Due to commercial reasons, the curfew time in Xi'an City is very short, only two hours, the third watch and the fourth watch.
Huo Lin and Xuan Qingshu left the west city gate with their photo albums and walked more than ten miles before they saw the camp with lights like a sea.
Standing on a high place and looking at the lively military camp in the distance, Huo Lin couldn't help but feel heroic and shouted loudly: "The country is like a painting, and I regard myself as the hero in the painting."
Xuan Qingshu looked back at the direction of Xi'an City, not knowing whether Sun Xundao would pursue him. No matter what, he couldn't stop. If he didn't find King Yan early, he would probably have to copy the Four Books and Five Classics in his life.
"Hero, if you can't write poems, don't do it. Anyway, you don't have many kilograms of ink in your stomach."
Xuan Qingshu couldn't help but joke when he saw Huo Lin humming back and forth without reciting any verses.
Huo Lin's face was a little burning. He put his hand on his waist and pretended to draw a sword. He shouted: "I was drunk and looked at the sword by the light of the lamp. I dreamed of blowing the trumpet in the camp. Eight hundred miles away, my subordinates were burning, and the sound of fifty strings tumbling outside the fortress was on the battlefield. Autumn calls for troops. The horse is flying fast, and the bow is as frightening as a thunderbolt. It will end the king's world affairs and win fame in life and death. Misfortune happened in vain!"
Xuan Qingshu rolled his eyes: "Jia Xuan has many heroic poems, no wine, no sword, no gray hair. It is somewhat inappropriate to use this song. You should shout, 'The war in the southeast is over, who can rival the heroes of the world?', this That’s how powerful you are.”
Huo Lin quickly praised: "You are indeed a book-head, let's go!"
The two men ran down the hill and headed straight for the military camp.
In the darkness, a bow string was slowly loosened, a long arrow was picked up in his hand, and he put it back into the quiver.
Xue Xia leaned against the stone and looked at the nervous Suo Jing: "We are just two scholars serving our country. You don't need to be so nervous."
Suo Jing said with a cold face: "The scouts will not look down on anyone. It is a crime to spy on the camp without any reason. If you don't keep them, you are already giving yourself face."
Xue Xia chuckled: "The scholar gave up his writing and joined the army. If the emperor knew about this, he would be happy. Years of education will finally pay off."
Suo Jing leaned against a tree and stared at the road to the east: "I'm afraid I'm a nerd."
Xue Xia picked up a stone and weighed it in his hand: "Bookworms can't give up their writing and join the army. They would rather stay in the private school and enjoy peace. One day they will become a Jinshi and join the imperial court."
Suo Jing's eyes froze slightly, and he looked into the distance and said, "Someone is coming, more than one."
Seeing that Suo Jing was about to take out his bow and arrow again, Xue Xia couldn't help but stand up and patted the dirt on his body: "You really should go to the Imperial College to study for two years. The two scholars ran away, and the person who came is naturally a gentleman from the academy. You rest Come on, let me stop them."
"stop?"
Suo Jing was a little surprised.
Xue Xia didn't say anything, just waited quietly.
Sun Changwei, the instructor, ran over with two gentlemen. He was panting. As soon as he climbed the hillside, he saw Xue Xia blocking the road.
Xue Xia raised his hand to block the way and said sternly: "The military camp is at the back, no strangers are allowed in."
Sun Changwei saluted quickly and said: "Master Jun, we are Mr. Fu Xue. Two students have gone to the military camp. We need to find them back."
"Biology staff? I haven't seen you. Let's go."
Xue Xia opened her eyes and lied.
Sun Changwei was a little surprised. Could it be that Huo Lin and Xuan Qingshu didn't take this path? That shouldn't be the case. Taking a detour wouldn't mean walking an extra seven or eight miles. These two guys only rely on two feet and won't go far. Between two points, a straight line is the shortest. They know it.
"Please also allow us to pay homage to King Xia Yan."
Although Sun Changwei doubted the authenticity of Xue Xia's words, he could not say it out loud and had to change the topic.
Xue Xia raised his head and looked at the night: "It's too late today. If you want to see King Yan, come back tomorrow to ask for permission. But it's hard to say whether King Yan will meet people from the government school."
Sun Changwei frowned.
tomorrow?
Zhu Di will go on an expedition tomorrow, and tonight is his last chance. If he misses it, the two bastards will run northwest.
"Please be kind to the military master. I am the editor of the textbook of "Social Science". Mr. Sun Changwei has the right to investigate local customs and deeds. King Yan led his troops and stopped here. There must be many things to record. If you miss this Chances are, Sun will not be able to deliver a message to the emperor.”
Sun Changwei revealed his identity.
Xue Xia couldn't help but be a little surprised, and asked someone to light the torch brighter. After a closer look, he found that it was really Sun Changwei. This person had given Zhu Yunwen advice on the issue of teaching materials and had stayed in the capital to compile teaching materials.
"Mr. Sun?"
"That's right."
"Where's the photo post?"
Sun Changwei touched all over his body and said helplessly: "I went out in a hurry and forgot to bring it with me."
Xue Xia shook his head: "I can't prove your identity, so I'm afraid I can't let you pass. Please go back, how about we come back later?"
Sun Changwei was so depressed that he asked a gentleman next to him to go back and get a photo of himself. He did not leave, but sat on the hillside and waited.
Seeing this, Xue Xia didn't want to embarrass him, so he had to ask: "What happened to the two students you just mentioned?"
Sun Changwei stretched out his hand and broke the grass on the side, and said angrily: "I have two disciples named Huo Lin and Xuan Qingshu. These two wanted to abandon their writing and join the army. They ran out of the city overnight. If he had not left here, he would have died." He chose another path."
"Abandoning your writing skills and joining the army? This is a good thing. So why are you here now?"
Xue Xia asked.
Sun Changwei stood up and scolded: "What a good thing? Are you trying to achieve great things before you have completed your knowledge? Everyone is self-righteous, thinking that after reading a few military books, they can point out the country and criticize Fang Qiu, but what do they mean? What do they mean by talking about military affairs on paper? Actually, it is good for such a person to join the army and be irresponsible. If he puts forward some wrong opinions and sways the army, wouldn't it be a disaster?"
Xue Xia laughed loudly, which made Sun Changwei very puzzled and couldn't help but ask: "Did I say it wrong?"
Xue Xia nodded: "What a big mistake."
"Why?"
Sun Changwei was puzzled.
Xue Xia pointed to the camp in the distance and said seriously: "The general in this northwest battle is King Yan, and the generals on the left and right are Xu Huizu and Song Sheng. There are also experienced generals and counselors accompanying the army. Do you think A mere two scholars came to the military tent and could interfere with King Yan's judgment and influence the strategy with just a few words? Could it be that Mr. Sun underestimated King Yan and the generals too much?"
Sun Changwei shook his head: "In a military emergency, people's decisions are easily influenced by others. They have no experience and do not understand the overall situation and trends. I can't take this risk, not to mention they are my disciples. If they want to give up writing and join the army, at least After my assessment, is it the behavior of a gentleman to leave without saying goodbye?"
Seeing Sun Changwei's persistence, Xue Xia said nothing more.
Military camp, the commander's tent.
Zhu Di, Xu Huizu, Liu Jun, Qu Neng and others were discussing military strategies when Qiu Fu came to report: "There are two students from the government, holding inkstones given by the emperor, asking to see the general."
"Biology staff?"
Zhu Di was a little confused and looked at Xu Huizu. Xu Huizu was also a little confused. What kind of student has something given by the emperor? I have never heard that Ming Dynasty has such powerful students.
"Let them in."
Zhu Di also wanted to see who came down.
The curtain of the big tent was opened, and Zhu Di and others watched two young Confucian scholars walk in confidently. The scholar on the left was taller, thinner, and elegant, holding a square stone lotus inkstone in both hands. The scholar on the right was half a head shorter. , with a rebellious look in his eyes, a high-spirited look on his face, and a book of "Military Strategy" in his hand.
Xuan Qingshu and Huo Lin saluted briefly: "Xi'an Prefecture School, students Xuan Qingshu and Huo Lin have met the general and you."
Neither humble nor arrogant.
Zhu Di looked at Qiu Fu. Qiu Fu took the inkstone and handed it to Zhu Di. Zhu Di looked at it carefully and looked at the bottom. It said "Practice brings true knowledge". Yes, this seal is only owned by Zhu Yunwen, and it is his personal seal.
"Is this your inkstone?"
Zhu Di was a little confused.
Xuan Qingshu on the left shook his head: "This square inkstone belongs to our instructor, Mr. Sun Changwei. Today, I gave up my pen and joined the army to serve in the army. I had to take the inkstone into the camp as a last resort. I will return it afterwards."
"Mr. Sun, this person has participated in the compilation of textbooks, and I have met him a few times."
Liu Jun recalled.
Zhu Di understood and looked at the two people with interest: "Abandoning his pen and joining the army? This is unusual. However, if you want to serve in the army, it is not enough to just rely on the cleverness on the inkstone. Show your skills. Let me take a look, otherwise, go back and study hard."
Xuan Qingshu turned to look at Huo Lin. Huo Lin took a step forward and said sternly, "I think the imperial court should not just focus on Timur's army, but on the entire Western Region. Take this opportunity to incorporate the entire Western Region into the Ming Dynasty map!"
Zhu Di, Xu Huizu and others looked at Huo Lin in shock.
Due to military confidentiality and operational strategy considerations, the imperial court's name for this Western Expedition was to fight Timur. When Zhu Yunwen mobilized the army, he did not say a word about "recovering the Western Regions." This kind of thing was top secret, and only senior decision-makers could A few of them knew it, and in the opinion of others, Zhu Di went on an expedition just to protect the northwest!
Not many people in the imperial court knew about such a top-secret matter. There were at most a dozen people in the entire Ming Dynasty who knew about it. But now a scholar actually jumped out and pointed directly at the Western Regions!
What a keen military vision!
Zhu Di stopped his smile and his face became serious: "The entire Western Region? Ha, you, a scholar, do you know how big the Western Region is? And how many enemies are there in the Western Region? You are making such nonsense. Could it be that you reported the wrong surname again? Your ancestor's surname was Zhao?"
Huo Lin listened to Zhu Di's ridicule and knew that he was saying that he was Zhao Kuo. He didn't care at all, and confidently held the "Military Strategy": "I know that the Western Region is huge and I also know that there are many difficulties. However, General, everyone, the imperial court An expedition to the northwest consumes countless national resources and recruits countless people. How many times can we enter the northwest on such a scale, even if it takes a hundred years? Now that we have drawn our swords and mobilized troops, why not take advantage of this opportunity to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop and conquer the Western Regions? How can we be willing to accept our Central Plains dynasty and leave a source of trouble to future generations?"
Zhu Di, Xu Huizu and others knew that it was extremely difficult for the imperial court to support the Northwest War. Even during the Hongwu period, only 50,000 troops entered the northwest, and hundreds of thousands of troops left Jiayuguan to fight, never once.
This is related to Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang’s idea of not seeking the Western Regions, to the fact that Beiyuan was entrenched in the north at that time, and to national strength and logistics.
The Battle of the Western Regions was different from the several Northern Expeditions during the Hongwu period. The logistical pressure increased seven to eight times. The imperial court had three expeditions to the north, and the combined difficulties may not be as great as the current Battle of the Western Regions.
In other words, if the Northern Expedition is fought every few years, the imperial court can withstand it by gritting its teeth, but if the Western Region War is fought every few years, even if the back teeth are broken, it may not be able to withstand it.
In the war in the Western Region, either we should not fight it and focus on defense, or we should fight it to the end in one go and end everything completely.
Xu Kai looked at the inspiring Huo Lin and sneered: "The current military strength and logistics of the imperial court are simply not enough to plan the Western Regions. Your idea is too naive. In my opinion, it is just whimsical."
Huo Lin looked at Xu Kai and said solemnly: "Isn't there a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity now? Our logistics can't keep up. Isn't there someone who will send us logistics?"
