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

"Old Yang, you can't do this!

Are you drunk or something? Are you really scared by this kid? " Wang Yongzuo, who was standing aside, saw Yang Ming's shocked expression and teased.

"That's right, what did he say? Why did he scare you so much?" You Shiwei asked curiously.

Yang Ming was not stupid. He was stunned for a moment before he reacted. If anyone else dared to say that to him, Yang Ming would have slapped them in the face.

But if the person in front of him was really from the capital, and considering what had happened to Guan Ningjin, Yang Ming did not dare to be presumptuous.

He did not dare to question directly, but only asked Zhang Shikang very carefully:

"Is your surname Zhang?"

Zhang Shikang smiled and nodded, and Yang Ming became even more frightened.

"Old Yang, what did he say?" Seeing Yang Ming's cautious behavior, Hou Shiwei couldn't help but become interested.

Yang Ming looked at Zhang Shikang again, and after getting Zhang Shikang's nod, he whispered to everyone:

"He said his elder brother is the current emperor."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone took a deep breath and the wine bowl that Wang Yongzuo had just picked up fell to the ground, breaking into pieces.

"Zhang...Grand Marshal of the Army?" You Shiwei stuttered for a moment and still didn't dare to call out Zhang Shikang's name directly.

"Yes, that's me.

Alas, I didn't want to tell you, but it was all because of Brother Yang that you insisted on digging into my mind." Zhang Shikang said helplessly.

"How dare I be the Marshal's brother? Marshal, you are embarrassing me." Yang Ming said as he knelt on the ground.

You Shiwei, Yang Ming, Wang Yongzuo and others also stood up at the same time and apologized to Zhang Shikang.

By this time, they had long sobered up and were thinking about what they had just said, which was very disrespectful to the people in front of them. They had no time to think about anything else.

They have been dismissed from their official positions and are all guilty. If Zhang Shikang is not happy, he will just kill them, and no one in the court will speak for them.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on? We're drinking. Get up quickly. I haven't had enough drink yet." Zhang Shikang quickly helped Yang Ming and others up.

The restaurant owner, who had been extremely nervous just now, did not show any surprise at this moment. Perhaps Zhang Shikang's servants had already revealed some information to the restaurant in order to ensure the safety of the food.

On the contrary, the civilians at other tables, upon seeing this situation, quickly paid the bill and left.

This tavern had previously been a gathering place for several dismissed veterans, and Yulin City was not large, so most of the local people knew them.

These old generals all kowtowed to the young man who was talking and laughing just now, which can only mean that the young man must be of great background.

As a civilian, if you encounter such a situation, it is definitely better to avoid it if possible.

They went to pay the bill, but the shopkeeper didn't dare to accept it because Zhang Shikang had just come in and said it was his treat.

So, these civilians had to kowtow to Zhang Shikang before carefully leaving the restaurant.

The small pub became deserted for a while.

Zhang Shikang glanced at Yang Ming helplessly and said:

"It's all your fault! If you have to ask, look at what you've done. How can we drink like this?"

What I want is not what I portray.

Zhang Shikang didn't like drinking, but he was very interested in the atmosphere of drinking and bragging. However, all of a sudden, everyone ran away.

"General, I am guilty. Please punish me." Yang Ming's forehead was covered with sweat and he was about to kneel down again.

It was not a big deal, and Zhang Shikang was not really angry, so he quickly stopped it.

"Please sit down." Zhang Shikang pointed to the seats.

Now that his identity has been revealed, he doesn't have to pretend to be a younger brother anymore.

Everyone sat down one after another, and You Shiwei couldn't help but ask in a low voice:

"Why did the Marshal suddenly come to Yulin? When I last got the news, the Marshal should still be in Guanningjin."

"Now that we have dealt with the matter over there, let's go to the west to take a look. General You, I remember you have a brother, right?"

Zhang Shikang asked casually.

"Reporting to the Marshal, I am the second child in my family. I have an older brother, You Shigong, and a younger brother, You Shilu." You Shiwei said honestly.

"Oh, I heard that your You family is also a military family. Do your brothers have any jobs?"

"Reporting to the Marshal, my eldest brother, You Shigong, died in battle in Shenyang, and my third brother was dismissed from office along with me in the eighth year of Chongzhen."

"What a pity." Zhang Shikang muttered.

“I’m sure you all know why I went to Guan Ningjin, and I think you can guess what I’m doing here.

His Majesty has dismissed you, no matter what the reason, what's done is done.

Since our acquaintance is fate, if I say that I hope you will fight for His Majesty again, are you willing?"

Zhang Shikang looked at the people present calmly.

Yang Ming and Hou Shiwei looked at each other and saw excitement in each other's eyes, and the others were almost the same.

Everyone stood up and was about to salute Zhang Shikang again.

If other people dare to speak like this, they will most likely be slapped in the face. After all, it was His Majesty who dismissed them from their posts. Without His Majesty's approval, no one would dare to stand up for them.

But Zhang Shikang was no ordinary man. He was the Grand Marshal of the Army appointed by His Majesty himself and held all the military power of the Ming Dynasty.

Now that Zhang Shikang's identity has been confirmed, they naturally have full confidence in his abilities.

"Don't be so solemn all the time. If you have the ability, use it more often in the army." Zhang Shikang waved his hand to stop them from saluting.

"General, we come from the military, and we don't know how to do anything except lead troops in battle.

If the Marshal is willing to give me another chance, there is no doubt that my life will belong to the Marshal from now on!" Wang Yongzuo said a little excitedly.

Since the Ji Mao Rebellion, the court has undergone a complete transformation. With Zhang Shikang in charge of the court, military generals across the country no longer have to worry about being bullied by civil officials.

In the many wars over the past two years, His Majesty has conferred no less than twenty titles of nobility. This can be seen from this alone.

Now that Zhang Shikang had said that, there were only four words echoing in everyone's mind.

The future is expected.

Seeing Wang Yongzuo showing off his achievements, the others also formally chose to pledge their allegiance one after another.

"The target is wrong, it's His Majesty. Your lives, including my life, belong to His Majesty.

If you keep saying this, people will think that I have become a warlord.

If His Majesty heard it, wouldn't that harm me?" Zhang Shikang quickly corrected.

But it was obvious that he had no such awareness at all. If he really thought so, he would not say it openly. After all, among his group of servants, there were also some masters of the factory guards.

Everyone was afraid to say anything when they saw this, except Zhang Shikang who muttered again:

"Alas, being too successful will frighten the master! It has always been a way to get killed."

……