Under the escort of more than twenty light cavalry, Shen Lie and Li Rusong rode side by side along the official road, their horses ticking ticking.
Shen Lie was still immersed in the sadness of being separated from his sweetheart for a short period of time.
The sadness of separation comes to mind.
Suddenly, Li Rusong's joking laughter came to his ears: "A beautiful woman is so affectionate that it's hard to separate her from her. I never thought that Mr. Shen is still a romantic seed."
Shen Lie woke up with a start.
"Why?"
Look at the playful smile on Mr. Li's bronze face.
Shen Lie's face turned red and he said hastily: "Ashamed, ashamed."
Li Rusong smiled slightly and said in a low voice: "Brothers are like brothers and sisters, and women are like clothes. If Brother Shen wants to do a great career, he must not indulge in the gentle countryside."
Shen Lie was speechless.
Feeling the huge cognitive gap between himself and this general, Shen Lie was speechless and could only lower his head and touch his nose.
Is this considered good advice?
Li Rusong stopped talking and said no more. His heroic and slightly arrogant demeanor showed the pride of a young master from a general family written on his face.
There seems to be a kind of aloofness that repels people thousands of miles away.
Shen Lie understood clearly in his heart and remained calm.
Is he a tiger in general?
All like this.
However, from his demeanor and words, Shen Lie could feel that Mr. Li was not very close to him, the thousands of households in Dongchang who were close to the emperor.
It is also normal.
He was a genuine military general who was born in the General Military Office of the Liao Army. He had followed the Liao Army to fight at the border since he was a boy, earning his status with every sword and spear.
This is called the powerful faction in the local military town!
And what about Shen Lie?
In Mr. Li's eyes, he was just a lucky villain. He became a sky-high-priced lackey entirely because of the emperor's favor.
Li Rusong is damned if he can look up to him!
What is their origin?
What is his origin?
This Mr. Li could still be a bit mean in front of the emperor, but as soon as he left Xiyuan, his true nature was revealed and his arrogant side was revealed.
Shen Lie sighed quietly and muttered in his heart: "You are a proud and powerful general."
Really living in this era, Shen Lie completely understood why the Liao army system, which was the most capable in the Ming army town, and the Ming civil servant group became more and more stalemate.
One slap can’t make a sound!
The civil servants of the Ming Dynasty were all pedantic, and the powerful Liao army was arrogant and domineering. When these two groups of people met, it was natural that the tip of a needle met the awn of wheat.
In the end, it was forced to become irreconcilable.
But in a powerful dynasty, to deal with such strong civil and military opposition and factional conflicts, the emperor needs great wisdom.
As long as the emperor doesn't have some superb skills, he really can't handle it!
But our Mr. Wanli likes to flirt with others and make them lose their temper.
And later Emperor Tianqi and Emperor Chongzhen...
Not to mention.
One generation is worse than the other.
However, Shen Lie did not dislike this Li Rusong. Any border town general who could fight was not arrogant and arrogant, and he would not be able to win a battle if he was not arrogant.
So the two of them stopped talking and concentrated on their journey. They soon passed Dongyue Temple and ten miles further they would reach the border of Tongzhou.
Qingqi continued to move forward on the official road without any hurry or slowness.
Li Rusong ran in front with his servants, while Shen Lie led his Dongchang Tiqi behind and observed secretly.
This observation.
Shen Lie couldn't help but feel shocked secretly.
You can't see it in the city, but as soon as you leave the city and reach the official road in the wilderness, you can immediately see the elite group of Mr. Li's trusted guards.
Those strong men were wearing bright red mandarin duck jackets, and their strong figures were bumping on the horseback, as if they were nailed to the horse!
An expert will know if there is one as soon as he takes action.
Looking at these bronze skinned men, their sturdy bodies, their expressionless faces, and their terrifying riding skills, two words came to Shen Lie's mind.
"Liaoqi!"
And he was still a Liao Qi at his peak.
Shen Lie looked at it and secretly approved.
Learned a lot.
This is the invincible Liaodong cavalry of the Ming Dynasty. Compared with these battle-hardened cavalry, Shen Lie turned back and looked at his Dongchang Tiqi.
The gap is a bit big.
"drive!"
With a shout, Shen Lie cheered up and chased after him.
Half an hour later.
As the number of pedestrians, caravans, horse-drawn carriages, and carts on the official road increased, Tongzhou was already in sight, and more than twenty riders also slowed down their horses.
Shen Lie and Li Rusong, the two people in charge, rode together again.
Riding on horseback and looking around.
This sight is really shocking.
After experiencing the terrible locust plague, the fields on both sides of the road were deserted, looking at the bare crop stalks and the fields overgrown with weeds.
There are also a few lifeless villages on both sides of the road.
Shen Lie fell silent.
This scene was unexpected. It seemed that the damage caused by the locust plague to the people in Gyeonggi far exceeded his imagination. Where have all the people in those villages gone?
Those who died of hunger, those who died of illness, those who fled from famine...
The whole village was so empty, and this was Tongzhou, which was under the emperor's feet and only thirty miles away from the capital. It was conceivable that the disaster in Beizhili, which was farther away, must have been even more serious.
In silence.
At this time, Li Rusong suddenly said: "Listen to what Long Live said, the locust plague in the Gyeonggi area relied on Mr. Shen's clever trick, and it was lucky that it did not cause a catastrophe."
Shen Lie hurriedly said: "It's a small achievement, it's not worth mentioning."
After another moment.
The road ahead is already bustling with people on both sides. Looking at the bustling water gates, wharves, and checkpoints in the distance, you can see how many caravans, officials, soldiers, and coolies are gathered here.
Look at this bustling and busy scene.
Li Rusong smiled slightly again, raised his horse whip, and started talking: "Master Shen, does he know when this Tongzhou Wharf was built and when it became prosperous?"
Shen Lie was stunned and said hurriedly: "This... I have little education, please ask Mr. Li to clear up my confusion."
This is what Li Rusong was waiting for!
Smiled again.
Then he began to point out the country.
"This Tongzhou Pass was built in the Yuan Dynasty. In the Yuan Dynasty, a water transport yamen was set up in Tongzhou to manage water affairs, set up granaries, and sent heavy troops to guard it."
"When the Yuan Dynasty was destroyed, the Tongzhou water transport was abandoned for a time, and it was not restored until Chengzu moved north. In the sixth year of Jiajing, the Tonghui River was restored. From Tongzhou to Gonghua City in the Changping area north of the capital, and Juyongguan and other fortresses, there are also fortresses along the Wenyu River. Water transport.”
These words are a treasure trove of the history of Tongzhou.
Shen Lie was really stunned.
Seeing the high-spirited look on Mr. Li's heroic face, Shen Lie quickly responded: "Ah...is that so?"
You know better, please keep talking.
Li Rusong was in a good mood and continued to talk: "Master Shen, I'm afraid you don't know something. In addition to supplying the capital, this grain also supplies food and salary for the soldiers guarding the mausoleum and the border guards such as Juyongguan."
Shen Lie nodded.
My heart suddenly dawned.
Understood.
Water transport also supplies military rations to Liaodong, right?
No wonder Mr. Li came to Tongzhou in such a hurry. It turned out that he was afraid that there would be problems with water transportation after the disaster, which would affect the supply of military rations to the Liao army.
No wonder.
While he was talking, more than twenty Qingqi entered Tongzhou City. As expected, Li Rusong abandoned Shen Lie and Dongchang's men and led more than ten guards straight to the Water Transport General Army's Yamen in the city.
He left Shen Lie and others outside the city gate.
