Seiwa

In October of the second year of Jianwen, Peking

Yesterday was still autumn, and after one night, heavy snow fell one after another.

Pushing open the door, Meng Qinghe stomped his feet, rubbed his hands, took a deep breath, and finally dispelled some of the coolness.

News came from Nanjing that the army led by Sheng Yong had set off and would arrive in Jinan soon.The eunuchs in the palace were dedicated to their duties, and the intelligence work was done very meticulously, including the leading generals of the army, the marching route, and the general attack plan were secretly reported to King Yan.

Wu Jie, Anluhou, who is stationed in Dezhou, is under the greatest pressure. When Sheng Yong arrives in Jinan, he will definitely fight Dezhou first.If you don't go to Dezhou, you will not feel at ease when you enter Hebei.

King Yan called all the generals to discuss countermeasures, and all the generals proposed to march into Shandong, before the imperial army arrived, to insert the nails first.

Unexpectedly, when the order was issued, the target of the attack was Liaodong.

King Liao was called to Nanjing by an edict of Emperor Jianwen. After entering Beijing, he was trapped in Prince Liao's mansion, and his treatment was not much better than that of King Qi who was under house arrest.

In Liaodong, most of the state capitals have surrendered to the King of Yan, and the remaining corners and corners will not be patronized by Northern Yuan threshing grass, except for bitterness and cold.Let alone prefectures and counties, there are very few frontier guards. Sending troops to attack these places in the winter, is it full?

The generals couldn't understand how His Royal Highness Yan Wang, who has always been wise and decisive, would make such a convulsive military plan.

But the order has been issued, and it is useless to object.

Military orders are like a mountain, Zhang Yuzhu Neng and other generals can only obey orders.

Shen Xuan was still the striker, and Yang Duo, who had returned from the grassland, was brought under Zhu Neng's command.

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui went out together, and Beiping was left to Zhu Gaochi to defend.With Li Jinglong's precedent, knowing that Zhu Di left Beiping, Sheng Yong would not take the risk easily.Even if we want to fight Peiping, we have to wait until spring comes.

If Zhu Gaochi organizes another ice sculpture exhibition, who can stand it?

Meng Qinghe did not go out with the army, the weather was suddenly cold, he started to have a fever and cough, Dr. Zhao saw it, and said that it was a relapse of an old injury, which hurt the foundation of the body, and needed to be recuperated.

Zhu Gaochi took the opportunity to ask for someone from the King of Yan. It was freezing cold, and Meng Tongzhi's follow-up expedition would not be of much use. It would be better to stay in Beiping to help him with government affairs, and let the good doctor of the royal family take care of him by the way.

"Meng Tong knows that he is not as good as the weak crown, and he is a great talent. If he can't take care of his health, it will be a pity."

Regardless of Zhu Gaochi's purpose, he helped Meng Qinghe.

Meng Qinghe didn't know if he would be able to carry it if he really issued the certificate with the army.This year seems to be colder than last year.

"Since that's the case, Tongzhi Meng can stay in the palace and listen to the prince's orders."

"Thank you, Father."

A large part of the reason why Meng Qinghe was left behind was because of the grassland tribes he belonged to.

After the selected tribal warriors go out with the army, the old, young, women and children left behind need to be properly arranged. This is the task entrusted to Zhu Gaochi by King Yan, and Zhu Gaochi always needs some helpers.Strange to say, none of the Beiping chief envoys and officials of the royal family could communicate well with these Mongols, but Meng Qinghe was a special case.

Language barrier?It's ok, there are translations.Otherwise, you can draw directly.

When Mongolian tribes send people to ask for food, salt, and various daily necessities, the civil servants want face, and they hold the theory of saints, so it’s not good to argue with them because of three melons and two dates. Beard stares, the table cannot be lifted and the stool is still thrown.

In Meng Qinghe's place, from reception to bargaining to sending the person away, it doesn't take two cups of tea.

Hou Xian, who was also sent to Zhu Gaochi to take orders, could not help but sigh, if Meng Tongzhi had accompanied him back then, he would have fooled... No, because there must be more tribes who admire the prince and belong to them.

In fact, Meng Qinghe is not much better than Hou Xian and others, he is just more observant, and can guess the intentions of these tribes to the greatest extent.Then start bargaining.

It is not as good as civil officials, and they will not lose their temper at every turn, so they are naturally handy in doing things.

If you want food, you can.

You can also ask for salt and spices.

If you want cloth, no problem!

However, things cannot be given in vain.

Meng Twelve Lang smiled and calculated, "Now the land where you set up your tents is given by the prince. The pastures for grazing after spring are also divided by the prince. Don't you want better pastures, raise more cattle and sheep, and live a better life?" better?"

The words really hit the other person's itching.

The strong men stopped clapping their tables, and stopped staring. They stared at Meng Qinghe eagerly, with stars in their eyes.

Horses can be ridden, and cattle and sheep are in herds, so there is no need to worry about starving livestock to death or freezing to death in the winter.

What a life!

The reason why these tribes were persuaded by Hou Xian and were willing to join in was that they couldn't survive on the grassland.

Life is already difficult, coupled with the squeeze of the big tribe, the tribe's cattle, sheep and population have been decreasing.Adults can't eat enough, children can't support, how to fight against the difficult living environment?If things go on like this, sooner or later they will be annexed by other tribes.

The glory of the great Genghis Khan can only be recalled in dreams, and the golden family has declined.The Qierjisi, Arutai and Oirat tribes of Asut are in a melee, and the life of the grassland herdsmen is becoming more difficult day by day.

The big fish eat the small fish, but the small fish cannot eat the dried shrimps. Such a vicious cycle, when the small fish are devoured, the big fish can only consume each other, and the only thing waiting for these big fish is death.

Hou Xian and Yang Duo's solicitation gave these tribes vitality, while Meng Qinghe told them that if they want benefits, they must pay a price.

"My lord is merciful. I gave you a place to stay, and you should give something in return. After all, there is no free food in this world, and there is no free gain."

Meng Qinghe smiled calmly and confidently.He had found out the details of these tribes from Hou Xian, and it would not be difficult for them to accept the conditions he offered.The failure to negotiate before was nothing more than the fact that the officials contacted did not understand the negotiating opponents and could not save face.

Thinking of this, Meng Qinghe couldn't help sighing, is it difficult to ask?Would it really hurt self-esteem to ask eunuchs and military officers for advice?

It seems that not only the civil officials under Emperor Jianwen were out of tune, but also those under King Yan.

To put it bluntly, noble scholars look down on soldiers and men, and even less favor eunuchs.It's not bad if you don't jump high and swear, so ask for advice?Totally impossible.

Meng Twelve Lang shook his head, civil and military discord, every dynasty has it, but it was magnified to the extreme in the Ming Dynasty.

Can it be considered a feature?

The strong men were finally persuaded by Meng Qinghe, and took the initiative to reduce the amount of grain and cloth by half, exchanged the cattle and sheep in the tribe for chickens, ducks and salt, pressed their fingerprints on the exchange contract drawn by Meng Tongzhi, and pulled the extra gift The carriage happily returned to the camp.

Before leaving, he patted his chest and called Meng Tongzhi brother.

Meng Qinghe watched the carriage go away with a smile, not feeling guilty at all.

Looking at the flock of sheep crowded in the yard, Zhu Gaochi and the officials of the palace were silent for a long time.

Meng Tongzhi's shot was really extraordinary.Not only was the grain given reduced by half, but hundreds of sheep were also harvested!

"My lord, these are just deposits." Meng Qinghe clasped his fists and said to Zhu Gaochi, "Another 250 sheep will be delivered within three days."

"How many?"

"Two hundred and five." The corner of his mouth twitched unconsciously, and he didn't expect this number to be settled.

Zhu Gaochi was overjoyed, clasped his palms and laughed, and said: "Meng Tongzhi is really good, but he was troubled by these Mongolians alone, and he still couldn't think of a proper way. How did Meng Tongzhi persuade them?"

Meng Qinghe didn't speak, just took out a stack of "contracts" with fingerprints from his arms, and offered them with both hands.

Zhu Gaochi flipped through it curiously, and the expression on his face became more and more exciting.

The first one, he is familiar with, a ferocious sheep, five stick figures.The white strip in Duoyan Sanwei's hand is also of this type.

The second one is also a ferocious sheep, two fat ones, what are they?

Looking over, Meng Qinghe grinned, "Hui Shizi, it's a chicken."

Zhu Gaochi: "..."

Beheading a sheep at the fifth level, but one sheep can only be exchanged for two chickens?

What's the point, does it count?The Mongols agreed?

Meng Qinghe said that the content of the contract is absolutely true, and the business is also innocent.

As for the reason, he did nothing else but took these Mongolians to visit the "chicken farm" run by Monk Daoyan.

Before King Yan rebelled, in order to keep the secret of the underground arsenal, he raised a large number of chickens and ducks in the palace, and was complained of disturbing the people.

At the beginning, the palace used the reason that chickens and ducks were raised for blessing, and they could not be killed to prevaricate Zhang Bing.After the seizure of Beiping, these poultry were moved to a remote courtyard in the palace to be raised, and the number increased.Killing a group, and growing another group, it is not worthwhile to use it as military rations. It is better to exchange it with the Mongolian tribes who belonged to them.

The problem of the tribe is solved, and the bonus for Duoyan Sanwei is also available.

"The humble official believes that these tribes belong to the prince to fill their stomachs. The men in the tribe follow the prince to go out to fight, and there is no suitable pasture in winter. It is better to replace the cattle and sheep with chickens and ducks. There are meat and eggs to eat. There are more You can also go to the market to exchange for other things you need.”

Meng Qinghe took out a few more sheets of paper, on which were drawn two circles of similar size, one circled two sheep, and the other contained seven or eight chickens.

"On the prairie, these tribes have to migrate by water and grass. After surrendering to the prince, some habits can be changed as appropriate. As long as life is better, no one should complain."

Meng Qinghe spoke a little vaguely, but Zhu Gaochi heard it very clearly.

"You promised to give them pasture?"

"Yes." Meng Qinghe said, "But I didn't say where the humble position is. When the prince achieves a great cause, the torn Bei Yuan will naturally not be an opponent. It will not be a problem to win a few grasslands."

Meng Qinghe didn't say the following words, once the subordinate tribe got used to living a settled life, would they still think of going to the grassland to eat and sleep in the open?

Obviously not possible.

Zhu Gaochi nodded, and put away the two stacks of papers and passed them to the civil servants on the side, "Look, my father entrusted this matter to Gu, because I trust Gu. Please entrust everyone, and also value the talents of the gentlemen. Gu is considerate of you. , the difficulty of being alone, you should also be considerate."

Everyone was ashamed, but Meng Qinghe secretly complained.

Does Zhu Gaochi value him or harm him?Obviously pulling hatred value!

Should he be thankful that he stands firmly in the ranks of military attaches and doesn't have to deal with these civil servants often?

Meng Qinghe smacked his lips, unable to understand.

That night, Meng Qinghe tossed and turned, thinking a lot.It might not be a good idea to stay in Peiping.Are you really following King Yan?He doesn't want to make fun of his body.

Monk Daoyan read Buddhist scriptures all night, and he was still in good spirits.Knowing from the inner eunuch that the problem of belonging to the tribe has been resolved, he sent someone to invite Meng Qinghe, and then sent someone to report back to the son. Today he wants to discuss Buddhism with his disciples, please forgive me.

The subtext is: the great monk wants to talk to his apprentice, and the son wants to catch a strong man, let's find someone else for now.

Meng Qinghe was naturally happy to be able to temporarily escape from the heavy work.The price is to be buzzed by the great monk, gritted his teeth, and can always survive.

Walking into Dao Yan's wing room, a step of heating rushed towards him.

The layout in the wing room is simple, even crude, except for a bookshelf, a table, and two futons, there is nothing else.

Dao Yan signaled to Meng Qinghe that there is no need to be formal, and to sit down and talk.

There is a kettle on the charcoal stove, and there are a few pieces of burnt scones, exuding a tempting aroma of wheat.

Meng Qinghe stared at the scones without moving his eyes.

Dao Yan twirled the beads and smiled slightly, "Is this apprentice hungry?"

"I'm a little hungry." Meng Qinghe was already numb to Dao Yan calling him his apprentice.

Just call it, it won't lose a piece of meat anyway.

"In that case, let's use it together as a teacher."

An eunuch brought rice porridge and side dishes, and Dao Yan picked up a scone and put it in the empty bowl in front of Meng Qinghe, "Use more, eat more, and your health will be good."

The fragrant scones are a bit hot to the mouth, bite down, and the smell of wheat is wrapped in the smell of meat.

Meng Qinghe looked at Dao Yan in surprise, meat stuffing?

The monk is dishonest!

Dao Yan broke open the scones on his plate, but they were filled with vegetarian food, the meaning was very clear, meat food was prepared for good disciples, he was a monk, how could he break the precept so easily.

Monk?

Meng Qinghe took another bite of the cake, and poured down half a bowl of porridge. The six senses of the monks are pure, the six realms are empty, and he regards the world as nothing, and will exhaust his thoughts to instigate King Yan to rebel?

Dao Yan seemed to be able to guess what Meng Qinghe was thinking, so he didn't explain, but just ate cakes and porridge bit by bit, without eating or sleeping.

In the silence, the food in front of him was swept away, and the eunuch brought tea, Meng Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief, he hadn't eaten so full for a long time.

After drinking tea, the room fell into silence again.

Dao Yan can sit quietly all day, but Meng Qinghe can't, so he can only ask first: "Master asked me to come, but do you have something to order?"

"Indeed." Dao Yan nodded, took out a book from the bookshelf and handed it to Meng Qinghe, and said in a very profound way: "I hope my disciple will enjoy studying this book."

Meng Qinghe looked at Dao Yan, and then at the cover of the book. The words "Tao Te Ching" came into his eyes impressively.

"Master, are you sure you want me to study this book carefully?"

As a monk, let his apprentice study Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching"?Even the "Diamond Sutra" is better than the "Tao Te Ching", right?What is the difference between this and letting him defect from the sect directly?

No, he hasn't apprenticed to a teacher yet, nor has he joined this monk's bad sect!

Before Meng Qinghe could figure it out, the book in his hand was suddenly taken away again.

Raising his head, a trace of embarrassment flashed across Monk Daoyan's face, "I took the wrong one for my teacher, these are the right ones."

Meng Qinghe took it, looked down again, "Book of Changes".It is no better than the Tao Te Ching.

Looking suspiciously at Dao Yan, is this really a Buddhist disciple?

"Master taught, I must study hard."

Judging from the pages of the book, the "Book of Changes" in his hand must be an ancient copy, probably handed down before the Song Dynasty.Leaving aside the contents of the book, the book itself is priceless.

Both "Tao Te Ching" and "Book of Changes" are not things of Buddhism. Did the great monk neglect it, or did it on purpose?

Dao Yan twiddled the Buddhist beads, and wanted to say a few words to save his image in the mind of his disciples, but Meng Qinghe suddenly stood up, saying that he had benefited a lot from the meeting with the master today, and that he would study the classics painstakingly after returning home, and never Live up to the master's attention.

"Master, I bid farewell."

Meng Tongzhi turned around and went out, his movements were crisp and neat.

Dao Yan sat on the futon and didn't speak for a while.

After a long time, he closed his eyes and smiled lightly, and recited the Buddhist scriptures again.

This apprentice is really cunning, and he still refuses to call him "Master" after taking advantage of it.

It doesn't matter, the monk has plenty of patience.

The apprentice can't escape after all.It doesn't matter if you call me master or not.

In the next few days, Meng Qinghe was often invited by Dao Yan to "talk about Buddhism", but Zhu Gaochi's every attempt to catch a strong man was in vain.

Isn't this too coincidental?Zhu Gaochi didn't realize it until Princess Yan reminded him.

"Your father entrusted you with the government affairs of Beiping, and he also wanted to see your ability to control the subordinates." Princess Yan was still a little sick, but her complexion was much better than two months ago, "Meng Twelve Lang is talented, you want To use him, you also need to think about how to use it.”

"Son……"

"You have been taught by a Confucian teacher since you were a child, and it is a good thing that you are not as ostentatious as your two younger brothers." Princess Yan paused, and then said, "But don't just learn all the twists and turns in the stomach of Confucianism, which will make people feel uncomfortable." Chilling."

Zhu Gaochi didn't speak.

"Why can your father be supported? Why are your two younger brothers praised by the military officer?" Princess Yan looked at Zhu Gaochi with sharp eyes, "You are getting older, and the mother and concubine don't want to say more. There is only one thing, look at the emperor in Nanjing. , still can't understand?"

"……Yes."

After exiting the main hall where Princess Yan lived, Zhu Gaochi's forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat.

Thinking of the concubine's words, my heart sank.

Why did Master Daoyan invite Meng Qinghe to go suddenly, and why did the mother and concubine suddenly teach this way and compare them with the two younger brothers?

The way to control?

Zhu Gaochi let out a breath, a little dazed, and seemed to understand something.

After Princess Yan talked with the crown prince, the number of times Dao Yan invited Meng Qinghe to study Buddhism gradually decreased. At least Wang An would not be in vain again and again when looking for someone.

The atmosphere of the royal family's officials also changed. As the work assigned by the son gradually eased, less and less eyes were staring at Meng Qinghe.Even if there is, it is no longer as annoying as in the past, which really makes Meng Twelve Lang a lot easier.

Between work, Meng Qinghe began to study the classics that Dao Yan had given him.

"Book of Changes" is difficult to understand, but if you read it carefully, you can get a different experience every time.The wisdom accumulated by the ancestors is a treasure that is difficult to obtain in the impetuous steel and concrete society.

When you calm down, you can discover many shortcomings in your body.

Clever, aggressive and competitive, the benevolence of a woman, looking forward and backward.

He thought he was very low-key, but he became a rafter everywhere.

I thought I was walking very steadily, but I didn't know that I was stepping on a single-plank bridge.

Gradually, Meng Qinghe understood Dao Yan's intentions.

One day, he was called by Daoyan to study Buddhism again. Meng Twelve Lang saluted Daoyan sincerely and said, "Thank you, master."

Dao Yan twisted the beads, "Still unwilling to call the poor monk Master?"

Meng Qinghe: "..." Gratitude is gratitude, joining a bad sect is out of the question.

"Forget it." Dao Yan smiled, "There will be such a day."

Let's see how long you can keep your mouth shut!

In mid-October, the battle report ahead was sent back to Peiping.

The military order issued by the King of Yan was to conquer Liaodong, but he turned south halfway through Tianjin, passed Zhigu, and pointed at Cangzhou, which was captured by Xu Kai not long ago.

The generals were puzzled, but the reason given by the King of Yan was "Looking at the stars at night, there are two white air, pointing from the northeast to the southwest, it must be Linan!"

Playing feudal superstition, Yan Wang is very familiar with it.

God guides, the south is good, there are advantages to take advantage of in the south, let's not go to Liaodong, attack south!

Before sending out troops, King Yan and Dao Yan made up this plan to confuse the imperial court and catch the opponent by surprise.Except for the two who made the plan, even Zhang Yuzhu Neng and other generals were kept secret.After the troops were dispatched, the generals found that the direction of the forward's exploration was wrong. After questioning, King Yan finally revealed the reason.

In winter, it is extremely cold, rainy, snowy and muddy, and it is not easy to siege the city.Only by attacking the unprepared and making a quick decision can the loss be minimized.

Xu Kai, who is stationed in Cangzhou, is Zhu Di's defeated general, and it is not a problem to join forces.

After taking Cangzhou, he then entered Shandong, joined Wu Jie in Dezhou, and fought a decisive battle with the imperial army.

"In the cold season, when the river is blocked by heavy snow, we can use the road to cross the river and reach the city of Cangzhou."

Shen Xuan, who served as the vanguard, set off first, and Yang Duo led three thousand cavalry to echo around.On the road, when he met a scout cavalry from the Southern Army, he immediately captured and killed him.

When the vanguard of the Yan Army arrived in Cangzhou, Xu Kai, who was stationed here, still didn't notice it, and he wholeheartedly urged the soldiers to build city defenses to guard against Zhu Di.

It wasn't until Shen Xuan and Yang Duo led the cavalry appeared at the base of the city that the defenders in the city realized that something was wrong.

Yan Jun came too fast, Xu Kai didn't get any information.

Didn't it mean that the King of Yan wanted to fight Liaodong on a whim?How could it suddenly appear in Cangzhou?

Taking advantage of the chaos in the city, the Yan army launched an attack from all sides.

Under the cover of bows and arrows, Yan Jun set up a ladder and climbed up the city.

If the defender kills one, the second will immediately follow.The attitude of not fearing death quickly defeated the will of the defenders.

Xu Kai personally supervised the battle and did not hold back his position, especially when Shen Xuan also climbed up to the top of the city and showed his long knife. After being recognized by a southern army who had experienced the Battle of Baigouhe, he exclaimed, the guards at the top of the city The army turned around and ran away.

Isn't this god of killing easy to provoke, even the commander-in-chief Ping, who is brave in the three armies, can't stand it, so why don't he run away and wait for his head to be lost?

Holding the saber, Shen Xuan watched the southern army receding like a tide at the top of the wall, followed by the Yan army climbing up the top of the wall one after another, the expression on his face was indescribable.

Looking at the "isolated" Commander Shen, Zhang Yu held back his smile.

Zhu Neng was not so polite, he slapped Shen Xuan on the back, and said with a big laugh, "You are amazing! I killed Qu Neng without this treatment."

Shen Xuan: "..."

Cangzhou was defeated in the first battle. The main general Xu Kai, the governor Chen Xian, and the commanders Yu Qi and Zhao Hu were all captured alive.The Yan army beheaded more than ten thousand people, and the rest surrendered.A large amount of luggage was seized, and all of them were transported back to Peiping except for the need to replenish the army.

All the soldiers of the forward troops were captured, but Commander Shen was surprised that he didn't get a single head.When he approached, the Southern Army ran away without any hesitation.If he couldn't run away, he immediately surrendered and resolutely refused to give him a chance to kill someone.

It can be seen that the force value is too high, not only has no friends, but even enemies are difficult to find.

How can this life be so tough.

With Meng Tongzhi absent, no one can dispel the evil spirit on Commander Shen, and the soldiers at Yanshan's rear guard can only hope for their own blessings.