Promotion Letter for the Chief Executive

The ensuing war went very smoothly.

Because Zhao Can sent people there, Kai Yang did not bring back those 6000 people, but instead ordered them to keep pestering the Beidi people to prevent them from escaping.

As for the city, Ping An is going to try out his latest creation.

It is said that Xinzhou is worthy of being an important military city, and it has a complete range of defense equipment.Many of them were never seen when Ping An was in Qinzhou and Funing County.There is something called a bed crossbow, which requires several soldiers to operate together. The crossbow arrows fired are thick and long. It is said that they can be shot a mile away, and they are extremely penetrating. There have been five or six people strung together in one breath. when.

Of course, there is also a bit of luck. After all, although the soldiers are lined up, they can move around after all. It is not easy to be strung together on a line.

Basically, this is the "weapon of mass destruction" before the invention of thermal weapons. Like the rolling log, it is necessary for city defense.

——The rolling log is to saw off a big tree, cut off the branches, leaves and protruding places, and polish the surface smoothly, so that when defending the city, throwing it down from a high place can smash all the soldiers who tried to climb the city wall Going back, it can roll a certain distance when it falls to the ground, which is very effective.If it is oiled, it can roll farther.And after throwing it down, it can still be ignited, and it will naturally be more difficult for the enemy to break through after it is burned.

After Ping An discovered this bed crossbow, he has been researching it recently.He intends to tie the bomb to the crossbow and shoot it out, which can be regarded as a simple version of the sky cannon.

But in this way, the quality of the bomb must be minimized as much as possible-otherwise the crossbow arrow cannot be carried or shot far, and the effort will be wasted.Ping An changed the appearance from an iron barrel to a bamboo tube, and the amount of gunpowder was also greatly reduced.The range is not a problem, but the lethality of the explosion is also reduced.

In the end, Ping An had to mix the gunpowder with pieces of iron and materials that would produce a lot of smoke after burning.

So as soon as the fire was fired from the top of the city and the crossbow arrows were fired, the people of Xirong and Beidi were in a mess.The horses under the cavalry seats were frightened and couldn't be controlled at all, bumping around wildly.After being rushed by the cavalry, the other teams followed suit.Coupled with the fact that there is still smog, it is difficult to see the surrounding situation clearly. Although the generals have been working hard to organize the team, they have had little effect.There are also some generals who have been implicated themselves, trying to control their horses, and have no time to separate themselves.

The prairie people are brave and good at fighting, most of which are manifested in cavalry charges.Most of the time, as long as hundreds of cavalry rush back and forth in the war, the infantry will basically be defeated.

Now that the opponent's cavalry was abolished, Da Chu's side naturally rushed to the camp, completely disrupting their formation, and then the infantry surrounded them to fight in close quarters.As far as physical strength is concerned, soldiers from the northwest region are no worse than grassland people.

On the other side, the Zhuozhou army seemed to have expected this situation a long time ago, and changed their formation on the way, and together with the Xinzhou army, they formed a faint encirclement.

When the leader of the coalition forces finally stabilized his team, the encirclement was complete, only a small gap remained in the east.At this time, it is unwise to fight recklessly with the people of Dachu.The characteristic of grassland people is that they come and go like the wind, and if they can't beat them, they will naturally retreat immediately.So after gathering some people, they rushed towards the east.

As a result, the people on both sides rushed out as if they didn't see them at all.

The panic of the rest of the life after the catastrophe made these people have no time to think, so they fled forward in embarrassment.

But after running wildly for a while, the leader of the Xirong people suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart.Turning back again, I saw that the loophole that just rushed out behind me had disappeared long ago!

It's not that the Dachu people are incapable of surrounding them, they deliberately exposed that flaw!

"Fraud!" He opened his eyes wide, raised the knife in his hand, and shouted loudly.At this time, they had already rushed to the foot of a small hill, and before they could finish speaking, they turned around the hillside and saw the banners unfurling in front of them, and the army cleared up.On the front banner, a bright yellow "Zhao" character was embroidered with gold thread.

Zhao Can was riding a horse, watching them quietly.

……

The war is over.

Ping An stood on the top of the city from beginning to end, quietly gazing at the battlefield below.In the end, Da Chu completely gained the upper hand, almost chasing and killing a prairie soldier with several people.

At the beginning, I was not used to facing this kind of scene safely.When he first left Funing County, he didn't dare to kill people at all. ——No matter how much I say, I am a law-abiding modern person after all. I was born in a peaceful age. Even chickens, ducks and fish are often bought and killed by others, let alone people?

However, along the way, seeing those villages that were plundered, the old people and children who were innocently killed... Ping An's heart gradually cooled down.The prairie people are unscrupulous in the territory of Dachu. If they can't be wiped out, they will always be a hidden danger of Dachu.

Up to now, having experienced two battles, Ping An has gotten used to this kind of environment.Human adaptability is truly terrifying.

However, since he has gained the upper hand, why kill anyone?With so many captives, how useful it is to keep them!

Ping An came back to his senses, and immediately went to the Northwest Governor to intercede, "My lord, what a waste to kill these prisoners?"

"Huh?" The governor looked at Ping An in surprise.For people in this era, the captives were caught, or after returning to Beijing, the Meridian Gate presented the captives, and the matter was snapped in front of the common people.Either the hatred between the two races is not that great, or the court intends to deliberately make some gestures, then it will set aside a piece of land for these foreigners to live in, hoping to influence them with "wanghua".The last thing is to release these people.

But, these foreigners are already rebellious, and after arranging the residence, they often conflict with the locals, which is difficult to manage.Occasionally, it even becomes the spy and internal response of other countries, which is annoying.And if they let it go, wouldn't that mean that the tiger will go back to the mountain and let them come to rob Dachu again next year?So everyone is more inclined to kill things.Anyway, it's not one of our own, so if you kill it, you will kill it.

Ping An was heartbroken, "My lord, these captives are all young and middle-aged, how much can they do? The imperial court collects corvee from the people every year, repairs embankments and roads, if these captives are used to do it, how much manpower can be saved!"

There are so many positions for coolies, and he is worried that no one will come to work!How can such a waste of resources?

The governor was dumbfounded, "But..." He opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.The imperial court promotes a benevolent government. If the captives are treated like this, the stubborn veterans and censors in the imperial court will have something to say again.

The imperial court has always treated Siyi mainly to appease them. They will fight if they are not obedient. After the beating, they will show the benevolence of the imperial court.This kind of "abuse of prisoners" does not sound very good.

Pingan said, "There is nothing wrong with it. Think about it, my lord. The people of Dachu can do these things, why can't the captives of foreign races do it?"

Makes sense!The governor was persuaded by him, and decided to arrest everyone for the time being.

But the words must be said first, "Ping'an, you always have amazing words, and you need to help report this matter to His Majesty after you return to the palace." reputation is ruined.The governor is only in his 50s this year, and he doesn't want his official career to end here.

Pingan said indifferently, "Naturally. Don't worry, my lord. If it's not convenient for you to deal with these people, just leave it to me."

It's like raising a group of coolies who don't need wages, don't do it for nothing!

After the battle in the city was over, the army did not come back immediately. ——Or Zhuozhou Army and Zhao Can's coalition army did not enter the city, but went straight to the direction where the Beidi people were, intending to wipe out these people in one go.In order not to be discovered by Beidi and slip away.

These are the new forces of the war, eliminating one point is adding one point of security to Da Chu, and there must be no mercy!

However, Zhao Can himself did not go there, leaving the matter to the generals below, he led a dozen of his own soldiers and came to the city on horseback.

Ping An stood on the city wall and looked at him.

It was getting late by this time. ——Even if it is a one-sided battle, it will take several hours to end.The sky was getting dark, but through the binoculars, Ping An could still see Zhao Can standing on the horse very clearly.

His face was very serious.For a moment, Zhao Can even raised his head and took a look here, which made Ping An's heart beat faster. He didn't know if he saw him or not.

I don't know why, now Ping An no longer has the joyful feeling when he first knew Zhao Can was coming, but instead... an indescribable guilty conscience.

The Governor is already preparing to go down the tower to meet Zhao Can, and all the generals are following behind him, so Ping An naturally has to follow quickly.But probably because of a guilty conscience, he who was standing near the Governor, walked more and more slowly, and finally retreated behind everyone.

Hiding myself carefully in the crowd finally gave me a sense of security.With so many people, Zhao Can shouldn't be able to see himself, right?Even if I saw it, I couldn't say anything in front of so many people.

When they arrived at the city gate, Zhao Can jumped off his horse, and everyone came forward to salute.Naturally, someone introduced Zhao Can's identity in advance, so everyone might not recognize him.The governor said excitedly, "I have seen His Highness, and I heard that His Highness was stationed in Hebei, but he rushed thousands of miles to save Xinzhou from fire and water. I am very impressed!"

"It's just a little effort." Zhao Can said politely, "Even if you can't come alone, you can do a good job. This trip is just icing on the cake."

This is what the governor loves to hear.The defeat in this war is really unfavorable to him, but the governor also feels that he is very unlucky. The preparations made in advance are not counted, and it was leaked out. It is actually not easy to be able to do what he is now .

At this time, if someone speaks good words for him in the court, things will naturally be easy to handle.Even if there is no credit, it will not be punished.But if no one spoke up, then he would naturally be responsible for the crime.After all, the imperial court spent so much money and food, someone must be responsible for it.

Zhao Can exchanged pleasantries with everyone before being welcomed into the city.As for Ping An, he stood at the back all the time, and Zhao Can didn't even glance over once.He didn't know whether he was relieved or lost, it always felt weird.

After entering the city, it is natural to arrange Zhao Can's residence, and then there will be a dinner party to cleanse the dust.

During this period of time, Zhao Can was surrounded by many people, and he would not have the opportunity to meet and talk to Ping An.

Ping An hadn't planned to go to the dinner party.What he said to the maid sent by the governor was, "I am inappropriate to sit with His Highness."

However, the governor probably felt that when he came out of the palace, he knew more about these princes and grandchildren, so he strongly urged him to attend. He sent people to invite him several times, but finally Ping An reluctantly went.

Because there was too much delay, most of the people had already arrived when it was safe to go, leaving only Zhao Can and a few others who did not come.Ping An walked to the door, hesitated for a moment, and was hesitating whether to go in, when he saw Zhao Can walking towards here, with the governor as his companion.

He regretted greatly.If I had known earlier, I would have gone straight in.Now that you see someone, it is obviously inappropriate to turn around and leave.

"Your Highness, Your Excellency." He stepped forward and saluted.

"Did Ping'an come out to welcome us on purpose?" the governor said with a smile, "You have a heart."

Ping'an smiled awkwardly, "Welcome the wool, is he here too?"But in front of the leader, such words must not be said.He had no choice but to pretend to be stupid, and asked a few people to go first.

Zhao Can was the first to walk over, and when passing by him, she whispered, "Ping An, you are getting bolder."

Ping An's heart trembled, and he had no choice but to lower his head to lower his sense of existence.

Because Zhao Can's voice was very low, even the governor walking behind him didn't hear it.But everyone saw it, and Zhao Can said a word to Ping An.Some people think that this is a proof of the good relationship between the two, and it is not easy to flatter Zhao Can, and it seems that it is not bad to take the safe path.

Ping An entered the room after a few people, and quickly found an empty seat to sit down.The banquet is about to start, it is impossible to stand aside foolishly.

After sitting down, he realized that the person sitting next to him was General Zhang.

Thinking of Kaiyang's injury, Pingan felt as if he had eaten a fly in the dish, and felt uncomfortable.

Happily, there is no way to say.

He inquired later, and the general's name was Zhang Chun.Ping An's first reaction after hearing this was, why isn't his surname Zhuang?Pretending to be pure, how appropriate?At present, he still doesn't know Zhang Chun's purpose, but it won't be a good thing anyway.

So Ping An felt that she should stay away from him.After all, there are a lot of secrets hidden in him. This person looks unpredictable and meaningful. Maybe he will be caught by his pigtails at any time, and it will be difficult to get out.

As a result, I took precautions against everything, and I still met here.

Seeing him, Ping An immediately turned his face and looked at the table in front of him straightly, as if he wanted to study all the patterns on it thoroughly.

He thought that with such a posture, there should be no people without eyes to provoke him.Unexpectedly, Zhang Chun didn't seem to understand his "Do Not Disturb" aura at all, so he leaned over and asked in a low voice, "Eunuch Qi, what a coincidence."

"Yes." Ping An replied in a flat tone without turning his head.

"Just now I saw His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince talking to Eunuch Qi at the door. Could it be that you two knew each other before?" Zhang Chun asked with a half-smile, turning the cup in his hand.

Isn't this temptation too obvious?Do you think he will have ghosts in his heart so frightened that he will show his clues?

Ping An didn't even blink, "I've seen it a few times."

"Oh?" Zhang Chundao, "It seems that Eunuch Qi's status in the palace is not low, and his connections are also extensive. I heard that His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince is usually very low-key and rarely interacts with others. But I didn't expect that the relationship with Eunuch Qi is so close. ?”

Finally, Pingan turned his head and glanced at him in boredom, and cupped his hands towards the east, "It's all His Majesty's attention, there is no such thing as being close or not."

The other party stopped talking.

Ping An became vigilant.He didn't know if Zhang Chun was guessing or if he really had evidence. He believed that he had a close relationship with Zhao Can.But no matter what, after Ding himself returned to the palace, such rumors would be bad for Zhao Can and himself.

Fortunately, most of the emperor was aware of their contacts, and it was not so easy to find out the uninformed part.Be more careful in the future though.

The dinner party was very boring. Considering Zhao Can's hard work from afar, it ended within an hour.

Returning to his room safely, he began to worry about Kai Yang.I don't know if the injury is serious or not, but the battlefield outside the city is very likely to take several days to completely end. Before that, he may not be able to return to the city for treatment, so he can only deal with it casually.What if the injury is delayed?

Lying on the bed tossing and turning, someone knocked on the door suddenly.

"Who is it?" Ping'an was a little strange, why did he come to him after staying awake in the middle of the night?

No one answered.Instead, the knock on the door rang again.

Ping An suddenly realized who the person outside the door was.He walked over to open the door softly, and saw Zhao Can standing outside the door wearing a thick cloak.Most of his face was hidden in the shadows, and he couldn't see clearly from the front, let alone other angles.If Ping An didn't know him well enough, he probably wouldn't have recognized him.

He quickly stretched out his hand to pull him in, and asked in a low voice, "Why are you here?"

Zhao Can couldn't see the other party's face clearly in the dark, so Zhao Can put down the cloak and said with a smile, "Can't I come?"

"No." Ping An explained Zhang Chun's matter, "I think he seems to be suspicious of me. But I also doubt him, maybe the person who tipped off the news behind Xi Rong's side and let Xi Rong know Da Chu's arrangement is he."

"It's possible. I'll have someone investigate it, so don't bother with this matter. He's staring at you, maybe he'll see the clues." Zhao Can said quickly.

Ping An nodded, then sighed slowly, "The battle is finally over."

In fact, he didn't like this kind of life very much.Although excited enough, although everything he does can directly save others, Ping An still doesn't like it.He prefers to do research, and he prefers to do things in the capital that no one cares about now, but will have far-reaching impact in the future.

Fortunately, the war is finally over.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Can said, "Who said the war is over?"

"Ah?" Ping An was a little puzzled.Both the Xirong people and the Beidi people were wiped out. Since Zhao Can came over, the Changhe tribe should be no problem.This is not over yet, what else do you want to do?

After getting used to the darkness for a while, I was able to see things clearly in the room.Zhao Can walked directly to Ping'an's bed and sat down, then said, "Do you still remember the purpose of the war in the first place?"

"A place to raise horses!" Ping An realized what he had overlooked.

Originally, the conflict between Da Chu and Xi Rong was not that big. At first, he planned to fight because Da Chu hoped to get a place to raise horses from Xi Rong.The original plan was to push both Qizhou, Xinzhou and Zhuozhou forward to the territory of one state. With these places, the number of horses can be expanded.The number of horses often means the number of cavalry.

In the end, it was a fight. Because of too many changes, I am afraid that most people have forgotten the original goal.If this goal is not achieved, then Da Chu will still be considered a loser in the final analysis.

"That's why I said the battle is not over yet." Zhao Can's tone was quite relaxed, "Xirong and Beidi are seriously injured. Even if there are troops in the country, I'm afraid they dare not rush over here. They used to occupy the territory at this moment." , is the most suitable time, how can I miss it?"

Otherwise, did he come all the way to Xinzhou just to understand the siege of this city?With the military power of Great Chu, it is not impossible to even defend such a big city.

Ping An finally understood that Zhao Can was here to take advantage of this.

Now among the three armies, only the Zhuozhou Army did not suffer much losses and became his ally.The timing of his arrival is just right, and Zhao Can is probably going to be the one to make decisions on the next matters in the northwest.When the time comes to lead the army to occupy Xirong's territory, the greatest credit will naturally fall on him.

It turned out that not only did he want to manage his base in Hebei, but he didn't even plan to let the Northwest go.

"You really are..." Ping An thought for a while, and finally found a word to describe him, "Ambitious."

"Didn't you already know?" Zhao Can snorted, "But you, what are you doing here if you don't make your bow and arrow in Qinzhou?"

"Cough..." Sure enough, the autumn queen began to settle accounts.Ping An tried to find a reason for himself, "I was only going to guard Funing County. I won't let any Xirong and Beidi people enter Qinzhou."

Zhao Can twitched his mouth. When he came here, he passed by Funing County. He had already seen that the entire county was completely seamless, and there was nothing that could be used.Fortunately, he can figure it out.

"Later, didn't they find out that the Xirong people were too rampant, always showing off their power in the city, and didn't come up to fight. I brought them out. Then I heard that Xinzhou was besieged, so I came to have a look. Then I stayed here." Ping An explained vaguely.

Zhao Can was almost laughed angrily by him, "Aren't you omitting too many parts in the middle?"