When Ma Xi saw his father coming in, he quickly leaned up and hugged Ma Shiying's leg and shouted, "Dad, the second brother wants to kill me, save me!" ”

Ma Xi has been in the army with Ma Cheng for more than a year, and he knows that this second brother is a smiling tiger, smiling on the surface, but he is ruthless. Wasn't this how several commanders who disobeyed his military orders were killed? So Ma Xi knew that Ma Cheng was definitely not joking, this guy could really kill himself.

Ma Cheng saw Ma Shiying come in to protect Ma Xi, so he had no choice but to hand the knife to the soldiers behind him, and then pointed at Ma Xi with a horse whip and said, "Dad, do you know what mistakes Ma Xi made?" According to military discipline, he will be beheaded if he runs away! ”

Ma Shiying also led the soldiers, so he naturally knew the rules in the army, but Ma Xi was his own son, how could he watch his son be killed?

"Cheng'er, this is your own brother, you are the guard of Nandu, can't you let your brother go outside the law?"

"Absolutely not, father! In the battle of Dongcheng, because of Ma Xi's escape, thousands of his men died, and a large number of generals were killed in guerrillas. ”

After Ma Cheng finished speaking, he was about to step forward and drag Ma Xi behind Ma Shiying, who knew that Ma Shiying pushed Ma Cheng away, and then scolded: "Ma Cheng, he is your younger brother, he has made a great contribution this time, can't you use your credit to save your brother?" ”

Ma Cheng was very reluctant to hear Ma Shiying say this, save him? The credit for his own work is to fight with a knife and a gun, where such a waste can be saved.

"Dad, the merit of the son is rewarded by the emperor, this is not for the son to call the shots!"

Ma Cheng planned to push the matter on the emperor, but Ma Shiying said: "This is easy to do, tomorrow the old man will go to the emperor, fight for the old man's title, and keep Xi'er!" ”

Ma Cheng saw that he was not ready to ask for a knighthood, and he also wanted to keep Ma Xi, knowing that it was absolutely impossible to clean up Ma Xi in front of Ma Shiying today. There was no way for Ma Cheng to let go of Ma Xi and then withdraw from the hospital.

Ma Shiying saw that his third son finally saved his life, so he breathed a sigh of relief and said to Ma Cheng: "Cheng'er, did you go to meet the king just now?" What reward did the Emperor give you? ”

When Ma Cheng mentioned this, he was angry, and Ma Cheng said with a grumble: "Dad, the emperor is very stingy, he only gives his son a marquis of Guiyang, a town country, and a big governor of the Chinese army!" ”

Ma Shiying and Ma Cheng are different, Ma Shiying knows the weight of this town marquis, and scolded: "Ma Cheng, what do you say? Thunder, rain and dew are all Jun'en! ”

After Ma Shiying finished speaking, he gave Ma Cheng a look, meaning that this was not the place to say this, and then Ma Shiying took Ma Cheng out of Ma Xi's courtyard and came to the study in the front yard.

After entering the study, Ma Shiying sent all the servants out, and then said in a low voice: "Cheng'er, you should pay attention to what you say in the future, and beware of ears on the partition wall at home!" ”

What Ma Shiying said is also true, although most of the servants of the Ma family are reliable, but who can guarantee that all of them are reliable? In the Ming Dynasty, the brocade guards were pervasive, and it would be a big disaster if Ma Cheng's words reached the ears of the emperor.

Ma Cheng was also very nervous when he heard Ma Shiying say this, and asked in a low voice, "Dad, have you found out that there is a situation in the house?" ”

Ma Shiying shook his head: "Not yet, but I have to guard against it!" Now that the northern captives have retreated, you and my father and son have become the dynasty

A thorn in the side of some people, you have to be careful! ”

Ma Cheng nodded, and said in a low voice: "Dad, if my son had known that Zhu Lunkui, a bastard, was so wary of our father and son, he shouldn't have supported him at that time, it would have been better for his son to support his father and claim the emperor!" ”

Ma Shiying was taken aback when she heard Ma Cheng say this, and hurriedly shouted in a low voice: "What nonsense, remember that don't say anything like this in the future, don't think about it!" ”

"Dad, what are you afraid of? Now that his son has more than 100,000 troops in his hands, many of the ministers of the DPRK and China are only looking after their fathers, isn't this a godsend? "Ma Cheng really doesn't understand what his Lao Tzu is thinking, and now he is tied to everything, so it's better to pull the flag and do it alone.

Ma Shiying heard that Ma Cheng was praising him to be the emperor again, and the angry Ma Shiying scolded: "Ma Cheng, what nonsense are you talking about? Do you think that with more than 100,000 troops in your hands, you can do whatever you want? In addition to the 800 Guizhou soldiers in your army, how many of them are willing to follow you at a critical moment? And those ministers who follow the father, do you think they really follow the father with all their hearts? ”

Ma Cheng heard Ma Shiying say this and understood what his father was worried about, his own soldiers were complicated, in addition to the new army, there were also guards and horses, soldiers and horses in the city, inspection department, etc., these people did not dare to guarantee that they could be of the same mind as Ma Cheng. Ma Shiying's side is similar, although Zhang Jie and Xu Zhan are eunuchs, no one knows what they really think in their hearts. Not to mention Ruan Dacheng, an old guy, Ma Cheng dares to pack a ticket, as long as Ma Shiying shows a little rebellion, Ruan Dacheng will definitely be the first to go to the emperor to file a complaint.

Ma Cheng also knew that things were not easy to do when he heard Ma Shiying say this, and the affairs of the court should be handed over to his father, after all, his father had been in the sea for twenty or thirty years, and his experience was far stronger than that of his own stunned youth.

Ma Shiying saw that Ma Cheng lowered his head and didn't speak, knowing that this son was also a little discouraged, so Ma Shiying had no choice but to change the topic and ask, "Cheng'er, what do you want to do next?" ”

"What can I do? Now the northern captives have run back to Jiangbei, but our power is still limited to a few prefectures and counties around the southern capital, so just now my son told the emperor that he would send troops to occupy Yangzhou and Taiping Mansion first, at least to ensure the safety of the southern capital first! ”

Ma Cheng thought that the arrangement was very good, but after hearing this, Ma Shiying smiled bitterly and said: "Cheng'er, you are wrong, the emperor will never do this!" ”

Ma Cheng was stunned for a moment, the two things he said were the best way, did the emperor still have any good ideas? However, Ma Cheng couldn't have any good way to look at Zhu Lunkui's stupid appearance.

"Dad, it can't be, right? Guarding the river must defend the Huai, could the emperor have any better way to resist the northern captives? Ma Cheng knew that Ma Shiying had also been a military general, and although his tactical command was not very good, he was still a little capable in strategy.

"Cheng'er, the two points you said are the best way, but you forgot that in addition to the father in the court, there are also Donglin's gang, these guys' family businesses are in Songjiang and Taicang, and now that the southern capital is over, how can they ignore the family business and agree to your proposal to occupy Yangzhou and defend the southern capital?"

Ma Cheng was stunned on the spot when he heard Ma Shiying say it, he forgot that most of the guys in the Donglin Party were from Nanzhili, and the homes of many officials were in the Taihu Lake Basin. Now that the siege of Nanjing has been lifted, and the Manchus have retreated to Jiangbei, these guys naturally have to return home to pack up their family property, as for what country

The rise and fall of the family, it is okay to shout and shout, but if you really encounter a conflict with your own core interests, no one can have the noble mentality of giving up a small family for everyone.

Although Ma Cheng understood what was going on in his heart, he quibbled: "Dad, you can't be so devoid of family and country feelings, right?" Don't they know that only when the country is stable can their family property be preserved? ”

Ma Shiying sneered when she heard Ma Cheng say this: "Hmph, it's okay to deceive young people who have just joined the company with these words, Qian Qianyi, those old fritters?" The old man has no hope! ”

"But... Dad, just now in the palace, the emperor has agreed to his son's proposal, and is also ready to send Zhang Guozhu to Yangzhou, and the sixth uncle to Taiping Mansion, is there still a repetition? ”

Ma Shiying listened to Ma Cheng's words, and said in a low voice: "This is the key to the matter, now that you and my father and son have too much power, His Majesty the Emperor must take precautions against us." It is estimated that after you leave, the emperor will definitely summon Qian Qianyi, and the old guy Qian will definitely put forward the opinion of recovering Songjiang, Taicang and other places! ”

"What then? Dad, you also led troops, and now that the northern captives have been defeated and retreated, you should take this opportunity to cross the river and occupy Yangzhou, and it is best to occupy Huai'an together, so as to solve the northern threat of the southern capital. If the emperor has to go to recover Songjiang, and let the northern captives ease up in a few months, isn't it another time for the soldiers to come to the city? ”

Ma Cheng is right, the main force of the Qing army is now defeated, although the provinces south of the Yangtze River are still in the hands of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, but basically have no combat effectiveness, as long as a partial division can be sent to recover the provinces without blood. But Yangzhou is different, Yangzhou is only two days away from Nanjing, if you don't take this good opportunity to reoccupy Yangzhou, it will give the Manchus a chance to gather forces south to encircle Nanjing again.

There was a lot of luck in Nanjing's victory this time, and Ma Cheng did not dare to guarantee whether he would encounter this kind of good luck in the next Nanjing defense battle.

Ma Shiying served as the governor of Xuanfu, and he still knew something about military affairs, although he knew that Ma Cheng was right, but Ma Shiying couldn't do anything. Ma Shiying is the first assistant and an auxiliary minister, but Ma Shiying is not the regent, and only has the right to make suggestions on national affairs, and in the end the emperor still needs to make decisions.

Ma Shiying sighed and said, "Cheng'er, this is not something that you and my father and son can decide, we can only do this for now." Cheng'er, you step up the training of the new army, what do you need can be said to the father, and the father will try to satisfy you! There are also brothers who go to war to fight father and son, and my father knows that you and Xi'er are at odds, but now that the Ma family is in crisis, my father hopes that you and Xi'er will work together to help your father through this crisis! ”

The current situation is very unfavorable to the Ma family's father and son, although Ma Shiying is very loyal to Zhu Ming, but there are still precautions, and Ma Shiying is loyal and cannot sit at home and wait for death. So now Ma Shiying must be prepared with two hands, one is to use his power in the court to squeeze out the Donglin Party and seize the power in his hands. The second is to let Ma Cheng prepare and prepare for the arrival of that time.

Ma Shiying sighed in his heart after speaking: The old man has been loyal to the Ming Dynasty all his life, and I hope that the emperor will not force the old man to a dead end, so he can only break the net!

Ma Cheng knew that Ma Shiying was afraid that he would be alone in the army, so he spared Ma Xi so that he could add a boost in the army. What else can Ma Cheng say when he hears Ma Shiying say this? I had to sigh and agree.