Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 447 First Meeting

Mao Wenlong's brain was idle for a moment before he came to his senses.

He secretly wondered if he had misunderstood Yuan Chonghuan. Did Yuan Chonghuan not stand him up and actually went to Beixunkou to meet him?

But he waited for Yuan Chonghuan for two days at Beixunkou but he didn't see him. What happened? Could it be that Yuan Chonghuan had an accident along the way and was delayed?
But thinking about it, it is not impossible. After all, the sea route is different from the land route. The weather and tide factors have a great impact. If Yuan Chonghuan is not familiar with the sea route, it is possible that he is late for other reasons. If this is the case, it can explain everything. I didn't wait for Yuan Chonghuan, but in fact Yuan Chonghuan was delayed halfway and couldn't arrive in time. I couldn't wait to hear the rumor that Yuan Chonghuan might be in Dengzhou, so I went to Dengzhou. Maybe when I arrived in Dengzhou, Yuan Chonghuan had already arrived at Beixunkou, so the two sides missed each other.

Thinking of this, Mao Wenlong felt a little embarrassed. He felt that he had wrongly blamed Yuan Chonghuan. If he could have waited one more day in Beixunkou, maybe he would have waited for Yuan Chonghuan.

"Marshal Mao, why don't you go to Beixunkou now? Commander Yuan is waiting for you there." Zu Dale suggested when he saw Mao Wenlong looking uncertain.

Mao Wenlong thought for a moment and shook his head: "No need to be so troublesome. The sea is bumpy and the time is out of control. Since I have come to Ningyuan, I will meet with General Yuan directly in Ningyuan. General Zu, I want you to do me a favor."

"I wouldn't dare, Marshal Mao, if you have any instructions, just tell me." Zu Dale replied respectfully.

"It's not so much an order as it is that I have already arrived in Ningyuan. Please ask General Zu to send someone to find Commander Yuan to report. Tell Commander Yuan that I am waiting for him in Ningyuan and ask Commander Yuan to return to Ningyuan to meet him."

"That's no problem. I'll arrange it right away. Please stay in Ningyuan for a few days. I'll report to you as soon as Commander Yuan comes back."

"Okay! That's troublesome." Mao Wenlong bowed to thank Zu Dale, and then stayed in Ningyuan temporarily under Zu Dale's arrangement, patiently waiting for Yuan Chonghuan's return.

After settling Mao Wenlong, Zu Dale said goodbye and left. Shortly after parting with Mao Wenlong, Zu Dale did not return to his own residence, nor did he send anyone to Beixunkou, but quietly entered through the back door of the governor's office.

After entering the governor-general's office, Zu Dale quickly walked to a study in the backyard. There were several soldiers standing guard at the door of the study. Zu Dale stepped forward and asked someone to inform them. After a while, the soldiers let him in. When he entered the study, he saw that the person sitting in the study with a book in his hand and reading it with relish was Yuan Chonghuan.

"Young general Zu Dale pays his respects to the commander-in-chief..." When he saw Yuan Chonghuan, Zu Dale stepped forward and paid his respects without saying a word.

"Get up and sit down." Yuan Chonghuan said lightly, pointing to the side.

Zu Danale thanked him and sat down halfway respectfully, not daring to sit still. He hung his hands and waited for Yuan Chonghuan to ask him questions.

"Zu Da Le!"

"Young man!"

"Has Mao Wenlong settled down?"

"Replying to the commander, everything has been settled."

"How did he say?"

"To reply to the commander-in-chief, Mao Wenlong did just as he expected. He asked me to send someone to Beixunkou to tell him that he has arrived in Ningyuan and asked him to return to Ningyuan to meet him..." Zu Dale did not dare to hide anything and told him everything about Mao Wenlong's attitude and words. After listening to Zu Dale's story, Yuan Chonghuan did not look surprised. On the contrary, his face remained calm, as if he had expected all this.

"Since you promised Mao Wenlong, have you sent the people out?" Yuan Chonghuan asked after putting down the book in his hand, picking up the teacup beside him and taking a sip.

Zu Dale was stunned and didn't know how to answer for a moment. He promised Mao Wenlong to go to Beixunkou to inform Yuan Chonghuan, but Yuan Chonghuan was already in Ningyuan.

"Idiot!" Yuan Chonghuan scolded him immediately upon seeing him like this, and reminded him: "If you want to put on a show, you have to do the whole thing. If you don't send people to Beixunkou, how will you explain it if Mao Wenlong finds out? Could it be that this commander-in-chief has clairvoyance and super hearing? Can people in Beixunkou know about what's happening in Ningyuan?" Zu Dale understood instantly, and immediately nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice. He told Yuan Chonghuan that he would make arrangements immediately, and send people to Beixunkou with great fanfare to let Mao Wenlong and his people know the situation.

Seeing Zu Dale come back to his senses and understand what he meant, Yuan Chonghuan nodded with satisfaction. Then he waved to Zu Dale, indicating that he could go down and make arrangements. If there was nothing else, he should not come to the governor's mansion in the next two days. As for the affairs of Ningyuan, he should handle them according to his previous arrangements, just as if he, Yuan Chonghuan, was not in Ningyuan.

When Zu Dale said goodbye and left, Yuan Chonghuan couldn't help but smile. No matter how capable Mao Wenlong was, he was still playing with him.
Yuan Chonghuan had never thought of meeting Mao Wenlong at Beixunkou from the beginning. The reason why he suggested and took the initiative to meet Mao Wenlong was to set a trap for Mao Wenlong. Who would have thought that Mao Wenlong actually agreed to the meeting, and the series of events that followed were all within Yuan Chonghuan's expectations.

Just as Yuan Chonghuan imagined, Mao Wenlong waited for him for two days after arriving at Beixunkou, but he didn't see him. Faced with this situation, Mao Wenlong immediately got angry. At this time, the people he arranged at Beixunkou secretly spread the word that he was in Dengzhou. After the news was released, Mao Wenlong was fooled and set sail for Dengzhou without thinking.

Since Mao Wenlong made this move, he has completely fallen into Yuan Chonghuan's trap. Mao Wenlong's purpose of going to Dengzhou was to meet Yuan Chonghuan, but everything changed when Mao Wenlong arrived in Dengzhou.

Mao Wenlong had no idea that when his warships appeared in Dengzhou, rumors spread in the city. The rumor was that Mao Wenlong was so proud of his achievements that he left his base without permission and came to Dengzhou to demand pay.

With the arrival of Mao Wenlong, the rumor spread rapidly as if it had wings, instantly causing an uproar in public opinion, and now it has reached the capital.

As the person involved, how could Mao Wenlong not know all this? After arriving in Dengzhou, he angrily sent people to inquire about Yuan Chonghuan's whereabouts, but he did not say why he came to Dengzhou, which in turn proved the authenticity of the rumor.

After that, Mao Wenlong stayed in Dengzhou for only one day, and then set sail directly for Juehua Island, and finally came to Ningyuan to find Yuan Chonghuan. This move was all arranged by Yuan Chonghuan. With the arrival of Mao Wenlong in Ningyuan City, Yuan Chonghuan's backup plan also took this opportunity to further spread rumors, intending to link Mao Wenlong's actions with the demand for pay in one fell swoop, and made everyone have the impression that Mao Wenlong was arrogant and domineering.

Although Mao Wenlong was educated, he was not even a scholar. He joined the army at a young age. The soldiers were all straightforward men, and they did not have the twists and turns of scholars. He fell into the trap without knowing it, and was played around by Yuan Chonghuan without even realizing it.

After staying in Ningyuan temporarily, Mao Wenlong patiently waited for Yuan Chonghuan to return. This was his first visit to Ningyuan. As a soldier, especially a senior general, Mao Wenlong naturally wanted to see the defense of Ningyuan, especially since Ningyuan was the place where Nurhaci was said to have been severely hit by a single shot. Although there were many different opinions about Nurhaci's death, whether he died of a cannon wound or an illness has not yet been finally determined, but for the sake of publicity, the former is more well-known to everyone, and Yuan Chonghuan became famous all over the world.

However, Mao Wenlong's request was rejected by Zu Dale, who told Mao Wenlong that although Ningyuan was his defense area, the Ji-Liao Military Governor's Office was in Ningyuan, and Governor Yuan had ordered that Ningyuan's defense should not be inspected at will. What's more, Mao Wenlong was the general of Dongjiang Town, not the general of Ningyuan. Although his official rank was high, he did not have the right to inspect.

Mao Wenlong was not an unreasonable person. After hearing Zu Dale's reply, he expressed his understanding and gave up the idea of ​​wandering around Ningyuan. He patiently lived in the mansion arranged for him by Zu Dale for several days. Just when Mao Wenlong could not wait any longer and was about to find someone to ask Zu Dale when Yuan Chonghuan would come back, Zu Dale suddenly came to him and hurriedly told Mao Wenlong that Commander Yuan was back, had just entered the city and was now back at the Commander's Mansion, and asked him to invite Mao Wenlong.

When Mao Wenlong heard that Yuan Chonghuan had returned, he was overjoyed. He quickly changed his clothes and went to the Governor-General's Mansion. When he arrived at the Governor-General's Mansion, he saw Yuan Chonghuan, who was wearing official uniform and looked exhausted, standing on the steps waiting for him with a smile on his face.

"Commander Yuan!"

"Mao Shuai!"

When the two men met, they both smiled instantly. Yuan Chonghuan took the initiative to go down the stairs and walked towards Mao Wenlong who had just dismounted. Mao Wenlong did not dare to be arrogant and hurriedly took a few steps forward.

They held hands and smiled at each other.

"Marshal Mao, I'm really sorry. Due to the storm at sea, I was late for the agreed date when I arrived at Beixunkou, so you made a wasted trip."

"I am ashamed, I am ashamed. It is my fault. I have been in the army for a long time and my temper is a bit impatient. I did not think about the possibility of delays at sea. I left in a hurry after waiting for only two days. I missed the meeting with Lord Yuan at Beixunkou. It is really my fault."

"It's okay, it's nothing." Yuan Chonghuan said with a smile: "Isn't it that Marshal Mao has come to Ningyuan in person? Aren't we meeting each other now? The previous mistakes were all my responsibility, Marshal Mao doesn't need to blame himself. Come on, this is the first time for Marshal Mao to come to Ningyuan, right? I was not in Ningyuan a few days ago, and the people below really neglected Marshal Mao."

Yuan Chonghuan showed a friendly attitude when he saw Mao Wenlong, and was very affectionate to Mao Wenlong. Mao Wenlong also felt a little guilty for "misunderstanding" Yuan Chonghuan before, so his attitude was naturally good. The two held hands and talked for a few words like old friends. Then, under Yuan Chonghuan's warm hospitality, Mao Wenlong went into the commander-in-chief's mansion with him. After they sat down, the servants served tea and they started talking.

(End of this chapter)