Shen Yikui smiled slightly, greased the sharpened knife again, carefully put it into the scabbard, reached out and picked up the gourd without mud, pulled out the stopper and poured it into his mouth, but not a drop of water came out - he had already drunk it. He threw the gourd aside with some annoyance, but Shen Yikui handed over a water bag: "Come, drink mine." “

He thanked him without touching the mud, took the water bag and drank a few sips, then re-stuffed it to return it to Shen Yikui, but Shen Yikui didn't stretch out his hand to take it: "Cun Meng, why did you say that Lord Yang recruited you and me this time?" “

"It should be for money, right?" He threw the water bag aside without mud and patted his belly: "This person, if you don't eat for a day, you will faint, and if you don't eat for three days, you will die, the court is appeased to us, but the food and salary sent down are pitiful, just let us find the surrounding gentry to 'borrow grain', but this is not a long-term strategy, right?" Seeing that this year is another famine year, he is the governor of the three sides, and the lord of the army, he has to come up with a way! ”

"Yes!" Speaking of the food problem, Shen Yikui's face became more and more ugly, and he sighed: "There hasn't been a single rain since the beginning of spring, fortunately, Liu Dusi still divided three thousand people to go, otherwise we can't do it now." To tell the truth, I really admire that Liu Dusi, others are afraid that they will have one more mouth on their side at this time, he is good, he forcibly pulled 3,000 people away, and he can still get food to fill these 3,000 mouths, do you think he is powerful? ”

"With just one mouth, I fooled the two sides to death, and we made our seventeen families in Shaanxi scattered, can it be amazing?" He said angrily: "Let me say that this person is a demon, who was born to harm us." ”

"Will you die if you don't say a word?" Shen Yikui shouted in a low voice, he looked left and right at no one, and said in a low voice: "Cun Meng, we are already officials of the imperial court, have you forgotten what clothes you are wearing?" “

Bu Mu nodded a little reluctantly, and after a while, he said in a low voice: "Big brother, there is something you may not like to hear, but I still have to say, if Yang Zhijun can't come up with money and food this time, we can have more hearts." You must know that in addition to giving money and food, the imperial court has another way to solve the problem. “

Shen Yikui didn't speak, he knew very well what the "other way to solve the problem" was that he didn't stick to the mud, the living need to eat, but the dead don't need to eat, no matter how much he trusted the court, his head still mattered.

"You don't have to go to Guyuan this time, I'll tell Yang Zhijun that you are seriously ill and can't come. When you go back, you pick up a few hundred trustworthy brothers, and have weapons and armor ready for any emergency. Remember, you know about it, no one can say it! In the end, Shen Yikui's face became very cold.

"You don't have to worry about me!" Bu Mu jumped up excitedly: "I'll rush back overnight!" ”

Shen Yikui didn't speak, just nodded, and a few minutes later he heard a rapid sound of horses' hooves heading east, Shen Yikui broke the dead branch in his hand into a small piece and threw it into the fire, and suddenly sighed: "Lord Yang, if there is no money and food to come down, then no one can come!" ”

When Shen Yikui arrived at Guyuan City, it was already the evening of the next day, and as soon as the captain guarding the gate checked his document seal, he hurriedly knelt down on one leg and saluted: "It turned out to be the garrison lord, please forgive me for the offense just now!" ”

"This is your duty, what is there to offend!" Shen Yikui smiled, he stretched out his hand and beckoned the soldiers behind him: "Come on, quickly move the luggage over and let a few brothers guarding the door search it." “

"Don't dare, don't dare!" The lieutenant hurriedly waved his hand again and again, and made a gesture to invite in: "Lord Wu, I have already told you from above, as soon as you arrive in Guyuan, please go to the yamen of the army master, see you early and see you late, how dare you delay the big thing of the army master for this little thing." ”

"It's good!" Shen Yikui laughed, the other party's words made his self-esteem very satisfied, and he couldn't help but flash such a thought in his heart: "When I was a thief in the past, how could I know the majesty of being an official!" “

Shen Yikui arrived at the governor's yamen, and under the guidance of Cheng Qiguan, he walked through two courtyards, walked through an alley, and came to a small courtyard. He saw two guards in brocade robes and swords standing in front of the moon gate in the courtyard, and there was a bamboo forest rockery inside the door, which did not look like a public court, and he couldn't help but wonder in his heart, and his pace slowed down. Cheng Qiguan in front heard that the footsteps were wrong, turned around and whispered, "Lord Wu, hurry up, Mo La." “

"Is this-? Shen Yikui asked with some confusion.

"This is the Governor's private residence!" A trace of disdain flashed on Cheng Qiguan's face, and he was immediately replaced by a smile: "Lord Wu, hurry up, Lord Governor has been waiting for you for a long time!" ”

Hearing that Yang He summoned him alone in his private house, Shen Yikui was overwhelmed with honor, and he couldn't help but feel a little scared, and his heartbeat couldn't help but accelerate. He grabbed a few steps, but accidentally stumbled on the steps of the moon gate, and almost fell, he immediately heard two slight laughter from behind him, knowing that it was the guard at the door, his face suddenly turned red.

"Wu Shoubei has arrived!" Cheng Qiguan stood at the foot of the steps of the main hall and preached, and immediately from the hall came a voice "Please!" Shen Yikui hurriedly grabbed a few steps, he saw a scribe in Tsing Yi walking down from the hall, but it was Zhao Wende, Shen Yikui knew that the other party was Yang He's most trusted staff, and hurriedly bowed and saluted: "The last general will meet Mr. Zhao!" ”

"Excuse me!" Zhao Wende stretched out his hand to help Shen Yikui up, and made a gesture of please: "Your Excellency the Governor has been waiting for you in the hall for a long time!" “

Shen Yikui hurriedly hurried a few steps, walked up the three-level stone steps, knelt down and kowtowed twice, and reported loudly: "Wu Qilong, the garrison of Wu Fort in Yansui Town, see Lord Governor!" “

Yang He had already decided to use the method of "special grace" to envelop this general, so he did not sit on the chair and receive the other party's salute according to the status of the two sides, but stood in the hall, and arched his hand slightly, with a hint of a smile on his face, as if he was welcoming a friend of lower status to visit, rather than receiving a subordinate with a disparity in status. After Shen Yikui sat down, Yang He casually asked about the current situation, how many Ding Zhuang were under the other party, how much was the shortage of food and money, and after greeting for a while, he said in a reserved and somewhat cordial tone: "Lord Wu." ”

Shen Yikui hurriedly stood up and said with crossed hands: "The villain can't afford it!" ”

"You're a man of deeds!" Yang He continued, and did not let Shen Yikui sit down: "Since the second year of Chongzhen, there has been chaos in the northwest, how many people have been displaced and died, and the Son of Heaven also has worries about the west. You can be the military attache of the imperial court, this is the kindness of the imperial court, and it is also your ability! ”

"It's all cultivated by the Governor!" Shen Yikui hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed.

"Lord Wu doesn't have to be formal!" Yang He helped Shen Yikui up: "Please sit down and talk, I invited you here today just to make it easier to speak." Now the imperial court is in an eventful autumn, and it is also a year of great achievements for heroes and heroes, whether it is a wife and a son, famous in history, or live up to the grace of the country, ruined and ruined, it all depends on your own actions, Lord Wu. Today, God is wise, hard work, for the meritorious deeds, discerning the details, meritorious will be rewarded, faults must be punished, will not be borrowed, you and I must be cautious. Speaking of this, Yang He casually took a document from several cases, handed it to Shen Yikui and said, "This book, Lord Wu, can take a look." ”

Shen Yikui's face suddenly turned red, and he said in embarrassment: "Tell the Governor, the last general will not be illiterate." ”

"Oh, it's the official's negligence!" Yang He smiled to himself, handed the book to Zhao Wende, who was sitting on the side, and said with a smile: "Jiansheng, I will bother you to read it to Lord Wu." “

"Yes, sir!" Zhao Wende took the book and read it aloud, and the profundity of the words stopped and explained carefully, Shen Yikui listened carefully, it turned out that the document was the imperial court's reply to Yang He's performance, and it was about the matter of soothing the thief's salary. When you hear "

Liukou is also a child. Shen Yikui couldn't help but burst into tears, and sobbed: "The grace of the Holy Son of Heaven is covered by heaven and earth, and my generation is the liver and brain, and I can't repay it." “

"Who is not a saint or a sage? Although Lord Wu had been a thief before, he was very meritorious in pacifying the chaos in the northwest for the imperial court after being appeased, which the official knows, the imperial court knows, and His Majesty also knows. “

Shen Yikui hurriedly stood up, bowed and said, "Thank you for all this, Lord Governor." ”

"Sit down, sit down!" Yang He smiled and asked Shen Yikui to sit down, nodded at Zhao Wende, and motioned for the other party to finish reading. Shen Yikui also wiped away the tears on his face, and after reading it, Yang He said solemnly: "Lord Wu, I also know that you are short of food and salary, and it is very hard to maintain, now Your Majesty's approval has come down, 100,000 silver, 50,000 grain, about to arrive, Your Majesty has also reduced the cost of the palace, and there will be a continuous supply every month, I will withdraw part of the forts outside Guyuan, first with you 30,000 silver, 30,000 stone of grain, you must maintain the situation, don't let Your Majesty worry!" ”

"Yes, sir!" Shen Yikui had already been touched by Yang He's trust in himself and the benevolence of the Son of Heaven, he originally wanted to say a few words to express his loyalty to the court and the Son of Heaven, but the ink in his stomach was limited, and he held back for a long time before a sentence came out: "As long as there is still a breath of humiliation, this situation will not be chaotic!" ”

"Good courage, good courage, bring wine!" Yang He nodded with satisfaction, he took the wine glass handed over by Zhao Wende, handed it to Shen Yikui, and said in a serious tone: "Lord Wu, the clerk who promoted you for the guerrilla in Yansui Town has been sent to the military department, you are good at life, don't worry about not being rich!" ”

Hearing the good news, Shen Yikui took the wine glass tremblingly, drank it all, knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Yang Hesan: "The last general, the last general-" At this time, he was already speechless with excitement, and could only feel tears flowing wantonly on his face.

The majestic Yanshan Mountains stretch from the Yanghe Valley to the east to the sea, separating the Hebei Plain from the Bashang Plateau, forming a natural barrier. However, there is a small gap between the steep Yanshan Mountains and the Yellow Sea, the people who lived in the Hebei Plain in ancient times passed this gap, all the way to the north, they will find that the left hand direction is the continuous Songling Mountains, the right hand is the vast Liaodong Bay, forming a narrow corridor between the mountains and the sea, this corridor is 185 kilometers long, the narrowest point is eight kilometers, and the widest is only 15 kilometers, connecting the Hebei Plain and the Songliao Plain, and it has been an important passage connecting the inside and outside of the customs since ancient times. After Zhu Yuanzhang, Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, defeated the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty in Yuerhai in 1388 AD, he basically cleared the possibility of the Mongol forces led by the Golden Family to re-settle in the Central Plains, and an old problem was placed in front of the rulers of the Ming Dynasty, how to resist the invasion of the nomads in the steppe?

Generally speaking, the boundary between the political power established by the nomadic and agrarian peoples of the ancient East Asian steppes coincided with the 400 mm rainfall line, and the reason for this is not difficult to understand - ancient agriculture was rain farming, and the territory of 400 mm a year was the lower limit of agriculture, and it was impossible for the farming peoples to carry out settled agricultural production on the land below this limit, and naturally it was difficult to maintain their rule for a long time. But this law is not universal, with two exceptions, that is, the Liaodong and Western Regions. The average annual rainfall in the Western Regions was significantly less than 400 mm, but in the Han, Tang and Qing dynasties, the Central Plains maintained effective rule over the region for a long time. And the rainfall in Liaodong is significantly more than 400 mm, but for a long time it was under the control of nomads, why is that?

If you analyze it more carefully, you will find that although the rainfall in the Western Regions is scarce, some areas can be used for agricultural production due to the meltwater and groundwater of snow-capped mountains, and the famous Silk Road passed through here in ancient times, which is an important channel for the exchange of Eastern and Western civilizations, so the Central Plains Dynasty can use the local agricultural production and trade income to strengthen local control; Although there was enough rainfall in Liaodong, the climate was cold, full of forests and swamps, and the roads were difficult to pass, so it was extremely difficult for the Central Plains Dynasty to incorporate it into its territory. It is not difficult to see that the control of these two exceptional areas was extremely important for the wars between the ancient East Asian farming peoples and the nomads, because even if either side won a few victories, it could not change the overall situation, and even if the farming peoples invaded the grasslands, they could not establish effective rule over the county officials, and as long as the strength weakened slightly, they would be driven back; The nomads who crossed the Great Wall usually ended up being driven back after a period of plunder, and the lucky few were assimilated after two or three generations.