unclear

Chapter 687 Victory is in sight
"Your Majesty, I brought some white flour from Hai Hu Si, which has been sieved three times. I will roll two bowls of noodles with cucumbers. It will be ready in a moment."

Dinner was still roasted horse meat. Seeing the emperor struggling to chew the rough shreds of meat, Wang Chengen began to slander the emperor again and even encouraged him to separate himself from the masses and eat separately.

Many eunuchs with bad reputations in history may have done the same thing. When they met a king with weak willpower, they would just go down the hill after a few words. In the end, the matter was ruined, but the bad reputation was put on the helpless secretary... No, it was on the eunuch.

I was also very hardworking when I was young. It's all because of these eunuchs who have been corrupted by bourgeois hedonism for many years. Someone, take them out and chop them off! Then I will be pure.

"How are you doing with star charts?" Hong Tao didn't take advantage of the situation, but asked an irrelevant question.

It's not that they are never corrupt, but they don't pursue capital, don't need to be different, and they won't get any benefits. Fan Wei said it well: Who are you testing? Which cadre can't stand such a test!

"…90 points. The best thing I learned was the star map hand-painted by His Majesty!"

Eating noodles suddenly turned into a test on academic knowledge, and Wang Chengen was confused on the spot. However, this question seemed to hit the nail on the head, because astronomy happened to be one of the few subjects in which he could get excellent grades.

"Why were the points deducted?" Hong Tao used a dagger to insert a piece of horse meat the size of a fist, dipped it in some yellow sauce and chili powder, and chewed it hard.

As an emperor, his only privilege was to have more condiments than the soldiers. Otherwise, he really couldn't eat boiled horse meat, which was fishy and woody, and would only get stuck in his teeth and not be chewed.

"It's the Nanyang star map... I have never seen the sky of Nanyang, so I always get it mixed up." Wang Chengen felt that he was very wronged in this matter. There was clearly only one piece of sky above his head, but the emperor insisted that there were two pieces, one in the south and one in the north.

Although the star map is complicated, you can still remember it by looking at the night sky more often in each season. But the emperor said that the other sky is thousands of miles away in the south, and you need to take a sea ship to get there. Isn't this deliberately making things difficult for you? Who can avoid making mistakes by memorizing without seeing it?

"So you have memorized the northern star map? Then let me test you, what is the name of this star?" Hong Tao was immediately perked up, put down his horse meat and pointed to the southern sky to ask a question because he dared to blame the teacher for not learning well.

"...southwest of the country...it's Changgeng Star, also known as Taibai Venus!"

Wang Chengen didn't even use a telescope, he just scanned the southern sky with his naked eyes. The sun had just set, the sky was not completely dark yet, and there were only a few stars visible in the sky, so he quickly came up with the answer.

"No need to confirm it again?" Hong Tao curled his lips, squinted his eyes, and had a disdainful expression.

"... It's seven o'clock in the evening in summer, the sky has just darkened, who else could it be besides Chang Geng... Hey... Hiss... Why are there two Chang Geng stars? Did His Majesty cast a spell again?"

It was not the first time that Wang Chengen was fooled by the emperor's expression. He was not panicked, but to be on the safe side he took out his pocket watch and looked at it, and then he was at a loss.

There is indeed a star in the southern sky, but one is slightly dimmer in the southwest, and the other is brighter in the south. It is so weird. I have studied star maps for seven or eight years and have also watched the starry sky for seven or eight years, but I have never seen such a sight. Could it be that the emperor is showing his power?

"If I had magic, I would turn you into a pig first! Is it useful to stare at me? What is the telescope for!" "Hiss... Your Majesty, it, it doesn't look like a star!" After being glared at by the emperor, Wang Chengen remembered the telescope, but he was even more confused after seeing it clearly. The thing was not bright, but also smoking.

"Its name is Sun Chengzong Star. Remember, you have to take part in the Cuju team exam this year, especially the star map. If you score below 95, go back and study again. Messenger, call Chief of Staff Ding and Commander Du, immediately!"

Hong Tao snatched back his telescope, stood up and walked towards the command car, giving orders as he walked. It was obvious that something big had happened.

"Sun Chengzongxing... When did he change his post to the Imperial Observatory? Hey... Your Majesty, Your Majesty, dinner, dinner is not yet served..."

Wang Chengen was left staring at the sky in a daze, unable to understand why Sun Chengzong, who was training troops in Yan'an Prefecture, was working at the Imperial Observatory. As soon as he lowered his head, he saw the remaining half of the emperor's horse meat, and stood up to chase after him.

"Eunuch... Eunuch... I'm afraid that His Majesty gave this piece of meat away intentionally, so it's better not to chase it." But before he could take a step, the hem of his clothes was tightly grabbed by someone.

"…How can His Majesty go back on his word? This piece of meat is what I left over. Come on, everyone, add another spoonful of meat and finish it in a cup of tea. Xiao Zhuzi, since you are so smart, this half piece of meat is yours too!"

Although Wang Chengen is a fool in front of the emperor, he is not afraid of anyone in the Cuju team. So what if he is smart? So what if he has means? He is a man of great strength. If he has the ability to be used by the emperor, then he should be treated differently. Otherwise, whoever dares to lose his temper will be punished!

"Are you stupid? Why are you so talkative? Now I'll give you two choices. Either eat all the meat, or take charge of the night duty. Make your choice!" As soon as Wang Chengen left, the Cuju team members who were serving and guarding nearby suddenly came alive. Some kicked, some hit. Xiao Zhuzi immediately became a public enemy.

If he hadn't been so talkative, everyone wouldn't have to eat an extra piece of meat. This wasn't even meat, it was just horse urine boiled in tree bark. Eating one piece was already a stretch, and eating another piece was like being tortured.

"Now that Sun Chengzong has arrived, I wonder what he will do?"

Ding Shun and Du Wenhuan were not as stubborn as Wang Chengen. They said that the stars were just stars. They knew at a glance that they were not stars but communication fireworks used by the army at night.

The reason why it can hang high in the night sky for a long time is that it is suspended by a large thin silk umbrella. Before the gunpowder inside the fireworks is burned out, it will not only not fall, but may also rise with the heat.

"He sent the signal before dinner, and when I saw it, the first one had already fallen. According to the time, if he wants to attack from both north and south, it will start in less than two quarters of an hour. If it doesn't start, it means he has a bigger plan. We just need to follow the plan and must not make any unnecessary troubles."

To be honest, Hong Tao really didn't know what Sun Chengzong would do next, and even before that, he was not sure that he could lead his army to arrive smoothly. Although it was a 30,000-man army, it had actually only been less than two years since it was set up.

Even if he had a group of army officers and staff accompanying him, he would be much more wealthy than Li Ruzhang who started from scratch. However, the conditions in Yan'an Prefecture were far worse than those in Tongzhou. In addition, it housed dozens of nephews and sons of frontier army generals, so it was difficult to sort out the situation.

Crossing states and prefectures along the way, relying solely on the emperor's orders would certainly encounter a lot of trouble. Now that he is here, even if he wins a great victory, even if he only brings a few thousand people, he can still be of great use. Not only will he win this battle, but he can also gain a talent who can be of great use. His achievements in the future may not be less than Yuan Keli.

(End of this chapter)