Chapter 444: The Emperor Summons

Fangzhou, garrison barracks.

The shouts of the non-commissioned officers during training rose and fell, and on the school ground, all branches of the army were practicing martial arts. Since the unsuccessful attack on Yanzhou the year before last, the Fangzhou garrison has been holding its breath. Fangzhou's soldiers and horses were under the jurisdiction of Wu Xuan, and his deputy Zhang Xian repeatedly warned the soldiers to step up their drills, and sooner or later they would conquer Dunzhou

April is the time when spring turns to summer and the climate turns hotter. The soldiers were bare-chested, sweating like rain. More sweat in peacetime and less blood in wartime, no matter what era, this truth is eternal.

At the gate of the camp, the sentry stood upright with a gun, and his meticulous appearance was intimidating, showing that this was a military stronghold, and idlers were not allowed to approach. The sound of horses' hooves was creeping, and the sentinels looked for their voices, only to see a team of horses speeding up, kicking up a large cloud of dust. Seeing this, the sentries habitually blocked the door, waiting for the other party to come close before stopping and questioning.

But as the team approached, the sentinels spotted it. The first few riders in front of them were all dressed in official uniforms, either red or green, and one of them was even wearing a gold belt around the waist of the purple official uniform, which was particularly dazzling in the sunlight, even if the soldiers who didn't know a word in big characters knew that anyone above the red official uniform, that is, the chief of the recruitment department had arrived

Although I was shocked, I still had to follow the rules. Unless it is the honor guard of the Son of Heaven, everyone else must verify their integrity before they can enter. But when the other party came closer, the sentries were really shocked. They all flashed to the side, their guns bowed, and they didn't dare to look at them. for it is their highest ruler who comes

Zhang Xian was obviously unprepared, neither wearing a military uniform nor an official uniform, wearing an ordinary straight jacket, tying the hem of his clothes, holding the cuffs, and a mop knife in his hand hurriedly greeted him. When I looked at it, I couldn't help but be taken aback. hurriedly rushed forward and said loudly: "Humble Zhang Qing, I have seen the recruitment of the minister"

Xu Wei jumped off the horse relentlessly, threw the head to Du Feihu who was behind, wiped his sweat, and said with a smile: "Zhang Xian, Ben Shuai is here to check the post, haha"

"Please take a look, please" Zhang Xian threw away the instrument and clenched his fists.

"How? When they came back from Juzhou, the brothers were not very happy, right? Xu Wei asked as he walked inside.

Zhang Xian nodded to Du Feihu, and immediately replied: "This is natural, originally ambitious, I will want to break through Yanzhou and then quickly, how did I expect it...... Hi. ”

"Don't worry, Juzhou City is there, and you can't run." Xu Wei said with a smile. At this point, he turned back and commanded, "Take things off, remember, handle them with care." ”

Zhang Xian couldn't help but glance back and asked happily: "Xianggong, but there are new equipment to equip my department?" ”

"You'll find out later, go, look at the brethren." Xu Weidao.

The group came to the school field, but saw that the infantry army was practicing formation, the archers were practicing shooting, and a small number of cavalry were galloping and stabbing, so it was not lively. Zhang Xian wanted to gather troops for the commander to review, but Xu Wei stopped him. He came to Fangzhou this time without prior notice, because this trip was not to inspect the troops.

Seeing that the soldiers were completely selfless and training hard, Xu Wei was very pleased. Accompanied by Zhang Xian and others, he took a big turn around the school yard without alarming anyone. Of course, inevitably, someone found him and thought he was dazzled.

After watching it, Zhang Xian thought about asking Xianggong to come all the way to work hard, and first ordered the group leader to have a slightly better meal at noon. Although the appeal to the prime minister has been reiterated again and again, the officers and men share weal and woe as one. But when the supreme ruler came, he gnawed on a few loaves of bread and ate a few pieces of meat from you, and he really didn't want to go. Then, he invited Xu Wei to the barracks to rest and eat tea.

"No, the shade of this tree is good, just a few bowls of water." Xu Wei sat in the shade of a tree on the edge of the school field.

Zhang Xian also knew that he had never paid attention to these things, so he ordered someone to bring water, and put it in the coarse porcelain bowl, drinking water while watching the drill.

"The last time I fought in Dunzhou, it was indeed because Shuai Si didn't pay enough attention to it and underestimated the Jin Army in Dunzhou. You front-line troops don't have to have baggage, and it's a serious matter to get a good grasp of training, and there will be opportunities sooner or later. Xu Weixun instructed.

"What Xianggong said is, but although he didn't make any contributions last time, Jin Jun was scared by this, and he was a lot more honest. For more than a year, we have never crossed the border and have taken strict precautions against me. Zhang Xian said.

Xu Wei suddenly remembered something: "By the way, Zongben, your father is now promoted to stay in Tokyo, don't you know?" ”

Zhang Xian was taken aback: "Is there such a thing?" I don't know what to do. ”

"Ben Shuai also heard the news before he came. Du Chong, who was left behind, was derelict and incompetent, and was removed. Your father was the envoy of Hebei, and Han Shizhong, Yue Fei and other generals were all his old subordinates, and it was best for him to stay behind. It is said that the father and son soldiers went into battle, this time, your father and son are in Shaanxi and the Central Plains, but they are both on the front line of Jin," Xu Wei said with a smile.

"I have been fighting abroad, and I haven't seen my father for many years, but when the country is in trouble, I can't take care of a lot." Zhang Xian sighed.

Xu Wei reached over and patted him on the back: "You didn't disgrace your father." ”

"This is all taught by the marshal." Zhang Xian replied.

"Don't pat me on the back, which of these generals under my command didn't rely on bloodshed and fight and pile up with military exploits?" Xu Weidao.

As soon as he said this, Zhang Xian showed a smug expression: "If you talk about today's Western Army, our South Road Recruitment Division has fought the most ruthlessly and killed the most."

"That's just it, low-key, low-key." Xu Wei waved his hand and said deliberately. Both left and right laughed, and talked for a while, it was nothing more than military affairs. Before he knew it, he would end the exercise at noon, and Xu Wei patted his ass and asked the troops to be assembled.

Zhang Xian rushed to the review stand first, and thousands of soldiers below had already formed a queue, waiting for the commander's order, and they were about to rush out of the school and run to the canteen. But when he saw Zhang Xian, the deputy commander of the soldiers and horses, on the review stand, his face was happy, and he said in a loud voice: "The brothers have invited their father-in-law to the front line to visit us."

When Xu Wei was walking to the review stand, he immediately attracted the attention of the soldiers. Isn't it just to ask for justice? In an instant, thousands of soldiers roared into the sky

Xu Wei went to the middle of the review stand, first made a quartet, and then waved both sides, and the audience was silent. Fang Cai said: "The brothers have been watching the school field for a long time, and I know that you have worked hard, and I am afraid that you are hungry and thirsty at this moment. But Ben Shuai still wants to get back the suspicion and say a few words. ”

"The last time I hit Dunzhou, I returned in vain, not only you, but it didn't hurt to hold my breath from the top and bottom of the recruiting department, the governor of Dunzhou couldn't get his feet, eat it sooner or later, Ben Shuai came to Fangzhou, one is to visit the brothers, and the other is to give you gifts" Speaking of this, beckoned.

I saw six soldiers, two of them pulling the egg-thick rope in front of them, and the first four pushing desperately, hugging one thing in a cluster. That thing still has two wheels, and it looks quite heavy, and I don't know what it is.

In the middle of the field, a soldier lifted the tarpaulin curtain that covered his head. Only then did the armies clear the thing for what it was. A thick section of the pitch-black trunk of a tree rests on two wheels, which looks like it is cast in iron, and the top is raised one by one, like a spotted bamboo.

Seeing this instrument, none of the thousands of soldiers knew it, and even Zhang Xian looked at it with a black eye, what is this?

After a while, another man took a bony thing and pounded it there for a while, and another person with a small pot lid stuffed it with both hands, and then pounded it again, and finally he picked up something the size of a stone with both hands and put it in.

The soldiers couldn't take their eyes off it, wondering in their hearts, what the hell is this? Is it so mysterious?

When I saw a comrade lighting a torch, someone probably guessed that this was probably a newly made firearm, right?

When an earth-shattering loud bang came instantly, the whole audience was shocked that the soldiers were in a neat formation, but they were shocked by this loud noise, and many people involuntarily covered their ears and their bodies were short. The most chaotic was the horse army, the horses were so frightened that they neighed, and everywhere they were in chaos, and the knight pulled the reins desperately before he stopped looking at what had been stuffed before, and fell a hundred paces away

There was a dead silence in the audience, and the soldiers were stunned by the power of this firearm, how could this weapon be more violent than the movement of the thunderbolt cannon?

Although Zhang Xian is still young, as the general of the Hujie Army, he already has quite rich combat experience. His first reaction was that with this kind of firearm, he was afraid that the artillery could be chopped down and used as firewood to burn a single cannon, which required more than a dozen people to operate it together, and the largest thirteen-pin cannon required hundreds of people to cooperate before it could be fired, which often occupied a large number of troops. And this kind of firearm can be operated by two or three people at most, and it is extremely convenient to solicit the gift of the public, but it can be too heavy

Just as he was pleasantly surprised, Xu Wei beckoned, and Du Feihu took another instrument from the soldier's hand and presented it. This thing was similar to the firearm in the field, but it was much smaller, only the thickness of a wrist, and more than four feet long. It is divided into two sections, the first of which appears to be a cylinder of iron cast, about a foot long, followed by a wooden stick.

"This device is similar to the one in the field, except smaller, and each soldier has one in his hand, and fires a projectile or fragment with gunpowder. See this wooden handle? After playing, how about it as a blunt weapon? Xu Wei asked, holding on to the firearm.

Zhang Xian tried his best to restrain his urge to reach out and take it, and nodded frequently: "It's good to ask the minister, I don't know what the name of this firearm is?" ”

Du Feihu said at this time: "The big one is called 'Flying Fire Cannon', and the small one is called 'Assault Gun'." ”

"Well, this time, Ben Shuai brought you three spitting guns and twenty assault guns. Not much, but let you learn to do it first. This equipment has not yet been equipped with other troops, so I will try it out for you for a while to see what is lacking. For this, Yang Yan has fought for it several times, but the Recruitment Division considers that you are at the forefront and it is not easy, so he chose your department to try it first. Xu Wei said, and then threw the assault rifle to Zhang Xian.

The latter grabbed it, and when he held it in his hand, he felt that he didn't have ten catties, and it was very light. When I wanted to take a closer look, I heard the coach say: "I'll leave you with these guns, and I'll be responsible for teaching how to use them." Remember, when it comes to the use of firearms, everything must be done by them, and not nonsense. This is a life-threatening matter, and it must not be neglected. Alright, let the brethren go to dinner,"

Xu Wei suddenly arrived at the front line this time to inspect the troops and brought the latest firearms, which greatly encouraged the officers and men on the front line. Sweep away the haze of the First World War in Juzhou. During his stay in Fangzhou, Xu Wei traveled to every camp, and after inspecting military affairs, he also comforted the soldiers and encouraged the officers. In case of problems, those who can make decisions will order them on the spot, and if they can't solve them for the time being, they will also take them to heart.

On April 13, Xu Wei planned to meet with local officials again, and then returned to Chang'an. At noon that day, after having dinner with the magistrate of Fangzhou and the officials of Yousi, Fang returned to the pavilion and heard a report from the soldiers, saying that an officer had come from Chang'an and was asking to see him outside.

Xu Wei ordered him to come in, but he was a prepared envoy of the Recruiting Division, saying that he was ordered by Zhang Jun, the deputy envoy of the Recruiting Division, to ask the Minister to return to Chang'an as soon as possible to discuss urgent matters.

When Xu Wei heard this, he didn't dare to delay, and after sending someone to bring a message to Wu Luan, Zhang Xian and the others, he immediately set off to return to Chang'an. If the Jin army has not moved, what else can Chang'an be in a hurry? Could it be that Qinzhou's Xuanfu Disposal Division has what?

When I returned to Chang'an City, it was already three days later. Xu Wei didn't care about anything else, and went straight to the Recruiting Department. At that time, it was already evening, and he was worried that his colleagues and subordinates had returned, so when he entered the yamen, he found that Zhang Jun, the deputy envoy, and Zhang Qing, who was also in charge of the secrets of the army, were still in the second hall.

"So anxious to come back to me? What's the matter? Xu Wei asked as soon as he entered the door.

Erzhang seemed to be relieved when he saw him come back, and Zhang Jun hurriedly greeted him: "It's good that Xianggong is back, I'm anxious to wait for the past few days." ”

Xu Wei frowned, I see that there is calm in this Chang'an City, why are you so anxious? So he asked the reason.

"A few days ago, the Xuanfu Disposal Division informed that Zhenjiang was calling Xu Xuanfu to go south, and named and recruited the Xianggong to go with him. This is the summons of the Son of Heaven, how can you not be in a hurry? Zhang Jun replied.

Summoned by the Emperor? Why is that? I've been in Shaanxi for several years, and I've never been summoned. At this moment, there was neither a war nor anything, why was he suddenly summoned? Or let me go with Xu Xuanfu?

There are three reasons why the emperor summoned civil and military officials who were supporting the army. First, commendation. Generally, after the war, if you win, you will call foreigners to North Korea to commend and commend them. If he fails, he will also summon officials to the court to review his mistakes; Second, there is the pre-war arrangement. If there is a major war, it is also necessary to convene the foreign civil and military forces to return to the dynasty to arrange, and it is appropriate to give face-to-face teaching; Third, it is the most dangerous. The emperor summoned officials who were outside the court to deal with them. The light one is to cut off the military power and assign another post, and the heavy one will not only never come back, but also find a place for you to live in for the rest of your life. That place is usually the size of a dustpan.

The convening of Xu Wei this time is, of course, not the third type. He did not act badly, let alone to the extent of being a great achievement. Moreover, Zhao Huan is counting on the young military ministers represented by him to defend the military important land of Shaanxi.

The first two are the most likely. Xu Wei has worked hard in Shaanxi in recent years, and he is crowned by the generals, and it is not easy for Zhao Huan to remember him, and it is reasonable to be called to reward him in person. As for the pre-war arrangement, there seems to be little indication.

But this idea was shaken in Zhang Jun's next words.

"If the minister does not return for a long time, will he not be in trouble?" Zhang Jun said.

Limited time? Is it really going to war? It's April, and the Jurchens march into the army, usually after August, when the autumn is high and the horses are fat. Is that what is the end of the day?

Thinking of this, he immediately asked, "What else did the Xuanfu Division say?" ”

Xuanfu Si said that the river and Nanjinggi are not very peaceful, and it is best to pass through Shu and take the waterway. Because of this, the Xuanfu Division was in a hurry, afraid of delaying the date. Zhang Qing said.

"By water? So to the Year of the Monkey? It is better for me to hurry up and whip up, from Henan Mansion through Gyeonggi Road, straight down to Jiangnan. Xu Wei said.

"Haha, Xu Xuanfu expected you to say that. Don't hide it from the public, at this time, Xu Xuanfu has already set off, ordering you to go out of Tongguan and go to Henan. But be sure to get to Zhenjiang before the end of June. Xu Xuanfu repeatedly warned that he must not miss the time. Zhang Jun said.

Xu Wei nodded: "Okay, we will hand over the military and political affairs tomorrow and leave early the day after tomorrow." ”

After the discussion, Zhang Jun said goodbye and returned home. And Zhang Qing didn't seem to have any intention of leaving, and after Zhang Jun, he said softly: "It's going to be okay, right?" ”

It is estimated that this person listened to the book a few more times and thought about things complicated. Xu Wei smiled when he heard this: "Do I have that amount?" Okay, don't worry about it, you're going to have to worry a lot during my absence. Zhang Qing should leave, say goodbye and leave.

Everyone left, and Xu Wei sat down to take a breath. pondering this summons of the Son of Heaven. It did happen suddenly, without warning. But judging from the fact that Zhao Huan summoned the third uncle at the same time, it should be for the arrangement of Shaanxi. If it is said that he has received a meritorious service award, he can come with an edict, why should he be summoned in person? In this way, the greatest possibility is the pre-war arrangement.

The Jurchens have only stopped for less than two years, and they are going to war again? The heart of the Song Dynasty is so eager? They should know by now that the destruction of Song was not something that could be accomplished overnight, what made him so anxious to settle the matter? Is there something else poking the Jurchens?

No, if you really want to go to war, the first thing you know should be our front-line generals, which round will get Zhenjiang Xing?

A thought flashed through his mind, it couldn't be that the emperor wanted to take the initiative to go to war, right? Not to mention, it's really possible, today's son of heaven is acting erratically anyway, and he can't tell which tendon is wrong, and he has to fight again. Didn't you hear that he had appointed another minister to act as prime minister?

All kinds of possibilities flashed in Xu Wei's mind, but they couldn't be sure. Just don't worry about that idleness, won't you know everything when you get to Zhenjiangxing? I have traveled to this era for many years, and I have really never been to Jiangnan. I just didn't travel before, and I didn't have the opportunity to go to the legendary paradise. Let's go, the right to travel, when passing through Gong County, I will go to sweep the tomb of my father. Maybe if you have enough time, you can also go to the Tokyo Left-behind Division to see Yue Fei and Han Shizhong.

Immediately put away his thoughts, left the Recruiting Department, and went home. When I got home, I told my wife about it first, and since September, I went to pack up, and Xu Wei teased her daughter to play for a while. The next day, the military and political affairs were properly arranged, and on the third day, he took the guards out of the customs and went to Henan.

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