A sea of people. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

This is the scene that Zhang Cheng saw when he looked at the airport from the porthole of the plane. Most of them were reporters with spotlights and cameras, and of course there were plenty of greeting officers.

"If you have time for these pomps, you might as well produce more war materials." After retracting his gaze, Zhang Cheng raised his hand and touched his nose, and whispered to himself helplessly. For him, these superficial pomp and circumstance mean little practical significance.

However, Zhang Cheng knew very well in his heart that this kind of thing was a good thing for him. In this era, or in that era, reputation is a very important resource. For Zhang Cheng, who has great ambitions, having a high reputation plays an important role in his future actions.

"Sir." After a long flight and constant refueling, Zhang Cheng's transport plane finally stopped on the runway of the imperial capital in the midst of snowflakes. Xiao Hongbao, who was an adjutant, stepped forward to Zhang Cheng's side and called softly.

"Hmm." Rubbing his legs, which were a little numb because he had been sitting for too long, Zhang Cheng answered and picked up his military hat and put it on his head, took a deep breath, and stood up, "Let's go." ”

The door of the plane opened, and the cold wind mixed with snowflakes rushed in the face, but more than that, the cameras in the hands of a large number of reporters. Zhang Cheng narrowed his eyes, pulled the corners of his mouth to show a smile, straightened his body and walked towards the crowd that greeted him.

"General, welcome back in triumph."

"General, I'm a reporter from the Daily Economy, when are you going to launch an attack on Tunisia?"

"General Zhang, I heard that you are about to be promoted to army general, is this true?"

"General, I'm a reporter from South China Daily......"

"General Zhang......"

Before Zhang Cheng stood on the airport runway, a large group of reporters rushed forward and began to ask questions desperately. The constantly flickering magnesium lights made the smile on Zhang Cheng's face a little stiff.

The guards around quickly stepped forward to push the reporters away, and then Wang Fan, who was the special envoy of Lord Shoufu, stepped forward quickly to greet Zhang Cheng, "General, I am here to greet you on behalf of Lord Shoufu and welcome the general's triumphant return." ”

"Thank you." Zhang Cheng nodded, coped with two sentences, and then stepped on the carpet covered with snowflakes and sat in the car. Wang Fan sat in after him, he had a lot to say to Zhang Cheng. As for Xiao Hongbao, he had to go back to Zhang Cheng's residence first to send the girl home who was flushed because of the cold weather.

"Has there been any movement in the imperial capital recently?" After the car started, Zhang Cheng ignored the reporters who had been chasing the car for a while in the cold weather, leaned back in his seat, took out a cigarette and lit it, and asked softly.

"Your successive victories during this period of time have made Shousuke-sama's life much better." Wang Fan smiled and took the cigarette handed over by Zhang Cheng, lit it, and then replied, "Lord Shoufu has submitted a proposal to His Majesty the Emperor to promote you to army general. It's definitely no problem to pass. ”

"Hmm." Zhang Cheng nodded, and spit out the smoke ring, "What else?" ”

Zhang Cheng was not uninterested in military rank, he also knew that it was a sign of improved status. If you want others to follow you, how can you do it without an identity?

Zhang Cheng's merits and connections have long been enough to qualify for promotion to general, but his age and qualifications have always been the biggest obstacles. After all, the Ming Dynasty is a country that has lasted for hundreds of years, and conservative forces are rampant. Those who oppose for the sake of opposition have always made a fuss about it.

Fortunately, Zhang Cheng continued to achieve brilliant victories in just half a year, defeating the Russians, Japanese and Germans one after another. Large tracts of land have been seized or reclaimed. This achievement cannot be erased in any way, and at the same time it is hyped on a large scale through various media. A strong momentum has been formed, and now it has reached a point where it is impossible to be promoted.

A higher status is enough for him to do more. As a conservative country, there are many things that the Ming Dynasty cannot do without a certain status. For example, the commander of a large-scale army group, the rank of chief of staff of the army, etc., all of which require the rank of general. Even if it was just a transition for Zhang Cheng, he needed it.

"Shousuke-sama issued a series of orders. The first is to depose the spokesperson of the Saga Foundation on a large scale in the army, after all, they fought badly and gave Shousuke-sama a reason to attack. Wang Fan lit a cigarette and took a hard puff, "After that, he continued to place the senior generals loyal to Lord Shoufu in important positions. In addition, Lord Shousuke forcibly passed the wartime production management bill in the Diet yesterday, and in the name of consolidating production capacity, it will be used to collect and suppress the economic forces of the Saga consortium in the name of war readiness. After a pause, a look of worry flashed in Wang Fan's eyes, "I'm a little anxious." ”

Zhang Cheng pursed the corners of his mouth and fell silent.

Zhang Cheng naturally knew that Lord Shoufu's actions were too anxious. The family consortium has monopolized Daming for so many years, where can the strength in its hands be so simple? Even if Lord Shoufu had been in charge of the Ming Dynasty for more than 20 years, and the economic crisis had hit the power of the family consortium hard, this large-scale war also gave Lord Shoufu the best opportunity to gather power, and even had the support of most of the army. However, after all, I was still too anxious. Zhang Cheng can already foresee that the family consortium that is unwilling to hand over their vested interests will inevitably fight back desperately.

"How is Shousuke-sama's health doing?" Zhang Cheng suddenly asked a seemingly irrelevant topic.

"Huh?" Wang Fan, who was thinking about things, was stunned when asked, and looked at Zhang Cheng who was expressionless in confusion.

can do government affairs to be the deputy of Lord Shoufu and the designated heir of government affairs, Wang Fan naturally has a seven-clever heart, and he understood Zhang Cheng's meaning in an instant.

"You mean?" Wang Fan's mouth grew in shock, "Shoufu-sama's body? ”

"I didn't say anything." Zhang Cheng looked at the driver driving in front of him with a cold face, and just now he glanced in the rearview mirror. "The exact condition of Shousuke-sama's body is known only to him and his personal doctor. It's just that after so many years of dominance in the political arena of the imperial capital, Lord Shousuke's skill is definitely incomparable to you and me. We can all see the problem, he can't fail to see it. ”

"That's right." Wang Fan nodded thoughtfully. For a period of time by the side of Shoufu Zhang Yue, Wang Fan admired Shoufu's skill. His political skill is far from being matched. There is no reason why it is not possible to see the consequences of such a radical approach.

"There are only two possibilities for this kind of thing." Zhang Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly, and retracted the sharp edge in his eyes, "First, Lord Shoufu was stimulated by the smooth trend in the past few years, and thought that he could completely control the situation in the world. ”

"Impossible." Wang Fan shook his head and said softly, "I've been with Lord Shoufu for so long, and Lord Shoufu is definitely not such a person who has no city government. ”

"Then it's the second possibility." Zhang Cheng lowered his eyelids and said in a very soft voice, "His time is running out. ”

"......" Wang Fan opened his mouth wide in surprise, and the shock in his heart was beyond measure.

Shoufu Zhang Yue has controlled the world for more than 20 years, and his prestige and power have long been the highest in history. Whether it is him, Wang Fan or Zhang Cheng, the ability to rise so fast is due to the care and shelter of Lord Shoufu. Once the mountain of Shousuke-sama falls, will they still be able to withstand the counterattack of the Saga Foundation?

"I feel." Zhang Cheng opened his eyes and looked at the white snowflakes that kept falling outside the car window, looked at the ancient imperial capital covered in silver, and said softly, "He is preparing for the future, weakening the strength of the opponents as much as possible, and clearing the obstacles for the heir's ascendancy." ”

"Huh~~~" Wang Fan let out a long sigh of relief and leaned heavily on the seat. He had never thought about it, because Shousuke-sama had given the impression of being extremely powerful and omnipotent over the past few decades. Everyone is accustomed to this tough Daming helmsman to control everything, but they never thought that he was already an old man over seventy years old!

The perennial hard work and hard work have already exhausted the energy of Lord Shoufu, and it is not until this moment that Wang Fan comes back to his senses, and Lord Shoufu may really have little time.

......

The first thing Zhang Cheng did after returning to the imperial capital was to report to the army headquarters, and then he attended a grand welcome dinner prepared for him by Zhang Yue, the first assistant. Almost all the upper-level figures of the entire imperial capital attended, and even His Majesty the Emperor, who easily did not show up, also appeared in the banquet hall.

The young emperor was much calmer than in previous years, the fluff on his mouth had been replaced by a dark beard, and his originally sharp eyes had also converged a lot. However, Zhang Cheng could still feel the strong aura emanating from the emperor's body. This is an emperor who is not willing to continue to be a puppet.

His Majesty the Emperor personally awarded Zhang Cheng a Baoding Medal, and at the same time unofficially announced that Zhang Cheng would be promoted to army general, and invited Zhang Cheng to enter the palace tomorrow morning to have breakfast with the emperor.

Even if the authority of the royal family has long been gone, only the role of scene embellishment remains. This glory of having breakfast with the Emperor is still a supreme honor for many.

"Do you know what he wants to do?" Zhang Yue, who had a ruddy face and a wine glass, came to Zhang Cheng's side, squinted slightly and asked softly.

Glancing at the young emperor who left the banquet scene and went back to the palace, the corners of Zhang Cheng's mouth curled slightly, and he nodded with a smile, "You want to win me over." ”

"It's easy to talk to smart people." Zhang Yue, who was already full of white hair, nodded with a smile, "Unlike his fathers, although he also wants to restore the glory of the royal family in the past, he is smarter and knows how to forbear." ”

Zhang Cheng shrugged his shoulders indifferently, "No matter what you want to do, you need to have the corresponding strength." It's reluctant to be a Taiping Emperor, and you still want to take back your rights? Where in this world is things so simple? ”

"Oh?" Zhang Yue raised his eyebrows in some surprise and looked at Zhang Cheng, "Why do you say that it is reluctant to be an Emperor of Taiping?" ”

"Actually, I've always thought so." Zhang Cheng pursed the corners of his mouth, and a cold look flashed in his eyes, "Da Ming doesn't need an emperor. (To be continued.) )