Hundreds of households in Liaodong, covering the light with one hand

Chapter 399 The Gravedigger of the Ming Dynasty

The Imperial Tomb of Fengyang Mansion was originally guarded by troops, but due to the sudden outbreak of war, Wu Xiang moved all the original guards of the Imperial Tomb to the city after his arrival, hoping to help defend Fengyang Mansion.

Therefore, when Wang Qi arrived at the imperial mausoleum with more than a hundred personal guards, there was no one else here except a few old soldiers who usually cleaned up sacrifices.

"Are you here to sweep the imperial mausoleum and pay homage to the Supreme Emperor and others?" The old man was already dim-sighted. Seeing Wang Qi leading more than a hundred people all the way up the steps and walking slowly from the 100-meter Shinto Road, he felt a little confused. There was also a dirty child with a snot-filled nose hanging next to him. His eyes were wide open at this moment, looking at Wang Qi and his group curiously.

"Old Jun, my master is here to pay homage to the emperor's mausoleum. He won't disturb him and will leave in a moment." He walked up to talk to Lao Jun and handed him a piece of silver.

"Uh," Lao Jun's cloudy eyes turned to Wang Qi, and then he nodded somewhat suddenly: "I want to worship Yi Er, I want to worship Yi Er."

Wang Qi stood on the Shinto, looking solemnly at the imperial mausoleum towering in the distance, and did not speak for a long time.

This imperial mausoleum stele was written by Zhu Yuanzhang himself. The inscriptions on the stele are vigorous and majestic, which makes people fascinated when looking at it.

"This inscription alone shows how great Emperor Taizu was in sweeping across Liuhe and unifying China." Wang Qi paced slowly on the Shinto with his hands behind his back.

The gentle breeze blew the hems of his clothes, and the imperial mausoleum was quiet and solemn, making Wang Qi even more leisurely.

"Old Army, is there a vegetarian meal here?" The follower looked at Wang Qi who was immersed in the solemn scene in the distance, then turned around and asked the Old Army guarding the place.

"Coarse grain meals, I wonder if you experts are used to eating them?" Lao Jun wiped his clothes with his hand in embarrassment. Obviously, for these people, Wang Qi and others' status is already transcendent, how can they eat it? Are you used to living in rural areas?

"It doesn't matter, this is Zhai silver. Please prepare an extra portion, so my master can taste it," the attendant said, handing over the silver.

"Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir!" The old army has been guarding the imperial mausoleum here for all these years. The salary owed by the court alone is already a hundred and ten taels. Today, a nobleman suddenly came and was given a reward of thirty or fifty taels. Why not? How about making Lao Jun burst into tears of gratitude?

After walking and looking, pacing with hands behind his back, Wang Qi finally arrived at the main hall of the imperial mausoleum for about half an hour.

"Go in and burn a stick of incense." Wang Qi came today to visit the sages and pay homage to Emperor Taizu - he couldn't go to the Xiaoling Mausoleum in Nanjing City, and now Fengyang Chen is paying his respects, too.

"Sir, I'm worried that Wu Xiang from Fengyang Mansion will send troops." He followed up and wanted to remind Wang Qi.

"He doesn't dare to come," Wang Qi waved his hand and walked straight into the main hall of the imperial mausoleum.

The parents and brothers of Emperor Taizu are enshrined here. The statue of Zhu Yuanzhang himself is also worshiped here.

Standing in the hall, looking at the statue of Zhu Yuanzhang, Wang Qi was touched for a moment.

After all, he had touched the roots of the Zhu family. When facing the rightful owner, even though he was a staunch atheist, Wang Qi sighed, took three sticks of incense from the side, bowed respectfully, and then inserted them into the incense burner. .

"Emperor Taizu expelled the Tartars and restored China. He performed extraordinary feats and was a hero of the world. Today, the younger generation Wang Qi comes to worship and offer incense to Taizu!" After Wang Qi finished speaking, he bowed and worshiped again.

Not long after, Wang Qi walked out of the hall.

"It's just mediocre food that can't be served on the table. Please don't be offended, sir." The old army tremblingly put the bowl and chopsticks on the table for Wang Qi. The child with a runny nose looked at Wang Qi with fear and put the two boiled food in the bowl. The cooked yellow-skinned eggs were placed on the table and then pushed to Wang Qi.

"For you to eat," Wang Qi peeled the egg and handed it to the child with a smile.

The child sniffled, first turned to look at Lao Jun, and after Lao Jun nodded, he stretched out his dirty little hand to take the egg in Wang Qi's hand, sniffed it with his nose, and then licked his lips. He ate it in big gulps.

"Old Jun, how long have you been here?" Wang Qi asked while eating the blackened rice in the bowl.

"In the 23rd year of Wanli, after I was injured in the expedition to Korea, I was sent here to guard the imperial mausoleum," the old army said, rolling up his hem, revealing half of his empty trouser legs: "It has been folded long ago. No matter what I do, it will not work. Now, I’m here to sweep the tombs, look at the imperial mausoleums, and wait to die.”

"Do you know how many soldiers there are in Fengyang City now?" Wang Qi divided five by two three times, then swallowed the hard and tooth-grinding rice in the bowl, wiped his mouth, picked up the teapot on the side, and thought of himself. Pour a glass.

The tea leaves were the leaves of big trees, probably picked randomly from the roadside, and then brewed as tea leaves to taste.

"Old Jun, how do I know this?" Lao Jun opened his mouth, showing his yellow teeth, and smiled vaguely: "Sir, are you going to Fengyang Mansion?"

After looking at the old army for a while, Wang Qi said: "There is an old friend in Fengyang."

"Oh, I heard that in the north, the Duke of Qi led his troops to besiege Fengyang. The old army advised you not to go there because all life was about to be ruined." The old army shook his head like a rattle.

"Fengyang Mansion is not that easy to take down," Wang Qi said with a smile, "I won't go back to die. Thank you Laojun for reminding me."

After listening to Wang Qi's words, Lao Jun stuffed the dry tobacco bag into his mouth and took two strong puffs. The smoke came out from the end of his nose, and then was sucked back suddenly. After a while, he slowly exhaled. Lao Jun's mood was obviously a bit complicated. .

"If a war starts, how many people will die? How many people will be separated, and how many children as young as dogs will starve to death on the roadside?" The old army looked at Wang Qi with his cloudy eyes, begging with intention, and then seemed to want something for him. To ease the awkward atmosphere, he solemnly took out the rolled leaves he had wrapped from his waist, handed them to Wang Qi and said, "Try it?"

Looking at the cigarette leaves in Lao Jun's hand, Wang Qi finally smiled.

He took it casually, and then the waiter beside him helped light it.

Take a deep breath and suddenly the smoke fills the air.

Wang Qi's whole person seemed to have returned to the days of 996 in his previous life. This feeling is really nostalgic.

The leaves of a cigarette burned out in just one breath. When the last trace of smoke came out of Wang Qi's mouth, the atmosphere in the whole room suddenly relaxed.

"Thank you, veteran, for your hospitality."

Wang Qi stood up and saluted the old army.

"My lord, it's fine if you don't mind the simplicity of the house." The old army didn't dare to accept Wang Qi's courtesy, so he stood up in a hurry.

"Farewell," Wang Qi nodded, turned and left.

More than a hundred people outside the house followed him and left.

During the breath, the huge imperial mausoleum seemed as if no one had been there. The autumn wind had fallen leaves, and no one cared about it.

"Grandpa, who is that person?" The child still held an egg tightly in his hand and asked with his little face raised.

"Him?" Old Jun's turbid eyes seemed to have penetrated the hundred-step-long Shinto. When he saw Wang Qi riding his horse away, he murmured: "He is the gravedigger of the Ming Dynasty." He had just left the imperial mausoleum. , then a scout came with a message.

"Sir, Xiong Tingbi has already set off. Starting from Suzhou, he will arrive outside Chuzhou City around the day after tomorrow!"

It was a letter from Qin Erbao. According to the plan, after Xiong Tingbi led the army to leave, Qin Erbao and Lu Xiangsheng would lead the army to withdraw from Fengyang Mansion and make a gesture of besieging Nanjing City.

Folding the letter, Wang Qi's eyebrows became more and more serious.

The conversation between the veterans at the imperial mausoleum just now gave Wang Qi a sense of urgency in his heart.

Revolution has always been a blood-stained road. We cannot be too slow and cannot take care of everything!

For half a year, Wang Qi has been working and planning for the stability of the parliament and the stability of surrounding provinces in Beijing.

On the one hand, no one dares to take the lead in Beijing!

On the other hand, Wang Qi wants to wait for Zhu Youjian's forces in Nanjing to consolidate, and then catch them all in one fell swoop!

The time has come now, we can’t wait any longer!

Although people's hearts are hard to change, no matter what, with military power in hand, no hard neck can withstand the edge of a knife.

Twenty thousand people?

Wang Qi turned to look in the direction of the imperial mausoleum: Emperor Taizu was born as a beggar and became the emperor. I have 20,000 elite soldiers, can't I dominate the world?

"Go back and tell Qin Erbao and Lu Xiangsheng that they will lead the troops directly towards Chuzhou. I will complete my victory in one battle! Completely wipe out the 150,000 troops in Nanjing City within a month!"

"I obey, little one!!!"

Not long after, the scouts were ordered to leave.

"Sir, what about us?" Although the more than a hundred personal guards around Wang Qi are capable, if they encounter several times the enemy, Wang Qi's own safety cannot be guaranteed.

"Go to Chuzhou," Wang Qi reined in his horse tightly: "When Emperor Taizu established the world in Chuzhou, I also want to go there to see what this world's artifact is!"

----

Xiong Tingbi's troops were moving very fast. From their departure at midnight yesterday to later today, they had traveled more than a hundred miles and were only fifty miles away from Chuzhou Prefecture.

Because the news came that Wang Qi was going south to Fengyang Mansion, Nanjing City mobilized almost all the soldiers and horses from the south to Fengyang, hoping to kill Wang Qi's 20,000 men in Fengyang Mansion in one fell swoop, so the rest of the city was almost occupied by old people. The city was empty and almost undefended.

This is not to say that other prefectures and counties are not important, but that the gate position of Fengyang Prefecture is determined by Nanjing City. Wang Qi will never dare to cross Fengyang Prefecture and go south to attack other prefectures and counties. Otherwise, he will be attacked from both sides and the gain will not be worth the loss!

Anyone who knows the military knows this truth.

And Wang Qi, as one of the world's leading soldiers, would never make this mistake again.

Therefore, the current situation in Chuzhou Prefecture is that the city is empty and waiting for entry.

"It's the rebels who are coming with their troops!"

"The cannibal king from the north has arrived in Chuzhou from Beijing!"

"Where are the soldiers and horses of Fengyang Mansion? Why didn't they stop them? Has Fengyang been lost?"

When Xiong Tingbi's army appeared on the distant horizon, the entire Chuzhou Prefecture, and even the city of Nanjing, fell into great panic.

Xiong Tingbi came in person with his troops, but where was Wang Qi?

Hearing this news, Zhu Youjian almost rubbed the soles of his feet and headed south to Fujian with a temporary civil and military team.

"Your Majesty! Why be anxious?" Zuo Guangdou, Yang Lian, and Yuan Keli have been summoned by Zhu Youjian almost every day these days, and they almost live together from morning to early evening.

Zuo Guangdou was really unhappy when facing Zhu Youjian who was constantly pacing in the hall and panicked when he heard Wang Qi's name.

Wang Qi is not a demon king with three heads and six arms. No matter how powerful he is, he is still a human being made of flesh and blood.

Can he still fly over the tall walls of Nanjing City and really come to the palace?

"I'm not in a hurry, it's just a little hard to understand," Zhu Youjian held the urgent note from the Chuzhou Prefecture in his hand, shook it in the air, and said with a look of panic on his face: "Where is Wang Qi? Isn't he in Fengyang Mansion? Suzhou, more than a hundred miles north? Why did Xiong Tingbi appear outside Chuzhou City overnight?"

"Does he want to bypass Fengyang Mansion and occupy Chuzhou?" Yang Lian was calm, without the slightest panic, and was still analyzing the current situation: "Mr. Yuan, in your opinion, occupying Chuzhou is a big deal for only 20,000 people. What can we get from the rebel army?"

Yuan Keli was the only person sitting here who knew the military. At this moment, when Yang Lian asked, the eyes in the hall also gathered.

"Before I came here, I saw the map of Chuzhou Prefecture. In my opinion, if we occupy Chuzhou Prefecture, our Fengyang army is in the north, the strong city of Nanjing is in the south, and Hefei Prefecture and Yangzhou Prefecture are in the east and west. It will be difficult to capture it. , If this happens, Wang Qi will be surrounded by me and this will be a dead end." Yuan Keli gently stroked his beard, with doubts on his brows.

It stands to reason that with Wang Qi's style of conduct and military tactics, he would never make such a mistake!

"According to Yuan Aiqing's wishes," Zhu Youjian took two steps forward after listening to the analysis, and his saliva almost splashed into Yuan Keli's face: "If he takes Chuzhou, Wang Qi will definitely lose?!"

How could "Chen" Yuan Keli dare to fight for such a guarantee? Besides, he was facing Wang Qi! How could Yuan Keli be sure that Wang Qi would be defeated by a man of heaven who killed Jiannu like a dog and destroyed a kingdom of ten thousand chariots in a breath?

"I think," Yuan Keli coughed twice and considered: "If Wang Qi really appears in Chuzhou Mansion, he can be surrounded by troops and annihilated. As for the specific situation, a letter must be sent to Wu Xiang, Zuo Liangyu and others. According to the battlefield Let the generals in front of the battle make their own judgment on the situation!"

"Hiss" Zhu Youjian nodded thoughtfully, put his hands behind his back, and started pacing again.

In the hall, Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou looked at each other with worry in their eyes.

This emperor seems to be too headstrong and impetuous. To his ministers, he is not a good king!

"Where is Xiang Quanzhong?" After a while, Zhu Youjian suddenly asked.

"In response to your majesty, I will call Quanzhong to summon all the soldiers and horses from all over the world and gather at the mouth of Zhenjiang. It is about three hundred miles away from Chuzhou. If we march in a hurry, we can get there in three days. If we go by water, it will be faster!" Regarding this matter, the Ministry of War reported this matter to the Ministry of War. Zuo Guangdou was very clear about what happened.

"Fifty thousand soldiers and horses, have you recruited them all?" Zhu Youjian had already sat back on the throne.

"This" Yuan Keli shook his head: "Back to Your Majesty, ten days have passed and only more than 10,000 troops have been gathered."

"Ten thousand soldiers and horses?" Zhu Youjian slapped the table: "Including the more than 100,000 soldiers and horses of Fengyang Mansion, the total is more than 110,000!"

"One hundred and ten thousand versus twenty thousand, the advantage is mine!"

"Pass the decree, soldiers and horses from Fengyang and Zhenjiangkou will immediately move day and night to encircle and suppress Wang Qi in Chuzhou Mansion! The thieves who are stealing the country and upholding the government will be destroyed in Chuzhou!"

Zhu Youjian said, suddenly stood up, and the confidence returned to his face: "I! I want to see Wang Qi's head within three days!"

(End of this chapter)