"Father, stepfather, it's not good!"
Shi Kefa, who was in a deep sleep, felt someone shaking him. When he opened his eyes, he dimly saw the dark face of his adopted son Shi Dewei, whose face was full of panic and anxiety.
"Dewei! Why are you so panicked?" Shi Kefa frowned and lectured, "You have been with my father for so many years, how come you are so poor at cultivating your qi? How can you be so unbecoming when you chatter when something happens?"
"My child, I know I was wrong." Shi Dewei quickly admitted his mistake to Shi Kefa, looking nervous and admiring, and breathing heavily. He was sleeping soundly with a Shandong girl in his arms and was woken up by his men. After receiving the report, he ran all the way over without dressing up.
"Father, Huang Degong led his troops and horses out of the city!"
Shi Kefa was stunned for a moment, "What? Huang Degong led his troops out of the city? What does he want to do?"
Shi Dewei took a deep breath, gritted his teeth and said: "What else can be done? Of course, I want to join the prince! When we were quarreling in Yanzhou City, he was not idle! How many major things have been accomplished in the past month? Dengzhou, The three prefectures of Laizhou and Qingzhou are all under his firm control! Tang Fan, Lu Fan, King Heng, King De and Duke Yansheng were also conquered. Yesterday, news came that the prince himself led an army to approach Jinan... Gao Jie Most of them will join the prince, and Huang Degong must have used some tricks!
Father, please quickly order the deployment of troops to prevent Huang Degong from leaving! "
Shi Kefa, however, sat firmly with an expressionless face. After a while, he sighed: "Let him go! His soldiers and horses are all elite soldiers who have fought for a long time. If he wants to launch an attack in Yanzhou City, I'm afraid you and I are already loyal. Now that he has left, it shows that his conscience has not been forgotten, and if he is forced to stay, I am afraid there will be a bloody battle!"
"Yes, but now Gao Jie and Liu Zeqing don't know where they will stand. Once Huang Degong leaves, Liu Liangzuo will be the only one left among the four towns! How can we force the prince to return to power?"
Shi Kefa smiled bitterly, "Why don't you let Liu Liangzuo go and stay in Guide Mansion... Dewei, now the princes in Yanzhou City are arguing endlessly, and there is no conclusion. Can we still expect those warriors to help the world wholeheartedly? ? All I can do as a father is to do my duty as a minister and do it even though I know I can’t do it!”
Shi Dewei looked at Shi Kefa, who looked upright, but felt helpless in his heart. As a foster father, he is very upright. But thinking about it carefully, I really can't tell what he has done to restore the emperor's authority these days.
Although a large army has been assembled in Yanzhou, this army seems to have no other use except to waste money and food, and now most of it has been scattered. What's even more deplorable is that the civil servants gathered in Yanzhou have no idea. They argue endlessly every day but can't come up with an idea.
On the other hand, the prince's side was really vigorous and resolute! Most of Shandong has been firmly controlled by him, and the troops gathered in Yanzhou are about to switch to the prince's banner. Comparing the two, it’s really a comparison!
Looking at Shi Kefa's reaction again, where is it that he did something he knew he couldn't do? It’s obvious that he didn’t do it! What have you been doing for so long? Do you watch Qian Qianyi and Huang Shu each leading a group of people to argue every day?
Shi Dewei gritted his teeth, "Father, since the situation is over, why not agree with Qian Qianyi and protect the name and religion first?"
Shi Kefa shook his head: "You are not protecting your reputation, but you are protecting yourself! If the emperor is in trouble, and the ministers cannot help him, they have already failed the emperor's favor. How can you still be afraid of death and protect yourself?"
"Father, you are waiting to die..." Shi Dewei was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. He also had the urge to learn from Zhu Cixiang and kidnap Shi Kefa and run away quickly.
Shi Kefa smiled: "There are deaths that are as heavy as Mount Tai, and there are deaths that are as light as a feather. If you die for your father and your loyal king, you deserve to die! Although I dare not say that it is as heavy as Mount Tai, it is not as light as a feather, right?"
At the same time, Prince Zhu Cihong, who was very efficient in doing things, together with Gao Jie and Liu Zeqing, led tens of thousands of troops southward from Jinan Prefecture, marching under the stars at night, heading straight for Yanzhou Prefecture and County.
After turning Gao Jie into his brother-in-law, Zhu Cixiang immediately sent someone to invite Liu Zeqing, who was stationed in Dongchang Fucheng, to Jinan to meet him. Although Liu Zeqing was worshiped as the General Soldier of Shandong, his military strength was very weak. There were only more than 20,000 people on the books. After deducting the empty quota, it was only 13,000 to 4,000, of which there were only 2,000 servants who could fight. But he also has a huge bargaining chip in his hand, which is Dongchang Fucheng surrounded by Dongchang Lake. A small city with an area of only about one square kilometer has a moat lake connected to the Grand Canal!
If Liu Zeqing resolutely resists, Zhu Cixiang really has no way to break through Liaocheng, Dongchang Fucheng - unless he transfers the navy to Dongchang Lake, he will have to rely on starvation.
Therefore, Zhu Cixiang knew that he was unreliable, but he still sent someone to offer him good words. He was invited to meet in Jinan. After the meeting, he was given the title of Liaocheng Bo and asked to guard Liaocheng for the rest of his life.
However, in Zhu Cixiang's view, even if Liu Zeqing could hold on to Liaocheng, he would not be able to stop the Qing Dynasty from moving south - the castle surrounded by Dongchang Lake is indestructible, but it can also be easily besieged.
If you want to hold back the Qing army in central and western Shandong, you still have to make arrangements in the Taiyi Mountains (including Taishan Mountains, Yishan Mountains, Mengshan Mountains, Culai Mountains, etc.) that stretch for hundreds of miles.
So while Zhu Cixiang was heading south with Gao Jie and Liu Zeqing, the "Red Lady on Jigong Mountain" and military advisor Li Yan went up to Mount Tai with the talisman of the appointed official to win over the heroes who occupied the mountain and became kings on behalf of Prince Zhu. .
Now the army is passing through the peaks and valleys of Mount Tai. If you look forward and backward from the middle of Zhu Cixi's team, you can't even see the head and tail. It’s so vast, with tens of thousands of people and horses! The forward led by Gao Jie had already passed Tai'an Prefecture, while the rear army led by Wu Sanfu was still deep in the mountains.
Zhu Cihong entered the army together with Liu Zeqing, who was dismissed from the post of Shandong General Soldier. Hao Yaoqi's troops, who had been transferred to Shandong from Tianjin Wei's Haisha Island in late June, marched in front of the two men carrying firecrackers and spears.
This army was not only the main force that defeated the real Tatar cavalry in the Battle of Dagukou, but it was also stationed in the Haisha Island bastion for more than a month!
Under their shock, Dorgon did not even send troops to occupy Dagukou City. Until they left Haisha Island, the Qing army only reached Tianjin Acropolis!
The overwhelming murderous aura displayed by the heroic army, which made Donglu fearful (actually Dorgon was cautious), made Liu Zeqing who followed Zhu Cixiang dare not even dare to express his anger.
Although he lacks courage, he is still a veteran in the army. How could he not see what is an elite soldier and what is a weak brigade?
"Emperor Taizu Gao is reincarnated...the Ming Dynasty is invincible!"
Slogans suddenly came from both sides of Liu Zeqing, like thunder, breathtaking! Liu Zeqing trembled on horseback - this Zhu Cixiang was really the reincarnation of Taizu Emperor Gao!
"What's the matter? Is my new army of overcoming difficulties considered elite?" Zhu Cixiang asked with a smile.
"Elite! Elite... This is the elite of Emperor Taizu Gao who swept away Liuhe and unified all directions! The thief Shi Kefa actually wants to resist such a heavenly army. He is really blocking the chariot with his arms and overestimating his own capabilities."
"Hahaha!" Zhu Cixi laughed three times, "What did Shi Kefa do? He didn't do anything!"
Liu Zeqing was stunned, "Isn't Shi Kefa against Master Qiantui?"
Zhu Cixiang smiled and shook his head, "He wanted to oppose me, but he didn't take any action. I was entrusted with the emperor Nanxing, the capital fell, and the Tartars entered the pass. It is normal for the hearts of the four parties to fluctuate. I am a merciful king. Shi Kefa will not be punished just because of his thoughts!"
Liu Zeqing was relieved after hearing this. He is not a good person either! Not only did they not save Beijing, but they also joined Shi Kefa in making noises. If the prince wants to pursue Shi Kefa, he can't escape without a henchman.
"Master Qiantui is a truly merciful master," Liu Zeqing said. "If Shi Kefa knew that Master Qiantui was so kind, he would have wholeheartedly supported Master Qiantui and established his position as king."
Zhu Cixiang smiled and said: "He is a civil servant and a great scholar. Naturally, he will not be as aware of current affairs as General Liu."
Liu Zeqing had already persuaded him to come, and Gao Jie had also persuaded him to come. The two of them even presented the memorial in a grand manner, asking Prince Zhu to ascend the throne as soon as possible to reassure people... This is a matter of attitude!
Now two of the four town commanders have pledged their support for Zhu Cixiang to become emperor, and one of them has even become Zhu Cixiang's brother-in-law.
Huang Degong should be deceived by Ma Shiying to guard Fengyang. There is still Liu Liangzuo who will not be in trouble with Prince Zhu.
If Shi Kefa is really willing to take the lead in persuading people to join, then Zhu Cixiang can indeed ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor... But in that case, he is afraid that the wealthy people in Nanjing will also follow suit to persuade people to join, which will not be easy to handle!
