Changde City officials discovered that Yu Qian was missing that night, but no one was found.
The right minister of the Ministry of War and a provincial governor disappeared without explanation. Of course, the possibility of the rebels' elaborate deeds cannot be ruled out, but "maybe" cannot clear the blame of local civilian officials and military officers; if it is not investigated, where will the prestige and power of the imperial court exist?
A high-ranking official disappears inexplicably after coming down, no explanation?
Troops and horses have been mobilized out of the city in batches to pursue them.
At this time, a small misunderstanding occurred. Wang Yu and his master Liang Yan were not detained because they were treated politely. They sneaked out of the city the day before and prepared to go west to join their old masters. Unexpectedly, they saw several groups of officers and soldiers looking for them on the road.
The man scared the two of them and thought they were coming to arrest them.
Wang Yu said: "Then Yu Futai and Wang Yangde treated me with courtesy. I said many words to deceive them, and now I run away. Did I offend them and want to take us back to die?" The Great Master said.
Liang Yan said with a look of disbelief: "We are not very important people, so we need to mobilize all our troops to deal with us? If it is just irritating, those bureaucrats will not be embarrassed... But I am not sure whether they are coming for us, maybe they are coming for us.
Boss, you are really an important person."
Wang Yu asked in surprise: "What's important to me?"
Liang Yan said: "At this point, the princes, generals, meritorious officials and civil servants in the court can't urinate into the same pot. Although there are some amiable and harmonious people among them, there is no obvious fight for the time being, but they are not all the same.
My boss is a scholar who has the title of supervising students. He has suffered great injustice from the powerful. This is something that all civil servants in the world cannot live with! If civil servants swallow their anger like this, how can they speak in the court? So as Yu Futai said that day, many court ministers
I impeached Duke Cheng for this matter.
Yu Futai was born as a Jinshi, and he was obviously a civil servant. His mentor Yang Shaobao was also a civil servant and a wise scholar. How could Yu Futai betray his own people and help the group of heroes and nobles? There is a process in this process. If they
If you can redress the injustice for your employer, you can regain your face; if you want to come to your employer and influence the princes of the court, aren't you an important person?"
The more they talked, the more they felt that the officers and soldiers were coming for them, so they no longer dared to walk on the main road, and they no longer dared to ride their horses. After losing their horses, they pretended to be hungry beggars and ran to Chenzhou through many twists and turns on the country roads. It was really embarrassing.
Terrible.
When I arrived in Chenzhou, I couldn't enter the city. I saw all the hungry people outside the city, all going to the city to beg for food. The Suzaku Army no longer allowed the refugees to enter the city, and only built some porridge shacks outside the city to provide relief. Wang Yu and Liang Yan were a few
Du wanted to go in, but was blocked, and a sergeant stuffed a broken bowl into his mouth. He pointed to the porridge shed outside and said, "Go ahead and get some food to eat. Maybe it will be fine after a while."
Wang Yu's mood gradually became aroused. I walked more than 400 miles and ran back, not even allowing him to enter the city!
Fortunately, Liang Yan had a keen eye and found that a military general on the tower looked very familiar. He remembered that he was a captain named He in the army. One time, Liang Yan happened to be in charge of paying wages, and he had met Captain He several times, but he didn't know why.
Does the team leader remember?
Liang Yan immediately shouted: "He Captain, I am Master Liang, do you remember me?"
The general on the city heard someone calling him, and when he looked down, he saw two beggars in ragged clothes. He felt strange. However, he was on duty today, and his job of guarding the city gate was the most boring. At the moment, there was no military situation in Chenzhou, so he basically spent the whole day
It was nothing trivial. Then I thought about it. The beggar could call out his last name and position, so he might actually be someone he knew. Immediately, he sent an order to a sergeant to bring the caller up for questioning. As long as he could speak, wow
Yu and others had a way to prove their identity. They had served as officials in the Council of Ministers and knew more than one general in the army.
Captain He confirmed their identities, immediately went to the government office to report, and sent someone to escort Wang Yu and Liang Yan into the city.
Zhang Ning was working in the government office. When he heard the news, he went out in person. He was surprised to see Wang Yu and Liang Yan in a panic. At this time, more than four hundred miles was considered a long journey, but at the time he had also
Even if he got into trouble on the way, he wouldn't be like Wang Yu.
Wang Yu stepped forward, fell down and choked with sobs: "Your Majesty, Mr. Xu committed suicide and died for his country, and all the ministers were captured. I was eager to return, so I escaped, and after walking for many days, I finally saw the prince again."
Zhang Ning sighed and hurriedly helped them up: "Please get up quickly, please get up, Qingmo, you all miss your old master. This is a friendship. Thank you for your hard work. The temporary difficulties will eventually pass. Look, everyone, let's
The Suzaku Army has one heart and helps us in the same boat."
All the officials hurriedly said: "Your Majesty is kind and virtuous, and I am willing to follow you and help you in the same boat."
... Recently, Gu Chunhan and others have returned one after another. Even two officials from the fall of Changde have returned, and Yu Qian has been arrested. Good things continue; but Zhang Ning's situation is still not good.
You can see the hungry people outside the city with your eyes. With the current situation in Chenzhou, it is difficult for the Council to formulate how to collect taxes. Many people at the bottom don't even have food to eat, so how can we collect taxes? Can we only get ideas from big households?
There was some oil and water squeezed out there, but it was only a drop in the bucket. More than 10,000 people wanted to eat, and there were also horses from the cavalry regiment. The horses in the mainland did not just eat grass, they also needed food.
If it hadn't been for occupying Changde Mansion for several months, and because Changde Mansion was very prosperous and a batch of grain had been transferred to Chenzhou in advance as war preparation supplies, the Suzaku Army would now have to chew tree bark.
In the hall of the Senate, everyone is often discussing countermeasures. Many people have already proposed the strategy of abandoning Chenzhou and marching towards Baoqing Mansion. The Great Master
"Chenzhou suffered from military disasters and famine. There is nothing left to do, and occupation is useless. We have knives and guns, wouldn't it be good to change our territory?" Chen Gai spoke directly and completely.
No cover up.
However, Ma Dapeng of the Ordnance Bureau objected to abandoning Chenzhou: "The weapons and armor of the soldiers are all manufactured and replenished by the Ordnance Bureau's workshop, especially the firearms. If the Chenzhou workshop had not repaired them in time, more than half of the army would have returned from the First World War in Changsha.
It cannot be used. After our troops expand to more than 10,000 people, it will not be as easy as before to repair one or two hundred muskets. It will require a large-scale workshop and tools. It will be very troublesome to make these things from scratch. Chenzhou's
The workshop was left over from the past, and it is still barely usable after being tidied up. If I go to a strange place, so many firecrackers are worn out, and the war is urgent, how can I find a way to repair it? How can I make additional ordnance?
?”
Everyone saw that Zhang Ning didn't say anything, but they were used to it. He would always let everyone express their thoughts before expressing their stance. So everyone turned their attention to Zhu Heng, the Minister of Consultation.
Zhu Heng could only say: "If it is not a last resort, it is not a good idea to attack Baoqing Mansion; the best case scenario is to defeat the Northern Route Army, recapture Changde Mansion, and march to Wuchang, then we will be qualified to compete for the world. With today's general trend, there is no time to hide one's strength and bide one's time.
, once the opportunity for progress is missed, there will be no more opportunities, and sooner or later it will perish."
His thoughts coincided with Zhang Ning's. Zhang Ning also planned to take back Changde Mansion from the beginning.
Zhu Heng added: "What I said seems a bit far. From the current point of view, we have just established a certain foundation and cannot easily start fleeing again; otherwise, how are we different from the rogue bandits? Think about it, the Suzaku Army has been fighting since the battle of Gaodu
In the future, if we do not occupy Chenzhou for a long time, and then occupy Changde, but have no foundation, how can our military strength be expanded from more than a thousand to tens of thousands?"
At this moment, Zhang Ning finally spoke: "If you want to fight, you have to fight quickly. If we drag it on, it will not exceed two months at most, and we will starve ourselves to death. But now the army of the North Route is 50,000, and the army of the South Route is 50,000.
There are also some people in the remnant army who can still fight after receiving supplies, especially the horsemen who have not suffered serious losses. They are all operating near Changde. We can't go straight to attack the city with less than one-fifth of the enemy's troops, right?"
Zhu Hengdao: "The official army occupies an absolute advantage in strength. Assembling tens of thousands of troops costs a lot of money. We should take the initiative to attack. We should look for fighters among them and defeat their main force in the field."
"What strategy will the officers and soldiers use? Is there any opportunity to take advantage of it?" Zhang Ning couldn't help but ask what he had been thinking about for many days.
But no one present could answer this question.
Zhang Ning believed that before Yu Qian was captured, he had stayed in Changde for a long time and had already developed a general strategy. For someone like Yu Qian, who wanted to pacify Huguang, it was impossible for him to come up with any strategy that would destroy his advantage;
Without thinking too hard, I can guess that it should be quite high quality.
When Yu Qian was captured and unable to cause harm to himself, Zhang Ning was actually unwilling to harm him even though he had many bad emotions. This figure who was regarded as a hero in later generations, Zhang Ning still admired him in many aspects.
Yes, I feel that unnecessary persecution is a sin. But even so, Zhang Ning has now considered using torture to extract a confession.
Is this crude method the most effective method in this era? Life or death is at stake, and any moral integrity can be thrown away.
At this moment, Zhang Ning suddenly had some inspiration. He remembered that Yao Ji had mentioned that Yu Qian's wife had come to Changde Mansion. Now that Yu Qian's life and death were unknown, she must be very worried! Yu Qian's wife's surname was Dong, and she wanted to come to Zhang Ning
I have also seen that when we were in the capital, everyone got along politely and harmoniously; you must know that in this era, introducing women to friends is a sign of friendship. Who would have thought that it would be like this now?
Perhaps through Dong's influence, can Yu Qian be swayed? Zhang Ning is not sure, but he can try, there is no loss anyway.
He did it as soon as he thought of it, and then entrusted the matter to Jiang Youde, a leader of the anti-evil sect, and asked him to sneak into the Changde Mansion and try to contact the Dong family. Jiang Youde brought a letter from Zhang Ning and Yu Qian
A piece of jade pendant as a personal belongings as evidence.
Jiang Youde accepted the order and rode a fast horse to Changde City to run errands. As long as you disguise yourself properly, it is basically not difficult to sneak into the city; Changde Mansion is a large city with a large population, and requires long-term transportation of vegetables, firewood, grain, goods and other materials from outside.
It is not possible to impose martial law when there is no serious threat. Even if martial law is enforced, entry and exit are not completely prohibited.
Of course, Jiang Youde was going to do his best to handle Zhang Ning's errand, but he didn't want to die in vain. So he knocked out half of the jade pendant he was carrying, took a note and sent it to his house to check it out first.
Mrs. Dong naturally recognized Yu Qian's jade pendant when she saw it, and the note said: Please don't meet me in Futai if you report to the official. If you are sincere, we will meet you another day.
As expected, Ms. Dong did not report to the official, and then Jiang Youde made an appointment with her to a nearby restaurant. In a crowded place, on the one hand, she seemed to have no ill intentions, and on the other hand, it was convenient for her to run away if something happened. This time, Jiang Youde made an appointment with her.
Zhang Ning's letter was delivered to her, but she did not agree immediately. She only said to think about it first and then make a decision.
Zhang Ning's wording in the letter was very polite. He called his sister-in-law "Mrs. Sister-in-law" and mentioned that he thanked her for the food and wine at his house when he was in the capital. He also said that he had no personal grudge against Yu Qian and that arresting him was just a last resort.
Dong thought that since Yu Qian was an upright third-rank official and was captured by the rebels in the city occupied by the army, he must have been recruited when he went to meet Gu Chunhan privately; Gu Chunhan was originally the one who defected to Zhang Ning.
Yu Qian is still thinking about the great master
She went back to her room and pulled out a memorial from Yu Qian's bookshelf. Yu Qian brought it back from Zhang Ning's former study room. Regarding the memorial that was submitted to Haimao a few years ago, it was written by Zhang Ning. She took the letter and the memorial.
Comparing the handwriting carefully, it turned out that it was indeed Zhang Ning's handwriting, and there were no mistakes. Moreover, since there were Yu Qian's belongings, Dong could basically believe that her husband had been caught by Zhang Ning.
Will Zhang Ning kill him? Mrs. Dong is very worried. She will become a widow at a young age and will not have anyone to rely on for the rest of her life. She comes from a scholarly family, and her husband is now a court minister. It is always bad to remarry; if she is an ordinary citizen,
That is barely an option.
She really wanted to see if Yu Qian was alive, but she was a little scared to go to enemy territory as a woman. What if she was a sheep entering a tiger's mouth and her innocence was tainted?
She was in a dilemma, but she also knew in her heart that she could not feel at ease unless she confirmed her husband's safety. She thought of Zhang Ning's appearance and his personality. In fact, he was not that vicious and vicious person. He had a very good impression when they met before.
Well, not only is he elegant and polite, he is also very clean, handsome, and has a very good character. My husband is actually not a mediocre person, and he always has choices when making friends.
The letter in her hand was full of good words. She thought to herself: The wording was so polite and courteous, Zhang Ning was indeed an upright scholar. Only one day later, Mrs. Dong accepted Zhang Ning's invitation with trepidation.
He took several domestic slaves and followed the people sent by Zhang Ning on the road to Chenzhou.
When they arrived in Chenzhou, Zhang Ning treated her with courtesy. First, he sent someone to arrange Qingya's residence, and then invited her to meet in the living room.
When Zhang Ning walked into the living room, he couldn't help but be slightly startled when he saw Mrs. Dong. Although he had met her before, it was a little too long and the impression was blurred. Now that he saw her again, he felt that Mrs. Yu was indeed a beauty. She was not too thin, but had a natural body.
She has a soft and frail appearance that attracts pity. She has fair skin, dignified facial features, and a well-bred manner. She is indeed a good match.
With such a wife, and Yu Qian is not a womanizer, why would he provoke Gu Chunhan? Zhang Ning got a rough idea that Yu Qian fell into the trap because of Gu Chunhan. Although they were old acquaintances, the relationship between the two parties was already tense, and Gu Chunhan
Was he using a beauty trap to seduce her? Thinking of this, Zhang Ning felt as if he had been cuckolded. Although Gu Chunhan was not his real wife and had stayed in a brothel, Zhang Ning once had true feelings for her.
It’s a mentality that you can’t let go of.
"Is my husband still alive?" Mrs. Dong just saw Zhang Ning and asked directly without even having time to greet him.
Zhang Ning said kindly: "Of course we are unscathed. I am an old friend with Yu Shilang, and we have no personal grudges. The reason why we ended up in such a land today is because each of us has his own master (Zhang Ning's nominal master is Emperor Jianwen). I both
Once I catch Yu Shilang, I am no longer an enemy, and I will naturally treat him well."
Mrs. Dong breathed a sigh of relief, and then she knelt down and made a blessing: "I have just been disrespectful and made King Xiang laugh. If you have some government affairs, I am here to apologize for my husband."
Suddenly, Zhang Ning changed the topic and sighed: "It's a pity that Minister Yu is too pedantic sometimes, and now he wants to die. I'm worried that one day I won't catch it, and he will commit suicide..."
"How could this happen?" Mrs. Dong breathed a sigh of relief just now, her worry was palpable, and she looked even more pitiful.
Zhang Ning said: "Madam, you have to persuade him."
Dong choked up and said: "Your Majesty, can you be gracious and let me see him? How should I persuade him?"
Zhang Ning took out the handkerchief and handed it over. Dong took it without paying attention and wiped her tears. After a moment, she came to her senses and hurriedly handed it back. She blushed and choked with sobs: "I'm rude." Zhang Ning put the handkerchief back on her face.
He put it into his sleeve pocket and said, "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter." Then he persuaded him kindly: "You have to advise him not to force anything. If he can't take care of the world's affairs, he should first take care of the people closest to him and love him. As long as he does his best for his emperor,
Now, even if you fail, you don’t have to be so stubborn.”
"It would be great if he could listen to me." Dong said, "He will definitely tell some great truths about the world."
Zhang Ning was stunned: "When you can't protect your own women, what does it have to do with you, what happens to the rest of the world?"
"I actually like to hear King Xiang's teachings. But your teachings probably won't make sense to my husband," Mrs. Dong said.
Zhang Ning could only sigh and said: "But Madam, please try your best to persuade her. If he really succeeds, as long as he tells the Northern Route Army's combat strategy, I will ensure that he can live a life without danger, and Madam can also stay with him."
, your family should live a peaceful life for a while. When the situation stabilizes, I will definitely give fertile land, gold and jade to the minister when he returns, and I will never bear to harm him."
"Is this true?" Dong said with only a glimmer of hope.
Zhang Ning said: "How could I go back on my word? Yu Shilang is also a person I respect."
Dong said: "Then I'll give it a try."
Zhang Ning seemed to be more anxious than Mrs. Yu. He wanted to take her to see Yu Qian immediately, without even asking her to take a rest first. Mrs. Yu was also eager and naturally would not refuse. They went to a house near Dongcheng Mansion.
, it was a place specially set up by Yao Ji's people to detain important criminals. Now only Yu Qian is being held.
Yu Qian had spent a few days in Chenzhou, and he was indeed not mistreated. He was well fed and entertained. Now he had changed into clean clothes and had been free for a few days, and he looked pretty good. He was not locked up in a small cell.
In the house, he can move around in one of the courtyards. There are flowers, trees and even a study room in the courtyard.
When Zhang Ning took Mr. Dong in, he saw Yu Qian sitting in the yard reading a book. Yu Qian heard the footsteps and looked back. The expression on his face immediately stiffened, and then he frowned and said, "Why are you here in Chenzhou?"
!”
"Don't blame me, Minister. It is indeed the king who sent a letter to invite the madam. She is worried about your safety, so she came to have a look." Zhang Ning suddenly felt very good when he saw that Yu Qian was in trouble.
Yu Qian was stunned for a moment with the book in his hand, and had nothing to say. He instantly understood that it was useless to say anything now. Since Zhang Ning had succeeded, if he could put it back, he might use Dong to blackmail him.
"Can I have a few words with Madam?" Yu Qian said. With Zhang Ning's consent, he called Mr. Dong over, lowered his head and whispered: "You find a chance to end it, so as not to be humiliated. Otherwise, call me and your Dong family."
Where can I put my face so that I won’t be laughed at in the future?”