"Wu Guoxing, gather the men, prepare the horses, and go with me to Jining. Leave one person to tell Wang Jiayan and Huang Bodang that they will discuss and decide on all matters in Yanzhou Mansion while I am away."
After temporarily solving some of the problems at hand, Zhu Ling could no longer bear his temper. He immediately ordered Wang Guoxing to set out for Jining with him. He had previously ordered Meng Zhangming to garrison in Jining for other reasons. After everyone left, he could escape and go there specifically.
Do this. Otherwise, if Uncle Huang and Wang Jiayan are here, he will not be able to leave Yanzhou Mansion at all.
When he heard His Majesty's words, Wang Guoxing was also startled and hesitated about the order. He decided to ask: "Your Majesty, are you sure you want to go to Jining? If Wang Shangshu and others knew about it, they would definitely not agree."
Hearing this, Zhu Ling just smiled softly and said: "I am the emperor. If I want to go anywhere, no one can stop me."
"But if you encounter bandits and you are sick, wouldn't it be..." Wang Guoxing seemed hesitant when facing this issue. He looked embarrassed in his clothes and was still unwilling for His Majesty to take such a dangerous move.
"joke!"
Zhu Ling, however, looked unafraid and said, "Even if your two hundred Jin Yiwei cannot defeat the bandits, are they still unsure of how to protect me from leaving? If this is the case, I may have to change my Jin Yiwei commander."
"I am determined to keep your majesty safe!"
…
"Mr. Liu, I heard that an army was stationed in Jining yesterday. It seems to be quite large." In the lobby of the Jiaxiang County government office, a middle-aged man in Tsing Yi raised his hands to the person sitting in the main seat.
The young man in white said respectfully.
"Should we send someone to find out?"
He didn't seem to care about this, and the young man just drank tea quietly without being affected at all. The man in green didn't dare to continue asking questions, so he had to wait patiently. The master of his family didn't like to be disturbed while drinking tea.
disturb.
After a long time, the man in white put down his tea cup, opened his eyes and said: "We still have to investigate, but remember not to alarm the other party. We will call Shi Xinghuo here soon, and our troops will have to be mobilized. Wan
Even if the other party is unkind, we can easily deal with it."
"The villain obeys your orders!"
After a while, the man named Shi Xinghuo arrived in the lobby. He was wearing a suit of armor, tall and tall, and strode in with dignity. As soon as he saw the man in white, he immediately restrained his arrogance and bowed: "Master
, what are your orders?"
"How have your soldiers and horses been training these past few days?" His tone was as gentle as before.
"Reporting to the young master, 30,000 soldiers and horses are training every two days. In addition, the military pay and food are sufficient. The brothers are very excited and even a little eager to try the war." Shi Xinghuo had an active face and spoke more arrogantly.
"good."
The man in white stood up and said slowly: "There is news that an official army came to Jining yesterday. You should prepare your troops and horses and set up defenses in the east in case the official army comes to attack at any time."
"Got the order!"
After Shi Xinghuo left, a man wearing a green official robe came out, looked at the steady man and said: "In recent days, I heard that His Majesty has been on tour to the south and has arrived in Shandong. If this officer and army belongs to His Majesty,
You should be careful about your head."
Hearing this, there was no expression on the man's face. He just said: "So I sent someone to check. If they are really serious officers and soldiers, I will treat them well. Treat them like my family, but if they are
Those officers and soldiers have other thoughts, and it just so happens that my soldiers and horses are so active all day long. They can train their troops."
…
next day afternoon
Zhu Ling led the royal guards to Jining and went directly to the government office in Jining. Hearing that His Majesty was coming in person, Meng Zhangming and the magistrate of Jining rushed to greet him. After some greetings, Zhu Ling followed everyone to the government office, and then slowly
Slowly mentioned the purpose of this trip.
"Uncle **, do you know that someone in Jiaxiang County secretly recruited 30,000 volunteers?"
Upon hearing that His Majesty was asking about this matter, Uncle Zhizhou was also a little stunned. This matter was something he had always been afraid of, but had not been mentioned by Your Majesty before today. He could only answer awkwardly: "Wei Chen knows."
"Do you know why you didn't report to the imperial court? Why didn't you order that man to disband the volunteers? But you allowed him to summon as many as 30,000 people. What crime do you deserve?" Following Zhu Ling's angry rebuke, the guards on both sides immediately drew their swords and attacked him.
Above the neck.
The uncle was so frightened that he shrank his neck and felt terrified in his heart. He hurriedly explained: "Reporting to Your Majesty, it's not that the ministers don't want to report. It's just that bandits have become increasingly rampant in recent years and it's difficult to deliver the documents to the capital. And it's not that the ministers don't want to be dismissed.
Those 30,000 volunteers, but that man has been ordering these 30,000 people to protect Jiaxiang County and the surrounding prefectures and counties of Jining, which is indeed a meritorious service. On some days, bandits looted, and it was he who led 30,000 troops to repel the bandits, and the people all responded to them.
Love."
After listening to Uncle **'s words, Zhu Ling had a rough understanding of the 30,000 volunteers learned by Liu Jun. Although they had soldiers, they did not harm the people and served as defenders. But if these 30,000 volunteers
Being frustrated or being co-opted by Li Zicheng in the future would not be a good thing for the court after all.
"The purpose of my coming here this time is to recruit these 30,000 volunteers into the imperial establishment. If this trip goes well, your uncle will take the lead."
Hearing about such a good thing coming from heaven, the uncle hurriedly said with surprise: "Whatever your Majesty's orders are, I will definitely do it."
"Go and invite Liu Junxue over and tell him that Meng Zhangming, the imperial court counselor, invited him to attend the dinner." Zhu Ling pretended to be mysterious and said, making Meng Zhangming beside him a little confused.
Hearing this, although he had doubts, Uncle Uncle still accepted the task with a smile and then withdrew.
"Your Majesty, I think this person will definitely not come." Meng Zhangming said categorically immediately, without any hesitation on this matter. He also thought that your Majesty's move was not appropriate, and anyone else could see it.
, it was most likely a Hongmen Banquet. After all, five thousand troops were stationed in Jining, so it was impossible for Liu Junxue not to know about it.
"What if I say he will definitely come? And he will definitely not bring more than a hundred people." On the contrary, Zhu Ling seemed very calm.
"The general will not believe it at the end."
"Then just wait tonight. If you lose, just promise me something."
"I am willing to bet with Your Majesty this time!"
…
Soon in the evening, the banquet had been arranged. Although it was not as good as the dinner in the palace, it was still rich in the current period. But Liu Junxue was nowhere to be seen. Meng Zhangming asked his uncle, but he only said:
Get informed response.
"Your Majesty, it seems that Liu Junxue will not come today." Meng Zhangming looked at His Majesty who was still calm and couldn't help but feel that His Majesty was wrong this time.
"The food is not cold yet, don't be anxious." Zhu Ling, who closed his eyes to rest his mind, was still in no hurry and remained calm and relaxed.
"His Majesty!"
Suddenly, uncle **'s voice came from outside, and he hurried in and said breathlessly: "Then Liu Junxue is here!"
Hearing this, Meng Zhangming was startled, and then he couldn't help but be convinced by His Majesty's accurate guess. He was so sure, but in the end he was wrong. He must have had a reason to be there, rather than just guessing out of thin air.
"Let him in."
After saying that, Zhu Ling suddenly stood up, then pushed Meng Zhangming onto the main seat, while he stood aside. He stretched out his hand to signal Meng Zhangming not to say anything, and quietly waited for the arrival of Liu Junxue.
When Liu Junxue came in, he was dressed in white clothes as white as snow, with long hair flowing like willow leaves. He walked in calmly, and when he saw Meng Zhangming, he immediately bowed and saluted: "Young man Liu Junxue has seen General Meng."
"Mr. Liu, please take a seat. No need to be polite." Meng Zhangming also stood up and returned the greeting. The two looked at each other and smiled before sitting down.
After the two of them were seated, the uncle realized that His Majesty had sat aside at some point, and Liu Junxue had no idea that His Majesty was there at all. He couldn't help but feel a sense of fear in his heart, but when His Majesty had nothing to say, he immediately withdrew.
"General Meng invited me here for more than a simple dinner, right?" Liu Junxue looked like a handsome young man, and he did not show any fear.
"I came here to ask about your thirty thousand volunteers."