In leap August, the weather has obviously cooled down. The sun moved across the sky. The scorching heat at noon receded, and the cool breeze rose by the river. A group of officials stood on the shore, wearing thin clothes, but they felt a little cold.
When the large white sails came into view, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Jun finally arrived. If I don’t get it today, I’ll have to do it again tomorrow. The welcome ceremony is huge, who can bear this kind of torment?
The tracker pulled the boat slowly to the shore. Wang Xiaolie straightened his clothes and led everyone to greet him.
Zhang Jun stepped out of the cabin and looked at the people on the bank of the Han River with burning eyes. This time I was ordered to go to Sichuan and Shaanxi, which was a heavy responsibility. At this time, North Beijing Road had been completely occupied, and except for a few people such as Zhai Xing, it was basically controlled by the Jin people. There is a fierce battle on Jingdong Road. The Song Dynasty does not have heavy troops and the future is not optimistic. Only on the Shaanxi Road, most of the state armies are still controlled by the Song Army, and there are still heavy troops that can fight the Jin Army.
Zhang Jun disembarked from the ship with a group of accompanying officials, and Wang Xiaolie and other officials greeted him with formal courtesy.
Looking at Wang Xiaolie, who was about twenty years old and still a little childish, Zhang Jun felt slightly strange. Now on Jingxi Road, Zhai Xing from Henan Province and Wang Xiaolie from Xiangdeng area are the strongest, but they didn't expect him to be so young.
Zhang Jun is in his early thirties, with a fair complexion and a beardless chin. He looks like a frail scholar. However, his face is majestic, his eyes are sharp, and he is not angry. At first glance, he is not someone to be trifled with. Seeing him so young was beyond Wang Xiaolie's expectation.
After getting off the boat, we met the Zhiji Sifu Yamen. Zhang Jun went to the back to change clothes and wash up, while Wang Xiaolie and other officials were waiting outside.
Not long after, Zhang Jun came out, and Wang Xiaolie and other officials came forward to pay their respects.
Zhang Jun said a few polite words, emphasized his tone, and said: "The gold thieves broke through the capital and are still harassing this dynasty. Now the war on Jingdong Road and Lianghuai is in full swing, and the Jin army in the clouds is gathering. In winter, there will definitely be another war. A fierce battle. Now the largest force in the imperial army is the 300,000 troops on the Shaanxi Road. I am not talented, so I was ordered by the court to go to Shaanxi and fight the Jin army in Guanzhong! If the battle is successful, go east and recapture the two capitals, and great things can be accomplished! "
Wang Xiaolie disagreed in his heart, but applauded with all the officials on his face.
In terms of military strength, the Song Dynasty's 300,000-strong army certainly had the strength to fight the Jin army in a decisive battle. But the problem is that the combat effectiveness of these armies is questionable and their generals are questionable. Although Zhang Jun thinks highly of himself, he actually lacks the ability to be a commander. In Wang Xiaolie's memory, it was not until the battle of Huang Tiandang that the Song Dynasty had a major victory over the Jin army. Shaanxi fought decisive battles with the Jin army, and most of them were defeated.
Next, Zhang Jun talked about the current situation and the court's plan. It sounds serious, but there's nothing wrong with it.
Wang Ruohai once said that the situation in the world is headed by Guanzhong. I was excited when I heard that Zhang Jun had arrived in Shaanxi. It's just that now he is a prisoner on Jingnan Road, otherwise he really wants to follow Zhang Jun to Shaanxi.
That's all, Zhang Jun introduced Chu Ji's accompanying officials. Wang Yan, the leader of the Eight-Character Army, commanded the front army, Liu Ziyu participated in military affairs, and Fu Yu and Feng Kangguo were in charge of Jiyi writing. He Yang, Zhen Yuan and others accompanied him, and the momentum was extremely great.
Zhang Jun knew that the Privy Council was responsible for guarding Sichuan and Shaanxi and was responsible for half the world, and he held a high and powerful position. During this trip to Sichuan and Shaanxi, Zhang Jun himself was very high-spirited and acted vigorously and resolutely, allowing no one to shirk his duties.
Enough said, look at the sky getting dark. Wang Xiaolie prepared a banquet in Houya to welcome Zhang Jun.
Everyone sat down, the soldiers prepared wine and food, and everyone chatted.
Zhang Jun said to Wang Xiaolie: "When I was in Kaifeng Mansion, I heard that I had an acquaintance with our former military commander Wang Yan. I listened to him in my free time and said that you are steady in work and eager to learn and make progress. You are a rare general. When I saw you today, it turned out to be true. The choice of the moment.”
Wang Xiaolie handed over his hand and said: "Defense is too much for the family. Because my father led the army to serve the king and lived around Kaifeng Mansion. Unfortunately, he died in the war. I had no choice but to take over the responsibility of commanding the army. I know that I am young and don't know much, so I am cautious in doing things." When I was in Kaifeng Mansion, I only knew a little bit about military affairs thanks to the continuous teachings of defense."
Zhang Jun said to Wang Yan beside him: "Wang Xiaolie today is not comparable to the time when he commanded hundreds of troops in the capital. I heard that now there are more than 20,000 troops, and no one from the surrounding forces dares to look directly at Xiangdeng and Dengzhou. It can still be like this. Humility is very rare.”
Wang Yan said: "At that time, I was in the capital and organized hundreds of rural soldiers. I really didn't know much about what was going on in the army. But my decisiveness in doing things and my bravery in battle were unparalleled by ordinary people. I am not here today by chance."
Zhang Jun nodded: "It's rare, it's rare. In the face of national calamity, Wang Tongpan dispersed all his family wealth and raised troops to serve the king, which shows his loyalty and bravery. Zhizhi inherited his father's legacy and fought in many places, and finally reached today's situation. Practice well in the future Soldiers must have great achievements!"
Wang Xiaolie said he didn't dare. I didn't expect that the good relationship I forged with Wang Yan in the capital would be of such great use today. The talents Zhang Jun relies on most now are Wang Yan and Liu Ziyu, and their words are particularly useful. When he was in the capital, Wang Yan had a good impression of Wang Xiaolie and said many good things to Zhang Jun these days. This is the reason why we chose to meet with officials from several states in Xiangyang this time.
Not long after, the food and wine arrived. Tonight's dish was specially selected by Wang Xiaolie. Based on my previous life experience, the first thing is to be exquisite and eye-catching. There is no need to spend too much on the ingredients, after all, this is a difficult time for the country.
Six cold dishes were served first, including cold pig ears, boneless chicken feet, white-cut chicken, dry-fried small fish, mixed shredded vegetables, and sweet and sour lotus root slices.
Looking at the dishes on the plate, which were of exquisite taste, and there were several serving spoons and pairs of serving chopsticks on the table, Zhang Jun smiled and said: "I heard from Wang Fengfeng that the food in Zhizhi Army was very good, and it turned out to be true when I saw him today." That’s it. The plates you have here are so beautiful that I want to eat them just by looking at them.”
Wang Xiaolie said: "Everything is difficult now, the army is short of money, and there is really no expensive food to entertain the Privy Council. It's all common food, so don't waste time here."
Zhang Jun smiled, drank with everyone, and tasted the food on the table. The food is not a famous dish, but it is really delicious. Eating cold dishes is particularly good with wine, and I drank three times in a short time.
The soldiers served eight more hot dishes. Cumin mutton, sweet-scented osmanthus duck, Sixi meatballs, braised pork with pickled vegetables, Mushu pork, tofu box, and a stir-fried kidney and squirrel mandarin fish. It was Wang Xiaolie who liked to eat it based on his memory. It didn't require expensive ingredients and the taste was particularly good.
The squirrel mandarin fish has a special shape. Zhang Jun took a bite and couldn't help but praise it. This dish uses fresh ingredients and is made with extra care. It tastes particularly delicious. In addition to steaming, fish dishes include squirrel mandarin fish in the south and braised carp in the north, which are particularly popular among diners. These dishes were all Zhang Jun had never seen before, and they tasted particularly good, making him very satisfied.
Four vegetarian dishes were served immediately. Scrambled eggs with ground vegetables is a famous food in this area and has been widely spread in later generations. A dish of fresh mushroom and cabbage is a very delicious dish that has been widely spread in later generations. A homemade fragrant dish, using newly made fragrant sticks. There is also a dish of fried green sprouts. Although the ingredients are very ordinary, it is a test of the chef's skill.
While eating the food, Zhang Jun drank a lot of wine without realizing it. The wine banquets of the Song Dynasty were of a higher standard and had a variety of dishes, which were not comparable to today's banquets. The good thing about today is that all the common dishes are used, but they are extremely delicious.
At the end, there was a dish of pork slices in soup. Each person has a small bowl. The vegetables and soup inside have a sour, spicy and numbing taste. After drinking it, my mind is shaken and it has the effect of sobering up.
After drinking the soup, the moon was already in the sky. Zhang Jun was full of wine and food, and was extremely satisfied with Wang Xiaolie.
