plumnovel Chapter 61 Shahe Institute upgraded to Shahe Guard
Chapter 61 Shahe Institute upgraded to Shahe Guard
Chapter 62 Shahe Institute upgraded to Shahe Guard
Chapter 061 Chen Ying suddenly remembered that this Ninth Prince was not very cultured, unlike Cao Huachun who came from the Inner Study. Wei Zhongxian might not remember kindness, but he would definitely avenge wrongs.
He is now particularly concerned about Mao Wenlong's misfortunes.
Chen Ying hesitated before saying, "Father-in-law, you don't know, that Mao Chenglu looks like a burly, honest, and straightforward warrior, but he's quite cunning. According to the secret agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Mao Chenglu has followed Mao Wenlong for over ten years. He was quite well-behaved before, but in the first year of the Tianqi reign, Mao Wenlong's entire family was captured and killed by the Jurchens. His wife, daughters, and heirs were all murdered. In October of the second year of the Tianqi reign, he took a woman surnamed Tian as a concubine—"
"This Ms. Tian was a beautiful young woman from a humble family who fled from Liaoyang years ago. She was only eighteen years old, but Mao Wenlong was already nearly fifty. In recent years, he had been at sea, exposed to the wind and sun, and looked like a seventy-year-old man. At first, Ms. Tian was grateful for Mao's kindness in taking her in, so she was honest and dutiful!"
"Later, Mao took in Zhang, who was the widow of Wang Yining, a former advisor and strategist of Mao. Wang Yining had fallen out with Mao and was arrested and executed after Mao reported his crimes. Zhang then became one of Mao's concubines. Zhang was quite shrewd and won Mao's favor. However, both Tian and Han were bullied by Zhang!"
"Mao Chenglu was the head of the adopted sons and often walked around the mansion. Once, when Madam Tian was punished by Madam Zhang to kneel, it was freezing cold and Madam Tian fainted in the courtyard. When Mao Chenglu saw this, he carried Madam Tian back into the house. Madam Tian fell ill and could not get out of bed. Mao Chenglu took good care of her. After a while, Madam Tian used her tricks to sleep with Mao Chenglu."
Wei Zhongxian was slightly taken aback: "Sleep together?"
Chen Ying then realized his slip of the tongue and hurriedly explained. Fortunately, "rolling in the sheets" was easier to understand. Wei Zhongxian laughed and said, "So, this Tian woman is also promiscuous? Unfaithful?"
Indeed—
Chen Ying laughed and said, "This Tian woman is in her prime, while Marshal Mao is old and unable to keep up. However, Mao Chenglu is in his prime. Later, Tian and Mao Chenglu had an affair, which was discovered by Han. In order to force Han to comply, Tian drugged Han while Marshal Mao was away from Pi Island. This Zhang woman discovered that Tian was pregnant, but during this time, Marshal Mao was not on Pi Island. She suspected that Tian was having an affair. Upon investigation, she found that it was actually Mao Chenglu. At this point, Mao Chenglu had no way out, so he wanted to kill her to silence her, and in the end, they became lovers."
Wei Zhongxian scoffed, "Didn't Mao Wenlong notice anything at all?"
"At first, I really didn't notice."
Chen Ying recounted vividly, "Commander Mao was constantly traveling between islands, inspecting defenses and procuring provisions, so he didn't spend much time on Pi Island. Mao Chenglu was his trusted eldest son, and he often entrusted him with managing household affairs. This scoundrel took advantage of the situation—"
"Tsk tsk————"
Wei Zhongxian asked excitedly, "And then? How did it come to light?"
"If you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place."
Chen Ying laughed and said, "Does Your Excellency know how many needles the Embroidered Uniform Guard planted in Marshal Mao's mansion?"
"Five?"
Wei Zhongxian's judgment was based on the habits of the Eastern Depot. One person was easy to expose, so generally speaking, it was three open and two covert groups, that is, two people in one group and three people in another group, with the two groups unaware of each other's existence.
"A full sixteen needles!"
"Tian Ergeng does know how to get things done!"
Chen Ying explained, "It was because this fellow was so arrogant that the Embroidered Uniform Guard discovered him, arrested Zhang, and after some interrogation, they finally—"
"Ha ha----"
Wei Zhongxian laughed loudly: "Good, good! Mao Wenlong, you've finally met your match! You're known as 'Bold Mao' for leading troops into battle, yet your home has been completely raided! How satisfying—and then what? Mao Wenlong just let it go?"
"Since his wife and children were killed, Mao Zedong took more than a dozen concubines, none of whom became pregnant. With such a large estate, he had to raise his adopted son, Mao Chenglu, as his heir."
Chen Ying laughed and said, "This humble servant couldn't bear to keep Marshal Mao in the dark, so I kindly exposed Mao Chenglu's conspiracy. Marshal Mao was so angry that he vomited blood—but Marshal Mao is not a simple man either; he also wanted to use someone else to do his dirty work!"
"oh!"
"Marshal Mao was also a man who cared about his reputation!"
Chen Ying laughed and said, "He deliberately left me in the General's Mansion and transferred the guards there. If it weren't for me, Mao Chenglu wouldn't have failed. He hates me so much that he wants to eat my flesh and drink my blood. He led his more than 1,300 confidants and decided to go all the way, using the pretext of protecting Commander Mao, to kill this traitor."
Wei Zhongxian's eyes turned cold: "He dares to rebel?"
"If he doesn't rebel, he's doomed; if he rebels, he has a sliver of hope! To vent his anger, he led over 1,300 men, intending to behead this humble servant!"
Chen Ying continued, "At that time, I only had 103 men by my side at most. Mao Chenglu's men filled the streets in front of the mansion in a dark mass, and the torches made half the sky red. He clamored that he would use my head as a sacrifice to the flag. To tell you the truth, at that moment, I was also apprehensive."
Wei Zhongxian raised an eyebrow: "Then how will you deal with it?"
"When two armies meet on a narrow path, only a fight to the death will suffice!"
Chen Ying straightened his back: "This subordinate ordered the soldiers to seal the gate of the mansion with three layers of large shields, and the soldiers to lie in ambush behind the shields. Mao Chenglu, taking advantage of our small numbers, ordered his men to charge fiercely. When his vanguard was within thirty paces, this subordinate gave the order—thirty-six soldiers, each wielding two revolvers, were divided into three ranks and fired in rotation—"
"The gunfire was as dense as a sudden rainstorm, and lead bullets rained down like locusts. The dozens of bandits at the forefront fell like wheat being harvested in the blink of an eye. Mao Chenglu was stunned by the attack and wanted to organize a second charge, but his soldiers were terrified. No matter how he slashed and shouted, they only dared to howl on the periphery and dared not take another step closer!"
"Mao Chenglu killed more than a dozen fleeing soldiers, finally stabilizing the situation. Hundreds of soldiers rushed forward, and I ordered the artillerymen in ambush to open fire. Instantly, shells swarmed like locusts, darkening the sky and killing many enemy soldiers!"
"Mao Chenglu was still not giving up, and roared, 'Chen Boying, you traitor, do you dare to fight me to the death?'"
Seeing that Wei Zhongxian was listening more and more attentively, Chen Ying began to tell stories like a storyteller.
Wei Zhongxian listened intently: "Boying, is your skill really that amazing?"
"My lord, I am also a hereditary military household member. I have practiced martial arts since childhood. While I am far inferior to the fiercest generals in the army, I am more than capable of dealing with the petty thief Mao Chenglu!"
Chen Yingyi pointed to Fu Yingxing beside him and said, "Young Master Fu should have seen it. At that time, outside the Dongjiang Army General's Mansion, corpses lay everywhere and blood flowed like rivers." Fu Yingxing continued, "At that time, I—"
"Shut up!"
Wei Zhongxian realized the problem and said to Lu Jiucheng, "Bring me the muskets!"
Lu Jiucheng handed the revolver to Wei Zhongxian, who picked it up and asked doubtfully, "Is this gun really that powerful?"
Chen Ying explained, "This weapon was crafted by skilled artisans in Shahe. It uses a rotary feed system and has an extremely high rate of fire, capable of penetrating heavy armor within thirty paces—Mao Chenglu's men had never seen such firepower before. Just as they were at a loss for what to do, my hidden gunners opened fire continuously, causing the enemy to collapse instantly. Mao Chenglu still wanted to escape, but how could I give him that chance? I drew my gun and fired, shooting him off his horse on the spot and capturing him alive—"
"good!"
Wei Zhongxian couldn't help but clap his hands and exclaimed, "Well done! One hundred defeated thirteen thousand! Boying, you fought a brilliant battle! You've brought honor to our family! And what about Mao Wenlong? What happened to that rebellious son?"
"Marshal Mao was heartbroken, but he put righteousness above family ties."
Chen Ying solemnly replied, "Mao Chenglu has been executed in a public ceremony, and his head has been displayed on the various islands. His followers have been either executed or exiled, and the Dongjiang Army has been brought to a standstill. After this incident, Commander Mao deeply felt that he had not been strict enough in managing his subordinates, and he realized that the authority of the eunuch and the laws of the court should not be taken lightly. Therefore, he not only offered generous gifts to apologize, but also offered to entrust Dalu Island to him as a sign of his sincerity."
Wei Zhongxian said slowly, "Boying, this time you not only helped Mao Wenlong clean house, but also, on behalf of our family and the court, you gave this lone wolf from Liaodong a harsh lesson. Let him know that without the support of the court, he is nothing, and let him understand who can truly benefit him and give him a way to survive."
"This matter has been handled perfectly. I am very satisfied. As for the matter of Dalu Island, proceed as you instructed. Do a good job, and let Mao Wenlong see, and let those sour grapes in the court who always say that I only use mediocre people, see what kind of people I have promoted!"
"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I am determined to serve you with my life and live up to your expectations!"
Chen Ying bowed, his voice firm.
Chen Ying breathed a sigh of relief; this hurdle was finally over. He couldn't let his guard down when facing the unpredictable Wei Zhongxian.
"Godfather, Chen Boying clearly—"
Wei Zhongxian's face darkened: "Clearly what?"
"You're clearly lying, Mao Wenlong—"
Wei Zhongxian interrupted, "Nine out of ten, if this task is given to you, can you handle it better than Chen Boying?"
Wei Zhongxian already knew the outcome of Mao Wenlong's negotiations with Chen Boying through the channels of the Imperial Guard and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He was even more aware that Mao Wenlong, despite his stubbornness, still wanted to use someone else to do his dirty work.
The problem is that Chen Boying only brought a little over a hundred people to Pi Island this time. He not only used artillery to suppress Mao Wenlong, but also led a little over a hundred people to kill more than a thousand of Mao Chenglu's men.
Chen Boying went to Pi Island on behalf of Wei Zhongxian. He not only successfully brought back Fu Yingxing, but more importantly, he also forced Mao Wenlong, who commanded tens of thousands of troops, to submit.
This matter was handled with both prestige and substance. Wei Zhongxian didn't mind that Chen Boying benefited from it; he wouldn't dare to use someone who wasn't greedy.
Wei Zhongxian was surprised that Chen Boying would lead troops. He thought Chen Ying would take more than a hundred men to Pi Island, and that these men, dressed in armor, would look like a warrior battalion, but it would just be for show.
I never expected him to be such a good fighter.
In fact, what Wei Zhongxian was always troubled by was that he didn't have any particularly capable fighters under his command. The reason why Sun Chengzong was able to gain the trust of the Tianqi Emperor was because Sun Chengzong was a good fighter.
Of course, Sun Chengzong himself was not good at fighting, but he was able to keep fierce generals such as Ma Shilong, Man Gui, and Zu Dashou under his thumb. During this period in Liaodong, he did a pretty good job.
At least during this period, Nurhaci was much more obedient.
Wei Zhongxian decided to promote Chen Ying. He was well aware that Chen Ying was stationed at the Shahe Garrison Command, which was only a single command post, so he dared not expand the army.
Anyway, Chen Ying can make money on his own, so there's no need to allocate funds separately to him. Why not upgrade the Shahe Garrison Thousand Households to the Shahe Guard? In this way, Chen Ying can expand his army further, and if there is any trouble in Liaodong, Chen Boying can be sent to take the lead.
As long as Chen Ying has military achievements, like Mao Wenlong, it would be a simple matter of setting up a separate town.
Wei Zhongxian quickly made a decision: he needed to use Chen Boying's horse bone to prove to the world that following Wei Zhongxian meant easy promotion and wealth.
The next morning, after reporting his memorial to the Tianqi Emperor, Wei Zhongxian mentioned Chen Boying's affairs on Pi Island. After listening to the emperor, Wei Zhongxian said, "Your Majesty, Chen Boying is a talented person, an absolute talent. It is a bit of a waste for him to serve as a commander of the Shahe Guard. Why not give him more responsibilities and promote him to commander of the Shahe Guard?"
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