Cutting over the end of the Ming Dynasty: a dog-leg knife at the beginning

Chapter 77 Optimus Prime

Yang Menglong had a meal at Lu Xiangsheng's place, and the two of them had a long talk all night long, with endless topics, and they didn't fall asleep until the third watch.

The next day, the city gate opened, and Lu Xiangsheng took Yang Menglong into the city to apply for military registration at the Ministry of War.Fang Yizhi and Wu Yong also entered the city together. After entering the city, they separated. Wu Yong returned to the palace for a business, and Fang Yizhi reported to the Ministry of Officials to clear up the relationship. What about power?Offend them and you're screwed.

As the capital of the empire, Beijing has a population of one million. It is one of the largest cities in the world, not to mention the whole country.This is the nerve center of the entire empire, where the best talents in the country compete here, trying to win the ruling power of the entire empire, and show their grand plans; a large number of young and energetic talents stand out through the imperial examination and enter the imperial capital full of ideals. Trying to realize the ideal of keeping the family in order, governing the country, and pacifying the world, after more than 200 years of accumulation, there are already many officials, large and small, in the capital like dogs.Needless to say, this is a magical city, where the arrogance of the emperor is fully displayed, and the wealth and beauty of the entire empire are gathered here to build up this dreamy city.However, after nearly 300 years of ups and downs, Emperor Hongwu chased the north and never destroyed the unstoppable heroes of the Yuan court. , covered with age spots but still flexible hands, slowly, little by little, peeled off and tore up the glory of this city, leaving Beijing with only the fear of the declining sun and the desolation of the wind and rain.Now the city of Beijing has become a monster. There are beggars and refugees everywhere in the outer city, waiting to be fed. I don’t know how many people freeze to death and starve to death every day, but the inner city is singing and dancing, singing and singing every night, as if it is not the same world at all!The tall horses of playboys and the fragrant cars of high-ranking officials are rampant in the city, and the civilians who are struggling to survive numbly hide and watch, watching their backs indifferently, like a group of soulless clay puppets, who can't even express their anger. Power is gone.

Yang Menglong took a deep breath and said to Lu Xiangsheng: "This place is really breathless!"

Lu Xiangsheng nodded heavily, and without further ado, he led Yang Menglong to hurry up.The city of Beijing is not small, and it is difficult to reach the Ministry of War on time if you don't hurry up.

When Wu Yong returned to the palace, Chongzhen had already retired and was reviewing the memorial.The young emperor's desk is always full of memorials that can't be finished. He has shown Zhu Yuanzhang's desperate spirit, but he still can't finish his work. Fortunately, the eunuchs of Bingbi can help Share some of it, otherwise he will have to vomit blood from exhaustion.

Wu Yongyi knelt down on the ground and said respectfully, "Long Live Lord, the slaves are back!"

Chongzhen slowly raised his head from the pile of memorials that had almost submerged him, looked at Wu Yong, saw that he was dusty, and the corners of his mouth were cracked by the wind, obviously this trip was not easy.The young emperor's voice was quite gentle: "You have worked hard along the way. Get up and talk."

"Thank you Long Live." Wu Yong nodded again and stood up respectfully.

Chongzhen buried his head in the pile of memorials again, and asked casually, "Have all the errands been done?" Ordinarily, appointing a small magistrate, a thousand households smaller than the magistrate, is not qualified enough for the emperor to ask him personally. But Fang Yizhi and Yang Menglong are different.When Jiannu was ravaging the capital and the Ming army lost the city and lost ground, these two men came out of the blue and led a group of guard officers and soldiers and village warriors to beat Jiannu severely. They cooperated with Lu Xiangsheng to kill all three of Jiannu's cattle and laid the foundation for He kept the last bit of face, and Chongzhen had a deep impression on these two, and it was reasonable to care about them.

Wu Yong said: "The maidservant brought Tiqi all the way to Dingxing, and read the imperial decree to Fang Yizhi and Yang Menglong. Yang and Fang were very grateful. They said that the emperor's grace is so great that it is difficult to repay it..."

Chongzhen approved a line of small characters on a memorial, saying: "Stop saying these compliments, tell me what kind of people Fang Yizhi and Yang Menglong are. They dare to fight Jiannu with a group of mobs. They Definitely not ordinary people."

Wu Yong said: "Master Fang is gentle and elegant, diligent in political affairs, and has a clear style. The people of Dingxing all praise him, saying that he is a rare good official. According to slaves and servants, this may be a little exaggerated, but Mr. Fang is diligent. In politics, it is an indisputable fact to be brave in doing things.”

Chongzhen asked calmly: "Can it be reused?"

Wu Yong said: "This depends on the meaning of the Long Live Lord. How can the eyes of the slaves compare with the Long Live Lord? If the Long Live Lord thinks it can be reused, then it can really be reused."

Chongzhen shook his head and laughed: "You old man, you really know how to flatter me... Fang Yizhi's evaluation from the official department is similar to yours: he is diligent in government affairs and brave in doing things. This person is useful." After a pause, he asked : "Where's Yang Menglong? I heard that this person is about the same age as me?"

Wu Yong said: "He was born in Nanjing. I don't know why he was exiled to Hebei. Only this year, he won the championship of the three armies. He once competed with Zhang Qianhu's subordinates and beat nine people in a row, so that the tenth dared not fight." Here, he stopped for a while, seeing Chongzhen raised his head, seemed very interested, and continued: "He is not only good at fist and foot, but also extremely good at fighting on the battlefield. The general was wearing double armor and rushed up to the city wall with a big axe in his hand. None of the many soldiers were able to stand out and fled. Only Yang Menglong bravely raised his sword to meet him. After a fierce battle, the white armored general was finally knocked down, and he was sent flying with a single blow. His head was cut off! The iron armor worn by the white-armored general has been seen by servants. Every armor leaf is made of refined iron, which is very heavy. Climbing up with such a heavy armor as if walking on flat ground, its ferocity can be seen, but Yang Menglong was able to confront him head-on and cut off his head, which can be described as brave!"

Chongzhen was excited when he heard this, put down his fists and said: "What a tiger general! I just don't understand, how can he have such amazing martial arts and brains at such a young age, he can not only stabilize the morale of the army, but also command the troops to fight the enemy repeatedly. Fighting, but also go to battle and capture the flag in person!?"

Wu Yong said with a smile: "Long live God does not know that some people are born to belong to the battlefield, such as the great general Huo Qubing, who became a hussar general at the age of [-]. He raised [-] Han cavalry to attack the Xiongnu six times, and sealed the wolf to live in Xu. Yang Menglong may not be the second Huo Qubing."

Chongzhen pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "If he is really Huo Qubing, he can pacify Liaodong for me and surrender Jiannu, why would I want to tear the earth apart and become king?"

Wu Yong's heart was shocked, he knew the weight of these words.Jiajing, Wanli, and Tianqi, these emperors with great personalities and tossings have exhausted the last vitality of the Ming Dynasty. Chongzhen used up all the strength of his next life day and night, but he barely supported it and prevented this building from being destroyed. Falling down prematurely.Standing at the highest point of the Empire State Building, he could hear the creepy sound of the building falling down most clearly, and he was very worried.Only a few years after succeeding to the throne, Jiannu invaded the capital and ravaged the capital. He slapped the young emperor hard on the face. Wan Dajun wiped out Liaodong, and let out a bad breath!If anyone can do this, Chongzhen, who is already a little sick and rushing to the doctor, really does not hesitate to crack the earth and become the king!

"What is this person's temperament?" Chongzhen became more and more interested in Yang Menglong.

Wu Yong said: "He is a child who has not yet grown up. He knows nothing about human relationships and the world. He is strong and aggressive, but he can respect the old and love the young. He will never bully the weak. The strong fight and the weak obey... According to Jin Yiwei, during the construction of slaves and siege At that time, Mr. Fang asked the rich households in the city to donate money for military expenses, to repair the battlements and make weapons. The wealthy households in the city did not raise their hair, and even uttered bad words, which made Mr. Fang very angry. After he knew about it, he led a group of Yebushou robbed those who opposed the most, and got thousands of taels of silver, all of which were used as rewards for those who killed the enemy and as pensions for the war dead! Long live, what do you say? Isn't he audacious?"

Chongzhen smiled and shook his head: "Nonsense, really nonsense!"

Then, Wu Yong told the whole story about Yang Menglong's adoption of An Ning. After hearing this, Chongzhen was silent for a long time before letting out a long sigh: "Oh, I expected that the country's affairs would be corrupted to the extreme, but I didn't expect it to be so corrupted. The Li people lost their heads, and the corpses on the road looked at me. My heart aches... This Yang Menglong is superb in martial arts but sympathizes with the weak.

Wu Yong repeatedly echoed, and said in his heart: "Little General Yang, our family is worthy of your 500 taels of snowflake silver! I hope you can show your talents and show some achievements sooner, so as to share your worries for Long Live!"

The boss of Chongzhen had spoken, so Yang Menglong's appointment would naturally have to be changed.The guys from the Ministry of War quarreled for a long time, and finally came to a result: In view of the extremely severe situation in Nanyang, Wuyang Qianhu Office was upgraded to Wuyang Guard, responsible for the defense of Wuyang, Biyang, and Tongbai counties, and Yang Menglong was ordered to Eliminate the grass bandits occupying Tongbai Mountain within one year!As for the number of soldiers, the lords of the Ministry of War have generously given the establishment of the first battalion, that is to say, Yang Menglong has changed from the original battalion commander of the reinforced battalion to the regiment commander, and can manage more than 700 troops.As for the essential things such as weapons and equipment, food and wages, the gang of the Ministry of War said that you should go to the Ministry of Accounts, and we will support you spiritually.

It takes a lot of courage to suddenly promote a commoner to the command of a guard. Chongzhen really hopes that Yang Menglong can become the Optimus Prime of the Ming Dynasty and support him when the sky is about to collapse.The Ministry of War said that it didn't matter. Anyway, the three counties of Wuyang, Biyang, and Tongbai were notoriously poor and chaotic. No matter how bad they were, they couldn't be worse. It didn't matter if Yang Menglong failed.The rare tacit understanding between the monarch and his ministers made Yang Menglong's promotion like a helicopter, and the appointment document was drafted and sealed, waiting for him to take office.

Yang Menglong did not disappoint them. After a few years, Chongzhen will find out how wise and stupid his original decision was.

(End of this chapter)