Gao Qiqian's cold tone immediately frightened the eunuchs, who all knelt on the ground.
One by one, they kowtowed and slapped themselves in the face.
"Mr. Gao, please calm down. Our family is really thinking about Gong Gao. A son of a rich man cannot sit down in the palace. Mr. Gao is your Majesty's humerus, so we must not make any mistakes."
"My godfather, what you said makes my son very sad. My son is worried about your comfort."
"Uncle Dingyuan is a true hero and a true hero. Naturally, he will not argue with you. Our family is just worried that if we don't leave now, we won't be able to leave any later."
"Mr. Gao Rongzhen, at this time, whether the head is more important or the face is more important, please think twice."
…
Take a look at it from high altitude and dive, and it scares them enough. It just stopped. It really made them anxious.
"Tomorrow our family will say goodbye to Uncle Dingyuan. But don't think about hiding away. Everyone will go with our family. If you offend Uncle Dingyuan, you will be offended together. No one can hide away."
At this time, Gao Qi was looking around on the high platform.
The view here is excellent. It is a 20-meter-high platform built with steel pipe scaffolding. The weather in the northwest is dry and clear, and you can see for dozens of miles. The actions of the Oirat army were clearly visible.
More than 200,000 troops were divided into three directions, beating war drums, riding war horses, and walking slowly.
In addition to the army, there were also a large number of herdsmen following. They drove cattle and sheep, set up Lele carts, and carried all kinds of baggage, following the army.
What shocked Gao Qiqian the most was that more than 300 carts and various siege equipment were pushed by slaves, whipped by Mongolian soldiers, shouting slogans, and walked towards the city wall step by step.
Those building cars are basically five stories high. There are ten huge wooden wheels at the bottom. Each one has hundreds of people pushing it behind and hundreds of strong oxen pulling it in front.
These carriages are armored with wooden planks on three sides to withstand bows and arrows fired from the city walls. Downed musket. There are stairs on the back. The enemy can use the stairs in the building car to run directly from the ground to the top floor. After putting down the springboard, they can rush parallel to the city wall.
I saw boundless enemy troops covering the wilderness. It's not just the eunuchs who are anxious. Even civil servants. Everyone in Jinyiwei and Dongchang Crotchhead became distraught. It was okay for them to bully a commoner in Beijing, but they had never seen such a grand battlefield scene.
For a while, everyone trembled and their faces turned earth-colored. They were all whispering to each other.
At this time, Gao Qiqian was completely determined to return to Beijing. Must leave immediately. In the final analysis, your own life is more important. This rising star in the inner court cannot be lost in this barbaric land where rabbits don't poop.
He looked around and found that the civil servants, Jinyiwei, and Dongchang crotchheads were also anxiously discussing the issue of returning to Beijing. They were all trying to shirk each other. Who would take the lead? They talked to Uncle Dingyuan. After all, this is a very offending thing.
"Quiet! Commander-in-Chief," shouted Gao Sheng, a leader of the soldiers.
A military drumbeat sounded. Gao Qiqian took a look at the railing and saw that Yang Fan and officials from the Chinese Army, large and small, were walking up the stairs made of springboards.
Yang Fan's expression remained normal, and he seemed not to take the Mongols outside the city seriously at all. The walking is smooth and steady, which is better than strolling in the garden. None of the civil and military officials behind him dared to show their anxiety. Disturbing the morale of the army is a taboo, and being dragged out and chopped down by the commander will be a waste of time.
Seeing that Yang Fan was calm as usual, he came up unhurriedly.
These restless civil servants, royal guards, crotch heads, and father-in-law from various ministries suddenly felt calm in their hearts. They suddenly found that Uncle Dingyuan's calmness made them relax. It was as if they had suddenly found a source of support.
"Good morning, everyone," Yang Fan said, cupping his hands. "Everyone came so early today and didn't even have breakfast."
You are thinking, when will you still have the time to have breakfast? But when Uncle Dingyuan asked, they didn't dare not answer. They all said, "I was worried about the military emergency, so I didn't even dare to eat, so I came to check on the enemy's situation."
Yang Fan didn't seem to see the huge Oirat army outside the city. He smiled and said, "Then let's have something with me."
The twenty-four yamen of the Ming Dynasty were divided into:
Twelve prisons (Si Lijian, Neiguanjian, Yuyongjian, Sishejian, Yumajian, Shenguanjian, Shangshanjian, Shangbaojian, Yinshoujian, Zhidianjian, Shangyijian, Duzhijian)
Four departments (Xixin Department, Baochao Department, Bell and Drum Department, Huntang Department)
Eight bureaus (war bureau, scarf and hat bureau, needlework bureau, internal weaving and dyeing bureau, wine vinegar noodle bureau, Siyuan bureau, coat bureau, and silver work bureau).
There are all these eunuchs from that department. After Chongzhen ascended the throne, he placed all the eunuchs he had carefully trained in Prince Xin's Mansion into the Twenty-Four Yamen. Used to compete with Mrs. Zheng's people for control of the harem.
Wang Yingchao from Yinshou Prison kept winking at Gao Qiqian, signaling Gao Gong to tell Uncle Dingyuan about returning to the capital as soon as possible. Looking at the situation outside the city, who knows when this broken city will be breached.
They all saw it when they first came here. This city was built in the Tang Dynasty. For more than 800 years, it has been a rammed-earth city wall. Many have collapsed. Later, although it was covered with stones on the inside and outside, it was built with cement. Fill and compact the rammed earth in the middle. But in their hearts, the original image of the ruined city lingered in their minds, and they had no confidence at all.
Gao Qiqian reached his hands behind his back. He shook silently. Signaling them to hold still and stop talking.
Gao Qiqian is a person who is somewhat calm during major events.
At this point, these eunuchs were all convinced. Otherwise, how could someone be so favored? He holds the power of riding horses and supervising soldiers.
"My uncle, you are here, what else are you going to eat? The Mongols are about to enter the city."
"The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue has written a letter, asking us to go back and reconcile the accounts as soon as possible. In addition, the army's expenses for the past six months must be reimbursed. Any further delay will affect the subsequent supply of military rations."
"The Ministry of Industry wants to renovate the fire road piers and side walls of Ji Town, and has summoned us to return to Beijing as soon as possible."
…
For a time, Yang Fan was surrounded by officials from all walks of life, and they all demanded that Yang Fan arrange a ship as soon as possible and that they should return to Beijing as soon as possible. Anyway, everyone has their own reasons.
Yang Fan was pulled and embarrassed for a while.
"Stand back," Zhang Geda yelled. "Anyone must step back five steps from the commander, otherwise he will be punished with assassination."
This is a state of war, and the safety of the commander maintains the safety of the entire army. He cannot be approached casually. Today, these civil servants are running around, asking, and clamoring to leave. This is absolutely not allowed.
Zhang Geda roared, and these people woke up. Without Yang Fan's permission, getting so close is not allowed. It's dangerous if someone is up to no good. So, they quickly retreated. So as not to cause trouble for yourself.
Yang Fan tidied up his clothes that had been torn out of shape, and said with a smile: "Don't panic, everyone, it's okay, the Oirat people can't come in. The Yellow River will not be cut off, and navigation will not be interrupted. You can come at any time, and you can come at any time." Let’s go. Don’t panic.”
Yang Fan walked into the big tent, sat down at the main seat, and asked the Huotou Army to bring everyone a large bowl of Chaos. Let everyone eat first and talk about anything after eating.
