"Qin'er, why did you bring back the chicken soup again? Is it because it's too greasy and Brother Zhu doesn't like it? Or is Brother Zhu enforcing strict military discipline in the barracks and not allowing people or food to enter?"
Li Shu was arranging flowers. In a blue and white porcelain vase, there were flowers and green leaves of various colors, scattered in different heights and densities. Some were dried flowers, and some were fresh flowers. They were lifelike and very beautiful. Seeing Hua'er and Qin'er, who had just gone out, coming back with fish maw and chicken soup, she couldn't help but ask in surprise.
"No, young lady." Hua'er and Qin'er shook their heads and explained, "When we arrived at the military camp, Liu Mu told us that an imperial envoy named Zhao Wenhua had urgently ordered the son-in-law to lead 800 people to Shazhou to assist in the sea sacrifice. Because the military situation was urgent, the son-in-law did not even have time to say goodbye to the young lady before he set off with his men. However, the son-in-law specifically left a message for the young lady, asking her to rest assured and take care of her pregnancy at home. He would come to see her as soon as he returned from the sea sacrifice on Shazhou."
“Oh…” When Li Shu heard that Zhu Ping’an had gone to the sandbar, she couldn’t help but put down the flowers in her hand and no longer had any interest in arranging flowers.
"Miss, don't be sad. I heard that the sea sacrifice will be held tomorrow, and your son-in-law will be back after the sacrifice."
Qin'er and Hua'er saw Li Shu's lost look and hurried forward to comfort her.
"The news of the sea sacrifice is spreading everywhere. Everyone in the streets and alleys knows that there will be a sea sacrifice on the sandbar tomorrow. The Japanese pirates must know about it and will definitely take the opportunity to stir up trouble and cause sabotage." Li Shu said worriedly.
"Ah... No wonder Fengqiao Camp sent so many soldiers out for patrol. It turns out they were worried about the Japanese pirates causing trouble."
Qin'er and Hua'er were stunned, they didn't think too much about it, they thought that their brother-in-law was leading the soldiers to offer sacrifices to the sea, and that was all they would do, kneeling and worshipping.
"Miss, don't worry, my uncle is very powerful. It will be bad luck for the Japanese pirates to meet my uncle."
"Yes, yes, in Jingnan, my uncle only had Dadao and a few dozen county officials under his command, but he drove away thousands of Japanese pirates; in Yingtian, my uncle led 800 Zhejiang soldiers and wiped out the invincible Japanese pirates in Jiangnan; didn't my uncle say that the new army he trained, with only 1,000 people, could conquer the world?"
"Oh, although the son-in-law only brought 800 people this time, he can't conquer the whole world, but he can conquer the sandbar. Miss, don't worry."
Hua'er and Qin'er talked to each other, telling their young lady not to worry.
Li Shulian walked to the window, clasped her hands together, closed her eyes and prayed devoutly to the gods and Buddhas in the sky.
"I hope you will grow wings and attack the Beiming fish. Brother Zhu, we will wait for you to come back safely."
After praying, Li Shu gently stroked her belly with her slender hands, looked toward the sandbar outside the window, and murmured softly.
While Li Shu was praying, Zhu Ping'an had already arrived at the sandbar sea sacrifice site with 800 Zhejiang soldiers.
The sandbar has changed a lot at this time. It was originally just a natural pier, but now it has become a large holy place for fasting and offering sacrifices.
From a distance, you can see the tall flagpole on the sandbar, with a long dragon flag flying high.
An altar covering thousands of square meters rose from the ground, on which were enshrined various gods. In the four directions of the altar, there were also huge statues of the Four Dragon Kings.
In the center of the altar, there stands a huge stone pillar more than ten meters high, engraved with Taoist scriptures. In the center are four huge embossed stone characters "Dinghai Shenzhen".
Uh, could this be the inspiration for the Dinghaishenzhen in Wu Chengen's Journey to the West
When Zhu Ping'an saw this huge stone pillar, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch, as if Old Wu lived in this era and Journey to the West was conceived and written around this time.
As far as I can remember, Old Wu failed repeatedly in the imperial examinations. Later, in the 20th year of Jiajing, he became a tribute student. In order to study at the Imperial College on Chengxian Street in Nanjing, Old Wu moved to Yingtian, lived near Chengxian Street, and made a living by selling writings.
Although the Sea Festival will not officially begin until tomorrow, there are already many people watching from a distance.
According to Lao Wu's living radius, maybe, Lao Wu is among the onlookers. Or, when the official sea sacrifice is held tomorrow, Lao Wu may come to watch the fun after reading.
Such a large-scale sea sacrifice is rare in decades, so it is normal to come and watch the fun.
Just when Zhu Ping'an's thoughts were being drawn to the ten-meter-high giant Dinghai Shenzhen stone pillar, he heard a familiar voice in his ear, "Hahaha, nephew, you're here. I specially reserved a piece of land for you to set up camp next to my Jianghuai Camp."
When Zhu Ping'an looked up, he saw Linhuai Hou surrounded by many generals, walking towards him with a smile on his face.
Linhuai Hou was wearing the same military uniform as himself, with a full set of armor. It was rare to find an oversized armor that he could wear, so it must have been specially customized. However, after the fat Linhuai Hou put on the armor, the tonnage was there, and he looked like a
It looks like a bear, and visually it has the vibe of a general.
At this moment, Linhuai Hou was already the deputy general of Jianghuai, stationed in Jinshanwei, rectifying the Jiangyang, commanding Huaihai, and taking charge of coastal defense. Jinshanwei, where he was stationed, was one of the four famous guards of the Ming Dynasty. It was a military stronghold and a strong city built of bricks and stones.
Toucheng (Yingtian) is known as the "First City in the World". It is located in Shanghai, not far from Shazhou.
According to the principle of proximity, it was reasonable for him to be ordered by Zhao Wenhua to lead troops to assist in the sea sacrifice.
"Greetings, uncle." Zhu Ping'an dismounted from his horse, walked towards Linhuai Hou and bowed.
"There's no need to be polite between uncle and nephew. Come on, take your soldiers and follow me. The land I left for you is upwind and flat, so it's definitely a good place to set up camp."
Linhuai Hou spoke enthusiastically, grabbed Zhu Ping'an's arm without giving him a chance to refuse, and walked forward.
Well, it has been verified that Marquis Linhuai is not just fat, he is really strong, and Zhu Pingan really can't refuse him.
Of course, Zhu Ping'an had no intention of refusing. After all, it was just a temporary camp, and it was nothing to be next to Linhuai Hou's Jianghuai camp.
Soon, Zhu Ping'an led the Zhejiang army to the place where the Jianghuai camp under the command of Linhuai Hou Mo was camped.
This is a meadow next to the woods. The terrain is flat and there is a winding stream not far away. It is indeed a good place to camp.
Looking at the number of tents in the Jianghuai camp, Zhu Ping'an estimated that Linqiao Jiao had brought about three thousand troops.
However, although it was a temporary camp, the defense of the Jianghuai camp was too lax. There were no fences or antlers, and only a few guards were seen at the gate. There were not even patrolling soldiers around.
"How about this place, nephew?" Linhuai Hou pointed to the reserved open space and asked Zhu Ping'an with a complacent look on his face.
"It's close to the forest, convenient for collecting materials, and close to the water, convenient for getting water. The terrain is flat. It's indeed a good place to camp." Zhu Ping'an praised generously.
The smile on Linhuai Hou's face suddenly became even brighter.