After finishing the investigation in Guizhou, Zhu Zhen came to Puding Fort again. This fortress, which was originally used to defend against the Ming army, has become an important guard post of the Ming army on the eastbound road - Puding Guard.

In the spring of this year, at the same time as the establishment of the Yunnan Metropolitan Division, the Ming Dynasty also officially established the Guizhou Metropolitan Command and Envoy Division, and governed the Guizhou Propaganda Division.

There are 18 guards and a thousand households under the Guizhou Metropolitan Division, which are basically like Pudingwei, which are distributed along the eastbound road and Wuchi Road. However, most of them were as dissatisfied as Pudingwei, and only two or three thousand officers and soldiers were stationed.

Although Zhu Zhen was the governor of Yunnan, due to various reasons, Guizhou had not yet set up a political envoy, and the civil affairs in Guizhou, Puding, and Wusa were all under his jurisdiction for the time being. Therefore, it is also his duty to inspect Pudingwei and express his condolences to the officers and men stationed in the garrison.

Moreover, He Rong, the commander of Pudingwei, is still He Zhen's eldest son......

~~

He Rong led 2,300 officers and soldiers of the whole guard to line up neatly at the gate of the fort to welcome the arrival of the prince.

"Greetings to the prince!" He Rong shouted loudly and led the soldiers to kneel on one knee. All the soldiers also shouted together: "Welcome to the prince!" ”

"Brothers, please get up." Zhu Zhen laughed and helped He Rong up, and said to the soldiers: "This king also fought in Puding Fort, and we are seriously comrades-in-arms." ”

"Yes, a year ago, the prince and the Marquis of Xiping skillfully captured Puding Fort, won the Puding Defense Battle, and also won three cities in a row, and the brilliant record of flying to win the realm has become a legend." He Rong hurriedly patted the horse with admiration on his face.

"Hahaha, that's all the credit of Xiping Hou, this king didn't do anything." Although Zhu Zhen said this, he couldn't close his mouth happily. He looked up at Pudingbao and said with emotion: "It's only been a year, and there are no traces of the fierce battle anymore." ”

"When the last general came to the end of the year, the land under the fort was still purple red, and you could see white bones and broken weapons everywhere." He Rong hurriedly said:

"It wasn't until this summer that heavy rain washed the blood off the fort wall."

"yes." Zhu Zhen sighed and said, "It's really a bloody battle." ”

The two chatted and walked into the fort, and Zhu Zhen saw that the fort had changed greatly, a large number of houses had been demolished, and the vacant place had become a school yard for the army.

He looked around, but he didn't see the shadow of the natives, so he asked, "What about the Puding Department that was originally here?" Remember that they were pardoned last year. ”

"They were afraid of us and moved back to the mountains." He Rong replied.

"No wonder." Zhu Zhen nodded understandingly: "After all, seventy percent of the men were folded all of a sudden." ”

As he spoke, he suddenly asked thoughtlessly, "Where did you originally come from, and are the soldiers all married?" ”

"Back to Your Highness, we are from Weiyangwei, and eighty percent of the soldiers are singles." He Rong smiled bitterly: "Now that we are stationed in this ravine, it is even more difficult to find a daughter-in-law." ”

"Saying this, it is clear that the ready-made daughter-in-law is in front of you, is it because the brothers are too picky or are people unwilling to follow them?" Zhu Zhen asked with a smile.

"What does Your Highness mean?" He Rong was stunned for a moment, and Fang suddenly said: "The ladies of the Puding Department? ”

"That's right, the Puding Department has folded seventy percent of the men, and our Puding Wei has eighty percent of them not married, isn't this a match made in heaven?" Zhu Zhen smiled: "Actually, it doesn't matter if you get married, what if you ask for a little wife?" What we have is land, and we can afford it! ”

"If you want to talk about the girls of the Puding Ministry, it's actually quite good. Although the black is a little darker, the bridge of the nose is high, and the eyes are big, which can be scratchy. He Rong sighed and said, "It's not that the brothers didn't think about asking for a wife in the local area, but after their whole clan hid in the mountains, they didn't contact us at all. I just want to pull a fiber for the brothers, and I don't have a chance to keep a matchmaker. ”

"I see." Zhu Zhen took a big bag and said: "Since this king has met, let this king help the brothers solve the problem." ”

"Do you know where to find the beggar?" He asked He Rongdao again.

"The leader of the Puding Ministry, you know." He Rong nodded.

Zhu Zhen said: "Go and let someone tell him, and say that this king wants to see him." ”

~~

The prince summoned him and rushed to the scene.

After noon, Niu Qi appeared in front of Zhu Zhen, and bowed to the ground.

"Get up." Zhu Zhen waved his hand and asked someone to move a sticker for him.

Niu begged for a thousand thanks, and only sat down with half of his buttocks.

Zhu Zhen looked at the cow beggar with a sad face, and asked with a smile, "How is it?" Officially became the Tho Mu of the Puding Ministry, right? ”

"Back to the prince, I should be in charge, but the Puding Ministry may be gone soon." Niu Qi said with a bitter face.

"What's going on? Didn't the court pardon you? Zhu Zhen asked knowingly.

"Yes, but we don't have Pudingbao, and the men are dead, and there is no canonization from the imperial court. The surrounding tribes are all eyeing us up. Niu Qi sighed and said: "This is a world where the weak eat the strong, and if you are weak, you will be eaten." ”

"yes, that's great...... Oh no, that's too bad. Zhu Zhen said with a sympathetic face: "Anyway, you have made meritorious contributions in the end, and this king doesn't want you to be eaten like this." ”

"The prince is really merciful!" Niu Qi knelt on the ground when he heard this, kowtowed vigorously and said: "The villain and the Puding Department are willing to become the prince's cattle and horses, and they only ask the prince for protection!" ”

"It's the Ming Dynasty now, and I don't do the Yuan Dynasty anymore." Zhu Zhen waved his hand and said, "Just say how you want this king to help you." Seal you a chief lawsuit? ”

"Ouch, that couldn't be better." Niu Qi said with teary eyes: "With the canonization of the Celestial Empire, at least no one will dare to annex us easily." ”

"Let you go back to Fort Putten?" Zhu Zhen said again.

"Is the villain dreaming?" The cow beggar twisted himself hard, and it hurt. "When I returned to the mountains, I knew how good it was in the fort. Not only is the living in the mountains too poor, but the land is also not good, and you have to carry water to irrigate it. There are few men, and they can't be poured at all......"

"Then give you some more men." Zhu Zhen smiled.

"Huh?" The cow beggar opened his mouth wide.

"They are all the best sons of my Ming Dynasty, each of them is strong." Zhu Zhen pointed to the soldiers who were practicing on the school field outside, and said with a smile: "How is it, this king is good enough for you, right?" ”

"This ......" Niu beggar couldn't turn around. Fortunately, his brain is still quite flexible, and he soon understood that he had to agree to the third one, and the first two could be counted.

"How many wives do the soldiers need?" He asked tentatively.

"Of course, the more the merrier." Zhu Zhen smiled and said: "The soldiers have come all the way to garrison in this ravine, and there is no mother-in-law who knows cold and heat, and sews and repairs, how can they settle down?" It just so happens that your tribe is also short of men, so we can learn from each other's strengths. ”

(End of chapter)