People who have never been here probably can't imagine what kind of place this is.
Starting from the capital, we traveled for more than three months before entering southern Yunnan. The journey was unimaginably far away. As soon as we entered southern Yunnan, we saw deep mountains and woods at first glance. There were almost no people on both sides of the official road. There was nothing
Pedestrian. The postmaster in the posthouse spoke Mandarin with strange pronunciation and a racy tone that was difficult to understand.
Jiangcheng is located at the southernmost point of southern Yunnan. After entering southern Yunnan, we traveled for several days before arriving at Jiangcheng.
After entering Jiangcheng, some low-level officials came to greet them. Most of these officials were dishonest or in poor spirits. At first glance, none of them seemed attractive.
Although Brother Ji was mentally prepared, he felt his heart sink when he saw these few officials.
The leader, the magistrate of Jiangcheng, was about fifty years old, with a wrinkled face and a sad look on his face. He had a bald spot on the top of his head and wore an official hat to avoid making people laugh.
The magistrate of Jiangcheng was honest, and without waiting for Brother Ji to ask, he said: "There are mostly barbarians here in Jiangcheng, and there are very few Han people. The barbarians can't understand the language, they don't know Chinese characters, and they don't obey the government's discipline and restraint very much. Government orders are often difficult to pass.
.The taxes collected every year are not even enough to support the government officials.”
"I don't dare to hide it from your highness. I made a mistake back then and was demoted to Jiangcheng. I stayed there for more than ten years. Every year in the official evaluation, I was rated as inferior. Because no one in Jiangcheng was willing to come, I just made do with it.
So he continues to be retained.”
Brother Ji: "..."
Brother Ji, who was born into a noble family and grew up in the palace, was used to seeing the prosperity and wealth of the capital. He had never thought that such a remote and desolate place existed in Daqi.
Now, he knows.
The magistrate of Jiangcheng continued talking: "Also, Jiangcheng is mountainous, and there are particularly many bandits. It is also close to the barbarians from the outer court. Every year, the barbarians invade Jiangcheng, burning, killing and looting before leaving. The previous garrison commander was
He died in the hands of the barbarians. Hey, he died quite miserably, even his whole body was left behind."
Brother Ji: "..."
The county magistrate of Jiangcheng didn't even look at him, and when he saw Brother Ji for the first time, he revealed that the previous commander had left his body intact.
Seeing Brother Ji's ugly face, the county magistrate on the side quickly took over the topic with a smile: "That was all in the past. Now that Prince Lu is here, he will definitely be able to recruit a new garrison and train an elite army."
Brother Ji twitched the corner of his mouth, and no longer knew what expression to put on: "Isn't there a garrison in Jiangcheng? Why do we need to recruit new soldiers?"
The slightly ugly-looking low-level general finally had a chance to speak, and sighed with a grimace: "Originally, there were two thousand garrison troops in Jiangcheng. In the past few years, Ling Ling Zongzong has fought many battles, and these one thousand garrison troops died.
There have been many casualties and injuries, but now there are less than 400 people who can be used."
Less than four hundred!
What use can this garrison do?
He came to southern Yunnan and knew that the possibility of returning to Beijing was very slim. In addition to leaving the necessary soldiers to guard the Lu Palace, he brought all the other 500 soldiers with him.
He never expected that the garrison in Jiangcheng would not be as large as the personal soldiers he brought.
Brother Ji endured it again and again, but he still couldn't hold it back: "Before I came, why didn't you recruit soldiers?"
The general lowered his head in shame: "Please, Your Majesty, please calm down. Even though I am in a humble position, I want to recruit new soldiers, but too many men have been lost in the garrison, and my reputation is not good. Everyone says that when I join the garrison, I am here to die. I want to recruit soldiers, but there is no one."
Please come!"
Then, he said happily: "I have been looking forward to the arrival of the new commander, and now His Highness is here. I heard that His Highness has brought five hundred soldiers. Once there is a bandit in Jiangcheng, His Highness will not be alone."
Available."
Brother Ji: "..."
Fortunately, Brother Ji has been practicing in the court for several years and is quite capable. His expression was stiff for a moment, but he was still able to squeeze out a smile and said, "I'll go to the military camp tomorrow to have a look."
…
Jiangcheng is remote and poor. The total population of the entire county is less than 20,000. Forget about decent smooth roads, there are potholes and dust everywhere.
The only neat street in the county is the road in front of the county government office. The magistrate lives in the county government office, and the county magistrate and other minor officials also live on this street. The commander's office is also not far from the county government office.
at.
To describe it as a mansion is really an understatement.
It is a courtyard with three entrances. The main entrance still has some appearance. Once you enter the main entrance, you can see that it is a little better than the place where people live in the capital. All the furnishings are old, tattered and old.
Zhao Changqing, who had been on the road for several months, was shaken by the heavy blow and fell ill that night.
Poor Zhao, the crown prince of Prince Lu, was busy making arrangements while also busy taking care of her mother-in-law's illness.
Fortunately, when I left Beijing, I took two doctors with me. Otherwise, it would not be easy to find a doctor with good medical skills in Jiangcheng.
Brother Ji went to the military camp during the day, and when he returned home at night, he went to stay at his mother's bedside.
Within half a month, Ji Geer and his wife were exhausted both mentally and physically and lost a lot of weight.
Zhao Changqing's illness showed no sign of improvement. He was in a state of mental distress every day, had difficulty swallowing his meals, and always cried when carrying someone behind his back. In front of his son and daughter-in-law, he forced a smile and said, "Don't always stay by my side."
My brother is still young, so you should spend more time with your children when you have free time."
Brother Tong is the eldest son of Prince Lu, he is three years old this year.
Princess Zhao, the Crown Princess of Lu, said with red eyes: "My mother-in-law always refuses to eat, and the soup is too bitter and she refuses to take it. If this continues, when will the disease be cured?"
Mrs. Zhao is Zhao Changqing's biological niece, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are quite harmonious.
Zhao Changqing smiled weakly: "I'm fine. I just need to take care of myself for a while. You don't have to worry."
Brother Ji saw his mother weakening day after day, and his heart ached like fried oil: "My son is useless, and my mother and concubine have to leave the capital thousands of miles away, and come to such a desolate and remote place."
Speaking of this, Brother Ji's voice choked up and his eyes turned red.
Zhao Changqing felt extremely sad and said in a low voice: "It's my mother's fault, isn't it? Over the years, my mother has been looking forward to your success, always encouraging you to do things you shouldn't do, giving you hopes you shouldn't have."
…”
If it weren't for her, how could Brother Ji end up in this situation?
It was her unwillingness, it was she who instilled the idea of seizing the heirloom in Brother Ji, it was she who encouraged and indulged her son's ambition!
It's all her fault!
After leaving Beijing, Brother Lin and Brother Ting went to Quanzhou and Fuzhou, both of which were wealthy places close to the sea. However, Brother Ji was just the same when they arrived in Jiangcheng. They were just remote and poor, and there were always bandits and barbarians.
Invasion. The last commander died in the hands of the barbarians...
A huge wave of grief and regret swept over his heart. Zhao Changqing's throat felt sweet and he opened his mouth to spit out a mouthful of blood.
