This man's voice was not loud, but it sounded like thunder in everyone's ears, making Wu Xiang and others' ears buzz with thunder.
"Are you Li Yan?"
"Are you Li Yan, Minister of the Ministry of War?"
What is the Secretary of the Ministry of War these days? It is equivalent to the combination of the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff of the three armed forces in later generations. It is true to say that he is the first brother in the military world. Although it cannot be seen this way in reality, but in ordinary times
Who among those in the military circles would not want to be friends with the Minister of War of the current dynasty.
Wu Xiang and others had never thought of visiting Li Yan these days, but Li Yan seemed to expect them to come back to find him. Whether in the Yamen or at home, he always avoided them and refused to see them no matter what.
This made these generals from Liaodong so anxious that they felt like they were being tickled by a hundred mice, and they were itching terribly.
But now this man actually came to them in person, which made them shocked.
Li Yan walked to Wu Sangui with a smile, stretched out his hand to pull Brother Yi's stool from the side and put it at his feet, and said to Wu Sangui and others who were still in a daze: "General Wu, Mr. Zu, don't you invite me to have a drink?"
Water and wine?”
Li Yan's voice finally pulled Wu Sangui and others out of their astonishment. Although they in Liaodong were all generals with heavy troops, they did not dare to be presumptuous in front of the minister of the Ministry of War. They all came to their senses and invited Li Yan one after another.
Yan sat down.
After Li Yan sat down, Wu Sangui looked at Li Yan carefully. Although there were countless questions in his mind, he also understood that on the day of the emperor's wedding, no one in front of the Qianqing Palace would dare to risk the world.
Do not violate the law and act as Minister of the Ministry of War.
Wu Sangui's doubtful gaze was naturally noticed by Li Yan. He calmly poured himself a glass of wine and asked with a smile: "Why, do you think I don't look like a dignified minister of the Ministry of War?"
Wu Sangui couldn't help but blush and said, "Is that so?"
Although Wu Sangui usually thinks very highly of himself and always believes that there are not many heroes who can compare with him in the world, and he has become the commander-in-chief of the local army at the age of thirty, so he is considered young and promising, but he also
He never dared to dream that he could become the Minister of War at this age, but the guy in front of him did it. And he did it as a reduced general, which made Wu Sangui even more curious.
Li Yan has seen many suspicious looks from others, not even Wu Sangui. Li Yan raised his wine glass, looked around everyone's faces with gentle eyes, and then said with a calm smile: "Everyone, you went to my official residence and Yamen a few days ago.
I know that you are here to see me, but due to my busy schedule these days, I am unable to meet you. I hope you will understand me, and I would like to use this glass of water and wine to apologize to you."
After saying that, Li Yan raised his neck, drank the glass of wine with a "squeak", and then held the glass upside down to indicate that he had finished drinking first as a sign of respect.
Now the advantage of being a superior officer comes to light. People just casually say that they are busy with official duties, and the subordinates can't say a word. What? Aren't leaders allowed to be busy? How can you call yourself a leader if you are not busy?
He just left them alone for a few days, and now he, as a leader, has done his job first as a sign of respect. This is sincerity enough. If you subordinates are still nagging, then you don't know how to commend yourself. Wu Xiang and others are helpless.
Then, he had no choice but to raise his glass and drink it all in one gulp.
Seeing everyone toasting one by one, the smile in Li Yan's eyes became even stronger. He raised the wine bottle with his left hand and stood up to pour wine for everyone on the table. Everyone stood up quickly and didn't dare to shout. This is
As is customary in officialdom, no matter how much you dislike the leader, you have to hold on when he pours you a drink as a subordinate, otherwise you will be ostracized by everyone. This has nothing to do with personal preference, but with officialdom.
the power of.
"Come on... do it!"
Li Yan raised his wine glass again, and everyone quickly raised their wine glasses and drank with Li Yan.
"call......"
Putting down his wine glass, Li Yan breathed a long sigh of relief and said with a smile in his eyes: "You must be confused as to why I am meeting you here today, right?"
Wu Xiang and others looked at each other. Zu Dashou said expressionlessly: "Master Li is right. His Majesty once said that he would send a governor and a legion as well as food, grass and baggage to accompany the general and others to Liaodong. These things
Naturally, there is no way to bypass the Ministry of War, but when the general and others visited the Yamen or your mansion a few days ago, they were all declined. Seeing that the departure date was approaching, the general and the others were very anxious. If they could not set off on time, not only would they not be able to meet your majesty,
It will also delay the military situation in Liaodong, so I hope that Mr. Li will forgive me for any offense I have offended."
Zu Dashou is well known for his boldness. At first glance, these words sounded like an apology, but they squeezed Li Yan out a lot. Why, even though your brothers are your subordinates, they are still on errands under the emperor's order.
, it’s true that you are the Minister of War, but you don’t take these brothers seriously, right? You must know that if we bring this matter to your Majesty, you won’t be able to make it easy.
After hearing what Zu Dashou said, the generals in Liaodong couldn't help but become anxious. It was not a wise move to contradict the Minister of War here. Even Wu Sangui secretly lifted Ti Zu Dashou's feet with his toes and whispered: "Big
uncle......."
Unexpectedly, Li Yan laughed after listening to Zu Dashou's words: "Hahaha... As expected of Zu Dashou who dared to attack the capital in a fit of anger to demand justice for Governor Yuan. It's true."
What a hero."
Hearing Li Yan's praise, Zu Dashou's expression softened slightly, but he still frowned and said: "Master Li, according to the deadline given by His Majesty, we should set off in three days, but whether it is food, grass, or luggage,
Or the reinforcements promised by the Emperor are still not there yet. Since you, the Minister of War, are here today, can you give the general a confirmation letter?"
Faced with Zu Dashou's accusation, Li Yan remained calm and said with a slight smile: "General Zu, don't worry, I'm here today to formally inform you that in three days, your food, armor, equipment and
The reinforcements will return to Liaodong with you, and they will not delay the emperor's important events."
Zu Dashou stared into Li Yan's eyes and said, "What about the newly appointed supervisor? Will he also come with us? And we should tell the general who he is, right?"
The corners of Li Yan's mouth curved upward slightly, revealing his white teeth: "Your new supervisor will naturally go with you. As for who he is? Far away in the horizon and close in front of you, he is just the official.
..."
Twenty miles outside Jinzhou City, a group of ragged cavalrymen were walking slowly on a hidden path. There were no obvious marks on their bodies, except for the occasional red clothes on one or two cavalrymen.
I could barely tell that it was a mandarin duck battle coat unique to the Ming army.
Since the Battle of Sarhu, the Ming Dynasty's strategic posture towards the Manchu Qing Dynasty has changed from attack to defense. Although through the continuous efforts of the two emperors Apocalypse and Chongzhen, the strategic posture has not changed according to their will. The power of the Ming Dynasty
Slowly shrinking from Liaodong to the south.
Although in this time and space, Pang Gang came out of nowhere and taught the Manchus a few harsh lessons, cutting off their claws that penetrated the Central Plains several times, so that the Manchus gave them both strength and economy.
It was a big blow, but in the land of Liaodong, the world was still dominated by the Manchus. This is an indisputable fact.
As a side on the defensive, the Ming army's activities in the north are naturally less and less. Therefore, it is rare for these cavalry wearing traditional Ming costumes to appear north of Jinzhou. I just don't know who these cavalry are.
For some reason, it actually appeared in the north of Jinzhou.
The sun slowly tilted to the west, and the shadow of this group of cavalry also slowly lengthened. Gradually, they got closer and closer to Jinzhou City.
There are about twenty people in this group of cavalry, each of them rides on a horse and two, and they have a variety of weapons. There are long bows, long knives, tiger head spears, and even throwing knives. Judging from this point.
The Ming Dynasty, which lacks war horses and pays attention to standard equipment, can have such luxurious configurations. Their identities are also easy to come out. They are most likely to be the most elite Ye Buzai in the Ming army. On the backs of these Ye Buzai horses, there are also
There are some packages piled up
At this time, a dark-faced man walking in the middle of the team touched the bulging bag behind him, with a satisfied smile on his face. He opened his mouth and said to a bearded companion beside him:
"Huzi, you said you would dispose of these goods when you return this time. Can we build a piece of land in the city?"
The companion shouted angrily: "You damn Heizi, how many times have I told you not to call me a beard? I haven't shaved for half a month. Why do you keep calling me like this?"
Heizi grinned and then sarcastically said: "Then you call me Heizi again. So what's wrong with my black spots? Aren't the girls from Cuihua House still ogling me?"
"Hahaha........"
Hearing this, the Ye Bushou people around all laughed, and Huzi couldn't help but laugh and said: "Ogle? Those bitches are ogling your money, right? You. As soon as you have a few coins, they all
Those bitches in Cuihua Building will give their motherfuck to you. With your virtue, if you still manage a piece of land in the city, if you can keep your money for ten days, you are considered capable!"
"you......."
Heizi's chest swelled rapidly, and he was so angry that he stared at his beard, and he was ready to take action if he disagreed with her.
Seeing Heizi's anxious look, Huzi smiled proudly, "Boy, you're still far from being so talkative. How dare you quarrel with me?"
Just as they were bickering, a voice rang from the side: "Okay, stop arguing, we are back safely, but there are still more than ten brothers over there? What's there to be proud of?
It is only proper to dispose of this batch of goods after you return and distribute the money to the widows of your brothers who died in the war. You still have the energy to talk about Cuihua Tower, and you are not ashamed!"
As soon as this voice sounded, everyone fell silent. When they left the city, there were nearly forty brothers, but when they came back, there were only about twenty riders left, and the rest were folded to the north.
The speaker was a man about thirty-four or five years old. He looked scary with his constant violence. The person who spoke was Fan Wuji, the leader of the Ye Bu Shu team. This man had done ten jobs in the Ye Bu Shu team.
Over the years, his prestige has been extremely high, so when he speaks, everyone becomes silent.
After a long time, Huzi asked cautiously: "Tou Wu, in the past, we were restricted from exploring the north. Why did we take pictures of more than a dozen groups of brothers heading north today, and specifically asked us to send them to the north?"
The more detailed the situation is, the better. Is Master Zu going to fight again?"
"Yes, sir!" Seeing the beard, he was dumbfounded. Heizi on the side also said: "Now that the Ming Dynasty is gone, our frontier soldiers are like children without a mother. We have even lost our pay and silver. Many brothers are dying at home.
We’ve run out of food, what’s the point of going on like this!”
"Okay!" Wu Ji interrupted them impatiently, "Can we figure out what the boss means? Let's just do our job properly and don't worry about the rest?"
Although Buji's tone is very bad, and combined with his face, he looks very fierce. If you are an ordinary person, you will definitely be frightened. However, those who have followed Buji for many years are not frightened by these appearances. No.
During the war, Wu Ji was still very talkative. Hu Xi rode his horse to Wu Ji and said with a smile: "Wu Tou, I heard from some brothers that Lord Zu led the generals in the city to Shanhaiguan some time ago. It is said that
We are going to the capital. Does this mean that we will submit to Dahua in the future?"
"You idiot, shut up now!"
Wuji was startled, and looked around as usual. He found that he was surrounded by his brothers, and then he shouted in a low voice: "Husband, you bastard, are you going to die? This kind of thing is something we can do as a soldier."
What are you talking about? If adults hear it, how many heads do you have that adults can chop off?"
Huzi curled his lips and said: "Come on, adults won't pay attention to people like us? They are now like the Clay Buddha crossing the river and cannot save themselves. If they don't pay the silver brothers, they will even have thoughts of mutiny. In my opinion,
Ah, since the emperor's throne has been given to Dahua, then Dahua is our legitimate new imperial court. Those adults are not stupid, they will not stand up! I see, it won't be long before the ones on the top of our city have to be replaced.
A flag!"
Huzi's words were very strange. But Wu Ji rarely scolded him, but just sat on the horse silently and thought about his thoughts.
After April this year, not a grain of grain or a tael of silver was delivered to Jinzhou from the rear. The former elite frontier troops were now like beggars, not even having enough to eat.
Seeing that the morale of the defenders in the city was getting more and more unstable, if it weren't for Zu Dashou's extremely high prestige in Jinzhou, the low-ranking soldiers would have started to make trouble, but even so, the soldiers were still complaining. After all, many of them are not alone.
The Lord who feeds the whole family so that they are not hungry. They are residents who have lived in Jinzhou for generations. If they really have no money, their whole family will have to go to the northwest.
Otherwise, they did not need to disturb the villages of the Qing Dynasty when they went out to explore the city of the Qing Dynasty. However, in order to seize more loot and make some profit after returning, Buji and the others took the risk to attack a village. When they wanted to come, a
An ordinary village can only hold down more than a hundred people, and only a dozen or twenty people can fight. With nearly forty of their elites not stopping at night, they can't be beaten hand in hand.
But what they didn't expect was that this village was a hornet's nest. There was actually a group of more than 20 infantrymen of the Manchu Zhenglan Banner stationed in the village. After a big battle, more than ten of their brothers died, and another
More than a dozen brothers were injured, and then they were all managed to be killed.
"Alas...it's all caused by lack of pay and food!"
Looking at the city that was already faintly visible in the distance, Wuji, who should have been happy when he came back alive, could not be happy at all. This time, his team lost three or four men. If he came back this many times, his team would be
If you don't pay attention at night, I'm afraid you will have to be removed from the brigade.
Slowly they walked outside Jinzhou City. Jinzhou City is located on the north bank of Xiaoling River. It was built in the original Yongle Old County in the 24th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty. After it was completed, it was five miles in circumference. It was built with clay on the inside and covered with blue bricks on the outside.
.
In the twelfth year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty expanded Jinzhou City. The city wall was extended to more than six miles long, and four protruding forts were built on the four corners of the city wall to strengthen attack firepower. Then in the seventeenth year of Hongzhi in the Ming Dynasty,
The Ming Dynasty, which paid more and more attention to Liaodong, expanded the city again. The city after construction this time looked like a plate, so Jinzhou City was also known as the Pancheng.
After several repairs, Jinzhou City has become a solid city with a height of nearly ten meters, a width of seven meters, and a moat outside.
Wuji and the others arrived outside the north gate and looked at the mighty city wall. Wuji and the others were relieved of their worries. For them who had grown up here since childhood, Jinzhou City was their home and their entire family.
They all live in the city. Without this city, they would lose everything and become rootless duckweeds.
"drive........"
Wu Ji pinched the horse's belly, and the exhausted war horse let out a long neigh, mustered up its remaining strength and galloped forward.
When Bukit and the others entered the city after going through various inspections, they found that the atmosphere in the city was completely different from the previous dull atmosphere. Many people were standing on the street whispering, and the soldiers passing by the roadside also looked happy.
Heizi, who was walking in the middle of the team, couldn't help but asked curiously: "Wutou, what happened? Do the brothers in the city seem very happy?"
After entering the city, Wu Ji had already relaxed his tense nerves. After hearing Heizi's words, he took a long breath and said, "I wonder why you don't go over and ask yourself?"
Heizi made a face, "Wutou, you always want us to stay in formation, aren't I afraid of being punished by you?"
"Get out of here!" Wu Ji cursed angrily and amusingly: "That was outside the city. Now that we are in the city, why are you pretending to be a big tailed wolf for me!"
"Haha!" Everyone laughed. Heizi hurriedly ran over to inquire about the news. He would not come back. Heizi ran back at a speed several times happier than when he left. He shouted loudly as he ran: "Head, Mr. Zu is here."
He is about to come back. He is fifty miles away from the south of the city with reinforcements, food, grass and military pay..." (To be continued...)
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