On the night of Hanyang in September, the outdoors suddenly feels a little cool when the cool breeze rises. However, this is also a good time for the two classes of nobles to sing and dance.

However, Wu Sangui, who came to Hanyang from China thousands of miles away, really looked down on these two classes of Korean nobles in front of him. These North Korean officials, who look like upright men and gentlemen during the day, are now holding the prostitutes invited from the Qinglou around them at private banquets and not letting go, even the North Korean prostitutes around them can be their granddaughters, and these officials who have gray beards also put their hands into the women's arms and rubbed them without scruples.

Wu Sangui, who grew up under the care of his uncle Zu Dashou, although he was only twenty-one years old, had already tasted the things of Fengyue, and he was not taboo about the women of the Qinglou. But it was the first time he had encountered a North Korean official like this when he saw such a tasteless woman. After all, these are also high-ranking officials in North Korea, and the host of the banquet is also Kim Jin, a close confidant of the king of Korea, and these officials have no scruples.

At this time, he remembered that Chongzhen, who rectified the discipline of officials, came, and he now knew why Chongzhen was so unwelcome, those celebrities who fooled around in the Fengyue field all day long and regarded the obscene as a merry. Looking at a fifteen or sixteen-year-old prostitute diagonally opposite, who was caught by the two shifts next to him, but he had to force a smile, Wu Sangui finally couldn't help but stand up.

Shen Qiyuan, who was sitting beside him, hurriedly grabbed him and said, "Uncle, where are you going?" ”

Wu Sangui, who was halfway up, saw that the main family Jin Jin also turned his gaze, and the corners of his mouth twitched and said, "I'm in a little anxious, it's convenient to go out." ”

When Jin Jin heard this, he smiled and said: "General Wu, please wait a minute, I'll find someone to guide the way for you, this black and sloppy, I don't dare to let you slip..."

Wu Sangui could only smile when he heard this, Hanyang Fortress was built on the mountain, there are North Han Mountain and North Ak Mountain in the north of the city, Naksan Mountain and Yongma Mountain in the east of the city, Inwang Mountain in the west of the city, Namsan Mountain and Gwanak Mountain south of the Han River in the south of the city, the Han River surrounds the south of the city from east to west, and the hills in the city are all over the place, only there is a large plain in the southwest outside the city.

As a close confidant of the Joseon king, Kim Jin's family mansion simply surrounded a hill in their backyard. More than 20 buildings were built around the hill, trees were planted on the top of the hill and two T-shaped pavilions were built that could accommodate dozens of people.

It can be used as a banquet for guests, watching singing and dancing. You can also hold a literary meeting during the day, enjoy the scenery inside Seoul, and chant poetry. Of course, you can't see the view of Changdeokgung Palace in the north. In such an elegant place, it is natural that the thatched toilet cannot be built to spoil the interest of the guests, so Wu Sangui has to walk a distance if he wants to be convenient.

Under the leadership of a domestic servant, Wu Sangui soon walked to the other end of the convenient place. Before Wu Sangui entered the latrine, he suddenly ordered the servant on the side: "Put the lamp here, you can go back." I know the way, and I'll go back in a moment. ”

The servant hesitated, remembering that his master was very respectful to the Ming general, and finally did not dare to disobey and agreed, put the lantern on the tree on the side, turned around and left.

Wu Sangui came out of the latrine, scooped up a scoop of water from the water tank on the side, cleaned his hands, looked at the way he looked, and finally did not want to go back so quickly, and continued to socialize with those boring North Korean officials. He picked up the lantern and turned and walked in the other direction.

After turning a corner and walking dozens of steps, the path under his feet finally turned out of the woods, and looking at the sudden light in front of him, Wu Sangui realized that he seemed to have walked out of the woods. In the bright moonlight, seeing that there was a small pavilion not far in front of him, Wu Sangui walked over with a rein.

After entering the small pavilion, Wu Sangui looked at the scenery in the northeast of Hanyang City, and found that standing here he could not only see the courtyards of nearby people, but also vaguely see the silhouette of the gate of Changdeokgung Palace outside the north side.

Standing in the pavilion and looking at the silhouette of the mountains further north, Wu Sangui couldn't help but be a little distracted. Since the emperor began to reorganize the army, his father was the most knowledgeable about the times, and he handed over the military power in the morning, and was finally only arranged to be a local magistrate on Jeju Island.

As for the uncle's family, who is the backbone of the Jiangmen in Liaoxi, there are always so many people who are unwilling to lose their special status in Liaoxi, which leads to the emperor's heavy hand. The army should be split, the clansmen should be transferred, and those who should be exiled were exiled, and even the uncle was transferred to the capital by the emperor and refrigerated.

Fortunately, my uncle has always been obedient and obedient, and he was not as impulsive as those cousins and cousins who didn't know anything, and ran to hook up with Houjin, which survived the most difficult period.

After the General Staff and Jinyiwei purged the Liaoxi armies, the emperor finally remembered his uncle. Although the former Liaoxi Jiangmen forces have collapsed, as long as they can be reactivated by the emperor, they can always start over.

It's just that the first task given by the emperor is a bit tricky, so his uncle took six battalions of men and horses to accompany the Korean envoy Shen Jiyuan back to Korea, control the garrison and ships of Ganghwa Island, and assist Shen Qiyuan to transfer the Joseon king and Wang Shizi to Ganghwa Island if necessary, and then transfer to Jeju Island if things are wrong.

If he hadn't missed this opportunity, there might not have been a next time, and my uncle would definitely not have taken such a big risk to come to North Korea to fight hard. Of course, this is a good opportunity for Wu Sangui. After Liaoxi Jiangmen was suppressed by His Majesty, Wu Sangui knew that the Jiangmen background behind him would not only not be a help, but would become the reason for the emperor's suspicion.

Therefore, he entered the Army Military Academy to study and wait honestly, and did not make any complaints. This time he was able to come to Korea with his uncle, but he really hoped that he could make some merits to change His Majesty's perception of the children of the generals of Liaoxi.

However, Wu Sangui, who came with great interest, was frightened by the decadent greed and incompetence of these two classes of Korean nobles. Influenced by his father and uncle, he once thought that the Ming civil officials were already the most greedy and incompetent officials, and in addition to the army's logistics and rewards, he read two books of Sun Tzu's Art of War and thought about commanding the army in battle. The result was either in vain, or it sent the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty to the mouth of the enemy. The officers and men of the army have built up some merit a little, and they have come to grab merit again.

This impression in his mind was finally shattered by the performance of these North Korean officials, the Ming civil officials would always come up with a reason for being greedy for ink materials, but these North Korean officials didn't even think of a reason, so they moved the treasury of military supplies. Fortunately, they came early, and if they arrived on Ganghwa Island after Houjin invaded North Korea, they would definitely be killed by these North Korean officials.

Ancestor Daeju successively arrested 29 officials who were in charge of the material warehouses on Ganghwa Island, and only then did he force these North Korean officials to spit out some supplies and belongings, and began to transfer supplies from Jeolla Province to Ganghwa Island.

But then, his uncle wanted him to take two battalions of men and horses to accompany Shen Qiyuan to Hanyang, but he was opposed by North Korean officials. Although they brought the news that Houjin might invade. However, North Korean officials believed that North Korea was capable of defending Hanyang, and that the Ming army should go north and join Donggang Town to resist the Later Jin invasion of Korea, rather than send troops into Hanyang and disturb the hearts and minds of the people of Hanyang.

Shen Qiyuan came forward to show the emperor's will, indicating that this army was used to protect the king of Joseon, not to resist the invasion of the Later Jin on behalf of Joseon. Hanyang's side reluctantly agreed, Shen Qiyuan could bring a battalion to Hanyang. Kezu Dashou went out with a small battalion this time, and the number of people in a battalion was between 250-300. There are two battalions of men and horses who can still support each other in the retreat, and if this battalion wants to defend the king of Joseon, I am afraid that it will be a little hanging.

However, Shen Qiyuan persuaded Zu Dashou to agree, he said that he had many friends in Hanyang City, and if the Ming army could provide weapons, he would be able to make up 6 or 7 hundred volunteers, and then he would also obey the command of the Ming army. Zu Dashou was reluctant to let Wu Sangui take a battalion of cavalry and go to Hanyang with Shen Qiyuan.

After this delay, Wu Sangui, who arrived at Ganghwa Island on August 27, did not enter Hanyang until September 12. Although Hanyang City is already a great Xiongcheng in North Korea, it is really simple in the eyes of Wu Sangui, not to mention Jinzhou City, it is not even a small county town in Daming Pass.

Of course, building a city in such a basin surrounded by mountains is a huge drawback. If the hills around the city are lost, the enemy will have a clear idea of what is going on inside the city. If a few more cannons are placed to attack the city*, it will be difficult to hold Hanyang City.

Although the previous generations of Joseon kings built the Great Wall for dozens of miles on the high mountains in the north, Wu Sangui found that there was no smell of imminent war in Hanyang City. After he asked Shen Qiyuan, he learned that Yin Jin of Hanyang Mansion played the king of Joseon from his own point: "... In order not to panic the people of Hanyang, before getting the definite news of the invasion of the Hulu, first, do not spread the news that the Hulu is about to invade, and second, do not mobilize men and horses to guard Hanyang..."

Wu Sangui asked Shen Qiyuan very strangely at that time: "Isn't the news we sent true enough?" If we have to wait for Houjin soldiers and horses to enter Korea before they start preparing for battle, then what is the value of the news we sent? ”

Shen Qi's distant face was red, and he couldn't answer. And a day later, Wu Sangui got another piece of news that this Hanyang Mansion Yin was actually recommended as the marshal of the capital and went to the northern border to organize a defensive front. Wu Sangui felt that these North Koreans were simply taking national affairs as a child's play.

"You, who are you? How are you standing here? The frightened female voice behind her finally woke up Wu Sangui. Only then did he remember that he was still in the backyard of someone else's house.

With the Korean dialect learned from Shen Qiyuan, Wu Sangui understood the questioning voice of the woman behind him, he turned around and saw the three women standing behind him, and couldn't help but arch his hand and said: "It's Wu Sangui, a Ming man, who was invited to the house as a guest, and wanted to come out to exude the smell of wine, but I didn't expect to get lost..."

After listening to Wu Sangui's explanation, a petite girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old asked the maid next to her to take Wu Sangui back to the pavilion in front.

After Wu Sangui thanked him, he left with the maidservant, and when he passed by the girl, Wu Sangui saw her appearance clearly, although there was still some childishness on her face, but she was a rare beauty. The maidservant led him to the place where he saw the gazebo, and then he was about to turn and leave.

Wu Sangui couldn't help but stop her and asked, "This sister, who is that young lady from Master Jin just now?" ”

The maid looked up at the heroic Wu Sangui, and replied in a low voice with a red face: "Miss is the youngest daughter of Lord Jin Jin, and she is also the most loved by adults, so adults should go back quickly, and the slave and maid see that someone seems to have come to find adults." ”

After the servant girl finished speaking, she saluted Wu Sangui again and said goodbye, and Wu Sangui hesitated for a moment before meeting the servants who had come to find him.