"General Zuo's son is not simple, he is really amazing."
Cao Wenheng held a wine glass in one hand and walked among the people. His voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.
After attracting everyone's attention, Cao Wenheng told the whole story.
"When I was in the capital, I saw the memorial of Liu Yuanqing's guerrilla attack in Nanpi. A month ago, Liu's troops were ordered to go north to attack the Qingxian rebels. Unexpectedly, they encountered an army of rebels on the way."
Jifu is on the edge of Shandong. The previous civil unrest made everyone in Shandong feel insecure, fearing that the thieves would come over.
Hearing Cao Wenheng talk about this battle at this time, everyone pricked up their ears and were particularly concerned.
I just didn't expect that Zuo Mengeng would be involved.
Even Zuo Liangyu didn't know, and his expression became solemn.
"Originally, when an army encounters rebels, they are ten times more powerful than the enemy. Even in wild battles, they can win without defeat."
Everyone here still agrees with this.
Shandong is a place with not much else but a lot of chaos. Every few years, there will be a wave of chaos and thieves.
Therefore, everyone is aware of the comparison of the combat effectiveness between the official army and the rebels.
"But the rebels were so cunning that they actually hid the cavalry behind the officers and soldiers."
At this moment, everyone's color really changed.
Except for Jiubian, not many of the Ming army had cavalry. In the Jifu Plain, when infantry encountered cavalry, it was really a disaster.
"When the rebel cavalry charged, Liu Yuanqing thought that the battle would be defeated and was prepared to die for his country."
Amid the sighs and sighs of others, Zuo Mengeng tried his best not to laugh.
That guy Liu Yuanqing died for his country.
Don't look at the fact that he later died fighting against the Donglu in Linqing. That was because Linqing was heavily surrounded and had nowhere to escape.
Moreover, the people who can call the shots in Linqing are Zhang Zhenxiu, Zhang Zongmeng and others.
As a commander-in-chief, he should not have any strange thoughts other than obeying orders.
Therefore, when Zhang Zhenxiu and others would rather die than surrender, Liu Yuanqing had no chance of surviving.
Besides, his eldest brother Liu Zeqing is still here.
If he surrenders and rebels, and Liu Zeqing and the Liu family are full of people, will he have a good ending?
It can be said that Liu Yuanqing's ending was just helpless, and it was not that he had any noble thoughts of loyalty and righteousness at all.
In the battle of Jifu, it can be said that if Zuo Menggeng hadn't suddenly emerged and the army was defeated, this guy would have definitely run faster than anyone else.
Cao Wenheng is still talking.
"At a critical moment, a heroic young man appeared. He killed the bandits and their cavalry, and the army was able to turn the danger into safety. As a result, the bandits were defeated. Everyone, do you know who this heroic boy is?"
We are all not fools, how could we not know?
For a time, Zuo Mengeng actually became the center of attention.
Especially the red shopkeepers, they stared at him closely, wanting to see what was strange about this heroic young man who broke out thieves.
Liu Yuanqing's memorial is of course large and general, and it is impossible to go into too much detail.
Now that the parties involved were present, how could Cao Wenheng not ask.
"My dear nephew, can you tell us what happened during this battle?"
Zuo Mengeng was calm and didn't have any embarrassment.
You should become famous as early as possible, especially in this era, personal reputation is very useful.
Especially for someone like him who wants to rebel deep down, he can't do it without fame.
No matter how hard it is, those heroes must bow their heads and worship him as soon as they hear about his reputation, in order to be considered a success.
"Speaking of which, that battle was a coincidence."
Zuo Mengeng started from the beginning, encountering bandits under Qingxian County, breaking out of the siege and fighting, then pretending to be bandits, waiting for opportunities to strangle the cavalry, and helping Liu Yuanqing retake Nanpi County.
Every time he said something, the crowd's exclamations became louder.
After he finished speaking, everyone was intoxicated, which was more enjoyable than listening to a storytelling session.
Especially Zuo Mengeng's actions, which include both heroic fighting and strategic planning, are as exciting as "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
Liu Yiyuan looked at Zuo Mengeng blankly. Suddenly, all his competitiveness faded away.
He originally thought that he and Zuo Mengeng would be on top of each other for a while, but even if he was easily defeated by Zuo Mengeng this time, he felt that he would be able to catch up after going back to study hard and practice hard.
But after hearing Zuo Mengeng's performance, he realized that his original opponent had now far surpassed him.
There seems to be no shame in being a little brother to such a person.
Hou Xun clapped his hands and laughed.
"Kunshan, your son is a natural-born general. In time, he will become famous all over the world."
Zuo Liangyuxun thanked him, but his perspective was different from others.
"How did you fight during the breakout?"
As soon as he heard this, Zuo Mengeng knew that generals who had been on the battlefield were different from others.
"The good father knows that there is no trickery in this battle. The child took Zuo Rong and Zuo Hua to fight out."
Zuo Liangyu looked solemn and asked, "Tell me about the battle."
Zuo Mengeng didn't dare to hide anything, so he told everything.
Zuo Liangyu finally laughed.
"Well, not bad, it looks a bit like it."
But others were dumbfounded.
Especially Liu Zongzhou, who couldn't help but ask: "Only one fight? I see how brave my nephew is. I'm afraid he can pass five levels and kill six generals."
Zhang Zongmeng also joked: "I have read in the book that military generals are fighting fiercely, and they are all very skilled in martial arts. There are all kinds of unique tricks, such as dragging the sword, hiding in the stirrup, turning back the carbine, etc., has my nephew ever used the general to do it?"
This is the literati of Ming Dynasty.
In their eyes, fighting is so cool.
I guess it would be more appropriate to wear a feather fan and a turban, and then the oars and oars would disappear into ashes while talking and laughing.
Zuo Mengeng smiled helplessly and explained carefully.
"Uncle, I don't know. Life and death on the battlefield can happen in an instant, and there is no room for too many tricks. People are next to each other, and people are crowded. There is no room to move. Uncle, please think about it, if you hold a spear and play with a carbine. The two cavalry are at full speed.
When hedging, I am afraid that the opponent has already rushed far away before the spear is turned back. Moreover, there are people in front and behind, and the spear is turned around like this. I am afraid that the enemy will not kill a few, but my own party will suffer.
seedling."
He just made a casual gesture, and everyone immediately understood what was going on.
When I suddenly realized this, I couldn't help but burst into laughter. Then I realized that I had misunderstood the battlefield.
Zhang Zongmeng's face turned red and he was filled with emotion.
"This is just what you see on paper. If my nephew, a man in the battlefield, hadn't told me in detail, we would all have been deceived by that Huhai Sanren."
The Huhai Sanren was Luo Guanzhong. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the influence of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was already considerable.
During a banquet, named Liu Zongzhou, Hou Xun took over, but Zuo Mengeng stole the show.
That night, Hou Xun and Liu Zongzhou all moved into Zuofu.
It can be seen from this that Zuo Liangyu definitely has a high status in the eyes of the boss.
He only felt that he was a military commander, so when he saw civil servants, he could not help but lie down and act cowardly.
But based on his righteousness in protecting Zhou Chaorui's incense, everyone in Donglin could not help but appreciate his kindness.
Hou Xun and Liu Zongzhou moved into Zuofu Villa. Because Liu Zongzhou's old servant contracted a cold on the road, Zuo Liangyu specially asked Zuo Menggeng to serve him personally.
The prosperity faded away, the tea in the quiet room was fragrant, and the expressions of Hou Xun and Liu Zongzhou were no longer as cheerful as they were during the day.
"I'm afraid that returning to Beijing this time may not turn out as planned. In memory of Taigong, I need to make more preparations."
Liu Zongzhou was a good scholar but a bit slow in politics. Hearing this, he asked, "What news did Ruogu hear?"
An angry look appeared on Hou Xun's face.
"How dignified is the prime minister of the country with golden chopsticks!"
After he explained it in detail, Liu Zongzhou knew what had happened.
It turns out that after Chongzhen ascended the throne, while cleaning up the eunuch party, he also had to form his own administrative team.
The most important among them are naturally the cabinet ministers.
How to select cabinet ministers has been established in the Ming Dynasty. To recommend ministers from various ministries, Chongzhen only had to select the ones with the highest support rate.
Chongzhen, no, it was just a joke.
Draw lots.
Because the ministers recommended ten people, he wrote the names of the ten people on the lots, put them in gold bottles, and drew lots to decide who would enter the cabinet.
It seems fair, but the election of cabinet ministers, which is related to national affairs, is so random. How can there be any prestige at all?
It has to be said that this incident was the beginning of the ever-changing revolving door of the Chongzhen court.
Liu Zongzhou was an upright man and was furious.
"Isn't this reasonable? The country's affairs are in dire straits, and it's the time when we should do our best. How can we command the ministers and assist the king if we treat them so carelessly?"
Hou Xun sighed.
"That's it. Liu Qingyue (Liu Hongxun) first entered the cabinet, and before his ambitions were fully realized, he was impeached repeatedly, and the government was delayed. This is an ominous sign."
Liu Zongzhou was worried.
"Qian Zhiwen (Qian Longxi) doesn't care?"
Hou Xun became even more angry.
"Does he care? He is worried about how to face Han Xiangyun (Han Xu)."
Liu Zongzhou sighed and looked downcast.
"Why is this so important? We are all fellow Donglin people, and Han Xiangyun is a senior sage. Why can't we work together?"
Hou Xun's face was sarcastic.
"In the final analysis, Han Xiangyun and Qian Zhiwen are both mature and prudent people, so I'm not worried. But now that Qian Muzhai (Qian Qianyi) is about to return to the court, he and Zhou Yizhai (Zhou Yanru) are afraid of another dispute.
It’s difficult.”
Liu Zongzhou rarely lost his composure and punched the table hard.
"Hey, I miss you, Dong Lin. Only a few years ago, we worked together to fight against the eunuchs. How come time and circumstances have changed, why are we so anxious to fight against each other?"
Hou Xun also sighed. The two of them did not feel happy to return to the court after the imperial edict and to have the power in their hands.
Regarding these, Zuo Mengeng saw clearly and suddenly said something.
"What else can you do? It's easy to live in adversity, but it's hard to live in wealth."