On the third day of the twelfth lunar month in the 14th year of Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty, the sky was sunny, there was no wind, and white clouds were floating in the blue sky. It was a rare good weather.怀
Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng, surrounded by a group of officials and generals, left the Desheng Gate in the north of the capital. He recalled that when he returned from Liaodong a few days ago, he entered the capital from the Anding Gate in the east, and now he was leaving again. .
Because things happened in a hurry, Zhang Cheng didn't make too many preparations, and he didn't even have time for everyone to prepare a banquet for him.
After Zhang Cheng received the imperial edict at the Earl's Mansion, he chatted with Wang Chengen for a while. In addition to finding out that the imperial court would appoint Bian Yongqing, the eunuch in charge of the Royal Horse Supervisor, to take up the post of military supervisor in Xuanfu Town.
He was also given some serious teachings by Wang Chengen. Wang Chengen even hinted that Zhang Cheng should always remember the emperor's grace, always think of the emperor's grace, and always cherish the heart of being loyal to the emperor and serving the country.
Finally, Wang Chengen warned Zhang Cheng that everything he had today was given by Emperor Chongzhen. If he did not appreciate the emperor's kindness, be loyal to the king, and fight to serve the country, all he had now would be nothing with just a word from the emperor. Exist again.
Naturally, Zhang Cheng had to show his loyalty in front of Wang Chengen. Afterwards, he even donated a thousand taels of silver to Wang Chengen. Even with such a large amount of money, Wang Chengen did not even move his eyelids. He simply shied away. , and ordered the little eunuch who came with him to accept it.
Since the emperor was in charge and time was tight, Zhang Cheng did not dare to delay any more. He ordered someone to send a message to Chen Jiugao. The day after tomorrow, Tian Hong, the left governor, had an appointment at his house, so he had to postpone his trip.怀
Zhang Chengfang was ordered to go to his father-in-law Ji Zhiheng's house to say goodbye in person. At the same time, he sent his own soldiers to call his uncle Wu Jinkang, a doctor in the Ministry of Industry, as well as Yu Shangyou, the censor, Yuan Pengnian, the director of the Ministry of Rites, and other officials to go to Yuan Longchang's chariot and horse carriage outside the west gate of the capital. Waiting for you.
After Zhang Cheng did this, he took Zhang Mingyuan and four other personal guards and hurried to the Ministry of War Yamen on East Chang'an Street.
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At this moment, Zhang Cheng was already the majestic Ming Dynasty Yongning Bo. Even his own soldier Chen Xinjia could not show off in front of him. The reason why he dared to tell Zhang Cheng to come to the Ministry of War to discuss matters was because of the emperor's order and his busy schedule.
Zhang Ruoqi, the right minister of the Ministry of War, had already been waiting in the concierge personally. After he learned the news of Yong Ningbo's arrival, he hurriedly led a few followers to come out to greet him. After greetings, Zhang Ruoqi enthusiastically led the way and took Zhang Cheng to the Yamen to meet Chen Xinjia. .
"Zhang Cheng will never forget the kindness of my soldiers."
After Zhang Cheng met Chen Xinjia, he immediately expressed his gratitude for his support and help along the way.怀
Chen Xinjia was deeply satisfied with his attitude. He first took a sip of the tea in his cup and then said: "Zhongchen, although I admire you very much, but if you hadn't worked hard on your own, even if I Even if you have a sharp tongue, it will be difficult for you to make mistakes in front of you."
Zhang Cheng smiled and said bluntly: "I have called Zhang Cheng here. What are my orders?"
Chen Xinjia was not in a hurry to reply to his words. He once again picked up the tea cup and sipped the fragrant tea, but his eyes were fixed on Zhang Ruoqi on the other side.
Zhang Ruoqi knew what he meant when he saw this, and immediately got up and made a complaint, saying that the ministry was busy with affairs and it was not convenient to stay with him for a long time. After getting Chen Xinjia's tacit approval, he quietly left.
Now, only Chen Xinjia and Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng were left in the elegant room. It was only at this moment that Chen Xinjia completely relaxed. He put the tea cup on the table and said, "Uncle Yongning, have you received it yet?" To the Holy Spirit’s will?”
Zhang Cheng knew that he had the best personal relationship with Wang Dehua, the eunuch and eunuch in charge of the military affairs of the capital. Most of the news in the palace could not be hidden from him, so he did not hide it at the moment. He directly replied to him: "Yes. Mr. Wang, the eunuch of the eunuch, has just passed on the Holy Spirit's oral edict. , Zhang Cheng is asked to leave Beijing today and return to the Xuan Mansion to clean up military affairs, and later in the year he will lead his troops to help suppress the rogue bandits in Henan."
Even though Chen Xinjia was shouting "Uncle Yongning", you can tell from his words that he still regarded Zhang Cheng as a junior and subordinate.怀
Although Zhang Cheng is now the dignified Yongning Bo, a person who transcends the rank of a court official, he also has another identity, that is, the chief military officer of Xuanfu Town, and Chen Xinjia is his immediate boss.
In addition, although Chen Xinjia has not officially joined the cabinet, he is secretly known as Mr. Chen Ge by both the government and the public, so it is normal for him to still regard himself as a senior official in front of Zhang Cheng.
However, Zhang Cheng never paid attention to these superficial things. As long as they did not harm his actual interests, mere reputation and common etiquette were of no importance. Therefore, he always treated Chen Xinjia with the courtesy of a student and subordinate.
Although Chen Xinjia didn't say anything about Zhang Cheng's performance, he was very pleased in his heart. He always thought that he could control Zhang Cheng to death!
Chen Xinjia sighed first and then said: "Fu Zonglong was killed in Xiangcheng. Yang Wenyue was as afraid of the enemy as a tiger. He only dared to chase the enemy but could not defend him. Although Ding Qirui had the help of the Zuoping thieves, he fell into a deep stalemate with the Xian thieves. Southern Henan is not allowed to go north to support.
Nowadays, the Cao Cao rebel army is in full force in southwestern Henan. They have successively defeated Xihua, Fugou, Yexian, Wuyang, and Xiangcheng, and even forced Nanyang Prefecture, endangering the safety of the Tang vassal. "
When he said this, there was a hint of sincerity in his eyes, and he continued: "The situation in Yu Province has become increasingly difficult to deal with, and the emperor is also worried about it. As the saying goes, 'the Lord is worried about the humiliation of his ministers', seeing that the emperor is getting increasingly Qingshou, I feel very uncomfortable in my heart. I wish I could help you solve your problems!"
Chen Xinjia did not wait for Zhang Cheng to answer, and continued: "Now, the elite troops of the imperial dynasty have gathered in Liaodong and have been fighting with the slaves for more than a year. They are almost exhausted, the national treasury is empty, and it is increasingly difficult to raise money and food.
Although the slave thieves have retreated slightly at the moment, they have always been cunning and good at tricks, but they have to be on guard. Moreover, the ancestor commander of Liaodong has passed away, and the general's morale is unstable. When the military's morale is uncertain, it is not suitable to transfer them to the hinterland to aid.
It is for this reason that I made a suggestion to the emperor, asking Uncle Yongning to return to the Xuan Mansion as soon as possible, complete the handover as soon as possible, clean up the military affairs of Xuan Town, and quickly send troops to Henan Province to help suppress the rebels who broke into Cao Cao, so as to stabilize the place and save the people from disaster.
The emperor has said that if Yongning Bo makes meritorious deeds on the battlefield, the imperial court will certainly reward him! "
After listening to Chen Xinjia's words, Zhang Cheng couldn't decide for a moment whether it was because of his advice that Emperor Chongzhen forced him to return to the Xuan Mansion, but he had to do enough.
He smiled and clasped his fists and said: "What I said is absolutely true. Zhang Chengshi has been favored by the emperor. Now that the country is in trouble, he should work hard to repay his favor. How can he dare to force a reward?"
"Uncle Yong Ning's words are wrong. How could the country treat its meritorious officials badly?"
Chen Xinjia then added: "Uncle Yongning only needs to fight for merit on the battlefield. In the future, he will be granted the title of marquis or duke."
Then, he tried his best again and promised Zhang Cheng to provide various military resources for the government's army. If there was any need, he could just ask for it and the Ministry of War would be responsible for it.
For Zhang Cheng, even if Emperor Chongzhen does not send Wang Chengen to deliver the decree today, he will still have to return to the Xuan Mansion in a few days. After all, the new year is approaching and he will always go back to celebrate the New Year.
However, what Chen Xinjia said today really made him happy. The Xuanfu Army's equipment of tens of thousands of people had already made him overwhelmed and exhausted to cope with it, not to mention that now there were nearly ten thousand more troops including Guo Yingxian, He Zhenxiong and others.
At present, the most lacking thing in Xuanfu is high-quality iron materials and grains. What Zhang Cheng can fully control now is actually only Xuanfu North Road and East Road. The area is limited. Although the fields and Dingkou have been re-inspected, the supply of food is still limited. It is still very difficult to support an army of tens of thousands.
So this time, he made some requests to Chen Xinjia, which were nothing more than the purchase of iron materials and grain. What Zhang Cheng is most in need of right now is money.
Therefore, except for the iron materials and grains allocated by the imperial court, he was willing to buy the rest at the official price, but he only needed the imperial court to provide instructions and documents that were consistent with it.怀
In fact, with Zhang Cheng's current reputation and strength, no matter where he goes, he does not need the approval and guidance of the imperial military department. However, the place is unstable at this time, and purchasing bulk commodities requires many soldiers and horses to protect him.
Such a large number of soldiers and horses operating outside the Xuanfu will undoubtedly give others a handle, so Zhang Cheng asked Chen Xinjia to give him permission in the name of the Ministry of War so that the soldiers of the Xuanfu army could go out to protect the caravan.
This small request was a piece of cake for Chen Xinjia. Since he did not need money from the court, he was overjoyed and readily agreed to Zhang Cheng's requests.
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At noon, outside the Desheng Gate in the north of the capital, the only people who came to see Zhang Cheng off were old and new friends such as Chen Jiugao, Fu Yingchong, Luo Yangxing, Li Ruolian, and the most senior official among them was Zhang Ruoqi, the right minister of the Ministry of War.
Chen Jiugao first complained that he had not arranged well and failed to make an appointment with the left governor Tian Hongyu earlier, so that Zhang Cheng could not get his wish and see the beauty of a singer raised by nobles in the capital.
At the same time, he also apologized to Zhang Cheng on behalf of Uncle Xiangcheng. As the governor of the Ming Dynasty's capital camp, Li Guozhen had had relations with Zhang Cheng before the army came to aid the Liao Dynasty. He originally made an appointment with Zhang Cheng to have a chat with Zhang Cheng, but he never I thought it happened so suddenly.怀
Zhang Cheng naturally didn't care about these small details. He first thanked everyone for coming to say goodbye, then he deeply apologized for not being able to accompany his friends to continue drinking, and finally he warmly invited everyone to visit Xuanfu if they had time. .
Wang Pu, the commander-in-chief of Datong, and Li Fuming, the commander-in-chief of Shanxi, accompanied Zhang Cheng. Their faces were full of regret. You must know that if Zhang Cheng had not followed the imperial edict, he would have left Beijing on the same day.
At least the left governor Tian Hongyu, Jiading Bo Zhou Kui, Xiangcheng Bo Li Guozhen and other honorable ministers and nobles would also bring them along when inviting Zhang Cheng. They cannot be seen raising beautiful singers privately in their homes. For them, It's a real pity to say that.
While everyone was saying goodbye to each other, Zhang Chengfang galloped up to him, clasping his fists and saying, "Commander, it's already noon. If we don't leave, I'm afraid we won't be able to reach Juyong Pass before sunset."
Zhang Cheng turned around and saw three elite armored cavalry outside the moat in the north, waiting in the scorching sun. Perhaps they were influenced by the Xuanfu Army's Tiger Guard Cavalry, or perhaps their morale was boosted by the victory in the Liao War.
The servants of the general soldiers of Datong and Shanxi towns accompanied them. They also wore bright helmets and were full of energy. From the appearance alone, they looked no less than the soldiers of the Huwei camp.
Zhang Cheng clasped his fists and bid farewell to Chen Jiugao, Luo Yangxing and others. Zhang Ruoqi, the right minister of the Ministry of War, stepped forward and took Zhang Cheng's hand and said to him: "Being able to experience the military and Liaodong war slaves with Uncle Yongning is really Ruoqi's best gift in this life. A great blessing. 怀
Today, Yongning Bo makes a triumphant return to Liaodong, but Ruoqi cannot go to Xuanfu with him. Watching this unprecedented grand occasion is really a great regret in life! "
He went on to say: "Uncle Yongning, we will lead the army into Henan in the middle of next year to help suppress the rebels who invaded Cao Cao, so as to resolve the crisis in Henan Province, stabilize the land of Zhongzhou, and save the people.
When Yongning Bo exterminates the thieves and triumphs, Ruoqi will definitely take over the entire Tongchun Tower to congratulate Yongning Bo and congratulate Xuan Mansion’s loyal and brave officers! "
Zhang Ruoqi's words were so impassioned that everyone around him couldn't help but cheer, and they even invited each other, as if they had witnessed Zhang Cheng exterminate the thieves who broke into Cao Cao.
Zhang Cheng also smiled and said some words of gratitude. After saying goodbye to Zhang Ruoqi, Chen Jiugao, Luo Yangxing and others, he, Wang Pu and Li Fuming, rode their horses and led nearly a thousand armored knights to Changping slowly. Go in the direction of the state.
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The soldiers and horses under Wang Pu and Li Fuming have all returned to their respective towns under the leadership of their generals. Each of them only left fifty or sixty elite cavalry and brave servants near the capital, stationed with the Xuanfu Army's Huwei Camp.怀
When the group of people rode their horses slowly for about two miles, Zhang Cheng smiled and said to Wang Pu and Li Fuming: "I have a few good friends who are just outside Fucheng Gate in the west of the city. Are you two dear friends interested in accompanying me?" Let’s take a walk together?”
Zhang Cheng's invitation made Wang Pu and Li Fuming extremely excited, which fully proved that Zhang Cheng no longer treated them as outsiders, but regarded them as his own.
You must know that although Zhang Cheng left a little hastily, even so, there were still senior officials and dignitaries such as the Minister of War, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, and the commander-in-chief of the Beijing camp who came to see him off.
Moreover, the left governor Tian Hongyu, the father of Imperial Concubine Tian, and Jiading Bo Zhou Kui, the father of Queen Zhou, as well as Xiangcheng Bo Li Guozhen and Xuancheng Bo Wei Shitai also invited Zhang Cheng to come to the house for the banquet. Even Xinle Hou Liu Wenbing both ordered people to take the message, intending to invite Zhang Cheng to the banquet.
Now, he wanted to turn specifically to the outside of Fucheng Gate. If the person he saw was not a high official, he must be Zhang Cheng's confidant. If this was the case, it would further indicate that Zhang Cheng had regarded Wang Pu and Li Fuming as own heart.
Although the two of them have some thoughts of loyalty in their hearts, they are more concerned about their own wealth. The reason why they are willing to move closer to Zhang Cheng is simply to use Zhang Cheng's strength to preserve their own wealth, and even make their own family rich. Wealth rises to the next level.
But there is one thing they have not thought of yet, and that is the principle of "it is easy to get on a pirate ship, but it is difficult to get off a pirate ship"!怀
Although Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng was not as suspicious as Emperor Chongzhen, he was not as indecisive as Chongzhen. Moreover, Zhang Cheng had more strength and skills than Emperor Chongzhen, and was more decisive in killing.
They boarded Zhang Cheng's ship today. If they dare to act dishonestly in the future and are still as greedy for life and afraid of death as before, then more severe punishment will be waiting for them.
However, they were far from realizing this at this time. After looking at each other, they happily agreed.
