In the blink of an eye, the New Year came again, and it was three years into Shaoding. Chen Qing tried his best to spend time with his family. By mid-January, Zhao Yingluo and Yu Ying were diagnosed with Ximai at the same time. They became pregnant almost at the same time, and the Chen family once again
Entering the childbearing season, even Princess Lu Xiu felt that she might be pregnant, but the pregnancy had not been confirmed yet, and Chen Qing was about to leave.
In the afternoon, the family sent Chen Qing to the front door of the house. Today happened to be the Lantern Festival. Chen Qing had a reunion dinner with his family last night and did not have the chance to accompany his family while shopping for lanterns.
Chen Qing picked up his two daughters and smiled and said: "You can follow your mother to watch the lanterns. Sitting in the big car is safe and lively. If you want to buy something small, please ask the elder sisters in the escort to help buy it. Dad promises to bring it in the autumn."
You go and see the sea."
Originally, the two young ladies pouted their little lips and were unhappy, but when they heard that they were looking at the sea, their eyes lit up and they simultaneously stretched out their little fingers and said, "I want to pull the hook!"
Chen Qing laughed, "Daddy's hand is holding you, so go ahead and hook your ears!"
The two young ladies used their little fingers to hook their father's left and right ears, and then their tears turned into smiles.
Chen Qing put down his daughter and said goodbye to his wife, concubines, and other children. Having more children is a happy worry, and every child has to say goodbye.
Lu Xiu smiled and said: "Let dad go! Don't waste time."
The eldest son Chen Ji cupped his fists and said, "Dad, take care!"
Chen Qing touched his head and said with a smile: "Remember the mission dad gave you, plant two cents of land!"
"What the child remembers, he never forgets!"
Chen Qing then got on his horse and waved to his family, "Take care, I'm leaving!"
Everyone also waved goodbye to Chen Qing. Chen Qing sped up his horse and gradually moved away under the protection of hundreds of soldiers.
That night, Chen Qing set out with an army of 120,000 men. Three days ago, Liu Qiong set out with an army of 30,000 men. They were the vanguard. In addition, 60,000 camels loaded with food and military supplies also set out with the army.
In fact, there was no shortage of grain and grass supplies in Lingzhou. Chen Qing had been preparing for the war since last autumn. In four months, nearly 100,000 camels made three trips and delivered a large amount of grain and grass supplies.
The 100,000-strong army took the Jingyuan Road. After arriving in Ningzhou, they continued north along the Maling River Valley, and finally crossed the Hengshan Mountain in Huanzhou and entered the Lingxia Road.
As night falls, a hundred thousand troops are riding horses and marching in the dark with 60,000 camels. Tonight is the Lantern Festival, and a full moon hangs in the sky. The night is bitingly cold. The soldiers put on blankets and march silently, leading
With a sense of solemnity and no hesitation, march towards the far north.
Under the same cold full moon, Jingzhao City is a world of lanterns. Every household hangs lanterns. East Street, West Street and Zhuque Street are all a sea of lanterns. Each lantern is ingenious and dazzling.
.
The streets are a sea of people. Every household comes out to look at the lanterns. Hundreds of thousands of people crowd into three streets that are dozens of miles long. The stalls and vendors doing business are even more busy, including those selling lanterns and cheap jewelry.
Those selling snacks and all kinds of toys can be said to have everything.
Ordinary people walked shopping with their wives and children, and there were large cars driving slowly among the crowd. These were the women of wealthy families watching the lights, and there were patrolling soldiers to maintain order. There were almost no scoundrels, but there were many scoundrels.
Taking advantage of the crowds to take advantage of the young woman.
Therefore, the female relatives of officials and wealthy families would not show their faces in public. Instead, they would sit high up in the carriage and look at the lights. The effect was even better, as they would not be afraid of being blocked by other people's heads. There would also be mounted guards on both sides to protect their safety, and there would be people in front to clear the way.
Among these carriages, there is a very large carriage. It looks very ordinary on the outside. It does not have any gold or jade inlays and is covered with a layer of black cowhide. However, this carriage is the only arrow-proof carriage in the world. The thick jujube
The wooden walls of the cart are covered with a special layer of oilcloth. This oil has been repeatedly dipped in oil and dried in the sun for seven times. The sword cannot be pierced and the knife can cut without leaving a mark. The outside is covered with a thick layer of cowhide. The heavy-duty divine arm can be used even within fifty steps.
No shot can penetrate it, it is stronger than iron armor.
Sitting in the large carriage were Chen Qing's wife and children. Last year they also took the carriage out to enjoy the lanterns. There were guard posts within a hundred steps around the carriage, and there were eight mounted guards on the left and right to protect them. In addition, inside the carriage
There were four female guards sitting with their family.
"Yeah! Those are deer lanterns, so beautiful!" Bing'er saw several lanterns shaped like deers and immediately clapped her hands with joy.
"Brother, what kind of lamp is that?"
The two young ladies took their elder brother Chen Ji's arm, one on the left and the other on the right, and pointed at a big lamp and asked.
Chen Ji glanced at the lantern and said in an old tone: "That is the Kun fish lantern, the largest fish in the world. 'There is a fish in the North Ming Dynasty, and its name is Kun. Kun is so big that I don't know how many thousands of miles it is!' This is the kind of fish he is talking about.
, Daddy calls it a whale.”
"Can we see this kind of whale when we go out to sea in autumn?"
"It might work!"
Chen Ji thought for a while and then said: "Dad said they would jump up to welcome us."
"I really want to go to sea as soon as possible!" Bing'er sighed softly.
Not long after, the female guard bought them more than a dozen lanterns, as well as candied haws, fried candy rolls and other snacks.
"We want a revolving door!"
The two little ladies like the revolving lantern the most. It rotates in the wind and has stories inside, such as Sun Wukong causing havoc in the Heavenly Palace, or Nezha causing havoc in the sea, etc. It is very popular among children.
Chen Ji also wanted a revolving lantern, but there were only two lanterns, so he gave it to his two sisters and chose a lotus lantern for himself.
Lu Xiu saw this and whispered to the guard soldiers outside. Not long after, the guard soldiers handed in a revolving lantern, which was the story of Wukong's quest for treasure in the East China Sea.
"Ji'er, give it!"
Lu Xiu handed the lantern to his son, and Chen Ji happily took it and whispered: "Thank you, mother!"
"Silly boy, what are you thanking for?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Xiu suddenly covered his mouth and felt sick in his chest.
"Mom, what's wrong with you?" Chen Ji asked worriedly when he saw that his mother was not feeling well.
Zhao Qiaoyun also whispered: "Sister, do you have one too?"
Lu Xiu nodded, "I guess so!"
Lu Xiu forced a smile and said to her son Chen Ji, "I'm afraid my mother is going to give you another brother!"
After the carriage walked through East Street, it went back through another road. They had been looking at the lights for an hour and a half. The bell in the distance rang, it was already midnight. At ten o'clock at night, everyone was sleepy. The two little
The ladies fell asleep in their mothers' arms. There were three pregnant women in the carriage, all very tired.
Although the Lantern Festival has just reached its climax, the family couldn't hold it any longer and went back to rest.
The lights were bright, people flowed like a sea, and there was laughter and laughter everywhere, but the carriage, escorted by fifty cavalry, disappeared at the end of the long street.
After marching for twenty days, the 15th army arrived in Lingzhou. There are currently 50,000 troops stationed on Lingxia Road, led by the governor of the capital, Li Muching. There are also 30,000 civilian regiments. Their equipment is no different from that of the regular army. The difference between them and the regular army is that they
They work as farmers in peacetime, train in their spare time, and serve as soldiers in wartime. They receive a monthly subsidy of money. When the enemy attacks, they will assemble to defend their homeland.
Li Muqing has already set up the camp in advance. It is a giant plank military camp, covering an area of 6,000 acres, with a large tent of 15,000 tents, and can accommodate 200,000 troops.
The soldiers had traveled a long way and were all tired, so they returned to their camps to rest.
Chen Qing, surrounded by dozens of major generals above Dutong, arrived at the Chinese army's tent.
There is a huge sand table placed in the Chinese army's tent. It is exactly the same as Chen Qing's sand table, but it is doubled in size, three feet long and three feet wide, and the terrain is more detailed.
"Has the snow in Fengzhou receded now?" Chen Qing asked.
Li Muching shook his head, "According to the latest scout information, the snow has not receded yet, so you can't ride a horse yet!"
When Chen Qing saw three small piles of tents pitched on the ground in Fengzhou, each tent was about the size of a finger, he smiled and asked: "Does this mean where the enemy troops are stationed?"
"Exactly!"
Li Muching nodded and said, "They are also gathering places for herdsmen."