Chapter 312: A secret banquet for the royal palace, a beastly war

As soon as the Shandong Governor, General, and Henan made a joint report, anyone who knew the content of the memorial was silent. Many people were waiting for the crime of falling into a relative of Henan and Huguang to implicate the officials and the positions they would be vacant.

But when Henan made such a fuss, the whole world was silent, waiting for Emperor Chongzhen's reaction...

The emperor did not dare to move military generals, but he was never ruthless in killing civil officials. However, King Fu was killed by a thief, and officials from all over Henan had to bear the crime of realizing the vassal of his relatives. Think about how many civil officials and military generals were killed in Beizhili that year. Can officials of Henan be underestimated?

Anyway, it’s better to put a memorial to yourself as soon as you die. The governors and generals of the two provinces, as well as the officials, will always have some weight.

Of course, according to Li Meng's opinion, in addition to this memorial, the officials and generals of Henan Governor, the General Secretary of the Administration and the General Secretary all gathered together to create a large sum of gold and silver, and went to the capital with this memorial, from the rank of the ritual supervisor to the cabinet, each with gifts.

As a result, Li Meng's relationship with civil and military officials in Henan suddenly became much closer. At least Shandong soldiers were willing to send troops to rescue Shandong and were willing to report together. This was a great favor. Although Governor Yan Jizu and General Li Meng also had some unfavorable rescue charges, this charge was a case of being able to find a reason to get rid of it.

In the next few days, the treatment of Shandong officials and soldiers in Kaifeng City soared. Li Xianfeng and the governor, who were no longer willing to show up, both forced themselves to be happy and came forward to entertain the banquet.

Even the prefect of Kaifeng made a rare statement, saying that the soldiers and horses in Shandong outside the city were hard, and it was more convenient to enter the city to station. However, this kindness, which seemed extremely enthusiastic in the eyes of others, was rejected by Li Meng. Of course, it was also a few words of praise for being noble and noble.

Henan General Chen Yongfu thought that his colleague was polite and said that if the military camp in Kaifeng City was not enough, his subordinates could make somewhere to go, and both sides were very humble.

On the third day of April, Zuo Liangyu, the general who suppressed the bandit, also led his troops to Kaifeng City. According to the information found by his subordinates, Zuo Liangyu led a total of more than 26,000 troops. After Li Zicheng's rebel army captured Luoyang, they set up city guards and left-behind troops in Luoyang.

However, these people did not resist the attack of Zuo Liangyu's troops, and the city was captured and the city defending officials were killed. But this happened almost eight days ago. It was said that the city under Kaifeng was very dangerous at that time, but Zuo Liangyu took one of his troops by land, and another army went down the river and leaned slowly over.

I think this general Zuo Liangyu, who was fighting thief, did not want to touch Li Zicheng's tens of thousands of elite soldiers, but Huang Ping also reported that it was Zuo Liangyu who immediately accelerated his trip after hearing the rebel army retreat.

At present, the urgent reports from Nanyang Prefecture and Runing Prefecture reached Kaifeng City one by one, saying that most of the rebel army went south and the place was in crisis, but the news made the officials in Kaifeng City feel relieved. The big tiger finally stopped surrounding Kaifeng.

The day after Zuo Liangyu's troops arrived in Kaifeng City, Baoding Governor Yang Wenyue's troops also crossed the river in Chenqiao and arrived in Kaifeng City.

When it comes to these two soldiers, the officials in Kaifeng City have no good looks. They don’t see you when they are guarding the city, and don’t see you when they are fighting. When they are fighting, they will be able to reach Kaifeng. Kaifeng Prefecture will also support your military supplies, food and grass, and they are really good at doing things.

Although Zuo Liangyu's army was noisy and wanted to enter the city, Kaifeng only allowed Zuo Liangyu to bring 500 personal soldiers into the city. However, the 15,000 Northern Zhili soldiers led by Baoding Governor Yang Wenyue were more appropriate. Five thousand soldiers were stationed in the Chenqiao area on the north bank of the Yellow River, and the remaining soldiers also grabbed the ferry.

Yang Wenyue, the governor of Baoding, was a civil servant and knew the difficulties of these local officials in the city. Moreover, he was the leader of civil servants. After promising to give more food and grass in Kaifeng City, he brought dozens of in-person guards into the city.

The general is the theoretical highest official title of the Ming general, and then the general will be given a plus. For example, the "General of the Punishment" of Zuo Liangyu is higher than that of Chen Yongfu and Li Meng. At some point, he can command other generals. The so-called "master general" is called such a plus general before the Tianqi Year. Only then did he start to call the general in a province's garrison "coach".

As for the governor of Baoding, Yang Wenyue, a commander in a major capital, he was one of the highest official ranks of civil servants and was also a member of the commander who could command several generals.

In other words, Zuo Liangyu and Yang Wenyue, who have arrived in Kaifeng City, are both above Li Meng. Moreover, after the joint report, the words of these reinforcements will always be helpful for determining future merits and crimes.

These people gathered in Kaifeng, and the reinforcements for the rescue were already arrived. Governor Li Xianfeng came forward to invite these people. It was also a matter of arrangement that they should have.

On the fifth day of the April 19th, Henan Governor Li Xianfeng set up a private banquet in the side hall of the official office to invite all the officials who came to Henan for rescue, and Li Meng was naturally invited.

Kaifeng, Henan's attitude towards Shandong soldiers improved, including the supply and residence. The houses where Li Meng and Yan Jizu lived were moved to the luxury houses near the Governor's Office. Since the distance was so close, he and Yan Jizu were also here for the banquet.

Shandong Governor Yan Jizu was very energetic when he was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel in the capital. He was frustrated step by step when he was in office as Shandong Governor. Now he is extremely careful in everything. As for the joint report, it was also aroused emotions. He remembered his mentality of being kidnapped by the Tartars that day because King De was abducted by the Tartars that day and was afraid to discuss the crime.

It was also a moment when I got courage, I listed the name on the memorial document, and gave some advice based on my understanding of the capital center, such as making up a heavy gift, who should give more, who should give less, etc.

After this incident, Shandong Governor Yan Jizu knew that he and General Li Meng were tied to the same boat, so he treated him more intimate and respectful.

Anyway, the officials of Kaifeng Prefecture were confused and thought to themselves that the Shandong governor looked like an aide under the young general, and did he still have any official appearance?

After receiving the invitation, Li Meng and Yan Jizu were all close to each other. They thought they were coming by time, but who thought they had arrived here and realized that they had arrived early.

Of course, Henan General Chen Yongfu was invited to attend, but since he was an official from other places who was a civil and military service in Henan, Chen Yongfu was half the master. After chatting with Li Meng and the others, he went out to welcome guests. Henan Governor Li Xianfeng was in a low posture and he was waiting for the guests at the gate of the inner courtyard.

"Governor Yan, do you think that long live the memorial and get angry?"

Seeing that there were only two of them in the hall, Li Meng asked casually. Yan Jizu smiled and shook his head, and replied without hesitation:

"According to the methods of the eunuchs in the Silijian to monitor their expressions and expressions, when they were handed over, the current emperor must be in a good mood. And the memorial also made it clear that the civil and military officials in Henan, and reinforcements from various reinforcements were the main contribution. The fall of Luoyang was Yang Sichang's fault, so there should be no problem."

After listening to Yan Jizu's words, Li Meng realized that it was true that the memorial would be treated. The key was to see when the eunuchs handed over the memorial. If the emperor was happy, the emperor would be magnanimous. If the emperor was angry or unhappy, the emperor would not appreciate the good things.

While we were talking, we heard someone outside saying "The Prince Shaobao, the general Zuo Liangyu, the thief, is here," and then the polite greetings from Li Xianfeng and Chen Yongfu.

Soon, a big man in a military uniform walked in through the front door with a high step behind. Chen Yongfu was half a step back, with a smile on his face and said:

"Mr. Yan, Lord. Li, this is General Zuo!!"

The general Zuo Liangyu, who suppressed the bandits, was in Henan, Huguang, and was famous for his troops and horses, and he led a place to steal a place. Some people say: The thief will not come but the family will be destroyed, but the soldiers will come but the people will be destroyed." This mainly means that the troops of Zuo Liangyu's subordinates are.

The treatment of soldiers in the Ming Dynasty was low. If you want to have enough food and clothing, you can only rob them during wartime. However, when most of the soldiers were in their hometowns, they were not only domineering, but also as a sturdy person. After all, they were the elders of the hometowns, and robbing were always psychologically burdened. Therefore, once they left the garrison to fight, they immediately became like wolves and tigers.

However, the troops under the army of the general Zuo Liangyu, who suppressed the thief, were very complicated. From Liaozhen, Beizhili to Huguang, and Sichuan, the source of troops really came from all over the world.

But the source of troops is a mixed source, and it is a guest army everywhere, and it is a disaster everywhere. In Jiangxi, he did not listen to the local governor's dispatch to pursue the bandits, but instead led his troops to plunder women. Every time he passed by in Huguang and Sichuan, it was like a disaster in the sky, and smaller villages and cities were turned into white land.

There is a name in Zuo Liangyu's official position, which is the general of the thief. The local area simply omitted the word "ping" and called it "General of the thief".

Not to mention that local gentry complained about the curse, even local civil servants repeatedly reported impeachment. However, in the heart of the Central Plains, the army led by Zuo Liangyu was one of the few that could be used. In the eyes of the imperial court, they had always had the impression of a strong army and were considered to be the main force.

Today, when the rebel king Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai are getting more and more violent, even if Zuo Liangyu is not strict in control of the subordinates and disturbs the local area, as long as he still leads his army to chase and suppress the bandits, he is the loyal and brave person in the emperor's heart. Those small mistakes are superficial and can be ignored.

Therefore, although Zuo Liangyu's soldiers were like beasts, they became more and more stable in their positions and their strength became stronger and stronger.

Li Meng knew much about what Zuo Liangyu and his soldiers did. In his imagination, Zuo Liangyu was also a fierce and evil character. Who would have thought that when he saw him today, he could be called a handsome middle-aged man. This military robe often looks a little bloated when worn by Li Meng.

But when worn by Zuo Liangyu, it is extremely tall. Looking at the whole image, it reminds people of some film and television male stars with excellent images in modern times.

Zuo Liangyu walked into the side hall. Li Meng and Yan Jizu both stood up with a smile, clasped their fists together as a polite manner. The bending was naturally larger than when they met a common-level official.

When Zuo Liangyu saw the Shandong literary and military officials, he just nodded, snorted from his nose, and walked towards the inner room on his own.

When walking past Li Meng, Zuo Liangyu still glanced at Li Meng who was standing there, with a very bad look. When he saw Li Meng looking at the "thief general" with a good appearance, his arrogant and fierce look made people feel extremely uncomfortable.

If you want to talk about the bad attitude towards Li Meng, it has always been because Li Meng robbed the credit before Zuo Liangyu arrived. Whether he could fight was a question, but being robbed by a general was another matter. Of course, Li Meng's Shandong soldiers entered the city with only 1,000 people, and Zuo Liangyu brought in 500 people. This must be a reason for being angry.

Li Meng smiled slightly, and he didn't feel any hostility towards such a person. Zuo Liangyu was entrenched in southern Henan and Huguang, and was incompatible with him. If he had hostility, he would let him go.

Henan General Chen Yongfu must have dealt with this Zuo Liangyu a lot. Knowing that this man's arrogant and arrogant temperament, he nodded apologetically at Li Meng and hurriedly followed.

These days, the whole Henan Province is polite and intimate with Li Meng and Yan Jizu, but when Zuo Liangyu comes, the two of them immediately become supporting roles. Li Meng is not bad, but Yan Jizu is a little angry. The more civil servants are, the more they pay attention to these etiquette and decent trivial matters, and wait until Zuo Liangyu and Chen Yongfu enter the inner room.

Yan Jizu came over and said in a low voice:

"Mr. Li, don't look at Zuo Kunshan's arrogant appearance today. Do you know how he started his business back then? It is said that when he was under Cao Wenzhao's subordinate, he went to Hou Xun's place to borrow grain from the Ministry of Personnel. He stayed in Hou Xun's camp for three days. After he came back, he was promoted to deputy general. Who is Hou Xun? He likes Longyang's famous scholars. Look at Zuo Liangyu's appearance, back then..."

This is indeed an interesting thing, but Li Meng felt that the Governor Yan in front of him was said to be a famous scholar in Donglin and a famous Qinggui in the Ming Dynasty. His appearance was so vulgar.

However, although Li Meng felt that Yan Jizu was vulgar, he also felt that he was closer. Although it was immoral, it was indeed a means to bring the relationship between the two parties closer. No one knew whether Yan Jizu was humble in his personality or did he intentionally do it.

Zuo Liangyu was so arrogant, but the next governor of Baoding, Yang Wenyue, looked exactly two. Yang Wenyue was a gentle and gentle old man. When he saw Li Meng and Yan Jizu, he had no difference in status or status, nor was he as an airs of a scholar. He greeted him politely, and then both parties entered the seat together.

Nowadays, all civil servants leading troops live in fear and are afraid. They didn't know that they were beaten by the emperor on that day. Moreover, Yang Wenyue also experienced the ups and downs of demotion and resumption of resumption of officials. It is normal to live so carefully.

Governor Li Xianfeng was full of thoughts and forced to laugh at the banquet. Chen Yongfu was not good at speaking. Zuo Liangyu claimed to be his own identity there and was unwilling to chat with others casually. The remaining Li Meng and the other three were also powerful officials, not to mention that both sides were from all over the world, so there was no need to flatter anyone.

The banquet was quite depressed. After a few rounds of polite wine, I found a reason to leave.

Since the rebel army was gone, Kaifeng City was safe and sound, and the purpose of training under his command was to achieve it. Li Meng felt that it would be meaningless to stay here. He communicated with several subordinates and decided to set off for Shandong on the eighth day of the April 19th.

Before going back, Li Meng had a private banquet that he had to go to - a banquet at the Zhou royal palace.

When leading the army to rescue the siege, King Zhou of Kaifeng Prefecture looked at Li Meng from a distance from the top of the city. After all, the distance was not real. This time, he had to get closer to take a look.

The local relatives and vassals have made friends with leading generals. This is the most taboo thing. The court and local governments are most cautious about this, and they are afraid that the vassal kings will take the opportunity to cause chaos.

However, at the moment of chaos, officials from Henan Province were too busy to take care of themselves in order to finish the battle, and naturally slackened a lot of surveillance on the vassal palace. Moreover, King Zhou and King Fu were very different. King Fu was a miser who was not willing to take out a penny. However, when he guarded Kaifeng City several times, King Zhou was willing to spend money to recruit strong men to defend the city. The royal palace was dedicated to spending money to defend the city, and its reputation among the people was quite good.

In this case, even if there is any minor mistake, the government will turn a blind eye and pass it. Of course, if Li Meng wants to meet in the Zhou Palace, he still needs to make some preparations.

Kaifeng is such a big city, and Shandong soldiers come to visit the city and always have to visit these prosperous places. Seeing General Li’s personal soldiers traveling in batches.

More than a dozen soldiers walked and stopped and came to a grocery shop in Kaifeng City. They thought they wanted to buy some specialties. The officers and soldiers stayed there for a short time, so they left with big bags. Every group of soldiers came out with yamen runners from Kaifeng Prefecture followed them from afar.

Following the soldiers, of course no one paid attention to the grocery shop. When the soldiers walked away, several friends came out of the shop and took these daily necessities and walked towards the Zhou royal palace. If anyone asked, these people would answer that they would buy some things in the royal palace and give them to them.

Among these guys, Li Meng was the branch opened by Lingshan Trading Company in Kaifeng. This branch has long been linked to the Zhou Wangfu. Many groceries in the royal house were purchased in this shop, which also had accounts and certificates.

After entering the palace from the side gate, the palace followed him to lead the way. However, Li Meng first asked the other party to find an empty house and wanted to change the clothes of this guy first. Seeing the Zhou King, there was not much difference between seeing the nature of the father-in-law and seeing the father-in-law, and he also wanted to leave a good impression on the other party.

But the robe of the general cannot be worn. The long gowns of ordinary rich children made Li Meng feel quite awkward, but she looked a little more elegant.

As soon as the guard of the royal palace came, he first stated that the prince ordered that everything he entered the palace today would be carried out according to private ceremony in the family, and there was no need to pay attention to so many complicated etiquettes, which was exactly what Li Meng wanted.

Li Meng has heard of the luxury of his relatives since he was a salt bar, and he is quite excited about today's private banquet. However, after entering the dining room, he saw the surrounding decorations and the dishes on the table, and the anger was exhaled.

This is a joke. After finally eating meat, others started eating vegetables for health. Although the private banquet of the Zhou Wangfu was exquisite, it was mostly made of vegetarian dishes and vegetables, which of the flashy and exquisite ingredients. The decoration of the house was simple and unrefined, and it was quite rural.

However, the format of this dining room is a bit strange. The dining table is right in front of it, and almost half of the space is blocked by bead curtains and gauze. Nothing is visible there.

King Zhu Gongye of Zhou was a little arrogant and powerful, but Li Meng was naturally not inferior to him after being in the top position for a long time. Both sides were very reserved and serious. King Zhou asked about Li Meng's family background and recent situation. Li Meng also answered humbly and politely. He originally thought that the other party would dislike him because of his humble background, but Li Meng could feel the satisfaction of the King of Zhou.

"My blood descendant of the Zhu family, no matter what nature, has been confined to this small place since birth. If I go out and take a look, it would be a great blessing!"

These words were not clearly stated, but both of them could understand what they meant. Li Meng just raised his glass with both hands and toasted the other party with another glass of wine.

The two sides were chatting, and the King of Zhou was used to the ups and downs, but he was extremely surprised by Li Meng, who had been the general of the town for less than ten years since he was in the last ten years.

Li Meng was also extremely surprised. King Zhou had no idea about the great disaster in Henan. Zhu Gongye looked at the prosperous and lively city in Kaifeng every day, and thought that the same was true outside Kaifeng City. Even if some natural disasters were not a big deal, the so-called tragic phenomenon was just an exaggeration of the literati.

When Li Meng heard this, he had nothing to say. The King of Zhou was in Kaifeng and Chongzhen was in the Forbidden City. One did not know the affairs of Henan and the other did not know the affairs of the world. It would not be unfair that the Ming Dynasty could have the current situation.

However, he was a vassal king who had no power and was enclosed in the city, and was seen by local officials in Henan. Even if he wanted to do anything, he would not have to say anything.

But the more I ate this private banquet, the more uncomfortable it became. First, a young man with a slightly sick look met with him. He said he was the prince of the King of Zhou. Looking at his sick look, he was really different from the energetic Mu Yunyao. The grandson of the King of Zhou was ten years old this year, and the cute child was also taken out to meet Li Meng.

Li Meng also forced to be gentle and polite to these people. What he couldn't stand was that behind the bead curtain and the gauze, there were many people staring at him. He probably could guess who it was. He must be the female relative of the Zhou royal palace. The Zhou king could still use a thousand-mile mirror to look at Li Meng under the city, Mu Yunyao's mother, that is, Princess Zhou, if he wanted to see this "son-in-law", he could only use this method.

Mu Yunyao still doesn’t know if she has the chance to meet her parents in this life. For the sake of this girl who follows her, she has to endure even if she feels uncomfortable.
To be continued...