weaving

The Earl of Yongning led the generals of the central army outside the camp to welcome the sudden arrival of Wang Chengen, a noble eunuch from the inner court.

But Wang Chengen told him on the spot... He came here privately, without any royal order or official business, and did not want to be too ostentatious, so he asked Earl Yongning to dismiss irrelevant bystanders so that he could talk about his personal matters.

Zhang Cheng knew that Wang Chengen was one of the most popular figures around Emperor Chongzhen, and he would never come to Kaifeng for no reason, let alone take the risk of going to the front line in Xincheng. There must be a reason for his trip.

However, since Wang Chengen could speak like this, it was obvious that it was indeed not appropriate to publicize it. So he immediately followed his wishes and let the officers and generals of the central army greet each other and then go back to rest.

At the same time, he ordered Liu Chengzu to arrange food and accommodation for Wang Chengen's entourage, while he himself accompanied Wang Chengen back to the central military tent, leaving only the central officer Zhang Mingyuan to serve him. There was also a strict defense outside the tent with a guard every three steps.

Although Wang Chengen didn't say much, he was very satisfied with Zhang Cheng's arrangement.

The two of them sat down as host and guest. Zhang Mingyuan carefully brewed a pot of tea for them and placed various dried fruits and preserved fruits on the table, and of course, the Liaodong specialty military delicacy - dried sea fish.

"Your Highness, you are not in the palace to serve the Emperor. What are you doing in Kaifeng? Could you tell me something?"

Wang Chengen smiled and said, "We are here to deliver an imperial decree to Kaifeng."

"Oh."

Zhang Cheng asked suspiciously, "What did the emperor want that made you come to Henan in person?"

Wang Chengen seemed to be deliberately teasing Earl Yongning. He did not rush to answer Zhang Cheng's question, but picked up the teacup on the table in front of him and took a sip slowly.

Then he smiled and said, "Don't worry, Lord Yongning. We came here mainly for Zhang Fuzhen's matter."

He then took another sip of tea and continued, "However, I miss you, Earl Yongning, so I came to Xincheng to meet with you."

Zhang Cheng immediately understood that the emperor and the court must have approved Zhang Fuzhen's resignation and allowed him to retire and return home.

However, he also guessed that Wang Chengen would definitely not come to Xincheng for no reason. As a popular figure in front of the emperor, it was not his turn to convey the emperor's order for such a small matter as Zhang Fuzhen's resignation. Even with his status as the Earl of Yongning, it was not worth it for Wang Chengen to come to Xincheng in person. He could recruit Zhang Cheng to Kaifeng with just a verbal message, so why bother himself?

"How could Zhang Cheng deserve such a reward that he had to trouble the prince to make such a trip in person? It really makes me feel embarrassed!"

Yongning Bo greeted him politely, then asked, "Has the emperor approved Governor Zhang's resignation?"

"That's right."

Wang Chengen finished speaking cheerfully, then picked up a dried fish and put it in his mouth to chew. Zhang Cheng saw that he was like this and didn't want to disturb him, so he also picked up a piece of candied fruit and put it in his mouth to eat.

After a while, Wang Chengen said, "The emperor thought that Zhang Fuzhen was old and frail, and he couldn't bear to see him shoulder such a heavy responsibility, so he approved the resignation letter. This can be regarded as a great favor from heaven."

"Your Majesty is kind-hearted and merciful. This is indeed a great favor from heaven."

Zhang Cheng followed his lead and praised Emperor Chongzhen before asking, "Who will take over the position of Governor Zhang and lead the overall suppression of bandits in Henan Province?"

Wang Chengen narrowed his eyes, staring at Zhang Cheng and whispering, "Who does Earl Yongning think will be more conducive to the overall suppression of bandits in Henan Province?"

"The governors and frontier officials are important officials of the imperial court. How can a mere general like Zhang Cheng have the right to interfere?"

Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng said with a serious expression: "Eunuch, please don't hurt me." He raised his hand and refilled the empty teacup in front of Wang Chengen with tea, and said with a smile: "Zhang Cheng will pour you a cup of tea. Please take good care of me in the future, but don't push me into the fire pit."

"Where did Earl Yongning come from?"

Wang Chengen said nothing, only tapping the table with his hand. After the empty teacup was filled, he took the teapot with a smile, and continued to say while pouring tea into the empty teacup in front of Zhang Cheng, "You are the pillar of the country that the emperor has always been thinking about. Now you are more capable in Henan Province. When Ding Zuo was defeated, you single-handedly held the enemy outside Kaifeng City.

Such an achievement has not only been highly praised by the Emperor and the court officials, but also fascinated by it. As soon as the imperial edict was passed on today, I was eager to come to Xincheng to pay my respects to Earl Yongning. "

Zhang Cheng smiled awkwardly and said bluntly: "Prince, please stop complimenting each other."

He went on to say, "Zhang Cheng was born into a military family and has been blessed by the emperor for generations. It is my duty to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. Even if I have made some small contributions, it is only natural and there is really nothing to praise about me."

"The humility of Earl Yongning is known to the world, and the bravery of Earl Yongning is also witnessed by the world."

Wang Chengen raised his hand and made a gesture of inviting tea, and then said: "Fortunately, the Yongning Earl has saved Henan Province from the thieves' disaster. This is a blessing for the people of Henan Province, the court, and the emperor."

Without waiting for Zhang Cheng to say anything, he continued, "However, the bandits are still powerful and their threat to Kaifeng has not diminished. I wonder when the Earl of Yongning will be able to defeat the bandits and stabilize the entire Henan Province so that the people can live in peace?"

Zhang Cheng exclaimed in his heart, "Great, so this is what it's for!"

But he said: "The bandits are powerful. Even with more than 200,000 troops led by Governor Ding and Zuo Ping, they were defeated at Shuipo Ji. I have less than 100,000 troops. It is beyond my ability to form a pincer attack with Kaifeng and keep it. I dare not say that I can defeat the rebels and restore peace to Henan Province."

"Hey."

Wang Chengen sighed and said, "Your Majesty also knows the difficulties of the Earl of Yongning, but the court is powerless now. Although Liaodong's troops are strong, the Jiannu are also eyeing them covetously, so we dare not act rashly.

Elsewhere, either the army was recently defeated and could not recover for a while; or the bandit problem was serious and they dared not leave; or they were newly appointed officials like Sun Chuanting, who had not yet assembled their troops and could not go to battle. It seems that the task of suppressing bandits in Henan Province will eventually fall on the shoulders of the Earl of Yongning alone! "

"My Lord, to be honest, with my troops in Henan, plus the troops under Governor Zhang of Baoding, and General Chen of Henan, we can barely hold off the attack of the rebels. We have no power to fight back at all. If the rebels don't make any mistakes, it's hard to be sure of victory."

"Then...how long can you last?"

"If we can ensure sufficient supply of food, fodder, gunpowder and ammunition, we can at least hold out for three months, at most..."

"At most... until when?"

"We can hold out for more than half a year at most!"

"Then... can't we defeat the intruder at this time?"

"Unless the thief makes a mistake himself, it will be difficult to defeat him with his superior numbers!"

The expression on Wang Chengen's face kept changing. Although he said so many words, he never drank the cup of tea on the table.

After a while, he looked up at Zhang Cheng and asked solemnly, "Zhang Cheng, if... I mean 'if', and asked you to lead the suppression of bandits in Henan Province, can you guarantee to defend Kaifeng, defeat the bandits, and stabilize Henan Province?" (End of this chapter)