Author: Scholar Wu

When the Ming army entered Dinghai City, it was already early the next morning!

The army rushed all the way on the sea and successively fought in Cixi and Dinghai. Although the battle was not very fierce, it was already exhausted.

Qian Mo decided to leave the army in Dinghai and Dingguan to rest and recuperate, and asked Batu to lead 1,000 cavalry to accompany him to Yin County, Ningbo Fucheng.

Liu Yichen said: "Since the Marquis of Dingxi was injured at the foot of Linhai City, he has not been seen in the Marquis Mansion in Ningbo. The doctor responsible for diagnosing him also stayed at the Marquis Mansion and was not allowed to have contact with the outside world. Now his life or death is unknown, and we do not know the specific situation. unknown."

Nowadays, the situation in Ningbo is also quite complicated. On the one hand, the Qing army is pressing down on the border in the south. More importantly, if Zhang Mingzhen dies, who will he entrust his subordinates to?

Historically, after Zhang Mingzhen's death, Zhang Huangyan fully took over Zhang Mingzhen's family fortune, which prompted Zhang Huangyan to assist Zheng Chenggong in his march north to attack Nanjing.

From the perspective of closeness, Zhang Huangyan is undoubtedly Zhang Mingzhen's best successor, and Zhang Mingzhen's subordinates also have such a high degree of recognition for Zhang Huangyan.

But now that Chongming has fallen, they have lost their foundation, and the life and death of King Lu is unknown. Only Qian Mo has the strength to take over the banner of King Lu's line and lead the people of King Lu's line to continue to fight against the Qing Dynasty.

There is also a certain probability that Zhang Mingzhen will directly entrust his subordinates to Qian Mo.

Otherwise, he would not have been able to abandon the troops of the Northern Expedition and run to eastern Zhejiang in person at this juncture of the decisive battle with the Qing army.

Anyway, Qian Mo has made up his mind that he must take this opportunity to annex Zhang Mingzhen's subordinates and territory. Natural inheritance is of course the best; if he cannot inherit peacefully, he will not begrudge the use of force.

This opportunity must not be missed, it will never come again. How could Qian Mo miss this pie-in-the-sky opportunity?

Even if Zhang Mingzhen chooses Zhang Huangyan to inherit, Qian Mo believes that Zhang Huangyan will definitely make the right choice.

Historically, Zhang Huangyan directly joined Zheng Chenggong after inheriting Zhang Mingzhen's family fortune. Now that Zheng Chenggong is still hiding in the coastal areas of Fujian, Qian Mo has naturally become Zhang Huangyan's best loyalist.

Qian Mo said: "Nowadays, Ningbo is a mixed bag, and all forces are ready to move. The Intelligence Department must be careful to prevent the Qing army's spies from infiltrating, and ensure that no trouble occurs."

Liu Yichen said: "In view of the assassination of Uncle Zhongyong in Ningbo last time, the Intelligence Department has sent several hidden guards to protect your safety secretly."

"In addition, the Intelligence Department has also sent people to monitor the whereabouts of Zhang Jie, the former Qing army Dingguan general who surrendered in Ningbo City, day and night, and has not found any contact with anyone else for the time being."

Qian Mo was quite satisfied with Liu Yichen's arrangements. The lag in intelligence was a problem that could not be completely solved.

The best way is to prevent possible hidden dangers in advance.

Ningbo is very close to Dinghai. After a while, the North City of Ningbo appeared in front of everyone.

Batu asked: "Uncle Zhongyong, will our army camp outside the city or enter the city directly?"

Qian Mo said: "Now that the people in Ningbo are unstable, I will lead the troops directly into the city. General Batu, order your Mongolian warriors to be at the forefront of the team."

Batu was stunned for a moment, then understood Qian Mo's intention and said loudly: "General, I understand that we, the Mongolian warriors, must be at their best in front of the people of Ningbo, and we must not disgrace the prestige of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang governorates."

Qian Mo learned the lesson from being assassinated in Ningbo last time, so he did not send anyone to deliver the message in advance. He only sent sentries to report the message when the army was approaching Ningbo, so as to avoid his troops being mistaken for the Qing troops coming to attack.

military.

When Qian Mo's thousand-plus cavalry arrived at the gates of Ningbo City, the Ming army guarding the city was startled. Looking at the Mongolian cavalry in front, they thought it was the Qing army coming to attack the city.

After Qian Mo entered the city, it still caused quite a stir. Especially the 200 Mongolian cavalry in front became the focus of everyone's attention.

The people in the city talked one after another: "Unfortunately, Uncle Zhongyong is the God of War of the Ming Dynasty. Even the Mongolian cavalry surrendered directly and was used by me."

Another person said: "The Marquis of Dingxi was seriously injured a few days ago, and there were rumors that the Qing army was about to attack Ningbo, which made people in the city panic. Now, Uncle Zhongyong personally led his army to support us. We can

Feel at ease!"

Although the situation in Ningbo city is currently turbulent and Zhang Huangyan has to deal with a large number of official documents every day, he still puts down his official duties to personally greet Qian Mo.

The two of them had not seen each other for nearly a month since the last time they said goodbye. When he saw Qian Mo again, Zhang Huangyan was filled with emotion. Nowadays, Ningbo city is experiencing internal and external troubles, so Qian Mo's visit this time was really timely.

Zhang Huangyan said: "I heard that Uncle Zhongyong just swore to fight for the Northern Expedition a few days ago. Why did he come directly to Ningbo today?"

Qian Mo said: "I heard that the army failed to attack Linhai, and the Marquis of Dingxi was injured by the Qing army's gunfire. I was very anxious. Originally, our army had already captured Songjiang Prefecture and was preparing to go all the way north to attack Nanjing."

"Hearing about such changes in eastern Zhejiang, I crossed the sea from Jinshanwei overnight, captured Dinghai City and Dingguan, and drove Huang Binqing's forces back to Zhoushan."

Originally, Cixi reported urgently that the Qing army was attacking urgently. Zhang Huangyan was still thinking of going to Shaoxing to ask Wang Yi to send troops from Yuyao for reinforcements. Unexpectedly, Qian Mo actually recaptured Dinghai directly. This time, he was relieved!

Zhang Huangyan said: "Thank you Uncle Zhongyong for sending troops to help in time. Zhang is grateful!"

Qian Mo quickly said: "Brother Cang Shui, you're welcome. You and I are friendly forces, so we should help. Now the northern part of Ningbo is free of worries for the time being. I don't know how Dingxi Marquis is doing!"

When Qian Mo asked about Zhang Mingzhen's situation, Zhang Huangyan also looked embarrassed and replied: "This is not the place to talk. It's better for Qingzhong Yongbo to go and see for himself."

After that, Zhang Huangyan took Qian Mo and others to the Dingxi Hou Mansion.

Zhang Huangyan asked: "I heard that the main force of Tan Tai's Qing army has moved south. I wonder what the situation is now?"

Liu Yichen was about to answer, but Qian Mo waved his hand to stop him and said: "Tan Tai and He Luohui led an army of nearly 200,000 people, and divided their troops into two groups to attack Jiujiang and Huizhou. Calculating the time, they should be at war by now.

, it’s just that the information hasn’t been sent back yet.”

"A few days ago, the governor led the White Pao Battalion to capture Songjiang Prefecture in one fell swoop, and annihilated all 5,000 of Bashan's Manchu and Mongolian Eight Banners stationed in Nanjing in Qingpu Town."

"The Mongolian cavalry that brother Cang Shui saw was the one who surrendered to the governor in this battle."

Hearing that Qian Mo had achieved another great victory, Zhang Huangyan was very happy, and then sighed: "It's all because of the situation in eastern Zhejiang that delayed Uncle Zhongyong's Northern Expedition plan!"

Qian Mo smiled and said: "Now that the governor is here, Brother Cang Shui doesn't have to worry. Ma Guozhu's 20,000 troops can't do anything to Huating City. Besides, I still gained something from my visit to Ningbo this time. I taught him a lesson."

Huang Binqing is a traitor."

"Now that I have captured Dingguan, Ningbo's sea channel is in our hands, and we won't be so passive."

"I wonder how the war is going in Fenghua?"

Zhang Huangyan said: "Thanks to Ma Xin for stabilizing the morale of the army in time and repelling the Qing troops, our troops were able to withdraw to Fenghua. Now Yang Wenqi is leading tens of thousands of Qing troops to attack Fenghua, but fortunately Ma Xin is also a man who can attack and defend well.

There are still 5,000 soldiers and horses in Fenghua City, and the Qing army will not be able to capture Fenghua City in a short time."

"I wonder how many troops Uncle Zhongyong brought this time?"

It's really hard for Qian Mo to answer this question. In fact, Qian Mo brought 800 cavalry when he left Huating. At Jinshan Guard, he pulled up Tang Li and Batu's surrender troops and forced 3,000 people to cross the sea; the battle at Dinghai was fought

After that, he accepted Huang Binqing's hand again.

There were nearly 5,000 men and horses, but now there are nearly 8,000. It's just that these are a patchwork of people, and their combat power is really not flattering. The only ones that can be drawn out are the 1,000 horses that I brought to Ningbo.

Qian Mo said: "Now that the Qing army is marching southward, all the main forces of our governor's office are fighting fiercely on the front line with the Qing army. This time, I only brought 3,000 troops south."

When he heard that there were three thousand people, Zhang Huangyan was still a little disappointed. But then he thought about it, now that the main force of the Qing army is moving south, it would be good if Qian Mo can bring troops here.

Soon we arrived at Zhang Mingzhen's Dingxi Marquis Mansion, which was originally the residence of a wealthy businessman. Because this man secretly collaborated with the Qing army, Zhang Huangyan had his house confiscated and used it as the Dingxi Marquis Mansion for Zhang Mingzhen to live in.

Although this house is not as grand as Suzhou Gardens, it is still very elegant. The traditional white walls and gray tiles, coupled with exquisite carvings, exude a simple atmosphere. The former owner must have put a lot of thought into it.

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After passing through a garden composed of small bridges, flowing water, and strange rocks and rockeries, we came to the inner courtyard where Zhang Mingzhen rested.

Although the servants in the mansion all had heavy expressions, Qian Mo did not see the white lanterns hanging up and the big word "Dian" written on them, which at least meant that Zhang Mingzhen had not died yet.

A doctor in the room was giving him acupuncture, and soon the white-haired doctor came out.

Zhang Huangyan whispered: "Doctor Luo, has Dingxihou's condition improved?"

The old man shook his head helplessly and said: "I'm ashamed, the Marquis of Dingxi was shot through the lungs by a firecracker. With his current physical condition, I really don't dare to remove the lead bullet from his body."

"And the location is close to the heart. Although it did not directly penetrate the heart, it still damaged the heart. If it were not for Dingxihou's strong will, if it had been anyone else, he would have died at this moment."

"I just gave the Marquis an injection. He should be able to wake up a little. If you have anything to say, please tell me quickly. I don't think the Marquis can last long!"

Qian Mo and Zhang Huangyan walked into the room and saw Zhang Mingzhen lying on the bed, his face was pale, almost bloodless, his lips were blue, and his breathing was weak. The corners of his eyes were full of tiredness, as if even sleep could not bring him

There was a moment of peace. Sweat briefly appeared on his forehead, falling like drizzle, as if it was his weak body's last effort to maintain life.

Perhaps seeing Qian Mo coming, Zhang Mingzhen suddenly became energetic and actually tried to force himself to sit up. Seeing this, Qian Mo hurriedly sat beside Zhang Mingzhen's bed, comforted Zhang Mingzhen who wanted to get up, and said: "Dingxihou, please don't

Get up, Qian Mo is here to see you, if you have anything to say, just lie down and say it."

Looking at this scene, Qian Mo couldn't help but burst into tears. The dying man in front of him was the heroic Dingxi Hou Zhang Mingzhen, who was known as "the last hero of the Southern Ming Dynasty".

The man with the four characters "Serve the Country with a Heart" tattooed on his back is Zhang Mingzhen, the Marquis of Dingxi who once crossed the Yangtze River three times and paid homage to the Xiaoling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty in Zhenjiang.

It seems that this time he did not escape the fate of dying with hatred, and the time was a full 6 years earlier than in history.

This man who had failed again and again and fought against the Qing court again and again has now reached the end of his life.

At this time, Zhang Mingzhen had sweat on his forehead. He struggled to speak, but couldn't make a sound. He just pointed at Zhang Huangyan in front of him.

Seeing this, Qian Mo quickly said: "Marquis Dingxi, please stop talking. Let Qian Mo speak for you. If he is right, just nod; if he is wrong, just shake your head!"

Zhang Mingzhen nodded.

Qian Mo said: "Marquis Dingxi points to Brother Cangshui, but do you want Brother Cangshui to take over your troops and continue to fight against the Qing Dynasty?"

Zhang Mingzhen looked at Qian Mo gratefully and nodded heavily.

Then he pointed at Zhang Huangyan with difficulty, and then put his hand on Qian Mo's hand.

Zhang Mingzhen's meaning should be very clear. He should ask Qian Mo to help Zhang Huangyan or Zhang Huangyan should obey Qian Mo.

At this time, Zhang Mingzhen was already furious and his life was hanging by a thread. If Qian Mo forced the explanation to be the latter, then due to the situation, neither Zhang Mingzhen nor Zhang Huangyan would have any room to fight, but his appearance was a bit ugly.

Zhang Huangyan also saw Qian Mo's embarrassment, and quickly stepped forward to hold the hands of Qian Mo and Zhang Mingzhen and said: "Don't worry, Marquis Dingxi, I will definitely assist Uncle Zhongyong to complete the great cause of resisting the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty."

This was what Zhang Mingzhen was thinking. If he directly handed over the troops and horses to Qian Mo, then Zhang Huangyan would not have that much credit; so he chose to hand over the troops and horses to Zhang Huangyan, and then Zhang Huangyan would express his allegiance to Qian Mo, so that Qian Mo would

Reuse Zhang Huangyan.
To be continued...