The north wind was not as devastating as it was at night, it became an understatement.
Although the grassland was covered with snow a month ago, under the calm wind and bright sun, the horses can smoothly dig through the snow and eat the autumn grass that, although dry, can still bring them energy.
Mangui helped his beloved horse dig a larger snow pit. Before he could get up, a grain bag was thrown in front of him with a "pop" sound.
"Add some ingredients and just eat grass and sticks, you won't be able to run anywhere." Ma Xianglin said.
Mangui opened the bag and took a look, and saw that there were wheat bran and beans. He couldn't help but sigh: "Damn, they eat better than our camp soldiers. General Ma is generous. Now that I think about it, I am really like you."
correct."
Ma Xianglin frowned: "You spend the whole day jumping around on the grassland, don't you know how to take care of the horses?"
A hint of sarcasm flashed across the corner of Mangui's mouth: "This year is almost over, and the wages haven't come down yet. I eat chaff, and the horse eats weeds. Neither I nor the horse have fine food to eat."
"How many bandits did you bring down in the past few days?"
"More than a hundred taels of silver, twenty small bundles of cloth, and less than two hundred shi of grain. Mr. Zhao has to send the silver and cloth to the capital for household management. The grain must be saved, and the brothers who go out to fight the Tartars will bring the
Life."
Ma Xianglin couldn't bear to hear it.
It’s not that he didn’t know about the lack of pay in the past few years. His father-in-law, Zhang Quan, had been a border town patrol officer and an official in the Ministry of War. He was often worried and scolded. Ma Xianglin just didn’t expect that Mangui and the others were living better than those in Liaodong.
Soldiers still suffer.
Ma Xianglin sighed softly, but saw Mangui's eyes looking behind him
"Hey, General Ma, the servant you went to report brought a girl over. Is she one of Concubine Lin Dan Khan's men?"
Ma Xianglin turned around, saw the person coming clearly, and led Man Gui to greet him.
"Mrs. Zheng, General Zhao received a document from Governor Cui at Yehuling yesterday and immediately ordered me to bring someone to come east to meet you. This is General Manchu Banner, General Mangui."
"Oh, it only took a whole day and night to get here from Yehuling. Thank you for your hard work."
Zheng Haizhu spoke calmly.
My heart was so happy.
A moment ago, when Ma Biao, lightly dressed and galloping, entered the tent to report to Zheng Haizhu, he had already simplified the story of the fight between the young master and Man Gui.
Zheng Haizhu sighed while listening: Zhang Ming was an old and angry young man, and he often made greasy jokes about "Xiang Lin is most liked by women" along the way.
Facts have proven that General Pony Ma is even more skilled in handling men, and that goes without saying.
At this time, Zheng Haizhu suppressed her joy and said to Man Gui sternly but not coldly: "I have heard many stories of General Man's bravery in Xuanzhen. Mr. Zhao has sent General Man to Xianglin. I really want to congratulate him."
He is even more powerful."
However, Man Gui didn't even bother to listen to the pleasantries. He just stared his eyes rounder than when he broke a gun with a single sword. He bared his rugged buck teeth and asked in surprise: "You, aren't you the patrolman? Why?
Is she a mother...yes, a woman?"
Zheng Haizhu relaxed the corners of his tense mouth and said with a pleasant expression: "I have received the imperial edict to patrol the border for the imperial court, but I am not a master. Only civil servants and military generals can be called masters. Although I have the command obtained by military merit,
But it doesn’t count as having an official position like you.”
Man Gui realized that although the woman in front of her did not wear rouge and had slightly darker skin, she looked one or two years younger than Ma Xianglin. She was the person that General Ma had said was a capable person in the court and weapons shop. He thought about Ma Xianglin again.
He actually concealed that this person was a woman, and Man Gui felt an unspeakable feeling of resentment in his heart.
This arrogant warrior would not even bow his head in front of General Zhao on weekdays. At this moment, he even lowered his face and muttered: "I really don't know that the world has become like this.
Women can also be sent by the imperial court to serve as envoys to the Northern Yuan Dynasty."
"Mangui," Ma Xianglin said tit for tat, "a woman can carry a gun and fight, and can deal with traitors faster than a male general. How come she can't be an envoy to the country and go to the fortress?"
Mangui choked at him, and immediately thought of Qin Liangyu, whom all the warriors in the world truly admired. They said, "Let's go back. It's obvious that I don't have a sense of right and wrong. I can't save face by suing him, but I suddenly remembered a verse:
Then he took off the new knife from his waist, held it in both fists, and said angrily to Zheng Haizhu: "I would like to thank Madam for the gift of the knife."
Zheng Haizhu nodded: "Just use it with ease. General Man, you Shanxi and our Southern Zhili can use a good sword. The same is true for people. The descendants of Mongolia can guard the border and serve in the affairs of the Ming Dynasty."
The military ministers can take the blame and perform meritorious service, why can't I, a woman, run for the country? Among the three of us, no one should dislike the other. It is decent to fulfill our duties, don't you think?"
Mangui heard the words and thought about it, and found out that what the woman said was reasonable and emotional.
Seeing that she was not in a hurry or annoyed or showing off, Man Gui felt that for a grown man, he was indeed being rude in a senseless manner. He said that he did not look down on women, so his demeanor dropped in front of her.
He then clasped his fists again, and when he spoke this time, his tone finally became sincere and sincere: "Madam, you are right. Mangui is a rough man, and he is so careless. Madam, please don't blame me."
Zheng Haizhu smiled and asked, "Can you speak Mongolian?"
Man Gui said: "Hui, it's true."
Zheng Haizhu's face grew brighter and he said happily: "Well, I'm so glad. When we get to Lin Dan Khan's royal city, Chahanhot, I have to ask you some questions in nonsense. Let's go, let's go with General Ma first.
, followed me to see Unger, the brother sent by Lin Dan Khan to collect his salary, but he was a dandy. The person who really made the decision was actually a woman named "He Zhuo", Lin Dan Khan's great fortune Jinsu.
Tai's cronies, like Su Tai, are from Yehe Jurchen."
…
In this early winter, the Mongols who returned home laden with rewards from the Ming court were in a good mood, and even the generals who escorted the Ming people were very pleased with them.
Unger even offered to teach Ma Xianglin wrestling in exchange for teaching him marksmanship.
Sutai Fujin's maid He Zhuo was not as heartless as Unger.
There was always a tension in her mind.
When He Zhuo was in Zhangjiakou, he heard that Hou Jin had sprung out of Hetuala's two banners, the Zhenglan Banner and the Xiangbai Banner. The two banners took a short break with the Mongolian Horqin tribe, which had already secretly communicated with each other, and after replenishing supplies, they headed west.
Loot.
As the daughter of Ye Hebu, He Zhuo, like his master Su Tai, knew the Jurchen banner leader of Jianzhou very well.
Du Du, the leader of the White Banner, was just that. Mang Gurtai, the leader of the Zhenglan Banner, was famous for being cruel and murderous, and his men had a lot of jaws. He Zhuo became panicked just thinking about it.
Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty businesswoman with a mercenary attitude really had a background in the Ming Dynasty. The governor of Xuanda not only gave her documents to send as an envoy, but also transferred dozens of people who looked no worse than Houjin Baya.
The soldiers, together with the Mongolian guards, escorted the chariot and horse team back to Chahanhot.
Even so, He Zhuo still insisted on walking close to the border wall of the Ming Dynasty. Even if he took a more detour, he would at least be not far from the military town guard post.
In this way, after several days of traveling eastward, the group crossed the Tanghe River and arrived at the grassland outside the pass near Miyun Guard.
"Hezhuo, the south is already the boundary of Ji Town. This year from Shanhaiguan to Bianqiang, Ji Town has plenty of troops, and there are not many merchants in Ji Town. I guess that Mang Gurtai and the others don't dare to, and there is no need to go to Ji Town.
Robbery outside the town. Now, they may have arrived outside Xuan Dakou, heading in the opposite direction to us."
In the tent where they rested, Zheng Haizhu analyzed the itinerary to He Zhuo while holding a cup of goat's milk black tea to warm her hands.
"That's good." He Zhuo responded. She didn't mind. She looked relieved in front of this Ming Dynasty woman who also experienced Houjin's cruelty.
Then, He Zhuo looked at Unger, who was milling around the roasted lamb outside the tent, looking greedy and stupid, and said sarcastically, "Nobleman Unger is so lucky. While eating, drinking and having fun, he took away the treasure and two more.
A woman worries about how to avoid the wolves for him."
Zheng Haizhu stood up and added some hot black tea to He Zhuo's bowl.
On the contrary to He Zhuo, Zheng Haizhu knew that the war would begin just after entering the territory outside Ji Town.