Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

Chapter 676 I Came, I Saw, I Conquered

"It would be best if he could also resign from the post of Marshal of the Guards. Duke Huai is quite reliable and fully capable of doing the job.

With you, General Lu, in charge of the Tiger Guards, the imperial court will be safe. As long as nothing goes wrong in the future, it won't be difficult to have another prosperous Chongzhen era.

Oh, it would be good if the title of Grand Secretary of Wuying Palace could be removed, so that I don’t have to go to meetings every day.

Life is like this, either eating dirt outside the Great Wall or attending meetings in the capital, it’s not beautiful at all.”

Zhang Shikang was complaining so much that he didn't even notice the gloomy look on Lu Xiangsheng's face.

Lu Xiangsheng felt that he seemed to have caused a big disaster. He was clearly just cautiously reminding the emperor that he hoped the Ming Dynasty would not go down the path of war and aggression.

I really don't mean to ask the Grand Marshal to abdicate and let someone else take over!

God can tell you!

If the Marshal really quits because of this matter, not only will the emperor not forgive him, but even Cao Bianjiao and others in the military camp will not forgive him.

"Your subordinate... The Marshal has misunderstood me. I just... just..."

Even someone as steady as Lu Xiangsheng couldn't speak clearly when in a hurry.

If he was facing someone else, Lu Xiangsheng would never do this. Even if he was facing the emperor, he could at least deal with it calmly.

Because ordinary people always have ordinary ways of thinking, but Zhang Shikang doesn’t!

He has wild imaginations, often says things that others cannot understand, and makes decisions that others cannot expect.

After a moment of stuttering, Lu Xiangsheng finally condensed his thousands of words into one sentence:

"The Ming Dynasty can do without me, Lu Xiangsheng, but it cannot do without the Marshal."

The implication was that if Zhang Shikang blamed him or became suspicious of him, he could resign.

Seeing Lu Xiangsheng so serious, Zhang Shikang felt a little embarrassed. He quickly stood up and helped Lu Xiangsheng to his seat.

"It's just a joke, you don't have any sense of humor at all.

Alas, your Majesty will not agree."

After saying that, he looked a little sad.

Although he was determined to revitalize the Ming Dynasty, this job was indeed tiring. Occasionally, he would feel gratified when he saw the people living a peaceful life.

But this cannot make up for the hard work day and night every year, and it is inevitable to complain.

Lu Xiangsheng finally felt relieved after hearing this. If it was really because of him that the Grand Marshal ran away, he really could not bear the blame from his subordinates.

Especially that Cao Bianjiao. I guess even if he hides in his hometown, this guy will be able to find him.

But then Lu Xiangsheng had a question in his mind that he couldn't help but express. Seeing that Zhang Shikang was in a good mood, he asked:

“There is one thing I don’t understand.

What could be more important than revitalizing the Ming Dynasty and allowing the people of the world to live a good life?"

Zhang Shikang frowned slightly when asked this question.

"From the perspective of a military marshal, nothing is more important than this."

Zhang Shikang poured a glass of wine for Lu Xiangsheng and himself, took a sip and said:

"But if you're asking if there's anything more interesting than this, I can answer you, yes, definitely!

It has been several years, and my goal of setting sail has not yet been achieved.

I haven’t experienced the customs of Bali yet, nor have I tasted Indian porridge. Yes, I haven’t even achieved durian freedom.

Also, our Ming Dynasty has its own beauties, Siam has its own beauties, Persia has its own beauties, and Europe has its own beauties.

Don't look at me like that. General Lu, you are old and you don't understand. I don't have such high ambitions, and I have never said that I have high moral character.

Food and sex are human nature. People should do whatever they want in their life without breaking the rules. Oh, I wonder which teacher said this.

That way, when I die of old age, I won’t have any regrets.

I've already thought of the epitaph, oh, that's what's going to be written on the tombstone."

Lu Xiangsheng's eyes widened and his brows were furrowed into a "川" shape. At this moment, there were ten thousand question marks in his mind.

Zhang Shikang didn't care, he just took a sip of tea and continued:

“I was here, I saw, I conquered, oh, sorry, wrong set.

It should be 'He who sleeps here is a master of eating, drinking and having fun, but he is a good man.'"

Lu Xiangsheng was shocked and held it in for a long time before he said:

"But Marshal, you're just over twenty."

"Just imagine, just imagine!" Zhang Shikang said casually.

"Everyone wants to live forever and avoids death." Lu Xiangsheng muttered.

But the young man in front of him who changed the Ming Dynasty didn't seem to care. Instead, he started to laugh about life and death at such a young age.

"Everyone is destined to die. There is no immortality in this world, at least not in the next three hundred years." Zhang Shikang was very sure about this.

Even the universe will be destroyed one day, so people should think about something practical.

The two chatted for a while, and seeing that Lu Xiangsheng was still immersed in what he had just said, Zhang Shikang simply sent him away.

At noon the next day, Zhang Shikang, who had originally planned to hold a meeting directly, suddenly changed his mind and took the group of Mongols to review his 1,000 personal guards first.

Zhang Shikang's personal guards were a gathering of heroes, and the weapons and firearms they carried were of the most sophisticated quality.

Each person not only has multiple sets of unique marching uniforms, combat uniforms, armor, etc., but is also equipped with swords, bows and crossbows, as well as the most advanced muskets in the Ming Dynasty.

The thousand soldiers first practiced close combat skills. Since all of them were well-trained fighters, the eyes of the knowledgeable Mongols were wide open.

This was not the most surprising thing for them. Next, Zhang Shikang ordered his men to place targets at a distance of one hundred steps.

A thousand improved black powder-fired muskets fired one after another, and wooden targets in the distance fell down like dominoes at the sound.

Then there is a quick reload and shooting again...

This distance exceeded the shooting range of most Mongolian archers, which meant that the Ming Dynasty could injure the enemy before them.

And the firing rate...

Then came the terrifying range of the bronze cannon. When they saw the mud flying everywhere from two or three miles away, everyone's face turned pale.

Then Zhang Shikang said only one sentence:

"Ming Dynasty produces 5,000 muskets like this every month, and 100 cannons every month.

The Ming Dynasty has an army of 300,000 soldiers like this."

This is of course a highly exaggerated statement, but Zhang Shikang doesn't believe these guys can figure it out, because production capacity is constantly changing and increasing.

What's more, they had no choice but to believe it. The news of the Guanshan Battle was spreading rapidly. These Mongolian tribes had some people participating in the war, and they would also inquire about it during the peace talks.

The battle record cannot be faked.

Lu Xiangsheng and others present understood that the Marshal was demonstrating, and even the Mongols knew it.

But these weapons and equipment were indeed terrifying to them. They instantly understood why the Qing Dynasty suffered such a terrible defeat in the Battle of Guanshan.

After some trouble, Zhang Shikang brought everyone to the conference room.

Zhang Shikang sat in the main seat, Lu Xiangsheng and other generals sat on both sides, and on the other side were a dozen Mongolian envoys representing their respective tribes.

After recovering for a while, their expressions were still wonderful. Some were cautious, some were frowning and trembling with fear. Of course, Malza and a few others seemed much more relaxed.

Sometimes it is like this, those who are too weak and those who are too strong will not have too many concerns, but those in the middle are the most uncomfortable.

"I won't introduce myself. I believe that since you are here, you have full authority. Let's get started."

Due to the language barrier, Zhang Shikang spoke very concisely and directly.

After hearing the interpreter's translation, everyone present nodded, and Zhang Shikang continued:

“I called you all here to discuss the future arrangements for this grassland in the south of the desert.

It is well known that our Han Dynasty enjoys farming."

Everyone frowned in confusion, and Zhang Shikang continued:

"The imperial court has taken a fancy to your ranch land."

PS: I'll update more chapters for the tip from the reader 'Chen Hong who likes Yunxiang'. Emm, although the update is lame, at least I write every chapter seriously. Well, I know how to comfort myself~