weaving

Chapter 1477 Recommending Three Generals
Before parting, Marquis Yongning Zhang Cheng poured out his grievances to Wang Chengen once again.

“Your Highness, look how cold the weather is getting. Moreover, our soldiers from Xuanda have been fighting for years and have been away from home for a long time. They are longing for their hometowns…”

A hint of doubt appeared on Wang Chengen's face as he asked, "What does the Earl of Yongning mean...?"

"I would like to temporarily cease hostilities, leaving two battalions of troops to garrison the borders of Kaifeng and Henan prefectures to safeguard local stability and prevent the rebel army from attacking again. The main army will temporarily return to Xuanfu to rest and recuperate for the winter. When spring arrives next year, we will gather troops in the area between Kaifeng and Luoyang, and join forces with Shaanxi Governor Sun Chuanting and Zuo Ping to jointly suppress the rebel Li Zicheng."

Wang Chengen's expression was quite intriguing. He smiled faintly and said, "I'll just serve His Majesty well. I'll naturally pay more attention to matters in the palace and help His Majesty convey his messages."

As for matters of state and military importance, how could it be my place to speak out of turn? Don't you agree... Marquis Yongning!

Zhang Cheng naturally knew that Wang Chengen was giving him a hint. He smiled awkwardly and said, "What you say is true, Your Excellency. I will write to the Ministry of War for instructions. How can I put Your Excellency in a difficult position?"

Wang Chengen smiled and said, "Although what you said is true, the court has invested so much money and grain, it would be difficult to abandon the project halfway."

"It's not about giving up halfway, it's just about building up strength," Zhang Cheng laughed. "Now that we've gained the upper hand over the bandits, it's time to consolidate our current gains and accumulate strength so we can wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

“What the Earl of Yongning said is all true, and I know it all…” Wang Chengen pointed mysteriously toward the capital and said softly, “I’m just afraid that the officials in the court will be reluctant to spend money and grain and won’t agree.”

"I will do my best," Zhang Cheng said, clasping his hands in a fist salute. "If possible, I hope that Your Highness will put in a good word for me with the Emperor."

"Of course, of course," Wang Chengen readily agreed.

The Earl of Yongning then waved to Tian Mingyu, the deputy general of the White Tiger Camp, and said to him, "Mingyu, you will lead three hundred elite cavalry to escort the prince back to Kaifeng."

"Here."

"Your Highness, when Zhang Cheng arrives in the capital, I will certainly pay him a visit to express my gratitude for your kindness!"

"You're too kind," Wang Chengen said with a smile. "Lord Yongning, just focus on killing the traitors. As long as His Majesty is happy, I'll be happy too."

"Please rest assured, Your Highness."

Wang Chengen had already boarded the carriage, but then he called for it to stop. He leaned out halfway and seemed to say something to the eunuch. The eunuch then hurriedly ran back to the Earl of Yongning and said, "Eunuch Wang invites the Earl of Yongning to come closer and speak."

Zhang Cheng stepped forward with a look of doubt. Wang Chengen waved away the eunuchs who were attending him, and even the driver of the carriage was driven away. Then he said in a low voice, "Zhang Cheng, do you know who the court sent to investigate your matter of reclaiming military farmland?"

"I only know that the imperial court sent people to investigate, but I don't know who is in charge."

“Li Banghua, Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.” Wang Chengen continued, “Although he is not easy to get along with, he is upright and incorruptible, able to distinguish right from wrong, and hates evil as if it were his enemy.”

After he finished speaking, he pulled his head back into the carriage and said through the curtain of the carriage window, "Eunuch Li Fengxiang from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs will also be traveling with us. He and I have some personal connections. He told us to take care of everything for you, and the rest is up to the Earl of Yongning."

"Thank you for your patronage, Your Highness!"

Zhang Cheng watched Wang Chengen's convoy disappear into the distance before mounting his horse and slowly riding back into Xuzhou City.

…………

Zhang Cheng was neither surprised nor overly worried about the arrival of Li Banghua and his group.

After all, based on his understanding of Li Banghua, his fearless character was quite similar to that of Hai Rui (Hai Gangfeng) during the Jiajing era. Therefore, he was not afraid that Li Banghua would collude with the gentry and officials of Henan.

As long as this Chief Censor can act impartially and distinguish right from wrong, there won't be any major trouble. Besides, even if this Chief Censor isn't on our side, he still has to return to the capital with the results of his investigation, and the court officials will then discuss and decide how to handle the situation.

This back-and-forth is bound to drag on for a long time. Moreover, the Earl of Yongning will not allow the court to reach a conclusion smoothly. He will definitely add his own biases and stir things up. By the time a conclusion is reached, the grain in the fields will probably be almost ready for harvest.

However, just in case, the Earl of Yongning still instructed his old advisor Sun Shixiang to write a petition and asked Liu Chengzhu to prepare a generous gift for each of the court officials who came with him, including Yu Shangyou, Wang Tiaoding, and Ma Jiazhi, as well as the accompanying Jinyiwei Commander Li Ruolian, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Li Fengxiang, and others.

In fact, the Earl of Yongning had anticipated that the imperial court would send officials to Henan to investigate and had made plans in advance. For example, Yu Shangyou, Wang Tiaoding, and Ma Jiazhi were his own people who were placed into the investigation team through his connections.

However, the Imperial Guard Li Ruolian and the eunuch Li Fengxiang were exceptions.

After all, matters in the imperial court could be manipulated to some extent, but Zhang Cheng currently had no ability to manipulate matters in the palace, and could only sigh that he was too lucky.

The two men chosen by the Emperor were a friend and had Wang Chengen put in a good word for them; all they needed to do was spend more gold and silver.

Zhang Cheng has no shortage of gold, silver, and other valuables!
Not to mention the countless gold and silver treasures seized in Zhuxian Town, even the gold and silver treasures picked up along the way during the pursuit after defeating the rebel army were enough to answer these outsiders.

It's not that the Earl of Yongning doesn't care about gold and silver; it's just that he's so willing to spend it because he uses it in the right way!
…………

After Sun Shixiang and Liu Chengzhu left, Chen Zheng, the commander of the White Tiger Camp, came to see him again.

"Commander, I heard that you intend to withdraw your troops and return to Xuanfu for rest and reorganization."

"This matter hasn't been finalized yet."

"I also heard that the commander-in-chief wants to leave two battalions of troops permanently stationed in Henan?"

"Hehe..." Zhang Cheng revealed a wicked smile and asked him, "What do you mean by this? If you keep stammering like this, get out of here."

Chen Zheng chuckled, blushing slightly with embarrassment, and said, "Didn't I hear that those who stay behind in Henan are given the title of General?"

Zhang Cheng's face darkened, and he asked him with a gloomy expression, "What? Is the imperial general so appealing?"

Chen Zheng was taken aback by the question, as if he had not expected the Earl of Yongning to ask it. He remained stunned for a good while, before he finally reacted and said with a serious expression, "Look at my broken mouth, why can't I speak properly?"

"I'm not after the imperial general's rank; I just want to keep an eye on these military settlements in Henan for you, my lord. Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be dealt with severely."

Seeing that he was speaking seriously, Zhang Cheng stopped teasing him and said with a smile, "Silly boy, I was just kidding you."

He then added, "I plan to recommend three generals to the court to guard Luoyang, Xuzhou, and Guide Prefecture respectively."

"Guide Prefecture?" Chen Zheng was taken aback and said, "Does the Earl want to recommend Luo Rucai as the Commander-in-Chief?"

“Hmm.” Zhang Cheng continued, “I have already promised Luo Rucai that all three battalions of troops will be under his command. Naturally, we should ask him for the title of general.”

"Then let's give up Luoyang and Xuzhou from our Yongyi Army," Chen Zheng said with excitement. "Lord, have you made any choices?"

"As for candidates, there are a few. I can tell you for sure that you, Chen Zheng, are one of them."

The Earl of Yongning said with a smile, "However, I need to think about it some more."

He then joked, "General, huh? What a high-ranking official! I'll have to sell him for a good price!"