scourge the qing dynasty

Chapter 389

Back in time, when the news of Wu Guogui’s initiative to attack Guo Zhuangtu was sent back to Kunming, the news was confirmed. The first order of Guo Zhuangtu, the actual ruler of the small court in Honghua, was to send Wu Guogui’s younger brother Yuan Xinxing Wu Guoren, the chief of the Firearms Battalion, was arrested and immediately ordered to beheaded. The civil and military officials of the Honghua court headed by Feng Su, Guo Chang, Laidu, and Lu Shuzi hurriedly stopped him. They all said that Wu Guoren had not actually participated in Wu Guogui's rebellion. The hearts of the former officials of the palace were chilling, and they pushed all those who could have been won over to Wu Guogui's side, making it even more difficult to deal with.

Wang Shirong, who only got a position as a Zhongshu Sheren in the Honghua court, also stood up and warned, saying that Wu Yingqi and his son were killed in Wu Guogui's mutiny, and Wu Yingqi deserved his punishment. It is possible to turn hostility into friendship, but if Guo Zhuangtu kills Wu Guoren again, not only will the road to peace be completely blocked, but the Wu clan will also completely break with Guo Zhuangtu.

After listening to the civil and military officials' remonstrance, Guo Zhuangtu remained silent for a long time, and then he let out a long sigh. He looked at the gray sky outside the hall, and said to himself: "Isn't it that I'm in an unending situation with the Wu clan? ?”

Wang Shirong, Feng Su, Che Wenlong and others were silent, knowing that what Guo Zhuangtu said was all the truth. Given the current situation, the conflict between Guo Zhuangtu and the Wu clan is indeed difficult to resolve. Once the Wu clan regains power, Guo Zhuangtu's family will surely die without a place to bury them. The more Guo Zhuangtu prevents the Wu clan from taking power, the more hatred and hostility the Wu clan will have against Guo Zhuangtu. If Guo Zhuangtu insists on killing the Wu clan , then in order to protect themselves, the Wu clan can only talk to Guo Zhuangtu with swords and guns, forming an endless loop that no one can break. Unless one party falls, this death struggle will never end.

"Some people say that I am powerful, and they say that I coerce the emperor to order the princes and control the government." Guo Zhuangtu said to himself again, "But am I not arbitrarily powerful? The emperor is only 12 years old, can he control this chaotic situation? Can the Great Zhou be stable? The Wu family accused me of killing Wu Yingqi and his son, but can I not kill Wu Yingqi and his son? Put Wu Yingqi back to Wuchang, he brought Wu Shicong and Lu Yifeng to rebel, and Da Zhou immediately brought disaster to Xiao Qiang , torn apart. You are all parties involved, you say, I killed Wu Yingqi and his son, is it for myself, or for the great Zhou's country?"

All the civil and military officials in the Honghua court nodded silently. They all understood that Guo Zhuangtu had no choice but to kill Wu Yingqi and his son. The two factions fought against each other and fell into civil war; the same is true if Wu Yingqi is killed but Wu Shicong is not.Therefore, although Guo Zhuang tried to kill Wu Yingqi and his son, there were selfish factors, but from the overall point of view, it was for the sake of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and for the good of Wu Shifan!

"Guo Xiang, you can only make two preparations." Fatty Lu's Dali parent officer Feng Su suggested: "One is to actively prepare for the war, guard the dangerous passes of Yunnan and Guizhou, and prevent the rebels from going south; the other is to send envoys to contact the rebels and communicate with all General Lu contacted and presented Wu Yingqi's confession of attempted rebellion, explained the difficulties of killing Wu Yingqi and his son, won the support of generals who were not from the Wu clan, and appeased the Wu clan to negotiate peace with them and strive for a peaceful end."

"That's the only way to go." Guo Zhuangtu sighed, and then said: "Everyone, hurry up and discuss how to deploy defenses in Yunnan and Guizhou, how to appease the Wu clan, and how to win the support of other generals?"

After some discussions, relying on the team of the old traitor Wu to stay in Yunnan and Guizhou, a plan for the defense of Yunnan and Guizhou was quickly formulated. The defense of Guizhou was presided over by Li Benshen, the general in charge of Guizhou, and Guo Zhuangxing, Guo Zhuangtu’s younger brother, was assisted. He personally presided over the assignment of troops and horses to strictly guard the dangerous passes and important cities. At the same time, Dong Zhongmin, the governor of Guangdong and Wu Jun, was appointed as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.Fortunately, there are still more than 3 troops in Yunnan and Guizhou, and there are enough firearms. There is no need to worry about food and grass at the beginning of the autumn harvest, so the small court of Honghua will not be able to support it for a while.

When it was their turn to discuss appeasement of the Wu clan, the civil and military officials of the Honghua court had a difficult time, because the Wu clan who had been prosecuted by the teacher would definitely ask Guo Zhuangtu to hand over power no matter whether he accepted the appeasement or not. A little bit of Guo Zhuangtu would certainly not agree.Therefore, the Honghua court could only decide to send envoys to visit Wu Guogui, bestow high-ranking officials with titles, explain that Wu Yingqi was killed out of helplessness, and try to persuade Wu's clan to stop fighting—of course, this is also basically impossible. Guo Zhuangtu, who killed Wu Yingqi, father and son, would continue to be in power. The Wu clan would neither agree nor dare to rest assured.

In view of the fact that it is difficult to appease the Wu clan, it is most important to win the support of the generals of the neutral faction. However, in this regard, Guo Zhuangtu, who is quite politically savvy, is somewhat handy, and has formulated a plan to defeat each of them. Fight for a plan to bestow high-ranking officials and generous salaries on Wang Fuchen, confer the title of Marquis of Xining, the President of Shaanxi and Gansu, and the Governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and let him contain Wang Pingfan, Wu Zhimao, and Wu Guozhu from behind; the same is true for Xia Guoxiang and Ma Bao. Xianjue also hinted at the separation of powers to them, and asked them to send troops to contain Wu Guogui, Liu Zhifu, and Wu Yingjing; to Hu Guozhu and Fang Guangchen, he understood the great righteousness, and directly explained to them the serious relationship between killing Wu Yingqi and not killing Wu Yingqi, and also asked them to send troops to stop Wu Guogui from going south. Their prestige persuaded the Wu clan to strike down.At the same time, Guo Zhuangtu also spent a lot of money to buy and win over Tan Hong, Ma Xiong, Du Hui, Dong Zhongmin and others who were hopeful, trying to make these people his own.

"What about Lu Yifeng?" It was also at this time that the civil and military officials of the Honghua court discovered a big problem. How should Fatty Lu, who is still a courtier of the Great Zhou, be treated?Bribery to win over or suppress by force?This is a big bargaining chip that can control the balance. If this problem is not handled well, Fatty Lu, who has money, food, soldiers, and special ability to fight, is forced to the Wu clan. Had a good time.

"Don't worry about it for the time being." Thinking of Fatty Lu's request for Wu Shifan to kill himself to avenge Wu Yingqi, Guo Zhuangtu became angry and said coldly: "Anyway, he is far away in the south of the Yangtze River. If Bao wins over, let Ma Bao hold the line of defense between Jiujiang and Nanchang, and he will not be able to turn around any troubles."

"Guo Xiang, you are wrong to think that this is the case." Wang Shirong said: "If you, Guo Xiang, underestimate this Lu Yifeng, it may lead to even more unimaginable consequences."

"How do you say that?" Guo Zhuangtu asked.

"Lu Yifeng is far away from Yunnan and Guizhou, but if he intends to fight against Guo Xiang, this distance will not be a problem for him." Wang Shirong said in a deep voice: "Lu Yifeng has the army and money necessary for war, and he has more money than anyone else." Many, if he turned to Wu's clan and sent troops to the west, and Wu's clan sent troops to the west to open up the Yangtze River waterway, then the grain, grass, and military pay in the south of the Yangtze River would be sent to Wu's clan in an endless stream. The food, grass, and military pay in the south of the Yangtze River, the Wu clan's relatives can consume us to death!"

"Then he has to pass the three barriers of Ma Bao, Xia Guoxiang and Hu Guozhu first." Guo Zhuangtu said with a cold snort, "As long as we pull these three people to our side and guard the waterway from Jiujiang to Yuezhou, the two traitors Just don't think about getting together."

"Lu Yifeng's naval division is the best in the world. Whether the three generals can hold the Yangtze River waterway is another matter." Wang Shirong also sneered and said: "Even if the three generals can hold the Yangtze River waterway, then Guo Xiangye, you can win over Ma Bao, Hu Guozhu and others." Xia Guoxiang, the three generals, Wu's clan and Lu Yifeng, why can't they win over and win over these three generals? Compared with silver, can we in Yunnan and Guizhou compare to Jiangnan?"

Wang Shirong's words finally moved Guo Zhuangtu, and then Guo Zhuangtu thought of a big question, he could bribe Ma Bao, Hu Guozhu and Xia Guoxiang, why couldn't the Wu clan and Lu Fatty bribe them and win over them?Although Xia Guoxiang had turned against Fatty Lu because of the Chizhou incident, Wu Guogui and Xia Guoxiang hadn't turned against each other. Compared with bribery, the meager savings left by the father-in-law could compete with Fatty Lu's Jiangnan cornucopia?When that time really comes, Ma Bao, whom Fang Guangchen secretly called Lu Bu among men, will definitely be the first to turn his back on him and fall under the skirt of Fatty Lu Pomegranate, who is holding gold and silver ingots!

"Master Wang means that we have to win over Lu Yifeng?" Yunnan governor Guo Chang said suspiciously: "But is this possible? Lu Yifeng is Wu Guogui's son-in-law and Wu Yingqi's most proud student. Us? It’s almost enough to devote all our efforts to Wu’s clan, right?”

"It's difficult, but it's not hopeless." Wang Shirong said calmly: "First, Lu Yifeng was loyal to Emperor Gao, the great ancestor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. I know it, and I agree with it very much. I also said that only Jinshang can inherit the great rule. Now that Jinshang is on the throne, he will naturally support him with all his strength. Second, Lu Yifeng is Wu Guogui's son-in-law, but his relationship with Wu Guogui is not good. Wu Guogui has always been very dissatisfied with his son-in-law. Thirdly, Lu Yifeng has general knowledge and can definitely understand Guo Xiangyou’s difficulties in killing Wu Yingqi’s traitor. At the same time, his eldest son Lu Bangjing is still held hostage in Wuhua Mountain. Next, Master Xiang, you also have a chance to win him over."

"So, there is some hope." Guo Zhuangtu rolled his eyes and began to be tempted. He said that it is true that Lu Yifeng's son is Wu Guogui's son-in-law, but I can also marry a daughter to him, and also treat him as his father-in-law. , and even if Lu Yifeng's son helped the Wu clan back to power, in the end it was nothing more than sharing a little power from the Wu clan. I can still do this, and I can give more.If I can win him over, not only will it be easy to extinguish the rebellion of the Wu clan, but I will also be able to obtain a place in the south of the Yangtze River where money and food are abundant, and it will not be difficult to rule the world.

Wang Shirong looked at his words and saw that Guo Zhuangtu was tempted, so he said: "Besides, I have a plan to prevent accidents. Even if I fail to recruit Lu Yifeng, I can tie his hands and feet so that he can't help Wu with all his strength." Clan."

"What's Mr. Wang's plan? Tell me quickly." Guo Zhuangtu asked happily.

"Master Xiang, you must know that although Lu Yifeng has a strong army and sufficient food and grass, all of his important generals are old people from the Pingxi Palace." Wang Shirong opened his hands, clenched his fists and said, "If you can get these people If he wins over it, then it's tantamount to cutting off the bottom of the pot, cutting off the hands and feet of Lu Yifeng's son, even if Lu Yifeng's son is obsessed and decides to fall to the Wu clan, without the support of these people, he can't make waves!"

"That's right!" Guo Zhuangtu nodded vigorously, and said joyfully, "Yes, as long as Gao Dejie, Han Daren, and Wang Xu are won over, Lu Yifeng will not be able to mess up the situation. When necessary, you can also use this A few people get rid of Lu Yifeng to prevent future troubles! Moreover, these people are different from Lu Yifeng's children, they have no relationship with Wu's clan, and they have nothing to worry about."

"If we want to win over these people, the only way is to confer titles and rewards. Compared with silver, we can't compare with Lu Yifeng." Lu Shuzi, Minister of the Ministry of Industry of the Honghua court, analyzed.

"I have a better way, let them appreciate the great kindness of the emperor and the prime minister, and support the wise decision of the prime minister." Wang Shirong said with a smile: "The prime minister can do this. Send the wives and children of Gao Dejie, Han Daren, and Wang Xu to Jiangnan, leaving only Lu Yifeng's eldest son Lu Bangjing as a hostage!"

"Master Wang, are you crazy? Send these people's family members to the south of the Yangtze River, so these people will follow Lu Yifeng to rebel, wouldn't they have no scruples?" Guo Chang yelled, and several of Guo Zhuangtu's confidantes beside him also changed their faces. ——Now the Honghua court can only control important generals outside the province, but these are the family members of these generals detained in Yunnan and Guizhou.

"Of course I'm not crazy." Wang Shirong said with a sneer: "Returning the family members of Gao Dejie and others can help Lu Yifeng's son understand that only if he listens to the prime minister honestly, can his son come back to China." His side; the second is to let Gao Dejie and Han Daren be grateful, let them know the capacity of the emperor and the prime minister, and be more loyal to the emperor and the prime minister. Third, the families and children of these people have returned to their side, In the prosperous Jiangnan Paradise where people eat and drink hot food, and Lu Yifeng's son wants to force them to risk rebellion and commit treason, will they still be willing?"

"My lords, please think about it carefully." Wang Shirong paused, looked around at Guo Zhuangtu's confidantes present and asked, "If your family members are all safe and secure around you, and you eat well and dress well, it will still be useful." With endless money, endless delicacies, and endless glory and wealth, the Wu family members suddenly came to persuade you to rebel and help others fight for the throne, would you like it?"

"Of course I don't want to." Guo Zhuangtu's confidantes nodded quickly, for fear that if they agreed a little too slowly, Guo Zhuangtu would become suspicious and suspect that they were in collusion with the rebellious Wu clan.Guo Zhuangtu also nodded slightly, thinking that Wang Shirong's words still made sense.

"Master Xiang, don't miss this opportunity. If you miss it, you won't come back." Wang Shirong turned to Guo Zhuangtu again, and said sincerely: "Now the major generals of our Great Zhou army have their families in Kunming. If you hold on to one of them, Master Xiang, then everyone Everyone will think that you are taking hostages as a threat, with bad intentions. But if you take the initiative to return some of the hostages, Mr. Xiang, not only will these rumors be self-defeating, but also the generals of the Great Zhou who are leading the army can feel at ease and understand that Mr. Xiang You will not harm their wives and children, and you may send their family members back to them, so it will be easier for you to recruit, Xiangye, and you will kill two birds with one stone."

"Master, I think Lord Wang's words are reasonable." Guo Zhuangtu's confidant was finally tempted, and Lu Shuzi echoed: "Gao Dejie, Han Daren and Wang Xu, the old people of the Pingxi Palace, are all just Lu Yifeng. His subordinates must obey Lu Yifeng's dispatch orders. It is useless to detain their family members. It is better to take the initiative to send them to Jiangnan. Yifeng Xiaoer reminded him to let him understand that only by being loyal to the emperor and Xiangye, can his son hope to return to him."

"That's right. By the way, I can remind other old people in the Pingxi Palace that their families can only be safe if they listen to you, Xiangye." Several of Guo Zhuangtu's confidants agreed, thinking that this move is worth a try—anyway, as long as Lu Fatty's With the son in his hand, he can still deter Fatty Lu who might fall to the Wu clan.

"Then let's do this." Guo Zhuangtu gritted his teeth and stomped his feet, and said viciously: "Send the family members of those generals to the south of the Yangtze River, save some food for us in Yunnan and Guizhou, and let Lu Yifeng understand by the way, only listen to me Only then will his son be safe!"

After finalizing this idea, Guo Zhuangtu and the others immediately started discussing how to win over the fat army. Guo Zhuangtu decided to upgrade Lu Fatty Viscount to a higher level, directly confer the title of Prince Yue, and give him a gold medal to save him from death. The one-year-old granddaughter betrothed to Fatty Lu's eldest son, Lu Bangjing, to make Lu Bangjing the son of Prince Yue!Gao Dejie, Han Daren, Wang Xu and several Pingxi old men, Li Tianzhi, Li Guodong, Xie Dong and others were all conferred Marquis, and they were promoted to three ranks!What's more, in the imperial decree, Fatty Lu was required to send troops to quell the rebellion and eradicate Wu Guogui's rebels!
"Master, there is one more thing." As soon as the decision was finalized, Wang Shirong reminded: "Lu Yifeng is eloquent, and he is very clever and treacherous. If you want to explain to him your difficulties in executing Wu Yingqi as a traitor, express your understanding to him." Lord, your kindness to him, persuading him to abandon the dark and turn to the bright, and not to collude with Wu's rebels, and to win over the old man of Pingxi Palace under his nose, you must send a good-spoken and shrewd imperial envoy to deal with him. Otherwise, , not only is it difficult to convince him, but it may backfire and throw his head in the south of the Yangtze River—the lower officials feel that Guo Chang and Guo Zhongcheng are worthy of this position."

"Son Wang Shirong, did I throw your son into the well? You recommended me knowing it was so dangerous?" Guo Chang cursed in his stomach, but shook his head with a smile on his face and said: "I can't, you all know I'm stupid, I went to Jiangnan Don't talk about convincing Lu Yifeng, it's fine if you don't vomit blood for three liters when Lu Yifeng's children refute you - but Wang Shirong, Mr. Wang, you can speak kindly, and you are shrewd and capable. When the late emperor was alive, he often praised you for being unparalleled in resourcefulness and capable of taking on great responsibilities .”

"I can't do it." Wang Shirong spread his hands and said: "Everyone knows that Lu Yifeng's youngest son and I are at odds. Since the first time we met in Lie Cuixuan of Pingxi Palace, I have had an enmity with him. I will persuade him , it might be even more counterproductive.”

"What I want is that you don't get along with him." Guo Zhuangtu muttered in his heart, coughed and said, "Master Wang, you don't have to be polite. I also heard about the matter between you and Lu Yifeng. The two of you are just talking about each other. You can still get along with each other in normal times." Let's work together to serve the country. How about this, this time, let the brother of the criminal department, the servant of the Ministry of Justice, be the chief envoy of the imperial envoy, and you as the deputy envoy, and join hands to handle this errand."

"Mr. Xiang, it's not that the humble job is just dodging, the humble job is really with Lu Yifeng..."

Wang Shirong still wanted to decline, but Guo Zhuangtu waved his hand and said decisively: "That's it, Mr. Wang, don't worry. If Lu Yifeng dares to show you the slightest disrespect, I will not spare him."

"Follow the order." Wang Shirong agreed helplessly, but sneered in his heart: "A bunch of idiots! If Mr. Maoya and that student were here, the custodian would fool you so much that you sold your own mother!"

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

As a result, leading the twenty-odd family members of several major generals of the Fatty Army, Guo Zhuangtu's two confidantes Line Hai and Wang Shirong soon embarked on the road to the south of the Yangtze River to proclaim the decree to appease the Fatty Army, starting from Kunming and passing through Guangxi , boarded a ship at Lianzhou Port, the only outlet controlled by the Honghua court, disguised as a sea merchant selling medicinal materials, and took advantage of the southeast wind blowing in full swing, took the sea boat all the way north around the coastline, and then used silver and eight flag ointment Opening the way, passing through the sea search by Shang Zhixin, Geng Jingzhong, Zheng Jing and Ningbo Qing Army, going through all kinds of difficulties and dangers, it took more than a month, and finally arrived at Liuhe Port, Songjiang Prefecture at the end of August, and the fat man who was stationed here Mao Yougui, an army and navy division, joins up.

Hearing that Guo Zhuangtu took the initiative to send Gao Dejie and other family members of Fatty Army generals, Fatty Lu was of course happy to jump three feet high. Together, when the ship docked and the wives and children of generals such as Wang Xu and Han Yuanren threw themselves into their arms with tears in their eyes, Fatty Lu also cupped his fists and bowed deeply to Wang Shirong. Line Hai said: "Thank you, Mr. Liangchen, this time, you not only helped me, but also helped our entire army. You are the benefactor of our Great Zhou Jiangnan Army."

Wang Shirong accepted the gift calmly, and asked Fatty Lu with a half-smile: "Prince Lu, don't you blame me for not bringing your son?"

"You can't be greedy." Fatty Lu said with a wry smile, "Besides, Guo Zhuangtu is not an idiot. If you propose to bring my son with you, won't he be suspicious? Don't say that my son won't come back, Gao General Han and his family will not come back either."

Line Hai was dumbfounded, but Fatty Lu pouted at Line Yu'er, who was holding his youngest son in the distance, and leaned into Wang Shirong's ear and whispered frankly: "And I'm sure that you didn't bring my eldest son back, My yellow-faced woman must be extremely grateful to you in her heart, and it will probably not be long before my youngest son kowtows to you as his godfather."

"When you die, there will definitely be a good show at your home." Wang Shirong was more frank, and said with a smile: "I can be sure that it will definitely be more lively than the current Wuhua Mountain."

"I'm not worried about that. I've learned from the past, so I'll naturally save my resources just in case." Fatty Lu grinned, then quickly pulled Wang Shirong away, and said with a smile, "Mr. Liangchen, please come to the city to talk. I have already prepared a banquet for you to wash away the dust, General Wang and General Han are also waiting to kowtow to you."

"Don't worry, you have to kowtow to me first." Wang Shirong threw off Fatty Lu, stretched his hand into his arms, took out a stack of bright yellow silk cloth from the fleshy part of his arms, and shouted: "Great Zhou Taizu Gao Emperor's edict, Yue County King Lu Yifeng Lead the crowd to kneel and accept!"

"The prince's will?" Fatty Lu was taken aback.

"Proclaim the emperor!" Wang Shirong's face sank, and he shouted: "Before you didn't dare to change the banner, it was because Xia Guoxiang carefully withheld the edict that canonized you as the king of Yue County. Now that the late emperor's edict has been delivered, if you still think you are Minister of the Great Zhou, correct me immediately!"

"Your servant is dead!" Fatty Lu hurriedly knelt down, and called the civil and military officials of Fatty's army to kneel down together, kowtowed and sang: "Long live the emperor, long live, long live."

"By God's fortune, the Emperor Zhao said." Wang Shirong unfolded the will of the old traitor Wu and read aloud: "After my funeral, if there are foreign relatives who dominate the government, slaughter Wu's clan, mutilate my flesh and blood descendants, and try to usurp the government in vain, Lu Yifeng, King of Yue County, saw the imperial edict and was granted the title of Prince of Yue. He launched a campaign against crimes, crusade against treacherous traitors, and revived the Great Zhou! The Wu clan, subjects of the Great Zhou, and soldiers of the three armies were all controlled by Prince Lu Yifeng of Yue. Lu Yifeng, Prince of Yue, will make the decision on my behalf! I respect you!"

Fatty Lu, who thought that the old traitor Wu was going to kill him in the will, heaved a sigh of relief, and hurriedly kowtowed to thank him, "I obey the order, long live the emperor, long live the emperor."

"Prince Lu, please get up." Wang Shirong put down the edict of old man Wu's treacherous edict, and said to Fatty Lu lightly: "Prince Lu, I have done my duty as a courtier of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and I will do my best to fight for you and eliminate your worries. Next , but it all depends on you. Whether to be Zhou Gong or Zhu Yuanzhang is already in your mind."

Fatty Lu was silent, knowing that the old traitor Wu must have anticipated the current situation before he was alive, so he left such a will, not only using himself to save his descendants, but also selling himself a big favor to let himself Even if he wanted to rebel and seek rebellion, he would become dishonest and his words would be dishonest. With the last limit of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness, he tied his hands and feet in an attempt to usurp the Wu family.

"Old old fox, your abacus is too good!" Fatty Lu lamented from the bottom of his heart again.

(End of this chapter)