At the South Gate of Beiping, two gatekeeper soldiers were chatting idly:

  "Song Ge, you said we gatekeepers have no future, right? The kind that can't be promoted for a lifetime."

  "You little brat only knows how to daydream. What's wrong with guarding the city gate? Are you comfortable? Want to get promoted and go to the border town? If you don't die in three years, I guarantee you'll be in a high position."

  "That's not possible, I'm the only son in my family, I absolutely cannot die, and the thought of having no descendants is unbearable."

  "Then you'd better just honestly guard the gate, at least your life won't be in danger. Unless you've done something you shouldn't have..."

  Just as the two were about to continue chatting, several other gatekeeper soldiers ran over from outside the city gate.

  "Hurry up, hurry up, Old Song and you two clear a path through the crowd."

  Old Song and his companion hastily drove the pedestrians to one side, and the common people also seemed to know something, and they all leaned towards one side of the city gate.

  At this time, a horseman came running from far outside the city, with two red small flags on his back and a round wooden cylinder in his arms. The flag had the word "urgent" written on it, which was an urgent military report.

  The soldier guarding the gate had just discovered the two small flags and was hastily clearing the road to facilitate the military messenger's quick entry into the city, lest they be guilty of delaying military orders.

  "Ride, ride!" The knight galloped into the city along the newly cleared road, and the citizens who were entering the city saw this knight and began to discuss it.

  "You say this urgent military news is rarely seen, thinking back to the year when our dynasty's great army marched north, that was a time of swift horses and urgent reports everywhere."

  "Yes, at that time, it was at least three flags of the military newspaper..."

  The two men came back to their senses and watched the cavalry disappear into the distance, driving away the crowds of people gathered at the city gate. The people had no choice but to end their discussion and disperse.

  "Hey, Song Ge, you didn't finish saying what shouldn't be done earlier." The lone soldier continued the previous topic with nothing better to do.

  Old Song patted the dust off his body and said, "Guarding the gate is most important to have eyesight. Military reports, official reports are easy to say, but what's feared most are the sons of officials. Two years ago, an old soldier guarding the gate stopped some young masters who wanted to ride their horses into the city. According to reason, those young masters should have dismounted at the city gate. The man was stopped, but as a result, the old soldier had one leg broken by someone on his way home that day. Now do you understand what can't be done?"

  "Alright, it's time for the shift change, I'm going home to rest." Old Song said as he turned and left, his aged figure swaying up and down in an uncoordinated manner. Upon closer inspection, Old Song's right calf had an unnatural curvature.

  The young soldier looked at Old Song's back, looking at his leg, as if he understood something...

  Yan Wang Fu Main Gate

  The military envoy has arrived here, and the swift horse under him was led down by the guards, while the envoy rushed into the government office.

  At this time, King Yan Zhu Di was reviewing documents, and the clerks coming and going beside him were all in a hurry. It turned out that at this time, it was autumn harvest season, and as the highest military commander, Zhu Di was dealing with the issue of winter military rations for various passes on the border.

  "What about the military rations that were sent out?" Zhu Di asked aloud while looking at the document in his hand.

  The newly appointed Chancellor of the Yan King's Mansion, Zhou Chao, flipped through the booklet in his hand and replied: "All military rations for Xuanfu Town were dispatched a few days ago. The military rations for Miyun Qianhu, Yingzhou Wei, etc. should also arrive soon."

  "All right, now that the military rations of Yongping Prefecture have been dispatched, it's a great success." Zhu Di said with joy, putting down the official document in his hand.

  "Bo Xian, this time I owe it to you that I can handle the military winter grain matter in such a short period of time. Moreover, since you took office in my palace several months ago, all the major and minor matters in the palace have been handled properly, truly worthy of me personally recommending you to the Emperor."

  This week's character is Zaozi Bo Xian, a Jianghuai native. From an early age, he was deeply fond of reading and worked diligently, studying the classics, history, and philosophers' works. In the 23rd year of the Zhengtong era of the previous dynasty, he passed the imperial examination and was awarded the title of Advanced Scholar. He once served as the Magistrate of Linjiang Prefecture but later abandoned his official post due to offending a superior and returned home in seclusion. He has been summoned by the current Emperor to serve as a Sichuan Academy Lecturer, responsible for compiling and reviewing historical documents.

  He should have been promoted to the position of Zhan Shi in the Imperial Academy, and even concurrently held the title of Li Bu Shilang, from which he would have risen to high office, becoming a Minister or Governor.

  However, his straightforward and rigid personality was not likable, and his relationship with his colleagues in the Hanlin Academy was also very cold. Even Zhu Lao Yezi thought he was too stiff and unchanging, and just as his fourth son came to say that the new Wang Fu was still short of a historian, he directly sent Zhou Chao to Beiping.

  For other colleagues in the Hanlin Academy, from a promising Shijiang scholar to a small Changshi in a vassal king's mansion, this is directly being kicked out of the power center.

  It doesn't matter to Zhou Chao himself, he also understands that his personality has problems, but he never thought of changing, reading the books of saints and sages to understand virtue and etiquette, being a person should stick to one's original heart.

  When he first arrived in Beiping, the two had some exchanges. Zhu Di also knew about Zhou Chao's affairs and was very impressed with his academic attainments. He also had no complaints about his character. Now, as the King of Yan, he needed talented scholars like Zhou Chao to assist him in governing, not old bureaucrats who would deceive him with their experience in officialdom.

  After several months of duty at the Wangfu, the two exchanged more and more closely, and Zhu Di always treated Zhou with courtesy as a teacher. Every time something big happened, he had to ask him, this grain thing was also assisted by Zhou for Zhu Di.

  Two men were checking the final winter military rations for Yongping Prefecture according to the ledger when sudden rapid footsteps were heard outside the hall, and the postal station messenger was seen entering the hall quickly under the leadership of the guards.

  The envoy untied the cylindrical object from his bosom and presented it: "Tongzhou Post presents to General Shi Guan two levels of military information!"

  Zhu Dian's eyebrows furrowed as soon as he heard, previously there were some Northern Yuan scattered soldiers invading the border, but didn't Yang Ting, the commander of the garrison in Yingzhou, personally lead troops to reinforce the defense? How could there still be military information sent afterwards? If the border situation is urgent, why are there only two-level command flags?

  Just as Zhu Di was puzzled and couldn't understand, the guard brought in a letter from the tube. Zhu Di carefully opened the wax seal and read it.

  "Bang" Zhu Di coldly snorted and slapped the letter onto the table.

  "This is absolutely outrageous! How dare these rustic and insolent commoners behave in such a manner? People like them should be put to death immediately. Summon the troops at once and send them to quell this rebellion!"

  Zhou Chao, who was listening on the side, couldn't help but ask: "Your Highness, what is it in this letter that has caused you to be so upset?"

  "Take it and see for yourself!" Zhu Di handed the letter to Zhou Chao with a cold face, Zhou Chao took it quickly and scanned it, roughly understanding what had happened.

  "Your Highness, this matter is neither big nor small. Although the stolen military rations are not many, these bandits openly killed and looted our Ming army soldiers and supplies. This is a blatant provocation to our Ming army! We should quickly dispatch troops to quell them, otherwise, where will we put the face of our Ming army officers? Moreover, Your Highness also needs this great victory to prove yourself at this time."

  "Brother said it makes sense, I just arrived in this land, and I need a big victory to establish my reputation. However, recently, there have been Yuan people appearing at the border passes, according to scouts' reports, due to internal conflicts within the Northern Yuan court, the troops are not getting their rations, so these Northern Yuan soldiers can only come to our Great Ming borders to burn, kill and loot. The various garrisons have all dispatched troops to defend the borders, and the remaining old, weak, sick and disabled cannot even take part in battle. I have the intention of killing the enemy, but alas, my hands are empty." Zhu Di said helplessly.

  "Your Highness, the knife is right in front of you, why mention 'no knife'?"

  "Where is the knife?"

  "Your Highness, the Yanshan guards have just been reorganized, and it would be perfect to dispatch a few thousand households from them to suppress the bandits. Firstly, it can train new soldiers to kill enemies, and secondly, relying on the newly acquired firearms, they can quickly annihilate the enemy to achieve the purpose of establishing prestige."

  Zhu Di nodded after listening, and he already understood in his heart that this was the most suitable method at present. He immediately ordered the guards: "Order Yan Shan Zhong Hu Wei Qian Hu Zhuo Fu, Zhu Neng; Yan Shan Zuo Hu Wei Qian Hu Li Quan, Li Dan four people to come to the Yan Wang Fu to listen to orders..."

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