Chapter 58 Orphan

"Tell He Rongtang that I am here."

The words of General Zhang, who was sent by the imperial court to suppress the rebels, are really thought-provoking.

Mr. He heard this but did not answer immediately.

The old gentleman pondered for a moment, then saw Qin Shen looking over and smiled slightly.

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen him for more than 20 years."

General Zhang was originally from a military family, while Mr. He was a scholar and took the imperial examination to become an official.

The two of them were neither relatives nor fellow villagers, nor had they ever worked together. They were originally civil and military and had nothing to do with each other. It was just that Mr. He returned home after failing the imperial examination one year and met a water bandit on the way.

The water bandits plundered the ship, and the people on the ship were killed or injured, and of course some of them escaped.

At that time, Mr. He was lucky enough to escape first. He hid in the forest for a night. When he found the boat again the next day, the water bandits had already gone and everything was empty. Only a few people's belongings were left on the boat.

People don’t know where they are going.

He searched for his own baggage and found a few clothes and food, a few people had books and letters from their families, and a box of crude wooden ornaments. Perhaps the ornaments were crude and worthless and took up space, so the bandits didn't bother to take them, so they threw them away.

In the water.

He remembered that it was the belongings of a man who had been wearing black clothes for several days.

Thinking that it was not easy for everyone, he went to the water and fished out as many floating objects as possible ashore, and stayed by the boat to wait for the people to come back.

Unexpectedly, after these people came back, they actually accused him of cheating on their things and asked him for them one by one.

The water bandit walked away. These people couldn't catch the water bandit, so they just stared at him.

He was also angry at that time and exchanged words with several other people, but those people became so angry that they stretched out their hands to hit him.

How could he, a scholar, beat them? Not only was his nose and face swollen, but his own belongings were also robbed.

At this time, the owner of the crude wooden ornament that he wore yesterday, the man in black, also came back.

His wooden ornaments were soaked in water and became worse and worse. No one wanted them at all, so He Rongtang took good care of them and placed them under the tree.

Now he looked over, saw the intact wooden ornaments, and asked.

"Who picked up this thing of mine?"

He Rongtang thought to himself, are they here to seek bad luck for him again?

He only wanted to do good deeds, but was unjustly accused of causing trouble.

But he still stood up and said, "It's me, but I didn't take anything from you. Don't rely on me like they do."

Before he finished speaking, the man bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Your Excellency, for bringing back Zhang's late mother's belongings."

It's actually a relic of the deceased.

He Rongtang just picked it up out of his heart. Unexpectedly, he actually picked up something important.

His tone was extremely unkind just now, and now he was a little embarrassed. He was about to explain when he heard the man in black suddenly speak.

"Whether this gentleman has anything to do with others, we will find out when the officers and soldiers arrive."

This was said without any beginning or end. Where did the officers and soldiers come from? How did they know this?

He didn't explain, and after about a cup of tea, the officers and soldiers came on horseback.

This group of officers and soldiers immediately tied up a lot of items. When they put them down, they saw that it was everyone's luggage that the water bandits had stolen.

As soon as the luggage was put down, everyone took stock. Almost all the important things were missing, only some clothes and handkerchiefs were missing.

But how could He Rongtang steal other people's clothes and handkerchiefs? They would only be washed away by the river.

Now the truth is completely revealed.

The man in black glanced at everyone and asked.

"Should those who slander others kneel down and apologize? Should those who rob others give back double the amount?"

As he said that, he glanced at the officers and soldiers, "There are still people who hit people. Should they be escorted to the Yamen?"

Three questions made the matter clear.

He Rongtang was so proud!

Only then did he realize that the man in black was actually a general of the imperial court. His deceased mother had passed away and he had been keeping filial piety, but had been taken away from her love and was not satisfied with the period of filial piety, so he returned to his place of duty.

His surname is Zhang, and his last name is named Ling.

He was the famous general of the imperial court who suppressed the rebellion.

Yesterday, thanks to his immediate landing, officers and soldiers quickly mobilized to catch the bandits and take back everyone's belongings.

Mr. He thought about the past and looked into the distance.

"General Zhang and I walked together for about a month, sitting and lying in the same place. Looking back now, it feels like a lifetime ago."

When Mr. He said this, he paused and smiled bitterly.

"I didn't expect that when I met him again, he would become a general of the imperial court and a rebel who was about to be surrendered."

It's really sad.

Qin Shen was silent for a moment.

If General Zhang and Mr. He have such an old friendship, what does the words the old general said to him mean?

Qin Shengang looked towards Mr. He, who also looked up.

"I'm not entirely sure what he means. After all, he's just an old friend I haven't seen for more than 20 years. I don't know if he can still be called an old friend."

Qin Shen thought he should be so cautious, but Mr. He said something else.

"It's just that, based on my own feelings, perhaps, even if we are not friends, we are not necessarily enemies."

These words made Qin Shen's eyes light up.

That's what he thought.

If he was really an enemy, how could he not really start a war, but just talk to him and leave a few words?

Naturally, it is not ruled out that this is the opponent's strategy, but it does not prevent them from making more promising guesses.

Mr. He said, "There is no rush now. I will watch him for a while and give it a try."

This is better.

Qin Shen calmed down slightly, and whispered a few words with Mr. He about the matter of strengthening the army. Mr. He looked at him with a smile in his eyes and nodded repeatedly.

"There is hope for the Suzheng Army in the future."

From time to time, someone came to the meeting hall and invited the two of them to discuss matters together.

Everyone in the meeting hall also mentioned Su Zhengjun.

When Qin Shen arrived, he heard them saying, "If you only occupy Yanzhou, you will be hanged here sooner or later. Since Suzheng's army has rebelled, it is impossible to stay in one corner. In the end, they will either be wiped out by the imperial court."

, or go all the way north to capture the imperial city!"

These words excited everyone.

But someone also asked.

"Nowadays, most of the Suzheng Army is made up of Yanzhou people. They are revolting after being fed up with the oppression of the imperial court. If we only rely on these people, how can we go north? If we want to attract more people to rebel and join the army, there is always something missing."

The current Suzheng Army is more like a local vassal army. It is still too far away from marching north to capture the imperial city.

This question was raised and some people tried to answer it.

Some people say that it is not only Yanzhou that is being tortured by the imperial court, but that various places are already preparing to imitate the Suzheng Army and rise up. It is only a matter of time. If a coalition can be formed to go north by then, the momentum will be extremely strong.

However, some people thought that if they formed a coalition, internal strife would inevitably arise because each of them was their own master, and it might be easier for them to be defeated by the imperial court.

At this time, someone suddenly said something.

"If we can find the orphan of the Eastern Palace who is living among the people, whether the Suzheng army will grow stronger or join forces with other rebels to resist the imperial court, won't we all have an upright reputation?"

Qin Shen raised his eyebrows.

Isn’t this a rumor without any basis?

"Is this true?" he couldn't help but ask.

He looked at everyone, and finally landed on the person who said this.

The man's voice was a little deeper, "This is not exact, but it's nine out of ten."

He said, "That is the daughter of the former Crown Prince."

Leftover daughter?

"Where did this news come from?" Qin Shen couldn't believe it.

Some people say that it was spread among the people, and some people said it was leaked from the palace. There are old palace people from that time who can prove it.
To be continued...