Chapter 5 Chapter 111 Lu Ming Yo Yo

Xia Xun sneered and said, "You guys are so bold!" Yan Chuan clasped his fists and said: The only mission entrusted by the imperial court is to protect the safety of the Duke. Anyone who tries to harm the Duke will have to fill the rank with his life. As long as we are still here, the Duke will not be allowed to be harmed!If the person who intends to hurt the Duke is the Duke himself, the rank must be resolutely stopped!After the escorted Duke arrives in Liaodong Town, he will be killed or cut to pieces, and the lowly ones are willing to be punished by the Duke!But now, the Duke wants to listen to us!

Xia Xun lowered his eyes slightly, and said after a while: If I don't go, I will feel uneasy! Zhang Wentao couldn't help being overjoyed when he heard that his tone was a little loose, and hurriedly said: But it's really unwise for the Duke to go like this!Duke, go to Liaodong first, lead the soldiers and horses, and then enter Tatar. If you want to save people, you must first have the power to protect yourself! Xia Xun was silent for a while, sighed softly, and waved sadly. Seeing this, Tang Feng hurriedly told the guards to retreat.Xia Xun said uninterestedly: "Being a prince is so boring!"

At this time, Shi Yicheng led a group of postmen carrying large bowls to bring them in. Seeing Zhang Wentao and the other four surrounded the Duke in a fan shape, looking a little bit tense, he couldn't help being slightly stunned. The steaming hot meal was served, and the tense atmosphere came to an end. There are no exquisite fine porcelain cups and bowls, but the large coarse porcelain bowls made in Liaodong. The bowls are each the size of a small washbasin. , set against the window.The window lattices were pasted with window paper, and the New Year's Eve had just passed, and red paper-cut window grilles were pasted on the window lattices, creating a festive atmosphere.

Tang Feng, Zhang Wentao, He Tianyang and Yan Chuan sat at the bottom. The five of them did not speak, but ate in silence.There are no delicate dishes, all are Liaodong-style winter stews, but they are carefully prepared, and the meat is fragrant.Stewed braised pork with dried beans and carobs, fat river fish shaved out of ice holes, stewed chicken with dried mushrooms, stewed pork with tofu and Chinese cabbage, etc. The staple food is mainly pasta, steamed buns and noodles, and a jar is also prepared Soju. After eating most of the meal, Xia Xun and the others gradually returned to normal. They talked to each other, and the atmosphere eased, and they secretly let go of their concerns.

It was already evening when they arrived at the posthouse. The winter days were short, and it was dark at that time. After they settled down and had dinner, it was already dark outside, and the howling wind in the wilderness was like wild wolves. Howling, shrill, long, endless. Although the commanders of the four major guards knew that the possibility of attacking the posthouse at night was almost zero, the Duke of the State did not dare to be careless here, and the deployment of the police posts was still strict. The front and back of the room Xia Xun lived in.After Xia Xun finished his dinner, he asked a few guards to bring in a large bucket of hot water, took a hot bath, and then changed clothes and sat down. The lights stayed on until nearly three o'clock.

The guards patrolling the front and rear could only see the figure of the Duke sitting upright with a pen on the window sills, and he thought he was thinking about various matters after going to Liaodong, so he didn't dare to disturb him, so he just lightened his steps and waited quietly . At dawn, Tang Feng and Zhang Wentao, who were on duty in the middle of the night, saw that the door of the Duke's room was closed and he was still sleeping soundly, so they yawned and went to the post office, Shi Qiusheng, to discuss today's itinerary. It is very difficult to communicate with Liaodong in winter. There is heavy snow, and the time to cut off contact with each other is as long as three or four months, which accounts for a quarter of a year. This is also the main reason why other regions are capable.Xia Xun discovered this problem when he explored Liaodong.

At that time, he vigorously developed the construction of post roads, and incorporated the plows most commonly used by the Jurchens for traveling and hunting in winter into the transportation tools of the Ming military, and focused on construction. Now the northern post roads extend in all directions, and plows are mainly used for winter traffic.Like the news that came out of Liaodong several times in the past, they were all transported by plows all the way. When they were close to Shanhaiguan, they changed to horses at the posthouse. The plow was originally a common means of transportation for the Jurchens. It can be pulled by people, oxen, horses, dogs, and even deer in some areas.The most important of these are the horse plow and the dog plow.The horse plow is suitable for plain areas, and when the snow is not very deep, even if it carries a lot of weight, it is not even difficult for it to travel two to three hundred miles a day. Under special circumstances, it can even be used as a tool for transporting military rations in winter.

Of course, considering the complex and changeable climate, some road sections are not suitable for horse plowing, so Liaodong expands its own farming production. Before the production scale is not enough for self-sufficiency, it will pass the sea route before winter comes. , Sufficient food reserves were transported from the pass, and this method was rarely used. Dog plows are adapted to various road conditions. Mountains, woodlands, deep snow, and light snow are not as heavy as horses, but they are more adaptable to the environment than horses. Not only can they walk freely in various road conditions, but they are also convenient to take care of.Dogs can eat food and meat, and can even hunt for food by themselves. It is quite easy to rest overnight in the wild snow, and at the same time, it can also play a role in vigilance, guarding, searching, and tracking, while horses are not. Note that measures to keep out the cold are very troublesome.

So after comparison, each post station finally uses a lot of dog plows, and each post station raises large dogs. The post station where Xia Xun stayed is the first stop connecting Liaodong and Guannei, so the dogs raised are especially There are many, a kennel is specially built in the corner of the spacious yard expanded by the post station, and there are hundreds of dogs. Yesterday, Xia Xun's people had already explained to Shi Yicheng that they wanted to change the plow here and continue to go north. Anyway, the plow and the dog were ready-made, and Shi Yicheng didn't take it too seriously. Now when he saw the two military masters When I came to find myself, I couldn't help but whisper in my heart: Is this too urgent?

In fact, Tang Feng and Zhang Wentao didn't want to go so early in the morning, but although they tried their best to stop the Duke yesterday, they also knew that the Duke was very anxious. Since the Duke promised not to personally take risks, it would be better to arrive in Liaodong as soon as possible, so as to save everyone I was worried, so I came to urge him early in the morning. Shi Yicheng hurriedly said: "Two generals, wait a moment. I'll go and arrange it. The kitchen is preparing meals. After the Duke and the military masters have breakfast, we can go on the road. There will be absolutely no delay."

While talking, Shi Yicheng greeted a few postmen and followed him to the backyard to prepare.He brought out the dog, put on the bridle, and fastened the plow, and was busy when someone suddenly asked: "Master Yicheng, where are the three deer we raised?" Shi Yicheng turned his head and saw that the livestock pen on the other side was really empty. Could it be that the three deer were lying down and sleeping?Shi Yicheng hurried over to look into the livestock pen, but there was still nothing there. On this side, there are stables, cattle pens, and a few deer.The ox is used to pull the ox plow into the mountains to collect firewood, but the deer was bought from the savage Jurchen. The deer plow is the same as the dog plow, and both have advantages over the horse plow, but using the deer plow There are very few of them, that's too extravagant, Shi Yicheng bought these deer, he just wanted to raise some deer antlers to make some money, but he didn't expect the deer to disappear. The door is still closed, but the deer is gone?Shi Yicheng went into the cattle pen and looked around carefully, and immediately thought that the guards of the Duke of the State might have played tricks. This is the only reasonable explanation, otherwise why would the few good deer disappear?Shi Yicheng was furious in his heart, and hurriedly came back to the two guard commanders to complain about his grievances. Tang Feng and the two felt absurd when they heard it. If the guards were responsible, where could they get the deer?Could it be that they roasted the deer to eat last night?Shi Yicheng choked up a few words from them and had no choice but to swallow his anger and leave. When he got to the kitchen, he thought about it more and more. He lifted the lid of the pot and spat a few times into the porridge, which calmed down a little. After a while, the food was ready, and all the guards got up, washed and prepared to eat. At this time, Xia Xun still closed the door tightly and did not get up. Tang Feng frowned, feeling strange.He has always served as the Duke's bodyguard, so he knows the Duke's work and rest. The Duke gets up very early every day, much earlier than the guards. He always has to punch and practice a few times before he washes his face. What's going on today? sleep so long? After discussing with the other three leaders, Tang Feng knocked on the door and called several times, but there was no movement in the room. Tang Feng and the others immediately became alert, and they knocked on the door and window to greet each other, but still disappeared. Someone in the room answered, and several people broke into the door in a hurry.The door of the room was kicked open, rushed in and took a quick look, there was no one in the inner and outer rooms, the couch was empty, but there was a letter on the table, with a few large characters written on the envelope: Your Majesty Yang Xu, His Majesty the Emperor! The minister said something from the bottom of his heart. The changes in Liaodong were Ji Gang's act of asking for merit and flattering him, eager for success.I have no evidence, and I have no right to gossip, but my life and death are uncertain, so I have to say, I hope the emperor will see clearly!I know I shouldn't go!But if I don't go, my conscience will be uneasy all my life. I am not a hero, nor a strong man, let alone a qualified courtier, a mediocre man, a man, that's all! The deer chirped, the snowflakes splashed, and a plow was galloping on the snowy field at dawn. Mountains, rivers and plains are covered with silver.The jackdaws in the forest suddenly croaked a few times, and before they could spread their wings and escape, the plow flew past under the tree, and the land was still desolate and silent.The gloomy and desolate mountain scenery, between the rugged mountains, is covered with snow, a vast expanse, the roads have disappeared, and the gullies are hard to distinguish. Only the howling cold wind swayed the bone-piercing chill. The plow slid across the snow, making a rustling sound. Xia Xun sat on the plow, wrapped up thickly, only a pair of eyes were exposed, and his head and body were covered in frost and snow, just like a Santa Claus. There were two guards sitting in front of him, who were concentrating on controlling the direction of the plow. These two were the two people he called to fetch water for bathing last night, Tan Bo and Peng Hao, these were the ones he had placed among the guards. The two Submarine Dragon secret agents, at the critical moment, are still completely controlled by him alone, so they will not question his decision, and only follow his orders. At the moment when Tuqiongdagger appeared, once the news of the Ming army's surprise attack on the back of Oara reached the ears of the Oirats who were fighting ahead, the purpose of the Ming Dynasty would be revealed. It is very normal for them to kill to vent their anger. If he goes to Liaodong first and then to Tatar, he is deceiving himself and others against his conscience, and he is just going to collect Sakura's body. Qing was innocent and jumped into the fire pit because of him. He either dragged her out of the fire pit or jumped into the fire pit with her. This was affection and morality!