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In later generations, people always criticized the phenomenon of officials riding in the sedan chair in the feudal era, believing that it was a manifestation of the inefficiency, closedness, oppression of the people, and detachment from the masses of ancient officials.

But this time, on the way to Xuanfu Military Town, Zhao Junchen left the capital and rushed to Xuanfu Military Town, so he wished that he could change to a sedan chair.

Without him, it's just to be comfortable.

Now that it is gradually entering the cold winter, the further north it is, the more cold and windy it becomes, and Zhao Junchen's current physical condition is naturally not suitable for riding a horse, so he can only take a carriage to hurry.

However, the road conditions during the Ming Dynasty were really indescribable, even the official roads were not much better, and the shock absorption technology of the carriage was almost none, so after Zhao Junchen took the carriage, he only felt that his body was going to be bumped and scattered along the way.

In fact, the carriage that Zhao Junchen rode in was already the best carriage of this era - the three horses pulling the carriage were all selected; The coachman is also experienced and stable; The carriage baffle is thick and wind-shielding, and the carving is gorgeous; The interior area is also very spacious, and there is even a small table and a small bed, the stove on the small table is boiling hot soup, and the floor is also covered with a layer of rabbit down blanket, and the small bed is covered with three layers of more comfortable mink blankets, which can be described as extremely luxurious, even if the Deqing Emperor went out on patrol about this level.

But Zhao Junchen still felt miserable, and he just missed the comfort of riding a sedan chair.

"I don't know if it's because my physical condition is too bad, or if I've been pampered for too long...... I can't even bear this little bit of sin, and if I continue like this, I will really have to completely break away from the masses......"

Zhao Junchen hammered his sore waist with his fist, shook his head and laughed softly to himself.

"What did you say, sir? What does it mean to be detached from the masses? ”

Hearing Zhao Junchen's self-talk, Chu Jiayi on the side finally broke the silence, but looked puzzled and raised his head to ask.

Yes, when Zhao Junchen left the capital this time and rushed to Xuanfu Military Town to negotiate with the Jianzhou Jurchens, he also brought a maid with him to serve him—that is, Chu Jiayi—which is enough to prove that Zhao Junchen has completely degenerated into a feudal corrupt bureaucracy and a class enemy of the poor people.

The reason why Chu Jiayi followed Zhao Junchen out of Beijing this time was because of Cui Qianxue's proposal, Cui Qianxue was not worried about Zhao Junchen's physical condition, and the most trusted person around her was Chu Jiayi, so she proposed to let Chu Jiayi follow Zhao Junchen out of Beijing and take care of one or two along the way, Zhao Junchen agreed after a little consideration.

Cui Qianxue's proposal was not a lie, but she originally thought that Zhao Junchen would refuse a few times before reluctantly agreeing, but when she saw Zhao Junchen agreeing so neatly, she immediately cast a suspicious look at Zhao Junchen, only thinking that Zhao Junchen had any other thoughts about Chu Jiayi.

Seeing Cui Qianxue's suspicious gaze, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but smile bitterly, and explained to Cui Qianxue Xu Qingyan's different thoughts about Chu Jiayi, saying that he wanted to take the opportunity to test Chu Jiayi's thoughts and say a few good words for Xu Qingyan.

Of course, Cui Qianxue didn't know Chu Jiayi's true details, and Zhao Junchen didn't want to affect the sisterhood of the two daughters, so he concealed his idea of wanting to take the opportunity to resolve the hatred in Chu Jiayi's heart.

After hearing Zhao Junchen's explanation, Cui Qianxue's first reaction in her heart was that Xu Qingyan was not worthy of Chu Jiayi at all, but she soon thought of the deep relationship between Zhao Junchen and Xu Qingyan, and felt that this was a good thing, but she was relieved.

It's just that Chu Jiayi didn't conscientiously fulfill his responsibilities as a maid after leaving the capital with Zhao Junchen because of his misgiving, at this time, seeing that Zhao Junchen was already suffering from back pain and uncomfortable, he didn't mean to take the initiative to serve at all, just indifferently watched coldly, and let Zhao Junchen beat his back with a bitter face, until Zhao Junchen suddenly said an inexplicable word, and finally broke the silence and took the initiative to ask.

Chu Jiayi is a smart woman, she has already guessed that Zhao Junchen has already figured out her details, and she has been just using her all along, if it weren't for the fact that she has nowhere to go, and she really doesn't worry that Cui Qianxue will be bullied by Fang Ru and Zhang Yu'er if she stays in Zhao Mansion, I'm afraid that she has already left quietly.

The two of them are well aware of this situation, but they just didn't pierce the layer of window paper, so when Chu Jiayi and Zhao Junchen get along alone, they will not pretend to be obedient and cautious like before, they always have a cold face and often don't say a word.

At this time, seeing that Chu Jiayi finally took the initiative to break the silence and ask, Zhao Junchen finally found an opportunity to speak and explained: "Break away from the masses...... That is to say, they do not know the suffering of the people and the meaning of grains. Officials represent the herdsmen of the Son of Heaven, and when they are in government, they naturally want to seek the well-being of the people, but if an official only sits on the palace on weekdays, has no contact with the people, and does not know the needs of the people and the sufferings of the people, the government he does will naturally go in the opposite direction......

Speaking of which, I have always often gone to folk shops, eaten some folk snacks, and took the opportunity to contact the people to see what they were thinking and suffering, but I don't know when it began, this habit has completely disappeared...... It's been the last time I spoke to the people...... Well, I think it was half a year ago. ”

Hearing Zhao Junchen's self-deprecation, Chu Jiayi's gaze at Zhao Junchen became more and more complicated.

Although Zhao Junchen is reviewing his own shortcomings, among the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, there are probably very few officials who have such thoughts, such as those Qingliu who usually take a bite of "the people's suffering", but they are just talking, like those corrupt officials and corrupt officials, I am afraid that they don't even bother to say it.

After hesitating for a moment, Chu Jiayi lowered her head and said, "Master, you ...... He's a good officer. ”

Chu Jiayi's evaluation is not against her will, she has a very high status in the Zhao Mansion, she used to be Zhao Junchen's close maid, and later became the close maid of the main lady Cui Qianxue, so she knows very well that many of Zhao Junchen's considerations when governing are really for the people - Zhao Junchen is certainly raising a group of corrupt officials, but he is indeed doing his best to do practical things, which is a fact that no one can refute.

Hearing Chu Jiayi's evaluation, Zhao Junchen smiled and said: "You think I'm a good official, that's just because your evaluation standard for 'good official' in your heart is too low, you see that my three meals a day are enough to be worth a month's food for ordinary people, and the rabbit down blanket we step on is enough to cover the ten years of savings of ordinary people, can such luxury be regarded as a good official?" ”

Chu Jiayi was silent, not knowing how she should respond.

In the final analysis, she used to be the eldest lady in Prince Gong's mansion, and now she is also in the Zhao mansion without worrying about food and clothing, and she is also a "nobleman" who is detached from the masses and does not eat the fireworks of the world, so it is naturally difficult to evaluate Zhao Junchen's merits and demerits.

Seeing that Chu Jiayi fell silent again, Zhao Junchen said again: "I don't dare to say that I am a good official, nor do I dare to say that I have a clear conscience, but I dare to say that in addition to self-preservation, I have indeed done my part for this country and the people of the world...... Many of my practices are certainly a bit despicable, but they are all out of self-preservation, and I want to seek a long-term life for myself, which is human instinct, and there is nothing to be ashamed of, but I do hope that I can be like the ancients said, 'reaching the world and helping the world'!

If I really did some evil things other than self-preservation instinct, there are a few things, such as those great achievements of Emperor Deqing, I know that it is a waste of money and a loss of national strength, but I must also express my support; Another example is the He Ming murder case a year ago, I knew that King Gong was innocent, but because of Emperor Deqing's attitude, he still planted such a crime on King Gong, so that more than 3,000 people in King Gong's mansion were implicated......"

Hearing Zhao Junchen suddenly mention the matter of Prince Gong's Mansion, Chu Jiayi's body couldn't help but tremble slightly, and her expression changed a little.

Zhao Junchen didn't seem to notice Chu Jiayi's subtle changes at all, and just continued: "But my actions, in the final analysis, are still for self-preservation, because I didn't have the ability to disobey Emperor Deqing's will at that time, so I can only be willing to be a knife and a pawn in his hand...... Looking back today, those things are indeed wrong, but they are irreparable, and I have to find a reason to comfort myself - there is nothing wrong with a knife hurting someone, the person holding the knife is the culprit, and the person who was stabbed by a knife should not resent the knife, right? ”

Zhao Junchen's words obviously meant something, wanting to resolve Chu Jiayi's hatred for herself, or to make the hatred in her heart turn to Emperor Deqing.

If Zhao Junchen said this, Chu Jiayi was still unwilling to change his attitude, then Zhao Junchen would not be able to rest assured about Xu Qingyan and Chu Jiayi's affairs - although Chu Jiayi did not have any special feelings for Xu Qingyan, Zhao Junchen was still willing to spend some effort for Xu Qingyan - in the end, Zhao Junchen had no choice but to hide from Xu Qingyan and Cui Qianxue, and use some extraordinary means to try to eliminate hidden dangers, otherwise Chu Jiayi would become his own flaw sooner or later.

Chu Jiayi didn't know if she had listened to Zhao Junchen's hint in her heart, so she was still silent, just sitting with her head down.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Junchen shook his head slightly, and no longer continued to talk to her, just asked her to think about it herself, and then reached out and picked up a book from the table and read it.

This book is "Caigen Tan", Zhao Junchen's favorite book of the Ming Dynasty, many of Zhao Junchen's life ideas and ways of doing things are influenced by this book, and he has read it three times in his spare time.

Zhao Junchen reads books, mainly because he can't stand the bumps of the carriage and wants to divert his attention, but this approach is not very useful, he still feels back pain, and from time to time he will hit his back with his fist to relieve the pressure.

About half an hour later, Chu Jiayi glanced up at Zhao Junchen, and suddenly said softly: "Master, you still lie on the bed, let the maid press your waist." ”

After a pause, Chu Jiayi found a reason for her change of attitude, and said: "Madame asked me to follow the master, just to take care of the master, the master's physical condition is not good, if there is more back disease after leaving Beijing this time, Madame, she will definitely blame me." ”

Hearing Chu Jiayi's words, Zhao Junchen smiled from the bottom of his heart.

Zhao Junchen is not sure whether Chu Jiayi's change is true or false, and he needs to find an opportunity to test it again in the future, but such a change has appeared after all, which is a good thing.

So, Zhao Junchen nodded and said, "Okay, then I'll trouble you." ”

After speaking, Zhao Junchen lay face down on the bed, letting Chu Jiayi press his waist and beat his back.

During this period, Zhao Junchen seemed to talk about Xu Qingyan inadvertently, said some of Xu Qingyan's benefits, and said that Xu Qingyan had not replied to the letter for a long time, and he was very worried about Xu Qingyan's current situation.

It's a pity that Chu Jiayi still has no feelings for Xu Qingyan, just responds casually, and doesn't have any thoughts, but it makes Zhao Junchen mourn for Xu Qingyan silently in his heart.

King Xiang is intentional, the goddess is unintentional, Xu Qingyan still has a long way to go.

*

Xuanfu Military Town is not far from the capital, and Zhao Junchen is also speeding up his journey, and three days later, he has arrived in the defense area of Xuanfu Military Town.

Zhao Junchen has high hopes for the Xuanfu military town - this military town is not only powerful, but also very close to the capital, if Zhao Junchen can completely control this military town, once in the future there is an emergency that needs to lift the table, he can get military support in the shortest possible time.

Moreover, Zhao Zicheng, the chief soldier of Xuanfu Military Town, is not very old and lacks scheming, and he only relied on his noble family background to sit in the position of the chief soldier of Xuanfu, and he is greedy for money and vain, and has a very high self-esteem temperament, this kind of person can easily be overturned and controlled.

In fact, Xuanfu Military Town has always been the key infiltration target of the "Jubao Commercial Bank", and the penetration progress is also extremely fast.

Today, Zhao Zicheng, the chief soldier of Xuanfu Military Town, has regarded Zhao An, the shopkeeper of the "Jubao Commercial Bank", as his God of Wealth, and several important military attaches in Xuanfu Military Town have also been mostly bought by the "Jubao Commercial Bank";

After the silver offensive of the "Jubao Commercial Bank", the Xuanfu Military Town has sold all the things that can be sold to the "Jubao Commercial Bank", so the "Jubao Commercial Bank" has now completely controlled the logistics and military supplies of the Xuanfu Military Town;

At the same time, most of the tens of thousands of Shaanxi and Gansu disaster victims who were most grateful for Zhao Junchen's kindness were also arranged to cultivate fields in the defense area of Xuanfu Military Town;

It can be said that the day when Zhao Junchen completely controls the military town of Xuanfu is close at hand.

Zhao Junchen rushed to Xuanfu Military Town this time, ostensibly to negotiate with the Jianzhou Jurchen, but in fact, he also had the intention of inspecting his own power management on the spot.

When Zhao Junchen's team entered the defense area of Xuanfu Military Town, all the civil and military officials of Xuanfu Military Town had already received the news in advance and had been waiting there for a long time, and there were more than 1,000 people in the procession.

After seeing the greeting procession, Zhao Junchen asked Chu Jiayi to stay in the carriage, and he personally got out of the carriage and met and talked with everyone in Xuanfu Military Town.

A very interesting phenomenon is that the image and temperament of several important civil and military officials in Xuanfu Military Town are diametrically opposed to their actual character.

Xuanfu General Soldier Zhao Zicheng is still young, his appearance is very handsome, and he also has a capable and arrogant spirit, if someone who doesn't know the details sees his image, I am afraid that he will be regarded as a hero like Zhao Zilong, a white horse and silver gun, but in fact, he himself has some martial arts, and he is also familiar with the art of war, but there is not much outstanding in addition.

General Gao Shun is short and strong, with a big beard, and his image seems to be rough and unintentional, but in fact he is the most shrewd and cunning, if this person is not too greedy, he will always be blinded by silver, otherwise he will definitely be the most difficult person to deal with in Xuanfu Military Town.

Another general, Zhang Jienai, is the strongest martial arts officer and the most prestigious officer in Xuanfu Military Town, his figure is tall and thin, his face is white and expressionless, giving people a sense of coldness, but in fact he is cold on the outside and hot on the inside, and he also attaches the most importance to filial piety, so Zhao Junchen arranged for the "Jubao Firm" to deliberately take care of his hometown mother, called care, but actually control.

There is also Liu Heng, the prefect of Xuanhua Mansion, who is elegant and wise on the surface, but in fact he is a character who has no opinions and is submissive, so he doesn't need to care too much.

The people in Xuanfu Military Town didn't know that Zhao Junchen was the master behind the "Jubao Firm", but Zhao Junchen had already learned about the temperament and preferences of these people through the "Treasure Firm", so after Zhao Junchen got off the carriage, he just said a few words that didn't look salty, and he didn't need to deliberately put down his old man's shelf, so he easily scratched the itch of these people, and couldn't help but feel close to Zhao Junchen.

After some politeness, Zhao Junchen went straight to the point and asked, "What is the situation of the Jianzhou Jurchen army now?" But it was still stationed thirty miles north of the military town of Xuanfu? What's going on? What is the state of preparedness in the military town of Xuanfu? ”

Zhao Zicheng, the chief soldier of Xuanfu, was still shrewd and capable, young and promising, and immediately replied: "Elder Zhao Ge, the army of the Jianzhou Jurchens is still stationed in place and has not moved, but occasionally a few teams of cavalry will be sent to test the defense of the Xuanfu Military Town, but the defense of the Xuanfu Military Town is impregnable, and if the Jianzhou Jurchens want to attack here, they will inevitably hit the south wall and break their heads!" ”

Zhao Junchen thought about the information he had received, and asked, "What is the logistical situation of the Jianzhou Jurchen?" How many days do you need to replenish? This pavilion rushed to Xuanfu Military Town this time, of course, to negotiate with the Jianzhou Jurchen, but we must consider the worst-case scenario, if this negotiation fails, and the Jianzhou Jurchen is annoyed and angry, how long can Xuanfu Military Town resist? Do you have a plan in place? ”

This time, Zhao Zicheng was speechless, and there was no way to answer at all.

After Xuanfu Junzhen saw the arrival of the Jianzhou Jurchen army, he just blindly closed the door and nervously deployed defenses, but did not send out a night to investigate the logistics situation of the Jianzhou Jurchens, and after learning that the Jianzhou Jurchens wanted to ask the court to surrender, they lost their vigilance, and even the defense was a lot lax, not to mention preparing countermeasures in advance.

Seeing Zhao Zicheng's performance, Zhao Junchen secretly shook his head - I heard that this person is familiar with the art of war, but now it seems that he is also a horse-like character, and talking about war on paper and practical application are two different things.

However, Zhao Junchen wouldn't say much, if Zhao Zicheng was a shrewd, capable, and truly talented person, Zhao Junchen's infiltration of Xuanfu Military Town would not be so smooth.

In fact, the military town closest to the capital, in addition to the Xuanfu military town, there is also Jizhou military town, but the chief soldier of Jizhou military town is the veteran Zhang Su, but he is a scheming and experienced person, and he is also loyal to Emperor Deqing, so Zhao Junchen was cautious when he infiltrated Jizhou military town, and the progress has not been much so far.

So, Zhao Junchen did not take the opportunity to accuse Zhao Zicheng, but said slowly: "If this negotiation wants to progress smoothly, this cabinet must have confidence!" And the confidence of this pavilion comes from the strength of your Xuanfu military town! As long as the military town of Xuanfu is not afraid of the Jianzhou Jurchen lifting the table, this cabinet can stick to the negotiating position and not retreat! Therefore, this matter must be carefully arranged, and Mr. Zhao needs to worry a lot! …… Well, let's talk about specific things in Xuanhua Mansion. ”

Seeing that Zhao Junchen gave him a step down, Zhao Zicheng also took the opportunity to suppress the embarrassment in his expression, and nodded again and again: "Zhao Ge old Gao!" The humble post will definitely arrange the defense seriously, and will never dare to delay Zhao Gelao's negotiations! Zhao Ge Lao's great military exploits on the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu can be described as Wei Zhenyu, and he must also be proficient in the art of war. ”

Zhao Junchen smiled, and then returned to the carriage.

Then, Zhao Junchen's team merged with the welcoming team of Xuanfu Military Town, and rushed to Xuanhua Mansion, the place where the General Military Mansion of Xuanfu Military Town was stationed.

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