Mao Wenlong did not give Chongzhen a chance to continue to entangle, he never talked about hot air balloons, but kept talking to him about the scenery of Xi'an.

Chongzhen also saw that Mao Wenlong didn't have the heart to talk about this novelty with him, and he also figured it out. This hot air balloon must be Mao Wenlong's treasure, so naturally it will not be easily shared with others.

Now that he knew that Mao Wenlong was not interested in discussing hot air balloons with him, Chongzhen was also quite interested, and he would no longer ask about hot air balloons. Drifting in the air in Xi'an for half a day, it was noon, Mao Wenlong and others returned to Mao's mansion.

Shandong sent a battle report, and now the whole of Shandong is completely under the control of the Dongjiang Army, and those Jin soldiers who fled. After half a month of continuous searching, it has been counted that nearly 20,000 people have been killed, and more than 10,000 people have fled Shandong.

After Mao Wenlong learned of the situation in Shandong, he immediately wrote to Chen Jisheng and asked him to hand over the rest of the affairs in Shandong to the three brothers of the Lijia family. Then he asked Chen Jisheng to immediately bring the main force of the 50,000 Dongjiang Army back to Xi'an, and a new task was given to him.

After dealing with the affairs of Shandong, Mao Wenlong said to Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, I have asked my subordinates to lead the troops back, if nothing else, in a month, the emperor can leave for Nanjing." ”

Chongzhen was overjoyed when he heard this, and said to Mao Wenlong: "There is a general soldier of Lao Mao." ”

The Chongzhen of this meeting has lost his former loftiness, on the contrary, he has become quite modest. In fact, it is expected that he will change, after all, he is completely relying on Mao Wenlong now.

Without Mao Wenlong's backer, he still has nothing. More importantly, although he is still alive at present, rumors have spread outside that he Chongzhen has died in Jingshi.

Since the fall of Jingshi, news has come from everywhere that forces in many places have either claimed the throne or completely become independent. Even if Chongzhen reappears at this moment, I believe that no one will obey his orders.

Chongzhen understands his current situation, he has to change himself, at least until he returns to power, he must have enough respect for Mao Wenlong.

Mao Wenlong didn't care about Chongzhen's performance at the moment, he would only support him again on the premise of being sure of Chongzhen, otherwise, he would never lift a stone to shoot himself in the foot.

"The emperor might as well take advantage of this time to rest, once he returns to Nanjing, he must have to be busy again!" Mao Wenlong kindly reminded.

Chongzhen nodded and smiled implicitly, and then took the initiative to leave.

After Mao Wenlong saw him leave, he looked at Hong Chengchou beside him and said, "Jin Bing has made a big move recently. ”

Hong Chengchou frowned and guessed: "Is Huang Taiji going to send troops to Beijing?" ”

Mao Wenlong nodded and said, "Yes, it seems that Huang Taiji has reached an agreement with Wu Sangui, who is stationed in Datong. Wu Sangui's soldiers and horses in Datong began to evacuate continuously, and there was a great possibility of directly ceding Datong Mansion to Huang Taiji. ”

Hong Chengchou said unexpectedly: "In this way, it seems that there was collusion between Huang Taiji and Wu Sangui before, and it can be confirmed." ”

Mao Wenlong chuckled: "I don't care if they collude or not, what I care about is that they can't send troops to the Beijing division yet." At least until I give up Nanjing and help the emperor take Huguang and Sichuan, there can be no more war in the north. ”

Hong Chengchou nodded and said, "What does the chief soldier want to do?" Do you want to send troops to obstruct the Jin soldiers? ”

Mao Wenlong shook his head and said: "At present, we are short of troops, if we want to start rectification in the south, the north will definitely not be able to take care of it." And for the sake of Li Zicheng, sending troops to block the Jin soldiers is not cost-effective for us. ”

Hong Chengchou pondered for a moment, and he could already hear it from Mao Wenlong's tone, and he seemed to have a conclusion in his heart. He was not in a hurry to ask, but quietly waited for Mao Wenlong to continue.

Sure enough, Mao Wenlong continued after a while: "Instead of us sending troops to interfere, it is better for Li Zicheng to send troops to fight Huang Taiji first." And we just have to help out in the shadows, so it's the best of both worlds, isn't it? ”

When Hong Chengchou heard this, he suddenly said, "The general soldier is wise. ”

How to arrange the specific arrangement, Mao Wenlong did not discuss with Hong Chengchou, and Hong Chengchou did not ask Mao Wenlong clearly. Hong Chengchou, as an old fritter in the officialdom, naturally understands this awareness.

That night, Mao Wenlong called Adou to the study, and the two talked in the study until late at night before they went back to rest.

The next day, in the early hours of the morning.

Adou left Xi'an with two helpers on fast horses, and no one knew where they went.

The following days were still spent in peace, and Mao Wenlong never received any news from Jingshi, Datong Mansion or Jiayuguan. However, the main force of the 50,000 Dongjiang Army led by Chen Jisheng returned to Xi'an half a month later.

Mao Wenlong saw Chen Jisheng for the first time and said to him: "Jisheng, let me ask you, what are your plans for the future?" ”

Faced with Mao Wenlong's sudden question, Chen Jisheng's face was immediately full of doubt: "Chief soldier, why did you suddenly ask such a question?" Is it that I, Chen Jisheng, have done something wrong, if there is something wrong, please punish the chief soldier, don't be polite. ”

After thinking about it, Chen Jisheng suddenly panicked, he thought that Mao Wenlong wanted him to leave the army, which was completely asking for his old life. Chen Jisheng has been mixed in the army since he was taken in by Mao Wenlong, and almost ten years have passed in this blink of an eye.

He Chen Jisheng did not die on the battlefield, and now he is still mixed up, and his reputation in the army is also unmatched for a while. If he was allowed to leave the army at this time, Chen Jisheng would rather Mao Wenlong use other punishments.

Seeing the nervous Chen Jisheng, Mao Wenlong probably guessed what he was thinking without him answering: "Don't be nervous, you don't have a pigtail falling on my hand." ”

Chen Jisheng immediately became even more puzzled: "What does the chief soldier mean?" ”

Mao Wenlong chuckled: "Don't think too much, it's just that there is a task to consider whether to be handed over to you to do." And before that, I need you to decide what you want to do in the future. ”

Chen Jisheng frowned and thought about it for a while, and said in a consultative tone: "Chief soldier, can you tell me what the task is first, so that I can choose?" ”

Mao Wenlong shook his head resolutely: "This matter is not negotiable, you first tell me if you have any plans to mix in the army for the rest of your life in the future." Or do you have other goals or plans for the future? ”

"Well...... Can the commander-in-chief allow me to consider it? Chen Jisheng couldn't get an answer from Mao Wenlong, and he didn't dare to make a decision immediately, so he thought of asking Hong Chengchou first.