Anju City, located on the south bank of the Cheongchon River, is only 20 kilometers away from the western outlet to the sea, and is the most populous and commercially developed strategic town in northern Korea.

The scale of Anzhou's city, second only to the former national capital Pyongyang, ranks first in grain production among more than 20 prefectures and counties in the north, and there are not only silk cloth shops, tea shops, bookstores and restaurants opened by Ming merchants outside the city, but also large cattle and horse markets and leather shops opened by Manchu merchants.

The sun rises on the top of the mountain to the east, and the city of Anju, which has been silent all night, gradually becomes lively as in the past.

The yamen of the state capital located in the center of the city knocked on the sound cloud board, and the vermilion gate between the two stone lions behind the archway slowly opened.

More than 100 cavalrymen escorted two green tweed soft sedan chairs, hurried through the north gate guarded by more than ten soldiers, stepped on the wide stone street, and quickly ran towards the government office in the center of the city, frightening the pedestrians on both sides of the street to avoid in a hurry.

The men and shopkeepers in the shops also ran out of the door in surprise, watching nervously, and kept praying that there would be no war in heaven.

The two soft sedan chairs guarded by the cavalry soon arrived at the door of the solemn mansion.

Six guards on both sides of the gate, wearing copper nail leather armor and red tasseled leather helmets, saw the officials who got off the sedan chair, and immediately stood solemnly and greeted respectfully.

The two civil and military officials didn't care to greet the guards, strode up the five-step stone steps, entered the gate, hurriedly bypassed the colorful wall carved with moire chaoyang, passed through the courtyard, and went straight to the main hall at the back of the lobby.

A few minutes later, the governor Yin Shen Jingzhen and the Anzhou defense envoy Li Kanshuang came to the main hall from the back hall, and rushed back to Anzhou City from Phi Dao day and night to Tiantai County Commander Cui Minghe and the naval army Yu Marquis Wu Yuantai immediately stood up and bent down to salute.

After the two top military and political chiefs of Anzhou took their seats humbly, Cui Minghe, who was still sweating, hurriedly stepped forward to report:

"My lord, Xia Guan and General Yuhou Wu of the Navy arrived at Phi Island at the beginning of yesterday. It was found that the situation on the island had indeed changed troops as reported by the small people along the coast, and before the two warships led by Xia Guan and General Wu arrived at the northern pier of the island, the two-color order flag was waved on the lookout on the shore, as if to inform the garrison on the shore. ”

"After we docked, more than 100 officers and soldiers on the dock were already waiting in line, and the two generals in novel costumes looked quite amiable. strode up and saluted with fists, and informed each other of their names and ranks. ”

"Only then did Xia Guan and General Wu know that the general named Wu Jicheng was a guerrilla general personally appointed by the Ming Emperor and served as the commander of the reorganized Dongjiang Army, and another tall and burly young general named Jiang Yulong was also a guerrilla general personally appointed by the Ming Emperor, and the heads of the Dongjiang rebel generals Kong Youde and Geng Jingzhong were sent to the capital by them."

"And the army under their command is the Jiangnan New Army that broke through Dengzhou City in half a day!"

"What!? What do you say? ”

Fu Yin Shen Jingzhen was taken aback. Li Kan, the 46-year-old Anzhou defense envoy sitting cross-legged on the right, had already jumped up and asked loudly with a shocked face: "Are you two sure that the new army stationed on Phi Island is the Jiangnan New Army?" ”

Cui Minghe, the young county magistrate, was taken aback by Li Kan and Shen Jingzhen's reactions, and opened his mouth and didn't know how to answer.

Wu Yuantai, the shrewd marquis of the navy, stepped forward half a step forward, bowed and replied: "That's right, we really heard it right, and we didn't read it wrong, they are indeed the Jiangnan New Army......"

"This army is really different, all the officers and men are equipped with flintlock pikes. Even the mediocre pawns who tie the cables for their subordinates are wearing big cotton hats. Wearing a thick green cardigan cotton coat, with a wide brown-yellow belt around his waist, there was a delicately made brown-yellow leather box on the left and right, which was estimated to contain lead bullet and gunpowder. ”

"These officers and men also had a water bottle that appeared to be made of tin and copper and a bulging canvas satchel hanging from their waists, and a two-foot-long black sheath dagger hanging on their right side."

"From the collar of each officer's cotton coat, you can see the black wallet inside. All the officers and men wore brown and yellow high-top leather boots on their feet, leggings of the same color cotton, and their weapons and equipment were very sophisticated. There is no slackness, and it seems that it is indeed an unprecedentedly strong army of the Ming Dynasty. ”

"In addition to the Jiangnan New Army that has been rumored for half a year, my subordinates really can't think of a second army that can surpass them."

Shen Jingzhen and Li Kan looked at each other in shock, and they both felt that the situation was serious, and the Ming Emperor suddenly withdrew the original Dongjiang officers and soldiers and sent such a strong army to replace them, did they have a deeper intention?

What is the purpose? Will they continue to attack Liaodong Jianguo, or will they be dissatisfied with the constant exchanges between North Korea and Liaodong Jianguo?

Wu Yuantai and Cui Minghe were still standing in the center of the main hall with their bodies bent, seeing the gaffes of the two bosses, they glanced at each other tacitly, and continued to bend down and wait for the boss to speak.

Shen Jingzhen was the first to come back to his senses, motioned for the two subordinates to sit down and speak, stroked his half-foot-long beard, and asked with great concern: "Minghe, what is the attitude of the new Dongjiang Army general towards the visit of the two of you?" ”

"Well behaved and very polite!"

Cui Minghe arched his hand, flicked his sleeves lightly, and respectfully reported: "General Wu and General Jiang have a kind attitude, take the initiative to inform the lower officials and General Wu of the situation of the army, and hope to buy a large amount of grain, horses, bricks and tiles from our officials and merchants at all levels, indicating that the purchased goods will be on the market with them and will never be in arrears. ”

"At the request of Xia Guan and General Wu, they gladly led the two of us to visit the Chinese army camp, and the changes we saw along the way were quite large, the original wooden houses and thatched houses built at random in the two streets have been demolished, and it is said that after leveling the ground, strong brick houses will be built to widen the original streets exponentially."

"Since most of the officers and soldiers were widening the roads on the island, and a small number were stepping up the construction of two rows of shops and two courtyards above the wharf, the lower officers did not see anything unusual in the Chinese army camp...... However, General Wu is well versed in military affairs and must have seen it more clearly than his subordinates. ”

Shen Jingzhen and Li Kan immediately looked at Wu Yuantai on the side, and their eyes showed a look of importance for this thirty-year-old child of the family.

Wu Yuantai saluted again, and said with emotion what he had seen and heard on the island: "General Wu Jicheng, the new commander of the Dongjiang Army, is a typical Ming soldier, no matter what he thinks in his heart, his words give people a frank and honest feeling. ”

According to him, their army is completely different from the previous Dongjiang Army, not only has strict military discipline and calming officers stationed in various battalions to supervise day and night, but also always keeps in mind the ten major military regulations ......promulgated by General Zhu Daolin, the founder of the New Army." )