, it seems I am not going to make it. I must go see your grandfather."

"Father, don't say that, don't say that—"

Wu Sangui waved his hand feebly and said with a bitter smile, "Birth, old age, sickness, death — these are the common lot of man. I, Wu Sangui, have lived a hero's life, and after death my name will remain in the annals of history! The only thing I cannot set my mind at ease about is our Wu family. While I am here, the Wu family is like brocade clustered with flowers, like oil poured on a raging fire! When I die, who in the Wu family can hold it up?"

Compared with Zheng Zhilong's family, Wu Xiang's family was truly a bit thin.

Wu Yinglin wiped his tears. "There's still Auntie. Auntie is the Empress—"

Wu Sangui nodded. "She counts as one. But it's still thin."

"There's also Third Uncle."

"Your Third Uncle is in poor health." Wu Sangui shook his head.

Wu Sangui had two brothers. The eldest, Wu Sanfeng, was greatly out of favor and had not even been allowed to inherit Wu Xiang's dukedom — Wu Xiang's title had gone to Wu Sangui's eldest son, Wu Yingxiong. And Wu Sanfu was in poor health and did not have the look of a long-lived man. Originally there had been Wu Sangui, who seemed sturdy enough — no one expected him to fall at Lüeyang.

"There are still Fourth Uncle, Fifth Uncle, Sixth Uncle—"

Wu Sangui waved his hand. "They are merely your grandfather's adopted sons. When the family is flourishing like brocade clustered with flowers, they will fight and strive for us. When the family fortunes decline, they will set up their own households."

"Then—" Wu Yinglin also felt there was no one reliable. "Father, there is still me and Eldest Brother! As long as we two brothers are here, the Wu family will not collapse!"

"Your eldest brother won't do." Wu Sangui shook his head. "He's an honest man — he can't accomplish great things." He sighed. "Among my children, only you and A'ke can hold up the situation in the future!"

As he spoke, Wu Sangui used his trembling right hand to pull five letters out from under his pillow. "One is a final memorial; one is for Sanmei; one is for you two brothers; one is for your Third Uncle; one is for A'ke. Our family will have to rely on her from now on!"

(End of Chapter)