After dinner, the army set out from camp, and the wheels of mules and horses on the official road trampled the snow and mud on the road, so the speed of the team slowed down a lot, and after a short time they caught up with a team, only to see the officers and soldiers carrying a continuous convoy of mules and horses, and were trudging on the road with difficulty.

Tanma reported to Yangling, this is to Datong to transport grain, forage condensation, the south to the north of the grain and straw equipment often on this road, the carriage and horses are endless, the original smooth and solid rammed earth post road has been seriously damaged, and then through the snow press, rugged and sunken, slippery and difficult to walk.

Seeing the army with complete armor and neat gear passing by, the baggage team consciously moved to the side of the road, and Yang Ling's army gathered its formation and slowly passed by.

Emperor Zhengde lightly clamped the horse's back, his body gently undulated, and his gaze slowly swept from the flow of people in the convoy. The convoy was crowded on one side, and the men were in rags, some mending the road, some shouldering pedals, pushing the wheels of the wheels stuck in the ice and snow pits.

The servants who drove the cars were recruited, but these people who built bridges and repaired roads and picked out coolies on their shoulders were homeless people, tenants, and village men who volunteered to transport grain and grass. The homeless people have no food and clothing, and the tenants are poor, and they have nothing to do in the winter, so they rely on their strength to find some work to fill their stomachs and reduce the burden on their families, and they can also earn a few pennies.

Looking at the poor people with vegetables on their faces, the relaxed smile on Zhengde's face disappeared, and the army crossed the baggage convoy and continued to speed up the journey forward, and Zhengde kept looking back at the long queue that was slowly moving north.

The army stayed in Changping for a night, and the Changping County Commander did not know that the current emperor was in the army, but the two well-known signboards of the Admiral of the Inner Factory and the Admiral of the Beijing Camp alone were enough to make him busy and not idle.

Yang Ling's army relied on the Yicheng Pavilion to be stationed in the small county town, and the servants and cooks in the Yicheng Pavilion were all driven out and replaced with the people brought by Zhang Yong.

Yang Ling arranged the night guard and Ming Yue itinerary in the tent of the Chinese army set up temporarily, and the two pro-soldiers walked in with a young man dressed as an ordinary person, this person's clothes were inconspicuous, but his demeanor was dignified, Yang Ling smiled happily when he saw him: "Liu Biao, come, sit down, is there any news?" ”

Yang Ling sent Yang Yiqing to follow Cheng Qiyun south, collect the handles of the officials who were supported by the coastal gentry who sent people to investigate in the early stage, and transferred Peng Jizu, the third head of the inner factory, to lead the five thousand elite soldiers, Liu Biao was responsible for the command and coordination of the light and dark detectives along the way, and Wu Hanchao rushed to Xuanfu and Datong in advance, and got in touch with Han Lin, who had taken root there, and secretly took care of it.

Liu Biao gave a military salute and sat on the chair on the side, Yang Ling poured him a cup of tea with a smile, Liu Biao thanked him, glanced at it alertly, and several guards around him retreated knowingly, Liu Biao said in a low voice: "My lord, the news from the Jingli Tanma has arrived, and the two girls that the adults want us to pay attention to have nothing wrong, the two have been sent to the leopard room, it seems that they are very safe, and they are continuing to monitor."

In addition, the news sent back by the front exploration horses, Juyongguan and Xuanfu all the way is very peaceful, the wounded soldiers who have been withdrawn, the baggage sent to Datong, the convoy is endless, the soldiers and the people are mixed, in this case, in order to prevent the Tatars from being annihilated, there are checkpoints along the way, there is no passage order issued by the army and road guides, and those who are more than five people are not allowed to pass, so that there will never be a large group of people along the way, if there are really hundreds of green forests, they will want to commit murder in the five thousand army, and discipline him if there is no return."

Yang Ling nodded, slightly relieved, he paced slowly in the tent, and muttered: "Wu Hanchao is ahead of me, there will be no news at present, there is no danger along the way, wait until you enter Xuanfu and Datong, where heavy troops gather, it will be safer, Liu Biao, you go down to eat first, you must give me a twelve-point spirit along the way, now is not the same as before, if the emperor is one less hair, you and I are in danger of losing our heads."

Liu Biao stood up solemnly and said: "I know the humble position, although the lord can rest assured, the humble duty has resigned!" ”

Yang Ling nodded, Liu Biao turned around and went out, and a personal soldier came in to report: "My lord, the emperor's meal has been prepared", Yang Ling said: "Well, go and see, I'll go see the emperor first."

The emperor has a special imperial dining room in the palace to wait for food, although Zhang Yong has a small eunuch waiting by his side, but it is impossible to take the imperial kitchen out of Beijing, Yang Ling took great pains to find a chef who resigned from the imperial dining room in the palace due to old age, and did not say anything to him, only said that he made food for himself all the way, and got a few loyal and reliable guards to accompany him, and was responsible for the emperor's meals all the way.

At noon, it is difficult for a good woman to cook without rice on the road, and Emperor Zhengde also hurriedly ate some simple rice and tea, which is still the first serious meal. Yang Ling came to Zhengde's residence in the backyard, and the guards who stayed behind all recognized this Lord Yang, and a guard military attache hurriedly greeted him and said, "Lord Yang."

Yang Ling bowed his head slightly and asked, "The emperor went out of Beijing for the first time, and he was tired of bumps along the way, right?" Have you ever stopped? ”

The military attache was also dressed as an ordinary lieutenant colonel, and replied with a smile: "My lord guessed wrong, the emperor was very interested, and after just washing, he took Admiral Zhang out."

Yang Ling was startled, his face changed color slightly, and said: "At this moment, the sky is dark, the night is cold and cold, where has the emperor gone?" ”

The military attache hurriedly explained: "Don't worry, my lordship, the emperor just went to the camp to visit the soldiers, and did not travel far."

Yang Ling was relieved at this time, and hurriedly turned around and walked out and said, "I'll take a look, you can rest."

Yang Ling hurriedly out of the post house, the post house of this small city is located in the east of the city, the outer courtyard was originally the place where the baggage convoy stays and stays, the surrounding wall is built, nearly a thousand officers and soldiers are stationed in the wall, and the rest are stationed outside the door, at this time the bonfire is lit everywhere, and the air is filled with a burst of meat fragrance.

Yang Ling looked around, saw a few bonfires on the right There are a lot of people walking back and forth, so he hurriedly walked over, the soldiers sat around the fire, there was a big rice pot on the fire, more than a dozen big fat pigs had been slaughtered and had been put into the pot, large pieces of meat were tumbling in the soup pot, the soldiers were laughing and talking, chewing steamed buns, gnawing bones, and eating fragrantly.

Yang Ling was still dressed in a general's attire, those soldiers saw the voice and suddenly lightened, they all stood up and saluted, Yang Ling just bypassed the two bonfires, a figure suddenly flashed out of the oblique thorn, grabbed him, and said softly: "Lord Yang, where are you going?" ”

Yang Ling fixed his eyes and saw that the flames flashed with silver light on the person's body, a new silver python official robe, and a belt with a jasper buckle, which was also a little majestic, it was Zhang Yong, the commander of the Beijing camp.

Yang Ling was overjoyed in his heart, and hurriedly grabbed him with his backhand and asked, "What about people?" ”

He was outside, although there were no outsiders nearby, but the wind sent people to speak, for fear of being heard, so he didn't dare to say the word emperor directly. Zhang Yong made a look, pulled him to the side and took a few steps to the side, avoided the darkness and pouted forward, and whispered: "Oh, there, our family is not allowed to follow, our family sees that he is having fun, so he only patrols around, and does not dare to approach."

Yang Ling looked at that place, only to see the firelight blazing, reflecting a young and handsome face, Emperor Zhengde was wearing a captain's shirt and sitting on the ground with those soldiers, side by side, with a wooden stick inserted in the cold steamed bun roasted on the fire, holding a big bone stick in his hand from time to time to bite a bite, chatting happily.

A stubble veteran smashed a punch on his shoulder, pressing Zhengde's shoulder, and the man laughed and said: "Boy, Lord Factory Governor sent troops this time, our brothers were selected from the 100,000 troops of the 12th regiment battalion, all of them can draw bows, get on horses, fists, feet, knives and guns, three or five strong men can't get close, look at your little guy's fine skin and tender meat, what can you do?" Who is the opponent of the Tartars? ”

Zhengde was not annoyed, and said with a smile: "Big brother Mo looked down on me, I haven't been on the battlefield, before, I fought with a bastard who didn't understand martial arts in the Qinglou, and he was punched in the face, and I almost didn't hit my nose crooked, but I haven't seen it, and I'm stunned." If you really talk about martial arts, I have several first-class boxing masters who teach you by hand, and I'm afraid you may not be my opponent."

"Yo yo yo, the kid can blow it", a lazy-looking, sloppy-looking soldier smiled: "It turns out that you are a handsome personal soldier, and I thought you were a rich kid, who ran out to make a name for yourself, but you don't have the appearance of a young master, what's the use of knowing a little flower boxing and embroidering legs like you?" On the battlefield, it's a real fight with real knives and guns, just you handsome little brother, don't take the Tartars captive to be a rabbit minister."

Zhengde retracted the steamed bun with a burnt skin, tore off a piece and stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it with relish, and asked curiously, "Rabbit Xianggong?" What kind of rabbit is the father? ”

The soldiers beside the fire laughed loudly, and the bearded man next to him patted him on the shoulder, and laughed: "Look at your appearance of not understanding world affairs, I really don't know what got mixed with Yang Dashuai's side, the people on the side of the Tartar are all sturdy, tiger-backed and bear-waisted, even the appearance of women is not much better than men, such a handsome little brother like you, if you are taken captive by them, you don't have to worry about being a slave, maybe you will be spoiled by their chieftain as a concubine, hahaha."

Zhang Yong was furious when he heard this, his eyebrows twisted, and he was about to rush over with a murderous aura, Yang Ling grabbed him and shouted: "Don't be impatient, don't blame those who don't know, the emperor is not angry, why are you angry?" ”

Zhang Yong looked intently, only to see that Zhengde seemed a little embarrassed, the soldier said this, he naturally knew that the so-called rabbit Xianggong was a child, but Zhengde was not angry, the first time in his life someone talked to him so vulgarly, but he felt very funny in addition to novelty.

Zhengde said disapprerovingly: "The Tartars kidnapped my women and children, and I often hear merchants from the north mention it in my town, but they seem to have plundered more grain and grass, and robbed many people?" ”

Several soldiers smiled gradually, and after a while, a red-faced Wu Chang in his thirties sighed and said: "That's natural, over the years, the Tartars have attacked Xuanfu, Datong, and Jichang, and I don't know how many people have been robbed. ”

An officer and soldier who looked a little Sven slapped his thigh and said hatefully: "Those sons of bitches, the people are afraid of the Tartar raids, and those who can escape have fled into the Central Plains, and those people who have lived on a few acres of ancestral land for generations have nowhere to escape, so they can only let them bully, as long as they are old and middle-aged men, they are all killed, and the young men and women are taken captive to be slaves and concubines, helping them to graze, milk, sew clothes and make wine, and tie up camel tents, you say that there are not many captives?"

Hehe, there are few Tatar people, a family grazing, there is only this one family within a radius of dozens of miles, and there are no other people, and the Jilang tribe in the Hetao area has the most Han captives, and there are only four or five Mongolian people in a family, but there are six or seven Han slaves. ”

The red-faced Wu Chang sneered and said with relief: "Old Duan, do you think of sad things again?" Hasn't Mr. Yang already won a big battle? The barbarian Ding Zhuang Shao, the deputy general named Wang Shouren poisoned 3,000 Tartars in a battle, and the families of these Tartars were only left with some old and weak women and children, and they had to become other people's tribal slaves when they turned around, which is called retribution! ”

Zhengde glanced at the veteran soldier who was a little Sven and said, "Brother Duanduan, has your family been harmed by the Tartars?" ”

The old soldier snorted and was silent, and the bearded man next to him whispered to Zhengde's ear: "Lao Duan is a person from Datong Zhumabao, a family of sixty-five brothers and sisters, and only five of them were captured and killed by the Tartars, and they were taken to the grassland to be slaves and grazing and farming.

After two years, that tribe and another tribe were in flames, and several relatives were trampled to death by horses in the war, he fell on the ground and pretended to be dead, and then fled back to Guannei because he was very good at equestrianism, so he entered the Shenji Camp and taught equestrian skills."

Zhengde's heart was angry when he heard this, and he was a little surprised when he heard about farming, and he couldn't help asking, "Tartars also cultivate?" What do they cultivate? ”

The bearded man said: "When the Yuan people ruled the Central Plains, they had not learned to cultivate the fields for more than a hundred years, and they did not want to cultivate the fields, but when they were driven back to the desert, there was no one to supply them with white bread, but they wanted to learn to farm."

Now the Mongolian people mainly graze herds, and also cultivate grain in some places, but the Mongolian people do not know how to farm, these jobs are done by the captive Han people, and the manpower is not enough, and the Tatars sometimes come to the border to recruit displaced people."

The Mongols are also beginning to learn from the Han farming? Zhengde didn't know this news, in the past, Jinyi Wei spies went to the outside of the pass, and only paid attention to military and political intelligence, even if they saw the Mongolian people open up a small piece of farmland, no one cared, Zhengde listened to it and seemed to have an idea in his heart, and when he wanted to think about it again, it was like a dream, and he couldn't remember the slightest trace.

The bearded man took out a knife from his belt and picked up a piece of juicy meat from the boiling pot, took a bite of it fragrantly, and said: "Don't be discouraged, come, eat meat in a big piece, save up enough strength, and wait until you get to Datong, in case the tartar hasn't been driven away by President Yang, maybe our brother can still show his face!" ”

Zhengde also did the same, took out a knife from his waist and stabbed a piece of meat, and laughed loudly: "What I said is that if we have enough strength, one day we will take back all the Tartars that we have robbed, and they will be afraid of their rough hands and feet when they make tea and water, so they will do some rough work for us."

Yang Ling smiled slightly, and whispered to Zhang Yong: "Father-in-law Zhang, this one has been out for less than a day, can you see if there is any change?" ”

Zhang Yong listened to Yanzi and looked at Zhengde carefully, nodded and said: "Well, it's not, wearing that coarse cloth clothes, how awkward it looks, and how awkward it looks, and watching the sitting and eating appearance, alas, our family usually annoys those old men who point fingers at the emperor and let him do this, but now even our family doesn't like it."

Yang Ling glanced around, and saw that the Ouchi guards who were pretending to be ordinary sergeants were leisurely walking around, Zhengde was afraid that there were not forty Ouchi masters to protect him, and there were all reliable soldiers selected by himself, so he put his mind at ease, he patted Zhang Yong on the shoulder, and chuckled: "I think he is a little more manly now, and he is more sensible."

Zhang Yongmu sent Yang Ling Shi Ran away, turned around and took a closer look at Zhengde, and said suspiciously: "It's still like that, isn't he unmanly and ignorant?" ”

Early the next morning, the army set off and crossed Changping to Juyong Pass.

Today is a cloudy day, the wind gusts, blowing up the snow particles on the ground, blowing cold, Yang Ling wrapped in a wool coat and still feels a little unbearable cold, the chain mail under the robe is exposed, take off the sheepskin gloves, and the hot palm will be stopped as soon as it is touched.

He saw that Zhengde was still with a group of guards, wearing ordinary captain's clothes, squinting slightly and walking forward against the cold wind, so he stepped forward and persuaded: "Your Majesty, you have to go into the car to rest anyway, although the emperor is strong, but after all, he has never experienced such cold, if he is frostbitten, it will be a big mistake."

The wind was howling in the wilderness, and the front was about to enter a mountain pass, and the wind blew out of the mountain pass, blowing the snow to the sky, and pouring it into the mouth with one mouth, so that Yang Ling had to stop after saying a few words.

Zhengde said stubbornly: "Don't go, 5,000 men can stand this bitter cold, and the people in the north suffer from this bitter cold every year, so I can't even hold on to it?" He raised his hand to cover his face, turned his head to Yang Ling and smiled: "Besides, this wind and snow are blowing on the face, both numb and itchy, this feeling has never been felt before, I finally came out for a trip, I must take a break from the experience." ”

Yang Ling couldn't laugh or cry when he heard this, and was waiting to persuade him again, when he rode a fast horse galloping from behind, ran to the front and stood still, gasping and shouting: "Lord Qiyu, there are dozens of fast horses chasing after you, according to General Yang's instructions, no one is allowed to enter the army without an order, those people are blocked outside, so he ordered his subordinates to report to the general immediately, please go to the rear army immediately!" ”

Yang Ling was surprised: "Who is chasing?" ”

The soldier showed a very strange look on his face, and said curtly: "This lord who called me to summon said that behind him are Li Dongyang, Jiao Fang, Yang Ting and three scholars, and the rest should be their entourage."

Yang Ling and Zhengde glanced at each other when they heard this, and their eyes showed a look of surprise. Zhengde was like a child who skipped school and was caught red-handed by a teacher, with timidity on his face, looking at Yang Ling and saying in a little panic: "What should I do?" What to do? Where am I going to hide? ”

"Didn't you say that it is estimated that the army will arrive at the Xuanfu, and then announce the emperor's secret decree to the cabinet and the six ministries and nine secretaries? Why did they find out so quickly that they were chasing after them? Yang Ling frowned and pondered for a moment, and then whispered to Zhengde: "The emperor is cowardly? ”

Zhengde straightened his waist when he heard this, glanced at the soldier, and lowered his voice and said to Yang Ling: "What are you cowardly? I'm scared just knowing that I can't argue with these mouths no matter what, and they're chasing after their ass, what can I do? But Datong I must go, no matter how they stop it, I must go!

, you can help me find a way."

Yang Ling smiled and said, "In this case, leave it to the minister."

Yang Ling's eyes wandered left and right, and suddenly found a soldier in the team, riding on a yellow, with black skin, mung bean eyes, garlic nose, and a full beard extending from the jaw to the end of the cheeks, tied and fluffy like a thorn, if he replaced the eight-foot-long black iron rod in his hand with a Zhangba snake spear, it would be Zhang Fei's reincarnation.

Seeing that this person's appearance was still a little familiar, after a little thought, he remembered that it was the bearded man who sat side by side by the fire with Zhengde last night and gnawed bones, Yang Ling's eyes lit up: It's him! Yang Ling flicked the horse's head, and the war horse Xi Yu let out a long neigh, stopped in front of the man, and shouted, "What's your name?" ”

'Zhang Fei' was startled, Yang Ling didn't recognize him, he was a soldier picked out by Yang Ling himself, he knew Yang Ling, although his surname was rough, but how dare he be presumptuous in front of Yang Ling, 'Zhang Fei' hurriedly reined in the reins of the horse, and said in a proper manner: "Return to the marshal, mark the captain of the iron rod battalion Liu Daba! ”

Yang Ling was stunned for a moment, and said strangely: "What's this name?" Don't you even have a proper name? ”

'Zhang Fei' blushed and said shyly: "My lord, my little parents gave me this name, saying that I was born black and strong, like an iron mallet, so I was called Liu Bangmallet." ”

Yang Ling saw that he looked rude, stupid and rude in his heart was very satisfied, he smiled hehe, and said: "This official is sent to Datong to inspect the war, and there are several Wenchen of the Beijing Division chasing after him in the rear, and he must do everything possible to persuade the official to go back, and the official ordered you to hold my Shangfang sword, take me twenty personal soldiers, go to the rear to intercept them, and when the army passes the Juyong Pass, you will come back and complete this errand, and you will be my personal soldiers, how about it?" ”

Liu Dabang mallet was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately said diligently: "Subordinates obey orders!" ”

Yang Ling untied the sword given by the emperor and handed it to him, and said: "Those big officials are all scholars, they talk wildly, and their mouths are like a river, no matter what they say, you just have to tell them: 'By the holy decree, after the end of the border patrol, the natural dragon will return to the sea, the wind and waves will be calm, and you lords can manage the government in Beijing with peace of mind, don't worry!'" ”

Liu Dabang stuck the sword into the stumbling silk, and the thick black eight-foot iron rod was horizontally slammed into the saddle, and he hugged his fists and said: "Obey the order!" No matter what they say, mark and never let them go any further! ”

Liu Dabang grabbed the black iron rod, and without saying a word, led twenty pro-soldiers to the rear to kill.

Yang Ling smiled: "Let this class of Xiucai reason with this soldier."

He turned his head and shouted: "Officer Zhong, order the whole army to speed up, the front army will go to Juyong Pass to knock on the door first, and go straight to Xuanhua without delay!" ”

"Order!" The lieutenant officer shouted, the small flag in his hand was raised a few times, and the flags in the hands of the four commanders continued to unfold and change, and the five thousand iron horsemen suddenly rushed like a flood of the embankment, the wheels of the cars, the horses Xiao Xiao, and the rolling iron flow galloped towards Juyong Pass.

Jiao Fang was loyal, and wanted to hide this matter for Emperor Zhengde and Yang Ling, but the excuse he made all day yesterday was really hidden, who would have expected that in the evening, when the three scholars should leave the palace, In the inner palace, the eunuchs of Renshou Palace came to Wenhua Hall to ask why the emperor had not yet arrived in the harem, and the empress dowager and the empress dowager wanted to invite the emperor to enjoy the palace lights.

This time the stuffing was exposed, and the two queen mothers rarely took the initiative to find Emperor Zhengde, because it was the New Year, and the relatives of the emperor came to visit the palace, and the queen mother and the queen mother chatted happily, remembering that Zhengde likes to be lively, so people came to find it.

Li Dongyang, who was so frightened, found Yang Tinghe, and the two of them found Shangwen Yuandian, first quarreled, Ji'er twisted, and the eunuchs and guards who rushed to hear the news saw that it was the three bachelors who were having a New Year's friendship boxing match, and they didn't know which one to advise, so they were all stunned.

Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe didn't know what happened to the emperor, but this time they were really crazy, the three bachelors swept the floor, Jiao Fang was punched by Yang Tinghe, his beard was plucked by Li Dongyang, and his kick also made Li Dongyang almost lose his breath.

The Queen Mother, the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother, the Imperial Princess, and the princesses all rushed to hear the news, and Jiao Fang couldn't hide it, so he bluntly told him, claiming that the emperor had made a secret decree, and he had to act in accordance with the decree. Sangong was shocked, they also knew that sending an ordinary person to manage Zhengde would not be able to control Zhengde at all, so they simply blasted all the three bachelors out of Yanjing, and chased them all the way at night.

Liu Dabang mallet led twenty iron guards, majestically rushed to the rear formation, the iron cavalry lined up, twenty silver spears pointed obliquely at the sky, Liu Dabang mallet inserted a sword in the ribs, holding an iron rod, full of hideousness.

Shang Fang Baojian he had heard of it in the lyrics, and he heard that there was that thing that was a senior official, and he was angry. Anyway, his own Shangguan is destined to be a military general, so he looks down on this group of nerds.

Li Dongyang saw a group of guards coming, but Zhengde and Yang Ling didn't show up, and he couldn't help but feel angry.

The emperor secretly went out of Beijing, and now he has not been persuaded to go back, and he does not dare to publicize it at will, so he has to shout patiently: "Where is Yang Ling Yang Jun?" Ask him to come to see the official, and the official has three sentences."

Before he finished speaking, Liu Dabang hung the iron rod on the victory hook, pulled out the sword from his belt with a bang, and raised it into the air, shouting like a thunderbolt, which shocked the three bachelors and almost didn't fall off the horse.

Liu Dabang opened the mung bean's eyes wide, and shouted loudly: "By the holy decree, after the end of the border patrol, the natural dragon will return to the sea, the wind and waves will be calm, and you adults can manage the government in Beijing with peace of mind, don't worry!" ”

(To be continued)