Chapter 443 Careerist
After a heated argument, the old people finally chose Mu Shaoning.
"No one would object to Third Brother's succession to the title!" Mu Shaoning said, "So, let's just pretend to agree to Jiang Qingzhi first."
"Okay!"
"Please ask Chief Wilbur to come."
Jiang Qingzhi came in again.
"Mu accepts the conditions, but there is a request." Mu Shaoning said seriously.
"Please speak." Jiang Qingzhi smiled happily.
"Although Mu Chaobi is guilty of a heinous crime, he is still a member of the Mu family. I beg Lord Chang Wei to spare his life."
Jiang Qingzhi sighed, "The Mu family... is indeed a family of deep friendship. That's all. But swords and guns are blind. If Mu Chaobi dies in the chaos, then it can't be my fault."
"Just ask Long Wilbur to do his best."
"Easy to say."
"In addition..." Mu Shaoning hesitated for a moment, and seeing Jiang Qingzhi's unhappy expression, he smiled and said, "If Mu Chaobi falls, does the court have any expectations?"
——Who will inherit the title?
Jiang Qingzhi frowned, "This matter will be decided by the court, but Mu's recommendation is very important."
Everyone nodded, and Mu Shaoning said, "Mu Chaobi, that beast, took the position by force, and the Mu clan members dared to be angry but not to speak out. Chang Weibo is right."
"A gentleman's word!" Mu Shaoning raised his hand.
"It's hard to catch up with the past." Jiang Qingzhi raised his hand.
Snapped!
Jiang Qingzhi walked out of the reception room and saw Mu Shu standing next to a lantern in the corridor on the right, squatting far away.
He nodded slightly and pointed towards the city.
"Take care!" Mu Shu whispered.
……
Early in the morning, Zhang Qian arrived at Jiang Qingzhi's residence and was received by Xu Wei.
"How is Chang Wei Bo?" Zhang Qian asked.
"Not bad." Xu Wei replied vaguely.
"There are several good doctors in the Duke's Mansion. If you need them, you can invite them now."
"No need, there is a doctor with the army." Xu Wei said with a smile.
"That's good. By the way, I came here to ask, Lord Changwei said that day that this trip was to preside over the succession of the governor to the title, and everyone knows this, when can it be done?"
"Are you anxious?" Xu Wei asked sarcastically.
"No." Zhang Qian said, "It's not legitimate. Recently, some chieftains have been restless because there is no one in charge of the situation in Yunnan. If the governor can inherit the title as soon as possible, he can deter those people."
"Is it urgent?" Xu Wei asked.
Zhang Qian said: "In three to five days, the Tusi's army will approach Kunming."
"This matter..." Xu Wei narrowed his eyes, "Then let's wait for three to five days! The condition of the master should be relieved, and we can discuss this matter then."
"Okay, it's a deal."
After Zhang Qian left, a man came out from behind, it was Jiang Qingzhi.
"Three to five days... this is probably the day Mu Chaobi decides to take action." Jiang Qingzhi sat down, "But how can I let him do what he wants?"
……
That morning, Deng Hui went to see Zhang Shou.
"The governor said that Tusi Yang Qi is ready to make a move. Please ask Governor Zhang to suppress him."
Zhang Shou was dumbfounded. "I can only mobilize a few hundred old, weak and sick people. I heard that Yang Qi has thousands of warriors. How can I suppress him?"
Deng Hui sneered, "The governor is the chief of a place. He shouldn't be in charge of things outside Kunming. If Yang Qi rebels, Yunnan will suffer..."
"Hasn't it always been the Mu family who has held military power?" Zhang Shou said indignantly. Even the honest man got angry.
"But the governor is only the governor." Deng Hui said, "Who knows who the court wants to inherit the title?"
"Chang Wei Bo said that day that it was Governor Mu."
"Words are not enough. To this day, Chang Wei Bo still hasn't shown up, and it's getting harder for the governor to show up." Deng Hui said, "I've brought this up. As for how Governor Zhang suppressed Yang Qi, that has nothing to do with the governor."
After he left, Zhang Shou was furious and smashed things in the room, cursing, "Everyone knows that Long Wei Bo ate poisonous mushrooms, and they are probably all rotten now. Using Yang Qi to force me now, are you trying to rebel?"
He suddenly had an idea and went to see Hu Xiong immediately.
"Eunuch Hu is responsible for monitoring Yunnan, and he should know the difficulties I am in. Please let Eunuch Hu make the decision."
Hu Xiong could not help but sigh inwardly at the sight of a governor who had become a beggar who rang the bell everywhere. However, he said coldly, "Now that Chang Wei Bo is not here, we are also helpless without rice.
Most of the dozens of people under my command are watching outside at the moment. Yang Qi has sent some people into the city at will. We can only ask His Majesty to send down palm thunder in the capital to kill those traitors. "
Palm thunder?
Zhang Shou returned disappointed, and immediately wrote a letter of resignation, which he ordered the post station to deliver to the capital by express horse.
But the memorial was intercepted shortly after it was sent out.
"Commander-in-chief, it's Zhang Shou's retirement letter." Zhang Qian said with a smile, "This old man is scared."
"Zhang Shou is not a concern, but Hu Xiong is a eunuch. In the eyes of the Yunnan army and civilians, he is your Majesty's servant. As long as Hu Xiong is here, I will not be at ease."
Mu Chaobi said: "Once we start, we will use the excuse of looting to kill Hu Xiong!"
"Don't worry, Governor!"
Mu Chaobi stood up and said, "As for the succession to the title, Jiang Qingzhi is dead, and the elite thousand cavalry of the Beijing Guards were defeated by the chieftain of Yunnan. Does the court have any other choice besides me?"
Everyone burst out laughing.
Mu Chaobi was very satisfied with the spirit of his subordinates.
"Ask where Yang Qi is."
……
In a valley more than thirty miles away from Kunming City, Yang Qi was eating dry food.
The dry food consists of rice balls, dried meat, and pickles.
Yang Qi has a thin figure and a dark complexion, but his eyes are exceptionally sharp.
"The Burmese Xuanwei Office has long existed in name only, and is now divided among three parties." Yang Qi was giving a lecture to his generals. The generals stood straight, wearing the Ming army's standard long swords on their waists.
"We are running out of momentum now. We can either expand to Myanmar, but those three are fierce, and if we are attacked, they might join forces."
Yang Qi swallowed the dried meat in his mouth and said, "Besides, how can Myanmar compare to Yunnan in terms of wealth? Therefore, we should expand here."
"Commander." Yang Qi held the title of commander. Someone said, "But Mu Chaobi is not a pushover! How could he just sit there and watch us succeed?"
Yang Qi took a bite of the rice ball and said, "It's not up to him. This time he asked me to send troops, and the condition was to give up a city. With the city, we have a shelter. With the city as our foundation, we can wait for the opportunity to act. If there is a chance... maybe I can even become the King of Yunnan!"
The generals couldn't help but smile, and someone said: "If the commander is the King of Yunnan, we should be the commander. At least we should be the deputy commander!"
"I will be the prime minister."
"I am a general..."
Yang Qi frowned, thinking that his subordinates were uneducated and indeed vulgar.
He was just thinking about whether to invite a few teachers to teach his subordinates after taking a city, when someone arrived with Mu Chaobi's envoy.
"The governor said that we will start the action in three to five days. Once we start, we must destroy the thousand cavalry with the force of thunder and lightning. Merit will be awarded based on the number of heads, and each head is worth 100 coins."
"One hundred coins?" Yang Qi was tempted.
"The governor said that the Mu family has no shortage of money." The envoy said reservedly.
"Okay, it's a deal."
To the natives, the copper coins of the Ming Dynasty were hard currency. Women loved to sew a few copper coins on the baskets they carried on their children's backs, saying that they could ward off evil spirits.
After the messenger left, Yang Qi said to his generals: "Once we take action that day, we must be decisive. After defeating those Ming troops, we will take advantage of the situation to plunder Kunming City..."
Someone asked, "Will Mu Chaobi allow it?"
"Why do we need his permission?" Yang Qi said coldly, "We have leverage over him, so he can only suffer in silence. After the looting, we will evacuate Kunming and flee far away."
"What if he regrets it?"
"If he dares to go back on his word, we can just say that this raid was ordered by Mu Chaobi. Don't forget, it was him who recommended me to take over as the commander. If I bite him back, he won't be able to explain himself even if he has a mouth full of mouths."
Yang Qi looked towards Kunming, his eyes burning, "That colorful world! How great would it be if it were mine?"
……
On the second day, Mu Chaobi called everyone together to discuss the matter, citing the harassment by chieftain Yang Qi.
"Eunuch Hu, please proceed."
Mu Chaobi seems gentle, but he does not tolerate rejection.
There were dozens of soldiers behind the man, staring at Hu Xiong's men with a fierce look.
Is this bastard not going to hide his ambitions?
Hu Xiong felt a little panicked, but then he thought, if Jiang Qingzhi really died in Kunming, Emperor Jiajing would definitely find ways to kill Mu Chaobi. If that was the case, then what was Mu Chaobi hiding?
As long as there is no rebellion, he is not afraid.
"Wait a minute, let's change our clothes."
Hu Xiong went to the backyard, where a small hole had just been opened quietly. He hurried in and found Jiang Qingzhi.
"Just go ahead." Jiang Qingzhi said, "If Mu Chaobi wanted to take action, why would he ask you to go? We only need a hundred or so people to capture you."
"We've practiced it before." Hu Xiong waved his fist and almost sprained his waist.
"By the way." Before leaving, Hu Xiong asked, "If Mu Chaobi forces us to agree to something..."
“Just keep silent”
"What if he... draws out the knife?" Hu Xiong laughed dryly, "We are not afraid of death, and we are willing to die for His Majesty, but wouldn't it be better to keep our bodies useful to serve His Majesty?"
This guy is really cute... Jiang Qingzhi smiled, "He doesn't have this chance."
Hu Xiong went to the Duke's Mansion with half belief and half doubt. As soon as he entered the lobby, he saw Governor Zhang Shouhe, the Provincial Government Envoy and others.
"Eunuch Hu is here too?" Zhang Shou approached and began to complain, wishing he could say that he was terminally ill and that if he didn't retire today, he would die in Kunming tomorrow.
"The governor has arrived."
Mu Chaobi is here.
He walked like a dragon and a tiger... Actually, it was the eight-character step, that is, he deliberately walked with his feet turned outward. Later, it was interpreted by scholars as a compulsory course for Confucian students.
"I have summoned you today for a reason." Mu Chaobi had no intention of dealing with these boxed lunches. "Chang Wei Bo will not leave his station, but Yang Qi's army is on the way to Kunming. Now there is no one in Kunming who can make the decision... The title of Duke of Qian cannot be delayed any longer."
Hu Xiong coughed dryly, "What does Governor Mu mean by this?"
"Although Lord Changwei is not coming out, you are also His Majesty's envoys. Especially Eunuch Hu." Mu Chaobi said, "I plan to send someone to break into Lord Changwei's residence to see what those people are doing. It would be great if we can get the decree to inherit the title, but if not, please be a witness..."
Zhang Shou sensed something was wrong and asked in a trembling voice, "What testimony?"
"The witness of the governor's succession to the title!" Zhang Qian said with a smile.
"Who objects?" Mu Chaobi asked with a smile.
"You are...you are trying to force yourself on me!" Zhang Shou's face was grim. He knew that if he nodded, it would be dereliction of duty, no, it would be a serious crime.
"Then, what about Eunuch Hu?" Mu Chaobi said with a smile.
A soldier walked behind Hu Xiong and put his hand on the hilt of the knife.
Hu Xiong knew that if he didn't agree today, Mu Chaobi might really dare to take action. Even if he didn't take action today, he would find a few people in a few days, such as the chieftains or the thieves... It would not be difficult for Mu Chaobi to kill anyone in Kunming City.
Hu Xiong's back was wet with sweat.
"Eunuch Hu... do you agree or not?" Zhang Qian stared at him.
There was a sound of fighting outside.
Then someone said:
"So what if you don't agree?"
"Who?!"
Everyone turned around suddenly.
"Ben."
Outside the door, Jiang Qingzhi stood with his hands behind his back.
(End of this chapter)
