This time Zuo Liangyu was not pretending to be ill, but a real relapse of an old injury, but it was not so serious that he could not move around.
When he heard that Hou Xun was coming, he immediately got up from the bed and asked people to quickly change clothes and go to the hall.
Zuo Liangyu was very grateful to Hou Xun.
When Zuo Liangyu was defeated and his troops were depleted, Chongzhen wanted to punish him and kill him, but because Hou Xun begged for mercy, he was dismissed from his post in the end.
Later, Zuo Liangyu, who was also recommended by Hou Xun and was idle at home, was appointed by Chongzhen again.
However, after this incident, Zuo Liangyu also realized that military exploits were all in vain, and only the troops and horses in hand were the capital to save his life.
From then on, Zuo Liangyu began to conserve his strength and was no longer willing to fight to the death with the rebels. He was also very good at fighting against the soldiers and was deeply loved by the soldiers.
Later, in order to increase their strength, they even began to kill good people and take credit, support thieves to respect themselves, and plunder places.
And things were just as Zuo Liangyu had guessed. No matter how arrogant he was or whether he was acting against his will, as long as he had a large army in his hands, Chongzhen would not dare to touch him, and the supervisors would also have to rely on him.
After tasting the sweetness, he couldn't stop and went further and further, so much so that he deliberately allowed Zhang Xianzhong to cause trouble in Huguang. While chasing after him to make a fortune, he recruited troops and plundered the place.
In the end, it suddenly developed to the point where it had millions of troops, so Zhang Xianzhong, who was also strong and strong, had to avoid it and turn to Sichuan.
Even though Huguang was a good place, it was riddled with holes by these two people, and the people were in dire straits.
Because of this, Zuo Liangyu did not dare to go to Nanjing, fearing that the imperial court would settle accounts after the fall. Of course, it had a lot to do with the fact that the new emperor did not canonize him.
"Mr. Liu Zhen, why are you here in person?"
"Oh! Kunshan, you are confused."
After the two of them sat down politely, Hou Xun said sadly.
"Mr. Liu Zhen, is it possible that the noble concubine is coming to beat me again?" Zuo Liangyu said indifferently.
Obviously, he was also paying close attention to the situation in Nanjing and knew that the Red Lady only brought 20,000 troops south this time.
"Kunshan, your majesty has now made it clear that the north has been leveled and the south has been settled. Five generals have been appointed to take charge of the five armies. Even the intruders and thieves have to live in the northwest and southwest corners. Do you really want to do that irreparable thing?
What happened?" Hou Xun said earnestly.
Seeing him mentioning the five generals, Zuo Liangyu's anger went straight to his forehead. Those five generals didn't have Zuo Liangyu's status. How could he endure it?
There was no need to show off about the relationship between the two of them, so he slapped the table directly and said through gritted teeth: "Sir Liuzhen, although I, Zuo Liangyi, am a little more arrogant and domineering, in the past ten years or so, I have never been less successful in chasing down rebels.
Me?
Not to mention my illustrious military exploits, but at least I, Zuo Liangyu, am said to be the number one killer of thieves, and no one dares to claim the title of second person. When Zhou Yu was lucky, who did Huang Degong count? What qualifications did he have to become a marquis? To worship a general?
And why did Gao Jie and Liu Liangzuo become uncles?
Didn’t someone on my left just not go to Qin Wang? But can you blame me?
At that time, the whole of Henan and even Xiangyang were occupied by bandits. How could the army march north?
The bandits also have a large number of soldiers and horses in the mountainous area west of Dongting Lake. As soon as I leave, I am afraid that I will attack Huguang again. By then, the entire Huguang will be divided between the bandits and the bandits. Once Huguang is lost,
, the entire South will be in danger.
I, Zuo Liangyi, have worked hard to guard Huguang for the Ming Dynasty, but His Majesty is completely inconsiderate..."
When Zuo Liangyu spoke to the end, the more he spoke, the more aggrieved he became, and the more he spoke, the more resentful he became.
"Alas! Kunshan, what's the use of talking about it now? The most urgent thing is to consider a way out. The imperial concubine is definitely not easy to deal with. When she came, she said that if you don't go to Nanjing by the end of October
If you report on your duties, it will be regarded as a rebellion. At the beginning of next year, a large army will be sent to meet you..."
"Pah! That's too much to bully. Am I still afraid of her Red Lady? I have an army of millions in my hands, so I don't believe she really dares to come."
Zuo Liangyu saw that the red lady didn't leave any room for return, so she slapped her hand on the table angrily and stood up.
"Kunshan, I have seen her 20,000 soldiers and horses. All of them are elite soldiers who have experienced hundreds of battles. And there are hundreds of thousands of such soldiers and horses in the capital. Once His Majesty Long Yan is really angered, not to mention hundreds of thousands."
The army is moving south, but the remaining 80,000 Chinese troops are coming. Can Kunshan really stop them?
Are the lieutenants of the army really willing to follow you all the way to the dark side?
Kunshan, listen to my advice. I will not harm you. Things are different now. If you go against His Majesty and that red lady, you will not end well.
She copied countless amounts of money and food in Nanjing, and has already sent Li Dakai to recruit troops in western Zhejiang. According to the news, 80,000 people will be recruited at one go, and each person will be given a settlement allowance of five taels of silver. If this continues, in another year
Even if the imperial court doesn't send an army southward for half a year, I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to defeat me."
"Mr. Zuo has never thought about rebellion, but he just can't swallow this breath. Your Majesty is so unkind and unjust to me, Zuo Liangyu. If he goes to Nanjing, isn't he just throwing himself into a trap? Rather than being humiliated then, it would be better to die in Wuchang.
!”
Zuo Liangyu said in a deep voice, he also knew that today is no longer like the troubled times, there is definitely no way out for rebellion, and not many people will follow him, but to hand over military power to Nanjing in such an unclear manner, and
It doesn't make much difference to die, so naturally I won't be willing to do so.
"Kunshan, if you don't think about yourself, you have to think about your nephew, right? You also have to think about the soldiers who follow you, right? Besides, when you came here, the Queen Mother asked me to tell you that when you get to Nanjing, she can keep you safe and will personally report to His Majesty.
Please seal it for you."
"Oh? Did Empress Dowager Yi'an really say that? Don't you want to trick me?"
Zuo Liangyu's eyes lit up and she looked at him doubtfully.
"The Queen Mother said this in front of the ministers in the Fengtian Palace. How could I deceive you? You don't believe me. It's useless to say more. Hou Mou takes his leave. You can take care of yourself!"
Hou Xun stood up angrily and was about to walk away.
Zuo Liangyu was so frightened that he hurriedly stopped him and apologized repeatedly: "Six True Lords, please calm down. I made a mistake. If I can't even trust Six True Lords, who can I, Zuo Liangyu, trust?"
"So, Kunshan is willing to listen to my good advice?" Hou Xun's expression softened when he saw this.
"Forget it, the Empress Dowager Yi'an actually said so. I, Zuo Liangyu, have nothing to say, so I will just explain it and set off for Nanjing."
Zuo Liangyu sighed and finally nodded.
He knows the current situation better than anyone else, and has fallen into the spotlight.
Although he claimed to have an army of one million, including the charioteers, horsemen, and young men, the real number of combatable soldiers was only a few hundred thousand.
Once the imperial court really mobilizes the army to move south, the morale of the army will be in chaos and the hearts of the people will be unstable. It will definitely be unstoppable.
So he just wanted to negotiate terms with the court.
However, the envoy sent to Beijing to submit a petition did not respond at all. His Majesty simply acted as if he did not exist, which really puzzled him.
The red lady once again had the attitude that those who follow me will prosper and those who go against me will perish. Now that she has Zhang Yan's guarantee, she will not continue to carry on.
What's more, his health has been getting worse recently, and his son is a loser. He really has to think about the future of the Zuo family.
He has made enough money over the years. As long as he doesn't confiscate his family and exterminate his clan, it doesn't matter if he himself is dismissed from office and imprisoned, or even beheaded. As long as he can keep the Zuo clan and his son, he can be rich and wealthy for several generations with that wealth.
