The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 740: Death of Matsushita
"Your Highness is a precious creature. Don't bother with these rats. Wait until you arrive safely in Yunyang. Once you reach Yunyang, you will be safe."

The eldest princess's bodyguard, Zhao Xianzhen, was covered with bruises from being pelted with stones. He had just confronted hundreds of people and was stabbed several times out of the blue, but fortunately none of the wounds were fatal. At this moment, he was holding on with the long sword, struggling to persuade the eldest princess not to provoke the gentry again.

"Xian Zhen, stop talking. You're seriously injured."

Liu Yufei looked at her guards, tears welling up in her eyes, but she tried hard to hold them back.

Zhao Xianzhen was an orphan taken in by the retired emperor when he pacified the bandits in the first year of Wuding. He had a surname but no name. His surname was Zhao, and the retired emperor gave him the name Xianzhen.

In the second year of Taichu, Zhao Xianzhen served as the guard of the eldest princess.

Xian Zhen was a general of the State of Jin. He once followed Duke Wen of Jin, Chong'er, and fled. He suffered many hardships along the way and assisted Duke Wen of Jin in achieving hegemony. He made great military achievements for Chong'er's dominance.

The emperor gave the orphan this name and asked him to assist the eldest princess. The meaning is self-evident.

"You take the carriage and rest well. I will ride ahead to lead the way."

Zhao Xianzhen's voice trembled as he asked, "Your Highness, how can this be done?"

Liu Yufei looked at Zhao Xianzhen with a majestic gaze, and the injured guard shuddered. He saw the shadow of the emperor in the princess's eyes.

"Your Highness, there are enemies all around. Please walk in front. In case you are... "

Liu Yufei led the horse over, ignoring the strange looks from the roadside, and climbed on the horse, looking back at Zhao Xianzhen:
"I want my enemies to see me and feel like a thorn in their backs!"

In Nanjing, many people still opposed the new policies. They hid in the dark, not daring to show up, silently waiting for the next round of imperial purges.

"I want everyone to know that the eldest princess is still here, and the resistance is still here."

Liu Yufei's tone was firm and calm.

Jiang Liuer waved his hand, and more than two hundred cavalry guards stood on both sides like wings, holding muskets in their hands and guarding the surroundings to prevent the princess from being killed by the gentry.

Jiang Liuer's worries were obviously unnecessary. After Liu Yufei's roar, the group of gentry and nobles who were causing trouble were frightened by the princess's aura and retreated one after another.

~~~~~
Kang Guangxu had a complicated expression on his face as he watched the prison vans carrying the rebels leave Longsheng Pass one by one.

The prison carriage went onto the post road and slowly crawled northward like a black centipede.

When Lu Xiangsheng's prison car disappeared in the distance, Kang Guangxu signaled his personal guards to come forward and whispered a few words to them. The personal guards immediately turned around and left.

Jiang Liuer stared coldly at the scene in front of him, his eyes sharp as if he wanted to kill Kang Guangxu.

At this time, three cannon shots were heard behind them, and a black bear battle flag was coming out of Deshengmen and heading towards Longshengguan. Behind the battle flag were a group of soldiers, about a hundred people, and the ceremonial guards from the Ministry of War Palace.

A head servant came up to him and explained to Master Kang:
"Sir, it's the battalion commander sent by the Emperor to the Fourth Corps."

"Is it him? No wonder there's such a big fuss."

Kang Guangxu nodded meaningfully, "Longsheng Pass is really bustling today."

"Isn't it?" the head servant continued. "Commander Deng and Chief Steward Li have both come in person, as well as your cousin, Master."

"Kang Jingxiu loves to join in the fun."

Hearing that Kang Jingxiu had also come to see the battalion commander off, Kang Guangxu showed a look of disdain:
"To send a warrior to die in Yunyang, and yet to stage such a grand display, our emperor is truly courteous to his subjects."

The head servant smiled wickedly, "Master, should we also go and say hello to Captain Lin? Word has spread throughout Nanjing that Lin Zhenyu is going to Huguang this time to replace Qin Jianxun as the commander of the Fourth Corps. If we can establish contact with him, Master's business in Huguang in the future..."

Kang Guangxu shouted, "Shut up!" Seeing that no one was around, he lowered his voice and said to his confidant:

"What nonsense! Are you taking rumors seriously? How can a young boy like him be the commander of a corps? Besides, Hubei is the territory of Li Zongguan and Mao Chengdou. When Deng Changxiong's daughter is married as a concubine, His Majesty will also give a portion of the reward to his uncle Deng Shouchang. This is His Majesty's strategy to check and balance."

"These rats are greedy, each one more greedy than the other. The little land the emperor gave them is not enough for them to divide. Why should I, the master, get involved in this mess? Let them fight, it's just a dog-eat-dog fight. Let's work together with the masters of the Ministry of War to properly distribute pensions to veterans. That's the big deal." The head servant chuckled and said, "Fifty taels of silver per soldier, your master is wise..."

Kang Guangxu raised his hand:

"As for Lin Zhenyu, don't be fooled by his current glory and the fact that he's being seen off by the Prime Minister. He's actually just a thorn in the emperor's side. Send him to the Fourth Corps this time. If Qin Jianxun gets scared, the court can just take over the military power and everything will be easy. If he can't stand it and follows Pu Gang's example, the court will have a reason to suppress the rebellion. When the army arrives, the result will be similar to what happened in Liaodong."

Kang Guangxu concluded his speech by saying, "Why would I associate with such a disposable person?"

The head servant showed a look of sudden enlightenment, gave a thumbs up and said:
"Master, you have foresight. I admire you so much!"

He looked at the noisy procession over there and said bitterly:
"Master, this fellow's father was a favorite of the retired emperor, Lin Yu, the Marquis of Zhennan... These warriors used to show off their power and bully us, causing you to be exiled to Ningguta. If it weren't for the current emperor's wisdom and bravery, who can distinguish between good and evil, the Kang family wouldn't be where they are today. During the Guangde Dynasty, the warriors didn't know how to restrain themselves and were still so arrogant! Master, please write a letter to the emperor and advise him..."

Kang Guangxu nodded and said, "Of course we must impeach him. Our dynasty governs the country with civil officials, and military officials should be under the control of civil officials. Otherwise, there might be some kind of "cleansing the imperial court." Take Jiang Liuer for example. He was originally a refugee. If the emperor hadn't taken pity on him and taken him in, he would have starved to death in Shenyang. He was lucky enough to succeed and thinks he is the emperor's man. Look at him just now. He dared to speak to me like that. Little did he know that he was just a..."

Kang Guangxu shook his head and didn't pay attention to Jiang Liuer riding past him.

Jiang Liuer pulled the reins and stared at Kang Guangxu.

"Minister Kang?"

Kang Guangxu knew he was in the wrong and hesitated.

If there is still a warrior in the Great Qi Dynasty that Minister Kang cannot afford to offend, Jiang Liuer, who is riding towards him, is one of them.

"Commander Jiang, just now at Longsheng Pass, you protected the criminal Lu Xiangsheng. Why? Did you accept favors from this thief?"

Jiang Liuer held a short gun in his hand and said:
"Just now I saw Minister Kang trying to kill the imperial prisoner. What's the reason? Is he trying to silence him?"

"You..." Kang Guangxu raised his finger and gestured in the air, and saw Jiang Liuer looking at him as if he was a dead person.

"You, what do you want?"

Kang Guangxu lowered his raised finger and tried to appear calm, but his eyes as he looked at Jiang Liuer were filled with fear and anxiety.

The personal guards retreated one after another. It was obvious that the conversation between the two bosses was not something they could listen to.

"Jiang Liu'er, you haven't forgotten how the tiger you raised died, have you?"

Jiang Liuer rode his horse slowly, ignoring the scolding behind him, until he heard the word "tiger". He suddenly lifted the reins, and the warhorse under him snorted and became restless.

Jiang Liuer jumped off the horse without saying a word, rushed to Kang Guangxu's side, and before the other party could react, he grabbed Kang Guangxu's throat with one hand and lifted him up.

Kang Guangxu's personal soldiers and servants were standing far away, and the two men were blocked by horses, so no one saw the situation here.

"I'm not a refugee. I grew up eating at many people's homes. You should do more good deeds. If it weren't for your father's protection, you would have died countless times."

After saying that, he suddenly threw Kang Guangxu to the ground, jumped on his horse, and galloped towards Nanjing City. Behind him, a group of cavalrymen came roaring and swept across the post road like a whirlwind.

Kang Guangxu covered his neck, gasping for breath, his face and body covered in dust.

The head servant arrived late and saw the master in such a miserable state that he hurriedly asked what had happened.

Kang Guangxu raised his whip and was about to hit the servant, then pointed the whip tip at the rising dust in the distance and said angrily:

"Okay! Okay! Okay, Jiang Liu'er, I'll remember you, you two-timing bastard! You're eating Emperor Guangde's food, yet you're colluding with the rebels. Don't think I can't bring you down just because I'm in charge of the Imperial Guards!"

The dust disappeared into the earth.

Lin Zhenyu broke through the smoke and dust, and rode slowly towards him. He saw Kang Guangxu waiting for him at the bottom of his horse, his face covered with dust and dirt. He guessed that he had been waiting for a long time, so he quickly dismounted, bowed and said:
"I didn't realize that Lord Kang had been waiting here for so long. I feel ashamed."

(End of this chapter)