At night, the Royal Horse Superintendent supervises the eunuch Xia Shouzhong's residence.
Of course a powerful eunuch like Xia Shouzhong has his own mansion.
Even if he didn't have one before, after reaching such a high position, the Ministry of Internal Affairs would have to make one for him.
This is a royal face issue.
Of course, under normal circumstances, Xia Shouzhong lived in the palace.
For a eunuch of his status, he has an exclusive small courtyard in the palace.
However, it was certainly inconvenient to stay in the palace when dealing with private matters, so he returned to his home.
According to Jin Yiwei's intelligence, although Xia Shouzhong was a little greedy for money, he was also good at making friends. Because he was born in the Royal Horse Prison, he was friends with many generals.
So when Lin Zhao arrived on horseback, an acquaintance also arrived at the gate of Xia Mansion in a carriage.
"General Yang!"
Lin Zhao dismounted and came forward to greet him and salute.
Opposite is Yang Feng, the former guardian envoy of Suiye in the Great Zhou Dynasty and later Zhaowu general of the capital's forward camp.
The reason why Lin Zhao paid homage to General Yang was because he had a good relationship with his father, Lin Ruhai, and they were half-life friends.
Moreover, when the Lin family and his son were in Yangzhou and squeezed tens of millions of gold and silver worth of property from salt merchants, it was General Yang who led his army to escort them to the capital.
Therefore, both parties are acquaintances.
"Lin Tong knows that there is no need to be polite. Now you are a heroic young man. In the eyes of the capital's yamen, you are the quiet tiger in the streets. You are the one to be feared in the future!"
Yang Feng laughed, then stepped out of the carriage, pointed at the young man next to him and said.
"This is Yang Lin, the dog. You young people, please stay close to me."
"Maosheng has met Brother Lin." Yang Lin saluted Lin Zhao and said.
Today's Lin Zhao is the most outstanding figure among the younger generation of the Zhou army. He crossed the Yangtze River at the age of sixteen, and completely suppressed the entire Yangzhou salt merchant group at the age of seventeen. He made tens of millions of dollars for the emperor and at the same time guaranteed the national salt tax.
adequate.
At the age of twenty, he became the commander of the Jinyiwei, presiding over the severe crackdown in the capital, making the capital a safe city, and won praise from the people.
Of course, in the eyes of high-ranking officials and princes, the good officials praised by the people are generally those who seek fame and reputation.
For example, the famous minister Hai Rui and Hai Gangfeng of the former Ming Dynasty promoted clearing of husbands, equalizing taxes, and repeatedly redressed unjust and false cases, and cracked down on corrupt officials during his tenure. He won the hearts of the people. He cracked down on powerful people, dredged rivers, built water conservancy projects, and advocated severe punishment of corrupt officials.
Officials were prohibited from accepting bribes for personal gain, and implemented a whip law to force corrupt officials to return their fields to the people, hence the reputation of "Haiqingtian".
However, in the eyes of the literati, Hai Rui forced his wives and concubines to death, starved his young daughter to death, and had no regard for human ethics. He was a pedantic scholar who was just trying to gain fame.
When it comes to killing people without mercy, the sword in the hands of a warrior is nothing compared to the pen in the hands of a scholar!
Therefore, Lin Zhao was really not that good in the eyes of noble families and civil servants in the capital.
At most, they are sycophants who are close to the emperor.
If he raids the homes of several high-ranking officials, he will be a treacherous villain.
But even so, he is still an outstanding figure among the younger generation in Dazhou.
Not anyone can become a third-rank official at the age of twenty.
Therefore, Yang Lin paid homage to Lin Zhao very solemnly.
"Send you something good!"
Lin Zhao smiled and took off a delicate object from the saddle and handed it to Yang Lin.
"This is?"
Yang Feng said in surprise.
"Hand gun." Lin Zhao said with a smile: "This is made of fine steel and hardwood. It is mainly used for self-defense. Despite its small size, it is not weak in power. A gunpowder bullet can kill a wild boar a hundred steps away."
, it’s perfect for noble people to use for hunting and self-defense.”
"If we make this thing bigger, wouldn't it be possible to equip it into an army?"
Yang Feng said.
As a soldier, he instinctively saw the power of firearms.
Of course, firearms have been in the army since the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. By the Zhou Dynasty, artillery and muskets were incorporated into the army on a large scale. However, due to the unsatisfactory skills of the craftsmen, their power has not yet been revealed.
Lin Zhao laughed and said: "It's too expensive. I used the best craftsmen, machinery and skills of our Zhou Dynasty, and it took me a month to build such one. It's really difficult to equip it into an army."
This is of course nonsense.
If he really wants to organize an army of gunmen, it won't be difficult.
It's just that as a son of the Lin family, the commander of the Imperial Guard of the Great Zhou Dynasty knows that some things are inconvenient to do.
After all, he is pursuing the perfection of Taoism, not changing the world.
"Then what's the use of it?" Yang Feng said.
"Make money. Such a fire gun is exquisite and beautiful. No matter whether it is a son of aristocratic family or a wealthy lady, it will be very popular. When going out for hunting and outing, the girls in the boudoir will not have to be spectators. If this gun is inlaid with diamonds,
And so on, then the value will be doubled."
Lin Zhao said.
"Diamonds? Are you talking about those Western jewelry? I heard that those things are priceless in the West, so be careful if people buy pearls and give them back." Yang Lin interjected.
"Diamonds are actually Dazhou diamonds. As long as the polishing process is up to standard, our Dazhou diamonds can also sell well all over the world." Lin Zhao said with a smile.
No matter what era it is, it is actually easier for nobles to make money, and the accessories that are the favorites of women among the nobles are naturally easier to make.
As long as he really wants to make money, with his own methods, he can become as rich as anyone in the country within two or three years.
Yang Feng was speechless for a moment, but Yang Lin really couldn't put it down for this gift. He held the small firecracker in his hand and kept playing with it.
By this time, the greetings had ended, and Yang Feng and his son were preparing to enter the Xia Mansion with Lin Zhao.
At this moment, one of the horses suddenly roared and turned out from a corner not far away. The knights on the horses shouted and screamed. As if the horse was out of control, it galloped towards Lin Zhao's direction.
forward.
At the same time, more cavalry appeared from behind. Among these cavalry, there was a large and gorgeous carriage, galloping towards him at the same speed as those war horses. Almost at the same time, the frightened war horse ran straight into Lin Zhao.
"Be careful!" Yang Feng exclaimed
"Brother Lin, be careful!" Yang Lin shouted in surprise.
However, Lin Zhao watched the galloping horse motionless, and there was even a smile on his lips.
He has experienced many worlds, and he has also galloped across rivers and lakes, and even fought on battlefields. As for riding a Pegasus, he has traveled through the three realms.
Therefore, in terms of familiarity with horses, I am afraid that Bole would not be able to match him even if he were still alive.
So he could tell at a glance that the horse was not out of control at all, but was being manipulated manually.
It had been drawn up, and when the "out-of-control" horse rushed in front of Lin Zhao, the knight on the horse made a concealed movement, causing the horse to stop instantly, as if the horse stopped just in front of the tip of Lin Zhao's nose.
Just when the horse slowed down, Lin Zhao suddenly moved.
With one step, he rushed across several feet in an instant, then swung his right fist and hit its shoulder like lightning.
"Neighing sound..." The horse whined, flying out diagonally with splashes of flesh and blood, throwing the knight on the horse a few feet away, and then the whole body of the horse slammed into the courtyard wall of Xia Mansion.
Collapsed suddenly.
Looking at the knight who fell to the ground, his face was horrified and pale, and he was lying on the ground with a look of horror.
Everyone present stared at him for a moment, but then returned to normal.
Everyone just glanced at the knight, and no one paid attention to him anymore.
"General Yang came very early!"
A middle-aged man in the carriage said with a smile on his face.
"Lieutenant Qiu, I just came here a step early." Yang Feng said calmly.
Lin Zhao also knew who the guy on the carriage was.
Qiu Zhongshan, the commander of the patrol battalion and the deputy commander of the Five Cities Military and Horse Division, has a high position and is worthy of the name Qiu Taiwei.
However, Yang Feng was a tiger general promoted by Emperor Xiaode and was also the commander of the forward battalion. Although he was not as powerful as Qiu Zhongshan in terms of actual power, he did not necessarily lose to him in terms of status.
In addition, Taiwei Qiu's wife and the princess of Dong'an County Prince's Mansion are biological sisters. It can be said that Taiwei Qiu has strong traces of the Four Kings and Eight Gongs.
At this time, Qiu Zhongshan on the carriage turned his attention to Lin Zhao and said: "Is this Lin Tongzhi? I have long heard that you are brave and extraordinary, comparable to the white horse and silver spear Zhao Zilong. When I saw you today, it turned out that the young hero is unparalleled. I believe that soon, I will