Chapter 433: The Hero Mu Chaobi
The southwest sky was clear in February. A group of birds flew across the sky, chirping as they flew towards the jungle nearby.
There were mountains in the distance and a valley could be seen.
The road is in good condition, with a gurgling stream on the left and rolling hills on the right.
Various trees stretch far along the river, including willow trees with curved green branches hanging down over the water, attracting fish to jump out of the water.
"The jasper is as high as a tree, with thousands of green silk ribbons hanging down. I don't know who cut out the thin leaves. The spring breeze in February is like scissors."
A fat white man was reciting poems from the pre-Tang Dynasty on horseback. The giant man beside him sneered and said, "Old Xu, you have been reciting poems and writing lyrics all along the way. Now we are in Yunnan. The young master said that entering Yunnan is like entering a den of wolves and dragons, but you said it was just a piece of shit. Come on, it's your turn to give us some advice."
Xu Wei chuckled, "We've been in such a hurry along the way, I bet Mu Chaobi hasn't received the news yet. By the time he receives the news, we'll have already reached Kunming."
"Will we be safe and sound on this journey?" asked Sun Chonglou.
"Why are you asking this?" Xu Wei felt that this was not Sun Chonglou's character.
"I made a bet with someone that if everything goes well before we reach Kunming, I'll give him two strings of cash." Sun Chonglou felt a little sad. "I can buy some good food with two strings of cash."
"Let's talk about this!" Xu Wei glanced behind him. There were a thousand cavalrymen accompanying them this time, all of them were elite soldiers.
"Why?" Sun Chonglou said, "Master will be furious if he knows that I gamble."
"Aren't you afraid that the master will be furious?" Xu Wei glanced at him.
"The young master would at most scold me a few times, but he would never punish me."
A simple man has simple fortune... Xu Wei smiled and said, "In five days at most, the news will reach the Qianguo Mansion in Kunming. If it was someone else who came as an envoy, it would be fine. But when he heard that it was the Earl who came with a thousand cavalrymen, Mu Chaobi would definitely be suspicious. With his brutal temper, how could he miss the opportunity to attack halfway? Don't worry, you will definitely win."
"What did you say?" Sun Chonglou looked at Xu Wei.
"I, Xu Wei, have planned everything out!" said Xu Wei.
Sun Chonglou turned his horse around, and Xu Wei asked, "Boy, have a drink with me."
"I have to go and gamble again!"
Hey!
Xu Wei shook his head, then admired the scenery along the way, and said in ecstasy: "It's a pity that Lao Hu is not here, otherwise we would have been happy reciting poems and writing lyrics along the way."
There was a smooth road ahead and a village appeared on the roadside.
A thousand cavalrymen passed by, attracting the children in the village to come out and watch.
Jiang Qingzhi saw that although the children were poorly dressed, they did not look thin and hungry, so he asked, "Yunnan is rich in resources, how much are the taxes?"
The Mu family’s fiefdom was in Kunming, but they controlled the entire Yunnan.
Although there are governors, provincial governors and other government offices, these officials can only have limited restraining effect on the Mu family in Yunnan, where the emperor is far away.
For example, taxes.
Since entering Yunnan, Mu Shu abandoned her carriage and rode on horseback. She followed Jiang Qingzhi at this moment and heard the voice saying, "Although the taxes are nominally collected by the government, the Mu family has the responsibility to guard Yunnan, so they gradually took over the taxation. For this reason, the governor-general even had a lawsuit with the Mu family, but it ended in nothing."
This is indulgence!
Jiang Qingzhi sighed: "This is almost like an independent kingdom. No wonder no officials are willing to come to Yunnan to serve."
Mu Shu glanced at Jiang Qingzhi, and seeing his sharp eyes, he couldn't help but feel a little happy. "It was fine before, but since Mu Chaobi took over Yunnan, he has had many conflicts with the governor, the governor and other officials. Mu Chaobi has a large army, and those officials are afraid of angering him, so they also follow his lead..."
"I see."
Having someone who knows the inside story of the Mu family by your side is indeed a great help.
Jiang Qingzhi ordered: "Scouts, set out immediately and go to Kunming in an open and aboveboard manner. Remember, let the officials and people of Kunming see the might of our Beijing Guards!"
"Leader!"
The scouts set out.
Mu Shu whispered, "My Lord, Mu Chaobi is really cruel. He has no father or mother, no wife or children. He will do anything for his own benefit."
In Mu Shu's words, Mu Chaobi was a tyrant. According to historical records, he was indeed not an ordinary person.
He killed his two nephews in a row, forcing the court to let him inherit the title. Later, he was ready to kill his son for power... Jiang Qingzhi didn't remember what other messes happened.
A tyrant?
Jiang Qingzhi said calmly: "On this journey, let's see what this tyrant's methods are!"
……
Five days later.
In the spring, Kunming is full of lush grass and chirping birds. In the early morning, the city gates of Kunming open and groups of people pour out, apparently preparing to go out for a spring outing. Some even travel with large carts carrying cooking utensils and ingredients, ready to go on a picnic.
Several riders came galloping along the official road.
"Get out of the way!"
The leading sergeant shouted.
"Get out of here!" a young man who was leaving the city cursed.
"That's Mu Chaobi's man, you're looking for death!" His companion pulled him back.
Several riders rushed into the city. The young man turned around and said, "It looks like his parents are dead. Could it be that something went wrong with the inheritance of the title?"
The companion said, "The lineage of the former Duke of Qian is extinct, and the younger brother inherits the throne, so it should be Mu Chaobi's turn."
"But who doesn't know about the strange deaths of the two Dukes of Qian? All the dignitaries in the court are old foxes, how could they not know?" The young man sneered.
"Yunnan is located in a remote area, and the imperial court is far away from it. Could they dare to provoke Mu Chaobi?" The companion said, "Mu Chaobi is sure of this, so he dares to kill without restraint."
"Look! Look at who the court has sent this time. If it's a civil servant, he will have to hold his nose and bear this humiliation." The young man sighed, "The glorious Ming Dynasty! There is no longer any of the hegemony that existed when the country was founded."
"When Emperor Chengzu was alive, the Mu family was very respectful. After Emperor Chengzu, the Mu family became a little cold towards the capital." His companion also sighed, "Times have changed. Even the people of Yunnan only know about the Prince Mu's Mansion and the Mu family, but not the emperor." The Mu family inherited the title of Duke of Qian, but the Mu family has been in Yunnan for a long time and has a high prestige. So much so that the people of Yunnan call the Duke's Mansion the Prince Mu's Mansion.
"The Mu family is almost a country of its own." The young man seemed to know a lot and was a little depressed.
"Who cares? We can live our lives as usual." His companions thought he was worrying too much.
"You only see that our lives are going on as usual. Take Burma for example. They have been eyeing us covetously for years. If it weren't for the Ming Dynasty, they would have invaded long ago."
"They dare?"
"Why don't they dare?"
While the two were arguing, several riders were galloping ahead.
Someone in the crowd recognized the visitor and asked, "Is there something urgent?"
Without stopping, he said, "An envoy has been sent from the court."
"who is it?"
"Chang Wei Bo Jiang Qingzhi!"
The young man reined in his horse and shouted, "Is it really Jiang Qingzhi?"
"That's right. There are thousands of cavalrymen accompanying them, and they are less than ten days away from Kunming." said the visitor.
The young man turned around and said, "It is said that this Lord Wei is bloodthirsty and built a Jingguan in the northwest to intimidate foreign races. The court asked this man to come to Kunming. Could it be..."
The companion said calmly, "If he came with a large army, we would have a falling out. But he only brought some cavalry with him. This is Yunnan, which has been guarded by the Mu family for many years. What can those cavalry do?"
The young man sighed. "Mu Chaobi has a large army...those 1,000 cavalrymen are just a drop in the bucket."
At the Duke’s Mansion, Mu Chaobi had just returned from outside.
"Captain!"
Advisor Zhang Qian is waiting.
"What's the matter?" Mu Chaobi sat down with anger on his face. He had just gone to see the governor Zhang Shou to test the attitude of the court. But Zhang Shou, the good man, avoided talking about other things, saying that the weather was really good today or that he was old and would retire and return home.
For some unknown reason, the news sent back by Mu Chaobi's spies in the capital has been mostly sporadic.
"The court has sent an envoy."
"Who is it?" Mu Chaobi asked as he took the teacup.
"Chang Wei Bo, Jiang Qingzhi!"
Mu Chaobi, who was drinking tea, suddenly smashed the teacup at the maid. The maid did not dare to dodge and knelt down to apologize.
"Drag her out and punish her severely!" Mu Chaobi kicked the maid to the ground. A soldier came in and dragged her away. Then screams of agony were heard in the yard.
Mu Chaobi listened to the screams and his expression gradually returned to calm.
"Jiang Qingzhi just had a fight with the ministers at Zuoshun Gate." Zhang Qian said, "The capital was shaken, and those people were planning revenge. Letting Jiang Qingzhi come to Yunnan at this moment, Governor, in my opinion, is more like hiding."
"You mean Jiang Qingzhi left Beijing to ease the conflict?"
"That's right." Zhang Qian smiled and said, "After the Zuo Shunmen Incident, the emperor and his subjects were alienated for many years. The Ming Dynasty today can't afford a second alienation between the emperor and his subjects. No, it's hostility. Therefore, despite your Majesty's stubbornness, you can only bow your head and let Jiang Qingzhi leave the capital."
"How many troops did he bring?" Mu Chaobi asked.
"One thousand riders!"
"One thousand cavalry!" Mu Chaobi narrowed his eyes, unconsciously twisting the whip in his hand. "One thousand cavalry is useless in Yunnan. But..."
"Jiang Qingzhi is known as a famous general. The governor must not underestimate the enemy." Zhang Qian said.
"I don't know why Jiang Qingzhi is hostile to me. Last time, he even said that I would definitely kill Mu Gong. Why is he like this?"
Mu Chaobi asked himself that he had no personal grudge against Jiang Qingzhi, but why was he being targeted by this man everywhere?
"Governor, it's useless to ponder these things now. I think we should gather people's hearts and prepare for the response." Zhang Qian said, "Jiang Qingzhi must be conferred a title on this trip. After inheriting the title, it is legitimate for the governor to govern Yunnan. At that time, Jiang Qingzhi will have to endure no matter how much hostility he has, otherwise..."
"This is Yunnan!" Mu Chaobi said solemnly, "It's my Mu family's Yunnan."
"Who said it wasn't?" Zhang Qian smiled and said, "I would like to congratulate the Duke in advance."
"It's too early to say congratulations now." Mu Chaobi said: "Jiang Qingzhi is a close minister of your majesty. With him by your majesty's side, the court must be quite hostile to me and the Mu family. Since he is here..."
"Commander-in-chief!" Zhang Qian frowned, "That's the envoy."
Mu Chaobi said calmly: "There are many natives in Yunnan. If someone attacks us on the way, what does it have to do with me? If the envoy dies on the way... how will the scholars and officials in the world look at me and the Mu family?"
Zhang Qian was shocked. "The governor is saying... if Jiang Qingzhi died in Yunnan, even if the governor is suspicious, all the scholars and officials in the court will speak for the governor."
"Jiang Qingzhi is now the mortal enemy of the scholars and officials of the world, and the mortal enemy of all officials in the capital. If we kill him, many people will cheer for our Mu family."
"But if His Majesty is furious..."
"Could he still dispatch the army to the south? Don't forget, after Mu Gong died, he could only grit his teeth and bear it, allowing me to inherit the title!"
Mu Chaobi said calmly: "In the north, Altan Khan is eyeing us covetously, and in the south, Japanese pirates are causing trouble. If he dares to lead a large army to the south... what is the reason? I am not rebelling, why is he sending troops?"
"What a good method, Governor!" Zhang Qian praised.
"Order them to take action immediately." Mu Chaobi said coldly: "I heard that bitch Mu Shu is also here. If there is a chance, kill her together!"
(End of this chapter)
