I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 384 Governor-General Lu Xiang-sheng of Xuan-Da

Chapter 384 Governor-General Lu Xiang-sheng of Xuan-Da

Gao Guilan blinked her bright eyes and quickly said, "Uncle, that's not right! My father said that he raised an army because the court was not giving the people a way to survive. The people were suffering so much that he couldn't bear to look at them, and he raised an army to rebel for the sake of the people."

Wang Wenzhou kissed Gao Guilan and said with a smile, "My little Lanlan, you are so cute! Who the hell would help you with a business that could cost you your life if you weren't your own father, son, or husband? Are kings and generals born with special privileges? Your father just wants to be a nobleman who can do whatever he wants."

Gao Guilan pouted and retorted, "No! My father did it all for the people!"

“Little Lanlan, don’t be so naive, always talking about the people! Don’t always use the people’s name to justify your actions. People are selfish. Who would sacrifice themselves for someone else unless they are their closest and dearest?” Wang Wenzhou retorted.

Liu Rushi said irritably, "Too many people have sacrificed themselves for the greater good. There are many such people in the story of the Orphan of Zhao. Cheng Ying impersonated his own son to save the orphan."

"Haha!" Wang Wenzhou laughed loudly, pointing at Liu Xiaohua in Liu Rushi's arms and saying, "Rushi, you are a mother now. Do you think Cheng Ying is a hero for sacrificing his son for the greater good?"

“Why not?” Liu Rushi countered.

“Ruru, you yourself said it’s a story! Since I became an adult, I’ve learned one thing: stories are all lies! You can’t even trust history, let alone stories! Even Confucius criticized the Spring and Autumn Annals for its writing style, which shows how much falsehood is mixed into the recorded history!” Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.

"Where is it fake?" Liu Rushi asked irritably.

"Let's not even talk about whether Cheng Ying killed his own son or not. If he really did, Ru Ru, I want to ask you, if I killed Liu Xiaohua to save Zhu Youjian's son, would you be willing?" Wang Wenzhou asked with a smile.

Liu Rushi was speechless. A mother would rather die than not save her son; how could she allow her husband to kill their child to save someone else? Liu Rushi finally understood Wang Wenzhou's meaning: Cheng Ying was no hero at all; he was clearly inhuman!

Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "History is written by the victors. In most cases, those with a good reputation in history are the winners, and those with a bad reputation are the losers. If later generations want to understand what their predecessors were like through history books, they can only do so by examining their actions and analyzing every detail to understand their humanity. Those who portray inhuman people as heroes are the most shameless!"

Liu Rushi rolled her eyes at Wang Wenzhou, annoyed. She didn't want to continue arguing with him; she couldn't win an argument with him.

……

The residence of the Governor-General of Yanghe, Shanxi and Xuanda.

When Wang Wenzhou's large entourage passed through Yanghe, Lu Xiangsheng, the governor-general of Xuanda, came out of the city to greet them.

Along the way, the local officials in every place Wang Wenzhou visited were very respectful. They all knew that Wang Wenzhou was enjoying the emperor's favor and were afraid of neglecting him, lest this mad dog, Wang Wenzhou, bite them when he went berserk.

Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "I have long admired Lord Lu's name. Meeting you today, I can see that you are indeed a man of both literary and martial talents. I am a little ashamed, though I come from a noble family, I can't even ride a horse."

"Lord Wang, you flatter me!" Lu Xiang-sheng was quite puzzled. Wasn't everyone saying that Wang Wen-zhou was a mad dog? How come today, Wang Wen-zhou was so polite and gentlemanly?

Most military generals in the Ming Dynasty were civil officials, and although Lu Xiang-sheng was a military general, he was also a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). Compared to the Donglin Party in the court, Wang Wen-zhou greatly admired Lu Xiang-sheng. If Wang Wen-zhou could not change history, he would ultimately have died on the battlefield. Few in the late Ming Dynasty were capable of dying for their principles, whether as a scholar or a soldier.

In the late Ming Dynasty, the officialdom was largely characterized by civil officials who loved money and military generals who feared death. So much so that, on his deathbed, Zhu Youjian (Emperor Zhu Youjian) muttered: "I am not the ruler who brought about the downfall of the country; it is my ministers who brought about its downfall."

"This humble general Wu Sangui greets Lord Wang!" Wu Sangui suddenly emerged from behind Lu Xiangshan.

Wang Wenzhou frowned and muttered, "Little Gui, Shanhaiguan isn't under the jurisdiction of the Governor-General of Xuanda, what are you doing here?"

"Upon learning of Lord Wang's assassination attempt, I was extremely anxious. Recently, I heard that Lord Wang went to the Northwest to oversee the army, so I came here specifically to see him," Wu Sangui said with deep emotion.

"Damn it!" Wang Wenzhou glanced back and saw Chen Yuanyuan smiling silently at Wu Sangui.

"Phew..." Wang Wenzhou breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, I was a transmigrator. I castrated Wu Sangui as soon as I saw him. Otherwise, I would definitely be wearing this green hat! This bastard came to see me. He clearly misses my baby.

"How is General Wu doing these days?" Chen Yuanyuan asked.

Wu Sangui said in a serious tone, "Since leaving the capital, I have not been able to hear Lord Wang's teachings. I have lost my appetite and become very thin."

"Fuck your mother!" Wang Wenzhou kicked Wu Sangui and cursed, "Little Gui, get the hell out of here, don't let me see you!"

Wu Sangui immediately knelt down and said sincerely, "Lord Wang was able to kick me, which means that you are no longer in serious health. I am very happy for the ladies."

Lu Xiang-sheng and the others were dumbfounded. They had heard that Wu Sangui and Wang Wenzhou had a good relationship. Wu Sangui had followed Wang Wenzhou to Liaodong to carry out a secret mission and was promoted to the position of General of Shanhaiguan for his merits. It seemed that the two were like good brothers.

Wang Wenzhou ignored Wu Sangui and bowed to Lu Xiangshan, saying, "Lord Lu, I need to trouble you with something."

“Speak freely, Lord Wang. As an imperial envoy, I will certainly help you with anything I can do. If you say it’s troublesome, you’re being too polite. We are all serving the Emperor, and it is my duty. How could I dare to refuse?” Lu Xiang-sheng said.

"Damn it!" Wang Wenzhou curled his lip. No wonder they were all civil servants; they were all seasoned veterans. They spoke very politely, but what Lu Xiang-sheng really meant was that he could help within the scope of his duties, but anything else was out of the question.

Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "It's nothing serious. The people I sent to Liaodong on a secret mission have arrived in Datong, but they don't have the necessary travel documents. Please allow them to pass."

In fact, these people were the female guards that Dorgon had prepared for Wang Wenzhou. They were all beautiful girls. Although their combat strength was slightly inferior to that of the Manchu cavalry, they could still deal with the rebel army as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.

In fact, Wang Wenzhou could have allowed them to enter through Shanhaiguan, but Wang Wenzhou just didn't want to see Wu Sangui. That bastard, even after being castrated by Wang Wenzhou, still thinks about Chen Yuanyuan all the time.

After the peace talks ended, Wu Sangui left Beijing to return to Shanhaiguan to take up his post. However, he wrote to Chen Yuanyuan every few days. The content of the letters was not excessive. They were all about trivial matters such as inquiring about Wang Wenzhou's recent situation. There were no words of affection between men and women.

In Wang Wenzhou's eyes, Xiao Guizi had ulterior motives and just wanted to seduce his baby. Wang Wenzhou wanted to kill Wu Sangui, but he had already castrated Wu Sangui, and besides, Chen Yuanyuan hadn't been having an affair with Wu Sangui, so he couldn't find a good excuse. After all, Wu Sangui was a general, not someone he could kill at will.

"No rush! I've already prepared wine and dishes to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey, Lord Wang, please!" Lu Xiang-sheng began to play coy, needing to figure out exactly who Wang Wen-zhou was inviting. After all, Datong was a border town, right next to the Mongols and the Tartars.