Baoshan Port, Governor of Haiphong Yamen Meeting Room.

The steady Zhang Gongwei took a deep breath, her lips moved but she couldn't speak, and shook her head again and again for a while before she said her feelings in a deep voice:

"I understand the good intentions of the virtuous nephew, but the price paid is too great, no one has the courage to make such a decision, even the emperor is afraid to jump three feet in fright!"

Zhu Daolin pursed his mouth: "Uncle Zhang, if the little nephew follows your ideas and gathers the water and land armies under his command to defend Jiangbei, at most it will only beat hundreds of thousands of mobs away, and it will be a symptom but not a cure!" ”

"Think about it, what better way to solve the mob that can't be exterminated by hundreds of thousands than the little nephew? If this fleeting opportunity is missed, who will be able to suppress the increasingly powerful Jiangnan Gate Lords and the Manchu Dynasty ministers who have brought disaster to the country and the people in the future? ”

Xu Hongji was a little disapproving, and took over the conversation and said: "As long as hundreds of thousands of mobs are eliminated, the emperor will be able to free up his hands and slowly govern the world, and the glory of the Taizu and Chengzu periods will be restored just around the corner!" ”

Zhu Daolin laughed: "Grandpa Guo, you are obviously angry with your little nephew!" It has been more than ten years since the encirclement and suppression of the mob in the northwest, and hundreds of millions of wealth have been spent, but the thieves have been suppressed more and more, and the scale has become larger and larger, and now it has threatened the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. ”

"Even if I listen to your advice and lead the land and water armies to defend the front line in Jiangbei, although Fengyang and Jinling will be retained at that time, after hundreds of thousands of mobs are frustrated, they will definitely flee back to the northwest and Bashu and other places again, and continue to coerce hundreds of thousands or even millions of poor people who are hungry and have nothing to continue to rebel, coupled with the continuous echoes of the Liaodong Tartars and repeated southern invasions, who can save the great tomorrow?"

"Even if I am rich and rival the country, I can't turn the tide with my own strength!"

"I remember saying three years ago that if I can't do it, I'll throw away all my property. Take your wife and children and run overseas to be a rich man, I guess you still remember, right? This is not a joke, but I did leave myself a way to go away, and when the time comes, I can leave everything in Daming behind, and walk away, can you do it? ”

Wu Jingxian was anxious when he heard this: "Dao Lin." You must not be like this, the situation has not yet reached the point where it is completely eroded and cannot be saved, as long as we work together, no matter how big the disaster is, we can deal with the past, and we must not waver and retreat in the slightest! Anyway, you also have a part in this Ming Dynasty, and you also have the blood of the old Zhu family! ”

"That's right! My father-in-law's words are exactly what we think, please take care of the common people in the world and spend the difficulties with us! Zhang Gongwei echoed. The surrounding people also made a plea, saying that nothing could make Zhu Daolin have the idea of retreating.

Zhu Daolin sighed: "Uncle, I understand your thoughts, even if I don't have the blood of the Zhu family flowing in my body, I am also willing to do my best for the Ming Dynasty and all living beings in the world, but passive resistance is never a way, and this kind of stupid thing of headache and foot pain has been done less in the past ten years?" Do you see any effect? ”

"Millions of ordinary people can't survive and can only raise the banner to rebel, if we don't eradicate the family gatekeepers and local tyrants and gentry who eat people and don't spit out bones. It won't be long before the whole south will rebel everywhere, and the flames of war will be rife. The mob that can't survive will only grow more and more, and it will become stronger and stronger, and no amount of troops will be able to exterminate it at that time! ”

"To be honest, if you don't come today, in a few days I will lead two divisions of the Longtan Army, two divisions of Baoshanwei, and two divisions brought from Yingzhou to the north by boat, and gather 100,000 troops to attack Liaodong. After finishing his work in one battle, he completely eradicated the biggest hazard of Houjin Tartar, and then divided half of his forces to continue to kill the Mongolian steppe, and the other half of the men and horses turned around and went south to solve the Guanning army. ”

"That's it. At most, you can't keep Fengyang, even if you don't have my tens of thousands of troops, you can actually withstand it, how can hundreds of thousands of mobs not be able to cross the Yangtze River and plague Jiangnan, am I right? ”

Everyone was speechless, and after a while, sighs arose, and everyone was depressed.

Everyone knows that what Zhu Daolin said is right, even if he is himself, he is actually a member of the bureaucratic rich gentry who devours the people's fat and ointment, and he has no way to face more and more mobs, let alone save the crumbling Ming Dynasty.

The meeting fell into a painful silence again, and Zhu Daolin didn't have the heart to deal with this group of people who suffered from incomparably contradictory gains and losses, and silently returned to the round table and sat down to drink tea.

For a long time, Xu Hongji approached Zhang Gongwei and whispered, Zhang Gongwei frowned and thought for a moment and nodded helplessly, the two came to sit opposite Zhu Daolin together, Wu Jingxian and a group of nephews saw this, so they had to return to their seats helplessly, only a group of generals were still staring at the large map on the wall and discussing in a low voice, as if they didn't have to worry about their future and fate at all.

Zhang Gongwei coughed lightly, smoothed her astringent voice, and said sincerely: "Daolin, your plan to drive the tiger and devour the wolf is indeed vicious, but after careful consideration, I found that it is indeed a good way, if the emperor can nod his head, even if I have a conscience, I can do it with you." ”

"But such a sinister strategy is so harmful that no one dares to guarantee that it can control the situation, and no one can see the consequences of driving hundreds of thousands of mobs to Jiangnan! Right? I'm afraid you don't have the bottom in your heart! ”

Zhu Daolin nodded truthfully: "I really don't know the bottom of my heart, but as long as we work together, we can control the situation within an acceptable range, so ...... If I can persuade the emperor to agree, are you willing to do it with me? ”

Everyone was stunned, and they didn't believe that the emperor would agree to this extremely dangerous poisonous plan, even if Taizu came to become an ancestor and reborn, I am afraid that he would not have the courage.

Everyone didn't dare to refute Zhu Daolin, who seemed to have made up his mind, so he could only look at each other and wait for the following, but Xu Hongji, who never believed the emperor's consent, smiled: "If you can really make the emperor agree, what's the matter if I fight this old bone and do it with you?" ”

"Really?"

Zhu Daolin squinted at Xu Hongji, who was proud of his identity.

Xu Hongji laughed: "Or, I'll rush to the capital with you to see the saint as soon as dawn?" ”

Zhu Daolin straightened up very seriously: "Uncle Shi, Grandpa Guo, and Uncle Zhang, do you all think so?" ”

"That's right, the emperor will never dare to agree with your plan." Wu Jingxian and Zhang Gongwei said in unison.

Zhu Daolin asked again: "In that case, how about we go to Beijing together?" Taking advantage of the fact that hundreds of thousands of mobs are now being dragged in the Central Plains by Hong Chengchou, we still have almost a month to make a decision, immediately transfer a steam cargo ship from Baguazhou, and we will be able to rush to the capital to meet the emperor within seven days. ”

"Are you really?"

"How dare you go?"

The hall was full of exclamations, and they all looked at Zhu Daolin with a serious expression in disbelief.

Xu Hongji, whose eyes turned sharply and his face turned red instantly, stood up suddenly: "Go and go, anyway, I also look forward to quickly knocking on the emperor to make a plan to resist the enemy, otherwise, if there is a good one, the glory of my old Xu family for more than two hundred years may be lost in my hands!" ”

Wu Jingxian also stood up: "Let's go together!" At this critical moment, please ask for more safety, at least the head on the neck is more stable. ”

"Then let's go together, but before that, we must make a plan to defend Fengyang to the death...... Daolin, Fengyang's safety is not only related to the society of the country, but also to the life and death of our people, so you have to help me no matter what, otherwise I have no bottom in my heart! Zhang Gongwei solemnly requested.

Zhu Daolin thought for a while: "That's it, I'll give an order later, let the new Third Division of the Longtan Army rush to Fengyang with the left-behind right guard of Deyi, and there are four all-firearms divisions equipped with muskets and artillery with nearly 30,000 soldiers to guard Fengyang, so you can rest assured." ”

Zhang Gongwei was grateful, and couldn't help but bow her hand to Zhu Daolin.

Zhu Daolin hurriedly bent down and saluted back, not daring to put up a stand in front of this senior who was worthy of his respect and trust, and who could also drive him with the original intention.

In Zhu Daolin's mind, Zhang Gongwei was the only person worthy of his respect and who could really help him, otherwise Zhu Daolin would never have paid out of his own pocket to equip Zhang Gongwei's two divisions with 15,000 flintlock pistols and more than 60 artillery pieces.

In front of everyone's eyes, Zhu Daolin decisively issued an order to the adjutant Xiao Zhe: "I will write an order, and there is a letter, you personally lead the personal guard team to rush to Jinling overnight, after the letter is delivered to the Hushan compound, Mrs. will take my son to follow the steam ship to Baoshan, you have to stay with Mrs., there can be no mistakes." ”

"Yes!"

Although Xiao Zhe was puzzled, he still resolutely obeyed.

The surrounding people were shocked, and Wu Jingxian, who regarded Zhu Daolin's sister-in-law as his grandson, turned pale with fright, rushed over and dragged Zhu Daolin, who was writing with a pen, and asked loudly: "What are you going to do?" No way! I will never say yes! ”

Zhu Daolin didn't struggle, let Wu Jingxian drag him up, sighed slightly and said in a low voice: "Uncle, you must have guessed my thoughts, that's right!" I'm going to send my wife and children to the emperor as hostages......"

"Only in this way can I show my Zhu Daolin's loyalty and patriotism, and only in this way can the emperor completely put his mind at ease, and let the emperor see that I, a child surnamed Zhu who returned from overseas, have no bad intentions, and am willing to sacrifice life and death for my Ming Dynasty."

"At this juncture, no matter how big the notoriety is, I am willing to carry it on my back, even if I leave a thousand years of infamy, I will do it without hesitation, not for myself, nor for the so-called Zhu family blood flowing in my body, but for the reproduction and inheritance of the Han nation, and for the generations of the Ming Dynasty!"

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PS: Thank you for your big tip! (To be continued.) )