The person Geng Zhongming finally sent to contact Daming was his confidant Chen Shaozong. He was also his subordinate in the former Dongjiang Army, so he was naturally very familiar with everything about the Dongjiang Army.
When he took a boat to Guanglu Island, the Ming army officers did not let him cover his head, and he could look at it as he pleased.
Visiting the old place again, although Chen Shaozong didn't say anything, he still had mixed feelings.
On the sea surface of Guanglu Island, ships of the Ming Navy patrolled by from time to time. When they meet each other, they will greet each other happily. Although many people have a southern Fujian accent, it is still Ming Dynasty Mandarin, which makes it feel friendly to listen to.
The wharf of Guanglu Island was many times better than what he had remembered. Ming warships, transport ships and the like were parked there, occupying a large space. As the waves rose and fell, the Ming Dynasty was displayed silently. The strength of the navy.
On the dock, teams of Ming troops were patrolling back and forth, and some Ming troops were transporting supplies or continuing to expand the dock. In short, teams of familiar Yuanyang shirts were working in an orderly manner.
Chen Shaozong found that none of the Ming army soldiers were as sallow and thin as he had remembered, and there were not piles of people lying dead on the beach, waiting for the tide to go out to pick up some seafood. Seeing all this, to be honest, he felt a little jealous: the former Dongjiang Army couldn't really be called an army, but a beggar's nest, but what he saw in front of him was a real army!
After landing ashore, Chen Shaozong and the man who brought him here were inspected by a general flag officer from the Governor's Mansion. He immediately nodded and bowed, handed over a piece of broken silver with a charming smile and said: "Sir, please take care of me!"
When the commander-in-chief saw it, he refused without hesitation. He stared at Chen Shaozong's head and said, "Stop that trick of yours. This is not what the governor-general wants!"
Whether it is with the original Dongjiang Army or Jianlu, sending some money will always make things easier. However, the general banner with a Qin accent in front of him broke his long-held concept and made him stunned for a while.
"Yes, this is not the Dongjiang Army of the past. Just follow the rules of the governor." When the man saw it, he said proudly, "You will be rewarded for your merits, and you will feel at ease!"
After coming back to his senses, Chen Shaozong quickly nodded in agreement, but he raised a question mark in his mind. Who doesn't love money in this world?
There was nothing wrong with the inspection, so Chen Shaozong followed the general banner and left.
On the way, he saw groups of soldiers training meticulously, shouting kills with great vigor, and it could be seen that their mental state was very good. This makes me a little suspicious. Could it be that he knew that he was coming, so he chose the best Ming army to perform here?
As if he knew what he was thinking, the commander-in-chief said to him as he walked: "I heard that you used to be in the Dongjiang Army. Look at the Dongjiang Army today. Is it different? Let me tell you, these are new troops in Pyongyang. The new army was replenished after the battle. Some of them were Koreans, and some were Ming people who escaped from Liaodong. They all demanded revenge by killing the captives. Your money rat tail will cause trouble here, so you'd better wear a hat. Got it!"
Hearing this, he subconsciously touched his head and couldn't help but smile bitterly. If possible, why would he be willing to ignore this money rat and abandon his ancestors?
Chen Shaozong then went to see the soldiers who were training. When he got closer, he could see that these new army soldiers were indeed different from those on the dock.
Although they were wearing helmets, it could be seen that many people came with bald heads. Also, although their mental state machines are very good, it may be seen that none of them are strong because they haven't eaten well for a long time. But now, every time they swing their swords or thrust their spears, they are very impressive. When someone saw his money rat tail, their eyes suddenly became fierce. But they were training, and no one dared to stop what they were doing.
Finally, after walking for a while, we arrived at the Governor's Palace.
Chen Shaozong recognized this place as the original government office of the guard of Guanglu Island. It can be seen that it must have been burned before, and some traces can be seen. He could guess that Shang Kexi burned all the people on the island when he robbed them and took them to the Qing Dynasty.
Nowadays, this mansion has only been renovated hastily, and no expansion has been carried out on the original basis.
This really surprised Chen Shaozong. Logically speaking, this place has become the residence of the Governor of Baoding, so it should be expanded very impressively! Otherwise, where would the governor's prestige come from?
But……
Looking at the old mansion in front of him, he really couldn't figure it out, so he curiously asked the general: "Your Excellency, do you live here?"
Chen Shaozong's meaning was very obvious, and he didn't even need to explain it clearly before the commander-in-chief understood what he meant.
Indeed, generally speaking, government offices are built in large areas according to their specifications, and there must be stone lions guarding the entrance, so that people will feel awe at the sight of it.
But obviously, Lu Xiangsheng's official office is not in this case.
Upon hearing the question, the general said proudly: "The Governor-General has explained that it is not easy to deliver the imperial supplies to Dongjiang, so we must first use them in other places, such as military camps, private residences, etc. The Governor-General has said that it is not easy to send supplies to Dongjiang." Only when the soldiers live well can they fight a good war; allowing the suffering people of the Ming Dynasty to have a stable place is what the Ming Dynasty owes them..."
When he said this, he felt happy when he saw Chen Shaozong's dumbfounded expression, and added: "And the Governor often went to the military camp to eat and live with the ordinary Ming soldiers. There is a Governor in the Dongjiang Army. , Liaodong will be recovered sooner or later, don’t you think?”
"Yes, yes, yes!" Chen Shaozong nodded repeatedly, but he quickly came to his senses and couldn't help but let out an "ah" sound.
At this time, he was very shocked. In his opinion, the officials of the Ming Dynasty, especially those civil servants, who were not the ones with noses sticking up to the sky, were merciful to the big-headed soldiers if they could speak normally.
However, according to what the commander-in-chief said, it was really unimaginable for him that a high-ranking official like the Governor of Baoding would eat and live with a large number of soldiers! Even the military attache cannot do this!
He always felt that this was impossible, but everything he saw seemed to tell him that, yes, this must be true.
So, he didn't even know how he entered the Governor's Mansion and how he met the Governor?
Just seeing the red-robed official sitting at the main seat in the lobby, Chen Shaozong subconsciously rolled down his sleeves. Then when he saw the official frown, he came back to his senses. Suddenly, he was very embarrassed and quickly changed his mind. He cupped his fists and reported: "The former Dongjiang Army deputy general Geng has thousands of households, the criminal Chen Shaozong, please see the governor!"
Lu Xiangsheng did not guess that Geng Zhongming sent someone to contact him, and he did not care. Therefore, he just shouted in a cold voice: "Now that you have betrayed the Ming Dynasty and joined the Jianlu, you are an enemy rather than a friend, but you have come to declare a war." ?”
"Don't dare!" Chen Shaozong heard this and quickly explained, "Your Excellency, you have misunderstood. The sinner and Deputy General Geng defected to Jianlu because they had no choice. Jianlu was cruel and treated me like a pig or a dog. These are human beings." As we all know. Now that I heard that your Excellency has rebuilt the Dongjiang Army, Vice General Geng is willing to return to the Ming Dynasty and kill Jianlu to take revenge!"
After finishing speaking, he took out a letter and presented it with both hands.
A personal guard went to pick it up and handed it to Lu Xiangsheng.
This letter was written by Geng Zhongming, and the meaning was similar to what Chen Shaozong said. It was nothing more than that he had a blood feud with Jianlu, and he had no choice but to surrender to Jianlu before. He also explained what happened to him that year in the letter to explain his last resort. Then, he flattered Lu Xiangsheng either openly or secretly. He knew that Lu Xiangsheng was fair and a rare honest and good official in the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, he was willing to return to the Ming Dynasty.
Finally, he also said that he was currently in charge of the Phoenix Castle and was willing to return with the whole city, but he needed Lu Xiangsheng to lead the army and provide support, and by the way, he could also deal with the prisoners in Zhenjiang Castle together.
Lu Xiangsheng looked at this letter and remained calm on the surface, but he was very happy in his heart.
If we can capture Phoenix Castle and Zhenjiang Fort, we can directly threaten Shenyang without having to capture Haizhou City, the natural Anshan Posthouse, or the important town of Liaoyang. Or instead of attacking Shenyang, we can also threaten the areas behind Shenyang where Jianlu ruled. No matter what, it was a knife stuck in Jianlu's heart.
Even if something goes wrong, you can just go down the Yalu River and back to the sea. It can be said that it is a good place to attack when advancing and defend when retreating.
After reading it, Lu Xiangsheng put down the letter, looked at Chen Shaozong who looked expectant, and said lightly: "How can I believe it?"
"As long as the Governor can petition the Ming Emperor to pardon the sins of Deputy General Geng and other people who have gone astray, and restore them to their original posts without further investigation. Then Deputy General Geng is willing to find an opportunity to visit the island in person to show his sincerity!" After hearing this, Chen Shaozong hurriedly He said what Geng Zhongming told him.
After finishing speaking, he looked at Lu Xiangsheng expectantly, feeling a little more uneasy because of the expectation.
Not everyone is like Fan Wencheng, who forgets his ancestors and only works for Jianlu. As for Chen Shaozong, like Geng Zhongming, he was a Han from Liaodong and had a bloody feud with Jianlu. If it were possible, if there was hope, he certainly wouldn't want to live a servile life facing his enemies every day.
Because of this, when Geng Zhongming found him and told him about this, he was overjoyed and agreed immediately without thinking about it.
After hearing this, Lu Xiangsheng pondered for a moment and then said slowly: "If Geng Zhongming sincerely repented and was willing to turn over the dark side and surrender Phoenix Castle and Zhenjiang Fort, I can petition the emperor to agree to his request."
Upon hearing this, Chen Shaozong couldn't help but be overjoyed and quickly assured that Vice General Geng was definitely sincerely repentant. Then, he talked about the past events between Geng Zhongming and himself, the relatives killed by Jianlu, and so on. When he talked about the sadness, his eyes became red. Finally, he said to Lu Xiangsheng: "To be honest with you, since I surrendered to Jianlu, I often wake up from nightmares, dreaming of my dead relatives coming to claim their lives. By the way, it is said that Shang Kexi met the sinner before he died. Listen, a lot of people are scared after knowing this!"
Hearing this, Lu Xiangsheng couldn't help but feel happy. This was the reason why he released Ban Zhifu and others in the first place, just to let them know what happened before Shang Kexi died. Now it seems that it is very effective.
However, on the surface, Lu Xiangsheng still clasped his fists solemnly, raised his hands towards the capital and said: "Your Majesty is wise and has personally led the army to annihilate more than 10,000 Jianqiu people in Tashan, capture the slave chief Dorgon alive, and annihilate 10,000 Jianqiu people in Guihua City. The rest, capture the slave chiefs Ji'erharang and Azig alive. I believe that it will not be long before the Ming Dynasty will regain Liaodong. Let Dorgon and Azig go back to warn Huang Taiji, this is where the emperor's confidence lies!"
Chen Shaozong was a little stunned when he heard this. After hesitating for a moment, he couldn't help but ask: "Mr. Governor, that... that Azig was also put back by the emperor, didn't he escape by himself?"
Huang Taiji couldn't keep the battle of Guihua City a secret, so he naturally announced it. As for Azige's escape, what he told Huang Taiji was naturally known to everyone. At this time, there was a deviation from what Lu Xiangsheng said, so he couldn't help but ask.
After Lu Xiangsheng heard this, he knew that Azig was probably not telling the truth. He had already received a copy of the briefing from Guihua City. Naturally he knew what had happened, so he rummaged through the desk, found it, and gave it to the guards. At the same time, he said: "That Azig has no bones. Please forgive me." I killed Jierhalang to show my sincerity in surrendering to the Ming Dynasty, and then said I was willing to return to Liaodong to assassinate Huang Taiji, so the emperor let him go."
Chen Shaozong was shocked when he heard this. Was it Azig who killed Jierhalang? He took the memorial and read it quickly.
However, he immediately came to his senses, he was illiterate!
However, this did not prevent him from taking another look, as if this could confirm the authenticity of this matter.
Lu Xiangsheng watched him take down all the briefings, but he didn't say anything. He just said to him: "I will report this matter to the emperor by speedboat. I hope Geng Zhongming will not disappoint me. In addition, I want detailed military information in Liaodong. If he is really sincere, just collect them and send them over."
"Okay, sir, don't worry, we are sincere and there will definitely be no problem." Upon hearing this, Chen Shaozong quickly made a guarantee for Geng Zhongming.
Lu Xiangsheng was not moved by his guarantee, and just added a reminder: "I believe you have heard about the Jinyiwei spy in Liaodong. If I find out that the news sent by Geng Zhongming is false, I will find out. If there is a flaw, I don’t need to tell you the consequences!”
"No, no!" After hearing this, Chen Shaozong quickly denied it, fearing that Lu Xiangsheng would regret it.
So Lu Xiangsheng wrote the memorial and even read it to Chen Shaozong himself. Then he ordered his guards to immediately send it to the capital by speedboat.
Chen Shaozong was filled with joy when he saw it. Before leaving, he asked Lu Xiangsheng: "Sir, can this briefing be taken away by the sinner and shown to Vice General Geng to admire the emperor's wisdom and martial prowess?"
After hearing this, Lu Xiangsheng knew what his purpose was and agreed without saying anything.
