Bright Spring

At the gate of the mansion in the distance, Mu Sheng's face almost died of laughter!He had long neglected his noble status, and he had a complacent expression that made people curse him to kill a thousand swords, all written on his face.

Mu Sheng clasped his fists and shook his surroundings, and said, "This Marquis would like to thank all my colleagues for giving me the honor to visit my humble house."

An official next to him sang in harmony: "His Royal Highness the King of Han gathered in Huguang to wipe out the army of the puppet dynasty. He was wise and mighty, and bravely crowned the world; and now there is an old tree rejuvenating in the house of Lord Hou. It is really double happiness!"

"Congratulations, Hexi..." The crowd was noisy and congratulated.

Mu Sheng raised his arms, and said again: "My colleagues, as long as you are loyal to the King of Han, that is to say, loyal to the Ming Dynasty, you can enjoy peace together."

"Good! Good!" There was a lot of noise around.

Suddenly a young man yelled: "Master Hou, why did you know that the King of Han's army could win a complete victory?"

Mu Sheng was a little embarrassed, followed the voice and glanced over there, a trace of displeasure flashed across his face.But he quickly said solemnly: "The king of Han raised his troops for the sake of loyalty, filial piety and righteousness! A righteous teacher will do justice for the heavens, win the hearts of the people, and will surely win a big victory; this is the simple truth that heaven has eyes, and righteousness and evil are in the hearts of the world. , How can this Marquis not know?"

Everyone immediately echoed and praised.

Duan Yang in the far corner was almost vomited at this time.She had already thought about it many times in her heart, the scene of tearing off Mu Sheng's hypocritical mask!

……

At this time, the north wind is cold in the west bank of the Xiangjiang River in Huguang.

Zhu Gaoxu's ears heard the sound of "rumbling..." horseshoes and the howling wind, and the horses galloped quickly on the road.The wind on his face was like a knife blowing, and he felt that his whole face was a little numb.

He was wearing two layers of armor, except that the chain mail was replaced with a new one, and the outside was still the original set of cold forged mail.Although there were holes in the Zha Jia that had not been repaired in time, Zhu Gaoxu had been wearing it for many years and repaired and adjusted it many times.The lock on his head and the ear protectors touched his flesh from time to time, which was as exciting as ice.

All the wounds on Zhu Gaoxu's body have healed, but when riding in armor, the muscles of the wounds still ached a bit.He put his left hand in front of his belly to avoid using force, and grabbed the rein with his right hand, galloping on the horse.

A group of horsemen ran eastward for a long time.Ahead, in the gorgeous morning and evening, the black shadow of Hengzhou City towers over the horizon.

The west bank of the Xiangjiang River in Huguang Province is not very prosperous. Apart from Changde Mansion, the largest city may belong to this Hengzhou City. The city tower is very tall.

A large infantry phalanx and cavalry brigade in front of them appeared in sight at this time.The army of the King of Han was like a sea of ​​people, with swords and spears everywhere, flags and banners like clouds.It was about [-] troops led by Wang Bin, and [-] soldiers who were sent down as the rear army.More than [-] horses gathered in the southwest of Hengzhou City, the momentum was very grand, and the scene was crowded with people.

Wang Bin's army came to Hengzhou City today.It seems that they neither built siege fortifications nor built camps. They just went to the city of Chen Bing, and they probably wanted to "get something for nothing" and win the city without fighting.

Zhu Gaoxu led his own cavalry and rushed from the gap between the phalanxes to the large formation in front.

At this moment, many soldiers recognized Zhu Gaoxu, and soon there was a commotion in the big formation, people shouted: "The King of Han is here! The King of Han is here..." The noisy and chaotic shouts gradually faded away after a while. Tidy up.Countless soldiers in the distance raised their weapons and shouted loudly: "The king of Han is our king!"

For a time, on the vast army formation, the shouts one after another shook the sky, and the scene was very enthusiastic!

In the battle of Huguang, Zhu Gaoxu wiped out the main force of the official army in one fell swoop, claiming to be one million, but the actual strength was about 50!Not long after the great victory, Zhu Gaoxu won supreme prestige in the army.Coupled with some exaggerated rumors, during this period of time, most of the soldiers of the Han Dynasty believed that Zhu Gaoxu would win the battle, almost to the point of superstition.

The shouting was so loud that it shook people's ears "buzzing".Zhu Gaoxu also knew that even if he wanted to speak to his brothers, it would be in vain.At this time, no one could hear the shouts of one or two people.

Seeing that many soldiers were looking this way, he stretched out his right hand and touched the saber on his left waist.He only had this weapon on him, and it was still used as a decoration.

With a sound of "swish", Zhu Gaoxu pulled out Liang Chengcheng's brand-new waist saber, raised it high to the sky, and signaled to the soldiers of the King of Han Army.His left hand was still in his bosom, and he sat upright on the horseback, holding the knife to face the rising sun in the east.

Seeing this, all the troops became more and more enthusiastic, and the loud shouts showed no sign of stopping. People worshiped and watched his burly figure under the morning glow like a god.

After a while, Wang Bin, Zhao Ping, Lu Zhen and other generals slapped their horses to welcome them.All the generals got off their horses first, and then held the army to pay respects in front of Zhu Gaoxu's tall horse.

"No, get on the horse." Zhu Gaoxu said casually.

Wang Bin mounted his horse again and approached.He turned around and pointed to the cannons and flags on the top of the city, and said: "Early in the morning, I went around the city and felt that there were not many soldiers in Hengzhou City; two days ago, the scouts also reported that the enemy's battle A lot of people were transported across the river by boat. The garrison in Hengzhou is empty, so they must not be able to hold it! I have sent envoys to the city to persuade them to surrender, and I am waiting for their reply to save you trouble..."

As soon as the words fell, there was a faint sound from the heavy city gate in the east.Zhu Gaoxu didn't have time to answer Wang Bin, so he raised his head and looked around, and sure enough, he saw that the city gate had been slowly opened, and the drawbridge had also been lowered!

"Victory! Victory..." The shouts became louder, and the Hanwang army outside the city cheered everywhere, and the flags waved in the air.

Zhu Gaoxu swallowed the words he had just answered Wang Bin, and changed his words: "Get ready to go to the city."

Wang Bin cupped his fists and said, "Decree!"

Amidst the yelling of the generals, the vanguard's cavalry re-formed into a column and marched towards the gate of the city one after another.Zhu Gaoxu and other generals then rode towards the city gate.

A group of officials in red robes led a group of officials in blue and green round-neck robes, all of them bowed down beside the avenue dejectedly.When Wang Bin's Chinese army banner arrived at the city gate, the officials bowed to the ground, and the red-robed officials raised the official seal of Hengzhou City with both hands.

Zhu Gaoxu reined in his horse, got off his horse and pressed the big seal that the official raised above his head, and said very skillfully: "You guys wake up to righteousness, abandon darkness and turn to light; love the people, and donate to the city to save lives. You should be commended! Now you are still in office. , get up."

Although Zhu Gaoxu said this more than once, he seemed to be reciting his lines; but the officials in Hengzhou hadn't heard of it yet.At this time, expressions of gratitude appeared on their faces, and they all cupped their hands and said "Welcome to the King of Han" and so on.

Entering the city, Zhu Gaoxu saw that the scene of Hengzhou City at this time is not bad.The streets are wide and flat, and pavilions and pavilions can be seen everywhere.

In the Ming Dynasty, waterway was still the most convenient transportation.Hengzhou City is located at the confluence of the Xiangjiang River and its tributaries, with convenient water transportation; it is also a waterway hub connecting Huguang Province and the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, so it is relatively prosperous.

Zhu Gaoxu turned his head and said to the generals: "This city is very good!"

Chapter 545 No Choice

In the evening, the sun gradually set from the horizon to the west of Hengzhou City.Zhu Gaoxu just left the city at this time and came to the camp of fifty thousand soldiers under Wang Bin's command.

Today, Hengzhou City has more than [-] horses, and the barracks left by the officers and soldiers in the city are not enough to live in; the army did not have time to arrange more houses that day.So some people camped near the school field outside the city, among them were the surrendered soldiers who were captured after the Battle of Baoqing Mansion.

In these armies, the generals above the commander of the guards have been replaced; however, the number of surrendered troops is too large, and there are still many soldiers belonging to the Beijing camp, so it has not been reorganized so far.

Zhu Gaoxu came to the barracks suddenly with his guards, and many soldiers around him stood up and looked over here.

After a while, the convoy carrying pigs, sheep and drinks also arrived outside the camp.These things were prepared by the Hengzhou City Government to reward the army; Zhu Gaoxu ordered some to be distributed to the surrendered army barracks.

After hearing the news, some military generals from various military camps rushed over on horseback one after another.After everyone saw the ceremony, they welcomed Zhu Gaoxu into the gate of the camp.

"Bring the wine!" Zhu Gaoxu turned his head and ordered.

Everyone rode to the gate of the camp office, and a wooden cart with wine jars also rushed over.The soldiers brought iron cups and bowls and poured wine.The nearby soldiers saw that there was wine to drink, and more and more soldiers gathered around.Everyone talked a lot, and the surroundings gradually became noisy.

Zhu Gaoxu didn't issue a military order, he casually picked up a bowl of wine in the crowd, and said directly, "Brothers, do it!"

"Do it!" The generals who brought the wine bowls and cups agreed for a while, and the sound of the wine was very sweet in the mouths of the soldiers.

Zhu Gaoxu drank the wine without saying a word, then put down the bowl, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and then looked around and said: "You are all military households of my Ming Dynasty, and some of them are from the 'Jingnan Campaign'. The brothers who fought side by side with Wang (Jingying). Everyone is not an outsider, and I can be regarded as a general who leads the army, so I opened up my words!"

The surroundings gradually quieted down, and everyone watched Zhu Gaoxu's attitude.

Zhu Gaoxu paused and said directly: "Brothers, just rest assured, this king will never clean up the generals of the false court! I still think that everyone has nothing wrong, let alone guilty! Just obey the military orders above. Obey the military orders, This is the duty of the officers and men, why is there anything wrong? What is wrong is the treacherous ministers in the capital who are greedy for power and greedy for profit!

I understand that the brothers and family members from the various camps of the capital are all in Zhili.I don't embarrass everyone, after a while you will be transferred to Guizhou and Sichuan for garrison; once the "battle against crime" is over, you will return to the capital to reunite with your family. "

Some of the generals were thinking about something, and someone quickly said: "Thank you King Han for your tolerance..."

Zhu Gaoxu said again: "This king promises to go to the capital soon, and you won't have to wait too long when you go home for a reunion!"

There were discussions all around, and the noise was buzzing.Zhu Gaoxu was afraid that the soldiers who surrendered would still have doubts, so he explained solemnly: "In the Ming Dynasty, there were thousands of miles of land and mountains, and at any time, warriors were needed to guard the land and the people. Brothers have experienced many battles, and they are really elite children. The country will also need you in the future. .”

People echoed for a while, and one general even yelled: "We all support the King of Han as emperor!"