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

Chapter 508 A group of bastards

Xu Xiancheng pondered for a moment and had to admit that what Zhu Shenzhui was thinking did make some sense.

Now Huang Taiji's Eight Banners soldiers have plundered various parts of the capital several times, and many refugees flee to the capital for help every day.

Those refugees who were able to escape to the capital were considered lucky, as many were intercepted and killed by the Eight Banners on the way. No one could estimate how many people died and how many families were torn apart.

In this situation, it is indeed safer for Zhu Shenzhu to stay in the army than to leave directly, but Xu Xiancheng is worried that the Xuan army has just suffered such a great defeat. What if Huang Taiji attacks again in the next few days? After thinking about it, Xu Xiancheng suddenly had an idea. Since Zhu Shenzhu cannot return to Shanxi for the time being, and it is not safe for him to stay in the army, why not follow him back to the capital?

He was an official sent by the court to entertain the troops, and he had the highest rank except for the eunuch Feng Yunsheng. If he asked Zhu Shenzhui to disguise himself and pretend to be his follower to enter the capital when he returned to the city, wouldn't it be safe?
"No!" Unexpectedly, as soon as Xu Xiancheng expressed this idea, Zhu Shenzhui directly rejected it.

"Why not?"

"Xiancheng, I know you mean well, but the risk of doing this is too great." Zhu Shenzhu shook his head and said, "Now that the enemy is at the gates of the city, the capital is like a frightened bird, and the city defenses are extremely strict. Not only do people have to check and check when entering and leaving the city, but they also have to go through the city wall to prevent spies from sneaking into the city."

"Although you have good intentions, I can also impersonate your follower and enter the city, but what if I can't hide it? Don't forget that your followers have all been photographed. It is impossible to disguise them exactly the same. Once they are discovered, it will be a big deal."

Zhu Shenzhu told Xu Xiancheng that the risk of doing so was too great, especially if he was discovered and his identity was found out, then when Emperor Chongzhen found out, both of them would be in trouble. Why would a royal family member leave his residence and sneak into the capital in disguise at this time? And Xu Xiancheng, as a court official, was the mastermind. What was he doing?

By then, it would definitely not be as simple as a clan member leaving the residence without permission. If things went wrong, it would become a major case. With Emperor Chongzhen's suspicious character, the two of them would definitely not survive, and their families would also be implicated. No one could afford such a huge risk.

"But if I continue to stay in the military, there will be risks too?"

"That's better than entering the city under a false name. At least no one in the army will know my identity." Zhu Shenzhui said firmly.

Xu Xiancheng looked unhappy. After some hesitation, he gave up the idea of ​​bringing Zhu Shenzhu into the city. Just as Zhu Shenzhu said, he was not completely sure, and the risk of being discovered was too great. He wanted Zhu Shenzhu to enter the city to ensure his safety, rather than taking a greater risk. From this point of view, it was indeed more appropriate for him to stay in the army.

"Brother-in-law, you must be more careful in the army. If you really can't do anything, you can even follow the story of Gou Jian. As the saying goes, if you have the green mountains, you will never worry about firewood. You must take care of yourself!" Xu Xiancheng couldn't stay for long. He had been talking to Zhu Shenzhui for quite a while. According to the time, Feng Yunsheng would be back soon. Then they had to go around the military camp before returning to the city. Before leaving, he still held Zhu Shenzhui's hand worriedly and expressed his concern in a tactful way.

"Don't worry, I will be safe. When the danger in the capital is over, I will ask someone to send you a letter before I leave. As for meeting you, it would be great if we can meet again at that time. If it is not convenient to meet, I will also ask someone to tell you."

"Okay! Take care!"

"Take care of yourself too!"

The two men shook hands and said goodbye. Zhu Shenzui escorted Xu Xiancheng out of the tent. He did not continue to see him off, but just watched Xu Xiancheng leave.

After bidding farewell to Zhu Shencui, Xu Xiancheng returned to the central army. After waiting for a while, Feng Yunsheng, who had collected Lu Zhi's body, also came back. His face looked a little sad, perhaps because Lu Zhi's "heroic" death made him feel sad. After seeing Xu Xiancheng, he nodded without saying much, then took a quick walk around the camp and went back to report.

After seeing off Feng Yunsheng and others, Hei Yunlong returned to the central army. He sent his subordinates away outside the central army camp first, and then talked with Hei Mingzhong for a few words. After Hei Mingzhong left, Hei Yunlong did not enter his own camp, but went directly to Zhu Shencui's tent not far away. At this time, Zhu Shencui was already waiting for him.

"Sir!" After entering the tent, Hei Yunlong bowed respectfully to Zhu Shenzhui.

Zhu Shenzhui also returned the greeting, and then smiled and pointed inside: "Today, Marshal Hei was promoted to general, and His Majesty gave Marshal Hei the power to control all the armies. I have prepared wine to congratulate Marshal Hei." Hei Yunlong and Zhu Shenzhui walked in, and when they got inside, they sat down. Looking at the pot of wine in front of them, Hei Yunlong's face did not show any joy. He picked up the wine pot and filled a glass first, then stood up and silently poured the wine on the ground, then poured another glass of wine and said: "The previous glass was for Marshal Man and Marshal Hou, and this glass is for the soldiers who died yesterday!"

After saying this, he once again solemnly poured the wine on the ground, and then stood there for a long time without saying a word. Zhu Shenzhui also did not say a word, and quietly accompanied him.

After a while, Hei Yunlong let out a long sigh, returned to his seat, poured another glass of wine and drank it all.

After drinking, Hei Yunlong said with emotion: "Compared with the fallen Marshal Man and Marshal Hou and all the soldiers, what merits and abilities do I have? If it weren't for you saving me yesterday, I would have followed them and would not be sitting here drinking today."

"General Hei, there is no need to say more. God is merciful and has spared no effort. It is God's will that Hei was left here. Now that Hei is the general commander of the Xuan army and controls all the armies, he should turn his grief and anger into strength, lead all the troops, and resolve the current situation!"

Hei Yunlong nodded and said, "Sir, what you said is exactly what I thought in my heart. But when I think of Marshal Man and Marshal Hou, I feel very uncomfortable. But sir, don't worry, I, Hei Yunlong, am not an ordinary person. I will not act like a child now. I know what is more important."

As soon as these words came out, Zhu Shenzhui smiled and nodded. Hei Yunlong's ability was not bad, but his qualifications and prestige were slightly lacking. Now that he has been promoted to the position of general, it is well deserved, but it will be a bit difficult for him to control the various departments. I'm afraid Hei Yunlong himself is aware of this.

Zhu Shenzhui immediately asked Hei Yunlong what his plan was. Hei Yunlong told him his thoughts directly without hiding anything from him. The most important thing now was to integrate the army in hand and set up a defense line to prevent Huang Taiji from attacking again. In addition, it was more important not to take the initiative to fight again, but to take a defensive stance. The previous defeat was a painful lesson. Moreover, the Xuan army was now so weak that it was impossible to fight. It would be good if it could hold on.

In addition, Hei Yunlong is waiting for the arrival of other reinforcements, which should arrive in a day or two. When the reinforcements arrive, the military strength of Xuanda Army will be enhanced, so that the defense will be more secure.

"But now there is a difficult matter."

"What's the matter?"

"Food and military pay!" Hei Yunlong shook his head and said, "We suffered a great defeat yesterday, and most of the military supplies were looted, and many were burned by the Jiannu. After counting, there is not much left. I thought that the court would send people to comfort the troops today and bring the much-needed food, but I didn't expect that they brought not much. Considering the current number of troops, I'm afraid that these food can only be used for ten days. In addition, the court has been short of military pay for three months, and it has not been replenished since the king came to Beijing. Now the army has to provide pensions for the fallen soldiers, but the court has not allocated these. It's okay for a while, but I'm afraid that if it goes on for a long time, there will be complaints in the army."

"Didn't you ask Eunuch Feng just now?" Zhu Shenzhui asked.

Hei Yunlong smiled bitterly and said, "Of course I didn't ask. I asked about this when I was accompanying Eunuch Feng. Eunuch Feng told me that the court would find a way to deal with this matter and asked me to wait patiently for some time. He also said that His Majesty has prepared 400,000 taels of silver and will reward all tribes if we defeat the Jian Nu..."

After hearing this, Zhu Shenzhui didn't know what to say. Emperor Chongzhen had made a good calculation. Now that the enemy was at the doorstep and the soldiers were expected to fight to the death, he actually did not provide them with enough military rations and wages. Instead, he took out the so-called 400,000 taels of silver that had been prepared as an incentive. It was clearly an idea of ​​getting something for nothing.

How is this different from how capitalists in later generations deceive their employees? They don't raise their wages but still want people to work overtime for the company, and they keep saying that they will give them so much reward after the project is completed. Zhu Shenzhu is very good at drawing cakes and holding carrots to whet people's appetite. He has seen this method many times in later generations. I didn't expect that Emperor Chongzhen would learn this trick without any guidance.

Let's not talk about how reliable the promises of Emperor Chongzhen were. Even though he was the emperor, his words were not joking. Based on Zhu Shenzhu's understanding of this emperor, how many times had he gone back on his word in just over two years since he took the throne? What if he regretted it later or even discounted it? Could he just rebel?

In addition, Hei Yunlong was also worried about another thing, that is, what to do when the troops came to support the king? These troops came from other provinces, and they were exhausted on the way. If there was no food and grass in the capital, what would they eat and drink?
Logically, the imperial court should have prepared these food and fodder in advance, but until today, the imperial court has not received any confirmation. Even Emperor Chongzhen seems to have forgotten this. Doesn't he know that people need to eat? How can we fight a war if we don't even give them food when they come all the way to rescue us?

Today, Emperor Chongzhen rewarded him with a sum of silver for his military service, but it was only a pitiful few hundred taels. How could the emperor afford such a small amount of silver? His Majesty was too stingy. Hei Yunlong said nothing on the surface, but when he received the decree, he was already cursing in his heart, but he just held back his anger.

Hei Yunlong poured himself another glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp. His face flushed due to his rapid drinking and he couldn't hold it back any longer so he cursed a few times. Zhu Shenzhui hurriedly tried to dissuade him, fearing that he would cause trouble after drinking. Only then did Hei Yunlong stop drinking.

(End of this chapter)