Chapter 16 Chapter 12 Dragon City Flying General
Li Chengliang's study room is furnished with utmost care and style, a large woven flower carpet covers the floor, and the bookshelves made of high-quality mahogany are full of rare books collected from all over the ages; One of them is filled with very complete national landscape illustrations, geography, military books, weapon illustrations, formations, and other strategic books and chart axes. It is abundant in quantity and meticulously collected, which is already the first in this dynasty. Number one in a private collection.
In the center of the study is a huge mahogany carved desk, on which are all the best four treasures of the study, all of which are rare and superb; on the wall facing south hangs a huge cursive script, The few words written in thick pen and ink have the feeling of flying sand and flying stones, and they really look like flying dragons and phoenixes dancing on the wall.This piece of calligraphy was written by famous masters in this dynasty, and it contains two lines of Tang poems...
A piece of characters is as large as the wall, and it looks majestic, as if the wind, sea and rain are pressing, and it also reflects Li Chengliang's status after he has become famous. Very domineering - this makes him look more like an invincible generalissimo of Weizhen Border Pass.
However, although the study room is full of military books and four treasures, Li Chengliang seldom reads or uses pen and ink here; My own "taste" is close, and the atmosphere is conducive to clear thinking and thoughtful thinking. I like to summon my confidantes to discuss things here. One is that the study is more secretive than the hall; Take him as your own...
Of course, the title of "Uncle Ning Yuan" was obtained through military service, not literature; his fame was established on the battlefield, not in the study; The study, which represents the identity and temperament, is far better than the military exploits of going to the battlefield and winning thousands of miles. Especially in this dynasty, which emphasizes literature and despise martial arts, people respect and worship great Confucianism and scholars, not warriors; therefore, When he was successful and famous, he tried his best to change his image and build a study, just to make the world think that he was a Confucian general with a heavy army and a book city, just like the emperor of the dynasty. Like Wang Shouren, a great Confucian of a generation and a famous general who suppressed chaos, he has become an idol revered by people.
With this kind of insight, he naturally wants to set aside a little more time to stay in the study. Therefore, the triumphant class teacher returned to the mansion, and after a full meal, he deliberately changed into a suit that was the same as the official uniform. Dressed in casual clothes, he strolled into the study.
With his hands behind his back, he stood proudly in the middle of the study for a long time, looking around casually; finally, his eyes fixed on the large characters on the wall; Taste is very limited, even if it is bought with a lot of money, or donated by various parties, most of the famous masters of the past dynasties are kept in the internal library because the artistic conception is too lofty. Only this big character has been won over the years For his favor, hang it on the wall and become a part of the study.
"But let the Dragon City Flying General be here—don't teach Huma Duyin Mountain..." He stared straight in the eyes, murmured several times in his mouth, and then he couldn't help but let out a burst of triumphant laughter.
This battle was fought beautifully, and he himself felt very satisfied; although the two cities he occupied were not large in scale, and the property and livestock captured were not many——the so-called cities outside the pass, compared with those inside the pass, can only be regarded as It’s just a small village——but, Ah Tai’s confidant’s trouble was finally eliminated, and he also solved the other two confidant’s troubles with one stone and three birds with one stone. It saves a lot of work—not to mention, these things were all done by Nikan Wailan, who is also a Jurchen!
"Jurchen, if anyone wants revenge, let him go to Nikanwailan! Jurchens kill Jurchens—it's best to die together!"
Thinking of this, of course he laughed even more triumphantly. While laughing, he began to pace around the study room while talking to himself: "Mm - that's really great!"
However, at the moment of laughing, he inadvertently touched a string in his heart: "Nurhachi—ah, we must never let Nurhachi know about this!"
When his thoughts changed, he couldn't help but frowned slightly; however, time did not allow him to think about it, there were two light knocks on the door, and a voice rang out: "Father, the child is like a gui!"
"Come in!"
Li Rugui walked into the study and reported to him: "Brother has a letter!"
"Well, is it a letter from Ping'an's family?" Li Chengliang asked casually, the corner of his eyes glanced at the letter Li Rugui was holding in his hand, but he didn't show his hand to pick it up.
Li Rugui is naturally familiar with his routine, and submitting a letter is just a formality. What Li Chengliang wants to know is the main points in the letter. He will not read the ordinary Ping An family letter in person; therefore, Li Rugui just told him respectfully: "Yes. .Brother has already arrived in Shanxi, so he will be the commander-in-chief!"
Li Chengliang nodded, and ordered: "Well, then go to the master to write a letter, just say that I want him to be loyal to his duty!"
"yes."
Li Rugui respectfully responded and left the study, and went to answer the letter; however, Li Chengliang's thoughts were disturbed by this distraction, but he couldn't help but turn from Nurhachi to Li Rusong; Li Rusong followed him in the campaign, and also served as the commander of Ningyuan Bo Xunwei. Later, he was transferred to serve as the governor, and became the right deputy general of the Shenji Camp. ——Father and son are both commander-in-chief and live in important towns together, which is already a rare example in this dynasty.
"History of the Ming Dynasty" biography: "Ru Song, styled Zimao, became the eldest son of Liang. He used his father's shadow as the commander and acquaintance of the capital, and served as the guard of Ning Yuanbo. He is brave and brave to fight, and he is less familiar with military tactics from his father. Then he moved to the governor's office. He is the right deputy general of the Shenji camp. In the 11th year of Wanli, he was appointed as the commander-in-chief of Shanxi. During the incident, Huang Daozhan and others said that it was improper for Rusong and his son to live together in an important town. The university scholar Shen Shixing asked him to preserve him, so he called him to write to the right mansion."
"Rusong's mind is not careful enough—the seat is high, and it's not enough to rely on fighting hard to build merits..." He thought carefully over and over again, thinking about Li Rusong's strengths and weaknesses, and then went on. , Turning my mind, I thought of another worry: "The government of this dynasty is probably in the hands of the eunuchs-these are neither men nor women, and their tempers are also yin and yang. Ru Song is to deal with it." I can't come..."
Thinking of this, his brows frowned unconsciously; it is almost a law in this dynasty that eunuchs control the government, so the first thing to do if you want to keep high officials and rich salary is to marry eunuchs, otherwise, no matter how hard you work, it will be in the community There is no guarantee that he will not lose his head; he clearly remembers that in the previous few dynasties, the eunuchs who took power like Wang Zhen, Liu Jin and others framed up many loyal ministers and generals who had meritorious deeds but did not cater to them; even in the Wanli dynasty, Zhang Juzheng, the prime minister who has done a great job, was able to call the wind and rain freely in the court thanks to the "internal assistant" of the eunuch Feng Bao!I have never taken it lightly in this aspect, but Rusong is not good at this aspect-my sons have all relied on their father's shadow to get their future, and they have never been single-handed in the officialdom. What is sinister? , Dirty and black, they still can't handle it!
"This, I have to work hard for him..." After thinking for a long time, Li Chengliang muttered to himself as if he had come to a conclusion: "Also——my father and son live together in an important town, and jealous people will never Few, up and down in the middle——Rusong doesn't have many good things at hand, and he can't get them out if he wants to..."
He opened his eyes suddenly, shot two sharp gazes, and shouted: "Come here!"
Immediately, a follower responded in front of him: "Yes."
"Go and find Rumei!"
When Li Rumei came, Li Chengliang immediately told him: "Choose a few valuable and unique things, and send them to Beijing in person—there must be a hundred or eighty pieces. Don't buy gold and silver, pick more antiques and treasures. Calligraphy, painting and jade wares—you don’t understand cultural relics, so ask the master to accompany you to pick them; if you pick the best ones, don’t worry about them!”
Li Rumei immediately accepted the mission respectfully: "Yes, Commander-in-Chief, my son will do it right away! But, my son doesn't know, will these treasures be sent to the capital as usual and handed over to my second uncle?"
Li Chengliang made up his mind to teach his son the secrets of being an official, so he nodded his head twice, and said in a slow voice: "Yes, your second uncle will take care of it—but, you have to learn it in the future." It's time to do it, so this time, I will let you send it to the capital in person and accompany your second uncle to do things in person - when he is doing it, you will watch from the side, and you will learn what he does. This time , let me learn all the skills of 'giving gifts' and come back!"
Li Rumei said respectfully: "Yes - the child studies hard, and he must live up to his father's cultivation!"
Li Chengliang nodded, and said to him earnestly: "Master Shen Shixing, Lord Xu Guoxu, and Lord Wang Xijue, they are all my close friends for many years, and they hold great weight in the court. When you arrive in the capital, you will accompany your second uncle." When you go to meet them, you must be very respectful—not only do you have to perform the junior ceremony, but you must also mention your elder brother's name!"
Li Rumei said: "Yes. The child knows!"
"You go!" After explaining the matter, Li Chengliang waved to Li Rumei, but before Li Rumei could bow and leave, he additionally ordered him: "Wait for the master to pick out the things, let him come over and write to me. A letter!"
"yes."
Li Rumei took the order, and Li Chengliang also felt that he had finished a matter of his mind, as if he let out a long breath from his chest, and suddenly felt a lot more relaxed, so he walked out of the study at a leisurely pace.
Originally, he was strolling leisurely and casually, but he didn't want to, he walked casually, and unexpectedly walked into the second lady's room without knowing it.
The second lady was sitting idle in the room. A few big girls just took out her jewelry box, opened it, and examined her one by one in front of her. When they heard the report, "The marshal has arrived", they hurriedly He hurriedly closed the jewelry box, and came out surrounded by the second lady.
Li Chengliang was in a good mood, and when he saw his favorite second wife, he was naturally happier, and he held the second wife's hand and walked into the house together.
"Well, I haven't had such free time for several days. I came here to sit and sit! I'm free today, so I just came to talk to you!" Holding the second lady's catkin, Li Chengliang spoke with the same demeanor and tone as he did. It is very different in the barracks.
The second lady's face was of course full of sweet smiles: "The Marshal is busy with military affairs, how dare I ask the Marshal to come and sit here often! Now that the Marshal has returned triumphantly, he still remembers the concubine, and the concubine is already extremely satisfied in body and mind!"
Hearing this, Li Chengliang immediately burst out laughing: "This is your kindness to my military fatigue! You know, I am looking forward to coming to you every day to sit idle and not worry about those wars! "
While talking, the servant girl brought tea; the second lady hurriedly said to Li Chengliang: "Marshal, please taste it quickly, this tea is unique in the world, and it was only available in the past two days!"
"Oh? Why is tea so rare? I want to try it!"
As Li Chengliang spoke, he took the teacup from the hand of Mai Huan, lifted the lid, brought it to his lips, and drank it in one gulp.
"It has a special fragrance—but I can't taste any good tea!"
The second lady pursed her lips and said with a smile: "Well, I let you swallow it in one gulp and quench your thirst. What's so special about it!"
Li Chengliang said: "I have been a soldier all my life, so how do I know about tea ceremony! You better tell me! If it is really special, I will ask people to do more!"
The second lady said: "It's really special. Where can the servants make it? This tea was just brought from Beijing. It's a high-quality tribute, rewarded by the palace - it's not very rare. The strange thing is that the water for making tea was obtained by Xue Er, but I don't know how she found it, but there is a stick of rosin in the water!"
As soon as Xueer was mentioned, Li Chengliang asked, "Where is Xueer? Why don't you see her?"
The second wife said: "I was still here just now, I didn't know you were coming, so I went out with Nurhachi for a walk!"
"Nurhachi?" Li Chengliang asked subconsciously, "Nurhachi was here just now?"
The second lady said: "Yes—and, Marshal, I have something to tell you!"
As soon as Li Chengliang heard Nurhachi's name, many thoughts in his mind were immediately aroused. He frowned slightly and asked, "Is it about Nurhachi?"
While talking in her mouth, her mind was spinning rapidly; the second lady didn't notice this, and she still told Li Chengliang truthfully: "I like this child Nurhachi very much. In the past few years, he and Xue'er have gotten along very well. ——So, Marshal, I think, betroth Xueer to Nurhachi, look, okay?"
Hearing this, Li Chengliang was stunned unconsciously at first, and then fell into deep thought in silence; the second lady's words were a sudden accident to him, he was not mentally prepared in advance, and suddenly felt Thousands of thoughts came to my mind, and it was difficult to sort them out.
"Nurhachi..." He said the name silently in his heart, and then he sighed silently: "Who told you to be a Jurchen? If you are a Jurchen, you will eventually be hostile to me-don't say you are Takshi My son, even if you are not, if you become prominent among the Jurchens, you will still be hostile to me—ah! Just because you are a Jurchen, I have wasted my appreciation for you over the years..." His heart There were many voices tumbling, the expression on his face sank more and more, and he didn't say a word, making the atmosphere of the conversation stiff.
And his reaction was also sudden to the Second Madam—the Second Madam thought he would agree straight away—and she was at a loss for a while, so she didn't dare to speak casually, and only waited for Li Chengliang to express her opinion.
But Li Chengliang's expression became more and more dignified, a shadow gradually cast over his eyes and brows, he sat with his head bowed in silence, his fisted fingers trembled inadvertently.
At this moment, the second lady was stunned. She had followed Li Chengliang for many years, and she had never seen him with such a heavy expression!Her heart began to be suspicious, uneasy and apprehensive—it was just a marriage of a pair of young children, whether it was allowed or not, would it embarrass Li Chengliang more than a military event?
The surroundings were so quiet that one could hear the breathing and heartbeat of the two, but this kind of silence was a kind of suffocating silence. The second lady felt extremely uncomfortable, so she struggled several times. Finally, she Finally mustered up the courage to break the deadlock: "Marshal, are you—do you disagree?"
What she said was tantamount to forcing Li Chengliang to express his opinions to her, but before Li Chengliang could speak, he let out a long sigh. Then, he raised his head, stared at the second lady, and glanced There was a trace of pain.
"Yunyun," he called the second lady by her nickname, and said slowly, "I don't disapprove—you know, my own children are all boys, and men are always clumsy, but Xueer is as clever as she is." Is it likable? For more than ten years, I have been like you, not only raising Xueer as my own daughter, but also loving her more than my own son! Now, she is sixteen years old, so naturally I want to replace her Find a good husband! Tell me, she and Nurhachi get along very well, and they hit each other well. I like Nurhachi on weekdays; Yes! Betrothing Xue'er to him, they were a very suitable couple at first, but now..."
Speaking of this, Li Chengliang stopped talking, and instead he let out a long sigh, and then shook his head again and again; at this moment, the second lady was even more puzzled, so she said in a tactful and soft voice Question: "Marshal, has there been any change in them now? Could it be that during the few days of your expedition, have you betrothed Xue'er to someone else?"
"No;" Li Chengliang shook his head and said, "It's not such a change!"
He shook his head several times, sighed, and hesitated to speak; the second lady's eyes became more suspicious, so she asked: "Marshal, what happened? Can't I let the concubine know?"
"I've sent an order on this matter, don't leak any news, especially don't let Nurhachi know!" Unable to resist the second wife's inquiry, Li Chengliang still told the second wife the inside story: "Nikan Wailan killed the Nurhachi's grandfather and father!"
"What?" The second lady screamed unconsciously when she heard it: "Marshal, what are you talking about? Nurhachi's grandfather and father..."
Li Chengliang looked into her eyes and said: "When Gule City was breached, the two of them happened to be in the city, and they were killed by Nikan Wailan together—you think, since Nikan Wailan has surrendered to me, It's mine—then, now, can Xue'er be betrothed to Nurhachi?"
"Oh my god..." The second lady couldn't help crying, and said to herself in a sob: "God, you are really teasing people! How did things turn out like this? What can I do with this?" ?”
Tears rolled down and wet her skirt, she simply covered her face and cried bitterly; Li Chengliang didn't understand why she was so sad, but just stretched out a hand, patted her back, and comforted her: " It doesn't matter, this matter is very easy to deal with, I'll come—I won't allow anyone to say, Nurhachi won't know about it!" His voice has gradually recovered his calm, and he smiled as he comforted the second lady : "Besides, depending on our Xue'er, if you don't marry Nurhachi, you don't have to worry about not having a husband's family!"
The second lady choked with sobs: "But—ah—oh my god—this is so..."
She couldn't make a sound, her heart was like ten thousand ants digging, and a thousand knives were cutting out; but she couldn't say anything, and let the two lines of tears flow mercilessly; but, seeing her sad and painful appearance in Li Chengliang's eyes, she was puzzled at first , After convincing me for a while, I became impatient, and my tone of speaking gradually cooled down: "Okay, okay, it's not like the sky is falling, look at you crying!"
Knowing that he was about to get angry, the second lady still couldn't hold back the tears, and the tears still flowed all over her face; Li Chengliang was already displeased, so he reluctantly tried not to fight with the second lady, so he stood up and waved his sleeves Then he walked towards the door, but at the same time, he glanced at the maids and servants standing with sharp eyes: "If you hear it, forget it immediately--if Nurhachi finds out about it, I will strip you all." skin!"
The voice was so cold that it made people shudder, and everyone who heard it knelt down involuntarily, and responded in unison: "Yes!"
Li Chengliang let out a cold "hum" from his nose, and then left on his own.
The second lady could understand all the voices, and her heart tightened even more; after Li Chengliang left, she simply covered her face and burst into tears. With tears in her eyes, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar Just like inside, the bone-chilling chill hit her from all directions, and a magic hand was about to hold her heart and freeze it.
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