In the end, Xu Liang did not wait for the reply of Wu Zhiwang, the governor of the three sides, about the big question mark that was specially sent. A few days later, Xu Liang dispersed 30,000 Liang army recruits to various prefectures and counties under the rule of Pingliang Province as city defense battalions.

Seeing that Dai Feng walked lightly after returning to Pingliang, he did not mention to Xu Liang that he wanted to return to Hutou Pass again to lead the troops to fight. Regarding the turmoil that Xu Liang was supposed to be promoted to the prefect of Pingliang, it seems that it is about to end so plainly.

At this time, Xu Liang received a reply from Wang Xian in the capital. In Wang Langzhong's reply, the inside story of the turmoil was finally revealed.

In fact, Emperor Chongzhen received a report from the governor of the three sides, Wu Zhiwang, and originally agreed to Xu Liang to take over as the prefect of Pingliang. However, it is very unfortunate that the days when Governor Wu was sent to the fold, it happened that several adults in the cabinet were not there, and Cao Yubian, the emperor of the left capital, as the only cabinet minister on duty, received the twist and turn from the General Administration Department to the Governor of Wu, and saw the Governor Wu asking for merit for Xu Liang, and felt disgusted, thinking that his beloved apprentice Zhang Fengqi was squeezed out by Xu Liang in Pingliang and was not as good as the power of the magistrate of a subordinate county, and after returning to the capital, he was entrusted with a position that was so idle that he was relieved to go to work from the right Shaoqing of the Honglu Temple of Wupin, and since then he has been drinking tea and drinking until he gets off work. There is no chance of making a difference.

Cao Ge Lao attributed this qiē to Xu Liang's frame-up, and saw that Governor Wu wanted to ask for credit for Xu Liang, so he didn't think about it, so he planned to mess up this matter.

Cao Ge finished drafting the cabinet's opinions and sent them to Emperor Chongzhen for review. Emperor Chongzhen looked at Wu Zhiwang's performance, and saw that Xu Liang had made another contribution, and he was quite happy at first, but he didn't see the cabinet's proposed opinions when he looked at it again, so he couldn't help but feel strange, so he asked Cao Ge Lao on duty to ask the reason.

What did Elder Cao Ge say to Emperor Chongzhen? Let Emperor Chongzhen change his decision, Wang Xian does not know. Because these inside stories were also inquired about by Wang Xian's uncle Wang Chengen, who was a eunuch in the palace. Specially asked Wang Xian to tell Xu Liang.

However, it seems that the promotion of a deputy general soldier and the appointment of a prefect are such a big matter, of course, Emperor Chongzhen can't listen to the old Cao Ge's intentions, so he brought up this matter at the court meeting three days later.

When the emperor asked the opinions of other ministers, Cao Ge Lao was the first to jump out and express his views and arrangements. Amazingly, however, none of the other ministers raised objections. So, Dai Feng was inexplicably promoted to deputy chief soldier, and Xu Liang received a reward of 2,000 taels of silver.

It's incredible! If this recital was presented by Pingliang Tongzhi Xu Liang himself, it would still be understandable that no one in the court would speak for him. Because Xu Liang had never been in the court of Beijing City, he could count the slaps of people he knew. But it is the high-ranking officials of the second grade, the governor of the three sides, Wu Zhiwang, the governor of Wu has been in the officialdom for forty or fifty years, after three dynasties, even if he has not established any party in the capital, but his classmates, colleagues, and students. There are always a few teachers. No one stood up to speak for Governor Wu, this is too abnormal!

Fortunately, Wang Xian was more kind, and at the end of the letter, Wang Langzhong pointed out the reason for the abnormality: Emperor Chongzhen decided to start Jingcha in February of the second year of Chongzhen. In order to check and fill in the gaps, rectify the Beijing officials, and preside over the selection of the Beijing inspection. It is Cao Ge Lao.

Xu Liang finally figured out the beginning and end of the matter, and secretly said that he was planted in the hands of Cao Ge at this time. It's really not wronged at all. The Ming Dynasty court assessed officials, which can be roughly divided into two types: Beijing inspection and external inspection. Officials in Beijing, the most afraid is Jingcha, every time they come to Beijing, officials at all levels are trembling, such as the book of ice, for fear of being judged by the inspection officials as greedy, cool, inactive, imprudent, old, sick, impetuous, weak and so on, that is, to beat back the prototype overnight, and there is no future.

The most important thing in Jingcha is not the form and content of Jingcha, but the person who implements Jingcha. It's really because in these years, those who are not greedy are not the officials of the Ming Dynasty, and no one will be very clean under their buttocks, it just depends on whether the inspection officials want to deal with you.

And in the second year of Chongzhen's Jingcha, the executor was actually Cao Gelao, so, at such a critical juncture before Jingcha, who dared to stand up and stir up trouble? It's not good to provoke Cao Ge! Do you still want to mix in the court?

Although Jingcha is targeting officials of the fifth rank and below in Beijing, Xu Liang believes that with the connections of the governor of the three sides, Wu Zhiwang, the person who can speak is definitely not a small character below the fifth rank, but definitely a person with some weight. For example, people like Shangshu and Shilang.

However, although Jingcha can't control Shangshu Shilang, there are always some low-ranking officials under Shangshu Shilang, right? For the sake of a Pingliang Tongzhi Xu Liang, who had never met before, he offended Cao Ge Lao, although Cao Ge Lao may not be able to clean up Shangshu Shilang immediately, but the people below will inevitably suffer!

For the sake of a Xu Liang, offending Cao Ge Lao and sacrificing his subordinates is too uneconomical and not cost-effective! Therefore, from beginning to end, no one came forward to speak for Governor Wu.

Xu Liang's situation is doomed.

After Xu Liang figured out that it was the ghost of the cabinet minister and the left capital Yushi Cao Yubian, he was so angry that the root of his teeth itched, but there was nowhere to vent, in the cold in February, Xu Liang was shirtless in the small school field in the front yard of Xu's house, and danced a knife frantically, and after the knife was collected, Xu Liang's upper body was already sweating profusely.

After taking the hot towel handed over by Yahuan in Fuzhong, scrubbing off his sweat, Xu Liang changed into new clothes, sat down at the desk, sharpened the ink and paper, and began to write the folds.

A few days later, Xu Liang issued an order to Luo Rucai, Wan Wenshan, Sima Qiudao and other generals who were still stationed in Hutou Pass in Hanzhong Prefecture to abandon Hutou Pass and withdraw to Pingliang City.

After learning the news that the Liang army suddenly withdrew from Hutou Pass, which was almost equivalent to giving up Hutou Pass to the rebel army, Wu Zhiwang, the governor of the three sides, was so shocked that he did not ease up for a long time, straightened up and was dizzy in front of him, his body shook a few times, he sat back in his chair, waved his hand weakly, and sent the soldier who had summoned the message.

Governor Wu stared blankly ahead, unfocused. Ten thousand voices in my heart are asking: what to do, what to do? Without the suppression of the Liang army, the rebel army in Hanzhong Mansion is about to make a fuss!

When Hong Chengchou, a political participant in Shaanxi, entered the house lightly, what he saw was the three-sided governor Wu Zhiwang's blank eyes and panicked look.

Hong Shenzheng sighed secretly, and called out softly to Governor Chaowu: "My lord, my lord? ”

Governor Wu's eyes rolled a few times, and when he came to his senses, he saw that it was Hong Shenzheng standing in front of him, and said gloomily: "You are here." Xu Liang collected all the defenders of Hutou Pass and withdrew to Pingliang. ”

Hong Senzheng nodded heavily and said, "The lower officials know." ”

Governor Wu muttered, "Don't make a sound, evacuate all!" Xu Liang: What is this going to do? ”

Hong Shenzheng hesitated and said: "My lord, after receiving the latest news from Beijing, before Guozhong decided to withdraw his troops, he handed a copy to the court. ”

Governor Wu sighed and said, "Xu Liang handed over a copy to the court, why didn't he submit a copy to me?" ”

Hong Shenzheng looked at Governor Wu, stopped squeaking, and said secretly, Obviously, Xu Liang was also disappointed in Governor Wu.

Governor Wu seemed to think of something, shook his head with a wry smile, and asked, "What did he say in the song?" ”

He said...... The Liang army fought for months, the soldiers were exhausted, the supply of grain and grass in the rear was poor, and the Liang army could no longer hold on to the Hutou Pass, so it decided to withdraw to Pingliang to rest and recuperate......"

Governor Wu seemed to have heard something ridiculous, sneered twice, and said disdainfully: "Xu Guozhong wants to stop picking on the picks, but he still finds many reasons!" It's ridiculous! Then he shouted angrily: "Before he withdraws, he told the Governor! ”

Hong Shenzheng asked: "Governor, even if Guozhong tells us, we have no soldiers to send." ”

Governor Wu choked, his face turned red, he was silent for a long time, he couldn't say anything hard, and sighed abruptly: "Yes, the old man also has no soldiers to send." ”

Hong Shenzheng took two steps forward and said, "Governor, the matter of the withdrawal of the Liang army is already like this, let it go first." There's something more important here! ”

Governor Wu rested his head on the back of his chair, rubbed his eyebrows with a painful expression, and asked, "What's going on again?" ”

Hong Shenzheng stared at Governor Wu and said softly: "The new prefect who came to Pingliang to take office died just after leaving Xi'an Mansion!" (To be continued......)