Those who gathered in the Wuying Hall this time were all veterans and important ministers who were deeply trusted by the Son of Heaven in the court, such as the three scholars of the cabinet, and several six main halls led by Hu Hu, the secretary of the ministry, and several powerful lords headed by Zhang Fu.

However, they didn't talk about anything serious today, but more just said some auspicious words and some interesting anecdotes inside and outside the capital. Today is the emperor's birthday, so don't bother him with those things that cause headaches and headaches, and let him relax and be happy.

Therefore, at this moment, the palace is indeed harmonious, and the faces of the monarchs and ministers are all smiling. Even if a eunuch outside suddenly interrupted their conversation, Zhu Qizhen didn't mean to be angry when he said such a strange thing, and even replied with interest: "There is such a thing?" This Lu Qing has some ideas. ”

Wang Zhen, who had been standing by the side with a smile, frowned when he heard this, and stared at the little eunuchs outside the hall with some unhappiness. These few eyeless things will actually help Lu Zhen to do things, don't they know the relationship between themselves and that person? It's just that now that the Son of Heaven already knows, he can't stop and intervene anymore, so he can only see what kind of medicine Lu Jin's gourd is selling.

However, there are still smart people here, and Shi Pu, the secretary of the Ministry of Works, hurriedly smiled after seeing Wang Zhen's face: "Your Majesty, why bother to see the congratulatory gift of a minister?" It's just that the young man doesn't know the height of the sky and the earth is grandstanding, and he should be reprimanded by Shenge. ”

His words are not wrong, if the officials who sent congratulatory gifts today follow Lu Jin's approach, I am afraid that the Son of Heaven will not be able to cope with the Manchu officials without eating or drinking on this day. Strictly speaking, Lu Jin's approach is indeed a bit presumptuous and even arrogant.

Originally, the Son of Heaven was quite interested, and he planned to let people bring things in to see what was going on, but when he heard this, he was a little hesitant. Fortunately, at this time, Hu Hu also opened his mouth: "Although Lord Shi's words have some truth, after all, this is Lu Jin's heart, maybe this is indeed a rare gift?" ”

"How is this possible? If he can really give a generous gift, the official feels that the Metropolitan Procuratorate should investigate this Lu Wailang well. Shi Pu didn't give in, and replied with such a sentence, and the meaning of his words was indeed a little mean.

"Lord Shi's words are wrong. The thickness of the gift is not in its true value, and the official can guarantee that His Majesty will be interested in this congratulatory gift. At this time, Kuang Yu, the secretary of the military department, also began to support Lu Jin.

This is the advantage of being a backer in the DPRK. If there were another official, there would be no chance in this case. But under the protection of these two important ministers, the emperor naturally became more and more interested in this, and immediately nodded: "That's right, and bring it in and let me see what kind of congratulatory gift it is." ”

The Son of Heaven made this will, and Shi Pu and the others were no longer able to obstruct it, so they retreated one after another. Afterwards, several little eunuchs laboriously carried the sand table covered with red silk cloth into the hall.

Seeing that it was such a huge thing, Zhu Qizhen was even more curious: "Open it and let me see it clearly." ”

After a eunuch agreed, he reached out and tore off the low-hanging red silk cloth, revealing the overall appearance of the sand table. At this look, from the Son of Heaven down, everyone was stunned, and then a burst of admiration or exclamation quickly came out of their mouths.

The emperor didn't care about any courtesy, so he stood up directly from the throne, and walked to the sand table in a few steps to look at it carefully: "This is ...... Where is the topographic map? For a while, he couldn't say what it was, so he could only say it in general terms.

But even if you don't know what it's called, you can still make the Son of Heaven see the subtlety of the sand table. Because in this tabletop-sized sand table, there are mountains and rivers, cities and passes, and even the Great Wall are among them, which makes people feel like they are standing in the clouds and looking down on the whole area.

And the British Gong Zhang Fu, who was originally half-closed and didn't seem to have much energy, had completely changed his appearance at this time, and glanced at the sand table with a surprised face, and then his face showed joy and appreciation. After just a few glances, he had quickly made a judgment, and what was outlined on this map was the specific terrain and layout of the important towns on the nine sides of the Ming Dynasty.

From the eyes of an old general, he can assert that this object is much more detailed and intuitive than an ordinary map. Just standing in front of the sand table, you can easily point out the rivers and mountains, and have a full view of all the nearby mountains and rivers, so as to make the most appropriate arrangements and arrangements when facing the enemy.

Even Shi Shangshu, who wanted to find fault, also widened his eyes and mouth wide at this time, his face was full of surprise and he didn't know what to say. As for Wang Zhen, his face sank, knowing that this time Lu Zhen was going to make a meritorious contribution again.

At this time, Kuang Yu spoke again: "Your Majesty, the previous imperial court asked the staff to redraw the defense map of the northern land, which was created by Lu Jin's painstaking efforts during this period, called the sand table. The castles and mountains above are all specially built by craftsmen according to the relevant documents, and they are not much different from the field. ”

"Oh?" The Son of Heaven was even more overjoyed when he heard this, and after saying a few good words, he circled around the sand table again, and then nodded again and again. He had seen clearly that the cities on the sand table were made of wood, the Great Wall was made of small stones, and the high and low mountains were piled up little by little with earth. The realism of the effect is truly breathtaking.

He, a layman, may only be able to see this, but for everyone like Zhang Fu in the art of war, he can see more things from this sand table. The somewhat excited old general finally changed his usual silence, and said after admiring again and again: "Your Majesty, this sand table is indeed a sharp weapon in the army, and it is much easier to use than the map used today." In the minister's opinion, this sand table is so fine that it is simply ingenious...... The distance between these cities is actually quite regular, and the proportion between it and reality is not too different. ”

This is where Lu Jin's hard work lies. Of course, the sand table can't reflect any contour lines, so he uses the scale to use it. According to the distance recorded by the official, he forcibly shrunk all the northern cities into this sand table in a ratio of one inch to ten miles.

Zhang Fu's words continued, and his voice even trembled a little because of excitement: "As long as you follow this sand table and use troops, even if you are thousands of miles away, you can accurately grasp the exact movements of the enemy's army, and truly anticipate the enemy's opportunities and strategize to win a decisive victory!" ”

Hearing that Zhang Fudu, who has always been steady, praised him so much, the Son of Heaven was even more overjoyed: "Good! Lu Qing's congratulatory gift this time is indeed much heavier than all other congratulatory gifts, and I am very relieved, and I should reward it well. ”

Seeing the excited appearance of the Son of Heaven, Wang Zhen and their hearts were even more uncomfortable. But at this time, they will not come out to annoy people, so they can only remain silent one by one. And Kuang Yu seized the opportunity again and said: "Your Majesty, as far as Lu Zhen said, this sand table has some other uses, and he wants to explain it in front of His Majesty, but I don't know ...... Your Majesty."

"Yes, quickly announce Lu Qing into the palace, I really want to hear what he has to say." Zhu Qizhen nodded hurriedly and commanded.

As these words came out, the little eunuchs outside were completely relieved. Immediately, after someone said yes, he turned around and ran out, obviously to spread the word to announce Lu Jin's entry into the palace.

After a long time, Lu Jin walked into the solemn palace under the envious and jealous eyes of his colleagues outside the palace gate, and under the leadership of people, he came to the front of the Wuying Palace.

After hearing Lu Jin's return from waiting for the summons outside, the Son of Heaven hurriedly responded: "Lu Qing, come in and talk quickly." During this period of time, the Son of Heaven looked around the sand table a few more times, and the more he looked at it, the more happy he felt, and naturally he appreciated Lu Zhen even more.

After entering the hall, Lu Zhen saluted in a regular manner, congratulated the Son of Heaven, and then got up.

"Lu Qing, listening to what Kuang Qing said, this sand table has another wonderful use, what are you doing here?" After the Son of Heaven asked him to get up, he hurriedly asked.

Lu Zhen naturally didn't dare to sell anything in front of the Son of Heaven, so he immediately stepped forward and pointed to the most eye-catching cities in the sand table and said: "Your Majesty should have seen that what this sand table is built is the important cities in the northern Xinjiang of the Ming Dynasty and the related geographical conditions. As he spoke, he pointed to one place with his hand and said: "This is Datong, here is Xuanfu, and here is Jizhou......" With his guidance, the Son of Heaven's understanding of the entire sand table became more profound, and while nodding frequently, it was a burst of admiration.

"From the point of view of the British Princess, the distance between the cities on your sand table is also according to reality?" Zhu Qizhen asked with some curiosity.

Lu Zhen nodded: "The British Duke is indeed good at using soldiers, and he can understand Weichen's trick at a glance." In fact, this is where the sand table is more detailed than the general map. In fact, it is a general map, and it is not impossible to achieve such a detailed map, as long as you put a little more thought. ”

"Hmm......" The Son of Heaven looked thoughtful again when he heard this.

Lu Zhen only clicked, and then continued: "In addition, this sand table has a place that is far superior to the map, that is, it can change and record the troop layout of the cities at any time, and even the repair and destruction of those fortresses on the periphery!" ”

"Huh?" When the Son of Heaven heard this, he was stunned. But Zhang Fu quickly understood, and his eyes showed surprise again. Just now, he patronized and dealt with the northern geography and everything on this sand table in his memory, but he didn't think about it. Now after Lu Jin's reminder, he understands that knowing this can tell the real beauty of the sand table!