I, Jiajing, successfully cultivated immortality

Happy time is always short-lived, time flies, and in a blink of an eye, it is the twentieth of the first lunar month.

And this also marks the official end of the holiday. Even if they are unwilling to do so, many officials have to return to work and deal with the backlog of matters.

Correspondingly, since the holiday lasted longer than before, the backlog of matters was also extremely large.

Even though night falls, the six ministries and cabinets of the Ming Dynasty are still brightly lit.

At this time, the Forbidden City, the cabinet.

Although the time for duty has long passed, no one has left. At this time, on the desk in front of everyone, there are piles of memorials that are nearly one person high and need to be dealt with urgently.

The charcoal fire in the room was burning brightly, and the flickering orange candlelight on the table clearly reflected the figures of everyone present.

After finishing the memorial in his hand, Yan Shifan stood up from his seat, moved his limbs, and complained.

"Oh, why are there so many memorials left that need to be dealt with!"

During this Spring Festival holiday, Yan Shifan had an extremely leisurely time.

Due to the cold weather, people can’t afford to go out at all.

Therefore, apart from occasionally going out to attend banquets, Yan Shifan spent most of the rest of his time at home eating and drinking, and spending time with his concubines.

Apart from that, there is nothing else to do.

As soon as Yan Shifan finished speaking, Gao Gong, who was not far away, put down the brush in his hand, rubbed his sore wrist, and said in agreement: "Yes, it seems that these memorials will not be finished for a while!"

After Gao Gong finished speaking, he picked up the tea cup with wolfberry water on the table and took a sip.

After drinking the wolfberry water in the cup, Gao Gong clearly felt that the fatigue in his body had subsided a lot. Then, like Yan Shifan before, Gao Gong stood up from his seat and moved his limbs.

Seeing this, Yan Song put aside the completed memorial in his hand, turned around, looked in the direction of Xu Jie, and suggested: "Mr. Xu Ge, why don't you just come here today?" Bar?"

Faced with Yan Song's proposal, Xu Jie had no intention of rejecting it. After thinking about it for a moment, he immediately said, "Well, let's just come here today!"

After that, everyone began to organize and summarize the completed memorials in an orderly manner.

Taking advantage of this gap, Zhang Juzheng looked around and took the lead in provoking the topic: "By the way, how did you spend this holiday?"

As soon as Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, Gao Gong scratched his head, and after recalling it for a long time, he responded: "When you put it this way, it seems that apart from staying at home and eating and drinking all day long, there is nothing else to do." Didn’t even do it!”

After Gao Gong's words fell, the rest of the people, after recalling for a moment, also said the same words as Gao Gong.

Afterwards, everyone turned their eyes to Hu Zongxian, who had not expressed his stance for a long time, waiting for his response.

Hu Zongxian did not shy away from this. After thinking about it for a moment, he faced everyone and said unhurriedly: "I took advantage of my free time to visit several famous temples and Taoist temples in the suburbs!"

"Well, I have been to several temples in the suburbs. It is said that..."

Soon, everyone began to chat on this topic, and in the process, all the memorials that had been processed earlier were summarized.

After summarizing the memorial, Yan Song looked around and then said: "It's getting late, let's go!"

After that, everyone left the cabinet one after another.

As soon as they walked out of the cabinet, a gust of cold wind blew by. Everyone felt a biting chill coming towards them, and they subconsciously wrapped their cloaks tightly to keep out the cold.

Then, Yan Song raised his head, looked at the moon obscured by thick clouds, and said with emotion.

"This year's snow is much heavier than in previous years. It must be another bumper year!"

"Yes!"

After the words fell, everyone was seen walking slowly towards the place where the sedan chair was parked.

After the lights were completely turned off on the cabinet side, the lights on the brightly lit Six Ministries side were turned off one after another, and officials kept coming out.

……

Due to the cold weather and the night ban, there were almost no pedestrians on the road.

At this moment, Xu Jie opened the sedan curtain and looked at the scenery on both sides of the road. At this moment, he felt confused and confused.

For Xu Jie, the family affairs at this time were like a time bomb. He didn't know when it would explode with a bang, and then blow him to pieces.

"Hey, Fan'er has been back to Songjiang Mansion for so long, but there's still no news. Could it be that something happened?"

When Xu Jie thought of this, a trace of confusion flashed across his face.

While Xu Jie was still struggling with this matter, the sedan he was riding in had already arrived outside the mansion.

Just as the sedan stopped, the butler who had been waiting for a long time came up to him, leaned down and said respectfully: "Master!"

When Xu Jie heard the words, he responded in an imperceptible manner, and then, with the help of his servants, he got down from the sedan chair.

As soon as Xu Jie got off the sedan, he heard the butler's voice ringing in his ears: "Old... Master, the eldest young master has sent someone over..."

Before the housekeeper finished speaking, he was interrupted by Xu Jie: "Okay, this is not the place to talk. If you have anything to say, let's talk after you go in!"

"Yes, sir!"

Naturally, the housekeeper did not dare to disobey Xu Jie's words. After he responded, he led the way and welcomed Xu Jie into the mansion.

After entering the hall, Xu Jie stopped, turned around, looked in the direction of the housekeeper, waved his hand, and said: "You can talk now!"

"Yes, sir!"

After the butler responded, without any hesitation, he immediately took out a letter from his sleeve, handed it to Xu Jie, and said respectfully: "Master, here is a letter sent by the eldest young master, saying that it is I must leave it in your hands!”

Xu Jie looked at the letter so close in front of him and couldn't help but feel overjoyed.

Later, I saw Xu Jie taking the letter from the butler's hand. After pondering for a moment, he ordered: "When you come down later, go and receive the reward yourself!"

When the housekeeper heard Xu Jie's words, his face was full of gratitude. He leaned down and said respectfully: "Thank you, sir!"

Xu Jie took in the expression on the butler's face, waved his hand, and continued: "Okay, it's none of your business, go down first!"

"Yes, sir!"

After the butler responded, he turned around and left the hall with gratitude.

After the housekeeper left, Xu Jie put away the letter and went straight to the study.

After Xu Jie told his servants not to disturb him, he used the candlelight in the room to open the letter sent by Xu Fan and read the contents with special concentration.

"Father, I have successfully delivered your previous letter to the clan leader. The clan leader was shocked after seeing this letter and immediately summoned the clan members to discuss countermeasures. There is no conclusion yet."

"In addition, according to my observation, there are many people in the tribe who have committed crimes under the banner of your father. There is great resentment among the people. In addition, the situation of land annexation within the tribe is also particularly serious. My son has followed your instructions. Order..."

After Xu Jie finished browsing the contents of the letter, he couldn't help but make a "thump" sound, and the expression on his face became extremely gloomy.

Even though Xu Jie had been mentally prepared before this, he still did not expect that the situation would be so serious.

"This bunch of mud can't hold up the wall!"

After Xu Jie finished speaking, he slammed the table, as if he wanted to vent his resentment.

Xu Jie knew very well in his heart that if he continued to let things go like this, one day the fire would burn on him.

Afterwards, Xu Jie gathered his thoughts, sat behind the desk, spread out his pen and paper, and started writing a reply.

……

On the other side, in the capital, is the Chengguo Duke's Mansion.

Like the British Duke's Mansion, the Chengguo Duke's Mansion is also located on a busy street in the capital. Apart from the Chengguo Duke's family, there are no other homes near the entire street.

Cheng Guogong Zhu Xizhong is responsible for commanding the Shenji Battalion, one of the three major battalions in the capital. Needless to say, the treatment he receives.

The decoration of Chengguo Duke's Mansion is extremely luxurious, and the steps at the door are extremely high, all made of high-quality and valuable stones.

Like the main entrances of most princes' homes, the two vermilion doors of Chengguo Duke's Mansion are covered with gilt copper buckles.

There are also two majestic stone lions standing at the door with stone beads in their mouths. There is a plaque hanging on the door with the four characters "Chengguo Gongfu" written in gold paint on a black background.

Not only that, there are majestic soldiers with swords across their waists standing guard at the door.

At this moment, two sedan chairs of different colors stopped at the door of Duke Chengguo's mansion.

After the sedan stopped, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou got off the sedan one after another. "This is Chengguo Duke's Mansion, it's so majestic!"

Yu Dayou looked away from the magnificent mansion in front of him and said with emotion.

Qi Jiguang on the side did not comment on Yu Dayou's words. He immediately stepped forward and informed the soldiers at the door of his name and purpose of visit.

After listening to Qi Jiguang's introduction, the soldiers at the door bowed their hands to him and quickly entered the Duke Cheng's mansion through the side door.

Since the last banquet, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou have inquired in many ways and finally found out the exact identity of the person who spoke to them at that time.

The person who originally spoke to the two of them was Zhu Xizhong, Duke of Cheng, who was well-known in the court, deeply trusted by His Majesty, and was responsible for commanding the Shenji Battalion!

Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou couldn't help but take a breath after learning the news.

Although the two of them had expected in advance that the person who spoke to them at the banquet had a noble status, no one expected that this person would actually be Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo.

You know, Chengguo Gong Zhu Xizhong is the most top clan and nobleman in the Ming Dynasty!

Just a few days ago, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou received an invitation from Zhu Xizhong, Duke of Chengguo, inviting them to his residence for a chat.

Out of prudence, after receiving the invitation from Duke Chengguo Zhu Xizhong, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou did not go there rashly. Instead, they found Hu Zongxian and asked him to help as a consultant.

After Hu Zongxian learned of the two's intention to come, he did not show any displeasure. Instead, he strongly supported the two in visiting Zhu Xizhong, Duke of Chengguo.

Since Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou needed to train troops during the day, they could only spare time at night.

Soon after, the soldiers who had gone in to report came to Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, leaned down and said respectfully: "Two adults, you can go in!"

After hearing this, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou nodded to the soldier, and then, under the leadership of the steward, entered the Duke Cheng's Mansion.

In Cheng Guo Gong's mansion, there are many green bamboos and various green plants that Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou couldn't name.

It gives people a feeling of vitality and all things competing.

……

Under the guidance of the housekeeper, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou walked through a path paved with neat stone slabs and entered the hall of Chengguo Duke's Mansion for entertaining guests.

At this moment, in the hall, Chengguo Duke Zhu Xizhong was sitting at the top, leisurely sipping the wolfberry water soaked in the cup.

Seeing this situation, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou did not dare to show any slightness. They immediately leaned down, looked in the direction of Zhu Xizhong, and said respectfully: "I have met Duke Cheng Guo!"

Zhu Xizhong seemed to be very happy about the arrival of Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou. With a warm smile on his face, he pointed to the empty seat beside him and said: "You two are finally here, please sit down first!"

"Thank you so much, Duke Cheng!"

After Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou expressed their gratitude to Zhu Xizhong, they sat down to the side with unusual restraint. They sat upright and did not dare to make the slightest move.

Zhu Xizhong noticed the reserved expressions on their faces, waved his hands, and said nonchalantly: "Don't be too cautious. I'm just asking you to come over this time. I just want to hear your opinions again!"

When Zhu Xizhong said this, his face was full of emotion, and he continued to add: "After all, the exchange between the two of you at the banquet was an eye-opener for me!"

Qi Jiguang on the side heard Zhu Xizhong's words and immediately stood up from his seat. His face was full of humility. He leaned down and said respectfully: "Mr. Chengguo's words are serious, they are nothing more than vulgar opinions!"

At this moment, two servants came forward and placed teacups filled with wolfberry water in front of Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou respectively.

"I heard that the cabinet ministers like to drink wolfberry soaked in water. I tried it and it is indeed very beneficial to the body. You might as well give it a try!"

Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou did not refuse Zhu Xizhong's kindness. Instead, they picked up teacups filled with wolfberry water and took a sip.

Due to the pursuit of high-ranking officials in the capital and the wealthy gentry, the value of wolfberry, which was originally just a mediocre medicine and was used as a medicine, has skyrocketed and reached a prohibitive level.

After Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou put down their teacups, they heard Zhu Xizhong's voice: "Soon, the imperial court will officially start a war with Anda Khan of the Tumote tribe. Before that, I want to hear your opinions." !”

Facing Zhu Xizhong's gaze, Qi Jiguang stood up from his seat after thinking about it for a moment, and gave his opinion very firmly.

"Mr. Cheng, let me tell you the truth. According to my official opinion, our Ming Dynasty is at least 70% sure of winning this battle!"

When Zhu Xizhong heard this, a look of interest appeared on his face, he raised his eyebrows and motioned for Qi Jiguang to continue.

Facing Zhu Xizhong's curious gaze, Qi Jiguang organized the words in his mind before continuing: "Mr. Cheng Guo, as you can see, the weather this year is much colder than before!"

"Therefore, it is foreseeable that the water and grass on the grassland will be far less lush than before, and it will be unable to support too many livestock and humans."

"In order to get rid of the predicament and consume the excess population, the Tatars will surely go south to plunder and provoke war in the coming year."

Zhu Xizhong, who was sitting at the top, couldn't help but frown after listening to Qi Jiguang's words. He keenly captured the hidden meaning of Qi Jiguang's words.

Immediately, Zhu Xizhong looked in the direction of Qi Jiguang and asked, "Are you saying that this time An Da Khan will use far more troops than before?"

Hearing this, Qi Jiguang nodded and said in agreement: "Mr. Cheng, your guess is correct. You might as well put yourself in his shoes. Suppose you were An Dahan and encountered the current situation. How would you deal with it? "

Zhu Xizhong continued to think along this line of thought. After a long time, he came back to his senses, shook his head, and said to himself: "After thinking about it, it seems that the only way to go south to plunder and start a war is to It works!”

When Zhu Xizhong's words fell, Qi Jiguang nodded slightly and responded in a deep voice: "Yes, Duke Cheng, you are right. Now Anda Khan has only one way to go south to plunder! "

"And to be on the safe side, he will definitely use all his chips!"

"As we all know, the grassland is very rich in war horses. Compared with the war horses of the Ming Dynasty, the war horses under the Tatar cavalry are much stronger in terms of endurance and speed. However, due to the lack of fodder, these war horses can barely survive a winter. In the end, how much of the original effect will it be able to exert?"

"No matter how superb the Tatar cavalry's riding and shooting skills are, if the horses underneath them are not good enough, they will still be unable to exert their combat effectiveness at their peak. In this way, my Ming cavalry will be on the same starting line as the opponent."

When Qi Jiguang said this, he turned his gaze to Yu Dayou aside, and continued: "Not to mention, our Ming Dynasty also has chariot camps that are very restrained against cavalry. General Yu once personally led five thousand chariot camps and tens of thousands of Mongolian cavalry. We fought and won a great victory!”

Facing Zhu Xizhong's curious gaze, Yu Dayou stood up from his seat and began to explain the specific organization of the car camp.

……

"The chariots equipped in the chariot camp can effectively deal with the charge from the cavalry. At the same time, the wooden boards covered with leather can also prevent attacks from arrow clusters and firecrackers."

"Among them, each tank is equipped with twenty sergeants, divided into two teams, Qi and Zheng, with ten people in each team. Among the regular soldiers, two are responsible for the assault head, and six are responsible for the two Fran cannons. One is the chief and the other is the helmsman.”

"Among the strange soldiers, one person who is brave and obedient to orders is selected as the captain. The remaining four wield long knives as well as fire cannons. When the chariot goes into battle, fire cannons are first used. Two are rattan players, and the other two are responsible for acting as mirror rakes. The remaining one is a fire soldier and is responsible for cooking."

"Two vehicles form a regiment, and four vehicles form a bureau. The carriage camp is equipped with 256 Fran cannons and 2,304 muskets. Each battalion is equipped with one general officer. The Chinese Army One member, one member of the general, nine members of the general, and a total of 3,109 officers and soldiers in the entire battalion."

After listening to Yu Dayou's narration, Zhu Xizhong supported his chin with one hand. At this time, Zhu Xizhong already knew the organization of the car camp.

At the same time, he also wanted to understand how the chariot camp could restrain the cavalry.

The advantage of cavalry is that it can break up local formations as quickly as possible. The existence of chariots makes the idea of ​​cavalry leading the way and breaking up the opponent's formation come to naught.

Even if you use arrow clusters to kill enemies from a distance, it will be in vain because of the thick wooden boards covered with thick leather.

In addition, the car camp is also equipped with many powerful firearms. If you want to ignore these firearms and rush to the car camp forcefully, you will definitely pay heavy casualties.

Even after paying huge casualties and getting close to the tank, they would still fall into brutal hand-to-hand combat.

Just as Zhu Xizhong's thoughts were racing, he heard Yu Dayou's voice again: "In addition to the carriage camp, our Ming Dynasty also has an advantage in firearms. The newly developed flintlock guns from the Arms Department have greatly improved the firepower of the muskets." The range and power!”

"In addition, with the help of paper shell bullets, the reloading speed and stability of the flintlock gun will also be greatly improved, and it can kill the enemy more effectively!"

Zhu Xizhong also quite agreed with Yu Dayou's words, and immediately saw him nod his head and said in agreement: "Before this, the Shenji Battalion had already installed the new weapons developed by the Weapons Department! "

When Zhu Xizhong finished speaking, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, with a hint of envy flashing on their faces.

You know, even if the Arms Department is operating at full capacity and producing at full capacity, now, the army under the two of them is only half full.

But after thinking about it, I felt relieved again. After all, Zhu Xizhong was commanding the Shenji Battalion, one of the three major battalions in the capital!

After that, Zhu Xizhong seemed to suddenly remember something. He glanced at Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou respectively, and asked: "By the way, I remember that you are currently responsible for coordinating military training, right?"

When Qi Jiguang heard this, he had no intention of hiding it. Instead, he nodded and said in agreement: "Yes, Duke Cheng, Xiaguan and General Yu are currently in charge of military training!"

Just when Qi Jiguang was still wondering why Zhu Xizhong suddenly mentioned this matter, he heard Zhu Xizhong's voice: "Since you have been responsible for military training for some time, have you ever thought about letting His Majesty review it?"

Zhu Xizhong's voice was not loud, but it was like a heavy hammer, hitting Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou's hearts hard.

"Is it possible that Duke Cheng Guo wants to..."

While Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou were still thinking about their intentions, Zhu Xizhong looked away from the two of them and issued an order to expel them.

"In this case, you two should go down first and prepare carefully!"

Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou both recognized the irrefutable meaning contained in Zhu Xizhong's words.

Afterwards, the two of them looked at each other, with gratitude on their faces. They leaned down and said in unison: "Thank you, Duke Cheng!"

After bowing to Zhu Xizhong, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou were about to leave. Unexpectedly, just after taking a few steps, Zhu Xizhong seemed to suddenly remember something and stopped the two of them.

"By the way, there is one thing I forgot to say. When the time comes, I will command the Shenji Battalion to join the battle!" (End of Chapter)