Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 625 Beijing Camp
Capital.

Zhang Xijun's residence.

Zhang Xijun has lived here for many years. Although the house is not big, it is not small either. Moreover, its location is considered a good location in the capital. It is not easy to buy such a house even for a high-ranking official in the court.

Zhang Xijun did not go out that day because the rumors in the capital seemed to be getting more and more intense. Zhang Xijun had sent a secret letter to remind Shanxi some time ago, but nearly half a month had passed and there was no response from Shanxi. He didn't know what Zhu Shenzui was planning.

Feeling anxious, Zhang Xijun sent people to continue to inquire about the news, and at the same time patiently waited for Shanxi's reply. The longer time passed, the more worried Zhang Xijun became.

Just when Zhang Xijun was getting anxious, a servant suddenly came to report that a guest was coming to visit. Without thinking, Zhang Xijun told the servant that he would not see the guest today, and if the guest asked, he would say that he was not feeling well, and sent the guest away.

But after a while, the servant came back and said that the guest must see Zhang Xijun today. Just when Zhang Xijun frowned and was about to scold the servant, the servant took out a business card and handed it to him, saying that the guest asked him to give it to Zhang Xijun, and said that as long as Zhang Xijun saw the business card, he would definitely see him.

Zhang Xijun took the name card and looked at it. He was stunned by the look. He stood up and walked out quickly, asking where the guest was. The servant told him that he was waiting at the gatehouse. Zhang Xijun went to the gatehouse without saying anything.

When he arrived at the gatehouse, Zhang Xijun slowed down his pace and a smile appeared on his face.

There were three people at the gatehouse, one was sitting, and the other two were standing on either side of the sitting person. These three people were dressed ordinary, but their demeanor was not bad, especially the sitting person, who was looking at the nursery not far away leisurely, as if he was very interested in the flowers and plants there.

"Oh, isn't this Mr. Wang? What brings you here today?" Zhang Xijun bowed and smiled from afar.

When Mr. Wang heard Zhang Xijun coming, he stood up with a smile on his face, bowed to Zhang Xijun and said, "Mr. Zhang, long time no see. I'm here to visit an old friend. Mr. Zhang won't blame me for coming uninvited, right?"

"No, no, Mr. Wang is a distinguished guest. I can't even invite him." Zhang Xijun said with a smile. Then he made a gesture of invitation to Mr. Wang and personally accompanied Mr. Wang into the mansion and then to the backyard.

Zhang Xijun welcomed the guests into the house and had tea served. After the tea came, he asked the servants to leave and instructed that no one was allowed to enter the backyard.

After the servants left, the two followers that Mr. Wang brought with him clasped their fists and saluted to Mr. Wang. Mr. Wang nodded slightly, and they also left the room, closing the door as they went out. Then they stood on both sides of the door, one on the left and one on the right, like a pair of door gods.

Since there were no outsiders in the room, Zhang Xijun hurriedly stood up and bowed deeply to the seated Mr. Wang.

"Sixth Master, why are you here? The capital is in a state of panic right now, why did you risk coming to the capital?"

"Haha, if it weren't for this, I wouldn't have come." Zhu Shenzui, who had just called himself Mr. Wang, said with a smile. He glanced at Zhang Xijun. Although they had been in contact through letters, they had not seen each other for several years.

A few years later, Zhang Xijun didn't change much, except that he was a little fatter. But in Zhang Xijun's eyes, Zhu Shenzhui had changed a lot. Zhu Shenzhui, who was in his early thirties, was in the best years of a man's life. Moreover, he had been in a high position for many years and had fought many battles in the grasslands. He not only had the extraordinary bearing of a superior, but also had a sense of oppression.

"What is the current situation in the capital? Please tell me in detail." Zhu Shenzhui waved his hand and asked Zhang Xijun to sit down and talk.

Zhang Xijun bowed again and sat down, then he began to talk about the situation in the capital.

Not long ago, rumors about Hengtong in the capital came out of nowhere again, and they were more intense than before, and even vaguely pointed to Zhu Shenzhui. Because the incident of the Fan family in Jiexiu had just happened not long ago, although the rumor had spread throughout the capital, the court did not react much. Only a few officials wrote to Emperor Chongzhen, asking the court to send people to investigate, but most people were indifferent.

After investigation, Zhang Xijun judged that this situation might have occurred because the previous incident in Shanxi had caused too much trouble, and everyone was wary of rumors. They felt that someone might be fanning the flames, intending to cause internal strife between the royal family and the clan in the Ming Dynasty, thereby disrupting the internal affairs of the Ming Dynasty.

But there were also people who thought that a strict investigation should be conducted, especially Wu Mengming, who had been sitting on the bench after returning to the capital. Although he was thrown into the imperial prison as a jailer, his position as Tongzhi was still there. In addition, Wu Mengming also had his own direct lineage in the Jinyiwei, and he was already secretly investigating through them, but it was unknown whether he had found anything. "What about the palace? Is there any attitude?" Zhu Shenzhui asked the key question directly.

Zhang Xijun shook his head and said, "The attitude of the palace is somewhat ambiguous. The emperor seems to be undecided. However, he has summoned the cabinet elders and several eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department in the past few days. It seems that he wants to investigate, but he has not yet made a final decision. In addition, the bandits in the south are causing great trouble. Gao Yingxiang's troops have fled all the way from Henan to Huguang, and now there are signs that they have entered Sichuan. The court is mobilizing troops to continue the encirclement and suppression..."

Zhu Shenzhui listened attentively and thought at the same time. Zhang Xijun's information was not much different from what he knew. At present, the Ming Dynasty was indeed in war everywhere, especially since Gao Yingxiang was defeated in Nanzhili and fled west, Henan, Huguang and other places were in turmoil.

Now, Gao Yingxiang's marching route is intended to enter Sichuan. Although he could get rid of the pursuing government troops by entering Sichuan, the terrain of Sichuan is complex, and it is not easy for Gao Yingxiang to gain a foothold in Sichuan. What's more, the famous Qin Liangyu is in Sichuan, and the White Rod Army under her command is not a pushover. Once Gao Yingxiang encounters them, he will be no match at all.

So Sichuan was not a suitable place for Gao Yingxiang, but now Gao Yingxiang had no choice but to go to Sichuan first. No one could predict what Gao Yingxiang would do next. Maybe he would continue to go west? Or go north out of Sichuan and return to Shaanxi? All of these were possible.

But if Gao Yingxiang wants to go back to Shaanxi, he will have to face Sun Chuanting. Sun Chuanting has made outstanding achievements in suppressing bandits in Shaanxi these days. At present, the bandits in Shaanxi have been almost eliminated by Sun Chuanting. Except for a few small bandits that are not strong and hiding from place to place, order has been restored in most areas.

"Is there any movement in Liaodong?"

"The situation in Liaodong is not optimistic." Zhang Xijun said solemnly, "We just received news a few days ago that Huang Taiji has led his troops to attack Pi Island. The generals of Pi Island are afraid of the enemy and are avoiding fighting. The Guanning Army has not sent troops to rescue. I am afraid that Pi Island is in great danger this time."

"In addition, I judge that Huang Taiji's intention in attacking Pi Island this time is not only to solve the hidden dangers of Pi Island, but also to send troops to Korea. Once Pi Island is taken by Huang Taiji, Jiannu will have no worries. Without Pi Island, Korea will be unable to resist the attack of the Eight Banners."

"If Huang Taiji had taken Pi Island first and then defeated Korea, the entire situation in Liaodong would have changed completely. By then, Jiannu would not only have no threat from the rear, but would also be able to use Korea's national strength to its advantage, and its strength would not be comparable in this way."

Zhu Shenzui was suddenly shocked. He did not expect that Huang Taiji would choose such a good time. Just when the Ming Dynasty was encircling and suppressing the bandits and hunting down Gao Yingxiang, Huang Taiji turned around and attacked Pi Island and Korea.

Zhu Shenzhui stood up subconsciously, and Zhang Xijun beside him also stood up, but saw Zhu Shenzhui slightly waved his hand at him. Zhang Xijun stood there, watching Zhu Shenzhui pacing in the room, not knowing what he was thinking about.

After a moment, Zhu Shenzhui turned around and asked Zhang Xijun about his current capabilities in the capital. Zhang Xijun naturally would not hide the fact that he had been operating in the capital for many years, and everything had been arranged by Zhu Shenzhui from the beginning to now. Although Zhang Xijun currently held no official position in the court, his network of contacts was not weak. Over the years, he had secretly won over and made friends with many officials, not to mention ordinary officials in the capital, he even had connections with the cabinet and the palace, and he had even more spies in the marketplace.

Zhu Shenzui listened carefully to Zhang Xijun's story and asked him directly about his connections in the Beijing Army, especially the Beijing Army guarding the city gates of the capital, after he finished speaking.

Hearing this, Zhang Xijun's eyebrows twitched involuntarily, and a thought suddenly surged from the bottom of his heart: Could it be that Zhu Shenzhu was planning to take a risk?
This thought suddenly occurred to Zhang Xijun, and he was not afraid at all, but excited. As early as when he joined Zhu Shencui, Zhang Xijun knew that Zhu Shencui was not an ordinary person who was willing to be lonely, especially when he later learned that Zhu Shencui was a member of the royal family, Zhang Xijun was even more determined to work for Zhu Shencui.

Although Zhang Xijun himself is a scholar, we should not forget what his ancestors did. Starting from his ancestors, he, Zhang Xijun, is a remnant of the White Lotus and an expert in rebellion.

Although by the time it was passed down to Zhang Xijun's generation, Zhang Xijun had long since abandoned his ancestors' ideas, several unexpected events later forced Zhang Xijun to hide his identity and give up his originally ordinary life.

Zhang Xijun had no good feelings towards the present Ming Dynasty. In his opinion, the Ming Dynasty was rotten to the core, the empire was crumbling, and it was facing serious internal and external troubles. Moreover, the current emperor Chongzhen was not a wise ruler, but a fool. The Ming Dynasty would perish sooner or later in the hands of Chongzhen.

The Jiannu in Liaodong and the rebellions in various places could never be resolved, which proved the crisis of the Ming Dynasty. Zhang Xijun knew very well that if things continued like this, the collapse of the empire was inevitable, and it was impossible to turn the tide relying on Chongzhen. Only by tearing down the old house and rebuilding a new one could the Ming Dynasty be rebuilt.

It was precisely because of this idea that Zhang Xijun had always obeyed Zhu Shencui's orders and was willing to help Zhu Shencui win over people in the capital and act as his eyes and ears. And now, Zhu Shencui actually asked about the Beijing camp and even mentioned the defense of the capital. How could someone as smart as Zhang Xijun not guess Zhu Shencui's plan?
Zhang Xijun said that the Beijing Camp was no longer useful. Although the three camps were still in place, they were just empty shells. The Beijing Camp had a serious problem of not paying for salaries, insufficient personnel, and lax training. Its combat effectiveness was inferior to that of the border troops, not to mention the local garrison troops.

The current commander of the Beijing Camp is Wu Weiying, Marquis of Gongshun. Wu Weiying is a dandy young man who indulges in literature, wine, and entertainment on weekdays. Although he is from a noble family, he does not know how to lead troops in battle. Although he is the governor of the Beijing Camp, he never goes to the camp and hangs out with his son-in-law Gong Yonggu and others every day.

(End of this chapter)