Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

Lu Xiangsheng was furious when he heard this.

"My Lord, I have something important to report. Please follow me into the central army tent."

He did not dare to speak loudly, nor did he know how to address the emperor, so he just bowed and saluted the two of them.

Zhang Shikang knew that Lu Xiangsheng was anxious, so he and his brother Chongzhen walked into the central military tent with their bowls in hand.

Sun Weifan and others had been waiting in the big tent for a long time. When they saw Emperor Chongzhen come in, they immediately knelt on the ground and saluted him.

"Your Highness, I, Lu Xiangsheng/Sun Weifan, greet you!"

During the whole process, Zhang Shikang did not put down the bowl in his hand. Emperor Chongzhen followed suit, but when he saw the two of them bowing, he put down his bowl and said gently:

"You two have worked hard, please stand up."

After saying that, he picked up the bowl again.

Lu Xiangsheng and Sun Weifan looked at each other, both a little confused. Is this the end?

Shouldn't Your Majesty explain to them why you left the capital without any news and came to this place of war?

"My Lord, your Majesty's body is worth millions of gold. How can you ..."

"No matter how precious it is, it still needs to eat, drink, defecate and urinate, Lord Lu, don't make a fuss.

The bandits are rebelling again, and the imperial court cannot fight on two fronts, so this is the only option left."

Lu Xiangsheng did not dare to blame the emperor. He knew in his heart that this must have been Zhang Shikang's idea, and there was a hint of accusation in his words.

But before he could finish, he was interrupted by Zhang Shikang and was shocked by his words.

"So that's how it is..." Lu Xiangsheng frowned and hesitated to speak.

When Zhang Shikang and Yang Sichang were urgently transferred to the capital, the reason was not explained to them. Lu Xiangsheng and Sun Weifan only guessed that something big had happened in the court.

But they didn't expect that the bandits who were wiped out more than two months ago had resurrected.

While being surprised, he also roughly understood Zhang Shikang's intention, which was to use Your Majesty's valuable life to inspire the soldiers to fight hard against the enemy.

In an era when imperial power was supreme, this was a tried and tested method in all dynasties.

Although, there are also risks involved.

This is a battlefield after all. The emperor's personal presence may buff his own soldiers, but in fact, it can also buff the enemy.

After all, capturing the emperor of the Ming Dynasty was a supreme achievement, and anyone who could capture him would be rewarded with a thousand gold coins and be granted the title of marquis.

It depends on whose buff is more powerful.

"I will not interfere in the war. I am here only to do what I can. Don't worry." Emperor Chongzhen said calmly.

In fact, Emperor Chongzhen was thinking about how to best motivate morale along the way.

He ventured out of the capital this time, not to have fun. If he couldn't play his role, then his trip would have been in vain.

This was the reason why he ate with the soldiers. There was not much he could do, and these were all he could think of.

Lu Xiangsheng was naturally grateful for Emperor Chongzhen's words. The thing a general fears most is being hindered by people who don't understand military affairs.

He was the military supervisor before, but now the military supervisor is gone and the emperor himself is here. He can tell with his butt that the emperor must want to resolve the war as soon as possible.

But fighter jets may not come just like that, and being too anxious may do harm.

Now it seems that he was worrying too much. He looked at Zhang Shikang and felt more relieved.

After all, the uncle is here, and given his personality, he will definitely not let others interfere in the war.

But Sun Weifan said with a worried look on his face:

"But Your Majesty, how can the court officials let this go?"

Sun Weifan was a rough man who usually kept his distance from court officials, but this did not mean that he had a simple mind.

It was almost a tacit understanding between the emperor and his subjects that the emperor would not leave the capital. He also guessed that this was Zhang Shikang's idea, and it was almost certain that Zhang Shikang did it secretly without the knowledge of his subjects.

Firstly, he was worried that the emperor would be in danger, and secondly, he was worried about the blame from the court officials. By then, those people would definitely point the finger at this kid Zhang Shikang.

If something really happened, Zhang Shikang would take the blame.

But if something happens to Zhang Shikang, how can he achieve success?

Sun Weifan was somewhat self-aware. He knew that he was not popular in the court and even the emperor probably didn't care much about him. The only reason he could have the important task he had today was because of this kid Zhang Shikang.

"Humph, this world belongs to me. I am the emperor, so why can't I even leave the palace? What's the logic behind this?

Marquis Huaining, you should consider how to expel the Jiannu."

Emperor Chongzhen looked displeased, and his words showed dissatisfaction.

Emperor Chongzhen had a long talk with Zhang Shikang along the way and learned that many things could not be put into practice due to the constraints of court officials. Now he was very dissatisfied with his officials.

And when Sun Weifan mentioned the court officials again at this time, he really walked into the trap.

He generally didn't think much of Sun Weifan, and if it weren't for Zhang Shikang's strong recommendation, he wouldn't even have employed him.

"Uncle Shi, as the old saying goes, don't hit the diligent or the lazy, just hit the blind. You are really bringing up things that are not relevant." Zhang Shikang teased.

"Now that things have come to this, you two should talk about the current situation."

Zhang Shikang finished eating the rice and threw the bowl aside.

When the serious matter was brought up, Lu Xiangsheng first bowed to Chongzhen and Zhang Shikang and said:

"After Lord Bo left, I had two battles with Dorgon, but they were not large-scale.

Previously, I had speculated that Dorgon might also intend to withdraw his troops.

But yesterday, Dorgon attacked Li County again. In order to prevent Dorgon from going south, I ordered Hong Chengchou to garrison Qizhou and Sun Chuanting to garrison Hejian. "

"I'm afraid that Dorgon has already known about the changes in the court." Zhang Shikang said after a little thought.

The Qing Dynasty must have planted many spies in the Ming Dynasty court. It is almost beyond doubt that the two countries are mortal enemies.

After all, the news of the bandits' resurgence had been around for several days, so it was not surprising that Dorgon, who was in the capital of the Ming Dynasty, knew about it.

"Then Hong Chengchou didn't do anything tricky, right?" Zhang Shikang asked again.

"My Lord, everything is normal. This war concerns the country and its people. Lord Hong is not a short-sighted person. How could he act recklessly on this matter?" Lu Xiangsheng said in a deep voice.

Although there were some conflicts, Lu Xiangsheng was an upright person and never excluded his colleagues in important matters.

"Ha! Lord Lu is quite broad-minded. How could he forget about Jiazhuang so quickly?" Zhang Shikang said for no reason.

Your Grandpa Lu is upright and will not harm anyone in a war, but you cannot forget the fight.

"What Shikang said makes sense. Mr. Lu should keep it in mind and not be careless." Emperor Chongzhen reminded from the side.

He only found out later that Zhang Shikang had to go on expeditions several times just because of Lu Xiangsheng.

Although he himself did not have much good feelings towards Lu Xiangsheng, he believed in Zhang Shikang's vision. Since Zhang Shikang trusted him so much, Lu Xiangsheng must have some good points.

Emperor Chongzhen certainly knew that Hong Chengchou was supported by the Donglin Party, and he gave such a reminder out of this consideration.

He had long regarded the Donglin Party as a cancer in the imperial court.

"My minister obeys."

Lu Xiangsheng didn't dare to refute when he heard this. He now knew exactly how important the Earl was in His Majesty's heart.

This is almost considered as obedience, right?

In theory, this should be considered a good thing.

But is this really a good thing?

Zhang Shikang didn't think too much about it. After understanding the current situation, he immediately began to think about how to deal with it.

He poured himself a bowl of tea and also poured a bowl for his brother Chongzhen.

“Now that your Majesty has come, you must naturally play your role.

You two should also think of a solution and give some ideas."

……