Happy times are always short-lived, time flies, and in a blink of an eye, it is the twentieth day of the first month.

This also marked the official end of the holiday, and many officials had to return to work to deal with the backlog of affairs, even if they did not want to.

Correspondingly, because the holiday time is longer than before, there is a huge backlog of affairs.

Even when night falls, the six ministries and cabinets of the Ming Dynasty are still brightly lit.

At this time, the Forbidden City, the Cabinet.

Although the time for the next duty had long passed, no one left, and at this time, on the bookcases in front of everyone, there were piles of nearly one person high, and they needed to be dealt with urgently.

The charcoal fire in the room was blazing, and the orange candle flame flickering on the table clearly reflected the figures of everyone present.

After finishing the letter in his hand, he saw Yan Shifan get up from the seat and complain after moving his limbs.

"Alas, there are so many notes that need to be dealt with, why are there so many left!"

During this Spring Festival holiday, Yan Shifan had an unusually leisurely life.

Due to the cold weather, people can't afford to go out.

Therefore, except for occasionally going out to participate in banquets, Yan Shifan spent most of the rest of his time staying at home to eat and drink, and taking time out to accompany his concubines.

There is nothing else to do.

As soon as Yan Shifan's words fell, I saw Gao Gong not far away put down the brush in his hand, rubbed his somewhat sore wrist, and said in response: "Yes, it seems that these sparse performances will not be finished for a while and a half!" ”

After Gao Gong finished speaking, he picked up the teacup soaked in wolfberry water on the table and took a sip.

After drinking the wolfberry water in the cup, Gao Gong obviously felt that the fatigue on his body had subsided a lot, and then, Gao Gong, like Yan Shifan before, got up from the seat and moved his limbs.

Seeing this situation, I saw Yan Song put aside the processed envelope in his hand, turned around, looked in the direction where Xu Jie was, and proposed: "Elder Xu Ge, why don't you just get here here today?" ”

In the face of Yan Song's proposal, Xu Jie had no intention of refusing, and after thinking for a moment, he followed up and said, "Well, let's get here first today!" ”

After that, everyone began to sort out and summarize the processed notes in an orderly manner.

Taking advantage of this gap, I saw Zhang Juzheng looking around and taking the lead in provoking the topic: "Speaking of which, how did you spend this holiday?" ”

As soon as Zhang Juzheng's words fell, he saw Gao Gong scratching his head, and after recalling for a long time, he responded: "When you say this, so many days of vacation, it seems that you have done nothing except stay at home all day and eat and drink!" ”

When Gao Gong's words fell, the rest of the people also said the same words as Gao Gong after recalling for a while.

Then, everyone looked at Hu Zongxian, who had not expressed his position for a long time, and waited for his response.

Hu Zongxian did not shy away from this, and after thinking for a while, he faced everyone and said unhurriedly: "I took advantage of my free time to go to several more famous temples and Taoist temples in the suburbs!" ”

"Well, I've been to several temples in the suburbs, and it's said that ......"

Soon, everyone began to talk about the subject, and in the process, all the notes that had been dealt with earlier were summarized.

After summarizing the recitals, I saw Yan Song look around, and then said, "It's not too early, let's go!" ”

After that, everyone left the cabinet one after another.

As soon as they walked out of the cabinet, a cold wind blew, and everyone only felt a cold and biting chill coming to them, and subconsciously wrapped the big coat on their bodies to keep out the cold.

Then, I saw Yan Song raise his head and look at the moon that was covered by thick clouds, and said with emotion.

"This year's snow is much heavier than in previous years, so it must be another bumper year!"

"yes!"

The words fell, and I saw everyone walking slowly towards the place where the sedan chair was parked.

After the lights were completely turned off on the cabinet side, the brightly lit six ministries turned off the lights one after another, and officials continued to come out.

……

Due to the cold weather and the night ban, there are hardly any pedestrians on the road.

At this moment, I saw Xu Jie open the sedan curtain and look at the scenery on both sides of the road, at this time, he only felt like a numb heart.

For Xu Jie, the affairs of the family at this time are like a time bomb, I don't know when, it will explode with a 'bang', and then blow him to pieces.

"Alas, Fan'er has been back to Songjiang Mansion for so long, why is there still no news, it can't be that something happened, right?"

Thinking of this, Xu Jie's face couldn't help but flash a trace of confusion.

Just as Xu Jie was still struggling with this matter, the sedan chair he was riding in had already arrived outside the mansion.

As soon as the sedan chair stopped, I saw the butler who had been waiting for a long time greet him, leaned down, and said respectfully: "Master! ”

When Xu Jie heard this, he answered imperceptibly, and then, with the support of the slave, he got down from the sedan chair.

As soon as Xu Jie got out of the sedan chair, he heard the butler's voice ringing in his ears: "Old ...... Master, the eldest young master sent someone to send ......"

Before the housekeeper's words were finished, he was interrupted by Xu Jie's words: "Okay, this is not the place to talk, if you have anything to say, go in and talk about it!" ”

"Yes, sir!"

For Xu Jie's words, the housekeeper naturally did not dare to disobey, and after he responded, he took care of himself in front of him and welcomed Xu Jie into the mansion.

After entering the hall, I saw Xu Jie stop, turned around, looked in the direction where the butler was, waved his hand, and commanded: "Now you can speak!" ”

"Yes, sir!"

After responding, the housekeeper did not hesitate at all, and immediately took out a letter from his sleeve, handed it to Xu Jie, and said respectfully: "Master, here is a letter sent by the eldest young master, saying that it must be handed over to you!" ”

Xu Jie looked at the letter close at hand in front of him, and couldn't help but be overjoyed.

Then, I saw Xu Jie take the letter from the butler's hand, and after a moment of silence, he instructed: "After you come down later, go and receive the reward yourself!" ”

When the housekeeper heard Xu Jie's words, his face was full of gratitude, he leaned down and said respectfully: "Thank you, master!" ”

Xu Jie took in the expression on the butler's face, waved his hand, and continued: "Okay, it's nothing for you, let's go down first!" ”

"Yes, sir!"

The butler replied, and then turned and left the hall with great gratitude.

After the housekeeper left, I saw Xu Jie put away the letter and went straight to the study.

After Xu Jie told his subordinates not to disturb, he took advantage of the candle in the room to open the letter sent by Xu Fan, and browsed the contents of it with great concentration.

"Father, the child has successfully delivered your previous letter to the patriarch, the patriarch was shocked when he saw this letter, and immediately summoned the clan to discuss countermeasures, but there is no conclusion at present."

"In addition, according to the child's observation, there are many people in the clan who have committed adultery and criminal acts under the banner of your father, and the people are very resentful, and the situation of land annexation within the clan is also particularly serious, and the child has done as you ...... ordered."

After Xu Jie finished reading the contents of the letter, he couldn't help but 'chuckle', and the expression on his face became extremely gloomy.

Even though Xu Jie had been mentally prepared before this, he still didn't expect the situation to be so serious.

"This bunch of mud can't hold up the wall!"

After Xu Jie finished speaking, he slammed the table, as if he wanted to vent the resentment in his heart.

Xu Jie's heart knew very well that if he continued to let it go like this, one day, this fire would burn on his body.

Afterwards, I saw Xu Jie gather his mind, sit behind the bookcase, spread out the pen and paper, and wrote a reply.

……

On the other side, the capital, the Chengguo Mansion.

Like the British Mansion, the Chengguo Mansion is also located on a bustling street in the capital, and there are no other people except the Chengguo Mansion near the entire street.

Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo, is responsible for commanding the Shenji Battalion, one of the three major battalions in the capital, and the treatment he has is needless to say.

The decoration of the Chengguo Mansion is extremely luxurious, and the entrance steps are extremely high, all of which are made of high-quality and valuable stones.

Like the main entrance of most princely houses, the two vermilion gates of the Chengguo Mansion are full of gilded copper buckles.

There are also two statues of stone beads in the mouth, the stone lion of the mighty abnormality, there is a plaque hanging on the door, and there are four big characters of 'Chengguo Gongfu' written with black gold lacquer.

Not only that, but there are also majestic soldiers at the door who are standing guard and patrolling.

At this moment, I saw two sedan chairs of different colors stopped at the door of the Chengguo Mansion.

After the sedan chair stopped, I saw Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou getting down from the sedan chair one after another.

"This is the Chengguo Mansion, it's really magnificent!"

I saw Yu Dayou retract his gaze from the magnificent mansion in front of him, and said with emotion.

Qi Jiguang on the side was noncommittal to Yu Dayou's words, and immediately stepped forward and informed the soldiers at the door of his name and intention.

The soldier at the door, after listening to Qi Jiguang's introduction, arched his hand to him, and quickly entered the Chengguo Mansion through the side door.

Since the end of the last banquet, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou have finally inquired about the exact identity of the person who accosted them at that time.

The person who talked to the two of them at the beginning was Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo, who was famous in the dynasty and trusted by His Majesty, and was responsible for commanding the Shenji Battalion!

Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou couldn't help but gasp after learning the news.

Although before this, the two had already expected in advance that the person who accosted them at the banquet had a noble status, but no one thought that this person would actually be Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo.

You must know that Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo, is the top clan and nobleman of the Ming Dynasty!

And just a few days ago, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou received an invitation from Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo, inviting them to the mansion for a talk.

Out of prudence, after receiving the invitation of Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou did not rush forward, but found Hu Zongxian and asked him to help the staff.

After Hu Zongxian learned of the intention of the two, he did not show the slightest displeasure, but supported the two to visit Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo.

Because during the day, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou need to train their troops, so they can only spare time at night.

Not long after, I saw that the soldiers who had gone in to report before came to Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, leaned down, and said respectfully: "Two adults, you can go in!" ”

When Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou heard this, they nodded to the soldier, and then under the leadership of the housekeeper, they stepped into the Chengguo Mansion.

In the Chengguo Mansion, there are many green bamboos planted, as well as all kinds of green plants that Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou can't name.

It gives people a sense of vitality and competition.

……

Under the guidance of the housekeeper, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou turned around, and after passing through a path paved with neat stone slabs, they entered the hall used to entertain guests in the Chengguo Mansion.

At this moment, in the hall, Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo, was sitting on the top, sipping the wolfberry water soaked in the cup unhurriedly.

Seeing this situation, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou didn't dare to slack off in the slightest, and immediately leaned down, looked in the direction where Zhu Xizhong was, and said respectfully: "I've seen Chengguo Gong!" ”

Zhu Xizhong seemed to be very happy about the arrival of Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, but he saw a warm smile on his face, pointed to the vacant seat on the side, and commanded: "The two of you are finally here, sit down first!" ”

"Thank you Cheng Guogong!"

After Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou expressed their gratitude to Zhu Xizhong, they sat down on the side unusually restrainedly, and the whole person sat upright, not daring to make the slightest movement.

Zhu Xizhong took in the restrained look on the faces of the two, waved his hand, and said indifferently: "Don't be too restrained, this time I asked the two to come over, just to hear the opinions of the two again!" ”

When Zhu Xizhong said this, his face was full of emotion, and he continued to add: "After all, the exchange between the two of you at the banquet before opened my eyes!" ”

Qi Jiguang, who was on the side, heard Zhu Xizhong's words, and immediately got up from his seat, his face was full of humility, and he leaned down and said respectfully: "Chengguo's words are serious, it's just some vulgar opinions!" ”

At this moment, I saw two slaves step forward and place the teacups soaked in wolfberry water in front of Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou respectively.

"I heard that those cabinet elders like to use wolfberries to soak in water and drink, I tried it, it is indeed very beneficial to the body, you might as well try it!"

Regarding Zhu Xizhong's kindness, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou did not refuse, but picked up the teacup soaked in wolfberry water and took a sip.

Due to the high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the capital, as well as the competition of the wealthy gentry, the wolfberry, which was originally just mediocre and was used as a medicine, has risen all the way to a prohibitive point.

After Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou put down the teacups in their hands, they only heard Zhu Xizhong's voice sound: "In a short time, the imperial court will officially start a war with Altan Khan of the Tumut Department, before that, I want to hear your opinions!" ”

Facing Zhu Xizhong's gaze, Qi Jiguang got up from his seat after thinking for a moment and gave his opinion very firmly.

"Cheng Guogong, don't hide it, according to the lower officials, in this battle, I have at least seventy percent of the certainty of victory!"

When Zhu Xizhong heard this, an interested look appeared on his face, raised his eyebrows, and motioned for Qi Jiguang to continue.

Facing Zhu Xizhong's curious gaze, Qi Jiguang organized the language in his mind before continuing: "Chengguogong, as you can see, the weather this year is much colder than before!" ”

"Therefore, it is foreseeable that the grasslands will be far less abundant than they used to be, and they will not be able to support too many livestock and populations."

"And in order to get out of the predicament, and to consume the surplus population, the Tatars will surely go south to plunder and provoke wars in the coming year."

Zhu Xizhong, who was sitting at the top, couldn't help frowning after listening to Qi Jiguang's words, and he keenly captured the implied meaning of Qi Jiguang's words.

Immediately, I saw Zhu Xizhong looking in the direction where Qi Jiguang was, and asked: "You mean, the troops used by Altan Khan this time will far exceed those in the past?" ”

When Qi Jiguang heard this, he nodded, and said in response: "Cheng Guogong, you guessed right, you might as well put yourself in your shoes, assuming that you are Altan Khan, how to deal with the current situation?" ”

Zhu Xizhong continued to think about it along this line of thought, and after a long time, he saw him come back to his senses, shook his head, and said to himself: "Thinking about it, it seems that only the road of going south to plunder and provoke war can be taken!" ”

When Zhu Xizhong's words fell, I saw Qi Jiguang bowing his head slightly, and then replied in a deep voice: "Yes, Chengguo Gong, you are right, the current Altan Khan, there is only one way to go south and plunder!" ”

"And to be on the safe side, he'll definitely put all the chips on it!"

"As we all know, the grassland is very rich in war horses, and the war horses under the Tatar cavalry, compared to the war horses of my Ming Dynasty, are much stronger in terms of endurance and speed, but these war horses, due to the lack of forage, can barely survive a winter, and how many effects can they play?"

"No matter how superb the cavalry and archery skills of the Tatar cavalry are, the war horses under them are not good, and they will not be able to exert their combat effectiveness in their heyday, so that my Ming cavalry will be on the same running line as the other party."

When Qi Jiguang said this, he turned his gaze to Yu Dayou on the side, and continued: "Not to mention, my Ming Dynasty still has a very restrained cavalry battalion, General Yu once personally led 5,000 cavalry battalion troops, fought with tens of thousands of Mongolian cavalry, and won a great victory!" ”

Facing Zhu Xizhong's curious gaze, I saw Yu Dayou on the side get up from his seat and begin to explain the specific establishment of the car battalion.

……

"The chariots are equipped with chariots that can effectively deal with cavalry charges, and at the same time, the planks covered with leather can also protect against attacks from arrows and firearms."

"Among them, each chariot is equipped with twenty sergeants, divided into two teams, ten people in each team, two of the regular soldiers are in charge of the head, six are in charge of two Fran cannons, one is the rook, and one is the helmsman."

"Among the odd soldiers, choose a brave and obedient person as the captain, the remaining four people are at the same time as the fire gun, and also use the long knife, the chariot goes out to fight first set the fire gun, two are rattan players, and two are responsible for acting as mirror rakes, and the remaining one is a fire soldier and is responsible for cooking."

"Two vehicles are a unit, four vehicles are a bureau, the car battalion is equipped with 256 Franco cannons, 2,304 guns, each battalion is equipped with one general, one member of the Chinese army, one member of the 1,000 generals, nine generals, and a total of 3,109 officers and soldiers in the whole battalion."

After listening to Yu Dayou's narration, Zhu Xizhong supported his chin with one hand, and Zhu Xizhong at this time already knew the establishment of the car camp.

At the same time, he also figured out in what ways the Che battalion restrained the cavalry.

The advantage of the cavalry is that it can break up the local formation as soon as possible, and the existence of the chariot leads to the idea of the cavalry taking the lead and breaking up the opponent's formation, which has come to naught.

Even if you want to kill an enemy from a distance with a cluster of arrows, it will be in vain because of the thick wooden planks covered with thick leather.

In addition, the Che Battalion is also equipped with many powerful firearms, and if you want to ignore these firearms and force your way to the Che Battalion, you will inevitably pay heavy casualties.

Even if you pay a lot of casualties and get close to the chariot, you will be caught in a brutal white-knuckle battle.

Just as Zhu Xizhong's thoughts were flying, he only heard Yu Dayou's voice sound again: "In addition to the Che Ying, my Ming Dynasty also has an advantage in firearms, and the newly developed flintlock pistol from the Ordnance Division has greatly improved the range and power of the firearm!" ”

"In addition, with the assistance of paper shell bullets, the reloading speed and stability of the flintlock pistol will also be greatly improved, and it can kill and damage the enemy more effectively!"

Zhu Xizhong also agreed with Yu Dayou's words, and immediately, he nodded and said in response: "Before this, the Shenji Battalion has been equipped with new weapons developed by the Ordnance Division!" ”

When Zhu Xizhong's words fell, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and a hint of envy flashed on their faces.

You must know that even if the Ordnance Division is working at full speed and producing at full capacity, now, the army under the command of the two of them is only half of the army.

But after thinking about it, I was relieved, after all, what Zhu Xizhong commanded was the Shenji Battalion, one of the three major battalions in the capital!

After this, Zhu Xizhong seemed to suddenly remember something, glanced over Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou respectively, and asked: "By the way, I remember that you are currently in charge of coordinating military training, right?" ”

When Qi Jiguang heard this, he didn't mean to hide it, but nodded and said gently: "Yes, Cheng Guogong, Xia Guan and General Yu are currently in charge of military training!" ”

Just when Qi Jiguang was still wondering why Zhu Xizhong suddenly mentioned this matter, he only heard Zhu Xizhong's voice sound: "Since you have been in charge of military training for a while, have you ever thought about letting Your Majesty review it?" ”

Zhu Xizhong's voice was not loud, but it was like a heavy hammer, knocking the hearts of Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou.

"It's hard to do it, Cheng Guogong wants to ......"

Just as Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou were still thinking about the intentions, they saw Zhu Xizhong withdraw his gaze from the two of them and issued an eviction order.

"In that case, let's go down and prepare first!"

Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou both heard the irrefutable meaning contained in Zhu Xizhong's words.

Then, I saw the two of them look at each other, a look of gratitude appeared on their faces, they leaned down, and responded in unison: "Thank you Cheng Guogong!" ”

After bowing to Zhu Xizhong, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou planned to leave, but just a few steps away, Zhu Xizhong seemed to suddenly remember something, and stopped the two.

"By the way, there is one thing I forgot to mention, when the time comes, I will command the Shenji Battalion to participate in the battle together!" (End of chapter)