The rainy night came extra early. Not long after You hour, the sky gradually became dark, and the palace lanterns in the Chu Palace were lit one after another. The yellow light emitted by the palace lanterns seemed to be enveloped in a hazy halo in the rain curtain, floating in the air.
The raindrops were illuminated by the light, and were particularly eye-catching in the night.
The Zhongzheng Hall where Emperor Jianwen lived was quiet. It was not a New Year at this time of year, and there seemed to be nothing worth celebrating, so there were no singing, dancing or banquets. In fact, Nangong had always seemed a bit deserted.
Queen Ma had nothing to do at this time. She had not gone to bed for many years, and it was too early to go to bed because of the cold weather. Her emotions vented on a little girl in her early ten years.
The girl is Zhu Nanping, the only daughter of Prince Zhu Wenkui.
"You have to remember that Yao Ji and Zhu Wenbiao, a pair of bitches and bitches, have a blood feud with our family. They are your father-killing enemies!" Empress Ma gritted her teeth and instilled hatred into the silent little girl. As for calling others dogs.
She has no inhibitions about such unbridled insults from mother and son.
Zhu Nanping lowered his head and didn't say a word. He just listened and made no movements, like a wooden person. She really didn't look like a royal noble. There were few people from such a noble family who were as introverted and taciturn as her. She was even more introverted.
She doesn't have the willfulness and arrogance of a princess princess, but instead acts like a punching bag. Maybe it's because she, the so-called princess, hasn't had many pampered days since she was born, and her experience has been too rough.
When she was just a few years old, she was unlucky enough to be caught in a fire and almost escaped being burned to death. After she survived, she was almost blind in her right eye. After the treatment, her vision in that eye was not very good and everything she saw was blurry.
, luckily she still had one eye that could see clearly. As she grew older, she slowly realized that the most important thing was not that her eyes could not see clearly, but the ugly scars left around her eye circles, which made her feel very inferior.
It is worse than a woman whose natural appearance is ruined.
Zhu Nanping almost never goes out and covers her face when she goes out. But covering her face with a piece of cloth is obviously not good in the palace, especially in front of the elders, so the angle she stands at this time is also very thoughtful, with the right side of her face facing the direction of the lamp stand.
, the shadow makes the right eye less conspicuous, and I feel more at ease.
Empress Ma was continuing to speak. She wiped her tears sadly, "Your father has been killed, and now you are my only relative... Are you listening to what I am saying?!"
Zhu Nanping whispered: "I'm listening."
Empress Ma added: "Yao Ji and Zhu Wenbiao are your enemies who killed your father, remember?"
Zhu Nanping nodded. Empress Ma was now a little satisfied. She thought for a while and said: "In the future, I will find you a capable consort. You must make him rebel and take back everything that belongs to our family! Those who are of humble origins.
The palace maid will end up with a humble life!"
I have to admit that women are very imaginative.
...Zhang Ning also doesn't have the habit of going to bed so early. When he came back from Yao Ji, he went to the study next to the bedroom to spend some time. He had already planned to sleep with his wife Tuesday Niang tonight, but he didn't want to go there so early because he was with a girl.
If a young and beautiful woman stays in a room with a bed and can do it as she pleases, she can't help but go to the bed to do that, no matter the time.
There are no official documents or files in the study room next to the living room, but mostly irrelevant books. It is good to read them from time to time to change your thinking. For literate people in this era, this is also a good way to pass the time.
Zhang Xiaomei came to the study room. It happened that Zhang Ning had some thoughts after reading Gongyang Zhuan and wanted to write an article, so he called the little sister to help him grind the ink. The little sister said "wait a moment" as if she remembered something, and went out. After a while
He brought an inkstone over to grind the ink: "Put this here, brother, just use it."
I saw that this inkstone was very rough, and it seemed a little familiar. The younger sister said, "I brought it with me from my hometown in Nanjing. My brother used it for many years when he was studying for the imperial examination."
Zhang Ning shook his head and said, "Why are you carrying an inkstone all this way?"
"I remember that year, my brother disobeyed my uncle's orders and insisted on taking me to the capital. When I left in a hurry, I packed a bag of things at random. I took this inkstone by mistake. Later I found out and thought about my brother's frugality when he was studying, so I used it
I don’t want to throw away things that have been in my possession for so many years.”
Zhang Ning's joking expression gradually stopped, and an unspeakable emotion surged in his heart.
Then I heard Zhang Xiaomei say: "Later, my hometown in Nanjing was gone, and my uncle, eldest brother and sister-in-law were gone too..." Her voice gradually choked up, and she smiled again amid the tears. She pursed her lips and said with a smile,
"Fortunately, my brother is still here."
Zhang Ning paused for a moment, put his hand on the back of her head, and said kindly: "My hometown in Nanjing is still there. When my brother defeats the enemy soldiers in South Zhili, we will move back to our hometown and live there, so we don't have to wander around anymore."
"Really?" The little girl showed real surprise.
Zhang Ning nodded vigorously: "What I said to my little sister, I will definitely do it!"
…
Yu Qian worked non-stop, circling almost all the prefectures and counties outside Poyang Lake, trying to get a first-hand understanding of the terrain and scenery in the defense area. One of his memorials was also revised and revised, and it has not been updated for more than half a month.
Finished writing.
The defense strategy he wanted to submit to the Ministry of War was almost completed. After staying in Jiangxi for several months, Yu Qian believed that although deploying troops to fight on the east bank of Poyang Lake would have the disadvantage of dividing the troops (Jiujiang on the west bank must defend Jiujiang to deal with the threat from the Beijing camp in Jiangbei),
But it can effectively maintain the control of Poyang Lake. Jiangxi has no danger to defend, and Poyang Lake is the only barrier; at this time, because Jiujiang, Duchang and other cities surrounding the lake are all in the hands of the Suzaku Army, and the Han Dynasty has sent troops and naval forces to
Activities on the lake cut off the entrance to the lake, so the government navy on the Yangtze River could not reach Poyang Lake. However, once the east bank was abandoned and the government troops were allowed to drink horses on the lake bank, control of Poyang Lake would be difficult to guarantee. According to an official
With a stronghold, the Hanwang Navy on Erze Lake was too weak. Yu Qian suggested fighting on the eastern front. The biggest strategic purpose was to protect Poyang Lake.
He discussed his military opinions in thousands of words, very fluently. The only thing he wrote that was difficult was his desire to ask Wuchang for guns and artillery.
According to Yu Qian's understanding, the first batch of flintlock muskets developed by the Ordnance Bureau last time have been manufactured. Since Zhang Ning and the officials of the Ordnance Bureau decided to stop manufacturing matchlock muskets and build new flintlock muskets, it means that the new firearm has its advantages.
, can replace the original firearm. It is said that the flintlock gun fires faster and is not afraid of moisture and other weather effects.
Yu Qian wanted this batch of new weapons, and he thought it was a reasonable request. Since the Yongding Battalion is the most elite unit of the Suzaku Army, it should be equipped with the best weapons. In addition, Jiangxi is currently under the greatest pressure, so there is no doubt that it will invest strength.
In addition, the troops of the Han Dynasty who surrendered and fought with real swords and guns on the battlefield would hardly be able to match the Xuanfu Datong elite troops. They should also be equipped with muskets and heavy artillery in order to be qualified to fight against the official army. Moreover, the weapons should be provided as soon as possible.
They were transferred to the "King of Han Army" for training; many of these people had received matchlocks in Jiujiang before and were taught how to use them, but they still needed to be retrained in tactics and formations before they could use them.
Regarding these reasonable requirements, Yu Qian could not write for a long time. He couldn't help but ask himself: Is it appropriate to write such a memorial? The key is what effect will it produce?
One day, he walked to the head of Duchang County, looked at the endless water of Poyang Lake, and finally sorted out his worries for many days.
The first was Wang Jian's visit. Yu Qian was worried that the matter had been exposed, so he had to question the degree of trust King Xiang had in him. Moreover, he had a large number of troops outside and controlled the military and political power of the entire Jiangxi. This would have made the superiors wary.
This is human nature. Therefore, Yu Qian had to carefully weigh his words and deeds.
If we ask for a large number of guns from Wuchang at this time, will it be regarded as a test or a threat?
It shouldn't be considered a blatant threat. The soldiers of the Yongding Battalion have very clear backgrounds and cannot have much to do with Yu Qian. As for the surrendered troops recruited by Jiujiang, although they finally regained some morale, their time is still short and their combat effectiveness is still low.
It's relatively weak, and I'm afraid it would be too much to ask those people to follow Yu Qian to fight against terrorism.
It is very possible to regard it as a test. Yu Qian really wants to test it. If Wuchang no longer trusts him, there will be many constraints in commanding troops in Jiangxi. It is even more harmful and useless to consider being the governor of Jiangxi from all aspects. This official position
What else does it mean?
But it seems inappropriate and too aggressive to test by asking for arms. A person who dares to raise his profile to face a superior person is putting himself in an equal position and is ready to bear the risk of confrontation.
consequences; otherwise, doing so will undoubtedly make the monkey jump up and down, which is useless.
At this moment, General Wei Bin walked up to the top of the city and walked towards Yu Qian. Yu Qian temporarily put aside his worries and exchanged a few words with him.
From the height of this city tower, Wei Bin would also look at the water of the lake and look back and sigh: "My lord, this place has such a beautiful scenery."
Yu Qian said casually: "It's very good. But I don't know how deep the water in Poyang Lake is?"
Wei Bin said: "A large ship can be used in the middle of the lake, and the water should be very deep. It is shallow on the shore. Sir, please see, the big ship does not dock, but a small boat is sent over. Because the water on the lake shore is shallow, the big ship does not have enough draft."
Yu Qian smiled and said: "The water is shallow just when we get ashore."