weaving

Chapter 1321 This is Zhu Zhicang

The process of Earl Yongning requesting an audience with King Zhou went very smoothly. Although King Zhou also said that King Chuang had besieged Kaifeng several times and there was little money and grain left in the treasury, he was grateful to Earl Yongning for rescuing Kaifeng from danger twice, and still squeezed out 100,000 taels of silver to reward the troops.

Officials such as Henan Governor Gao Mingheng, who was stationed in Kaifeng City, would naturally not shirk their responsibilities. After all, Earl Yongning was now the only guarantee for the safety of Kaifeng City.

King Zhou Zhu Gongyao sat on his throne, looking a little lonely, but still as energetic as before. He looked up at the sky and said quietly, "The Earl of Yongning is a very good man. He speaks directly, and is not as verbose as the civil servants. This is quite in line with my temperament."

Seeing that King Zhou was in a good mood despite being cut down again, the Left Chief Clerk Li Yingchun said, "A ruthless man doesn't talk much. This Earl of Yongning is quite good at fighting, much better than Zuo Liangyu and his ilk."

"Humph. How can the Earl of Yongning be compared to the bandit Zuo Ping? Even Ding Qirui, who is known for his military knowledge, cannot be compared with him."

Li Yingchun flattered him, "In your opinion, is there anyone in the Ming Dynasty who can be as capable as Earl Yongning?"

"Humph. If we only talk about military knowledge, the governor of Ji-Liao, Hong Chengchou, and the newly appointed governor of Shaanxi, Sun Chuanting, can be compared."

When Zhou Wang Zhu Gongyao said this, he could not help but sigh and said, "There are more than 10,000 civil and military officials in the court, including provincial, prefectural and county officials. Why has it come to this point where there is no one available?"

Seeing that Prince Zhou looked a little gloomy, Li Yingchun changed the subject and asked, "Your Highness, I heard that the Emperor wants to use Hou Xun to come to Henan to supervise the suppression of bandits. Do you think he can eliminate Li Ni after he arrives?"

"Humph, ridiculous... it's absolutely ridiculous!"

A trace of anger appeared on the face of King Zhou, and he said: "Zhou Yanru is also old and confused. He only wants Hou Xun to use the previous favor to control Zuo Liangyu, but he didn't expect that with Zuo Liangyu's arrogance, how could he risk his life to repay this long-standing favor.

As the chief minister of the imperial cabinet, he does not think about rectifying the administration of officials, using the imperial discipline and the military regulations of the Ming Dynasty to restrain the brave generals. Instead, he spends all day thinking about such dirty tricks, which really harms the Ming Dynasty!"

When he said this, he suddenly remembered something. He fixed his eyes on Cao Kun and said to him, "Li Yingchun, tell Cao Kun to immediately gather 800 guards from the palace and go to the post house to find Earl Yongning and follow him to the front line in Xincheng to serve."

Just as Li Yingchun was stunned, King Zhou Zhu Gongyao continued, "The year before last, when Li Ni besieged the city, the first member of the royal family who climbed down from the city wall and chopped off the rebel's head was that man..."

Li Yingchun had already hinted at this time, and reminded him in time: "Zhu Zhicang."

"Yes, it's this Zhu Zhicang."

King Zhou seemed a little excited. He said excitedly, "It's rare for our Zhou clan to have such a capable fighter. He cut off the enemy's head in the midst of thousands of troops. He is truly a man of unrivaled courage. Now is the time for the court to recruit talents. As a son of the royal family, I should serve the court."

Li Yingchun had completely understood what Prince Zhou Zhu Gongyao meant, and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the palace guards' duty is to protect the safety of you and the palace, not to kill bandits. Sending so many people may affect the safety of the palace.

I think we should send Zhu Zhicang with 200 guards to escort the 100,000 taels of silver for rewarding the troops, and also to give Yongning Earl a leg up and encourage the soldiers at the front to fight hard against the bandits."

King Zhou's face darkened, and he said, "The Yongning Marquis' army is blocking the way, so that Li's bandit army cannot approach Kaifeng. If Yongning Marquis is defeated in Xincheng, Kaifeng may not be able to be saved. Even if all the guards of the palace are left, how many bandits can they stop?"

Seeing that King Zhou was a little angry, Li Yingchun knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I am worried about your safety, so I have this idea."

"Okay."

Zhou Wang Zhu Gongyao obviously did not want to waste any more time on this matter, and said directly: "Please draft a letter on my behalf to comfort the Earl of Yongning and the soldiers of the Yongyi Army.

Also remember to tell Cao Kun to assign half of the palace guards to Zhu Zhicang, and tell him that if he makes new achievements in the new city this time, I will personally ask the emperor for his merits and guarantee him at least the title of a general. "Yes, I have written it all down."

Prince Zhou Zhu Gongyao seemed a little tired. He waved to the palace maid to help him up, but after taking a few steps towards the back hall, he stopped again. Li Yingchun was watching Prince Zhou's departing back. Seeing this, she hurriedly stepped forward in small steps.

It was obvious that King Zhou Zhu Gongyao must have remembered something. He just stood there without saying a word. Li Yingchun could only stand quietly behind King Zhou, not daring to make a sound for fear of disturbing his meditation.

After a while, King Zhou seemed to have made up his mind. He first whispered to himself: "Hey, I can't pretend to be confused when I'm a vassal!"

He slowly turned around and said solemnly to the Left Chief Clerk Li Yingchun: "Please draft another memorial for the Emperor on my behalf, asking the Emperor to seriously consider using Hou Xun to supervise the suppression of the Li rebels."

King Zhou turned back and reminded him again: "You must be humble and sincere in your words, and do not offend the emperor."

"Yes, please keep this in mind."

Li Yingchun hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "Your Majesty, can you please provide a recommendation?"

King Zhou raised his feet and put them back down. After thinking for a moment, he waved his hand and said, "I won't recommend you. Let the emperor decide for himself!"

…………

"The Earl of Yongning is here to recruit so many laborers again, but where will the money and food come from to recruit them?" Wang Xie, the magistrate of Xiangfu, couldn't help but complain as soon as he walked out of the ceremonial gate of Prince Zhou's palace.

After hearing this, Kaifeng prefect Wu Shijiang just shook his head but did not say anything to stop him.

"Be content. The Earl of Yongning just wants some laborers now. He doesn't ask us to go to Xincheng to fight for our lives. We are very lucky!" However, Huang Shu, the prosecutor of Kaifeng Prefecture, expressed a different opinion.

As soon as he finished speaking, the guard Su Zhuang immediately echoed him, saying, "General Ding and Zuo Ping's 200,000-strong army has been completely defeated in Zhuxian Town. If it weren't for the tens of thousands of Xuanda border troops led by Yongning Bo in Xincheng, I'm afraid Kaifeng City would have been surrounded by Li Ni again."

Wang Xie seemed unwilling to accept this. He continued, "It is precisely because the tens of thousands of troops of Yongning Marquis are stationed in Xincheng, and all the food and grass in the city are supplied to Xuan's army in Xincheng, so there is no surplus food to recruit civilians!"

"Alright, alright. Don't forget that this is still the palace of Prince Zhou!"

Henan Governor Gao Mingheng stopped and looked at the group and said, "Do you think you can do whatever you want once you leave the palace?"

He walked forward slowly and said softly to the people behind him: "Whether the people of Kaifeng can be saved this time depends on whether Yongning Bo can withstand the attack of Li the thief in Xincheng.

If Yongning Bo is also defeated in Xincheng, the people of Kaifeng, including you and me..."

He couldn't help but stop here, looking back at the Zhou Palace not far away, and then continued: "Of course, including His Royal Highness Zhou, they will all fall into the hands of Li the thief."

Gao Mingheng continued to move forward slowly, and said softly: "This time we are here for His Royal Highness the King of Zhou, for the people of the city, and for ourselves. No matter how difficult, hard, or tiring it is, we must recruit civilians according to the requirements of Earl Yongning."

He said in a somewhat cold tone: "Go back to the mansion and call all the gentry and merchants in the city. It's time for them to contribute!"