"The scenery of the northern country, thousands of miles of ice, thousands of miles of snow. Looking inside and outside the Great Wall, only reckless; Up and down the river, suddenly lost and surging. Mountain dance silver snake, the original Chi wax elephant, want to be higher than the heavenly public test. It must be a sunny day, and look at the red dress, which is extraordinarily enchanting. Looking at the scene in front of him, Zhang Fan unconsciously read out the chairman's famous sentence, although he felt that there was a suspicion of plagiarism, but this sentence was really beautiful, and people had to be convinced. But just as he was about to read the following verse, he suddenly stopped. Wang Xilie, the waiter of the Ministry of Rites who walked side by side with Zhang Fan beside him, was not an illiterate lord, and the following poems were too domineering, and he would lose his head when he read it.

When Wang Xilie heard Zhang Fannian's words, he couldn't help but applaud: "Tongzhi is worthy of being the second person who can connect the three yuan in the Ming Dynasty, and this poem is magnificent, which is beyond the ability of ordinary people." Listen to this is Qin Yuanchun's word card, why is there only Qianyun? ”

Zhang Fan was a little embarrassed, and said with a smile: "I feel it, but Hou Yun has not yet landed." ”

"It's a pity, if it is achieved overnight, it will be a swan song for eternity!" Wang Xilie sighed.

"The swan song of the ages is certain, and in that case, I will be affirmed by the nine clans." Zhang Fan thought in his heart, no matter how much Long Qing and Zhu Yijun like themselves, the authority of the royal family will never let people loosen.

Two days ago, on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the team going north had been assembled, including not only the officials of the Ministry of Rites, but also a caravan of more than 1,000 people, all of whom were authorized by the imperial court to follow to show friendship. The envoy of Alda saw that so many caravans were going together, and they were carrying a lot of valuable goods, and they were too late to be happy, how could they not agree. It's just that he doesn't know that there are only five or six hundred people who are really doing business, and the others are all pretending to be people from Dongchang and Jinyiwei, and they want to find out the news, and some of them will stay there.

When more than 1,000 people passed Datong, Qi Jiguang had already sent people to wait. Wang Xilie and Zhang Fan exchanged pleasantries with him, and without staying long, Qi Jiguang sent a thousand men and horses to escort them safely, and then they went out.

The imperial court proposed a thousand guards, and when discussing the mutual market in the past, the Tatar envoys tried their best not to allow it, but this time, looking at the appearance of the envoys, not only did they not object, but it seemed that there were some blames for the lack of people from the Ming Dynasty. The Manchu Dynasty was civil and military, and the one who could come to the early dynasty was not a human spirit, how could he not see it. It's just that some people have a little shallow vision and don't think deeply, but the people in the cabinet guessed that I was in trouble. So everyone tried their best to play, saying that it was not appropriate to send too many troops to guard, and a thousand people were enough. They are Tatars who are afraid that someone will use Mingjun to make trouble, so as not to make any more waves. Long Qing also understood the meaning of this, so he naturally agreed.

The Tatar envoys were a little disappointed when they saw that their ideas had failed, but they only blamed themselves for being anxious and showing their feet. Long Qing issued an order to Qi Jiguang, asking him to select thousands of people to go together, even if he didn't participate in this matter, he had to protect him, and don't put his own people in.

Exit from Datong and enter the Hetao. Zhang Fan, who came back from his hometown, was really a little embarrassed, thinking that he almost left his life here, he couldn't help but feel related.

"Lord Zhang, Lord Zhang!" Wang Xilie's voice pulled Zhang Fan back from his memories.

"Lord Wang is polite, but what's the matter?" Zhang Fan said.

"Lord Zhang, this time you are on an envoy, Your Majesty asked you to be my deputy." Wang Xilie looked at the Tatar envoy in the distance, made sure that he couldn't hear the voices of the two of them, and said, "I can guess your identity and what you want to do here." As His Majesty's personal guard, Jinyiwei is very careful, but this Dongchang ......"

"Lord Wang, please rest assured." Zhang Fan only said what he was worried about, and said, "When he came, Feng Gong Bus had passed on his behalf, and the factory guards of the East Factory would not make a big move, after all, Tatar did not have to be domestic, and they would not be presumptuous." What's more, Gonggong Feng gave me the order of the East Factory, they will definitely be obedient and will not cause trouble. ”

"That's good." Although Wang Xilie was still a little worried in his heart, Zhang Fan could only answer this when he said this. Thinking that this trip might put him in danger because of the people in Dongchang, Wang Xilie was a little envious of his boss Zhang Juzheng and Yin Shidan, the right attendant of the Ministry of Rites. The former is the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, and this matter should have been taken care of by Zhang Juzheng, but who called someone is Zaifu, and the important thing is to be in charge; The latter is the right waiter, although it is the same grade as his left waiter, but it is a few points lower. In this way, the matter of the mission naturally fell to him.

Wang Xilie felt sorry for himself there, and Zhang Fan didn't know what he thought. Looking at the silver sky, thinking of myself now, the kinship in my heart suddenly disappeared, and my mood improved again. It's just that this good mood was interrupted before it lasted for a stick of incense.

"My lord, the Tatar envoy has come." Wang Meng reminded on the side. This not very ambitious brocade household has now become Zhang Fan's full-time guard, and he is always around Zhang Fan.

Zhang Fan listened to his words and looked forward, the envoy was indeed riding a horse and walking this way. The man came to Wang Xilie's side and looked at Zhang Fan with strange eyes. He knew that Zhang Fan was from the third grade, lower than Wang Xilie, but he saw that Wang Xilie was talking to him with a trace of fear, so he looked at Zhang Fan more. The envoy said to Wang Xilie, "Lord Wang, at the current speed, we will enter our grassland in two days. If it weren't for the fact that this person was not very strong and had hair on his body, others would still think that he was a common person in the Central Plains.

"This time the envoy is tired and expensive." Wang Xilie didn't want to talk more to this envoy, and he was in an official tone. At least he didn't think the messenger would say anything important to him.

"Who is this lord?" The envoy looked at Zhang Fan and asked with his fists clenched.

"My name is Zhang Fan, and I am the new host and guest of the Ministry of Rites, and this time I will go to your country as the deputy envoy of Lord Shilang." Zhang Fan replied with a smile, and there was no pretentiousness in his words.

The envoy observed Zhang Fan very carefully when he spoke, and he couldn't see any flaws, and he believed in Zhang Fan's words seven or eight points in his heart. secretly guessed that Zhang Fan became an official of the fifth grade at such a young age, and after what kind of official eunuch and magnate Wang Xilie would treat him politely. But he went around himself into the alley.

"Have you ever been here before?" The envoy then asked.

"I haven't been here, the official's hometown is in Yangzhou, where have I ever come to this place. It's very cold here, and when I first came here, I wasn't used to it. Zhang Fan said half-truthfully. Knowing that the Tartars who had been here were basically dead, the people of the court would not chew their tongues with the Tartars.

When the envoy saw him say this, he added a little more belief, and when he saw that Zhang Fan no longer cared about himself, he stepped aside, although he still had some doubts in his heart, but he didn't say it.

Wang Xilie listened to Zhang Fan's nonsense on the side, a little funny, but also a little admired. He didn't admire Zhang Fan for lying, his face was not red and he didn't panting, but he admired Jinyiwei, Zhang Fan had only been in for more than a month, and such a champion who was familiar with the sages was so good at it! How did he know that Zhang Fan in his previous life was looking for a job and applying for a job, in order to show that he was very experienced, he didn't tell any lies, so he naturally knew it.

On the way, whether it was camping or stopping to rest, Zhang Fan was with the travel officials of the Ministry of Rites, only Wang Meng, a seemingly brave person, followed him, but he never talked to others. The factory guards who were mixed in the caravan would not take the initiative to come to Zhang Fan, and they showed their feet. In this way, the Tatar envoys were even more sure that Zhang Fanzhi climbed to this position by virtue of the relationship of some big official in the Ming Dynasty. It's just that he didn't know that Zhang Fan did rely on relationships, but he relied on the two most powerful people in the royal family, and the position he climbed to was much bigger than he knew.

Due to the presence of more than 1,000 caravans, and the snow on the road, although there was no new snow, the caravan walked very slowly, and it took three days to get out of the loop, which took a whole day longer than planned. The team walked westward under the leadership of the great ambassador, and as soon as it came out of the loop, it did not pierce the mountain. Then go northwest and arrive at the shore of Juyan, which is the destination of this trip.

It was colder, but the road was much easier, and the speed of the procession was much faster.

"Do you know where this is?" Wang Xilie asked.

Zhang Fan looked at the surrounding mountains and said, "This is not a mountain, how can the lower officials not know!" ”

"Oh? Master Zhang also knows the story here? Wang Xilie asked.

"It was natural." Zhang Fan said, "Mao Yuncheng back then, during the Xuantong period, he did not pierce the mountain in eight years, went out of Huan Mountain in nine years, and conquered Montenegro Kou in ten years, all captured his chieftain, how fierce he was!" But he was framed by the villain and sent to Fujian, but he still did not forget to serve the country, and he repeatedly killed the enemy. Yingzong was reinstated, but he was promoted to the governor of Tongzhi, and the left deputy general army guarded Gansu. Tianshun Zhongguan to the left governor, subdued Qiangbo. Chenghua for four years, crusading against the four, lost and died. The first emperor gave him a marquis, and he was brave and brave. ”

Wang Xilie listened to Zhang Fan's account and said with a smile: "Master Zhang is very clear. ”

Zhang Fan returned: "There was a period of time when the lower officials were very yearning for soldiers, but they were not in good health, so they gave up. ”

Wang Xilie sighed and said, "Master Hou was born in the west, and he is not my Han Chinese, but he can repay his life for the Ming Dynasty." Nowadays, only a few such people can be found. Like Li Chengliang in the northeast, although he is a North Korean, he is also dedicated to serving my Ming Dynasty. On the other hand, there are many Han generals who have the title of famous generals, and it is really sad that Erer can really take the lead! ”

Zhang Fan listened to his words, and he was also full of thoughts, but said: "My lord doesn't have to lament, my Ming martial artist is not reused. And if the imperial court wants to secure the outside and the inside, it can't rely only on force, and the rule of culture should come first. ”

How could Wang Xilie not understand Zhang Fan's words, but listening to it made him even more sad, and said: "Lord Zhang's words are good, but now they are over!" Wang Xilie didn't finish his words, the court has been like this for a hundred years, and now it is not only so difficult to correct it, it is simply a flash in the pan.

Zhang Fan didn't answer, but secretly thought to himself: "There will definitely be a turnaround, at least I won't let the teacher's hard work be in vain as in history." ”

The terrain of the mountain is not very undulating, and the road led by the Tatar envoys is very easy to walk, and it is out of the mountains in less than two days.

"That's Juyanhai." The envoy pointed to the white expanse in the distance and said, "If it's summer, you can see it here." It's really frozen thick now. ”

With the goal in sight, everyone unconsciously automatically sped up their speed and walked straight for most of the day before they came to a frozen river. It is said that Juyanhai is just an inland river, standing by the river, Zhang Fan can vaguely see the epitome of the city wall in the distance. The Tatar envoys told the crowd that it was Yijinai.

Everyone continued to hurry, and Zhang Fan also instructed Wang Meng to inform a few thousand households and factory guards in the caravan, and his own mission was about to begin.