Jinyiwei is not welcomed in a border town like Yansui in Ningxia, but it doesn't mean that they really can't get any news, especially those that have no way to hide it strictly. The Ming Dynasty did not have a system of rotation of border troops, many military generals are generations of children and grandchildren living in this place, relying on the death of the imperial court is simply not enough to fill the gaps, killing herdsmen and even their own people to take the risk of fighting wars, and during the Chengping period, strategic materials such as salt and iron and silk jewelry and other luxury goods were imported to the outside of the fortress, which is a tacit act from top to bottom. And Ye Guang, as the master of the Fusi of Beizhen, did not dare to rashly touch this minefield, so he went down to the Jinyi Wei Thousand Households and various branches, but when he reported this kind of thing, all he could do was to suppress it for the time being.

If the water is clear, there are no fish, and if the water is so turbid that you can't see any fish at all, it is debatable whether you want to reach out.

"Ningxia is not as good as Jiangnan, and even not as good as Huguang and Bashu, the land of Shaanxi is originally barren, and no matter how much Zhuangtian there is, it cannot withstand half of the Zhuangtian in Jiangnan and Huguang. When Xu Xun said this, he stared at Li Zeng and asked word by word, "I only ask you, most of the generals above will participate in these private trades, how do the soldiers below live on weekdays?" ”

Li Zeng originally thought that Xu Xun didn't know the stakes in this, and just deliberately dissected the relationship between King Ming Qing and the generals of Ningxia Town, hoping that Xu Xun would not pursue the previous matter, but he didn't expect Xu Xun to reveal more serious problems in a blink of an eye. But at this moment, it was too late to regret it, he glanced at Deng Guang secretly, and saw that the other party's face was also not much better, so he could only stubbornly say: "Most of the generals in Ningxia Town have a lot of land, although it is not as good as the production of those fields in Gyeonggi and the south, but it is better than nothing. Most of the time, the soldiers below are tending to the land of these generals. As for those who are more courageous and more active...... He crossed the Yellow River and went to the east bank of the Hetao to reclaim wasteland and cultivate. It's not without ......"

Regain the Loop. Tuntian Qianli, this is the central gist of the discussion between Xu Xun and Yang Yiqing in several months of correspondence. However, when he knew that many border people had done this, he was quite happy. It is known that many sergeants do this, and the reason is that the high-ranking generals do not do their jobs properly. He couldn't be glad that he was calling them tenant farmers.

Thinking of this, he slowly stood up. He nodded at Zhang Yonghe and Miao Kui and said, "Father-in-law Miao." Father-in-law Zhang, this situation in Ningxia Town, please ask them again, and I'll go out for a walk. By the way, during the period in Ningxia Town, it would be troublesome if he had been living in the General Military Mansion. When I entered the city before, I saw that there was a Guandi Temple to the east of Shuaifu, so I requisitioned the Guandi Temple! ”

Ningxia City is not that big. However, there are seven or eight palaces in total, such as Qingwangfu, Anhua Wangfu, Shouyang Wangfu, Zhenning Wangfu, Fenglin Wangfu, Gongchang Wangfu, Hongnong Wangfu, etc., plus from the guerrilla attack of the deputy general of the general army to the palace of the eunuch guarding the town, it actually occupies nearly half of the area of the entire Ningxia City. The general soldier's mansion is commonly known as the marshal's mansion, and the meeting of the generals is here, and the general Jiang Han lives next to it. Xu Xun said that the Guandi Temple is further east, in the northeast corner of Ningxia City, next to the Desheng Gate of Beiguan, and only two streets away from the eunuch's mansion.

Xu Xun instructed his entourage to move over first, and then he had to pack up and settle down, but he changed into civilian clothes, only brought Cao Mi one, and let Ye Quan and the two Yansui Jinyi guards lead the way, and quietly went to the Jinyi Wei branch in Ningxia City. However, if he said that the easy and undefended situation of the Jinyiwei branch in Yansui Town had already surprised him greatly, when he stood outside an alley with sewage flowing, it was really hard to believe that Jinyiwei, who could squeeze into the thousand-step corridor and the six departments of the five mansions in the capital, had fallen into such a situation in this Ningxia city. ..., "Xu ...... Xu Ye. Ye Quan was very unaccustomed to this title, and finally called out, so he said in a low voice, "The little one hasn't been here for several years, maybe I don't remember it clearly, or the little one will go in and explore the road for you first?" ”

Seeing that Cao Mi's handsome face showed a bit of vigilance although it was a lot darker, Xu Xun waved his hand to signal him not to be nervous, nodded lightly and said, "It's okay, you go in first and have a look, we will wait for you in the teahouse opposite." ”

Although Qi Laosan and Zheng Aniu brought by Ye Guang were not from Ningxia, Yansui's accent was not uncommon in Ningxia, and as soon as they sat and talked in the teahouse, those originally curious eyes gradually withdrew. Xu Xun knew that he would inevitably show a different accent when he spoke, so he just drank tea quietly and didn't speak, not to mention the uncomfortable energy of Qi Laosan and Zheng Aniu, who were forced by him to gossip on the side. Talking about some trivial things in front of a super magnate in the capital, you have to be careful not to let the topic go out of shape, it is almost like being punished!

After a lot of hard work, Ye Quan finally ran back in a hurry. After entering the teahouse, he nodded and sat down on the opposite side, and then lowered his voice and said: "Master Xu, after Wan Liufang died, the lower head belonged to the hundreds of households, and the thousands of households in Xi'an Mansion have not been able to believe it, and the hearts of the people have been scattered. Now the person in charge is the chief flag Cui Si, and there are only three people under him. People are not here now, I heard that ...... I heard that in the past few days, I have crossed the Yellow River to the east to farm. ”

At this moment, Xu Xun couldn't sit down anymore, stood up and walked out without saying a word. Seeing Cao Mi hurriedly follow, Ye Quan hurriedly took out a few copper coins and threw them on the table, so he took Qi Laosan and Zheng Aniu to follow. However, he didn't dare to persuade anything in his heart, so he could only follow step by step, until Xu Xun almost circled around the entire Ningxia City, suddenly stopped and entered a second-hand bookstore, Cao Mi also followed, he was stunned for a moment and then stopped in front of the door.

"Boss, let's not follow ......"

"Look at the situation outside, that master is in a bad mood, don't go in and touch the mold!"

Xu Xun was really in a bad mood, seeing that the old bookstore was cold, but the four words on the plaque were vigorous and vigorous, and he was unconsciously attracted to it. He ignored the old shopkeeper who was dozing off behind the counter, and looked through the old books to himself, only to find a set of books he was somewhat familiar with on a cabinet in the center.

"Xiangmin Ji ......"

Xu Xun remembered that the word Xiangmin was Wang Yue's nickname, not to mention that he still had such a set of books at home, so he was stunned and took one of them and flipped through it, and sure enough, he found that it was the first volume of Xiangminji that he had read. Flip through the others. He suddenly found that there were a total of seven or eight sets of Wang Yue's "Xiangmin Collection" on this shelf, and unconsciously looked at the dozing shopkeeper over there. Hesitation for a moment. And he stepped forward. He was about to knock on the bookshelf next to him with his hand, but before he could knock down, the next moment, the old shopkeeper woke up suddenly. There was a hint of sharpness in his eyes, but then he returned to his old and dizzy appearance.

"Guests want to buy books?"

"Why are there so many Wang Taifu's Xiangmin collections here?"

"Oh?" The old shopkeeper glanced at Xu Xun in surprise. Then he smiled dryly, "I can't imagine that Gongzi, a foreigner, still knows the former prince." There is no other reason. When Wang Taifu died in Ganzhou. The retinue of the military academy received his posthumous works, and made up this set of Xiangmin collections, and a total of hundreds of sets were printed, except for those that were treasured by their own families and distributed to relatives and friends, and the rest were taken to the bookstore for consignment. It's just that people go to tea and cool. There is so much left. ”

"People go to tea and cool ......"

Xu Xun sighed, but Cao Mi on the side suddenly couldn't help but say, "If the prince was still there. How could this Ningxia town be such a smoky miasma! The official only knew that he had impeached Wang Taifu back then, but after all these years of changing commanders, which one can have half the ability of Wang Taifu? Not to mention expanding the territory, there are few who can defend it! Knowing that Cao Mi had been on fire before, Xu Xun didn't stop the little guy from complaining, and the old shopkeeper glanced at Cao Mi in amazement when he heard this, then shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Shoucheng, what else do you keep...... Not to mention anything else, at Zhenyuanguan, which is 240 miles northeast of Ningxia and west of Helan Mountain, the general military government is ready to abandon this place and move Zhenyuanguan and the Black Mountain Battalion south together because the number of guards is not enough, and it is not easy to transport food and wages...... Alas, I think Wang Taifu said that the place where Zhenyuan Pass is located is the most dangerous, and its black mountain camp is at the northeast end of Helan Mountain, shaped like a tiger, drinking the Yellow River, it is the most dangerous place for soldiers, and Zhenyuan Pass is on the North Great Wall. Now it is necessary to abandon the southern retreat just because the allocation cannot be continued...... Alas! ”

Such a military situation came out of the mouth of the old shopkeeper of such an old bookstore, Cao Mi was certainly shocked, and Xu Xun couldn't help but look at the old shopkeeper thoughtfully. And after saying such a call for the first time, the old shopkeeper also felt that he was too talkative, so he changed his smile and said: "Since the guest is familiar with military affairs, if you want this set of Xiangmin to see it yourself, just give a few money and take it, and it can be regarded as a bosom friend of this book." When the book was put here and sold, someone else paid for it. ”

"I have one set of this book at home, and I have printed a few sets to give away, but I'm embarrassed to take advantage of you."

Xu Xun said with a smile, then looked at the old shopkeeper whose face had changed a little and said: "The reason why I came in just now was because I saw the four words Heshuo Xiongfeng on the signboard in front of the door, which was really extraordinarily good, but I didn't expect to see Wang Taifu's Xiangminji after coming in." I just want to ask, those four words are written by Wang Taifu himself? ”

Cao Mi saw Xu Xun thinking like this, his eyes widened for a while, and the old shopkeeper was even more caught off guard, and he was stunned for a while before hurriedly shaking his head and said: "No, no, what kind of person am I on the brand name, how can there be a plaque written by Mrs. Wang?" ”

"Oh? Case...... Cao Mi! Xu Xun suddenly shouted, and when he saw Cao Mi walking quickly and quickly in front of him and bowing deeply, he said lightly, "I remember that I brought a handwritten scroll written by Wang Taifu this time, you go and get it quickly, and compare it here!" ”

Seeing that Cao Mi was about to leave as soon as he agreed, the old shopkeeper suddenly stopped in front of Cao Mi, but his eyes were staring at Xu Xun and asked, "This son, what do you want to do?" ”

"Nothing! admits that it is the old subordinate of Wang Taifu, do you think this insults you? ”

"You ......" The old shopkeeper suddenly burst into anger, his eyes were round, and he was bright for a while, it can be seen that Xu Xun did not let him look at him an inch, and after a long time, he sighed and said, "Childe, don't be joking, I am now guarding this old book shop for the rest of my life, if I say that it is the old family of the prince and the princess, wouldn't it be an insult to the name of the prince and the first generation?" ”

Xu Xun was just a deceit, and when he saw that the other party admitted it himself, he couldn't help frowning and said, "So, are you really the old subordinate of Wang Taifu?" ”

"That was 10 years ago...... Since the death of Wang Taifu in Ganzhou, his subordinates have dispersed one by one, and I have nothing to do with a hundred households, so I simply complained about illness and temporarily dismissed from the army. I took the 20 sets of Xiangmin collections printed by my colleagues back then, and went to this Ningxia city to open a second-hand bookstore. So many years. That is, more than a dozen sets were sold. There are so many left that no one cares. ”

The old shopkeeper shook his head and returned to his seat just now and sat down, muttering a few words to himself, before he raised his head and said categorically: "The prince said that there are books from the prince at home, and he also printed two sets of them for gifting. I think it must be a child of a noble family, why play tricks on me as a waste man in his last years? It's just that I have a word in advance. The four-character plaque of the majestic wind of the river, even if the emperor Lao Tzu comes, I will never give in. If you hit this idea. That's finding the wrong person! ”…,

"Since you are here, what is the use of the plaque I want, isn't it buying a pearl? Since you mentioned Zhenyuan Pass just now, I will go there to investigate in the near future, would you like to go along? ”

"Zhenyuan Pass!" The old shopkeeper was stunned when he heard this, and repeated these three words word by word. Then he stood up and raised his head, and asked with a solemn expression. "Dare to ask who Childe is?"

"At least it's not a person who plans to abandon a Xiongguan for the sake of just a few transfers!" Xu Xun smiled slightly, and then added, "I think that if Wang Taifu is alive, I will ask you one more question, Lian Po is old, can you still eat?" ”

"Naturally!"

The old shopkeeper finally pulled off the felt hat from his head, replied viciously, and then turned around and went straight inside. Cao Mi was stunned for a moment and wanted to chase after him, but was stopped by Xu Xun with his hand stretched out.

"My lord, won't he just lie to you and run away?"

"No, since he has been with a hero like Wang Xiangmin, he will definitely not do such an unpopular thing. As long as I agreed, I will inevitably come out later, wait patiently, I shouldn't be wrong. ”

The Lord and the Servant waited for a long time in the second-hand bookstore, and finally a man came out. At first glance, Cao Mi could barely recognize the person as the old shopkeeper with a gray beard before, but he saw that his sheepskin jacket had been replaced by a black military robe that had been washed white, wearing thick black leather boots underneath, and carrying an embroidered spring knife on his waist. Seeing that such a saber that was only given to the brocade guards appeared on an outsider, Xu Xun knew that he had gained an unusually rich harvest today.

"Humble Ningxia avant-garde hundred households Mo Feng, dare to ask the name and surname of the adult!"

Seeing that the other party had given a military salute and asked him bluntly, Xu Xun replied with a smile: "I am ordered to patrol the northwest borders, and I will be able to level Xu Xun in the north." ”

Until he followed Xu Xun all the way back to the Guandi Temple, Mo Feng still felt that his head was confused, and he almost couldn't believe that this was true. However, seeing that many generals were in and out of the huge Guandi Temple, in an orderly manner, and there was not even a single cough in a loud voice, he gradually believed the facts. Therefore, when Xu Xun called him into a room, he followed him without hesitation.

"What did you do under the prince in the past?"

"Shogun." Mo Feng replied bluntly, and seeing that Xu Xun seemed to be hesitant, he opened his mouth and said, "Wang Taifu used to be the heaviest sentinel, and it is often said that if the sentinel is unfavorable, one is easy to encounter ambush soldiers, the second is easy to work for nothing, and the third is easy to get a small profit. When I came back from a sentry on a snowy night, when the prince was drinking around the hearth, the prostitutes lined up in front of him to play the pipa, and after stating the enemy's situation, the prince not only gave wine with gold, but then rewarded him with gold, and gave me a beautiful lady. And I was not the only one under the command of Mrs. Wang back then. Therefore, although the sentry is the most dangerous thing, no one from top to bottom is deadly! ”

This is simply a means for the heroic men of the ancients to win over the hearts of the people, and it is no wonder that the merits are rewarded and the scholars are light, and it is not just because Wang Yue has intersected with Wang Zhi, Li Guang, and others -- if the court and the central government can be fairer in employing people to reward merit, why would Wang Yue, a civil official with a serious Jinshi background, go to the two eunuchs?

It's a pity...... Fuhetao and Hami, which was almost done, turned out to be even more erosive after one or two decades, and the situation at the border was even more erosive!

"I don't dare to compare with Mrs. Wang, but in terms of employing people, I am confident that I can still be eclectic. I will go to Zhenyuan Pass tomorrow, and you will leave my account to listen to it, and I will allocate ten small schools to you. Don't underestimate them, the successive victories after the defeat of Yutailing were fought all the way by them following Jingyangbo and me. Cao Mi, you take him down to rest first, and then go to pass on the Ningxia guerrilla general Qiu Yue! Xu Xun previously said that he would first go around the city of Ningxia for a round, and then he would go to Zhenyuanguan and other places, and the general soldier's mansion was relieved, so even if Xu Xun requisitioned the Guandi Temple. Instead of living in the General Army's Mansion, Jiang Han didn't care too much. But this evening. But Qiu Yue hurriedly came to report that Xu Xun was going to Zhenyuan Pass the next day. He was a little dumbfounded. Although Zhenyuan Pass is the first pass in the north of Ningxia, it has always been a chore because the terrain is too dangerous and there is not much oil and water. The hundred households guarding it have not been replaced for twenty years, so now the number of defenders is getting smaller and smaller. can't even make up for it, and the Black Mountain camp is even more boring. If Xu Xun wants to visit, he has to make up for it immediately. But who would have thought that this one would suddenly go tomorrow!

"Tingwei. You know the situation in Zhenyuanguan, if Pingbei Bo is angry, you must persuade two sentences. At this moment, Jiang Han could only think about this, patted Qiu Yue's arm affectionately, and then said in a deep voice. I'll go back and discuss with King Qing, and I'll see how to make up for it when Pingbeibo comes back. ”

"Yes. The last general retired first. ”

Out of the general soldier's residence, Qiu Yue only felt that one head and two were big. Yang Yiqing has the grace of knowing and promoting him, so he and him, it is also Xu Xun who promoted him in disguise, and many people in the General Military Mansion have the grace of knowing him back then, and they can't sit back and watch these people be swept down after they are sent - if the ordinary Qincha will naturally not be so radical, but the problem is that Xu Xun is really unpredictable about what he does, and he doesn't know what this young magnate who can almost be his son is thinking.

And after asking Qiu Yue to tell the chief soldier Jiang Han that he was going to Zhenyuan City, Xu Xun recruited Ye Quan again. Seeing that the person's face was full of melancholy that he hadn't done anything before, he ordered: "Ye Quan, what is your long-cherished wish now?" ”

"A long-cherished wish?"

"It's something you want to do but can't do all the time."

Ye Quan was stunned when he heard this, and hesitated for a long time before he stammered: "I have always wanted Qi Laosan to take over the position of lowly and transfer him back to Xi'an Mansion for the elderly...... The humble function is lowly and lowly, so just such a trivial wish, please ......"

"Okay, if this matter can be done well, I will tell Jinyi Wei Ye Dushuai, not only will I transfer you back to Xi'an Mansion, but also immediately promote you to the next level, and you will be transferred to Beizhen Fusi!" Seeing that Ye Quan's eyes widened for a moment, Xu Xun ordered, "This time, you and your subordinates will all stay, even if you dig three feet into the ground, you will find all the people in the Ningxia Jinyi Wei Branch for me, and then give me a secret check on the King of Anhua." ”

Seeing that Ye Quan stayed there all of a sudden, Xu Xun pointed to Cao Mi who was standing next to him and said, "I left Cao Mi behind, the Avant-garde Military Intelligence Bureau of the government army also has some manpower in Gansu Town, all of which can come in handy." But remember, if the news leaks about this, then I will only ask you! ”

From surprise and joy to surprise and fear, it is just a sudden effort. Although Ye Quan has always been a person who does not have much ambition, what Xu Xun promised is really difficult to resist, and he has no room for disobedience, so after thinking about it repeatedly for a long time, he finally knelt down on one knee and bowed his head and agreed: "Humble and orderly!" ”

"There you go!"

After Ye Quan retreated, Xu Xun summoned Cao Mi to him, pressed his shoulder, which was now extremely solid, and then he commanded in a low voice: "This matter is extremely important, more important than the inventory of Ningxia's armaments, gunpowder, etc., you must be fully energetic, and you must not be sloppy." But more importantly, we must not startle the snake! But all the people who often come and go to the Anhua Palace, you have to write them all down, and then let them go to the bottom of it. In addition to you and Ye Quan, the people who know the king of Cha'an Hua, at most, add the local general banner who has not been able to take over the hundred households. I don't have time to see him again, so you might as well be generous with what you promise him, and so should others, don't be stingy with rewards! When that happens, try to bring all of these people into your hands! Since Jinyiwei won't work here, your military intelligence bureau will move! ”

Cao Mi listened and listened, only to feel that his mood was extremely agitated, and finally responded in a deep voice: "Don't worry, my lord, my humble duty will definitely live up to my trust!" ”

"I've always been relieved of your work. In addition, after I leave, you should pay attention to some rumors among the Ningxia generals. Although the rumor is a tree without roots, if there are more people talking about it, the three of them will become tigers! ”