Changping, in the governor's palace of Lu Xiangsheng, the governor Lu Xiangsheng, the commander-in-chief of Xuanzhen Yang Guozhu, and the commander-in-chief Zhang Cheng of Xuanzhen were kneeling on the ground. There were incense tables and offerings in front of them. In front of the incense table stood a powerful eunuch Gao. Start diving.
At this time, Gao Qiqian saw that Lu Xiangsheng and others were already kneeling. He cleared his throat and shouted in a high-pitched voice: "Lu Xiangsheng, Yang Guozhu, Zhang Cheng takes the order!"
Led by Governor Lu Xiangsheng, everyone knelt in the carriage and said respectfully: "Long live my emperor!"
Gao Qiqian took the brocade box wrapped in yellow silk from the mahogany tray in the hands of the little eunuch next to him. Inside was a coiled dragon box with red lacquer and gold. He handed the coiled dragon box to another little eunuch and took it from the box. Carefully take out the imperial edict enveloped in Huang Ling Dark Dragon.
He sang loudly with his high-pitched voice: "The emperor is destined to be blessed by heaven, and the edict says: ... The slaves and thieves have harmed the country, and the people have been ruined. All my subjects are gnashing their teeth. Now I heard that Lu Xiangsheng, the Minister of the Ministry of War and the censor of Youqiandu, has the strength to kill the thieves. I immediately I am very pleased with the great victory of Fangfang and the heavy defeat of the Eastern captives! I have given you a rhinoceros girdle in a golden carriage, a unicorn collar with a gold woven chest and back, five hundred taels of silver in it, and twenty sets of silver medals for meritorious service before the battle. The purpose..."
Supervisor Lu Xiangsheng lay on the ground. He was deeply moved by the emperor's kindness and had already burst into tears. He was extremely excited.
Zhang Cheng knelt down behind Yang Guozhu. He heard Lu Duchen's movements in front of him, and secretly felt happy for him in his heart.
Later, the imperial edict praised Yang Guozhu, the commander-in-chief of Xuanzhen, and gave him a horse and silver coins, as well as a pair of Pi Bian crown uniforms and five silk ribbons. Zhang Cheng could clearly feel that the body of Yang Guozhu in front of him was also constantly trembling. .
Suddenly, Zhang Cheng heard his name mentioned in the imperial edict, and he was cheered up: "... Zhang Cheng, who had thousands of households in the right wing camp of Xuanfu Town, fought bravely, killed more than a hundred captives and cavalry, and defeated Dong Dong. I am very pleased with your arrogance!
I am now bestowing a sword and armor, two hundred taels of silver in my pocket, to be passed down to the three armies, and to be regarded as a model... When the capital is stabilized and the captive cavalry retreats, I will cite my merits and promotions... I will also give Zhenbiao's right wing camp to reward merits. Ten thousand taels of silver, I hope this department will fight the enemy with all its strength..."
Gao Qiqian said a lot more in accordance with the imperial edict, until finally he finally said: "I admire this!"
Zhang Cheng and others knelt there, shouting and thanking the emperor for his great kindness.
Supervisor Lu Xiangsheng respectfully received the imperial edict with trembling hands.
Then he received gifts such as silver and python satin one by one. Every time he received something, he kowtowed respectfully and thanked him. He stood up and handed over the gifts one by one, forcing a smile on his face to face Lu Xiangsheng. Said: "Master Lu, our family congratulates you."
Lu Xiangsheng deeply felt the emperor's kindness, and suddenly a burst of hot tears burst out of his eyes. He only felt that the grievances he had suffered these days were all worth it, and he swallowed hard and said: "Mr. Gao, please rest for a while in the carriage. The student will be here now." I would like to express my gratitude and ask Gao Gong to present it to His Majesty."
He raised his voice and responded in a high-pitched voice: "Easy to say, easy to say."
Lu Xiangsheng hurried into the inner tent, stood up and sat back on the chair, stared at Zhang Cheng, and asked in a slightly reserved high-pitched voice: "Are you Zhang Cheng?"
Zhang Cheng had just stood up and stood beside the commander-in-chief Yang Guozhu. When he heard the supervisor Gao Qianqian ask him, he hurriedly bowed and replied: "General Zhang Cheng, pay homage to the supervisor Gao Eunuch."
Gao Qiqian remained motionless, reached out and grabbed a teacup, played with it in his hand, raised his eyelids slightly, and looked at Zhang Cheng. After a long time, he said: "Zhang Cheng, very good. A hero comes from a young age, and his future is limitless." !”
Zhang Cheng was still standing tall and solemn. Hearing this, he bowed again and replied: "Zhang Cheng only knows how to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. He dares to sacrifice his life. How can he be so praised by the supervisor of the army?"
"Zhang Qianhu, he takes credit without being arrogant, he has the air of a general." Gao Qiqian's shrill, sinister voice made Zhang Cheng feel particularly harsh.
But he had to deal with it and said: "Thanks to the praise of the supervisor, Zhang Cheng deeply feels the emperor's kindness and is determined to fight bravely in front of the battle, risking life and death to repay the country's kindness."
Gao Qiqian didn't say a word, just stared at Zhang Cheng, smiling "hehe".
It happened that the governor Lu Xiangsheng had already written a letter of thanks and walked out. Zhang Cheng hurriedly bid farewell to Lu Xiangsheng and the chief military officer Gao Qiqian together with the commander-in-chief Yang Guozhu, and left the governor's residence. Chen An and the other young eunuchs also left together. Got out.
Lu Xiangsheng handed the written thank you note to Gao Qiqian, the supervisor, with both hands.
The two sat down again. Lu Xiangsheng was unwilling to accept it and continued the topic just now.
He asked Gao Qiqian: "What does Gao Gonggong think of the students' opinions?"
"Field warfare is not the strength of our army." Gao Qiqian still answered casually.
Lu Xiangsheng was a little anxious, but for the sake of the overall situation, he still said patiently: "We, Xuanda, Shanxi, and Guanning towns, have always been accustomed to fighting in the field. It is precisely at this time that our army's morale is strong, it is best to take the initiative to find prisoners." Let’s fight to relieve the danger in the capital.”
"No, although our army is brave, after all, the new set still needs time to get used to. We must not rush to fight with the prisoners at this moment." Gao Qiqian said to Lu Xiangsheng with a calm expression.
Lu Xiangsheng's heart was so agitated that he couldn't help but flutter his sleeves, pressed his hand tightly on the handle of the knife, and said loudly: "Director Gao, you are afraid of the enemy like a tiger, so I will have to fight with the captives alone to the end!"
Gao Qiqian, however, remained unmoved. He crossed his legs leisurely and said in an arrogant tone: "Governor Lu, if you are willing to fight Luqi alone, that's fine, but we also have to have some of King Qin's horses..."
Lu Xiangsheng was so angry that he could express his anger in his heart. He decisively cut off Gao Qiqian's words and said, "Okay, okay, I finally understand what you mean. There is no need to say anything more.
The troops and horses of King Qin from Xuanda and Shanxi were originally brought by me, and they remain under my command. I will not take any of the elite troops from King Qin from Guan Ning, and they will be commanded by the general commander himself. "
"Master Lu, is it really good to divide the troops like this?" Gao Qi was very satisfied with the result in his heart, but he asked deliberately at this time.
Lu Xiangsheng was a little calm, but he knew that he had no choice. He said angrily: "I know that the weaker the troops are, the more disadvantageous it is to the war. But for today's matter, there is no other way."
"So we have to divide our troops. Mr. Lu, when is the best time to divide our troops?" Gao Qiqian asked like he was striking while the iron is hot.
Lu Xiangsheng stared at his eyes and said in a deep voice: "I will pay homage to the emperor today. Once the emperor's decree arrives, you and I can immediately divide our troops."
"That's very good. Our family will go back to the palace now and wait for the order. We will not disturb Master Lu anymore." Gao Qiqian stood up as he said this.
He only took two steps when he turned back and said in an official tone: "You and I are both working for the emperor. I hope Mr. Lu will take care of you."
Lu Xiangsheng suppressed his unhappiness, cupped his hands and said, "Easy to say."
He sent Gao Qiqian out of the camp, watched him get on his horse, and said goodbye.
Staring at Gao Qiqian's retreating figure, Lu Xiangsheng couldn't help but shake his head and said, "I only realized how powerful this eunuch is today!"
…………
In the afternoon of the next day, half of the sun was already hidden under the earth, emitting a dim afterglow. A ray of sunset shone slantly on the earth, but it was no longer dazzling.
Lu Xiangsheng had just received the imperial decree from the current emperor, and he had already agreed to the division of troops between him and the supervisor Gao Qiqian.
He understood that the emperor must have listened to the words of Gao Qiqian and Yang Sichang and no longer adopted their suggestions for a decisive battle with Luqi. The last glimmer of hope he had placed in Emperor Chongzhen was immediately shattered.
He suddenly felt that he could not stand alone in the court, and he felt that "a building cannot be supported by a single tree will collapse", and he fell deeply into despair and indignation.
At this time, a messenger came to report that Master Yang of the Hanlin Academy was waiting for an audience outside the gate. When Lu Xiangsheng heard that it was Master Yang of the Hanlin Academy, he hurriedly ordered: "Please come in quickly!"
He also stood up immediately and walked out of the hall to greet him.
A few days ago, the content of Emperor Chongzhen's conversation with Lu Xiangsheng on the platform and the circumstances of the Andingmen meeting had spread among many courtiers. Some court officials knew that Lu Xiangsheng really dared to negotiate peace talks in front of the emperor and resolutely advocated war.
Yang Tinglin was very pleased and admired this, but he also understood that Lu Xiangsheng's situation in the court and that Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian would work together to deal with him would make his ambitions in vain.
Lu Xiangsheng directly led Yang Tinglin into the inner room, stood aside, looked at him depressedly and said: "I, King Qianli Qin, originally wanted to fight to the death with the Donglu, relieve the capital's crisis, and thwart the fierce flames of the Donglu, what do you think..."
When he said this, he sighed deeply and shook his head.
"Tinglin already knows a little bit about the situation when the Governor came to the palace to meet His Majesty and the meeting at Andingmen. Is it because someone in the court hindered me from wanting to fight, so I feel depressed?" Yang Tinglin asked doubtfully.
Lu Xiangsheng said eagerly: "It is the emperor who listened to Yang Wenruo and Superintendent Gao and did not want me to fight Luqi. What can I do?"
"I came here today to pay homage to you just because I wanted to help you raise money for me." Yang Tinglin said with bright eyes.
"I would like to hear the details! As long as it is beneficial to the country and the dynasty, Xiang Sheng will not hesitate to do it even if he is heartless." Lu Xiangsheng looked at Yang Tinglin with some excitement.
"The current situation is like this." Yang Tinglin leaned forward, stared at Lu Xiangsheng's face that was slightly pale due to military fatigue with his dazzling eyes, and said in a low voice: "The current emperor and Yang Wenruo, Although Gao Qiqian intended to make peace with the Donglu, he was still forced by the opinions of his subjects and did not dare to openly go his own way and enter into an alliance with the Donglu under the city."
Lu Xiangsheng couldn't help but interjected: "Today in the court, the one or two deacons did not think about how to drive away the Hulu, but only wanted to secretly negotiate peace with the Donglu. It is extremely shameful!"
Yang Tinglin continued: "Your Majesty's words are very true. If the peace talks succeed, not to mention losing power and humiliating the country, the Eastern captives will be able to make further progress, or even worse.
In particular, the current emperor is still a promising emperor. He is quite taboo about the criticism from the outside court on this matter. He himself does not want to follow in the footsteps of the emperors of the Southern Song Dynasty.
If your Excellency can take advantage of the arrogance of Donglu's repeated victories and lead tens of thousands of King Qin's reinforcements at the peak of their morale to rush towards the enemy to attack the enemy unexpectedly, even if we cannot win a complete victory, we can only kill and injure the same amount of soldiers and cavalry, which will slightly dampen the arrogance of Donglu.
This can block the mouths of those who make peace, so that the current emperor knows for sure that the captive cavalry cannot be feared, and the only way to do it is to fight with them. I don’t know if you think so, sir? "
Lu Xiangsheng said thoughtfully: "I had the same plan, but unfortunately it's too late now!"
"It's late? Why is it late?" Yang Tinglin gently held his beautiful beard hanging on his chest and asked with some confusion.
