The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 436: Fierce as a Tiger

"General Zuo Liangyu pays homage to the commander-in-chief."

Zuo Liangyu took a step forward, leaned down, half-knelt on the ground, and bowed his head.

As Zuo Liangyu half-knelt on the ground, all the officers and soldiers of Zuo Zhen in the tent stood up suddenly.

Whether it is Wang Yuncheng, Hao Xiaozhong and other officers directly under Zuo Liangyu.

Or the surrendered generals of the 72 battalions who had defected to Zuo Liangyu, such as Liu Guoneng and Xu Kebian, all stood up together and then bowed down.

"Meet the chief!"

Inside the central army tent, all the officers and soldiers of the Left Town knelt on one knee and made loud noises.

In history, even because of the great defeat at Zhuxian Town, most of his elite troops were lost.

However, all the generals in the town, whether they were the original officers in the town or the surrendered generals, still obeyed Zuo Liangyu's orders.

This is enough to show that Zuo Liangyu has a good command.

Now, without experiencing the defeat at Zhuxian Town, Zuo Liangyu still has elite troops under his command, and naturally has a deeper control over the army.

Now that Zuo Liangyu had made his attitude clear, all the officers and soldiers of Zuo Zhen did not hesitate at all and stood up to express their stance. This was the best proof.

Looking at the group of Zuozhen generals kneeling in the tent, Chen Wang did not respond immediately, but cast his gaze on Meng Ruhu, Cao Bianjiao and others.

Meng Ruhu's face was hesitant and his eyes were full of struggle.

Chen Wang’s previous words caused waves in his originally resolute heart.

His name was given to him by Zhang Mengjing, the governor of Yansui at that time.

At the beginning, he and Hu Dawei fled from the outside of the Great Wall to Yansui and were assigned to the army.

Governor Zhang Mengjing has always been kind to both him and Hu Dawei.

This period of time is the most proud and ambitious time in Mengruhu's life.

Later, in the third year of Chongzhen, he made great contributions in the victory of Zunyong and was promoted to garrison commander.

In the same year, he was promoted to guerrilla for his meritorious service in suppressing the Hetao Mongolian chieftain Ganerma. It can be said that his career was smooth.

In the fifth year, he was promoted to Lieutenant General for his meritorious service. In the eighth year, he was recommended by Wu Shen, the governor of Shanxi, as deputy general. In the eleventh year, during the Wuyin Rebellion, he was promoted to the general of Jizhen Zhongxie.

From a surrendered soldier from outside the Great Wall, he became the general of a town in eleven years.

When he was wandering on the grassland, he could not even imagine such a thing.

only……

Since leaving Yansui, Meng Ruhu has never met a civil official like Zhang Mengjing again.

The commanders and generals who followed behind sat upright in the hall, with contempt always in their eyes.

In their eyes, military generals were nothing more than servants who could be summoned at will and dismissed at will, and they would be scolded harshly if they did not do their job properly.

Except Yang Sichang...

He was transferred from the nine borders thousands of miles away, and not only was he reinstated to his original post, but he was also appointed as the president of the auxiliary suppression camp.

The court is in chaos, how could we not know about it, as it is as ferocious as a tiger.

But he did not want to let down Zhang Mengjing's kindness, nor did he want to let down Yang Sichang's final instructions.

If it weren't for Zhang Mengjing's appreciation and reuse, they might still be unknown.

If it weren't for Yang Sichang's strenuous efforts, he would still be serving his sentence at the frontier.

Yang Sichang never shorted them of even half an ounce of military pay, nor did he short them of even a little bit of food and fodder.

Most of them are treated kindly and rarely scolded.

Although like most civil servants and governors, Yang Sichang did have the advantage of being a civil servant.

But in Yang Sichang's eyes, these military officials and camp commanders were human beings.

Rather than a pig-dog that comes when called and leaves when dismissed.

Military pay was never withheld, food and fodder were never in short supply, and even when there were occasional mistakes, they were usually convinced with reason rather than scolding.

Yang Sichang's last words will never be forgotten by a tiger.

"The situation in the Southern Kingdom has collapsed to this point. The fault lies with me. I have submitted a letter of apology."

"Generals, please serve your country wholeheartedly. There is no need to worry about being implicated..."

At the last moment of his life, Yang Sichang was thinking not only about the safety of the war situation in the South, but also the plight of his military officials.

He was worried that they would be implicated and criticized by the court, so he took all the blame on himself.

Meng Ruhu clenched his fists, his heart was filled with pain.

He hated himself, hated himself for not being able to change the overall situation, hated himself for being powerless.

He knew in his heart that what Chen Wang said was right.

He is no longer the herdsman struggling to survive outside the Great Wall.

After eleven years of ups and downs in the officialdom and eleven years of struggling in the whirlpool, how could he not be aware of the country's problems.

As long as the court is still controlled by those high-ranking intellectuals, the world will never have peace and the country will be in turmoil forever.

They occupied important positions and controlled the government, but turned a blind eye to the suffering of the people.

Even if we eliminate all enemies now, new enemies will appear in ten or even dozens of years.

All this had actually happened once before during the Wanli period.

But at that time, there was a pillar in the court who was strong enough to support the sky - Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng implemented the Single Whip System, rectified the administration of officials, and managed to bring this crumbling dynasty back on track.

There are also many outstanding generals such as Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang.

Unfortunately, as soon as Zhang Juzheng died, those angry vested interests immediately counterattacked, the new policies were abolished, and everything returned to the old ways.

However, Meng Ruhu was still struggling, but among the officers in Meng Town, one of them had already stood up.

"I, Old Liu, am a rough man and cannot say nice things."

“Although many things are not put on the table, they are clear in everyone’s mind.”

"Everyone has seen how the court has treated our military commanders over the years. Delays in payment of food and wages are common, and they are often punished and demoted. The payment of wages has been delayed for more than half a year now."

Liu Guangzuo snorted with anger on his face.
"The brothers are fighting hard in the front, but they can't even get enough food in the back. The civil servants are living happily with plenty of meat and fish and many wives and concubines."

"To be honest, those of us who work so hard can't even get a good night's sleep."

The nine border towns fought bloody battles in Songjin, Liaodong, but most of the pensions for the dead and wounded soldiers were withheld.

The nine borders were in such a state already, not to mention the camps and towns from the southern kingdoms that were coming in to suppress them.

"There is no food or money. What a stupid war!"

"What's the point of coming to such a court?!"

Liu Guangzuo knelt down on one knee without any hesitation and clasped his fists solemnly.

"In the eleventh year of Chongzhen's reign, during the Battle of Qingshan Pass, I followed the general commander and it was the most satisfying battle I, Old Liu, ever fought."

"The commander-in-chief wants to attack Wuchang. I am willing to lead the way, regardless of the dangers or dangers!"

"If nothing else, it's just to give the brothers justice, so that those who work hard can look like they're working hard."

All the battalion commanders of Mengzhen looked at Liu Guangzuo with helplessness on their faces.

Liu Guangzuo said that he was not good at speaking nice words, but later he spoke in a different way.

They are all old foxes in the officialdom and they really believed his lies!

However, none of the camp commanders expressed their views.

All the generals in Meng Town turned their eyes to Meng Ruhu and Cao Bianjiao, waiting for their decision.

Cao Bianjiao also glanced at Meng Ruhu, but Meng Ruhu had already closed his eyes and did not move at all.

Seeing Meng Ruhu like this, Cao Bianjiao did not wait any longer. He knew that it was too difficult to make Meng Ruhu make this decision.

At this time, he had to stand up and help Meng Ruhu get this idea.

"In the twelfth year of Chongzhen, when I left Beijing, my uncle said something to me." Cao Bianjiao's voice was neither hurried nor slow, and everyone's attention was attracted by Cao Bianjiao's words.

The uncle that Cao Bianjiao mentioned was naturally Cao Wenzhao who had died for his country in Songjin.

Even Zuo Liangyu, who was half-kneeling on the ground, raised his head and looked at Cao Bianjiao.

Zuo Liangyu once served as a general under Cao Wenzhao.

In the central military camp, most people had obeyed the command of Cao Wenzhao, who was their old superior.

“Rivers and lakes eventually flow into the sea, but life’s aspirations are hard to realize.”

"The country has been suffering from problems for a long time. At this point, no medicine can cure it."

"Thick fog covered the road ahead, and darkness covered the sky and the earth..."

Cao Bianjiao's chest heaved, and the last few words almost burst out from between his teeth.

His voice trembled with emotion.

All the generals bowed their heads and remained silent. Some of the generals who had been favored by Cao Wenzhao in the past even shed tears.

Cao Wenzhao died in battle at Songjin. The Qing army cut off his head and hung it on Changling Mountain to be exposed to the wind and sun, leaving his body exposed in the wilderness.

The Ming troops in various towns in Liaodong tried several times to recapture Cao Wenzhao's body, but were ultimately powerless.

When Cao Wenzhao headed north, he actually had some ideas about the final outcome.

However, when the destiny is over, the good general will fall.

Cao Bianjiao didn't finish his words, he couldn't say the rest.

But the generals already understood the meaning of Cao Wenzhao's words.

"I hope the general will not forget the oath he made in the past."

Cao Bianjiao clenched his fists, looked up at Chen Wang and said.

"Take back our homeland and take revenge!"

Chen Wang's expression gradually became solemn. He looked at Cao Bianjiao and made a solemn promise.

"I will never forget this life."

After receiving the promise again, Cao Bianjiao did not hesitate any more. He took a deep breath and slowly bowed down.

"Lintao General Cao Bianjiao pays homage to the commander-in-chief."

After Meng Ruhu fell ill, the troops from various towns that were originally under his command basically obeyed the command of Cao Bianjiao.

Moreover, no one is as loyal to the court as Meng Ruhu.

Over the years, the court's various outrageous actions have caused the generals to become alienated from the court.

Following Cao Bianjiao's statement, all the officers and soldiers in Mengzhen no longer hesitated and stood up and bowed along with Cao Bianjiao.

Chen Wang's gaze finally fell on Meng Ruhu. After hesitating for a long time, Chen Wang finally spoke.

"Handsome..."

Meng Ruhu opened his eyes, his eyes were full of fatigue but calmness. He looked around.

Except for him, all the officers and soldiers from various towns in the southern country had already bowed down.

The overall situation has been decided, and it doesn't matter whether he agrees or not.

Meng Ruhu let out a long sigh, supported his sick body, and stood up with difficulty.

"Chen Shuai is right..."

The fierce tiger-like expression has returned to calm.

“I know it clearly in my heart.”

His voice was as calm as the windless sky outside the tent.

But Chen Wang's expression changed.

Chen Wang looked at Meng Ruhu, and a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes.

Meng Ruhu did not call him the general, but still called him General Chen.

From the word "Chen Shuai", Chen Wang heard a fierce determination like a tiger, and his originally bright eyes dimmed slightly.

"but……"

"I was originally a surrendered soldier from the frontier. The emperor did not regard me as a lowly person and appointed me as a general."

"Before Yang Gebu died, he entrusted his last wishes to me."

"Marshal Chen is concerned about my condition and has recruited many famous doctors. I am very grateful..."

Meng Ruhu sighed softly and smiled.

Chen Wang remained silent. Meng Ruhu apparently rejected the doctor who came to treat him, but in fact he was rejecting his recruitment.

Meng Ruhu frowned slightly and leaned back involuntarily. The pain in his back tortured his will.

Meng Ruhu clenched his teeth tightly, and cold sweat slowly seeped out from his forehead, making his lips, which already had little blood color, become even paler.

"But now I am actually very ill, so I'd better not waste the medicine."

Meng Ruhu slowly bowed and clasped his fists.

"When the world is at peace and the barbarians in the north are pacified, don't forget to tell me."

Chen Wang's eyes were dim and his expression was moved.

During this period of history at the end of the Ming Dynasty, there were two people who left a deep impression on him.

One is the mighty power of a tiger, and the other is as fierce as a tiger.

Both of them were surrendered soldiers from outside the Great Wall, but they served the country wholeheartedly and eventually died in the service of the king.

Chen Wang knew very well that Meng Ruhu had made up his mind.

"Mengshuai is ill now and needs to rest. Other matters can be discussed later..."

Chen Wang raised his hand, and the two Hanzhong army armored soldiers who had been standing behind Meng Ruhu immediately stepped forward, supporting Meng Ruhu on the left and right.

"Help the brave to go to the side tent to rest first."

All the officers in the tent understood the profound meaning of Chen Wang's order.

It is called recuperation, but in reality it is house arrest.

After hearing Chen Wang's order, Meng Ruhu's brows relaxed and he felt relieved.

Facing Chen Wang, Meng Ruhu bowed again and saluted Chen Wang solemnly.

This bow was a bow for the grace of permission, for the friendship between brothers, and even more for the tacit understanding - allowing him to complete the last journey of his life as the general of the Ming Dynasty.

After Meng Ruhu finished his salute, he turned around without any hesitation.

Two armored soldiers of the Hanzhong Army were guarding the tiger-like man on his left and right.

The army respects heroes, so the two men's attitudes towards Meng Ru Hu were very moderate.

"Meng Shuai, please."

Meng Ruhu straightened his clothes.

The soldiers standing at the door of the tent had already opened the curtain.

The summer breeze brushed across the tiger's face with a bit of coolness.

Meng Ruhu's somewhat dazed thoughts gradually became clear.

The weather outside the tent was fine, the sun was shining brightly at its zenith.

The light from the sun hanging high in the sky was so fierce that it made me squint my eyes.

Meng Ruhu subconsciously raised his hand to block it, but the scorching light still leaked through his fingers, casting mottled shadows on his pale face.

Suddenly, the light reminded him of the feeling of the scorching sun shining on his body when he was riding a horse outside the Great Wall many years ago.

Meng Ruhu straightened his back, closed his eyes, put down his hands that were blocking his eyes, raised his head and let the sunlight shine on his face.

In such bright weather, it is not bad to finish the last journey of life...