In Yangzhou City, there are too many things to deal with.

This place already belongs to Jiangbei, and if it loses the Yangtze River moat, it will face the main force of the Manchu Eight Banners from the Kifu region.

Almost all of the inlaid white flags were folded in the south of the Yangtze River, and the banner owner Duoduo was cast into a bronze statue. The Tartars with the white flag have long been holding back their strength to avenge them. Yangzhou's defense and defense matters are more difficult than the capture of Yangzhou.

Hou Xuanyan took Zhu Dadian and ran back and forth in seven counties in Yangzhou three prefectures, guarding the guard post according to the danger.

As soon as the two of them came back from Qingshuitan, they saw his subordinate Qin He's expression in a hurry, and he came over and whispered, "Commander, Your Majesty sent someone to come secretly." ”

Hou Xuanyan's expression tightened, and he said, "Is Your Majesty okay?" ”

"Your Majesty was almost angry to death by Su Guansheng, but fortunately, he was treated in time and came back to life."

Hou Xuanyan didn't dare to slack off, and said, "Bring him to see me." ”

In the yamen, Hou Xuanyan recruited all the civil and military officials in Yangzhou before letting the little eunuch meet. The words are terrifying, and the incident of He Tengjiao last time reminded him that he can't be the only one who has a tacit understanding with the emperor, and those civil officials don't care about the emperor at all. The little eunuch sent by Wang Xiangnian had tears in his eyes, and when he saw Hou Xuanyan, he bowed his head and whimpered: "Uncle Wu Yue, save Grandpa Banzai." ”

Hou Xuanyan stepped forward quickly, helped him up, and said in a deep voice: "What's the matter, say it slowly." ”

While wiping his tears, the little eunuch told him how Prince Zhuang Jing died early in a few months, how the courtiers despised the holy will, and how Zheng Zhilong bullied the king.

Most of the civil and military officials in Yangzhou are from the Shuizi Battalion, and these people have a common characteristic, more than half of them are from the Lu Dynasty. At the beginning, King Lu's regime in Shaoxing was played by Hou Xuan, and all his subordinates were brought under his command. When they heard that Emperor Longwu was so miserable, most of them were silent, and no one stood up with righteous indignation. Among these people, Zhang Mingzhen and Zhu Dadian are considered to have higher positions in the small regime of King Lu, but Zhang Mingzhen does not have these portals.

When Zhang Mingzhen heard that the dignified son of tomorrow was so miserable, he was immediately furious. He said sharply: "Commander, the lord humiliates the ministers to death, and His Majesty suffers in Fuzhou, and we must not stand idly by." ”

Hou Xuanyan stood up and began to weigh it in his mind, it is not impossible to go to Fuzhou, but this time is different from the last time, going alone is equivalent to sending him to death. However, the soldiers and horses under his command were not idle, Yangzhou was bound to be counterattacked at the beginning, and it was not enough for the 100,000 people of the Shuizi Battalion to stay in Yangzhou; The Huozi Battalion is the main force of the Jingxiang Battle, and it cannot be transferred, and it cannot quench the thirst of the near with far water; Jumu Camp and King Sanshun have been fighting in Dabie Mountain for a few days, and they have been fighting in the dark.

In this way, it seems that the Fengziying can only make a detour from Huguang and go to Fuzhou to wait for him. The distance between the two sides was about the same, and the Fengzi battalion marched fast, maybe it would arrive a long time in advance.

Thinking of this, Hou Xuanyan raised his head and said: "Your Majesty ordered me to enter the court, and the side of the Qing monarch supported the temple, which is a great trust. Hou Xuanyan, as a Ming courtier, how could he refuse. Speaking of this, he walked down, held Zhu Dadian's hand, and said: "Yangzhou is handed over to you, everyone in the world is looking at our Northern Expeditionary Army, don't let the sea down." ”

Zhu Dadian smiled, there was no fear on his face, patted his chest and said: "Don't worry, the commander is assured, our soldiers are well fed, the rear is stable, what is the difficulty of holding Yangzhou." If the commander asks me to go north to take Shenjing, I will still frown and guard Yangzhou, and the commander can rest assured. ”

Hou Xuanyan ignored Lao Zhu's boasting, and had confidence in him, and continued: "Send fast horses to Huguang, transfer Xia Wanchun and Hong Yixun's subordinates, and bypass Jiangxi to meet me in eastern Zhejiang." ”

Zhu Dadian looked hesitant, walked closer and whispered: "Commander, is this little bit of soldiers and horses a little less?" Fuzhou is not a peaceful place, and there are two of them who sent men and horses to recruit the commander. ”

Hou Xuanyan's face was gloomy, and he said: "There are battles everywhere, and you can't give up any position for the sake of infighting." Otherwise, what is the difference between us and those rat-eyed He Tengjiao. Although there are many ghosts in Fuzhou, in my opinion, they are just a group of clowns who jump off the beam. I have a wind word camp in the summer, where can I go in the world? ”

After all, Zhu Dadian is an old and respectful person, he shook his head and said: "Although the commander is a hero, you must also be careful to beware of villains. Fuzhou is close to the Minjiang River, and Zheng Zhilong's 100,000 sailors can come to Fuzhou in an instant. There is the real Longtan Tiger's Den, and the commander wants to break through, unless the four battalions of the Northern Expeditionary Army arrive together and wave their troops south. ”

After Zhang Mingzhen calmed down, he thought carefully about the current trend of the world, once Hou Xuan performed, it was unimaginable. From Jingxiang to Yingtian, the entire Yangtze River front is maintained by him alone.

Zhang Mingzhen sighed and said, "Commander, this matter has to be discussed in the long run." ”

Hou Xuanyan's mind was chaotic, he came from later generations, and he didn't have much of a loyal thought. But Emperor Longwu is undoubtedly a person who should not be killed, and when he drank in the palace, Hou Xuanyan still clearly remembered that a little good news from the country was enough to make this emperor smile.

Listening to the eunuch's story, if he didn't care about him and left him in Fuzhou, Emperor Longwu wouldn't be able to survive this year. And the most important point, if Emperor Longwu dies, short-sighted ministers with ulterior motives in various places will inevitably support a group of local vassal kings and eunuchs. When the time comes, only half of the country will fall into endless civil wars and infighting. All his forces are on the front line of resisting the Qing Dynasty, and if there is chaos in the rear, even if he has great ability, it will be difficult to block the offensive in the north.

I went to Fuzhou to say that it was for Emperor Longwu, but in fact, it was for the entire great cause of resisting the Qing Dynasty. Now such an emperor is needed to stabilize half of the country.

After a few thoughts, Hou Xuanyan paced to the center of the lobby, and in front of all the civil and military officials in Yangzhou, he raised his voice and said: "The king treats me as a countryman, how can I be greedy for life and afraid of death, and be afraid." Fujian is a corner of the southeast, located in a remote location, how can it be a place for kings to live. When I go to Fuzhou, I will welcome His Majesty to Jinling, so that the people of the world will want to help us and wait for the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains, and we will be like a bamboo! ”

The eyes of everyone in the hall who looked at Hou Xuanyan changed, and no one questioned this young feudal official, the superintendent of the military and political affairs. Loyalty, can learn from the sun and the moon, sacrifice life and forget death only for the family and country.

A few days later, Hou Xuanyan's frame arrived at the state capital in eastern Zhejiang, where Xia Wanchun and Hong Yixun were already waiting. Xia Wanchun bent down in Mashan, with a look of reverence: "The commander has the courage of the sky, and I will swear to the death to protect the commander." Hong Yixun rode close and said in a low voice: "Big brother, this time it's too hard, right?" ”

Hou Xuanyan chuckled, his eyebrows and sword eyes gathered slightly, and the corners of his mouth hooked and said: "There are some things, someone must do them, as long as there is a slight opportunity, let the surviving Han people unite and increase the chance of victory for the Northern Expedition, no matter how dangerous it is, we will do it." With a slightly somber tone, he said categorical words, revealing a solemn meaning.

In the winter of the second year of Longwu, the news that Hou Xuanyan, the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, had entered Fujian, and the world was shaken, and even the literati who had always criticized Hou Xuan's iron-blooded killing and writing shut up.