Chapter 635: Chaos in the Night

Zunhua County Yaxing Museum.

Although the army accompanying the border patrol was elite, it was not easy to march overnight, so as soon as the emperor spoke, Yang Rongjin Youzi was shocked. However, even Yang Rong, who had the most experience in how to find the right time and how to give advice in the past, when the emperor's cold gaze swept over, he suddenly remembered that he was not the only person present at the moment, but also several nobles such as Liu Sheng, Marquis of Anyuan. So, he swallowed the words that came to his lips, and quietly glanced at Jin Youzi.

Jin Youzi and Yang Rong have been partners for many years, but they were slightly stunned and woke up to the fame of this, so they stopped talking. Sure enough, when they heard that the emperor was going to personally lead the army to attack, several nobles were surprised. However, Chen Mao, the Marquis of Ningyang, who was quite trusted by Zhu Di, only hesitated to persuade him, and was stopped by the angry reprimand at the head.

"What kind of place is Daning? Near that is Duoyan Sanwei, knowing that I have sent a large army to settle in, knowing that the Ministry of Industry is rebuilding the city, there is no one else who dares to raise troops to attack! It must be that the Uliangha people are trying to make a comeback, but how many soldiers do they have left? Catch up with them at night, and fight back and forth with the British duke, and completely extinguish them! ”

Anyuan Marquis Liu Sheng has been in charge of the Beijing camp for many years, and at this time, when he saw that everyone else was embarrassed, he had to bite the bullet and say: "What the emperor said is extremely true. But if the army marches at night, the carriage may not be able to move, and if there is a team left behind in front and behind, the consequences will be unimaginable. It's already a good time, so it's better to wait another two hours, and wait until the end of the day to line up, so that the road can be safe, and if everything goes well......"

"Pedanty, setting off at dawn, what a surprise attack! These people knew that I would dare to send troops to attack when patrolling the border, but they calculated that I would definitely not have time to lead troops to help, and that the Daning armies were working hard to build the city, and they might not be the opponents of these people who came and went like light horses. Normally, they just run away as fast as they can, but this time I will never let them have another chance to escape! Needless to say, Chen Mao immediately led the scout reconnaissance cavalry front team as the vanguard, Liu Sheng led the cavalry for 5,000 and a half hours and immediately marched with me, and the rear team infantry and baggage were prepared by Xue Lu! ”

Seeing that the emperor had made up his mind, everyone naturally had nothing to say, so the nobles below Liu Sheng, Marquis of Anyuan, hurriedly retired and went down to prepare for the whole army. At this moment, Yang Rongjin Youzi thought that he couldn't persuade anymore, so he planned to go back and tidy up everything and follow the army together. However, just when they retired, Zhu Di left behind an undoubted remark.

"During the northern expedition in the eighth year of Yongle, Youzi fell from his horse and almost died, but thanks to the help of Mian Ren, he was able to do nothing. This night ride, you are all civil officials, and then the team marches slowly, so you don't have to follow me! ”

During the first northern expedition, Jin Youzi and several civil officials lost their way in a valley, but he accidentally fell off his horse at night, and Hu Guangjin, who was traveling with him, abandoned him alone, only Yang Rong dismounted to rescue, and then because he fell off the horse again, the two rode together, and Tianming arrived in the line. Because of this incident, although he and Yang Rong often had disputes on political affairs, and secretly jealous that he was more trustworthy, they had an excellent personal relationship with him. So, when he heard that Zhu Di still remembered this incident more than ten years ago, he couldn't help choking in his throat.

"Your Majesty, the ministers are subordinate, how can they lose their duties because of the past? Since then, the minister has practiced horsemanship hard, and he will definitely be able to keep up with this night march, and will never repeat the mistakes of that day. ”

"Even if your riding skills are better than back then, you're not as old as you were then!" Zhu Di stubbornly waved his hand, and said to Yang Rong again, "Mian Ren took care of him at the beginning, but this time I still handed over Youzi to you, remember, follow the rear army slowly, don't fall behind!" ”

Knowing that the emperor was stubborn, it was useless to persuade him, although he was also in a hurry, Yang Rong still turned his brain quickly, and he had an idea after a while. stepped forward and agreed, he didn't care that Jin Youzi was anxious, and bowed down again and said: "The emperor is compassionate, and the ministers and Youzi are grateful, so they can only obey the order." I only ask the emperor to bring Zhang Yue on this trip, he comes from a family of generals, his martial arts are enough to protect himself, and he has always been insightful, and he can also prepare for advice if something happens. ”

Zhu Di has always trusted Yang Rong and Jin Youzi, and he just thought of the old things and palpitated, so he didn't let the two follow, at this time hearing Yang Rong say this, he nodded almost without thinking about it: "Okay, he's young, let him follow the Chinese army." Send someone over and let him prepare as soon as possible and go with me!" ”

Because the Zunhua County Government is not big, Zhu Di lives in the official office of the county order, and Yang Rong easily dragged Jin Youzi out at this time. When he got down the steps and walked along the path, he didn't give Jin Youzi a chance to speak, and said bluntly: "The emperor's intention to tour the north this time is undoubted, and it is still the case now, what can you do if you keep up?" Brother Youzi, don't tell me anything if you are already proficient in riding now, you are also in your early sixties, everyone's mind is on the emperor, what if you fall behind? Out of Songting Pass, the official road has been in disrepair for many years, we just follow, and what we can do is limited! ”

"But the emperor was seriously ill before he left Beijing!" Jin Youzi almost blurted out that the emperor was not young anymore, but fortunately, he was a prudent person after all, and immediately changed the words as soon as he came to his lips, "Pursue overnight, and maybe even have a big battle, what if there is anything?" ”

"No whatever!"

Putting down these four words with a hard erection, Yang Rong should go out of the Moon Gate at the end of the trail first, and only when Jin Youzi followed him did he lower his voice and said: "Among the 30,000 people on this trip, there are only more than 5,000 cavalry, and the Shenji Battalion is about 3,000, and the rest are the rear team." Xue Lu is loyal, born in the army, he does not have so many cunning thoughts, and he is easy to lobby and master at critical moments, unlike the shrewdness of Anyuanhou Liu Sheng, Ningyang Hou Chen Mao and others. Okay, hurry up and inform Zhang Yue! ”

Although Jin Youzi was still unwilling, when he heard Yang Rong say this, he had to sigh in his heart. The two of them hurried through the three halls and the second hall, bypassed the fence and the ring stone pavilion in front of the hall, and then went from behind the wall to a slippery house next door. When they entered the courtyard where Zhang Yue and Haishou lived, they saw that the pine branch torches had been lit inside, and they were in a mess, and Hai Shou, who was using the voice of a male duck, was shouting there. Seeing that no one noticed the two of them, Jin Youzi suddenly pulled Yang Rong.

"Zhang Yue and His Royal Highness the Imperial Sun are very good friends, but it is also trustworthy enough to make changes. If there was no previous incident, those nobles who led the troops must have regarded him as their own, and it didn't matter what happened to the emperor this time...... But now ......"

Speaking of this matter, Yang Rong's face suddenly turned slightly red. Although he was not the initiator, but he was a person who stood by and watched, and at that time he still felt that he was thinking about Zhang Yue - civil officials are civil officials, and civil officials and military generals are entangled, which is definitely not the blessing of the country - but in this situation, he wishes that the previous rumors had never been there. With a long sigh, he didn't care about it, so he hurriedly bypassed Hai Shou, who was jumping, and went straight to the door of Zhang Yue's house, knocking on the door heavily.

Since the news came just now, Zhang Yue began to urgently sort out his things. Fortunately, he didn't have much luggage, that is, a few sets of clothes, various ointments, pills, and a few books, and they were all over as soon as they were packed into a special travel bag. When he heard the knock on the door, he and Niu Kang had completely packed everything up, and had just changed into another outfit and were putting on a pair of deerskin boots. Seeing that Niu dared to open the door, he was taken aback as soon as he recognized the person outside.

"Bachelor Yang, Bachelor Jin?"

"Zhang Yue, to make a long story short, the emperor decided to personally lead the troops to attack Daning, and Youzi and I stayed in the rear team, and this time I also ask you to follow the emperor." Yang Rong waved his hand without waiting for Zhang Yue to open his mouth to say anything, "This time I recommended you to follow, Guo Zishangshu was sick in Xuanfu before and was sent back to Beijing a long time ago, and Li Qingshangshu was in charge of the reconstruction because of the previous flood, and he was ordered by the emperor to supervise the reconstruction, and now only you can follow." You're young and strong, so keep up! ”

Zhang Yue didn't expect that Yang Rongjin Youzi, who had always been around Zhu Di, would not accompany him this time, and he was very surprised in his heart. It's just that this is not the time to be stunned, he was slightly stunned and nodded heavily: "I understand, Master Yang and Master Jin don't worry, I will definitely not leave the emperor." ”

Seeing that Zhang Yue had put on the sword and tied the dagger to the special mezzanine on the outside of the boots, tidying up neatly and heroically, Yang Rong and Jin Youzi glanced at each other, knowing that there was nothing to say at this time. The two nodded to Zhang Yue one after another, and then walked out of the house one after the other. At this time, Zhang Bu, who was inexplicable, picked up the fine iron spear in the corner and stepped forward again.

Niu Dare and the four of them have no relatives and no reason, and they are all simple thoughts, so they send Zhang Yue to the yamen every day, and then go back to follow Peng Shisan, and their martial arts have improved rapidly. Among them, Zhang Bu was the most talented, he used to serve a warrior who was good at wielding guns with the Mongols, and when he fled from the steppe, he relied on a wooden gun to hunt and kill, and now he spends most of his time on it. Peng 13 himself was not good at using guns, so he often took him to some officers to practice, and he made rapid progress, and his martial arts were the best among the four. Seeing that Yang Rong was gone, he stepped forward and asked, "Young Master, why are they talking so strangely?" ”

"People have no foresight, but they must have near-term worries."

After shaking his head and saying this, Zhang Yue didn't say anything more. When he got out of the house, he saw that Haishou was still there directing the little eunuch to pack up his things, so he stepped forward and said that he was going to follow the emperor immediately, and it was not easy to carry luggage, so he asked him to find two reliable eunuchs to take care of one or two. For this simple request, Haishou agreed without saying a word.

"Don't worry about the luggage, Lord Zhang, but this black light is blinding...... Fortunately, our family has just ordered the Imperial Horse Supervisor to hurry up and prepare ...... Alas, don't say it's you, the most elite cavalry is in our Imperial Horse Guard, and our family will naturally go with us. Of course, our riding skills are not a problem, but marching at night is different from during the day, so you have to be careful. If there is a real fight, no one in the chaotic army can say for sure. Although it is not the first time for our family to follow the Northern Expedition, this is the first time that this situation has taken place, and you have a great responsibility to follow the emperor! ”

Significant responsibility...... With a stubborn emperor like Zhu Di, this is indeed an unbearable responsibility!

Zhang Yue nodded, and then hurried to the county government hall with Niu Dang and the four of them. When he arrived there, he saw Zhu Di, who was surrounded by dozens of guards at the gate, dressed in bright yellow and bright armor. At this moment, the old man in his early sixties had a straight waist, his face was clear in the light of the torches, and his eyes were full of feverish brilliance.

Countless torches lit up in the darkness of the night, and heavy footsteps sounded on the silent road, interspersed with the occasional neighing or two of military horses. In the middle of the night, the army passed through Xifengkou, Zhu Di didn't even let the army stop, but rode his horse to the side and asked a few words to the Xifengkou guard who came to greet him in person, and immediately returned to the Chinese army. If they were in a hurry, they passed the Songting Pass, and when the day was in the middle of the sky, the army rushed to a vast plain west of Daning. When the scout cavalry reported that there was an army of Uliangha in front of him, Zhu Di suddenly showed an extremely excited expression, and immediately ordered the whole army to line up.

After a night of rapid marching, even if the army was mostly light cavalry, it was even more unloaded for half a month's of grain and grass, and only a little dry food was brought to the road lightly, at this time it was still inevitable to feel sleepy. By lining up the whole army, the officers of each team had to come forward to practice and shout. In a moment, the formation has already taken shape. Zhu Di, who personally led the horse team on the left wing, listened to the scout cavalry constantly report the situation ahead, and his hands holding the reins couldn't help but clench even more.

"Tell me, is it the Uliangha or the Tatar Arutai who are coming?"

Behind Zhu Di are several young nobles and noble children, Li Xian, Marquis of Fengcheng, who just inherited the title at the beginning of the year, Zheng Neng, the eldest son of Zheng Heng, Marquis of Wu'an, Liu Pu, the eldest son of Liu Sheng, Marquis of Anyuan, etc., at this time, Li Xian, Marquis of Fengcheng, replied: "The news of the emperor's northern tour has already spread, and the minister thinks that it must be an unaware tribe that rashly invades, and when he sees the heavenly soldiers, he will definitely break and leave." ”

This statement immediately aroused everyone's approval, after all, Arutai fled faster than a rabbit during the last northern expedition, and no one believed that he had the courage to make a name for himself with the newly defeated Uliangha people this time. However, Zhu Di was unmoved, silent for a while, and he suddenly didn't look back and asked, "Zhang Yue, what do you think?" ”

After a night of traveling, Zhang Yue was adjusting his breathing and moving his legs and feet at this time, after all, this was the first time for him to ride a horse. As soon as he heard the emperor's question, he thought in his heart, and at this time he hurriedly sent away his hands that were twisted together, and stepped forward to reply: "The Wuliangha people have been coveting Daning for a long time, but because of the strict precautions of the imperial court, they have not been able to enter this place. Now that the emperor has rebuilt the ancient city of Daning, even if they are newly defeated, in the case of hanging a sword on their heads, maybe there will still be luck. Moreover, the Arutai and Uliangha people have always been close, and it is difficult to guarantee that they will take this opportunity to make a surprise attack. ”

"It's not a good idea, I'm afraid I've got it right for you!" Zhu Di took a deep breath and said viciously, "Anyway, let's defeat those guys who don't have long eyes first!" ”