() The teahouse where Qin Mu was assassinated last time was still quiet. Outside the window, the river was as clear as a mirror, and the sky was as clear as a mirror. The autumn scenery was pleasant.
"Are you ready to be king?"
"I am an official of the Ming Dynasty, so why should I be called a king?"
"Stop being so hypocritical. If all the officials of the Ming Dynasty were like you, they would have perished long ago."
"I think if the people of the Ming Dynasty were all like you, Lady Hong, they would have died long ago."
Hong Niangzi glanced at Qin Mu who was pouring wine, and did not argue with him. Qin Mu looked up with some surprise, and saw that she turned her head to look out the window, as if she was thinking about something.
Qin Mu handed over the wine glass and said, "After this separation, I don't know when we will have the chance to meet again. Come, drink this glass of wine first."
Hongniang did not say anything. She took the wine glass and drank it all. Then she grabbed the wine pot and poured herself another glass, which she also drank all in one gulp. There was some incomprehensible meaning in her boldness.
Qin Mu also drank two cups before he said, "Li Zicheng has little luck, is vulgar and short-sighted, and will never become the common ruler of the world. Even if he conquers the capital, it will only be a favor to others. Shut up first. Whether you believe my words now or not, remember them in your heart and verify them with facts in the future."
"Okay, you say." Hong Niangzi held her head high and looked at Qin Mu as if he was a wandering charlatan.
Qin Mu smiled in vain and said, "Ask yourself, how have I done anything compared to Li Zicheng? At least I haven't burned people's homes, raped or plundered, or forced people to serve as soldiers. But you have always had a deep-seated repulsion towards me. If you think about it, it's just because of the tiger skin on me. I guess you don't even realize it yourself."
Hongniang was stunned, and her high head drooped unconsciously.
Qin Mu continued, "Whether it's an official or a rebel army, it's not about what kind of skin they wear. You should figure it out yourself. We have known each other for a long time. I will give you one last piece of advice. When Li Zicheng enters Beijing, you must not follow him. Remember, remember, just take your troops and fight in Henan.
However, Zhongyuan was originally a place that had been at war for many years, and now it has been devastated by several wars. It is now a thousand miles of barren land, and it is devastated and cannot be relied upon. If the situation becomes critical, you must not act rashly and lead your troops to retreat across the river quickly, otherwise your troops will die with you in vain."
After hearing what Qin Mu said, Hong Niang asked without comment: "Do you look down on King Dashun so much?" It is not difficult to judge from this sentence that her confidence in Li Zicheng has been shaken.
"He is insignificant to me. I don't care about him. You just need to remember what I said just now. As a woman, there is no need for you to go to the capital to fight for fame and fortune, right?"
Hong Niangzi fell silent again. She turned her head to the window and said something that surprised Qin Mu: "I heard that you are very good at writing poems. Can you write one for me?"
Qin Mu stared at her in a daze. She had a slender and fit figure, a heroic temperament, and a wild beauty all over her body, but Qin Mu just couldn't connect her with poetry.
Hong Niangzi didn't dare to look at him, and kept turning her head to look out the window. Her face gradually turned red, her breathing became a little rapid, and her majestic breasts rose and fell gently, almost tearing her clothes, which aroused endless reverie.
Seeing that Qin Mu didn't answer for a long time, Hong Niangzi's expression gradually changed, and she couldn't help but turn around to look at him. She had not read much, but she couldn't change her deep worship of knowledge. However, she had a strong self-esteem and was afraid that others would look down on her, so she would unconsciously put on a cold and disdainful look in front of scholars, forming a contradictory mentality of worship and rejection.
Qin Mu quickly retracted his gaze and said, "Why not? But you have to think about writing a poem. Haha, think about it." Does thinking need to be stared at the towering twin peaks? This question is indeed difficult to answer.
"Do you want to do it?" Hong Niangzi snorted and turned her face to the window. Qin Mu admitted that he was evil. He even associated Hong Niangzi's words with "Do you want to do it?"
"Why not? Listen to me." Qin Mu laughed and recited in a magnetic baritone: "The heroic figure with a five-foot spear, fighting in Henan under the stars and moon. Chinese girls have great ambitions, they don't like red makeup but love weapons. How about this poem, does it suit your taste?"
"I'm leaving, bye." Hong Niangzi said as she suddenly jumped out of the window.
"Jumping out the window? There's a door but you're jumping out the window? At least pay for the drinks before you jump."
Qin Mu was stunned by Hong Niangzi's astonishing move. The final way of farewell turned out to be like this. Even if Qin Mu had three heads, he could not have imagined it beforehand. He stood blankly in front of the window, watching Hong Niangzi and her dozens of men go to the north gate, and finally disappear in the direction of the north gate.
This is a farewell. In these turbulent times, who can guarantee that this is not a farewell forever
Qin Mu sighed and went down the west tower alone in silence.
When he returned to the governor's office, Huang Lianshan was already waiting in the lobby. When he saw him, he said quickly, "Sir, there is news from Yuezhou that Zhang Xianzhong seems to be planning to abandon Yuezhou and head north."
"Oh?" Another thing happened that was beyond Qin Mu's expectations. Zhang Xianzhong joined Zhang Kewang and retreated to Yuezhou. He still had 120,000 to 130,000 troops under his command. Together with Ai Nengqi in Wuchang, Zhang Xianzhong still had a total of 150,000 troops. There was no need to say much about his hatred for him. Qin Mu thought that he would continue to move south to attack Changsha after regrouping. He didn't expect that he would even give up Yuezhou.
"Is the information accurate? I hope we don't fall for Zhang Xianzhong's scheme of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west."
"Don't worry, sir. Our people are closely monitoring every move of Zhang Xianzhong's army. From the information we have obtained and various signs from the Dashi Army, it seems that Zhang Xianzhong is indeed intending to abandon Yuezhou and head north."
"Okay, you have to continue to monitor Zhang Xianzhong's every move. Pass on my order and have Ling Zhan and Su Jin be prepared. Once Zhang Xianzhong really abandons Yuezhou and heads north, immediately send troops to recapture Yuezhou City."
"Yes, sir."
Qin Mu was thinking about the next layout while walking towards the second hall. Niu Wanshan and Li Shi followed closely behind him like two door gods.
All the officials and servants in the government office bowed and saluted to him, showing great respect. Qin Mu defeated Zhang Xianzhong, seized Huguang, and had more than 100,000 soldiers. Now the entire Huguang was almost under his control. Qin Mu appointed officials in various states and counties without consulting the court. Everyone knew what this meant.
There are many legends about Qin Mu among the people now, especially his miraculous deeds in front of the Huichang Altar of Land and Grain. The people have long passed them on in detail. It is said that when he was offering sacrifices at the altar, wind and clouds gathered, a golden dragon flew overhead, and he could also hear the will of heaven.
There are also legends that he dug out an ancient magic weapon. Some say it was the Xuanyuan Sword used by the Yellow Emperor, some say it was the Qin Emperor Sword, and some say it was the Supreme Sword, the Juque Sword, but people are usually happy to believe the first two. No matter which one it is, it shows that Qin Mu himself has a deep fortune.
There is also a legend that where Qin Mu hid at night, golden light often shone, filling the room with light, which was a spectacle. In short, there are countless legends about Qin Mu, each one more mysterious than the other.
Now most people in the world can see that the Ming Dynasty is about to end. People use the various deeds that happened to Qin Mu as evidence of his miraculous rise, and most of the common people believe that he is a real dragon. These people in the governor's office were all officials recruited by Qin Mu, so their attitude towards Qin Mu naturally became more respectful.
Qin Mu had just arrived at the second hall when someone from outside reported that Meng Ke had arrived.
Qin Mu thought about it and came out to greet him in person.
In the Battle of Liling, Wu Xueli's 30,000 troops were unable to capture the city after a long siege and their morale was greatly damaged. Meng Ke's 50,000 troops took the opportunity to launch a massive counterattack and defeated Wu Xueli.
In this battle, Meng Ke captured 20,000 soldiers of the left army and spared no one. He killed them all, including Wu Xueli himself. His notoriety was even worse than that of Qin Mu. Now, the name Meng Ke is enough to stop children from crying at night in Huguang.
And this is not the point. The point is that he killed 20,000 soldiers of the left army without asking Qin Mu for permission beforehand.
Qin Mu arrived at the governor's main hall, and Meng Ke also arrived at the gate with a few personal soldiers. In Qin Mu's eyes, Meng Ke became more and more calm and had more and more general-like demeanor.
In Meng Ke's opinion, Qin Mu was becoming more and more like a cloud of fog, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to see through him. When he came to Jiangxi from Nanjing, Qin Mu's judgments about the general situation of the world were almost all verified. After experiencing the Yang Tinglin incident, the battle of Yuanzhou, the battle of Changsha, and the battle of Liuyang, Qin Mu was much more mature than before.
Although on the surface he still looked as cheerful as before, there was clearly something more incomprehensible in his smile. These things made Meng Ke inexplicably feel a sense of oppression, a feeling he had only felt from Yuan Chonghuan in the past.
Qin Mu stood in the hall, looking at him with a smile. Meng Ke walked into the hall step by step, his steps seemed a little heavy. When he was three feet away from Qin Mu, he suddenly bent his knees, knelt on one leg and said in a deep voice: "Sir, I killed 20,000 soldiers of the left army without your order. Please punish me."
Qin Mu still looked at him with a smile, and after a moment he laughed loudly and said, "General Meng, please stand up. I have built a Jingguan under the city of Yuanzhou with the heads of Zuo Jun before. As the saying goes, what goes up must be followed. General Meng has done nothing wrong. Please stand up quickly."
"Thank you for your grace, sir." Meng Ke stood up. This was the first time he knelt down to kowtow to Qin Mu. Although Qin Mu smiled and comforted him, he did not personally help him up. The balance between the two was quite delicate.
At least one thing is that this is the first time that both parties have acknowledged their subordinate relationship in a formal setting.
All along, the relationship between Qin Mu and Meng Ke has been a little subtle, neither like friends nor like subordinates. Although Meng Ke obeys Qin Mu's orders, he seems to maintain relative independence.
If we really want to accurately explain the relationship between the two people in the past, it is just as Qin Mu said, similar to the relationship between creditors and debtors. Meng Ke used to obey Qin Mu's orders, which was more like repaying a debt.
"General Meng, please follow me. Now that Hengyang has been taken, most of Huguang is under our control and connected to southern Jiangxi. However, it is still uncertain whether Zhang Xianzhong will stay or go, and the court's reaction is unknown. I want to discuss with you and Ma Yongzhen how to deal with various changes in the future."
...