Deng Da led the team to rush into the Wei Mansion and kill, while Ma Cheng dismounted with his own soldiers and sat under the archway in front of the Wei Mansion, waiting for Deng Da's news.

After half an hour, Deng Da escorted a group of people out of the Wei State Mansion, Deng Da came to Ma Cheng and hugged his fists and said: "Lord Huijunmen, the last general only caught Xu Jiujue, Xu Wenjue did not catch it, and at the same time captured all the family members of Wei Guogong!" ”

Ma Cheng stood up and looked at the more than twenty people in front of him, both men and women, led by a middle-aged woman. The silk and satin she wore should be Xu Wenjue's wife. Behind this old woman are several young women, with different appearances and different dresses, probably the Xu family's family members. Finally, there are several young men, led by Ma Cheng's old rival, Xu Hongji's eldest son Xu Jiujue.

Back then, this Xu Jiujue was the prince of Wei State, but he was framed by Ma Cheng and lost the position of the prince, and now he saw the enemy appear in front of him and scolded angrily: "Ma Cheng, what are you going to do?" Do you know where this is? This is the Wei Mansion of Taizu! My ancestor is Xu Da, the king of Zhongshan, what are you going to do? Aren't you afraid of losing your head? ”

Ma Cheng haha, separated the crowd and came to Xu Jiujue and said: "Xu Jiujue, your family has committed the crime of rebellion, and even disrespectful of the decree and intends to assassinate the marquis!" And your house harbors hundreds of armors, isn't this a rebellion? ”

Ancient China can't help swords and guns, but only the armor management is strict, if the individual has armor in his home, it is a rebellion, the Wei family has been a military general for generations, and there are many swords and guns in the house, but the armor really doesn't dare.

Xu Jiujue sneered: "Ma Cheng, are you crazy?" Which eye did you see my armor hidden? ”

"It's easy, Ben Governor is ready for you!" After Ma Cheng finished speaking, he waved his hand to the back, and Gu Yong and the others took out more than a dozen pairs of tattered cotton armor and piled them in front of Xu Jiujue.

Xu Jiujue was so angry when he saw such an obvious planting: "Ma Cheng, you dare to plant it in broad daylight, aren't you afraid of the mouth of the world?" ”

Ma Cheng sneered and scolded: "Lao Tzu just wants to kill you, what?" Do you have anything to dislike? ”

After Ma Cheng finished speaking, he looked at the gorgeous middle-aged beauty, and said with a lewd smile: "But it's not impossible to let Lao Tzu let you go, unless your mother sleeps with Lao Tzu!" ”

That middle-aged beautiful woman is the mother of Xu Jiujue and Xu Wenjue, she is forty-five years old this year, and she is the wife of Xu Hongji, the old Duke of Wei, because of the good family conditions and the maintenance is very good, although she is in her forties, she is still like she is thirty years old.

After Ma Cheng finished speaking, he stretched out his hand into his arms and was about to start playing hooligan, making the middle-aged beautiful woman dare not speak. This made Xu Jiujue angry, and he rushed forward angrily to fight with Ma Cheng, but Xu Jiujue was full of soldiers standing behind him, and Xu Jiujue was just about to make a move when he was hit to the ground by a new soldier with the butt of a gun.

Just when Xu Jiujue's wife was about to be unlucky, a person turned around from the entrance of Xufu Street, this person rode a horse and galloped, and when he saw a group of people in front of the Duke of Wei's mansion in front of him, he knew that the big thing was not good, and shouted loudly: "Stop, the holy decree has arrived!" ”

When Ma Cheng heard that it was a holy decree, he secretly scolded in his heart, originally wanted to take the opportunity of Xu Jiujue's protest to kill Wei Guogong's family today, but he didn't expect the holy decree to come so quickly, so Ma Cheng had no choice but to withdraw his hand and stand aside respectfully waiting for the holy decree.

The person who came to deliver the message was Xu Wenjue, the Duke of Wei, who was receiving the news, Ma

When Cheng went to Beicheng to check his own industry, he knew that something was wrong. Xu Wenjue knew that his family had a holiday with Ma Cheng, this time Ma Cheng would definitely kill the chicken and make an example of the monkey by using his own house first, thinking of this, Xu Wenjue hurriedly entered the palace to ask Zhu Lunkui for forgiveness, hoping that the emperor would spare his whole family in the face of Xu Da, the king of Zhongshan.

If Wei Guogong was replaced by Dingguo Gong in Beijing, Zhu Lunkui would definitely not help Xu Wenjue. Zhu Lunkui is a descendant of King Zhu of Zhou, and he didn't get any benefits in the Battle of Jingyan that year, so he has no feelings for the Dingguo Gong family at all.

But Wei Guogong is different, in the Battle of Jingjing, the first generation of Wei Guogong Xu Huizu, although he is Zhu Di's brother-in-law, but he is on Zhu Yun's side and is a staunch royalist. The descendants of such loyal ministers, whether for public or private purposes, Zhu Lunkui must help. That's why Zhu Lunkui issued a holy decree to restrain Ma Cheng.

Xu Wenjue hurried to catch up, but he still didn't have time to stop Ma Cheng, when Xu Wenjue came to see his brother was beaten with a blue nose and swollen face, and his old lady was disheveled and insulted by Ma Cheng, his angry eyes were about to burst into flames.

Xu Wenjue came to Ma Cheng with anger and handed over the emperor's holy decree to Ma Cheng: "Marquis of Guiyang, this is Your Majesty's holy decree!" ”

Ma Cheng took it over and opened it to watch, it turned out that Zhu Lunkui took back Ma Cheng's order to collect the surplus grain from Xungui, changed it to Xungui to check it himself, and then handed over the surplus grain to Ma Cheng. Seeing Zhu Lunkui like this, Ma Cheng was also very annoyed, half of the food in the city was in the hands of these nobles, how much could they hand over by themselves? However, Zhu Lunkui's holy purpose is this, and Ma Cheng is not easy to resist the decree clearly, so Ma Cheng has no choice but to kneel in the direction of the palace to receive the decree.

Ma Cheng is also very angry, obviously he can eradicate the Wei Guogong family, but now the emperor is like this. Ma Cheng glanced at the Xu brothers, rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "Since there is a holy decree from His Majesty the Emperor, then you will be exempt from search!" ”

After Ma Cheng finished speaking, he looked at the old lady of the Xu family and said with a smile: "I said Wei Guogong, as the saying goes, thirty is like a wolf and forty is like a tiger, and fifty is sitting on the ground and sucking soil!" You should need a partner in the year of the tiger and wolf, Bentu is in good health, and if you need it, Bentu can dedicate yourself! Ma Cheng laughed and left.

The eyes of the Xu brothers who were angry with Ma Cheng's words just now were about to split, and Xu Jiujue was about to step forward and fight hard, but he was firmly held by his younger brother Xu Wenjue, so the Xu brothers watched Ma Cheng ride away.

Back in the house, Xu Wenjue asked his family to clean up the mess, and sent his mother back to the back house, and then returned to the study to meet his brother Xu Jiujue.

Seeing his younger brother coming, Xu Jiujue scolded: "Second brother, you just watched Ma Cheng insult his mother? Insulting our Xu family? ”

Mentioning this, Xu Wenjue said angrily: "Big brother, how can the little brother swallow this anger? But now the situation is stronger than people, Ma Cheng has a heavy army, and he is still a close minister of the emperor! On the other hand, our Xu family, not to mention the errands, even the family members have been transferred for the most part, if there is really a conflict with Ma Cheng, do you think we can get it? ”

In order to defend the city this time, Ma Cheng has already taken away most of the nobles in the city, and there are less than 50 people left in the original 300 families of the Duke of Wei, and this time they were slaughtered by Ma Cheng again, and there are less than 10 people left.

Xu Jiujue knew that his brother had always had an idea, so he hurriedly asked, "Then what do you say?" Is that all? ”

"It's definitely impossible to count like that! But relying on our strength is definitely not

can fight against Ma Cheng, you can only find foreign aid! ”

Foreign aid? Xu Jiujue didn't understand what his younger brother said, and hurriedly asked, "Foreign aid, do you want them to help from the Donglin Party?" ”

Wei Guogong has lived in Nanjing for more than 200 years, and has a very good relationship with the scholars and doctors in the Nanzhili area, and Xu Hongji was even more involved with the Donglin Party when he was alive, so Xu Jiujue thought that his younger brother was going to the Donglin Party for help.

Knowing that, Xu Wenjue shook his head and said, "No, now the Donglin Party is also difficult to protect itself." The little brother is not talking about them, but the northern captives outside the city! ”

Xu Wenjue said this, but it was really a rebellion, Xu Jiujue was shocked, and he calmed down and whispered: "Second brother, are you crazy?" If this matter spreads, our family will really destroy the Nine Clans! ”

That knew that Xu Wenjue shook his head firmly: "Big brother, what do you think is the difference between our family and the Nine Clans now?" Most of the family property was seized, the family was killed and injured countless times, and the mother was insulted by Ma Cheng, have you ever thought about this kind of day? ”

Xu Jiujue lowered his head when he heard his younger brother say this, from Ma Cheng, a bastard, to Nanjing, the Xu family has not had a good life, his son was abolished, his father was angry to death by Ma Cheng, and his mother was insulted by Ma Cheng. But this made Xu Jiujue rebel and defect to the Manchu Qing Dynasty, which was still a little insufficient.

Xu Wenjue saw his brother hesitating, and then persuaded him: "Big brother, you see that the million-strong army of the northern captives is in the outer city of the city, and the southern capital has been cut off from the outside of the city, and it is estimated that the surrounding prefectures and counties have voted for the northern captives. Now there is only such a lonely city as Nandu left, big brother, do you think Nandu can hold on for how long? And Ma Cheng for the benefit of their own family, regardless of everyone's opposition to support Zhu Lunkui, and what kind of surplus grain collection system this time, in the city is already angry and resentful, even if we don't sacrifice the city, how long can we hold out? ”

Xu Jiujue felt right when he heard his younger brother say this, now that Ma Cheng is working in order to get food, he must have begun to run out of food in the city, and it is really hard to say whether this city can be defended if it goes on like this.

Thinking of Ma Cheng's various insults to himself, Xu Jiujue gritted his teeth and asked: "Okay, just do what my brother said, but our Xu family is weak, and the scourge of the family after Ma Cheng has been lost, how can we dedicate the city?" ”

"Of course you can't rely on our family, but what about the power of the nobles in the United City? Although most of Xungui's family members were taken away by Ma Cheng, there are still more than 1,000 people in the remaining collection, plus the recruitment of some dead soldiers, it should be enough! ”

These nobles in Nanjing have been in the same branch for hundreds of years, and they have been intermarrying each other for hundreds of years, and this time Ma Cheng engaged in a surplus grain collection system that also had a great impact on them, Xu Jiujue nodded again and again when he heard his younger brother say this, if he can convince the nobles in the city, there is a great chance of success.

Seeing that the eldest brother agreed, Xu Wenjue continued: "Big brother, you go and persuade the Marquis of Anyuan, Dingyuanhou, Huaininghou, and Lingbihou, and the younger brother to persuade Zhu Guobi, the Duke of Baoguo!" ”

Although Zhu Guobi belonged to Guojianglong and was originally a knight in Beijing, Zhu Guobi had a meritorious role in supporting Hongguang last year, and he still had some rights in his hands after managing the Beijing camp for a while.

Xu Jiujue heard that his younger brother was going to find Zhu Guobi, and hurriedly asked: "Zhu Guobi can't do it, he is the sworn friend of the Ma family and his son, can he agree?" ”

Xu Wenjue sneered: "It's not as good as before, now Zhu Guobi is useless, and after the new emperor ascended the throne, Zhu Guobi didn't get any benefits at all, so he has a great hope of joining!" ”