Mao Wenlong jumped off the carriage, put the wedge-shaped saddle under the wheels, threw a grain bag to the horse, and praised: "What a good horse!"
Then he said to the followers who had gathered: "Damn it, I saw the row of horses in the bandit's den today, and I was really jealous. If it weren't for that Sichuan Army boy who is also a member of the imperial court, I would have led you to rob him. We Liaodong asked the Mongolian Tatars to buy a horse for domestic use, which was very expensive."
All the followers agreed.
They all have northern accents. Only Mao Wenlong, who was born in Hangzhou Prefecture, still has a faint Wuyue accent in his speech.
Zheng Haizhu saw that Mao Wenlong turned a deaf ear to his respectful inquiries. He was completely different from the polite person he was when Ma Xianglin was present at the bandit village this morning.
When she was confused, Mao Wenlong pulled away from the horse's head and turned back, and took her out of the car.
Zheng Haizhu screamed instinctively, and Huang Zunsu, who reacted behind him, hurriedly jumped out of the carriage. Before he could stand still, shouts rang out: "General Mao, what are you doing!"
With a clang, a Liaodong soldier's scimitar was unsheathed and placed across Huang Zunsu's chest.
Almost at the same time, there was the sound of hoofbeats on the official road. Two Liaodong soldiers rushed over on horseback and dragged down a skinny farmer and a half-grown girl of twelve or thirteen years old from their horses.
"Mao Shouwei, he is the only one in the nearby villages who can drive a carriage. This is his daughter."
Mao Wenlong showed a look of evil intent, stuffed the riding whip into the farmer's arms, and said to the frightened father and daughter: "You, one of you will drive the carriage, and the other will wait on the young lady inside. Send the young lady and the two men to Songjiang Prefecture." . I am a member of the imperial court. I will return to Songjiang in a few days. If I find that things have not been done well, I will lead people to burn your village."
The farmer was honest and timid, so he dared to ask more questions and nodded repeatedly.
Han Ximeng and Zheng Shoukuan, who had been awakened, also rushed to the door of the car, but were also blocked by Liaodong soldiers with knives.
When Huang Zunsu heard what Mao Wenlong said and wanted to take away Zheng Haizhu, doubts replaced his anger.
He tried to put on a calm and reasonable tone and said sternly: "General Mao, you know my identity, but I don't want to use my power to overwhelm others. I just want to ask, whether you are an old friend of the Zheng family or not. , you are both a side general registered with the Ministry of War, and you are a person with a proven track record. You must not have malicious intentions when you suddenly do this to Miss Zheng. Why?"
Mao Wenlong slightly restrained his fierce look, cupped his scrawled hands to Huang Zunsu, and said: "I have no intention of offending Mr. Huang and Miss Han, so I specially found a villager to send you to Fucheng. In addition, I will not hide it from you. I do know these people." Zheng family, but there is no friendship and no enmity. Regarding Miss Zheng, I am sending her to a good place to enjoy happiness, not taking her back to Liaodong to be my concubine. Okay, there is no need to talk nonsense about anything else, I have to be on my way. "
After saying that, Mao Wenlong waved his hand and ordered his followers to tie up Huang Zunsu, who was still scolding, and Zheng Shoukuan, who was struggling and yelling, and put them back in the car. He then said to Han Ximeng, who was pale and begging for money in exchange: "Han Don’t worry, young lady, I’m trying to find a good future for your loyal servant, maybe she will be richer than you in the future.”
…
The night is all round, and the stars are shining over the vast plains.
There was a strong sense of tide in the evening breeze, and the sound of waves reached my ears.
The horse team followed the boundary between the dense forest and the beach, and walked in the dark for about half an hour amid the menacing chirping of the owl. They skirted a reef that was high and low like a gathering of monsters, and then stopped at the beach.
Mao Wenlong lifted Zheng Haizhu, who was lying on the horse with his hands bound, and placed him on the beach, skillfully cutting the rope.
"Ms. Zheng has suffered." Although he said gruffly, his apology did not sound like a pretentious tease.
The bumps and fear caused Zheng Haizhu's brain to lack oxygen, and he was in a trance for half an hour. At this moment, his feet finally touched the ground, but he couldn't stand at all. He was so weak that he sat on the sand.
Mao Wenlong signaled his entourage to bring dry food and water. Zheng Haizhu devoured the cow and finally regained some strength.
What Mao Wenlong said when he suddenly changed his face on the official road in the afternoon, as well as the details of no indecent and obscene actions along the way, made Zheng Haizhu judge that Mao Wenlong's kidnapping of her seemed to have nothing to do with scandalous behavior, but to send her somewhere. , maybe, give it to someone.
At least for now, his life should be safe.
Zheng Haizhu then raised his head slightly and asked Mao Wenlong in a slow tone: "General, is this Nanhuizui?"
Mao Wenlong said in surprise: "Hey, are you familiar with this place?"
Zheng Haizhu recalled the scenes that had just entered his eyes in a daze, and said calmly: "Before he failed to pass the Jinshi, my brother traveled in southern Zhili and Fujian and Zhejiang. After I became literate, I read the notes written by him. It mentioned that on the seaside near Songjiang, there is an eagle-beak terrain called Nanhuizui, and a square city was built to guard against Japanese pirates. I just saw the city wall from a distance, so I made this guess."
Mao Wenlong nodded and said harmoniously: "You little girl, you are really knowledgeable and smart. My eldest daughter is about the same age as you. She was raised like a silly roe deer in that grass nest in Liaodong. Alas."
Before he finished speaking, a follower who was chewing pancakes said carelessly: "Mao Shoubei, your eldest daughter, please give it to the villain, okay? The villain's father is from our village. I am famously afraid of my mother, so I will follow my father's temperament, and I will ensure that I can serve Miss Mao well, and transform from a silly roe deer into a tigress."
Everyone burst into laughter.
And Mao Wenlong suddenly lost all the airs of a Shangguan, and said cheerfully: "Xu San, you don't look like a brat, which I find rare. After you return to Liaodong, if you kill a few more Jurchen Tatars, you can give me a lot of money." Be a son-in-law.”
"Okay, okay, kill the Tatars, and I will also be Mao Shouwei's son-in-law. The girls in Shouwei's family are all very handsome."
"I will not only kill ordinary Tatars, but also slave chiefs. What the hell are you yawning..."
"The slave chief's name is Nurhachi!"
"Yes, yes, Nurhachi. Guard Mao, I will cut off the old chief's head and use it as a chamber pot for you!"
"You brat is just bragging."
At this time, large areas of land in eastern Liaoning and southern Liaoning had not yet been occupied by the Jurchens led by Nurhachi. Many of the Han defenders and residents came from Dengzhou and Qinglai, so most of them had Jiaoliao accents.
Zheng Haizhu was surrounded by the joyful and peaceful Shandong dialect. Like listening to the Shandong Allegro of later generations, he forgot his unlucky situation for a moment and started laughing along with him.
After a while, after hearing Mao Wenlong joking with his subordinates, they began to seriously discuss whether Nurhaci would go west to attack Sarhu.
This place name, which will be remembered in the history of later generations, suddenly made Zheng Haizhu raise his head and look at the high-spirited Mao Wenlong in front of him, feeling sad.
It is now 1616 AD in history. In this year, Nurhaci, the leader of the Jianzhou Jurchens in the Northeast, was officially called the Great Khan and established the Hou Jin regime.
From the perspective of future generations, the death knell of the Ming Dynasty has sounded.
After the adventure in the bandit's den, Zheng Haizhu was a little confused. If he hadn't stabbed Xu Aliu with his knife, would Huang Zunsu and Han Ximeng have been killed by Xu Aliu? In real history, these two people lived into the Tianqi and Chongzhen years respectively. In that time and space where they did not appear, they were not killed in the Wanli period.
Is it because another noble person appeared in real history to save their lives, or is the Ming Dynasty they traveled to just a parallel time and space?
So, what will be the fate of Mao Wenlong, the most famous military figure in the late Ming Dynasty?
Where on earth is he taking me?
