"Can't you hurry any faster?"

"Master Hou, the boiler is already at its maximum power, and it can't be faster. 【】”

"This broken machine is really useless." Xie Hong kicked the coal pile as if venting, and suddenly found that the coal pile seemed to be much smaller, "How long can the coal last?" ”

"It can probably be used for a day or two, but Master Hou, you don't have to worry, you will arrive in Weihaiwei in another day, and you can replenish it there." The boilermaker comforted.

"Alas!" Xie Hong looked up to the sky and sighed, he missed the internal combustion engine very much, if he had that thing, he should have arrived in Tianjin by now, right?

"Brother Xie, you don't need to be in such a hurry, right? When Xiao Si left from Lushun, there was no movement in the capital, even if there was a case in Xuanfu, the emperor might not be out of Beijing. Even if he really wants to go, he has to prepare for ten days and a half months, how can we catch up. ”

Xie Hong sighed all the way, he kept running between the boiler room and the cabin, and his scarred face was a little dizzy, and he couldn't remember how many times he comforted the other party, and what he said was not unreasonable, but it had no effect at all.

"There are some things you don't know...... Xie Hong waved his hand weakly, with his understanding of Zhengde, if Tatar enters the palace in a big way, that young master will definitely not sit idly by.

In the history of the previous life, Zhengde personally conquered once, although the war was passed by the historians with the Spring and Autumn brushwork, but Xie Hong could imagine what kind of earth-shattering war it was, because afterwards Zhengde said that he personally beheaded the first level.

The Emperor himself went into battle and engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat, which shows how fierce the battle was. Even if it wasn't as intense as he imagined, Zhengde just messed up because of itchy hands, but since Huang Yanjing ran to the front line, how could the Ming army lag behind?

Therefore, others are just worried, but Xie Hong knows very well that as long as the little prince comes, Zhengde will definitely face the battle, which is an inevitable surname with history, and it is also a fateful showdown.

It's just that the battle in history happened after Zhengde became an adult, but now it is much earlier, and Zhengde's strength is also insufficient, but his new firearms have not been successfully developed, which is a little tricky, I just hope that the second brother will not be too impulsive.

However, after all, the speed of the ship will not be changed by human will, and Xie Hong can only stand on the slow steamer, looking at the ocean and sighing. Until he got to the dock in Weihaiwei, his mood did not improve.

"Master Hou, are you going to kill the Tartars? Your subordinates will also go with you. ”

"How do you know?" Xie Hong was taken aback and asked in disbelief: "Could it be that the Tartars have already attacked, and besides, the news has reached Weihaiwei?" ”

"No, General Lu Si fought here a while ago, he said it......" Hu Sanniang sold Lu Xiaosi without blinking an eye, and after that, she turned her head and glared angrily at her husband who had been pulling her sleeve, "I asked for a battle with Lord Hou, what are you doing with me?" ”

"Hehe, third sister, that's not ......" Zhao Zhong smiled on both sides, nodded and said: "Master Hou, don't be surprised, my mother-in-law is this surname, hey, in front of Master Hou, why do you kick me?" Aren't they all right? In front of outsiders, you have to save some face for me......"

Xie Hong rolled his eyes, among the Lu family brothers, the most ignorant is this little four, with a big mouth, dare to say anything, is it a bit rash to entrust him with Jiangnan over there?

"Master Hou, let your subordinates go with you, Weihaiwei also has good men, I have gathered more than 200 people, all of whom are skilled in martial arts, even if I can't fight, I can protect the ladies along the way." Hu Sanniang said unrelentingly.

"Well, this is also ......" Xie Hong was a little tempted, he had already calculated on the way, the best result of returning to Beijing this time was that the Tartars had not yet moved, and Zhengde was still in the capital, so he could be deployed calmly, and there was a lot of leeway. The worst result is that Zhengde has already left Beijing, in that case, he will have to catch up.

If Zhengde is eager to send troops, only the Guards and 3,000 battalions can be used, then, in order to increase the chances of victory, it is at least not harmful to gather more reinforcements by yourself, the establishment is too scattered, it is not good to unify the command, and it is good to put it in the capital to suppress the situation.

"Okay, Commander Hu will return to Beijing with Ben Hou, but the two of them will be separated for a while." Xie Hong said slightly apologetically, Weihaiwei is also very important, and it is not okay for the husband and wife to leave.

"It's okay, it's all old husbands and wives, why don't you care about the past year and a half, third brother, don't you say?" Hu Sanniang waved her hand aggressively, then turned around and glared at Zhao Zhong again, and glared back at the latter's words.

"Yes, yes, it's okay, third sister, you just have to go." Zhao Zhong had tears in his heart, a smile on his face, and nodded again. But Xie Hong is quite happy for him, for men who are afraid of their wives, it doesn't seem to be a bad thing for their wives to leave for a year and a half.

After the development of steamships, Weihai Port, a transit port, began to reserve coal, and after a short stay, the fleet set sail again, this time, there were more than 100 people on board, and it seemed more crowded.

Compared with the windy and rough East China Sea, Bohai Bay was as stable as a bathtub, and the steamer exerted its maximum power, and it only took a little more than a day to reach Tianjin, and this time, the people who greeted Xie Hong on the pier surprised Xie Hong again.

"Mr. Yang, why are you here?"

"Master Hou, you can count it back, the big thing is not good, the former Xuanfu was defeated, and the chief soldier Zhang Jun died in battle...... The day before yesterday, the Holy Driver had already left Jingxi! Before Yang Haoran could answer, a person beside him jumped in front of Xie Hong one by one, this person's tone was extremely hurried, and the news he said was worse than the other.

can use such a short sentence to explain so much complicated bad news, in Tianjin, that is, Yan Song has this talent.

"Is it still too late?" Xie Hong didn't have time to think about why Zhang Jun didn't listen to his orders and attacked rashly, so that the whole army was defeated, his heart was full of regrets, there were only two days left, and it would be better to arrive two days earlier.

"Master Hou, it's not too late!"

Yan Song's eyes were bloodshot, obviously he hadn't slept well these days, but he was still calm, and his thinking was very clear, "The emperor commands the army, the marching speed will not be too fast, if the Hou Ye is chasing with light horses, he should be able to catch up, Tianjin has prepared a fast horse, and there is also the cavalry of General Yang Bing, it should be possible, as long as the Hou Ye is persuaded in person, the emperor will definitely change his mind!" ”

The emperor is the emperor, every move can affect the hearts of countless people, Zhengde pro-conquest makes the scholars rejoice, but also makes the imperial party like a mourner, especially for people like Yan Song, who have made great contributions in the new bureaucratic system and have extremely promising prospects, this news is simply a bolt from the blue.

Now the only one who can save the day is Xie Hong, who is expected by everyone. But what disappointed him was that after Xie Hong heard this, he did not chase after him as before, but frowned deeply.

He was puzzled, could it be that he couldn't catch up with his worries? No, the army is moving slowly, Tianjin is close to Yanjing, and there are more official roads to go along the way, it should be easy. Afraid of persuasion? No, everyone knows that the emperor is obedient to Hou Ye's words and relies on him very much, so how can he not persuade him?

Seeing that Xie Hong was silent, he asked tentatively, "Master Hou......"

"Mr. Yang, why are you here? You also brought cavalry? His voice woke Xie Hong up, but the latter ignored him and turned to Yang Haoran again.

"When Mrs. Yu reported the news to Lushun, I happened to be there, so I ......" Yang Haoran touched the back of his head and said with a smile: "Hehe, I estimate that if there is movement in the grassland, Hou Ye will move his troops, so he brought three thousand cavalry over in advance, who would have thought that this movement was quite big, and I really didn't have enough people." ”

"That Liaozhen is over there......" Xie Hong didn't have time to slander Lu Xiaosi's big mouth, Duoyan Sanwei was not very stable, Yang Haoran, the chief soldier, was not there, in case there was an abnormality over there, it would be troublesome.

Yang Haoran patted his chest and said: "With Brother Mao here, the defense has been arranged, if they don't move, if they dare to act rashly, Brother Mao will definitely teach them a lesson." ”

"That's fine," Xie Hong nodded, turned to Yan Song and said, "Lord Yan, you quickly take Benhou's warrant, send someone to Jizhen, and order General Wu to transfer 10,000 elite cavalry to the capital to join Benhou." ”

"Hou Ye......" Yan Song was in a hurry, Hou Ye did not chase the emperor, but instead transferred troops, is this to be the emperor's backup and mess around with the emperor?

"Without further ado, carry out the order!" Xie Hong snorted, which startled Yan Song, in his impression, Hou Ye has always been not angry and arrogant, and it is rare to have such a loud voice, and he can't care about the doubts in his heart, so he hurriedly arranged for people to go.

"What the hell is a literati...... Yang Haoran glanced at Yan Song's back and muttered.

"It's not a matter of literati or not, the main thing is that Yan Shilang doesn't know the emperor well enough, and he doesn't know the soldiers enough." Xie Hong shook his head and sighed.

If Zhengde hadn't moved yet, he would definitely have to rush to the capital at the same time, but now, the battle situation in Xuanfu has been eroded, and it is impossible not to send rescuers, and it is impossible to persuade Zhengde to catch up, even if he is persuaded, it will be a trouble in the future.

The Guards relied on morale and arrogance to fight, and if they lost the battle, they would not be able to accept it in any way.

What's more, the backbone of the Guards are all the children of Xuanfu, who left with a blood feud, but returned in vain, and this army must be completely abolished in the future. An army without a military spirit, even if it is equipped with the best weapons, will have no combat effectiveness, which has been proved by countless examples in later generations.

Therefore, now there is no room for retreat, and there is no choice but to fight with all his strength, and what he has to do is to gather the most and most powerful soldiers and horses to reinforce him in the shortest possible time.

If you want to fight, let's fight.

(To be continued)