In the process of arranging seats, Zhang Cheng and Chen Jiugao were the newly arrived reinforcements. Although Zhang Cheng only got the title of reinforcements commander when he went to Henan to suppress bandits, he was still a commander.
What's more, among the generals who came to aid Liaodong, he was the only one who had ever entered the palace to meet the current emperor. This was a treatment that even Yang Guozhu, who had the seal of General Zhenshuo, and Chen Jiugao, the chief soldier of the Shenji Battalion, did not receive.
Besides, the reinforcements brought by the generals were led by Zhang Cheng, especially the hundreds of chariots and chariots, which were initially mistaken for the artillery team of the Shenji Battalion.
When they learned that it was actually the Xuanbei Army's own car camp, they were all shocked. They couldn't understand why Zhang Cheng had such a large car camp when he had only been out of town for more than two years.
This is a strength that even Yang Guozhu, the commander-in-chief of Xuanzhen, and even Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, did not have. Of course, in the end, he attributed all this to the favor of the current emperor, thinking that Emperor Chongzhen assigned it to the Xuanbei Army from the Shenji Camp. of.
They will never understand, nor can they understand, that Zhang Cheng would not drink the blood of his soldiers, and would not try hard to collect money from his family. Not only did he do everything possible to get money to support the army, but he even used his own money to finance it.
Picture what?
In their minds, they only need to feed hundreds or at most a thousand servants to support the army. When it is time to go to war, they can recruit some troops or directly capture thousands of people to serve as camp troops.
The remaining time and energy are used by them to fight for power and gain. In addition, they are endlessly drinking soldiers' blood, collecting money, and occupying fields.
As for the future of Ming Dynasty?
So what if the thieves are so powerful that it is difficult to control them?
The Tartars are rampant and have become an unstoppable force, threatening the life and death of the Ming Empire. What does it have to do with them?
The supervisor Zhang Ruoqi invited Zhang Cheng and Chen Jiugao to sit at the same table with him and Hong Chengchou without hesitation. Hong Chengchou was not willing to offend Zhang Ruoqi's face.
But Zhang Cheng resigned humbly. His meaning was obvious. After all, he was still the deputy commander-in-chief of Xuanzhen. If he took the upper seat, he asked the commander-in-chief Yang Guozhu to sit at the bottom. It was both reasonable and reasonable. There are many disagreements.
Zhang Ruoqi's words were related to his official reputation. He insisted that today's banquet was to welcome the Xuanbei Army and the Shenji Battalion, and he, Zhang Cheng, should be the chief.
In the end, he still couldn't stand up to Zhang Cheng, so he invited Yang Guozhu, the commander-in-chief of Xuanzhen, to be the chief.
In this way, the three chief military officers Zhang Cheng, Yang Guozhu, and Chen Jiugao sat on the same table with Governor Hong Chengchou, Supervisor Zhang Ruoqi, and Governor Qiu Min. They were also accompanied by military commander Zhang Dou, Deputy Inspector Yao Gong and other officials.
Fu Yingchong, deputy general of the Shenji Battalion, accompanied by Chen Zhongcai, deputy general of the Central Army of the Supervisory Biao Battalion, sat at the table with other general soldiers who came to the aid, as well as the general soldiers of Liaodong.
Under the command of each general, generals and generals, guerrillas and guerrillas, all took their seats at tables in the hall one after another. The remaining guards and others were led to the side rooms on both sides by special personnel to entertain them separately. The reinforcement troops stationed outside the city, Some people also arranged to bring wine and meat to eat.
Hong Chengchou is still as gentle and elegant as ever. Every move he makes has an indescribable grace. His red python suit and three long beards are all meticulously groomed.
Perhaps because the war in Liaodong made Hong Chengchou worried, Hong Chengchou's face looked even thinner than when Zhang Cheng first met him on the day when the court awarded him the reward in the twelfth year of Chongzhen. But looking like this now, Hong Chengchou also looks more deep and reserved, with a pair of eyes , full of stories.
After the town officials sat down, Hong Chengchou stood up with a glass of wine. He first greeted Zhang Ruoqi, the supervisor, with a smile, and then smiled and nodded to Zhang Cheng and Chen Jiugao, who came from afar to help. He especially paused for a long time on Zhang Cheng.
Hong Chengchou then spoke to the officials and generals in Mandarin with a slight Fujian accent: "The situation in the Liaodong war has caused great concern to the emperor, and he has been cautious all day and night. As the saying goes, when the country is in danger, the king is worried, and the king is worried about the death of his ministers. As a minister, how dare you not be so heartless? ?
Today's Holy Grace is so great that the king's army has gathered in Liaodong. There are generals from Xuanda and Jizhen who have come to help. There are also loyal and brave generals from Liaozhen. There are also Zhang Jianjun and other officials who praise military affairs and diligently deliver food and wages. Why worry about things not going well in the East? , slaves are not afraid?
All gentlemen, please drink this cup to the full to congratulate me on the great Ming Dynasty and congratulate all the officers and men! "
What he said was so passionate that everyone in the hall felt warm in their hearts and shouted in unison: "Congratulations to the Ming Dynasty and congratulations to all the generals!"
Everyone raised their glasses together, drank it all, and burst into laughter.
After Hong Chengchou sat down again, he suggested that the supervisor Zhang Ruoqi also say a few words to encourage the generals to improve the morale of the army.
As the supervisor of the imperial army, Zhang Ruoqi had the ability to listen to the heavens. Moreover, he was also responsible for transporting grain and fodder, checking merits, and supervising the bravery of the troops. He was indeed very powerful.
He just showed a slight humility, then stood up with a smile and said loudly: "I am deeply entrusted by the emperor, and I will definitely live up to the holy grace. The food and fodder required for the war must be delivered to the place under supervision, so that the soldiers on the front line will not be short of food and clothing."
All the troops are brave and work together to defeat the enemy. They must also verify their military achievements and not let the brave soldiers feel disappointed.
Of course, if someone dares to fear the enemy, retreat without authorization, and does not do his best to kill slaves for the country, he will definitely report it to the court and be punished according to the law regardless of his feelings.
In a word, everything we do today is for the victory in Liaodong! "
Although Zhang Ruoqi's words were spoken very kindly, they left a deep impression on everyone present. There was a serious meaning hidden in the peaceful words. All the generals could hear it. You can't offend this military supervisor who is responsible for reviewing merit and performance.
Zhang Ruolin twirled his neat beard under his chin and looked at the expressions of the generals on each table. He greatly appreciated the performance of the generals in the official hall and smiled and nodded from time to time.
Just when the generals were thinking about how to curry favor with him in the future, he continued: "Today, tens of thousands of the king's troops have gathered in Liaodong. Their morale is high and their military morale is ready. I thought that I should take advantage of this vigor to attack the slaves and traitors directly, and use the cauldron to Determine the outcome of the Liaodong War!
Only in this way can we live up to the expectations of the public, and live up to the emperor's holy grace and the high hopes of all the princes. "
Just after Zhang Ruoqi finished speaking, the expressions of all the Liaodong officers and generals present, and even Xie Sixin, Li Song and others, the close aides of Governor Hong Chengchou, changed, but Hong Chengchou remained unmoved. He still sat on his chair with a smile on his face. A calm look.
When Hong Chengchou saw that Zhang Ruoqi had spoken and drank a glass of wine with everyone, he said to Zhang Cheng with a smile: "Today's feast, General Zhang, would you like to say a few words to boost the morale of our generals?"
Zhang Cheng chuckled and said humbly in a low voice: "Director Hong and Director Zhang are the backbone of our generals, not to mention that there are Yang Zhenshuai and General Chen at the table. How can it be the turn of the junior generals to come out to show their embarrassment? Zhang It’s better to listen attentively sincerely.”
No matter how others tried to persuade him, Zhang Cheng always insisted not to speak out.
