The night was really deep. Chang Yu stood up in the hall, slouched over, turned around and walked towards the inner courtyard. The bride was still waiting for him to take off her hijab.
Chang Yanling, who had just finished washing, sat on the bedside and watched the oil lamp swaying. He still couldn't calm down for a long time. He controlled the borders with one hand and the sea routes with the other. He could advance or retreat. The little eunuch made this big move, not to mention the current emperor. Even if Taizu was alive and in the same situation, he might not dare to touch him easily, not to mention that he had planned it at least ten years in advance, and no one could see through it.
Of course, this was all his backhand. He was an eunuch after all. If he had done nothing extraordinary, why would the emperor touch him?
In another guest room, Zheng Zhilong was tossing and turning but could not sleep. Unlike Chang Yanling, he was excited.
Since surrendering to the imperial court and coming ashore, Zheng Zhilong has almost been idle. Although he has a navy, he can almost be said to have nothing to do. For a large-scale pirate who once made trouble, life is quite boring and scary. Boring can be Understand, it is not enough for outsiders to be wary, but those who are interested can guess a thing or two.
The imperial court's recruitment has always been a matter of settling accounts after autumn.
If I don't touch you now, it doesn't mean I won't touch you later. I don't have the time and ability to touch you now, but what about when I have the time and ability?
The Zheng family is a big family, and they have to look forward and think about future generations.
So even though he had never met Chang Yu, just after meeting the special envoy and reading the letter, Zheng Zhilong spent a lot of money and resources, not only handed over the chief eunuch, but also gained a good reputation with the emperor and the court. He killed two birds with one stone, but in the end It's still a loss-making business.
But Chang Yu was a very honest person. He used people's money to do things for others. He then introduced a lot of political capital to Zheng Zhilong, from vassal kings to warlords. There were also business contacts, but this was just a sweetener.
The real benefit and big pie is still the big deal discussed in the afternoon.
Obviously, the eunuch didn't just want to get some food from Annan.
He still wants that land!
And of course it’s not just that piece of land, there are many pieces of land.
The founder had Zheng He, and the Chongzhen Dynasty had Zheng Zhilong, who could possibly eclipse the limelight and great achievements of the three treasure eunuchs!
So the Fujian General Soldier who was originally doing nothing suddenly became a royal merchant in foreign trade and economics, and he may also be the hero of the expansion of territory. This is the future of the Zheng family, and this is the value of the Zheng family.
Don’t be afraid of being busy, just be afraid of having nothing to do!
You are not afraid of being ordered by the court, but you are afraid that the court will think you are redundant.
Only by being valuable can you live longer.
…………
When I asked you how many times a night, I was the first person in the imperial city to hold the wall.
At three o'clock in the morning, Chang Yu walked out of the room, his eyes were groggy, his expression was sluggish, and his steps were a little vague. The maids next to him hurriedly said hello, and Li Muchian hurriedly came over from outside: "Master Hou left early in the morning and left you a letter." He took it out of his arms and handed it to Chang Yu.
Chang Yu made a sound, took it without opening it, but put it into his arms, stretched out and yawned: "I was drunk yesterday and my limbs were weak. Cough, I drank too much."
Li Muchian smiled half-heartedly: "Sir, have you ever heard of a proverb that says there is no silver in this place?"
Fuck, Chang Yu feigned anger and raised his leg to give him a kick. Li Muxian dodged sideways and trotted away: "There are some official documents on the case in the hall. If you still have the strength, you might as well go and take a look."
According to custom, the bride should get up early to serve the groom and her parents-in-law, but now there are no parents to serve and Chang Yu feels sorry for Zhang Biyun, so he let her have a good rest last night, saying that our family doesn't break many rules.
So Zhang Biyun continued to sleep peacefully, while he got up to have breakfast alone and read the documents in the hall. They were all secret reports sent by Jin Yiwei and Fanzi. Zheng Zhilong came in to say goodbye at this time, and Chang Yu did not persuade him to stay and sent him to the canal dock. , just said: "Goodbye".
At a time of great turmoil in the world, the news of the peace talks between the imperial court and the great thief Li Zicheng finally became known to the whole world. It became a hot topic in the headlines at the moment. Everyone from the court to the henchmen talked about it, but the eunuch who was supposed to be making trouble in this vortex was instead He seemed to have disappeared without saying a word in the capital. No one would have thought that he was enjoying his wedding leave in Xuzhou City at this time. He was with Zhang Biyun every day, and apart from reading official documents and secret letters, Yun Yu came to the boudoir when he was free. Or go out of the city to visit the mountains and lakes to enjoy the human relationship.
In half a month, Chang Yu will finally leave.
Although Zhang Biyun was reluctant to leave, she also knew that she could not stay. A man who aspired to conquer the world from all directions would have no problem sleeping under his mother-in-law's skirt every day. As a general's wife, she had this awareness, but even so, it was inevitable that the pear blossoms would be rained down. Yu reassured that the court was negotiating peace with the thieves, and the situation was unpredictable. The general would return to the army to obey orders, and would go home to visit relatives after the matter was over. If Zhang Biyun was bored in Xuzhou City, he could go north to the capital or to Nanjing. Our Chang family has a big business and has real estate everywhere, so we can live wherever we like.
Gao Jie and his wife sent Chang Yu to the outside of the city: "I am a rough man who cannot grasp the affairs in the court. It will be good if we can make peace. If we don't, we will fight. I am not afraid of anyone, especially him." When Gao Jie said this, he looked at Chang Yu at one moment and at Mrs.
"Nine times out of ten, we will make peace, and we will become ministers in the same palace from now on." Chang Yu smiled slightly, Gao Jie's face looked a little unnatural, Chang Yu said again: "The chance of meeting each other is very small, so what if we do? , my brother owes him nothing.”
Gao Jie still had a sullen face: "It's a bit embarrassing after all..."
"Brother, do you think that even if there is a peace, will that guy come to see you? Will he dare?" Chang Yu laughed, Gao Jie was startled and then nodded with a wry smile: "I'm afraid he won't dare to come here one day if he is bold enough."
After another conversation, Chang Yu said goodbye. Gao Jie and his wife insisted on sending him to the canal dock, but Chang Yu persuaded him to return with just one sentence: "If you don't want to go back to the capital or take a boat, what are you going to do in the canal?"
If he didn't go back to Beijing, where was he going? Gao Jie was a little confused, but he didn't ask. Even though he was a rough man, he also knew that some people didn't know the best. Don't be curious, and don't open your mouth if you shouldn't ask. Where the Dongchang eunuchs are going and what they are doing are matters of confidentiality that cannot be explained to outsiders.
Not even brothers.
Three days later, in Yutai County, Jining Prefecture, Yanzhou Prefecture, a carriage was driving slowly on the official road adjacent to the west bank of the canal. Chen Wangting rode a horse with a sword on his back and a few followers following the carriage. He looked up at the dark clouds in the sky and stared at the dark clouds in the sky. It was about to rain, and it seemed that the rain would be heavy, so I looked around to see if there was any shelter from the rain nearby. Everywhere I saw there was a wilderness of dense forests and no cottages, so I looked at the plain road next to it, fearing that It's time to get soaked.
Compared with others, Su Jing still had a little respect for Chen Wangting: "People from Jianghu, it's not a big deal if you are exposed to the sun and rain." He glanced towards the canal in the distance: "There is a shed there, let's go take a look." While talking, , the sky has begun to rain, everyone hurriedly ran.
There is a pergola by the canal. It is shabby but quite spacious. There is no village in front of the village or a store in the back. I don’t know what the purpose of the tent is. Maybe it is an abandoned tea shed on the roadside. People are eager to take shelter from the rain as it starts to rain. Without much guessing, he hurriedly entered the hay shed, only to find that there was already someone inside.
The man was wearing a bamboo hat and couldn't see clearly. He was sitting at a broken three-legged table in the corner. The stool under his butt also had three legs and he didn't even raise his head when everyone came in.
"Hey, it would be nice if it rains for a while. If it rains too hard, it will be a miserable day." Everyone tied the carriage to the hay shed and talked about the weather.
Chen Wangting shook off the raindrops on his body and glanced at the man in a bamboo hat and gave a sober look next to him. At this time, Qing Yi walked out of the carriage and stood at the door of the thatched shed without coming in. There was no rain in the heavy rain outside, so his clothes were wet. The man in the bamboo hat glanced at her and stared at the carriage motionless.
"Isn't it a bit too much to rely on one person?" Su Jing held the hilt of the sword in her hand and stared at the man in the bamboo hat and said coldly. When the attendants heard this, they immediately became vigilant, and they all reached out and drew their swords and ran to the outside of the shed to be on guard.
"What is this little master talking about? I am just a pedestrian passing by to take shelter from the rain. I can't understand what the little master is saying." The man in the bamboo hat said softly without raising his head. Qing Yi at the door of the thatched shed still looked at the pounding rain outside without looking back.
Really, Su Jing sneered, slowly pulled out the long sword and stretched it towards the man's bamboo hat. As soon as the tip of the sword touched the man's bamboo hat, he saw him clamping the tip of Su Jing's sword with lightning, and slowly raised his head, his eyes like knives: "What is this for?"
Su Jing shook her hands and shook the man's hands away: "Still pretending, your martial arts skills are enough to dominate the world."
The man in the bamboo hat chuckled, "Why, have I offended you with my martial arts skills?"
"I don't want to waste words with you. Since I have the guts to block my way, why are I so timid now?" The plain sword was held out, like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue, and it went straight towards the man's throat. The man in the hat did not dare to hold it up, and stood up suddenly, only to hear There was a clang, and then the figure flashed and turned to another corner of the hut, holding a dark dagger in his hand, and his aura was no longer restrained, and he was suddenly full of murderous intent.
"Your Excellency, you have such good skills." Chen Wangting drew out his sword and Su Jingcheng's horns, looked at the man in the bamboo hat and said, "Please give me a name, so that you can leave your name after your death."
".
"There is no need to leave a name for an unknown person." As he spoke, the man in the bamboo hat stretched out his hand and took off the bamboo hat. He had a plain appearance and a murderous aura. Then he looked at the carriage outside the hut: "You can just use the twenty riders to use the waterway to blind your eyes." Have you hid it from me?"
Tu Yuan's 20 cavalry sailed north from Xuzhou, while Chen Wangting and one of his personal attendants traveled on land, just in case. Anyone who followed them would be tempted, but they didn't want to...
"So what?" Su Jing sneered: "Don't think you can leave alive today on your own."
The man in the bamboo hat laughed loudly: "Who said I am a human being?" As he spoke, he heard a subordinate shouting: "There is someone in the woods by the river." Warning sounds continued from far and near. Chen Wangting frowned and shouted: "Hold the carriage and don't leave without permission." "Lonely".
"Twenty people, are you waiting to fight to death?" The man in the bamboo hat smiled, very coldly.
"Almost." Su Jing smiled coldly: "Listen."
The man in the bamboo hat frowned. He could hardly hear other sounds due to the heavy rain outside, but it was obvious that his hearing was very good. He looked confused at first, but gradually his expression became serious. He heard the sound of horse hooves, at least dozens of horses.
Do you think the twenty riders on the boat are ours? If it's just this little trick, you're really looking down on us," Chen Wangting sneered.
When Chang Yu left the capital, he ostensibly led only 20 Tu Yuan's cavalry. He went all the way south and separated behind Shandong Province, leading the group of followers in circles until they were stunned and gave up. Thus, he lost track of his target, but he had no choice but to follow him. Not to mention that this group of people is also quite powerful and powerful. One day ago, the informant in the canal noticed the sudden appearance of the twenty riders.
After following them for a period of time, they found out that this was just a bait. The real target was not to go boating but to drive on land. So... who would have thought that Tu Yuan's 20th Cavalry did not go by water at all from beginning to end, but They followed the carriage scatteredly, and the twenty riders on the waterway were just a cover-up borrowed from Gao Jie.
The masters of the martial arts kill without calculation, and it is not difficult to kill ten of them against ordinary people or ordinary soldiers. The number one master in Dongchang, Wuzhong, who is known as the Sword Saint in the martial arts, once slaughtered hundreds of thieves in one night.
But what if you are facing a well-trained soldier who crawled out from the dead on the battlefield? You can kill one, ten, but what about twenty or hundreds?
It is not impossible under certain circumstances. For example, in the battle to protect the capital in Wuzhong, one man guarded the city gate and killed nearly a hundred Tatars with one sword. In addition to his unparalleled sword skills and bravery, he also took advantage of the terrain, not to mention the door opening. It is narrow but not open by any means. With one man holding the pass, it is extremely difficult for the enemy to encircle and fight. Moreover, the Tatar soldiers at that time were all infantry, and cavalry fighting was what they were good at.
But if you face fierce cavalry in an open area, let alone dozens of cavalry rushing over to trample you into a pulp, just the twenty warriors of the Black Tiger Camp can kill you in an instant with a repeating hand crossbow. You shoot like a hedgehog! Twenty iron cavalry, hand crossbows, strong bows, and steel knives, surrounded by a master of martial arts? No matter how high your hand is, it will be instantly annihilated by flying ashes!
The horse's hooves sounded fast, and the man in the hat looked more and more embarrassed, but he smiled again randomly: "The forest here is dense, and those cavalry may not be of much use."
"So what if it's not useful enough, at least it can contain the gangsters around you, and we can confidently take care of the rest." At this moment, a man walked out of the carriage, holding a steel knife with a sneer on his face, but it was Wang Zhengnan.
"You're not that eunuch!" The man in the hat looked stunned. He followed him all the way and still fell into the trap.
Wang Zhengnan jumped off the carriage and said, "You should be lucky that it wasn't, otherwise you would have died faster."
The man in the bamboo hat laughed angrily, and coldly swept away Wang Zhengnan and others: "You can't kill that eunuch, and you are still trying to keep me here."
"You can't leave." At this moment, Qing Yi slowly turned around and said, "That's what Pindao said!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand, and the rain curtain in front of him suddenly turned into a whirlpool, and then a line of water broke through the air towards the man in the bamboo hat...
