The roads in Xuanfu Town are a bit old and uneven. The bluestone slabs are broken in many places and have not been replaced. There are also many stalls on both sides of the main streets.
Because there were so many carriages and horses coming and going, there were often road blockages. The carriages at this time were more valuable and scarce than the cars of later generations.
Let’s not talk about the carts. Most people can’t afford to keep the mules and horses that pull the carts, let alone the cart drivers and horsemen. Therefore, those who own carts think very highly of themselves.
Each cart driver also formed a general habit of being ashamed of giving in to each other, so they often quarreled and cursed in the market, each setting up his own backstage and refusing to give in to each other. They stayed in a jam for a long time and no one could leave.
At this time, the road in front of Changping Street was blocked again, and two rickshaw drivers started yelling at each other.
A coachman yelled: "You pretty boy, do you know whose family this car belongs to? I'll scare you to death if I tell you! You won't get out of the way."
Not to be outdone, the other driver retorted, "You are a beggar, but do you know who is sitting in the carriage?"
The two were pointing at each other's noses, laughing and scolding each other with raised eyebrows. There were many idle men and women around them, and many people came over to watch with interest.
It is true that in any era and at any time, there is no shortage of people who want to eat melon!
The onlookers booed from time to time. They urged the two coachmen to take action. If they saw the truth behind them, whoever was defeated would get out of the way.
In the middle of the excitement, suddenly everyone looked to the south in confusion. It seemed that the ground was shaking...
When everyone was surprised, someone from the front shouted: "Yang Junmen's King Qin's army has returned to the city, Zhang Yanshen will sacrifice his life for the country..."
Everyone was in an uproar. Generals such as Yang Guozhu, the general in charge of Xuanzhen, and Zhang Yan, the generals who led the army at the time, also caused a sensation. The governor of Xuanfu led the officials ten miles away from the city to see each other off, expressing great concern.
Now, how can the army not attract attention when it comes back? Especially not long ago, news about Lu Xiangsheng and Zhang Yan died fighting for their country, Zhang Cheng shot Dorgon with an arrow, and Yue Tuo was beheaded in formation had already spread throughout the town of Xuanfu. .
Although there are various situations in the world, everyone has different thoughts about the army and the king. Some are looking forward to it, some are afraid, and some are indifferent. However, it is certain that they are paying attention collectively.
At this time, some officers of the governor's Yamen who were not well-dressed hurriedly came to drive away the people on the street, clearing the way for Zhang Yan's coffin to enter the city. The two coachmen did not care about the quarrel, and hurriedly drove their cars to the side. in the alley.
Nowadays, in Xuanfu Town, Zhang Cheng’s deeds as a Queen of the Imperial Guard are spread everywhere. He jumped from a fifth-rank Qianhu official to a third-rank Xuanfu avant-garde commander and co-president. He has become a generation leader. legend.
The neighborhood heard that Zhang Cheng was being talked about everywhere, about the consecutive battles and victories, the emperor personally proclaimed him the winner of the three armies, was promoted to guerrilla and left the north road of the town, shot Dorgon with arrows, killed Ma Zhan and Yue Tuo, etc. It has been translated into storytelling, becoming more and more magical as it spreads.
Everyone stood on both sides of Changping Street, looking at the groups of cavalry who were riding forward. Many of their armors were still stained with blood, and under the sunlight, they faintly flashed a dark red color.
The murderous aura emanating from their bodies was cold and solemn, and Changping Street suddenly became extremely quiet. As Zhang Cheng appeared in everyone's eyes, another burst of discussion came.
"The general walking in front is Zhang Cheng..."
"He was the one who killed the slave Yue Tuo..."
"...A very handsome young general...has he got a family yet..."
"It seems that you haven't married yet...what...you...you still want to be General Zhang's father-in-law?"
Then, the four captains carrying the coffin appeared in front of everyone, and the sound of their boots hitting the ground was uniform, as if they had been rehearsed by their colleagues.
"Isn't that Mr. Zhang Shao? What's wrong with his eyes..."
"Who is that person? Why haven't I seen him before? Old Wang, do you recognize him..."
"I've never seen it before...by the way...why don't you see Mr. Hu Shao..."
"Look at that, that's Mr. Wu Shao... Why does it seem like he's missing an arm..."
Just as everyone was talking, a "plop" was heard, and I don't know which of the onlookers knelt down first.
Suddenly, there was a sound of "thump...thump...". Wherever the Xuanzhen Councilor marched Zhang Yan's coffin, people knelt down one after another.
There was no longer a sound of discussion in the street, but it seemed very solemn. People knelt down for Zhang Yan as if from the bottom of their hearts. There were some people who didn't want to kneel down, but in such an environment, they couldn't stand out from the crowd. .
People fell to their knees in darkness, and among them was the loan shark who had been forced to borrow two thousand taels of silver by Zhang Cheng. At this moment, his heart was like fifteen buckets, tumbling up and down.
Ever since he heard that Zhang Cheng had been promoted to guerrilla general and that he had been transferred from the third-rank official position to the North Road of the town as a guard commander, he began to feel uneasy. He thought about Zhang Cheng's loan.
I remember when Zhang Cheng asked him to borrow money, but he rejected Zhang Cheng because he had no collateral, and finally forced Zhang Cheng to resort to that devious trick to borrow two thousand taels.
Only now did he realize that he regretted it, and he said to himself in his heart: If I had known that Zhang Qianzong could be promoted so quickly, it would be better to give him more money, hey!
what to do?
Do you still want these two thousand taels of silver? How should I get them?
…………
Zhang Yan's mourning hall is located in the West Cross Courtyard of the General's Mansion. For three days, officials have been on duty in turn. Zhang Cheng has also been keeping vigil at his uncle's funeral as a filial son. Officials, generals, gentry, and people have come to pay their respects. Some important people have paid their respects. Wealthy businessmen also came to pay their respects.
After entering the city, Zhang Cheng gave his soldiers a holiday. They had been with the army for more than five months, and now that they were back, they were all looking forward to returning home to see if they were safe.
Fathers and brothers like Chen Zhong and Lin Fangping are also in the army. Nowadays, there are many relatives who died in the war, and everyone has chores to take care of. Now only Wei Zhice, Liu Jinhai and others are with Zhang Cheng.
As the grand burial ceremony ended, Zhang Yan, the hussar general of the Ming Empire and the general of Xuanzhen, was laid to rest, and all the soldiers under Zhang Cheng's command also returned to the army.
The mood of showing off one's talents and doing something great burned in Zhang Cheng's chest.
He first sent Chen Zheng to lead his 300 fine cavalrymen carrying 3,000 silver taels to the vicinity of Chicheng Castle and to explore the situation of the Shangbei Road to the north, including the mountains and rivers, terrain, folk customs, population, fields and other aspects of the situation. situation.
That night, Chen Zhong came to report that Diao Dacheng, a gangster in Xuan Town, was begging for an audience outside the mansion. This was the third consecutive night that Diao Dacheng knelt outside the mansion and begged to see Zhang Cheng.
Zhang Cheng glanced at Chen Zhong and said, "The fire is almost done. Ask him to come in and wait in the left side hall."
