Daming Mountain Customs.

On the wall, the non-commissioned soldiers and military academies who used to patrol and stand loosely on the sentry stood up, and stood straight one by one. The guns, cannons, flags, and other things that had been left in the warehouse for a long time were also pushed out and erected on the city wall, and some rusty cannon muzzles were facing the direction outside the gate.

The corners and corners of the barracks and military quarters are also cleaned, and those ** who often go in and out of the barracks on weekdays are also told not to show up these days, and the officers who have not returned have all been recruited back, and the gambling dice and pai gow and other things in the camp have found a place to hide, and those guys who usually like to cause trouble have been warned in advance not to go out to find trouble in these days, and they must always give people the impression of strict discipline.

Shanhaiguan General Military Office.

The atmosphere in the house, which is quite lively on weekdays, has become solemn today, and those who are usually pampered and coquettish, and are accustomed to hanging their children, also seem to have changed a group of people, one by one, dressed neatly and well. Even their masters have changed their majestic and empty-eyed virtues in the past, and they pretend to wear second-grade official uniforms.

All this is just because a big man from Beijing has arrived here today.

A team of brocade robes and embroidered armor guards tightly guarded a cross-courtyard in the General Soldier's Mansion, judging from the inadvertent demeanor of these people, all of them were strictly trained martial arts masters. It is the master of this general military mansion, Jun Song, the chief soldier of Daming Mountain Customs, who was just transferred a month ago, and he cannot enter casually without the notification of these people.

It has become the temporary line of the new Ming Liaodong Economic Strategy.

Juniper had heard a lot about the origin of this new boss, who had fought the Mongol barbarians in Liaodong and the Japanese devils in Korea, and had rich military experience. It's just that although this gentleman has experienced many battle formations, it is a rare victory, especially the Battle of Ulsan in North Korea, attacking a small mountain city with no strategic value, and almost 20,000 people have been put in front and back, and finally withdrawn in embarrassment, which is really not a glorious thing.

But for a veteran like Juniper, these things are not a big deal. Victory and defeat are common things in soldiers, who can only win battles in their lives? Moreover, most of the Jurchens in Jianzhou were so fierce this time, most of the court was determined to eradicate these miscellaneous pieces by force, and most of the Liaodong Jingluo was to lead the army to fight against the Jurchens. It is better to have an experienced commander than to send a layman civilian official who doesn't know anything about commanding.

Besides, looking at the posture of this master today, he is really quite bold and chivalrous. As an envoy who commands the military and political power of one side, he does not have a large army to protect him, and he only takes these dozen or so retinues to go to the post on light horse, and it is really commendable to have such bold courage among civilian officials.

What made him feel even more comfortable was that this master had a very good impression of him, and he had no official pretensions, he opened his mouth and closed his mouth to call him a brother, and he did not have the disgusting sour Confucianism of the civil officials of this dynasty and the bad habit of always looking down on military generals. Juniper has been here for more than a month, and he has long wanted to go straight to Yantou Mountain and fight to the death with the Jianzhou soldiers, but because the food and salary of his subordinates have not been in place, he has not been out of the customs for a long time, for which he has been impeached by the officials and reprimanded by the court more than once, but this master of the economy has been kind and comforting, and he has complained about his grievances, which moved him quite a lot.

Just now, there was a report of the Beacon Fire from the front line, and the Jianzhou Jurchens invaded again, and the scale was estimated to reach tens of thousands. On the north bank of the Hunhe River, Hongwu Laobian and other long castles are in an emergency, and Sancha'er Fort has been lost. Perhaps the goal of the Jurchens this time will be directed at Tieling. He had just personally sent the war report into the line.

However, the look of Lord Jingluo did not seem to be very flustered, which made him have a good impression of this adult by two points. Only when there is no chaos in danger can he have the demeanor of a general. Besides, judging by himself, there will be nothing going on in Tieling......

Inside the room, the candlelight flickered, and the face of the old man sitting at the table flickered with the shaking of light and shadow. The man was in his fifties, with a grim demeanor, well-defined facial lines, and a neatly combed beard. Holding the battle report that had just been sent in his hand, his eyes were like ancient wells and deep pools, deep and deep.

There was a person sitting beside him, wearing a palace robe and brocade robe, with a white face and no beard, quietly waiting for the old man to finish reading the things in his hand.

"Hongwu Lao Bian is in danger......" After reading the battle report, the old man gently closed the battle report and put it on the table, I don't know whether he was talking to himself or to the person standing next to him. He knew in advance about the information about the Jurchens' dispatch of troops; He even knew why the troops were sent and who would lead them. But knowing this, there is nothing to do. The imperial court had no money, which led to the slow progress of the soldiers and horses recruited from the provinces and the arms and armor purchased, and they could only watch the Jianyu burning, killing, and plundering outside the pass.

"My lord, Hongwu Lao Bian is a small matter, and Gao Huai has a big gold matter. If this treasure can be found as military expenses, hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers can be requisitioned out of the customs immediately, and it will naturally be no problem to exterminate the Jianyu at that time. There is no money and no soldiers, even if Jianyu immediately fights under the Shanhai Pass at this time, what can we do? ”

The voice of the speaker was high-pitched, and the voice was actually a eunuch.

"Didn't your Hongyang Sect go out on behalf of the emperor to recover the gold and silver that was privately hidden by Gao Huai? How would you like to get a piece of the pie with me? The old man's tone was not shocked, but there was a faint cold sharpness.

"We are here to work with adults on behalf of Hongyang. The adult's heart of worrying about the country is enough to make us admire. This time through Liaodong, it is the time to show off your strength and prestige in the world. As the saying goes, when the national disaster is at the head, the husband is responsible. Although we Hongyang usually don't ask about mundane things, but in the end we are also the people of the Ming Dynasty, and at this very moment, we naturally have to contribute to the country. ”

"Hmph, under the whole world, it is not the king's land; On the shore of the land, it is not the king's minister. This money belongs to the emperor, and you Hongyang said it as if it was your own. The Son of Heaven is rich in wealth from all over the world, and he collects it and uses it for the people of the world. This money is justified as military spending, and you will talk as if you have made a lot of effort. If you have the ability, how can you not look for it yourself? The old man spoke sarcastically, but there was no expression on his face.

"Hehe, my lord has passed through one side, holds the military power in his hand, and has the sword of Shang Fang given by the emperor. This Liaodong is the land of adults, and there is no help from adults here, depending on how we can eat a few people. Besides, adults and we both want to find Gao Huai's hidden gold, and the ultimate goal is not different, so why not cooperate once? When the adults will suppress the rebellion in the future and enter the cabinet to worship the prime minister, our family will still rely on the support of the adults. ”

The eunuch said humbly and respectfully, and the old man's face still did not change.

He knows a lot about Hongyang, and he also knows a lot about various rumors about Liaodong. In the thirty-eighth year of Wanli, he was the governor of Liaodong after Xiong Tingbi, and he was also responsible for some ulterior secret mission. In fact, the successive governors sent to Liaodong by the Jingshi thirty-six years after Wanli all had the same mission, the difference was that some were dedicated and some were unsatisfied, and they all had their own ghost ideas, including him Yang Hao.

His attitude towards this black money is more ambiguous. Thinking that even if it was handed over to the emperor, it would just be locked in the treasury of the deep palace and let it gradually decay, and it would be more cost-effective to use it in a useful place, and he didn't want to hand over the money from the bottom of his heart. It's just that his tenure is only two years, and although he has not relaxed his investigation during this period, he has never gotten the essentials.

Now that he has passed through Liaodong, it will be his world on the ground of Liaodong, and it is a good opportunity for him to act. And for these Hongyang Sect guys, he has always maintained a cautious attitude.

He knew that it was because of Hongyang's high Huai that Liaodong was greatly injured and brought to the current uncontrollable situation, and he also knew what kind of background the mining tax eunuchs sent to various places in Wanli Nian were.

But at this time, as the governor of Liaodong, his primary consideration was the situation in Liaodong, and he knew that it was impossible to deal with these barbarian tribes and reason with them, and the only language they could understand was force. Now he must have enough soldiers and horses in his hands to control the overall situation, and if he wants soldiers and horses, he must first have money, which is his biggest headache. Whoever can find him money now is his friend.

"Don't say anything superfluous, since you want to cooperate with me, you must satisfy me. Don't think I don't know about the little actions you are secretly doing, may I ask the Prison Guard, what about your father-in-law surnamed Li? Where did it go? ”

"Hehe, these little things naturally can't be hidden from the eyes of adults. Adults are noble bodies, and they cannot easily wade into danger. Our subordinate Li Gonggong volunteered to be a pawn for the adults and went to Puhe City to explore the truth. I also asked the lord to pass down the order, and ask the local garrison officials to cooperate with one or two, so as to facilitate the actions of Gonggong Li. ”

"Hmph, I just don't give orders, I'm afraid you have been prepared for a long time. The prison army sent by the dignified Son of Heaven, which official dares not to obey the tribe. Since Gonggong Li dared to go, it must have been arranged for the people to respond. didn't even say hello, could it be that he wanted to swallow it alone? ”

"Don't misunderstand, adults, the masters around you are like clouds, and there are only a few people in our family, what can we hide from you. It's just that Hongyang Baiyang is also a White Lotus sect, so let's go to explore the truth and reality first to see if it's the right idea, and it's also just right. Otherwise, if it weren't for the person we were looking for, it would be small for us to work hard, and it would not be beautiful to even the subordinates of the adults to run for nothing. ”

The eunuch was respectful on the surface, but secretly stabbed the old man lightly, and secretly pointed out that they already knew that the old man was sending someone to follow them. But the old man's expression was like dead wood, and he didn't seem to be affected at all, but said lightly: "It's just each other, since the Lord of the Overseer has this heart, Ben Shuai is here to thank you in advance." If there is nothing to do, please go back to the prison lord, Ben Shuai is slightly tired and wants to rest for a while. ”

The eunuch was dismissed, and the old man did not rest, but sat at the table without moving. The flickering light flickered his figure, as if something had come alive from the dark shadows on the wall.

"Do you really believe this man's words?" A black shadow appeared in the shadows, wrapped in darkness, floating eerily in the air like a puff of black smoke.

"Hmph, working with them is temporary. I'm not going to bet on them. The ghost tiger is already in Puhe. You should also go and act on the opportunity. ”

"Yes." The shadow agreed, and gradually transformed into a puff of black smoke, dissolving into the shadows......