Qi Conglin, Shen Yi's deputy, who was hiding in the mountain nest not far from the ridge occupied by Shen Jianyan, also saw the smoke of the wolf. He said to the more than 700 soldiers behind him: "Let's go up the mountain!" They came out of their hiding places, carrying huge packages on their backs, some nearly as tall as a person, and some carrying a cauldron. Because of the heavy burden, they can't run fast and can only climb the mountain slowly. Some use both hands and feet, and some need mutual support.
When they finally reached the top of the mountain, the sun was fully up. Qi Conglin greeted Shen Jian and the Yan family, and was introduced by Shen Jian to meet Chen Lichang and other people. He saw the people on the ridge jumping back and forth, but their expressions were very relaxed, even happy, while the Beirong people were all over the fields below. They had already reached the foot of the mountain and would attack at any time. Why are you so happy?"
Chen Lichang said with a smile: "The leader of the army will come back from the dead, so naturally he must have fun."
Yesterday evening, when Wang Zhi and others had gone far away, Yan waved his hand, and two soldiers followed Wang Zhi's path down the mountain and followed them.
After a while, seeing that no one came back, in the sad atmosphere around, Yan said to Shen Jian: "They are gone." Shen Jian opened his eyes and sat up, and the people around exclaimed. The soldier behind Shen Jian pulled out half of the arrow shaft stuck in the light armor behind him, Shen Jian spat several times, Duan Zeng patted him on the shoulder and said, "Good performance!"
Shen Jian wiped his face: "There is so much dust, just when you said I was out of breath, my nose got itchy and I really wanted to sneeze."
Duan Zeng stared: "It's a good thing you didn't hit me! Otherwise, I'd be a quack doctor, and I'm not even sure about life or death."
Yan Shi handed over a bamboo tube filled with water, and Shen Jian rinsed his mouth.
Chen Lichang and other people were stunned. Shen Jian stood up and saluted everyone: "I'm sorry, everyone. I just wanted to let the spies misrepresent the military situation, so I made such a pretense. The enemy situation is urgent. Please forgive me!" He and Shen Yi The selected soldiers went down the mountain to investigate the enemy's situation. In fact, they didn't go to Beirong at all. Instead, they found a place to hide. Pill stuck another arrow shaft in the gap of the armor. Seeing that the time was almost up, he was carried back to the ridge.
Li Zhang Chen stammered a little: "I never...never... never saw... going to fight like this..." Before the battle, the leader of his own team pretended to be dead!
Shen Jian said seriously: "Military Master Yan has just said that from now on, no one is allowed to go down the mountain. We must start to really prepare to meet the enemy!"
Li Chang Chen glanced at Yan and said, "We only brought bronze gongs and suonas."
Shen Jian nodded to him and said, "That's enough."
Li Chang Chen didn't ask any more questions, Shen Jian set up a sentry post, and Yan ordered people to light the torches, and built a short wall under the light of the fire. This ridge runs from northwest to southeast, and the cold northwest wind blows from behind them. If they want to avoid the wind, they have to hide on the side of the remnant wall facing the enemy. If they don't build the inner wall quickly, they will be able to hold their positions. Can't survive a few bitterly cold winter nights.
Everyone understood this truth, worked almost all night, and finally built an inner wall to avoid the cold wind. At twilight, the soldiers who followed Wang Zhi came back and said that Wang Zhi had indeed gone down the mountain to Yancheng. , Did not come back overnight. Yan Shi had someone light up the wolf smoke and summoned the reserve army to come up. Seeing so many people coming up to Hulala and carrying big packages, everyone felt more confident and naturally in a good mood.
It turned out that the 300 sergeants who were already on the mountain and the people who just came with Qi Conglin had made arrangements here with Yan Shi. Yan Shi only needed to give general instructions, and everyone knew what to do. Some of them dug out the original buried boards to lay out the plane, some built a fire platform for the fire at night before the battle, and some collected the wood that had been placed around for a long time and soaked it in the oil they brought to prevent it from burning at night. . Some people set up several cauldrons. The hillside where they were was facing the wind and covered with ice and snow. Soldiers collected snow and ice cubes and threw them into the cauldron to melt water. Yan threw chunks of ink into the water...
More than a hundred people were responsible for opening the package and taking out various crossbows, including several bed crossbows. Several soldiers assembled the bed crossbows and set them up, adjusting the handles and levers with clicks. But more of them are shooting crossbows with both hands. The loaded bows and crossbows were distributed to the soldiers. Some soldiers looked no more than seventeen or eighteen, and they picked up the bows and pulled the strings skillfully, which seemed to be effortless.
Chen Lichang was eager to see it, so he found Shen Jian and said: "Mr. Shen, I used to go to the battlefield with Lord Hou. Although my left arm was injured, my right hand can still use force. Can I help pull the crossbow on the bed?" pole?"
Shen Jian shook his head and said: "What we need most is you people who beat the gong. When the time comes, we must not stop for a moment. The village chief must organize well. This is the key to our success!"
Chen Lichang felt that he was fooling himself, thinking that he was kind enough not to let him go to the battlefield, he was a little disappointed, and just said: "Don't worry, Governor Shen, I will definitely not stop." Just knock on the gong, what's the problem?
At nightfall, they were ready, with a string of torches on the ridge, and the soldiers and civilians took turns to rest.
The main force led by Huo Luo also camped at the foot of the hillside, so close that they could vaguely see sporadic flashes of light on the ridge.
He knew that he would be blocked by the Shen family's army. Fortunately, it was such a ridge. Although the opponent lived in a dangerous place, the ridge was not long enough to hold many people, and there were steep hills on both sides, so it was impossible to deploy troops. , so he didn't take it too seriously.
The peaks in this mountainous area are undulating and steep. Although there have been a few heavy snowfalls since winter, there are large cliffs exposed in some places, and even the snow can't hold it. Now there is someone blocking the only way ahead, if you go around, you have to turn back to the north, and then go east for more than 400 miles, it will take half a month to pass through this mountainous area, not to mention the trouble, the current supplies will definitely not be able to support it Such a huge team. And after passing this mountainous area, there are a large number of villages and people who can rob along the way to replenish military supplies.
Naturally, Huo Luo wouldn't make a detour, he was already holding back his energy to fight. Although attacking up the mountain is not good for one's own side, the slope up the mountain is not so dangerous, and the slope is slightly sunny and leeward, with no ice or snow. It allows a large army to charge together, defeating the opponent's defense with more. Moreover, he had a vague premonition that he would definitely win a big victory. So, at dawn the next day, he launched a tentative attack.
------------------
Wang Zhi finally returned to Yancheng. He went outside the Chinese Military Academy and said that he had brought an emergency report from a military plane, and was immediately led to the Chinese Military Hall, where Ji Wenzhao saw him.
Wang Zhi told Ji Wenzhao the number of people in Beirong, and then said: "Governor Shen died for the country!"
Ji Wenzhao looked shocked, and started to walk back and forth in the room very nervously, frowning with a dignified expression. At this moment, someone said that Zhenbei Hou wanted to see this soldier in person.
In the early morning of the day before yesterday, the Marquis of Zhenbei got a report, and the direction Shen Jian was going was lit up with smoke. It seemed that Shen Jian and Bei Rong had encountered each other. Although he had already made preparations in his heart, Zhenbeihou was still restless because of the discomfort. Now that I heard that someone from Shen Jian's side has come back, he wants to see him right away.
When Ji Wenzhao heard this, he hurriedly said to Wang Zhi, "You can't tell Lord Hou about this!"
Wang Zhi was taken aback, and Ji Wenzhao said solemnly: "Now that the Northern Army soldiers are suppressing the border, if Lord Hou knows that Governor Shen died for the country, he will definitely be in a panic! There will be mistakes in the command in the future, so we must not tell him now!"
Wang Zhi was a little embarrassed: "This... concealing military aircraft is a serious crime."
Ji Wenzhao thought for a moment again, and said: "You only tell the Lord that Governor Shen was injured, and you don't need to say anything else. After the Lord Hou knows the number of Bei Rong, he must know that Governor Shen and they can't stop them." , I will send a letter to the imperial court to warn Beirong that it may enter from the east. There are few post stations on the road now. If it is delivered in the normal way, this memorial will probably not arrive in the capital. I will let you take this memorial and set off for the capital in person. , be sure to deliver it to the palace in person! Now the two armies of the Beibei Army have a total of about 500,000 or 600,000 people, and the Shen family’s army is simply unable to resist. If you send the memorial for help to the court one day earlier, the Shen’s family’s army will have a chance of life. Entrusted to you!"
Wang Zhi was so happy that he almost laughed: Let me go back to the capital! I can't die for sure! He gritted his teeth and suppressed his smile, saluted and said: "I will definitely not let down the trust of the military advisor!"
Ji Wenzhao accompanied Wang Zhi to meet Zhenbeihou, and entered the meeting hall of Zhenbeihou. Zhenbeihou and Shen Yi were both there.
After Wang Zhi saluted, he said to the Marquis of Zhenbei: "My Lord, Governor Shen personally found that there are tens of thousands of Beirong troops, and there will be more than 30,000 soldiers, and the rest are civilians..."
Zhenbeihou was stunned: "Ten tens of thousands?! He... only brought a thousand people..."
Wang Zhi continued: "In fact, there are only more than three hundred people who have gone to the place."
Zhenbei Hou looked at Shen Yi, and Shen Yi said with a straight face: "The soldiers stationed there are not at the station, I will send another person to go there..."
Zhenbeihou clenched his fists: "Hurry up! Send more people to Governor Shen..."
Wang Zhi said: "Master Hou, Governor Shen was injured..."
When Zhenbei Hou heard this, his face turned pale, and Ji Wenzhao hurriedly said, "It's not a serious injury, it's a minor injury!"
Zhenbeihou asked again: "But is it important?"
Wang Zhixin said: Is it important? Already dead. He glanced at Ji Wenzhao and said, "It doesn't matter, but they all said they would not take a step back, and they would die there."
Zhenbeihou's face twitched, and Ji Wenzhao signaled to Wang Zhi: "You have worked hard, go and rest, and come to the Chinese Army to find me tomorrow morning."
Wang Zhi stepped back after saluting.
Ji Wenzhao said to the Marquis of Zhenbei: "Your Majesty, there has been a letter in the morning, and the northern Beibei army has mobilized across the board. Please gather the remaining troops to station in Yancheng."
Shen Yi said: "Master Hou, I will take people outside the city to monitor and ensure that the entire army retreats."
Zhenbeihou said with difficulty: "Yes, can you... Can you bring Governor Shen and the others back?"
Ji Wenzhao shook his head silently, and Zhenbei Hou said to Shen Yi: "Then transfer more people?"
Shen Yi said: "The rest of the people should be here now, the terrain is too narrow to gather troops."
Zhenbeihou took a deep breath with tears in his eyes and said: "My Shen family has guarded the border for generations, and my sons and daughters were born to defend the country. Now that the Beirong is suppressing the border, it will always be a death, but sooner or later." Although he said to Ji Wenzhao and Shen Yi Yes, but more soliloquy.
Ji Wenzhao waved his hands again and again and said, "Master Hou, don't have to be so pessimistic. As I said, Yancheng will never be lost to the enemy. Now let General Shen go and urge the withdrawal of troops!"
Zhenbeihou looked at Shen Yi. He really loves and hates this son. Since Shen Yi came to the border, he has been going his own way and not listening to his orders! But now, with a strong enemy under pressure, he felt that this son with a strong mind was very reliable.
Zhenbeihou said to Shen Yi: "You don't want to fight Beirong."
Shen Yi nodded, and simply replied: "Okay." He saluted and left.
Zhenbei Hou looked at Shen Yi's back and remained silent for a long time. His heart was very heavy, and he knew that Shen Jian was in danger, and Shen Yi, who had just left, was also not spared. He was not worried about his own death. Several generations of Lord Zhenbei died on the battlefield. He thought it was his duty and honor, but if his two sons died together, he still felt heartbroken. He decided that if he couldn't resist Bei Rong's attack in the future, he would fight to the death and let Shen Yi break through, so as to save the life of one of his sons.
But Ji Wenzhao seemed very relaxed, and said to Zhenbeihou: "Master Hou, I have always supervised the construction of the city defense. I didn't let him see the whole picture before. Now, Beirong is coming. I can Take Lord Hou to have a look."
Zhenbeihou had been to the construction site a few times before, and the dust was flying around. He just built a few high walls and set up some arrows. The blueprint Ji Wenzhao gave him was also very simple. He thought it was a barrier for street fighting with the enemy after the city was broken. Without a layer of protection, he didn't pay much attention. It was Shen Jian who dispatched personnel, materials and gold and silver for the city defense. The main energy of Zhenbeihou is to expel those Beirong soldiers who frequently cross the border to harass and rob every year from the beginning of autumn to the next spring, and also pay attention to the maintenance of army soldiers.
In recent years, the emperor not only cut off military supplies and military pay, but also kept asking him to reduce the number of troops. Although the laid-off soldiers stayed in Yancheng, they were still unable to recruit new recruits, and the soldiers were seriously aging. Just like what Ji Wenzhao said, although the Shen family army currently has 150,000 rosters, there are only 50,000 elite soldiers and less than 10,000 cavalry. Beihou was very worried about the situation of the army.
Now that Shen Jian is not here, I don't know if the combination and deployment of those soldiers was handed over to Ji Wenzhao. Thinking of this, Marquis Zhenbei asked: "Did Governor Shen entrust all the affairs of the Chinese army to you?"
Ji Wenzhao nodded and said, "Exactly, I can tell Lord Hou now."
He took out a piece of paper and said, "Mr. Shen divided the general army into a division for defending the city, a division for maneuvering, a division for urban construction, and a division for other duties..."
Zhenbeihou frowned: "What's going on?! Why didn't he tell me?"
Ji Wenzhao hurriedly said: "Don't be impatient, Lord Hou. These establishments do not conflict with the original establishment. Governor Shen and Lord Hou already had this intention in mind when they sorted out the army. Therefore, each subordinate has the number of the team. It was directly assigned to the subordinates, and these names were given because they knew it well when dispatching soldiers for Lord Hou."
Zhenbei Hou thought about Shen Jian's division carefully, and asked: "Is the mobile army the attacking army?"
Ji Wenzhao nodded and said, "Exactly, this division is to separate the offensive and defensive troops, and concentrate the elite soldiers under the mobile troops to facilitate the attack on the enemy."
Zhenbeihou asked: "How many mobile soldiers are there?"
Ji Wenzhao said: "There are 20,000 guards and 10,000 soldiers under General Shen's command."
Zhenbeihou clenched his fists. Now he understood that the two sons were colluding secretly, so he walked around him. Such an important matter of the establishment of the army was hidden from him! Shen Yi's guards were not thousands, but twenty thousand! And he knew that Shen Yi had been going deep into the grassroots of the army to understand the members of the army, so he didn't have to think about it, his 20,000 people must be the best soldiers in the army! No wonder Shen Jian ran to guard the pass, probably because he didn't dare to face him! But when he thought that Shen Jian was injured, facing hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the Beirong, he might not be able to return, Zhenbei Hou immediately softened his heart, he could only grit his teeth and let out a hey!
Ji Wenzhao took out a few pieces of paper from his arms, on which were clearly written the names of the leading generals of each department, the number of soldiers under his banner, and subdivided items for each subordinate, for example, in the mobile army, there were cavalry, infantry, bows and crossbows hand. Among the soldiers defending the city, there are also crossbowmen, grenadiers, fighters and so on. Among the miscellaneous troops, there are doctors, nurses, cooks, etc... Under the leading figures, there are some notes on the mobility and personality characteristics of these people, which are in Shen Jian's handwriting.
After Zhenbeihou read it, his chest felt tight, painful and bitter. He had to admit that with such a separation, the strength of the army was clearly divided into levels. When deploying troops and generals in the future, they would be able to match each other, and he knew it well.
Seeing that the Marquis of Zhenbei had finished reading, Ji Wenzhao said, "Your Majesty, keep these carefully."
Zhenbei Hou carefully folded those pieces of paper, put them in his arms, and said to Ji Wenzhao, "Let's go, I'll go with you to see the city defense."
When they walked out of the Chinese military compound, they found that there were already people coming and going around. Someone ordered loudly: "Quickly, set up tents at the places we mentioned, and hang up the flags of medical care..."
Seeing Zhenbeihou looking at the young man, Ji Wenzhao hurriedly said: "That man is a disciple of Dr. Duan, and Mr. Duan is a famous genius doctor. He..."
Marquis Zhenbei said, "He is in charge of the medical soldiers."
Ji Wenzhao nodded, and said, "He went with Governor Shen. With him around, Governor Shen will be fine." Although he was doing the show for the sake of the capital, he felt very sorry for hurting Zhenbeihou's heart. Feel sorry.
Another person hurried over and said to Ji Wenzhao: "Master Ji, a dozen or so suspicious people have been reported from various places, some of whom have no ID cards and came in as refugees. I asked them if they knew XX, and they either said wrong or didn’t know, and now they are all detained. Some left the city without reason, and after being stopped, they found the city defense map, and these people were all locked up in one place. "
Ji Wenzhao nodded and said, "Take good care, let one of our own people in, and listen to what they say." That person agreed.
Marquis Zhenbei asked, "Who is this Yan Erguan?"
Ji Wenzhao blinked, not wanting to deceive this father who is in a bad mood, and replied with some embarrassment: "Speaking of which, he is your in-laws, Lord Hou. He is Yan Junshi's father, and he came after Yan Junshi." I came here, saying that I came here for private reasons, so I don’t want to disturb you, so I haven’t come to see you.”
Marquis Zhenbei was surprised: "Why didn't I know?! How can I not see my in-laws? I'm not in the capital when Governor Shen got married, and I've never seen him before!"
Ji Wenzhao hurriedly said: "I'm in a hurry now, and I won't be too late to see you after the war." He doesn't want to see you! His daughter is now disguised as a man under your hands. If it is exposed, it would be a shameful thing. Would you not divorce her to her natal family on the spot? He can't hide from you.
Zhenbeihou knew that Shen Jian's Yue family was from a civil servant background, and thought that the second official Yan had the dignity of a civil servant, and he would not come if he didn't invite him, so he said very unhappy: "This makes people think that my Shen family is arrogant and rude. Tell me about it, and I'll go see him."
Ji Wenzhao hurriedly said: "Probably, Supervisor Shen forgot about it." This is your family matter, don't blame me.
Zhenbei Hou thought of the imminent battle, and said: "Take Yan Erguan into the Chinese army."
Ji Wenzhao shook his head hurriedly: "Second official Yan is very busy now. He used to help Old Master Yan manage the academy, was good at managing personnel affairs, and has a photographic memory. Now he is in charge of the household registration in the city. All the residents of Yancheng have created a register. The identity plate and roster are kept in four ways, one is based on the stroke name and surname, the other is based on the number plate, the other is based on the area in the city, and the other is based on the original hometown of the person. To report the name and surname, Yan Erguan will lead people to search for his hometown, and if there are people from the same village, let them meet, firstly, for help, and secondly, to see if it is careful."
Zhenbeihou was never interested in the registration of these residents. Hearing what Ji Wenzhao said, he said with emotion: "Mr. Ji is really meticulous!"
Ji Wenzhao had a rare moment of modesty and said: "This is also Governor Shen's idea." Of course not, this is your youngest daughter's idea, but I can't tell you.
The two walked all the way to the north city gate, only to find that the north gate had been closed, and soldiers were carrying large stones to build a high wall and block the road.
Zhenbei Hou suddenly found a large iron fence as wide as the city gate, which was hung by iron cables and hung above the city gate. He couldn't help asking: "Why didn't this gate become a cast iron gate?"
Ji Wenzhao smiled and said, "Because this gate will be the gate for the Bei Rong to attack. At that time, the traitors will come to open the gate and let the Bei Rong in."
Zhenbeihou looked at Ji Wenzhao sternly: "Why did the military commander say that?!"
Ji Wenzhao said confidently: "I can pinch and count. This place is the palace where the fleeting black star flies into. It is in charge of the disaster of blood and light, and there is a villain. If you want to suppress this disaster star, you must use civil engineering..." Yunshan mist covered the ground With that said, he led Zhenbeihou into the lost city through the secret path...
At the same time, Shen Yi led the troops outside the city, and sent people to check the main garrison locations to ensure that all the soldiers evacuated quickly. On the road outside Yancheng, teams of sergeants often pass by. According to Shen Yi's instructions, the army's retreat became a huge transportation: Soldiers in groups carried fodder, grain, bedding, and iron pots, and donkey carts and carriages carried wooden furniture and even beams and windows.
There are still some fleeing people on the road, many of them have left long ago, and those who stayed at the end were reluctant to leave their homes when they heard that Bei Rong had really come. Seeing the Shen family's army retreating like this, they were naturally angry in their hearts. They shouted: "You run away when you see Beirong, what kind of heroes are you?!" "Look at you, it's like a mouse moving house! What a shame!" "Shen Jiajun has never done such a thing! Are you really Shen Jiajun?!" …
When the soldiers on the road heard this, some blushed, and some cursed in a low voice: "I want to fight to the death! The people above are afraid of death!"...
The soldiers around Shen Yi looked carefully at Shen Yi's face, Shen Yi was expressionless, just looked at Dalu coldly. Over the years, he has done a lot of preparations for this battle. In the end, only the horses did not reach the number, and the others were completely in place. The Shen family's army has an elite army with sufficient food and advanced weapons, but what they want now is for the opponent to underestimate the enemy and divide the troops after besieging the city.
People looked at this young general so calm, and secretly thought that he was calm and mature, able to endure humiliation.
------------------------------------------------
The next day, Wang Zhi received the memorial in an oilcloth bag from Ji Wenzhao. Ji Wenzhao said to him, "It must be a day and night! More than 10,000 soldiers, we have found 356,000 soldiers! Among them are many cavalry! The Shen family’s army is bound to lose, and the imperial court needs to send troops to reinforce it as soon as possible. If this memorial arrives at the court one day earlier, the Shen family’s army will have a better chance of surviving. be sure!"
Wang Zhi said, "I will hurry to the capital as soon as possible."
Leaving Ji Wenzhao's room, Wang Zhi hurriedly went to lead the horse. Ji Wenzhao equipped him with two horses and dry food, as well as guides for the checkpoints along the way that marked the emergency military situation of the Shen family army, so as to ensure that he could go back unimpeded all the way. Beijing. Wang Zhi is in a very, very good mood!
He was just about to get on the horse when he saw Zhang Ding running towards him with tears in his eyes: "Brother Wang! Brother Wang! Are you going back to Beijing? Can you tell Master Ji and take me with you? You are alone Maybe it's not safe, I'll go back with you?"
Wang Zhi shook his head and said, "Master Ji just let me go alone." He didn't want to go back to see Ji Wenzhao again, what if Ji Wenzhao changed his mind and asked Zhang Ding to go back alone? He has to stay at the border
Zhang Ding pulled Wang Zhi's sleeve and cried sadly: "I'm so scared! There's going to be a war! I don't know how to fight! I can't run away. I'm a sergeant and I'm about to be beheaded. I want to return home." Beijing is here..."
Wang Zhi's heart moved, he could see that Zhang Ding was really greedy for life and afraid of death, otherwise he would not have followed Shen Jian to the battlefield. Since a person is afraid of death, then it's easy to say! Wang Zhi led Zhang Ding to the side with his sleeve, and asked in a low voice, "Do you want to live?"
Zhang Ding nodded desperately: "I want to! I really want to!"
Wang Zhi now feels that he is a very lucky person, and he will definitely be successful when he goes back this time, so why not make it even better? He whispered to Zhang Ding: "I will tell you a way, so that if you escape in the future, you will not be held accountable!"
When Zhang Ding heard it, his eyes widened: "Is there such a good thing?"
Wang Zhi said: "Exactly. You know how to write, don't you? You just need to write down what happened in Yancheng, especially what happened to the Chinese army, and tell me. Give the letter to a friend of mine. In the future, you will become a deserter. When you arrive in the capital, You go to the prince and find me, I will guarantee that you will be fine!"
Zhang Ding opened his mouth wide: "Prince?! You belong to the prince?!"
Wang Zhi whispered: "Otherwise, how can I give you a guarantee?"
Zhang Ding confirmed again: "It's okay to escape?!"
Wang Zhi nodded firmly, "Don't you believe me?"
Zhang Ding hurriedly said: "Of course! Brother Wang, you have been taking care of me all these years!" He looked as if he was thinking, and murmured: "This is great, this is great..." Finally, he seemed Finally made up his mind and said, "Okay! Brother Wang, I'll listen to you! Just take a gamble! You take me to your friend's place, and I will write to you in the future!"
Wang Zhi was happy, he remembered that when Zhang Ding was taken in by Shen Jian outside the city, it was because he lost his wealth by gambling, it was natural for him to be so opportunistic. He led the horse and said, "Follow me to the city gate, and I'll introduce you on the way."
Zhang Ding naturally followed Wang Zhi. After leaving the compound, the streets were in chaos, with soldiers and civilians coming and going. Wang Zhi felt that in such a noisy environment, no one would notice him, so he led Zhang Ding to the door where he always wrote books. The middle-aged people inside greeted him. Come out, small eyes, crouching silkworm eyebrows, pale and thin face, when he saw Wang Zhi leading the horse, he was unhappy: "Why did you come here?"
Wang Zhi said: "I want to go back to the capital to deliver a letter. Before I leave, let me introduce my friend, Zhang Ding. He will write to me in the future, and you can help pass it on." He said to Zhang Ding, "This is from Guan Liu. , Just give him what you write in the future.”
The official Liu looked at Zhang Ding, and Zhang Ding immediately saluted and said, "I have always been under Brother Wang, and Brother Wang has taken care of me for several years." His words sounded like Wang Zhi had instigated him a long time ago, but in fact, he He and Wang Zhi are both Shen Jian's entourage, it doesn't matter who goes up and who goes up, Wang Zhi heard that Zhang Ding himself said that he was his subordinate, he seemed to be taller for no reason, and he was a little proud, so he didn't correct him.
Guanren Liu nodded and said to Zhang Ding, "Little brother, stay here, I'll talk to you."
Zhang Ding bowed to Wang Zhi: "Brother Wang, I can't take you to the city gate anymore, you go all the way!" He looked very sad.
Wang Zhi didn't care, he wanted to leave here as soon as possible, so he bid farewell to Zhang Ding and Liu Guanren. He rode through most of the city among the motley crowd, and when he arrived at the south gate, he found that the cast iron south gate was half closed. There was a big table, and several scholars-like people were looking at the roster, writing down the names of the people who came in and out... Such strictness made Wang Zhi feel a little guilty. He showed his badge and guides to the gatekeepers, and he was immediately let go. He left the city and looked back at the tall city walls, as if he had been released from prison.
On the main road to the south, people with their families and their families were walking. Wang Zhi took a deep breath, got on his horse, and galloped away.
Liu Guanren asked about Zhang Ding's life experience. Zhang Ding had already passed this test from Wang Zhi, and he had indeed been with Wang Zhi for the past few years. Why did he ruin his family because of gambling, why did he get mentioned many times by Big Brother Wang, now that Big Brother Wang is leaving, he even gave me a hand...
Liu Guanren is also very flustered now. They all say that Beirong is coming. In the flames of war, swords have no eyes. Who can escape? He works here as a secret worker, so naturally he doesn't have a family. Seeing Wang Zhi run away, he wished he could leave too. Seeing that Wang Zhi had found such a substitute, he suddenly thought: Maybe he can also replace him? With a thought, Liu Guanren seemed to be possessed by an evil spirit. The more he looked at Zhang Ding, the more he felt that he was suitable! He left Zhang Ding for lunch, and even took Zhang Ding to see his next family. He told the next family that he would ask Zhang Ding to deliver the letter if he had something to do in the future. He turned around and told Zhang Ding that if he did not find him when he came, he would send him Send the letter to the next family.
That night, Liu Guanren packed his luggage, and early the next morning, while the city gate was still allowing people to enter and exit, he left the city and went to the south to visit relatives.
It is said that people share the same heart, the wind in the city is getting tighter and tighter, everyone knows that the army of Bei Rong's million is passing through, and the Shen family's army is retreating. city soldiers. But it turns out that if the city gate is closed, there are still letters that can be shot out of the city by the soldiers guarding the city, and people from outside the city will come to pick them up and send them away.
Zhang Ding was unable to leave the city, and the chain effect ended here. But such a result was beyond Ji Wenzhao's expectation. At night, he sighed to Zhang Ding who came to see him quietly: "You are really good at it! How did you gain their trust like this?"
Zhang Ding had the expression of a treacherous minister, "It's not easy? They are just delivering letters. At this time, they all want to run away. With a backer like me, why don't you hurry up and catch them. Besides, who am I? My son said I It's the smartest!"
Ji Wenzhao nodded: "Supervisor Shen is right."
Zhang Ding didn't correct him, what he said was actually his former Second Young Master Zhang.
----------------
In the East Palace, the crown prince is listening to his confidantes report on the situation outside the palace. An aide held a stack of books and said: "His Royal Highness, the talk of strengthening the army has spread all over the government and the public recently, and there are texts calling on the court to increase military expenditures to expand the army. We want everyone to contribute people, have the strength to contribute, have money to contribute money, and have things to produce goods to reward the army. There are also merchants who have gathered their own military supplies and want to ship them to the north... "
The prince sneered: "It must be the action over there!"
The staff nodded: "Indeed, this passer-by's manuscript has been printed and promoted by Ye's Academy. We got news that more than fifty students from Yan's Academy once joined the army and joined the Shen family army..."
The prince slammed the case: "They are so courageous! Civil servants colluded with military officials, this is plotting rebellion!"
Everyone was nervous, but the prince calmed down again: he just needs to wait another month or two... He sneered and said, "Let them go to trouble, it will not be as good as them in the future. Strictly respect that old man, don't think that the palace I don't know who is making trouble behind!"
Another staff member added in a low voice: "Not only Yan Jing, but also Old Master Liu and Old Master Jian have been feeling uneasy lately..."
The prince hummed: "These people are tired of living, if they want to die, no one will stop them!"
The staff hesitated and asked: "Your Highness, even if it's just to cover up your tongue, do you agree with me a little..."
The prince resolutely said: "No! I will not lower my head! Let them shout! Don't worry about it! The New Year is approaching, let the Ministry of Households distribute year-end rewards to all officials, and also allocate a lot of money to the emperor for the New Year. Use up all the cash, and if you need to use military expenses in the future, let the officials refund the money. I want to see how many of the officials who took the silver will spit out the silver and use it as military supplies."
The staff nodded in agreement: "Exactly, in this way, there will not be many people who support increasing military spending..."
When he went to court the next day, the prince said that the court had frozen their salaries for five or six years. In order to reward the officials who worked hard for the royal family and the people, they would give red envelopes to the officials at the end of the year. Although the third prince once again said that he wanted money to give to Zhenbeihou Shen's army, many courtiers supported the prince, and the emperor was not at court, so the order to issue "Laci" was smoothly issued.
The third prince returned to the mansion and yelled: "He doesn't give money to the border if he has money! His uncle, if Bei Rong calls, the lives of these officials will not be saved. Taking money is useless!"
There were dark circles under Shen Zhuo's eyes. He knew that the war at the border should have started at this time, but the communication station was cut down by the prince, so there was no news. He said with a serious face: "Your Highness is right. It is obvious that the crown prince does not support the Shen family army, so we have to expose this matter. It is too weak to let the wind out directly. We will build a donation box for officials to voluntarily donate year-end reward silver, and Said to send this silver tael to the border."
Mr. Ye frowned: "In this case, the two sides will really tear each other up. Those who donate money will completely break with the prince."
Shen Zhuo knew that when a big battle came together, he would definitely try to see each other to the death, so he was not afraid of tearing his face, so he said: "It's a matter of time, and besides, we set up this donation box to let everyone know what the prince did. For those who donate money, we can keep it confidential, and some people will not leave their names."
The third prince nodded and said, "Just do it! I'll put my belongings in first!"
Young Master Ye hurriedly said: "Let's put half of it first, you still have to live."
The third prince sighed deeply: "His uncle, he suffocated me to death, I really can't think about it!"
Shen Zhuo laughed, but then sighed and said: "Don't worry, maybe there will be a turning point soon."
Young Master Ye glared at Shen Zhuo: "Why do you speak so indiscreetly?! What does this mean?!"
Shen Zhuo probed his head, lowered his voice and said, "My elder brother asked a soldier returning home to bring a letter from his family, saying that the northern soldiers on the border are heavily suppressed and there may be a war."
Young Master Ye was startled: "Really?!"
The third prince frowned: "Why didn't I see the memorial?!"
Shen Zhuo sighed: "Guan Xin moves slowly, when the fight really starts, there will be a letter."
The third prince was angry: "If this is the case, how can the Shen family's army resist the enemy for so many years without military supplies or sources?! Isn't this killing them?!" He said to Mr. Ye: "You sold everything in my house! I don’t want any furniture, tables and chairs, and put all the money in the donation box, the sooner the better! If you have money, hurry up and buy food and military supplies, and send them to the border!”
Mr. Ye frowned, and said in a low voice: "This is indeed... a turning point and a crisis!" If the Beirong really invaded, then the loud cries of the third prince over the years will be predictable, and people will recognize the third prince. Going to the next level, but this is a war, what if the Shen family army at the border can't stop it...
Mr. Ye hurried back to the mansion, and told Ye Zhongshu what Shen Zhuo said, Ye Zhongshu also became nervous: "If this matter is not true, Mr. Shen will never say it. It seems that the war is about to break out..." He pondered After a while, he said: "Just do it like this. Tomorrow you will open a donation box at the third prince's mansion, sell all the property of the third prince, and advertise to everyone."
Young Master Ye nodded: "Third Highness actually doesn't have much money, the money in the treasury is mainly the gold given by Marquis Pingyuan when the mansion was founded."
Ye Zhongshu said: "Then you don't have to feel sorry for it. Donate it all! If you need it in the future, let Marquis Pingyuan ask for it. He has a lot of money."
The next day, the door of the third prince's mansion opened the donation box, indicating that he hoped that the officials would donate red envelopes at the end of the year to provide military supplies for the border. The third prince set an example and donated all the money in the mansion. On the same day, some people came to donate, but mainly the small officials of Qingshui under Ye's sect, and some even left their names with a swipe of a pen.
This is obviously against the prince, but the prince ignored it this time, even though the matter was spread in the capital, there was no reaction.
The emperor just smiled when he knew it. How much money can the third prince get with the red envelopes of a few officials? It's almost the Chinese New Year, so he won't bother with the open and secret fight between the two children.
Zhang Yunming in the south knew the sequence of events from Shen Wen, and guessed that the north was at war. He originally wanted to wait for the battle report to reach the capital, and then lead the troops out of the mountain by himself. But when the matter came to an end, he couldn't wait any longer, so he led 20,000 volunteer soldiers and hundreds of donkey carts and mule carts loaded with weapons out of the deep mountain. These soldiers are young men who have undergone arduous physical training and equipped with the top weapons of this era. They have fought with him in the mountains for four years and are loyal to him. Although he has not experienced the battlefield, Zhang Yunming believes that they are not inferior to the elite soldiers of Beirong. He first took the volunteer soldiers to choose a remote route, marched towards the south of the Yangtze River, prepared the location of his grandfather Li's family, replenished all the supplies, and then went to the capital. It is estimated that the capital should be in a hurry when he gets near the capital. it's time.