The tray in front of the waiter contained a large wooden square box with a seal on the outside and a few ropes tied for fixation. The contents inside could not be seen at all from the outside.
As an old man in the imperial palace, Yang Jinchao took it and weighed it. He was extremely frightened. He immediately realized that the object in his hand was extraordinary. If he opened it rashly, he might scare the young prince.
If his guess was correct, it was ninety-nine times out of ten that it was an ominous thing, and the seal on it was handwritten by Hong Chengchou. Yang Jinchao recalled all the secrets that the prince had told him before, and became convinced of his guess.
So I began to complain about Hong Chengchou, a guy who did things abruptly. This thing can be sent directly to the Ministry of War, but it has to be sent directly to the East Palace. Doesn't this embarrass him?
"Okay, open it. I know what's inside. If this person can be killed, this corner of the mountain will be peaceful for at least three years!"
Since it was something Hong Chengchou entrusted to send, it must be something he had longed for. As a Dushuai from the first rank, only this kind of thing could be called a gift.
A certain prince had seen too much gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, calligraphy and paintings. The private placement of purple gold bonds alone raised tens of millions of taels of silver, and the rare objects of all dynasties could be counted in every room.
Right now, a certain prince is interested in one thing. If they don't die, he will have trouble sleeping and eating, and he will have to worry about the country of the Great Dynasty every day. This kind of thing is...
"Your Highness, here is a letter written by Hong Chengchou."
Yang Jinchao was so distracted by the big wooden box that he almost forgot about the business. After reading the contents of the letter, the prince must not be so eager to open the box and take a look. After all, he has not had dinner yet, so as not to affect his appetite.
Yaoji opened the envelope sealed with wax oil. There were only two pieces of paper inside. It seemed that the content was not too much. After a brief glance, he knew the general situation in Jining.
"Wang Jiayan, the Secretary of the Ministry of Propaganda and War, by the way, asked him to bring over the officials of the Ministry of War who have met Liu Zeqing in person to identify his head!"
What was inside was Liu Zeqing's head. Hong Chengchou also roughly explained the whole story in the letter. It was basically a near miss. Although Liu Zeqing's men were dissatisfied, they were quickly suppressed.
After completing the first set goal, Hong Chengchou gathered this group of troops. In order to prevent trouble before it happened, he sent his troops south the next day and marched towards the Huguang area according to the pre-agreed route.
Killing Liu Zeqing can only be regarded as a small test for Hong Chengchou, because Liu Zeqing is nothing compared to the enemies he has to deal with next. Looking at the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, it is Hong Chengchou who can handle the matter of "making rice dumplings". safe.
With more important things in mind, a certain prince asked a group of big and small bosses to kneel down. How they run the taxi company depends on their individual abilities. Anyway, by the end of the year, they will be able to tell the difference.
I wonder if the officials who were having dinner outside would feel nauseated when they saw Liu Zeqing's head. In theory, it should be the same. It's not that it's scary, but that this kind of thing that poisons the people should be despised.
Liu Zeqing's death means that millions of poor people will be saved from the harm caused by him and his thugs. Moreover, this guy betrayed the enemy when he was in the Nanming camp. After joining the "Qing Dynasty King Master", he still wanted to betray the enemy, but he was executed by Lingchi by Dorgon.
The situation is not much different from the situation of Jiang Xiang and Li Chengdong. They thought that they could be crowned king by joining the braid. However, when Liaoyang fell, Tong Yangzheng rebelled and surrendered and worked for Nurha Chicken Wings. In the end, the Tong family who made great contributions to the braid could not hold an official position. Governor.
Even if they, the rebel generals of the Southern Ming Dynasty, used their hands full of blood as a pledge of surrender, they could not win Dorgon's trust. If they could finally climb to the position of admiral, it would be a gift from the regent.
Dorgon knew all about the capricious Liu Zeqing's character, so after he surrendered, he removed his military power and ordered him to live out his life in the capital, which was actually a semi-detention state.
Liu Zeqing saw that he was no longer in the favor of the "Qing Dynasty" and heard that various places were rebelling against the Qing Dynasty, so he thought of joining Nanming again. However, the matter was exposed, and he had two boats. He also thought that the result of betraying both sides would be a bad death for him!
Hong Chengchou just chopped off his head, which was considered a bargain, but Dorgon had the executioner "carve" his body with one knife after another.
If he was allowed to be escorted to the capital alive, Liu Zeqing's men would definitely not give up, and it would be difficult for Hong Chengchou to recruit him. It would be better to end it like this. Once the general dies, the imperial edict is read out in public, and his subordinates will not dare to make mistakes.
Liu Zeqing's head was delivered by courier, and Wang Shaoyu's must have been too. Based on the distance, Sun Chuanting's army should arrive in Luoyang soon. As long as he can lead his troops into the city, everything will fall into place.
Hong Chengchou has succeeded here, and Sun Chuanting will probably not have too much trouble. A mere general, who is also the commander of a unit with little combat effectiveness, should be able to take it down smoothly.
"Your Highness, I didn't know that Your Highness called me here because of Liu Zeqing's business?"
Wang Jiayan received the summons from the chamberlain and took a look at the general meaning. He was immediately confused. He didn't know what happened when the prince asked Liu Zeqing to guard Jining and Hong Chengchou sent his troops south to kill him.
If Hong Chengchou had no holy will and killed a general at the rank of commander without authorization, wouldn't he be the second best to Yuan Chonghuan?
If they were acting on orders, how could the Ministry of War not know anything about it in advance? Is the prince deliberately hiding something?
"This is the calculation of Liu Bowen's military advisor for this person's future experience. This person bullies the weak and is afraid of the strong, and is cruel and cruel. He will retaliate whenever anything happens, and he is wavering between the Ming Dynasty and the Eastern Han Dynasty. Liu Bowen's military advisor specifically told me that this person must not be allowed to stay. .”
Killing people has to be done with a reputation, and you can't bear the blame. You must get rid of the ones that should be dumped in time, especially the old Liu Tou from the fairy world. Both of them have the surname Liu. This can be regarded as an indirect act of righteousness.
"this……"
When Wang Jiayan saw the content on the paper, the amount of information was so large that it was difficult for him to refute it for a while. Especially what Liu Zeqing did was simply unjust. Failure to kill him would inevitably become a serious problem for the court.
It can be inferred from this that Hong Chengchou had already read the content and was mentioned by the prince. When he arrived in Jining, he must have deceived Liu Zeqing first and took advantage of Liu Zeqing's unpreparedness. He then took advantage of it and let his soldiers capture and kill him.
At this point, Wang Jiayan also knew that it was irreversible, and if Liu Zeqing was really as shameless as Military Advisor Liu Bowen predicted, he should be cut off first. Furthermore, the Ministry of War's evaluation of this person was not high to begin with, so it didn't matter if he died.
"I have brought two people here who have seen this person. I can order them to come and identify him."
The dignified Minister of the Ministry of War was now the collector of corpses. Wang Jiayan could not hold the prince accountable, so he had to deal with the funeral affairs, and then he had to report to the Metropolitan Procuratorate and Dali Temple.
When the chamberlain came, the officials of the Ministry of War were all ready to leave. The two guys who were called were naturally very reluctant. After learning what needed to be done, they were even more frightened, fearing that Liu Zeqing would implicate themselves.
"You don't have to worry. I'm calling you here just to identify the head."
Yao Ji had to calm down the two shivering sesame officials in front of him. Both of them were acquainted with Liu Zeqing, and one of them was a fellow villager in Cao County. It was reasonable to be afraid. If the prince adopted the continuous sitting system, the lives of his whole family would be at risk. Will not be guaranteed.
The chamberlain slowly opened the box of the suit and revealed the big guy inside. The two officials hurriedly covered half of their faces with their sleeves and robes, fearing that the ferocious appearance of the thing inside would scare them.
"...Yes! It is...this...person!"
"Yes! It's him!"
Liu Zeqing's fellow villager recognized the real owner at a glance. His face was pale, his heartbeat was racing, and he began to stutter. The other one was not much better. He was choking on the lime powder and coughing uncontrollably, with tears streaming from his eyes.
"That's good, send it to the Ministry of War for filing. Tsk, there's a bit too much lime~"
Summer was approaching, and Hong Chengchou was afraid that his "tribute" would deteriorate due to high temperatures on the way, so he ordered people to put more lime on it to facilitate long-distance transportation.
"When you enter the court, you will be rewarded with five taels of silver each. You will go back and buy some food and wine. There is no need to worry about this matter. There is no more business for you here, so you can go home on business."
These days, five taels of silver should be enough to eat several large meals of fish and meat. If other officials knew that it was so easy to earn five taels of silver, everyone would strain their heads to identify "Liu Big Head"...
"Thank you, Your Highness, for the reward!"
After the two bowed deeply, they hurriedly left. Even if they got the silver reward, they were not in the mood to eat meat and drink, and they had nightmares at night.
Yaoji didn't show much abnormal reaction when he saw "Liu Big Head". As long as he often did this kind of thing before crossing over, he would be calm after crossing over.
Both Wang Jiayan and the chamberlain admired the young prince's calm and composed expression. He had such courage and courage at a young age, and he really showed a mature mind.
Xi'er followed the instructions of a certain prince and instinctively chose to avoid it. If she really saw that object, she would be unable to sleep for several days.
"By the way, the flying knight is still waiting outside, right? Hong Chengchou sent many people to escort him?"
"Your Highness, there are fifty people!"
"Each person will be rewarded with five taels, no, ten taels of silver. They will have to eat and sleep in the open air along the way. It's a hard work for them. They are sleepy and the horses are exhausted. The flying cavalry can rest for a day and return early the next day. If the horses and weapons are damaged, they can be replaced. If a soldier is sick, he can seek medical treatment immediately and return to the army after he recovers."
If each person is only rewarded five taels, it is equivalent to spending two hundred and fifty taels of silver to buy a big head, which is not very auspicious, so doubling it is more appropriate. When dealing with the soldiers who are running errands, you must put on an expression of disdain. It’s just a generous gesture that’s short of money.
It is estimated that Lao Hongtou was afraid that there would be fewer escorts and he would go on an errand halfway. If his head was robbed, the soldiers would not be able to explain clearly. Therefore, Hong Chengchou also acted cautiously. It took less than four days for the flying cavalry to reach the capital from Jining.
When the prince and Wang Jiayan finished dinner together, the previous officials were called again, and no one knew what had just happened.
"I have something important to tell you dear friends. That is that Hong Chengchou is leading his troops south this time. This is not to pursue Liu Liangzuo's troops, but to firstly kill Liu Zeqing, and secondly, to annihilate Liu Liangzuo. Rogue bandit!"
Hong Chengchou's troops should have entered Henan by now, and would reach the northern part of Huguang in more than ten days. Even if the imperial court knew that Zhang Xianzhong's detailed work was inside, it would be too late to send a quick horse to report it.
As long as Liu Zeqing's head is sent over, this matter will be suppressed if he wants to. Otherwise, he can keep a low profile for a while. When Hong Chengchou is about to arrive in the Huguang area, he will notify the civil and military officials of the court and give them a big surprise.
Xue Guoguan didn't have much objection to the prince mobilizing a large number of troops to suppress the bandits without going through the cabinet or the court. If this was announced at the court meeting, I'm afraid there would be another day or two of debate about whether to suppress or not to suppress, and how to proceed.
As the second assistant, Wu Di was accustomed to what the prince did. As long as he could wipe out the bandits as scheduled, he didn't need to worry too much about how he acted before. Otherwise, given the efficiency of the court's operation, he would only have long nights and many dreams.
Du Yinxi, as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was somewhat familiar with the current defense matters, so he took the lead in speaking: "Your Highness, are the men and horses led by Hong Shaobao going to the Dabie Mountains? The Fifth Battalion of Gezuo entrenched here is a serious concern for the imperial court, so If it goes east, it can threaten the southern capital, and if it goes north, it can harass the imperial mausoleum. If it can be cut off as soon as possible, it will be a good thing."
After pacifying Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai and others, Li Zicheng hid in Shangluo Mountain, making it difficult to trace his whereabouts. The fifth battalion of Gezuo who was robbing families and homes near the Dabie Mountains was the court's number one enemy.
After the gang is completely destroyed, the imperial court will be free from worries and can mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops to fight to the death with the Donglu, then regain the homeland of Liaodong, and finally realize the beautiful vision of reviving the Ming Dynasty.
Zhang Guowei, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, had seen all kinds of evil deeds of the rogue bandits, and even personally guarded the city. He said with emotion: "The fifth camp of Ge Zuo must be eradicated. If it can be eliminated as soon as possible, it will be a move that benefits the country and the people, and saves money." The people around him are being poisoned and harmed!"
One bandit can destroy more than a hundred villages and massacre a village. Thousands of bandits must be dispatched to destroy the army. Otherwise, half of the southern half of the Yangtze River will be invaded by bandits, which will directly affect the court's tax revenue in the current year.
Xue Guoguan was not very familiar with the situation in the south, but he was much clearer about Hong Chengchou: "It is reasonable for His Highness to appoint Hong Shaobao to take on this important task. Hong Shaobao once patrolled Shaanxi and faced the rogue bandits, and he won many battles. It can be said that he is a regular The victorious general will definitely achieve more extraordinary feats this time and return in triumph."
Hong Chengchou may not have enough power to deal with the Donglu, but to deal with the rogue bandits, he would be well-aimed. Considering that Hong Shaobao's previous achievements were all obtained by suppressing bandits, he will definitely gain something this time.
Xue Guoguan's remarks were all based on subjective assumptions, but they were unanimously recognized by his colleagues, because everyone really thought so. If a commander who could be sure of victory was elected to lead his troops south to suppress the bandits, it would be Hong Shaobao.
As long as they can win the battle, even if the millions of taels of silver they scatter are not in vain, they are still much better than those losers in western Liaoning who were frightened by the Donglu.
It's just that the Donglu didn't enter the pass. When the Donglu marched southward, they still stood still, which really made the government and the opposition extremely angry.
If Hong Shaobao can wipe out the bandits in one fell swoop this time, he will definitely assist Wang Zaijin to gather troops and send troops to Liaodong to avenge the great humiliation of the past twenty years.
