In early spring and February, the weather in Datong Town has not completely warmed up yet, but the snow has melted.
Datong Town Jingping City Counselor Liu Kai's official position is not low, and he is also a senior officer in the entire Datong Town.
According to the system, Datong Town has one chief military officer stationed in Datong Town and one deputy chief soldier on the left stationed in the left guard city. Next, there are nine guards and generals. Among these nine people, except for General Zuoye, the model battalion that would be set up when Datong had a special governor, the other eight were stationed in various places. Next, according to the defense arrangement, there are two guerrilla generals, four guerrilla guards, two officers in the camp, and thirty-nine guards guarding various castles.
Last year, when the Beibei invaded Bianshuo Prefecture, General Liu Kai and guerrilla general Li Jianxian, who defended the west route, "served with merit" in defending the fort. In the battle of Heye Mountain, they served with reinforcements and encircled Shuozhou. Although their official positions have not changed now, they are both Each was awarded some additional titles and received an extra salary.
If Zhu Zhen hadn't been transferred to the Zuojun Governor's Mansion, then it would have been a good outcome that he had liked for many years.
"General, there is a letter from the He family asking about the pony tail fur..."
As soon as Liu Kai got up from the bed of his beautiful concubine in Jingping City, his housekeeper was waiting on him and asked for his opinion.
"Tell them not to rush." Liu Kai sat quietly, waiting for the girl next to him to clean his face before uttering these words.
"Last year's war, the money allocated by the imperial court and the reward money are almost here." The steward continued to talk as if the girl didn't exist, "There are two fort guards, two piers, and hundreds of households have sent people to ask questions. The younger one, the silver... Also, everyone knows that there is such a large sum of money, and after the spring, rations, grain seeds, and the goods we need to prepare here are sold separately... Over there in Datong, Zhu Chi and General Zhenguo Zhu Junliang has sent letters, and all the trading houses in Datong, especially Huangmingji, are waiting for our news."
Liu Kai grabbed the girl's hand and made him stop. Then he looked at the housekeeper: "Did Zhu Chi say this?"
"Here's the letter!" The butler's eyes flashed, "General, Commander Zhu's intention is that everything remains as before."
"You go down first." Liu Kai sent away the girl who was helping him wash up, and took the letter in his hand first.
Zhu Chi is Zhu Zhen's clan brother and has always taken care of some chores for him.
This letter is indeed Zhu Chi's own handwriting. Without Zhu Zhen's nod, of course he would not dare to write a letter to Jingping, saying that everything was ready in Datong.
"Go and ask An Xingkui to come. I want to ask about what's happening over there with the Tatars."
In the Ming Dynasty's border defense military system, there were two special arms, one was called the Dun Army, and the other was called the Night Guard Army.
Dunjun is a very small army that guards the enemy's tower and transmits beacon fire. There are ten people in the big pier and five in the small pier. They are always at the forefront. They have no small problem with food and water. They are the most miserable soldiers in the frontier army.
The only thing that makes as much concessions as them is that they don't accept it at night. This unit is actually a patrol and sentinel. Because it does not return to camp at night, it is called night patrol.
These two arms are collectively called the Dun Sentinel Army. Under normal circumstances, there are about 5,000 generals in Datong Town who are organized into the Dun Sentinel Army. They are responsible for patrolling, exploring, and military intelligence reconnaissance at the outermost edge of the hundreds of miles of defense line that Datong Town is responsible for.
Regarding the living conditions of the Dun Sentinels, during the Hongzhi period, a minister inspected Datong and reported: The sergeants were running in the wind and frost, their faces were sallow, and their armor and clothes were not brown. His wife lives in a mud house, half smokeless. There are still men and women aged seven or eight who are naked and facing the sun.
In the West Road area of Jingping, there are only two Dunjuns commanded by hundreds of households. Now that Liu Kai's housekeeper mentioned it, they all came to ask Dun Jun about the silver offer.
Since the Dun army was the most difficult, the court gave them subsidies. In addition to the fixed salary of two dan per person per month for the Dunjun troops, Datong Town also gave the Dunshao troops an additional subsidy of one person for every two people to reassure them.
Nowadays, food and salary have been increasingly converted into silver. According to the current price of grain in the border town of Datong, one stone of grain costs between two and three taels. According to regulations, the monthly rations for the Dunshao Army are a full 10,000 to several thousand taels. The imperial court clearly rewarded the Dun Sentinels for their hard work. However, how much of this silver, especially the silver, fell into the pockets of the soldiers?
An Xingkui's official position is Deputy Qianhu, and he is now in charge of the Xiludun Sentinel Army located in Jingping.
When he met Liu Kai, the first thing he asked was: "General Liu, when will the pay and deeds for our West Route Dun sentry troops be paid? The brothers below are all waiting eagerly."
"What's the hurry? Datong has to sort it out. Besides, Lord Guo hasn't arrived yet." Liu Kai looked at him, "Let me ask you, after the Tatars suffered losses last year, is there any movement in the north now that spring has begun? "
An Xingkui shook his head: "My subordinates have not collected goods all night. They have already gone to all the accounts and asked them. They only asked when the private market can open. Horsetails and furs are all ready in winter."
Liu Kai was a little annoyed: "Last year we asked for cast iron hoes, iron plows, and rakes, but the pots were missing! Did they say why they suddenly launched a large-scale invasion of border areas?"
It was those thousands of riders heading south that broke the tacit understanding of the past few years.
"Then they can't make the decision. They are all small tribes."
"Small tribe?" Liu Kai sneered, "The appetite over at Fengzhou Beach is getting bigger and bigger. Have you forgotten that Liu Gui was beheaded by a gangster in the eleventh year of Hongzhi? How can the private market be such a big deal! I want something. , Wouldn’t it be nice to send an envoy to ask for tribute!”
"General Liu, let's not talk about this. According to the reports from my subordinates, there has been no more calls from the Tatars. I have suffered a loss. I must also know that it is best to respond as usual. He wants to fight for supremacy on the grassland, but It cannot be separated from our private market in Xuanda. Send an envoy to ask for tribute? Is he worthy of being a lord of ten thousand households? "
General Liu Kai also smiled disdainfully, as if he was not the one who cowered in fear in the Jingping Castle in front of An Da's cavalry last year and did not dare to go out.
After he had finished his talk, Liu Kai said: "Let's get down to business. I have gained the trust. I will go out all night to ask questions, and also arrange the days when Dun Jun will be on guard. When will the private market open? I will wait for it again. Ask the commander-in-chief."
"General Liu Shen, please make it clear! Now, the general is still the commander-in-chief, and the soldiers are all looking forward to it! Last year, some of the sentry troops were lost, and the people who are now replacing them are all going to the private market. It’s best to get the matter settled before Marquis Guo comes. If the private market opens once, there may be no more trouble this year, and the general will also help Marquis to straighten out Datong’s border affairs!”
"I understand, you have to make arrangements first so that there will be no mistakes on the Tatar side."
On the border between the Ming Dynasty and the Northern Yuan Dynasty, which were like mortal enemies, the generals, generals, middle-level generals and even lower-level soldiers guarding the border seemed to have other feelings for the "Tatars" in their mouths.
This tacit friendship has lasted for nearly a hundred years, and it has become increasingly "closer" since Juigong.
Even in the eleventh year of Hongzhi, Liu Gui, the commander of the Datong avant-garde, was beheaded for secretly selling weapons to the Mongols, but this did not prevent the "deepening" of this friendship at all.
Not long after An Xingkui left, Liu Kai welcomed another acquaintance.
"Commander Zheng, why did you come to Jingping?" He looked at Zheng Minghui, the commander of the Shuozhou Guard, in astonishment.
"Haven't you read the official document yet? The Ministry of War ordered me to go to suppress the guards." Zheng Minghui's face did not look good.
Liu Kai also looked a little ugly. It is true that he had not read the official document that was sent to him recently, but the reason for his ugly face was not because of this: "Why?"
"Why?" Zheng Minghui patted the table, "There is no other reason, because after that bullshit champion of martial arts, Shang Shu, was reprimanded by the emperor, he asked himself to guard the border! He was a dignified champion of martial arts, and I became the deputy of the Quanzhou Guard. Thousands of households, so we have to come to Shuozhou, which was destroyed last year, to take my place!"
"...Wu Zhuangyuan? To Shuozhou?" Liu Kai's face turned even uglier. So how should he, the West Branch Guard General in Jingping, treat a stupid young man?
The problem is that he is not just a stupid young man, he is the Wu Zhuangyuan appointed by His Majesty, the first Wu Zhuangyuan in the Ming Dynasty to pass the palace examination and formally apply for admission.
"You know how much trouble there is." Zheng Minghui looked at Liu Kai, "The fort was broken here and a lot of people were robbed. I will accept it if I am sent to suppress the prisoners. However, Shuozhou Guards has the highest number of troops in the field. Jue the entire Datong Town, and Yu Dayou will come to take charge of the Shuozhou Guard later on, will Liu Shen be ready?"
Among the many health clinics in Datong Town, the scale of new farms in Shuozhou in recent years is the largest.
During the Zhengde period, the Shuozhou Guards here only had more than 1,500 hectares of farmland, the Pinglu Guards only had 600 hectares, the Mayi Qianhu Station where the guerrilla general Li Jian was located only had more than 250 hectares, and the Jingping Guards only had more than 250 hectares. Yuqianhu Station originally had almost no farmland.
But now, in just about ten years, with the "efforts" of General Ren Xilu, the size of Shuozhou Guard's farmland has exceeded 5,000 hectares, Pinglu Guard's is more than 3,000 hectares, and Jingping Guard's Thousand Households Basically, there were two thousand hectares of farmland from scratch.
Needless to say, farming is done by soldiers and military households.
The newly added farmland was naturally “all cultivated”.
But when Zheng Minghui asked Liu Kai if he was ready, Liu Kai felt a little creepy.
Last year, except for border towns, all the southern provinces were clearing land.
Therefore, the imperial court actually still looked at the figures from the Zhengde period as to the size of the military garrison in Datong Town, especially in Shuozhou.
But it’s not good for Yu Dayou to go anywhere. Why did he come to Shuozhou?
Now that he's here, the Shuozhou Guard actually has more than 5,000 hectares of farmland. Doesn't the emperor know that?
"... Since you are going to suppress the captives, you should first go to Datong and ask General Zhu." Liu Kai frowned, "The Tatars came from us last year because Shuozhou is not what it used to be. Shuozhou is now the granary of Datong, so we must not let anything go wrong!"
"I just grabbed a lot of foreign potato seeds harvested last year from Taiyuan!" Zheng Minghui was depressed. "The farmland of the Zhenlu Guards is less than 2,000 hectares! Less than 2,000!"
At this moment, Guo Xun and Yu Dayou were just getting ready to set off from the capital to Datong.
Many households in Datong Town are entering the "busy farming" season, urging soldiers and military households to take care of the winter wheat planted last year.
There was a great victory, and Marquis Wu Ding came to take charge. From Taiyuan to the north or in other directions, there were many merchants' carriages and horses on the road carrying goods to Datong.
There are even businessmen from Jiangnan here.
“I don’t know how many ponytails I will receive this year, but now everyone is asking about ponytail hats.”
Some people are looking forward to it. Because of the war last year, the supply of raw materials for clothes and hats decorated with horsetail hair that many people in Jiangnan and even the capital liked was missing. After the establishment of the group of pastoral supervisors, they now do not dare to supply goods as they did in previous years.
Now that the Tatars have suffered a defeat, there should be a lot of peace in the next few years, right?
Businessmen pursue profits on the road.
In Datong Town, in addition to various government offices, there is also a Daifan who is waiting to move to the capital.
The current acting king is the fifth generation. He is very old and very low-key. He does not leave the palace all day long.
However, Daifan actually multiplied on a large scale, and now the middle and lower-level clans other than the princes are also confused.
The emperor allowed them to take examinations and serve as officials, and also allowed them to engage in business.
Some people are preparing to go to the capital with Dai Wang, but some feel that they have better opportunities in Datong.
At this time, Fengguo General Zhu Junliang was hosting a banquet for Zhu Xingjun, the manager of Huangmingji Datong branch.
"What did the British father say?"
Zhu Xingjun smiled and replied: "General Fengguo, don't worry. Since your majesty has a decree, and General Zhu has so many connections in Datong, I have already asked the headquarters for instructions. There must be no problem with this matter. I believe it won't be long." , General Zhu will be relieved of his duties as the manager of the grain store."
"General Feng Guo, forget it!" Zhu Junliang toasted to him, "Thank you very much. I will ask you to take more care of me in the future!"
"Don't you dare? I am the bloodline of General Fengguo's Tian family. Besides, I am in charge of the Datong branch. This year's profits will depend on Manager Zhu."
"Get rich together, get rich together, hahahaha."
After several years, Huang Mingji's tentacles have reached more and more places, and the middle and high-level management within it have become more and more complex.
Now in Datong, the person in charge here is also in contact with the clan members of Dai Fan.
With the connections and channels they have accumulated over the years in Datong Town, everyone has come together because of the word "getting rich".
Winter is over and the business of the new year is about to begin.
Datong Town, which has just won a "great victory", is full of vitality everywhere.
The soldiers, who were barely clothed and emaciated, tended the winter wheat that had been moistened by last year's snow in the barren fields.
Outside the Great Wall, the Ming Dynasty sentry detectives were very conscientious. They stayed up all night to inquire about the enemy's situation. They were so "brave" that they could even ride their horses to the tents of the Mongolian soldiers. They even dared to "confront" the Tatar cavalry face to face within ten steps. , calling each other "talking".
In the northwest of the capital, Yu Dayou, who had seen Juyong Pass, looked at the pass, but his voice was lonely: "Beyond Juyong Pass, is this the situation in the border towns now?"
Zhao Benxue was silent for a moment, and then said: "Although His Majesty is ambitious, he cannot easily solve these problems. Even you and me, if General Staff Yang, Wang Shangshu and others did not analyze the truth, how could we know that Bian Town has become so corrupt? Go to After defeating Shuozhou Guard, you will be at the forefront of the storm."
"The arrangement for me to go to Shuozhou is indeed an important task!" Yu Dayou looked at the teacher who had become his staff, "Master Zhao, it will be difficult to go here!"
"This is your first test." Zhao Benxue stared at him, "Your Majesty has great trust in you. If you want to become a famous general, how can you be afraid of this small difficulty?"
"Yes." Yu Dayou gently pinched the horse's belly, "Get out of seclusion!"
In the capital behind him, Tang Shunzhi had already passed the policy test, and the next level was the imperial test.
Perhaps in terms of pure knowledge, it is difficult to catch up with him or surpass him.
But knowledge and practice are different.
The opportunities for the count, even the marquis and the duke, are outside this pass, in the border town.
On February 12, the sixth year of Jiajing, Guo Xun, the Marquis of Wuding, and Yu Dayou, the top scholar in Bingxu Kewu, left Juyongguan together and rushed to Datong.
The messy Datong.
(End of chapter)
