On the first day of September, Daqingshan.

The sky was dark, the northwest wind was as fierce as a knife, the cold was biting, and there were fine flocculent flocs falling sporadically, hitting the face with a cool swish. Qi Jingtong spread out his big hand and caught a piece of flocculent, and the thing melted into his hands, leaving only a trace of clammy and cold feeling in the palm of his hand.

Qi Jingtong licked his lips that were chapped by the northwest wind, looked up at the gloomy sky and said, "What the hell, it snows in this bird place in September...... The brothers need to work harder, and the stables must be erected today. ”

This is a valley deep in the Great Green Mountain, the valley is full of tall trees, and at this moment, the soldiers of the Shenji Battalion are busy cutting down trees and building horse sheds.

The Shenji Battalion is now a lone army trapped behind enemy lines, for them, war horses are life, and they rely on the greatest support for survival behind enemy lines, so they must protect the war horses and not be frostbitten and frozen to death.

It is said that Xie Erjian and Qi Jingtong led the brothers of the Shenji Battalion to escape into Daqingshan on August 15, because the Tartars continued to send troops into the mountains to search, encircle and suppress, and there were several encounters during this period, the Shenji Battalion could only continue to retreat into the depths of Daqingshan, so now the location of the Shenji Battalion is already the hinterland of Daqingshan, far away from the outer grasslands, it is even more difficult to get supplies, and the external environment is quite bad.

Bang bang, woo woo......

In the valley, except for the sound of logging, there was the whimper of the northwest wind as it swept over the treetops, like a ghost crying and a wolf howling.

At this time, the scattered light snow stopped, but it turned into cold rain, and it became heavier and heavier, and the raindrops the size of beans fell on the ground, which was really chilling to the heart and lungs. Fortunately, some of the stables have already been built, but they can barely be used to shelter from the rain, otherwise it is estimated that many people will fall ill by this cold rain.

Whoa......

The rain became heavier and heavier, and the water on the ground pooled down the drainage ditches around the stable, eventually forming waves of turbidity. The temperature is getting lower and lower, but the ignition in broad daylight and the rising smoke are easy to expose, so the soldiers of the Shenji Battalion can only huddle together to keep warm.

Qi Jingtong was standing in the stable at the moment, walking back and forth in the narrow space with an anxious expression. Yesterday morning, Xie Erjian took fifty brothers out of the mountain to inquire about the news, but he has not returned until now, which is really reassuring.

At this moment, there was a sudden sound outside the valley, Qi Jingtong listened carefully, and faintly heard several cuckoo chirpings in the sound of the rain, and couldn't help but be overjoyed, this was the contact code agreed between him and Xie Erjian, it was obvious that Xie Erjian was back outside the valley.

"Cuckoo ~ Cuckoo!" Qi Jingtong responded several times, saying that Guzhong was safe and sound.

Soon, a small group entered the valley, leading the horses deep and shallow, and each horse carried several sheep of varying sizes.

Sou......

Xie Erjian, who was wet all over, flashed into the stable and appeared in front of Qi Jingtong, his lips were frozen black, and his upper and lower teeth trembled: "Fire!" ”

Qi Jingtong hurriedly ordered someone to light a bonfire, fortunately it was raining heavily at this time, and it was estimated that the Tartar soldiers in the mountains were also sheltering from the rain, but I hope they couldn't see the rising smoke.

Soon, a bonfire was lit in the stable, and Xie Erjian and fifty brothers who were so cold that their lips were blue quickly stripped naked, baked around the bonfire for a while, and drank hot water, which gradually eased up.

"Xiao Xie, what's going on outside the mountain?" Qi Jingtong threw a clean leather coat on Xie Erjian.

Xie Erjian put on the leather coat and covered it tightly, then he sighed and said solemnly: "Not optimistic, the Tartars have arranged layers of heavy troops outside the mountain, and sent a large number of scouts to travel to the guard, probably planning to trap us in the mountains." ”

Qi Jingtong frowned and said, "Then where did you get so many sheep?" ”

Xie Erjian took fifty brothers out of the mountain this time, and each of them carried two sheep back on average, which was more than 120 sheep, which was enough for all the brothers in the Shenji Camp to eat for ten days and eight days.

"Luckily, I happened to meet a small tribe of Tartars near the foot of the mountain, so I robbed them, but unfortunately we don't have enough manpower, otherwise the sheep we brought back would not be so little." Xie Erjian said lightly.

Qi Jingtong patted Xie Erjian on the shoulder, grinned and said, "Xiao Xie, it seems that your kid is a bit of shit luck, there are more than one hundred and twenty sheep, save some food, enough for us to last for a month." ”

Xie Erjian shook his head and said, "No, this is far from enough, we have to at least hold on until the beginning of spring next year, and it's only September now." ”

Qi Jingtong frowned and said, "Xiao Xie, do you really plan to hide in the Great Green Mountain all the time and be the king of the mountain?" ”

"What else else?" Xie Erjian shrugged his shoulders and said.

"Let's hide from him in Daqingshan for another half a month, then the Tartars outside the mountain should be a little relaxed, let's just take the opportunity to break through the mountain, otherwise we won't be able to leave if we want to wait until the snow closes the mountain in October." Qi Jingtong said in a deep voice.

Xie Erjian shook his head and said, "Old Qi, don't dream, do you know how many Tartars are waiting to eat us alive outside the mountain now?" ”

"How much?" Qi Jingtong asked subconsciously.

"It won't be less than 20,000, maybe 30,000 or 40,000, as long as we get out of the mountain, we will be sure to be eaten to the bones." Xie Erjian's words were not shocking, and he said endlessly.

Qi Jingtong couldn't help but gasp and scolded: "His grandmother's, the Tartars really look down on us, and they have mobilized so many troops to deal with our thousands of tired soldiers." ”

Xie Erjian looked a little strange and said, "Old Qi, we may have hit a big luck!" ”

Qi Jingtong was stunned for a moment, and said inexplicably: "What do you mean?" ”

"Do you remember the Tartar cavalry that was routed by us on the edge of the Yellow River that day? There were about five thousand horsemen. Xie Er Kendao.

"Of course I remember, what's wrong?" Qi Jingtong faintly realized that something was wrong.

"The leader of that Tartar cavalry may be the leader of the Tatar Ordos Department, Mai Ligen, who was killed by us!" Xie Erjian said quietly.

Qi Jingtong's eyes widened, and he said deliciously: "Xiao Xie, you kid is dreaming, right?" Melgen is the nominal leader of 30,000 households on the right wing of the Tatars, so how can he be killed by us in a daze? ”

Xie Erjian spread his hands and said: "Originally, I didn't believe it, but when we robbed that small tribe, we learned from these herdsmen that Mailigon Jinong did burp, and it was rumored that he was seriously injured by our artillery. ”

Qi Jingtong almost stared out of his eyes this time, and only after a moment did he swallow his saliva and said, "I see!" I see! No wonder the Tartars are so vigorous in encircling us, tsk, it turns out ...... We actually killed Mai Ligen Jinong, his grandmother's, even if our Shenji Battalion is wiped out here this time, Tema's worth it, haha!! ”

…………

Daqing Mountain is pouring cold rain, but the weather is fine on the edge of Lingshui five or six hundred miles to the south, and on the lush fragrant mountain, the prototype of the cottage has come out, and there are large areas of fields that have been leveled out at the foot of the mountain.

At this time, there are many women washing clothes on the edge of Lingshui, everyone is talking and laughing, and there are many cattle and sheep nearby gnawing on the grass on the riverside, a peaceful and quiet rural idyllic scene.

It is said that Xue Bingxin led the villagers to this place that day, intending to temporarily install the cottage on Xiangshan, but secondly, he met thousands of Han slaves who escaped from Bansheng City.

It took Xue Bingxin a few days to help nearly 5,000 Han Nu on the other side cross the river, and then it took a few more days to bring over a large number of supplies and cattle and sheep to the Han Nu.

Because Li Yingjun and his wife had also been slaves in the territory of Tatar for several years, they were mostly familiar with these Han slaves, and the name of the third lady was very well-known in the Datong area, and they were deeply respected and loved by the nearby people, so these Han slaves heard that Xue Bingxin planned to build a village to settle here, and they asked to join.

Lei Jun, Zhao Hu and Xue Liang were overjoyed, and now the cottage is short of manpower, the key is that these Han slaves also carry a large number of cattle, sheep and materials, so that the cottage does not have to worry about the food for the winter, and the cottage can also greatly increase its strength, so the three of them tried their best to persuade Xue Bingxin to take in these Han slaves.

Xue Bingxin finally agreed, but it was a voluntary principle, those who wanted to stay could stay, and those who wanted to leave could go, and in the end, more than 3,000 people stayed.

As a result, the population of cottages has skyrocketed nearly tenfold. After everyone's concerted efforts, now the prototype of the cottage has come out, and the women are still cultivating fields near the foot of the mountain, ready to cultivate in the coming year.

It is very peaceful and tranquil here, there is no Tatar grazing, and the Ming army in the Great Wall will not appear here, plus this place is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the soil is fertile, it is simply a paradise, and it is no wonder that so many Hannu are willing to stay.

It is worth mentioning here that the reason why Zhao Quan was able to easily fool tens of thousands of border people to take refuge in Bansheng City was to divide the houses and fields. Most of the border people of the Ming Dynasty were poor, and the tax burden was extremely high, and their lives were unsustainable, so they had to find another way out.

Therefore, compared to returning to their hometown and continuing to endure the exploitation and oppression of officials, most of the Han slaves prefer to stay and join the cottage, at least there is no need to look at the faces of the officials and officials, there is no need to pay taxes and serve, and there are fertile fields to cultivate.

At the foot of Xiangshan at noon, Xie Sangun turned over and got on the horse, arched his hand at Xue Bingxin and the others, and said, "Take care, Xie Sangun will be over, there will be a period later!" ”

After getting along for more than half a month, the people in the cottage were already quite familiar with Xie Sangun, Zhao Hu and Xue Liang both arched their hands and said in a friendly manner: "The three gun brothers will have a period later." ”

Xue Bingxin rode a horse and sent Xie Sangun for a short distance, and then he fixed the reins, and said a little embarrassedly: "Brother Sangun be careful on the road, if there is news of your brother-in-law......"

Xie Sangun nodded and said, "Miss Xue, don't worry, I'll go back to see the situation first, and I'll contact you as soon as I have any news." ”

"Brother Three Guns, thank you!" Xue Bingxin hugged her fists.

Drive......

Xie sandwiched the horse's belly with three guns and went up the river along the edge of the Lingshui, he planned to go to the vicinity of the Hukou first, and then find an opportunity to climb over the Great Wall and enter the fortress.

……

On the third day of the ninth lunar month, Emperor Jiajing, who had not been in court for seven consecutive days, finally went to court, but he was described as haggard and listless, and the whole person seemed to have lost a lot of weight.

It is said that although Emperor Jiajing did not go to the court these days, Zhang Xuan and others were not idle, and the recital of the Marquis of Jing was handed up every day, and even instigated a group of scholars to travel on Chang'an Street ~ demonstrate ~ Wei. Guo Xun's goods were even more filthy, and he secretly hired a group of market hooligans, ran to the door of the Marquis of Jinghai every day to insult them, threw stinky chickens and rotten vegetables at the gate, and made a lot of noise.

Let's say that Emperor Jiajing listlessly ascended in front of the Fengtian Palace, and the celebrant and eunuch Bi Yun stepped forward with a whisk in his hand and screamed: "There is a book to play, but there is no book to retreat!" ”

"The minister has the right to play." Yang Yiqing, the first assistant of the cabinet, took the lead in the ranks.

Emperor Jiajing said expressionlessly: "Mr. Yang, please play." ”

"Yesterday, the Ministry of War received an 800-mile rush from Qincheng, the general army of Yulin Town, and the 30,000 households of Jinong Mailigan on the right wing of the Tatars have died, and now the Ordos Department has been taken over by the head of the Tumut Department, Alta." Yang Yiqing said loudly.

Emperor Jiajing's expression finally changed slightly, and he frowned: "Mai Ligen is dead?" How did he die? ”

Yang Yiqing shook his head secretly, in fact, the eight-hundred-mile expedited was sent to the palace through the celebrant yesterday, it seems that Emperor Jiajing didn't pay attention to it at all, so decadent and ignoring the government, it really shouldn't be!

However, as a courtier, Yang Yiqing was not good at accusing the emperor of laziness in public at this time, so he had to say patiently: "According to the report of the Qin General Army, I promised to declare that Mai Ligen accidentally fell from his horse and broke his neck, but it is rumored that the real cause of Mai Ligen's death was the shelling of the Shenji Battalion, and he died of his injuries after falling from his horse. ”

Emperor Jiajing suddenly perked up and said, "What did the Shenji Battalion do? ”

"It is rumored to be the case, but I don't know if it is true, in addition, according to the news that the scouts from Yulin have returned, the Shenji Battalion may have escaped into the Daqing Mountain."

Emperor Jiajing finally showed a hint of joy on his face, and blurted out: "Okay, a real warrior, he is worthy of being my iron-blooded son of the Ming Dynasty." ”

Zhang Xuan and Gui Cao and other upstart factions all looked a little unnatural, you must know that Qi Jingtong and Xie Erjian are both descendants of Xu Jin, if Mai Ligen is really killed by them, then the credit will be great, and it is Xu Jin who "operates" to raid Bansheng City this time.

At this time, Emperor Jiajing's face suddenly changed: "It's not good, I have now taken over the Ordos Department, and my strength has increased greatly, and next, maybe I will take action against our Daming." Immediately spread my will, and ordered the four towns of Yulin, Datong, Xuanfu, and Jizhou to strengthen their vigilance to prevent the Tartars from going south to retaliate. ”

Yang Yiqing couldn't help but show a look of relief, and said happily: "The emperor is sage!" ”

"The Emperor Shengming!" The ministers of the class fell to their knees and shouted in unison.

Emperor Jiajing's mood was obviously a little higher, and he raised his hand and said, "You are all in peace, what else is going on?" ”

Zhang Xuan gave Zhou Yusheng a secret look at the Criminal Division, and the goods immediately jumped out and said: "Your Majesty, the minister has a book!" ”

Zhu Hou's face was slightly gloomy, and he said coldly: "Come!" ”

"Chen Jiuchou lied to kill the leader of Turpan, Man Suer, risked his military exploits, and committed the crime of bullying the king, please behead Chen Jiuchou to prove the law of the country. Peng Ze, the former secretary of the Ministry of War, did not pay attention to the use of people, and he should also be punished! Zhou Yusheng said in a heartfelt manner.

When Zhu Hou heard that this guy didn't ask Xu Jin to behead, he couldn't help but turn pale, looked at Zhang Xuan and said, "Zhang Qing, can Chen Jiuchou confess?" ”

Zhang Xuan is also the Shaoqing of Dali Temple, and Chen Jiuchou's case is the one he is responsible for hearing, and he said: "Back to the emperor, this case has been tried clearly, Chen Jiuchou pleaded guilty in public, and he should be beheaded according to the law!" ”

Emperor Jiajing nodded and said coldly: "Then it will be sent to the Criminal Department for review and execution on a later date." ”

At this time, Hu Shining, the secretary of the Criminal Department, walked out and said: "Your Majesty, Chen Jiuchou is guilty of misreporting and killing Man Su'er, but Nian has saved the two prefectures of Gansu, which is enough to offset the merits. ”

Immediately afterwards, several officials came out one after another to intercede for Chen Jiuchou, all of whom were officials of the Protector faction, because Chen Jiuchou and Peng Ze were both Protector factions.

Emperor Jiajing glanced at the indifferent Zhang Xuan with a little curiosity, and saw that he had no intention of refutating, so he said: "Okay, then dismiss Chen Jiuchou from his official position, deprive him of his fame, and send Suzhou Wei to charge the army." Peng Ze, the former secretary of the Ministry of War, did not notice the use of people, cut off the post of secretary of the Ministry of War, and demoted to the head of the Nanjing Ministry of War. ”

"The Emperor Shengming!" The ministers fell to their knees again and shouted in unison.

Emperor Jiajing faintly felt that something was wrong with the atmosphere, and just wanted to end this early dynasty as soon as possible, raised his hand and said: "You Qing family is flat, if there is nothing else, you will retreat from the dynasty!" ”

Gui Cao immediately stepped out of the column and said loudly: "Qi to the emperor, the so-called Son of Heaven has broken the law, and he is still guilty of the same crime as the common people. Xu Jin, Marquis of Jinghai, was deeply favored by the emperor, but he didn't think about serving the country or the king, but fornicated with the white lotus against the thief, disobeyed the king's orders, framed Zhongliang, and did not know the people, and did not notice the use of people, which eventually led to the catastrophe of Wang Zhi's rebellion, and his sin was worse than Chen Jiuchou!

Xu Jin committed such a big crime, not killing is not enough to prove the law and discipline, not killing is not enough to calm the anger of the people, and not killing is not enough to convince the people. Your Majesty, please behead Xu Jin, Marquis of Jinghai! ”

"Your Majesty, please behead Xu Jin, Marquis of Jinghai!"

"Your Majesty, please behead Xu Jin, Marquis of Jinghai!"

"Your Majesty, please behead Xu Jin, Marquis of Jinghai!"

As soon as Gui Cao's words fell, the nouveau riche faction and a group of nobles came out one after another and knelt down on the royal road, and soon dozens of people knelt down, and finally Zhang Xuan also walked out slowly, kneeling down at the front, and everyone shouted in unison as if they had discussed: "Your Majesty, please behead Xu Jin, Marquis of Jinghai, to prove the law and discipline, to calm the anger of the people, and to convince the people's hearts!! ”

Emperor Jiajing on the throne changed color, his face turned from red to white, from white to black, and then from black to blue...... Lividity!