In fact, even Xu Xingxia, who is a traverser, is a little unsure of his mind in the face of an old guy like [***] Xing. How do you say that? It seems that people like [***] Xing know how to do the most, is to figure out the minds of others. Perhaps, when you thought you were playing with him, he had already secretly indulged you in his hands.

During the Jiajing Dynasty, Emperor Jiajing regarded himself as high and unmatched. thought that every courtier under his command was firmly in his hands. And he himself is the smartest man in the world. In fact, Yan Song, Gao Gong, and Xu Jie...... Which one didn't know his mind clearly? They specially set a trap for Emperor Jiajing's intentions, and before they knew it, Emperor Jiajing was played with in the palm of his hand. Pitifully, until death, Jiajing Emperor Yanjing didn't know this. He also felt how good he was!

As for the current Wanli Emperor, there are not many people who can play with him in the palm of his hand. The most fundamental reason is not that Emperor Wanli is too powerful, but that the courtiers below are not as good as the next generation. The most powerful first assistants of the Ming Dynasty were all from the Jiajing Dynasty. During the Wanli period, the most powerful was Zhang Juzheng. After Zhang Juzheng's death, the number of the first auxiliary qi of the Ming Dynasty seemed to be exhausted. None of the ten first assistants in the future are particularly powerful. Shen Shixing is a master of mud, and Wang Xijue is simply a corpse vegetarian meal.

Even Ye Xianggao, who has served as the first assistant for the longest time, has a personal ability, compared with Gao Gong, Xu Jie, Zhang Juzheng and others, is not at the same level at all. As for Fang Congzhe, it is even weaker. By the time of the Apocalypse, the name of Shoufu was rarely heard, only the name of Gonggong Wei. During the suppression of the Donglin Party, the role of the first auxiliary minister was almost ignored.

In the Chongzhen Dynasty, within seventeen years, several first assistants were replaced. In addition to Zhou Yanru and Wen Tiren, who have been in office for a long time, the newly appointed Shoufu was sent away without sitting firmly on his ass. Because of Emperor Chongzhen's diligence, he had to ask about everything, and he had to point fingers at everything, and he was very distrustful of his subordinates, and often interfered in the affairs of the first minister, resulting in the role of the first assistant being almost dispensable.

However, Shousuke is Shousuke after all, and he is still a very powerful existence. Especially in the case of Emperor Wanli's neglect of government, a strong Shoufu can do a lot of things. [***] Xing, when he was in the Apocalypse Dynasty, almost became the first assistant of the cabinet, but unfortunately due to Wei Zhongxian's suppression, he couldn't do it. It can be seen that this person's energy is also quite large. He came to Ningxia Town quietly this time, and he would definitely not make Xu Xingxia easy.

Of course, [***] Xing definitely didn't dare to annoy him Xu Xingxia. In case Xu Lao Mo is annoyed, it is not impossible to chop off his head with a knife. The current white-clothed army has no scruples, even if it is besieged from three sides, it can support it for a while. It is certain that [***] stars will never travel thousands of miles to send them to death.

"The soldiers are coming, the water is coming to cover the earth, let's see!" Xu Xingxia muttered silently. At present, he can only plan to do so for the time being.

…… Gansu Town, Jiayuguan.

The wind and sand rolled, covering the sky and covering the sky, shrouding Jiayuguan in it.

This majestic fortress pass was the westernmost point of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty. The ancient Silk Road passed through here. The city tower of Jiayuguan, with a total of three floors, towers in the wind and sand. The city walls around Jiayuguan have no end in sight. In terms of building scale, Jiayuguan is definitely not under Shanhaiguan, the "first pass in the world". Therefore, Jiayuguan is also known as "Chinese and foreign giant defense" and "the first pass in Hexi".

Unlike Shanhaiguan, from Jiayuguan to the west, it is actually not under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty. To the west of Jiayuguan is the so-called Hamiwei, which is today's Turpan area. However, Hamiwei was only a ruling structure with a surname of the state, and the Ming Dynasty only had nominal jurisdiction over this land. In fact, the Ming Dynasty never sent officials or troops to the Turpan region. Of course, it is even more impossible to collect taxes from here. Therefore, Jiayuguan is the westernmost point of the actual territory of the Ming Dynasty.

And out of Shanhaiguan, it is the Liaodong region of the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty has always deployed a large number of troops in Liaodong, dispatched a large number of officials, and also collected taxes from the Liaodong region. Therefore, the surnames of the two sides are completely different. Out of Shanhaiguan, it is still in the country of the Ming Dynasty. And getting out of Jiayuguan is the first step out of the "country".

In the afternoon at Jiayuguan, the wind and sand gradually stopped, and the visibility gradually recovered. The majestic Shanhaiguan gradually revealed its true face. Even in the Ming Dynasty of [***], the quality of construction was much better than in later generations. Although there is no cement, no steel bar, no concrete, just stone, green bricks, lime, mortar, wood built of Jiayuguan Tower, every day by the wind and sand, is still intact.

The only regret is that Jiayuguan at this moment is empty. The Ming army stationed there had disappeared when the Tatars moved south. And the Tatars, who occupied Jiayuguan, had not yet sat down on their buttocks, and received an order to march eastward. The original owner left, and the later owner left again, and Jiayuguan was deserted.

Occasionally, a few nomadic herders from the west, near Jiayuguan, tried to enter from here. However, in the end, they did not dare. After all, they all know very well what this majestic fortress represents. It represents the territory of the Ming Dynasty. Once they enter without permission, they are illegally crossing the border and will be dealt with severely. If you don't get it right, you have to take your own life.

"Da Da Da!"

"Da Da Da!"

In the empty field, I suddenly remembered the sound of hurried horses' hooves.

Jiayuguan, which was originally dead and silent, suddenly became active. Because of the shaking of the horses' hooves, the dust on the castle tower kept falling down in a small stream. The dust on the stairs was also rolling. The sun hanging on the west side of the sky suddenly came out of the clouds at this time, and sprinkled ten thousand golden rays on the city of Jiayuguan.

The city wall of Jiayuguan was originally dark yellow, but at this time, the sunlight was reflected, and the dark yellow suddenly turned into bright yellow, and it was brilliant. Looking at it from a distance, the golden light is shining brightly, and everyone who sees it will feel that their hearts have suddenly become solemn. Jiayuguan uses its unique majestic and upright posture to clearly tell everyone who approaches it that this is where the country is located and is an inviolable existence.

"Da Da Da!"

"Da Da Da!"

With the sound of horses' hooves, a group of soldiers wearing azure military uniforms slowly approached Jiayu Pass.

At this time, only the warriors of the Lion Cavalry Army who appeared near Jiayuguan could be. After the main force of the white-clothed army was withdrawn to Ningxia Town, the huge Gansu Town only had the existence of the Lion Cavalry. According to Xu Xingxia's order, they will take over all the fortress towns in Gansu Town, deploy defenses, and make full preparations for future battles.

Jiayuguan, of course, is one of the most important existences that the White Clothes Army wants to take over. One of the most capable squadrons of long-distance running, about 300 lion cavalry soldiers, set off from Gulang City and went all the way west non-stop, directly to Jiayuguan. They passed through Liangzhou City, Ganzhou City, Suzhou City, and finally reached Jiayuguan, the westernmost point. Seeing that the majestic Jiayu Pass was intact, all the Lion Cavalry soldiers were greatly relieved. Their task was finally accomplished.

When leaving Gansu Town, Xu Xingxia was a little worried that Gansu Town was so chaotic, in addition to the Tatars, there would be other nomadic armies that would take the opportunity to seize Jiayuguan. He wasn't worried that something big would happen after they occupied Jiayuguan. With the attack power of the white-clothed army, even if someone seizes Jiayu Pass, it can be easily repulsed. He was worried that Jiayuguan would be burned down by them. In case Jiayuguan is destroyed, it must be rebuilt, and there is another process.

"Is this Jiayuguan? It's so beautiful! A lion warrior muttered to himself. These lion warriors are all from poor families, and they have never seen much of the world before. They came all the way to the west, and the towns they saw were not as magnificent as Jiayuguan. However, he clearly used the wrong word and should not describe a fortress as beautiful. Of course, having said that, under the reflection of the setting sun, Jiayuguan looks really beautiful.

"Everyone, there is Jiayuguan ahead." The guide, who was in charge of leading the team, hurriedly explained. As if seeing Jiayuguan so majestic and majestic, this guide from Gansu Town also felt that his face was very bright, and his speech was particularly energetic. In a dilapidated Gansu town, it is not easy to have such a majestic pass!

"Brothers, there is Jiayuguan ahead! Come on! The squadron leader who led the team shouted excitedly. Immediately, he pinched the horse's belly and took the lead in rushing towards Jiayuguan. Behind him, the lion cavalry warriors of the brigade followed.

Soon, the soldiers of the White Army entered Jiayu Pass and controlled various points. Except for the barracks, which are somewhat dilapidated, the other equipment and facilities of the fortress are in good condition. What is rare is that in the well, clean water can still be fetched. As a result, the soldiers in white clothes who traveled long distances lined up to fetch water and washed their faces with cold water. Even though it was winter, this cold water surface was still very comfortable to wash. The water hit his face, and he was suddenly shocked and energetic.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Subsequently, the White Coats held a brief flag-raising ceremony. In addition to the sentries, the other white-clothed soldiers were lined up on both sides of the tower. In accordance with the relevant regulations of the flag-raising ceremony, the guard of honor fired three volleys. The loud gunshots echoed around Jiayuguan, and the echo was endless for a long time. In front of the square procession, a bright military flag rises on the tower of Jiayuguan, stretching in the cold wind.

This red flag, reflected in the sunlight, reflected in the barren mountains and mountains in the distance, which was particularly eye-catching, particularly sacred and solemn. It showed everyone and all the forces around it that the white-clothed army had officially become the master of Jiayuguan. This flag, unless the white-clothed army took the initiative to put it away, otherwise, no one else could let it go down.

To the west of Jiayuguan is a desertified pasture. In winter, there is no forage in the pastures, but there are still a very small number of nomads grazing here. When they heard the loud gunshots, they subconsciously turned their heads, and saw a bright red flag rising on the tower of Jiayuguan, they all felt very stunned.

They didn't know the existence of the White Army, they didn't know the banner of the White Army, and it was impossible for them to know that it was the White Army that controlled Jiayu Pass. However, the loud gunshots made them all subconsciously feel a little frightened, and there was a sense of danger. The majestic Jiayuguan is like a fierce tiger, which used to be asleep, but now, it is waking up quickly. A few of the older herdsmen beckoned their juniors to come over and give them some words. Soon, the young herdsmen rode their horses and disappeared into the vast wilderness.

"Squeak quack!"

Suddenly, the herdsmen saw that the gate of Jiayuguan, which had been closed for a long time, was slowly opened.

As the city gate opened, a small group of cavalry slowly came out of it. This small group of cavalry is obviously from the Ming Dynasty. Nomads could not have had such a special attire. However, their clothing was very different from that of ordinary Ming soldiers. Their military uniforms were cerulean blue, their hats were sky blue, and their belts were dark red. They were all armed with muskets. They don't have any armor on them.

No one knows what this small group of Han cavalry is going to do when they come out of Jiayu Pass. No one knows where they are going. Because, it has been too long, and there is no cavalry of the Ming army to come out of Jiayu Pass. This was agreed between the local nomads and the Ming military in advance, and the well water of both sides would not interfere with the river water. Over the past 100 years, both sides have consciously adhered to this agreement and have never violated it.

However, today, the cavalry of the Han people came out of Jiayu Pass. This cannot but make people feel dangerous. The outside of Jiayuguan has always been under the jurisdiction of the Chijin Mongols. The herdsmen present are the Chijin Mongols. They share the same blood as the Mongols of the steppes, but they never interact with each other. They also did not accept the rule of Lindan Khan. In terms of domination, they were closer to the category of the Tatars.

Many of the Chijin Mongols secretly put down the work at hand and looked at these Han cavalry from a distance. They wanted to come up and ask why the Han army had violated the agreement by coming out of Jiayuguan and encroaching on their territory. But they don't have the guts. Because, in their subconscious, they can all perceive that these Han cavalry in front of them are definitely not easy to deal with. Their bodies exude a murderous aura intentionally or unintentionally. There is no doubt that the hands of these Han cavalrymen must have been stained with other blood.

(To be continued)