Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 147 Zaikengye Liang
"Dang...dang...dang..."

Maybe it was because after Xiyang Ha was pacified, there were no more opponents outside the customs, or maybe the heavy snow made the world a lot cleaner. In short, after returning to Jilin, Zhu Gaoxu felt that time passed very quickly.

In just a blink of an eye, with the ringing of bells, the soldiers and civilians of Jilin City also ushered in such an important festival as the winter solstice.

As soon as the morning bell rang, the square in front of the Bohai Palace in Jilin City was filled with men wearing coarse aprons.

Some of them boil water, and some sharpen knives, just to spend a lively winter solstice today.

Zhu Gaoxu was wearing a black round-neck robe and a bearskin cloak. He was sitting at the door of the palace, observing the lively scene.

"What..."

"I'm coming!"

As the sheep appeared, hundreds of men instantly became lively. They rushed up to watch the sheep. Even Zhu Gaoxu stretched his neck to get a better look.

"Your Highness, you are so willing..."

Looking at the two hundred sheep being brought in, Yishiha, who was sitting next to Zhu Gaoxu, warmed his hands on the stove in front of him, but his face hurt as he said: "Two hundred sheep and two hundred stones of grain, you are spending too much time during the winter solstice." alright."

"Celebrate with the people..." Zhu Gaoxu laughed while warming himself by the fire and watching the lively scene of killing sheep and cooking rice in the square.

As he said at the beginning, on such a big day as the winter solstice, he was determined to have a lively festival with the soldiers and civilians of Jilin City.

Those two hundred sheep are the ingredients for this festival. If nothing else, they can make a banquet that can feed the entire city.

"Prepare a portion of sheep tripe, sheep liver, sheep lungs, sheep heart, and sheep intestines for me. I like to eat them."

Zhu Gaoxu explained to the open-air kitchen in the palace, where there were two chefs brought by Zhu Gaoxu from the south.

At this moment, they were also preparing to go out to participate in the sheep slaughtering activity. When passing by the place where Zhu Gaoxu and others were resting, the two of them bowed and saluted, and then hurried to the crowd who were "carving up" the sheep, and picked up two sheep from them. The sheep returned to the palace happily.

Not long after, the two hundred sheep were divided up, and everyone started to deal with them in small groups.

All the wool was scraped and collected. Many women who came to help put the wool into bags, ready to take it home and wash it. Then they would choose a warm day in spring to dry it in the sun and then make it into wool. Worn by your husband or father.

This move was approved by Zhu Gaoxu before the banquet, but even so, Yi Shiha still felt heartbroken when he saw it.

Soon, as the sheep were being processed, pots of plump mutton began to be cooked.

There is no sliced ​​hot pot in later generations, nor is there roasted whole lamb with many spices, nor are there all kinds of fancy cooking methods. Some are just dozens of large pots.

The plump mutton is thrown into the pot into chunks and cooked together with the mutton bones. There is no spices or various techniques. The only seasoning is the ginger, onion and garlic preserved in late autumn.

But even so, as the water for cooking the sheep began to boil and time began to pass, the aroma of the mutton still floated around, attracting many people to come and watch.

Among them, many children were drooling and squatting in the corner of the square, looking straight at the boiling mutton pieces in the pot.

Many of them have never eaten a piece of mutton since they were born, so they are very eager, and they are constantly urging the mutton to be cooked quickly.

The lamb is cooking and other meals are being prepared.

In addition to two hundred sheep, Zhu Gaoxu also prepared hundreds of chickens and ducks for today's winter solstice banquet, as well as a small number of pigs in the guardhouse.

The pigs raised by military households in Jilin and Liaodong are all Yimeng black pigs from Shandong. This kind of pig is inferior to the Yorkshire white pig of later generations. It takes a year to grow to a weight of three hundred kilograms.

The military households who originally moved here brought only six Yimeng black pigs. Even after seven years, the number is only about [-].

Zhu Gaoxu had ten big ones captured so that the soldiers and civilians in Jilin City could eat all kinds of meat available during the winter solstice.

The reason why he is willing to do so is not only because today is the winter solstice, but also because the Bohai Navy has not held a celebration banquet yet.

"Everyone, please relax. When it's time to go to the table and enjoy the feast, come to the table and enjoy the feast. Don't neglect it."

Zhu Gaoxu tilted his head and ordered Fu Rang and others who had not spoken. After hearing this, they also smiled and looked at the streets leading to the square.

In those streets and alleys, tables, chairs and benches had been placed starting from the square. More than a thousand households in the city participated in it, just like a long table banquet.

"The seat is open!"

Fu Rang stood up and shouted at the soldiers who were busy in the square. The common people who heard his voice ran back to their positions, and the soldiers on the square also started cooking and serving dishes.

A four-foot long plate held bowls of meat on the table. The children, who had not seen meat for many months, did not care about the high temperature. They picked up the chopsticks and stuffed the meat into their mouths. Even if they were burned, they just exhaled loudly, reluctant to part with it. Spit out the meat.

Fish, chicken, duck, pork, mutton...

All kinds of meat and vegetables appeared on the stage, and people at each table stretched out their chopsticks to feast.

The seat where Zhu Gaoxu and the others were sitting also welcomed the meal from Wangfu Xiaozao.

Roast lamb legs, lamb chops, fried chicken, duck, fish and pork, as well as plates of dumplings, bowls of wontons and pots of staple food.

They are of different categories, but they have one thing in common, that is, they do not have many spices. Apart from onions, ginger and garlic, the only thing that can enhance the flavor is a handful of green salt.

For Zhu Gaoxu, who had experienced many banquets in his previous life, the banquet in front of him was so simple, but the people at the dinner table and around him were so enthusiastic.

Their enthusiasm allowed Zhu Gaoxu, who had lived in the cold city for more than thirty years, to feel the warmth of passion again.

The long bench made of ordinary material beneath him is more comfortable than the golden nan chair in Wuying Hall.

Looking around, whether they are adults or children, everyone is tanned and tanned due to their early maturity and need to work, but their tanness gives people a different feeling.

The children make people feel a lively and lovely innocence jumping. The veins on the young men's arms are bulging, and with the dark color, they look so energetic and capable.

Although the old people are old and their dark skin is loose, they still look strong and gentle.

Looking around, we can see that the clothes of the people at the long table banquet in the alley are also very simple. Almost everyone has the same style, but some colors are brighter and some are darker.

Watching them chatting and laughing, the laughter lingered in Zhu Gaoxu's ears, unwilling to leave for a long time.

"Come, celebrate the winter solstice and our triumphant return!"

Raising his wine glass, Zhu Gaoxu, Yi Shiha, Lin Su, Fu Rang, Zhang Chun, Wang Yi and others all looked at each other with smiles on their faces.

After a glass of wine, my whole body felt a little warmer.

Looking at the lively scene in front of him, Zhu Gaoxu seemed to be thankful that at least he could feel the human touch around him compared to his grandfather.

"Dry!"

"Wish you good health, grandpa emperor..."

Almost at the same time that Zhu Gaoxu and the others were toasting and drinking, Zhu Yuanzhang of Nanjing City also returned to the Huagai Hall after a brief court meeting, and accepted the Winter Solstice singing ceremony from his descendants in Beijing.

Sitting in the Huagai Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the descendants who were like a revolving lantern. Although he knew that these people were his descendants, he could not pronounce everyone's name.

To him, such a banquet seemed to be no different from dining with his ministers.

Looking at the decorated Canopy Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang's somewhat cloudy eyes turned to Zhu Yunwen beside him, and he reminded:

"During the festival, don't be too polite. Just let them all sit down and have a peaceful reunion dinner."

"Yes..." Zhu Yunwen agreed. At this time, he was much more mature than he was more than half a year ago, and the confidence in his body could not be concealed.

He found himself again, because his position was already stable, and with Zhu Gaoxu leaving, his confidence naturally returned.

Turning sideways, Zhu Yunwen ordered the eunuch on duty to inform the kings and princes to relax.

The eunuch on duty did not dare to delay and immediately complied with the request, but the kings and princes could not let go. This festive family banquet was still in good order, which made Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flash with disappointment.

He didn't show it, but such disappointment greatly reduced his appetite.

"Stir-fried mutton, lamb head and hoof with fire, lamb tripe plate with salted drum and mustard, garlic vinegar lamb blood soup, lamb bones with original juice, lamb crystal dumplings, three delicacies soup, mung bean chess noodles, minced pepper lamb, fragrant rice, garlic cheese, Bean soup, tea..."

In the palace, the eunuch on duty kept singing the names of the dishes. On this winter solstice festival, which is suitable for eating mutton, everyone was waiting for Zhu Yuanzhang to use his chopsticks.

Zhu Yuanzhang was not in the mood for this. In front of dozens of descendants, he stood up slowly, bowed his head and told Zhu Yunwen:
"You are hosting this banquet. I am a little tired..."

"Yes, my grandson will be responsible." Zhu Yunwen probably guessed what Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking, so he said "grandson" obediently.

Hearing this self-promotion, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes felt a little warm, but he still turned and left after Zhu Yunwen bowed.

"Long live Grandpa Huang..."

Seeing him leaving, everyone in the hall hurriedly stood up and sang and gave gifts. Zhu Yunwen looked at his grandfather's back with an indescribable feeling in his heart.

He knew very well why his grandfather was so depressed. The reason could be traced back to the death of Xin Guogong Tanghe three months ago.

Fu Youde, Feng Sheng, Xie Cheng, Wang Bi, Tang He...

My grandfather could pronounce fewer and fewer names. Perhaps the departure of these people made him feel left out...

Zhu Yunwen's expression was complicated, but when he thought of the chair in Fengtian Hall, he calmed down and turned around to start the family banquet in Huagai Hall.

"Everyone, sit down. Grandpa is gone, so you can eat more freely."

With a smile on his face, Zhu Yunwen warmly entertained his uncles and brothers, and at the same time raised his glass: "I would like to toast all my uncles, aunts, and brothers first."

"Great grandson Ankang..." Seeing Zhu Yunwen finish the drink in one gulp, all the kings raised their glasses and drank with them.

After finishing a glass of wine, Zhu Yunwen sat down again and glanced at his table.

It was similar to the original New Year's Eve family banquet. The only people who could sit at this table, apart from my own family, were the princes who stayed in Beijing.Zhu Yunwen lowered his head to eat, exchanging cups with Liao Wang Zhu Zhi and others from time to time.

They were quite lively, but at the next banquet, Zhu Gaosui looked at the scene at the first table with envy in his eyes:
"If the second brother was here, he would probably sit at that table..."

Suddenly hearing something about Zhu Gaojiu, Zhu Gaochi, who was having a delicious meal next to him, raised his head and followed Zhu Gaosui's gaze, but quickly lowered his head again:
"Perhaps he left after Grandpa Huang left. He probably wouldn't like such a banquet."

In any case, Zhu Gaochi still knows Zhu Gaoxu very well. Even before his personality changed two years ago, he was not the kind of character who liked to eat with a bunch of people of higher seniority and status than himself, let alone after his personality changed.

"That's true, alas..." Zhu Gaosui shook his head and sighed: "Second brother is really miserable, being enfeoffed to a place where no one can shit..."

As he spoke, Zhu Gaosui picked up a sheep's hoof and tasted it happily. While tasting it, he said, "I'm afraid it's not easy to eat some mutton in Jilin City."

As he said this, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a military attaché of the fifth rank hurriedly walking in at the entrance of the palace.

The arrival of this military attache was not only seen by him, but also by many people.

The movements of these people attracted the attention of other people, and they all looked towards their eyes, and then they saw the facial features of the people entering the palace.

"Fifth-grade Military Attaché of the Governor's Mansion, what happened?"

"It must be a big deal, otherwise we wouldn't have sent a military attaché of the fifth rank."

"Is it the south or the north?"

"When winter comes, the north should be fine. It must be the south. Haven't there been a few rebels in the southwest recently?"

"It seems so. I heard there was quite a commotion, but Duke Wei and others are in the southwest, so I think everything will be fine..."

Seeing the military attache going straight to Zhu Yunwen, the kings and princes whispered to each other about their speculations.

Most of them thought something happened to Southwest, and so did Zhu Yunwen.

So when he turned his head and listened to the answer that the military attache whispered into his ear, the expression on his face suddenly became a little stiff.

"Grandpa Huang is not here. You can go to Qianqing Palace and pass this memorial over..."

Looking at the memorial handed over by the military attaché, Zhu Yunwen asked him to leave with a stiff smile. Upon seeing this, the military attache also bowed and left.

"what happened?"

King Zhu Zhi of the Liao Dynasty looked at the change in Zhu Yunwen's expression and asked curiously, but Zhu Yunwen faked a smile and said: "This is a serious matter. Only after the emperor sees it can he know whether he can tell others..."

As he said this, his eyes were fixed on the back of the departing military attaché, wondering what he was thinking in his heart.

As for the kings, they also looked at each other, seeming to realize the importance of the matter.

But their association was wrong, because the matter was not a bad side, or in other words, it was not a bad side for the Ming Dynasty.

After leaving the Huagai Hall, the military attache followed the traces and rushed to the Qianqing Gate of the Qianqing Palace. He arrived a quarter of an hour later and handed the important memorial in his hand to the eunuch on duty.

Not long after, this memorial was sent to the Qianqing Palace. At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang, who had just returned to the Qianqing Palace, was sitting on his Babu bed, holding a painting in his hand.

The person painted in the painting is the late Empress Xiaocigao Ma. Although the person in the painting is very different from the person in Zhu Yuanzhang's memory, this may be the only person he can see the appearance of.

"No matter how many people there are in the Canopy Hall, there will be no human touch in this room and this bed..."

Looking at the painting in his hand, Lao Zhu lay on the bed with a relaxed posture and no longer held it.

"Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from the Governor's Office of the Left Army."

Suddenly, the voice of the eunuch on duty sounded in the palace, and Zhu Yuanzhang sighed when he heard the words: "I really can't rest for a moment..."

He stood up and sat up, rerolled the painting in his hand, and said at the same time: "Come in!"

As soon as the voice fell, footsteps began to sound.

Lao Zhu put the rolled-up painting on the bedside, sat on the bed for a while, and then saw the eunuch on duty coming in with a memorial with a letter inside.

"Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from the Zuo Army Governor's Office. There is also a handwritten letter. I haven't read it, so I don't know who it belongs to."

The eunuch on duty presented the memorial with both hands. Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction when he heard the words. At the same time, he stretched out his hand to take the memorial. What he saw after opening it made his originally stiff face reveal a little warmth.

[Grandson Zhu Gaoxu kisses his grandfather]

The handwritten name on the envelope made Lao Zhu unconsciously happy. The neglect he had received at the Huagai Hall seemed to be instantly shattered by this line of writing.

At this moment, Lao Zhu had the idea to read the handwriting first and then the memorial.

However, his imperial instinct and habits still made him pick up the handwritten book and look at the memorial.

[In the ninth month of the Wuxu period, the King of Bohai led more than a thousand horsemen and infantry to march northward, traveling over land through forest lands such as Lali and Cuihahe. 】

[Wushen, the King of Bohai crossed the Songhua River and entered the Daheishan Mountains. The next day, he ordered Fu Rang, the commander of the Jilin Guards, to set up an ambush of [-] troops to attack Xiyang Ha. He defeated the enemy and beheaded more than [-] people. He also beheaded Shu'er, the son of Xiyang Ha. Ha, Xiyang Ha heard that the formation was gone and led his troops to flee north]

[Jiyou, the King of Bohai led more than two hundred cavalry across the Dahei Mountains and attacked ten thousand people from the Ha tribe in Xiyang. Xiyang Ha led more than a thousand cavalry to fight. The King of Bohai led a hundred cavalry to charge into the formation, and defeated dozens of enemies with repeated fire. When the Ha formation in Xiyang was destroyed, his son Tucha Ha fled eastward and captured more than [-] members of his tribe, as well as nearly [-] cattle, horses and livestock...]

[In Gengxu, the King of Bohai restored Boyan Castle and changed its name to Andong City. He stationed [-] horses and infantry to guard Ataiwailan, the eldest son of Xiyang Ha...]

A detailed military report appeared in front of Lao Zhu. Although he was careful to avoid the important and trivial when writing it, he could not hide it from Lao Zhu's eyes.

Among them, Zhu Gaoxu led a hundred cavalry to charge into the formation with more than a thousand soldiers, which shocked him the most.

Fortunately, nothing happened to Zhu Gaoxu and he also killed Xiyang Ha. Otherwise, Lao Zhu might have asked Yi Shiha and the others to be buried by Zhu Gaoxu.

"Things are going well, but I'm afraid I have to be like his father again to seek benefits..."

Lao Zhu was in a much better mood. Even though he knew that the content of the handwriting was Zhu Gaoxu's excuse for crying out of poverty, he still put down the memorial and opened the handwriting.

[I have been in Jilin for half a year, and I have not informed you that I am safe. Now I am bowing my head, and bowing my head, and bowing my head again...]

[At the beginning of September, Jinsun led his army out of Jilin, and was favored by your Majesty. He eliminated the traitors from the Eastern Han Dynasty for your Majesty. Jinsun was outside Tai'an, and finally gained face and wrote a handwritten letter to your Majesty]

[I heard that my lord has been suffering from wind and cold frequently this year, and it is hard for me to have a good time day and night. How about not reviewing the past few days?If your body is not strong, you must rest peacefully and give your grandchildren a chance to take care of themselves! 】

[Today, the Eastern Barbarians are slightly calm, but the lurkers are still unpredictable. The old slaves and soldiers have shown that the temperature has not diminished, and there is a fear that they will come back again. Andong City will be rebuilt to ward off the Eastern Barbarians]

[Although some gains were made in this battle, the food and wages were not maintained, the horses were exhausted, the guards were getting tired, the thieves and bandits were coveting them, and the city of Jilin was in danger]

【see……】

Not surprisingly, Zhu Gaoxu first showed his filial piety and cared about Lao Zhu's health, and then started to cry about poverty.

Even though he had written clearly in the victory report, saying that nearly [-] cattle and horses were seized and the captive population was [-], he still cried out to Lao Zhu like a rebellious child in his letters at home.

Of course, some of the things he said in his letter were not lies. For example, the power of Xiyang Ha's sons has not weakened much and they still have the ability to threaten Jilin.

As for the lack of food and wages, the shortage of horses, and the fatigue of the guards, it is not possible to make too many false claims. After all, there is a shortage of food outside the customs, and Zhu Gaoxu has captured so many people and horses. The original food in Jilin City is naturally not enough.

In addition, the sudden acceptance of so many Jurchen people has disrupted the balance of Jilin City. All these things are a challenge for Jilin City.

Because of this, this kid cried out to himself for poverty in the end, hoping to relocate some military households to increase the population of Jilin City, and at the same time, please increase the amount of food allocated to Jilin City.

"What's the situation in Jilin City? Is there any news before winter?"

Zhu Yuanzhang did not respond directly, but raised his head and asked at the corner of the palace.

As soon as he opened his mouth, a forty-year-old eunuch came out from behind the screen in the corner of the palace and bowed to him:
"Returning to Your Majesty, a letter arrived in Nanjing on September 26th. Currently, there are nearly [-] draft horses and cattle in Jilin. Nearly [-] acres of wasteland have been opened this year. The yield per mu in the coming year may not be less than [-] shi."

"As for the others... I'm sorry that the official position of the brothers in the north is not high, so I didn't find out. I just reported that the number of captured cattle and horses was close to [-]."

Zhu Gaoxu's words sounded flawless both in public and private, but even so, Lao Zhu still asked about the Jin Yiwei in his hand.

Lao Zhu was not very satisfied with the eunuch's answer, because the news reported by Jilin City's Jinyiwei had become increasingly careless recently.

Although the content is true, there are indeed some Spring and Autumn writing styles.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang did not intend to withdraw them. After all, doing so would easily alert the enemy. Even though he trusted Zhu Gaoxu very much, he had to be on guard against Zhu Gaoxu.

"Draft a decree to ask the Ministry of Revenue to move 15 households from Shandong to Jilin City. In addition, the annual output of Jilin City will be increased to [-] shi of rice, [-] shi of horse bean feed, [-] bunches of fodder, [-] shi of grain, and [-] shi of salt. Fifty thousand catties, ten thousand pieces of cotton, thirty thousand catties of cotton..."

With a word from Lao Zhu, Zhu Gaoxu's annual grain harvest from Liaodong Dusi was increased to one hundred thousand dan, and other types of annual output were also increased or even doubled.

Of course, the amount of these annual supplies is still tightly controlled by Lao Zhu.

Today, there are more than 5000 soldiers and civilians in Jilin City. Counting the [-] households that will be moved there, the number is less than [-].

Although one hundred thousand shi of food is a lot of food, even if Zhu Gaoxu's annual salary is included, it is only enough to supply 2 people. The remaining 5000 people will have to be fed by Zhu Gaoxu using the cultivated land in Jilin City.

In this way, even if Zhu Gaoxu wanted to do something bad, he would not have much food to achieve his idea.

Thinking of this, although the smile on Zhu Yuanzhang's face faded, he did not relax in holding Zhu Gaoxu's handwriting tightly.

Looking at Zhu Gaoxu's unique handwriting, Lao Zhu reluctantly closed it slowly and sighed at the same time.

The situation is always under his control.

It's just that this situation is not what he personally wants to have, but he is the emperor, and the emperor must control this situation.

　"Records of Taizu of the Ming Dynasty": During the winter solstice of Xinyoushuo in November of the 28th year of Hongwu, I heard that the king of Bohai defeated Xiyang Ha. He was very happy. He issued an imperial edict to reward thousands of soldiers and horses, and tens of thousands of platinum. He told the left and right, "My grandson is the one who will secure Liaodong." also. '

　　
　
(End of this chapter)