In the first month of the third year of Xuande's reign, after many tedious processes, the second generation monarch of the Ming Dynasty finally arrived outside Wuchang City.
There was a snowfall in Wuchang City in the first month of the year. It snowed heavily. However, the snow on the south bank of the Yangtze River was just a visual feast. On the surface, it seemed that the world was suddenly covered in silver. However, the snow was too light and easy to melt, and it was layered with the snow in the north.
The heavy snow is completely different. The snow here turns to mud as soon as you step on it.
Zhang Ning led his officials to wait quietly several miles outside the city. For this reason, he specially put on a special new yellow robe and a black gauze winged crown to show that he was a member of the royal family. At this juncture,
, before Zhu Yunwen's team could wait, a fast horse was seen galloping from the city gate. At this time, the main road from the south gate to Fuqian Street had been cleared of martial law. Except for the people from the Zhuque Military Station, there was nothing wrong.
People can ride horses on this road.
As expected, the person who came was a young official, wearing a gray robe that was different from the officials in the local government. The young official said a few words to a guard in the distance, and then walked quickly to
Next to Zhang Ning, he whispered: "The Council has just received the official document. The scouts from the 'Wuchang Camp' came from Changde and found a large fleet of ships on the river. There are a huge number of ships all over the river, and they are already approaching Guizhou..."
Zhang Ning heard this and asked hurriedly: "Find out where it comes from?"
Guan'er replied: "The Sichuan Army came from Sichuan."
Zhang Ning's heart thumped, and he suddenly became irritated. The gateway to Sichuan is Kuizhou, and Guizhou, where the Sichuan army arrived, was already a hundred miles east of Kuizhou, completely entering the boundary of Huguang. The spies of the Suzaku Army unexpectedly arrived at Guizhou.
Zhou Mengxiong only found out? This is no wonder Zhou Mengxiong. After all, his business is mainly military affairs. Only scouts cannot extend their tentacles too far, and there is no agency specifically responsible for intelligence in the military camp.
Inexplicably, Zhang Ning felt that Sichuan's local army should not take a peek after forming a large camp. This was mainly an intuition. Regardless of whether the soldiers in Jiannan were brave during the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Ning heard many stories from hearsay. During the Anti-Japanese War, the Sichuan Army was not afraid of death, and the Red Army also suffered
The loss of the Sichuan warlords. The Southwest Basin has always been China's rear area, far away from the line of fire, but the Sichuan Army gave him the impression that it was not a soft eggplant, but he didn't know why.
However, a large army was mobilized throughout Sichuan, and ships and grains were collected, and they were swaggering down the river. There was no secret at all with the momentum of mobilizing troops and troops. Yao Ji's Ministry of Internal Affairs was responsible for intelligence collection, so why didn't they have any news? Or maybe it was.
The spies from the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not pay attention to Sichuan at all... But for the Suzaku Army in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the upper reaches itself is a strategic focus. It may be because the people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs do not understand the strategy of the Suzaku Army at all.
He thought for a while and saw that a crowd of dark people on the official road had appeared in the snow, so he had to say to the official: "You go back to the official office first. The things here are done. I will meet with Zhu Butang."
Rush to the official office and we'll talk about it then."
"Yes!" Guan'er clasped his fists and saluted.
When the cavalry came over and got out of the way, a four-horse carriage appeared in front of Zhang Ning and others. The emperor's guard of honor was almost complete. There were twelve dragon flags, sixty-four cloth flags, and a yellow flag in front of the carriage.
There are various banners, yellow caps, canopies, curved caps, purple square umbrellas, red square umbrellas, pheasant fans, Zhu Tuan fans... and various festivals, battles, swords, knives and halberds. All the decorations are organized by the Council of Ministers.
Yes, Emperor Jianwen, who was in the mountains before, probably wouldn't be able to handle these cavalry, chariots and horses in a short time.
The entire team was vast and colorful, with all kinds of weapons and weapons that even Zhang Ning, a former official of the Ministry of Etiquette, couldn’t figure out, all the symbolic meanings, and all the combinations with the sky. But Zhang Ning didn’t understand, there was always someone who understood, Jianwen was around
The civil servants still understood these etiquettes more than twenty years later.
With such a huge display, most people will feel awe from the bottom of their hearts when they see it. However, Zhang Ning is still sober in his heart. He understands that these things that create momentum will have no impact at all if they are not supported by strong military power and economic foundation.
For birds.
When the four carts approached, Zhang Ning knelt down in the snow without any pressure. In ancient times, kneeling was just a common courtesy for inferiors to superiors. The officials immediately knelt down in the cold snow.
Zhang Ning pressed his hand on the ground. The loose snowflakes on the surface were as insubstantial as cotton candy. His palm soon touched the cold mud. He shouted loudly: "My son Zhu Wenbiao, King of Xiang, welcomes my father!"
At this time, the cart stopped, and with the support of a eunuch, a man stepped out of the cart. Only the hem of the yellow robe was visible, and the backs of his boots were exposed. Zhang Ning knew it was Emperor Jianwen, but could not raise his head to look at him.
What does it look like? When the emperor walks in front of him and he is kneeling on the ground, if he suddenly raises his head to look at his face, it is obviously a very disrespectful behavior.
"Wen Biao Ping Shen." A pair of hands stretched out from his long sleeves and personally came up to help Zhang Ning. The voice was gentle and kind, which actually made Zhang Ning feel warm in his heart. He suddenly felt a little less conflicted about having a stranger as his father.
Of course, even if you are very resistant, you still have to admit it.
After Zhang Ning was helped up from the ground, he saw Emperor Jianwen's appearance from the corner of his eye. This was the first time he had seen Jianwen himself. It is said that this was the second Ming Dynasty emperor that Zhang Ning had seen, the first
The first emperor was Xuande and Zhu Zhanji before he ascended the throne. Jianwen's temples were gray and there were many wrinkles on his face. Unexpectedly, his appearance was very good. He was tall but a little thin compared to the image of the emperor with a bulging belly in the portrait.
He has an immortal temperament without a hunched back. His facial features are straight and his eyes are sharp. The wrinkles on his cheeks make his face look long, but his face makes people feel amiable... But when I think about it, Emperor Jianwen was only fifty years old.
He does look a bit older, looking like a sixty-year-old man.
Jianwen Zhu Yunwen grabbed Zhang Ning's wrist with one hand, held his hand and said: "It's freezing cold, you come with me in the car."
Zhang Ning couldn't refuse, so he hurriedly said: "I thank you."
When he turned around, he saw Zhu Heng and a few others raising their heads slightly among the people kneeling on the ground. Perhaps they were a little worried because Zhang Ning got into the car alone. But Zhang Ning didn't think anything of it, although Jianwen was worried about him.
To him, he was like a stranger, but this was Wuchang City, the nest of the Suzaku Army. Besides, what benefit would Jianwen have by harming him at this time?
Zhang Ning got on the big carriage and was given a seat. Then the carriage started slowly, slowly and steadily.
Suddenly the two of them were alone in the same space. Zhang Ning felt a little embarrassed because he and the old man had nothing in common and they were not familiar with each other. On the other hand, Zhu Yunwen sat opposite and looked at Zhang Ning carefully up and down with great interest, while touching him.
He nodded slightly with his beard. Most people who are related by blood do have a "spiritual resemblance", which can be seen from the facial features and faces... The population in the previous life has reached 6 billion, and apart from his relative Zhang Ning, he has never seen anyone.
Looks like myself.
Zhang Ning was just trying to find a respectful topic to say a few words when suddenly there was a burst of cannon fire in the distance, covering up the awkwardness of the silence. He hurriedly said: "The French cannons at the top of the city fired a salvo. This is a sign of respect from the lieutenants."
The Emperor's respect is like firecrackers, but more prestigious than firecrackers."
"Okay, okay." Zhu Yunwen nodded, still calm and not frightened by the sound of the cannon at all.
At this time, Zhang Ning gently opened the roller blind on the car window, and the scene on the roadside immediately attracted Zhu Yunwen.
It was the guard of honor that the guards served after training. Different from the emperor's majestic and cumbersome honor guard, the honor guard of the Suzaku Army had a unique scene. More than a hundred people stood in two straight rows. Their orderliness was unique in this era. The guards officers wore helmets on their heads.
The square scarf is worn in a cyan military uniform with a white lining, and the lower body is in gray trousers and soap boots. It is different from the cyan outer clothing of ordinary soldiers and looks more stable and serious. At the same time, the white lining highlights the neatness.
If this is not unusual, then the white gloves must be the first of the Ming Dynasty's ceremonial guards. A voice shouted: "Raise your sword... salute His Majesty the Emperor!" Suddenly there was a "pop", and the whole team raised their brand-new gloves.
The swords and white gloves drew a neat trajectory in the air, and then all the soldiers raised their left hands at the same time, raising their heads and chests and staring in the direction of the emperor's car. The unique military salute of the Suzaku Army is the left hand, because the right hand is often used to hold weapons.
"Play music!" A melodious flute played, ethereal and solemn, and then the guzheng played the melody. Compared with the Zhaozhi music in the palace, the military music is somewhat lacking in momentum, but its long and touching melody is also moving to the eyes and ears.
When Zhang Ning saw this scene, there was a hint of pride in his eyes. This kind of etiquette and tight organization was a performance that was gradually developed after the Renaissance. At this time, it was very shocking to the senses. Jianwen was very impressive.
You will know if you watch it with interest and concentration.
Zhang Ning wanted to let Emperor Jianwen know that the people who invited him to become emperor were not grass-roots people... Just looking at the honor guard of more than a hundred people on the roadside, this purge was caused by uncivilized mountain people or a rebellion.
Can the rebel army have such a temperament?
At this time, Zhu Yunwen pointed to a young man standing meticulously at the front of the team and asked, "Is that Zhou Zhong?"
"Replying to my father, it is Zhou Zhong, the son of General Zhou." Zhang Ning replied.
Jianwen turned around and said, "I almost didn't recognize him. He's not bad. He's very energetic. A tiger father has no dog son."
Zhang Ning bent down slightly to affirm, thinking that he had said this himself. He said: "Zhou Mengxiong is currently in Changde, in charge of Wuchang Camp with nearly ten thousand people, and governs Changde Prefecture, Chenzhou Prefecture, and Changsha Prefecture."
Jianwen looked very good after hearing this. Zhou Mengxiong was a loyal general who escaped from Nanjing with him, and now being reused is a good sign. Zhang Ning also hopes that Jianwen will feel his sincerity, and they will need to unite with each other in the future.
After the military music was played, the honor guard ran to the front of the motorcade, replacing the cavalry and clearing the way for the vehicles. This group of young and strong people had never really fought in a war, so they might not be good at combat, but the formation was trained intensively, and they walked in unison, which was very effective.
Momentum and ornamental.
After approaching the city gate, we saw that the city was full of people. After Wuchang restored order, people's interest in watching showed again. Soldiers and civilians were standing by the road to see the majesty of the emperor. The excitement was as if it was a festival. A green guard of honor opened the way.
The strong sergeant also took advantage of the limelight, feasting the eyes of the girl and her young wives, and their faces turned red.