Thousands of miles away in Shuano, the snow covered under the bright sun is so reflective that it is almost blinding.
Zhang Mingshi, a southerner who came to the bitter cold snowfield for the first time, narrowed his eyes in discomfort when he suddenly heard a "swish" sound, which was the sound of an arrow flying through the air.
Immediately, several Sichuan stone soldiers on the left and right cheered: "Yes! I hit!"
Ma Xianglin patted his horse and galloped away, going back and forth for a moment. The hand that was not holding the reins was holding a wild fox with fur as bright as a red cloud.
Zhang Mingshi sincerely praised: "Ma Xiandi is really awesome. In a large snowfield where he is blinding his eyes, this little beast is running so fast. How can you hit it?"
Ma Xianglin patted the snow particles on the fox: "My wife taught me, she has the ability to pierce a tree with a hundred steps. I used to only know how to use a gun."
"The fur of this red fox feels warm just by looking at it. I'll clean it up and make a collar for your wife."
"Well, that's what I thought."
Zhang Mingshi led his team to drive dozens of miles, and now he slowed down his horse to rest. It was when he was leisurely and bored, and he suddenly laughed and said: "If you want to say that you can coax a woman and make her want what she wants, you have to do it."
It's our Ma Xiandi. Mrs. Zheng is really impatient. I still want to stay in the city for a few days and wait for Governor Cui to arrive before taking orders. This bitch is better and drives us to General Zhao's place like a duck. I still want to stay in the city for a few days and wait for Governor Cui to arrive.
I wanted to argue a few words, but my dear brother, you agreed without saying a word, and you really obeyed my words. Hey, Xiaoma, do you, in your heart, consider Mrs. Zheng as your daughter-in-law?"
Ma Xianglin took a look at Zhang Mingshi and said calmly: "You are my superior now, so I can bury you. But Zhang, you shouldn't make fun of Mrs. Zheng. Her kindness to you will be replaced by a girl on your left and a little girl on your right."
Wife?"
Zhang Mingshi waved his riding crop aggressively: "I admit my mistake, Old Zhang. My tongue is like the three-eyed blunderbuss issued by the imperial court in the past. It has to be exploded from time to time before I feel comfortable. Mrs. Zheng knows my temper.
Even if she is in front of us right now, she won't blame me. This bitch has a bigger heart than you."
Ma Xianglin did not respond.
In fact, most of the time, he didn't dislike Zhang Mingshi, and it could even be said that he felt quite close to him.
Zhang Mingshi, like his father, was unjustly imprisoned, which naturally made him sympathize with him. Along the way to the border, Zhang Mingshi took good care of and studied the firearms delivered by Zheng Haizhu, which also made generals like Ma Xianglin feel sympathetic to each other.
After all, Ah Zhu always seems to choose the right person.
With the passage of time and the changes he has gone through, Ma Xianglin has almost forgotten the feeling of his heart-pounding moment with Zheng Haizhu many years ago. Instead, in addition to mutual support and trust, there are also feelings that pop up from time to time.
curious.
The territory of Ming Dynasty is thousands of miles away, how on earth can she know that there is the person she is looking for in a place she has never been to? She relies on tirelessly asking the courtiers who have friendship with her, or wandering non-stop in the streets and countryside
Spying around?
For example, she was talking about "Xiong Tingbi" these days. He, Ma Xianglin, had been stationed in Liaodong and was the son-in-law of the Minister of War. She didn't even know about this person.
Well, come to think of it, Ah Zhu is still more concerned about these things, like a Warring States counselor, unlike himself, a warrior who only knows how to mount a horse and fight.
The snow slope began to undulate, and the group of people rode up Liangyuan, and a new scene suddenly appeared in front of them.
The camp is dense and dense, mixed with smoke and fire.
"Two generals, the area in front of you is Shanfang Fort," reported the bodyguard sent by Chang Zhongxin, a Shanxi merchant, as a guide. "The mountain forest to the north is called Yehuling. Beyond Yehuling is the Beilu Mountain.
Territory."
Ma Xianglin nodded and thought to himself: I wonder if the Mongolian whom A-Zhu asked to find is in the Shanfang Fort.
…
Xuanhua City in the afternoon.
Zheng Haizhu raised her face to face the sun.
Although the temperature in this winter is not enough to eliminate the cold around the twelfth lunar month in the northern part of the country, at least such clear weather will make it much easier for Xianglin and the others to go to Shanfang Fort to meet Zhao Menglin, the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu.
"I hope I can make friends with Mangui."
As Zheng Haizhu walked, she thought silently in her heart.
The historical course of the past three years has changed. The Battle of Saarhu in Liaodong, which resulted in the loss of troops and generals, did not happen. Not only did it save the life of Zhao Menglin, the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu, but also killed one of the most capable generals in the late Ming Dynasty, "Man Gui".
"Stayed in Xuanda instead of being transferred to Jiliao by the court.
The Mongols were from Mangui and grew up in Xuanfu.
If the descendants of foreigners like Man Gui, who were attached to the Han government in Guan, had not served royal family members or civil officials at a young age like Zheng He, they would have only two options left: doing business or joining the army. Man Gui, who was skilled in bow and horse, chose
The latter.
But it was not until the early years of the Apocalypse, when Sun Chengzong patrolled the border and recruited new military talents to fill the vacancy of the border generals who died in Sarhu, that Mangui stood out and became the empire's senior general stationed in Liao.
This information was reserved by Zheng Haizhu. On the way out of Beijing, she speculated that in this time and space, Man Guiying was still in Xuanda University. Combined with the fact that no one from the Ministry of War to the inner court had heard of this person,
Mangui is probably still an unknown low-level school official.
Sure enough, when I arrived in Xuanhua City, I asked the generals who stayed behind and found out that there was a descendant of Mongolian descent named Mangui who held the rank of military commander.
Zheng Haizhu then told Ma Xianglin alone to look for this Mangui when he accompanied Zhang Mingshi to deliver a greeting gift to the commander-in-chief Zhao Menglin. If there was such a person, he would make friends and wait for his summons.
"Mrs. Zheng, the Governor's Mansion has arrived." Xu San's soft call pulled Zheng Haizhu out of his deep thoughts.
The two masters and servants had not been waiting in the concierge for a long time when a capable and courteous official led them directly to the duty room of Xuanda Governor Cui Jingrong.
Cui Jingrong, who is sixty-five years old this year, although his face is full of wrinkles, has clear features, shining eyes, and an extraordinary demeanor.
However, when he was explaining the affairs of the scribes, he still appeared to be approachable and approachable, but by the time he met Zheng Haizhu, he had changed into a cold demeanor.
Cui Jingrong left Datong and arrived in Xuanzhen yesterday.
Someone from the Xuanzhen Yamen Office handed over the letter, saying it was sent by a woman and was an autographed letter from Imperial Master Ye Xianggao.
At this moment, Cui Jingrong said sternly: "I have been moving around Ningxia and Xuanda and other border areas, and I am not familiar with my colleagues from the South. Ye Gong said that you and Xu Guangqi taught arithmetic to the prince, so you are a member of the Western Party?"
As soon as the word "Party" came out of his mouth, Zheng Haizhu was mentally prepared. This Governor Cui, a third-rank official, must be biased against Western learning.
Zheng Haizhu bowed slightly and said unhurriedly: "Xu Hanlin received the "Elements of Geometry" written by a Thai and Western priest. This technique was also taught in the school opened by the younger generation in Nanzhili, and it can be used in artillery between the two armies.
Attack and defense.”
"How to use it?" The frosty tone in Cui Jingrong's voice has not faded away.
Zheng Haizhu then took the attack on the Zhenghuang Banner soldiers at the top of Fushun City as an example. The actual use of artillery with tools such as medium plates and gun gauges requires the gunner to have a foundation in geometry, which he briefly explained.
But no matter the nonsense, it is also quite attractive to describe the exciting and devastating parts of a battle.
It is especially attractive to border ministers like Cui Jingrong who also have practical combat experience.