At this time, a hazy light rain was falling in the sky, and a light white mist gradually appeared. The sound of the light rain hitting the ears was always so sweet, and it seemed that falling asleep here was very pleasant.
Shi Kefa had no idea of taking a nap at this time. The situation in the Ming Dynasty was currently in turmoil. Most of the country had fallen into the hands of bandits. It was too late to serve the country. How could he enjoy such a good time. And the people around him were also from when they set off a few days ago.
Zhu Dadian, who was rescued from prison, was rushing to Yanzhou with three thousand soldiers trained by himself.
"Sir, why don't we go directly from Sizhou to Xuzhou, and then go directly to Yanzhou? Why do we have to take a detour? We have been delayed for two days, and His Majesty must be a little unhappy. We should inform His Majesty." He just came out of the prison.
Zhu Dadian is obviously much gentler and more cautious. He is completely different from the overbearing and domineering Zhu Dadian.
"We have an important thing to do here."
Shi Kefa stood on the bow of the boat, looking at the great rivers and mountains here, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness for the broken mountains and rivers of the Ming Dynasty. He deliberately took a detour here today just to see a person, and if this person was...
It played a huge role in the revival of the Ming Dynasty.
"Where is your Majesty?" Zhu Dadian was still a little worried,
"No, if I handle this matter well, Your Majesty will not blame you or me." When the ship docked, Shi Kefa got off the ship directly. Zhu Dadian behind him saw that the Lord was so persistent and said nothing more.
The two walked all the way through the streets and alleys, and arrived in front of a restaurant hidden deep in the house. There were not many people here, but maybe it was the place where the dignitaries came, so it was very hidden.
After reading the recommendation letter to the person at the door, Zhu Dadian let the two of them go upstairs. Looking at this operation, Zhu Dadian also understood that the person he met today was definitely not an ordinary person, and he must be a high-ranking official. But he knew well that
Being an official, he did not ask, but followed quietly. It was not until they went upstairs and entered a private room that he found out who the person they wanted to see was.
Chief Military Officer Gao Jie!
"Sir, please take a seat quickly."
Gao Jie did not get up, but just waved his hand and asked Shi Kefa and Zhu Dadian to sit down. Although Shi Kefa was not the Minister of War in the capital, his official rank was higher than him, but the two did not get up when they met him! Zhu Dadian was also extremely dissatisfied.
But after seeing that his elders were not displeased at all, he could only endure it.
To be so rude, he must be a rude person in private.
"How are you doing?" Shi Kefa didn't get straight to the point, but responded gently.
But it was obvious that Gao Jie didn't appreciate it and said coldly: "Generally speaking, I have been training my troops and horses these past few days, and I am really tired. The court will not pay the troops. What will happen if so many of my troops mutiny?"
Having said that, he raised his hand to drink without forgetting to observe Shi Kefa's mood.
"The current situation in the imperial court has become even more difficult. Most of the country has fallen, and even the salaries of many officials cannot be paid. If the country can be recovered, the issue of military pay will naturally be easy."
Before Shi Kefa could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Gao Jie: "Sir, it's not that the general's language is rude. Your Majesty has now arrived in Yanzhou. It is said that he has 30,000 soldiers, including 5,000 Guan Ning cavalry. It is a huge expense every month.
, it’s not the national treasury and internal funds. Where did the money come from to supply the army? Could it be that it was robbed like the thieves?"
"presumptuous!"
Zhu Dadian, who was sitting aside, couldn't bear it any longer. He drew his sword and stood up to point it at Gao Jie, who was uttering rude words across from him. He couldn't stand such blasphemy against the court and His Majesty.
Looking at Zhu Dadian, Gao Jie couldn't help but ridiculed: "The former governor made great military exploits, but he was imprisoned just because he liked money. My son made great military exploits, but he himself was treated as a rebel. It's so humiliating. I really don't know.
Why do you still protect the imperial court like this? Foolish loyalty!"
"That's better than you!"
"Put down the sword!" Shi Kefa roared for the first time and ordered Zhu Dadian to put down his sword. No matter how angry Zhu Dadian was, he did not dare to disobey Shi Kefa's order. After all, he was the one who personally escorted him out of the prison.
He took back his sword and left the private room in anger, only to find that the door was crowded with many sword-wielding soldiers. The encounter between the two was very embarrassing, but although Zhu Dadian had just been released from prison, he still had the residual power of a superior, cold voice
After scolding, many soldiers immediately retreated and did not dare to step forward.
"The mountains and rivers are broken, and civil strife is raging in other places. You have received the emperor's favor, how can you not work hard to serve the country? If the imperial court is defeated and the thieves take over the Ming Dynasty, do you really think you will still be an official? Will you receive such good treatment? At least.
, the delicious food on this table will never be with you again." Shi Kefa spoke calmly, and the rules were orderly. In the end, he touched people's hearts and decided to place Gao Jie here.
"You should think about your wife. Even if you don't think about yourself, you still need to think about your wife and your future children. She escaped with you and risked her life. If she is captured again,
If it ends like this, I don’t think I need to tell you.”
I saw that Gao Jie was obviously touched by Shi Kefa's words. He was a rebel before. Because he had an affair with Li Zicheng's wife, the Xing family, he fled in a hurry and became a member of the imperial court. He has always been against Li Zicheng, and he was once in Sun Chuanting.
He served as a general. Sun Chuanting was defeated and he escaped all the way. His Majesty had previously ordered him to rescue Shanxi, but he was afraid of defeat, so he retreated to Zezhou.
He was right. If the Ming Dynasty to which he was loyal was destroyed and the thieves became the new rulers, he would definitely not be let off. No one could bear the hatred of seizing his wife.
"I also think what Mr. Shi said is right." Suddenly, a delicate voice came from outside the door. The door was opened, and a graceful woman walked in and sat next to Gao Jie.
"This must be Mrs. Xing." When Shi Kefa saw his wife arriving, he greeted her politely.
"She's just the housewife."
Although Gao Jie was somewhat unreasonable, lewd, vicious, and unruly, he respected his wife very much and obeyed her advice. He often said to people: "Xing has generals, so I can help myself. It's not just about lust."
This means that his wife has the air of a general, and her intelligence is more important than her appearance.
"Madam just said that she agrees with me, what about General Gao?" With his wife's approval, it became much easier to convince him. Therefore, Shi Kefa was very active in fighting for it.
Gao Jie was still hesitant. After looking at his wife affectionately, he fell into deep thought. Finally he frowned and said: "Of course I don't expect to be rewarded for expressing my loyalty to the court and your majesty, but I am worried a lot. Even if your majesty allows me, I still
I’m afraid that others won’t tolerate me and will slander me.”
Seeing his hesitation, Mrs. Xing naturally knew his anxiety, so she took the initiative to say to him: "Master Shangshu, my husband killed too many people before, and even refused to obey the court's orders. Every one of them is a serious crime, and we are also afraid of it.
In the future, those evil ministers of the imperial court will use this to attack us, and in the end they will end up dead."
When he finished speaking, Shi Kefa burst out laughing, making both of them confused. When he said: "I'm afraid you two are overly worried. When the court is employing people now, this kind of situation will naturally not happen. Even in the future.
If there are really such villains, as long as I, Shi Kefa, am still alive, I will be your guarantee. If you are guilty, I am also guilty. This is just my idea, not His Majesty's order."
"Ah?" Gao Jie and his wife Mrs. Xing were both a little shocked.
"Your Majesty ordered me to go to Yanzhou quickly to discuss state affairs. I was supposed to arrive in Yanzhou the day before yesterday to meet with Your Majesty, but I took a detour in order to persuade General Gao. It seems that even if I was rejected by Your Majesty,
The punishment is well deserved." After that, there was another burst of laughter, but it was mixed with a lot of happiness.
After saying this, Gao Jie and Mrs. Xing were completely relieved. They naturally knew Shi Kefa's status in the court. If it weren't for His Majesty's southern tour, Shi Kefa would be the most powerful person in Jiangnan. He would be the one to take charge.
Guaranteed, these two must be at ease. In terms of character, they can be trusted.
"Husband, why don't you inform your Majesty of our army's situation quickly?" Mrs.
"Sir, our army now has more than 85,000 soldiers, excluding civilians. Among them are 20,000 cavalry, 10,000 crossbowmen, and the rest are infantry. There are still 2.3 million taels of food and salary on the account. Of course,
Except for the hidden treasures of gold and silver."
But it seemed that Shi Kefa didn't care about this and just said solemnly: "Where is Commander-in-Chief Gao Jie?"
"The end is here!"
"I order you to lead the troops and horses with me, follow me to Yanzhou quickly, and defend His Majesty! You must not disturb the people along the way, and distribute one million yuan to subsidize the surrounding people. Do not disobey!"
"This..." When Gao Jie heard that he wanted to give away money to the people, he was reluctant to give it up. But Mrs.
"The general will obey your orders!"
…
As for the Yanzhou Mansion here, all the surrounding bandits have been pacified, and the situation seems to be relatively stable. There are currently 55,000 troops in the army, among which the cavalry is the Guan Ning Army. After several fierce battles, the remaining 4,500 are left, and the rest are infantry.
For the current daimyo, the army that Zhu Ling can control is much better than before, but it is still not enough to resist Gao Yigong's 100,000-strong army.
It wasn't until Shi Kefa arrived a few days later, followed by Gao Jie's army.
[Author's digression]: Gao Jie, named Yingwu, was born in Mizhi, Shaanxi Province. He lived in the same town as Li Zicheng and started as a bandit. He was originally a general under Li Zicheng and was nicknamed Mountain Harrier. After surrendering to the Ming government, he participated in the pursuit of the peasant army and was promoted to
Chief Military Officer.
Shi Kefa, whose courtesy name was Xianzhi and whose nickname was Daolin, was from Xiangfu County, Kaifeng Prefecture, Henan Province (now Shuanglong Lane, Kaifeng City). He was a famous general who fought against the Qing Dynasty in the late Ming Dynasty and a national hero.
Shi Kefa became a Jinshi in the first year of Chongzhen (1628) and served as an official in the Xi'an Prefecture. Later, he suppressed rebellions in various places. After Beijing was captured, Shi Kefa supported King Fu Zhu Yousong (Emperor Hongguang) as emperor and continued to fight against the Qing army.
Official to Supervisor, Grand Scholar of Jianji Hall, and Minister of the Ministry of War. In the first year of Hongguang (1645), the Qing army besieged Yangzhou City. Soon after the city was defeated, Shi Kefa refused to surrender and was killed. It was summer at that time, and his body rotted quickly. Shi Kefa
His remains could not be identified, and his adopted son Shi Dewei and the people of Yangzhou later replaced him with Shi Kefa's clothes and buried him in Meihualing outside the city. The court of the Southern Ming Dynasty gave him the posthumous title of "Zhongjing", and Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty gave him the posthumous title of "Zhongzheng".
Later generations collected his works and compiled them into "Shi Zhongzheng Gongji".