Not only has the heavy snow stopped, but there is also sunshine.
Ju Ming got up a little later than usual. As soon as he made any movement in the room, two maids knocked on the door and came in. They quickly helped him get dressed.
Before I could put on my clothes, another palace maid came in carrying toiletries.
The toothbrush was brought from Ju Ming's room. Of course, the palace maid could not enter, and the whole process was supervised by guards.
These maids all liked him, because it was cold last night, and the generalissimo knew how to be considerate, so that they didn't have to wait at the door, and could go back to their rooms early to warm themselves by the fire and rest.
A small gesture won the favor of the palace maids, because the Generalissimo treated them as human beings.
At this moment, serving Ju Ming to dress and wash, he seemed particularly attentive and hardworking.
However, Ju Ming was not used to it. When the palace maid was about to wipe his face, Ju Ming grabbed the hot towel and did it himself.
Zhao Fujin was awakened by the movement and still hid in the bed pretending to be asleep. After Ju Ming left the room, she got up and dressed with a blushing face.
Not long after, a guard knocked on the door again.
The maid went out to chat for a few words, then came in with a tray and said with a smile: "The general sent someone to bring it. You are really considerate of me."
It’s not just delicacies from mountains and seas, millet porridge and meat buns.
"I can't eat so much, so please call Sister Fourteen here." Zhao Fujin ordered.
Zhao Fujin stayed up most of the night, yawned and came from next door, and was brought to dinner by the palace maid with sleepy eyes.
Just as she sat down, she suddenly remembered something. She walked to Zhao Fujin again and touched her whole body: "Sister, does it hurt anywhere? Did he hit you again when I left last night? I heard my sister crying for a long time."
Zhao Fujin's cheeks turned red with embarrassment and he scolded: "Don't talk nonsense!"
The maids all turned sideways to avoid the two empresses covering their mouths and snickering.
At the age when he was growing up, Zhao Fujin was really hungry, so he picked up the steamed buns and ate them.
Zhao Fujin swallowed a few mouthfuls and sat there in a daze. She thought of the people and things in Tokyo and wondered when she could go back to see it. Then she suddenly thought of Marshal Zhu, and she was not as resistant as she was at first.
It was snowing and sunny today, and Marshal Zhu went to the school grounds.
More than a hundred children, both boys and girls, but mostly boys, are lining up in the school field for training.
The oldest one is twelve or thirteen years old, and the youngest one is only six or seven years old. They are all Shaanxi orphans brought back by various ministries when they withdrew their troops.
At that time, many hungry people were brought back. They have already gone to Hanzhong with the large army and will migrate to Nanxiang Basin in the spring of next year.
The orphans were left alone. They had spent the past few days recuperating themselves. They were well fed and clothed and looked much better.
Ju Ming even asked a down-and-out scholar to teach them how to read and write every day.
After the armistice, a lot of Shaanxi scholars came to seek refuge. They were all the poorer ones. Some came with their whole families, some came alone, but they provided Ju Ming with many middle- and low-level officials.
"marshal!"
The children stopped and looked up at Ju Ming with admiring eyes.
The task of that down-and-out scholar was not only to educate cultural knowledge, but also to instill certain ideas into the children. That is to say, Ju Ming was the reborn parent of these children. Without Ju Ming's help, the children would have died of cold, starvation, and disease.
"Father!"
A boy of twelve or thirteen years old walked up to Ju Ming and bowed.
Ju Ming does not have a strong family power, so he must cultivate his own hard-core team. Every year, one or two outstanding ones are selected from the orphans and adopted as adopted sons or daughters, which can not only bring them closer to each other, but also encourage children to learn and improve.
The only adopted son he has received so far is this one, and his surname was changed to Zhu Xiaozhong.
Ju Ming patted his shoulder and said with a smile: "My face has gained weight again, and I am much more handsome than before. In two years, I will be a handsome young man."
Zhu Xiaozhong was very happy to receive the compliment: "The food here is delicious, and I feel full every time I eat it."
"You continue to practice." Zhu Ming ordered.
"yes!"
Zhu Xiaozhong retreated and led many children to practice stabbing with wooden spears.
The snow in the school grounds has been cleared, because Zhu Ming is watching from the side. The children practiced extra hard, just to get a word of verbal praise from him.
…
Tong Guan returned to Tokyo in embarrassment and knelt before Song Huizong to plead guilty.
Song Huizong's face was extremely gloomy, and he laughed angrily: "What did you say when you led the troops out of the capital? Did Haikou do anything you boasted about?"
Tong Guan said with a tearful voice: "Your Majesty, this is not a fault of war. The terrain is very dangerous and difficult to navigate. Even if there are millions of tigers and warriors, they can only fight with the navy. The bandits not only have powerful naval forces, but also have a kind of cannon."
, it makes a thunderclap sound when fired, and can throw iron stones ten miles away. If an ordinary shield is hit, it will immediately turn into powder."
"Is it really that magical?" Song Huizong didn't believe it at first, but now he has confirmed it.
Because of the cultivation of teachers, Liu Yanqing's two armies also said the same thing in their battle reports, and they all mentioned that the red bandits had strange artillery carriages.
It's just that the range is different. Zhong Shidao said it could hit three miles, Liu Yanqing said it could hit eight miles, but Tong Guan said it could hit ten miles.
Tong Guan cried and said: "It is indeed so miraculous. I am afraid it was taught by overseas immortals and cannot be resisted by human beings."
Song Huizong said: "According to Zhong Shidao, this thing is a weapon made by Zhu Thief. There is also a smaller iron rod that can also shoot projectiles. Zhu Thief has hundreds of soldiers holding this magical weapon. If it was made by an immortal
Grant, how can you grant so much?"
Tong Guan changed his words and said: "The immortal must have given me the blueprint of the magic weapon, and Zhu Thief and his son built it themselves."
Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty ordered the eunuch accompanying him: "Call Master Zhong here."
After the war, among all the generals, only Zhong Shidao returned to the capital to be punished.
Yao Gu led his troops back to Hehuang. Before withdrawing his troops, he reported his victory to the court, saying that with less than 30,000 troops, he held off 100,000 bandits at Baoji and Dashan Pass, and also captured hundreds of elite red bandits in armor.
This old man did not suffer defeat. He was promoted to Xihe Jiedu Envoy (second rank) due to his merit. His son Yao Pingzhong was promoted to Qinzhou Chengxuan Envoy (fourth rank) due to his merit. Even Wu Jie, who had made meritorious contributions,
He was also promoted to Atsushiro (eighth rank).
At the same time, the imperial court ordered Yao Gu to prepare his troops and horses, and as soon as the snow melted in spring, he went to Shandong to suppress the bandits.
Zhe Keqiu, on the other hand, did not blame anyone. He only said that the Zhe family army fled because there was not enough food and grass. As for why there was not enough food and grass, it was left to Song Huizong to guess.
Then he said that the strength of the Zhejia army was not lost. He had collected nearly 20,000 defeated soldiers along the way, and he could fight against the Zhu bandits at any time.
But money and food are not enough, so the court must quickly provide food and salary.
"Collect nearly 20,000 fleeing soldiers", this sentence is the key!
Song Huizong could only give a superficial rebuke, and then asked the local government to transport grain and grass to appease him, and ordered him to go to Hebei in the spring of next year to suppress the bandits.
As for Liu Yanqing, he first blamed Zhongshi Dao, saying that he was about to break through the bandit stronghold and completely break through the Tangluo Road to enter Hanzhong. At this time, Zhongshi Dao was defeated, causing the Zhu bandits to go to Shaanxi and kill Liu Yanqing.
The returning reinforcements were blocked in Luo Valley. Then they blamed Wang Yuan and Han Shizhong, saying that these two people had defected before the battle, causing the morale of the entire army to plummet.
Liu Yanqing claimed that in order to save his army, he negotiated with the Zhu Thieves in many ways before he was forced to agree to surrender. Most of the prisoners released by the Zhu Thief had fled back to their hometowns. As long as the court provided enough money and food, he could immediately recruit again.
Since the army could be recalled, Song Huizong did not want to punish her too much and gave Liu Yanqing's wife a symbolic upgrade.
Even among the cultivators, Liu Xi and Liu Qi were promoted to one rank each because they saved Xianyang and Chang'an and prevented the red bandits from sweeping through Guanzhong.
Shaanxi's three-pronged army has to let Zhongshi Dao take the blame.
This man has been removed from all positions and ordered to promote Liquan Temple.
Zhong Shidao was summoned to the palace to meet the emperor. Song Huizong said: "Tell Tong Guan about that weird weapon."
Zhong Shidao said: "After I was captured by the red thieves, I made many insinuations. Although I didn't inquire clearly, I also knew that the two weapons were called muskets and artillery. I thought about it carefully and guessed that it was fired by gunpowder, but I didn't know.
How to imitate it?"
The gunpowder formula of the Northern Song Dynasty could only burn violently and could not produce an explosive effect because the proportion of saltpeter was too low.
Of course, occasionally explosions may occur due to improper deployment.
Zhongshidao added: "After I returned to Tokyo, I asked some puppet masters and medicine men. They said that gunpowder may indeed explode, and the sound is like thunder. Perhaps this is what the red thieves used. Please give me ten
I am a medicine man, and if I give you some money, I am willing to study the making of muskets and artillery for the court."
Song Huizong nodded and said: "You are allowed to do this. If you succeed, you will be reinstated immediately."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!" Master Zhong said with tears of gratitude.
Song Huizong also said: "Choose a kind of daughter and send it to the little red thief."
Zhong Shidao quickly expressed his position: "The Zhong family has been loyal to the imperial court for generations and will never marry that bandit!"
Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty asked: "The Zhu thieves want to marry each other. If your Zhong family doesn't want to marry a daughter, how can you let the Zhe family marry a daughter?"
Zhong Shidao was at a loss for words. If the Zhe family marries the Zhu Thieves, Shaanxi will be in danger in the future. Once the Zhu Thieves lead their troops to kill, the various Western armies must not only guard against the thieves, but also be prepared for the sudden defection of the Zhe family.
Thinking back to what the red thief said, every word came true.
Zhong Shidao reluctantly accepted the order: "Yes!"
"The official family, the official family... there is good news in Shandong!"
Eunuch Li Yan came with Cai You and stood outside the palace shouting excitedly.
Song Huizong immediately became energetic: "Come in quickly!"
Cai You said: "Zhang Shuye used a divorce plan to cause the bandits Prince Li and his generals to fight internally. The officers and soldiers took the opportunity to rush out and defeated the bandits, beheading more than 3,000 people and capturing more than 10,000 people alive. The officers and soldiers regained Yunzhou, and the east
Ah, in the three cities of Pingyin, the thief chieftain Prince Li has been captured and will be escorted to the capital today."
"well!"
In the midst of a series of defeats, Song Huizong finally heard the good news: "Zhang Shuye was promoted to two officials, and was promoted to the director of Jingdong Road and the pacifier of Jingdong Road. He was fully responsible for the suppression of bandits in Shandong."
Tong Guan and Zhong Shidao said quickly: "Congratulations, Your Majesty."
Song Huizong said happily: "Zhang Shuye is the mainstay, he is really the pillar of the country, and I want one of his sons to be an official. Next year the Western Army will be transferred to Shandong, and Zhang Shuye will be the commander-in-chief!"
Tong Guan lowered his head with a sinister look on his face, as if he had lost the power to command the troops.
Thinking about the battle against Jinzhou again, Tong Guan felt extremely aggrieved...
