Just as Zhu Zaikun, under the comfort of Xu Jie, was planning to regroup, on the other side, the capital, and the Yan Mansion.

At this moment, in the hall of the Yan Mansion.

I saw Yan Shifan take a bowl of chilled mung bean soup from the maid on the side, and drank it humming, and there were all kinds of melons and fruits such as lychees, loquats, and watermelons on the table.

Then, I saw Yan Shifan put down the spoon in his hand and complained: "Father, the weather has been really hot lately!" ”

Yan Song, who was on the side, heard Yan Shifan's words, and also felt the same way, nodded, and then sighed.

"Yes, the weather is very strange this year, but fortunately, there are enough ice cubes stored in our ice cellar, otherwise, I don't know how to survive this summer!"

When Yan Song said this, he changed his words, glanced at Yan Shifan, and asked instead.

"By the way, what's the current situation in Zhejiang?"

In the face of Yan Song's inquiry, Yan Shifan didn't dare to hide it in the slightest, and only after organizing the language in his mind did he reply cautiously.

"Back to my father, not long ago, Zheng Michang wrote a handwritten letter to the child, in which he mentioned that at present, the growth of mulberry seedlings in Zhejiang is very gratifying, and even the mulberry seedlings in some places have matured!"

"By mid-August at the latest, the mulberry seedlings in the entire Zhejiang should all be ripe!"

After listening to Yan Shifan's report, Yan Song nodded and muttered to himself.

"Mid-August? It seems that the day when Hu Zongxian enters Beijing is not far away! ”

Then, I saw Yan Song come back to his senses, looked in the direction where Yan Shifan was, nodded, and responded.

"yes, I see!"

Immediately afterwards, Yan Song seemed to be uneasy, turned his gaze to Yan Shifan, and said in a deep voice.

"The more you get to this time, the more you can't take it lightly, tell your subordinates Zheng Michang and He Maocai, in the near future, keep a few more eyes!"

When Yan Shifan heard this, he couldn't help but have a little doubt on his face, and he saw him muster up his courage and confirm to Yan Song.

"Father, do you mean that Xu Jie, they may take this opportunity to do something behind their backs?"

"Hmph, no matter what, it's always good to be careful, do you want to see what happened last time happen again?"

When Yan Song heard this, he snorted coldly, withdrew his gaze from Yan Shifan's body, and said coldly.

"Yes, father, the child will pay attention!"

Seeing this, Yan Shifan had a panicked look on his face, and responded respectfully.

After this, Yan Song's attitude also eased significantly, and he saw him take the peeled lychee from the maid on the side, and continued to ask.

"By the way, that student of yours has also made a lot of contributions this time, where are you going to transfer him next?"

"Father, let's be honest, the child plans to transfer him to an idle position next!"

Yan Shifan saw that Yan Song mentioned his student Gao Hanwen, and responded without thinking.

"Oh, why is that?"

After Yan Song learned of Yan Shifan's decision, a trace of curiosity flashed on his face, and he asked next.

Yan Shifan heard this and responded without thinking.

"Gao Hanwen is indeed quite talented, but his talent is not enough to protect himself!"

Yan Shifan inevitably paused for a moment when he said this.

"As his teacher, I can't know him better, Gao Han has a noble character, is jealous and hateful, and looks at problems too idealistically!"

"There is a good saying, in officialdom, you have to be with the light, with his character, he is not suitable for mixing in officialdom at all!"

"If we hadn't sent him to Zhejiang to serve in the first place, but sent him elsewhere, with his temperament, I'm afraid he would have died a long time ago!"

After patiently listening to Yan Shifan's explanation, Yan Song got up from the seat tremblingly and said slowly.

"Well, since you've decided, let's do it!"

"Father, slow down and pay more attention to your step!"

Yan Shifan saw Yan Song get up from the seat, and hurriedly stepped forward to help.

Then, with the support of Yan Shifan, the father and son walked slowly in the direction of the study.

……

Gradually, the night was late, but at this moment, Zhao Zhenji still did not have the slightest sleep.

After tossing and turning for a long time, I saw Zhao Zhenji sit up from the bed, put on a dress for himself, and tiptoed out of the room.

After leaving the room, Zhao Zhenji began to pace in the courtyard alone, and the bright moonlight peeked out of the clouds and sprinkled on the ground, reflecting Zhao Zhenji's shadow very clearly.

"Alas, after a while, I will have to leave the capital and go to Zhejiang to take up a post!"

"I don't know if I can be qualified for this errand this time, and find out the population and acres of land hidden by those wealthy gentry!"

Thinking so, Zhao Zhenji sighed helplessly, and then came to a pavilion and sat down.

Zhao Zhenji didn't expect that on weekdays, he always wanted to leave the capital as soon as possible, but when it was time to leave, he was a little reluctant.

Those scenes from the past, like slides, kept flashing in Zhao Zhenji's mind.

Then, I saw Zhao Zhenji come back to his senses, look at the bright moon in the night sky, and muttered to himself silently.

"Oh, I didn't leave at the right time!"

"Right now, there is news in the court that the child in the belly of the imperial concubine Shen will give birth in September, it seems that I can't catch up!"

Immediately, I saw Zhao Zhenji suppress all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, slowly got up, and said to himself.

"What's next, what happens in the capital next has nothing to do with me, Zhao Zhenji!"

"Before I leave the capital, find a time to remind Hai Rui and let him pay more attention!"

After Zhao Zhenji finished speaking, he got up closely, and at this moment, a breeze blew by, which made people feel comfortable.

……

The capital, the mansion where Xu Jie lived.

As soon as the sedan chair that Xu Jie was riding in stopped, the butler who had been waiting for a long time greeted him, leaned down, and said respectfully.

"Sir!"

After Xu Jie got down from the sedan chair, he saw that the housekeeper looked like he wanted to say something, waved his hand, and commanded in a deep voice.

"This is not the place to talk, if you have anything to say, go in and talk about it!"

"Yes, sir!"

After the two of them entered the hall used to entertain guests, they saw Xu Jiemeng pause, turned around, and asked.

"Tell me, what's the matter?"

"Master, not long ago, Lord Wang Tingwang came to visit!"

When Xu Jie heard the housekeeper's words, he couldn't help frowning and asked.

"What is he doing here?"

When the steward saw this, he did not dare to hide anything, and immediately told everything he knew.

"Master, to tell you the truth, Lord Wang entrusted the little one to bring you a word, saying that the local mulberry seedlings in Zhejiang will be completely mature in mid-August, and they and the Weaving Bureau have been fully prepared!"

After Xu Jie learned the news from the housekeeper, he couldn't help but perk up, and his face couldn't hide the excitement.

For Xu Jie, as long as they can buy raw silk from the people at half price according to the established plan, then they will be able to make a lot of money, and they can be regarded as living up to their long-term plan.

But Xu Jie was not carried away by this sudden good news, only to see that after thinking for a while, he commanded.

"Tell them, don't act rashly for the time being, investigate the local situation well, and then act decisively when the time is ripe!"

"Yes, sir, the little one understands!"

When the housekeeper heard this, his expression immediately turned grim and he replied in a deep voice.

……

As Jiajing had predicted earlier, the army led by Feng Yue, after breaking through Sangmu Pass and annihilating the 40,000 Banzhou soldiers who came to support, relied on the advantage of firearms to capture Wangcao, Zheng'an and other places all the way, and many surrounding county towns were also surrendered.

Less than ten miles outside the outskirts of Suiyang County, an army of 50,000 under the personal command of Feng Yue was waiting for it.

The Ming army in front of him was neatly arrayed, robes and belts, and his expression was solemn, and a solemn aura of slaughter gradually spread.

Feng Yue looked at Suiyang County, which was close at hand in front of him, and his heart became more and more excited.

Not long ago, he received news from the third road of the Sichuan Division, and the 40,000 soldiers and horses commanded by the general Wu Guang, the general Chen Lan, and the deputy general Cao Xibin had entered Banzhou from Nanchuan, and they were fighting and winning along the way, and they were killing towards Renhuai!

In addition to the three roads of the Sichuan Division, there was also good news from the Guizhou Division, the 30,000 soldiers and horses commanded by the general Li Yingxiang and the general Tan Jian have also successfully broken through Xinglong, and they are now vigorously clearing the remnants of the Banzhou soldiers along the way.

Feng Yue knew very well in his heart that as long as he took Suiyang County in front of him, then the end of Yang Lie would not be far away.

At that time, the army of the imperial court went to Hailongtun from the three directions of Suiyang, Tongzi and Renhuai.

Even if Hailongtun has gone through several generations of consolation envoys and has become a veritable military fortress, it will not help, after all, the imperial court, in order to eliminate Yang Lie, has dispatched a full 130,000 troops!

Feng Yue was very confident, even if he didn't take the initiative to attack, with only the hundreds of thousands of troops in his hands, he would be able to trap Yang Lie alive in Hailongtun!

But the most strange thing for Feng Yue at the moment was that since his army arrived on the outskirts of Suiyang County, he had not seen any defenders.

Then, I saw Feng Yue gather his mind, take a deep breath, pull out the long sword at his waist, and said in a deep voice.

"General Chuanben's order, the whole army attacked!"

When Feng Yue's words fell, soon a dense drum beat like raindrops sounded, and more than 15,000 soldiers commanded by Shi Bangxian were divided into three routes, left, center, and right, and launched an attack on Suiyang County.

At this moment, the city gate of Suiyang County was opened, and at first, Shi Bangxian thought it was the defenders in the city, and planned to fight to the death and go out of the city to face the battle.

But when he saw the people who came out of Suiyang County, his face was full of shock.

Because what came out of Suiyang County was not the defenders in the city, but the ragged people with vegetables.

At this moment, their expressions were blank, even if they saw the Ming army rushing towards them in the distance, they did not dodge.

In addition, there were no defenders on the city wall, and when the Ming army came to a place less than five miles away from Suiyang County, it was not attacked at all!

Seeing this, Shi Bangxian hurriedly pulled out the long sword at his waist and shouted hoarsely.

"Stop attacking! Convey the order of General Ben, stop the attack! ”

Soon, Shi Bangxian's orders were conveyed one by one through the surrounding generals.

Immediately afterwards, the Ming soldiers also heard the sound of the gong, which symbolized the withdrawal of the Ming Jin, and although the soldiers were confused by this order, they still reined in the reins of the war horses under them and stopped the pace of attack.

The front army led by Shi Bangxian suddenly stopped attacking, this abnormal situation naturally could not be concealed at this moment, Feng Yue, who was sitting in command of the Chinese army, saw him look at his subordinates on the side and ordered in a deep voice.

"Give me the binoculars!"

"Yes, Governor!"

Then, I saw Feng Yue take the monocular from the hands of his subordinates on the side and began to observe the situation in the distance.

Soon, Feng Yue also understood why Shi Bangxian would order the army to stop attacking, because those who came out of Suiyang County in front of him were not the defenders of Suiyang County, but the ragged people with vegetables on their faces.

At this moment, these ragged and wooden-looking people are kneeling on both sides of the road near the gate of Suiyang County, and more and more people are coming out of Suiyang County.

Up to now, how could Feng Yue not see that the county seat of Suiyang in front of him had become an empty city, and all that was left was these unarmed and ragged people.

Then, I saw Feng Yue sigh, hand back the monocular in his hand to his subordinates, and commanded.

"Alas, let's go over with this official to see the situation!"

"Yes, Governor!"

At this moment, the Ming soldiers who rushed to the front earlier had already been shocked by the scene in front of them, and at this moment, they also understood why the gong of Mingjin was sounded earlier, and they lowered their heads and were silent.

I saw Shi Bangxian under the layers of protection of many soldiers, getting down from the jujube red war horse riding under him, and the people on both sides of the road saw this situation, and their eyes were full of fear.

At this moment, I saw a timid voice sound: "Mother, are they the army of the imperial court that those villains say, will they steal our food?" ”

"Mother, I'm so hungry!"

When Shi Bangxian heard this, he followed the prestige, and saw a skinny and ragged child about seven or eight years old not far away, breaking free from the arms of his mother who was holding him, and asked.

His mother was shocked when she heard what her child said, and quickly covered the child's mouth with her hand.

Then, I saw the mother, who kowtowed on the ground in a panic: "My lord, he is still young and ignorant, please spare his life!" ”

When the people on the side saw this, they kept kowtowing on the ground and pleading for the child: "Yes, my lord, he is still young, and you don't remember the villain, so spare his life!" ”

When Shi Bangxian heard this, his throat moved, he wanted to say something, but he found that he couldn't say anything!

When those people saw that Shi Bangxian had not responded for a long time, they thought that they had annoyed him, and kowtowed even harder on the ground to beg for his forgiveness.

Then, I saw Shi Bangxian come back to his senses, his face was full of guilt, and after looking around, he said in a deep voice.

"Rest assured, we are the army sent by the imperial court to quell the rebellion, and we are here to protect everyone!"

Shi Bangxian's words obviously didn't play any role, and those ordinary people, looking at him, were still full of vigilance and fear.

At this moment, an untimely voice sounded again: "Mother, I'm so hungry!" ”

And it was the scrawny, ragged child from before.

His mother, seeing this, hurriedly took the child into her arms, stroked his head, and comforted him softly.

"Well, sleep for a while, you won't be hungry when you fall asleep!"

"But mother, I'm so hungry that I can't sleep!"

When the boy had finished speaking, he looked at his mother, who was wiping away tears from her eyes.

Seeing this, Shi Bangxian gave the subordinate next to him a look, and the latter quickly understood, and after a while, he brought some dry food.

Then, I saw Shi Bangxian squatting down, taking the dry food in his hand to the child, and said softly.

"Let's eat!"

The child did not immediately take the dry food from Shi Bangxian's hand, but looked at his mother, as if asking for advice.

Seeing this, the mother gently stroked his head and said slowly.

"Take it!"

The child, after receiving his mother's permission, immediately burst into joy, only to see him carefully take the dry food from Shi Bangxian's hand.

Later, he broke the dry food in half, and then handed half of it to his mother.

"Mother, you eat too!"

When the mother heard this, she shook her head and said slowly.

"Eat it yourself, mother is not hungry!"

At this moment, Feng Yue, escorted by his personal guards, came to the city gate of Suiyang County, and he looked at the scene in front of him, his face full of shame.

When Shi Bangxian saw Feng Yue coming, he immediately turned around and saluted him respectfully.

"The last general will see the governor!"

When Feng Yue heard this, he replied imperceptibly, and at this moment, he saw an old man with white hair and a ragged robe, standing up from the ground tremblingly, mustering up his courage, and asking Feng Yue.

"You...... Are you the Governor? ”

"Yes, old man, this official is Feng Yue, the governor of Huguang!"

When Feng Yue heard this, he immediately looked at the old man, nodded, and responded.

The gray-haired old man, after learning Feng Yue's identity, immediately knelt on the ground with a plop and sobbed.

"Please, Lord Governor, save our lives!"

After the old man knelt down, many people at the scene also knelt on the ground and said in unison.

"Please, Lord Governor, save our lives!"

Seeing this, Feng Yue hurriedly stepped forward, helped the white-haired old man up from the ground, and asked.

"Old man, what happened, can you tell this official?"

The gray-haired old man, after being helped up from the ground by Feng Yue, sighed helplessly and began to tell the ins and outs of his matter.

"Big ...... My lord, here's the thing......"

Under the old man's narration, Feng Yue finally had a general understanding of the ins and outs of the whole matter.

After Yuan Zhi, the commander of Suiyang County, learned that the Ming army had broken through Sangmu Pass, annihilated 40,000 Banzhou soldiers, and taken Wangcao, Zheng'an and other places along the way, he was deeply afraid, so he indulged his soldiers and began to wantonly plunder the people in the city.

In the hands of the people, the little wealth that was left was quickly squeezed out, and then, Yuan Zhi, the commander of Suiyang County, forcibly expropriated the grain in the hands of those people on the grounds of supporting the defenders in the city, and there was not even the minimum ration left.

Anyone who dares to disobey orders and refuse to hand over food will be killed on the spot once discovered!

After doing this, late one night a few days ago, Yuan Zhi, the commander of Suiyang County, quietly left Suiyang County with the defenders in the city.

Feng Yue also learned from the old man's mouth that the reason why Yuan Zhi dared to act like this was because the Yuan family where he was located was one of the seven small toasts with different surnames under the command of the Yang family in Banzhou.

Yang Lie, the ambassador of Banzhou, has two pacification envoys under the jurisdiction of Huangping and Caotang, as well as six chief officials such as Zhenbo, Baini, Yuqing, Chong'an, and Rongshan, in addition, Tian, Zhang, Yuan, Lu, Tan, Luo, Wu and other seven small Tusi are also under his jurisdiction.

For hundreds of years, the Banzhou Yang clan has firmly occupied a dominant position in Banzhou, even if the remaining seven small toasts with different surnames are dissatisfied, they have to obey the dispatch of the Banzhou Yang clan.

After all, whoever has the big fist will have the truth!

After understanding the ins and outs of the matter, I saw Feng Yue call his subordinates and ask.

"Is there enough food and grass for the army at the moment?"

When the subordinate heard this, he thought about it for a long time before he responded.

"Lord Governor, not long ago, when the army broke through Sangmu Pass, it captured a lot of heavy grain and grass, and after that, we got a lot of grain from the 40,000 Banzhou soldiers who came to support!"

"Therefore, the current supply of grain and grass for the army is very sufficient!"

After listening to the subordinate's report, Feng Yue commanded in a deep voice.

"Take out some of the food and use it to give to the people!"

"Yes, Governor!"

When the subordinate heard Feng Yue's words, he arched his hand and replied in a deep voice.

Those people, seeing that Feng Yue was willing to take out a part of the food from the imperial army, used it to help them, their faces were full of disbelief.

"Lord Qingtian!"

In the crowd, I don't know who was the first to shout such a sentence, and then all the people at the scene knelt on the ground, and the voices came and went.

"Lord Qingtian! Lord Qingtian! ”

At this time, the faces of those people were full of gratitude.

Then, I saw Feng Yue pressing his sword with one hand, looking at Suiyang County, which was close at hand in front of him, and commanded.

"General Chuanben's order, the army enters the city!"

"Yes, Governor!"

Shi Bangxian on the side, as well as many generals, saw that Feng Yue had already given an order, and immediately looked dignified and replied in a deep voice.

Subsequently, the Ming army entered Suiyang County in the cheers of the people of Suiyang County. (End of chapter)