Bright Spring

Wang Bin clasped his fists and bowed, "I will remember the teachings of the Holy One."

Zhu Gaoxu looked at Xue Yan, "The new policy is for the long-term of the country, and it involves complicated and long-term responsibilities. Only when the monarch and ministers are united can we achieve the feat of blessing forever."

Xue Yan said, "I am very lucky to be able to drive for the sage. I should urge the six departments and five temples in Beizhili to cooperate wholeheartedly with the general plan of the capital, so that the speech, road and government orders can flow smoothly."

Zhu Gaoxu nodded in approval and said, "Xue Butang is a man of great talent."

At this time, the eunuch brought up the plate with wine glasses, Zhu Gaoxu served a glass first, and all the officials served the wine one after another.Zhu Gaoxu raised his wine glass, "Just wait for everyone to return to the court after victory."

"The ministers should do their best to share the worries of the Holy One." Everyone said good things for a while, and then drank all the wine.They kowtowed and said goodbye again, then exited the gazebo, turned around and headed towards the ferry boat by the river.

At this time, the teenagers of the Armed Forces Institute wore military uniforms and lined up to the riverside, played "Wanli Jinling", and bid farewell to the soldiers who went north in the ceremony and music.The family members of the soldiers also saw off on the side of the road, making a lot of noise.After the monarch and ministers separated, the riverside became even more lively.

The sound of the orchestra floats in the sound of the waves.Zhu Gaoxu watched the ferry gradually leave the shore, and his eyes spread to the distance, and he could only see the vast river with misty waves.

Chapter 969 The Snow Falls Silently

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It was early winter when Xue Yan and other people arrived in the North Zhili area.He and the soldiers of the Jingying didn't go to Beijing|Beijing, and after leaving Yongping Mansion, they didn't go to the Liaoxi Corridor, and went straight north into the Yanshan area.

Going up along the Laoha River, as long as you cross the Laoha River, you have crossed the Yanshan Mountains, and Daning City is not far away.

"My lord." Someone called from outside the bumpy carriage.

Xue Yan opened the straw curtain, and suddenly the snowflakes all over the sky came into view.He was immediately attracted and looked at the sky in surprise.Xueluo was silent, he had no idea when Ruixue began to descend on the world, and when he realized it, there were already many.

When the voice just now came again, Xue Yan came back to his senses this time and realized that someone had called him just now.The general clasped his fists and said, "The river is frozen. General Wu is afraid that it will not be strong, so he has sent the vanguard to build the bridge. The boat bridge has not been completed yet. Commander Wang ordered that the march be stopped today and camp at a nearby place."

Xue Yan nodded in response.After a while, he bent down from behind the carriage and walked down, then put a deep purple cloak over the red robe and tied it with a rope.

All the officials and soldiers around saluted him respectfully, including Pei Youzhen, the minister of the Ministry of War.After a while, I saw the commander-in-chief Wang Bin also walking towards this side on horseback.

After Xue Yan returned the gift, he looked around for a while, then turned around and walked, climbing up a hillside.He reached the top of the slope, looked back to the south, and saw layers of mountains behind him, as if one mountain was higher than the other; while the terrain of the Laoha River basin in front was getting lower and flattened.

"The most urgent thing for us is to clear up the problem of Daning City. Only in this way, Duke Ding's Northern Expedition can avoid any worries." Xue Yan turned to Wang Bin who was standing beside him.

Wang Bin clasped his fists and said, "Xue Butang is very thoughtful."

Xue Yan stood tall and looked out for a long time, watching the desolate scene in the snow.At this time, he found that Pei Youzhen, the servant of the Ministry of War at the back, had a humble posture, and looked at him with admiration.

This civil servant Pei Youzhen has a very simple face, with dark skin and haggard hair, like a farmer.Even wearing a red silk and satin official uniform could not make his appearance more dignified.In addition, Pei Youzhen's expression and posture were too low and too humble, so Xue Yan felt that he seemed very simple.

Probably Pei Youzhen felt that Xue Yan wanted to preside over a very grand matter from a high-level view, and the things he thought about were very lofty and profound, so he showed extra respect to Xue Yan.

In fact, the rank and status of the assistant minister is not much lower than that of Xue Shangshu, not to mention that Pei Youzhen is a civil servant of the royal family of the Han Dynasty, so there is no need to be like that.

Xue Yan was a little puzzled, didn't Pei Youzhen see that the commander-in-chief, Wang Bin, who led the troops this time was also a military general of the Holy Lord?He, Xue Yan, has to take everyone's opinions into account as much as possible.

But Xue Yan didn't point it out, instead he said calmly, "The Holy One is going to do something unprecedented, and only the Holy One can change the bad governance and create a new situation."

Pei Youzhen hurriedly said, "I hope that Xue Butang will teach more, and teach the subordinate officials to understand the general plan of the Holy One with all their heart."

Xue Yan said, "Pei Shilang speaks seriously, we should cooperate with each other and be of one heart and one mind, so that we can do our best as ministers."

Pei Youzhen bowed deeply, with a serious expression, thinking about something very seriously.

At this time, a gust of cold wind came blowing, Xue Yan shivered, he took a deep breath, let go of his eyes and looked into the distance.But see the endless snowflakes

The sky and the earth, the magnificent mountains and rivers are undulating, for a moment Xue Yan felt that he was also standing at the height of the country's future.

The conversation took a break, and the wind took advantage of it.

Xue Yan pondered for a while, and finally returned to his normal mind. He knew that he was just a mortal.

Right now, he is one of the highest-ranking civil servants in the Ming Dynasty. He is the number one person in terms of criminal law in the dynasty. His status is respected.

Perhaps there are indeed some people in the world who have a big heart and are still full of "worry about the world's worries" even when they are reviled.However, Xue Yan was obviously not that kind of person.Back then, in order to protect himself and survive, he used to work as a matchmaker and turned to face-to-face, and he also had the embarrassment of being captured by a foreign race and pretending to be dead.Even now, Xue Yan can't lie to himself, doesn't he have the selfish desire to covet the glory and wealth?

But he didn't seem to feel that he was bad. How wrong is it to want to survive and to be rich?It's just that he feels that others think of him too highly.

Pei Youzhen took out the file to read at some point, and said in his voice, "There are some forts near Yanshan Mountain, which belong to the city management of Daning. Those people in Daning who have ghosts in their hearts, would they have noticed it?"

Wang Bin's voice said, "Don't talk about Tunpu, who is an official in the guard, who doesn't have many acquaintances? We came here with great fanfare, of course we can't hide it."

Pei Youzhen suggested, "Maybe we can send people to appease the civil and military forces of Daning first, confuse and stabilize them; wait for the army to enter, and then trap them."

Xue Yan pondered for a while, then said, "Sometimes the Holy Majesty speaks in front of the courtiers. He is afraid that the courtiers will misunderstand, so he specially reminds them that the Holy Majesty must explain clearly what important things he wants to do, so that everyone does not have to guess."

Pei Youzhen immediately became respectful, nodded and said, "Xue Butang's words are reasonable, but he was abrupt in dismissing the official. If you trap criminal generals, I'm afraid that in the future, you will be separated from the upper and lower levels, which will add to your suspicion."

Xue Yan said, "Pei Shilang understands people. If they want to run and resist, we are not afraid of trouble, we will do it clearly."

Having said that, Xue Yan immediately said, "When the people from Liaoyang arrive, please inform me immediately."

Pei Youzhen said, "Yes. Someone from Cao Du's commander?"

Xue Yan nodded, looked at Wang Bin and said, "Can the Jinyiwei general in our battalion be able to control the Jinyiwei captain in Daning City?"

Wang Bin said, "At the end of last year, the Holy Spirit was honored in Liaodong. Zhang Sheng, the commander of Jinyiwei who accompanied him, beat up the Lieutenant of Jinyiwei in Liaodong by order, and changed some people. The general of Jinyiwei who came out with our Chinese army this time is a general surnamed Wang. It's the people around Zhang Sheng. I just need to ask Mr. Wang to contact the people in Daning City, and I can probably figure out a lot of things."

Xue Yan praised, "Duke Dingguo is brave and good at fighting, but he doesn't want to be a bold and careful person."

Wang Bin smiled disapprovingly, as if he had done something similar to show such a disapproving expression.

Xue Yan said, "General Manager Wang, report the situation in Daning City as soon as possible."

Pei Youzhen said, "The next official will give you instructions on this matter immediately."

... Jin Yiwei used to belong to one of the guards in the Beijing camp, and was the emperor's pro-army, and now it is the same in name; it's just that what he does is different from that of the guards. After a few ups and downs, now he has resumed the right to arrest and torture.They will inquire about some folk situations, such as small things such as price rises and falls, but the common people can hardly notice their existence.Those who are truly qualified to deal with Jin Yiwei,

They are all bureaucrats, big landlords and rich businessmen, and those with low status are not enough.

The Jinyiwei school lieutenants in charge of daily supervision and handling of government yamen in various places were all dispatched by the capital yamen.There are not many Jinyiwei school lieutenants in Daning City, and the highest military rank is only a general banner named Zhou Yuanzhong.

Zongqi Zhou has received the secret order from Shangfeng, he is busy contacting his subordinates, collecting intelligence reports, so as to communicate with his superiors.

There are not many Jinyiwei soldiers in his hands, because there are also many Jinyiwei soldiers in the whole country, and most of them are hereditary, so there are only a few people assigned to Daning City.But there are quite a few people working for Jinyiwei, including undercover agents and spies. Many of them do not belong to the Jinyiwei army, but are hired by the school lieutenants for a small amount of money.

At this moment, another spy entered the house, a strong young man with rumpled clothes and short beard covered with snowflakes.This man was originally called Sun Yong, and he was a military household, but there are too many people called "Yong" and "Sheng" in the army, and because he was the second child, he was named Sun Yonger on his military registration, so everyone called him Sun Laoer .Sun Laoer's father was dispatched to Liaodong to farm during the Hongwu period. After he inherited his military status, he somehow ran away from home.

After Jin Yiwei caught him, he didn't punish him. Instead, he gave him a meager reward and taught him to work as a spy.

Elder Sun bent down respectfully and saluted, and said, "Report to President Zhou, the place where He Can will have a private meeting with the salt merchant's wife is no longer in the powder shop in the south of the city. He Can bought a new house, and the woman often quietly Run in."

"Where is the house?" Zongqi Zhou asked directly.

Sun Laoer said, "It's the largest house in the south of the city, go east on the North and South Streets."