After leaving the imperial city, Zhou Xian took off his official uniform and changed into a casual clothes in the sedan chair. He asked the others to return home first, and only Zhang Huai was brought with him, and walked slowly along the narrow and long streets and alleys.

I haven't returned to the capital for more than a year, and its prosperity remains. But if you look closely, you will find that under the superficial prosperity, there are sometimes signs of decline.

The dilapidated government offices, the loose street patrol soldiers, and the streets that have become somewhat uneven due to the long-term lack of renovation. Although these are very subtle small places, the things contained behind them have to be thoughtful.

Beggars were everywhere on the street. When they saw someone walking by, they stretched out the broken bowl in their hands and kept praying in a low voice. However, the passers-by along the way were afraid of them and they covered their noses and passed quickly.

Zhou Xian looked excited when he saw Zhang Huai and asked, "The first time I came to the capital?"

Zhang Huai nodded gently and smiled, "I am the blessing of the military gate. Otherwise, I, a commoner from Liaodong, would not have been able to come to the emperor's feet for the rest of my life."

Zhou Xian smiled and said, "We will stay here for a while. If you have time, you can go around and not come in vain. But as you said, this is under the feet of the emperor, throwing a stone upwards, falling down and hitting a person. Perhaps he is a certain rank senior official of the court. Don't cause trouble for me easily here."

Zhang Huai smiled and said, "Don't worry about the military. Besides, the young one dared not!"

The Zhou family has two houses in the capital, one is a small old house. The other is bought by Zhou Tai when he was newlywed, Zhou Tianhong spent a lot of money. Because Zhou Tai went to Denglai to find Zhou Xian half a year after the marriage, and Zhou Tianhong also went to the official position to return to his hometown soon after, leaving only a servant who was guarding the house.

The house is outside Bei'anmen, adjacent to the southern end of Shichahai. Walking northward is not far from the Drum Tower and Bell Tower. This is already the center of the capital. Walking northward into Bei'anmen is the location of the imperial court. The Sili Supervisor, the Inner Official Supervisor and the Gunpowder Bureau are all not far away.

Zhou Xian went to the nearby Wenchang Palace and felt a little bored, so he set off and returned home. As soon as he entered the yard, he saw Zhou Qian talking and laughing with Jinse.

When Zhou Qian saw Zhou Xian, he hurriedly bowed and said, "Second Young Master, you are back."

Zhou Xian punched him hard and said with a smile: "Why are you here now? I was still complaining to Jinse last night!"

Zhou Qian laughed and said, "There is nothing to do. It is said that the imperial court recently wanted to check the number of people in the Beijing camp, so it is difficult to ask for leave. I still gave my three-month salary to Shao Hatou, and he only gave me five days off."

Zhou Xian was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "You are so generous in your three-month salary. You will be here these few days and have a good chat with me."

Zhou Xian asked Jinse to prepare some wine and food, and chatted with Zhou Qian while eating and drinking.

It is always a pleasure to meet old friends. But when Zhou Qian talks about his recent situation, there is a deep sorrow between his eyebrows.

In places like the capital, they are either royal relatives or high-ranking officials and wealthy families. No matter where they go, they rely on relationships and money. Although Zhou Qian was incorporated into the Beijing camp and promoted to the chief executive, he had no relationships and no money. I am afraid he could only stop at the chief executive. "Second Young Master, why don't I follow you to the front line in the future! I'll be annoyed when I hear those bosses who are like stupid pigs crying at me every day."

Zhou Xian shook his head and said, "It's not this time. I want you to stay in the capital to find out the overall situation of the Beijing camp for me. The world is about to change, and staying in the capital can play your role better, but only one player is obviously not enough. Zhou Gan, I know that the high positions of the three major camps are basically controlled by nobles, but the 12th Regiment Battalion under it has certain differences. Is it possible that you control one of the battalions in the future, such as the Fenwu Camp where you are."

The Beijing Camp of the Capital was also known as the Three Major Camps, namely the Five Military Camp, the Three Thousand Camp and the Shenji Camp. When the three major camps were first built, they were quite combat-effective. However, after the Tumu Fort's change, the main elite forces were completely lost. Later, during the Jingtai period, Yu Qian, Minister of War, reformed the Beijing Camp, selected elite troops from the three major camps, formed the 10th Regiment Battalion, and later increased to the 12th Regiment Battalion.

The Fenwu Camp where Zhou Gan is located is one of the regiment camps.

The size of a regiment camp is equivalent to a garrison in the late Ming Dynasty, with nearly 6,000 people. It belongs to the three major camps, but not to the emperor's closeness, but is similar to the outer camp stationed in the capital.

Zhou Gan smiled awkwardly and said, "Second Young Master, you look down on me too high. Whether it is qualifications or other things, I am far from enough. How can I control the first battalion? Moreover, depending on my origin, I feel that being promoted to a top official is already the limit, and it is impossible to be promoted to a military official."

Each battalion of the 12th Regiment Battalion is divided into one member of the Inner Minister and one member of the Military Minister. The No. 1 is the next official position, with five commanders and twenty commanders under the jurisdiction. The No. 1 is a bit similar to the garrison of the foreign army, while the Duo Command is similar to the Qian General. If you want to be promoted to the No. 1, Zhou Gan needs to be promoted to two levels.

Zhou Xian thought for a while and said, "Then let's be the top official! I will help you to get promoted to that position within half a year."

Looking at Zhou Gan's shocked eyes, Zhou Xian smiled faintly: "The Beijing camp is corrupt. For the senior leaders, money is far more important than responsibility."

As he said that, Zhou Xian took out a ridge-shaped gold medal and handed it to him, "There is a Chinese money house near Chongwenmen in Nancheng. With this gold medal, you can withdraw less than 100,000 taels of silver at any time. You not only have to use these silver to bribe Shangguan, but also use them to make friends with low-level generals so that they can use them for your use. The most important thing is that you need a group of soldiers who can really fight, rather than just scheming, so that they can make great use at that time."

Zhou Gan took over the gold medal and said with a little puzzled look: "Second Young Master, what exactly do you want to do?"

Zhou Xian sighed and said, "I don't think the official army can defeat Li Zicheng. If he is really beaten to the capital by him, I need you to do your best to protect the safety of the prince and the princess."

Zhou Gan laughed twice. Seeing that Zhou Xian was not joking, he stopped and said, "Second Young Master, you have been worried too much, you probably won't be in that situation!"

Zhou Xian smiled faintly and said, "I hope I've thought too much, but I'm prepared for some things. Just do your best! If the money is not enough, tell me again."

Zhou Gan nodded and smiled and said, "One hundred thousand taels are enough anyway."

Zhou Xian smiled and asked, "By the way. What does the imperial court mean when you just said that the number of people in the Beijing camp is to be checked?"
Chapter completed!