Chapter 15: Old Friends Are New Ghosts

At the south gate of Runing City, Shen Wandeng looked at the familiar city head and stood still.

He suddenly felt as if he hadn't been to Runing City for a long time.

In fact, the time is not long, he remembers that at the end of the twelfth year of Chongzhen, he also drank with many friends in Hongyan Tower.

It's only been three years.

In three years, the world has been turned upside down. Runing City also changed from Runing City in the court to Runing City in Liukou. And he, Shen Wandeng, has also changed from an unsuccessful prodigal to a famous Runing hero in southern Henan.

Now that I think about it, it's like a world away.

"Young master, someone is staring at us." Shen Wandeng's personal guard whispered in Shen Wandeng's ear.

"It doesn't matter." Shen Wandeng chuckled and said, "When you go to someone else's place, don't you let others see it?" ”

Shen Wandeng had expected this. Although he didn't have many people, he also had dozens of horsemen and his retinue, so conspicuous that he was naturally seen.

"Let's go, let's go into the city." Shen Wandeng said.

With dozens of people in full armor, it was really difficult to enter the city, and in the end, it was Shen Wandeng who took out the invitation to the Laba banquet to solve the problem.

As soon as I entered Runing City, thick memories came to my heart. Shen Wandeng had no intention of going directly to the Yamen, but turned his horse's head and turned to other roads, and after walking for long, he saw a large area of black ash, which was the traces left by the fire, all of which were ruins and broken walls.

Shen Wandeng's eyes darkened a little, and he wanted to find someone to ask about the situation, but this generation was deserted as if it was a ghost domain, and he didn't even have anyone for a while, and he wanted to ask, but he couldn't find anyone to ask.

Shen Wandeng's expression became more and more sad, and wherever his eyes passed, he seemed to see the house in its heyday three years ago.

Shen Wandeng rode away on horseback, ran several houses along the way, or suffered military disasters or man-made disasters.

In short, there is no place for the deceased, only the artemisia grass is high.

On the original bustling street of Runing Mansion, there is a three-story building with three big characters "Hongyan Building" on it, which is the place where Shen Wandeng often went before. It's just that now it's the Iron General who guards the door. The front of the gate is dilapidated, and the gate is almost hidden by debris. Shen Wandeng stepped on it, and the fallen leaves and dead branches made a gurgling sound.

"Open." Shen Wandeng said.

Immediately, a personal soldier stepped forward, kicked and kicked the door, and Shen Wandeng walked in, leaving a clear row of footprints in the thick dust.

A moment later, he climbed the third floor, opened the window with his own hands, and the red walls of the Chongwang Mansion and the prefect's yamen in the distance came to him. The familiar scenery reveals many different details.

It's just that things are people and everything is resting, and all kinds of tastes want to rest.

"Bring me wine

Pick it up and set out five bowls. Shen Wandeng said.

"Yes." Shen Wandeng's personal soldiers immediately agreed to come down, clean up the table, go to the back kitchen to find bowls, and go to the backyard to fetch water.

In just a few moments, it's ready. Shen Wandeng was just about to sit down when he saw a group of knights coming in this direction, and the corners of his mouth hooked slightly and said, "Add another bowl." "

"Yes." The soldiers agreed to come down.

Shen Wandeng saw it very right, this line of knights was none other than Zhang Xuan and his party. And Zhang Xuan came to him.

After a while, Zhang Yuanhai walked in and said loudly: "General Guoyi Zhang, the envoy of the Runing Jiedu under the command of the Wenwu General of the Fengtian Righteous Battalion, will meet General Shen."

"Yes, please." Shen Wandeng said.

It was not Zhang Xuan who came in after that, but Zhang Xuan's personal guards. Dozens of guards walked up. Standing on the half-floor floor. The other half of the floor was left to Shen Wandeng's personal guards.

The third floor of Hongyan Building, which has been closed for a long time, is actually full.

This is not Zhang Xuan's pomp.

It was the need for security, and he decided to mix in the troubled times, Zhang Xuan studied history, especially the deaths of Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and Luo Rucai. They all died lightly, which dealt a great blow to their careers.

Whether it's fear of death or self-respect. There were no less than fifty people around Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan walked over, and Shen Wandeng got up to greet him.

After the two sat down, Zhang Xuan looked at the wine bowl on the table and said, "General Shen is waiting for someone?"

"Yes." Shen Wandeng said: "People who can't come, I was not good when I was young, and my father donated an official student for me in the city, so that I can study hard, and I will be named on the gold list." But I'm really not reading material, I haven't read much, but I have a lot of like-minded friends, and I agreed to have time to reunite, just in this Hongyan Building. It's a pity that only I came, and you want to hear their stories. "

Zhang Xuan didn't know Shen Wandeng's intentions, and said, "I want to hear it in detail."

"The highest status among my friends is Wang Sheng," Shen Wandeng said, "Wang Sheng is the son of Tongzhi, the city was broken that day, Wang Tongzhi wanted to martyr the city, let him go, Wang Shengyun: 'How can there be a father who dies and a son escapes.'" After Wang Tongzhi surrendered, Wang Sheng poured fire oil on the house, holding a knife in one hand and a torch in the other, opened the door to meet the thief, and said, "I am the son of Wang Tongzhi." ’

and fought and retreated, led the thief into the house, set it on fire, and died with the thief. "

Shen Wandeng's voice became louder and said, "Brother Wang, drink this bowl full."

Pour a bowl of wine on the floor, and the water is like a clear spring, but after a while, the room is full of wine.

"Good wine." Zhang Xuan couldn't help but say.

Even though Zhang Xuan didn't like to drink, he marched and fought

Among them, they celebrate their victories and motivate their soldiers to serve their deaths. Wine is indispensable, and the level of wine tasting is still there.

Shen Wandeng said: "This wine is my old friend Cui Sheng, Cui Sheng's family is hereditary 100 households, but Cui Sheng is just a drunkard, and it is not his turn to inherit it." Then the Central Plains was in turmoil. The officer was repeatedly lost, and he was recruited to fill the army. He was advised to take silver and gold in order to choose otherwise. He refused, and said, 'My family received the grace of the Taizu Hong, and started with a hereditary hundred households, but there is today, and when the army is used today, how can it be avoided.' 'Cui Shengnai took more than 100 families from Ding to Zhuxian Town, but he had not yet handed over the army, and in the middle of the night, Zuo Liangyu fled. I don't know Cui Sheng's whereabouts so far. Some say that he fell into the sand river, others say that he was filled in a trench by the left army, and in any case never returned. ”

Shen Wandeng picked up a bowl of wine again and said: "Woohoo sad, if Cui Shengli dies in battle, it can be regarded as a well-deserved death, and now the matter, Cui Shengzhi is full of grief and indignation, there is something under the spring, and I also know it." Cui Sheng, drink this bowl full. Then he poured a bowl of wine on the ground.

Shen Wandeng didn't stop, walked to the next bowl of wine, and said, "I have a friend Jia Sheng, who is a son of a salt merchant and a sitting businessman. There was a conflict with Liu Hongchao because of the salt industry, Liu Hongchao's salt was fierce, all the salt transportation teams of Jia Sheng's family were killed, Jia Sheng was not angry, and sued the official, but the government could not control the Liu family, but the blame was on the Jia family, urging day and night, and the family wealth was empty. The government's urging was still unslow, and Jia Sheng died in front of the county yamen. ”

"It's a pity Jia Sheng, if my rebels arrived a little earlier, the situation would be different." Zhang Xuan said.

Shen Wandeng sneered and was speechless, and poured a bowl of wine on the ground.

"I have a friend Zhu Sheng, is the surname of the country, because of the regulations of the clan during the Wanli period, the ancestors raised people, repeatedly served as a petty official, and there is a little family business in the countryside of Runing, a family is kind and charitable, deeply loved by the villagers, the Central Plains is in turmoil, he is in the southeast of Runing, and the village is self-preservation. The big and small thieves passed by, and they couldn't capture Zhujiazhai, only a month ago, the thieves entered Runing in a big way, and sent a soldier to attack Zhujiazhai, Zhu Sheng was willing to offer food, not allowed, surrendered, not allowed, after opening Zhujiazhai, the Zhu family was killed, and there was no one left. ”

"I know that General Zhang invited me over, what do you mean? Don't you just want me to work for King Chuang with you? Then I'll ask you just one thing. ”

Shen Wandeng grabbed a wine bowl and smashed it heavily on the ground, with a "snap", the wine bowl was smashed, and the aroma of wine overflowed and said: "What is Zhu Sheng's crime, so that there is this, what is the crime of my Yu people, so that Er and other thieves have repeatedly ravaged it." ”

"Smack." Shen Wandeng slapped it heavily on the table and said, "What confidence do you have to let me Shen Wandeng work for you." ”

Zhang Xuan's heart tightened after hearing this, many things are facts and cannot be refuted, in the battle of the king, did you hurt the innocent? There must be.

There are some things, even if Laneige is in charge, they have to be removed. Not to mention marching to war.

However, Zhang Xuan had a little confidence in his heart and persuaded Shen Wandeng that if Shen Wandeng was as sincere as iron, he would not come back here. I won't be able to say anything.

.。 m.