In the restaurant, Zheng Haizhu did not show any false courtesy and said bluntly to Chang Zhongxin, the Shanxi merchant Shaodong's family: "I am discussing some military affairs with the two generals Ma and Zhang. Mr. Chang does not need to come to the table to accompany me. Mr., please take care of the young army men with wine and meat. Drive away the cold. When I visit Governor Xuanda and the commander-in-chief of the town later, I will be with you."
Chang Zhongxin respectfully stepped down.
His face was calm, and his heart became more and more happy.
The Chang family was still at the lower end of the Shanxi merchants list. This time, smoke was coming out of the ancestral grave, and the emperor's ministers took a fancy to it, and they had the opportunity to attach themselves to the officials of Xuan Da.
Zheng Haizhu walked to the window and saw the second young master of the Chang family on the grassy slope outside the restaurant in high spirits. He led his servants to roast sheep and distribute white-flour buns.
Immediately, she raised her head and looked at the stretching mountains in the distance.
Ma Xianglin came over.
"Is that the Great Wall?" Zheng Haizhu asked.
Ma Xianglin nodded and looked at the beacon tower: "However, this dynasty is not called the Great Wall, it is called the Border Wall. It is over Shanhaiguan. I just entered the town and heard the soldiers and civilians of Xuan Mansion call it the same."
"Oh? Why not call it the Great Wall?"
At the table behind him, Zhang Mingshi, who had poured wine to warm himself up, said with a sarcastic tone: "The Great Wall reminds people of Meng Jiangnu, and Zhu Ming became the tyrant of Qin."
Zheng Haizhu glanced at Ma Xianglin, turned around and sat across from Zhang Mingshi, served himself a bowl of steaming haggis soup, but did not drink it, staring at Zhang Mingshi.
Zhang Mingshiyi joked in a coquettish manner: "Madam, what do you think I'm doing? I'm as good-looking as General Ma?"
Zheng Haizhu sneered: "It's far worse than him, but with you here, I don't even need to put the pepper in the mutton soup."
Zhang Mingshi said sarcastically: "I know Madam dislikes my mouth. I can't help it, Xianglin and I are different. Xianglin has only been in prison for a few days? How many years has my old Zhang been imprisoned by the court? That eunuch named Wei in the left and right palaces Since the official is not here, why don't you let me complain a little bit?"
Ma Xianglin also came over and sat down, picked up the wine glass and clinked it with Zhang Mingshi, but said nothing and drank it all himself.
Zheng Haizhu said warmly: "The disaster has already happened, so why bother talking about it anymore. Right now, you two are the heaviest in the important town of Jiubian, not still in the prison of Fusi in Beizhen. General Zhang, I told you that day that the imperial court would resurrect you, and your happiness was not like you were pretending."
Zhang Mingshi grabbed a mutton bone stick, took a few bites, touched the mutton oil on his beard, and agreed: "Okay, listen to my wife, and control your tongue. The whole family is in Beijing, can we not give it to the court?" Guard the border wall? What's more, a famous general like "Shanhaiguan Zhao Zilong" still works as a guerrilla for me, Xianglin, don't you think so? Hey, Xianglin, your wife just gave birth to a fat girl for you, I As for my son, he just gave me a grandson, why don’t we two become in-laws?"
Zhang Mingshi babbled happily, while Ma Xianglin's face showed sadness.
Zheng Haizhu understood how the two people in front of him could have the same state of mind.
A few days after Ma Xianglin was imprisoned in imperial prison, Zhang Fengyi gave birth. Although mother and daughter were safe, they also had to face the pain of separation.
Zheng Haizhu went to the imperial court and asked the emperor to allow Ma Xianglin to stay in his house for two days before he was punished. Come and talk about the spit from the officials.
Therefore, when Ma Xianglin left Beijing the day before yesterday, he took a quick look at Fengyi, who had just come out of confinement, and the infant girl who came to see her off.
And Ma Xianglin's father-in-law, Zhang Quan, resigned as Minister of War in order to avoid endless disputes in the court. It was Ye Xianggao who used the wisdom of an old politician to teach Zhu Changluo to transfer Zhang Quan to the Dali Temple in Nanjing as a temple minister, so that this wise minister, although he lost the real power of the Ministry of War, at least remained in the court official system, but changed from his original position. The second-rank Minister of the Ministry of War, who was about to be promoted, was demoted to the third-rank Minister of Dali Temple.
Ma Xianglin knew that he had hindered his father-in-law's career.
Furthermore, Zhang Mingshi was reborn and Ma Xianglin was punished. One was awarded the rank of general, and the other only retained the title of guerrilla under the holy decree that several merits equaled one crime. Moreover, he was a bare-bones guerrilla and was controlled by the general.
Fortunately, when they call for help from their friends, generals often feel sympathy for each other. Ever since Zhang Mingshi met Ma Xianglin, he always said "Old Zhang, I will obey your mother and you", and mentioned the past of the Southwest Border Guard, and Both of them have been sentenced to prison.
Zheng Haizhu had already discovered that Zhang Mingshi had the potential to be a social cow. He thought that in history, even Yao Zongwen and his like would come forward to recommend him to lead troops in Liaodong. He was truly a person. Then he saw with his own eyes that he was brother-in-law with Ma Xianglin and talked freely about military matters. , I finally feel relieved.
At this moment, Ma Xianglin naturally had no intention of making fun of Zhang Mingshi. Instead, he turned to Zheng Haizhu to talk about business.
"Azhu, do you also think that Xuanfu Town is more important than Liaodong Town?"
"Yes," Zheng Haizhu said without hesitation, "I laughed several times in my dreams when you came to this town. When the Xuanfu was in Yongle, it was an independent commander just like Liaodong. The whole Ming Dynasty only had this The two families have an important position in the eyes of the imperial court. Now don't expect Hou Jin to be stronger than Beilu, but Xuanfu Town has more things to do than Liaodong Town."
Zheng Haizhu said, placing a few dishes and cups on the table, and continued to gesture: "Xuanfu is in the middle of Jiubian, only more than three hundred miles away from Beijing, and closer than Shanhaiguan, and we can see the score all the way here. In the Ming Dynasty, the official road from the capital to Xuanfu was the best in the capital area, and there were several rivers connecting it. Therefore, it was easiest to travel by land or water for troops, food, wages, firearms, and supplies. When supplies reached Xuanfu Town, horses Not to mention, you can buy it directly from the north. First, and secondly, to the west of Xuanfu is Zhangjiakou and Datong. When Hou Jin wanted to hook up with Shanxi merchants, Xuanfu was an unavoidable boundary. If Xuanfu Town The work of guarding in the open and spying secretly is so good that the Tatar car can cut off the road in front of the mountain. Thirdly, Xuanfu Town is further north than Datong, like a horn that penetrates into the land of Beibei, and is directly connected with Ningyuan in the east. The cities are facing each other from a distance, so what if the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia join forces to fight against the Jin Dynasty?"
"Unite Mongolia to fight against the Jin?" Zhang Mingshi put down the mutton bone stick and picked his teeth with his little fingernail while saying, "Aren't we just here to fight against the Northern invaders in Xuanfu Town? Why do we have to call ourselves brothers?"
Zheng Haizhu said: "Because there was a leader of the Northern Barbarians named Lin Dan Khan who became stronger and then weaker. This Lin Dan Khan was the direct grandson of Genghis Khan. When he came to the throne, the Northern Barbarians had already lost their power. Horqin in Monan The other tribes simply refused to obey. Five or six years ago, Lin Dan Khan regained Inner Khalkha and became stronger. However, Lin Dan Khan was persuaded by a lama from Uszang to ask the nobles to change their surnames from the Yellow Sect to the Red Sect, which naturally caused dissatisfaction. . And three or four years ago, the old chief Nurhachi had already married the Horqin tribe. Therefore, Lin Dan Khan, who had border trade relations with me in the Ming Dynasty and received silver rewards every year, was worried about internal affairs and encountered the Jurchen foreign enemies in the east, so he should be quite willing to marry me. The Ming Dynasty teamed up to fight the Tatars."
(End of chapter)
