Chapter 493 The bird in the cage

Zhang Zhou was originally just listening to "Royal Secrets", participating in the disputes within the old Zhu family, and watching the fun from the sidelines.

But when the eldest princess of Yongkang glared at him and said something like that, Zhang Zhou realized that feelings are my business.

It’s you who dislikes the person in your family who doesn’t I wanted him to get ahead, and then he begged for nothing and insisted on joining the army. Now his wish has come true, just because he has no experience in the army, he was pushed to the front line to lead the troops. This is all my fault

Is it weird?

The Empress Dowager Zhou did not take her grandson's accusation seriously. She pretended to ask, "Bingkuan, is there anyone in the army who is jealous of Mao Ren's talent?"

Zhang Zhou nodded. He said, "Although Cui Prince Consort has no actual experience in leading troops, he has great potential. He can be said to be a hidden horse. There must be some people in the army who are jealous of his talents, especially some generals who are waiting to die. Cui will Maybe the prince-in-law is a thorn in the side."

Zhu Youtang looked at Zhang Zhou from the side, his eyes seemed to say, Bingkuan, why are you adding to the flames?

"But no. To be envied by others is to be mediocre," Zhang Zhou added.

Empress Dowager Zhou smiled and nodded and said, "Bingkuan is right. Only when you are capable can you not be afraid of being jealous. Just like Bingkuan, you should have a deep understanding of it in the court."

Zhang Zhou said, "The Empress Dowager is smiling. I have done my duty in the court and have never taken the initiative to have any disputes with others."

The Empress Dowager Zhou looked at Zhu Youtang again and said, "Emperor, be tolerant and wise. Ming, he said that Mao Ren is capable. If you use it more, you may be able to cultivate a pillar of the country and the army in the future."

"Yes, Imperial Grandmother"

Zhu Youtang suddenly felt that he was talking about the situation.

But it also indirectly complimented Zhang Zhou and Cui Yuan, which not only made him, the emperor, feel comfortable after hearing this, but it seemed that his sister's expression was not as anxious as before.

Sure enough, the old lady is still the same

The Queen Mother Zhou turned to Zhang Zhou and said, "That's true, but Bingkuan, if something unexpected happens to Mao Ren in this battle, it will be like that of the British public. They are the same, I’m afraid there are some things they can’t explain, and the Ai family still doesn’t want them to suffer any harm.”

I want to join the army to gain merit, but I don’t want to take risks

Zhang Zhou analyzed carefully, “At present. According to the information obtained, Prince Consort Cui and Uncle Xiangcheng brought two thousand cavalry reinforcements to Shigou City, and the terrain around Shigou City is open and the roads are accessible in all directions. The cavalry cannot be defeated, but they can always run away."

Yongkang became anxious upon hearing this and asked, "Whoever you say can't be beaten will run away."

This touched a weak point in her heart. The eldest princess also wanted to save face.

Zhang Zhoudao "Just make a hypothesis, talk about strategic retreat, what do you think?"

"You"

"Okay." Empress Dowager Zhou interrupted the argument , "Bingkuan has already said that this battle has not yet concluded, and we will wait until there is a conclusion. If you want to blame Baoguo Gong, can you blame Bingkuan? Bingkuan admires him and recommends him to His Majesty. How good is this? If Mao Ren can go well, we can fight from now onIt's not too late to be grateful. Yongkang, you can’t be ignorant. ”

Princess Yongkang has only seen old ladies helping her own family before, but never seen helping outsiders.

She felt aggrieved for a moment, but she had to be strong-tempered and She can't show it.

What she doesn't know is that in the heart of Queen Mother Zhou, she has long been able to distinguish who is a "family member" and who is an "outsider". You, Yongkang, are already married granddaughters. He can be compared to the most influential minister around my grandson.

At critical times, the Ai family still relies on him to influence the emperor and help me.

Now let him do it. Your explanation is enough to give you face.

The Empress Dowager Zhou did not embarrass Zhu Youtang and Zhang Zhou, and quickly let them leave. Yongkang looked very unwilling and said, "The Empress Dowager, don't you want to explain things to the emperor brother and why you only said these few words?"

The Empress Dowager Zhou said, "Your emperor brother is busy with affairs, so I don't have the time to care about your affairs." I’ve said everything that needs to be said. Isn’t it that easy for you to ask the Aijia to ask Mao Ren for a job that doesn’t involve taking risks but also brings military glory? Didn’t Bingkuan also say it all? It’s mediocre to not be envied by others. Mao Ren It is a good thing to be envied by others. ”

Yongkang said, “It’s not jealousy, it’s about dying.” ”

“We’ll wait until there are results.” "Empress Dowager Zhou said, "There are children. Don't you think that the one who is jealous of your family is Bingkuan?"

Yongkang was speechless this time.

< p>In fact, that was what she meant at first.

Because her husband was appreciated by the emperor, Zhang Zhou cooperated with Zhu Hui, the protector of the country, to send her husband to the front line of the battlefield and find an opportunity. Let him die to prevent his husband from gaining the emperor's trust in the future

A woman as fierce and powerful as Yongkang will definitely think of the worst in people when it comes to getting into trouble.

< p>Empress Dowager Zhou said, "Bingkuan knows how to do things. He is not like those ministers in the court. He has a sense of proportion. If he thinks this is okay, then it must be okay. Go back." "

"The Empress Dowager"

"Let's go," the Empress Dowager Zhou said impatiently, "The Ai family has to clean up Buddhist rituals recently, so don't disturb me if you have nothing to do. I don’t have to pay greetings or anything else. Once you get married, you won’t hang around your parents’ house. It’s not good for outsiders to know about it. Do you want people to think that you are here to ask for something from your royal brother?”

Yongkang did come to ask for something, but it was not material, but it was more valuable than material.

Zhu Youtang and Zhang Zhou returned to Qianqing Palace, and Zhu Youtang was still apologetic. He said, "Yongkang's temperament is the most stubborn among my imperial sisters. Bingkuan, don't take it to heart. "

Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "It makes sense to fight for your own prince-in-law. ”

Zhu Youtang said gloomily, “She is causing trouble for me and for the court. Is her government’s affairs more important than court affairs?”

Zhang Zhou smiled and said nothing. .

“But if you have the chance, you can help Cui Yuan., his temperament is quite good, I have met him in the past, and I admire him to a certain extent. "Zhu Youtang still added.

Zhang Zhou also saw that Zhu Youtang actually took good care of Cui Yuan, his brother-in-law.

Probably because Cui Yuan is a " "The wives are strict", Zhu Youtang himself was the same in the past, and then they were a little sympathetic to each other.

It is also related to Cui Yuan who is usually carefree, plus he is good at making friends, has an easy-going personality and does not want to be in the limelight. Such a brother-in-law In the eyes of his brother-in-law, he is a good man.

Zhang Zhou said, "Your Majesty, I feel that Prince Consort Cui has a great chance of making a difference in this battle. It depends on whether he knows how to grasp it. "

"How to say" Zhu Youtang asked.

"With the front army, and there is a Ningxia governor on the front who is determined to fight, as long as the men and horses he is accompanying can follow. If you charge forward, you will definitely gain something. No matter how great your military achievements are, it can be regarded as setting an example for the entire army. "Zhang Zhou said.

Zhu Youtang said, "He is following Uncle Xiangcheng. He only has one or two thousand soldiers and horses, and he will fight bravely against foreign barbarians."

Zhang Zhou smiled and said, " It all depends on how the war progresses. If it is beneficial to the Ming Dynasty, then the soldiers will be brave. Otherwise, it will be up to man. ”

It was impossible for Zhang Zhou, who was more than two thousand miles away, to know about Cui Yuan’s performance on the battlefield. He did not even expect that Cui Yuan could be sent out as the vanguard of the vanguard officer by Li Er. Team.

At this time, the Tatars were steadily retreating.

The Ming Dynasty's various troops were chasing after each other, and there were several small confrontations between them. They were all damaged. The biggest problem on the Ming Dynasty was not that the soldiers were not brave enough to fight, but that the number of firearms dropped sharply.

Zhu Hui, who had the largest batch of firearms, was delayed and failed to keep up. As a result, the war never broke out.

The Tatars are not good at anything else, but they are indeed not comparable to the Ming Dynasty in terms of riding horses. Especially in the Ming Dynasty's Ningxia border army, more than half are not cavalry. , chasing with just two legs is a bit inadequate.

Two days after the pursuit started, the Ningxia troops no longer clung to the rear of the Tatar army as before, but pulled away. After driving for at least twenty miles,

At this time, both sides have not stopped to rest, and both combatants have basically reached the limit of their physical strength.

"Master Yang, The soldiers could no longer keep up, and some were already complaining. They had traveled nearly two hundred and sixty miles in the past two days. It was okay if they had animals to carry them, but others were already far behind. ”

Deputy Commander-in-Chief Gao Pi rode his horse to Yang Yiqing’s car and complained to Yang Yiqing.

Originally, this errand should have been done by Guo Jun, but Guo Jun didn’t want to talk about it now. It was rare. Military merit and dissent should be left to the men.

Yang Yiqing looked at the darkening sky. The pursuit had lasted for two days, two nights and one afternoon. He naturally knew that he would not be able to hold on if he continued this pursuit. It was his way.

Yang Yiqing asked, "Have Uncle Ping Jiang's men followed?"

"It's difficult, sir." Gao Pi said, "We are marching. Even if Uncle Ping Jiang rides a horse to catch up, it will take several days."

Yang Yiqing said, "Uncle Ping Jiang should take the road Go to Lingzhou Station to cut off the Tatars' retreat."

Gao Pi did not answer. Obviously, he could not influence Chen Rui's decision. Even if he sent information to Chen Rui now to ask him to cooperate, it would be too late.

Yang Yiqing was also a little annoyed and said, "Are all the generals of the Ming Dynasty so irresponsible? The Tatars are looking at the Yellow River, not towards the Loop. If they reach the border of Ningxia Vanguard, they can cooperate." The defenders trapped him along the Yellow River, making it impossible for him to cross the river. Gao Pi said, "Sir, are we going to catch up to the Yellow River? It may take us a day or two to go slower." "

"The Tatars are reaching their limit," Yang Yiqing said. "Don't we chase them and let them continue to wreak havoc in the Ming Dynasty? Now we have to chase them even for the sake of the people. Tell the soldiers that this matter is related to their military merit and their lifelong glory. Will they have the opportunity to experience this kind of thing in this life?"

Gao Pixin said, this didn't sound right.

Could it be that if we fought such a battle with you, Mr. Yang, it must be the pinnacle of our lives?

Why don’t we make greater contributions to our life goals in the future? But it's very high.

"The Tatars are also at the end of their battle. Let those who can't keep up catch up as much as possible, and those on horseback should not let up. Then tell the Marquis of Wu'an, the Bo of Xiangcheng and the Bo of Jianchang to let them follow closely. Go up."

While Yang Yiqing was making arrangements, Gao Pi suddenly thought of something.

Gao Pi said, "Uncle Xiangcheng is already ahead of us. Uncle Jianchang has fallen nearly a hundred miles away. I don't know if he can keep up. As for Marquis Wu'an, he is the closest to us."

Yang Yiqing nodded and said, "It seems that Uncle Xiangcheng has his own ability to gain a foothold in the border town. I thought he was also a loser, but I despised him."

Even Yang Yiqing didn't feel that way. , What is the difference between Li Na and other honorable ministers?

Gao Pi said, "That's probably because they performed meritorious service on the battlefield and were holding their breath. Now the brothers don't want to be robbed of their credit by them."

It was originally two groups of people who cooperated. After all, there was no pressure from competition, so Li Naocai only had 2,000 troops.

However, Cui Yuan's outstanding performance on the southern line of Shigou City, coupled with such a vigorous pursuit this time, will make the Ningxia local frontier soldiers feel that they are deliberately trying to steal the credit.

"It's good to have competition. I also tell the people below that we can't let others look down on us. This is our territory in Ningxia. Should we hand over our achievements to others?" Yang Yiqing encouraged.

Obviously Yang Yiqing did not regard Li Er or Cui Yuan as his opponents, but now he wanted to use these two people as catfish to motivate his soldiers.

Within the capital.

The battle report is coming soon, but there is a lot of discussion in the capital. Unlike Zhang Zhou’s optimism about Yang Yiqing, the general public in the capital, whether it is civil or military officials or public opinion,They are not optimistic about Yang Yiqing and his tens of thousands of soldiers in Ningxia.

In Lian Yanwu Hall, there seem to be many opinions on Yang Yiqing, mainly because Yang Yiqing is not a direct descendant of Zhang Zhou. From the perspective of most people in Yanwu Hall considering themselves to be Zhang Zhou’s disciples, then Yang Yiqing is a political enemy.

How can a leader who has not been cultivated by Zhang Zhou become a victorious general on the battlefield? In the battle of Lian Huamachi, Zhang Zhou obviously calculated the time and place in advance and asked Yang Yiqing to go Get a big deal.

And recently, the public opinion in the capital is simply trying to blow Zhang Zhou to the sky.

Omnipotent, just like a god descending from the earth, attacking wherever he points. The Tatars all obeyed Zhang Zhou's instructions and ran to the Huama Pond to die.

On this day, Zhang Zhou was still watching the opera rehearsal in the theater. The theater was not open to the public that night, but a new play was being rehearsed. As the boss behind the scenes, Zhang Zhou naturally wanted to come over and give some advice. As well as fulfilling his responsibilities as a boss, it was also a pastime for him.

Zhu Feng, on the other hand, had been busy in Yanwu Hall all day and came to Zhang Zhou to talk to him at night.

"Brother Zhang, don't mention it. I have seen many beautiful actors along the way. Your place has really become a place where the golden house hides beauties."

Zhu Feng was still very envious as he spoke.

Zhang Zhou had money and leisure. After becoming the minister, he actually opened such a theater in the capital to make money. He won the respect of the entire circle of fans in the capital. He could not only make money, but also come here for entertainment.

Zhang Zhou frowned when he heard this.

I don’t have the nerve to ask, what do you mean by “beautiful actor”? You have different visions, and you evaluate things differently. You and others should not be looking at the same thing.

"For example?" Zhang Zhou asked.

Zhu Feng said, "The female actors on the stage are all beautiful and pleasing to the eye."

Zhang Zhou then realized that the two of them were talking about the same thing.

"If you are interested, take her back and I will help you find a match." Zhang Zhou said, "If you can take a concubine and give birth to a son, I guess you can burn high incense at home."

" Haha."

Zhu Feng smiled ashamedly and scratched his head.

Zhang Zhou instantly understood that this kid was just having fun with his mouth and had not really changed his temper at all.

Then tea and snacks were served. Zhang Zhou looked at Zhu Feng and said to the waiter, "Give him some ordinary food."

Zhu Feng smiled and said, "Brother Zhang understands." I don’t have time to eat when I’m busy, and I feel hungry when I talk about it.”

Zhu Feng came to him for dinner not once or twice.

And Zhang Zhou also knew that Zhu Feng was not pretending on purpose. Zhu Feng still put in a lot of effort into the operation of the Yanwu Hall. After all, there was no principal or honorary principal, and he could only rely on the instructors. With the Yanwu Hall supported, Wang Qiong cannot go there often, and the only one left who can speak with weight and can even lead the students is Zhu Feng.

"After Lu Wan returns to the capital, it will be easier for you." Zhang Zhou mentioned what he had just saidLu Wan went to be the governor of Neisan Pass.

"Yes." Zhu Feng didn't mind much.

While waiting for the meal, Zhu Feng had no intention of admiring any "beautiful actor". He said, "Not only did the person who came to give me gifts recently say that he would like to go to the northwest with me to practice."

p>

"Oh" Zhang Zhou pretended to be surprised.

Zhu Feng said, "I didn't take it. I also told them that your Majesty and Brother Zhang have no intention of letting me go to the northwest for the time being. That's it. They secretly guessed that if this battle doesn't go well, your Majesty may send I went to Ningxia to lead troops, and I also said that I know the military situation in Ningxia better. After all, I led troops to fight against the Tatars there."

Zhang Zhou nodded slightly and continued to look at the stage.

At this time, Xiao Janggeum was rehearsing a local North Korean drama under the leadership of Zhang Lushui. Although it was also re-edited, it had an exotic feel to it.

This kind of play is just a prelude, not the main selling point, but Zhang Zhou found it interesting. After all, there were several women from North Korea beside him, including some who were directly from North Korea. King Li Yi of North Korea paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty, but was directly given it by the emperor.

Although from an aesthetic point of view, they basically have round faces that meet the current male aesthetic standards and look pink, they still have beautiful facial features.

This also let Zhang Zhou know that in fact, the aesthetics of the past dynasties are similar, but there are limitations of the times in terms of makeup and so on.

"Brother Zhang, if you really lose, do you want me to come?" Zhu Feng asked.

Zhang Zhou still didn't look back, but he said angrily, "Can you hope for something good? Ma Chi has won. What do you think is the chance of losing this battle? It's just a matter of how much you win."

What Li Rong could understand at first, Zhu Feng may not be able to understand.

That is, as long as some Tatar heads are captured in this battle, the scene will not be too ugly. The two sides will retreat after fighting. Even if the losses of the Ming soldiers are several times that of the opposite side, it will not affect the victory of the frontier army, and it will not affect the victory of the frontier army. Influenced the court to celebrate victory.

Zhu Feng said with a smile, "That's good that I don't have to go. By the way, Brother Zhang, there is another interesting time. Guess who else gave me a gift? You won't believe it when I say it. It's actually Princess Yongkang"

This time Zhang Zhou's eyes were finally drawn to her, but he looked over with a frown.

"She just gave you a gift and had no demands." Zhang Zhou thought of Princess Yongkang he had met the day before and knew that she was a woman who was not easy to mess with.

Unlike Ning Tong, Princess Yongkang has her own pride as the emperor's sister.

Mainly Zhang Zhou is also difficult to deal with.

Zhu Feng thought for a moment and said, "I haven't seen the eldest princess in person. She just sent her servant there. What she told me is that she has always had a relationship with the Duke of Chengguo and my father. In Beijing, I don’t know whether what she said is true or not. She also said that when the consort comes back, she will invite me to come over for a drink. "Zhang Zhou said, "You can agree."

Zhu Feng. He shook his head and said, "It's better to say goodbye. The eldest princess is not easy to mess with."

Zhang Zhouxin said it was rare., I know who I can’t offend. The key point is that this eldest princess is too strong. Unlike the emperor’s other two sisters, Princess Yongkang seems to have a preference for revitalizing the lintel. This makes Zhang Zhou think that this is probably why Cui Yuan was able to fight for the title later. Hou's reasons.

"I sent all the gifts back. If anyone comes to give you gifts in the future, I will refuse them." Zhu Feng said, "As Brother Zhang said, in the future, when you are the only one who leads the army, I will I will go into battle with you. Otherwise, it would be nice for me to stay in the capital."

"Yes." Zhang Zhou continued to look at the stage.

Zhu Feng saw that Zhang Zhou was not interested in his topic and felt that he was asking for trouble.

Just then the food was served. He picked up the bowls and chopsticks and said as if talking to himself, "Speaking of which, I haven't seen Tong'er for a few days. I wonder how she is now."

Zhang Zhou said, "You haven't seen it, and I haven't seen it either."

"Ah" Zhu Feng looked so surprised that he didn't even bother to eat, "You haven't seen it? Brother Zhang said I have to take care of her."

Zhang Zhou thought to himself, when did I say I would take care of her?

"Brother Zhang, she is a lonely woman, even if she no longer needs my help. She, but she still needs some care. I have always hoped that she will not die alone, Brother Zhang, you see"

Zhu Feng is very enthusiastic.

Zhang Zhou glanced at him and said, "Zhijie, this person has nothing to do with you anymore. You don't have to be responsible for her future. It's like she has never had anything to do with me, and I don't have to be responsible for her." She is as responsible as ever. Ever since she was able to enter the palace to treat the imperial concubine and the prince, everyone in the palace now respects her. Maybe she will stay in the palace if there is a chance in the future."

"What do you mean? "Zhu Feng is still confused.

Zhang Zhou did not answer.

After Zhu Feng thought about it for a while, he suddenly realized the meaning of Zhang Zhou's words, and said with fear in his eyes, "No way."

"Why not?" Zhang Zhouzheng said as he spoke , the Korean local drama on the stage has ended.

There was nothing wrong with the actors, but Zhang Lushui knew that Zhang Zhou was there that day and insisted on dragging Xiao Janggeum up to serve Zhang Zhou tea. The entire theater troupe, especially the North Korean people, seemed to have already regarded Zhang Lushui. Treat her like half a lady.

It is also because Zhang Lushui has the skills, she speaks Chinese well, she comes early, and she is a mainstay in the theater, so she can often see Zhang Zhou

In short, she She also had her own way of doing things in the theater. Others would think that Zhang Zhou would accept her, and no one would dare to offend her.

Zhu Feng whispered, "Brother Zhang should know that Tong'er doesn't want to be tied down in one place. If Brother Zhang lets her in, she can still do what she wants to do as before." . But if it’s your majesty’s words, I’m just talking nonsense. Even if Brother Zhang hears this, it’s better not to lock Tong’er in a cage. She doesn’t like to be a bird in someone else’s cage. "Please remember to bookmark, the latest and fastest anti-theft free reading<.

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