Chapter 48: Riding the Waves

  "This knife made by the Little Master of the Military Arsenal is truly excellent!"

  More than ten miles outside the city of Juyongguan, Wei Yue, Li Gong and Wang Yuanzheng finally passed down the order, all the cavalry reined in their war horses and temporarily stopped.

  Just now a good fight, exciting and thrilling, everyone's face still can't hide the smile.

  Wang Yuan yelled loudly: "Damn it, Ren Shang, I bet he killed at least ten people!"

  "Jia is a strong armor, and the bow is a good one. You are still protecting me, even so, it's hard to shoot ten or more people dead. Do I have the face to boast about my divine shooting skills?"

  Ren Shangping is usually plain and taciturn, but today he is exceptionally eloquent, it's as if a precious sword has been unsheathed, even his words have become sharp.

  Li Gong smiled and said: "Still have to count on Wei Da, every knife is at the vital point!"

  "Don't mention me," Wei Yue smiled slightly, sheathing his long knife, saying: "Close combat is quite suitable for this knife, it's very handy and powerful."

  Zhu Ciyan was said to have emptied out the last bit of family property from the Ming dynasty's central government!

  Bring out all your treasures, including cow bezoar and dog treasure!

  The ring armor worn by the crowd is linked together, and in many places, it is even inlaid with gold and silver threads... This is still a heavy armor made during the Zhengde period, weighing 30 catties per set. It's all iron rings connected with a small amount of cow tendon. Wearing it on the body, unless it's pierced by an iron spear or halberd, arrows can't hurt it. Even if you use a knife to chop and slash, most of the time, sparks will fly out, and wanting to break through the armor requires great strength, which is often in vain.

  In his hand was a long knife, narrow and thick, with a sharp blade that was of the finest steel, extremely sharp. Towards the handle it became thicker and more substantial, making it especially powerful for chopping and slashing.

  Moreover, outside the handle of the knife, an additional layer of protection is added, and when swinging and using it, there is another layer of guarantee.

  Wang Yuan praised the treasured sword in his hand, but also shook his head and said: "It's just this three-eyed gun, it's useless!"

  Li Gong nodded and said, "If it's too far, it won't reach; if it's too close, it will disperse. The amount of propellant is limited, so the range and power are naturally small. Even with three shots at once, it can't hurt anyone. As for close combat, which one is more convenient and sharp than a knife?"

  What they said was that Zhu Ciwen gave each person a three-eyed fire lance, and the prince said this thing can suppress enemy cavalry archery, use firearms to attack from a distance before close combat, and then it can still be used to smash people, making it a very sharp mounted weapon.

  Everyone had only heard that the Guanning Army had used it before, but unexpectedly just tried it out, apart from being smoked with a face full of black ash, its use was really not great.

  In fact, the three-eyed gun was indeed misled by later records of Zhu Ciyan. It is said that before the battle, three rounds were fired in a row, and then waved upwards... After careful examination, it can be known that it is the nonsense of people at that time, completely absurd talk.

  The development of firearms was highly valued by both the government and the people in the Ming dynasty, so there were countless types of firearms, and many people boasted about their own designs. The three-eyed fire lance should be one of them.

  At this, everyone couldn't help but smile.

  Young master's interest in firearms is really not small, apart from this first-class war horse, top-notch armor, and the cavalry saber in his hand, he has been tirelessly experimenting with various firearms.

  The three-eyed gun was clearly not feasible, and previously had even experimented with the method of firing firearms such as triple strike. Later, it was still Ren who found illustrations and text in "Huolong Jing" to show Zhu Ciyan, and the crown prince only then understood that the triple strike method not only existed in the Ming Dynasty but also had clear illustrations in military books.

  At that time, the depression was not small, but when I thought about it, everyone's face showed a smile.

  However, in any case, the young master has always been personally involved in military affairs and does not pretend to be a armchair strategist. Therefore, this self-arranged ambush is not a big deal, and the inner riding troops that Zhu Ciwen worked hard to build are still considered elite soldiers. The hundred or so people placed by Zhu Ciwen at Juyongguan Pass are certainly not pawns to be abandoned, on the contrary, they are real hidden pieces, not only useful but also of great use.

  Everyone laughed and said, "Alright, ahead is the rebel army, behind us Tang Tong will probably be driven by Wang to chase after us. We can't delay any longer... Let's part ways here!"

  Li Gong nodded and said, "That's right, it's here."

  The silent Wang Xiao also stood up and said with a fist: "Take care of each other, see you soon!"

  The prince's inner training eliminated nearly twenty people, and the strict team training also eliminated more than ten people. As for physical strength, horsemanship, and martial arts, many were also eliminated. Now, they are divided into three teams, with Wei Yue, Li Gong, and Wang Xiao as the team leaders, each leading 112 people. Ren Shang and Wang Yuan are deputy team leaders of these three teams.

  The current military system is ambiguous and unclear, and it is also related to the fact that there is no suitable name for the inner court training in the East Palace. This matter can only be resolved after the southern migration.

  According to the previous arrangement, Wei Yue led more than 100 cavalrymen from this bureau, which was the vast majority of the people here, and during the journey from Guyuan Pass to Beijing in these few days, they intercepted and killed messengers who were secretly going to Beijing, cut off the vanguard's scouts, and even ambushed them. Except for not engaging in a head-on battle with the Li Zicheng's army, everything else that could be done was done.

  After all, they have strong armor and sharp weapons, and there are several horse farms along the way, so they don't have to worry about lacking war horses, and can maintain a high-speed, flexible and mobile way of fighting.

  Although that's the case, war is cruel and dangerous, and being a scout vanguard who suffers heavy casualties is a risky business, which doesn't need to be elaborated.

  The rest of the people were all military officers, and they would soon return to Beijing with their horses, grasp the two bureaus that stayed in Beijing, and make final preparations for the great crisis at hand.

  Everyone's family members had already been sent away, some by sea and others by taking the canal to the south. Along the way, there were government soldiers as well as bodyguards arranged by the prince under the name of a security agency. Upon arrival in Nanjing, they were also taken care of by eunuch Qiu Zhizhong who had been sent ahead to Nanjing, and officials such as Wang Duo and Wu Weiye. The young master had plenty of silver and houses had already been purchased, so there was no need to worry about having a place to settle down.

  Everyone's retreat route is arranged properly. The hard practice every day for the past few months was all for today, so when a big event arrives, there isn't even a bit of panic.

  Wang Yuan was reluctant, he wanted to be Wei Yue's deputy and fight outside. However, Wei Yue insisted that everyone return to the crown prince's side, because he was outside while the crown prince was inside, if there was danger, the crown prince needed everyone's protection even more.

  This argument is very reasonable, so at this time, the sturdy and robust Hanzi can only stand up straight, give Wei Yue a heavy fist, and say: "Wei Da, take care!"

  "What's the point of learning this effeminate stuff!" Wei Yue cracked his whip in mid-air and shouted, "If Young Master loses a single hair, it'll be a crime punishable by heaven itself!"

  This tall and strong man, at this moment, what he worries about most is not his own safety. When he first came out of Songshan, one life was already a bonus, many brothers died on the battlefield, being able to survive until now is already a gain... But it's the Crown Prince, now in the Eastern Palace, whether officials or soldiers, who doesn't know that this young master is both civil and martial? If Da Ming has any hope left, it all depends on this young master.

  Although these words cannot be spoken out loud, they can't stop people from thinking this way! Wei Yue said, Wang Yuan's eyes were red, but he didn't hesitate at all. He turned over and jumped onto his horse, saying in a low voice: "If Young Master loses one hair, I, Wang Yuan, will definitely lose my head first... It's settled then, Wei Da, let's meet again outside the Chaoyang Gate!"

  The geographical advantages of each gate in Beijing have been thoroughly investigated by many people.

  Even the road from Beijing to Tianjin, everyone has been back and forth many times. Where the road is easy to walk, where can be set up ambushes, where there are supply points, all are clear.

  A matter of life and death, how can one be careless?

  The road conditions outside Chaoyang Gate are the best, and there are also some slightly distant temples that can store grain, hay, horses, medicine and other supplies. This is a predetermined breakout route, and now Wei Yue just nodded and said, "See you outside Chaoyang Gate."

  As they spoke, the crowd also knew that they could not delay any longer. They mounted their horses one after another and, with a final bow on horseback, each of them whipped their horses or spurred their bellies. Over a hundred warhorses neighed and shouted, their hooves thundering like muffled thunder. Before long, they split into two teams and dispersed.

  Wang Yuan and others turned back to look, but saw Wei Yue leading a team of one hundred and twelve cavalrymen, rushing in the direction of the rebel army... Everyone understood that the rebel army was on the move, and the vanguard must have had scouts and elite troops. Wei Yue's intention was to stir up trouble for the enemy, not allowing the rebel army to act so smoothly and conveniently.

  "Let's hurry up too!" Li Gong listened for a moment, his face changed, and said: "It seems that Tang Tong is leading the team to chase us from behind. We don't want to fall into the hands of such a petty person, it's really not worth it!"

  Among the crowd's responses, they turned their horses around and galloped in a direction that was exactly opposite to Wei Yue and others. The riders were like wind and lightning, rushing towards the Zhengyi Gate of the capital.

  ……

  ……

  Feng Kechang, although nominally within the Imperial Guard, was granted an official position as a General of the Crown Prince's Banner, but after all, he was only a juren and his responsibilities outside were greater and heavier. So in these three months, except for a few times when Zhu Ciyan went out of the palace in casual clothes, Feng Kechang had been constantly following orders to handle affairs outside and did not have time to enter the palace to pay respects.

  But now is different from the past, some places like Wuning and Datong have been conquered by Li Zicheng or surrendered. The city of Beijing has become a place where people are startled at night, and a white lantern has also been hung on the Zhengyang Gate, which is a symbol that the capital is in danger and the city has begun to be under martial law.

  In the past when the Eastern Barbarians invaded, at most two white lanterns were hung on Zhengyang Gate, which meant that the enemy had already reached the outskirts of the capital city. However, people in the capital remained calm because there were defending soldiers inside and reinforcements kept arriving from outside the city walls... But now, when Feng Kezhang entered the palace, he saw a scene of decline and collapse everywhere. There was an atmosphere of death, and on the streets, not only were there very few pedestrians, but even after entering the imperial city, it was rare to see any officials or minor officials hurrying about!

  Everyone is evading, dodging and waiting quietly for "something big to happen", but those who are truly dedicated to the country and thinking of turning the tide are really one in ten thousand.

  He was only filled with emotion in his heart, but there wasn't a single thread of regret or fear.

  Since he has chosen this path now, it's better than returning to Tianjin with nothing accomplished. Moreover, in his and some like-minded people's view, Li Zicheng is unlikely to achieve great things, although he appears to be the master of a new dynasty, but his bandit nature remains unchanged, making it impossible for him to gain the world.

  In this way, it can only be cheaper for the Eastern Turks who are staring outside the pass.

  Northern scholars, don't just focus on Li Zicheng or Zhang Xianzhong like southerners!

  At this moment, he really had all sorts of thoughts in his mind, and it was hard to calm down. Although he had been waiting for several months just for this day, thinking that the enemy's edge was only a few days away, even though this young master usually didn't show his emotions, at this time he still looked worried and couldn't be relieved.