In Lanzhou's yamen office, General Shixiang was sitting in the hall, confused and confused.
As the twelfth lunar month got closer and closer, all the generals in the Lanzhou camp felt puzzled when they saw Shi Xiang.
Although their general had secured money and connections, he was also a hereditary officer of Lintao Guard and was indeed a capable person.
Lintao Guards is full of Li family members. Most of the former actual commanders are named Zhao. Their ancestor is Uncle Huichuan. The surname of the master is not big, but it is not small either. It can be traced back to when Feng Sheng defeated Li Siqi and was granted the title of Hundred Households in Lintao. Teacher blessing.
Moreover, hereditary commanders may not have any real abilities, but hereditary commanders, who have been responsible for military discipline and training for generations, are a position that requires extra hard work, and it is difficult to be a fool.
If the commander is a idiot, and the commander is responsible for military discipline and training, if the commander is an idiot, then it's over.
The biggest impression Shi Xiang gave his subordinates was that he was very courageous. Even in the tense environment of this year's autumn defense at the mouth of the Chen Bing River in the Marshal's Mansion, Shi Xiang looked normal and calm.
Only in the past few days, day after day, Shi Xiang's nervousness has become more and more serious. Everyone can tell that there is something on the general's mind, and it must be something serious.
However, when asked by his subordinates, Shi Xiang said nothing.
He couldn't say, because his worry stemmed from his inability to attend the Grand Marshal's wedding.
The official he bought for three thousand taels of silver was not just for serving as a general to destroy Lanzhou, he wanted the future.
What is the future? Just like Zhao An, the ancestor of the Zhao family, the hereditary commander of the Lintao Guard. The Zhao family was Li Siqi's favorite general. He betrayed Li Siqi and joined the Ming Dynasty. Later, Zhao Qi was executed by Emperor Taizu for being involved in the Lan Yu case. He followed his younger brother Zhao. An was also punished and sent to Ganzhou for exile.
The Zhao family has been living in Hexi for generations. They have been fond of raising horses since the Song Dynasty. There have always been more than a thousand big horses in the family. The family is accustomed to selecting five of the best horses as tribute to the court every year, and has paid tribute to the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties.
Even when he was in exile, Zhao An insisted on paying tribute to the court with five good horses every year until Jingnan. He won the favor of Emperor Chengzu and was awarded the title of Lintao Hundred Households. Later, for his outstanding achievements, he was granted the title of earl during the Zhengtong period and became the hereditary commander of the Lintao Guards. .
In forty-nine years, he transformed from a criminal who was exiled to the army to an earl.
The entrepreneurial wisdom of the predecessors has been placed in front of Shi Xiang. The opportunity to change the dynasty is rare, but if you catch him, you can make the family prosperous for a hundred years.
Mencius said it well, only a wise man can make a big deal out of small things.
To make a living in this three-quarter acre of land in the northwest, what could be greater than personally delivering gifts to the Generalissimo on his wedding day?
there is none left.
The etiquette does not matter the importance. The importance is only a reflection of ability. Whether it is present or not is related to the mind, and the mind is very important.
Then the question arises. Now that the emperor's spy Cao Huachun has entered the new city, Shi Xiang cannot go to the new city to deliver gifts in person. Isn't this worth his anxiety?
Seeing that the wedding was approaching, Shi Xiang was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot.
At this moment, his subordinates reported to him: "Something big happened to the general. Xi'an was attacked. There were more than ten thousand thieves holding high the flag of Chuang and bombarding the Xi'an mansion!"
Shi Xiang was surprised at first, and then his brows lit up with joy. Wasn't this someone giving him a small pillow when he fell asleep?
He inquired about the situation in detail, and after he understood everything about Xi'an Mansion, he completely relaxed.
Shi Xiang has been to the city of Xi'an. Tens of thousands of people are nothing to that majestic city. The city was rebuilt on the basis of the old imperial city of the Sui and Tang Dynasties during the Hongwu period. The city wall is more than three feet high, five feet wide at the bottom and five feet wide at the top. It is three feet wide and has a circumference of twenty-seven miles. It is covered with rammed earth and bricks. There are 5,984 crenellations on the city wall, ninety-eight enemy towers, and a wide moat.
Compared with Xi'an Fucheng, Lanzhou is not a big city.
For this kind of city wall as thick as a mountain, let alone the thousand-jin heavy artillery, even if a million 10,000-jin heavy cannons are lined up, the cannons of twenty or thirty kilograms will be opened and blasted for a day and a night, and three hundred thousand kilograms of gunpowder will be blasted down. , and the city cannot be destroyed.
It doesn't matter whether you bring cannons or not, or how many cannons you bring. Only food, how much food you bring and how many soldiers you bring is meaningful.
To defeat this kind of city depends on the general trend, human lives and people's hearts.
Eradicate all mobile heavy military groups around Xi'an Mansion, wipe out all rebel forces outside the city, have a huge amount of food and grass consumed by the garrisoned army, surround the city until the hearts of the people in the city collapse, open the city to surrender, or use human lives to clear all obstacles.
At present, the bandits do not have these conditions.
Therefore, Shi Xiang judged that these bandits were besieging Xi'an Mansion because they were drunkards, not because they were drunk. They mostly wanted to plunder Guanzhong's grain and grass, and Lanzhou would not be affected by it for the time being. He then pretended to be surprised: "It's bad, Eunuch Cao." Still in Hehuang!"
Shi Xiang patted his thigh and said: "Prepare your horse, prepare your horse quickly!"
In the afternoon of the same day, General Lanzhou left his post without permission, crossed the Yellow River into the valley on horseback, led his close associates carrying gifts, and rode all the way to the new city under the guidance of the defenders at Dongguan in Hehuang.
When we arrived in Xincheng, it happened to be the first day of the twelfth lunar month. The Marshal's Mansion started setting up banquets to entertain guests, relatives and friends from today. The city was decorated with lights and cannons, and the courtyard next to the Yamen of the Marshal's Mansion was filled with banquets and music. Guests arriving.
Carriages carrying gifts were crowded in the streets, the porter who announced the good news was hoarse from shouting, and guests dressed in flying fish bullfighting uniforms, official robes, and Mongolian robes were walking through the market, creating a lively scene.
Suddenly there was a message outside the door: "Shi Xiang, the commander-in-chief of Lanzhou in the Ming Dynasty, congratulates the generalissimo on his wedding. The gift list...is four big fireworks."
The diners who announced the good news were dumbfounded, and the guests also stopped their glasses and threw chopsticks, staring at the door in stunned silence.
This man was so brave, he actually dared to claim the name of the General of the Ming Dynasty, not to mention that half of the courtyard was full of rebel generals, Cao Huachun's gang of Jin Yifanzi and Wu eunuchs were just next door, separated by a wall.
What's more, the gift list is even more outrageous. Although the visitor is a guest, the students of Xincheng College are indeed greeted with two hundred copper coins, but what do they mean by four big fireworks?
It's better not to sign up and just come in and have a meal.
Cao Huachun, who was eating next door, was stunned when he heard it.
Liu Chengzong is still kind-hearted. Although he used to coerce Cao Huachun to Xining as a hostage, that was because coercing him was useful; now coercing Cao Huachun is useless, so he treated him well and set up two tables in the east building of the Yamen. Cao Huachun and the accompanying Jinyi Fanzi and Wu Eunuch were having dinner in the Yamen.
Cao Huachun was also very happy at first, but when he heard the official title announced by the loud-voiced guest next door, he ran out anyway.
Soon, the guard saw a swoosh, a big red mouse holding a three-mountain hat on top and the hem of a flying fish suit, leaping out of the yamen of the Shuai Mansion like the wind, and ran straight to the courtyard filled with banquets.
Cao Huachun wanted to see where this Lanzhou general came from. He dared to leave his post without permission and come to Xincheng to congratulate Liu Chengzong. This general had finally finished his work!
Before he could reach the door, he heard the commotion in the courtyard again. When he went in, he found that people no longer took Shi Xiang seriously, because Liu Chengyun left the banquet in person to greet the Lanzhou general.
"Let us men see who is the division general from Lanzhou!"
Cao Huachun was so angry that even Cheng Yun, who was pulling Shi Xiang to his seat, was stunned.
Cheng Yun could not be punished, and he was wondering in his heart, didn't Shi Xiang know that Cao Huachun was here? Knowing that he still dares to come, why?
Just as he was about to say a few words to him, Shi Xiang patted his hand, gave him a reassuring look, turned around and bowed down and said: "Eunuch Cao, I am here to protect you! Please lend me a step to speak."
Cao Huachun was choked with anger, and then he suppressed his anger and walked out. Chengyun looked at the backs of the two of them leaving side by side, then turned to look at Liu Shizi, who was sitting in the seat, and saw his second brother looking out with a relaxed expression. , nodded lightly, turned around and pulled Cao Yao to talk to Yang Dingrui, and then he followed out.
As soon as I followed him out, I heard Shi Xiang pulling Cao Huachun and standing outside the courtyard, saying: "Eunuch Cao, there is a big disturbance in Guanzhong again. There are bandits who claim to be King Chuang and are so powerful that they raise the rebel flag and surround Xi'an Prefecture!"
"I am worried about your safety because of my humble duty, so I left my post without permission and risked my life to go to Hehuang. My father-in-law, if the Hehuang rebels heard the news and took action to capture Guanxi and Guanzhong together, I am afraid that my father-in-law's life would not be saved... Will you follow me back to Lanzhou? "
Cao Huachun was stunned by Shi Xiang. He also knew what Xi'an Fucheng looked like, but Shi Xiang did not tell him all the information. He only said that the momentum was huge, and this matter became particularly serious for him.
A city as big as Xi'an Prefecture is besieged, how bad can things get?
This also made Cao Huachun's anger disappear, and he looked at Shi Xiang with a somewhat grateful look: "The division general is still brave and resourceful. We men will remember your kindness, but we cannot go back without permission. After receiving the emperor's decree, we will face mountains of swords and seas of fire." , I have to step on it once."
Shi Xiang did not speak, but pursed his lips tightly, looked at Cao Huachun with reverence, and clasped his fists heavily.
Everything was developing according to his ideas, until someone poked out from behind Shi Xiang, and Cheng Yun patted his shoulder with a smile: "What did the division commander say? It's mysterious... I heard that there are rebels who have invaded Guanzhong?" "
Cao Huachun regained his composure and said with a smile: "Three generals, don't worry too much, they are just some unruly people making trouble."
Cheng Yun smiled enigmatically, clapped his hands and said, "Since it's okay, Mr. Cao will go back to have a drink. Is General Yang here, or is he going over?"
When Shi Xiang heard these words, it was a double entendre, and the question was quite scary.
Fortunately, Cao Huachun didn't give him a chance to make things difficult, and said with a smile: "Since the division generals have come here, we men will not hide in the house. With such a happy event ahead, we should go over and have a drink with the generalissimo."
Cheng Yun didn't say anything more, and took the two of them back to the banquet. He ordered people to add chairs for Cao Huachun and Shi Xiang, sat down, met Liu Shishi's questioning eyes, and said with a smile: "General Shi Shen said there is a flow." The thieves attacked Guanzhong, but Master Cao could not stop a group of unruly people from making trouble."
He deliberately emphasized the word "diaomin" in his words.
In Liu Chengyun's eyes, there may be unruly people in the world, but he has never seen them.
Moreover, everyone who appears in Guanzhong at this moment, including the group of generals sitting in the courtyard, knows that they are Gao Yingxiang.
Liu Chengzong raised his head and smiled: "That's not an ordinary troublemaker!"
But Cao Huachun didn't know that it was Gao Yingxiang, so he could only force himself to stay calm and try his best to look good to Emperor Chongzhen: "The generalissimo is joking, what else can be so ordinary about being a cunning person?"
Liu Chengzong asked: "Mr. Cao, have you ever seen what a troublesome person looks like?"
"I've seen it."
Cao Huachun said it categorically, and even with a bit of hatred: "You eat, drink, whore and gamble when you are young, you grow up and do no real work, you are opportunistic in middle age, and you are extremely evil when you grow old. If you don't have ambitions, you will blame others. If you are in power, you will have unmatched virtues. If you have ambitions, you will not be worthy of your virtue. You will be as ruthless as a wolf and tiger. ...I have seen too many people like Wei Zhongxian."
Cao Huachun had a grudge against Wei Zhongxian, a huge feud, and the role model in his mind for being unruly was Wei Zhongxian.
He was sent to the palace by his family when he was twelve or thirteen years old, and he has always been trusted by Wang An. He was friends with the Wei Dynasty who was also named by Wang An.
Later, Wei Zhongxian also entered the palace and won the trust of the Wei Dynasty by flattering the young eunuch. The Wei Dynasty recommended Wei Zhongxian to Wang An many times. The result... The Wei Dynasty who recommended him many times was sent to Fengyang by Wei Zhongxian; Wang An, who trusted him , was imprisoned by Wei Zhongxian and wanted to starve to death. After starving for three days, he found that he was not dead, so he immediately killed him with a knife.
Cao Huachun himself was also implicated and was sent to Nanjing to await his punishment. If Wei Zhongxian had not been in power for one or two years, there were too many people to deal with and no one could take his turn, and Cao Huachun himself would probably be dead.
Liu Chengzong never expected that the unruly people he was talking about was Wei Zhongxian. He didn't know what to say, so he had to ask: "They raised troops because of hunger and cold. How can they be called unruly people?"
"The commander-in-chief has been in Qinghai for a long time and does not know anything. If the drought in northern Shaanxi is serious, we will not say this."
Cao Huachunyan said resolutely: "The drought in Shaanxi has been alleviated this year, and the people have finally been able to recuperate and recuperate. However, they have launched an army to cause chaos, harming others and themselves. Isn't this a dishonor to the people?"
Liu Chengzong smiled disdainfully, then shook his head, and after sighing he said: "I'm afraid it's not that I don't know anything, but that Mr. Cao, you have been living in the palace for a long time, and you have also contracted the problem of blindness and deafness... This year, the drought in northern Shaanxi has been slightly Okay, but there is a locust plague and all the people’s harvests are destroyed!”
Cao Huachun had been pretending to be calm, but in fact he was not calm at all and was very panicked, otherwise he would not have mentioned the word unruly in front of Liu Chengzong.
It's just that as the emperor's envoy, he must represent the emperor's face, although he himself can't tell whether this mission is considered an internal or external envoy.
Until then, when Liu Chengzong told him something he didn't know, he could no longer pretend to be calm. He asked in surprise: "This, does the Generalissimo really mean what he said?"
"Didn't you meet me when you came?"
Cao Huachun blinked. He didn't set out until November. The locusts had already frozen to death. He didn't even know about this. At this time, he just shook his head and said to himself: "Why didn't anyone report it?"
If he is no longer calm, Liu Chengzong will feel at ease.
He spread his hands and said: "Now Mr. Cao knows why there are so many unruly people? Take a look in Hehuang to see if there are any unruly people you call. I tell you, there are. This is the reason why I have never gotten married."
"My soldiers live in simple huts outside the city and practice every day. They are not unruly people. My herdsmen live on the ground and raise their livestock. They are not unruly people. My people live in dilapidated loess thatched houses. They work hard, and they are not unruly people. Who are the unruly people in Hehuang?"
Cao Huachun looked puzzled, but saw Liu Chengzong pointing his finger at him: "Build a city, live in a mansion, and shake your head every day without doing your job. I, I am a unruly citizen of Hehuang. Fortunately, I am the only unruly citizen in Hehuang." .”
"But in the world, are the feudal princes and nobles who dominate all over the world unruly people? Are the emperors in the Forbidden City and the people around him who have nothing to do with production, are they unruly people? There are so many unruly people in the world, Mr. Cao, tell me How can I let good people live?"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Good evening!
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