scourge the qing dynasty

Chapter 219
I chatted for a while with a few hard-core lackeys who had finally spent money to redeem them. I saw that none of the hard-core lackeys were defeated by the shame and humiliation of being captured by the Wu army, nor did they lose their confidence and fighting spirit to lead the army to fight again. Rushing to lead the army to conquer the Wu army again, Kang Mazi, who was already stretched in terms of dispatching troops and generals, finally breathed a sigh of relief, and ordered: "Prince Kang, King Shunjun, King Pingnan, you three lovers kneel down first!" Ann, go back to rest and wait for the will to arrange, I still have some things to talk to Prince An alone."

"Long live the emperor, long live long live." Jie Shu, Monk Le Erjin and the old traitor did not dare to neglect, they got up and kowtowed together, and left respectfully, leaving Kang Mazi, uncle and nephew Yue Le in the Hall of Mental Cultivation Private talk.

There were no other outsiders present, but Kang Mazi was not in a hurry to speak. A pair of small scorched yellow eyes just stared at Yue Le closely. Under this kind of gaze like a poisonous snake staring at a frog, Yue Le, who had a clear conscience, had no reason. Feeling flustered for a while, cold sweat seeped out of his forehead little by little, and slid down his cheeks drop by drop, drenching the brand new court clothes.After such a long silence, Kang Mazi finally opened his mouth and called out, "Prince An."

"Slave..., the slave is here." Yue Le agreed in a panic, got up and knelt down on his knees even more panicked, but because he was too nervous, he almost tripped himself, and knelt down in front of Kang Mazi in embarrassment. His sweaty forehead was pressed to the ground, and he didn't even dare to take a breath.

"I just called you and didn't say anything. Why are you nervous, my lord?" Kang Mazi smiled, very satisfied with his majestic aura.

"The emperor Tianwei, the slave lost his temper, please forgive me." Yue Le replied tremblingly.

"How could I care about such a trivial matter?" Kang Mazi smiled, then suddenly raised his voice and said, "But Prince An, I don't dare to ignore the rumors about you that have appeared in the people and the army recently. .”

"I'm going to die!" Yue Leru was struck by lightning, kowtowed desperately, and said in a crying voice, "I've heard about the rumors my master said, but I can swear to God, if I have such disobedience, I am willing to be punished by heaven and earth, and die by being struck by five lightnings! These rumors were deliberately spread by the Wu Dog bandit army to drive a wedge between the master and the servants! Please learn from the master!"

"Really?" Kang Mazi smiled, and asked again: "Then the Wu Dog bandits don't make rumors about others, but they want to make rumors about you? Tu Hai is the front-line commander, holds the military power, and Prince Jane is also on the front line Why didn't Wu Gou create rumors about them when they were leading the army alone? Prince Kang and King Shunjun were already in Wu Gou's hands. Why didn't the old thief Wu Sangui use them to make a fuss about you? Why did he focus on you? "

"Your servant doesn't know either!" Yue Le wanted to cry without tears, kowtowed desperately, and defended, "I really don't know why the old thief Wu Sangui attaches so much importance to this servant, but he wants to spread rumors from him. I don't understand, this servant!" I really don't know!"

"I'm afraid that the flies don't stare at the seamless eggs?" Kang Mazi sneered loudly, and asked, "Prince An, I'm here to ask you, when you and the traitor Aobai led the troops southward, did you ever say in front of Aobai—— You are lenient on the outside and jealous on the inside, like him, you are a wronged minister who is suspected by me. You must act carefully, so as not to arouse my suspicion and jealousy even more? Now, I would like to ask you personally, what exactly is my suspicion of you? Do you doubt your point? When my father and emperor passed away, did you cut off your auxiliary government power?"

Yue Le was completely frightened, limp on the ground and trembling all over, as if he was shaking, he never thought that the few complaints he and Ao Bai said in private would reach Kang Mazi's ears .

"Don't you have anything to say?" Kang Mazi smiled proudly at his cousin, and asked again: "I'll ask you again, when Oboi's traitor sent troops, the designated deputy was General Fuyuan Tuhai. Why did he arrive in Yunnan and Guizhou? The border suddenly promoted you to be the deputy commander of the whole army, leaving aside Tu Hai, and adjudicating important military affairs with you alone?"

Yue Le opened his mouth. He originally wanted to explain that Oboi found out that the leader of Tuhai likes to disturb the people, and also found out that Tuhai sent people to spy on Oboi, and also found out that he and Oboi had similar interests in leading the army. He made a temporary decision, but when the words came to his lips, he suddenly remembered that Tu Hai secretly monitored Oboi was instructed by Kang Mazi, so he quickly closed his mouth again—this time, he didn’t want to force the ruthless Kang Mazi cut himself what?
In desperation, Yue Le had no choice but to kowtow again, and said with tears in his eyes: "The death penalty for the servant is only because the servant is weak in nature, good at flattery, and pleases the traitor Aobai, so the old thief Aobai made a temporary adjustment, so that the slave and the slave Tu Hai exchanged positions, the slave flattered the thief, and deserved to die. But the slave can swear to the sky, the slave has the courage to dare to be disrespectful to the master, let alone usurp Heart!"

"If you had even the slightest intention of usurping, how could I keep you until now?" Kang Mazi asked coldly.

Yue Le was dripping with cold sweat, knelt on the ground and dared not move, but his body trembled even more involuntarily.Kang Mazi said coldly again: "Now, you should understand what it means that flies don't stare at seamless eggs? You are not standing upright, and you can blame the enemy for taking advantage of you to make troubles on you? If you are like other Like Prince Baylor, who treats the court and the world with a public heart, serves the master and business with loyalty, no concealment, no selfishness, how can the old thief Wu Sangui come to exploit, and how can he create rumors?"

"The slave is guilty of death, the slave is not upright, let Wu Gou take advantage of it, the slave suffers on his own, the slave deserves death!" Yue Le did not dare to cry out if he was wronged, or to complain if he was suffering, so he could only kowtow desperately, tearing Kang Mazi Take the charges imposed on yourself.

"It's good to understand that it's your own fault. It proves that you are not hopeless." Kang Mazi snorted coldly, and then ordered: "Get up, read that you did a good job in the Southwest War. The last elite of the Qing Dynasty withdrew to Pianyuan to save the last trace of vitality for our Qing army, and I will not pursue your party's crime of being attached to Oboi."

"Slave, thank the emperor for his kindness, thank the emperor for his kindness." Yue Le hurriedly kowtowed to thank him, and then climbed up tremblingly. It was only at this moment that Yue Le realized that even in such a cold day as the beginning of spring in February, his whole body underwear had been covered. Drenched in cold sweat.

"Prince An, don't get me wrong." Kang Mazi said arrogantly again: "I called you back to the capital from the front line and deprived you of your military power. This small trick can't be hidden from my eyes. The reason I called you back is because you are still barely a talent, so I plan to give you a chance to make meritorious deeds."

"Please tell me, my master, this servant will go through fire and water, do his best, and die." Yue Le quickly replied.

"I want you to lead an army to escort Pingnan King Shang Kexi to the south." Kang Mazi suddenly lowered his voice, and said darkly, "I want you to go to Guangdong, and the monk is happy to join hands to control the Guangdong army for me and contain Wu. The dog's Eastern Front Army also restrained Fujian Gengfan from behind, ensuring that the southeast's financial and taxation areas are safe!"

"Let the slaves go to the Eastern Front?" Yue Le's head was dizzy, and he almost fell to the ground again——The situation in the Guangdong battlefield of the Qing army is a hundred times more critical than that of the Yangtze River battlefield. To the west is the Wu Army's Wu Shizong Department, to the north is Geng Jingzhong, and to the east is Taiwan Zheng. The classics, the south is the vast ocean, surrounded by enemies, no relatives, if there is an accident, you can't even count on reinforcements!

"That's right, besides you, I can't think of a better candidate." Kang Mazi didn't seem to see Yue Le's pale face, but said darkly: "Before this, I originally It is estimated that Shang Kexi only needs one person, but the situation is different now! I received a secret report that during the time when Shang Kexi was unfortunately captured, Shang Zhixin, Shang Kexi’s unfilial son, fabricated crimes and killed Shang Kexi’s cronies Jin Guang, Huang Zhangsi and others have completely controlled the Pingnan Palace, Shang Kexi, if they go back here, they will be taken away!"

"Different from the loyal Shang Aiqing, the thief Shang Zhixin's ambition is not inferior to that of the old thief Wu Sangui, and there are accurate reports showing that the thief Shang Zhixin and the old thief Wu Sangui secretly communicated and communicated frequently. With the heart of disobedience. Therefore, I will use your shrewdness and bravery to help Shang Aiqing regain the military power in Guangdong and ensure that the important area of ​​Guangdong is safe! Otherwise, once Shang Zhixin's dog thief falls to the old thief Wu Sangui , Zheng Ni and Geng Fan have nothing to worry about, then Jiangnan, the wealthiest place in the Qing Dynasty, must be in danger!"

Yue Le's face turned gray, and only then did he understand why Kang Mazi forgave himself so easily - it turned out that he planned to use himself to death!Although Wu Jun now agrees to a truce, the purpose is only to recuperate. Once Wu Jun recovers from his unsteady foothold, the war will inevitably resume!After the resumption of the war, for the safety of the Eastern Front, the Wu army will inevitably attack Guangdong, or induce Shang Zhixin to rebel against the Qing, or directly occupy it by force. If Taiwan Zheng Jing and Fujian Geng Jingzhong launch an attack together, the Guangdong Qing army will become I have become a completely alone army, as long as I am a little careless, I will be smashed to pieces, and I will never recover!
Thinking of this, Yue Le suddenly shuddered, and suddenly thought of something deeper - it turned out that Kang Mazi was still guarding himself!If you put yourself on the Yangtze River battlefield or the Hanzhong battlefield to guard against the Wu army in Sichuan, then once you rebel, you will inevitably cause heavy losses to the Qing army, but if you put yourself on the Guangdong battlefield, even if you want to rebel, you will not find it The object, not only will not cause major losses, but also can take the opportunity to test their loyalty and discern whether they have the intention to usurp the throne and stand on their own feet!Only Kang Mazi, who was more insidious than his father, could figure out such a sinister and vicious mind?

"What? Lord An doesn't want to go?" Kang Mazi looked Yue Le up and down, and said in a dark voice, "Lord An, I have high hopes for you, so please don't let me down. Of course, if you don't want It doesn’t matter whether you dare to go or not, I will find someone else to bring your whole family with me, and go back to my hometown in Shengjing tomorrow to take care of the elderly! From now on, you don’t have to enter the customs anymore.”

Yue Le's body shook, and he quickly knelt down on both knees, kowtowed and said: "I am willing to go, master, please rest assured, even if the slave is broken to pieces, I will guard Guangdong for the master, wait for the opportunity to recover Guangxi, enter the hinterland of Yunnan and Guizhou, and capture Wu Sangui alive for the master. The old thief and the whole family!"

"Very good! I knew Prince An would definitely not refuse!" Kang Mazi applauded, got up and walked in front of Yue Le, helped Yue Le himself, and said hypocritically: "But you should also be careful, my lord. Guangdong is surrounded by enemies. There is no help, even if there is any accident, it will be difficult for me to provide reinforcements for you, Wang Ye, so Wang Ye, you must cherish yourself and take care of yourself."

"Thank you, the emperor, for your concern. This slave must take care of himself and swear to repay the grace of the Holy God." Yue Le answered bravely.

"This is the best." Kang Mazi's expression was even more joyful, and he took Yue Le's hand and said: "Prince An, I really didn't want you to go deep into dangerous places, but Guangdong is too important, and the east and west are the imperial court's sworn enemies." Geng Jingzhong in the north is ambitious, if there is another accident in Guangdong, a few thieves will have nothing to worry about, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, the wealth of the imperial court, will be in danger. So there is no way, I can only ask you, my lord, to take up this important burden, I am right You don't have too many demands, as long as you defend Guangdong and put down Wugou, I will give you the first credit!"

"The slave will do his best to not let the master down." Yue Le forced a smile, but the smile was uglier than crying.

………………

Under Kang Mazi's insidious arrangement, Yue Le, who was suspected of usurping, had no choice but to lead 12 elite soldiers to escort Pingnan King Shang Kexi to the crisis-ridden Qing army Guangdong on the fourth day of February [-]. On the battlefield, go there to suppress Shang Zhixin's imminent move for Kang Mazi, prevent Wu Jun's eastward advance and Zheng Jing's landing in Taiwan, and also contain Fujian Geng Jingzhong, who is ignorant of the tiger's attention to the most taxed place in the south of the Qing Dynasty!There are hidden dangers inside and powerful enemies outside, whether Yue Le will have a chance to return to Beijing, not only Yue Le himself has no idea, but Kang Mazi also has no idea.

But it doesn't matter, anyway, for Kang Mazi, on his national chessboard, the Guangdong Qing army is already an orphan and abandoned son who is difficult to keep. Instead of sending other loyal lackeys to die in vain, it is better to let Yue Le, an unreliable Dangerous people go to try their luck, miracles are the best, even if they can't keep it, it doesn't matter, firstly, there is nothing to lose, secondly, by using Wu Geng and Zheng Jing's hands to get rid of Yue Le, you don't have to let Kang Mazi carry it on his back. The charge of killing his uncle.

On the same day, Kang Mazi made another major strategic adjustment. He appointed Eza, the king of Duoluo County, as the general of Dingyuan Pingkou, and Mo Luo, the former governor of Shanshan and Shaanxi and the current minister of the Ministry of punishment, was his deputy. They rushed to the northwest together to lead the organization. The Shaanxi-Gansu soldiers and horses defended Hanzhong to prevent the Wu army Wang Pingfan from going north, and waited for an opportunity to counterattack Sichuan.

On the frontal battlefield of the Yangtze River, Kang Mazi withstood the pressure and insisted on continuing to use Fuyuan General Tuhai, who had gradually become familiar with the tactics and tactics of the Wu army, as the commander-in-chief to restrain Prince Jane Labu, Baylor Shangshan, Tsani, governor of the three provinces Cai Yurong and Jiangxi. Governor Dong Weiguo and other soldiers and horses, relying on the natural danger of the Yangtze River, tried their best to prevent the main force of the Wu army from going northward and eastward. It has to be admitted that, judging from Tuhai's performance in the history of the San Francisco Rebellion, Kang Mazi's decision was indeed extremely wise.

In addition, in order to ensure that the most deadly tax-heavy land in the south of the Yangtze River is safe, Kang Mazi mobilized the most reliable Eight Banners soldiers and horses, such as Niyahan, Xibu, Mahada and Echu, to rush to Anqing by land and water, and strangle Wu Jundong. Enter the throat, and form a double insurance with the Dong Weiguo Department of the Qing Army in Nanchang Prefecture to ensure the safety of Jiangnan.

At the same time, the recruitment of new troops of the Qing army was also in full swing. In order to provide the new army with military salaries and weapons, Kang Mazi acquiesced in the new Governor of Liangjiang, Axixu, to extort money in Liangjiang. He found various excuses and copied hundreds of Jiangnan. The money, food, and silver obtained from the home of a wealthy gentry were sent to various places in the north through the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the Yangtze River waterway in an endless stream, and turned into armies, war horses, weapons, military uniforms, and warships...

Time passed day by day, and as the situation and people's hearts gradually stabilized, the Qing court, which had been terrified by Wu Jun's overwhelming offensive, finally settled down. Mazi also finally enjoyed some happiness of being a slave chief, but there was one more thing that worried Kang Mazi, that is, the Qing court never made any progress in imitating Wu Jun's firearms.Even Kang Mazi, at the price of acquiescing to the Raksha State to occupy the Nerchinsk region, managed to borrow the first-class firearms craftsman from the Raksha State, but he couldn't make the new gunpowder and new firearms that Wu Jun would display in the southwest battlefield. .

One night more than a month later, when Kang Mazi was worried about the new firearms, Kong Sizhen, the number one spy under Kang Mazi's command, reported to Kang Mazi the latest official movements as usual. Kong Sizhen asked: "Pingnan King, is there any news? How is the person you sent to assist him in trapping Lu Yifeng's wife and children?"

"The slave sent someone to assist King Pingnan in trapping Lu Yifeng's wife and children?" Kong Sizhen was stunned, and asked in surprise, "When did it happen? Why doesn't the slave remember that the master made such a decree?"

"What? You don't know about this?" Kang Mazi was also taken aback, and said in doubt: "It was the first month of last month. I agreed with King Pingnan to trap Lu Yifeng's wife and son, and I told him to let him Please give me some pointers to help him handle this errand, why, Prince Pingnan didn't ask you for advice?"

"No?" Kong Sizhen's head was full of bewilderment, and it took a long time to wake up, and exclaimed: "I understand, it must be that Prince Pingnan is arrogant and thinks that he can handle this job well, so he didn't ask the slave Bring it up."

"It's possible. With Prince Pingnan's temper, such a thing can be done." Kang Mazi also came to his senses, and secretly scolded the old man Shang for being a traitor and underestimating the enemy. If you ask for advice, forget it! Remember, this matter must be kept secret, if it is leaked, be careful of your head!"

"Cover." Kong Sizhen respectfully agreed, but was hesitating in her heart—should I inform that fat man about this matter?
"Why don't you kneel down?" Seeing that Kong Sizhen didn't kneel down as usual, Kang Mazi couldn't help laughing lewdly, and asked, "Do you want my favor again? If so, kneel down, I just used deer blood, Come and give me a flute."

"Shameless!" Kong Sizhen cursed inwardly, kneeling helplessly in front of Kang Mazi's seat, using both hands and mouth, he began to move with shame and humiliation, while thinking in his heart, "Wow, I didn't expect that old bastard Shang Kexi to hit me crookedly. You lied to me, so I didn't have time to prepare in advance. I haven't found that crazy person yet, and I don't have anyone reliable around me, so I'll report to the dead fat man directly. If the news leaks, I don't want to say revenge. Can I save my life? , I am afraid it is a big problem."

"Fatty man, why should I risk my head to save your wife and son?" With a flattering and charming smile on her pretty face, Kong Sizhen, who has always been selfish, suddenly had a bad thought in her heart, "You fat man, don't you hate me?" Is the old lady dirty? The old lady has treated you like that, and you don’t even want to look at the old lady. If this is the case, why should the old lady risk her life for your wife and son? Besides, if you really trust the old lady, you should give it to me. The old lady provided a direct contact channel so that the old lady can provide you with the news safely, did you do this in the end?"

Thinking about this, Kong Sizhen suddenly remembered another thing - just yesterday, the spy of the Thirteenth Yamen reported to him that there was information showing that there used to be a lay steward named Yang Qilong in the Great Buddha Temple in the capital, who once worked for Wu Yingxiong in the capital. Secretly purchased two shops to set up the Eight Banners Fushou Cream Museum. Wu Yingxiong disappeared after being captured. Recently, he appeared in the Tangtai Mountain area in the northwest of the capital, and then disappeared again. It is suspected that he is spying on the Pingxi Palace. Would you like to use a lot of manpower and material resources to search?
"Tangtai Mountain in the northwest of the capital?" Recalling this, Kong Sizhen couldn't help but think of something again, "Isn't there also a temple there? It seems to be called Dajue Temple, right? Since Yang Qilong has worked as a layman in Dafo Temple, would he just Hiding in the Dajue Temple? Am I right, take some time to go to Dajue Temple and try my luck?"

"Ah!" At this time, less than half a hour later, Kang Mazi suddenly roared comfortably, holding Kong Sizhen's head firmly with both hands, and began to squirt to his heart's content.Kong Sizhen felt nauseous for a while, but she still had tears in her eyes, forcing herself to swallow...

(End of this chapter)