Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Chapter 425: Gathering and separation are inherently impermanent

Su Wang Zhu Shizhong and Wang Yongqiang split their troops and went south. This was actually the product of irreconcilable conflicts. It is said that there is strength in numbers, so the two of them should join forces and bravely go south together. However, Zhu Shizhong, relying on his status as a member of the Ming Dynasty clan, frequently granted officials and made wishes to win over Wang Yongqiang's subordinates in an attempt to seize the royal army's military power. Although he succeeded, Winning over some non-core soldiers from Wang's army aroused strong indignation from Wang Yongqiang and his Northern Shaanxi Township Party.

So Wang Yongqiang ran away angrily, leaving a message to Zhu Shizhen before leaving: "If we had a full meal back then, why would we have become thieves? Now there are 30,000 people fighting against us, where can we go?" That means, back then, I farmed the land honestly at home, but the court didn't even give me enough to eat, so I had no choice but to become a thief. Since your old Zhu family has been sorry for me, now I have 30,000 soldiers and horses, why should I be dispatched by you? The world is a long way from here, so don’t pass it by now.

Seeing the letter left by Wang Yongqiang, Zhu Shizhen became very angry, "The king is a thief, he has no father!"

"Your Highness, why should you be angry? With the Marquis of Yulin here, our army will be constrained, and the prefectures and counties we captured will have to be divided equally with him. If this person leaves, it will be easier to do things," Mi Guozhen, a scholar of Dongge University, advised.

"The troops are weak. Without the 30,000 elite soldiers of Marquis Yulin, I am afraid that our army will be alone and unable to conquer Pingliang." Xu Buhuo, another bachelor of Dongge University, was not so optimistic.

"Gu Ye knows that troops are weak when divided, but how can a king be controlled by others? If he wants to go, let him go. I will go on a personal expedition to boost morale." Zhu Shizhong became fierce.

"Absolutely not. Your Highness is a body made of thousands of gold. How can you put yourself in danger?"

"That's right, a son with a lot of money cannot sit down in the hall."

Everyone hurriedly stopped him, but Zhu Shizhong was determined to lead the southern expedition in person. This is not the impulse of young people, but the result of foresight. The more troubled the times, the more it is necessary to firmly control the military power. The composition of one's own army is complex. Only by personal conquest can one establish prestige and make this army truly his own.

"Your Highness really wants to go, please take the First Assistant with you, lest he stir up troubles in Ningxia," Li Shiying, the Second Assistant to the Zhangwu Dynasty and a bachelor of Wuyingdian, said. He was extremely uneasy about the advice of Xining Boqi Ting, the chief assistant sent by Sultan, for fear that this person would take advantage of the army's southern expedition to seize power in Ningxia.

"Yes, that's what Mr. Li said." Zhu Shizhong nodded slowly.

Then he ordered his confidant Xu Buhuo, a scholar of Dongge University, to lead Ji Jiao and Wang's 4,000 troops to stay in Ningxia and assemble an army of 22,000 to prepare for the expedition. Although the vassal king had never fought in a war, he knew how to employ people. He knew that only Zhao Guangrui and Li Mingyi among his subordinates were capable of fighting, so he ordered Zhao Guangrui's troops to be the vanguard and Li Mingyi's troops to be the middle army, and they trained their troops day and night.

"At the knees of my father:
It’s been a long time since I’ve been taught, and my heart is anxious. Your Majesty trusts important people and entrusts them to the Yuanfu of the Ming Dynasty. However, he shows his strength to his people. He looks at them with eagle eyes and looks at them with wolves. He is not willing to live under others. The current situation is becoming increasingly difficult, and hidden worries are becoming more and more serious. Although we have the support of Mount Tai, we still need to be worried about slander and fear of ridicule, and practice moderation to avoid future disasters. The man has been ordered to return to Xining. He has packed up his furniture and is well. I write this message under the lamp to report his safety. On the 10th day of the ninth lunar month, men will be born to pray for hundreds of thousands of people."

Looking at this family letter written by his son Qi Xingzhou to himself, Xining Bo Qi Tingjian was filled with emotions. My son has really grown up! Not only does he know how to care about his old father, he also understands the problem clearly!

This letter is not long, and its central meaning is: His Majesty the Emperor trusts you. Let you be the chief assistant of the Ming Dynasty and suppress King Zhangwu. But this King Zhangwu had eyes as sharp as an eagle and a man as cruel as a wolf. He was not a man willing to be subordinate to others. When you stay in Ningxia, you seem to have the emperor as your backer, but in fact you are in a difficult situation. It gets harder and harder as time goes on. If you want to avoid disaster, please learn the golden mean. Don't offend anyone, just make peace in the middle.

"My son and my father want to go together," Qi Tingjian laughed loudly. His family has been the commander of the Xining Guards of the Ming Dynasty for generations, and he has deep feelings for the Ming Dynasty. At the same time, because he surrendered the guards earlier, he is more trusted by the Wei Dynasty court. Emperor Qianyuan believed that he was a figure acceptable to both parties, so he appointed him as the chief assistant of the newly established Zhangwu regime, hoping that he could stand in front of Zhu Shizhong and use the emperor to control the princes. Unexpectedly, this Zhangwu King Rao Yi was decisive and had the style of Taizu. The two sides fought several times, but he actually lost. As a minister of the Ming Dynasty for generations, he was not determined to completely break up with the Ming Dynasty vassal king, so he could only adopt the middle way and reconcile between Emperor Qianyuan and King Zhangwu, hoping that neither party would offend and be a good man. It is precisely because of this idea that Zhangwu King Zhu Shizhong gradually took control of Ningxia Town.

"Chief Assistant, Your Highness, please come into the palace." Just as he was thinking, someone from the palace called him.

Qi Ting did not dare to neglect his advice and hurriedly put on his court clothes and entered the palace.

The palace of King Zhangwu was actually the original Ningxia General Military Mansion. Zhu Shizhong was a frugal man and was not allowed to spend money on renovations. He packed up a few habitable rooms and moved in. Even so, it was still difficult to feed tens of thousands of troops, so they had to send troops to conquer the south, hoping to seize the fertile land of Shaanxi and get rid of the financial crisis.

The palace is not big. After walking through a long corridor, we came to the main hall. Zhu Shizhen was reviewing memorials. When he saw him coming, he smiled and said to the people around him: "In the future, whenever Qi Gong comes to see the orphan, he will be given a seat directly without giving any instructions." Tea".

"Old ministers are frightened." Qi Tingjian was very moved. To be fair, this King Zhangwu respected himself very much and never called him by his name, but respectfully called him "Qi Gong".

The tea came, but it was just ordinary brick tea. After brewing, there was still tea foam. Looking at the dragon robe again, it was still patched. Qi Tingjian's eyes turned red, "Why are you so miserable, Your Highness? For the sake of the Ming Dynasty, please take care of your dragon body!"

"Alas! The affairs of the state are insignificant. The soldiers are not even paid enough. How can I dare to be extravagant?" Zhu Shizhen sighed and asked: "How many generations in your generation are you in Qi Gong's reign in Xiqi? ?”

"Your Highness, my family has been the commander of the Xining Guard, and I am already the ninth generation. The Qi family has been blessed by the country for many generations, so they can only serve and die." Qi Ting was not stupid in admonishing him. He knew that King Zhangwu was talking to him. The ancestor wanted to force him to show his loyalty.

"Okay! If all the ministers of the Ming Dynasty are like Qi Gong, why worry about Ming Zuo not being prosperous?" Zhu Shizhong cheered loudly, and then got down to the topic, "I am about to leave Ningxia and conquer the Tartars in the south. I also ask Qi Gong for his help."

"Don't worry, Your Highness, I will protect Ningxia for you and prevent Xiaoxiao from taking advantage of it." Qi Tingjian became excited. After all, he was a famous minister of the ninth generation, and he was willing to do his part to revive the Ming Dynasty.

"No, there are indispensable resourceful people like Qi Gong beside Gu. Qi Gong is willing to accompany Gu on the southern expedition?" After saying this, Zhu Shizhong's eyes were like lightning, staring at his chief assistant.

Why do you need a resourceful person like me? You are obviously afraid that if I stay in Ningxia, I will take away your power!
Qi Tingjian felt sad in his heart. After all, the ninth Ming Dynasty minister could not win the trust of King Zhangwu. Who allowed him to surrender to the guard and be the chief assistant sent by Emperor Qianyuan! His heart was filled with despair, and he said with a sad smile: "I am willing to listen to His Highness's misfortune, and then die with all my heart."

(End of this chapter)