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

"Your Majesty has conferred upon my son the title of Marquis of Guanjun. May I ask, my dear brother, how many people throughout the dynasties have been conferred the title of hereditary marquis at such a young age?

This is not the worst thing. The worst thing is the Grand Marshal. My son has become a public enemy of the court. How can I, as a father, not be worried? "

Zhang Zhi said with great sorrow.

As the Duke of Yingguo of the current dynasty, Zhang Zhiji certainly knew how vicious and powerful the Donglin Party members were. He also did not think that his unruly son could be a match for that group of people.

In fact, when the emperor just issued an edict to appoint his son as the grand marshal, he secretly went to see the emperor and wanted to ask the emperor to revoke the order on the grounds that his son was not living up to his expectations.

But the emperor not only refused, he also said something like "like father, like son" and just smiled, refusing to agree no matter how he begged.

Zhang Zhiji would not be afraid if he provoked a certain court official, but if he provoked all the court officials, it would be a matter of life and death.

Not to mention that he is a duke, even Your Majesty may not be able to bear it.

"Brother Zhang, you don't have to do this. Now that you have His Majesty's protection, even if those people are dissatisfied, what can they do? You are causing chaos by getting involved in your own affairs."

Xu Yunzhen smiled and comforted.

He had already seen his son Xu Wenyuan, who was riding on a tall horse, wearing gorgeous clothes and a sword at his waist, standing behind the emperor with a heroic and proud look.

In less than a year, Xu Yunzhen was extremely pleased that he had transformed from the playboy who raised beautiful young boys into the mighty man he is today.

Even though the family lost a large sum of money because of this, it didn't seem so painful.

"I know Brother Xu is trying to comfort me, but, alas! Do you know that my son was assassinated in the military camp?" Zhang Zhiji said worriedly.

Apart from Emperor Chongzhen, Sun Weifan, Lu Xiangsheng and other generals who were concerned about this matter, the victim Zhang Shikang did not take it seriously and naturally did not tell his family about it, causing his family to worry for nothing.

The murderer was never found. All that could be done was to pay more attention to safety in the future. Zhang Shikang disdained the practice of collective punishment.

But even if Zhang Shikang didn't say it, Zhang Zhiji had his own channels of information. Especially since his son went to the battlefield, he became more concerned about the war there.

"Is this true? I was wondering why my nephew's left hand was hanging down." Xu Yunzhen said with a little surprise.

"In the end, the murderer was never found. It could be the Jiannu, or some dissatisfied generals, or more likely...that group of people.

But no matter what, this can be regarded as a warning to them." Zhang Zhiji speculated.

"Even so, you don't have to worry so much, brother. This is not like the you I know." Xu Yunzhen replied.

After all, they were young once. In Xu Yunzhen's impression, Zhang Zhiji always planned before taking action. Although he rarely takes charge of things now, he has never suffered any losses in his life.

"No matter what, I will always stand by you in the future!" Xu Yunzhen promised solemnly.

Now that his son has been awarded a title for his merits, he has become closely tied to the Zhang Jiaqiang family. If those people really want to take action, they will certainly not let his son go.

But Zhang Zhiji took a step back as if he had been electrocuted when he heard this. He knew Xu Yunzhen's bad habits and his hair stood on end.

"I'm serious, man you...ah!"

……

Emperor Chongzhen was very happy, Zhang Shikang, Sun Weifan and others were also very happy, and the people were even happier.

Only Zheng Sanjun, Liu Yuliang and others who were caught in the middle had sullen faces and were very unhappy.

The trip to Dingzhou made them very sure that the emperor had fallen into the hands of Zhang Shikang, and his alienation from their group was very obvious in his words and actions.

After accepting the cheers of the people, Emperor Chongzhen exchanged greetings with the court officials who came to greet him, and then drove towards the palace.

Zhang Shikang, Sun Dasheng and others then greeted their fathers respectively. As they still had duties to perform, they only exchanged greetings for a brief moment before leading the army towards the Xishan camp.

It was not until noon that the army arrived at the Xishan camp.

Although it was only more than a month, Zhang Shikang still felt very familiar when he came to Xishan Camp again.

There were people welcoming them at the gate of the military camp, but the treatment was very different from that of welcoming the emperor. There were only the chief engineer of the military camp, Mao Yuanyi, and another old man.

Moreover, Mao Yuanyi seemed very unhappy.

"General Mao, long time no see! This place is still so familiar!" Zhang Shikang said to Mao Yuanyi with a smile.

He naturally understood why Mao Yuanyi was so cold, so he was not angry and still greeted him with a smile.

"How can you go back on your word, sir?" Mao Yuanyi stared with his big eyes, seeming very angry.

He has been holding his breath for two months.

He stayed here just to rely on the relationship with the Duke's Mansion so that he could have the opportunity to return to the battlefield and be loyal to the court.

The last time the army entered the capital, Zhang Shikang personally assured him that he was only going to defend the capital, and that there was no way the Jiannu would really come to attack the city, so he did not let him go to the battlefield.

He believed it.

But not long after, he heard the news that the soldiers from the Beijing camp were going to fight against the Jian Nu, and he had not received any conscription notice throughout the whole process.

Then he realized that he had been deceived.

If he hadn't wanted to ask Zhang Shikang for an explanation, he would have run away long ago.

"General Mao, believe me, the situation was urgent. If I hadn't sent troops immediately, the Ming Dynasty would have lost a pillar of its country.

Governor Lu Xiangsheng, you should know that he was framed by Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian. If it weren't for my urgent march, Governor Lu would have suffered this disaster!

General Mao, which is more important, your personal ambition or the imperial court? " Zhang Shikang asked in return.

Zhang Shikang had prepared his speech for this steel and engineering man who was devoted to defending his country.

Mao Yuanyi was not good at speaking and swallowed back the question when it came to his lips.

"Governor Lu's subordinates naturally know this. I have read his ten strategies for deploying troops. I am not as good as him." Mao Yuanyi was very frank.

"But sir... what a great opportunity! I am so upset that I couldn't participate!"

The more he endured, the more he regretted it. The more he took a step back, the more aggrieved he felt. He had his sword and armor ready, but he just couldn't make it in time.

"Okay, okay, the Jiannu are not extinct yet, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

How is the development of the self-propelled musket going?"

Zhang Shikang was also speechless about Mao Yuanyi. He was obviously a science and engineering man, but he insisted on charging into battle and killing. Wouldn't it be better for him to just focus on inventing things?

Although he was away at war, Zhang Shikang always kept the development of the Suifa rifle in mind.

Especially in this conflict with the Jiannu, in which so many people died, Zhang Shikang paid more attention to the research, development and upgrading of firearms.

In his opinion, all the fear came from insufficient firepower.

"It has been successfully developed and six have been made. You can go and have a look when you are free." Mao Yuanyi's words were still cold, as if he was still brooding over missing the battle.

Fortunately, Zhang Shikang is not a person who cares about trivial matters. If his boss was someone like Yang Sichang, he would have been bullied countless times.

"Oh, by the way, the successful development of the self-propelled musket is also thanks to him." Mao Yuanyi thought for a moment and added, pointing at the old man next to him.

Zhang Shikang didn't know the old man, so he looked him up and down.

The old man had a gentle expression, and he bowed to Zhang Shikang and said:

"Song Yingxing, the instructor of Fenyi County School in Yuanzhou Prefecture, greets you, sir."

……