Chapter 008 Li Family of Liaodong
The Li family in Liaodong avoided trouble in North Korea during the Tang Dynasty and returned to Liaodong in the early Ming Dynasty. It has developed to this day for more than two hundred years. Since the beginning of Li Chengliang, the Li family has been powerful in Liaodong, and its title reached Ning Yuanbo. After the death of Li Chengliang and his eldest son Li Rusong, the Li clan leader It fell on the second son Li Rubai.
The Li family's hall was now filled with members of the Li family. Li Rubai sat on the main seat, watching the quarreling among the brothers and nephews in the hall, and feeling extremely irritable in his heart.
The main content of this meeting is 'return to Beijing to report on work'.
Li Rubai's younger brothers are about the same age as him, and the youngest is only twenty-seven or eighty-years-old. Except for Li Ruzhen, the rest of them are brave and foolhardy. Li Rumei died early, and only Li Chengliang's nine sons are left. Down seven.
"Second uncle, you can't come back if you go to the capital," Li Rubai's nephew Li Shaokuan said solemnly: "Li Qizhen wrote eight memorials in a row, saying that the second uncle was arrogant and arrogant, and would collapse before being met. If he goes to the capital, I'm afraid ..."
After stopping, Li Shaokuan did not continue. He was the son of Li Rumei, who died young. Li Rumei was a fierce general among the Li brothers. Li Shaokuan had inherited his father's bravery since he was a child, but in terms of strategy, he was inferior to his third uncle Li Ruzhen. Pass it.
"Li Rubai is also afraid of death..." Chen Cao stood in the yard and looked at the falling snowflakes, then turned to look at Zhao Xin beside him and said: "Zhao Xin, our official is too young and will always be bullied. ah."
This was the first time that Xin Zhao saw Chen Cao talking to him in such a tone, so he cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, your actions are extraordinary. You will definitely be promoted to a higher position in the future."
Chen Cao glanced sideways at Xin Zhao, his eyebrows trembling: "Are you mocking me for only doing some shameful things?"
Xin Zhao reacted immediately and said with a sneer: "Don't dare. How dare I make fun of you? You have misunderstood?"
"The scenery in the north is beautiful, but it's too cold," Chen Cao sighed, and then mocked: "Liu Lei is extremely cunning. He knows that the Li family in Liaodong is not easy to mess with. When he comes, he is bleeding and needs to rest. This thief Ah, obviously you want to kill me..."
Xin Zhao had already realized the taste, so he handed over his hand and said, "Sir, the Li family has been operating in Liaodong for so many years. If they betray..."
Stop talking, if you push too hard, the court may suffer a big loss.
However, Xin Zhao did not expect another level. Although Saarhu was defeated, the total military strength of the Ming Dynasty was more than 1.5 million. Both the emperor and the civil and military ministers in the court were very disdainful towards the establishment of slaves. However, this idea remained until eight years before Chongzhen.
"They dare not rebel, and they cannot rebel at this stage." Chen Cao's words are not unfounded. The losses in the Saarhu War were only the elites of the Liaodong Ming Army. There are still no less than 800,000 elite troops guarding the nine-border military town of the Ming Dynasty. , even if Li Rubai wants to rebel, he still has to weigh his own strength.
"Then sir, what should we do now?"
Chen Cao turned to look at Zhao Xin and said: "Drink, chat and play with women."
"..."
Li Rubai invited Chen Cao to drink. To put it bluntly, this was the real Hongmen Banquet. A general from the Li family proposed to kill Chen Cao at the banquet to avoid future troubles, but Li Rubai rejected it in full.
After entering the gate and walking around the screen wall, Chen Cao looked around with interest. Suddenly, a sharp long sword was placed across Chen Cao's neck. The blade was only a dozen centimeters away from his neck.
"Hero, spare your life..."
The woman in front of her was no more than sixteen years old, about the same age as Chen Qing, but she was taller than an ordinary woman, almost 1.7 meters tall. She was at most one head shorter than Chen Cao in height. She looked at Chen Cao with an angry face and said: "You, the dog officer, have clearly seen whether this girl is a boy or a girl. Huh, I didn't go to the inn to trouble you. Unexpectedly, you even showed up at my door. What a courage, the dog officer accepts his fate."
Damn...
This was Chen Cao's inner monologue. He watched in confusion as the sword left his neck, and then slashed at him at a 45-degree angle. Although his own abilities were not weak, he had the post-modern problem of not being able to hit women and the Being hijacked by the sudden appearance, he could only stand there in a daze without reacting at all.
Zhao Xin who was following behind him quickly drew his sword and rushed forward, preparing to block Chen Cao's sword. Then a spear came with the wind. Zhao Xin's Xiuchun Dao did not block the sword, but the silver-white spear blocked it. The long sword blocked it.
The woman's mouth was numb from the shock, and the long sword fell with the sound: "Fifth brother, why are you blocking me."
The visitor didn't say anything, and Li Rubai, who was not far away, shouted angrily: "You bastard, Mr. Chen Qi is the imperial envoy from the capital, and you can do whatever you want?"
Li Rubai walked quickly to Chen Cao and said apologetically: "I don't know the identity of the Imperial Envoy. I hope Mr. Chen Qi won't blame him."
The person who took out the gun to block Chen Cao's sword was Li Shaokuan. He handed the spear to the general behind him, then clasped his fists and apologized: "My sister is still young. Mr. Chen Qi must not be familiar with her. Li Shaokuan is here to help Chen Cao on her behalf." The general flag can’t be forgiven.”
Chen Cao came back from the hell gate and was still a little confused. He just nodded mechanically and then walked towards the lobby under the leadership of Li Rubai.
The banquet in the lobby reached its climax after Chen Cao drank a few drinks. However, Chen Cao was smart this time. He knew where he was and did not dare to get drunk. His face was slightly red. Li Ruzhen, who was sitting opposite him, smiled and asked : "General Chen Qi came to Liaodong this time. Do you know what His Majesty means? Or, does the cabinet have any regulations for handling it?"
Chen Cao knew in his heart that Li Rubai was also a big shot in the late Ming Dynasty. In the past, forums always said, "To say that Li Rubai doesn't know how to fight is an insult to the Li family, and to say that he knows how to fight is also a joke." And this guy Li Ruzhen It was obvious that Chen Cao was just telling the story so that he could deal with it calmly.
Li Rubai eventually committed suicide. In Chen Cao's words, "This old guy was afraid of being accused and had disgraced the Li family's reputation as a general." So he committed suicide to thank the world.
So at this moment, Chen Cao was quite convinced and said seriously: "I don't know what your majesty means. The cabinet's meaning is also hijacked by Li Qizhen's group's words. Even if General Li is responsible for the battle of Sarhu, , but because of the honor of the late two Ning Yuanbos, I will not do anything to General Li." Chen Cao said, looking at Li Rubai, ready to tell a historical lie: "General Li, please rest assured, your majesty and the cabinet They have no intention of killing General Li, but the losses in this battle are too great and the impact is wide-ranging. Yanguan's side will not be able to survive, and they will have to be confined for a while if they have no choice, but it is still safe."
The important purpose of Chen Cao's trip was to safely bring Li Rubai back to Beijing for trial. Of course, the majority of the elements were deception. Liu Lei's little plan was also to get rid of Chen Cao through the hands of the Li family, so what Chen Cao had to do was to ensure his own safety, even if It was the responsibility of the people above to deceive Li Rubai into coming to the capital. He would have to return to Nanjing after finishing his affairs, and the Li family did not have the strength to deal with themselves in Nanjing.
Thinking of this, Chen Cao became even more bold. He looked around at the people at the table and said with a smile: "Commanders and generals, Chen Cao is telling you the truth. The adults from hundreds of households in my family do not dare to come here in Baitapu. They are afraid of you." He was angry and wanted revenge on our Jinyiwei, so he gave the imperial edict to me as the commander-in-chief. If you kill me, he will run back to Shanhaiguan and say that your Li family is rebelling. If Commander-in-Chief Li comes back to Beijing with me, everyone will be happy. "
Everyone at the table, including the generals behind him, all turned red in the face. They were not drunk, but because Chen Cao had revealed their thoughts. Chen Cao saw this and restrained himself. He smiled and said: "Please rest assured, I am here this time. I heard from the brothers in the capital that your Majesty is not willing to recall General Li. It's just that Li Qizhen and his gang want to find someone during the time when the new emperor ascends the throne." I only wanted to have a sense of presence so that I could get promoted to a higher position, so Commander-in-Chief Li was regarded as a target. The cabinet ministers had no choice but to ask the Emperor for instructions, and that’s how I came to Shenyang to ask Commander-in-Chief Li to go to the capital to report on his work.”
oh...
Everyone at the table breathed a sigh of relief, including Li Rubai, Li Chengliang, and Li Rusong. After Li Rusong died, Li Rubai and other living brothers all indulged in enjoyment. Some family heirlooms had long been abandoned, and one of them included blood. Li Rubai was particularly afraid of death, otherwise Nor would the entire army be defeated at Crow Falcon Pass.
Chen Cao also breathed a sigh of relief. In order to make his words more convincing, he continued: "So this time General Li went to Beijing, at most he was ordered by His Majesty, and then he was detained for a while, and then he was naturally released. Now that this matter has been revealed, Yan Guan will not hold on to it, and he will not dare to really deal with General Li." He looked at the people on the table mysteriously: "After all, Uncle Ning Yuan's reputation in Liaodong has not yet been reached. Minus, Liaodong cannot do without the Li family..."
Hmm...makes sense...
Everyone at the table nodded, and Li Rubai was convinced that Chen Cao was telling the truth. Liaodong still needs the help of the Li family to guard it. Without the Li family, the Jianzhou people will only get bigger and bigger.
"Mr. Chen Qi's words made me suddenly enlightened," Li Rubai smiled and nodded: "Come on, everyone, let's toast to Mr. Chen Qi..."
After drinking, Li Rubai breathed out a sigh of relief, and then said: "Isn't it just to go to the capital? Go, we will set off as soon as the New Year is over."
Chen Cao raised his glass and said with a smile: "General Li is a righteous man. Here's a toast to you, sir."
Li Rubai and everyone in the Li family were happy and got drunk. Chen Cao got drunk because his safety was guaranteed, but he was left in Li Mansion for the night.
The Li Mansion is located in the center of Shenyang City. After Li Rubai settled in Shenyang, he expanded the Li family's residential area. His mansion alone was three hundred acres in size. It was so big that Chen Cao got lost when he got up to go to the latrine in the middle of the night.
Chen Cao had drank too much and was a little groggy. He knew it when he came, but after he turned around and vomited, he turned back and didn't know which way was the way back.
'What the hell, what should I do now? ' Chen Cao thought bitterly, but although the Li family is large, the residential area on the east side is reserved exclusively for guests, and it is also equipped with Korean characteristics - a large bathing pool.
What Chen Cao didn't know was that he walked along the road in a daze and came to the bathing area. The door was open and there were lights inside, indicating that someone was taking a bath inside.
As the saying goes, drunkenness makes people bold, so Chen Cao kicked open the bamboo door of a bathhouse. Under the bright light, the mist was thick, and in the white smoke rising, a beautiful body was facing Chen Cao. , the two people looked at each other with wide eyes, and then the woman's face flushed, she covered her chest with her hands, looked at Chen Cao angrily and said: "You pervert, I'm going to kill you..."
"I..."
Chen Cao was at a loss for words. It was too big, bigger than Li Xiang and Li Fengchun's, and fairer. Although he had never really come into contact with it, he could still tell it apart from the skin color with the eyesight of an experienced driver in his previous life.
"Thief, you still see..."
The woman is Li Rubai's only daughter, named 'Li Waner'. She has been practicing martial arts since she was a child. Even if she cannot be described as strong, she is very powerful.
"Miss Li, I'm really sorry. I didn't do it on purpose. Your house is too big. I went out to the hut and got lost, so I broke in by mistake. Please forgive me, Miss Li, and leave now."
Chen Cao's drunkenness disappeared without a trace just now. During the day, he was almost hacked to death by Li Waner in front of him with a sword. Now someone else barged in while taking a shower and saw all the other people's bodies. He was afraid that the skin would peel off even if he didn't die.
Chen Cao ran away amidst the constant scoldings coming from behind him, and happened to bump into Zhao Xin who had also come out to the latrine, and the two of them hurried back.
Chen Cao's official was older than Zhao Xin, and he was an imperial envoy. Naturally, he lived in a house alone. Zhao Xin lived in the west wing of Chen Cao's courtyard. After entering the house, Chen Cao picked up his tea cup and drank a glass of water. Before she calmed down, the door to the room was kicked open. Li Waner held a sword in her right hand and pointed at Chen Cao in her left hand. She blushed and shouted angrily: "Thieves, if I don't kill you today, I swear that I will not be a human being. Look at the sword..."
As he said that, he took a sword flower and stabbed towards Chen Cao.
Anyone's survival instinct is strong in critical situations, let alone Chen Cao. In Li Waner's heart, Chen Cao is just a dandy Jinyiwei. This kind of person is a typical dog fighting for power. He relies on Jinyiwei's identity and the number of people to win over others. If they really want to fight, they will definitely not be their opponents.
Obviously, Li Waner suffered her own loss. During the day, she thought Chen Cao was very good at handling things, but at night, she was just like that. After her body was seen, her murderous intention became even worse. Also, when Chen Cao came to get Li Rubai, Li Waner wanted to kill him. He, this is even more serious. The concept of chastity for women in the Ming Dynasty is deeper than that of previous dynasties. According to the customs of this era, Li Waner, who was despised by Chen Cao, can only marry Chen Cao, but not others, even family members But Li Waner didn't know how to hide it. She thought that she couldn't marry this Jin Yiwei at will, so the only way was to let him die.
Chen Cao's family is a hereditary general of the Duke of Wei, and his family has martial arts roots. Even though he is a time traveler, his body's own martial arts skills are still there. Seeing that he is in danger, his body instinctively makes defensive moves. When the long sword attacks, Chen Cao He threw the tea cup on the table with his right hand, and lifted the stool under his butt with his left hand and swung it over.
Little did Li Waner know that Chen Cao's movements were so smooth and that he could break open the teacup with his sword when it came flying. But when the stool came, she could only instinctively chop with the long sword.
Furniture made of Liaodong mahogany is durable, and so are the stools. No matter how sharp the long sword is, if it is hit by such a thick stool at close range, even if the sword is not broken, it will still fly out of Li Waner's hand.
The frightened Li Waner had not recovered yet. Chen Cao quickly pulled out the Xiuchun Dao from the table, stepped forward, and fiercely placed the Xiuchun Dao on Li Waner's neck.
'The knife was only 0.01 centimeters away from her neck at that time. I believe something wonderful will happen from the next second...'
Chen Cao looked at Li Waner, his previous murderous intent was gone, because Li Waner's tears had already dripped down his cheeks and landed on his blade.
Chen Cao was most afraid of women crying. No matter in the past life or in this life, Li Waner's previous murderous intention had all turned into grievances. The tears were like a flood, and the tears made the pear blossoms rain with rain. The grievances in his eyes made Chen Cao's heart melt.
The atmosphere froze for at least ten seconds. Chen Cao threw the knife away, knelt down in front of Li Waner, and cried bitterly: "Miss Li, it's Chen Cao's fault. Chen Cao shouldn't have drank. Drinking made things worse..."
Chen Cao's wail attracted Zhao Xin, who had just fallen asleep. When Zhao Xin arrived with a knife, he saw Chen Cao kneeling in front of Li Waner, while Li Waner turned her back to him as if she was crying. With Chen Cao's words, he seemed He understood something instantly, left with a lewd smile, and stood at the gate of the yard----looking out...
Li Waner was confused by Chen Cao's sudden move. After thinking about it carefully, she was the victim. She should be the one crying sadly. Why did she become him? So she cried and said: "What do you mean? ..."
Chen Cao himself felt aggrieved. He had cried three times after traveling here and being teased. This time, he cried more than his own mother had died. It was normal for a woman to cry, but for a grown man to cry, that was nothing. matter.
Chen Cao didn't care, for his own safety, it didn't matter if he cried or knelt down for her, so he cried harder: "Miss Li, Chen Cao regrets that he drank with your father, and regrets that he shouldn't live in your house. ...So much so that I got lost and bumped into the lady, but it wasn't intentional..."
The tears actually soaked the floor tiles. It can be seen how sad Chen Cao was crying. The protagonist who was supposed to cry has now become a supporting role. Li Waner couldn't express how she felt. She stopped her tears and cried, and then said: "You A man who stands tall and strong, how can he kneel down to me, a female prostitute." After saying that, he stretched out his hand to help Chen Cao up.
However, Chen Cao did not get up, and continued to cry: "In the battle of Sarhu, my father died in Fushun Pass, and his body was not recovered. When I came down to Liaodong, I couldn't find a way to avenge my husband, so I asked the girl to stay here with Chen Cao." I have a lowly order, and let Miss Li decide whether to kill or behead Chen Cao to avenge his father."
The most important thing in this era is filial piety. No one would make fun of other people's parents. On the contrary, they all sympathized and supported this situation. Li Waner was nothing more than that. After hearing Chen Cao's words, she suddenly felt pity, but thinking about her own Her body was exposed to the sight of the person in front of her, and the hatred swept over her again, causing her to be confused.
"You...so there is such a thing," Li Waner sighed. Chen Cao's father died in the battle with Salhu. He wanted revenge, but he couldn't kill him: "I, Li Waner, have never been out of Shenyang, nor have I ever left Shenyang. I know how I got into trouble with you, the god of plague." He reached out to help Chen Cao: "Stop crying, you are a big man, how can you kneel in front of me and cry unbecomingly, you don't know what I did to you."
Chen Cao got off the donkey, wiped his tears, and then clasped his fists and said: "Miss Li, Chen Cao didn't mean it, but the matter has come out. As long as the girl is willing, Chen Cao is willing to marry the girl."
"Thief, you still want to take advantage..." Li Waner's eyes widened immediately.
Chen Cao waved his hands repeatedly and said: "Young lady has misunderstood. Although Chen Cao has seen things that he shouldn't have seen, he also knows that ethics are very important. If the young lady is unwilling, Chen Cao will naturally remain tight-lipped."
"Remember what you said. In the middle of the night..." After saying that, he picked up the sword and left. Before that, he cursed Zhao Xin who was guarding the door of the yard.
Seeing Li Waner leaving, Zhao Xin walked into Chen Cao's house with a sneer, cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency is really amazing, I am so impressed by you."
Chen Cao was wiping away his tears behind Zhao Xin's back, and then asked, "Why are you here without sleeping?"
"My subordinate, I really want to ask you for advice when it comes to picking up women. Miss Li was yelling at you all day long, and now in the middle of the night, you put her on the bed. This..."
"Get out..." Chen Cao raised his leg and kicked it without saying a word.
...
At the same time, on a dark and windy night, in Liaodong Tieling Acropolis, a group of Manchus with money and rat tails were talking to a Han. The Tatars spoke Manchu and the Han also spoke Manchu.
"As long as Baylor sends troops to loot Baitapu, we will never send troops to stop him. On the contrary, Baylor can take away everything in Baitapu."
In the center, a Manchu man is old but full of energy, but he looks very rough and wild, with a big beard surrounding his entire chin: "Is it that simple?"
The Han said: "It's that simple."
A Manchu next to him looked at the leader and said, "Master Beile, the Han people are cunning, and Li Rubai is not a good man either. You must be more careful."
The Han people became anxious when they heard this: "Baylor, there is no need to worry. Now that the Jin army is strong, our general army has not wanted to fight with Baylor and others since Crow Falcon Pass. Therefore, we are determined not to send troops. To be honest, I, Shenyang, The current strength of the army in the city is only 30,000, and with the heavy snowfall in Liaodong, our army does not have many cavalry, and it is even less possible for us to go out of the city to fight with your army in the field."
"What you, a Han, say is quite pleasing to the ears, so go back, our army will go south soon."
After the Han people left, the Manchu who had been admonishing him became anxious and hurriedly stopped him: "Master Beile, Han dogs are extremely cunning. Don't trust them easily. Wasn't it the case that Li Chengliang betrayed Jianzhou in the first place?"
"Amma, my son thought carefully about what that man said. They should be afraid of the high-ranking Ming court officials over at Baita Pu."
The bearded man looked at his son curiously and said, "How do you know?"
"There was news from my grandfather that Ming Dynasty had replaced Xue Guoyong, appointed Xiong Tingbi, and wanted to hold the people responsible for the defeat of Saarhu. That Li Rubai was frightened into a frightened bird by dozens of sentries from Dajin at Crow Pass, and he trampled on him. Killing more than a thousand people is really a laughing stock. Now they sent people to persuade them and told Ama the layout of Shenyang City. It must be the same as what his grandfather said. Li Rubai was reprimanded by the Ming court and was afraid of death, so That’s why we sent troops to loot Baitapu so that we can make a profit.”
The man with the beard nodded: "That makes sense. In this case, pass the order and order the three Niulu men under my command, Zhenglan Banner. Ben Beile will personally lead the army. Let's go outside Shenyang City to attack the grass valley. Remember, an armored man No need, just me, the Jurchen warrior."
"Master Baylor, you must not be careless," the manchu from before came out to advise him again: "If it turns out that the dog is deceitful, how can Baylor be put in danger?"
The bearded man laughed and shook his head and said: "Abucai, you don't need to say anything. After my big golden Sarhu, it is already at its peak. When have our Jurchens ever been afraid of those bright dogs? Most of them are foot soldiers. How can we fight with them?" Compared to my Jurchen Iron Cavalry? Besides, if there are really high-ranking officials of the Ming court in Baitapu, even if they cannot be used by me, Dajin, after they are captured, they can still deter those self-righteous Ming dogs."
