Chapter 153
"What, Marshal Cheng is missing?"
Sun Yuanhua broke into cold sweat at that time. In Dengzhou City, Zhang Shigang of the Zhang family in Laiyang and his personal follower Sun Fu robbed Cheng Shijie away at the governor's Yamen.
At that time, it had only been more than a month since the army had been formed. Ning Haijun, with less than 4,000 troops, brazenly launched the Dengzhou mutiny. Without anyone noticing, he successfully occupied Dengzhou City and locked himself in a utility room for three days.
Although this is the capital, the problem is that there are nominally 200,000 troops in the capital. However, these 200,000 troops from the capital have already turned into a group of rogues. Let them bully the unarmed people, each one more aggressive than the other. Let them beat the bandits, and they will be beaten by the bandits. Let them beat the construction slaves, and they will linger but not come forward.
Man Gui was tricked to death by these Beijing camp veteran You Zi. He rushed forward with a huff, entered fifty steps in front of Jian Nu's formation, turned around and retreated, and threw General Man Da to Jian Nu. As a result, Mangui led less than 400 servants and was surrounded by thousands of Jiannu. Until Mangui fell from his horse after being shot into a hedgehog, no one came to rescue him.
This group of fish belly journey, not to mention facing Ning Haijun, even Geng Zhongming, the general of Fubiao beside Sun Yuanhua, can easily defeat many with less. Once faced with the ferocious Ning Haijun, ten people might not be able to defeat Ning Haijun alone.
Wu Sheng and Cheng Shijie's soldiers were on the verge of going berserk. Several Ning Haijun soldiers punched and kicked Zhang Jin: "Tell me, where did they take our commander?"
"I have no idea……"
"I don't know...Humph, this is our first time in the capital, and we have never had any grudges with anyone else, only you..."
Wu Sheng's eyes were about to burst into flames: "Come here!"
"Be humble!"
"Send him to Taikang Bo's house and ask them to hand over the commander within one day!"
Sun Yuanhua asked: "What's going on?"
Wu Sheng told Zhang Jin how to provoke Cheng Shijie and was arrested by Cheng Shijie's soldiers. Then, Cheng Shijie disappeared.
Hearing this, Wang Chengen and Sun Yuanhua were confused and stared at Zhang Jin, feeling like their heads were as big as a bucket.
Empress Zhang only had a younger brother like Zhang Jin, who was regarded as a treasure by Zhang Guoji. He was the kind of child who was afraid of dropping it when holding it in his hand, and was afraid of melting when he held it in his mouth. He was reluctant to beat or scold, and he doted on the child who grew up.
Empress Zhang, Zhang Yan, is nine years older than Zhang Jin. She always responds to requests. If something goes wrong, Empress Zhang and Zhang Guoji will settle things for her. If they can't settle things, Emperor Tianqi will be there too. After Emperor Tianqi's death, the troublemaker Zhang Jin was entrusted by Emperor Chongzhen. The generals who train bravery in the Beijing camp are the senior generals in the Beijing camp. Above the generals who train bravery, there are also the general soldiers who train bravery, and above the general soldiers there are admirals.
At this time, Sun Yuanhua no longer bothered to visit Xu Guangqi who was in hospital. If this matter was not handled well, Ning Haijun would explode. Wu Sheng looked at his second disciple Meng En and said, "Take your troops and return to Liaonan immediately..." …”
Listening to these words, Sun Yuanhua's brows felt straight.
If Meng En is allowed to return to Liaonan, the entire Ning Navy will probably be mobilized. Don't doubt the loyalty of the Ning Navy officers to Cheng Shijie. In today's Liaonan, Cheng Shijie is the god of millions of soldiers and civilians in Liaonan.
When Cheng Shijie got into trouble, the sky in southern Liaoning collapsed.
If tens of thousands of Ning navy soldiers were allowed to attack the capital from southern Liaoning, regardless of whether the Ning navy soldiers could capture the capital, Huang Taiji would definitely be happy, and the Ming court would become a joke in the world.
"My lord, please go back and report to Your Majesty, so that His Majesty can come forward and persuade Uncle Taikang to release him!"
Wang Chengen didn't dare to neglect, Zhang Guoji was a reckless man without a brain, and a smart man couldn't do such a thing as catching Cheng Shijie, but it was really possible for a reckless man.
"General Wu, please believe in this constitution and the court. This matter will be resolved properly. Don't act rashly!"
"No, the commander's safety is in danger..."
Sun Yuanhua pointed to his head and said: "How about the head of this constitution as a guarantee?"
Wu Sheng smiled bitterly and said: "Master Governor, I can't control them with my humble position!"
Ning Haijun has two sets of management teams and a military supervision system. Even if a general of Wu Sheng's level wants to surrender to the enemy on the battlefield, he can't do it. Once he issues an order that is detrimental to Ning Haijun as a group or to Cheng Shijie. , someone will kill him later.
Sun Yuanhua also knew that Wu Sheng was telling the truth. Wu Sheng's status in the Ning Haijun Army was not high. The people who really had the right to speak in the Ning Haijun Army were Shen Mingyu, Chang Yu, Chen Guodong, Zhou Yandong, Li Zhixiang, including Zhao Wencai and others, including Liu Qingsong, Zhou Ning, and even Chen Dayong, all have greater say than Wu Sheng.
"Wait a minute, give me three days!"
"Forgive me, Mr. Futai, but I don't have three days if I don't have a humble position. The brothers have already searched the surrounding areas of the capital, and now they have to go to the city to find the commander-in-chief!"
…
Cheng Shijie also knew the seriousness of the problem. If he did not return to the end of the Ming Dynasty on time, Ning Haijun would definitely cause trouble. But the problem was that he was in trouble now.
Cheng Jiayue's kindergarten was going to hold a parent-teacher meeting, and after attending the parent-teacher meeting, there were also parent-child activities. Xiang Hui was a busy person now, so Cheng Shijie was arrested.
Accompanying his baby daughter to play two-person and three-legged games, Cheng Shijie did not follow the routine and directly picked up Cheng Jiayue with one hand while running quickly. Because the people participating in the parent-child activity were either the child's grandparents or the child's mother, Cheng Shijie relied on Taking advantage of his physical strength, he won first place in various activities.
This made Cheng Jiayue very proud.
After finally finishing the parent-child meeting, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, Cheng Shijie discovered that Wu Sheng and his soldiers were going to Beijing to search for Cheng Shijie.
"okay!"
Cheng Shijie looked at the soldiers around him and said, "I'm fine, Commander, it's just..."
"I was just drunk and overslept!"
Cheng Shijie was naturally not drunk now, and when he came over, he deliberately sprinkled some wine on himself.
Seeing Cheng Shijie's disheveled appearance, Sun Yuanhua's heart finally fell back into his stomach.
Fortunately, Cheng Shijie had no accident. Otherwise, if Ning Haijun launched another mutiny in Beijing, it would be great fun.
Seeing Cheng Shijie's disheveled clothes, Sun Yuanhua said: "General Cheng, your Majesty has summoned you. You'd better take a shower and change your clothes!"
"clear!"
Cheng Shijie's personal soldiers also know Cheng Shijie's living habits. As long as conditions permit, Cheng Shijie likes to take a bath. Of course, if conditions do not permit, he can endure it if he crawls around for half a month without taking a bath.
When Cheng Shijie finished taking a shower, it was almost four or five o'clock in the afternoon. Cheng Shijie was dressed in military uniform, with silver armor and silver spears, and followed Wang Chengen into Beijing.
Wu Sheng followed Cheng Shijie no matter what. After Wang Chengen's permission, the two entered the capital on horseback.
The city of Beijing had a completely new look at this time, at least it was much cleaner than before, which made the Dongchang fans who had been relying on fines feel very unhappy.
Everything is as usual in Beijing. The dignitaries continue to spend money like water, and the merchants and commoners continue to rush around for three meals. The further they go towards the Forbidden City, the better the houses and roads there are.
Especially the outer inner city and the inner city of Beijing are simply two worlds. When entering the inner city, you can hardly see refugees or beggars because poor people cannot enter the inner city.
The daily entry fee alone can stop most people.
Wang Chengen was very surprised. When others entered Beijing for the first time, they would look around and marvel at the prosperity of Beijing, but there was nothing unusual about Cheng Shijie.
Wang Chengen smiled and said: "General Cheng has been to the capital before?"
"Of course I've been here!"
Cheng Shijie regretted it after saying this.
Sure enough, Wang Chengen looked at Cheng Shijie in surprise.
Cheng Shijie felt a little guilty. He had indeed been to Beijing not long ago, but this capital was not that capital. He came not to the Beijing city of the Ming Dynasty, but to the Beijing city of later generations. He also took Cheng Jiayue, Xiang Hui, and Cheng Jialong to visit the Forbidden City.
Wang Chengen didn't mind. In fact, he could recite Cheng Shijie's resume. There should be no record of ever coming to the capital. However, he smiled and said: "Beijing is a good place!"
"In terms of strategic location, Beijing is actually not as good as Chang'an in Guanzhong, nor is it as good as Luoyang!"
Cheng Shijie also traveled to Xi'an. According to the tour guide, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang planned to move the capital to Xi'an in the 24th year of Hongwu (1391), so he sent the prince to inspect the northwest. However, due to bad luck, the prince died after inspecting the northwest. He fell seriously ill and died.
This incident dealt a serious blow to Zhu Yuanzhang, who was already some years old. It was originally a move to move the capital to suppress, but it caused Zhu Yuanzhang to lose his most valued son. This directly caused the plan to move the capital to come to an end.
Looking at the border defense map of the Ming Dynasty, Nanjing's location was not very conducive to the control of national defense. This was what Zhu Yuanzhang was worried about. If troops were stationed around Nanjing, the border would be invaded by barbarians. If all the troops were transferred to the border, the guards in the capital would be empty. What's more, the coastal areas at that time were mostly plains. Once the northern nomads broke through Shanhaiguan, they would go straight to Nanjing. In the capital, no matter who is the emperor, he will be worried.
However, it does not mean that Beijing is definitely suitable as the capital. When Zhu Di became emperor, he moved the capital to Beijing. A tall city wall was built in Beijing, ready to stand on the front line against invasion at any time. But the disadvantages are also obvious, including insufficient control over Jiangnan and northwest. Various uprisings in Shaanxi at the end of the Ming Dynasty directly affected the rule of the Ming Dynasty.
It was just that when Chengzu became emperor, he was restricted in Nanjing, so he moved the wealthy households in Nanjing northward and built the new city of Beijing.
If the capital of the Ming Dynasty was built in Chang'an, there would be no need to station heavy troops in the Gyeonggi area. This must be where Beijing is inferior to Chang'an. No matter how bad Chang'an is, there are four passes that can be defended. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. There are still 800 passes in the pass. In Qinchuan, a large number of civilians, soldiers and civilians can be accommodated, which is incomparable to Beijing.
Beijing is a city severely lacking in resources. It is short of water, firewood, and food. All living and production materials need to be transported from outside. Although there is a canal, the problem is that the problems of the canal are also very big.
It is obvious that the imperial court cannot spare the money to manage the canal, and it is obvious that sea transportation is more economical than water transportation. However, it involves the interests of millions of canal workers and this interest group, and the reform of water transportation has ended in vain.
"General Cheng thinks Xi'an is better than Beijing?"
When it came to this topic, Wang Chengen was just wondering what Cheng Shijie meant.
Could it be that Cheng Shijie intends to abandon the Guanning line of defense?
Cheng Shijie nodded and said: "Chang'an is still as prosperous as before, but the emperor is no longer willing to build a capital in Chang'an..."
Wang Chengen said after a long time: "The general is right! Guanzhong is no longer prosperous, and water transportation is underdeveloped. Building a capital in Xi'an is indeed not a good choice."
"actually not!"
If Cheng Shijie had to choose, he would definitely choose Chang'an or Luoyang instead of Beijing.
It makes Beijing incomparable and is especially vulnerable to attacks from the sea. If the Qing Dynasty also followed the Ming Dynasty in establishing its capital in Chang'an, it would not be so easy for Western powers to attack the capital.
What's more, establishing the capital in Chang'an can better control the Western Regions.
Cheng Shijie and Wang Chengen rode horses and chatted while walking, and soon came to the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City. The main entrance of the Meridian Gate was usually only accessible to the emperor. During the emperor's wedding, the queen entered once, and the top three in the imperial examination won the first prize, the second best, and the third best. People can walk out of this door once. Ministers of civil and military affairs can enter and exit through the east door, and royal family members and princes can enter and exit through the west door.
Wang Chengen brought Cheng Shijie to the Wenhua Hall. Yes, it was the Wenhua Hall where the bachelor's degree was. This was the place where the emperor summoned ministers in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, and it was also the busiest place.
Wang Chengen then went to report to Emperor Chongzhen. During this period, Emperor Chongzhen was still very busy. The main problem was that the banditry in Shaanxi was very serious. In September, Chuang Wang Gao Yingxiang, Luo Rucai, Zhang Xianzhong and others gathered in Shanxi and attacked in four directions. Continuously conquered Daning, Xizhou, Zezhou and Shouyang counties.
Urgent memorials and documents asking for help have already made Emperor Chongzhen very anxious. Now the Ming Dynasty can be said to be full of fire and smoke.
However, mobilizing troops requires money, and the court really has no money, no food, and is very poor.
Emperor Chongzhen had a hard life. He was in such a mess and had such an unreliable minister...
What made Emperor Chongzhen even more troubled was that his eighth sister, Zhu Weiti, was currently the only unmarried princess to be married off. However, this Zhu Weiti was soft-tempered on the outside and strong on the inside. Queen Zhou and Queen Zhang, the two emperor's sisters-in-law, persuaded , but did not let Zhu Weiti change his tune.
Now that Cheng Shijie has arrived in the capital, he will at least finalize his marriage while Cheng Shijie reports on his duties. Only when Cheng Shijie and him become a family can Liaonan make Emperor Chongzhen feel at ease.
But the problem is, Zhu Weiti's attitude is very firm, that is, he doesn't agree, it's not that he disagrees, but he has conditions.
Zhu Weiti's condition was that Concubine Li Kang, her biological mother, must be released from the cold palace.
This made Emperor Chongzhen very embarrassed. Concubine Li Kang, a fierce woman, left a huge shadow on Emperor Chongzhen's childhood. If it weren't for etiquette issues, Emperor Chongzhen would really like to have Concubine Li Kang buried...
However, for the sake of the country, he must endure it.
Cheng Shijie was a little tired. He had some breakfast in the morning and was busy playing games for Jiayue in the morning. He hurried back to Ming Dynasty before lunch.
Cheng Shijie drank a bowl of tea and felt hungrier.
"that whoever……"
"What are your orders, General Cheng?"
Cheng Shijie was not restrained, polite, or embarrassed. He said to the young eunuch at the door: "If you have anything to eat, give it to Cheng!"
"yes!"
The plan couldn't keep up with the change. The young eunuch hadn't gotten Cheng Shilai food yet, so Gao Qiqian came. He happened to watch Cheng Shijie ask the young eunuch for food.
Gao Qiqian said: "General Cheng, please wait a moment. Your Majesty has already set up a banquet in the Imperial Garden and is preparing to entertain General Cheng!"
“It’s great to have something to eat!”
"General Cheng, His Majesty is not in a very good mood today, but he still decided to entertain General Cheng. Even the chief minister would be jealous of this holy family..."
Cheng Shijie understands Emperor Chongzhen's mood. Those ministers who are not formal and are known for contradicting the emperor's invitation to buy directly, don't tell them when they eat, even if they feed a dog, the dog will wag its tail at him and beg for mercy.
But the problem is that many civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty who were supported by Chongzhen picked up their bowls to eat meat and put down their chopsticks to scold their mothers. When faced with such people, it would be nice not to bite them to death, but also treat them to a meal or treat them to shit. almost.
Cheng Shijie lowered his voice and asked, "By the way, Eunuch Gao, why is Your Majesty in a bad mood today?"
Gao Qiqian smiled bitterly and said: "...Oh, Shaanxi and Shanxi are at war with each other, bandits may invade the Central Plains at any time, Huguang is also in chaos, and now the slave establishment is about to start, how can your Majesty's mood be better?"
"Slave-building changes?"
Cheng Shijie said in surprise: "When did this happen?"
"Three days ago, Huang Long, the commander-in-chief of the Dongjiang Army, presented a memorial. Huang Taiji had issued a recruitment order to all the ministries. One of the two soldiers was selected and must be assembled in Shenyang by the end of September!"
"The wild boar skins were treated lightly in Haizhou, but the bones are itchy again!"
Gao Qiqian was startled and said quickly: "General Cheng, be careful! Speaking dirty words deep in the palace is a death penalty!"
"Isn't it okay to curse the boar skin?"
"You can scold me as much as you want in other places, but not in the palace!"
While talking, Gao Qiqian brought Cheng Shijie to the Royal Garden.
Cheng Shijie saw the legendary Emperor Chongzhen. He was very thin. Although he was not very old, he could vaguely see white hair on his head. He didn't know whether it was because he was young or because he was worried. After all, judging from his age, Emperor Chongzhen was Not as old as Cheng Shijie, but Cheng Shijie doesn't have gray hair yet.
"Ahem..."
Gao Qiqian saw Cheng Shijie stunned and hurriedly reminded Cheng Shijie to salute.
"My lord, Cheng Shijie pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor. Long live, long live, long live!"
"Cheng Qing is exempt from courtesy,"
Emperor Chongzhen has been staring at Cheng Shijie. Cheng Shijie is indeed extraordinary. Emperor Chongzhen's height is not too low. He is about 1.77 meters tall. In the Ming Dynasty, he is also considered tall. In addition, Emperor Chongzhen is very thin and looks even taller. .
But compared with Cheng Shijie, he is half a head lower.
"Someone please sit down!"
As a small yellow doorman moved a stool behind Cheng Shijie, Cheng Shijie sat down.
The Huangmen officials who were serving the meal came and went in an orderly manner. A short rectangular table was brought up, followed by some oranges, apples, pears, grapes, persimmons and other seasonal fruits, served one by one. It was served on a silver plate, followed by grilled and cooked meat.
In Cheng Shijie's view, this royal meal was simple enough, and its level was not even as good as the restaurant meals served by department-level leading cadres of his time.
However, what is different from imagination is that the banquets in this era are very real, with large amounts of vegetables and fruits.
However, Cheng Shijie was not used to eating like this. The large chunks of meat piled in front of him felt very greasy. Fortunately, soon, the waiters brought a pot with charcoal fire, and the clear soup was boiling in the middle. The onion, garlic and other ingredients in it were fragrant, and it smelled very pleasant.
Cheng Shijie was already hungry and was not polite. Just like eating hot pot, he cut the meat into small pieces, then dipped it into the boiling soup, then took it out and ate it.
Since then, I really don't feel greasy.
While Cheng Shijie was eating fiercely, Emperor Chongzhen stared directly at Cheng Shijie, with a slight smile on his lips.
The relationship between the emperor and his ministers is actually like falling in love. As long as the relationship is there, no problem will be a problem.
Cheng Shijie ate and drank as if no one was around. In the eyes of Emperor Chongzhen, this was Cheng Shijie's sincerity.
Cheng Shijie waited for more than a quarter of an hour to eat before he put down his chopsticks. At this time, the dishes in front of Emperor Chongzhen's imperial desk were basically untouched.
"Cheng Qing, are you satisfied with these dishes?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the gift..."
"No need to be so polite!"
Emperor Chongzhen's eyes glanced at Cheng Shijie's side and back from time to time. Cheng Shijie did not look back. He had already discovered that someone should be peeping behind him.
Emperor Chongzhen said: "Cheng Qing fought bloody battles, rebuilt the slaves, and made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty. I admire you very much. I would like to toast Cheng Qing to express my respect!"
"I don't dare!"
"You deserve it!"
Cheng Shijie did not refuse and stood up to drink a glass of wine.
At this moment, a gust of fragrant wind blew, and Queen Zhou came in a full dress.
"I pay my respects to the Queen!"
"Cheng Qing is exempt from the courtesy!"
Empress Zhou winked at Chongzhen, and Emperor Chongzhen understood Empress Zhou's meaning. The couple actually flirted with each other in front of Cheng Shijie...
This made Cheng Shijie feel a little incredible.
Empress Zhou encouraged Emperor Chongzhen.
Emperor Chongzhen looked at Cheng Shijie and said, "Cheng Qing, I have something to ask you..."
"I should tell you everything I know, and I will tell you everything I know!"
"In view of Cheng Qing's contribution to the country, I should secretly grant Cheng Qing's son a hereditary title of Jin Yiwei. However, there is no record of Cheng Qing's heirs in the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War. I don't know if Cheng Qing has any heirs!"
"I have a son... named Jialong, who is twelve years old now, but... I was separated from my wife at that time, and there is no news about their mother and son!"
Cheng Shijie was not a fool either. He heard that Emperor Chongzhen wanted to grant a marriage, which he could not refuse. This military group in southern Liaoning had just formed, and it would be the most stupid thing to fall out with the court.
"There is no news at all, it can be said that life or death is uncertain!"
Emperor Chongzhen said: "There are three types of unfilial piety, the greatest of which is not having an offspring. In order to continue the incense of the Cheng family, Cheng Qing, I will designate a marriage for you."
"May I refuse?"
"My eighth sister, Princess Le'an, is promised to be the wife of the Cheng family!"
(End of chapter)
