The team set off in the afternoon, and Zhao Yongsheng sent them outside the fortress and pointed out the mountain road going north. After leaving Chicheng Fortress and walking west for several miles, there was indeed a road winding northward, which was barely passable by horseback.
The distance between Longmen Station and the northernmost Monolithic Fortress is nearly 80 miles, and it is all mountainous. It cannot be reached in a day or two, so there is no need to rush. The sun sets in the west, and the surrounding mountains are endless.
.There are lush forests between the mountains and fields, and from time to time you can see large areas of wild flowers blooming on the hillside. The clouds are steaming and the clouds are bright, which is very beautiful and beautiful. Zhu Houzhao was in a happy mood, admiring the scenery while riding his horse slowly.
After dark, the team found a valley with water to camp. That night, tigers and leopards roared incessantly in the nearby mountains and forests. Zhu Houzhao immediately decided to stop going north tomorrow and hunt and play in the nearby mountains and forests.
The whole next day was spent hunting and the harvest was quite fruitful.
Hundreds of people went out together to start hunting. They found a flat place under the mountain and cut down trees to build a fence with a radius of 200 paces. Then everyone went out to drive away the harassing wild animals. In the evening, the soldiers who had been busy all day successfully killed a
The big insect and several sika deer were driven to the fence
Trapped in the middle, Zhu Houzhao was so happy that he suddenly wanted to capture this majestic and colorful tiger alive like he did when he caught a leopard in the Western Mountains last time. Everyone hurriedly persuaded him to give up this idea. Even Liu Jin did not dare to let Zhu Houzhao do this this time.
, because it is really too dangerous.
Seeing that everyone was opposed, Zhu Houzhao had no choice but to do the next best thing and decided to shoot the tiger himself. So hundreds of soldiers, as if they were facing a powerful enemy, entered the fence with shields and swords to protect Zhu Houzhao. The people surrounded him and surrounded him.
The big insect, which was furious and roaring like thunder, was cornered.
Zhu Houzhao took a powerful crossbow and fired crossbow arrows at the tiger under the cover of everyone. The tiger was very ferocious. After being hit by several arrows, not only did it not fall down, but it rose up and injured two soldiers. But in the end, Zhu Houzhao was able to make up for it with a few arrows.
Shot on the spot.
Emperor Zhengde of the Ming Dynasty gained the title of Tiger Hunting Hero from then on, and he was very proud of himself amidst the flattery of everyone.
"Skin it off and let's eat roasted tiger meat tonight. The sika deer will be roasted together. Hahaha." Zhu Houzhao ordered loudly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Those of us who follow the Emperor are very lucky, otherwise we would never know the taste of tiger meat for the rest of our lives. Thank you," Liu Jin said with a smile.
All the soldiers thanked him in unison. Zhu Houzhao laughed heartily, but he felt a little regretful.
Liu Jin knew the emperor's thoughts. He smiled and said, "It's not difficult for the emperor to capture the tiger alive and bring it back to the capital."
Zhu Houzhao said: "Oh? Do you have any idea?"
Liu Jin smiled and said: "There must be a lot of tigers in this mountainous area. It is difficult to catch adult tigers alive, and even if they are caught, it will be difficult to transport them back to the capital. What I mean is that if you can catch the tiger cubs, you can bring them back to the capital to raise them."
.Not only is there no danger
It is dangerous, and the tiger cubs raised by the emperor himself are not as obedient to the emperor as a loyal dog. Wherever the emperor goes, there will be a few obedient insects by his side. Wouldn't that be eye-catching and everyone would be surprised? Then
What a mighty scene.”
Zhu Houzhao was overjoyed when he heard this, and repeatedly praised Liu Jin's idea as a good one and feasible. After all, he is a young man and a master who likes excitement and fun. Liu Jin's suggestion was very popular and won his heart.
Zhang Yanling listened and was very speechless. Liu Jin was really flawless and tried every means to satisfy Zhu Houzhao's wishes. It is difficult for a fifteen-year-old boy not to be fascinated by such a person and have great trust in him. Liu Jin will be in the future
Covering the sky with one hand, he relies on this method to win over the emperor.
However, Zhang Yanling did not object. Zhang Yanling only hoped that he could complete this patrol trip safely and return to the capital safely. As long as the emperor did not take any too dangerous risks, he would not have to stop him.
.
The next day, I walked four or five miles north to find another suitable paddock and started hunting again. Unfortunately, it was fruitless. I actually killed a few deer boars and met a big black bear, which I rushed to the paddock.
, but it broke through the fence and escaped.
On the afternoon of the third day, when Zhang Yanling was accompanying Zhu Houzhao to search for animal traces at the edge of the forest, Zhang Yin rushed over, pulled Zhang Yanling aside and reported in a low voice.
"Master Marquis, the brothers who were on guard outside found unusual traces. Traces of bonfires and camps were found in the valley on the west side. We also found this."
Zhang Yin took out a few arrows from the quiver. The arrows were extremely crudely made. The shafts were made of white wood and were simply polished. The arrowheads were made of sharp black stones.
"These are the arrows used by the Tatars. I have seen Tatar arrows before. Most of them are flint arrowheads with white wooden shafts. The arrow feathers are made of pheasant feathers. The scale of the camp is not small. According to the grass bunks laid underground,
Judging, there are about thirty or forty people." Zhang Yin continued.
Zhang Yanling's heart trembled, and she said in a deep voice: "You mean, there are Tatars nearby?"
Zhang Yin said: "I'm afraid that's the case. The bonfire is still warm, indicating that they rested in the camp last night. I'm not sure whether they know we are here. But what is certain is that they are nearby."
Zhang Yanling frowned and thought for a moment and said: "This place is less than twenty miles away from the fortress where Longmen is stationed. On that day, dozens of Tatars came in from the tunnel, and they were more than ten miles north of Longmen. It was probably that place.
The Tatars who came here to help us have probably been hiding in the forest for a few days and are about to leave the mountain. The place we are on is a mountain road, and we may want to leave the mountain through the mountain road. What do you think?"
Zhang Yin nodded and said: "Bizhi thinks so too. These Tatars are probably the same Tatars who came in that day. Mr. Marquis, what should we do? How about I take my brothers to search for them and deal with them."
"
Zhang Yanling said: "Are you sure you can find them?"
Zhang Yin thought for a while and said honestly: "I'm not sure. I'm afraid I can only try my luck. There are mountains and trees all around. If dozens of people hide in it, they might be looking for a needle in a haystack."
Zhang Yanling said: "Isn't that a waste of effort? It's useless to rely on luck."
Zhang Yin said: "Forget it, don't worry about them. Fortunately, they are not a threat to us. These guys have not had time to hide from us, how dare they come out to attack us?"
Zhang Yanling shook his head and muttered: "There is still a threat, but it does not come from these dozens of Tatars. Well, you let the brothers conduct a vigorous search near where they were found. The purpose is to scare them. If they are nearby,
, they should be scared enough to hide away. As long as they don’t wander around here.”
Although Zhang Yin didn't know why Zhang Yanling did this, he didn't ask any more questions, nodded in agreement, and took the people there himself.
Zhang Yanling came back quickly, and Zhu Houzhao was happy because he found several tiger claws and footprints by the mud pool at the foot of the hillside, pointing them at Zhang Yanling.
"Uncle, look. There is a line of big paw prints and a line of small paw prints. This must be the mother tiger taking the cub out to drink water. They are hiding on this mountain. I will definitely be able to capture this little tiger alive now.
Already."
Zhang Yanling said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid we have to leave here."
"Why? We found traces of the cub, how can we leave? We have to catch it," Zhu Houzhao said.
Zhang Yanling reported the discovery of the Tatar traces to Zhu Houzhao. Zhu Houzhao laughed and said, "Oh, isn't this a double blessing? Are there dozens of Tatars nearby? We can't spare them.
Let’s eliminate the Tatars first, and then catch the little tigers later. I’m going to show off my skills again.”
Liu Jin laughed at the side and said: "These Tatars have no way to go to heaven, and they have no way to hell. Don't they know that the emperor is the king of hell they are asking for their lives? They are destined to die."
Zhu Houzhao smiled and nodded repeatedly.
Zhang Yanling said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, we can't do this. We should leave here immediately."
Zhu Houzhao smiled and said: "Uncle, are you afraid of dozens of Tatars? This is not like you."
Zhang Yanling said: "Dozens of Tatars are not terrible, but I am worried that the emperor's identity will be exposed, which will cause greater trouble. If the emperor wants to patrol the border and hunt well, he should not create any complications."
Liu Jin said from the sidelines: "What the Marquis means is that they will report the news to the outside world and attract a large number of Tatars?"
Zhang Yanling nodded and said: "It's very possible."
Zhu Houzhao laughed and said: "What are you afraid of? I hope they send the message out. Can they attack in? I just want to formally fight them. It's fun to have so many Tatar soldiers."
Zhang Yanling frowned and said: "Your Majesty, this is not a joke. Your Majesty's safety is the first priority. Don't create unnecessary complications."
Zhu Houzhao said: "I am not joking. I am serious."
Liu Jin laughed and said: "Our family feels that Mr. Hou seems to be too worried. This area of Xuanfu North Road is a land of mountains and protected by the Great Wall. Our defense is impregnable. What will the Tatars do if they know about it? Mr. Hou,
Don’t worry.”
Zhang Yanling said in a deep voice: "Eunuch Liu, are you sure? Will you bear the responsibility if something happens?"
Liu Jin smiled and said: "Master Hou, what's wrong with you? If you insist on our family taking care of it, we'll just take it. It's okay. Master Hou, don't spoil the emperor's mood."
Zhu Houzhao nodded and said: "That's right, uncle, don't spoil my mood. I have only experienced the fun of patrolling in the past few days. Liu Jin, go ask Wu Qian to lead people to search for traces of the Tatars. They found their hiding place."
, let’s chop them all into pieces of meat. Just in time, I wanted to eat meat after catching the little tigers, so I fed their meat to the tigers. Hahaha.”