Daming Yinghua

Chapter 61
Ma Xianglin told Han Zhongwen and Zheng Haizhu that when he returned to the capital in Qiuyue, the Ministry of War was not only mobilizing soldiers from the northern border towns, but also deliberately mobilizing soldiers from the south.

He looked at Zheng Haizhu: "Miss Azhu, the rough-haired General Mao last time was the general of Liaodong. Did he tell you about the situation in Jianzhou Jurchen?"

Zheng Haizhu nodded: "When General Mao sent me back, I didn't think he was a bad person, and I talked to him a little bit on the way. He said that Nurhachi should not be underestimated, and that he might become a serious problem in Liaodong. The Jurchens invaded south hundreds of years ago. Once, Song Dynasty died because of this, and the court has not taken it lightly, it is a good thing."

Ma Xianglin said: "It is said that Xu Guangqi and Xu Hanlin, who are idle in the capital, gave the performance to warn the imperial court to mobilize the southern troops for defense as soon as possible. The chief officer of the Ministry of War informed me that Xu Hanlin especially mentioned that Zhejiang soldiers and our Sichuan soldiers should be transferred."

Zheng Haizhu met his eyes, and instantly caught the special light that flashed in his eyes. It was actually a little interesting to ask for credit, and he immediately reacted.

"General Ma said to help our Han family earn 'internal foreign exchange', but do you want to make cotton dark armor?"

Ma Xianglin pursed his lips and said "exactly".

Fu turned to Han Zhongwen again and said, "Master Han, Miss Azhu is really good at business. She told me a few months ago in Gu's Wenzhi Academy that if one day our Sichuan army were to go north to attack captives, it would be impossible for us to go north in Liaodong." In a place of bitter cold, it is necessary to prepare dark armor for the sergeants with cotton cloth wrapped with iron sheets and filled with cotton wool, which requires cotton from Songjiang Prefecture. After the suppression of bandits in Nanzhili, the Holy One rewarded me with 1000 taels of silver, and I took Come out and try to make a dark armor first, and you won’t need to find another cotton merchant if you don’t want to peel off a layer when you go through the superiors to ask for payment.”

Nowadays, unless the officers who lead the army in various places have settled their military pay and supplies themselves, if they ask for money from the court, the household department, military department, etc. have to collect a layer, which has become an open rule, and there is nothing that cannot be said.

Therefore, many commanders of troops like the Shijie Tusi Army simply bought outfits for the sergeants out of their own pockets.

When Han Zhongwen heard this, he didn't pretend, he was even more overjoyed than when he heard that he was going to make face towels and sell them to Fanshang.

The sale of military uniforms is a bigger business.

But after he was overjoyed, his always cautious character quickly made him ponder: "However, these objects for war and body protection are much more important than ordinary clothes and washcloths. My family's workshop has never dabbled in it..."

Ma Xianglin smiled and said: "It's okay, I will go back to Runzhou first, and finish training the recruits in the guard that the imperial court asked me to train. By then, the thousand pieces of handkerchiefs in your house should be finished, and Miss Zheng and I will personally think about the dark armor The trick. The skillful hands of the craftsmen don’t matter, it’s just that rough people like me who have actually fought in battle have to try it out in real combat, so as to ensure that the dark armor they make is not an embroidered pillow that will kill my soldiers.”

"It's very good, very good." Han Zhongwen repeatedly said yes.

After Ma Xianglin finished talking about the two transactions, he got up to say goodbye and left.

Han Zhongwen stood at the door, watching Ma Xianglin and Ya Zu go away, turned around and saw Zheng Haizhu's expression turned a little nervous, he couldn't help laughing.

"Azhu, what are you afraid of? General Ma has made the place so strong for you, how dare our Han family make you feel wronged?"

Han Zhongwen didn't say any more, and ordered Zheng Haizhu to follow him to the front of the flower hall of the inner house, and first let Lao Peng blow away a few servants and women who were standing there.

Before the mournful Yang family could react, Han Zhongwen said solemnly to the women, "Azhu has accepted a big deal for our Han family, and it's all an errand for the court. General Ma has to come and watch after him. The family Lord, there should be clear rewards and punishments. Her monthly salary has risen to three taels of silver. Ximeng, take Azhu and Shoukuan back to your yard first. Today you eat your own, and you don’t have to come out to accompany dinner. I’m tired. I have no appetite."

After Yang understood it, she raised her head with fire in her eyes, and met Han Zhongwen's cold and stern gaze. After all, she was afraid that her second uncle would really have a seizure. She was a woman, and she would suffer a lot if she was alone in Songjiang, so she gritted her back teeth. He stared at the backs of Han Ximeng and Zheng's aunt and nephew hiding behind the moon cave gate, and held back.

"I don't want to separate families." Yang said bitterly.

"Up to you." Han Zhongwen replied lightly.

……

The crescent moon is in the sky, thin and curved, not too dazzling, and the stars are as bright as the lights in the sky, which is really beautiful.

Ma Xianglin brought only two trusted servants with him, and they rode their horses galloping in the cold night.

At the foot of the mountain, Ma Xianglin left two people to guard the mount, and walked to the ancient temple in the forest alone.

"who?"

"Shi Jie Ma Xianglin."

Along the way, after four or five cross-examinations, Ma Xianglin finally came to Chai Fei.

The maid behind the fence had great night vision, and she took the initiative to open the door, and said in a bowl voice: "General, please come in, senior and eunuch are talking in the room."

Ma Xianglin bowed his hands to the maid, walked through the flower path in the courtyard, and entered the meditation room.

"I've seen my seniors, I've seen Eunuch Liu." Ma Xianglin bowed to the people in the room, and stood with his sleeves down in the shadow of the lamp.

The old man who was honored as "Senior" waved his hands with a smile, and asked Ma Xianglin to sit down on the futon opposite the table, and asked kindly, "Did Xianglin come from Hanfu? That girl has your help, so she didn't eat?" Is it the fault of the third daughter-in-law of the Han family?"

Ma Xianglin leaned forward respectfully, but when he replied, he had a sense of cherishing his words: "The second master of the Han family is a fair man."

Sitting next to the old man, Liu Shimin burst into laughter: "No matter how fair it is, our family doesn't feel at ease seeing you. Otherwise, why did you worry about the safety of the beautiful woman when I told you who the mastermind of the murder was? Went to the door."

Ma Xianglin was silent.

The old man was still full of kindness, and said to Liu Shimin: "Ruoyu, is the old man right? That girl is clever and pleasing, and it's rare that she is so young and prudent, she is indeed admirable."

Liu Shimin took the initiative to pour a cup of tea for Ma Xianglin, pushed it in front of him, and responded to the old man: "If you are in love with the senior, then cultivate it slowly, so that you can use it in the future."

"Well, good. Xianglin, what do you think?" The old man asked in a soliciting tone, "If you like this girl very much and want to welcome her into the family in the future, Lao Liu and I will look for another person."

Ma Xianglin's face was calm, but there were clouds rolling in his chest.

Since he was a child, both his father and his mother had constantly taught him that if it weren't for the close and trustworthy flesh and blood relationship, even among friendly troops on the battlefield, he would not show his cards.

The two in front of him are completely different from the group of Concubine Zheng and King Fu, and they are the ones Ma Xianglin really decided to cooperate with.

But also two old foxes.

So after sipping tea, he admired the color of the tea and said seriously: "Ma is a junior, and he has not married at this age. It is natural for seniors and Eunuch Liu to make jokes about Ma. The joke is over, how old is Ma?" I have to report to the two of you on a serious matter. First, according to our discussion, before the noble concubine and Mrs. Cui become suspicious, I will first tell Zheng Guifei's people that I will take the opportunity to escort the Weaving Bureau to sell goods to get close to Eunuch Liu. Let's see who Wang An, the chief inspector of ceremonies, helped the prince win over. Second, the bosses of the military department also know that many town soldiers on the Nine Sides are trash. Unruly, so someone wanted to go to my mother to make a matchmaker and marry me the daughter of Zhang Quan, the servant of the Ministry of War."

When Ma Xianglin said this, he paused, raised his eyes, met the four sharp gazes on the opposite side and said: "This is really a good opportunity that fell from the sky. How can Ma not be the son-in-law of the Zhang family, senior and Eunuch Liu?" What do you think?"

After a moment of silence in the room, the corners of Liu Shimin's mouth curled up: "The daughter of Minister Zhang is very lucky."

The old man beside him also nodded, and said earnestly: "Xianglin, you are young and have a bright future, and you need to think more about using troops."

Pointing to Liu Shimin again: "If you are stupid, it will not be easy. The old man's expectation for you is only two words: make money."

On Liu Shimin's face, the thoughtful expression became stronger.After a while, he said to the old man: "When it comes to getting money, that Miss Zheng came up with a good idea. I think, take her to the south to learn more, and then come back and think about it carefully. The foreign monkeys started from there. If we don't grab the silver dug out from the wild continent, why don't we keep it for the Zhu family in the capital?"

(End of this chapter)