Deng Ming's troops did not stay in Wuchang for long, and immediately after meeting with He Zhen, an urgent report came from the downstream that Suke Saha and Kubilong had returned to Beijing with the Eight Banners. After the Manchus did not pose a threat to Chongming Island, Deng Ming should fulfill the agreement and return to Sichuan. The governors of the southeast feared that Deng Ming's stay on their territory for too long would make the imperial court have the idea of sending reinforcements south again; In the past, Deng Ming went out at his own expense, but according to the agreement of the Battle of Gaoyou Lake, the military expenses before the Ming army returned to Sichuan were jointly borne by several governors in the southeast.

Not only did the Qing army look forward to Deng Ming's departure away from their territory, but even Deng Ming's subordinates were also like arrows, and those who set up their fiancées were eager to fly back to Chengdu to complete their marriage, and those who had families also missed their families who had been separated for several months.

The closer they were to Sichuan, the more impetuous the military spirit became, and Mu Tan once again defended Zheng Chenggong's battle of Nanjing: "If the admiral really plans to move to Nanjing, then he must bring his military dependents." "The last time Zheng Chenggong attacked Jiangnan, he brought a large number of soldiers and soldiers to lead the disastrous defeat, which was criticized by many people, and it was also a negative teaching material in the teaching of the Sichuan army, but Deng Ming also understood that Zheng Chenggong did have difficulties. In the Ming Dynasty, where there were no telephones and telegraphs, it was indeed very unsettling to be thousands of miles away from one's family, and for most people in this era, there was no difference between such a long distance and farewell.

Because Hao Shaoqi and the king of Dong'an County were coming, Deng Ming did not leave immediately, and waited for them for a few more days.

Deng Ming was unwilling and couldn't lie, but he also realized that the generals' misunderstanding of his identity had brought some benefits, and this time he met a genuine sect, Deng Ming expected that he couldn't hide it. Deng Ming even considered saying goodbye early on the pretext that he couldn't wait, but Hao Shaoqi's envoys came one after another to report the itinerary, and Deng Ming had no military reason to say goodbye, so he had to stay.

After meeting Zhu Shenglang, Deng Ming did not talk about his life experience, and Zhu Shenglang did not ask in front of everyone, but only used etiquette to hint once when they met for the first time, and when Deng Ming did not answer, he gave up; However, two days later, Zhu Shenglang found an opportunity to be alone with Deng Ming, and bluntly talked about the rumors about Deng Ming's clan identity, and asked him about the authenticity of the matter......

"It's finally over." Deng Ming stood at the stern of the boat, looking at Hanyang behind him.

Yesterday, he made it clear to Zhu Shenglang that he was not a clan at all, and vaguely remembered that he fled to Sichuan with his clan a few years ago, encountered bandits, and was hit on the head, so he couldn't remember many things clearly, but there was still a shadow vaguely, at least he could be sure that his surname was Deng and not his surname was Zhu.

Regarding Deng Ming's answer, the king of Dong'an County didn't seem to be too surprised, just nodded lightly, and did not ask any further questions, nor did he make a big deal of it to others.

"Probably he has long seen that I am not a clan." Deng Ming estimated that Zhu Shenglang had already known in his heart, after all, most people were not clans, and they lacked understanding of what a clan should look like; And in the eyes of Zhu Shenglang, a genuine clan, of course, the imposter can see through it at a glance. However, the king of Dong'an did not publicize this matter, which made Deng Ming a little strange, he thought that Zhu Shenglang would be very angry - even if Deng Ming did not take the initiative to publicize, but at least there was a tacit suspicion: "Maybe the king of Dong'an knows that the army is still near Hanyang, and if it makes people panic, it may give the Qing army in Wuchang an opportunity." Well, it seems that the king of Dong'an still understands the general situation and takes the overall situation into account. ”

Although Zhang Changgeng was very cooperative, Deng Ming never dared to underestimate Wuchang's strength, after all, the other party was the governor of Huguang of the Qing court, and there were tens of thousands of armor soldiers under his command, if he was treated as a docile puppy, he would definitely suffer a big loss. When stationed near Hanyang, the Ming army had always maintained a high level of vigilance, and deliberately let Wuchang see his own vigilance, Deng Ming felt that only in this way could Zhang Changgeng have the greatest degree of dispel the idea of Zhang Changgeng having a different mind.

Today, the Sichuan army continued to move up the river, while He Zhen and Hao Shaoqi also left at the same time, and the Qing troops in Wuchang and Hanyang stayed in the city honestly so as not to cause misunderstandings between them.

"When the king of Dong'an County returns to Xiangyang, he will talk to Hao Shaoqi and He Zhen about this matter." When they broke up today, Zhu Shenglang, who has always been pampered, also came to say goodbye to Deng Ming in person, and his affectionate appearance made Deng Ming really look like his fellow clansman. However, Deng Ming knew that the two of them knew it in their hearts, and he also understood that this was all Zhu Shenglang's pretentious appearance for others to see. Deng Ming felt that this was fine, sooner or later this matter would come to light, in the past, no matter how he could tell the difference, others didn't believe it, but this time there was a county king to testify, and they knew that Deng Ming was indeed not a clan.

In the past, Deng Ming also denied to Wen Anzhi that he was Chongzhen's son, but the other party didn't know how to think of Tang Wang again, and secretly notified Zheng Chenggong. Hey, Inspector Wen is old, it is inevitable that he will be a little stubborn, and besides, Inspector Wen has not seen a few clans, so it is inevitable that there will be misunderstandings.

……

On the way back to the base area, the Qing troops along the way did not harass them, and Zhang Changgeng knew very well that Deng Ming would never tolerate such behavior. Since he was unwilling and did not dare to provoke a war with Deng Ming, he could only treat the Hao Shaoqi and He Zhen coalition forces who were crossing the border politely. Zhu Shenglang, who stayed in the Ming army, also enjoyed a special supply, with fresh melons and fruits every day, as well as the troupe accompanying the camp.

For more than ten years, Zhu Shenglang has been hiding in the east, and rarely has a good day, and after entering the territory of the governor of Huguang this time, all kinds of treatment are arranged according to the identity of the county king, which makes Zhu Shenglang feel as if he has returned to the good old days, no, even better than then. Because Zhu Shenglang's status is not high, he is just an inconspicuous side clan under the rule of the Ming Dynasty. After the collapse of the Ming Dynasty, the royal family was arrested and slaughtered by the camp, Xiying and the Qing army back and forth, and the scarcity was precious, and Zhu Shenglang's status gradually became noble, if it weren't for this, he might not even be able to get the throne of the county king.

Although he was protected by Hao Shaoqi before, Zhu Shenglang naturally couldn't enjoy the treatment that the county king should have in the arduous Ming army, and he also knew very well that the only reason for the other party to protect himself was to find a talisman. Zhu Shenglang's value is closely related to the fortune of the Ming Dynasty, if the Ming Dynasty is prosperous, then he will naturally rise with the tide, and if the Ming Dynasty does not cease to exist, this king of Dong'an County will be worthless. After the infighting of the three kings of the Southern Ming Dynasty, the Ming army plunged thousands of miles on the battlefield, and seeing that the Ming Dynasty had a complete collapse, Zhu Shenglang had a sense of precariousness at that time, fearing that Hao Shaoqi would hand himself over and surrender to the Manchus to ensure peace - if he could not make a talisman, then he would only have to be a vote for others.

Although Hao Shaoqi repeatedly promised that he would protect Zhu Shenglang from beginning to end with the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Shenglang was still worried, and he could also feel that Hao Shaoqi's subordinates were sometimes shaken, and their apparent respect for him was almost gone.

"It's all blessed by the ancestors." After tasting the river fresh food sent by the local government and county today, Zhu Shenglang returned to the camp to sleep with satisfaction.

After Deng Ming swept the Hanshui Basin and Hu Quancai was defeated and died, Hao Shaoqi's territory expanded a lot, and Zhu Shenglang's treatment was far better than in the past, he knew that this was not only because of the expansion of the territory, but also because of Deng Ming; After the victory at Gaoyou Lake, Zhu Shenglang was able to enjoy the treatment of the county king when he entered and exited the enemy territory, of course, this was not because Zhang Changgeng's thief Tianliang found out, but because Zhu Shenglang had a fellow clan that Zhang Changgeng couldn't provoke.

Regarding Deng Ming's categorical denial, Zhu Shenglang had long been mentally prepared. In several meetings, Zhu Shenglang had knocked on the side dozens of times, and the first and most obvious time, Deng Ming hid and avoided the past; Later, he simply pretended not to understand, and used ridiculous and ridiculous answers to avoid Zhu Shenglang's temptation.

One of the most ridiculous things is that Deng Ming pretended not to know that Zhu Shenglang was the king of Chu, and Zhu Shenglang had the word "Sheng" in his name, which not only showed that his royal family even had generations; In the Ming Dynasty, there is no need to mention the clan, even ordinary scholars must have the most basic understanding of the royal family's genealogy, so as not to make jokes or be charged with disrespect.

Deng Ming obviously has a good upbringing and extensive knowledge, but he pretended to know nothing about Zhu Shenglang's origin in the Chu royal family in front of everyone. Not to mention, Zhu Shenglang admitted that Deng Ming pretended to be very similar, and at that moment, the other party's expression definitely reached the point of perfection, and even Zhu Shenglang had a feeling of "he really didn't know" in a trance.

Deng Ming's exaggerated performance not only made Zhu Shenglang stunned, but even Hao Shaoqi and they couldn't stand it, when Zhu Shenglang went out to relieve himself during the banquet, Hao Shaoqi and He Zhen both slipped out under the pretext of an excuse and said to Zhu Shenglang: "It seems that Admiral Deng will never admit it." ”

And the people around Deng Ming also gave the same answer, Zhu Shenglang found an opportunity to talk to a young general named Ren Tang for a few words, and the other party spread his hands: "The admiral is like this, and he will never admit it." In order to deny it, he even pretended not to know anything about the rituals related to the clan. ”

After listening to this answer, Zhu Shenglang began to understand why the people around Deng Ming were able to appear calm during the banquet. Deng Ming's lack of common sense answers were close to insulting him as the questioner.

Please, you have to pretend that you are not a clan and pretend, but don't pretend to be so fake, okay? You don't know all the things that the clan should know, you don't know what the scholars should know, and you still don't know the etiquette that the people should know! You don't know anything, did you fall from the sky?

Then Zhu Shenglang couldn't help it, and found an opportunity to ask Deng Ming bluntly what he wanted, and the other party made it clear that he would not confess the identity of the clan. In this case, Zhu Shenglang will not continue to test - since the other party has already performed so hard before, if the answer is changed, Zhu Shenglang will feel strange.

"What good things will you send me tomorrow?" Before falling asleep, the king of Dong'an couldn't help but start fantasizing about the filial piety of the local government tomorrow. For Zhu Shenglang, Deng Ming must be a clan, so that his future will be bright; What's more, although Zhu Shenglang is not willing to admit it for the time being, in his mind, the throne of the Ming Emperor must also be held by a clan like Deng Ming, not by the Son of Heaven who abandoned the country and fled, so that Zhu Shenglang can live a good life.