Cao Bianjiao struggled to open his eyes amid the bumps.
He saw the blue sky swaying, large clouds with low pressure, horse hooves trampling, and the creaking of axles reaching his ears.
The severe pain all over his body, like broken bones and tendons, also penetrated into his mind, causing him to groan involuntarily.
Immediately, someone beside him heard a noise, and he immediately stepped forward and said: "You can still wake up after being shot thirteen times. You are really lucky!"
The speaker has a northern Shaanxi accent.
Cao Bianjiao turned his head and saw a face with half an iron mask. There was something familiar between his brows, but he couldn't remember who it was. He only felt that his throat seemed to be burning, and he said hoarsely: "Water, this... this is
where?"
The man waved his hand, and the cavalryman handed the reins to the charioteer. He climbed onto the chariot gracefully, opened the water bag and filled him with water.
It was just that his actions were vulgar, and Cao Bianjiao, who survived thirteen shots, almost choked to death with water from this rough man.
Amidst Cao Bianjiao's constant coughing, the general wearing a mask said: "This is Ordos outside the border wall. In the Gobi, further ahead is the Wushen Department of Sa Nang Taiji."
However, Cao Bianjiao fell asleep again before he finished listening to his words.
Similar intermittent conversations happened several times a day. Sometimes I woke up and bumped in the car, and sometimes when I opened my eyes, I was in a felt tent in the Gobi, and the only things I was fed into my mouth were the same.
Warm water, medicinal soup, add water and boiled stir-fry batter.
Cao Bianjiao knew that he was captured.
After a few days of this, his condition stabilized, and he went to the Wushen Department, where he lay down in a felt tent to recuperate every day. Sa Nang Taiji also sent two strong Mongolian women from the department to take care of his food and daily life.
A Mongolian doctor takes care of her day and night.
While pretending to sleep, Cao Bianjiao eavesdropped on the doctor's conversation. They said that the reason Sa Nang Tai Ji treated him so well was because Tai Ji wanted to compile a book but lacked paper.
When the Han general sent Cao Bianjiao, he also had fifteen carts of yellow paper and Yanchuan ink. He also set up an official pen workshop in Wushen Department, under the supervision of a pen craftsman from the Gong Ya Baigong Bureau, specializing in the production of rabbits.
Mao, the brush hair of wolf hair.
The doctor who took care of Cao Bianjiao said that they heard that the head craftsman in charge of the pen-making workshop used to make pens for the Sufan Kingdom specifically for the Ming Dynasty. Because the Great Khan liked their lord Sa Nang Taiji, they would soon be able to use it too.
Such a precious treasure.
Huang Jin paper is actually jute paper. As for Jin paper, it is the name given to paper regulations in Fengxiang Prefecture. The origin of the name is that one pound is one portion.
The standard for white paper is one hundred sheets per pound. Because yellow paper is slightly thicker, the number of sheets per serving is slightly less.
The official papermaking in Fengxiang Mansion has a long history, which can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. The palace paper used to draft imperial edicts at that time was white linen paper and jute paper.
After Li Longji's coup, he only used white linen paper, which symbolizes purity of color and uprightness.
This is certainly not expensive paper. Compared with the high-quality and more expensive papers of this era, jute paper does not have many advantages. Its paper is slightly thicker, the back is rough, and it also has a two-finger-wide curtain pattern due to the production process.
The biggest advantage is that it is tough and durable. As long as it is not damp, it will not deteriorate. Even if it is a Tang Dynasty letter, as long as it is well preserved, it will still be as intact as new.
Suitable for writing history books and preserving them.
Jute paper is easy to preserve due to its tough texture, and the production process to prevent insect damage is also very important.
The reason is that they added Wang Mang when making paper... no, they added Huangbo.
Cork bark is a tall tree. Because of ancient writing styles, it is sometimes called Huang Nie. Wang Mang changed his color to yellow because he usurped the throne, so he was also called Huang Nie.
The fruit of the bark can be used as a yellow dye, and the inner layer of the bark is a medicine with a very bitter taste. It can clear away heat and detoxify, has anti-inflammatory effects, can cure dysentery, and can also be used as an anthelmintic.
This is a technique that originated in the Tang Dynasty, and is called "Ruhuang". When making hemp paper, cork bark fruits and the inner layer of bark are added to dye it yellow while giving it a disgusting smell of insects, so as to achieve the purpose of long-lasting paper preservation.
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However, due to the times, the quality of the jute paper shipped by the Marshal's Army was very average, and its appearance was relatively poor.
Under Liu Chengzong's rule, people's livelihood in Shaanxi was in decline, especially in Fengxiang Prefecture, which had experienced many wars. The decline in papermaking quality was only a small microcosm.
The paper mills use old clothes and rags to make paper, and the world is chaotic. The workers do not carefully select threads. The raw materials are full of threads of various colors, resulting in an impure color of the paper, with a light yellow background.
Many blue, red, gray and other strange colors of silk and dots.
However, the Marshal's military transport was very sincere and sent the yellow paper to Ordos as a gift. The transportation cost exceeded the price of the paper.
At this time, Cao Bianjiao finally remembered who the military academy man wearing the iron mask was.
That person was Lu Bin, a farmer from the village next door to Liu Chengzong's hometown. He was skilled in bow and horse.
After Liu Chengzong's uprising, he joined the Yan'an Guard and almost killed Liu Chengzong in many battles, earning the official position of one thousand households in the Yan'an Guard.
Because there is a hole in the mouth that was shot by a bandit's bow and arrow, which has never fully grown, and the soup will leak out if you don't pay attention, so I usually wear an iron mask that covers the lower half of my face.
Cao Bianjiao met Lu Bin when he was working with Yang Yanchang to suppress thieves.
When the Battle of Pingliang ended, Guan Ning's army was severely defeated by Liu Chengzong. Cao Bianjiao felt that Yang Yanchang's Lu Bin and others were all unparalleled generals.
Now that I think about it, these bastards have been acting all this time!
Cao Bianjiao's body was operated on by the army doctors of the Marshal's Mansion, and he suffered multiple fractures and skin injuries. He was paralyzed on the couch and unable to move. Every day, a strong Mongolian woman carried a low couch outside to bask in the sun.
One of Lu Bin's subordinates, the general manager, was stationed in Wushen Department.
When nothing happened, Cao Bianjiao would silently observe these losers.
Really a loser.
Every morning, the Wu Shen Department would pull out more than a dozen sheep and kill them specially for these people to eat for lunch. Sometimes, if there was not enough to eat, a few more sheep would be slaughtered in the afternoon.
As for the troops who came from afar, in addition to eating and drinking every day, they herded the horses of the flying eagle lackeys, let the hounds run all over the ground, and the vultures flew all over the sky. They shot arrows inside and outside the tribe, wrestled, opened shops to sell soldiers and armor, repaired ordnance, in short, other serious business.
Don't do either.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! There is even a veteran with a scarred face opening a school hall, using several large pieces of felt to tie up a military tent, and beating gongs and drums every day to teach children to read and write.
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Cao Bianjiao looked at the veteran's fierce look and thought that his writing was probably not as good as Zuo Liangyu's, and he came out with a shy face to mislead others. You should first clarify your own cultural level!
By this time, Cao Bianjiao was full of doubts and resentment.
Firstly, he didn't understand the reason why Lu Bin was stationed here; secondly, he didn't understand the reason why Liu Chengzong put him here.
Third, I'm greedy.
The rice cooks ate mutton soup and haggis soup in different ways every day. Some people took advantage of him to bask in the sun and probably squatted near him to eat. The aroma filled their noses and made their stomachs rumble.
He just keeps this water all day long to stir-fry noodles, and mix the water with the fried noodles.
Although Marshal Jun's fried noodles are really good, they have enough oil and sugar, and they taste good and are strong.
But you can't get a trace of meat or fish on it, otherwise everyone will complain about it.
The key point is that no one cares about him, no one talks to him, and there is no explanation for what happened after the defeat.
He even suspected for a time that Lu Bin and his gang came here to serve as his prison guards.
This division of war soldiers plus the Wu Shen Department are his jailers.
Until one ordinary noon, the doctor applied a foul-smelling and ugly herbal ointment to Cao Bianjiao. As usual, he asked the strong woman to move outside the yurt to bask in the sun. She listened to the horseback riding hooves and saw the familiar iron armor on Lu Bin's face.
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"Don't move, just lie down. You can't get up from your injury."
As soon as Cao Bianjiao saw him, he tried to struggle, but he hurt his wound. He gritted his teeth in pain, but kept silent.
Lu Bin was dusty and dusty, and the fur collar of his clothes and armor was covered with wind and sand. It looked like he had just come back from a long trip and hadn't had time to clean it up.
The woman in the tent moved out the chair, and Lu Bin sat next to Cao Bianjiao's couch, looking down at him with a smile at the prisoner in his eyes: "You recovered quite quickly, how do you feel?"
Cao Bianjiao looked at the sky with dull eyes: "It's still a little wobbly."
"Normally, you have been lying on the carriage for three days and three nights, and you will definitely have to wander for a few days."
Lu Bin smiled: "It's not easy to live."
There was a long silence.
Cao Bianjiao asked: "My uncle..."
Lu Bin shook his head expressionlessly.
They are old acquaintances.
In his early years, Lu Bin was placed as a guard in Yan'an Guard by Liu Shizi. Due to his personal experience, in addition to following Yang Yanchang and almost begging for Liu Chengzong's head on a daily basis, he was also particularly keen on truly suppressing bandits.
The old temple village in his hometown, Black Dragon King Temple Mountain, was massacred by bandits from a neighboring village who had a grudge against him and led by bandits who were crossing the border.
The hole in Lu Bin's face was shot by a bandit with an arrow when he was running for his life.
Therefore, after King Qin returned, he, together with Yang Yanchang and Cao Wenzhao, ordered his uncle and nephew to suppress bandits in Shanxi and Shaanxi. They agreed with Cao's uncle and nephew's Kulie style of suppressing bandits, and their relationship was better than that of other guards.
Seeing Cao Bianjiao in despair, Lu Bin sighed: "The commander-in-chief has been extremely kind to you. I heard that before the war, he wrote letters to persuade you to leave - this is your own fault."
Seeing Lu Bin's expression and hearing these words, Cao Bian's face turned ashen and he closed his eyes in pain.
He had already expected this.
What Lu Bin said was that the fault was his own, as if their uncle and nephew had made such an unbelievably stupid mistake.
But in Cao Bianjiao's view, this was more like his uncle, who had been tired of the king's orders for several years, finally got what he wanted.
There are so many generals in the world, how many of them can die well?
Serving one's country loyally and dying on the battlefield is the best way to die in the world.
So when this moment came, Cao Bianjiao was not hit by the huge sadness he imagined, but was just confused.
He asked Lu Bin for a result, but it was just a fantasy.
After a long while, Lu Bin was just thinking of words of comfort when he heard Cao Bianjiao ask: "Then who is he last?"
"General Cao Wenzhao is not as lucky as you."
Cao Bianjiao took the initiative to ask the question, which just relieved Lu Bin's embarrassment and made him speak more relaxedly: "You were shot thirteen times, and there was a large piece of lead cake on your armor, but they were all three-cent bullets fired by the heavy gun.
I just saved my life."
"He was only hit by one shot. He raised his gun and hit him. He was killed on the spot. If the horse was hit, it would instantly fall to death. It was very fast and it didn't hurt to walk away."
After talking about Cao Wenzhao, Lu Bin talked about other people he knew: "I heard that General Ping'an was very tough. His right arm was broken by a gushing cannon. He fell off his horse and stood up to break into the formation, but he stepped on a mine of the Yanqing Brigade."
Lu Bin said, pointed upward and shook his head, meaning it was blown up.
"General Pingding was the most ferocious. He rode his cavalry to break through the defense line of Xu Yong's camp of the left army and attacked the artillery position. He was helplessly surrounded. In order not to be captured, he raised fire and ignited the barrels of medicine. They were gone and destroyed the two generals."
"General Feng Ju had a bad start and was not very good at selecting his opponents. He attacked the second brigade position and was captured alive by the cavalry of the Ranger Battalion after knocking off two gold melons during a cavalry confrontation."
After Lu Bin finished talking about Cao Wenzhao's trusted generals, he then talked about people he wasn't very familiar with: "The general in charge of Governor Biaoying's camp was named Ding Zizhen, right? He also died, a little later than General Cao, and the general launched a general offensive.
He wanted to escort the governor to break out of the encirclement, abandoned his position and led his troops into the battle, but was shot to death in the head."
"After Ding Zizhen's death, a Qian general named Zhang Tianlu led the defeated troops and coerced Hong Chengchou and three soldiers to surrender. Ding Qirui was also tied up, which was quite embarrassing."
Lu Bin said a lot, then took a deep breath, spread his hands and said: "Anyway, those who are alive, except for Zuo Liangyu's old men, the rest of the generals above the general are being taken to Xi'an Mansion as prisoners."
"As for the fallen soldiers and generals, except for your uncle, the commander-in-chief ordered troops to collect the corpses and let people see the graveyard. The troops repaired the graves to prevent their corpses from being exposed in the wilderness for vultures to peck at them. In Ningxia, if you have the opportunity in the future, you can also
Go back and worship."
In fact, Cao Bianjiao didn't listen to much of his words. He just felt like his mind was buzzing. The voices and smiles of Cao Wenzhao, Ping'an, Pingding and others were still echoing in his mind.
It wasn't until he heard this that Cao Bianjiao asked, "What about my uncle?"
"The coffin was put in a coffin and sent to Shanxi. The commander-in-chief also wrote a note to General Cao, suggesting that the imperial court should pay more pensions to the generals who died in battle bravely."
This is naturally Lu Bin's obedience.
In fact, Liu Chengzong's confession and the delivery of the coffin to Shanxi were entirely out of the intention of showing off his power and intimidation. This was the commander-in-chief who died in battle and the highest-ranking military commander in the Ming Dynasty.
Cao Bianjiao also understood this meaning, so he felt complicated and did not speak.
But Lu Bin couldn't bear the embarrassment of having nothing to say.
After thinking about it, he suddenly became happy, clapped his hands and said, "By the way, you know there is a man named Yiyi Jing, right?"
Cao Bianjiao nodded numbly: "A native of Xi'an, Jinshi in the fifth year of Chongzhen, patrol in Ningxia, and general in Youzhen."
"Yes, that's him. After the battle, the commander-in-chief didn't care about anyone else. He was escorted back to Xi'an. However, he saw the list and met with him alone. He issued a letter of appointment on the spot, awarded him the title of Colonel Huaiyuan, and sent him to Taimeng Guard as a staff general.
Already."
Cao Bianjiao knew every word of Lu Bin's words, but when put together, he couldn't understand them at all.
As a Shanxi native, he was quite familiar with the name of the Ordos tribe, at least he had heard of it.
But Tianshan and Taimengwei are all unheard of stuff.
His eyes darkened, and he could only rely on guesswork to ask: "Is this, Fa Pai... is Wus hiding?"
"What's Uzang? To the north, beyond Yarkand, there is a big mountain called Tianshan. The territory at the northern foot of Tianshan was called Beiting Duhufu in ancient times, right? Now it's called Tianshan Dudufu, and it's our territory now.
."
Cao Bianjiao lay on the couch, staring at the low-hanging clouds on the Mongolian plateau that seemed to be within reach.
Dazed, confused, and difficult to understand.
Like it's dead.
I have followed my uncle in suppressing bandits and suppressing rebellions for so many years. I have been fighting hard and fast, winning and losing many times. I have killed many people and lost many close relatives and friends around me.
But his loyalty and bravery in serving the imperial court never wavered.
Until I heard Lu Bin say that Liu Chengzong re-established the Tianshan Governor's Palace in the ancient Beiting Governor's Palace.
His heart was not shaken, but his worldview was greatly shocked.
I even wonder what the imperial court has been doing in these years. It has lost more and more land. Why did Liu Chengzong open up new territories?
An inexplicable feeling suddenly arose in his heart. He felt that if Zhou Yijing could be sent to the Taimeng Guard, then if his injury recovered, would he also be sent to the Taimeng Guard? Without the chaos in the Central Plains, that would be true.
A great place to build a career.
But in fact, Yi Jing was sent to Taimeng Guard for no other reason than because Liu Shishi thought his and Zhou Qiang's names matched well.
Zhou Jing went to negotiate on Monday, but the negotiation failed. Six days later, Zhou Qiang went to attack on Sunday.
Of course, this is a joke that only Liu Chengzong can understand. To others, except for the same surname, these two people have no connection.
Cao Bianjiao realized something was wrong at this moment, and frowned and asked in confusion: "Others went to Xi'an alive, were buried in Ningxia when dead, and was dragged to Ordos. Am I the only one? I was sent to Taimengwei after I recovered from my injuries?"
"Where are Zuo Shuai and the others? Have they been taken to other despicable places outside the Great Wall?"
"Hey, I don't think you should think about this yet. You can't go anywhere now. You can only stay in the Wujian Department. This is not house arrest or distribution."
When Lu Bin heard Zuo Liangyu's name, he couldn't help but laugh. Then he looked at Cao Bianjiao and said seriously: "Originally, you should have gone to Xi'an Mansion. The bumpy journey on the escort road could kill you. You have many friends and were saved."
Already."
"Friend, friend?"
Why didn't Cao Bianjiao know that he still had friends in the Marshal's Mansion?
"The head of the Li Yamen of the Marshal's Office, King Han, is begging for your life. The Second Brigade, my Commander-in-Chief Ren, has asked you to come over and hand you over to me to take good care of you."
Lu Bin spread his hands and said, "Because of this, while others are now engaged in conquering cities and making meritorious deeds, my two divisions are staying at the Wu Shen and Beisu Xi divisions in Sa Nang Tai Ji, transporting grain back and forth."
After that, he pointed at Cao Bianjiao: "General Cao, you are hurting my brothers!"
Cao Bianjiao understood.
King Han, forget it, that His Highness has bad intentions.
If he wants to transform Cao Cao into a dignified husband, how can he stay in Han Dynasty to be his seed?
It turns out that Ren Quan'er, a nasty guy, saved him.
Just as he was still thinking about the fact that he was rescued by Ren Quan'er with a complicated heart, he heard Lu Bin laugh again: "As for Zuo Liang, Marshal Zuo, hey."
Cao Bianjiao was puzzled to find that whenever Lu Bin mentioned Zuo Liangyu, he would laugh uncontrollably, as if he had been drugged.
Is Zuo Liangyu that funny?
"His bid for Xu Yong, Wang Yuncheng, surrendered. After defecting, he also participated in the battle against you. It was Xu Yong's camp that suppressed the general's attack. Marshal Zuo is right next to the generalissimo."
There's nothing incomprehensible, it's normal, and Cao Bianjiao doesn't think it's that funny.
Immediately afterwards, Lu Bin whispered: "I heard from friends in Huben Camp that the Generalissimo saw Zuo Liangyu's good handwriting and planned to let him join the cabinet as a bachelor."
"Um?"
Cao Bianjiao couldn't think straight. He hummed in confusion at first, paused, and then said, "Huh?"
Zuo Liangyu?
Good at writing?
First assistant?
Cao Bianjiao thought about these three words. No matter how they were arranged and combined, it was difficult to put them together in a sentence.
However, although Lu Bin was holding back his laughter, it didn't look like he was joking, but more like he was amused by the incident itself.
He nodded and said: "Yes, Zuo Liangyu will probably be the chief assistant."