In the early morning of the next day, at three o'clock, He Yu personally led several famous doctors from Jinzhou City to Zhao Junchen's camp and said that he would diagnose and treat Zhao Junchen's condition.
But everyone knew that Zhao Junchen was not sick at all. The meeting between the two was just to conduct a political transaction and give and receive privately.
Therefore, when He Yu came to see Zhao Junchen, although all parties were curious and eager to know the specific content of the conversation, and had been paying close attention, this negotiation must be conducted in secret.
Therefore, no one will show up to join in the fun.
Normally, as soon as it gets dark every day, various forces will come to see Zhao Junchen one after another, taking the opportunity to get closer to Zhao Junchen and try to get some benefits. But this day, except for He Yu, no one came.
Meet Zhao Junchen.
But in the end, there was still one person who was very ignorant and wanted to watch the conversation between Zhao Junchen and He Yu no matter what.
When He Yu came to Zhao Junchen's tent and saw the situation inside the tent, he immediately frowned.
Because, in addition to Zhao Junchen, the people who met him in the camp at this time were actually Jiang Quan, a member of the Imperial Army, standing beside him.
At the same time, He Yu also keenly noticed that Zhao Junchen's expression was a bit gloomy at this time, and he would glare at Jiang Quan from time to time.
Seeing this situation, He Yu already had some vague guesses in his mind.
Next, several famous doctors brought by He Yu came forward one after another, and they all pretended to perform a diagnosis on Zhao Junchen. The final conclusion was that Zhao Junchen was overworked and suffered from mental and physical overdraft. He only needed to rest seriously for a few days.
Can be cured.
Zhao Junchen did not question the diagnostic conclusions of these famous doctors, but after the diagnosis was completed, he turned to Jiang Quan, a hundred households in the Forbidden Army, and said: "Jiang Baihu, please take these famous doctors to collect the silver reward now.
By the way, I will also prepare a medicinal soup for you based on the prescriptions of these famous doctors. I want to take good care of my health as soon as possible, so I will take the medicine tonight."
Zhao Junchen's statement clearly meant that he wanted to take the opportunity to send Jiang Quan away and let him and He Yu have a private conversation alone.
However, after hearing Zhao Junchen's instructions, Jiang Quan put on a half-smiling look, and replied respectfully: "Minister, I think it's better for me to stay here and continue to serve you. As for
You can just leave the matter of giving rewards and getting medicine to other people... After all, when I was ordered to protect you this time, Your Majesty personally told you that not only will I fully assist you, but I will also never leave you.
By my side!"
Hearing what Jiang Quan said, Zhao Junchen suddenly became angry and said coldly: "So, you are planning to stay here and not leave?"
Jiang Quan still smiled half-heartedly, his attitude seemed respectful, and he replied in a neither soft nor hard tone: "Minister, you are a big shot, but you don't want to make things difficult for a little reptile like me... Even though I am in a humble position, I dare not disobey your orders.
, but I dare not disobey His Majesty’s holy will!”
Zhao Junchen's expression became more and more gloomy, and he squinted his eyes and threatened: "If you know that you are just a little reptile, you should be more careful... In this world, how many reptiles did not leave in time and were killed by others?"
Trampled to death?"
Hearing Zhao Junchen's threat, Jiang Quan's expression changed, his eyes became a little panicked, and his momentum weakened by much.
However, after hesitating for a moment, Jiang Quan still ignored Zhao Junchen's threat and was unwilling to leave anyway. He just wanted to stay here and watch the secret conversation between Zhao Junchen and He Yu.
Seeing this situation, He Yu became more and more sure of his guess and thought he had guessed the truth.
Obviously, although Jiang Quan has been working hard for Zhao Junchen during this period, he also shoulders the mission of secretly monitoring Zhao Junchen. He is the spy arranged by Emperor Deqing, in order to prevent Zhao Junchen from secretly communicating with Liaodong Town.
collude together.
Therefore, after seeing that Zhao Junchen was going to have a secret conversation with He Yu, Jiang Quan naturally wanted to stay aside and monitor him out of his own mission. Even if he completely offended Zhao Junchen, he would not leave here.
He Yu was not surprised by this situation. He had already guessed that Emperor Deqing had always been suspicious. Not only would he secretly guard against the Wu family in Liaodong Town and Shanhaiguan, he would also guard against those who had achieved great success at a young age.
Lord, the powerful Zhao Junchen.
At the same time, He Yu couldn't help but secretly despise Zhao Junchen. He felt that Zhao Junchen couldn't even handle a mere hundred households of forbidden troops. Obviously Ximen Sheng's assessment was correct. Zhao Junchen was only good at sowing discord, but
The actual strength is negligible, and even the Forbidden Army soldiers who are responsible for guarding him are not of the same mind as him.
But in this case, the secret conversation between Zhao Junchen and He Yu would no longer be possible.
After all, if they want to negotiate a result acceptable to both parties, there will inevitably be private exchanges during the process, and they may even betray the interests of the central court. These situations must not be disclosed to Emperor Deqing's informants.
And just when He Yu was secretly thinking about how he should break the situation at this time, Zhao Junchen snorted again and suddenly asked several famous doctors behind He Yu: "A few famous doctors, I would like to ask...
Are all of my current symptoms related to me sitting in the house for long periods of time and lacking necessary physical activities?"
Hearing Zhao Junchen's question, He Yu's eyes flashed and he quickly guessed Zhao Junchen's thoughts.
Then, He Yu hesitated for a moment and nodded gently to several famous doctors.
After seeing He Yu's hint, several famous doctors spoke out one after another. They all agreed with Zhao Junchen's idea and said that Zhao Junchen was indeed weak and sick due to lack of physical activity, which caused poor blood vessels.
.
Zhao Junchen nodded with satisfaction, and then suggested to He Yu: "Mr. He, now is the time when the warblers are flying and the grass is growing. It is also a good time for hunting! Since several famous doctors have suggested this pavilion,
If you want to move your body more, we might as well take advantage of today's opportunity to go out to camp and hunt together. I've been holding back for a long time, so I want to take a chance to relax."
Hearing Zhao Junchen's suggestion, He Yu thought that he had guessed Zhao Junchen's thoughts again.
Obviously, Zhao Junchen wanted to take advantage of this hunting opportunity to escape Jiang Quan's surveillance, so that he could conduct private transactions with He Yu.
Thinking of this, He Yu thought again for a moment, then nodded and said: "Just so, deer and deer can often be seen in Liaodong now, and they have all raised their fat. It is a good time for hunting! Since Zhao Gechen is interested in hunting,
Of course I am happy to accompany my cabinet ministers to enjoy my humble position!"
After hearing what Zhao Junchen and He Yu said, Jiang Quan's expression changed slightly, and he quickly suggested: "In that case, I will immediately summon the officers and soldiers of the Forbidden Army to act together to protect the cabinet ministers."
Zhao Junchen shook his head and said: "It's just an impromptu hunting. There is no need to mobilize troops, and there is no need to send too many people to protect you. You can just follow me alone... The specific security matters will be left to Mr. He.
How about the soldiers under Bing's command?"
Jiang Quan's expression changed again, and he questioned again: "Isn't this inappropriate? Now that the Liaodong border army has been dispatched, how can our Forbidden Army soldiers be idle?"
He Yu waved his hand and said, "What's wrong? What Zhao Gechen said is reasonable. It's just a whim of hunting. There's no need to go to war, and there's no need to send out fellow Imperial Guards!
In fact, I don’t plan to send out too many Liaodong cavalry, as long as thirty or fifty people follow the guard and it will be enough! The Liaodong cavalry are all useless at killing the enemy. One against a hundred is enough to protect the whole body. Do we still have to worry about it?
Can the bandits kidnap me?"
Seeing that both Zhao Junchen and He Yu had made up their minds, Jiang Quan was naturally unwilling to give up, but he could only give up bitterly.
In this way, He Yu quickly sent people to prepare the horses, bows and arrows, hunting nets and other items needed for hunting, and then, surrounded by dozens of Liaodong cavalry, he joined Zhao Junchen and Jiang Quan.
Leave the camp and leave.
However, He Yu didn't know that what he said about the kidnapping by bandits was about to come true!
*
During this period of time, since Zhao Junchen, Liaodong Town, and Shanhaiguan Wujia all built a camp around Hujiazhuang, Hujiazhuang, which was surrounded by three camps, was ignored by everyone.
But in fact, the situation inside Hujiazhuang is not calm at all. It is even more undercurrent and exciting than in the past few days!
Some time ago, due to the oppression and persecution of the Liaodong border army, the people of Hujiazhuang were either forced to hand over "military rations", or had their wives and daughters kidnapped, and even relatives and friends died unexpectedly. They were full of resentment!
When Zhao Junchen came forward to make the decision for them, they originally thought that they had finally met the legendary Master Qingtian. In fact, their situation did improve in the first few days, because Zhao Junchen came forward to make the decision, not only the Liaodong frontier army
He quickly returned his kidnapped wife and daughter, and even compensated them with a sum of money.
The people of Hujiazhuang are all honest people. After things developed to this point, they had already calmed down their grievances a little.
But soon, the situation took a turn for the worse.
As the Liaodong cavalry from Liaodong Town, the Guanning cavalry from Shanhaiguan, and various forces arrived in Hujiazhuang, too many people gathered in the small Hujiazhuang at once, and these people did not pay attention to the people of Hujiazhuang at all.
, so the daily life of the people in Hujiazhuang soon became more and more miserable.
Yesterday, Guan Ning's cavalry trampled and destroyed the crops they had managed to grow while they were training. Today, the people in the village were severely beaten by a powerful servant. Tomorrow, their houses and equipment will be forcibly requisitioned by the Liaodong frontier army...
Just like this, in just a few days, the people of Hujiazhuang could no longer bear the heavy burden and were overwhelmed.
Under such circumstances, the people of Hujiazhuang once again thought of Zhao Junchen, the great master of Qingtian, and wanted to ask Zhao Junchen to come forward to uphold justice for them again. However, Zhao Junchen had already gone to live in the camp outside the village at this time, so naturally they could not see him at will.
I asked for permission several times but was turned down. It can be said that I have no way to complain!
Soon, the people of Hujiazhuang suddenly heard a rumor, saying that Zhao Junchen had decided to compromise with Liaodong Town and would no longer hold the Liaodong Border Army responsible for persecuting the people for a long time. Instead, he chose to collude with Liaodong Town!
As a result, the resentment and anger of the overwhelmed Hujiazhuang people, which had been gradually extinguished, were quickly rekindled, even more intensely than before!
Among the people in Hujiazhuang who were full of resentment, the person who showed the most intense expression was a young man named Niu Zhuang!
Niu Zhuang lost his parents when he was young and has always been dependent on his sister. When he was young, he was helped by a kind neighbor to make a living.
However, due to the wanton behavior of the Liaodong border troops, Niu Zhuang's sister was forcibly taken away. The kind neighbor who had helped Niu Zhuang when he was a child chose to hang himself from a big tree at the entrance of Hujiazhuang Village and wait until his sister was taken away.
After the Liaodong frontier troops returned, they were humiliated and soon committed suicide by swallowing carbon!
Therefore, Niu Zhuang's resentment towards the Liaodong frontier army was so deep in his heart that it could not be washed away by the endless water of the Yangtze River.
After the people of Hujiazhuang were oppressed by all parties and became angry again, Niu Zhuang and several young and energetic men in the village quickly gathered together and discussed revenge plans all day long.
However, at the beginning, the revenge plans they conceived were just for the sake of a quick talk and an opportunity to vent their grievances. They did not seriously intend to implement them, and they had no feasibility.
But at this moment, Xu Qingyan, who had changed his image through makeup, suddenly appeared.
According to Xu Qingyan, he was an ordinary merchant, but his goods were robbed by the Liaodong frontier army. Not only did he lose all his money, but his wife and children were separated, so he wanted to retaliate against the Liaodong frontier army just like Niu Zhuang. During this period
He has been connecting heroes from all over the world with the same idea.
*
Set the time back to an hour ago.
Xu Qingyan brought several men with him to meet Niu Zhuang and others again.
Later, Xu Qingyan pointed to the men behind him and introduced to Niu Zhuang: "This is the hero Zhang Deshun from Zhang Village, this is the hero Guo Zhengli from Heihe Village, and this is the hero Liang from Tangshan Town.
become……
I have told you about the situation of these people before. Their hometowns are also in the same situation as Hujiazhuang. They were all forced to die by the Liaodong border army. Now they have made up their minds to find ways to retaliate against those domineering people.
The Liaodong frontier army and those despicable court officials!
These heroes have gathered a group of like-minded partners, and are now waiting for news on Chilin Mountain, twenty miles north of Hujiazhuang...Brother Niu, can you give me an accurate answer now, do you want to act together?"
The Zhang Village, Heihe Village, Tangshan Town, etc. mentioned by Xu Qingyan are all villages near Hujiazhuang.
However, Niu Zhuang had never seen Zhang Deshun, Guo Zhengli, Liang Cheng and others brought by Xu Qingyan.
Moreover, these people were strong and strong-looking, and they did not look like honest farmers.
However, most people in this era will never leave more than ten miles away from their hometown, and Niu Zhuang himself is not a cautious and wise person. He didn't think much about it for a while, but his expression changed after hearing Xu Qingyan's inquiry.
Changing, sometimes excited, sometimes panicked, sometimes gnashing one's teeth.
The other men in Hujiazhuang had always regarded Niu Zhuang as the leader, and most of them had similar expressions at this time, staring at Niu Zhuang closely, waiting for Niu Zhuang's answer.
After hesitating for a long time, Niu Zhuang finally made a decision and gritted his teeth and said: "It's too risky... I want to go and see Zhao Gechen again. If Zhao Gechen is still the great master of Qingtian and is willing to uphold justice for our people, then of course he will do it again."
That's fine, but if Zhao Gechen still doesn't care about us, then..."
Having said this, Niu Zhuang suddenly fell silent, obviously still unable to make up his mind.
Hearing Niu Zhuang's answer, Xu Qingyan and the others behind him made no secret of their disdain, but in the end they nodded and said: "Okay, let's go see Zhao Gechen again to see if he can
Make the decision for our people!”
After making the decision, everyone quickly took action.
Although Hujiazhuang is surrounded by three camps outside, the various forces do not restrict the access and movement of the people of Hujiazhuang on weekdays.
Under such circumstances, Xu Qingyan, Niu Zhuang and others quickly left Hujiazhuang and came to the gate of Zhao Junchen's camp, once again stating that they wanted to see Zhao Junchen.
But this time, they were still rejected. The Forbidden Army officers responsible for guarding the camp drove them away, saying that Zhao Junchen was discussing important matters with the Liaodong General Soldier and had no time to meet with little people like them.
After being driven away, Niu Zhuang and others were about to return in dismay and return to Hujiazhuang to continue their discussions, but suddenly found that the camp gate was suddenly opened wide.
Then, Zhao Junchen, surrounded by a group of Liaodong cavalry, ran towards the north.
Seeing Zhao Junchen's sudden appearance, Niu Zhuang and other people in Hujiazhuang were overjoyed and immediately shouted, hoping that Zhao Junchen would stop his horse and take a look at them.
However, although Niu Zhuang and others shouted loudly, almost breaking their throats, Zhao Junchen ignored them at all and only talked and joked with a frontier general who had a majestic and cold temperament.
As Zhao Junchen and others rode away, leaving only billowing smoke and dust, Niu Zhuang and others looked extremely disappointed, feeling that they had been completely abandoned.
Xu Qingyan first ran to the gate of the camp and inquired a few words about the Forbidden Army officers. Then he quickly returned to Niu Zhuang and explained in a cold voice: "I have inquired clearly about the border army general who was talking and laughing with Zhao Junchen.
It is He Yu, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong! They left the camp this time to hunt and relax! Hey, do you still expect Zhao Junchen to uphold justice for you? "
After a pause, Xu Qingyan urged again: "Zhao Junchen and He Yu are going to go hunting in Chilin Mountain in the north depending on the situation. It just so happens that the companions of these heroes around me are waiting there for news. It is a good time for us to take revenge.
Opportunity... If you miss this opportunity, I'm afraid there will be no chance again in the future!
Brother Niu, whether you want to act together with us or not, please tell us right now! We don’t want to waste time or delay the opportunity with you!”
Seeing that Niu Zhuang was still a little timid and unable to make a decision, Xu Qingyan said softly: "Think about your sister who was driven crazy by the insult, think about the neighbor uncle who has always taken care of you, think about yourself who is about to
My family and fellow villagers who can’t survive... Could it be that all your previous boastful words were just bragging? If that’s the case, I won’t force you and will leave immediately!”
Hearing Xu Qingyan's provocation, Niu Zhuang finally made up his mind, turned to several fellow villagers and asked: "I have decided, since we have no way of survival and no blue sky to make the decision for us, now we can only take a risk.
…Do you want to go with me?”
Several men from Hujiazhuang were also affected by the provoking method. After looking at each other, they all showed determination and nodded vigorously.
Then, Niu Zhuang turned to look at Xu Qingyan again and asked: "Brother Xu, we will leave our lives to you! I just hope you didn't lie to me. Our adventure this time can really give the villagers a way out!"
"
Xu Qingyan took a serious look at Niu Zhuang and nodded: "I once heard someone say that sometimes in order to do good deeds, you have to be more unscrupulous than villains, and you have to pay a price...as long as you are willing to pay the price.
, although I can’t guarantee your outcome, I can guarantee that you will be able to find a way to survive for the villagers!”
Afterwards, Xu Qingyan quickly averted his eyes, no longer looked at Niu Zhuang, and walked quickly towards the north.
After hearing Xu Qingyan's assurance, Niu Zhuang and others also followed behind.
*
According to later historical records, the social environment in the late Ming Dynasty was extremely poor. The biggest threat was never the Mongolian tribes and Jianzhou Jurchens, but the rampant banditry within the territory.
It is said that even Liang Fuchen and Zhao Junchen, two dignitaries at the center of the imperial court, as well as the prestigious Liaodong commander-in-chief He Yu, were once prisoners of horse bandits.
Therefore, in later generations, the banditry situation in the late Ming Dynasty has always been a key research direction of historians, and it has always been talked about by people. There are countless related papers and film and television works.