Ming Dynasty Road

Chapter 22
In recent days, life in Tumubao was quiet and peaceful. All the men had gone out to fight and hadn’t returned yet. There were only dozens of disabled veterans standing guard on the rammed-earth city wall.

In the afternoon, the watch sentry on the top of the Tumu Castle suddenly found a huge horse team approaching in the distance. The lookout post on the city quickly sounded the alarm. As the alarm sounded, more and more people rushed to the Tumu Fort. The city wall was broken, the setting sun shone on the top of the city, and the knives, guns and arrows in their hands reflected bursts of cold light.

Seeing the reaction on the city, Zhao Yi knew that they regarded his cavalry as Tartars. Zhao Yi inspected the crowd at the top of the city, and a familiar figure appeared on the top of the city. It was Yaoyao, standing tall. On the top of the city, the setting sun shone on the rammed-earth city wall, and also fell on her body. The golden-red setting sun coated Yaoyao with a halo of holiness.

Zhao Yi looked up at her, looked up at her tearful but excited eyes, his eyes met, his heart was surging.Yaoyao on the top of the city shouted: "Master Zhao, please open the city gate quickly, brother Zhao Yi is back." After Zhao Yaoyao shouted excitedly, she stood on the top of the city and looked at Zhao Yi with a look of infatuation. tenderness.

The huge convoy entered the Tumu Fort in an orderly manner, and the people of the Tumu Fort clapped their hands to welcome Zhao Yi back. These days, I heard many caravans fleeing from Songshan, talking about the battle between Zhao Yi and others and the Tartars on the Songshan battlefield. The feat, Zhao Yi was almost passed down as the god of war by everyone. Such a fierce general is really once in a thousand years. A great hero came out of Tumubao, so everyone in Tumubao has a bright face. Zhao Yi doesn't know, this paragraph At that time, Zhao Yi's deeds of occupying Songshan and defeating the Qing army had been compiled into storytelling books by storytellers, which were widely circulated in Ming Dynasty.

Zhao Yi passed through the elated crowd, walked up to Zhao Yaoyao, and said affectionately: "Yaoyao, I'm back." Seeing two excited tears streaming down the girl's face, she nodded quietly: "Come back!" That's fine, I've been waiting for you."

A simple sentence is worth a thousand words.

Before Zhao Yi and Yaoyao could talk more, the people of Tumu Fort rushed up excitedly and asked Zhao Yi about everything. go home.

At this time, a middle-aged man in the uniform of the county magistrate in the crowd rushed over with a group of officials from the county government, and said calmly: "General Manager Zhao, my official Zhou Zhongyi, on behalf of the court, welcome your triumphant return. , Hearing the news of your return, I rushed over immediately."

Zhao Yi threw the reins of the horse to a yamen servant, and looked at the county magistrate with a livid face. He saw that the county magistrate was about fifty years old this week, with a fair face and bright eyes. Zhao Yi was in a very complicated mood. Occupying Songshan, if the imperial army could arrive in time, the people like myself would not have retreated in such a panic. I felt a little uncomfortable in my heart, so Zhao Yi didn't even have a good impression of the county magistrate Zhou.

Seeing Zhao Yi's expression, Zhou Zhongyi didn't care. He understood why Zhao Yi had such an expression in his heart. He laughed and said, "Brother Zhao, this is not a place to talk. I'll let the yamen servants arrange for the people who came from Songshan first. What's the matter?" Let’s go back to the county government later, some things are beyond your control, I hope you can understand.” After speaking, he turned around and arranged for the servants to organize the people who came from Songshan, and then ordered the servants to help the people of Songshan build a temporary residence .

Although Zhao Yi's face was still cold, but after hearing the words of County Magistrate Zhou, the anger in his heart subsided a little. Seeing that County Magistrate Zhou himself was busy arranging various matters for the people, his heart warmed up thinking that this week's county magistrate was also a Being a good official, he told Yaoyao to go home and wait for him, and he took all the lieutenants to go to the county government first, waiting for Zhou Zhongyi to come back.

After Zhou Zhongyi arranged for the people in Songshan with a kind of yamen servant, he hurried back to the county yamen. After exchanging pleasantries and Zhou Zhongyi's explanation, Zhao Yi finally understood why the reinforcements had not arrived. A few days after departure, Zhou Zhongyi was ordered to go to Tumubao to take over the post of county magistrate. After inquiring, he found out that Zhao Yi and others had gone to Songshan. Zhou Zhongyi hurriedly reported the matter to the imperial court, but the imperial edict only replied Zhou Zhongyi replaced Zhao Yi as the county magistrate in Tumubao, but he didn't even mention that Zhao Yi and others went to Songshan. Later Zhou Zhongyi heard that Zhao Yi and others had captured Songshan, so he sent another letter to the court In the memorial, I hope that the imperial court can send troops to reinforce it, but this time the imperial court said that the imperial court is busy with the wars in Huguang and the northwest, and the money, food, soldiers and horses are almost exhausted, so they have to reluctantly give up this opportunity to recover Songshan.

After hearing this, the lieutenants were all indignant. They defended the city desperately in Songshan, but the court ignored their lives. If it wasn't for Zhao Yi this time, everyone might be buried in Songshan City. Everyone clamored, Some people even said that they simply occupied the civil fort and did it alone.

"Presumptuous" Zhao Yi became more and more shameless the more he heard it, and couldn't help but slapped the table: "Are you going to rebel? The imperial court has its own difficulties. Now that Ming Dynasty has internal and external troubles, do you still want to add fuel to the fire?"

The generals saw that Zhao Yi was angry, and although they were very unconvinced, they all lowered their heads and said nothing. Seeing that the generals stopped talking, Zhou Zhongyi was silent for a while and said: "The imperial court's intention may not necessarily be the emperor's intention. , Who doesn’t know that the group of eunuchs is now controlling the government.” After finishing speaking, he observed Zhao Yi, and when Zhao Yi saw him, he gave Zhao Yi a wink.

Seeing Zhou Zhongyi like this, Zhao Yi understood in his heart, and said to the generals: "Everyone has worked hard, go back to the camp to rest first, I will figure this out, the more we are now, the less we can mess up , Let’s all go away, no one is allowed to mention this matter from now on.”

The generals dispersed angrily after hearing this, and Zhou Zhongyi took Zhao Yi to the back hall of the county government office. Zhou Zhongyi ordered two cups of tea to be served, and then asked no one to disturb him. After hearing this, the servants closed the door and went down .

Seeing Zhao Yi's puzzled look, Zhou Zhongyi couldn't help but chuckled, got up and said, "Brother Zhao, do you think it's strange why I let you stay alone?"

Zhao Yi was stunned, not knowing why Zhou Zhongyi was like this this week, he said puzzledly: "I really don't understand."

Zhou Zhongyi seemed to know that Zhao Yi would answer in this way, he laughed, then straightened his face, and said solemnly: "Zhao Yi, the trainer of Tumu Fortress, accepts the order!"

Zhao Yi's expression was startled, looking at this man who suddenly became solemn, he was about to bow down when he heard the order, but was supported by Zhou Zhongyi, and said slowly: "There is no need to salute, this time I will tell you It is the emperor's oral order."

Zhao Yi was stunned, the emperor, I am a small general, why did the emperor pass the word to himself?

Seeing his astonished expression, Zhou Zhongyi smiled and waved his hands and said, "Don't be surprised, I am not only the county magistrate, I also have another identity, which is Jinyiwei."

Zhou Zhongyi threw a waist card from the sleeve of his official uniform, smiled and handed it to Zhao Yi and said, "From now on, you will not be the general manager, but a hundred households of Jinyiwei, and the emperor personally sealed it."

Zhao Yi looked at Jin Yiwei's badge in a daze, and said in a daze, "My lord, I don't know why the humble one got this honor?"

Zhou Zhongyi smiled and said: "Zhao Bazong, oh, no, Zhao Baihu, you don't have to be modest, the emperor has heard about the fact that you repelled the Qing army in the Tumu Fortress, and your surprise attack on Songshan this time is another milestone. A great achievement, isn’t that enough? The most important thing is that the emperor needs someone like you at this time, and today I am entrusting you with the order of the emperor to recruit you into Jinyiwei and give you the post of a hundred households.”

"If it's just about your military exploits, the emperor will not easily recruit you into Jinyiwei. When you killed Huang Hai, the emperor secretly asked people to check your details. You suddenly appeared in Tumu Fortress. Your previous household registration There is no record at all, but your performance is good, the emperor thinks you are a loyal and patriotic person, so the emperor secretly ordered me to recruit you into Jinyiwei."

Zhao Yi was taken aback. He didn't expect Jin Yiwei's energy to be so terrifying. He could even check the details of when he came to the civil castle and the fact that he didn't have a household registration record. Zhao Yi just wanted to explain.

Before Zhao Yi could answer, Zhou Zhongyi took a sip of tea and said slowly: "Your original business is not important, the emperor recruited you into Jinyiwei as a last resort, the emperor works day and night on the affairs of the country, but the court is full of eunuchs. Party feathers, can the Ming Dynasty be revived if things go on like this? The emperor is wise and wise, but how can we allow the power of an eunuch to continue to grow? We people want to help the emperor regain power gradually, do you understand? We Jinyiwei directly obey the emperor's orders, The purpose is to fight with those eunuchs from Dongchang."

After listening to Zhou Zhongyi's words, Zhao Yi immediately understood, it turned out to be the same as what he thought, it seemed that the emperor was going to attack Wei Zhongxian, and recruited himself into the Jinyi Guards in order to strengthen the armed forces of the Jinyi Guards.

Thinking of this, Zhao Yi immediately put on a solemn expression and said: "Thanks to the emperor's attention, Zhao Yi decided to die."

Zhou Zhongyi was very satisfied with Zhao Yi's reaction, and quickly waved his hands and said: "Now we are all colleagues, we need to communicate more in the future, by the way, I heard the report from my subordinates, it is said that Brother Zhao found out that there was an eunuch colluding with Qing in Songshan this time. about the army?"

Zhao Yi was surprised and said: "What? There is no such thing..."

At this time, Zhou Zhongyi's eyes suddenly turned cold, and an invisible aura exuded from his body. He smiled lightly, and said word for word after a long time: "After General Zhao attacked Songshan City this time, he captured the governor of Songshan, Sokoha. When Governor Sokoha, Sokoha accidentally confessed that he had contact with the eunuch party, and the eunuch party also told him the information of our army, isn’t that true?”

Zhao Yi's heart moved, and he continued subconsciously: "This. The lower official is because he is too tired, so he didn't hear clearly what the lord asked just now. Yes, Governor Sokoha of Songshan really said so, and there is a confession."

Zhou Zhongyi nodded, suddenly laughed, and said: "Very well, brother Zhao is indeed loyal to the emperor and patriotic. It seems that this matter is extremely urgent. I want to report this matter to the imperial court, and I ask the imperial court to make a decision."

Zhao Yi said involuntarily: "What does your lord mean...?"

Zhou Zhongyi picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip and said, "Let's be subordinates, don't ask too much, just follow the instructions!" After listening to Zhou Zhongyi's answer, Zhao Yi suddenly understood, and couldn't help I fell into deep thought, wondering if it was a blessing or a curse for me to become a Jinyiwei by chance.

(End of this chapter)