King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 577 Zhu Jinghong has nothing
On the ninth day of August, Li Xuan and his party continued on their way.

After crossing the Yalu River, they set foot on the land of the Ming Dynasty. The largest city nearby was the headquarters of Ding Liao Guard.

Ming Dynasty is a country of etiquette. Now that Li Xuan, a distinguished guest, has arrived, he must be treated with courtesy, so the generals of Dingliao Guard are responsible for welcoming him.

Normally, this kind of reception should be the responsibility of civilian officials, but Dingliao is too remote and there are few ordinary people except military households, so no local government office has been set up.

"I didn't expect...we people would also have the opportunity to work with His Highness Prince Xiang!" Shi Jun, the commander of Dingliao Guards, said.

He is only thirty-five years old, but his face is already covered with ridges and there are many gray hairs between his temples.

Obviously, in this bitter and cold place, even as a commander, life is extremely difficult.

Hearing what he said at this moment, the other generals laughed, and then talked about the old things in the northwest battlefield.

After everyone chatted for a while, Li Xuan and his party appeared. They were going to stop here for an hour and then continue on their way after resting.

"The North Koreans have arrived, let's go and greet them!" Shi Jun said.

Even the Ming Ting Guards Army's armor, weapons and food supplies are no worse than those of North Korea's most elite army.

To the surprise of the North Korean army, these ordinary Ming soldiers ate well. For example, each person had three steamed buns, two pieces of smoked fish and a bowl of soup for dinner.

"Your king is bedridden, and the crown prince is also down now... You Koreans are too weak!" Shi Jun mocked directly.

"Those people in Zuo Yiwei are all trash!" Li Xuan cursed angrily.

"Thank you!"

In order to ensure their safety and guide the way, a deputy Qianhu of Dingliao Guards and two hundred soldiers joined his team.

Outside Jinzhou City, they learned that Li Xuan was coming, and it was the prefect of Jinzhou who was in charge of welcoming him. After all, he was the highest-ranking civil servant here.

Along the way, the ordinary soldiers of North Korea came into contact with the border troops of the Ming Army Guard Station and gained some understanding of each other.

Li Xuan was familiar with the laws and regulations of the Ming Dynasty, so he could tell at a glance that the official who greeted him was only the fifth grade.

Fortunately, this was just a small episode. After all, Shi Jun didn't have as much confidence as Yu Hai. He just asked a few questions and let him go, and the Korean team was able to enter the city.

North Korea also has its own intelligence agency. Its main spy target is the Ming Dynasty's army, with special emphasis on the deployment and mobilization of border troops.

Of course Li Xuan didn't want to show up, because he suspected that he would be bullied, so he might as well hide and be quiet, although this seemed a bit rude.

The replacement of equipment was of course also under investigation, but Li Xuan, who was in charge of state affairs, did not receive any news.

In today's Ming Dynasty, Jin Yiwei has constant problems, and Zuo Yiwei has learned these things.

Counter-intuitively, in many cases, the competition in the world is not about how good things are, but about who is worse.

Zhu Jinghong did not ask the Chief Secretary and the Chief Secretary of Liaodong to come to Jinzhou because he felt that it was enough for the prefect to receive them.

"Perhaps... the weapons and armor were given to the border troops after King Xiang took office!" Zheng Quanzhi, the commander of the Crown Prince's Yiwei, explained.

Zheng Quanzhi really saw that what he said just now was just to smooth things over. At this time, he only hated himself for not talking more.

Obviously compared to Jin Yiwei, North Korea's Zuo Yiwei is worse.

But Li Xuan, who had settled down, was in a very bad mood at this time.

The Zuo Yiwei he mentioned was a palace guard on the surface, but he was actually doing the job of the Jin Yiwei.

Fortunately, we have arrived in Jinzhou. There is no need to rush in the next few days, so Li Xuan can have a good rest. As for the return journey, he can go slower.

This time Li Xuan traveled, accompanied by attendants and guards, totaling five to six hundred people, so settling in after entering the city was quite troublesome.

He had understood Zhu Jinghong's intention, so he would not show any hospitality to the guests coming from afar.

Spying on intelligence wasn't part of his job, so he didn't really need to explain.

After staying in Dingliao for an hour and taking a brief rest, Li Xuan's team was able to continue on their way.

In this way, North Korea needs to re-examine the strength comparison between itself and Ming Dynasty, and redefine the response relationship.

Because they were traveling in such a hurry, Li Xuan and his wife were exhausted to the extreme, so much so that they never had any private communication.

"This is Mingting's frontier army. It is at the middle or lower level in its combat order. How can it have such supplies..." Li Xuan was speechless.

Although Li Xuan was angry, he also knew that his father's decision was needed to move Zuo Yiwei, so he could only report the situation and opinions.

Fortunately, there was a plan in advance and everything was implemented in an orderly manner.

At this time, Li Xuan said in a gloomy tone: "General Zheng, you are from the army. If you think about it, you can tell if you have newly issued armor!"

Shi Jun asked: "Where is your prince? Why don't you see him showing up?"

When Shi Jun came out of the city gate, Li Xuan's team had already stopped here, and a North Korean official came forward to negotiate.

"We have made arrangements, the prince can go to the city to rest!" Shi Jun said.

He found that he had come to the right place this time. His impression of Ming Dynasty in the past was very vague, but now it was more real to see it with his own eyes.

"The Dingliao guards changed their armor and their muskets... but no one reported it?" Li Xuan was furious.

"Your Majesty, he has been tired from traveling and is not feeling well... he is resting now!"

So Li Xuan's choice was correct. He really shouldn't have gotten out of the car, otherwise Shi Jun's choreography would be indispensable.

Because they were border guards, the Dingliao Guards were in an over-staffed state. There were a total of six thousand-household stations under their jurisdiction, but only two thousand-household stations were stationed in the city, and the rest were distributed in various forts on the border.

From Dingliaowei to the southwest, the population gradually becomes denser, and the accommodation conditions become better during this period.
Four days had passed since this trip, and on August 13, Li Xuan and his party finally arrived outside Jinzhou City.

This made him feel very unhappy, but North Korea behind him was not strong enough, resulting in his backbone not being strong enough, so he could only hide his anger in his heart.

"The Crown Prince is finally here. It's been a tiring journey, and a hotel has been prepared in the city for the Crown Prince to rest!"

Since there was no point in getting angry, Li Xuan didn't want to dwell on unnecessary matters. He greeted the officials with a few words of courtesy, then returned to the carriage and entered the city.

In addition to the attendants who took care of his food and daily life, and a few accompanying officials, his bodyguards had other arrangements.

The Dingliao guards who escorted him were also arranged outside the city, waiting for Li Xuan to return in a few days.

When Li Xuan entered the city, he found that even the border city of the Ming Dynasty was not less prosperous than Seoul.

Li Xuan could not imagine how prosperous and prosperous the place of Suzhou and Hangzhou in those poems or the divine capital in the world must be.

At this moment, he finally understood why those officials who had been to the Ming Dynasty, especially those who had passed the Ming Dynasty Jinshi examination, always had an indescribable arrogance.

Now he understands that these people have really seen the world, so they have no respect for the royal family.

"Your Majesty, this is it. If you need anything, just send someone to tell me!"

At this time, Li Xuan really had a need, so he heard him say: "I want to meet His Royal Highness King Xiang!"

Before the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet started, he was eager to see Zhu Jinghong so that he could have some peace of mind.

The magistrate of Jinzhou smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please rest. If His Highness thinks of you, I will see you!"

The words of the prefect of Jinzhou made Li Xuan's mood sink to the bottom.

Looking back on all the recent events, he had to admit that all the actions of the Ming Dynasty or that King Xiang were aimed at North Korea.

This Mid-Autumn Festival banquet may be the Hongmen Banquet... Li Xuan felt very worried.

At this time, his entourage was cleaning up the house, so he stood in a daze at the gate. No one came to disturb him. Only the crown prince Jin Youyan and a few chamberlains accompanied him.

It's just that not only Li Xuan's family lives in this place, but people from various Jurchen tribes also live here, just in different houses. During this period, all the Jurchen leaders, including Ye Hemingen, stayed in Jinzhou City to wait, and they would also participate in the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.

After staying in Jinzhou City for a long time, these people are already very familiar with the city and hang out in various entertainment places every day.

Compared with the life of the tribe, the life in Jinzhou is equivalent to paradise, which makes these people feel that they are happy and unwilling to miss Shu.

At this time, Ye Hemingen led a group of soldiers and rode towards the box, laughing and cursing in a very pleasant manner.

"Beauty!"

Ye Hemingen had sharp eyes and easily noticed Jin Youyan among the crowd in front.

Although there are many beauties in the city of Jinzhou, none of those promiscuous girls can match the temperament of the imperial concubine of North Korea.

At this time, Jin Youyan was also looking this way, and his eyes met with Ye Hemingen's.

Ye Hemingen's burning gaze really frightened Jin Youyan, so she immediately looked away and hid behind Li Xuan.

At this time, according to the flag, Ye Heming Encha knew that he was a Korean in front of him, which made him less worried.

Because Ye Hemingen knew that the purpose of Zhu Jinghong's big battle this time was to deal with the Koreans.

Slowing down his speed, Ye Hemingen stopped in front of Li Hui and others, looking at Jin Youyan roughly.

"This one is really a beauty!" Ye Heming said looking around.

The dozen or so soldiers who followed him all laughed in agreement, and some even made comments.

Although there was a language barrier between the two parties, Li Xuan knew from the look and tone of these people that they definitely had nothing good to say.

Knowing that these people came for his wife, Li Xuan asked Jin Youyan to go in first. At the same time, he turned to Ye Hemingen and yelled: "Who are you? How dare you be so rude!"

In order to ensure that the people in front of him could understand, Li Xuan used the Mandarin of the Central Plains, and his spoken English was very good.

Ye Hemingen also knew some Mandarin, so he said: "I see beauty, what does it have to do with you?"

"Barbarian barbarians, no shame!" Li Xuan sneered.

At this time, there were only eunuchs around Li Xuan, and all his guards were placed separately. Facing Ye Hemingen's dozen or so people, his combat effectiveness was almost negligible.

However, Li Xuan did not back down and attacked Ye Hemingen, which shows that he also has some courage.

Ye Hemingen didn't say anything, but the soldiers on his left and right couldn't bear it anymore, so they drew their swords and wanted to move forward to take action.

The eunuchs accompanying Li Xuan stood in front of their master one after another. They were all like sieves of chaff, obviously very frightened.

In sharp contrast, Li Xuan in the crowd did not move at all, and was looking at Ye Hemingen at this moment.

"Aren't you afraid of death?" Ye Hemingen asked coldly.

"I'm afraid of death, and I'm afraid of death too!" Li Xuan replied.

Ye Hemingen smiled and asked: "You guys also want to hurt me?"

Li Xuan replied: "We can't hurt you, but His Highness King Xiang can kill you!"

"Oh?"

"I am the crown prince of the Joseon Dynasty. I was invited by His Highness Prince Xiang to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. You hurt me before the banquet, and it is His Highness' face that you have lost!"

Ye Hemingen couldn't help but agree with Li Xuan's words. He really didn't dare to do anything to Li Xuan.

Let you be proud for two days. After the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, I will reason with you again...

With this thought in his mind, Ye Hemingen smiled, and then scolded his men: "Come back, don't talk about beatings at all times, we are polite people!"

After everyone retreated, Ye Hemingen did not stay any longer and led his men to another house.

Watching them walk away, Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, then turned around and entered the house. Next, he had to appease his wife.

Several hundred meters away, in the heavily guarded Xue family's courtyard, Zhu Jinghong was sitting on a chair, holding a fishing rod and facing the pond.

There is a garden in the back house of the Xue family. There are not only a large number of fish in it, but also all of them are fed fat.

But under such conditions, Zhu Jinghong sat here for half an hour, but he was stunned that not a single fish took the bait.

He didn't care much about it, just because he was thinking about it at the moment.

What is Yan Liao's next step, how to grasp the balance, how to deal with changes in the court, how to balance the relationship with the prince...

For Zhu Jinghong, there are simply too many things to consider.

"Brother-in-law..."

Hearing this crisp voice, Zhu Jinghong's originally heavy heart immediately felt as if it was watered by a sweet spring.

Zhu Jinghong looked back and said, "Girl, how did you get in?"

Baoqin replied: "They didn't let me in. I said it was my brother-in-law who was looking for me, and then they let me in!"

"You're lying!"

Zhu Jinghong knew this was a lie, and the eunuchs guarding outside also knew that those "smart people" were the best at figuring out his master's thoughts, so he simply pretended to be stupid and let Bao Qin in.

Normally, such eunuchs should be punished, but Zhu Jinghong is not a cold machine. He really has no motivation to punish these "empathetic" eunuchs.

He knew that this was a fall from which he could not save himself.

When faced with the accusation, Bao Qin said frankly: "Now that I tell you clearly, it won't be considered a lie!"

"It does make some sense!"

At this time, Baoqin had come closer. She looked at the bamboo basket for the first time, and then said: "I have been fishing for so long, but there is not a single one!"

Hearing this undisguised contempt, Zhu Jinghong said: "Who said you didn't take the bait?"

"Where?"

"Far away in the horizon, close before our eyes..."

"That's ridiculous, I didn't see it!" Bao Qin was very dissatisfied.

"Forget it if you can't see it, you will understand it later!" Zhu Jinghong said calmly.

"Brother-in-law... I heard that my father has a decree for you to control the troops of Yan and Liao?"

"There is such a thing!"

"Doesn't that mean that there are so many armies, all at your disposal?"

"Yeah!" Zhu Jinghong remained calm.

Bao Qin immediately became excited when what she was thinking in her heart was confirmed, so she said: "Brother-in-law, you are so awesome!"

There was a prince son-in-law in the family, and he was also the famous God of War of the Ming Dynasty. Now that this man was once again in charge of the army and might make new achievements, Baoqin felt excited just thinking about it.

Having such a powerful brother-in-law, and having such a good relationship with her, when she went back to brag to her sisters, her back became much stronger.

The girl's smile was as bright as a flower, and her youthful beauty had a strong healing effect. It made Zhu Jinghong feel much younger, even though he was only eighteen years old now.

Sighing, Zhu Jinghong looked disappointed and said, "Girl, actually I have nothing!"

(End of this chapter)