Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 20
On the official road in Shanxian County, Shandong, a group of people and horses are slowly marching.

In a carriage in the middle, Prince Consort Wang Bing and Taikang Bo Zhang Guoji were chatting.Taikangbo Zhang Guoji is the father of Emperor Tianqi and Empress Zhang Yan. He is about fifty years old, with a smile on his round face, like a rich man.He is a father who respects his daughter, and his daughter became the queen of the world, and was conferred the title of Taikangbo. After Chongzhen succeeded to the throne, because of his gratitude to Queen Zhang, he rewarded Zhang Jiayou more, and the status of the Zhang family did not fall. Zhang Guoji, plus Zhang Guoji's slick and good management skills, has accumulated a lot of family business over the years.

Prince Consort Wang Bing is in his 15s. He and Sun Chengzong, a former university scholar, are from Gaoyang.

Wang Bing had outstanding talent and was good at poetry and painting. He had close contacts with well-known painters such as Dong Qichang.Although Wang Bing has a high status and aloof status, he does not have the arrogance and arrogance of the nobles. He is humorous and has a good popularity among the nobles and civil servants.

The two were ordered by the emperor to go to Fengyang to pay homage to the imperial mausoleum, and they left Beijing for more than a month, because they were not in a hurry, so they only arrived at Shan County, Shandong today.Five hundred officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp and several eunuchs accompanied the escort, and a dozen or so carriages behind were filled with sacrificial incense and silk.

Wang Bing has a wide range of friends and a cheerful personality, Zhang Guoji is good at flattering, and the two of them chatted along the way, but it was not boring.

While the two were chatting and laughing, the carriage suddenly stopped, and after a while Hu Chuanhai, the chief executive of the Beijing camp, hurried over to report: "My son-in-law, Tai Kangbo, there are officers and soldiers blocking the way ahead, and they say they want to pass the pass and pay the money! "

The two looked at each other in surprise and got out of the carriage, only to see that the two teams in front of the team were arguing and making noise.

Wang Bing said to Hu Chuanhai: "Mr. Hu Qian, which officer and soldier is blocking the way? Didn't you tell that this is the imperial envoy ordered by the emperor to sacrifice the mausoleum?"

Hu Chuanhai gave a wry smile, and replied: "My son-in-law, Tai Kangbo, the one who blocked the way was Mou Wenshou, deputy general of Shandong, who was attacking Wu Shangwen's corps. The humble officer had already told him that this was an imperial envoy. But the Shandong soldiers said that it was the emperor." When I come to kiss you, there must be no less than a penny. Consort, what should I do?"

After hearing Hu Dahai's words, even the good-tempered Wang Bing was furious, and said, "Are these still officers and soldiers of Ming Dynasty? Could it be that they can't rebel if they want to! Go up and have a look! I don't believe it. How dare this world dare to rebel?" There are people who stop the imperial envoy and collect money!"

After finishing speaking, he strode towards the front of the team first, Zhang Guoji and Hu Dahai hurriedly followed.

When I came to the front of the team, I saw a group of officers and soldiers with knives and guns blocking the way, yelling at each other with the officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp.Not far away, a group of cavalry guarded a man who looked like a general in armor and was watching.The dozen or so cavalrymen talked and laughed loudly, pointing in this direction, as if there was no one else around.The general had triangular eyes, upturned eyebrows, and a scar about a few inches long on one side of his cheek. His face was gloomy and he didn't speak.

Wang Bing raised his hands behind his back and shouted: "Who is blocking the way in front? Prince Consort Wang Bing and Taikangbo Zhang Guolao are here. The leaders should hurry up and answer!"

The general raised his whip to urge the horse to go forward, but did not dismount, but arrogantly said, "It turns out that it is the king's son-in-law, who is going to attack Wu Shangwen in Shandong, what advice does the king's son-in-law have?"

Wang Bing has a noble status. On weekdays, everyone from the emperor and elders to low-rank civil servants respects him very much.The people who interacted with him were all literati, never had he seen such a rude and rude person, not to mention that this person was a general of the Ming Dynasty.

Wang Bing was so angry that his beard stood up, Zhang Guoji and Hu Chuanhai next to him were also very angry.

Although the officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp have long been decayed and their daily drills have been neglected, the officers in the Beijing camp are basically the sons of some nobles, or members of the noble family, and all of them have their nostrils upturned. The official army.

Hu Dahai's uncle is Hu Zhixin, the left governor of the Fifth Army Commander's Mansion. He is already a top military commander. Although he has no real power, his rank is beyond the reach of many generals in their lifetime.The people he usually associates with are all the children of Hou Bo's family, all of them have extraordinary family backgrounds, and ordinary generals will kneel down and salute when they see them.

This time the imperial guard went to Fengyang to pay homage to the imperial mausoleum, Hu Chuanhai took a lot of money to get this job.I thought it was a fat mission, the imperial missions, the officials passing by the prefectures and counties must be filial, and I can earn a lot by following the light.But along the way, the local officials received them copiously. At most, they gave some rituals to Wang Bing and Zhang Guoji out of courtesy, and they didn't get any benefits.

Hu Chuanhai had been filled with anger for a long time, but now he suddenly encountered the officers and soldiers blocking the way to ask for money, Hu Chuanhai was going crazy with anger.

He strode up to Wu Shangwen's horse, pointed his halberd and shouted loudly: "What are you! A small guerrilla dares to even stop the imperial envoy to ask for money! Even the general soldiers of Shandong dare not do this. Are you trying to rebel? !"

Seeing Mr. Qian in his early years, the officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp yelled at each other, while the officers and soldiers of Shandong on the other side showed no sign of weakness, and all kinds of swear words rushed towards them.

Wu Shangwen sneered and said: "I have worked for the Emperor Zhu's family for many years, conquering everything, going through life and death, but I was hungry and full, and I owed a lot of money. You lived in the capital and enjoyed all the glory and wealth. There is no such reason in the world. Regardless of whether an imperial envoy is an imperial envoy or not, as long as you pass through a certain territory, you have to pay Luyin! Prince, 1000 taels of silver should be a drop in the bucket for you, if you don’t pay silver, I’m sorry , don’t even think about passing by me!”

Zhang Guoji usually has a lot of acquaintances, including three religions and nine schools, civil servants and military generals, so he is well-informed.

He took a step forward and said, "General, it is true that the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty lived and died for the emperor, but this does not include your Shandong army. As far as I know, your Shandong army is only defending Shandong, and the imperial court has no Send you and other Shandong officials to go out of the province to suppress bandits. Since the bandits rebelled, no bandits have entered the territory of Shandong. Where did you say that you were born and died? My official is Tai Kangbo Zhang Guoji, who often drives with the king's son-in-law. If you tell the Holy One what you have done today, you can’t afford it! General, I think you should lead the army to retreat, and I will just pretend that this never happened, what do you think?”

Wu Shangwen became angry and shouted: "I have been in the army for many years. I have no credit but hard work! Don't talk too much! You have to give the money today, or you have to give it if you don't give it, otherwise you will have to wait and see!"

As soon as the words fell, Shandong officers and soldiers clamored, Wu Shangwen waved his hand, and a group of officers and soldiers came forward with guns and knives.

Hu Chuanhai was afraid that if something happened to hurt the two royal relatives, something would happen to them, and he would just wipe their necks.

He took a step forward to stand in front of Wang and Zhang, and shouted sharply: "Wu Shangwen, you are so brave, you dare to threaten the royal family, do you want to be punished by the nine clans!"

After he finished speaking, he winked at him, and his soldiers quickly came out to push the two royal relatives to the back of the line.

Hu Chuanhai had developed an arrogant and self-indulgent temperament on weekdays, and Naken lost face in front of the local army. With a wave of his hand, a row of firecrackers rushed up a few steps, raised their firecrackers and aimed at the pressing Shandong army.

Wu Shangwen's officers and soldiers saw the opponent's situation, but they didn't dare to move forward rashly, so they stopped and turned to look at the chief officer.

Wu Shangwen's face was ashen, knowing that if he retreated today, it would be a big joke, and he would not be able to hang out in the army in the future.He whispered a few words to the guard beside him, and the guard galloped back.

The Shandong officers and soldiers Hu Chuanhai saw with his own eyes did not dare to move forward, thinking that the other party was afraid, and shouted triumphantly: "A group of country bumpkin officers and soldiers, who return to their mother's guerrilla generals, I think they are softies with bear bags! Don't open your eyes and see , Even the imperial envoys dare to stop you, and when you go back, tell your majesty that your heads will be cut off!"

Wang Bing and Zhang Guoji returned to the carriage and discussed countermeasures.

The soldiers on both sides were in a stalemate. At this moment, hundreds of officers and soldiers with bows and arrows rushed over from behind.It turned out that Wu Shangwen's military camp was not far from here. About [-] officers and soldiers were blocking the way to ask for money. The soldiers ran back and called [-] archers to come over.In the front row were infantrymen holding knives and guns, and the three hundred archers behind them bent their bows and pointed at the Beijing army directly in front, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Hu Chuanhai wasn't very afraid, but the officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp under him were just fooling around, and they were all fake.They had never seen such a battle before. When they saw the densely packed bows and arrows aimed at themselves, their legs became weak. Although the gunners in the front row were still holding their guns, many people had already started to tremble.

Although the Shandong government army did not kill any large groups of bandits, they still wiped out many small groups of bandits.Seeing that the opponent was scared, the infantry in the front row shouted in unison: "Ho!", and then took a step forward neatly holding their swords and guns.

A gunner in the Beijing camp couldn't bear the pressure any longer. With a strange cry, he threw the gun and ran back.The rest of the musketeers and soldiers saw that someone had run away, regardless of the military order or not, they all dropped their muskets and turned around and ran away. In the blink of an eye, they were all gone, leaving only Hu Chuanhai and a few cronies standing in front.

Hu Chuanhai cursed loudly, but everyone was willing to listen, and they didn't stop until the two imperial envoys approached the carriage.

Hu Chuanhai went mad with anger, and in a fit of anger, he lost his temper, drew a knife in his hand, and yelled at Wu Shangwen.

Wu Shangwen's face turned gloomy, and with a wave of his hand, the soldiers around him stretched their bows and shot at Hu Chuanhai.After a few swishes, Hu Chuanhai screamed and fell to the ground with an arrow shot in his thigh. The few cronies around him were not so lucky. They were all shot in the vitals and died on the spot.

Wu Shangwen kept on doing nothing, and ordered loudly: "Smash the things on the car for me, and don't hurt the people in the palace. Anyone who dares to resist will be chopped!"

The officers and soldiers from Shandong swarmed up, and the officers and soldiers from the Beijing camp rushed up when they saw the opposite side, and immediately dispersed.

The Shandong soldiers ignored Hu Chuanhai on the ground, bypassed the imperial envoy's carriage, and smashed the carriage containing the incense and silk ritual objects at the back with all their might, and beat the driver's nose and face bruised and swollen.

Wang and Zhang in the carriage were stunned. Before they thought of a countermeasure, they became like this in a blink of an eye.Wang Bing turned pale with anger, while Zhang Guoji clenched his fists, gritted his teeth and stared.

Seeing the smashed carriage, Wu Shangwen laughed loudly and waved his hands: "Boys, let's go!" He turned around and left, and all his subordinates followed happily back to the barracks.Today he showed his face, even dared to smash the emperor's ancestor worship things, so he can blow it off when he goes back.

The Jingying soldiers who ran far away watched the Shandong soldiers go away, and then walked back slowly.A few bold people hurried forward to check on the situation of Hu Chuanhai and others, and saw that the companions who had been shot by the bows and arrows were dead, and only Hu Chuanhai was left moaning while clutching his thigh. Go back to the imperial envoy's carriage.

Wang Bing and Zhang Guoji got out of the car a long time ago, looking gloomy at the messy surroundings.He ordered Hu Chuanhai to be carried into the carriage, and after the two discussed a few words, they arranged for the officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp who were killed in battle to find a secluded place to bury them and mark them so that they could explain to their families when they returned to Beijing.He picked up the firecrackers and other weapons discarded all over the ground, and led the crowd to Shanxian County.

When he was about to arrive at the county seat, the guards and patrolling saw a group of officers and soldiers approaching from a distance under the banner of imperial envoys, and hurried to the county office to report to the county magistrate. , the chief bookkeeper, the inspector and other chief officials rushed to the city gate to meet them.Wang Bing and Zhang Guoji got off the carriage, and Ren Minyu and others came to greet them. Wang and Zhang didn't intend to exchange greetings, but just ordered to lead the way to the county government office, and discuss urgent matters with the county magistrate.

Ren Minyu and the others were surprised when they saw the listless, armor scattered like a defeated Beijing army. They realized that something happened to the imperial envoy, but they didn't think about it.Ren Minyu ordered the inspector to lead the Beijing battalion officers to camp at the inspector's station, arrange meals, and then lead the imperial envoy and entourage to the county government.

After the group entered the county hall and took their seats, Ren Minyu arranged for tea to be served. After Wang Bing took a sip of the tea, he slowly narrated what had happened. Ren Minyu and others were shocked after hearing this.

Leading the army to stop the imperial envoy and ask for passing money, how is this different from bandits?In the end, they even killed and wounded several officers and soldiers, which is no different from a rebellion!As civil servants, Ren Minyu and others are naturally disgusted with generals.Especially now that the world is in chaos and the thieves are being suppressed more and more, the military generals think that the court must use them to suppress the thieves, so they are becoming more arrogant and domineering, and their disrespect for the court is becoming more and more obvious.Now it has developed to the point of intercepting imperial envoys, which is a naked provocation to the imperial power.

Ren Minyu cupped his hands and said, "What's the old emperor's plan? If you have any orders, just let me know, and the officials and others will fully cooperate!"

Wang Bing said: "Now the two of us have no other choice but to go to Shusheng Shang and the imperial court to trouble your county to arrange a post-horse to deliver the title book to the capital overnight. I will wait in Guixian County!"

Ren Minyu hurriedly responded, and then Wang Bing wrote down the whole story. Ren Minyu immediately arranged for the post-horse to go to the capital with the book, and Wang and Zhang rested in Shan County for the time being.

　Some readers questioned, saying that the officers and soldiers in the eighth year of Chongzhen did not dare to intercept imperial envoys. Let me tell you here that this incident was recorded in Ming Shilu. At this time, the military discipline of the Ming Dynasty was extremely corrupt. The generals of the soldiers have been unable to control it, and this matter is the last in history. Since it is a time-traveling text, naturally it will not let it go.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)