Chapter 1154: Cold Rain in Xiangyang

readx; At the same time that Li Dingguo and other generals urgently transferred 3,000 light horsemen from the Beijing Division and galloped towards the snow of Tanzhe Temple, the whole city of Xiangyang Mansion, Huguang Province, thousands of miles away, was shrouded in a bleak wind and cold rain. Pen | fun | pavilion www. biquge。 infoCompared with the heavy snow and cold in the north, the people here are also unhappy, because the south is humid and cold, which is more difficult than the dry cold in the north. At this moment, the people are hiding in their homes to avoid the rain, and there is not a single pedestrian on the streets.

However, the head of Xiangyang City was heavily guarded, and the generals such as Gao Jie, Li Chengdong, and Liu Liangzuo under the command of the trilateral governor Hong Chengchou were draped all over their bodies, patrolling back and forth on the city wall in the rain, and all the main roads in the city were also guarded by sergeants. Clever people have already smelled danger from this abnormal action, and they are even more afraid to go out.

And located in the middle of Xiangyang City, the magnificent Xiangwang Mansion, is five steps and one post, ten steps and one sentry, and there are elite soldiers of Hong Chengchou's standard battalion with sharp blades everywhere. The most heavily guarded place is the Yin'an Palace, and at this moment there are several people sitting or standing in the hall, with different expressions.

Sitting on the main seat was an old man in his fifties, pot-bellied, wearing a python robe, he was Zhu Yiming, the vassal king and king of Xiang who had been divided here. Since the orthodox years have been here, the Xiangwang family has been living in Xiangyang for nearly two hundred years, the current Xiangwang was also born with a golden key, just born as soon as he was named the son, a few years to inherit the prince, enjoy more than 50 years of brocade clothes and jade food, drunk life and dream of death. But now he seemed very nervous, and even a little frightened, and sat in his chair without saying a word.

To his left sat a man, thin, with a white beard and a slight anger between his eyebrows. This person is the left servant of the Ministry of Ministers Lang Chengji, he was originally ordered to serve as the supervisor of the two armies of Li Dingguo and Li Laiheng, but the two generals marched quickly, and when Chengji felt that Xiangyang, the war in the southwest had already ended, leaving only Li Dingguo's subordinate general Dou Mingwang with 500 people stationed in Yiling, and Li Laiheng's subordinate general Wu Ming obviously led 500 people to garrison Fengjie.

Zhu Youzhen let Cheng Ji continue to supervise the army, on the one hand, to hold the Xiajiang Road, and on the other hand, there was some deliberate intention not to let Cheng Ji return to Beijing. Because Cheng Jiming is a heavy minister of Donglin, and his reputation is no less than that of Qian Longxi, Li Biao and others, he will inevitably be a popular candidate to enter the cabinet when he returns to Beijing. However, this method only dragged on for a few months, because he came to Zongdao to take up his post, the Ministry of Rites was vacant, and the ministers would push the result, Cheng Jiming became the only candidate without any suspense, just waiting for the official appointment of the emperor. But now Cheng Jiming is sitting here with a sullen face, staring at the person opposite him.

And the person opposite him, that is, the official sitting on the right side of King Xiang, was actually only in his thirties, but because of his old age and dark skin, he looked like he was nearly fifty years old. He always had a vague smile on his face, but this smile never brought warmth to others, but was unpredictable, and he always felt that there was something terrible hidden behind his smile.

This person is Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides, who has been stationed in Xiangyang for a whole year under the pretext of defending Henan, Xiangyang and other places. Now he deliberately focused on playing with the jade fan pendant in his hand, ignoring the blazing gaze of Cheng Jiong, and his heart was nervously calculating the time.

And there is still a person standing behind Hong Chengchou, who is only about thirty years old, born as white as jade, and elegant and elegant. Don't look at the fact that he is the only one standing among several people, showing that his identity is relatively low, but he is also the most calm, and there is a momentum that is faintly above everyone.

Finally, Cheng Jiming couldn't bear it anymore, broke the embarrassing coldness, and arched his hand to Hong Chengchou: "Brother Heng Jiu (Hong Chengchou is called Heng Jiu), Dou Fame and Gou Ming's salaries, how long do you plan to delay?" Even if Gou is obviously in Fengjie, it doesn't matter if you don't give it, but Dou's reputation is in Yiling, and there are only 500 people under him, can't Brother Heng even take out the food and salary of these 500 people? ”

"Lord Cheng is serious, the food and salary of these two soldiers are not in arrears." Hong Chengchou smiled cunningly, "They are an expeditionary force sent from Beijing, and the food and salary should be raised by the household department, and the government along the way should solve the problem." Xiaguan was originally a guest army, and now he still relies on borrowing food from His Royal Highness King Xiang, and the extra food and salary, Xiaguan really can't take it out. ”

"Governor Hong, you'd better be less official!" Cheng Jiming was furious when he heard this, and his address to Hong Chengchou had changed, "All the provinces in Hubei have received a strict order from Governor Hong, without your hand, not a grain of grain can be placed outside the grain warehouse, where do you let Dou Mingwang borrow grain?" Is it robbing the common people? ”

"There's no way around it." Hong Chengchou still looked helpless, "The army of thieves is entrenched in the area of Wudang Mountain, there are at least hundreds of thousands of people, and the lower officials have to allocate the food and salary of each government in a unified manner from the overall consideration of suppressing the thieves. ”

"The big picture? The result of the overall consideration is to let Dou Mingming and his five hundred people starve to death?! Cheng Jiming said angrily.

"Lord Cheng, please stop being angry, aren't we discussing?" Hong Chengchou still smiled indifferently, "Dou Mingming has been stationed in Yiling for several months, and he didn't starve to death." ”

"But you know what the soldiers are eating!" Cheng Jiming finally couldn't help but roar, "Grass roots, tree bark, and rice soup that is so rare that you can see people!" I'm so hungry that I can't even stand up, if the thieves come to fight, how can I fight? ”

"I don't need them to fight." Hong Chengchou still said with a smile, "There are subordinate officials guarding Xiangyang, and thieves don't dare to act rashly." ”

"So, Governor Hong refuses to allocate grain?" Cheng Jiming had already left his anger, turned to Xiangwang Zhu Yiming and said, "Can His Royal Highness King Xiangwang temporarily support one or two for the sake of the extreme hardship of the soldiers?" ”

Zhu Yiming looked at Hong Chengchou first, and then said with a bitter face: "Lord Cheng, please think about it, the imperial court has thoroughly investigated the surrender of the domain, and the king's domain has gone to eight out of ten, how can there be any surplus food?" ”

Cheng Jiming was completely disappointed, Huo Ran got up and said: "That is the case, Governor Hong, this official will leave, I hope that when the Holy Majesty asks you, you can answer so easily!" Your Highness, forgive this official for being rude! ”

Seeing that Cheng Ji was about to leave with his sleeves flicked away, Hong Chengchou got up with a smile and grabbed him and said, "Master Cheng, don't be in a hurry to leave!" I have heard for a long time that the poems and texts of adults are good, and I finally came to Xiangyang, and I am in the Xiangwang Mansion, where can I go, now Xiangwang is the east, you and I will definitely come to not get drunk..."

"Zhumen's wine and meat stink, there are frozen bones on the road, I can't drink it!"

Cheng Jiming shook his hand angrily, but Hong Chengchou never said. Cheng Ji became alert and said, "Governor Hong, you don't want this official to go, right?" ”

"You're right!" Seeing that Cheng Ji was killed, Hong Chengchou suddenly turned his face, and immediately a team of soldiers broke into the Yin'an Palace and surrounded Cheng Ji's life, and Zhu Yiming was already frightened!

"You... What do you mean by that? Cheng Jiming asked in extreme shock.

At this moment, an extremely ugly male duck's voice came from far and near: "Prince Dechang Chitose has arrived!" ”

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