scourge the qing dynasty

Chapter 234
Line Yu'er's heartfelt words finally moved the old traitor Wu, who was like a jackal, at the same time, Fang Guangchen, the few remaining veterans of the first generation of the Pingxi Palace, rushed to the horse, sacrificing his old face. Pleading for Fatty Lu, asking the old traitor Wu to see Fatty Lu's various credits, spare the fat man who was begging for glory from the seller, and give him a chance to redeem his crimes and make up for the loss of Pingxi Palace's leak of firearms secrets.At the same time, Fang Guangchen was also very understanding and begged for Lin Yuer's love by the way, hoping that the old traitor Wu would spare her life because of the fact that Ling Yuer is a rare filial daughter.

Fang Guangchen's face, of course, the old traitor Wu has to give it--in the Pingxi Palace, only Fang Guangchen, Liu Xuanchu and Wu Sanmei are left in the same generation as the old traitor Wu. Fang Guangchen begged for mercy, Yan Yu'er's life experience was so pitiful, and his filial piety was so touching, no matter how vicious and ruthless the old traitor Wu was, he was ashamed to continue to insist on his own opinion.

At the same time, Wu Yingjing, Zhang Zufa, Gao Dejie, and Wang Jing, who have always had a good relationship with Fatty Lu, also stepped forward to intercede for Fatty Lu. To Fatty Lu's surprise, he was not Knowing the truth, Wu Yingqi hesitated again and again, and even stood up and said a few good words for Fatty Lu, hoping that his father would spare Fatty Lu for the sake of Fatty Lu's previous achievements.

The two hundred and five sons have already said so, what else can the old traitor Wu say?So the old traitor Wu had no choice but to press Line Yuer, asking if Line Yuer was willing to commit the same crime as Fatty Lu, be dismissed from all official positions, be demoted to slavery, and go to Jiji Mountain to do lifelong hard labor together?
I believe I don’t need to go into details about how Yuer Yu answered. In short, Fatty Lu finally got a dog’s life because of this. He was exempted from the death penalty and removed from all civil and military positions amidst the sighs of regret from the imperial envoy of the Qing Dynasty and the eyeliner. Pretending to be a hard labor, Wang Ji Jishan will be a slave for life!However, after the news spread, the most suspected Shang Lao traitor, Yue Le monk Zhixin, naturally vomited blood. They jumped into the Yellow River this time, and they couldn't clear up the suspicion of monopolizing the Wu army's secret weapons and rebellion.

However, there are also priorities. For Kang Mazi, whether the old traitor Shang and Yue Le were wronged is not particularly important now. The most important thing is whether the Qing court can mobilize troops from the Huguang battlefield to go south.However, what made Kabula, the old spy leader sent by Kang Mazi restless, was that the Wu army, who had been stable for a long time, after observing the situation for a period of time, unexpectedly recruited civilian ships and recruited sailors in a grand manner, and continued to send scout ships to explore the hydrology of the Yangtze River. , Familiar with the waterway across the river - what is this plan for?Taking advantage of the fire?Added insult to injury?Or do you intend to fish in troubled waters?

Also frightened were most of the generals of the Qing army in Hanyang who were confronting the Wu army across the river in Wuchang. These generals of the Qing army who had been completely frightened by the Wu army also flocked to Tu Hai's tent one after another, asking Tu Hai to strengthen Be alert and formulate countermeasures to prevent the Wu army from crossing the river to attack!In addition, the work of preparing ships, armaments and gathering troops to go south to Fujian must also be stopped immediately!

To the amazement and bewilderment of these Qing army generals, after hearing the news, Tu Hai, the commander of the entire army, was not only unafraid, but also beamed with joy, and limped and walked much more briskly while holding on to his crutches.In addition, Zhou Peigong, Tuhai's confidant and aide, also clasped his palms together and recited Buddha's name, smiling happily, "Thank God, that old thief Wu Sangui is really short-sighted, my emperor is blessed, my emperor's blessings are as good as the heavens!"

"Bold Zhou Chang, what nonsense are you talking about?" Prince Kang Jieshu, who happened to hear Zhou Peigong muttering, was furious, and scolded: "Wu Dog recruited sailors from civilian ships, and it was clear that he wanted to cross the river and attack by force. How dare you say it was me?" Emperor Hongfu is equal to the sky? What do you mean?"

"Ah, my lord, did you hear that?" Zhou Peigong was startled, quickly knelt down on his knees, and said with a smile on his face: "Don't blame your lord, this servant is also happy, seeing through the short-sightedness of that old thief Wu Sangui, and also seeing through that old thief Wu Sangui never crossed the river." The plan to attack by force is at the two ends of Geng Jingzhong's rebellion, so I am so excited that my emperor is so blessed."

"What do you mean by that?" Jie Shu asked confusedly.

"My lord, Pei Gong is right. If the old thief Wu Sangui doesn't do this, it would be the most terrifying." Tu Hai took over the conversation and explained for his confidant lackey: "If the old thief Wu Sangui goes south to Hengzhou, or stays put, he will not make any preparations. That's the real horror. Because of the current situation, Geng Jingzhong's bandits rebelled, and the court urgently needs to mobilize Huguang troops to go south to Fujian to counter the rebellion. Xu, then once our Huguang army divides up, the old thief Wu Sangui will definitely launch a thunderous blow immediately and forcefully attack across the river!"

"But now, the old thief Wu Sangui not only did not do this, but instead recruited sailors from civilian ships, bluffing, which proved that he has no determination to forcefully cross the river." Zhou Peigong added excitedly: "Now our Huguang army has not yet divided up. Still occupying an absolute advantage in the water surface, Wu Sangui's old thief has no chance of winning by storming across the river! So I can be sure that Wu Sangui's old thief has absolutely no plan to storm Hanyang in the short term. His purpose is to contain our Huguang army and prevent us from It's just dividing troops!"

"Really? You really think so?" Jie Shu asked suspiciously.

"There is no accident!" Zhou Peigong replied decisively and triumphantly, and then said with a smile: "And the servant dared to speculate that after hearing this news, Long Live the Emperor will surely breathe a sigh of relief and stop worrying about our Huguang battle. distraction."

Zhou Peigong, the unlucky man who had been smothered by Fatty Lu, finally had a crow's mouth. After the news of Wu Jun's crossing the Yangtze River was sent back to the capital after six hundred miles, Kang Mazi, who was fidgeting in the Forbidden City, breathed a sigh of relief.After applauding repeatedly, Kang Mazi hastily issued two imperial edicts one after another in six hundred miles. The first imperial edict was given to the father-in-law Gabra, asking him to try to test the price of old traitor Wu and see what old traitor Wu is going to propose Are you willing to give up your support for Geng Jingzhong and sign a permanent non-aggression agreement with the Qing court?
Kang Mazi's second imperial decree was to Tu Hai, asking Tu Hai to send a subordinate to Beijing to face the saint and report on his duties on his behalf. Bring it with you for Kang Mazi's reference when formulating strategies.After hearing Kang Mazi's will, Tu Hai and Zhou Peigong, the super-platinum partners of Mite Qing, immediately understood that Kang Mazi was already seriously inclined to send troops from the Huguang battlefield to the south to fight the rebellion.

Of course, it was impossible for Tu Hai not to carry out Kang Mazi's will, and Zhou Peigong, Tu Hai's most trusted and beloved representative, was the representative who went to Beijing to report on his duties instead.But what Tu Hai didn't know was that Zhou Peigong, who was proud of his talents but was always covered by the brilliance of his mortal enemy Fatty Lu, had actually been waiting for such an opportunity, waiting for such a day!So after receiving the order from Tuhai, Zhou Peigong just pretended to refuse a little, and immediately agreed, and then took the deployment map of the two sides on the Huguang battlefield, and led his brother Zhou Yimin and a few confidants to ride on the fast horse, regardless of Xia. It was raining continuously, and I set foot on the road north to the capital that night.

"Cousin, don't you need to go so fast?" After being led by Zhou Peigong to go north overnight, Zhou Yimin did not dare to complain, but he also cautiously suggested: "I heard that the emperor did not ask us when to arrive in Beijing. It’s been raining heavily in Huguang for a while, cousin, you’re on your way all night, what if you accidentally get hurt by the night rain?”

"What do you know?" Without the presence of outsiders, Zhou Peigong didn't have many scruples. He laughed in the wind and rain and said, "My chance to show off my strengths has finally come! Now I can't wait to be born with wings and fly right away." When I arrive in the Forbidden City, I will fly to my master right away to show off my talent and my strategy! Let the people in the world know my name, Zhou Peigong, and my civil and military strategy. A thousand times, ten thousand times!"

........................

With excitement and anticipation, Zhou Peigong's team rushed all the way to the capital from Wuchang in only half a month, but Kang Mazi was even more anxious than Zhou Peigong. Zhou Peigong arrived in the capital on the afternoon of July 21 to report to the Ministry of Officials After that, at noon on July 22, I was summoned by Kang Mazi, and in the South Study Room of Kang Mazi's new office, in front of many of Kang Mazi's cronies.

"Slave Zhou Peigong, kowtow to the emperor, long live the emperor." Zhou Peigong, wearing a brand-new seventh-rank official uniform, patted the horseshoe sleeves smartly, knelt down on his knees, and knocked his head three times, trying to leave a brand new look for Kang Mazi. good impression.

"Why is it you again?" Kang Mazi's impatient tone made Zhou Peigong feel cold, "What does Tuhai do? I want him to send a capable person to Beijing to report on his duties. How can he send you?" coming?"

"Slave..." Zhou Peigong made a bitter face, and after a while he dared to answer: "Master, Tutang sent a slave to report to Beijing on his behalf, because since Tutang replaced the traitor Oboi to take over the whole army, the slave has been there Tutang served as a priest (secretary) next to him, and witnessed the life-and-death struggle between my Eight Banners athletes and Wu's rebel army from beginning to end, and also experienced nearly a hundred bloody battles in Guizhou, Pianyuan, and Wuchang, and was familiar with the enemy's situation , and is also familiar with the situation of our army, so in order to make it easier for the master to inquire about the military situation on the front line, Tutang sent his slaves to the capital to report on his duties."

"No wonder we lost five provinces and one prefecture in the Southwest." Suo'etu interjected darkly.Before the words fell, the South Study Room was full of ridicules, Zhou Peigong's face was ashen, he knew that Suo'etu must still remember the hatred of the past, and his anger towards him was still there, and at the same time, Zhou Peigong's resentment towards Fatty Lu inevitably increased by three points ——It's you, you goddamn fat dog, who made me like this!
"Forget it, forget it, let's do it first." Kang Mazi impatiently interrupted everyone's ridicule, and without rewarding Zhou Peiping, he directly ordered: "Submit the military deployment map of the Huguang battlefield, and send it to me by the way." All the adults will give a brief introduction."

"Tie." Zhou Peigong hurriedly kowtowed in agreement, held up the Huguang battlefield garrison map that he had been holding in his arms, raised his hands above his head, and his own eunuch came up to pick it up and forwarded it to Kang Mazi.Zhou Peigong cleared his throat again, tried to keep calm and said: "My lord, my lords, my Qing army currently has about 18 troops deployed on the Huguang battlefield, of which 5000 are stationed in Jingzhou. Bu and Baylor Shangshan commanded; about 5000 troops were stationed on the front line of Jiujiang in Nanchang, led by Beizi Zhangtai and Governor Dong Weiguo of Jiangxi; about 6 water infantry soldiers were stationed on the front line of Hanyang and Huangzhou, and confronted the main force of the Wu thieves across the river , the main generals are Tuhai Tutang, governor Cai Yurong, Belcani, and Yang Jie, governor of the Yangtze River Navy."

"Wu Thief has about 12 troops, of which about 2 are stationed in Lizhou and Songzi. The Wu Thieves' rebel army is led by the thief general Wu Guogui, who confronts us across the river, Prince Jian and Shangbel. There are about 3 rebel troops in Yuezhou, Changsha, including 2 infantry and cavalry of the rebel general Wu Yingjing, and 1 newly built naval divisions in Dongting Lake, led by the rebel general Du Hui and traitor generals Lin Xingzhu and Li Guodong. The remaining about seven The Wan army, led by the old thief Wu Sangui himself, is stationed in Wuchang, and at the same time confronts our Hanyang army and Jiujiang army."

"In addition, the Wu thief has about [-] troops stationed in Hengzhou, the south of Changsha and Binzhou, and the thief general Wei Pu..."

"Wait!" Kang Mazi interrupted Zhou Peigong violently, and shouted: "Wait, let me ask you, what did you just say, the 15 troops of the old thief Wu Sangui confronted my two heavy troops of Huguang and Jiangxi in the Qing Dynasty at the same time? Speaking of which, Wu Sangui's [-] main force has restrained my Qing Dynasty's [-] main force?"

"Master, that's true." Zhou Peigong answered boldly.

"Bastard!" Kang Mazi was furious, and roared at the table: "Your army is fully twice that of Wu Sangui's old thief, and you still fight like this? Huguang Hanyang and Nanchang Jiujiang still have the face to report urgently every day, every day!" Said that Wu Gou attacked in all directions to create friction?"

"Master, the situation ahead is very complicated, and it cannot be explained clearly in a few words." Zhou Peigong pressed his forehead to the ground, and replied tremblingly: "But Wu Gou took the initiative to attack and caused friction between the two armies many times, and it is indeed true, slave I dare to speculate that the old thief Wu Sangui may have deliberately connived and instigated the bandit soldiers to attack proactively in order to maintain morale, creating friction and taking the opportunity to eat away our scattered army of the Qing Dynasty, but our army of the Qing Dynasty is afraid of the peace treaty and dare not... "

"Shut up! I didn't ask you this!" Kang Mazi was even more angry, he slapped the table again, and shouted: "I'm asking you, why can Wu Sangui's 15 troops contain my [-] main force? You bastards have more than twice as many troops as Wu Gou, why do you still complain every day, worry every day, and fear that Wu Gou will cross the Yangtze River by force?"

"Master, fighting is not a simple comparison of military strength." Zhou Peigong cried bitterly, "except for the navy, the infantry and cavalry of the Wu dog thief army are far superior to our army, and their morale is high, their weapons and equipment are excellent, and they have great power. The new firearms are in the formation, so in the field battle, it is difficult for our Qing army to take advantage of the slightest advantage. Also, it cannot be said that the 7 main force of Wu Dog can contain the 15 main force of our Qing Dynasty. Wu Dog is stationed in Changsha and The thieves in Hengzhou and other places actually restrained our Jiangxi garrison in the Qing Dynasty."

"What about the Jingzhou battlefield?" Kang Mazi yelled and asked again: "That place is far away from the main battlefield. Why did Monk Labu Shanming clearly have the advantage in troops? When the peace treaty was not signed before, why didn't he dare to march into Wugou's place?" The hinterland of Pianyuan? Cut off the main force of Wugou and the food road behind Yunnan and Guizhou? Reduce the pressure on the main battlefield of Huguang?"

"It's over, my master doesn't understand military at all." Zhou Peigong groaned in his heart, and then he realized that Kangxi master, who has been boasted by mite masters as rare in the sky and unparalleled in the earth, is a super idiot in military affairs!In desperation, Zhou Peigong had no choice but to explain with a mournful face, "Master, the reason why Prince Jane and Shang Belle did not dare to enter the army before was because they not only had to confront the Wu dog army in Lizhou and Songzi, but also had to guard against the Wu dog army stationed in Chongqing. The dog thief army Tan Hong's department. Otherwise, once they cross the river, they will be lured into the hinterland of Pianyuan by Wu Gou, then Wu Dog and Tan Hong's department will take the opportunity to go down the river, capture the important town of Jingzhou, and cut off Prince Jane's return. , it will be difficult for a horse to return to Jiangbei..."

Zhou Peigong said that Kang Mazi's complexion turned ugly, and in the end, Kang Mazi's pockmarked face simply turned blue. The other Kang Mazi's cronies in the South Study Room also dared not take a breath, for fear of touching bad things. It attracted Kang Mazi to divert his anger, and although Zhou Peigong still didn't dare to look up, he just shut his mouth obediently when he heard Kang Mazi's heavy panting sound like a cow, and dared not say that the Wu army was far better than the Qing army in the field battle. Wu Jun's grain and grass have long been not dependent on the supply of Yunnan and Guizhou—now the two provinces behind Wu Jun's rear, Yunnan and Guizhou, have already relied on the supply of food from the newly occupied land in Pianyuan.

"They're all a bunch of trash!" Kang Mazi cursed viciously, giving himself a step up.At the end, Kang Mazi asked again: "Then when you came to the capital, did Tu Hai tell you that if we draw troops from the Huguang and Jiangxi battlefields, how many troops can we draw at most while ensuring the safety of the Yangtze River defense line?"

"Sure enough, I asked this question." Zhou Peigong was even more worried. After gritting his teeth, Zhou Peigong boldly replied: "Back to the master, Tutang and the slave have discussed it repeatedly, and think that the master can only withdraw two soldiers from the Jiangxi battlefield. Only with an army of less than [-] can it be possible to ensure that the Jiangxi battlefield is safe. But if the Huguang battlefield is to ensure the safety of the Yangtze River defense line, even a single soldier cannot be transferred."

"Zhou Peigong, aren't you too timid in Tutang?" Mingzhu asked, "There are [-] elite soldiers in the Huguang battlefield, why can't you dispatch one soldier? The Yangtze River Navy under his command is not on the surface battlefield." Do you have an absolute advantage in the air? As long as the waterway is guarded, why can't we draw troops from the land?"

"Back to Ming Zhongtang, if it were any opponent, Tutang would dare to draw troops from Hanyang and Huangzhou." Zhou Peigong had an excellent memory, and he could distinguish Mingzhu's voice from the voice, and continued to answer with his forehead on the ground: " However, because the opponent is the old thief Wu Sangui, Tutang dare not divide his troops."

"Why?" Kang Mazi asked rudely, "Why can't Wu Sangui, the old thief?"

"Because the old thief Wu Sangui..." Zhou Peigong hesitated for a while, and finally replied: "Because the old thief Wu Sangui has Lu Yifeng as a thief. His accomplishments are unrivaled in the world. During the Wuchang War, he was able to temporarily create a batch of fire bombs specially restrained by the old thief Wu Sangui during the street battle, which severely damaged the navy of our army. With him, Although my Master Qingshui has the upper hand, I can't guarantee it just in case."

Speaking of this, Zhou Peigong added tremblingly, "Master, Tutang is also loyal. For the sake of the Qing Dynasty, he did not dare to draw troops from the Huguang battlefield. The Yangtze River is the only place in the Qing Dynasty that can contain the Wugou thief army." The last line of defense, once Wu Dog successfully crosses the river, we will have no danger to defend the Central Plains of the Qing Dynasty."

When Fatty Lu's name was mentioned, Kang Mazi, who was already so angry, was almost burned to death by his own anger. He couldn't help thinking that when Fatty Lu entered Beijing, it was Zhou Peigong, Kong Sizhen, and Tu Hai who teamed up to frame Fatty Lu in every possible way. , Thousands of slanders, forced the talented Lu Fatty to the old traitor Wu's side-at least Kang Mazi thinks so.I couldn't help but come up with an idea again, to kick Zhou Peigong to death in front of me!
"Master, this servant thinks that we can temporarily put aside the issue of drawing troops from the Huguang battlefield." Suo'etu spoke again, and said cautiously: "Besides, Huguang is too far away from the grassland, so it is really inappropriate to transfer troops to the north. In the face of imminent danger, it is most appropriate to draw troops from Shaanxi and Gansu."

"Huguang is too far away from the grassland? Is it in imminent danger?" Obedient and obedient, although Suo'etu was extremely vague, Kang Mazi tried his best to block Burni's upcoming rebellion—and he had to block it, but just hearing this Zhou Peigong, who was so talented and even far above Fatty Lu, was moved by the two key words, and a thought came to his mind, "There are people in Mongolia who are going to rebel! Who is it?"

"That's the only way." Kang Mazi sighed, and ordered helplessly: "Let's draw up an order, let Eza divide [-] troops from Shaanxi and Gansu, and hand them over to Moluo. They must return to Zhangjiakou within one month from now on. We must not make the Burni thieves go south."

"It turned out to be Burni. No wonder Prince An is so unlucky. With such a son-in-law, it's hard for the master not to be suspicious." Zhou Peigong suddenly realized, and then, Zhou Peigong didn't know where a burst of courage came from, and suddenly raised his head Come on, and said loudly: "Master, there is no need to send troops from Shaanxi and Gansu. There are [-] elite soldiers available in the capital. Why don't you use them?"

"What did you say?" Kang Mazi was taken aback. It was also at this time that Zhou Peigong finally saw his final master who had been away for two years. Mazi already looked ten years older, and crow's feet even appeared at the corners of his eyes. Zhou Peigong dared not even imagine what kind of painful life his master had lived in the past two years.

"Bold! Without the master's permission, you look up at the king without permission. Do you want to assassinate the king?" Suo Etu, who hated Zhou Peigong so much, took the opportunity to explode, and shouted: "Come on, let this rude man in front of you be killed!" Zhou Peigong took it!"

"Tie!" Cao Yin and Li Xu, who were guarding the door of the South Study Room, agreed together, and rushed in together to attack Zhou Peigong.But at this moment, Kang Mazi suddenly shouted: "Stop! Let him go!"

"Tie." Cao Yin and Li Xu agreed again, obediently letting go.Zhou Peigong was frightened into a cold sweat, kowtowed his head quickly, and put his forehead on the ground again, "I am rude, I am a capital punishment, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

"Okay, I pardon you for your innocence." Kang Mazi waved his hand and ordered, "Zhou Peigong, raise your head."

"Punch." Zhou Peigong respectfully agreed, and carefully raised his face, which was definitely a hundred times more handsome than Fatty Lu's.

"Zhou Peigong, I'm asking you." Kang Mazi slowed down and asked, "You just said that I still have [-] elite soldiers in the capital. I'm asking you, where did these [-] elite soldiers come from?"

"Return to the master, just ask the master to issue an imperial edict." Zhou Peigong kowtowed vigorously, gritted his teeth and replied: "In the capital, there are definitely more than [-] strong domestic slaves in the mansions of the kings of the capital, Baylor, Beizi, and the flag masters. The number! If the master issues an imperial decree to recruit these house slaves, and appoint a noble general to lead them, with slaves as deputy, within three months, if the Burni rebellion cannot be put down, the slaves will beg to wipe out the nine clans!"

Hearing Zhou Peigong's words, Kang Mazi's numb eyes inevitably brightened, and Suo'etu said angrily: "Bold! You dog slave, do you know what you are talking nonsense? Use the servants of the kings Baylor to quell the chaos Thief, thank you for being able to tell!"

"Back to Suo Zhongtang, domestic slaves are also soldiers, and they are also our Manchus!" Zhou Peigong replied loudly: "I think when Taizu Taizong of the Qing Dynasty used troops, which one of the soldiers under his command was not a domestic slave under his banner? Didn't he sweep Liuhe as usual and wipe out all directions? , to unify the Central Plains? Although these domestic slaves are pampered and respected in the capital, and they seldom learn to fight, their blood is still full of people and their blood is still there. As long as their bloody courage is aroused, why worry about the clown in Burnie? Elder Wu Sangui Slavery for chaos?"

"Nonsense..." Suo'etu wanted to refute, but Kang Mazi yelled, "Shut up, let me think carefully!"

Suo'etu had no choice but to shut up, Mingzhu, Zhang Ying and the others did not dare to speak out, they all watched Kang Mazi tap the table with his fingers, nervously calculating.Knowing that life and death are a matter of honor and disgrace, Zhou Peigong plucked up his courage and said: "Master, it may be a way to transfer troops from Shaanxi and Gansu. In the northwest, there is Ge Erdan's ignorance of the tigers in Ningxia, Gansu. If there are no heavy troops stationed, I am afraid that turmoil will arise and chaos will arise in the northwest. It is better to use a new army. !"

Kang Mazi's constantly beating fingers stopped suddenly, and he asked hoarsely, "I can issue this imperial edict, but I don't have any military pay for you, what should you do?"

"Slaves don't want military pay!" Zhou Peigong puffed up his chest and said loudly: "Slaves don't want the master's military pay of one tael of silver, and you can still put down the rebellion in the grassland!"

Kang Mazi stared at Zhou Peigong with numb eyes. Zhou Peigong mustered up his courage and met Kang Mazi's eyes without blinking his eyelids.After a long time, Kang Mazi said in a hoarse voice, "Pingshen, tell me, what are you going to do to put down the Burni dog thieves for me?"

(End of this chapter)