Bright Spring

After hearing the news, Zhang Fu, who was in the Xingyuan of General Pinghan, sent people here and summoned them to meet.

There were about a dozen people who were summoned, but when everyone arrived at the lobby, they saw that the public seats above were empty.After a while, a military general in armor came out from the hallway and said, "The commander-in-chief is in the signing room, first invite General Geng to come in and report matters. Everyone else, please sit down and drink tea first."

Everyone worshiped one after another: "Obey."

Guided by the military general, Geng Hao entered the hallway on the north side of the hall, and after a while, he went to another courtyard and walked to the signing room.He stepped into the threshold and saw a big man wearing a scarlet silk robe and a beam crown sitting behind the table inside.

The general who led the way said: "Commander, we are here."

The sitting big man raised his head and glanced at Geng Hao, his eyes were very sharp and seductive.Geng Hao suddenly became tense, as if there was some invisible pressure that made him feel uncomfortable.

This person should be the Duke of England, General Zhang Fu of Ping Han Dynasty, the most powerful figure among the ministers of the Ming Dynasty at this time!Unexpectedly, he was so young, with black hair and beard, he looked like a man in his prime, probably only in his thirties.

Without saying a word, Zhang Fu gently placed the brush on the inkstone, and stood up.He was tall and strong, standing tall, with a very imposing appearance.

He waved his hand lightly at the general, then turned his hands away and walked back and forth by the table for two steps, waiting for the general to go out and close the door.

Geng Hao hurriedly clasped his fists and said: "Geng Hao, the last general, meet the commander in chief!"

Without a word of nonsense, Zhang Fu said directly, "Jiang Yinhou's official career is over."

Geng Hao stood there stunned, and waited for Zhang Fu's eye-catching light to shine on his face before he faltered and said: "Although the Marquis of Jiangyin is the father-in-law of the last general, the last general is devoted to the court..."

Zhang Fu immediately interrupted Geng Hao, and said: "You were arrested and sent to prison, but Wu Gao got you out. You married Wu Gao's stupid daughter again, don't tell me, you really want to marry like that People; you just want to rely on the power of the Marquis of Jiangyin?"

Geng Hao's face was hot, and he felt very embarrassed when he heard such direct and shameless words.But he couldn't refute what Zhang Fu said, because it was the truth.

Zhang Fuyu's tone was a little slow, and he said kindly: "But now you have to find another way out. There is one thing, if you are willing to do it, I will guarantee you a promotion."

Geng Hao couldn't help but asked: "I hope the commander-in-chief will expressly say, what kind of thing?"

Zhang Fu walked in front of Geng Hao, and Geng Hao hurriedly bent down.Zhang Fu said in a deep voice: "The commander has heard some rumors. Before Wu Gao surrendered and rebelled against the king, he hinted to his subordinates, 'I will never surrender unless I am tied up to see the King of Han'!"

Geng Hao said cautiously: "This seems to be the work of Chen Yongsheng, the magistrate of Pingle Prefecture..."

"Wu Gao has also learned it!" Zhang Fu said indifferently, "This is something that my people secretly reported, but there is no evidence. You are Wu Gao's son-in-law. If you want to kill your relatives righteously and stand up to identify this matter, you will be able to expose it. Wu Gao almost misunderstood military and state affairs."

Geng Hao said with some embarrassment: "The Marquis of Jiangyin is kind to the general after all."

Zhang Fu said coldly: "He just wants to find a good husband-in-law for his stupid girl. Why does a man have to worry about not having a wife? When it comes to right and wrong, you must not be ambiguous. As an official of the Ming Dynasty, private affairs of the state are more important than others. You have to know it!"

Geng Hao was silent for a while, then asked in a low voice: "If I promise the Marshal to betray the Marquis of Jiangyin, is it possible for the Marquis of our Geng family to recover?"

Zhang Fu paused for a moment, still without changing his face, he said solemnly: "Of course! Your grandfather made great contributions to the country, and members of the Geng family should have inherited the title of Marquis of Changxing."

Geng Hao had heard about Zhang Fu's power a long time ago. Not only is he a nobleman, he holds a heavy army, but his daughter is the imperial concubine of the emperor!If he could really help Zhang Fu and ask Zhang Fu to return, it wouldn't be impossible to restore the Marquis, wouldn't it?

Zhang Fu went on to say: "How can it be considered a betrayal? Wu Gao has done those things before, and I heard the secret report. Those old generals in Jianwen can betray their old masters, and they must also betray the current emperor. What's so strange? General Geng It’s just a factual report.”

Geng Hao hesitated for a while, but in fact, his mind was blank right now, and he couldn't think of anything.

Zhang Fu said again: "The Marquis of Changxing has done a lot of military service throughout his life, and he died in the battle in the leather shroud. He is worthy of being a hero. You should divorce Wu Gao's daughter when you return to Beijing, so as not to embarrass Marquis Changxing. Don't let Wu Gao drag General Geng down." great future."

Geng Hao finally couldn't give up the hope he saw in front of him, let alone let go of the ambition in his chest, so he nodded silently helplessly.

He thought to himself: Even a big man like Ying Yinggong has said that Wu Gao is just using me!Moreover, Wu Gao himself is stupid, he has [-] troops but can't defeat [-] to [-] rebels, and surrendered to the rebels after losing the battle, it's over!It's not that I hurt him like this.

Geng Hao said in a deep voice, "Don't forget the promise, Commander."

Zhang Fu was very vigilant, and he was slightly taken aback when he heard this, as if he understood something, he immediately said seriously: "Of course! This commander knows that Gu Cheng, Marquis of Zhenyuan, speaks ill of me everywhere in the capital. But you go and ask him face to face, what has he done? Can you really have a clear conscience?"

Chapter 494 The British Duke's Dream

Before Geng Hao left the signing room, Zhang Fu warned him very seriously: "Today it's just the two of us, and we haven't said anything. Do you understand? If General Geng wants to move his mind, he'd better think about the consequences first." .”

Zhang Fu went back to the desk, sat down on the chair, and waited for the second interviewer.In this brief silence alone, Zhang Fu didn't feel a trace of shame or remorse.

His hand was on a seal, and at this moment he subconsciously pressed it hard against the table, a trace of anger rose from the depths of his pupils.

Zhang Fu has been fighting in front, but he knows very well in his heart that some people in the capital are playing tricks!They manipulated Zhang Fu like a fool, and treated the general affairs of the country like a joke!

Back then Zhang Fu was loyal to the imperial court wholeheartedly, he arrested Qian Changshi and sent him to the capital without even meeting Qian Changshi in the Palace of the Han Dynasty; but later Zhang Fu realized that he was too credulous to others.

How did those people in the court repay his loyalty?

Continue to leave him in Cochin Province as a dispensable person; later, he deceived the Holy Majesty and asked him to lead his army northward to attack Yunnan immediately when the hoarded military rations were almost exhausted!Without food, Zhang Fu was unable to move an inch. The battle was very embarrassing, and his reputation and prestige in the army also declined rapidly.

Then someone in the court brokered a dirty deal and sent back Shi Qian Xun, the left chief of the Han Palace who had an enemy with Zhang Fu.

Who are those people?Zhang Fu has gradually figured out that it was the counselors and civil officials from the old palace of the King of Yan who were recruited by Queen Zhang, and later colluded with Xu Huizu and other old Jianwen generals...

Gu Cheng, Marquis of Zhenyuan, because he made friends with those civil servants in Beiping back then, colluded with the King of Han brazenly and made deals in private!The root cause of the failure of the war in the city of Kunming, Zhang Fu has made it very clear in the memorial, but Gu Cheng is still fine... No one will protect him?

There is also Wu Gao, the Marquis of Jiangyin, who led an army of [-] in the battle of Guizhou and was unable to rescue Guizhou City, and his performance on the battlefield was a mess!Wu Gao must be responsible for the failure of the official army's encirclement|suppression of Guizhou and Yunnan.Unexpectedly, after the war, Wu Gao had nothing to do, and he was able to go to Guangxi to take control of the military!

If no one in the court supported Gu Cheng and Wu Gao to speak up, wouldn't there be no punishment for missing a fighter?So Zhang Fu felt that Wu Gao was not wronged at all.

The current situation is not just a matter of old grievances.

Before assuming the post of General of the Pinghan Dynasty, Zhang Fu lived in the capital for a while. Once he met the emperor in Dongnuange and met Queen Zhang.Empress Zhang's smile was cold, and the hostility in those small eyes with single eyelids could not be concealed with a smile.

Zhang Fu had to consider his grandson, which was a threat and hidden danger to Queen Zhang.

But Empress Zhang, at least on the bright side, said her words in a high-sounding manner, which can be regarded as both reasonable and reasonable, and she did not object to Zhang Fu's appointment as the General of the Ping Han Dynasty; Zhang Fu also regarded it as a kind of compromise.After all, the situation of the rebel army of the King of Han is intensifying at this time, and both sides have a common enemy!

If Concubine Zhang didn't give birth to a prince, maybe there is still room for reconciliation between the two; but the mutual compromise now is very likely to be just a temporary expedient measure...

At this moment, another person was brought into the signing room.Zhang Fu held his breath, suppressed the anger in his chest, and looked up at the person who had just entered.

"The next official pays homage to Marshal Zhang." The person who came was a civil servant.

This person was a member of Wu Gao's army, and fled to Huguang with Governor Lei Tian and others.

There are many civil servants and eunuchs in the army of the Ming Dynasty.In Wu Gao's 300-strong army, there should have been two or three hundred civil servants and eunuchs in total; after Xue Lu's defeat in Sichuan, two or three hundred civil servants and eunuchs were captured, and were later released by the King of Han and returned to Beijing.

Except for Zheng He and other eunuchs who once held military power in the navy, ordinary civil servants and eunuchs in the army do not hold military power. They will do some official document delivery, registration and compilation, and suggestion and planning; Undercover, and monitor the general in charge of the army.

The division of power in the Ming army became more and more detailed, and many people belonged to different yamen, and the complexity of its organization far exceeded that of previous dynasties.Therefore, it is almost difficult for generals to support their own self-respect.

The officer should know a lot of things, so after Zhang Fu dismissed Geng Hao, this civil official was the first person to be summoned.

Zhang Fu began to inquire about the formation and weapons of the King of Han's army.After some conversation, the fighting methods of the Han King's army described by the civil servants were almost the same as those of the Ming Dynasty's army; only a kind of firecracker called "Kaishangun" was relatively rare, but its range was similar to that of the copper firecracker.

"Wu Gao's army once defeated the rebel vanguard in Luorong County. The army originally captured some weapons that the rebels called 'opening guns'. But later most of Wu Gao's army surrendered. I can take things away." The civil official narrated.

Zhang Fu nodded and waved his hand lightly.

The civil servant hurriedly bowed and said, "I will take my leave."