On June 30, at the end of the Chen hour, outside the south pass of Dushikou Fort City.
The two carriages were getting ready to go, and two teams of escorting soldiers, a total of twenty-four, were riding on both sides of the carriage, waiting for the military order to set off.
In front of the General's Office, Zhang Cheng held the hand of Commander Jin Xinpeng tightly and said, "Commander Jin has been working so hard for my younger brother's personal affairs. I'm really sorry."
Jin Xinpeng said with a smile: "Jin's old bones are still of some use. I am very happy to be able to serve Admiral Zhang. The Admiral is waiting peacefully on the North Road. We will definitely handle this errand well." Posted."
"Furthermore, Jin has been guarding the deserted land on the North Road. It just so happened that we took the opportunity to work for the Admiral and went to the capital for a stroll."
Jin Xinpeng joked and everyone laughed together.
At this time, a young eunuch walked slowly over. Although he was still young, he held his head high and looked aloof and arrogant. He came to Zhang Cheng and said loudly in a high-pitched voice: "Zhang Cheng Admiral, are we ready to leave here?"
Zhang Cheng felt extremely disgusted when he saw his appearance, but this time the young eunuch came to Beijing with Jin Xinpeng to recruit craftsmen for the North Road. He could only say with a smile on his face: "Eunuch Chen, Everything is ready, please get in the car."
He turned around and warned Wang Keda and Liu Shanzi, the two escorting officers of the pro-military Ding Bureau: "Don't be too hasty and be sure to pay more attention to safety. You must not be careless while waiting for the escort."
Seeing the young eunuch surnamed Chen getting on the carriage, Jin Xinpeng said to Zhang Cheng, "Thank you for sending me away, admiral. Xinpeng will definitely handle everything properly when he comes to Beijing this time. You don't have to worry."
Watching the two carriages gradually disappearing under the escort of knights and turning south on Yong'an Street, Zhang Cheng also turned around and entered the General's Office.
…………
Zhang Cheng has not rested since he sent Jin Xinpeng and others away. He led Lin Fangping to inspect Junzi's Fort, Pine Tree Fort, Maying Fort and other places one after another.
After previous purges, the garrison troops at various forts along the Shangbei Road are now seriously lacking. Because all the old and weak ones who are top-notch have been eliminated, the remaining number is small but all are young and strong.
The thousands of households in each fort have some opinions on this. They can no longer be greedy for food and wages. The farmland they originally occupied has been cleared back, and they can no longer enslave the military households.
This made them unable to continue to support their servants. It was okay at first, but as time went by, some servants were unwilling to stay here any longer, and they left in groups.
Regarding this situation, Zhang Cheng's rule is that if those with military status on the North Road leave, they will be treated as deserters, while those servants who are not from military households on the North Road will be allowed to leave freely without restrictions or restrictions. To retain.
Ma Ying garrison Ren Jilong had great opinions on this at the beginning and had many complaints in private. However, after Zhang Cheng came back from his visit to the capital, he captured and killed Xue Liangqing, the commander of the Kaiping Guards, and Wu Youlu, the Chicheng garrison. He couldn't help but secretly rejoiced that he had not entered by mistake. Misguided.
In fact, before Xue Liangqing plotted to assassinate Zhang Cheng, he had sent someone to contact him and Yunzhou garrison Chi Yuan, but this time Ren Jilong had an extra thought.
He frequently interacted with Jin Xinpeng, Yan Qingrong, and Xue Liangqing on weekdays, but secretly he was the closest to Jin Xinpeng. He did not rush to reply to Xue Liangqing, but consulted Jin Xinpeng privately.
Under Jin Xinpeng's hint, he did not explicitly promise Xue Liangqing anything, but just hinted that Xue Liangqing would not interfere in his affairs, as long as he could continue to sit in the guard position of the horse camp.
And Chi Yuan didn't even meet the people sent by Xue Liangqing. He decided to follow Zhang Cheng when Zhang Cheng passed by Yunzhou Fort for the first time. His personality was relatively straightforward and he couldn't be so duplicitous. thing.
On this day, Zhang Cheng stayed at the garrison in Mayingbao. Ma Zhong, a member of the Junzibao family, and Liu Zhenzhou, a member of the Songshubao family, also came to Mayingbao to accompany him.
In the official hall of the Ma Ying garrison, Zhang Cheng sat in the middle, at the top, with Lin Fangping and Ma Ying garrison Ren Jilong on the left, and Ma Zhong and Liu Zhenzhou on the right.
"Sir Admiral, there are only forty cavalry and 270 infantry left under my command in the cavalry, which is quite a bit less." Ren Jilong was the first to complain.
Zhang Cheng smiled and said nothing. He picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea before saying in a calm tone: "I also know that I first eliminated the old and weak men like you, and then took away the elite cavalry like you. The departure of some veteran troops and some servants has indeed weakened the military strength of each fort.
However, I have been ordered by the emperor to be the admiral of the North Road, so I will not empty out the military strength of the North Road, leaving only me alone! "
When Zhang Cheng said this, he stopped to pick up the tea cup and took a few sips of tea. He also observed the performance of several people. Seeing that they were all waiting for him to continue, he put down the tea cup and said again:
"Long live the Lord ordered me to train more than ten thousand elite officers and soldiers as soon as possible. It is also for the king's sake that I mobilized the strong and capable sergeants from each fort to enrich the new army. When the new army is completed and the king's orders are restored, all the kings will be A man of merit.”
Ren Jilong, Ma Zhong, Liu Zhenzhou and other three people all said: "Don't dare, don't dare!"
Zhang Cheng continued: "You don't need to be impatient. When the recruitment of new troops is completed and the training is on track, the general will re-appraise the number of garrison sergeants in each fort and equip you with armored troops.
Now, please understand my difficulty. For the time being, I will use this limited force to carry out patrols and outposts. However, if there is any external situation, please report to the general immediately. I will mobilize my troops to assist in the defense, so that the northern route will not be lost. "
He added: "The most important thing for raising troops is money and food. The Secretary of Defense has re-checked the fields and military households in several of your castles. Today, if we look at it, there are a lot of newly opened uncultivated fields. It shows that you are still working hard. Try your best.
As long as the general here serves his people sincerely and does not cheat on me, I will never treat him badly. If he has second thoughts, plays tricks with me, and fools me, I will never forgive him lightly. He, do you know? "
"I know this is a humble position, so please rest assured, Admiral, we will do our job conscientiously. We will all be dispatched and assigned by the Admiral. We will never dare to fool around in the slightest."
Ma Ying guard Ren Jilong was the first to express his stance, and Ma Zhong and Liu Zhenzhou also responded obediently.
Zhang Cheng picked up the tea cup and drank a few sips of tea. He was still satisfied with their performance. Now, the big castles on the North Road had set up secret sentries and eyeliners, but he would know if there was any trouble.
I understand that under the example of Xue Liangqing and Wu Youlu, the garrison guards and officials of thousands of households will no longer dare to risk the whole family being slaughtered without claiming their title.
At this moment, a general flag under Ren Jilong, the garrison of the horse camp, came to report. The food and wine were ready, and they were waiting for all the gentlemen to come and take their seats.
Zhang Cheng was not in a hurry to get up. He turned to Lin Fangping and ordered: "Fangping, take out the liquor we brought and ask Ren Shouwei, Ma Qianhu and Liu Qianhu to taste our 'Shao Knife' Is it tasty enough?”
