Time flies quickly, and it has been the fourteenth year of Chongzhen in a flash. In recent years, in addition to the increasing number of displaced people who have brought about public security problems, the area around Wuchang Mansion has been really smooth.

Zhu Hongsan also experienced a comfortable time that he had not seen for a long time, and he had nothing to do to supervise military training and grasp industrial production. If you have time, you can also go to Ma Mingyuan to chat and drink.

Although life is very good, Zhu Hongsan knows that this kind of good life is getting fewer and fewer. In the first month, Li Zicheng finally broke through Luoyang. This one of the most fortified cities in the world only lasted for a month. After the city was broken, the big fat man Fu Wang Zhu Changxun and the deer he raised were turned into a pot of Fu Lu soup. What an auspicious name.

If Luoyang's defeat was an accident, the fall of Xiangyang in February was really a slap in Chongzhen's face. Xiangyang, a fortified city that had persisted in the Southern Song Dynasty for six years, was broken by Zhang Xianzhong in one day. Zhu Yiming, the king of Xiang, was also killed. And Yang Sichang, the last handsome man in the Ming Dynasty, was afraid of the emperor's punishment and committed suicide. Since then, there has been no hope for the Ming Dynasty.

And the scholars have also discovered that the Ming Dynasty should be gone, and there are unambitious intellectuals in the north who have begun to surrender to Li Zicheng. Dreaming of being a dragon hero. However, Li Zicheng's idiotic slogan "When the king comes, he will not pay for food" has greatly dealt a blow to the landlord ruling class, so not many of these real elites have surrendered to Li Zicheng.

Zhu Hongsan remembered that he had reached Wuchang not long after the fall of Xiangyang, but now Zhang Xianzhong did not go down the river, but entered Henan from the new. I don't know if I'm misremembering or if history has changed.

Ma Mingyuan also saw that the Ming Dynasty should be running out of time. Basically, I will come to Zhu Hongsan once in a few days and ask him how he is preparing.

Zhu Hongsan has now ordered Ma Youfu to stop exporting weapons to the Liukou. Now the factory is fully engaged in the production of gunpowder, but due to the quantity of saltpeter, it can only produce 1,000 grenades a month and more than 10,000 a year. This is not enough for Zhu Hongsan, who now has more than 2,000 troops, to consume a medium-sized battle.

The production of steel has stopped. All the manpower was sent to Iron Bull to craft weapons. In recent years, Zhu Hongsan has developed a hand* crossbow. It's all made of stainless steel. The range is about thirty paces, about twenty meters. Within ten meters it can cause great harm to the human body. This power is almost as powerful as the pistols of later generations. Zhu Hongsan used it as the equipment of the sword and shield soldiers, and ordered the iron ox to be produced in large quantities.

Tong Yangjia now basically comes every month to encourage Zhu Hongsan to take the opportunity to stand on his own, Zhu Hongsan saw that their uncle and nephew really got on his own boat and took their family to live on Zhuangzi, and did not live separately in the two places.

As for Zhu Hongsan's family, the response was much more sluggish. The two ladies are still trying to have a boy. Ma Xiaofang is twenty-five years old this year, and she is already a real older woman in this era. Ma Ruyan is young and in his twenties. In order to give birth to Zhu Hongsan's first son, both of them are competing in secret. This is hard for Zhu Hongsan, and he has to go through two rooms every night. This is Zhu Hongsan's current practice with the troops every day, and his health is very good, otherwise he really can't bear it.

Zhu Hongsan's two wives worked hard for their sons, but Zhu Hongyi already had two sons. The eldest son is five years old. Both children are basically the same size as their parents, both of them are bear-like. A five-year-old child can eat four steamed buns in one meal, which is an eye-opener for Zhu Hongsan. Zhu Hongyi named his two sons, the eldest was called Zhao Da, and the second was called Zhu Er. It's really concise and straightforward.

The only thing that Zhu Hongsan likes is his baby girl Zhu Luo. This daughter is six years old this year. looks like Ma Xiaofang and Zhu Hongsan, with a slender body and a handsome face. Zhu Hongsan often said that other people's daughters are called daughters, and his daughters are called daughters.

Probably because he lived on the edge of the playground, Zhu Luo liked to go to the playground to watch the soldiers drill.

Today, Zhu Hongsan saw that the weather was good and led his daughter out to play. I asked Zhu Luo where he wanted to play, but he didn't expect the little girl to go to the playground to watch the soldiers train.

Zhu Hongsan came to the playground with his daughter in his arms, and Zhu Luo sat on the platform and watched with relish. From time to time, he also raised all kinds of questions about Zhu Hongsan. Zhu Hongsan found that this daughter was quick and quick-witted and could draw inferences from one another. I can't help but think, girl, if only you were a man.

Zhu Hongsan thought of this, stretched out his hand to stroke his daughter's soft hair and said, "Baby girl, if you were a boy, it would be fine." ”

Zhu Luo asked, "Why did Daddy say that?" My mother always said the same. ”

Zhu Hongsan smiled: "Don't you like to be a boy?" You can fight, you can mix like Zhao Da and them. I can also be a general in the future. ”

Zhu Luo shook his head and said, "A girl can also be a general." My second uncle told me that there was a princess in the Tang Dynasty who could lead troops to war. ”

Zhu Hongsan nodded and said, "That's Princess Pingyang." The Niangzi Pass in the north was the pass she guarded back then. ”

Zhu Luo shook Zhu Hongsan's hand and said, "Daddy, I also want to be the princess of Pingyang, and I will be a general in the future." ”

Zhu Hongsan smiled when he heard his daughter say this. said in his heart: "The Tang Dynasty can, but not now." Etiquette and religion prevailed in the Ming Dynasty, and women can't talk to men casually, so they can still be generals. ”

Zhu Hongsan was thinking about Zhu Luo and said, "Dad, you tell your mother that I don't want to wrap my feet, it hurts." I don't want to be like Erniang in the future. "The second mother that Zhu Luo said is Ma Ruyan, and Ma Ruyan is a little foot.

Zhu Hongsan frowned and asked, "Your mother has started to wrap your feet?" ”

"yes, my feet hurt so much since yesterday."

This Ma Xiaofang, who was afraid of pain and didn't bind her feet back then, is now asking for her daughter. Thinking of this, Zhu Hongsan stood up and said, "My daughter is playing by herself here, I'll go home and talk to your mother now." ”

After Zhu Hongsan finished speaking, he walked home. When I entered the courtyard, I saw Ma Xiaofang sitting in the house and reprimanding a few maids. It sounds like she doesn't look good at Miss, Zhu Luo runs out to play every day and so on.

Zhu Hongsan was even more angry, came into the house and asked a few maids to go out, sitting on a chair and not talking.

Ma Xiaofang asked, "What's wrong with you, sir?" Who upset you? ”

Zhu Hongsan said: "Yes, it's not happy, it's you who provoked it." Why did you let your daughter bind her feet, have you forgotten what you suffered as a child? ”

"Master, it's because I didn't wrap my feet when I was a child that people criticize, and I don't want my daughter to be unable to raise her head in the future."

Zhu Hongsan was furious when he heard this, stood up and said, "Why can't you hold your head up if you marry me?" My daughter's surname is Zhu, I have the final say, you are not allowed to take care of her in the future, let alone wrap her feet. After saying that, he shook his face and went out.

was about to go back to the playground, just when he saw Ma Mingyuan coming to the door. Ma Mingyuan saw Zhu Hongsan angrily going out and asked, "What's wrong with the lord?" Where to go? ”

Zhu Hongsan snorted and said, "Isn't she angry with your sister, she wants to wrap Luo'er's feet, has she forgotten how she hurt back then?" ”

Ma Mingyuan smiled bitterly, girls with a bit of social status in this era are bound to their feet. You can't get married without binding your feet.

Ma Mingyuan thought about it for a while, and said his thoughts tactfully. Zhu Hongsan said: "What's wrong with not being able to get married? My daughter can't get married yet? ”

Ma Mingyuan didn't want to talk too much about Zhu Hongsan on this topic, after all, this was Zhu Hongsan's family matter. Seeing this, he hurriedly changed the topic and said: "I received news that Zhang Xianzhong has crossed the Yangtze River and gone to Henan. It seems that this time it is going to attack Xinyang. ”

Zhu Hongsan listened to Xinyang? Isn't that the place where the eldest brother should be guarded? Hurriedly asked, "What?" Big brother has a letter? ”

Ma Mingyuan said: "Hey, I sent a letter to my eldest brother in August last year, asking him to send his family to Huguang. But there has been no reply so far, and it is possible that the messenger was killed on the way. Father's meaning is that we can take our own people to Xinyang to bring back the eldest brother's family. ”

Zhu Hongsan nodded, Ma Jiyuan is the elder brother of his eldest wife and the father of his second wife. If something happens, you can't say that you can't save it.

Thinking of this, Zhu Hongsan said: "Okay, please ask the second brother to go back and write a letter, I will prepare here, and I will set off in three days." It's already May, and I'm trying to come back before winter. Ma Mingyuan went back and prepared not to mention it.

At dinner in the evening, Zhu Hongsan told the two ladies the news. Ma Xiaofang was still angry with Zhu Hongsan, but now she is gone. He knows that there are millions of rogues in Henan now, and his own master is really a thousand eggs touching stones. The eldest brother is important, but now he can't compare with his husband. But if Zhu Hongsan* is not allowed to go, he can't say it, after all, Ma Jiyuan is Ma Ruyan's father.

As soon as Ma Ruyan heard that Zhang Xianzhong's millions of people were going to attack Xinyang, he immediately cried anxiously. After all, his father, his mother, and his two younger brothers are all in Xinyang, Henan.

Zhu Hongsan sighed and said, "Don't cry like smoke, I'll take someone to save your father the day after tomorrow." Rest assured. ”

Zhu Hongsan thought about it and said to Ma Xiaofang: "Xiaofang, you can see it, it's a troubled time now." Xiangyang was slaughtered. I don't know when I'll get to Wuchang. Born in troubled times, it is a time to live for a while. Don't let Lo'er bind her feet, let her have a happy childhood. ”

When Ma Xiaofang heard Zhu Hongsan's pessimism, she couldn't help crying, and said, "Listen to the master." ”

Zhu Luo said on the side: "Is Daddy going to Henan to fight?" ”

"yes."

"Am I going to do it too? I want to go to war with my daddy. ”

Zhu Hongsan said with a smile: "My Luo'er is still too young, and I will definitely take you with me when I grow up in the future." ”

The next day, Zhu Hongsan gathered people to prepare things. Zhu Hongsan wanted to take a thousand people with him. took the two battalions of Zhao Guodong and Ma Bao. The family left Ma Jingyuan and Qian Yongying to take care of the house, and asked him to ask Ma Mingyuan if he had something. Those who accompanied the army brought Qian Lide and Tong Yangjia.

As soon as Tong Yangjia heard that he was going to Henan, he came to Zhu Hongsangonghuo at night, saying that Henan is now in the three areas, which is suitable for the lord to raise the banner of righteousness and raise the righteous soldiers. Zhu Hongsan was upset, so he listened to his nonsense, and directly drove Tong Yangjia out.

On the last night, of course, I had to keep up with the two ladies. Ma Xiaofang blushed and asked Zhu Hongsan to find Ma Ruyan, saying that it was inconvenient for him.

Zhu Hongsan asked, "What's wrong?" It's a menstrual affair, so it's just time to wear a sugar gourd. ”

Ma Xiaofang scolded: "What nonsense, I may be happy." ”

Zhu Hongsan said: "Really? That's great. It's been five years, and I finally have a letter. ”

Ma Ruyan said sourly on the side: "Congratulations to my aunt." ”

Zhu Hongsan smiled and touched Ma Ruyan's hands and said, "Ruyan makes you want to die tonight, and you will definitely be able to give birth to a big fat boy." After speaking, he pulled Ma Ruyan to bed and said, "This time, let your aunt serve you and let her push her ass behind, haha... ”