Old Hu Cai, a tired soldier in Shanhai Town, received a whip. He cursed and looked back, and was dumbfounded.
In front of him, stood a group of arrogant camp soldiers. These people were untouchable in the commander's camp because they were all the personal bodyguards of Ma Ke, the chief military officer of Shanhai Town.
The leader was a lean, middle-aged military attache who looked somewhat similar to Ma Ke. There was a gloominess in his expression, which made people feel disgusted when he saw him.
I only heard him say in a sad voice: "When the army is stationed in camp, soldiers are not allowed to make loud noises. Don't you know? But you want to take advantage of my general's military law?"
He quickly glanced at the soldiers beside him with cold eyes, lowered his eyelids, and said calmly: "Nian'er is the first offender, so this time I will give you a small punishment. Come on, give this guy twenty slaps on the mouth as a sign of respect!
"
Lao Hu still looked confused and didn't react at all. The principal who had just whipped him walked up with a sinister smile on his face.
He couldn't help but throw away his arms as soon as he came up, opened his arms from left to right, and slapped Lao Hu hard. After dozens of slaps, Lao Hu's cheeks were already red and swollen, and he was no different from a pig's head after being beaten.
The military attaché then snorted with satisfaction, put his hands behind his back and walked away.
The servants behind him also followed with a normal swagger, kicking the soldiers who couldn't dodge, and even more cursed: "Good dogs don't block the way, get out of the way, you don't have any expressions."
Watching these people go away, the old Hu covered his mouth and stood up. A look of resentment flashed in his eyes: "Fuck you, if you dare to hit me, if you find a chance, I will definitely shoot you with an arrow."
he!"
The soldier with the black hair around his mouth, who had just shrunk aside obediently, sighed and said: "Ma Zhiyong is also a man, how come we have such brothers?
They are both born from the same mother, but this Ma Zhiren is a petty-minded man who must avenge himself. His brother is also Ma Shuai's general. If you bump into him, Lao Hu, just consider yourself unlucky.
.”
People around him also tried to persuade him: "Yes, Lao Hu. Let's not talk about him. We can't afford to offend him. We can't afford to offend him."
The camp system has been weakened and military discipline has been corrupted. However, there are still grades within the camp. Not to mention ordinary soldiers and officers, servants, cavalry, and infantry are also divided into several grades.
For example, the old Hu who was beaten just now, as a sergeant in the main barracks, is naturally a bit higher than the subordinate general. The sergeant in the guerrilla camp is slightly higher, and the cavalry in the main barracks is higher than the infantry.
Of course, the servants who are the core of a town's military strength are the highest-level existence, and as the general who directly commands them, even Ma Ke, who is the chief military officer, must treat him differently.
Take the Ma Zhiren just now, he is just the commander of the main barracks, but because his brother is the chief military officer, General Ma Ke, as the leader of the most powerful servant team, he is already the most powerful person in Shanhai Town.
The most powerful person outside of Ma Ke.
It is precisely because of the existence of Ma Zhiyong, the general of the main camp, that Ma Zhiren can be so arrogant and domineering.
And although this Ma Zhiren is a little arrogant and domineering, he is very good at getting things done. He is especially flattering to the commander-in-chief Ma Ke. As long as it is something Ma Ke wants to do, he will try his best to complete it for him.
How can such a person not be favored!
General Ma Zhiyong is a ruthless man and a risk-taking master on the battlefield. It is precisely because of this that he became the leader of the servant team under Ma Ke, and from then on he was promoted step by step and became a general through accumulated merit.
Both of their brothers were favored by the commander-in-chief, and it was inevitable that some people would be jealous. However, Ma Zhiyong relied on his ability to fight all the way, and because he was a kinsman of Ma Ke, he was promoted to the rank of general.
Moreover, many of Marco's servants were also convinced by him, and each of them had nothing to say.
Therefore, everyone is privately criticizing this Ma Zhiren. Although he has some abilities, he is not an outstanding talent among the frontier troops. Just because of his elder brother's sake, and his blind pandering to the top, it is naturally difficult to convince the public.
.
And this Ma Zhiren has always relied on the relationship between his brother and the commander-in-chief Ma Ke, and is used to being domineering on weekdays. Of course, he cannot bear the slightest bit of treatment.
He had long hated the other officers and generals in the camp who were not convinced of him.
And the fierce old Hu who met today was the subordinate of one of the generals. Ma Zhiren hated to be in trouble, and he had long had the idea of using this opportunity to patrol the camp to establish his authority, so how could he?
Will you let this big-mouthed old beard go?
That old Hu also knew that Ma Zhiren was not something he could afford to offend.
However, the breath he just took caused him to lose a huge amount of face in front of everyone. How could he swallow it? He couldn't help but feel cruel in his heart and secretly cursed: "Huh, if you dare to hit me, don't call me "I"
Got the chance..."
…………
Ma Zhiren led his trusted servants beside him and continued to walk through the camp. He was very proud of the fact that the commander-in-chief Ma Ke assigned him the responsibility of inspecting each battalion. During this period of time, he had not lost his authority.
Walking in the camp, you can see garbage and sewage crisscrossing the tents everywhere, just like refugee camps.
According to the military regulations of the Ming Dynasty, the military camp must be kept clean and tidy. However, in the Shanhai Town camp, even the main barracks of Ma Ke did not comply with the requirements.
However, when passing by these randomly piled garbage and excrement, Ma Zhiren turned a blind eye, apparently accustomed to this.
As he walked forward, officers and soldiers from the main barracks greeted him affectionately from time to time, but Ma Zhiren just nodded lightly, and he put on all the official airs.
Soon, a gorgeous big tent appeared in front of him, and around the tent were standing guards wearing helmets.
Ma Zhiren first asked his attendants to stay outside the tent, and after brewing his feelings for a while, he put on a humble smile and slowly walked into the tent.
The inside and outside of the tent are like two worlds.
As soon as they entered the big tent, they saw that the decoration inside was extremely luxurious. Several candles as thick as a child's arm were lit, illuminating the tent as brightly as day.
A few days before a major case, Marco was wearing a brocade robe and enjoying a sumptuous dinner.
The richness of the food was evident, as a whole table was laid out. In addition to all kinds of fresh fish, there were also pork, mutton, and even a whole roasted chicken on the table.
Moreover, the tableware he used were all gold and silver vessels, and even the wine vessels were made of silver.
At this time, on both sides of the large table, there were two charming and beautiful women who were laughing and serving. They fed various kinds of food into Marco's mouth from time to time, and kept lifting the silver pot and pouring it into the silver wine cup.
liquor.
No.
After taking a closer look, I discovered that the beauties on both sides of the table were not women, but two handsome young men disguised as women!
If a person with bad masculinity sees this scene of three people being so intimate, they will definitely feel sick and may even cause nausea and vomiting.
However, Ma Zhiren's expression was as usual and he didn't care at all.
Marshal Ma liked his little husband and always declared that "two flats are not as good as one round".
Ma Zhiren personally spent a lot of effort and a lot of money to acquire these two "pleasant" young husband-in-laws!
This is also one of the important reasons why he can please Marco.
After entering the big tent, although Ma Zhiren was favored, he did not dare to directly disturb the commander's meal. He lowered his hands and stood respectfully aside, without saying a word, just waiting quietly.
Seeing him come in, Ma Ke, who was sitting behind the desk, only raised his eyelids slightly, and then continued to enjoy the food and "beauty" slowly.
It was not until a quarter of an hour later that he put down his silver chopsticks and said with a smile to the two young gentlemen serving at the table: "Your sisters have served well today, so I will reward you with these meals."
The two young husband-in-laws immediately beamed with joy and thanked them in delicate voices: "Thank you, Marshal."
Marco teased with a charming smile on his face: "This is the only way to thank me!"
He suddenly raised his hand, patted one of the young husband's buttocks lightly, and said with a lewd smile: "You two little sluts, let's see how I deal with you tonight, handsome master."
The young husband looked back with an angry look: "Commander... I hate it."
"Hahaha……"
Inside the handsome tent, there was a burst of very loud laughter.
…………
After the two young husbands left with a few remnants of delicacies, Marco took out a delicate tobacco rod and took out some shredded tobacco from a tobacco bag to fill the pot.
Ma Zhiren quickly and wisely took out the fireworks, walked quickly forward, and lit the fireworks for the commander.
Marco puffed out a thick puff of smoke with a contented look on his face and said calmly: "How did things go?"
His back was turned to the candlelight, and smoke curled up in the shadows. The candlelight flickered, flickering on and off, which was a little sad and scary.
Ma Zhiren did not dare to neglect him. He knew that the man in front of him was a moody character. If he was not careful, he would die without knowing it.
He quickly and respectfully replied in a low voice: "We have been contacted, but..."
"Um……"
Marco's expression changed: "Just what?"
There was a trace of unspeakable expression on Ma Zhiren's face. He gritted his teeth hard and seemed to have made up his mind. Then he said cautiously: "What they say requires a letter written by the commander himself before they can believe it..."
In the shadows, Ma Ke, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan Customs, looked hesitant. He was gnashing his teeth at the letter paper spread out in front of him at one moment and looking ferocious at the other.
His right hand trembled as he lifted the brush and dipped it in ink. The purple hair that used to be light and fluffy now seemed as heavy as a stone in his hand.
This is no different than sending someone to communicate quietly before. This kind of handwritten letter also contains part of the strategic deployment of the Ming army, which is regarded as irrefutable evidence of collusion with the enemy.
Once the matter is exposed, there will be no room for change, and the outcome will be death!
Just for some verbal disputes and emotional matters, is it really worth it?
At this moment, his heart was like a battle between heaven and man, and it was difficult to make up his mind for a long time.
Ma Zhiren stood not far from him, not even daring to speak out. He huddled in the corner very obediently and quietly, never saying a word.
Suddenly, Marco's body was shaking even more violently. He seemed to be trying to convince himself. In his mind, he kept recalling the humiliation he suffered at Zhang Cheng's side.
At such a young age, he dared to be so arrogant and humiliate himself in front of Governor Hong and Director Zhang, not to mention that there were many generals present, and he had no scruples, which made him lose face!
He thought that if this letter was sent, it would really induce the main force of the Tatar thieves to turn to Zhang Cheng's side, causing Zhang Cheng to suffer heavy losses and lose face.
That means it’s worth taking the risk!
Moreover, maybe after the Tatars get the letter, they will not only attack the Xuanfu army, but also give themselves some military exploits?
If he makes a great contribution on the Songjin front because of this, then the damn Zhang Cheng may have to look at his face in the future.
Marco took a long puff from the pipe, and a large cloud of thick smoke came out.
He tried his best to calm down his mind, and finally made up his mind. When he mentioned Zihao, his pen was running wildly, and he quickly wrote a letter.
In this era of the nobles and the lowly military, Ma Kesheng had been ruthless and practiced some calligraphy in order to conform to the elegance. At this time, Ma Ke was writing regular script, which even ordinary scholars may not be able to compare with.
he.
However, Marco also secretly kept a cautious eye.
He resolutely refused to sign his name or seal the letter.
This is all to reserve a way out for himself. Even if the Tatars do not believe his sincerity, he will not go any further.
Because, only in this way, if the matter is exposed, he will have some room to distinguish.
Currently he is in Daming, serving as the chief military officer of a town, and his life is enjoyable, except for the time when he was embarrassed in front of Zhang Cheng, who ridiculed him, making him feel like a grandson.
He was still satisfied with the rest, and had no other thoughts. In fact, this action was all just to vent his bad breath.
In addition to this letter, Ma Ke also drew a silk map and attached it to it. The map showed some key deployment locations of the Ming army, as well as some winding routes. Finally, he put both the silk map and the letter into it.
Within the envelope.
In fact, just like Zu Dashou in Jinzhou City, the Qing Dynasty had a different attitude towards the Ming generals who guarded Liaodong. Although they were really merciless when fighting on the battlefield, they had a different attitude outside the battlefield.
Jinzhou Zu Dashou was not the only one to receive letters urging surrender, but he received the most!
Ningyuan Wu Sangui, Shanhaiguan Ma Ke and others also received letters from the Tatars persuading them to surrender. Although they were nostalgic for their existing foundations and comfortable lives, and perhaps still had a sense of loyalty, they did not choose to surrender.
However, they did not complete the matter. After receiving the letter, everyone destroyed it after reading it. They did not express their intention to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, nor did they reply to the letter clearly rejecting it.
Everyone is generally aware of this, and everyone is preparing a way out for themselves.
If words are not said, things will not be done. This time the battle of Jinzhou resumed, the Qing State also secretly contacted a few of them through intermediaries, so it was inevitable that they would be lured with good words again.
They naturally believed in the various benefits and benefits promised by the Qing Dynasty in the letter of persuasion to surrender. After all, it was gratifying that Kong was virtuous, and Geng Zhongming and others were granted the title of king.
Even the few brothers from the ancestral family who surrendered during the Battle of Daling River, as well as other Liaodong garrison generals, are not all vivid examples.
Ma Ke originally ignored the olive branch extended by the Qing Dynasty as always.
However, during the previous military meeting, he mocked Zhang Cheng in public, but was frustrated. Although he said he didn't care at the time, he still couldn't let it go in his heart.
No, in order to retaliate against Zhang Cheng, he uttered such evil words that made him extremely depressed. He actually sent his crony Ma Zhiren to secretly collude with the Qing army.