Idle courtiers

Chapter 117
After Zhou Nan was brought out from Su Song's military preparations, the middle-aged officer asked him if he could ride a horse?
There were already four cavalrymen leading two war horses over. They were all fully clothed and carried small but powerful Mongolian recurve bows on their backs. They looked at Zhou Nan fiercely, apparently to remind the prisoners not to try to escape.Otherwise, it will shoot you off the saddle like a bird in less than ten strides.

Naturally, Zhou Nan refused to admit defeat verbally, replied that he could, and climbed onto the saddle clumsily.

When the big animal under the seat moved, it felt like the whole ground was moving backwards under him, panicked in his heart, and hurriedly stretched out his hand to grab the horse's mane, looking extremely embarrassed.

The four cavalrymen all laughed softly, and only the middle-aged officer scolded his subordinates with a straight face: "The prisoner was born as a scholar, so naturally he has never ridden a war horse, so show some respect."

After finishing speaking, he grabbed Zhou Nan's rein and walked forward with his head bowed.

Zhou Nan asked: "General, but go to Tang Gong's Xingyuan."

The middle-aged officer was expressionless: "Just go straight, and ask so many questions."

Zhou Nan: "I'm a freshman in Andong County, Huai'an Prefecture. How dare I ask the general's name and his position in Xingyuan?"

The officer said coldly: "Are you confused? I am Su Song's military preparation officer."

Zhou Nan: "I'm afraid it is a temporary replacement. From my point of view, the general's supernatural power, and his soldiers are all brave fighters. They must be the most useful people under Ying Degong's command. Naturally, they are used in the most important places. How can they be delegated?" Go to Bingbei Dao. Most of the Bingbei Dao’s soldiers are guarded by eunuchs, and the deputy is always in charge of the position. Why is there a general here today. Therefore, I guess the general is only acting for a while.”

All the cavalry were shocked, but this prisoner was clever enough to see it.

"You're right. It's just for the eyes and ears. Don't let the spies of Japanese pirates come to make money for me, right?" Seeing that Zhou Nan wanted to explain, the middle-aged general said, "This general's surname is Liu and his name is Xianchi. Under the command of the public, he holds the position of deputy commander-in-chief."

"Liu Xianchi, this name is a bit familiar..." Zhou Nan lowered his head in thought, and it took him a long time to remember the mansion newspaper he had read before: "Liu Xianchi, the number one general under Tang Shunzhi's command, from the official to the deputy commander, and for a while Su Song was in the army. Together with Tang Shunzhi, he defeated Japanese pirates at sea and was honored by the court... With his achievements, his name will be recorded in history books in the future. Of course, he is still not as good as Qi Jiguang."

"Su Song is in charge of transporting supplies and replenishing soldiers on the front line. Naturally, it is convenient for him to be in his own hands. As Tang Shunzhi's confidant, it is not surprising that he is sent here to work part-time. It's just that I and the old Yu are unlucky to be the new official of Liu Xianchi. Three fires, the chicken that killed the chicken to show the monkey."

The war horses moved fast, about four or ten minutes later Beijing time, a group of people entered Jiangyin City and came to a large courtyard.

All around the compound were heavily armed soldiers, and there was a chill.No need to ask, this is naturally Tang Shunzhi's residence.

After reporting, Zhou Nan stood under the eaves and waited, while Liu Xianchi went into the house to see Tang Shunzhi.

Tang Shunzhi was a famous scholar in the mid-Ming Dynasty and the founder of Confucianism.It's a pity that he passed away early. If he lives in his 80s like Yan Song, his future will be limitless.With his reputation, qualifications and talents, there is no such thing as Zhang Juzheng.

Zhou Nan couldn't help being curious about such a character, and couldn't help looking inside.

But there were two officials sitting inside. The old man in the chief seat had a long beard and a handsome appearance. He should be Tang Shunzhi.

Tang Shunzhi went on an expedition for one month and fought a few battles with the Japanese pirates on the rivers near Su and Song. Unfortunately, the results were few, and many days were delayed and a lot of money and food were wasted.

Returning in vain, everyone will inevitably feel a little downcast.

Tang Shunzhi is a great Confucian who learned from the heart, and his heart has already been trained to be strong.It's a pity that he is already in his 50s. In addition to his poor health, he feels that his energy is lacking, and he seems to be lacking in energy when speaking.

However, although the official in front of him is lower in rank than himself, he will still need his assistance in the future use of troops, so he should not be underestimated.

So, he cheered up and said with a smile: "Prefect Zhao, this time to use troops against Japanese pirates, our troops will start from the Yangtze River, go down the river, enter the canal, enter Taihu Lake, and sweep the area east of Suzhou Chengcheng. The waterway is convenient for material transfer. This is just the beginning, although the military situation is not going well, but the situation is still improving. Wait for a certain to rectify the troops and horses, and then fight again in half a month."

The man surnamed Zhao was the prefect of Suzhou, and he was also an old man in his early fifties.People in the world say that there is heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below.However, it is not a good job to be an official in such a prosperous place, which shows that the imperial court has decided to make people retire.Considering that you have made so much contribution to the country, let you retire to such a good place.

In the Taiping years, three years to clear the magistrate, one hundred thousand snowflakes and silver, it can comfort him.But now that the war is on fire, Suzhou has suffered greatly.The Japanese pirates ran across Su and Song, burning, killing, looting, and creating uninhabited villages and towns everywhere. They are simply Japanese devils during World War II, a group of demons who suffered thousands of knives.

Today's Suzhou Mansion has become a piece of white land, and Zhao Zhifu can only govern a prefectural city.Losing the city and losing the land, he was constantly warned by the court, and he, as an official, was also anxious to get angry.

Listening to Tang Shunzhi's words, it seems that he doesn't plan to open up the waterway in Suzhou in the short term, and he feels disappointed in his heart.He sighed and said, "Governor of the Tang Dynasty, the people are suffering! Once the imperial army arrived, the results of the battle were few and far between, and if they were to withdraw like this, it would inevitably make the people feel cold. Once the people's hearts are lost, it may not be easy for the officials to recruit Ding and grain in the future. Please also Governor Tang think twice."

He has said such Che Jilu words many times in the past few days, and Tang Shunzhi would have been furious if it were someone else.

Tang Shunzhi has a big heart and naturally he wouldn't get angry with him, besides, he was exhausted these days, his spirits were listless, and he didn't have much energy.He comforted him and said: "The governor knows about the difficulties you are facing below. However, soldiers should be cautious about the important affairs of the country, and not be arrogant."

Just as he was about to persuade him again, he saw Liu Xian galloping in with great strides.

"Xianchi, what are you doing when you come back from Bingbei Road to prepare money and supplies?"

"I have something important to report to Futai." Liu Xianchi was an officer, but he didn't have Tang Shunzhi's good temper, so he gave Zhao Zhifu a look, and said, "Zhao Zhifu, please!"

The governor is an imperial envoy specially appointed by the imperial court, ranking first among the three halls, in charge of the military and administration of a province, and is the real official of the frontier.Tang Shunzhi held the title of Imperial Envoy of Youqian Capital, so he was called Futai.Taiwan, generally refers to the central authority.

As for Hu Zongxian in Fujian, he has the title of Shangshu, his rank is higher than Tang Shunzhi, and he is a high-ranking official.Therefore, it is called this church.Ministry, six books; hall, refers to the governor or governor of the three halls.

Hearing that it was confidential military affairs, the magistrate of Zhaofu was naturally not good at listening, so he had to get up and leave, and left sadly.

After he left, Liu Xianchi whispered in Tang Shunzhi's ear, "Futai, the last general, after taking over the post of military preparation temporarily, found that the guard of the treasury was suspected of embezzlement of money and food..." The case of Yu Chongjiu was summarized. I said it again.

Tang Shunzhi: "In troubled times, you should use heavy codes, and you should use your strength to govern the army. Although Yu Chongjiu and others are not many people who are greedy for ink, it is also an old practice established by military households. If it is in peacetime, you can laugh it off. Dao Liwei, if a few pawns do it, they will do it, why should I tell the old man?"

"Futai, among them is a prisoner whose surname is Zhou Mingnan. According to him, he is a member of the Huai'an Prefecture Andong Sheng. He... said that the shortage of medicinal materials in the warehouse was ordered by Futai, and they were sent to you."

Tang Shunzhi said indifferently: "There is no such thing. Although I am not in good health, there are doctors in the army who prescribe medicines, and I don't need the herbal medicines from Tianerku. Hey, Xianchi, what do you want to say?" He found that Liu Xianchi's words I have something to say, so I asked curiously.

Liu Xianchi: "That Zhou Xiucai said that Futai was not in good health. He said exactly the same situation as Futai. He also said that if he didn't get cured, he might be dying. Looking at him, he seems to be able to cure your illness. Futai is on your shoulders. Considering the general situation in the south of the Yangtze River, if my health is not good, the situation in the southeast of my Ming Dynasty will be corrupted beyond control. The general dare not be careless, so he hurriedly brought him here, or should Futai ask him to have a look?"

Yes, Tang Shunzhi has often had bleeding from his mouth and nose recently, and he also has a strange smell when he talks to people, and he looks listless all day long.I asked the doctor to see it many times, and I took a lot of tonics such as ginseng and deer antler, but they didn't have any effect.

If Tang Shunzhi really died of serious illness, it would be a huge loss for the Ming army.One can imagine what kind of chaos the troops will be in by then.As for the encirclement and suppression of the invading Japanese pirates, it is out of the question.

That's right, what Zhou Nan said is right, Duke Tang's physical condition is a top secret in the army, and it really cannot be disclosed to outsiders.

This is also the reason why Liu Xianchi brought him to Xingyuan without saying a word when Zhou Nan said in Bingbei Road, "This matter is related to military and national affairs, so I can't go into details, otherwise, I'm afraid it will delay the important event of fighting the Japanese."

As a general leading the army, Liu Xianchi naturally knew what it would mean for this battle if something happened to Tang Shunzhi.

"The governor is also getting old, so I have low energy. When you are old, you will not suffer from illness. It is a joke to use a person of unknown origin to point fingers. Xianchi, you are also a man who commands thousands of troops. , Just being coaxed like this, a three-year-old child?" Tang Shunzhi said flatly, and waved his hand again: "Take him back, and deal with him as you like."

Being reprimanded by him, Liu Xianchi was ashamed and was about to go down.Suddenly Tang Shunzhi's expression froze, and then he stretched out his hand to cover his mouth.

When the hand was spread out, there was actually a fallen tooth in the palm.At the same time, his mouth was full of blood, and he couldn't stop it.

He couldn't stop shouting: "Futai, what's the matter with you, call Lang Zhong quickly, call Lang Zhong quickly."

Liu Xianchi was originally a small military officer, but he was promoted step by step by Tang Shunzhi because of his bravery in combat.Tang Shunzhi was kind to him, and he was also his father and brother.When I was anxious, tears fell.

(End of this chapter)