When it was nearly dusk, the Yamen of the Inquisitor's West Courtyard finally became quiet.

The flow of people was sparse, and only the officials who went home one step earlier were in a hurry. The crows in the Yushitai next door were chirping, adding a bit of gloom to the palace courtyard in the twilight.

The Western Court of Judges is responsible for the selection of ambassadors. The selection and evaluation of the middle-level military attachés below the rampant and above the junior envoys—roughly the envoys and deputy envoys of the seven ranks—were all under the control of the Western Court of the Inquisitor.

Although the number of military attachés waiting in the West Court of the Inquisitors was much smaller than that of the Third Class Academy, which managed low-level military attachés, the chances of the envoys and deputy envoys not being able to send them were much smaller. But after all, it is the yamen in charge of personnel, and it is usually people who come and go, but they don't rush to be the first.

"It's time to beat the drum at three o'clock, right?" Ye Tao was a little impatient. He and Shen Bao had already made an appointment to drink, and they were waiting for the drums to be released.

"Today is a step too late, let Chen San and Li Jiu go first. If I go again, Li Juyuan's face will not look good. I can only wait for the twilight drum. ”

Shen Ba is the chief bookkeeper of the Western Court of the Inquisitor, but he also holds the position of the direct speaker of the country, and Ye Tao, who sits and drinks with him, is a colleague. And the two are still relatives. Shen Jichang, the father of Shen Ba, is Wang Anshi's sister-in-law, and Ye Tao is Wang Anguo's son-in-law. But the two of them had little to do with the other son-in-law of the Wang family.

Ye Tao did not shy away from flipping through the official documents on Shen Bao's table, and asked casually: "The general of Vaxia has been decided?" ”

Shen Bao turned a blind eye to Ye Tao's indiscriminate rummaging of documents full of military secrets, and didn't take it seriously at all, "It was decided until today." How many generals from Hebei and Beijing are vying to go to Shaanxi, if it weren't for Wang Xianggong's insistence that it must be led by the generals who have gone through the war, I don't know how long it will be delayed. ”

"Those martial artists only have murder and arson in their eyes."

"Who's to say it isn't? But after fighting for the best, he still transferred seven generals from Tokyo to ride 39,000 steps to Shaanxi to help. Shen Bao said, "Wang Xianggong didn't dare to offend Jingying too harshly." ”

"How bold can the Three Decrees be?" Ye Tao sneered, and casually picked up an official document and looked at it, "Or is Wang Zhongzheng leading the Xihe soldiers and horses, Gao Zunyu leading Jingyuan, and Chong Ge leading Yan Yan?" ”

"Naturally, these three people will not change." Shen Bao flipped the official document in his hand and signed and drew it, "Wang Zhongzheng commands Xihe, Qin Feng, and two soldiers and horses; Gao Zunyu is the deputy head of the Huanqing soldiers and horses, leading the soldiers and horses all the way, while Miao authorized Jingyuan to obey Gao Zunyu's orders; The seed is in the Yanyan; Li Xian was inferior to Wang Zhongzheng, and his record was a little worse, but he also reaped enough benefits when he conquered Jiaozhi, and led Gao Yongneng and Zhi Kexing to send troops to Hedong. Six roads went out together to attack the western captives. ”

Ye Tao dropped the official document in his hand: "The army of 300,000 can be called a million." ”

"Qin Feng and Xihe have a total of 50,000 cavalry and 30,000 Tibetan troops; Jingyuan 50,000; Huanqing Road is under the command of Gao Zunyu, and he has all the soldiers of the Yongxing Military Road [Chang'an] in the south under his hands, with a total of 87,000 cavalry; There were 55,000 in the original genus of Dunyan, and the seven generals in the Beijing camp were also included in the seed account, nearly 100,000; As for Hedong, plus the 10,000 of the Zhejia, it is 60,000 troops. Shen Bao reported to Ye Tao the strength of the troops sent from all walks of life: "What do you say is the total?" ”

Ye Tao counted for a long time: "It's not about 400,000." ”

"Hmm." Shen Bao nodded, "A total of 350,000 regular soldiers." There were about the same number of people, more than 100,000 livestock, and more than 20,000 large and small vehicles in the back, providing food and grass for the army. ”

Ye Tao casually picked up another official document and asked casually: "Almost a million mouths, who can control it?!" ”

"Qin Feng and Yongxing Army are under the jurisdiction of the two-way transfer department. Yan Yan, Jingyuan, Qin Feng, Huanqing four road right to the army transport division. It seems like a lot of them, but they all go their own way, and they won't starve to death. Shen Bao clenched his left hand into a fist and said, "Six ways go hand in hand, and you can destroy the thief in one fell swoop." ”

Ye Tao didn't hear Shen Bao say anything more, he looked at the official document in his hand, and opened his mouth in surprise: "This Zhao Long is Zhao Long who followed Wang Zhongzheng's eunuch to Shuzhong two years ago, right?" How did they all rise to the envoy of the East Dyeing Academy, and led the state affairs of Xizhou! I see that he is not yet thirty years old! ”

"Wang Zhong is just lucky, he is a lucky general, follow him, of course there is a future." Shen Bao looked up at the official document that Ye Tao was holding in his hand, and sneered, "I remember that the father of the cultivator, Chong Shiheng, was known as a famous general at that time, and he was called Di Qing in Kansai. ”

Ye Tao was full of envy from his eyes, but the corners of his mouth seemed to be disdainful, "Famous generals have fought all their lives, and they are not in the horizontal class." A little one dares to follow the right person, and he can ascend to heaven. ”

"It's also fate." Shen Bao said, "Chong Shiheng's life is not as good as Di Qing, nor is it as good as his son. ”

"Speaking of being blessed, Wang Zhongzheng is really a blessed general, as if he has never been defeated." Ye Tao said again.

"I was defeated once, and it was in the battle of Zhuluowu that year."

"That's none of his business, right?" Ye Tao asked rhetorically, "It's not that the army was going to be withdrawn, but it was bitten by Liang Yi's 100,000 party troops, and there was no way to get out." But after Wang Zhongzheng went, he came back safely, and he won a great victory of beheading thousands. ”

"That's why it's fate." Shen Bao shook his head and sighed, "Han Zihua attacked Hengshan, he was ordered to go to Luowu City, and he happened to bump into him, and the Son of Heaven said that he did not spare his life for the country." When they arrived at the opening side of the river, Wang Shao and Gao Zunyu lost their news, Han Gang stubbornly blocked the holy decree, Wang Zhongzheng helped Han Gang, and the most rebellious queen and Gao Huishi got another evaluation of courage to do things. After quelling the Maozhou Rebellion, he was known as the first soldier in the inner service, and Li Xian, who followed him to Jiaozhi, was not as good as him. ”

"Who's to say it isn't?" Ye Tao didn't know what he remembered, and sighed with deep feeling, "Wang Zhongzheng is really lucky." Last year, Liao En, a Fujian drama thief, made a rebellion, and the officials and troops could not encircle and suppress it several times. The younger brother's hometown of Longquan, his family happened to be disturbed by Liao En, and dozens of inspection departments in Fujian inspected and inspected all of them, and all of them were guilty and resigned. The Son of Heaven had no choice, so he appointed Wang Zhongzheng to lead the troops to quell the chaos. Who would have thought that as soon as he arrived, Liao En surrendered. ”

In recent years, there has been a drama thief Liao En in Fujian. said that it was a drama thief, and there were only a hundred or so minions. If it is in Shaanxi, a patrol with native soldiers can be destroyed. can be replaced by the south, where the army is weak, and Fujian has been turned upside down all the way. In the most difficult way, he really can't help him, so he can only ask the court to send troops. The Son of Heaven sent Wang Zhongzheng to go. At that time, there were still people who objected, who thought that Wang Zhongzheng would lead the army to Fangzhi, Liao En immediately ran to surrender.

won without fighting a battle, of course, it can't be said that Wang Zhongzheng's ability is outstanding, and Ye Tao doesn't think that Wang Zhongzheng's reputation is so big that he scared Liao En so much that he ran back to surrender, and it was clearly God's help that made Wang Zhongzheng pick up a big bargain.

"That's right." Shen Ba put down his pen, "Speaking of Liao En, there has been a joke from the third class courtyard in the past two days. ”

"What joke?" Ye Tao threw Zhao Longquan's official letter aside and asked with great interest.

"Didn't Liao En surrender? So he was given an official position. Today, I came to the third class of Beijing to pay my family certificate, and I was sent back. ”

Ye Tao sneered, "If you have an official body, you are also a thief." ”

"Zhiyuan, you know the Tao, and the family-like text has a fixed form. Liao En's family is written as follows, 'Since his birth, he has not committed any public or private offences'. ”

Ye Tao suddenly laughed loudly, shook the roof tiles, and said in a loud voice: "Good 'no public or private transgressions', good 'no public or private transgressions'!" ”

Shen Bao didn't laugh, he shook his head, "It's not funny." There are many officials who paid their families in the third class courtyard at the same time as Liao En, and one of them was born in Fujian. Do you know how the letter he handed to the third class was written? ”

Ye Tao's laughter stopped, and wiped the corners of his eyes that were bursting with tears, "How did you write it?" ”

Shen Bao grabbed the official document on the table with both hands and pretended to read: "'The former Xinzhou patrol inspector stopped for Liao Enshi. He couldn't help laughing as he spoke, "The two of them came to the third class courtyard on the same day and waited for errands, Zhiyuan, do you think this matter is ridiculous?" ”

Ye Tao didn't smile this time, shook his head and sighed, "An official is an official, and a thief is an official." An official is a thief, and a thief is also an official. ”

Shen Bao put away his smile, threw away the pen and paper, and sighed, "Now the princes of the two provinces don't care about this little thing. ”

As he was talking, he heard the sound of the twilight drums outside, and it was finally time to get off work.

Shen Bao and Ye Tao immediately got up. Shen Bao went to the main hall first, and saluted the two judges with the officials of the West Court, and then went out with the impatient Ye Tao.

Shen Ye and the others were in a hurry to leave, and their steps were hurried. Walking in front of the two of them, there was also a figure that was not tall, but as strong as a rock.

The clothes on the dwarf are not official robes, in the imperial city, even the prince has to wear official clothes in a good manner, as long as there is an official position, no one can walk in a slight suit. At first glance, you can see that Lu Dao is a cloth cloth with no official position. But as soon as several military attachés saw him, they either immediately stepped aside or stepped forward to say hello.

Taking advantage of the fact that the person and several military attachés stopped to talk, Ye Tao and Shen Bao overtook him.

As he passed by, Ye Tao glanced at it from the corner of his eye, and he was a man with a bearded face and a somewhat hideous appearance. But the few generals around the man all had a somewhat flattering smile without exception.

After taking more than a dozen steps forward, Ye Taofang asked in a low voice, "Who is that?" ”

"Zhiyuan should have heard of his name." Shen Bao paused, "It's the famous Wang Sunchen!" ”

"It's the Wang Sunchen who killed the good and risked the merits and was robbed of his official position?" Ye Tao endured it and didn't look back: "I didn't expect there to be so many people flattering!" ”

"I heard that Han Gang's humble incident back then was met with misfortune, and it was he who saved Han Gang's life. And now he is still the son-in-law of the farming family. has some friendship with Wang Zhongzheng and Gao Zunyu, and can speak in front of Wang Shao and Zhang Dian. If it weren't for these backers, he would have been cut off ten heads on charges of lying, killing the good, and bullying the king. ”

Ye Tao was suddenly indignant: "Such a mediocre martial artist, who does not follow the law and makes an example, is already a lenient loan from the imperial court; He even dared to call friends and friends in the inquisitor's east courtyard, and he really couldn't be killed with a three-foot sword!? ”

Shen Zhu smiled, "Isn't this what martial artists are, greedy for merit and profit, can they still be expected to be honest and honest?" He laughed, "Here, a person who has been robbed of his official position has already entered Beijing, and in a few days, another person who has been robbed of his official position will also enter the capital." ”

"Su Zizhan?" Ye Tao turned his head in fear and looked at Wutai not far away, on the locust tree in front of the door, a group of crows were circling, "Forget it, don't mention it." Don't let Gong Shen's father [Gong Yuan] wait for a long time. ”

"I'm afraid that my father and brother are in a hurry, and they have been delayed until now." Shen Bao quickened his pace, "The matter in the Guozi Prison, we have to discuss a countermeasure today, and we can't let others dictate it." ”