Zuo Liangyu's main tent.
Under the dim candlelight, Zuo Zongbing held a volume of "Three Kingdoms" reproduced during the Jiajing period, shook his head and read:
"The way to use troops is to attack the heart first, and to attack the city next..."
Standing next to General Zuo was a graceful and pretty woman, about fifteen or sixteen years old. It was hard to tell whether she was a camp prostitute or his concubine.
Historical records record that Zuo Liangyu has never read books since he was a child, and he is not good at beauty (at least not with women). Some officials and unofficial historians even slandered Marshal Zuo for having an affair with Hou Xun before he became famous because he was more beautiful than Pan An and had a slender body ( This was the case before joining the army), so he later became Lord Hou Xunhou's servant. The servant is also commonly known as the pretty boy, similar to the male publicist in later generations.
Of course, these unofficial histories are all nonsense. Although the folk customs were open in the late Ming Dynasty, high-ranking officials often liked Longyang (such as Zhang Juzheng, Zhang Dai, etc.), and it was a routine practice for officials in South Zhili to support small singers. However, in this plane, the commander-in-chief Zuo Liangyu is literate and very greedy for women. It can be seen that some unofficial histories are not trustworthy.
Maybe it's because he grew up in a poor family. After becoming powerful, his previously unsatisfied desires were magnified countless times.
"Fangfang, when Linqing City is captured, I will give you a cart of jewelry, silk and satin, and you will change your outfit the next day. With this military achievement, I am afraid the emperor will reward you as his royal wife!"
Zuo Liangyu pinched the woman's leg, and Fangfang fell into the master's arms. She threw aside the "Three Kingdoms" in Zuo Liangyu's hand and said softly:
"Sir, let's not talk about jewelry. Just stop taking concubines. The women in Linqing City only eat yellow and orange steamed buns. Their thighs are thinner than other people's arms, and their feet are only two inches..."
Zuo Liangyu frowned, a little displeased. The maid bought at the canal wharf was just a little rough. She couldn't compare with the ladies of the world, let alone the thin Yangzhou horse in Wu Sangui's tent.
Fu Fangfang saw that the master looked unhappy and didn't know what she had said wrong. She quickly helped the commander-in-chief undress and take off his belt, pretending to ride on Zuo Liangyu.
Zuo Liangyu suddenly remembered that there was something else going on tonight. When he looked down, he saw that the nail leaves on his body had been taken off by the woman. He quickly pushed the woman away and said:
"Master, I have something important to do. You go and rest first. I'll see you later." Fu Fangfang snorted and walked away angrily. When leaving, she picked up the "Three Kingdoms" on the table and dropped it to the ground.
Zuo Liangyu suppressed the anger in his heart. If this woman hadn't been quite pretty, she would have driven her out of the tent to beg for food.
Fu Fangfang was a maid he bought in Yangzhou. Before the purchase, the old madam said that this girl knew everything about music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and was also top-notch in bed. If she declined the counter-offer, she would only get three taels of silver. Zuo Liangyu's concubine was inconvenient with her big belly. When he went north with the army, he thought he had gotten a bargain, but he didn't want to spend money to buy back a village girl. Except for her skills in bed, everything else was not as good as Zuo Zongbing's, which made him lose face in front of Liu Zeqing, Wu Sangui and other colleagues.
In the late Ming Dynasty, when the army marched and fought, they would bring prostitutes with them for the entertainment of the soldiers. Of course, the generals would usually bring their own concubines, or the top names of the local brothels. As long as the generals and generals were pursuing each other, they would In addition to comparing the number of servants under his command, whether the concubine is pretty or not is also an important criterion for comparison.
Jiang Hongli was like this, Liu Wei (when he was young) was like this, Wu Sangui was like this, and Zuo Liangyu was naturally like this.
During the Northern Expedition, after seeing the beauty of Chen Yuanyuan in Wu Sangui's tent, Zuo Liangyu changed the name of the maid she had just purchased to Fu Fangfang. Chen (Shen) versus (Floating), round and square, wanted to compete with Wu Sangui. , This shows General Zuo’s spirit of not giving in and tit for tat.
Not long after Fu Fangfang left, the voice of Ma Chun, the head servant, sounded outside:
"Master, I have rested."
After hearing this, Zuo Liangyu quickly stood up, adjusted his armor, let Ma Chun lead the way, and walked towards Wu Sangui's camp.
The young master mentioned by the servant leader is Zuo Liangyu’s eldest son Zuo Menggeng. Zuo Menggeng is only ten years old this year. At the beginning of the first year of Wuding, bandits brought trouble to Shandong. Zuo Liangyu’s family was surrounded in Yuncheng and was killed by bandits. Zuo Menggeng was alone, so the child followed his father and came to North Zhili to fight this time.
Zuo Liangyu led Ma Chun a few steps, Zuo Liangyu said:
"Are Wu Sangui's guards properly placed?"
Ma Chun followed Zuo Liangyu and quickly replied: "Everything is done, I gave them money, and killed the few who were disobedient. Now only the young lady is in the tent."
"That's good, accept this woman today, attack Linqing Prefecture City tomorrow, and give him a double happiness," Zuo Liangyu said, with a hint of a lewd smile on his lips.
Five days ago, without saying a word, Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of western Liaoning, took all his elite servants to the capital to rob the tomb, leaving only the beauty Chen Yuanyuan still in the Linqing camp. At present, there is no news about the three cabinets. As a colleague, Zuo Liangyu feels that he has to take care of his concubine for Mr. Wu.
~~~~~~
Zuo Liangyu walked through his camp surrounded by his servants. He found that there were obviously fewer soldiers on night patrol tonight than in the past. Ma Chun pointed to the noisy camp in the distance, and the sound of soldiers gambling and cheering could be heard from inside. Zuo Liangyu had long been accustomed to seeing women, and did not ask about them.
At this time, a group of night patrol soldiers came from a distance. The leader was still yawning and cursing: "Damn it, I'm so angry tonight, I lost again..."
Zuo Liangyu shouted: Fire attack!
The guy opposite who lost all his money was shocked and quickly responded:
Linqing!
Zuo Liangyu rolled his eyes, inserted the pulled sword back in, took out a handful of broken silver from his arms, stuffed it into the boss, patted him on the shoulder and said:
"Lao Guo, if you lose, you lose. Let's win it back tomorrow! Don't miss this important event!"
Guo pushed the president half way before accepting the money, with a look of gratitude on his face, patting his chest and promising:
"You can't make a mistake! You can't make a mistake! Master Zuo's business is my business. As long as I'm here, I won't get any ideas!"
After hearing this, Zuo Liangyu stared at the loose belt around Lao Guo's waist, and then at the feminine makeup on Lao Guo's face. He cursed tens of thousands of times in his heart, and expressed his hatred for this man who had just returned from gambling and prostitution. smiled and said:
"Be smart. If the Linqing troops are not safe, they will jump over the wall. If we survive tonight, good days will come for us. We will have money and women in the future!"
Lao Guo tightened his belt and put his hand on the Yanling knife on his waist. The soldiers who followed him straightened their backs unconsciously and began to look around carefully like night owls...
Seeing off Lao Guo, he walked to Wu Sangui's camp. Along the way, he met Lao Ma and Lao He. They had just returned from gambling. The money Zuo Liangyu had brought had been distributed. He asked Ma Chun for some more money and scattered coins all the way to Wu Sangui. At the gate of the camp, Zuo Liangyu felt a little relieved when he saw that the Liaoxi soldiers at the gate of the camp had long since disappeared, let alone the night patrol. When Ma Chun saw this, he smiled at the master and said:
"Master, Huang Degong's cavalry soldiers have gone to rob Niujia Village again. They probably won't be back tonight,"
After hearing this, Zuo Liangyu said triumphantly: "A bunch of bastards, all with nothing but wine and rice bags! Didn't they go and rob it last night?"
The head servant looked towards Huang Degong's camp. It was so dark that he couldn't even see a bonfire.
"Last night I went to grab money and food, and tonight I went to grab women."
"Hmm, Huang Degong and Liu Zeqing are both trash,"
Zuo Liangyu felt even more relieved. In comparison, the soldiers and horses of the Northern Expedition were still worthy of use in the war by his troops from the South.
Ma Chun led his master all the way through Wu Sangui's camp. The Liaoxi soldiers he encountered either hid far away or came up to salute with flattering smiles on their faces.
The servants gathered around Mr. Zuo and came to a large tent. Ma Chun smiled like a pimp:
"Master, the people are inside. The food, wine and meat are all ready. The younger one will stay outside the tent first."
Zuo Liangyu was overjoyed and said with a smile: "Old Ma, I can rest assured that you are doing the work, but you can't stay outside and eavesdrop..."
~~~~~~
Sumptuous dishes were served on the table. After Zuo Liangyu drank for three rounds, he raised his head and looked at Chen Yuanyuan sitting opposite.
Chen Yuanyuan is only fourteen or fifteen years old this year. She has a willow waist, slender eyebrows, a slender jade neck, and jade-like breasts. Her elegant and simple moonlight skirt is half-covered, revealing her long, moist and well-proportioned legs...
Zuo Liangyu was astonished by the beauty of this woman, and his mind was moved.
"Commander Zuo, when will my husband return? You said we have something important to discuss. What is it about?"
Chen Yuanyuan's cold questioning brought him back to reality. Zuo Liangyu picked up a bright red deer's egg on the table and said with a smile:
"He can't come back. My servant ran into Liu Zhaosun in Fucheng. General Zuo has been killed by the tyrant,"
Chen Yuanyuan's beauty suddenly turned pale, she covered her heart with her hands and stared at Zuo Liangyu.
"You, why don't you obey me? I will avenge your husband, kill Liu Zhaosun, and then send troops to Liaodong to wipe out..."
As Zuo Liangyu spoke, he stretched out his big hand smelling of alcohol in front of Chen Yuanyuan.
Chen Yuanyuan quickly dodged, "General Zuo, please respect yourself. I am married to Sangui Zhizhi. I will be his in life, and in death..."
Zuo Liangyu jumped in the air and said angrily: "Why do you want to marry with your fingertips? You are just a concubine in his tent."
As he spoke, he grabbed the beauty's jade arm and pulled up the moonlight skirt to reveal her inner waist. Chen Yuanyuan screamed, picked up the wine bottle and hit Zuo Liangyu on the head. When the other party let go of his hand, he quickly retreated behind the big tent and grabbed the dagger on the desk.
"You, you slut, if you take one more step forward, I won't be polite."
Zuo Liangyu kicked the tables and chairs aside and said with a smile: "Okay, okay, if you dare to assassinate the imperial official, I will see if I take care of you tonight..."
Chen Yuanyuan clenched the dagger and stabbed it fiercely. Zuo Liangyu raised his iron arm and knocked the dagger away. He pounced on him like an eagle catching a chicken and undressed him...
Suddenly I heard someone shouting outside:
"Master Zuo, Master Zuo!"
"Damn it, I'm not done yet!"
"Master, it's not good!"
When I looked back, I saw Ma Chun screaming at the door.
"What's the name? The Linqing soldiers came out?"
Ma Chun didn't care that the master hadn't finished yet, pushed open the door and rushed in. He turned a blind eye to Chen Yuanyuan who was disheveled on the bed, and said loudly:
"There's a fire in the east! It's so red that it lights up half the sky. Linqing Prefecture City is in chaos. Everyone is shouting to put out the fire. Huang Degong, Liu Zeqing and their soldiers have all gone to attack the city."
Zuo Liangyu was furious after hearing this, pushed away the trembling Chen Yuanyuan, and cursed:
"Damn! These bastards, I and Dongfang officials have set up a plan. They want to take advantage!"
"Didn't you say that you can only set fire tomorrow? Why is it so early!"
Ma Chun didn't care to answer the master's question and quickly urged:
"Master Zuo, let's hurry up. We can't miss this opportunity. The brothers below can't wait."
Zuo Liangyu thought for a moment, stared at the disheveled Chen Yuanyuan on the bed, and said to himself: "I have a bad feeling, Liu Zhaosun is around,"
Ma Chun advised: "Liu Zhaosun No. 10, what does he want to do? What can he do?"
Zuo Liangyu thought about it and felt it made sense.
"Hurry up and pick some soldiers who can fight at night, and gather three thousand troops. Don't let Liu Zeqing and others rush into the city. Enter through the east gate,"
According to the plan agreed with Dongfang Zhu, those guarding the east gate thought that they would give way to the city defense and let Zuo Liangyu's army enter the city.
Zuo Liangyu has no doubts about Dongfang Zhu. He knows the virtues of these businessmen and they will do anything to make money. Dongfang Zhu is a typical example.
"Little lady, wait for me to come back."
Zuo Liangyu looked back at the beauty and smiled, immediately began to put on his armor, and then walked out of the tent surrounded by his servants.
It was a mess outside, with auxiliary soldiers and civilians running around, and the cavalry was crossing the pontoon bridge and charging towards the city wall.
"What's going on? The shield chariot ladder hasn't been climbed yet, why are they running?"
Zuo Liangyu picked up his riding whip, pointed at the noisy crowd in front of him, and shouted loudly.
Ma Chun stood there, staring blankly at the Ming army noisily leaving the city. He caught a soldier who was running around, and the man cursed at the top of his lungs:
"Damn it, let go, don't delay me from getting rich, I..."
The soldiers' faces were full of fanaticism, saliva was flying, and the swords in their hands were waving wildly.
Zuo Liangyu picked up his riding whip and whipped the soldier several times until the soldier regained his senses and said angrily: "You are in a hurry to reincarnate. Where is the chariot?"
The soldier covered his face and rolled on the ground in pain. He stood up and said timidly: "Linqing is going to be destroyed. We're going late. We can't get the money, woman..."
Zuo Liangyu wanted to curse again, but the rebels had already rushed across the pontoon bridge and skillfully climbed over the ditch in front of the city. Huang Degong's cavalry, who had returned from the robbery, rushed forward without stopping and immediately joined this new robbery mission.
They rushed to the bottom of the city wall, abandoned their horses, grabbed hold of the crenellations with scratching hooks, and climbed up with sabers in their mouths.
"Damn it, a few days ago I had Huang Dwarf attack the city, he was like a god of plague, his hands and feet hurt, and now he feels like he is possessed by Mr. Guan, even more powerful than the Overlord!"
Ma Chun whispered: "The ladder and the carriage haven't caught up yet..."
Zuo Liangyu waved his hand and said: "That's it, morale is available, let's attack the city first. Linqing is a big city, we only have more than 10,000 people, and we still have to rely on the generals and soldiers."
Governor Liu went to the capital, but he has not returned yet. He is probably martyred for his country. The Northern Expedition army has lost its nominal leader, and several generals and generals are in disarray.
Zuo Liangyu stopped talking nonsense. Surrounded by his own soldiers, he came to the moat in person and shouted loudly to his brothers who rushed across the ditch.
"Enter the city, don't let Huang Degong and Liu Zeqing's people get there first! Hurry!"
