Outside the gate, Xiao Chen stood quietly in the middle of the street with three hundred captains from Dongchang Shenji.
The scorching sun shone directly on the body, making everyone sweat profusely and soaked to the skin.
Even so, he was in high spirits and did not look tired at all.
"Brother Xiao, what are you going to do with your people?" Wang Zheng, the commander of Daning Dusi Du, held his fists in his hands and walked out of the door.
"We are going to Zhejiang. After running for three or four hours in a row, we arrived in Baoding when we were exhausted. We stopped by your Daning capital to have a rest." Xiao Chen smiled and jumped off the horse.
"Three or four hours? You've been running here since morning? You're really desperate. It's really hard for the brothers to follow you." Wang Zheng laughed with his mouth wide open, pointed towards the door with his right hand, and looked at Xiao
The team behind Chen said, "Let's go, let's go in. When you come to my place, everyone will treat it as if they are back in the East Factory, so feel free to do so."
Xiao Chen also turned his head: "Brothers, go in and have a meal and have a good rest. From now on, we will travel at night. We will never be exposed to the sun again."
When everyone entered Daning Dusi, someone had already come over to lead the captains to eat and rest.
Even the army horses were led into the stables and fed with the best fodder.
Xiao Chen and Duan Tianming followed Wang Zheng and walked to the reception hall of Daning Dusi.
The commander-in-chief who had been scolded by Wang Zheng just now stood at the door with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Ziyi. Come in quickly, the tea has been prepared for you."
Xiao Chen nodded and stepped across the threshold.
I'm really thirsty.
Xiao Chen and Duan Tianming drank a pot of tea, and the thirsty feeling of eager to replenish water was slightly relieved.
Wang Zheng picked up the teapot and handed it to the commanding officer beside him. Then he turned to look at Xiao Chen: "What is the important matter for going to Zhejiang this time? The weather is so hot, why are you rushing on your life?"
"Japanese pirates, the emperor asked Dongchang to eliminate Japanese pirates." Xiao Chen wiped the sweat from his face and said.
"Japanese pirates? Those are the people who travel on the sea with boats. They have gone to Dongchang, can they use their strength?" Wang Zheng said a little doubtfully.
"Neither maritime operations nor pursuits are Dongchang's strengths. When we get to Zhejiang, we still have to rely on the strong cooperation of the local police station."
Wang Zheng nodded: "Well, eradicating Japanese pirates should not happen overnight. It is best to use the local police station as the main force."
"By the way, I actually have another purpose in coming to Daning Dusi today." Xiao Chen said with a smile.
"Brother Xiao, please tell me."
"Does Commander Wang know the situation in Zhejiang Dusi?"
"Zhejiang Dusi, I know a little bit about it. However, Brother Xiao is here to exterminate the Japanese pirates. Zhejiang Dusi fully cooperates. You don't need to ask for their information. They don't have the courage to cooperate with Dongchang."
"Commander Wang doesn't know something." Xiao Chen smiled faintly, "When I investigated the case of smuggling silk and silk in Hangzhou, among the more than a hundred court officials I captured, there were more than a dozen subordinates of Daning Dusi.
Military attache. On the surface, they naturally dare not say anything. If they secretly work against the will and deliberately make trouble, the task of wiping out the Japanese pirates will be much more difficult. If they are more ruthless and dig a hole, they will
The factory may lose manpower."
"So, I want to ask you about the situation of Dusi in Zhejiang. After all, there are only so many Dusi in the entire Ming Dynasty. You must know more about each other than I do."
Hearing what Xiao Chen said, Wang Zheng frowned slightly.
"Brother Xiao said that, I think it's really possible." As he spoke, Wang Zheng put his elbows on the table and leaned forward slightly, "Zhejiang Dusi Commander Zhao Wuming, during the Jingnan Campaign that year,
He has made great military exploits. This man has an arrogant temperament, and he talks about courtesy. But in fact, he always requires others to visit him first before he can return the favor. By the way, when you were handling the case in Hangzhou,
Have you ever met him?"
Xiao Chen shook his head: "At the beginning, I was responsible for investigating why the silk could not be confiscated. I did not contact any government, and it was all done in private. Because it did not involve the use of troops, I never went to Zhejiang Dusi.
"
"Hey, that won't be easy." Wang Zheng slapped his thigh anxiously, "You handled such a big case in Hangzhou and never went to see him from beginning to end. He will definitely think that Dongchang looks down on him. Plus,
You arrested more than a dozen of his military attachés, and you didn't even say hello to him. He must hold a grudge in his heart. You really need to be more cautious during this trip to Zhejiang."
"So serious?" Xiao Chen couldn't help but be startled.
"This person is not only arrogant, but also insidious. No matter how much he has opinions in his heart, on the surface he always has a harmless smile. In addition, he is very defensive. If you go, be careful of him playing tricks on you.
"Yes." Wang Zheng said with a worried look.
"Commander Wang said that, he has tricked you?" Xiao Chen laughed.
"No." Wang Zheng seemed to have remembered what happened back then, with an angry look on his face, "He and I both worked under King Yan back then. Because we couldn't stand his sinister face, we basically didn't have any contact. During a battle, I
He and I each led a team of troops to surround the enemy. It happened to be raining and it was night again. He and I discussed it and said that the lack of visibility at night and the slippery road made it unsuitable to fight. We would attack again at dawn the next morning.
.”
"I believed what he said and let the army recuperate on the spot. But he turned his back on me and led his men to the enemy's perimeter overnight. If he fought with all his strength and captured the enemy's army, I would have nothing to say even if he took the lead.
You can say that. But he didn't. He did something despicable and shameless, and now I feel very angry when I think about it."
Wang Zheng clenched his fist and hammered the table hard.
"How despicable and shameless you can be, the commander might as well tell you and hear it." Xiao Che laughed heartlessly.
"Alas." Wang Zheng sighed, "He was waving flags and shouting at the enemy's perimeter, but did not attack. He waited until the enemy completely escaped, and then started to pretend to pursue them."
"Afterwards, when the enemy troops escaped, he reported to King Yan that you were the one who delayed the opportunity and should bear full responsibility?" Xiao Chen asked.
"Yes, that's how he reported it." Wang Zheng's chest rose and fell rapidly, obviously very angry.
The smile on Xiao Chen's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a cold expression.
"There is nothing wrong with excluding dissenters, but at the cost of letting the enemy go, this person's behavior is the same as collaborating with the enemy."
"Yes." Wang Zheng nodded, "At that time, the entire war was extremely unfavorable to King Yan. In addition, King Yan himself was attacked from both sides and had no time to interfere with the matter. Later, Zhao Wuming made great contributions in other battles, so this matter no longer mattered.
Let it go."
"The emperor had a great reputation throughout his life, yet he tolerated and fostered an adulterer in this matter. Presumably, this man's later military exploits were so great that the emperor did not touch him," Xiao Chen said.
"Well, although this man is sinister, he is as strong as an ox, and he can't say no to charging into battle. After he repeatedly performed extraordinary feats, the emperor no longer asked more about his past, and even promoted him to the commander-in-chief of the Zhejiang Dusi.
, responsible for the defense of Jiangsu and Zhejiang."
As he spoke, several soldiers outside the gate walked in cautiously, holding wooden trays in their hands.
On the wooden tray, there were a plate of boiled chicken legs, a plate of roasted squab, several plates of vegetables and two bowls of dry rice.
Wang Zheng raised his sleeves and wiped the table: "Here, put it here."
The soldier nodded and placed the food on the wooden tray on the table one by one.
"The brothers in Dongchang should have already started eating. Brother Xiao and Captain Duan can just eat here." Wang Zheng said with a smile.
After running around for several hours, the two of them were already ravenous.
Duan Tianming was not polite and pulled up a chair and gathered around.
Looking at the food on the table, Xiao Chen was even more excited. He reached out and grabbed a chicken drumstick in his hand.
"The commander is very considerate. These dishes are all my favorite."
"That's it." Wang Zheng raised his head in a very sullen tone, "Apart from anything else, I still keep it in mind, brother, what Brother Xiao likes to eat."
"Hahaha, that's such an honor for me. Thank you, brother." After a few bites, Xiao Chen gnawed the chicken leg clean, and then reached out to grab the roasted pigeon.
Duan Tianming didn't say a word, he just put the rice into his mouth, like a starving man trying to survive.
"Commander Duan, don't worry, Daning Dusi has plenty of food to take care of." Wang Zheng said with a smile.
Perhaps because he ate too quickly, Duan Tianming stretched his neck due to choking and wanted to drink water, but found that the tea and kettle had been taken away and had not been delivered.
He had no choice but to turn his head and look at Wang Zheng: "Master Wang, do we have any wine here?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Wang Zheng patted his thigh, "How could I forget this?"
Immediately, he shouted towards the outside of the hall: "Bring me a jar of the fine daughter red that I have collected."
