From the year before the year to the period after the Spring Festival, Jingshi and Beizhili all over the country, even heavy snowfall, looking at the past, between the open world, the cold wind is bleak, and the white is boundless. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

At the time of the New Year's Festival, in the outer city of Beijing, in all streets and alleys, red couplets are posted at the door of every house, the sound of firecrackers and the laughter of children from time to time, the blessings of adults for the New Year, and the sound of hawkers selling New Year's goods through the streets and alleys are mixed with each other, so that the huge Beijing Division is obviously flooded with a joyful atmosphere.

It's just that, in stark contrast to the outer city, the heart of the Ming Empire, in the Jingshi Palace, is bleak and silent.

Since Emperor Chongzhen issued an edict on the same day, the emperor took the lead in reducing meals and withdrawing pleasures, and the palace was naturally frugal and solemn everywhere, and in the entire palace, there was no joy of the New Year at all.

Because of the heavy snow blocking the road, it was not until the fifth day of the new year that Lu Xiangsheng's report was sent by Zhang Fengyi, the secretary of the military department, to the Dongnuan Pavilion where Emperor Chongzhen was located.

In the cold weather, in the small East Warm Pavilion, it is very warm, and in the carved dragon white copper charcoal brazier in front of the imperial case, the charcoal fire is blazing, flashing with a warm orange red.

"Your Majesty, great victory, great victory in Henan!"

Zhang Fengyi, the secretary of the military department, the old voice was full of joy, trembling outside the hall.

"Oh, Aiqing quickly enter the palace."

Hearing Zhang Fengyi's shout from afar, Emperor Chongzhen, who had been irritable by the Ningxia Mutiny and the raging rogues in Shaanxi and Gansu during this period of time, had a clear light in his eyes.

Cao Huachun, the chief eunuch of the master of ceremonies on the side, hurriedly went out and brought Zhang Fengyi into the hall.

"Your Majesty, my Ming official army, under the leadership of Lu Xiangsheng, the governor of the five provinces, since October, has been defeated by most of the Liukou in Henan, and the bandit leader Gao Yingxiang has also been killed by our army, and the land of Henan has returned to Ningjing! The existing Lu Xiangsheng Concert is here, please take a look at it. ”

"Good! Very good! That's good news! ”

After listening to Zhang Fengyi's recital on the ground, Chongzhen, who was wearing a bright yellow robe, stood up from the dragon chair, and a smile that he hadn't seen for a long time appeared on his haggard face.

"Jiubud, you get up and speak."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zhang Fengyi got up and quickly handed Lu Xiangsheng's recital to the eunuch Cao Huachun on the side.

"Lu Jiandouguo is capable, in the past two months, he has eliminated more than 20 million people who have entered Kou Henan, and also beheaded the bandit Gao Yingxiang, who is really a rare loyal minister and good general of my Ming Dynasty." Chongzhen stroked his beard and sighed, while taking Lu Xiangsheng's piece from Cao Huachun's hand.

Zhang Fengyi saw that the emperor was happy, and hurriedly continued: "Your Majesty, under the severe blow of our officials and army, the Liukou has suffered a setback this time, which has greatly damaged his vitality, and it is difficult to think of it as rampant as before. ”

"Well, it's rare for the official army to send someone to check quickly, and if what Lu Jiandou did is true, he will immediately reward and promote meritorious soldiers."

As Chongzhen spoke, he opened the Lu Xiangsheng Chapter, and after watching it quickly, he looked up to the sky and laughed.

"Sure enough, it's this Li Xiao again!" Emperor Chongzhen laughed and read Lu Xiangsheng's recital again, and sighed: "Li Xiao, this guy, he is able to fight, he is alone, he is able to retreat two ways to reinforce, and he also beheaded the bandit leader Gao Yingxiang, I am really a rare tiger general in the Ming Dynasty!" ”

Chongzhen walked a few steps beside the imperial table, and said approvingly: "Lu Jiandou is not greedy for merit, and it is rare to be able to perform Li Xiao's credit truthfully." Jiubud, after the results are found out this time, I will definitely give him two of them a good reward! ”

Hearing the emperor's praise of Lu Xiangsheng and Li Xiao, Zhang Fengyi's expression was a little complicated, and he said in a low voice: "Lu Xiangsheng is the governor of the five provinces, and he should be rewarded for this great achievement, but I don't know how His Majesty plans to reward Li Xiao." ”

When Chongzhen saw him asking, he immediately replied: "Lu Jiandou has asked me in the recital that Li Xiao be promoted to the post of commander-in-chief of Denglai. If the battle exploits are verified, I will not hesitate to reward him with this position. ”

Zhang Fengyi had a worried look on his face, his eyes were very complicated, and he said in a low voice: "It is said that Li Xiao has made this great achievement, and he should be greatly rewarded, and it is not an exaggeration to let him be promoted to the chief soldier of Denglai." It's just that Weichen has listened to a lot of gossip about Li Xiao recently, and he feels quite worried. ”

"Oh, what a rumor, Jiubud, you tell the truth."

"Your Majesty, the minister heard that the reason why Li Xiao was able to build such a strong army was that he had a sufficient supply of food and salary in his hands, but the source of his food and salary came from smuggling with Mongolia and Tatar gold!"

"Huh? Is this serious?! ”

Chongzhen's face changed instantly.

Cao Huachun next to him was also full of nervousness.

"Your Majesty, Weichen doesn't dare to deceive. It is said that Li Xiao was in Xuanfu Town, opened joints in all directions, and secretly built a Jintang City, which was dedicated to foreign smuggling. We smuggled and trafficked all kinds of important goods that we had expressly banned to the Mongolian tribes and Houjin, and made huge profits. Although his actions are secretive, the paper can't contain the fire, and Li Xiao's smuggling has been heard in all parts of the Xuanfu. If Your Majesty doesn't believe it, you can send Jinyi Wei to investigate it secretly. ”

Chongzhen's face became more and more ugly.

"Zhang Jiubao, then according to your wishes, how should I deal with Li Xiao?" Chongzhen asked hesitantly.

"Your Majesty, in the opinion of the ministers, although this Li Xiao has made great contributions, his smuggling must not be investigated. can wait for the results of Jinyiwei to verify before making a decision. If it is found that this fact is not false, and Li Xiao has no smuggling, he can agree to Lu Xiangsheng's request and promote him to the chief soldier of Denglai. If it is found that Li Xiao is indeed guilty of smuggling and collaborating with the enemy。。。。。 Zhang Fengyi's voice lowered.

"Go on!" Chongzhen snorted.

"Your Majesty, if Li Xiaoguo has such a collaborator and smuggling with the enemy, the minister thinks that he should be immediately dismissed from his post and dealt with, confiscated the illegal gains, and strictly interrogated by the guards in brocade clothes, in order to respect Youyou!"

"Oh." Chongzhen's gloomy face was obviously covered with a layer of gray.

"If Your Majesty remembers his past merits and can't bear to take him from office, he should also send an internal official to Chifengwei to severely reprimand Li Xiao, and confiscate his illegal property to fill the treasury.

After Zhang Fengyi finished speaking, a trace of ruthlessness was evident on his face.

Chongzhen was silent.

In the East Warm Pavilion, only the charcoal fire was crackling, but the whole room was silent.

Cao Huachun and the eunuchs who served were not afraid to come out.

"I'm afraid it's not good to treat my tiger general who has just made great contributions in the Ming Dynasty."

For a long time, Chongzhen frowned and muttered to himself.

"Your Majesty。。。。。。"

Zhang Fengyi was about to speak, but Li Xiao made a gesture to stop him.

"Needless to say, let me think about it first, Aiqing and step back first."

Zhang Fengyi silently retreated, and Chongzhen's face was full of anxiety.

Li Xiao, do you know how much weight you have in my heart now?

Although you are only a small Chifeng general soldier, I actually regard you as a pillar of the country like Zu Dashou, the chief soldier of the forward battalion, and Wu Xiang, the general soldier of Ningyuan.

Besides, I will marry you the daughter of the clan and make you a hereditary commander, which can be described as a very honorable favor. It's just that why do you, a young famous general like you, who has won my heart, still secretly engage in smuggling that is prohibited by the imperial court!

What should I do with you?

Chongzhen's heart was in turmoil.

"Cao Daban, you go and call Shoufu Wen Aiqing, I have something to ask him." Chongzhen ordered.

Cao Huachun hurriedly agreed and walked away quickly.

Not long after, Shoufu Wen Tiren and eunuch Cao Huachun quietly arrived together.

After practicing the etiquette of the monarch and the minister, Chongzhen did not talk nonsense, but went straight to the point, and told Wen Tiren about Li Xiao's possible smuggling, as well as the disposal of Zhang Fengyi, the secretary of the Ministry of War.

"Changqing, Jiubao treats Li Xiao like this, in Yiqing's opinion, is it appropriate?" Chongzhen suppressed his uneasy thoughts and asked in a calm tone as much as possible.

"Your Majesty, can the minister tell the truth?"

Seeing Wen Tiren say this with a serious face, Emperor Chongzhen was very surprised.

"Aiqing said truthfully, even if there is something wrong, I don't blame it."

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks that Zhang Jiubao's handling like this is really Meng Lang's recklessness and recklessness. Weichen is only afraid that when Jinyiwei goes to Chifengwei to get people, it will be the day when Li Xiao rebels against the imperial court! ”

"Ahh

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, if Your Majesty is so mean and unkind to the generals who have made outstanding military achievements, grabbing pigtails and correcting mistakes, then Li Xiao is afraid that he will become the second Kong Youde who will go to the tartar!"

Chongzhen was startled from the dragon chair, his face was as pale as blood loss, and then, he whispered in a trembling voice: "I just want to investigate his smuggling, should this be the case." ”

"Your Majesty, the affairs of the country have been so eroded, the beacon smoke soldiers are everywhere, the thieves and bandits are poisoning Zhongzhou, it is precisely when the good generals are going to be used to sweep away the ugliness, and An Ke because of the news of smuggling, so he dealt with a rare tiger general like Li Xiao like this, wouldn't it make the soldiers of the world feel very cold!"

Wen Tiren paused, and continued to say with a worried face: "I heard that Li Xiao, who single-handedly destroyed the two Liukou in Henan, and made such a great contribution to the imperial court, can be described as an outstanding meritorious service, which is beyond the reach of others. If he does not receive half of the reward, but is taken care of by the imperial court for smuggling, his subordinates will inevitably be angry and resentful. When Li Xiaozhen raises the anti-flag, how can His Majesty deal with it! ”

Chongzhen's face was gloomy and he sat down.

"Then Aiqing thinks that Li Xiao has any smuggling?" Chongzhen's voice was low.

"Yes!"

"Oh?"

"Your Majesty, that Li Xiao's army is not a regular battalion, but an army of the guard, and it can't get half a military salary from the imperial court. He wants to support the army, if he doesn't have the slightest special means, if he wants to supply and support more than 10,000 soldiers, wouldn't it be a joke. Wen Tiren said with blazing eyes: "In fact, from Weichen's point of view, Li Xiao is helpless to act like this, to support the soldiers, if there is no food and salary, everything is not to be discussed." And if Li Xiao does not have this strong army under his command, what can he talk about national merit and serve the imperial court. ”

Chongzhen let out a long sigh, and his face eased a lot.

Cao Huachun, the eunuch next to him, glanced at Wen Tiren's eyes, and also smiled slightly.

Wen Tiren saw that the emperor's mind had changed, and he took the opportunity to say: "Your Majesty, the history books have recorded that during the night banquet of King Chuzhuang, Chu general Tang Jiao once took advantage of the time when the candle was extinguished to tease the queen, and was later ripped off his hat by the queen. However, the king of Chu was broad-minded and did not remember Tang Jiao's crime, so everyone present ripped off their hats to relieve Tang Jiao's embarrassment. Later Chu general Tang Jiao, grateful for the kindness of the king of Chu, served the death force on the battlefield. A year later, Jin and Chu fought for hegemony, Tang Jiao fought hard regardless of life and death, and desperately rescued the king of Chu from the siege of the Jin army. His Majesty is a contemporary Ming Jun, with a mind comparable to Yao Shun, since he knows such an allusion, the ancients did not hide his great virtue with a whim, and my emperor Ming Jun through the ages should not lose his good will because of the subtleties. ”

After listening to Wen Tiren's eloquent talk, Chongzhen's face improved a lot, and he nodded and said, "Aiqing is reasonable, and I think so." In that case, how should this Li Xiao be rewarded? ”

Wen Tiren pondered for a moment and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that it is best to use both grace and power to make Li Xiao secretly vigilant when he receives the emperor's favor." ”

"Aiqing, please elaborate."

"Your Majesty, that Li Xiaozhi's Chifengwei is composed of the original small half of Huang County and the small half of Zhaoyuan, as well as a small area of Laizhou. Your Majesty would give the remaining Huangxian and Zhaoyuan all the remaining two places to Li Xiao's Chifengwei, and exempt him from taxes for three years, as the foundation for establishing himself and raising the army. ”

"In that case, do I need to be rewarded with money and official positions in addition to this?"

"Your Majesty, if you act like this, you will not need to be rewarded or promoted to the rank of commander-in-chief of Denglai. In this way, Li Xiao was rewarded with land for this great achievement, and his heart was at ease. And the imperial court does not give him money and officials, a smart person like Li Xiao will understand that this is a euphemistic warning given by the imperial court, which is estimated to make him more vigilant in the future, and when he uses illegal means, he will have more scruples. ”

After listening to Wen Tiren's analysis, Chongzhen's face finally reappeared with a comfortable smile: "Aiqing's strategy is very good!" Now that the country is employing people, a rare tiger general like Li Xiao, even if he has shortcomings, he must not be cold in his loyalty and bravery. After the Ministry of War verifies the results of the battle, you will draft an edict with Changqing. ”

"Wechen obeys the holy will."

。。。。。。

Wen Tiren then returned from the palace, went to the cabinet to sit for a while, and then returned to the palace.

When Fang entered the mansion, a family servant came to report: "Lord Wen, the senior father-in-law of the internal supervisor, has been waiting in the living room for a long time. ”

Wen Tiren sighed, and then slowly entered the living room.

It was Cao Huachun, the eunuch of the Drinking Communist Party, who saw Wen Tiren coming in, so he put down the teacup and said with a smile: "**** Today, in front of Your Majesty, I excused Li Xiao like this, but it was the creation of Li Xiao, the chief soldier of Chifeng. ”

Wen Tiren sneered and said lightly: "We have eaten Junlu, and we should be worried about the king." Now there are many things in the DPRK and China, such as Chen Qixin, a martial artist, Qian Shisheng, a university scholar, and other unscrupulous people, who have attacked the impeachment of the prime minister one after another, and His Majesty is already unbearable, and An Ke is worried about His Majesty for some trivial matters. That Li Xiao can fight well, he is a rare tiger general in my Ming Dynasty, and some stains can be removed. Zhang Jiubao blindly picks his hair, which is always a scholar's opinion. ”

Cao Huachun said with a smile: "This is all a **** public loyalty to the country, and it is a good decision to make this a safe and comprehensive strategy." That Li Xiao is also a smart person, he has received such a favor, and he will also understand the good intentions of ****. ”

Wen Tiren smiled, and he said lightly: "Do the spring breeze, there will be rain and dew." If Li Xiao gets these two places, Huang County and Zhaoyuan, he will be grateful that Ben is not thin with him. There is no need to talk about filial piety in the future, and the appearance is outside, so there is a help. ”

Cao Huachun smiled so hard that his eyes narrowed into a slit: "**** has a long-term layout, and is good at winning people's hearts, and our family also admires it." Then Li Xiao saw that Wen was so fond of him, and he would definitely work for **** in the future. ”

When the two of them said this, they both laughed out loud. (To be continued.) )