m1 v' i CF s (m lYB ! 2V Z7> kH Ɨ S p B+ On August 12, that is, one month and six days after Zhu Di, the king of Yan, raised his army, the northern expedition of the imperial court arrived in Zhending under the leadership of Geng Bingwen.

Geng Bingwen, a fellow villager with Emperor Gao, is from Haozhou. In that year, under the command of Emperor Gao, he was ordered to capture Changxing, the gateway of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and was stationed for ten years, experiencing dozens of battles of all sizes, and repeatedly worshipping Zhang Shicheng's teacher, so he was awarded the title of Marquis of Changxing. This person is really a veteran general, but he is a little older. According to Huang Zicheng's request, Emperor Jianwen ordered Wu Jie, Marquis Wu Gao, Marquis of Jiangyin, and commanded Sheng Yong, Pan Zhong, Yang Song, Gu Cheng, Li Wen, Ping'an and other departments to march into Beiping by separate routes.

Geng Bingwen led an army of 130,000, known as 300,000, to Zhending, and King Yan, who got the news, did not rush out to meet the battle, but ordered Zhang Yu to quietly go to the surrounding area of Zhending to check the military situation, and after Zhang Yu came back, he said: "The southern division is here, and the military discipline is slack." The main general Geng Bingwen is old and weak, and he owes Pan Zhong and Yang Song the courage and no strategy, and if we want to go south, we can first break Pan Yang's division. ”

King Yan nodded and said with a smile: "When I accompanied the King of Zhongshan on the Northern Expedition, the King of Zhongshan once commented on the generals to me, saying that Geng Bingwen was good at defending, and attacking was not his forte. However, they didn't have any better choice, they were much better than Song Zhong and others. ”

At the mention of Song Zhong, the generals present couldn't help but laugh. The imperial court sent the governor Song Zhong to garrison Kaiping to defend against Yan, but the Yan army rose up and drove straight down, Song Zhong retired from Kaiping through Juyong Pass to protect Huailai, and was caught and killed by the Yan army who killed the city of Huailai on July 15. Huailai won this battle, but King Yan earnestly taught the generals at that time: "Song Zhong is mediocre, only in charge of a soldier, then arrogant and empty-eyed, this generation is a villain, I regard it as a foxtail." However, it is not a good idea to win a small victory. ”

At the mention of the Northern Expedition, King Yan suddenly paused, and sighed in his heart: "If the Duke of Zheng Guo and the Duke of Liang are here, how dare I rush to raise troops? Emperor Gao killed his ministers and left a thornless staff for the new emperor, which has become my blessing!"

He looked around at the generals who were not aware of it, and said in his heart: "If the mandate of heaven is in me, I will restore the emperor's eternal law, but I can't follow the emperor's act of slaughtering meritorious heroes. ”

The news of Geng Bingwen's arrival in Zhending reached Princess Xu's middle hall at the same time, and the rest of the generals' wives and palace ladies seemed to be unimpressed, but the few official wives who had returned from Beiping seemed to have different expressions, and the needles and threads in their hands were not carefully done.

Princess Xu saw Zhang Zhaohua showing joy instead, and couldn't help asking, "My son, what are you laughing at?"

Zhang Zhaohua rubbed the stitches on his hand and said: "I heard that the imperial court sent Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, to attack Beiping, and General Zuo was the famous princess Li Jian, accompanied by Wu Jie, Marquis of Anlu, and Wu Gao, Marquis of Jiangyin, but I know that there is no one available in the imperial court." The father's siege is just around the corner. ”

As soon as she said this, all the ladies looked up at her, and Mrs. Wang, who was quick-tongued, said, "Where did you see this?"

"Anluhou Wu Jie," Zhang Zhaohua said: "The daughter married the King of Qi; the daughter of Jiangyin Marquis Wu Gao married the King of Xiang, but these two kings, one called the emperor abolished, and the other called the emperor to death, but now he sent these two to come, as if he had the intention of making merit as good, and wanted Anluhou Jiangyin Marquis to fight to the death, and get rid of the suspicion on his body, but in fact, the emperor was unavailable, and he was very suspicious, so he only asked them to cooperate with the army, not to take charge of a soldier alone, Geng Bingwen, who really used the soldiers, Among Li Jian and Ning Zhong, Geng Bingwen's son Geng Xuan is the guest of honor of the county lord of Jiangdu, Li Jian is the concubine of the Daimyo Princess, and the Daimyo Princess is the Empress Dowager Lu in person, and there is only one Ning Zhong, who was promoted by Emperor Gao in the past- The commanders appointed by the emperor are all relatives, and the leaders of the army are relatives, but they are not good generals, to be honest, I heard that among these generals, Governor Shengyong has experienced a hundred battles, Gu Chengfu is a barbarian, safe, brave and strategic, and has an outstanding reputation, these people are Emperor Gao's unique vision, and they are pulled out of the ranks and left to the emperor's materials that can be made. ”

Emperor Gao slaughtered many heroes, but he did not kill blindly, he knew that compared with the previous dynasty, the most serious thing was the trouble of Beidi, and even more serious than the danger of the Xiongnu in the Han Dynasty. Because the Mongolian soldiers were strong and strong, they were unwilling to be expelled from the Central Plains, and they wanted to go south at any time, and they had the strength to invade the south. So when he cut off the heroes, he also noticed very much that the people who got up in the army, had a clean background and had gone through the battle formation, and were brave and good at fighting, these people, like Gu Cheng, were originally a person who inherited his grandfather's business to operate a boat, and when Emperor Gao crossed the river, he took a fancy to his strength, and personally selected him as a personal soldier in front of the tent, and he was able to go in and out. Facts have proved that Emperor Gao's vision of looking at people is correct, or in other words, he has a unique style in looking at military generals. Gu Cheng followed Emperor Gao in and out, dozens of battles of all sizes, all of them were meritorious, promoted from 100 households to command the affairs, and then promoted to the governor of the capital, step by step by merit, these people are the generals trained by Emperor Gao, they are all tools for growth, and cultivating them is to replace the vacancies left by the nobles step by step, but the new emperor uses people, not as good as his grandfather, who has the courage and wisdom to know people.

Mrs. Wang nodded again and again, and said, "You said that these people are not good commanders, so who can be in charge alone?"

Zhang Zhaohua muttered: "I'm not saying that Geng Bingwen can't be alone, this person is good at guarding, and judging from the experience he and Zhang Shicheng have spent ten years, he is full of patience and defensive skills, and he should be invincible in defending the city." The court used him, and his practicality was right. If Geng Bingwen strengthens the city, defends forever, and uses up the sharpness and food of our Yan army with a drag, we will use up the vigor and food of our Yan army, and we will be the enemy of the whole country in a corner, and it is most taboo to attack one place for a long time, taking the example of the Seven Kingdoms of the Han Dynasty, the army of the Seven Kingdoms spent many days under the city of King Xiao of Liang, and finally was annihilated by the division of the imperial court, which is a lesson from the past. ”

"Geng Bingwen is old-handed, and he also knows the example of the Seven Kingdoms of the Han Dynasty, and he plans to do so," Zhang Zhaohua said: "It's just that our emperor is not Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, and there are people like Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng who are eager for quick success. It is necessary to take effect immediately, and refuses to slow down a little, then it is also necessary to see the results for the extermination of our Yan army, if Geng Bingwen loses a battle slightly, that is to say, the Northern Expeditionary Army is in the hands of Geng Bingwen, and if it is slightly frustrated, these two people will immediately be unbearable, and they will persuade the emperor to remove Geng Bingwen, a veteran. ”

Zhang Zhaohua heard the information sent by the eyes and ears of the capital that in fact, Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai both had more favorite candidates, but the new emperor seemed to trust his in-laws more and insisted on appointing Geng Bingwen, so Huang Zicheng was unhappy, and he would definitely pay great attention to the war in Beiping.

And Zhang Zhaohua also knew that as early as when the southern army had not yet arrived in Zhending, Geng Bingwen's son Geng Xuan had suggested that elite troops should be sent to take Beiping by surprise and capture the Yan army's lair in one fell swoop - however, this suggestion that was very likely to change the situation of the war was not adopted by Geng Bingwen, which shows that Geng Bingwen's courage is insufficient, although he also has the intention of attrition of the enemy for a long time, but against the king of Yan, he is the one who lacks courage, and he will definitely suffer defeat in the early stage.

In fact, every battle is fought, and the voice of criticism is loud, for example, in the Spring and Autumn Period, Wei Wenhou appointed Le Yangzi to crusade against Zhongshan, and the bamboo silk of the persuasion was packed into several large boxes, but Wei Wenhou did not doubt ignore it, and finally Le Yangzi really won. But the new emperor is a vacillating person without perseverance, he can't help the lobbying of Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai, and it is inevitable to change the generals. When Geng Bingwen was replaced, the new emperor did not have the courage to promote newcomers to be generals, and King Yan could almost be said to be invincible.

"No," Zhang Zhaohua suddenly remembered a person, she couldn't help but look at Princess Xu's face, but she gasped in her heart: "If the eldest son of King Zhongshan, the princess's own brother, Xu Huizu, the Duke of Wei, is appointed as a general, it won't be good!"

The breakup between the princess and the Duke of Wei is no secret in the mansion. This is also the inevitable result of King Yan's army, Xu Huizu has always been loyal to the new emperor, before Gao Chi Gao Xu came back from the Beijing Division, he said that Xu Huizu's uncle, is actually stricter than the imperial court surveillance. If the new emperor appoints Xu Huizu as a general, he will never show mercy when he confronts King Yan, and Princess Xu is caught in it, no matter who she hurts, she can't stand it - and Xu Huizu taught King Xu Da of Zhongshan the Wentao martial arts strategy since he was a child, and Emperor Gao is also very important to him, Zhang Zhaohua remembered that King Yan also mentioned it a few times, saying that he, the brother-in-law, is indeed a person who is good at using soldiers.

Zhang Zhaohua's heart was boiling, but she didn't expect Princess Xu to see her thoughts, and said her doubts lightly: "My eldest brother Huizu has always been loyal. It's a pity that the Lord doesn't believe in his loyalty, but because of nepotism, he has repeatedly suspected that he is communicating with our Yanfu. Now when there is someone available, the court will never appoint the eldest brother, if one day there is no one available, he can barely lead the army, but if he is defeated, the lord will feel that it is so, if he wins, the lord will be more suspicious. Therefore, my eldest brother will never be really appointed, and it is difficult to say that he will be on the front line. So I'm the least burdened, and you don't have to worry about me. ”

Zhang Zhaohua thought that this was indeed the case, and finally put his mind at ease. She grinned: "I heard that the imperial court always compares us with the Seven Kingdoms of the Han Dynasty, and shouts all day long about destroying Yan, but I don't know that in the hands of Emperor Jing, there was Taiwei Tiao Hou Zhou Yafu, Qu Zhou Hou Liji, and generals Luan Bu and Dou Ying, and now in our master's hands, only Geng Bingwen can use it, but it is far from being comparable to an ancient famous general like Zhou Yafu, which is also the achievement of God's father!"

As she spoke, she looked at several officials and wives, and sure enough, she saw that their faces were uncomfortable, because the imperial court saw that most of the officials of the Beiping Bu Political Department had surrendered to the Yan King, so they set up another Pingyan Bu Political Envoy in Zhending, and also submitted a letter to Beiping City, asking these officials to be anyway, and the court was not to blame in the past.

Although these officials were unmoved on the surface, they must have been fluctuating in their minds in private, and Zhang Zhaohua said these words in front of their officials and wives today just to make them weigh up.

"It's enough to have a craftsman bureau to make military uniforms," King Yan came in from the door and said with a smile: "Why do you ladies do it yourself!"

King Yan walked in and stared at Zhang Zhaohua for a while, he had actually stood outside the door for a long time, listening to many words, and he was surprised by the insight of Zhang's daughter-in-law.

King Yan sat on the seat, and all the ladies put down the needles and threads in their hands to come to visit, and King Yan smiled and waved his hand: "Madame has worked hard!

Princess Xu smiled and said: "Doesn't the king hear it: "How can it be said that there is no clothes, and the same robe with the son; how can it be said that there is no clothes? The same clothes as the son! The concubine cannot make robes with the whole army, and can only show the heart and ambition of the officers and men of our army with this needle and thread!"

King Yan said: "This king will use the words of the concubine to spread the words of the three armies to the soldiers of the three armies, so that everyone will die!"

King Yan comforted him here, and when he got up, he glanced at Zhang Zhaohua again, and Zhang Zhaohua stood up and followed King Yan to the side hall.

Before King Yan could speak, Zhang Zhaohua first took off the brocade bag hanging from his waist and presented it to King Yan and said, "This is the military equipment that my brother Zhang Shengjing dedicated to his father. ”

A total of 70,000 taels of silver bills, because of the poor capacity of the treasure banknotes, under Zhang Zhaohua's instructions, Zhang Sheng deliberately exchanged them for gold and silver and stored them in the money shop, and his Qingyuan number had a lot of real money and silver stored by himself, and at the same time exchanged it for silver and exchanged it for silver money from other caravans.

At this time, the money store was small in scale, and only in the big city, there was competition between a few time-honored money stores, but none of them became bigger. Like Kaifeng and Taiyuan, there is no one in Beiping, and there is one in Jinan, Shandong, and because of the front line of the war, Zhang Sheng chose to cooperate with Jinan Daxing money store for the sake of insurance. In his business shop in Jiangnan, he remitted the money and stored it in the Daxing money store, and then he could access it in Shandong. This is the plan that King Yan can capture Shandong as soon as possible.

Under the high-pressure policy of the Hongwu Dynasty, the maintenance and operation of the money store was not very good, and they did not dare to blatantly collect and store silver, but used copper coins as the reserve, and the policy of the Jianwen New Dynasty was relaxed, and the money store slowly circulated silver, but still did not dare to make large bills, and could only make small bills.

In the process of storing and transporting silver money, Zhang Sheng found that the silver ticket in the money store was really difficult to use. After all, it is a piece of paper, and the small ticket is fifty taels a piece, tens of thousands of taels of silver, exchanged for a thick pile of tickets, Zhang Sheng traded more than 10,000 taels at a time, and had to take it to the money store to check the authenticity, the procedures were complicated, and it was necessary to compare them one by one.

Therefore, the bag on Zhang Zhaohua's waist is not actually a silver ticket, but the key to the box where she collects the silver ticket, hundreds of silver tickets, and she specially found a mahogany box to load. Zhang Zhaohua listened to him say that it was inconvenient to use the silver ticket, and suggested that his business name Qingyuan make his own silver money bank, Zhang Sheng also had this idea, Zhang Zhaohua knew that this kind of money shop, are all accumulated, not the accumulation of silver money, but the accumulation of credit of several generations, the time-honored money store has developed to this day, and the credit in the provinces of Daming has been established, such as Daxing money shop, with the drawer's handwriting to prevent counterfeiting, and outsiders look inexplicable secret language passwords, etc., so carefully checked, it seems difficult to forge; Because the characteristics of small-value tickets are massive, they will circulate among the people, so in the long run, Zhang Zhaohua believes that Zhang Sheng should work the inspection and anti-counterfeiting of silver tickets.

As long as there is perfect anti-counterfeiting technology, Zhang Sheng's money store is definitely behind, she said such a thing, Zhang Sheng also listened to her words, but he agreed, but Zhang Zhaohua himself has no bottom, I don't know if Zhang Sheng clearly knows the importance of technology.

King Yan's expression also became complicated: "Your brother, you really have a heart!"

"Although my brother doesn't know how to learn, he also knows that he can't forget the truth of small profits," Zhang Zhaohua said: "Now that the war is getting tighter day by day, he has done his best." ”

Zhang Zhaohua knew that he should be very satisfied when he saw King Yan's expression, after all, there were many businesses in Beiping, but none of them came out to support King Yan, King Yan prevented them from colluding with the southern army, and did not dare to kill them all.

Zhang Zhaohua had mentioned to King Yan before that Zhang Sheng was going north to get out of the fortress, and at this time he said: "Everything is ready, but I am worried that my brother will have turmoil along the way, and I want to ask my father here to send some people over in case of accidents." ”

She was not worried about the injustice on the road, but worried that the Khan Court would now have more drastic changes because of the struggle for dominance, so she hoped that King Yan could draw a team of 100 people here to protect Zhang Sheng's business.

However, King Yan did not agree: "Your second brother does not need to use the guards of the palace, the guards are different from ordinary merchants, and the people of the Khan Court are not fools, you can see clearly, if there are really guards mixed in the caravan, your second brother can be regarded as having no return." ”