Jingming

Chapter 253 The situation in the world is clear
The sun rose again, He Quanan walked out of the cabin and looked at the eastern sky.

In the past two months, there has been only one rain in the Huguang area, which can be almost ignored.

The severity of the drought can be called a once-in-a-century.

And at this juncture, there is another big problem that Da Ming has to face ahead, which is the core of this rebellion.

"This envoy has come from a long way, can't even enter Hengyang City?"

A hundred households escorting him with the boat said disdainfully: "How can I let you find out what's going on in the city? Just wait here obediently!"

He Quan'an smiled slightly, stood at the bow of the boat and looked around.

He saw the fort along the road, the army village on the hill north of Huoshui in the northwest of Hengyang City, and another army village on the east side of the Xiangshui River. Slightly shaking in the wind.

Not long after, a horse came galloping: "The governor is ordered to take people to the bridge outside the north gate!"

Hengyang City was built at the confluence of the Huan River and the Xiang River.The north of the city is the Boshui River, and the east of the city is the Xiangshui River. These are the two barriers.If a large army attacks from the north, it must first break through several defense lines in the north.After that, no matter crossing the river to attack the city, or going around to the west or south, it is not easy.

Today's Hengyang City Wall was mainly expanded during the Chenghua period.There are seven gates on the city wall, the south gate is called Huiyan Gate, and the north gate is called Zhanyue Gate.In addition, it is east three west two.

To get under the north gate, you have to cross the river first.

On the steaming water, there is a green leaf bridge.Now that the army has not arrived, there are only guards on the bridge.If forced to retreat to Hengyang City, the bridge will probably be destroyed first.

He Quan'an, Huang Yanzhong, and Si Cong were taken to the bridge and ordered to stop on the north side of the bridge.

They looked to the south, and there was also a majestic mountain called Huiyan Peak in the south of Hengyang City in the distance.In the terrain of Hengyang City, the Steam River and the Xiang River are like two snakes, and Huiyan Peak behind it is like a giant tortoise.

For many years, Hengyang has not had any major disasters.

His eyes moved back to the north gate of Hengyang City, because the gate had already been opened, and the brigade of soldiers was leaving the city.

He Quanan saw two big banners: Pu and Zhan.

His heart sank slightly: Zhan Huabi has really arrived in Hengyang City, and he seems to have a good relationship with Pu Zitong.Both were commanders of the guards, and the two obviously had divided priorities. Why did Zhan Huabi lead troops all the way from Changde Mansion to join Pu Zitong?
Naturally, there are dwellings in the open space beside the river outside the north gate of Hengyang City. At this moment, these residents have not yet escaped. It seems that the rebellion of the Hengzhou Guard has not affected their lives, and they are not afraid of the upcoming military disaster.

In a short period of thought, several fine horses had already slowly arrived in front of He Quanan and the others under the protection of a group of personal soldiers.

"What position do you hold under Gu Shilong? The governor has never seen you."

Pu Zitong looked at He Quan'an who was standing in front of Huang Yanzhong and Si Cong, and stared at him with scrutiny.

One is sitting on a horse and the other is standing on a bridge.

He Quan'an was unarmed, and Pu Zitong had bright armor, and he was not afraid to come within five steps of him and look down at him.

"Have you already named yourself the Great Commander?" He Quanan heard the new address for Pu Zitong from the Hengzhou Guard on the way here, and now he smiled when he heard this, "Who am I, you will know who I am when you meet Prince Rui."

"Bold! You don't kneel down when you see the governor?" Baihu, who escorted him over, heard his disrespectful tone and immediately kicked his legs.

But when the kick passed, He Quanan didn't move at all, and then just turned his head and glanced at him lightly.

Pu Zitong's eyes narrowed slightly, he raised his hand to stop him, and said slowly: "The person sent by Gu Shilong is not a clever scholar, but a good soldier? You can't see your majesty, what does Gu Shilong have to say? You just told the governor here."

He Quanan looked up at him, and was silent for a while before asking: "Based on the land of one prefecture, according to this year's harvest, at this moment the Hengzhou garrison plus the recruited local bravery, the food and wages of more than [-] people, do you think King Rui is the leader?" , the day when this conspiracy will be accomplished?"

"So you have a good tongue." Pu Zitong just asked indifferently, "Is there anything else to say? If the words are finished, I will sacrifice the blood of the three of you to the Xianger River."

In his line of sight, he only saw a sudden change in the expression of the last two of the three.

He Quan said quietly: "I am not under the command of the Marquis of Zhenyuan, but Jinyiwei Huguang walks in Huangyanzhong. Could it be that your Majesty bestowed the title of Prince Rui and Ling Rui was in Hengyang, how many arrangements does our Jinyiwei have in Hengyang? It has been more than a month , How many suspicious people have you found in the city?"

Pu Zitong heard that he was Jin Yiwei Huguang Xingxing, and now he dared to come in front of him ostentatiously, and when he thought that he had just been kicked but remained motionless, he subconsciously felt a little uneasy.

Although Pu Zitong was confident that he would not be in any danger on the horse because he was unarmed and watched closely by his own soldiers, but he really couldn't figure out the meaning of Huang Yanzhong's coming here.

Since he had rebelled, how could he be persuaded to surrender like this?

Tang Peiyu would rather escape here than surrender.

Forcibly suppressing the doubts in his heart, he just smiled grinningly: "It's useless to say these things, how can the governor worry about one or two rats?"

He Quanan smiled, "You don't know how Changsha City was conquered in one day, do you?"

Pu Zitong's face froze.

Tang Peiyu escaped first, he didn't know, and didn't elaborate.Yan Daniu joined Tang Peiyu's command halfway, and he didn't know anything about it.

The secret work sent in Changsha Mansion was just a reward. On the night after Tang Peiyu was defeated and fled, the defenders in Changsha City surrendered.

"The governor doesn't need to know. You came all the way and saw the military appearance of the governor, do you think Hengyang City can be conquered in a day?"

"Success in one day is naturally only the final result." He Quan'an was still very calm, "You must have known that Tang Peiyu was defeated at the first touch in front of the Shenji camp, but you don't know the credit of my Jin Yiwei in the battle in Changsha. Now, Shenji The battalion selection front is on the way, the Fifth Army Battalion selection front that was supposed to enter Sichuan is also on the way, and there is still Captain Jinyi in Hengyang City. You can still talk and laugh freely in front of me, admire, admire."

Pu Zitong really laughed: "Are you here just to disturb the morale of our army? If that's the case, I don't need to listen anymore. Where is General Yan?"

Behind him, Yan Chunsheng came over applauding: "The end is here!"

"Kill these three people and strengthen our army!"

"The last general takes orders!"

Yan Chunsheng dismounted from his horse, and drew out the long knife he had newly acquired from his waist.

He also has a complete set of mountain armor.

Seeing Yan Chunsheng approaching, He Quanan looked at him, and then he said to Pu Zitong: "In the name of Marquis Zhenyuan, I met Prince Rui and issued a letter of persuasion. If you don't let me see Prince Rui, you can make decisions for Prince Rui. You wait In the name of taking Prince Rui as the Lord to seek rebellion against Heaven, is it actually that you, a self-proclaimed Metropolitan Governor, are superior to Prince Rui?"

Yan Chunsheng stopped walking cooperatively, and looked back at Pu Zitong.

A rebellion needs a reputation, so why raise an army?
Now He Quan'an pointed out the key point: If you don't respect Prince Rui, then you are rebelling against yourself, don't make trouble with Prince Rui in the future, Prince Rui is innocent.If you respect Prince Rui, then the person in Hengzhou Mansion is not you, but Prince Rui.

Although he is only a six-year-old child, you must at least do it properly.

Pu Zitong's face was gloomy: During the long process of rebellion, Prince Rui would naturally encounter unforeseen circumstances, just like Prince Xiaoming back then.

But now, he still needs the signboard of Prince Rui Zhu Zaihou.

The world has not yet reached the point where the Ming Dynasty fell apart under Emperor Jiajing.

Now, He Quan'an came to persuade Zhu Zaicheng to surrender in the name of Gu Shilong. If he didn't even see the rightful lord, Pu Zitong might as well raise the Puzi flag.

The Taizu won the righteousness of the country, so that the courtiers in the Ming Dynasty can't get around the orthodoxy of the Ming Dynasty.

In the eyes of everyone, Pu Zitong only stared at He Quanan.

But at this moment, He Quan'an looked at the person behind Pu Zitong on the left: "This is the original commander of Chang Dewei, right? Zhan Huabi, what do you think?"

"Governor, this official is only here to disturb the morale of our army, so just kill him." Zhan Huabi grinned, "Your Majesty has become orthodox, how can you listen to the dog barking of the false emperor?"

Pu Zitong looked at the bridge where there was no one else there, and said fiercely, "Brother Zhan said the truth! General Yan, why are you still standing there?"

It seems that He Quanan's new round of speeches is still ineffective.

Yan Chunsheng approached slowly with a waist knife in his hand, staring at He Quan'an: Second brother, what should we do?
He Quanan also stared at him.

Taking advantage of Hengzhou Wei, Pu Zitong, and Tang Peiyu's current mentality, Yan Chunsheng's soul went into them smoothly.

But it is impossible for a newcomer to receive much trust.

Today, he wanted to use his own head as a vote.

After realizing Zhan Huabi's almost unconditional trust in Pu Zitong and the fact that Pu Zitong wanted to use his own head as Yan Chunsheng's nomination certificate, He Quanan laughed: "Let's go!"

After all, the skill that he had been storing up and not moving was revealed.

At the same time, Huang Yanzhong and Si Cong also seemed to have received an order and suddenly activated.

With mental calculations or no intentions, the three of them suddenly burst into action with a clear purpose—without hesitation, they jumped off the Green Leaf Bridge in just one or two breaths.

On the bridge, there was blood left by the arrows shot by the quick-reacting guards.

Yan Chun was furious: "Get out of the way!"

On his shoulder, he pulled away his newly obtained Twelve-Power Divine Bow, and shot down with a string of arrows.

The water surface is several feet high, this distance is enough for him to penetrate the bottom.

Pu Zitong ordered the defenders to go upstream and downstream to intercept, and when he walked to the Qingye Bridge and leaned on the railing to look down, he saw two blood flowers emerging from the water.

"Follow the bloodstains downstream!"

Pu Zitong was overjoyed and ordered quickly.

Yan Chunsheng held his bow and looked around for a while, then knelt down on one knee in shame: "The last general is guilty!"

On the surface, Pu Zitong didn't take it seriously: "The thief is cunning and treacherous, General Yan Shen has injured two more people, what is the crime?"

Yan Chunsheng only felt that his heart was heavy: the second brother made such a choice, so naturally he wanted to keep his cards, and make another plan when he saw that the rebels had indeed mixed into his side.

Then, the heavy responsibility rests on his shoulders.

"I want to see people in life, and I want to see corpses in death! Search!"

After Pu Zitong issued the order, he no longer took it seriously.It's just an envoy to persuade to surrender, so what if Jin Yiwei walks in Huguang?Arrows were shot on the bridge, and arrows were shot in the water. The steam and Xiang rivers converge here. The upstream and downstream are the Hengyang garrison forts. Where can they escape?
What he needs more now is the image of Zhizhu in his hands.

Therefore, the next step is to take Yan Chunsheng to the north of Weishui to meet Tang Peiyu.

He did not violate the promise of "not dismantling the Changsha guards." Yan Chunsheng was lower than Tang Peiyu in rank and was also controlled by Tang Peiyu.This "former military governor" restrained many defenders north of Hengyang, and Tang Peiyu couldn't say a word on the surface.

However, the Junzhai and Guyu Mountain to the north of the water have become the core of Tang Peiyu's defense, and the Zunyang Junzhai has been guarded by the "Holy Mandate" led by "Yan Daniu" to the rebels.

"...I don't know about military formations. I only know that to be a soldier and fight, you have to be strong and brave! I need to practice my fitness method first!"

Yan Chunsheng taught the "bandit brothers" and "righteous brave" how to keep fit, and then looked down the Xiang River.

How are they doing?

……

More than [-] miles downstream of the Xiangshui River outside Hengyang City, three human heads slowly surfaced in the middle of the river, and they were carefully caught on the bottom of a river boat.

This is very dangerous. The current brought by the river boat and the vibration caused by the ups and downs of the water make the behavior of "picking the boat" a narrow escape.

But the three of them are safe and sound now, although Si Cong's lips are pale and trembling, He Quan'an and Huang Yanzhong are both pale.

"...Are you coming to Leijiabu soon?"

A little below the confluence of the Xiangshui River and the Laishui River passing through Anren County is Leijiabu in the southeast of Hengshan City.

This means that the three of them have been soaked in the water for more than forty miles.

The decision made by He Quanan, he just said in a low voice: "Don't worry! The army is coming soon, and Hengshan City can't hold it. At that time, just mix with the refugees and go to the old thirteen!"

If Pu Zitong has scruples and leaves a way out, then they can be used as important hostages and bargaining chips in the future; if Yan Chunsheng succeeds, then they have another choice; Refugees from the county flocked to Hengyang.

Rescuing Prince Rui's mother and son is already extremely difficult; it is also not easy at all to sneak into Hengyang City at this time.

But no matter whether it is himself or Yan Chunsheng, since there are already people from the Jinyi Guard wandering around Hengyang City, the Jinyi Xiaowei left in Hengyang City should be ready to respond at all times.

Si Cong was in a trance for a while: "Humble job... the arrow wound of the humble job..."

Yan Chunsheng, the dog day, why is he staring at himself!
He Quan'an only reminded: "Cheer up, we're at Leijiabu!"

Gu Shilong couldn't take care of these details.

The court's decree finally came: to rescue Prince Rui's mother and son, capture the bandit leader alive as much as possible, and then drive the rest of the bandits to the Wuyi Mountains in the Jiangxi-Fujian area.

Gu Shilong has big heads: Wouldn't it be enough to wipe out all the rebels?Still want to leave a hole for them?

But the Holy Will was so, and this order was later passed on to Funing Hou Zhu Qi and Guangdong General Military Officers Jiang Xiuyi, Wang Shouren, Yan Song and others.

Wang Shouren, who had already advanced to Ganzhou and joined Jiangxi's general army officer, gritted his teeth: "Purchase and store autumn grain from the five counties of Xinfeng, Longnan, Anyuan, Changning, Huichang, and Ruijin as much as possible, and then gather them to the county seat!"

"Gutai, what about Nan'an Mansion?"

"Steady guard the four counties of Dayu, Chongyi, Shangyou, and Nankang. Hurry up. Within two months, the rebels will enter Jiangxi via Chenzhou!"

At this time, the Huguang army and the Guangxi army finally came to the outermost line of defense of Hengzhou Prefecture: Hengshan in the north, Changning in the southwest, Youxian in the east, and Anren in the southeast.

It was already September [-]th, Zhu Houcong's birthday, and the Longevity Festival.

The capital city is full of ostentation, with lights and festoons adorning the main roads. Yesterday's Wangri Chaohui was unprecedented in scale.

And today, it's a holiday.

The emperor gave a banquet in the Qianqing Palace, and the vassals, relatives, counselors, and those who were supposed to go to the capital according to the order all arrived.

It has been nearly two months since King Ji rebelled, and the situation of vassal princes and relatives in the world has become clear because the imperial decree that they must go to Beijing to pay respects has been clarified.

Ever since Emperor Yongle built the Forbidden City of the Ming Dynasty, there has never been so many feudal lords gathered together like today.

There are so many that if His Majesty hadn't opened up both the East Nuan Pavilion and the West Nuan Pavilion as "banquet venues" for civil and military ministers, there would be no room for them to sit.

Now because of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the East and West Nuan Pavilions are no longer used as study rooms, and even the partition between them and the main hall has been demolished first.

In the main hall of Qianqing Palace, the space is much larger.

There are already quite a few clans of the Ming Dynasty, but the number of Princes registered in the Ming Dynasty is not that many.Zhu Houcong's heir has not been named king yet, since Jiajing there is only one more Prince Rui - now the leader of the rebel army.

Today, there are 31 princes of Ming Dynasty on the list.But this time, King Chu and King Liao died, King Ji and King Rui rebelled, King Rong was "burned", and King Yi took the blame. There are only 25 vassal kings who came to the capital and could sit here.

Zhu Houcong led Zhu Zaiyu and Zhu Zaiqian into the Qianqing Palace, asked them to "sit down" under the care of Zhang Zuo and Huang Jin respectively, and said: "After today, I will be twenty years old. I was king in the past My son, you have no acquaintances with your family. Today all the kings are gathered together, the world is only against the king of Ji who does not know the general situation, King Rui is being held hostage, King Yi is in a dilemma, the heir of the king of Chu is in mourning, the king of Liao is newly deceased, and the rest of the kings I can see in person. It is a time when the clan and family are in harmony, and I am very relieved."

After Zhu Jianjun raised the flag, the 25 vassal kings dared not say anything, and either actively or passively came to the capital in person, which has already explained the situation in the world.

Are there any local guards that dare to "turn thousands of miles" like Zhan Huabi?
The army did not dare to move rashly, and the rest was just to suppress the bandits.

The atmosphere was very strange, and all the kings expressed their opinions one by one and raised their glasses to celebrate their birthdays.

"Zai Ji, you are the eldest son, and you will use Yinzi to toast to all the elders one by one."

Zhu Zaiyu, the eldest son of the emperor who was less than two years old, stood up first when he heard the words, and saluted Zhu Houcong in a childlike voice: "Your servant obeys!"

After finishing speaking, under Zhang Zuo's leadership and listening to his teaching, all the elders who came to the hall "toasted."

Zhu Zaiqi, who had just turned half a year old, could only sleep in Huang Zuo's arms, not caring about the situation in the palace.

Zhu Zaihou was dressed in a special prince's costume, and his etiquette was meticulous, obviously after some teaching.

But he was not stage fright either, he said the same thing to these strangers generously, nothing more than changing the address following Zhang Zuo's introduction.

He only remembered what his father said: Dad is the most powerful person in the world, you don't have to be afraid of anyone.

Anyway, this fresh milk is also delicious.

And Zhu Houcong, who was twenty years old, was sitting on the throne with a smile on his face. How dare the kings disrespect the eldest son of the emperor?
Bowling, not even daring to say it, is the state that falls in the eyes of Yang Tinghe, Cui Yuan and others.

After Zhu Zaiyu finished his round of missions, Zhu Houcong raised his wine glass: "I ordered the kings to come to Beijing. Besides I want to see everyone, it is also because I was the prince's son in the past and knows the difficulties of the vassal kings. Everyone is here today. I invite everyone to drink this cup first, and then discuss a major matter."

The kings dared not to follow. After drinking this cup, the emperor said: "Since I have realized the new theory of dialectics in the practice of heaven and man, I tested it from this. It is not a long-term solution to keep the kings trapped in the vassal land. Tai The ancestor Taizong is such a hero, how can there be no talents after the Zhu family? Now, I want all the kings to live in the capital for a long time, and the children of the clan can enter the official position as officials and show their talents, what do you think?"

Shu King Zhu Rangxu, who had been worried for half a year since Gao Kewei acted boldly in his name, was suddenly in a daze.

Living in the capital for a long time, can the children of the clan serve as officials?
Now there are vassal princes making trouble, how dare you?

What about the property of the feudal land?What about salary?
But Zhu Houcong was looking at them with a smile.

Yang Tinghe only felt that the reason why the emperor "forced" the feudal lord and his relatives so decisively before was for this moment, so he stood up when he heard the words: "Your Majesty, I think that this matter should be handled with caution!"

Zhu Rangxu didn't turn his head to look at Yang Tinghe on the left: You guys have discussed it fucking?Acting again?
(End of this chapter)