bullyxtreme Chapter 111 Ling Luoshi, are you loyal to the Ming Dynasty or His Majesty?
Chapter 111 Ling Luoshi, are you loyal to the Ming Dynasty or His Majesty?
Chapter 111 Ling Luoshi, are you loyal to the Ming Dynasty or His Majesty?
Outside the capital, a force of two thousand men is slowly approaching the city.
Although this unit was small in number, its morale was extremely impressive.
An aura of chilling menace, seemingly solidified, enveloped them, causing anyone who glanced at them to feel a heart-pounding fear.
This chilling aura could not possibly have been cultivated in a military camp; it must have been formed naturally after experiencing numerous life-or-death battles.
This main combat force, which crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, had only two thousand men, but on the front lines, it was a force that could not be defeated by anyone less than ten thousand!
The leader of this battle-hardened army was Ling Luoshi, who was returning to the capital from Datong Prefecture to report on his duties!
Ling Luoshi sat on his horse, with his daughter Ling Xiaodao beside him, along with his two trusted generals, Tang Dazong and Xiao Jianseng.
Looking at the distant capital, Ling Xiaodao was visibly excited and eager, a hopeful smile on her face.
Ling Luoshi frowned almost imperceptibly, his mood slowly sinking.
Forget about the officials who came to welcome him to the capital; even the city gates of the capital were tightly shut.
What do they mean by this?
Is it to guard against Ling Luoshi, fearing he might attack the capital?!
How ridiculous!
Just as Ling Luoshi appeared outside the capital, the soldiers guarding the city walls instinctively gripped their spears and crossbows, becoming extremely alert and ready for battle.
Zhuge Zhengwo, Tieshou, Lengxue, and Zhuiming stood atop the city wall, their faces solemn and their hearts tense.
"Uncle, Ling Luoshi has arrived," Tie Shou said.
"I saw it."
Zhuge Zhengwo frowned, turned around and jumped off the city wall: "Let's go, let's go meet Ling Luoshi."
"Yes, Uncle!"
The city gates of the capital remained tightly closed. Zhuge Zhengwo and the other three divine constables leaped down the city wall one by one and quickly arrived in front of Ling Luoshi.
"General Ling, you must be tired from your journey. We have been waiting for you here for quite some time."
Zhuge Zheng bowed to Ling Luoshi and said with a smile.
Ling Luoshi looked at Zhuge Zhengwo and the other three, a mocking smile appearing on his lips.
"Zhuge Shenhou is in charge of the Six Doors and enjoys the deep trust of His Majesty. He is very busy with official duties and has many responsibilities to attend to."
"I feel unworthy of such a high welcome, having waited so long for you."
Although he said he felt ashamed, there was no trace of shame on Ling Luoshi's face, only a faint hint of sarcasm.
Before Ling Luoshi, he had dealt with the Six Doors, which was under the command of Zhuge Zhengwo, quite a bit.
He knew that the four great constables under Zhuge Zhengwo were doing everything they could to spy on him and try to obtain evidence of his crimes.
At this moment, Ling Luoshi naturally didn't have a pleasant expression towards these people.
Zhuge Zhengwo smiled calmly, unconcerned about the sarcasm in Ling Luoshi's tone.
"General Ling guarded Datong for more than ten years, defending the border for the country, and repeatedly made military achievements, earning a great reputation."
"Is there anything wrong with me personally welcoming the general?"
Ling Luoshi, who came from a military background, disliked engaging in verbal sparring with these officials in the capital.
He knew that if he continued to test him like this, Zhuge Zheng could engage in a day of witty banter with him.
So Ling Luoshi said directly, "In that case, please lead the way, Divine Marquis."
"I, Ling, wish to see His Majesty immediately and report my duties to him in person!"
Zhuge Zhengwo narrowed his eyes, alarm bells ringing in his mind.
As expected, Ling Luoshi held considerable military power, guarded the frontier, and was arrogant and domineering.
Even if they say they want to return to the capital to report to His Majesty in person to show their loyalty.
But in his heart, he didn't take His Majesty seriously at all, and didn't give His Majesty the respect he deserved.
When faced with someone as arrogant as Ling Luoshi, one should first deflate his arrogance before discussing a meeting.
Zhu Houzhao had anticipated this and had made corresponding arrangements in advance.
Zhuge Zhengwo said with a smile, "There's no rush to meet the Emperor. His Majesty has ordered that with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, General Ling has finally made it to the capital. He can leave the capital after spending the festival with His Majesty."
"General Ling will have many more opportunities to enter the palace and meet the Emperor in the future. Why don't you come with me to the Xishan military camp today?"
"We have already prepared a banquet for the general there, and are just waiting for the general to arrive."
Upon hearing this, Ling Luoshi laughed heartily: "Very well. Since His Majesty has already given the order, then I, Ling, will respectfully obey."
"Lord Divine Marquis, please!"
"General Ling, please!"
Zhuge Zhengwo led the way, accompanied by Ling Luoshi and others, to the Xishan military camp.
On the way, Ling Luoshi's thoughts had already turned over several times.
Despite Ling Luoshi's long-standing presence in the military and his arrogant, carefree, and seemingly naive demeanor, he may not appear to be a man of deep thought.
But in reality, Ling Luoshi is extremely meticulous and very intelligent.
After all, someone who could sit firmly at the top of the ten generals of the nine border towns for more than ten years could not be a rough and uncultured man who only knew how to fight.
At this moment, Ling Luoshi's confusion was similar to that of Zhu Wushi before.
Logically speaking, Zhu Houzhao was so wary of him that even when he returned to the capital, he kept the city gates tightly closed and did not allow him to enter the city, but instead sent him to the Xishan military camp.
Then Zhu Houzhao should have listened to his report as soon as possible and sent him away from the capital.
But now, Zhu Houzhao is not only deliberately delaying the time to meet him, but also taking the initiative to extend his time in the capital.
It should be noted that there were still a few days until the Mid-Autumn Festival, and every day he stayed in the capital would bring more uncertainty to the city.
What was Zhu Houzhao's intention in making such a contradictory arrangement?
Ling Luoshi couldn't figure it out for the time being, so he could only deal with it as it came and take it one step at a time.
Soon, the group arrived at the Xishan military camp.
Before they even got close, they could hear deafening battle cries coming from the Xishan military camp.
"kill!"
"kill!"
"kill!"
'
The sound was deafening, and the momentum was overwhelming.
An invisible sense of impending doom washed over us.
Such a magnificent aura might make others take notice, be shocked, or even panic.
But for Ling Luoshi, who had survived hundreds of battles and returned alive from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, it was simply not enough.
Not only him, but even his personal guards did not change color in the slightest.
Ling Luoshi sneered inwardly: If His Majesty thinks that he can intimidate me with just this kind of thing, then he is underestimating me, Ling Luoshi!
Ling Luoshi and the others followed Zhuge Zhengwo into the Xishan military camp without changing their expressions.
Inside the Xishan military camp, Minister of War Wang Shouren was overseeing the training ground, training the soldiers of the 12th Regiment to use flintlock muskets and breech-loading cannons.
In addition to learning how to use these new firearms, they also needed to master the tactics that could be built using these firearms.
After seeing Ling Luoshi and the others enter the training ground, Wang Shouren waved to stop everyone's training and walked up to Ling Luoshi and the others.
"General Ling, we meet again."
Wang Shouren spoke to Ling Luoshi, saying, "General Ling's heroic bearing outside Liaodong City last year left a deep impression on me!"
Ling Luoshi looked at the young man in front of him and smiled broadly: "General Wang is truly remarkable. Last year in Liaodong, he was just a governor, but now he is the Minister of War."
Ling Luoshi cupped his hands in greeting to Wang Shouren: "I, Ling, greet Your Excellency, Minister."
Wang Shouren smiled modestly: "It's just His Majesty's favor. General Ling has served the country on the border for many years, and his meritorious service is truly remarkable."
Ling Luoshi said self-deprecatingly, "What's the use of guarding the border for so many years? What good are my hard work and high achievements?"
"It's still not as good as General Wang, who is in the capital and has already achieved a high position at a young age, becoming a second-rank minister. That's really something."
Upon hearing this, everyone present changed their expressions.
It's obvious that Ling Luoshi is trying to put Wang Shouren down.
Ling Luoshi served the country's borders for many years, yet his official rank was still lower than that of Wang Shouren, who flattered Zhu Houzhao in the capital.
Zhuge Zhengwo, Tieshou, Xiao Jianseng, Tang Dazong, and others all turned their gazes toward Wang Shouren.
Zhuge Zhengwo frowned, about to smooth things over, but Wang Shouren smiled slightly and spoke up.
"General Ling, do you know why my official rank has risen so quickly?"
Ling Luoshi sneered, "Of course it's because General Wang is exceptionally talented and has won His Majesty's favor."
"no."
Wang Shouren's smile vanished, his gaze fixed intently on Ling Luoshi, and he said with utmost seriousness, "Because of loyalty."
"My loyalty to Your Majesty is absolute!"
Immediately, the smile on Ling Luoshi's lips vanished.
He frowned deeply and said in a deep voice, "General Wang, what do you mean by that?"
Are you saying this general is not loyal enough?
"I'm disloyal? If I were disloyal, could I have defended Datong for over ten years?!"
"While I was fighting desperately against the Tatars on the battlefield to protect the Ming Dynasty, General Wang was probably still nursing in your mother's arms!"
Zhuge Zhengwo's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed in a low voice, "Ling Luoshi! Don't be so presumptuous!"
Ling Luoshi roared at Zhuge Zhengwo, "Was I presumptuous? Was I presumptuous? Wasn't I telling the truth?"
When Wang Shouren questioned Ling Luoshi's loyalty, he reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, jumping up and down in a fit of rage.
But in reality, Ling Luoshi was unusually calm. He wanted to use this excited performance to maintain the impression that he was straightforward and guileless in front of others.
At the same time, Ling Luoshi also had some worries in his heart.
When a general is in the field, what he fears most is being suspected by the monarch.
After all, although Ling Luoshi had troops, logistics and supplies were still in the hands of Zhu Houzhao.
This alone is enough to exploit Ling Luoshi's weakness.
If the timing is not right and he is suspected by the king too early, it could be fatal for him.
Therefore, after Zhu Houzhao ascended the throne, Ling Luoshi was in a great hurry to go to the capital to report on his duties.
His purpose this time was to appease Zhu Houzhao!
Wang Shouren smiled faintly, without getting angry: "Loyalty in the past cannot guarantee loyalty in the future, and loyalty to the Ming Dynasty cannot guarantee loyalty to His Majesty."
Wang Shouren looked at Ling Luoshi and asked, word by word.
"Ling Luoshi, are you loyal to the Ming Dynasty or to His Majesty the current emperor?"