On the fifth day of the first month of April, Zhang Yuan and his entourage went out of Shanhaiguan, and since then they have stepped into the vast Kanto territory, as far as the field of vision can see, the beacon tower and the pier of the book stretch out into the distance, the sky is high and the earth is high, the sea breeze comes from the east, the mission is hunting with flags, the Korean scrivener Jin Zhongqing Yao pointed to a high platform in Dongguan and said to Zhang Yuan: "Zhang Xiu, that is the Wangfu Tower, according to legend, it is the place where Meng Jiangnu is looking for her husband, and there is a Mengjiang Temple under the Wangfu Terrace - Zhang Xiu does not have the ancient feelings?" ”

Zhang Yuan smiled, these North Korean envoys saw that he only liked to inquire about military defense and people's conditions all the way, but did not chant poems, they couldn't help but be surprised, the Ming envoys who used to envoy North Korea were all poems all the way, such as Zhu Zhifan, the Zhan Shifu Zuo Yu De Zhu Zhifan, who sent an envoy to North Korea ten years ago, not only wrote poems on the mountains and rivers and scenic spots he passed, but even left poems in the post inns, and even gave poems to North Korean officials.

Last night on the inscription wall of the Shanhaiguan post house, Zhang Yuan saw Zhu Zhifan and the North Korean envoys singing and singing the "Shanhaiguan and Jin Taifu Rhyme", the North Korean deputy envoy Xu Yun and the secretary Jin Zhongqing repeatedly recited two of the sentences "The guest closes the door to welcome the dawn, and the mountain returns to the coast to spring tide", thinking that it is wonderful, but Zhang Yuan feels that Zhu Zhifan's poems are plain, and poetry needs inspiration, "two sentences and three years" is a bit exaggerated, but it is inevitable that it will be too indiscriminate when you open your mouth, it is said that the Qing Emperor Qianlong is the person who wrote the most poems in ancient times, with tens of thousands of poems, But what poem can be circulated?

However, as an envoy of the Celestial Empire, Zhang Yuan is obliged to compose poems, North Korea admires Chinese culture, and the envoys sent are all proficient in Confucianism and can write poetry.

"Did Jin join the army write a good sentence about Meng Jiangnu, listen to it." Zhang Yuan asked Jin Zhongqing to throw bricks and lead jade.

Jin Zhongqing said: "I got a poem from Xu Sheren of our country and wanted to ask Zhang Xiu for advice. ”

The deputy envoy of North Korea, Xu Yun, is a famous poet in North Korea, and he is a famous poet in North Korea. The white bones along the edge resemble basil. But the sorrow and hard work are exhausted, who knows how to work hard. The stone mirror is thousands of autumns and bright nights and moons, and Qincheng is thousands of miles away. Empty through the leylines of the earth wears the lives of the people. The rest of the Jiashan Ze national high. ”

After chanting, Xu Yun and Jin Zhongqing both looked at Zhang Yuan and waited for Zhang Yuan's evaluation. It's best to step with it.

Ruan Dacheng also looked at Zhang Yuan, Ruan Dacheng has a poetic name, but he is not a regular envoy, and these North Korean envoys only value Zhang Yuan, and did not ask him to compose poems, Ruan Dacheng was silent, to see how Zhang Yuan coped with-

Zhang Yuan slowly walked slowly and praised: "Xu Sheren chanted good poems, implying the meaning of prosperity and death and persuasion and punishment, and had the style of poetry history. ”

Xu Yun held the reins and arched his hand and said: "Zhang Xiu has won the award." Zhang Xiu is a genius in the south of the Yangtze River and the first to pass on the word, this situation and this scene, there must be a good sentence for me to listen to. ”

Zhang Yuan said: "Poetry is a famous instrument, and emotions can be sent to the outside world, not a tool for communication and entertainment." I don't write poetry at leisure. ”

Xu Yun and Jin Zhongqing looked at each other, both embarrassed.

Ruan Dacheng on the side smiled secretly, and said in his heart: "Zhang Jiezi is bullying, I'm afraid this can't stop the North Koreans." ”

But I heard Zhang Yuan say again: "But Xu Sheren Zhuyu is in front, and he reluctantly wants to make a song to ask for advice." Looking into the distance, he recited aloud: "Ying Zheng didn't say anything in the past." Yaowu built the city in the north. The tyrant broke the leylines of the earth and caused the east to win. On the day of death, the white bones are like mountains. Sad Meng Jiangnu, looking for a husband for thousands of miles. I can't know what to see, and I cry and cry and the world is terrified. The wind and clouds are colorless, and the pillars are devastating. The big festival shines on the day, and Geng Geng is still alive today. Wangfu has a high platform, and he is worthy of Huaiqing for thousands of years. I'm here to look at the ancient Huai sincerely. The village witch walks Fula, and the temple looks sparse. Mulberry Zi has been in love since ancient times, and the grass and trees are still sad. The Great Wall is here today, and the emblem has not been Qin for a long time. Not as good as this mountain stone, the name of the martyr has been passed on for a long time. ”

Ruan Dacheng was taken aback, he also had a three-year friendship with Zhang Yuan, and he had never heard that Zhang Yuan would compose poetry, but Zhang Yuan had just recited this five-word ancient style of high-spirited and Shen Xiong, this is a masterpiece that has won the essence of Du Fu.

Looking at the two North Korean envoys again, they praised and admired repeatedly, Xu Yun, who was originally full of poetry, did not dare to write poems in front of Zhang Yuan again, and Zhang Yuan also ended up quiet, otherwise these two North Koreans chanted poems endlessly, he didn't have so much heart to deal with it, it was better to learn more Korean from Fan Tongshi, Zhang Yuan told Fan Tongshi not to tell Liu Dongming and others about his learning of Korean, so that he might be able to hear some things that he couldn't hear when he arrived in Wangjing Hancheng.

Out of Shanhaiguan, there is obviously a sense of vast land and sparsely populated, dozens of miles will see the community of the settlement, there are only dozens of households, cattle, sheep, pigs, donkeys and other livestock can be seen along the way, poplar, willow, mulberry, jujube these trees are densely intertwined, in the pass, the post station is surrounded by dozens of houses surrounded by low wall courtyards, and outside the pass, each post station is a small castle, stationed with guard soldiers, can be used by residents to take refuge in wartime, this is all to guard against the Jurchens' war preparation facilities, but these post forts have not suffered from war since they were built, according to Zhang Yuan's observation and inquiryThe sergeants in the post fort are almost untrained, the guns are rotten and the knives are rusty, the bows are cracked and the strings are loose, the sergeants are busy doing business with the people who enter and leave the castle every day, and the officers of the guard post open shops and let their soldiers cut trees and burn charcoal to transport them to Beijing to sell, what combat effectiveness does such an army have!

On the eighth day of the first month of April, when Guangning Wei passed, Zhang Yuan talked with a Qianhu surnamed Liao in Guangning Wei, Zhang Yuan said that the ambition of the Jianzhou Jurchens was a problem for his henchmen, but this Liao Qianhu was very proud, and said with confidence: "Don't worry, Lord Zhang, the old slave of Jianzhou can only run rampant in the Jurchen tribes, and he is just a chicken and a dog in front of my Ming army, how dare he come to invade my Daming, if he dares to come, it is just for my border guards to train soldiers and obtain military merits, and he will not return." ”

Zhang Yuan looked at Liao Qianhu's fat body and asked, "The Jurchens are coming, Liao Qianhu thinks that your sergeants who are busy with business dare to fight?" Can you fight? ”

Liao Qianhu's face sank, if it weren't for Zhang Yuan being a six-grade noble word forest official, Liao Qianhu would have been furious, isn't this a long time for others to destroy their own prestige, are you Zhang Xiushu speaking on the side of the Jurchens, and said: "Lord Zhang, when the soldiers under the humble post are training, there may be a very small number of people who do business and make profits, but most of them are loyal to the country and dare to fight, Shanhaiguan is the barrier of the Beijing Division, and our Guangningwei is the barrier of the Shanhaiguan, if we dare not fight, how can there be the peace of the Beijing Division." Xin said: "What else can you know as a scholar besides reading eight shares!" "The status of military generals is low, but military generals also look down on civilian officials, and they don't dare to confront them in person, so it's always okay to slander them.

Zhang Yuan smiled and nodded: "It's good to dare to fight, our Beijing officials are relying on the protection of border soldiers like Liao Qianhu." ”

Zhang Yuan was just a passing envoy, not the imperial history of Liaodong, and he had no right to accuse a border general like Liao Qianhu, but the angry thing was that people like Liao Qianhu were still full of confidence, and they spoke boldly and loudly, and they didn't take Nurhachi in their eyes at all.

On April 13, Zhang Yuan and his entourage came to Guangning City, where the governor of Liaodong, the general army, the commander of the envoys and the eunuchs of Guangning Town were all located, this is a big city in Liaodong, the city wall is high and broad, there are more than 20,000 horse and infantry soldiers, there are tuntian, grain storage, and horse market, it can be said that Guangning City is the military and political center of Liaodong.

Although Liu Dongming was anxious to rush to Wangjing before the eighth day of the fifth month, Zhang Yuan still stayed in Guangning for two days, and visited the chief soldier Zhang Chengyin, the commander Han Yuanshan, and the eunuch Lu Huai, and the governor of Liaodong, Li Weihan, went to Fushun at the beginning of the month, Zhang Yuan failed to see it, but Zhang Chengyin and Han Yuanshan, the two senior generals, gave Zhang Yuan the impression that Zhang Yuan was extremely disappointed, Zhang Chengyin and Han Yuanshan were border generals who were in direct contact with the Jurchens, and they also had a contemptuous attitude towards Nurhachi, thinking that it was not a matter of concern, Zhang Chengyin said that he had 15,000 elite soldiers under his command, Equipped with 200 cannons, 2,000 small cannons, and 5,000 birds, the firepower is fierce, and the slave chieftains of Jianzhou dare to attack, which is self-defeating.

Zhang Chengyin was very courteous to Zhang Yuan, seeing that Zhang Yuan was interested in Bian Bei, he specially led Zhang Yuan to the school to watch his sergeant's drill, and ordered the sergeant to test shoot bird guns for Zhang Zhuangyuan to watch, fifty bird guns were fired in a volley, but four of them were blown up on the spot, two of which were slightly injured, and the other two sergeants were blinded in one eye and one in the fingers of his right hand, leaving him disabled for life.

Zhang Chengyin was greatly embarrassed and said: "This bird gun is not very well-made, often blows up the chamber, and the military department often deducts military salaries, which makes the army feel sluggish. ”

Zhang Yuan knew that although there were many firearms in the Ming army, they were not strong and reliable, but these were not Achilles' heels, and the most fatal thing was that the generals of the Ming army were generally arrogant and arrogant, despised the Jurchens, did not train troops in a down-to-earth manner, did not organize their armaments, and once they were defeated by the Jurchens, they were afraid of the enemy like a tiger, and they changed very quickly from arrogance to cowardice.

Zhang Yuan said: "The military department has a newly built flintlock pistol, and General Zhang can apply to the military department for a replacement. He also asked: "How many soldiers are available in the whole town of Liaodong at present?" How many warriors are there in Nurhachi? ”

Zhang Chengyin said: "There are more than 60,000 soldiers in the whole town of Liaodong, and Nurhachi is no more than 50,000 soldiers and horses. ”

Zhang Yuanxin said: "Even the Koreans know that Nurhachi has nearly 40,000 long-armored cavalry alone, but you, the general soldier of Liaodong, are ignorant. Asked: "Can these 60,000 soldiers in Liaodong fight?" ”

Zhang Chengyin hesitated for a moment, and replied: "About half of them can fight, and the remaining 30,000 are scattered in various castles and post stations to serve, and these soldiers are enough to guard against the slave chieftains, if the slave chieftains dare to use troops in Liaodong, the military department can immediately transfer reinforcements from other border towns, and I can also recruit troops on the spot. ”

Zhang Yuan smiled bitterly, next year is Zhang Chengyin's death, after the fall of Fushun, Zhang Chengyin led 10,000 troops to rescue, was defeated by Daishan and Huang Taiji in the Jinshitai realm, Zhang Chengyin died in battle, the whole army was annihilated, it is rumored that Jin only folded two pawns in this battle, such a one-sided slaughter is incredible!

Although Zhang Chengyin is nearly fifty years old, he has been practicing martial arts for many years, is vigorous and strong, and is very friendly to Zhang Yuan, Zhang Yuan looked at Zhang Chengyin's smile and sighed in his heart: "This family, how can I save you?" ”

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