"Inform the deputy governor that Cun Sijin has sent someone to discuss the matter and is waiting outside the door."
A soldier opened the military tent and glanced at Zhang Chenghuai sitting in the hall. I saw that the governor only had a moustache, his face was thin and stern, and he acted calmly.
"Tell him to come in," Zhang Chenghuai put down the pen in his hand and said in a low voice, "No outsiders are allowed in or out during this period."
After receiving the order, the soldier immediately invited the confidants of the Chief Custodian to come into the tent and arranged chairs to sit down on.
The confidant saw that there was no one in the tent, and then said: "Do you know about the supervisor appointed by the imperial court this time?"
Zhang Chenghuai looked at him: "Of course. That Dong Sheng, a member of the Ye Party, is young."
Hearing him speak the word 'Ye Party' calmly, a smile slowly appeared on his face: "You are really a smart man, you can see through my intention at a glance."
"Don't think that I have a good impression of you," Zhang Chenghuai snorted coldly, "Although the Chen Party that your master clings to is called Qingliu, it does not have any good governance. It just maintains the status quo. I advise you to be careful and don't treat it like a bad thing. The muddy waters have reached the border and treated us as slaves to be used at will."
The confidant smiled apologetically and said: "You are too worried. Cun Sijin just wants to make your life easier, and has no intention of taking over the power of the governor. What's more, this Dong Supervisor and the generals in the military mansion are not convinced, right? "
"It's hard to say," Zhang Chenghuai shook his head worriedly. "All the generals are Du Wu Degong's old subordinates. Many of them still support the New Deal. Now I see Dong Sheng coming. I'm just an acting governor. We don’t have enough authority to shock them.”
A confidant said: "I wonder if the Governor is willing to obey Cun Sijin's instructions?"
"If there is a solution... I will listen to his orders for the time being." Cheng Huai sighed and said.
"Cun Sijin believes that the most important thing is to give Dong Sheng a warning. Although there are people among the generals who are interested in the New Deal, they have never met him, so he doesn't know what his capabilities are. If you deliberately make things difficult for him, it will make him appear clumsy. How can I gain the trust of the generals with my attitude?"
Zhang Chenghuai smiled softly: "I understand. If you go back and report to Si Jin, just say that I have everything and am just waiting for someone to arrive."
Boom! Boom!
Three cannon shots were fired in the camp in Suidi Town, causing dust to fly; a burst of horse hoofbeats followed, and the supervisor Dong Sheng was surrounded in the middle, silently watching the honor guards on both sides: there were many swords and axes, majestic and solemn.
"Sign up for the humble rank, Lord Supervisor of the Army!" Zhang Chenghuai led a group of military attachés to kneel in front of the tent and shouted with all their strength.
Dong Sheng kicked his feet, Tong Cunzhao stood up and dismounted, and helped Zhang Chenghuai up: "The deputy governor greeted him like this, I really feel ashamed to kill Dong. Dong is a scholar, he should share the joys and sorrows with everyone, how can he deserve preferential treatment."
Zhang Chenghuai saluted again and said: "Dong Gong is an official of the imperial court. Seeing your sword is like seeing the emperor. How can we dare to neglect you? Please supervise the army and come to the court to serve as trustee."
Dong Sheng nodded happily, strode into the tent, placed the sword wrapped in yellow silk on the table, and then sat down.
Seeing that all the generals had arrived, and after counting their names in the book, Cunzhao smiled and said: "The supervisor is here to start the defense of Suidi Town. You can report the recent situation one by one!" After that, The confidant sitting on his right side secretly winked at Zhang Chenghuai.
Zhang Chenghuai understood the idea and immediately asked: "In that case, there happens to be a major matter that has been delayed until now. I wonder if Dong Jianjun can answer it?"
When Dong Sheng heard his sudden question, he couldn't help but be a little wary and replied cautiously: "I'm new here and I haven't even seen a single official document. If you ask for details, I'm sorry that I can't answer."
Zhang Chenghuai continued: "What if this is a matter that only the imperial court can handle? The supervisor has been in the Ministry of War for a long time and should be well versed in the official duties of the ministry."
Dong Sheng's eyes were bright: "Then just say it!"
"Nowadays, the new army is spending a lot of money. It has gone through several wars before. There is insufficient lead and broken muskets, so it is in urgent need of replenishment. However, the military government does not have much money to spend, and it is quite stretched. So the governor came up with an idea. The method of replenishment is to slightly reduce the new army to make up for the maintenance needs; but after all, the new army is the veterans left by Governor Du, and the governor cannot bear to abandon it, so someone proposed to reduce the pay of the old army. Everyone discussed this For many days, there have been endless quarrels. The governor has no decision-making power and it is difficult to stop it. Only by relying on the command of the supervisor can the dispute be settled and our soldiers and generals can focus on resisting the enemy."
"I hope Supervisor Dong will eliminate the new army!" As soon as Zhang Chenghuai finished speaking, an officer came to the middle and urged with cupped fists.
"What are you talking about!" Another person stood up and retorted, glaring angrily. "The New Army is the most capable team in our army. We rely on them to have the comfort of the border! To attack them is simply ungrateful!"
"Yes, yes!" Some officers also complained about the injustice.
"What's the matter? Didn't our soldiers lick blood from their swords?" The officers on the old army's side retorted one after another, even more unconvinced.
"Fuck you!"
No matter how hard it was to hold back their anger, both parties rushed forward, pushing and scolding each other, and there was a sudden chaos and commotion.
Cunzhao gave some perfunctory advice, but instead looked at Dong Sheng who was at a loss and thought: 'Zhang Chenghuai is really smart, let him deal with such a dilemma as soon as he comes. He has not established prestige and does not understand the situation here. If he makes an abrupt decision, he will definitely provoke one of the factions. If he adds more incitement at that time, it depends on how long he can retain his function of supervising the army! '
"Everyone, wait a minute." Dong Sheng called out to everyone loudly, without any trace of panic on his face.
Seeing how determined he was in command, everyone suppressed their emotions and returned to their seats: "Master Supervisor, you have to give me an explanation!"
"If you ask me, I can't give you an explanation."
Cun Zhao stroked his beard and smiled: "This is asking for death..."
"But if you ask Du Du, he might be able to answer this question." As he said that, Dong Sheng raised his left hand and pulled out a piece of letter paper from his sleeve. He unfolded it and showed it to everyone, "Look, this is Du Du's lifetime letter. The above list! It is sent to the Ministry of War."
Cun Zhao's hand trembled suddenly, his proud smile froze for an instant, and his shocked eyes were fixed on the letter - he did not expect that his previous suspicions would actually come true, and this secretly hidden document It played a role in this most critical season.
"Everyone, look at it. Is this the handwriting of Governor Du?" Cun Zhao hesitated uneasily, clenching his palms so hard that he still refused to believe it.
"Yes, it is Du Wu Degong's handwriting, every word is authentic." Zhang Chenghuai was shocked, but had to admit the authenticity of the letter, and replied hesitantly.
"Dong Jianjun, when was this letter from?" Cun Zhao asked helplessly, turning sideways.
Dong Sheng's face was expressionless: "It was a suggestion he made to the Ministry of War a few days before his death. It can be regarded as his last will."
