When Gao Qiqian and Emperor Chongzhen were talking in the Wenhua Palace, Lu Xiangsheng had already led a team of cavalry galloping on the road from Changping to Yanjing Deshengmen, this team of less than twenty cavalry. They rode all horses that had been exchanged outside the gates, sometimes whipping and galloping, sometimes slowly, so that the sweaty horses could rest a little. The sound of horses' hooves in the frosty, silent, nightly wilderness was like a fierce torrential rain, often eliciting the barking of dogs from the ruined temples and houses in the vicinity, and attracting the frightened and fearful gazes of the wandering beggars who cowered on both sides of the avenue.

Lu Xiangsheng's mood at this time was angry, he felt that there was a scorching flame burning in his chest at this moment, and what happened in the Wenhua Hall made him completely understand the emperor's suspicious surname. It is true that placing eunuchs in every army to supervise the army is the glorious tradition of the old Zhu family, and it is impossible to change it because of himself. Lu Xiangsheng didn't expect that he would make an exception, but Lu Xiangsheng didn't expect that the emperor would send Gao Qiqian to spy on him.

Who is Gao Qi Qian? Although Gao Qiqian is known for knowing soldiers in the inner court, Lu Xiangsheng, one of the most outstanding generals in the late Ming Dynasty, as the left servant of the military department, knows very clearly that people like Gao Qiqian just occupy the false name of a knowing soldier, and it is okay to fool Chongzhen, a layman. If he is really allowed to lead the army to fight, it will be an end of annihilation, not every eunuch can be Zheng He!

Thinking of this, Lu Xiangsheng sighed, and then thought of the emperor's extremely ugly expression and the limited quota of 5,000 when he mentioned that he mobilized Pang Gang's Qingzhou soldiers to fight in the north, his brows were furrowed, and the heavenly family has been suspicious since ancient times.

Ma Rulong and Wang Pu, who followed closely behind Lu Xiangsheng, saw their own frowning expression, and both of them were very anxious in their hearts, but they didn't dare to ask more, so they had to follow closely behind their own coach.

Lu Xiangsheng and his entourage went out of the city gate with their waist cards, and came to the Chinese army camp outside the city, Lu Xiangsheng entered the handsome tent and did it in the handsome position, ordered someone to take out the pen and ink, and wandered like a dragon to seal the codex, and ordered the person to immediately send it to Qingzhou with six hundred miles after sealing it with fire paint.

There was silence in the big tent, and after a long time, Lu Xiangsheng said with a calm face to Ma Rulong and Wang Pu, who had been walking honestly on the side: "Two generals, is there anything to ask the governor?" ”

Ma Rulong, who had been holding back for a long time, then asked: "Inspector Lu, did you just order someone to send the codex to Qingzhou to ask Pang Gang to mobilize Qingzhou soldiers and horses to come to King Qin?" ”

Lu Xiangsheng nodded and said, "Exactly!" ”

Wang Pu also asked curiously: "Inspector Lu, that means that the emperor has promised to transfer the soldiers and horses of General Pang to the king, but how can the last general still look sad about you?" ”

Lu Xiangsheng shook his head and sighed: "The emperor promised to transfer soldiers and horses from Qingzhou to King Qin, but he said that King Qin's soldiers and horses should not exceed 5,000. ”

"What must not exceed five thousand centaurs?" Ma Rulong and Wang Pu screamed at the same time, and a ridiculous thought surged in their hearts, what is wrong with the emperor, how could he make such a strange will.

Wang Pu opened his mouth and said: "Isn't this nonsense, the Tartars' southern invasion is known as an army of 200,000, why did the emperor only let Pang Gang send 5,000 soldiers and horses." The last general has heard that this Pang Gang has been very prosperous in Qingzhou this year, and he is a rich man, so he must send at least 10,000 troops to him, why is this? ”

"Why else, it's not that Pang Gang did too much and angered the emperor." Lu Xiangsheng sighed and said: "Pang Gang is a person, he has the ability, but he is unruly, if he uses it well, he is the pillar of the country, and if he uses it badly, he is Cao Ying!" ”

Ma Rulong and Wang Puxin glanced at each other, shocked in their hearts, they didn't expect that Pang Gang had now attracted the emperor's jealousy, and even had to do such a restriction when he sent out a soldier, it seemed that this person's future was worrying.

Ma Rulong sighed: "Although the words are so, it's just that it's just like this, isn't it too aggrieved by General Pang?"

The people in the big tent all understood Ma Rulong's words, they wanted others to work for themselves, but they locked up their hands and feet, so they were afraid that it would backfire, according to Pang Gang's temper, if people picked their sons in a fit of anger, they would be the ones who would suffer at that time.

Lu Xiangsheng didn't take Ma Rulong's worries to heart, he was born as a Wenjinshi, and his brain was filled with Confucian filial piety since he was a child. The idea of "the monarch and the minister have to die" has been deeply rooted in his bone marrow, so although he admires Pang Gang, a powerful general, he still snorted coldly and said: "If he dares not to come to the Codex sent by this governor, don't blame this commander for being ruthless in military law." ”

At this moment, a family member hurriedly walked into the big tent and said to Lu Xiangsheng: "Inspector Lu, Gao Qiqian Gao Gonggong is here, and he also brought the emperor's holy decree, and the emperor has decreed that you will be promoted to the title of the imperial history and military department of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the holy decree is outside!" ”

"What"

On March 28 of the tenth year of Chongzhen, Pang Gang finally received an order from Lu Xiangsheng, the governor of Xuanda, who was the right of the Imperial History of the Imperial Court and the secretary of the military department, and ordered him to lead 5,000 elite soldiers to enter the king of Jingqin immediately, and be sure to rush to the camp in the capital on the eighth day of the fourth month to obey the order.

After Pang Gang received Lu Xiangsheng's codex, he didn't dare to slack off, and hurriedly summoned the generals to discuss the matter, but when the generals heard it, they immediately quarreled.

"What, you can only bring 5,000 soldiers and horses into Beijing? Which turtle son came up with this bastard attention? This is to put adults in a situation from which they will never recover! The grumpy one shouted.

"That's right, this Tartar southern invasion is huge, known as 200,000 troops, let us bring a battalion of soldiers and horses, and let the adults send them to death!" Even Da Zhuang, an honest man, is rarely angry.

Cheng Kai, a guerrilla of the fifth battalion who was born as a captain of the personal army, was very loyal to Pang Gang, he hesitated for a moment and said: "My lord, if we don't go, the imperial court's move is too chilling, not only want the horse to run fast, but also want to tie the horse's hooves, this is obviously trying to kill people with a knife." ”

Cheng Kai's words suddenly made the atmosphere in the conference hall tense, and everyone's faces suddenly became very ugly. Cheng Kai's words reminded everyone, maybe the emperor didn't just let Pang Gang go to King Qin, maybe he would take this opportunity to arrest Pang Gang, this may not be without a surname, thinking of Hua Yan on the side of this, he also twisted his sparse beard and pondered.

Seeing that everyone dissuaded him from going to the capital Qinwang, Pang Ganglang laughed: "Okay, you don't need to panic, we still have to send out this soldier, if you don't go to the imperial court, there will be enough reason to attack us." What's more, at this moment, the Tartars are violating our border and slaughtering my people, how can we, as soldiers, not be saved, but how to send troops, we have to think carefully. ”

Speaking of this, Pang Gang thought about it for a while and said: "In this way, this time this time this official will take the five thousand men and horses of the first battalion to King Qin, the capital division, after all, the first battalion has the most veterans and the best training." But as the saying goes, if you are not afraid of 10,000, you are afraid of what if. After the official left, Li Yuan, Bin Shiqian, and Dong Guo led the 3rd and 4th battalions and the artillery battalion to Jinan and settled in Jinan City. If Governor Wei asks about you, you will say that it is just this official, and this official should personally write a letter to Governor Wei! ”

Hua Yan asked in surprise: "My lord, you want to garrison Jinan?"

It's no wonder that Hua Yan was surprised, Pang Gang's total strength at this time was only five infantry battalions, about 25,000 people, Pang Gang took 5,000 people by himself, that is, the strength of one battalion, and the remaining four infantry battalions Pang Gang sent half of them to Jinan.

"Look at you, where do you want to go, the Qing soldiers are definitely not satisfied after capturing Tianjin, this official is estimated to invade Shandong, and Jinan is the first to bear the brunt, I am afraid that Liu Zeqing's soldiers and horses alone will not be able to hold it, we have to take precautions!"

Speaking of this, Pang Gang couldn't help but think of the eleventh year of Chongzhen in history, when the Qing soldiers captured the city of Jinan, captured more than 400,000 people in Jinan, and the Qing army captured Jinan, most of the officials of the Ming Dynasty and the family of King Lu (in fact, King De) were killed, and Zhu Youshu, the king of Lu, was captured alive by the Qing army and taken to Shenyang. The Qing army slaughtered and plundered the prosperous city of Jinan and many prefectures and counties in Shandong. Although history has changed because of his arrival, Pang Gang is still very vigilant, lest Jinan will be ransacked by the Qing army as in history. Moreover, his father-in-law Wei was also in Jinan in the same year, and if something happened to him, he would not be able to explain it to his daughter-in-law.

After listening to Pang Gang's explanation, everyone understood Pang Gang's worries, although no one knew whether the Tartars would continue to go south, but it was always right to be careful, after the meeting, everyone took the order to go, but Pang Gang left Wang Zhi and Hua Yan behind.

Pang Gang first said to Wang Zhi: "Wang Guji, this time this official sent you to stay in Qingzhou is a big matter, nearly half of your soldiers and horses are newly recruited, I hope you and Hua experience during this period to work together to take care of Qingzhou, everything here will be entrusted to you." ”

The two agreed in unison: "Your Excellency, please rest assured, your subordinates will definitely keep this family business for your adults!" ”

Pang Gang's movements were very fast, and on March 29, Wang Gang said goodbye to Kong Ruolan and Wei Manyao, and led a battalion of soldiers and horses to take a boat in Wanghai Fort and went all the way to Tianjin. On the fourth day of the fourth month of April, 5,000 soldiers and horses disembarked from the ship in Tianjin, and sailed towards the capital.

It's just that everywhere you go along the way is a mess, there are ruins everywhere, the land for hundreds of miles is uninhabited, and there are dead people everywhere. Even if there are surviving civilians, when they see the army passing by, they often hide in the shadows and dare not come out, but just watch this military team pass by from a distance.

Seeing this situation, Pang Gang's heart seemed to be pricked by a needle, and he couldn't bear to close his eyes, no wonder the old saying is good, it is better to be a peaceful dog than a troubled world.

(To be continued)