At the time of Shenzhong, outside Zhangjiakou.

The north wind does not show a devastating trend like it does at night, and it becomes an understatement.

The grasslands were covered with snow a month ago, but the horses were able to cut through the snow and nibble on the autumn grasses that were dry but still energized.

Man Gui helped his horse dig a bigger snow pit, and before he could get up, he threw a grain bag in front of him with a "poof".

"Add some ingredients, just eat grass poles, where can you run." Ma Xianglin said.

Man Gui opened the bag and took a look, and identified wheat bran and beans, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "Damn, you eat better than our battalion soldiers, General Ma is arrogant, Lao Tzu is thinking about it now, and you are really right." ”

Ma Xianglin frowned: "You are jumping on the grassland all day long, don't you know how to serve the horses?" ”

A hint of ridicule crossed the corner of Man Gui's mouth: "This year is almost over, the side salary has not come down yet, Lao Tzu eats chaff, horses eat weeds, Lao Tzu and horses, there is no fine grain to eat." ”

"How many bandits did you suppress a few days ago?"

"More than 100 taels of silver, 20 bundles of cloth, less than 200 stone of grain. Silver and cloth, Mr. Zhao had to send it to Beijing to take care of the household department. The food has to be saved, and the brothers who go out of the customs to fight the Tartars will continue to live. ”

Ma Xianglin couldn't bear to hear it.

It's not that he doesn't know the situation of arrears in the DPRK and China in recent years, his father-in-law Zhang Quan has been a border town patrol, and he has also been a military officer, and he often scolds while worrying, Ma Xianglin just didn't expect that Mangui and their lives were worse than those of the soldiers in Liaodong.

Ma Xianglin sighed lightly, but saw Man Gui's gaze behind him

"Hey, General Ma, the family you went to report brought a girl over, is it the subordinate of Concubine Lin Dan Khan."

Ma Xianglin turned around, saw the person coming clearly, and greeted him with Man Gui.

"Mrs. Zheng, General Zhao received a document from Cui Dudu in Yehuling yesterday, and immediately ordered me to bring someone to meet you in the east. This is the general banner of Man, General Gui. ”

"Oh, it's only taken a day and night for Wild Fox Ridge to come over, and it's been hard."

Zheng Haizhu opened his mouth quietly.

My heart was filled with joy.

A moment ago, when Ma Biao, who was traveling lightly, reported to Zheng Haizhu in the account, he had already simplified the situation of the young master and Man Gui's fight.

Zheng Haizhu sighed while listening: Zhang Mingshi is an old and angry young man, and he has not been less greasy jokes about "Xianglin is the most liked by women" along the way.

It turns out that General Pony is even more hard at getting a man, and he didn't say it.

At this time, Zheng Haizhu held back his joy, and said to Man Gui solemnly but not coldly: "I have heard a lot of brave stories of General Man in Xuanzhen, and General Master Zhao sent General Man to Xianglin, I really want to congratulate him on his strength." ”

Man Gui didn't bother to listen to the greetings at all, only stared at his two eyes more round than when he broke the gun with a single knife, bared a mouthful of rugged buckteeth, and wondered: "You, aren't you the patrol master?" How can you be a mother...... Yes, a woman? ”

The corners of Zheng Haizhu's tense mouth relaxed, and he said with a pleasant face: "I received the oracle of Banzai and patrolled the border for the imperial court, but I am not a master." Civilian, military and military generals can only afford to be a lord, although I have military merits in exchange for my life, but I am not like you, I have an official position. ”

Man Gui realized that although the woman in front of him, who was not rouge and had slightly dark skin, but looked one or two years younger than Ma Xianglin, was the capable person who entered and exited the court and the weapons shop in General Ma's mouth, and thought that Ma Xianglin actually concealed that this person was a woman.

This martial artist, on weekdays, he would not even nod to General Zhao and come to the matter, but at this moment, he lowered his face and muttered: "I really don't know that the world has become like this, and women can also be sent by the imperial court to envoy to the Northern Yuan." ”

"Man Gui," Ma Xianglin said-for-tat, "A woman can carry a gun to fight, and she can clean up traitors faster than a male general, so why can't she be a national envoy?" ”

Man Gui was choked by him, and immediately thought of Qin Liangyu, who was really admired by the martial artists in the world. ”

Zheng Haizhu nodded: "Just use it." General Man, a good knife, you Shanxi and our Nanzhili can fight it. People, the same is true, the descendants of Mongolia can guard the border for my Ming Dynasty, and the military ministers who sit in the office can make meritorious contributions to their crimes, why can't I, a woman, run for the country? Let's not dislike anyone, we are decent to fulfill our duties, don't you say? ”

When Man Gui heard this, he pondered and pondered, and what the woman said was reasonable and affectionate.

Because he saw that she was not in a hurry, not annoyed, and did not put on a score, Man Gui felt that he was a big man, and it was indeed rude and meaningless, saying that he looked down on women, and his bearing fell in front of the woman.

He then clenched his fists again, and when he opened his mouth this time, his tone finally became earnest and sincere: "Madame is right, Mangui is a rough man, he is smiling, Madame is not strange." ”

Zheng Haizhu smiled, and then changed the conversation and asked, "You can speak Mongolian, right?" ”

Man Gui said: "Yes, it's authentic." ”

Zheng Haizhu became more and more complex, and said happily: "Then dare to be kind, when you arrive at Lin Dan Khan's royal city, Chahanhot, there are some matters that you need to inquire about in Hu language, so it's up to you to go nonsense." Let's go, now with General Ma, follow me to meet the brother sent by Lin Dan Khan to get the salary, Anger, but that is a shitty waste, and the person who really makes the decision is actually a woman named 'Hezhuo', who is a close confidant of Lin Dan Khan's great blessing Jin Sutai, and like Sutai, they are all from Yehe Jurchen. ”

……

In this early winter, the Mongols who embarked on the way home full of Ming court rewards were in a good mood, and even the guards and generals of the Ming people were very pleasing to the eye.

Unger even offered to teach Ma Xianglin wrestling and change him to teach himself marksmanship.

Sutai Fujin's maid He Zhuo is not as heartless as Anger.

There is always a string in her head.

When He Zhuo was in Zhangjiakou, he heard that Houjin had come out of Hetuala's two flags, the blue flag and the inlaid white flag, and the two flags had been raided westward after a little rest and replenishment by the Mongolian Horqin tribe, which had already secretly communicated with each other.

As the daughter of Yehebu, Hezhuo, like his master Su Tai, knew the Jianzhou Jurchen banner master very well.

The owner of the white flag, Du Du, is just the blue flag owner, Mang Gurtai, but he is notoriously cruel and murderous, and he has a lot of teeth under his hands, and He Zhuo is panicked when he thinks about it.

Fortunately, the mercenary businesswoman of the Ming Kingdom really had a background in the Ming court, and the governor of Xuanda not only gave her a clerical envoy, but also transferred dozens of soldiers who looked not inferior to Houjinba Yala, and together with the Mongolian guards, escorted the chariot and horse team back to Chahanhot.

Rao is like this, He Zhuo still insists on walking against the side wall of the Ming Kingdom, even if he takes a little more detours, at least not far from the military town guard.

In this way, after a few days of eastward travel, the group crossed the Tang River and traveled to the grassland outside the Guanwai near the Miyun Guard.

"Hezhuo, to the south is the boundary of Jizhen. From Shanhaiguan to the side wall this year, Jizhen has abundant troops, and there are not many businessmen in Jizhen, I estimate that they dare not and do not need to rob Jizhen outside Jizhen. Now, they may have gone in the opposite direction. ”

In the tent where he rested, Zheng Haizhu held the goat milk black tea that warmed his hands and analyzed the itinerary to Hezhuo.

"That's good." He Zhuo responded, she didn't mind, and showed a relieved look in front of this woman who also understood Houjin's cruelty in the Ming Kingdom.

Then he looked at Unger, who was surrounded by roast sheep and a stupid look on top of each other, and sneered, "What a blessing it is for the nobleman to eat and drink and be merry while taking the treasure, and two women to worry about how to avoid the wolf." ”

Zheng Haizhu got up and added some hot black tea to He Zhuo's bowl.

Contrary to He Zhuo, Zheng Haizhu knew that it was precisely by entering the realm outside Jizhen that the war was about to begin.