Chapter 007 Rushing to Liaodong
In the forty-seventh year of Wanli Ming Dynasty, in the Battle of Saarhu, the Ming army was defeated and suffered heavy casualties. The biggest impact of this battle was that the Ming Dynasty completely lost its initiative in the Liaodong battlefield. From Taichang to Chongzhen, the entire Ming army only had It can be considered defensive, except for Sun Chengzong who took the initiative in the Year of Apocalypse.
Chen Cao was puzzled as to how he could get into such a errand.
It is now November. After the Carpenter Emperor ascended the throne, the first thing that those in the court did was to sort out the responsibility for the defeat of Saarhu. From the political perspective of the civil servant group, the most important thing to sort out this matter was to attack political parties.
Since the Wanli period, party strife has continued. The current political situation is in the hands of the three parties of Qi, Chu, and Zhejiang. In order to gain power, the Donglin Party naturally has to start by attacking its opponents, so it is necessary to arrest Li Rubai and return to Beijing for investigation.
Of course, the commander of the Jinyi Guards at this time is Mr. Luo Sigong, who has been working since the tenth year of Wanli. The responsibility of Nanzhen Fusi is to supervise the army and escort prisoners in the army. Naturally, this matter falls to Nanjing's Zhenfusi. yamen.
As for Chen Cao getting this opportunity, he really has to thank that bastard Gu Linsheng. The last time he failed to bring Chen Cao down, it was because he didn't know the identity of Chen Cao's Jin Yiwei. Now he relied on his grandfather, who was an official in Nanjing, and finally got the chance. Many people assigned this task to Chiba Baihu Office. Gu Linsheng's main purpose was to get Chen Cao to Liaodong, and then make Chen Cao die there in the harsh environment of Liaodong.
"Brother Gu, this method won't go wrong, right?"
"Brother Zhao, don't worry. After the First World War in Sarhu, the Tatars have become stronger. The DPRK and the Central Government are now adopting a conservative attitude towards Liaodong. And now the Tatars are rampant in Liaodong. They went to escort Li Rubai. It is lucky to come back. If they can't come back... ." Gu Linsheng sneered: "The Li family has been operating in Liaodong for many years, do you think they were so easily taken back by the court to be killed?"
Zhao Cheng had a look of hindsight on his face, then he touched his palms and said, "Brother Gu, please see me. Brother Gu, please see me..."
Today, it was rare for Chen Cao to be summoned to go to the Hundred Households. In addition to sneaking away with a click of his thumb, the Jin Yiwei who seemed to be so kind to him had no real status in the guard.
Liu Lei, a member of the Baihu Institute, was so fat that he was almost a ball. Chen Cao felt that the only person who could compare with him was King Fu in later generations. I really don’t know how this guy can keep taking office in the Baihu Institute.
Standing next to Chen Cao was the person who apologized to Chen Cao with a playful smile last time, Zhao Xin, the small flag officer directly connected to the small flag department. Chen Cao asked Xin Zhao more than once if he could shoot a dragon, and every time Zhao Xin's eyes widened. I felt that I, the general banner master, was amusing myself.
"Sir, the brother-in-law of our 100-family master is the commander of the Nanjing Right Guards. Their family is a big family in the south. They are very rich. Every year, I heard that the filial piety money given to the governor must be this amount..." Zhao Xinchao Chen Cao made a gesture, and according to Chen Cao's understanding, it was estimated to be thirty thousand taels.
Money is a trivial matter. Chen Cao focused on the brother-in-law whom Zhao Xin said: "You mean Zhang Tiande, the commander of the Nanjing right guard?"
"Hey, sir, you know Commander Zhang, that's incredible," Xin Zhao said jokingly, looking at Chen Cao.
'Not only did I know him, but he was once my Lord Taishan,' Chen Cao thought to himself, and then thought of his old mother-in-law Zhang Liu, who really looked similar to Liu Lei.
"Aren't the adults from this hundred households thirty?" Chen Cao asked in a low voice.
Just listen to Zhao Xin say: "Where is it? Master Baihu is only twenty-five years old now..."
It's no wonder. If the commander in Beijing saw this guy's weight, he would probably have to shave off a layer of his skin. This kind of body shape is the most suitable for supervising the army. He won't be able to run away even if he wants to.
Ahem...
Liu Lei coughed twice, and then looked at the uniformed guards in the hundreds of households. He frowned first, and then figured out one thing. Isn't he such a careless person? "This trip to Liaodong, the mission has already been completed." I said, bring back Li Rubai, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong. After this incident, rewards will be indispensable. You all cheer me up. I won’t say too much. Go home and pack properly. We will set off in two days."
"yes..."
The Northeast in November can freeze people to death, but the South is fine. Chen Cao often went to the Northeast in his time, so he could tolerate it, but he didn't know if the fat man in front of him could bear it.
Just as he was about to leave, Chen Cao noticed the unfriendly look Liu Lei looked at him. Recalling Zhao Xin's words before, a chill suddenly hit him.
'Will it? Chen Cao shook his head, feeling that he had thought too much.
Chen Cao didn't think anything of Li Xiang's visit, but he felt a little embarrassed when Li Xiang arrived and Li Fengchun followed.
Xiaochun dislikes brothel girls the most. Although they are both from a lowly background, if she is a maid, she can be transformed into a serious family if she gets along well. However, the brothel girl is different. Even after redeeming herself, she is still a lowly status, unless the emperor's favor is great. But throughout the entire Ming Dynasty, no prostitute has ever divorced her citizenship after marrying into another family.
"Young Master..." Li Fengchun blushed. Since he gave Chen Cao the marriage certificate, he has not seen Chen Cao return it to him. This proves that Chen Cao accepted it, but after that time, Chen Cao has not been here. , when I heard that Chen Cao was going to Liaodong, I couldn't hold myself back and came to see him off in person.
Li Xiang was generous, but she didn't know that Li Fengchun gave the marriage certificate to Chen Cao, otherwise he would have jumped eight feet high: "Sir, you are really amazing, and there is a beauty here to see you off. It seems that you can't be careful if you don't." If something happens, how will others survive?"
Looking at Li Xiang's resentful eyes, Chen Cao was excited. Although Li Xiang was getting better and better towards him after expressing his attitude that night, and Li Maohui had never caused any trouble, after all, it was not yet to the point of discussing marriage. Logically speaking, everything had to be done. The best thing to do is to be more distant: "Boss Li is joking, Miss Li just admires my talent, right?"
You are so beautiful...
"Young master, I'm going to Liaodong now. My little girl has nothing to give you. I just went to Baoguo Temple to ask for a peace charm for you," he said, stretching out his hand and handing it to Chen Cao.
Chen Cao was not the kind of person with bad intentions. He immediately smiled politely, then reached out to take the safety charm. His hand accidentally touched Li Fengchun, which made Li Fengchun's face turn red: "Thank you, Miss Li."
Looking at Li Fengchun's seemingly successful escape, Chen Cao couldn't help but smile and shake his head. These women were still virgins, similar in age, and all of them had a reserve that was not found in later generations of women.
Li Xiang coughed twice and said seriously: "I've seen enough. I wonder when Mr. Chen Qi will come back?"
His tone was as if his wife was lecturing him. Chen Cao turned to look at Li Xiang and said, "Xiang'er..."
"You whore..." Xiaochun shouted angrily.
"Shut up..." Li Xiang turned around and scolded Xiaochun.
Chen Cao ignored Xiaochun, looked at Li Xiang and said seriously: "Xiang'er, I, Chen, am looked down upon by others only because of yesterday. I may not be a great person today. I will come back from Liaodong one day and come to Mr. Li to propose marriage."
Li Xiang looked at Chen Cao, pursed his lips and nodded with a red face, then stuffed a beautiful purse into Chen Cao's hand, and escaped with Xiaochun and others.
'Oh, how can I be so good...' Looking at the peace charm in his wallet, Chen Cao thought to himself. In his previous life, he was rich and often went out to prostitutes, but none of them were so beautiful that he really liked him. After time travel, he felt Everything is different. Women in ancient times were really infatuated.
Chen Cao set out, but there was a situation. He couldn't ride a horse. In his previous life, all the people who rode were women. How could he have the money to play with something as high-end as a horse?
The entire Hundred Household Office was dispatched with official documents sent from Tianjin Jinyiwei Commander Si Yamen. Liu Lei was riding a carriage, and his body shape did not allow him to ride a horse.
On the second day of departure, Chen Cao had his skin peeled off on both sides of his horse. Blood oozed out and the pain was unbearable. Liu Lei sat on the carriage and issued this order: "The whole team must move forward quickly, and it must be completed within five days." Arrive at Shanhaiguan."
Damn...
Chen Cao not only greeted Liu Lei's relatives and friends at home, but also cordially greeted his sister several times, and even had some wonderful relationships.
However, despite his bravery, he could not change the fact that he was bleeding from his lower leg. Zhao Xin simply gave Chen Cao some medicine, but after arriving at Shanhaiguan, Chen Cao's lower leg still did not improve. Fortunately, Liu Lei couldn't bear it either. After five days of long journey, we were ordered to rest for one day in Shihe Town outside Shanhaiguan.
Chen Cao wanted to see the place where Li Zicheng and Wu Sangui fought, but the pain from stepping down made it impossible for him to think about it. Fortunately, Shihe Town is close to Shanhaiguan, and there are doctors in the town who have been practicing in the military all year round. After paying a heavy sum of one tael of silver, Zhao Xin finally got Chen Cao an ointment from a retired military doctor who specialized in treating injuries caused by war horses.
"Zhao Xin, take these ten taels of silver." Chen Cao handed a silver note to Zhao Xin and said, "After you go back, I will reward you with a hundred taels, so what."
Xin Zhao was flattered and said: "Sir, you are really hurting my subordinates by doing this. You have given us all the filial piety money in the past. How can I still ask for your money?"
"You can take it if you are told. It is fate that our general banner has the opportunity to have brothers like you. As a superior, how can you take advantage of one person and let you pay for it yourself? Life in Jinling is not easy. Even if I get that little filial piety money in your hands, I can only divide it into three taels per person at most, don’t I know?”
Zhao Xinxin felt excited. He had changed so many general banner bosses over the years, and Chen Cao was really the first one. He knelt down on one knee and saluted: "I thank you for your reward. I will be useful in the future." Wherever you go, your subordinates will definitely be devastated." After saying that, he kowtowed.
Chen Cao nodded. After taking the medicine, he felt cool and comfortable for a while, but then he remembered Liu Lei's appearance and couldn't help but feel angry. He looked at Zhao Xin and said: "This general banner has a small task for you. You Can it be done?”
Xin Zhao had just expressed his loyalty, and now he said without hesitation: "I will definitely handle it. I wonder what my lord asked me to do?"
"Take off Liu Lei's clothes at night and throw him into the street..." Chen Cao said viciously.
"Ah..." Zhao Xin looked at Chen Cao in horror, but seeing that Chen Cao was not joking at all, he immediately felt embarrassed and hesitated: "Sir, this... this..."
Chen Cao turned to look at Xin Zhao and said seriously: "I lied to you..."
"...."
Less than three miles northeast of Shihe Town is the stone where Li Zicheng fought with Wu Sangui in later generations. It is next to Shanhaiguan and is the only place for entertainment in this city. Therefore, there are more than a dozen Qinlou brothels in the town. Merchants and troops coming and going from customs all like to have a spring night in the town, and Liu Lei is no exception.
...
"Sir," Xin Zhao quickly walked into the room: "This is incredible..."
"How are you, are you famous?" Chen Cao yawned and got up from the bed.
Xin Zhao couldn't help but laugh and said: "My lord is really wise. The two pieces of crotch cloth on the front and back danced in the wind as Liu Lei ran. This subordinate... I really can't help it anymore, hahahaha..."
Last night, Chen Cao and Zhao Xin and a group of cronies reluctantly carried Liu Lei out of the brothel and threw him in the center of the town. He was finally discovered at dawn. After Liu Lei was woken up, he got up and ran in panic, but I found that I was wearing nothing except two pieces of cloth at the front and back to block important parts. The key was that these two pieces of cloth were like curtains, with an empty space in between.
It was unusually cold in Shanhaiguan in November, because Liu Lei had so much fat and was so overworked that he slept to death. Chen Cao had some conscience and put a thin blanket over him to prevent him from freezing. You're lucky to die on the street...
Then a school captain walked in, saluted Chen Cao and Zhao Xin and said, "Sir, Master Baihu is losing his temper in the room right now. Let the two general banner masters go to the lobby to discuss matters."
The first thing Liu Lei did when he returned to the inn was to recall who he had offended. He thought carefully that he had been in Jinling for more than ten years, and it was impossible for him to offend someone and come to Shanhaiguan. Then he realized that it was probably Chen Cao who was taking revenge on him.
In the lobby, Liu Lei was sitting upright, yawning profusely. When Chen Cao walked into the lobby, Liu Lei's nose was red.
"Slow down..." Chen Cao turned around and scolded Zhao Xin: "It hurts so much..."
Coming in like this, no one else believed him when you said he was involved. Liu Lei frowned and looked at Chen Cao, and then asked: "Chen Cao, what's wrong with you?"
Chen Cao pointed to the step down and said: "Master Baihu, you don't know something. I have never ridden so far. I have worn off my skin when I was not in Tianjin Guard. You ordered us to arrive at Shanhaiguan in five days. I dare not neglect it. The injuries were somewhat serious.”
Another flag officer named Liu Zuo, Liu Lei's younger brother, drank wine with Liu Lei last night and was helped back to the inn after he got drunk. He only heard about Liu Lei's experience early in the morning.
"Sir, I heard about the matter before I came here. I have sent people to investigate, and I believe there will be results soon. Please rest assured, sir." Chen Cao cupped his hands towards Liu Lei, and then grinned in pain.
'Did you blame him wrongly? Liu Lei thought to himself, but Chen Cao's injury was not an act. Thinking that others were so thoughtful, much better than his own clan brother, he sighed and comforted: "Okay, Chen Cao, you are also thoughtful." , we are in a hurry, I just suffered from the cold and did not suffer much loss."
"How can that be done?" Seeing Liu Lei talking about setting off again, if it can be done like this, once he sets off, his injury will definitely not heal, so Chen Cao hurriedly interrupted: "Sir, after all, we are also Jin Yiwei, the emperor's personal army, In the past, we were the only ones who bullied others, so why did others bully us? Although I was injured, I still have to find out who threw the adults on the street."
When Liu Lei heard this, the corner of his mouth twitched, and he heard Chen Cao continue: "No matter what, I have to wear underwear, what do two pieces of crotch cloth mean?"
Naturally, the progress of the matter was almost as planned by Chen Cao. On the third day, Liu Lei finally couldn't hold it anymore. The time given by Tianjin was only one month, and now it has taken eight days. Even the journey from Shanhaiguan to Shenyang Even if it is a fast horse, it will take eight days. With one trip and one trip, there is not much time left.
"Give me the order to tell Chen Cao to leave this mess alone and set off quickly. It will snow heavily in Liaodong in December, making it difficult for carriages and horses to travel. It has wasted time and you and I cannot afford to escape."
The wounds were almost scabbed in three days. Chen Cao moved his thighs and said to the captain who came to deliver the order: "Go back and tell Lord Baihu that we will set off immediately."
After the Battle of Saarhu, the Ming Dynasty completely lost control of the Jianzhou Guards. Li Rubai retreated to Shenyang. All guards and forts north of Shenyang fell into the hands of Nurhachi. All four major passes in Liaodong were lost. Later Jin soldiers could attack anytime and anywhere. Shenyang.
Five days after setting off, Chen Cao's team arrived at Liaodong Town, also known as Zizaizhou, where the Liaodong capital was located. The new Liaodong manager Xiong Tingbi took office. After Liu Lei visited Xiong Tingbi out of courtesy, the team set off again, targeting Shenyang.
At the end of November, the weather in the Northeast was extremely cold, even worse than Shanhaiguan. Roads were blocked by heavy snow. From Liaodong Town onwards, it was difficult for carriages and horses to move. Fortunately, Chen Cao was the general flag, and Zhao Xin and others were leading the horses in front of him. However, Liu Lei's car could no longer travel, so he could only get on his horse and travel.
Coincidentally, after riding horses and walking for two days, the team arrived at Baitapu. Liu Lei's legs were also scratched. This was serious. Liu Lei's body bones were not as strong as Chen Cao's, and the weather was bad. , it freezes as soon as it bleeds, and I can't walk at all.
"Should..." Chen Cao shouted in the military camp of Baitapu, and then said to Zhao Xin: "Hide all of mine and don't take them out at all."
"Yes..." Zhao Xin said with a bad smile: "Sir, Shenyang City is less than forty miles away. The injuries to these 100 households are enough. They will be injured when we are close to Shenyang. Hey... "
Liu Lei, a fat man, may not be considered fat, but he is also very clever. He is the so-called person who pretends to be a pig and eats the tiger.
"Brother, Shenyang is only forty miles away, and the snow on the official road is not thick. We can enter the city in two hours at most." Liu Zuo gave Liu Lei some good medicine, but he was a little curious.
After all, Liu Lei was older than Liu Zuo, and he had been given guidance by experts from Nanjing before going out, so he stopped the team at Baitapu and said, "Go and call Chen Cao. This task belongs to him."
Chen Cao walked out of Liu Lei's tent, spat in disgust, greeted Liu Lei's sister again, and then walked towards his tent.
"Sir," Zhao Xin walked towards Chen Cao: "How is it?"
Chen Cao walked into the big tent, looked at Zhao Xin seriously and said: "This general banner gives you a small task."
Xin Zhao was excited, nodded and clasped his fists: "Please give me your instructions."
"Put some medicine on Liu Lei and the others tonight, stun them, take off his clothes, throw him out, and freeze him to death."
"ah..."
...
At the gate of Shenyang City, Li Rubai, who had received the news a long time ago, personally greeted him at the gate of the city. Chen Cao rode a horse and slowly walked towards the gate of the city with fifty people from his general banner.
Just as he arrived at the gate of the city and was about to dismount, he saw Li Rubai bowing his hands respectfully towards Chen Cao and saying: "Li Rubai, the last general of the Liaodong Army, has met Lord Shangchao."
The Li family in Liaodong was originally a Korean. He came to Liaodong to avoid disaster in the later period and was promoted to the rank of general soldier. Although Li Rubai's army was frightened by dozens of Jin soldiers in the battle of Saarhu, tens of thousands of people collapsed before the battle. , fighting to trample to death more than a thousand people, it can be said to be humiliating; but the Li family has been operating in Liaodong for more than two hundred years, and the tree has deep roots. In history, even Emperor Tianqi failed to finally make up his mind to kill Li Rubai. This old man also put his own Scared to death.
Li Rubai went out of the city to greet Chen Cao. The generals behind him were all very strong, obviously wanting to give Chen Cao a blow. Chen Cao also really saw the bad looks in these guys' eyes, so he quickly dismounted and returned to Li Rubai: "Li Rubai The commander-in-chief is broken." Then he stood up straight, held Mingfa's imperial edict in his hand, and said neither humble nor arrogantly: "I hereby order Li Rubai, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, to return to Beijing as soon as possible to report on his duties without any mistakes."
Note: There were three types of imperial edicts in the Ming Dynasty. The first one was the most formal. It was drafted by the Supervisor of Rites, sealed by the emperor, approved by the cabinet, and issued by the Secretary of General Affairs. It was generally used in official occasions such as the emperor's enthronement ceremony and canonization. The format is ' The emperor is supported by heaven, and the edict says: "The second type is the imperial edict drafted and issued by the cabinet in the name of the emperor with the consent of the emperor, which is called the imperial edict, which is the one issued by Chen Cao now; the last type is the imperial edict issued by the emperor himself, by The Chief of Ceremonies drafted and issued it directly. This kind of imperial edict was called the Zhongzhi. Among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, the one who issued the most and most willful edicts was undoubtedly Emperor Wuzong and Zhengde.
"The last general Li Rubai took the order..."
This kind of edict generally does not require kneeling, but etiquette is still necessary. After Li Rubai bowed respectfully, Chen Cao was about to do business. A fierce family general behind Li Rubai on the left said: "Master Shangchai has come all the way. Nowadays, there is heavy snow in Liaodong and the roads are muddy and difficult to travel. I would like to ask you, sir, to go into the city and rest first. It will not be too late to set off after the heavy snow melts."
Before Chen Cao agreed, a dozen other generals behind him all raised their hands toward Chen Cao and said, "Sir, please..."
Zhao Xin was right behind Chen Cao. Seeing this situation, he moved to Chen Cao's side and whispered: "Sir, you can't do anything, don't act rashly."
When Chen Cao heard this, he was horrified, but he also managed a smile: "In this case, it would be better to obey orders than to be respectful."
