Zhang Pu took it and flipped through it, and saw that the cover page was inscribed with "Yangxian Tea Pot System" a few words, the article has founding, the beginning, everyone, the famous family, Yaliu, the gods, the other faction, the soil, etc., are coherent, the manuscript behind is well written, meticulous, it is clear that a lot of work has been put down, slowly put the manuscript on the table, arched his hand: "Teacher, forgive the student for being reckless, Sage Yun: The gentleman is not a weapon, the teacher is prosperous in the Spring and Autumn Period, and his life's career is incomparably purple sand?" The teacher once held a high position, and he was respected by the world, but he was willing to travel with those craftsmen and lowly laborers, and he was in the company of everyone, and the students were really sad and sighed for the teacher. ”

Zhou Yanru said with a smile: "Tianru, there is a lot of fun in this, you just haven't understood it yet." ”

"Leisurely, it seems that it is difficult to talk to students!" Zhang Pu said with a smile: "Teacher, do you know that the capital has been raising its doors recently, and it is very lively?" ”

"It's been a long time since I've asked about mundane things. Tianru, eat tea, this tea tree is planted by my own hands, the tea leaves are picked by my own hands, what is the smell? ”

"Sure enough, the teacher is really talented, and he has a line of experience in doing a line, and one law is all the same."

"Hahaha...... Now that I'm a farmer in the countryside, I have to pretend! Zhou Yanru laughed a few times, suddenly smiled, and said: "The excitement of the capital is also someone else's, and it has nothing to do with me." ”

"That's a joke. The teacher is good and right, and there is no two for a while, and the student has a ready-made pair, and the teacher can be right? ”

"Tell me about it."

"There is a man in Beifu who wrote a couplet on the back of the test paper, which is popular in Beijing and has become a joke on the streets. Shanglian is: The Ministry of Rites reopened the heavenly list, and the champion explored the flower list, and was a little panicked. The so-called 'panic' is the homonym of 'Huang Kong', Huang is Huang Shijun, Kong is Kong Zhenyun, the two happened by chance, and they actually went to high school. Can the teacher think of the next link? ”

Zhou Yanru shook his head and said: "I can't think of it, these couplets are specialized, and they must be said to have something, and it is impossible to work hard only from words." ”

"The next link is the most exciting: the cabinet is turned into a brothel, and the turtle king is always plagued. The turtle king has eight pieces of slices, and he always suffers from plague. 'Turtle' is homophonic to 'Wugui', alluding to Wen Tiren, a native of Gui'an County, Wucheng, Huzhou; 'Wang Ba' is homophonic to 'Wang Ba', alluding to Wang Yingxiong, a minister from Ba County, Sichuan; 'Chipping' alludes to Wu Zongda, a cabinet minister who flatters Wen Tiren and has no opinions; 'Always suffering from plague', it means that the emperor has been deceived by Wen Tiren. Illustrious cabinet scholars, contemptible to such a degree, is it a blessing for the imperial court? ”

Zhou Yanru touched his slender beard and said: "This couplet is scolded with pleasure, but it is not a scholar's opinion. In terms of his talents, Wen Tiren is indeed not comparable to mediocre people, nor is it beyond the reach of outsiders. He saw that Zhang Pu had a suspicious look on his face, and then said: "I have worked with Wen Tiren for many years, and his talent is indeed beyond everyone. First, he is shrewd and capable, good at scheming, whenever the cabinet drafts an edict on behalf of the emperor, every time he encounters criminal names, money and food and other specialized knowledge, there are many names, and the clues are confused, and other cabinet members often have sad faces, but Wen Tiren knows it at a glance, and there is no mistake, I admire his sensitive practice. Second, he did a good job of superficial articles, but he did not leak. After he entered the cabinet, he was honest and prudent, and he never started bribery. To be sure, I don't have his strengths. Third, he worked hard to manage, and the cabinet colleagues he introduced were all mediocre and indiscriminate, which made him stand out from the crowd. Fourth, Wen Tiren is good at figuring out the emperor's intentions and has skills in meeting them. It's all very human. ”

"Rao is his old treacherous and slippery, and finally let the emperor see through, I heard about the holy decree, and I was very happy, even if the Qing soldiers did not retreat, the firecrackers still rang off almost all night, and when he went out of Beijing, there were only a few protégés, and the situation was very embarrassing." Zhang Pu observed Zhou Yanru's expression as he spoke. Zhou Yanru's face trembled slightly, he was immersed in the memories of the past, that year Wen Tiren took advantage of the danger of others, fell into the well, and finally fell out of favor and resigned, he was really too trusted, he didn't recognize his wolf ambition as soon as possible, and couldn't help gritting his teeth and said: "This is his retribution!" Wen Tiren seems to be a loyal elder, but in fact he is narrow-minded, and he will repay him, and he is the most intolerant. He thinks he is good at dancing with long sleeves, but in fact, he has too many enemies, just like a dam holding back water, and sooner or later it will collapse. ”

Zhang Pu took the opportunity to probe: "As soon as the old thief Wen leaves, the teacher has fewer strong rivals, and it is just time to make a comeback." ”

Zhou Yanru waved his hand and said: "I don't do these fantasies anymore, what haven't I experienced about the fame and fortune that the world is chasing?" Reading and scientific examination, won the champion, Lu Ming banquet sat in the chief, and later entered the cabinet to participate in the secret, a year's work, promoted to the first place, what a glory! Once in the sea, it's just like this again, what's the point? It's better to lie down on the quilt, smell the aroma of steamed new rice, and play with the purple clay pot! When I was young, I read "Three Kingdoms", and saw Liu Chan say that he was happy and didn't think about it, and secretly laughed at him for his lack of ambition. ”

Zhang Pu had heard that Zhou Yanru had a new concubine, a young and beautiful widow. Less than a year after her husband died, she couldn't bear the loneliness of the spring boudoir and made an appointment to elope with someone. The man hired a sedan chair to welcome his relatives, and passed by the door, and the widow pretended to be married, went out and sat in the sedan chair, and walked away. The widow's mother-in-law was shocked and went to sue the official, the widow was afraid of being arrested by the yamen, so she threw herself into the Zhou Mansion overnight, Zhou Yanru died of her wife, and when she was lonely, she coveted her beauty and accepted her as a concubine. Zhang Pu smiled slightly and said: "Gentle Township is the most heroic, and it seems that the teacher is not exempt from vulgarity. He took out a red slip from his sleeve and gently placed it on the table.

Zhou Yanru pinched it and looked at it, couldn't help but be furious, and scolded: "That widow voluntarily stayed in my mansion, what's wrong, what is the government doing in this troubled water for no reason?" The management is very lenient, and a small Taoist platform does not know how to avoid it, and says such stupid words by name on Zhu Dan. I poured into my house and waited with the door wide open to see how bold he was to come and arrest someone! ”

Zhang Pu secretly laughed, knowing that he had touched his sore spot, and said: "The teacher doesn't have to be angry, if this matter alarms the government, no matter which family the woman breaks off, if it spreads, it will also tarnish the teacher's reputation." How noble is the identity of a teacher, and in the end, he will show up in court? Such trivial matters are still left to the disciples. "I took Zhu Dan, tore a few handfuls to pieces, and threw them on the ground.

"You, how dare you tear Zhu Dan apart?" Zhou Yanru was stunned.

Zhang Pu said indifferently: "It doesn't matter, that Zhang Daotai is a disciple's protégé, and he is also a member of the Restoration Society." The disciple went to the yamen on the way, and just in time for the widow's mother-in-law to come to the yamen to make a noise, he had no choice but to open a zhu order and show me and bring it. It's just a trivial matter, don't mind, it's just that if the teacher indulges in the tenderness of his children and is bedridden, there will be a big disaster in the future, and the students are afraid that they will not be able to help. The teacher is in his prime, and it is reasonable to be feared, and the ministers are uneasy about their position because of the presence of the teacher, for fear of being replaced, if someone is like the old thief Wen who framed Qian Muzhai, he will want to put him to death and hurry up, how can the teacher deal with it? ”

"Good! I listen to you, as long as there is the emperor's will, I will never refuse. ”

"The students are raising money to unblock the joints."

"How much do you need? I have silver here. ”

"By all means, the teacher is very popular, and I don't know how many eyes are staring at it in the world! If it is detected by the East Factory, it will be a disadvantage. The students had persuaded a few like-minded people to come out with some silver, and Mr. Mu Zhai, Laizhi, and Meicun raised 30,000 taels, and Feng Quan, Hou Sui, and Ruan Dacheng also contributed 10,000 taels each. ”

"Tianru, you dare to use the silver of Feng and Ruan, this is where the Fushe is higher than the Donglin Party. The Donglin Party said that it was for Wei Zhongxian, but in fact, it was a loss in the view of the portal! ”

Zhang Pu nodded and said: "It can be used by me, but the student can't ask for it, how can he refuse?" Now he has scraped together 60,000 taels of silver and is ready to go north to Beijing. It's just that recently, the Qing soldiers have harassed everywhere, and Dolgon has entered Shandong, plundering along the way, and the road is unstable, and it will take a few days. ”

"Internal and external troubles are eventful!" Zhou Yanru shook his head and sighed.

Beijing faces another catastrophe. Yangwu general Beile Yue led the right wing army first, destroyed the Great Wall from the north wall of Miyun, broke the border wall and entered the pass, Wu Aheng, the governor of Jiliao, was drunk and was killed in his sleep. Ordered the general Rui Prince Dolgon to lead the left wing army, from the Qingshan Pass to destroy the border wall and enter, the two armies in the suburbs of Beijing Tongzhou division, and then bypass Beijing, to Zhuozhou, the army divided into eight roads to the west, all the way along the Taihang Mountain, all the way along the canal, six roads between the Taihang Mountain and the Yellow River. Chongzhen was shocked, ordered martial law in Beijing, edicted the king of Qin, and promoted the governor of Xuanda, Lu Xiangsheng, to supervise the reinforcements of the world, and entered Beijing to see His Majesty.

Lu Xiangsheng's father had just passed away, and he was even ten sparse, begging the emperor to leave the funeral and keep filial piety at home for three years. Unexpectedly, the emperor not only did not approve the invitation, but instead sent the starry night to Beijing. The Qing army invaded, and the Beijing division was in danger, so he had to put aside the idea of running for the time being, and led more than 10,000 cavalry to rush day and night. At dusk that day, he entered the city of Beijing, hastily washed his face, and instructed him to refuse guests, recuperate himself in the study, and prepare to enter the court early in the morning. At the fourth watch, the house slave Gu Xian woke up, holding the second-grade brocade chicken supplement, dressed neatly, and rode to the west of Chengtianmen outside the right gate of Chang'an, and out of the door came a middle-aged man wearing a first-class crane supplement, in his forties, medium stature, temples and beard are still black, his eyes are shining, he is very shrewd and capable, he arched his hand towards Lu Xiangsheng, and said with a smile: "Jiuweng, come so fast!" Counting that you still have two or three days to go, you don't want to go into the city last night. ”

"Ge Lao is so well-informed! The students left the infantry behind. Lu Xiangsheng recognized the person as Yang Sichang, a scholar of Dongge University and a scholar of the military department, hurriedly straightened his clothes and hat, and stepped forward to salute.

Yang Sichang took his hand and looked at him, and saw that his face was white, his eyebrows were bright, and he was heroic, and he walked towards the imperial city, and said: "The emperor summoned the right person alone, which shows his grace and teaches people to be envious!" It's just that I thought that Jiu Weng had been away from Beijing for many days, and I was about to ask for a few words, which was also a wake-up call. ”

"Please show me."

"The Eastern Prisoners are very strong, and the courtiers have a lot of opinions, and they are inconsistent. The emperor asked, how did Jiu Weng answer? ”

Lu Xiangsheng stopped and looked up at Yang Sichang, and said loudly: "The courtiers think that the students can guess that it must be the main battle and the two main battles, and the students will be the main battle. ”

Yang Sichang said hesitantly: "Jiuweng is loyal, but have you ever thought about how to support the overall situation if you lose a battle?" Think twice! ”

"Since the students led the troops into Beijing, they had to fight to the death and retreat from the enemy, and their bones were broken to repay the emperor."

Yang Sichang said unhappily: "Why did Jiu Weng say such ominous words? ”

Lu Xiangsheng said hatefully: "The student is ominous, galloping to the aid of King Qin, how dare he be greedy for life and afraid of death, and sit back and watch the Qing soldiers ravage Gyeonggi, which is despised by thousands of generations!" ”

Yang Sichang smiled bitterly: "The outer gangsters are not worried, and the internal bandits are really a problem for the henchmen." If you can't settle inside, why can't you go outside? The soldiers of Shanxi and Xuanda are the elite of the country. The thieves are not settled, so be sure to leave this little belongings for the emperor. Otherwise, once you lose both with the Qing soldiers, wouldn't it be cheaper for those thieves? The emperor is determined to be the holy master, and if this layer of window paper is pierced, the emperor will also be embarrassed. He looked at the tall and majestic Huangji Hall in front of him and said, "Further ahead is the Jianji Palace, so I will not accompany you." ”

The two bowed goodbye, Lu Xiangsheng looked at Yang Sichang's back, and thought silently in his heart: Could it be that the emperor will actually make peace? He walked around the west of the Huangji Palace, passed through the right gate, and saw two columns of brocade guards standing outside the hall from a distance, holding various honor guards in their hands. The eunuch led him to bend down and climb the steps from the left, and saw that Chongzhen was already sitting on the throne of the coiling dragon and waiting, more than a dozen eunuchs stood on both sides, and two one-person-high bronze crane incense burners on the left and right were curling with green smoke. He took a few steps, knelt on the dan mound, performed the regular court, held the ivory pilgrimage, and walked into the hall.

Chongzhen summoned Lu Xiangsheng alone for the first time, and saw that he looked like a weak scholar, not like a fierce general who was skilled in riding and archery and charging into battle, but Chongzhen had already read the resume archived by the Ministry of Officials, Lu Xiangsheng was thirty-nine years old, and he was a jinshi in the second year of the Apocalypse, and asked: "I heard that you are born with divine power, and a big knife that exercises weighs one hundred and thirty-six pounds, but is it true?" ”

"It was used by the minister when he was young to practice his arm strength, and if he stayed at home in Yixing, he must have been rusty and decayed."

Chongzhen was half incredulous, ordered him to be flat, and said: "The captive rider is invasive, and the Beijing division is under martial law." Qing tirelessly worked hard, was a diligent king for thousands of miles, and was loyal and courageous. ”

"It is an honor to be a courtier to be a courtier to be known by the emperor to meet a great grace and drive the king. Now that the country is in danger, the ministers should be smeared with their livers and brains to repay His Majesty. ”

Chongzhen comforted: "I know that you have not lost your father for a long time, and you have no choice but to win the love for the country, so don't let me down." "Ordered Ma Yuancheng to take out the flower silver and python satin and give it to Lu Xiangsheng.

With tears in his eyes, Lu Xiangsheng felt his blood boiling, kowtowed and thanked him: "Forgive me for speaking bluntly, I heard that some people advocate losing silver and ceding land, negotiate peace with Dongyu, lose 600,000 taels of silver every year, and cede Liaodong to seek peace day and night, isn't this the mistake of the Song Dynasty?" ”

Chongzhen's face changed slightly, and he asked, "Now that there are internal and external troubles, which one do you think is urgent?" ”

"Naturally, it's a captive." Lu Xiangsheng didn't think twice.

"Oh?" Chongzhen seemed to be a little surprised, and asked: "Our army has not yet rushed to help, and the capital is weak, how can we resist the enemy?" ”

Lu Xiangsheng replied generously: "Forgive the minister, since ancient times, you can only make peace if you can fight, if you can't fight, you will always think about peace, you will be subject to the enemy." The minister thinks that the current problem is not that my troops are thin, but that he is indecisive in the imperial court! There are no less than 50,000 reinforcements from Guanning, Xuan, Da, and Shanxi, and more than 40,000 battalions from the five military battalions, three thousand battalions, and three battalions of the Shenji battalion. In addition, the enemy attacked lightly and penetrated deep into Kifu, and his heart was to plunder people and animal property, and had no intention of attacking the city and conquering the land, so he strictly ordered Kifuzhou County to clear the wilderness, so that the enemy would have no way to eat, and it would be difficult for the Qing soldiers to receive heavy grain and grass......"

Chongzhen interrupted: "Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting are at a critical juncture, and they must not be withdrawn, so as not to waste their previous efforts." ”

"The minister is willing to lead the armies of Guanning, Xuan, Da, and Shanxi to fight a decisive battle with the captives!"

Chongzhen hesitated and said: "Fighting with Dongyu, there are fewer wins and more defeats, and I am worried about what will go wrong." The elite of the East is comparable to non-thieves, and it is more appropriate to be cautious. The country's security is at stake. ”

"Victory or defeat is a common thing in soldiers, and the emperor doesn't have to worry too much......"

"No, no, there are wars every year, disasters and famines are frequent, there is a shortage of soldiers' salaries, I can't take care of the outside, I don't want to have too many clues, I concentrate on exterminating the thieves, but the ministers of the outer court don't understand my troubles!"

"The alliance under the city, "Spring and Autumn" is ashamed. Is there really a matter of peace with the East? ”

"Since ancient times, there has never been a civil strife and can win externally, negotiation of peace is not an expedient measure, do not look at the loss of the silver and the land, if the Qing soldiers no longer enter the customs to attack, free their hands, can concentrate on dealing with the thieves. It is not difficult to level the thieves, conquer the rebels, and recover Liaodong. ”

Lu Xiangsheng said angrily: "Some people keep saying that the captives are elite, but they are just making arrangements for peace, but in fact, they are already afraid in their hearts......

Chongzhen's face sank suddenly, and he shouted, "What's the reply?" I clearly said that it was not an expedient measure, so why am I afraid? You still led the troops to fight, and you forgot the art of war! Back then, Long Qingye also negotiated with Altan Khan, and since then there has been nothing to do, and the imperial court has to relieve the northwest border troubles, is it wrong? ”

Lu Xiangsheng was taken aback, knowing that he was reckless in his words, but the matter had come to this point, he had to face Chen, kowtowed, and said: "Your Majesty, when Yuan Chonghuan was in the land of Ningyuan projectiles, after breaking the Houjin, Nurhachi died of shame and anger. The walls of the capital division are high and thick, easy to defend and difficult to attack, with this strong city, it will be able to thwart the arrogance of the easterners! ”

Chongzhen's face softened, and said: "Our army is rushing to help from afar, and the east is waiting for work, the victory or defeat is unpredictable, and it is impossible to fight strongly. ”

"Minister......" Lu Xiangsheng was about to make a bitter statement to the emperor, and suddenly saw Chongzhen's fierce gaze, and couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. But he heard Chongzhen soothe: "Qing Saddle Horse is tired, get up and rest!" A eunuch held a Shang Fang sword, and Lu Xiangsheng raised his hands and kowtowed in thanks.

After His Majesty's resignation the next day, he rode straight to the camp in Changping, and then Chongzhen sent someone to send 40,000 taels of silver, and rewarded 100 royal horses and 1,000 servant horses. Lu Xiangsheng thought that Yang Sichang had the heart to negotiate peace, and the eunuch Gao Qiqian of the prison army would definitely follow, if the two of them secretly restrained, he was alone and could not speak, Guanning Iron Cavalry, Shanxi soldiers and horses were only temporarily controlled, and two people were obstructed from it, and it was difficult to give orders, so he asked Yang and Gao to divide their military powers, and in a few days, the holy decree came down, and the soldiers of Shanhaiguan and Ningyuan were assigned to Gao Qiqian, and there were less than 20,000 people under Xiangsheng's command, and the soldiers were poorly paid, isolated and had few reinforcements. At this time, the Qing soldiers crossed Baoding and went south, broke Gaoyang, and told the old bachelor Sun Chengzong to lead his family to fight with the Qing soldiers, and the whole family was spared. When Xiangsheng got the news, he was extremely shocked, and was about to lead the troops to intercept and kill, but he received an urgent document from the Ministry of War, and the Qing troops were moving west to Shanxi, and Taiyuan was in danger, so the superintendent rushed to help. Xiangsheng threw the text on the table, sighed quietly, Shanxi but a few rangers thought that they were suspicious soldiers, pretending to peep into the west, the Ministry of War was intended not to confront the Qing soldiers, preserve strength, and have the intention to resist the order and disobey, Datong General Soldier Wang Pu actually also received the Ministry of War, heard that his hometown was in danger, and they all clamored to go back to protect his family, and hugged Wang Pu to the west. Lu Xiangsheng has three general military officers, with Wang Pu having the most people. After Wang Pu left, the other two commanders, Hu Dawei and Yang Guozhu's subordinates, plus the standard battalion led by Xiang Sheng, were only more than 5,000 people. Now, like a dilemma, leading the troops straight to the Songshui Bridge, I saw the Qing soldiers like a row of walls from a distance, thousands of horses galloping, and the ground shook the mountains. Xiang Sheng saw that the Qing soldiers were coming fiercely, and divided the troops into three ways, Hu Dawei was on the left, Yang Guozhu was on the right, and he led the Chinese army to fight to the death with the Qing soldiers. After half a day of fighting, camp in the evening and make a truce. At the time of the third watch, the moonlight was vast, the sound of the bamboo suddenly blew from all sides, the drums were loud, the Qing soldiers began to attack the Ming army from all sides, Lu Xiangsheng hurried out of the camp tent, and led the tiger Dawei, Yang Guozhu and others to resist.

The sky was slightly bright, and the Qing soldiers gathered more and more, and Dawei persuaded him to break through, and said in a loud voice: "Since I was in the army, I have fought dozens of battles of all sizes, and I only know how to move forward, but I don't know how to retreat." I have received the grace of the country with all the kings, and I have already promised the country with my body, so why fear death! ”

"The military gate must not be desperate, the coming day is long, kill it first, in order to raise it again."

"Hahaha......" Lu Xiangsheng looked up to the sky and smiled, "I insist on fighting with the Qing soldiers, I don't want to be defeated and die, how can I see the emperor's confession?" Dead West City, how is it like a dead territory? I repay the king with death, and I feel worthy of it! I'll lead the Qing soldiers, and you break through! Holding a sword, killing into the enemy's formation, he was strong and fast, successively hacked and killed several Qing soldiers, the Qing soldiers could not resist, retreated on both sides, Lu Xiangsheng rode forward, but gave a ditch more than two zhang wide to block the way, in early winter, the river was not thick, there were several war horses in the river, to turn around and kill back, the Qing soldiers came up with a row of archers, random arrows were fired, like three arrows planted on the back of the elephant, blood stained robes, dripping more than once. Between the lightning and flint, the situation was extremely critical, and Xiang Sheng could not think about it, roared, and the mount leaped into the air, jumped in front of the archers, and slashed with his sword, killing the archers away. Unexpectedly, the Qing soldiers behind saw that others were lonely, shouted and swarmed up, he was stabbed several times in his back and arm, his body shook a few times, and he almost fell off his horse. An enemy general saw his extraordinary might and shouted, "Cut off his horse's leg!" ”

As soon as the words fell, the mount let out a terrible scream, and fell forward suddenly, Lu Xiangsheng fell to the ground heavily, and when he was about to struggle to stand up with his sword, countless knife shadows appeared in front of him, and in an instant, seven or eight wounds on his body were continuous, blood splattered, and he shouted: "The general has a severed head, and he deserves to die!" After being stabbed several times, his body was so embarrassed that he fell, and he threw the sword in his hand with all his might, but it pierced through the chest of a Qing soldier and pierced into the lower abdomen of a sergeant behind him. The Qing soldiers were afraid of his majesty and did not dare to approach, and the enemy general shouted and released arrows. Gu Xian saw his master fall from a distance, and he swung his knife and slashed like crazy, killing until he was close, and flew to Lu Xiangsheng, and was shot into a hedgehog with a rain of arrows.

The wind is like a knife, the bones are full of wilderness, the sun is setting, and the artemisia river is covered with patches of blood......