Daming: Apocalypse of Longevity

Chapter 190 Entering Beijing to Receive the Reward
Mao Wenlong's fleet launched attacks on the southeastern coast of the Liaodong Peninsula from islands such as Shizi Island, Lu Island, Shicheng Island, Big and Small Changshan Islands, and Guanglu Island, and easily broke through the various strongholds and fortresses of Jiannu. Successfully landed and continued marching inland.

As for North Korea, Kim Sang-hyun has returned to the country and brought back to Seoul the good news that Ming Dynasty is willing to send troops to aid North Korea. Therefore, even though the North Koreans are very resentful of Mao Wenlong and his troops, they are still very cooperative with Mao Wenlong's military operation, allowing Mao Wenlong's troops to Stationed in the Yiju area.

The various Ming armies then began to suppress the remnants of the Qing slaves on the Liaodong Peninsula, and ten days later they met east of Haizhouwei and joined forces.

Yuan Chonghuan came from Jinzhou and summoned the generals from all walks of life to discuss matters.

Before the meeting began, Yuan Chonghuan first picked up a volume of imperial edict from the table. Seeing this, everyone hurriedly knelt down to listen to the edict.

This imperial edict mainly praised the various generals who fought to regain the Liaodong Peninsula, saying some words of praise for their bravery and proficiency in fighting, and giving some small rewards.

But among them, only Mao Wenlong's evaluation was unique, as if he was praised as the hero of this battle, eclipsing all other commanders of the army.

At the same time, the rewards for Mao Wenlong are naturally more, and not only gold and silver should be rewarded, but he should also be promoted to an official position. The emperor wrote in the imperial edict that Mao Wenlong and his sons Mao Chenglu and Mao Chengdou should go to Beijing to meet the saint.

As for the others, they have to continue the battle to regain Liaodong. Although the Ming army now has an absolute advantage over Jiannu, after all, they are fighting in Jiannu's territory. I am afraid that the progress of the battle will not be too fast. A certain amount of time is still needed. Time.

After Mao Wenlong left Liaodong, Pidao's troops were led by Pidao's deputy general Chen Jisheng, and under the leadership of Yuan Chonghuan, they continued to participate in subsequent battles.

Mao Wenlong was originally a little skeptical about the arrangements in the imperial edict. After all, he had not left Pidao or Liaodong for many years. Now that the emperor suddenly asked him to come to Beijing to meet the emperor, he still felt a little uneasy.

However, whether it was the court's reward to him before the war, or the court's reward to him after the recovery of the Liaodong Peninsula, they are all unique and unique. Other generals have contributed no less than themselves. Yuan Chonghuan, the coach of the battle, failed to receive such kindness.

This made Mao Wenlong feel elated, and at the same time he was even more convinced that it was Long Xi, the rich man in the court, who was taking the lead in speaking for him. The money he had spent over the years was finally put to use. Maybe the big guys in the court would be the ones to use it this time. I plan to hold myself up.

Therefore, faced with such a good opportunity for rapid advancement, Mao Wenlong naturally did not dare to miss it. Even though he knew he would take a risk, he still wanted to take the plunge. As the saying goes, "If you don't enter the tiger's den, you won't get the tiger's cubs."

After receiving the order, Mao Wenlong took his adopted son Mao Chenglu and immediately took a boat back to Pidao. He took his son Mao Chengdou and took a boat directly to the capital by sea.

Three days later, Mao Wenlong's ship arrived at Weidagu Port in Tianjin, entered the inland river, and headed straight to the capital by water.

Zhu Tianqi had already sent people to wait at Datong River. As soon as Mao Wenlong's boat arrived, he took their family to a residence arranged in advance, and also arranged dozens of Jinyi guards to protect the safety of their father and son. The servants and maids have been arranged, whether it is food or accommodation, it is the best.

Now Mao Wenlong felt more comfortable and proud. Except for the fact that the people standing guard all over the house were a bit eye-catching and disappointing, everything else was very satisfying.

When he first arrived in the capital, Mao Wenlong originally wanted to visit Qian Longxi as soon as possible and thank Qian Longxi. However, the emperor sent so many royal guards to serve as bodyguards for him, and he was a little worried that the emperor was letting Qian Longxi go. Jin Yiwei monitored him, so out of caution, Mao Wenlong did not go out in the end and stayed in the house to rest for the night.

Early the next morning, Mao Wenlong was woken up by his servants. After being woken up from a good dream, Mao Wenlong was a little angry, but after all, the servants here were all arranged by the emperor, and he really didn't dare to do it casually. He scolded him, so he had to suppress his anger, yawned and asked with an unhappy look: "What's the matter?"

"To tell you what I'm saying, the Chief of Ceremonies, the Eunuch Wang, has come to invite you to the palace to be honored!"

As soon as he heard this, Mao Wenlong suddenly woke up. He quickly sat up and said, "Quickly, change clothes!"

Mao Wenlong didn't dare to be negligent in the slightest, changed his clothes quickly, and greeted him from the house. Although he didn't recognize Wang Yuanbao, the newly-appointed supervisor of ceremonies, "the head of the family", he could tell his status by looking at his clothes and identity.

However, what Mao Wenlong didn't expect was that the newly appointed Eunuch Wang, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony and the eunuch holding the pen, was so young, or it would be an understatement to say he was young.

With a smile on his face, Mao Wenlong stepped forward quickly and respectfully, and bowed deeply to Wang Yuanbao: "Your Majesty, Mao Wenlong, pays homage to Mr. Wang!"

Wang Yuanbao also responded with a very polite salute immediately, "General Mao doesn't need to be so polite, our family can't afford it!"

"What are you talking about? I have to ask you to take more care of me in the future!" Mao Wenlong said and stuffed a gold ingot into Wang Yuanbao's hand.

Wang Yuanbao wanted to refuse, but after hesitating for a moment, he accepted it calmly. Then he smiled at Mao Wenlong and said, "Don't you dare, don't dare. General Mao, you will become famous soon. It's our turn to invite Mao from now on." General, please take good care of me!"

After hearing this, Mao Wenlong felt even more reassured, and the smile on his face became even brighter.

Wang Yuanbao didn't say anything else, but asked directly: "General Mao, where is your master? The carriages and horses brought by our family are waiting outside the mansion. We'd better set off quickly and follow our family into the palace to meet the Holy Spirit. Well, don’t keep the emperor waiting for too long!”

As soon as Mao Wenlong heard this, he hurriedly sent his servants to call Mao Chenglu and Mao Chengdou, urging them to change their clothes and come out.

After waiting for a quarter of an hour, Mao Chenglu and Mao Chengdou quickly came out of the east room. Then the three of them followed Wang Yuanbao out of the palace, got on the sedan, and went to the Forbidden City.

After having breakfast, Zhu Tianqi changed his clothes and went to Huangji Hall, and at the same time he found Qian Longxi.

When Wang Yuanbao brought Mao Wenlong, father and son, Zhu Tianqi and Qian Longxi had been chatting in the hall for a quarter of an hour, and they stopped talking when Wang Yuanbao came back to report.Then Mao Wenlong walked into the hall with his two sons Mao Chenglu and Mao Chengdou, and bowed and kowtowed: "The last general, Mao Wenlong, kowtows to the emperor, and the emperor bows to Jin'an!"

"Zhen'an, let's get back down!" Zhu Tianqi raised his hand, then looked at Mao Wenlong with a smile on his face, and said, "I have heard about General Mao's reputation for a long time, and I finally got to see him today. He is really brave and extraordinary!"

Mao Wenlong hurriedly clasped his fists and saluted: "Your Majesty, you are ridiculous. The general has no reputation at all. It is only because of the Emperor's blessing that he has been able to establish himself overseas for so many years!"

Zhu Tianqi smiled slightly, turned to look at Mao Chenglu and Mao Chengdou behind him, and asked, "Are these two your sons?"

Mao Wenlong hurriedly replied: "Back to the emperor, it is exactly that the eldest son of the last general is named Mao Chenglu. He was originally the nephew of the minister. Later, he was adopted by the minister as his adopted son and his deputy. .

The youngest son's name is Mao Chengdou. He is just ten years old this year. He was born to Chen's concubine. Now this son is still young and is still being raised by Chen's side. "

After Zhu Tianqi listened to Mao Wenlong's introduction, he was suddenly surprised. He had never carefully checked the information about Mao Wenlong's descendants. He did not expect that Mao Wenlong's descendants would be in such a situation.

Is it possible that Mao Wenlong still had reservations and only brought himself an adopted son and a concubine, but left his legitimate son on his home island?
Thinking of this, Zhu Tianqi couldn't help but ask: "Mao Wenlong, is it possible that you don't even have a legitimate son?"

Hearing this, Mao Wenlong suddenly had a look of disappointment on his face, and saluted and replied: "It's a shame to say that the general's wife is not allowed to have children, so the general only has this bastard son born by his concubine, but this son The general has been raised by my concubine, and over the years, my concubine has treated him as her own."

Zhu Tianqi nodded slowly. The loving look on Mao Wenlong's expression towards his youngest son, Mao Chengdou, made Zhu Tianqi instantly feel relieved.

"I see." Zhu Tianqi asked casually, seemingly casually: "Then this son must be very smart, right? He will definitely inherit his father's ambition and become a famous general in the future!"

Mao Wenlong smiled honestly, and said: "Don't dare to lie to the emperor, the general doesn't intend to let the dog practice martial arts and serve in the army, but wants to send him back to his hometown in Hangzhou when he grows older, and find him a husband. Teach him how to read and write, and he will also take the exam in the future so that if he is lucky enough to be an official in the future, he will be able to serve the country better!"

Hearing Mao Wenlong's words, Zhu Tianqi came up with an idea in an instant, and immediately followed Mao Wenlong's words and said: "Study is good. Now that I am reforming the imperial examinations in Ming Dynasty and attaching great importance to education, if your son wants to study and become an official, it is really good." It's time to catch up!"

After saying this, Zhu Tianqi turned to Wang Yuanbao and said: "Wang Yuanbao, you will go to the Ministry of Rites to find a gentleman for General Mao's son in a while. You must choose a good teacher!"

Then he said to Mao Wenlong: "You don't have to send your son back to Hangzhou. Just let him stay in the capital. I will help you find a good gentleman to teach him. What do you think?"

When Mao Wenlong heard this, he was suddenly shocked, but he did not dare to refuse categorically. He just saluted hesitantly and replied: "The emperor has been very kind to me. I am really touched. It's just such a small thing. I am so grateful." How dare you bother the emperor... Besides, I don't have a place to stay in the capital, so..."

Zhu Tianqi was not willing to discuss with him, so he immediately made a decision: "Okay! This matter is settled. I will give you the house you live in now, and you will take your family to the capital." I just want to live here, so I won’t go back to my hometown in Hangzhou for now!”

Although Mao Wenlong still hesitated in his heart, he had to obey the order and had no choice but to accept the order and thank him: "General, I will obey the order and thank the emperor for the reward!"

Zhu Tianqi saw that he seemed to still have doubts in his heart, so he spoke again: "Mao Wenlong, you are a military general and have been overseas for a long time. You may not have a deep understanding of studying and imperial examinations. Nowadays, the reform of imperial examinations in Ming Dynasty is not like before. You only took the test on the Four Books, Five Classics and Eight-Part Essay. You sent your son back to your hometown in Hangzhou and wanted to find him a teacher who could teach him how to read. I'm afraid he couldn't find one.

But among the officials of the Ministry of Rites who are in charge of the imperial examinations, there are quite a few good gentlemen who study the new imperial examinations. I will personally arrange one for you. Your son will pass the imperial examinations, and it will be a matter of time! "

When it comes to reading and imperial examinations, Mao Wenlong is indeed a layman, but what the emperor said is clear, the content of the imperial examinations has changed, and it is no longer easy to find the old gentleman who teaches people to read the Four Books and Five Classics, and do stereotyped essays.

As for who knows the most about imperial examinations in the world, it is naturally the officials of the Ministry of Rites who manage the imperial examinations. Let the officials who manage the imperial examinations teach their sons to study. That is indeed a unique advantage for their sons in the imperial examinations.

Thinking of this, Mao Wenlong suddenly felt relieved. For the education and future of his son, it didn't matter whether he returned to his hometown or not. It was not a grievance to leave his family in the capital.

It was not that Mao Wenlong could not imagine the emperor's intention of leaving his family and son in the capital, but he was powerless to resist and could only obey.

Fortunately, the emperor did not forcefully put them under house arrest as hostages, but provided them with good living and educational conditions. So as long as he served the court well in the future, there would be no problem.

Today, Mao Wenlong no longer has many thoughts of disloyalty to the Ming Dynasty. Although he is the only one in Pi Island and is like a "local emperor", in the final analysis, he is alone overseas and living on an isolated island, and he does not have much future at all. .

In the past, he was not taken seriously by the court, and the court's supply of food and salary to Pi Island was intermittent. There was no hope for him to continue to be promoted, so he could only settle down to be his "King of Pi Island", amass money here, and establish a separatist power.

But now that he has another opportunity to rise to prominence, he naturally knows how to choose. He will continue to be loyal to the court, become a bigger official, gain greater power, and have wealth and status.

He had no choice before, but now that the opportunity has come, will he still spend the rest of his life on an isolated overseas island in Liaodong?Why not keep climbing up and return home in glory in the future!
As for colluding with Jiannu, Mao Wenlong would not do it. Today Jiannu is no longer what it used to be. Facing the attack of the Ming army, it is powerless to fight back. It is only a matter of time before it is destroyed. Who will collude with Jiannu at this time? Who is the fool!
Therefore, Mao Wenlong had secretly made a decision in his heart at this time. He should serve the court and serve the emperor well. Now that his opportunity has come, he must seize it.

He is now the Commander-in-Chief of the Left Army, and he can even join the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion of the Central Army. Moreover, seeing that the Emperor is so kind to him and attaches so much importance to him, maybe after regaining Liaodong, he can be active and get a title. !

At that time, wouldn't it be Guangzong Yaozu!
Mao Wenlong stopped talking nonsense and immediately knelt down and saluted: "Your Majesty, I will shed tears of gratitude for your great kindness, and I will definitely break into pieces in the future to repay the Emperor's kindness!"

Mao Wenlong probably never expected that his words of loyalty would actually come true!
(End of this chapter)