Chapter 725: Retreat as advance, and rejection as well as welcome is the kingly way

Zhang Zhun said coldly: "This is the report of the Jinyiwei, and there are Emperor Chongzhen's personal comments on it. Are you blind? Are you still defending? Are you still qualified to defend now?"

Lu Xiangsheng roared in anger: "Slander! This is completely slander!"

Zhang Zhun sneered slightly, looking disdainful.

Lu Xiangsheng was jealous and his whole body was filled with a layer of sick blood, and he felt that blood would burst out from under his skin at any time. Both hands holding the memorial were trembling slightly. Obviously, his heart was extremely angry. He seemed to be a lion tied up. Although he was full of anger, he could not get any vent. Because there was no place for him to vent.

It turned out that this memorial was given to Emperor Chongzhen by Luo Yangxing, the commander of the Jinyiwei. It also had a handwritten comment from Emperor Chongzhen on it, which was in the third year of Chongzhen. In the memorial, the Jinyiwei clearly pointed out that Lu Xiangsheng's Tianxiong army was sympathetic to the rebels, and it was very likely that he would become a rebel. The Jinyiwei therefore specifically reminded the court to prevent Lu Xiangsheng and the bandits from joining together and stealing national weapons.

The most deadly part of this memorial is Zu Kuan's testimony. Zu Kuan was Zu Dashou's family servant. Because he was brave in combat and was not very good at killing people, he eventually became a general. The three thousand Liaodong cavalry commanded by him were the strongest combat power under Lu Xiangsheng. The Tianxiong Army formed by Lu Xiangsheng himself had not many cavalry. When fighting tough battles, he had to rely on Zu Kuan's cavalry power.

However, Zu Kuan and his subordinates had a very prominent problem, that is, the military discipline was scattered and difficult to restrain. These people were more fierce than bandits, especially those who liked to rape women. Wherever Zu Kuan's troops passed, any young women with a little beauty were forcibly raped by them. If they didn't follow, they would intervene with swords and axes, chop them into meat, and then kill people and confiscate their houses according to the charge of the upper bandits, kill people and confiscate their houses, and destroy them.

When Lu Xiangsheng led his army to recover Queshan, a very tragic scene occurred. At that time, Li Zicheng led the bandits to retreat, and the government troops arrived. The people of Queshan all came up to welcome the official army. As a result, Zu Kuan and his subordinates rushed into the crowd, dragged out the beautiful women and brought them back to the military camp to rape them forcibly. Some of the defiled women committed suicide on the spot, causing extremely bad effects in the local area.

That night, the people in Queshan were incited to resist the official army. Zu Kuan opened the killing and slaughtered all tens of thousands of people in Queshan. Lu Xiangsheng could not stop this. Although this matter was suppressed by the court, it became the fuse for the people in several counties to resist the official army. They fled to the bandits and resisted the official army. As a result, Li Zicheng's troops suddenly increased by 30,000 to 40,000, making Lu Xiangsheng exhausted and miserable.

Lu Xiangsheng repeatedly stopped Zu Kuan's atrocities. Zu Kuan agreed on the surface, but in fact he was still doing his own things behind his back, burning, killing, and plundering. Relying on the power of the Liaodong military group, Zu Kuan even publicly opposed Lu Xiangsheng. During several major military operations, Zu Kuan deliberately made excuses not to participate, which led to Lu Xiangsheng's inability to successfully encircle the bandits.

However, Zu Kuan is from Liaodong and is not affiliated with Lu Xiangsheng's Tianxiong Army, and Lu Xiangsheng is helpless. Lu Xiangsheng repeatedly submitted memorials to the court, impeaching Zu Kuan's crimes and demanding that he be replaced. The court did not make any moves, as if he didn't know about it at all. This made Lu Xiangsheng feel that his efforts were completely in vain.

He finally killed tens of thousands of bandits, but Zu Kuan came casually and gave birth to tens of thousands of bandits. He pressed the gourd and floated up. Even if Lu Xiangsheng had three heads and six arms, he would not be able to pacify all the bandits! However, even so, Lu Xiangsheng still did not expect that Zu Kuan would accuse him of being a traitor!

In his testimony, Zu Kuan pointed out that Lu Xiangsheng was guilty of being a thief and having secretly accomplices with the thief leader. If calculated based on these charges, it would be normal to confiscate Lu Xiangsheng's home and exterminate the clan. Even Lu Xiangsheng's crime was not at all lighter than Zhang Zhun's. Zhang Zhun had no such crime yet.

The most serious thing is that the few war examples mentioned by Zu Kuan in his testimony were indeed Lu Xiangsheng's soft-heartedness and let go of some traitors with less guilty guilt. Among the traitors at that time, some children who were less than ten years old and many helpless women. Can Lu Xiangsheng kill them all? Of course not. But he did not have the ability to settle them, what should he do? In the end, he had to let them go. As a result, such behavior became a proof that the enemy returned to his nest and held the thief's self-respect.

Emperor Chongzhen's criticism made Lu Xiangsheng even more stunned. Emperor Chongzhen's criticism was very simple, with only two short sentences and ten words. The first sentence was "Finally monitor." The second sentence was "If necessary, kill without mercy." Seeing these two criticisms, Lu Xiangsheng felt a chill of his spine. He felt that he had been very stable in the past few years, but in fact he didn't know that he was completely living on the edge of a cliff. If he was not careful, he would fall to pieces. This huge contrast was unbearable for even Lu Xiangsheng.

"Zu Kuan! You evil thief!"

Lu Xiangsheng was so angry that he cursed.

After being accused by his subordinates of being a rebel, Lu Xiangsheng's last psychological bottom line was completely collapsed. He could accept anything but could not accept the fact that he was a rebel. He worked hard all his life, struggled, and even went on battle in person, killing countless rebels. In the end, he actually became a rebel. How could he accept this?

Zhang Zhun took back the memorial with disdain, tear it apart into very small pieces, and then threw the pieces into the sky. The whistling north wind blew away all the pieces without leaving any trace. Zhang Zhun clapped his hands and said coldly: "How can you, a coward, take Zukuan? Report to the emperor? Do you have this opportunity?"

Before Lu Xiangsheng reacted, he wanted to completely destroy the memorial. Because this memorial was completely made of Xibei and was forged by Zhang Zhun. All the memorials that Lu Xiangsheng had shown before were genuine, but the last memorial was fake. Lu Xiangsheng, who was inspiring, had preconceived ideas and had no idea at all. In fact, this memorial was truly fatal and was also Zhang Zhun's last killer move.

In fact, after reading this memorial, Lu Xiangsheng was indeed confused and looked hunched. He felt that he had been deceived. The person who deceived him was not someone else, but the person he respected the most. He thought that Emperor Chongzhen did not understand him and misunderstood himself. Now it seems that this is not the case. Emperor Chongzhen was always on guard against himself from beginning to end.

Perhaps it is because of the Tianxiong Army?

Lu Xiangsheng questioned himself in pain.

In the second year of Chongzhen, the Tatars invaded the capital for the first time and besieged the capital. The situation was very critical. The court issued an edict to serve the king, requiring troops from all over the country to quickly go to the capital to gather and fight against the Tartars. Lu Xiangsheng, who was the prefect of Daming Prefecture in Northern Zhili, immediately formed a team of 3,000 people to go north to serve the king. As a result, by the time he arrived at the capital, the Tartars had retreated.

Although he did not fight with the Tartars, Chongzhen was still very satisfied with Lu Xiangsheng's performance. Afterwards, Chongzhen personally received Lu Xiangsheng and encouraged him. There was no doubt that Chongzhen's encouragement made Lu Xiangsheng feel that he was highly appreciated by the emperor. Even if he was heartbroken and torn to pieces, he could not repay Chongzhen's trust.

Shortly afterwards, Lu Xiangsheng was transferred to the front line of suppressing the bandits. He himself felt deeply that he could not let down the emperor's kindness and could not let Chongzhen be disappointed in himself, so he went to the front line in every battle, leading by the army, staining his battle robe with blood. As a civil servant, he personally killed people with a machete, which more or less stimulated the morale of the official army. In the end, the bandits were killed by Lu Xiangsheng, and Lu Xiangsheng himself was promoted to the right deputy censor and prime minister of the five provinces, and continued to kill the bandits.

Lu Xiangsheng has been silently warning himself that Emperor Chongzhen trusted him so much that he could not repay him. No matter how difficult the state affairs were, he must stand firmly with Chongzhen and fight for Chongzhen to die. However, Zhang Zhun's memorial made Emperor Chongzhen, who was in Lu Xiangsheng's heart, instantly break the glorious image of Emperor Chongzhen in his heart.

Emperor Chongzhen did not trust him, but used him. The gap between trust and use is indeed too big. Simply using it cannot make people feel loyal. This is the most basic truth. From being trusted by the emperor to being used by the emperor, it is equivalent to falling from heaven to hell. The taste can be imagined.

Luo Yangxing's memorial was sent to Emperor Chongzhen when the Tianxiong Army had just participated in the suppression of the thieves. Obviously, from that time on, Emperor Chongzhen was worried about himself and the Tianxiong Army he formed. Thinking of the fact that Zu Kuan was actively coming by the court to assist him in fighting, Lu Xiangsheng's heart became even darker.

In the past, he thought that Zu Kuan's arrival was the court that cared for him and wanted to strengthen his strength to facilitate his better suppression of the thieves. Now it seems that it is not the case at all. Zu Kuan is here to monitor himself and curb the development of Tianxiong Army. Therefore, Zu Kuan is so uncooperating and so strong, and his impeachment of Zu Kuan will not have any effect. To put it bluntly, it is not Zu Kuan who does not trust him, but Lu Xiangsheng.

In fact, Lu Xiangsheng knew very well that it was a big or small matter in which dynasty in which he had formed an army privately. At that time, he formed the Tianxiong Army out of his passion and loyalty to the emperor, and wanted to make achievements for the country. In the later path, Lu Xiangsheng did indeed go like this. He believed that he would not let down the emperor's grace and the people, and that a real man deserved it. However, now, Lu Xiangsheng is silent.

Perhaps, in the eyes of Emperor Chongzhen, his Tianxiong Army was of the same nature as Zhang Zhun's Huben Army? However, he was obedient than Zhang Zhun and did nothing that was unfavorable to the court, so Chongzhen was tolerated now. To put it bluntly, he was just a dog that was useful to the court and the emperor.

When the rescue of Gaoyang City failed and the court needed someone to take responsibility, Emperor Chongzhen chose him without hesitation. Because Emperor Chongzhen wanted to make a place for Yang Sichang, he had to give up on him and Lu Xiang ascended. He was just a dog from the court and could be abandoned at any time.

Thinking deeper, Lu Xiangsheng became even more creepy. Why did the court order the Tianxiong Army to fight? Why did Zu Kuan suddenly allocate it to Hong Chengchou before going to fight? Idiots all know that rushing to Gaoyang City is very risky and it is very likely that the entire army will be wiped out. Could the court asks Tianxiong Army to rescue Gaoyang City? Could it be that it wants to use the Tatars to get rid of Tianxiong Army? Since Zu Kuan is not a member of Tianxiong Army, he was temporarily transferred?

As for why Chongzhen let him go, it was not out of kindness, but out of pressure from all sides, and there might be some other considerations. According to Mo Yu, Zhang Shenyan and Qiao Yunsheng could not bear to see him, Lu Xiangsheng was Lingchi, so he generously donated money, raised silver, bribed Gao Qiqian, Chen Xinjia and others, pleaded for him, and then cleared other relationships at all levels, and finally saved his life.

Lu Xiangsheng believed in Mo Yu's explanation. Because he knew very well that Gao Qiqian was a person. If Gao Qiqian had not accepted bribes and Chen Xinjia had never accepted bribes, he would never be able to plead for him. Therefore, his life was completely bought and had nothing to do with Chongzhen's kindness. Perhaps Chongzhen had never been kind to himself.

As long as he thought about it, Lu Xiangsheng felt that he was really sad. From the third year of Chongzhen to the ninth year of Chongzhen, during these six years, he had exhausted all his efforts for the court and for His Majesty the Emperor. He tried to solve the problems of the court and to completely quell the thieves, the thief, for the court. As a result, he got the three words behind the emperor, "kill without mercy."

How ironic is this? How stupid is it? Apart from being such a stupid person, will anyone else believe in the emperor's trust in him? I am in my letter home and say that I never regret it in my life. However, now Lu Xiangsheng is vaguely regretful.

"how so?"

"how so?"

"how so?"

Lu Xiangsheng muttered to himself in pain in his heart.

Tempted by Zhang Zhun's last memorial, Lu Xiangsheng's thoughts were on the wrong path from the beginning. What Zhang Zhun needed was that he went on the wrong path. His Xibei memorial was not fabricated by Zhang Zhun himself, but Gao Hongtu, Zhang Shenyan, Qiao Yunsheng, and several other special talents, and the one who was in charge of himself was Gao Hongtu himself. With the ability of the three Zhuge Liangs, he would be surprised that he would not be fooled.

In fact, if Lu Xiangsheng could calm down, he should have noticed the loopholes. For example, if Gao Qiqian and Chen Xinjia plead for him, they would definitely need a lot of silver. Where did Zhang Shenyan and Qiao Yunsheng get so much silver? Also, if only Zhang Shenyan and Qiao Yunsheng want to save their lives, why did Zhang Zhun appear here? Also, since he is released from prison, he will go back to his hometown in Changzhou, Jiangnan and rest well. Why did the Hu Ben Army send someone to force him to take him away?

These loopholes are all Zhang Zhun's flaws. No matter how they cover it up, they cannot be hidden. As long as Lu Xiangsheng calmly thinks about it, he will find that something is wrong. Unfortunately, Lu Xiangsheng's thinking is completely confused now and it is impossible to calm down. The destruction of Emperor Chongzhen's inner image on him was a big blow to him. In just a few months, Lu Xiangsheng could not adapt.

Seeing Lu Xiangsheng's muddy expression, Zhang Zhun knew that the Xibei Memorial had taken effect. At this time, what he had to do was to refuse but to welcome him, and retreat as to advance. He would never reveal any idea of ​​seeking Lu Xiangsheng. If you try to recruit him, he might have doubts. If you reject him, even mock him or hit him, Lu Xiangsheng would not have any doubts.

Yes, at some times, some people have to adopt this way of handling it. The so-called hasteness is not achieved, probably the same thing. For people like Lu Xiangsheng, they have to grill on a high heat and then bake it on a low heat to slowly soften it. Therefore, Zhang Zhun said indifferently: "You have two hours left to die of blood. You should calm down and set out with peace of mind!"

It would be fine if he didn't speak, but when he said this, Lu Xiangsheng was a little frustrated. Originally, Lu Xiangsheng had a more impulsive side in his personality. Otherwise, Gao Hongtu's memorial on Xibei goods would not have had such a big impact on Lu Xiangsheng. The three of them calculated this accurately, but Lu Xiangsheng was indeed trapped.

The so-called deep love and deep hatred. Lu Xiangsheng was indeed too loyal to Chongzhen in the past, so loyal that he ignored any conditions. Now, the image of Emperor Chongzhen was shattered, and his hatred was also very strong. This hatred is a hatred that is completely lost and an irreversible hatred.

Of course, due to inertia, Lu Xiangsheng will not be rushing to Emperor Chongzhen to find his innocence for the time being. He has the goal of venting. This goal is to prove that he is a traitor Comrade Zu Kuan. I saw Lu Xiangsheng's eyes wide open and gritting his teeth and saying, "If you don't kill Zu Kuan, I will die with my eyes open!"

Zhang Zhun smiled coldly and said sarcastically: "Mr. Lu, do you want to kill Zu Kuan? How do you kill? Want me to give you a scimitar? Come here, bring a scimitar! I want to see how Lord Lu waved a scimitar and killed him to Zhending Mansion alone!"

Lu Xiangsheng was stunned.

Yes! How did he kill Zu Kuan?

Zu Kuan is the general officer, and is under Gao Qiqian. Who is Gao Qiqian? He is a powerful figure in Liaodong military supervisor. Not to mention Gao Qiqian, he is Zu Kuan's current direct boss, Hong Chengchou, and Lu Xiangsheng cannot afford to provoke him. Lu Xiangsheng is not unclear about Hong Chengchou's character. Since Zu Kuan is assigned to Hong Chengchou's command, Lu Xiangsheng should not expect Hong Chengchou to hand him over.

He has been dismissed and there are four words behind it: "Never use it". What do these four words mean? That is, if Chongzhen doesn't want to slap himself in the mouth, or if he is a son in the future and dares to slap himself in the mouth, Lu Xiangsheng will never have the opportunity to become an official. If he doesn't become an official, how can he find trouble for Zu Kuan?

"Wow!"

Suddenly, Lu Xiangsheng vomited blood three times and was unconscious on the ground.

Mo Yu was startled and said in a lost voice: "Sir, he..."

Zhang Zhun stood up, walked to Lu Xiangsheng's side, squatted down, reached out to touch Lu Xiangsheng's carotid artery, and found that the carotid artery was beating normally, so he said calmly: "It's okay, I'm angry and fainted."

Mo Yu asked nervously: "The wound on his chest..."

Zhang Zhun said lightly: "Don't worry, I'm a proper person to take action, and my skin trauma looks scary, but it's actually okay."

Mo Yu was only a little relieved.

He didn't see the trick at Zhang Zhun's knife just now, and he thought Lu Xiangsheng was really killed by Zhang Zhun. By the way, Lu Xiangsheng's blood was really a lot!

Zhang Zhun stood up, clapped his hands, tilted his head to look at Lu Xiangsheng who was unconscious on the ground, and said slowly: "He is stimulated by me and will definitely not seek death. You prepare some food and water and put it next to him. He will eat it by himself. Just bandage the wound casually, don't be too detailed. In general, don't care too much about him, care about him, and don't show what we want to recruit him, so that he thinks we are just entrusting someone to rescue him."

Mo Yu whispered: "Sir, is he really worth your doing this?"

Zhang Zhun said slowly: "I don't know either, I hope it's worth it."

After pondering for a while, Zhang Zhun clapped his hands and said calmly: "Okay, I'll leave first. I believe that after Lu Xiangsheng wakes up, he should calm down and don't want to see me for the time being. I will follow you behind and be responsible for protecting your safety. If you have anything, send someone to come to me."

After a slight pause, Zhang Zhun said slowly: "If necessary, you can give him a look. If he can't bear it, you will deliberately mention Zu Kuan's name, and he will definitely swallow his anger."

Mo Yu said a little nervously: "Okay!"

Zhang Zhun immediately turned over and turned around.

Mo Yu hurriedly bandaged Lu Xiangsheng's wounds as Zhang Zhun's instructions, and then threw some food and water randomly into his carriage. Sure enough, after Lu Xiangsheng woke up, he found that Zhang Zhun was missing. Thinking of his own affairs, he couldn't help but feel sad, and felt angry, full of grievances and hatred.

Thinking of Chongzhen and Zu Kuan, Lu Xiangsheng no longer wanted to go on a hunger strike and commit suicide. He still had many unfulfilled wishes, and he still had to live to clear his grievances. He didn't care about so much, picked up food and water, and started to eat and drink.

"Okay! That's it!"

After receiving Mo Yu's report, Zhang Zhun nodded with satisfaction.

As long as Lu Xiangsheng doesn't want to die, things will be easy to talk about in the future.
Chapter completed!