Chapter 15 I Didn't Say I Was Yang Ge's Confidant, Don't Think About It
Early the next morning, Hefei County.
As soon as Mao Shi arrived, a short, black and capable civil servant with sharp eyes climbed onto the tower in person and inspected the four defense gates.
Behind the civil servant was a tall, rugged military general with a curly beard. His beard was not only thick and curly, but also very hard, like the steel wool used for dishwashing in later generations.
These two people were Shi Kefa, the governor of Anlu, and Huang Degong, the chief soldier.
Shi Kefa had a sword hanging on his waist, his brows were furrowed, and he was patrolling carefully.
Everyone knows in their hearts that this is the key point of the eastern front encirclement arranged by Mr. Yang Ge. Only by blocking the eastward infiltration route of the bandit troops in the Yinghuo Mountain area can we ensure that Jiangbei of Nanjing is protected from military disasters.
Yang Sichang's strategy for encircling and suppressing the bandits was "four righteousnesses, six corners, and ten sides of the net." When the banditry was on the rise, direct military attack was not the most important. Creating isolation zones to prevent the spread was the first priority. After all,
Zhang Xianzhong is so good at coercing innocent people.
Huang Degong beside Shi Kefa also patrolled with his sword, his eyes fierce. But he was holding a wine jar in his other hand, and Shi Kefa ignored him.
Shi Kefa knew very well that people would have some minor flaws. Huang Degong was brave and courageous and loyal to the court. He could not change his addiction to alcohol, but as long as he didn't get drunk and delay the military plane, he could just turn a blind eye.
Huang Degong's alcoholism was well-known in the military. He was from Liaodong, and his family originally sold wine. When he was twelve years old, his mother borrowed money to brew a batch of wine. Before he could sell it, Huang Degong secretly drank it.
.
His mother was afraid that she would not be able to repay the debt, so she burst into tears, but Huang Degong did not take it seriously and comforted him by saying: I heard that each general in Liaodong will pay fifty taels of silver to collect the heads of Tatar soldiers, and the debt can be repaid by killing the Tatars.
But he was only twelve years old, and no one else wanted him to join the army, so he brought his own dry food and sneaked into the Ming army to kill the Tatars. He got two heads and used the reward to pay off the wine debt.
This matter was widely circulated, and even Shi Kefa knew about it. Of course, other people under his command did not receive this treatment.
Once someone questions, Shi Kefa will ask the questioner to lead a death squad in the next battle and lead the charge against the bandit's firearms camp. As long as he dares, he can drink in the army like Huang Degong.
Shi Kefa and Huang Degong patrolled for half a circle. Seeing that there was no treason today and Lin Chengcheng's troops did not show up, they prepared to return to the Yamen to handle other matters.
But at this moment, several Ming army scouts suddenly flew in from the downstream direction of Fei River outside the east gate. Judging from their attire, they should be messengers reporting military information.
Shi Kefa was not at the east gate at that time. He saw it from a distance and ran quickly along the city wall towards the east gate tower, trying to find out the situation as soon as possible.
But he had only walked a few hundred steps, still half a mile away from the east gate, when he suddenly heard bursts of cheers from the east gate tower. The soldiers were shouting loudly, and word of mouth spread quickly to Shi Kefa.
"Shi Futai's clever plan is great! He sent people to pretend to transport grain to Hefei by canal boat, and deliberately did not send soldiers and horses to escort him, luring the plundering cavalry raised by Lin to take the bait, and also asked Feishui Guard Zuo Qianhu and other troops to bury them in advance
There are ambushes on both sides."
"It's so easy to capture more than a hundred levels of thieves and cavalry and seize hundreds of horses. It's really satisfying!"
Shi Kefa was confused after hearing this.
However, Huang Degong next to him didn't know about it either. He thought Shi Futai had arranged someone else's plan without telling him, and he also congratulated him: "Futai is really a Confucian general. I have been following you for several days, but I haven't seen your arrangements yet.
Able to talk and laugh to defeat enemies."
When Huang Degong said this, Shi Kefa became completely embarrassed: "Don't spread rumors first, ask clearly, I have not arranged to lure the enemy."
He sped up and rushed to the east gate tower, caught the courier who had returned to report the victory, and quickly interrogated him personally. It took him a while to figure out that the officer next to him had misunderstood the story when he heard them showing off the victory report.
What the messenger originally wanted to repay was that "the Feishui Guards officers used the prestige of Huangzong Town in Shifutai to scare away Lin Yang and then cover up the victory."
After figuring out the situation, Shi Kefa was also quite happy. Although it was not his trick, killing more than a hundred enemies cost him nothing. After all, it was a small victory.
Shi Kefa interrogated him for a long time and learned that Zuo Zixiong's meritorious service was just in time. He happened to encounter a bait and lured Lin Yangyang who was recently collecting ships along the Feishui River. At the same time, Zuo Zixiong himself was about to escort the fleet.
Arrive in Hefei and return tomorrow.
"When Zuo Zixiong arrives, we should ask him carefully. If he is indeed a man who dares to fight, he should be rewarded and promoted." Shi Kefa thought to himself.
The matter just passed. Shi Kefa could not wait on the tower all the time, so he went back to the Yamen to deal with other government affairs. He just ordered the gatekeepers to take Zuo Zixiong to see him when he arrived.
But Shi Kefa didn't know that the influence of the rumors on the tower would eventually spread.
Rumors, whichever version is more curious and shocking, and more flattering to the leader, will be more vigorous in spreading. The soldiers on the east wall tower all knew that the friendly forces had won a small victory, and the rumors became more and more evil. In the end, everyone
They all insisted that this was Shi Kefa's plan.
By noon, even Mr. Yang Sichang and Mr. Yang Ge, who was working in the government office in the city, had roughly heard about this specious good news from the mouths of the staff and guards who came and went.
Yang Sichang didn't take this kind of small victory seriously, but it could still be used as a source of entertainment during lunch. So he asked Shi Kefa and Huang Degong to come to report and let him have a meal together.
When Shi Kefa heard about it, he was still a little ashamed. He was afraid that the truth would be revealed in the future and he would be regarded as a villain by Mr. Yang Ge. He secretly decided to make it clear during dinner later.
…
Shi Kefa and Huang Degong went to Yang Sichang's place for lunch, while Shen Shu and Zuo Zixiong also rushed to Hefei County along the Feishui River.
After all, Chen Shuren traveled by water, so it was normal for him to be half a day slower than the fast horse messenger sent by Zuo Zixiong.
The defenders of Hefei County already knew of their victory. After confirming Zuo Zixiong's identity, they immediately opened the door and let him go. Many soldiers also followed to congratulate him.
The guarding officer was told by Shi Kefa to take Zuo Zixiong for questioning when he arrived. He did not dare to neglect at this moment and immediately sent someone to guide him. Knowing that Shi Futai was at Yang Ge Lao's house, he had to bravely go to Yang Ge Lao.
Delivered to your home.
At worst, if Mr. Yang Ge doesn't bother to meet him, he can just wait at the door and wait for Shi Futai to come out before reporting. There has always been only subordinates waiting for superiors, so there is no reason for superiors to wait for subordinates.
This was the first time for Shen Shuren to enter Hefei County in this era. He was a little curious about this kind of frontline military city. He walked around and observed the Ming army's armaments, and soon came to Ge Lao's temporary residence.
As expected, the gatekeeper officer at Yang Sichang's residence would not let those who asked to see Shi Kefa go. At most, they would be asked to wait in the gatehouse until Shi Futai came out.
Zuo Zixiong didn't take it seriously, thinking that this was pretty good. At any rate, Shi Kefa was willing to meet him in person. These uneducated military attachés never dared to show off in front of civil servants, and they never expected that the court boss would be able to receive a thousand households.
But Chen Shuren next to him quickly made a move that shocked Zuo Zixiong.
He Shi Shiran took out a letter from his sleeve, handed it to the guarding officer, and said without humility or condescension:
"I am a candidate for the Imperial College in Nanjing. I am replying to a letter from Wu Siye and asking to see Mr. Yang Ge. The matter mentioned in the letter was personally assigned by Mr. Yang Ge. However, because of the change of circumstances, Wu Siye has to urgently ask for instructions. I That's why he spared no effort to deliver the message from Nanjing."
When the guard officer heard that it was a matter assigned by Yang Sichang and it was a reply, he immediately did not dare to stop him and immediately went in with the letter to confirm the situation.
After just a cup of tea, the officer trotted out again: "Master Shen, Zuo Qianhu, please come in quickly. Mr. Yang Ge is having a meal. Please come and eat with us."
When Zuo Zixiong heard this, he was shocked: Where is this Mr. Shen? Even if you are a candidate for the Imperial College, a letter can make the current court boss invite you to dinner?
And he himself was soon hit by a huge sense of happiness. For a general with low emotional intelligence like him who only knows how to fight but not to work in camps, this kind of thing may never happen to him in his life.
"Brother Shen, you are really my lucky star. If there is anything I can do in the future, as long as it does not violate military law, just ask!" Zuo Zixiong walked in as if he was dreaming, while making friends with Shen Shuren. .
Chen Shuren shook his folding fan and said calmly: "Brother Zuo is a cheerful person. You don't have to be like this about small things."
Even so, he felt a little proud inside.
This was his plan to use Wu Weiye to seek a meeting with Yang Sichang.
But being able to become familiar with Shi Kefa and Huang Degong was beyond his expectations. This was not something that could be determined by ingenuity, it was an unexpected gain.
…
Chen Shuren quickly entered the inner hall and saw a fat old man in his fifties with fair face and beard sitting in the middle of the room. On the left and right were two civil servants and military generals in their thirties and forties.
Chen Shuren quickly stepped forward to salute and quickly figured out the identities of the three people.
Yang Sichang seemed to be in a good mood today. He didn't even ask, so he asked someone to give him a seat and set up two tables of food and drinks.
While the servants were serving the dishes, Shi Kefa clarified from the side: "Supervisor, the rumors this morning about my subordinates luring the enemy and breaking thieves are actually the credit of these two people."
With Shi Kefa's status, he didn't even bother to take advantage of the small military merit of killing hundreds of enemy cavalry, not to mention that Yang Sichang knew the truth. So he might as well show an upright demeanor to avoid suspicion.
Yang Sichang felt very at ease. In front of these subordinates, he didn't have to worry about anything he did. He even said while drinking:
"It's amazing how young people are. A young boy can be unafraid in the face of danger and take advantage of the situation to defeat the enemy. Such a man of both civil and military skills, but Wumeicun is still timid. I don't think he's good at it either."
Chen Shuren stood up quickly and bowed his hands in thanks: "If it weren't for the magnificent sky network of the pavilion, the strict military management of Futai, and the prestige of the general town, the general would not have fled like a frightened bird as soon as he heard that there was an ambush.
In the past, the people in the north were afraid of Zhao Xixie, but they were actually afraid of the millions of troops of the King of Chu. The students were just bluffing, pretending to be powerful, how could they dare to take the merits of heaven and claim them for themselves."
When Yang Sichang and Shi Kefa listened to the first half of Shen Shuren's words, they subconsciously frowned slightly, thinking that he was a flatterer.
But after hearing what he said in the second half was indeed in line with the principles of the art of war, I immediately turned back to anger and became happy, no longer caring about it.
It's wrong to flatter him, but Shen Shuren didn't flatter him either. He was seeking truth from facts.
Fortunately, Yang Sichang was also measured and knew that some things were inappropriate to ask in public. So he finished the meal with a smile, sent Shi Kefa and Huang Degong away, and then left Shen Shuren alone to ask how things were going in Nanjing. .
Shi Kefa didn't know the inside story, and was secretly surprised: This scholar just sent a reply letter from Wumei Village to Mr. Ge. On the way, he happened to break a thief, and he was so valued by Mr. Ge? What he wanted to discuss with Mr. Ge didn't even matter to me. Can’t even hear it?
Everyone is curious. Although Shi Kefa did not want to pry into the inside story, after this incident, he also took a high look at Shen Shuren. He misunderstood that Shen Shuren was the secret confidant of Mr. Ge, and he could make friends with him if there was an opportunity in the future.