The officers and soldiers guarding the passes of the capital did not have many cavalry, and the capital could not afford to keep so many warhorses that were usually unused. When the news reached the inner city, it was the redcoated cavalry of the Brocade Guard and the horses of the Military Department of the Five Cities that rushed out of the city ahead of the main army. Braving the heavy snow, they chased for several li.
The heavy snow made it difficult to travel, and they were so tired that their horses neighed and people panted. Suddenly, they saw a few lonely figures on the road ahead. The soldiers hurriedly reined in their horses and carefully approached. Only then did they see a few Inner Factory guards standing motionless in the snow.
Wu Hanchao, Liu Biao, and the others were scared out of their wits. In front of them, a withered tree had been crushed by the heavy snow and was lying across the road. The bandits could have gone around the tree, but the snow covered the sky and there were no traces on the road. How could they chase them like blind horses?
An embroidered official returned his spring embroidery saber to its sheath and raised the reins of his horse to approach. When he got close, he recognized the Inner Factory's Qianhu Liu Biao. He hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Official Liu, have you found any traces of Factory Supervisor Yang?"
Liu Biao turned his head and saw over a hundred soldiers behind him. He took a deep breath and shouted, "Everyone, spread out. Five people to a group and search around this place. Communicate with each other. If you find any clues, immediately report back. Do not make decisions without permission."
The official acknowledged and ordered the Imperial Bodyguard and the horses to quickly disperse into the wilderness. Not long after, more people arrived and joined the search. Yang Ling was led several li into the wilderness. His boots were soaked in snow and his leather boots were heavy and heavy. He walked until his back was drenched in sweat and his heart was beating like a drum. Suddenly, he saw a few figures approaching in the wind and snow. Yang Ling slipped and almost fell.
The soldiers in front of him saw a person and nervously raised their weapons and shouted, "Who is it? Stop! Don't come any closer. Someone come quickly, there are people here! "
Yang Ling composed himself and saw that the people were wearing tasseled hats and looked like soldiers. He hurriedly shouted, "I am Yang Ling. Which department are you from?"
When the soldiers heard this, they approached him doubtfully and looked him up and down. When they saw his clothes, they immediately believed him. The soldiers couldn't help but shout excitedly, "We found Master Yang! We found Master Yang!"
The small corporal leading the soldiers was so excited that his face was red. The merit was right in front of him. This was God's New Year gift. He straightened his clothes and walked two steps forward to greet him. He said loudly, "I am Corporal He Danian of the Zhenwei Battalion. Greetings to Factory Supervisor!"
Yang Ling smiled bitterly and said, "Dispense with the formalities. Take me back quickly. I really can't hold on any longer."
The corporal quickly got up and supported Yang Ling with a strong soldier on his left and right. The news spread quickly and the soldiers quickly gathered in this direction. By the time Wu Hanchao and Liu Biao heard the news and rushed over ecstatically, the people supporting Yang Ling had already been replaced by the Zhenwu Camp's Deputy General Liu Benyuan and Chief Zhang Kai.
Liu Biao's face was full of excitement. He stopped in his tracks, looked at Yang Ling, and said in a choked voice, "Thank goodness that the Factory Supervisor … is safe!"
Wu Hanchao walked to Yang Ling and looked at him with shame. Then he lifted his sleeves and knelt in the snow with his head lowered in silence.
Yang Ling was in a high position, but he did not have the habit of ordering people around or treating his slaves like a master. This was also the difference between him and other officials. Since ancient times, the art of governing had been valued above all else. It was said that the emperor and his teacher, the king and his friends, and the subjugation of a country and its military.
However, in ancient times, the hierarchy was too strict. Even if the officials were generous, it was difficult for them to respect their subordinates and use the rewards of wealth, fame, and profit as the master's means. Therefore, Cheng Buzhi was strict in governing the army and had ten thousand soldiers under him. On the other hand, Li Guang was lenient in governing his subordinates. His five thousand subordinates were equivalent to fifty thousand people.
Every time there was a battle, everyone fought with their lives on the line. Yang Ling was able to recruit Wu Jie, Huang Qiyin, Yu Yong, the three former Shenji Battalion City Chiefs, and Liu Yang as his confidants in such a short period of time. Of course, part of the reason was that they followed him and had a bright future.
Speaking of which, Wu Hanchao was born in the martial arts world and had just joined the Inner Faction. Although he had martial arts, he did not have the awareness of being a bodyguard. Now that he saw his ashamed and unkempt appearance, Yang Ling could not bear to scold him further.
He went forward to help Wu Hanchao up and said with a light laugh, "It is easy to dodge a spear in the open, but difficult to guard against a stab in the dark. Don't blame yourself anymore. However, in the future, you must remember to fulfill your duties. If you are not in your position, do not meddle in politics. You are my personal bodyguard. Protecting me from harm is your first priority. Just leave the thieves to the yamen. If you do something like this again, if I don't give you a good spanking, my wife will not let this matter rest. "
Yang Ling's words were magnanimous and generous. Wu Hanchao was extremely grateful. His lips opened and closed as if he wanted to say something. In the end, he buried all the words of remorse and gratitude in his heart and did not say a single word.
Yang Ling turned to Liu Biao and said, "About my matter … does Madam know?"
By now Liu Biao had calmed down from his initial excitement. He beamed with joy and said, "Daren, don't worry. Wu Daren and Huang Daren did not dare to let the Mansion know. I sent a letter to Madam saying that because of the war at the front and the approaching New Year in the Capital, the Palace is very busy. Daren cannot return to the Mansion for the next few days."
While speaking, Liu Biao took off his big cloak and draped it over Yang Ling's shoulders. He said, "Daren, the news has been reported to the City on horseback. Daren should return to the Capital as soon as possible, lest His Majesty will miss you. Those villains …? "
Yang Ling said, "There is no trace of them in the snow. It is hard to predict where they have escaped to. Later we will ask all the local authorities to draw a map to capture them. Also, inform our people to pay attention to any suspicious characters."
The great bandit Yang Hu's coming to the Capital was actually secretly lured by the Maitreya Cult. In the end, both sides had a gunfight. Obviously it was not as simple as killing him on the spur of the moment. Although Red Madame's words were vague, Yang Ling was sure that there must be a conspiracy. It's just that it was inconvenient for him to mention this matter to Liu Biao in public.
He vaguely explained his release in a few sentences, and then, surrounded by his people, he mounted his horse and hurriedly returned to the City. Liu Jin had already received the news. While sending someone to report the good news to the Emperor, he also led his people to personally welcome him.
When Yang Ling entered the Palace, the morning court session had not ended yet. The eunuch on duty whispered something to Zhengde. As soon as Zhengde heard it, his face lit up with joy. He hurriedly finished his official business, took a break from the morning court session, and immediately rushed to the Hall of Baohe.
As soon as Zhengde entered the Main Hall, Yang Ling, who was warming himself by the dragon and phoenix charcoal stove, immediately stepped forward to greet him. Zhengde raised his hand to support him. After sizing him up, he happily said with a smile, "Good, good. It's good that you are back. These two days zhen was very worried."
He pulled Yang Ling into the inner hall and sat down on the kang. To Yang Ling, Liu Jin, Gu Daeyong and the others, he said with a laugh, "Sit, sit, all of you sit. Subject Yang, did that great bandit of Bazhou make things difficult for you?"
The eunuchs brought in six or seven cushions. Yang Ling and the others apologized and sat down. Yang Ling saw that there were only a few people from the Eight Tigers in the room. He said, "Yes, that female thief kidnapped subject only to exchange for her husband, the great bandit Yang Hu. She did not torture subject at all. Later on, she found out that Yang Hu had already escaped. She used subject's life as a threat to break out of her seclusion and escaped without a trace."
Zhengde raised his eyebrows, he said eagerly, "Since ancient times, those who broke the prohibition with martial arts and dared to kidnap important ministers of the imperial court in the capital are very few. This female thief's courage and ability are indeed extraordinary. To be able to kidnap you in the middle of the bustling city, she must be the legendary flying bandit who can come and go as high as she wants? Zhen is very curious. "
Yang Ling said, "Leaping high and crouching low as if walking on flat ground, jumping no more than a zhang, sword less than three chi. Using martial arts to break the prohibition, blood will flow five steps. Your Majesty's cultivation is the Emperor's Sword, with a wave of your arm, ten thousand li away, soldiers and spears are like the tide. With the imperial edict, you can control the life and death of the people of the world, your happiness, anger, sorrow and joy. What is there to be envious of? "
Zhengde laughed heartily, his countenance relaxed as he said, "Beloved subject is right. Zhen's Imperial Bodyguards also have this kind of ability. What 'Eight Steps Overtaking the Cicada', 'Climbing the Duckweed to Cross the Water'. Zhen was on a whim, I once asked them to climb the Taiji Palace bare-handed, but none of them were able to climb it."
Yang Ling continued, "The rumors among the people always exaggerate their ability. However, these horse bandits use martial arts to defy the imperial law. Although there is nothing to be afraid of, right now there is a force that Your Majesty absolutely cannot ignore."
Zhengde was curious, "What force?" he asked.
Yang Ling said, "Maitreya Cult! They spread fallacies to mislead the people, of all three religions and nine schools, there are people who blindly follow and believe blindly. According to what your subject overheard from the Bazhou horse bandits, this time several hundred bandits secretly went to the capital under the Maitreya Cult's order. Obviously their aim is not only your subject's life. The evil cult's harm is even greater than the martial artists in the mountains and forests. Your Majesty must not be careless! "
Since ancient times, the thing that the emperors feared the most was these organizations that used evil cult to bewitch the people's hearts. Their power was intertwined, hidden among the people. If they did not rise up, it would be difficult to distinguish good people from believers. By the time they rose up, they would already have hundreds of thousands of believers, which would cause great harm to the imperial court. The Ming Dynasty started with religious sects, only after they succeeded did they break away from them, therefore they understood the terrible power of religion the best.
Hearing this, Zhengde's smile disappeared, his countenance was moved, "Maitreya Cult? When they were preaching in Shaanxi, people from far and near competed with each other, depending on the rich or poor. The ignorant people offered a thousand taels of gold, their families were also willing to be destroyed. Whether it was their children, or their utensils, they came one after another. With one command from the cult leader, ten thousand taels of gold could be gathered in one night, the people from far and near did not follow. They were indeed a great threat to the imperial court.
But after that Li Yue was beheaded, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. The imperial court and the common people could not find any trace of the Maitreya Cult. Could it be that they are still active? "
Yang Ling nodded, "Yes, the Maitreya Cult and the White Lotus Cult were originally one family. Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty, the Han people took over the government and rebelled against the Han, while the Yuan people took over the government and rebelled against the Yuan. What they were after was the country. Every time they met with a blow, they would break up, turn light into dark, hide in the dark and accumulate their strength, planning to stage a comeback. In my opinion, their current strength is not enough to fight against the imperial court, that's why they used other people to disrupt the government and disturb the people. "
Zhengde suddenly stood up, followed by Yang Ling, Liu Jin and the others. Zhengde paced slowly in the hall for a moment, then pointed at Gu Daeyong and said, "Minister, I'll leave this matter to you. Gather the forces of Dongchang, the West Factory, and the Imperial Bodyguard to secretly investigate and arrest the Maitreya Cult. We must eradicate their roots."
Gu Daeyong quickly agreed. Zhengde pondered for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "All of you can leave. Subject Yang, stay."
After everyone left the hall, Zhengde hurriedly said to Yang Ling, "Subject Yang, the White Lotus Cult has been around for hundreds of years, and the torch has been passed down from generation to generation. It has always been inexhaustible.
When the late Emperor was still alive, he often said that the people followed Jing for wealth or longevity. Among them, there was no lack of good people, but not all of them were plotting rebellion. If the culprits were too widespread, it would hurt Ming Destiny's roots. To eliminate the culprit would be like looking at flowers through fog. Ming Destiny has been exterminating evil cults since he founded the country. I don't know how long it will take to exterminate them.
This matter can't be rushed. Just leave it to the two factories and one guard. Your Inner Factory still needs to pay attention to the war of Datong and prepare for my trip to the north. "
Yang Ling hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, I was kidnapped by bandits, causing the people to feel uneasy. If Your Majesty leaves the capital now, I'm afraid the officials will be even more frightened. If not, why don't you secretly inform the Three Guards of Duoyan and wait for me to eliminate the bandits and attack the evil cults?"
Zheng De had the pleasure of leaving the capital and was even happier than celebrating the New Year, so how could he listen? He disapprovingly said: "The earlier we can form an alliance with the Three Duoyan Guards, the earlier there will be fewer disasters at the border. This is a matter of national importance. I am the sovereign of a country, how can I be afraid of a group of bandits? If the people's hearts are unstable, the court's reputation will be tarnished, so I must leave the capital! "
He beamed with joy and said, "When I return to the capital from the border, the people's hearts will be at ease. If I don't even dare to set foot on my own territory, then I will really lose face. If they can kidnap my beloved official from among the few guards, can they hurt me among the thousands of soldiers? If they have the ability, they can break into the palace and rob me. Will I be safe if I hide in the Forbidden City? "
Yang Ling smiled bitterly and said, "It is my wish to see Your Majesty leave the capital, personally go to the border, inspect the people, make friends with the vassals, and be a sage. But Your Majesty is concerned with the world, and I still have lingering fears."
Zheng De grinned cheekily and said, "The lingering fear will slowly fade away before it subsides. We still have to leave the capital. I'll bring three hundred imperial guards with me and your thousands of armors. I'd like to see who can hurt me."
Speaking to this point, he suddenly remembered something and happily said, "That's right, Yang Yiqing really has a unique vision. A few days ago, some imperial censors wrote to accuse Yang Yiqing and Wang Shouren of having a hundred thousand soldiers, but they closed the city and let the bandits wreak havoc outside the city. My beloved official said that they must have some ulterior motive. After listening to this, I did not urge them to send troops. I only passed the impeachment to Yang Yiqing and asked him to submit a memorial to refute it.
Yesterday Yang Yiqing's memorial was delivered to the capital. Sure enough, they have some ulterior motive. Hehe, these two people's appetite is not small. " While talking, Zhengde rummaged through the table on the kang bed, but did not find the memorial. He said, "When the Tatars send troops, they always use war to sustain war, they do not bring any supplies. In fact, they do not have any supplies to bring; therefore, when they fight a war, they must be like a violent storm, they must hit the target in one strike. If they fail to achieve their objective, they will attack other places, but they will not waste too much time in one place.
This time they attacked the city and seized land, they plundered a large amount of money and provisions, but Yang Yiqing did not give them any chance to escape, he firmly followed them and made them waste their resources near Datong. The Tatars have seventy thousand strong army, the men and horses are fed, and now they have used up all the things they plundered from us.
This year they went out to plunder and plunder, not only they could not provide supplies to their tribes, when they went out, they also used up all their stored food. When they get back, I am afraid they will have to kill cattle and horses to survive the harsh winter; their strength will certainly be greatly damaged. This Yang Yiqing does not only think about the present when fighting a war, he has such a far-sighted vision; he is indeed a talented general.
Two days ago Wang Shouren was defending Guantun, after a bitter battle for a day, he threw away his helmet and stripped off his armor, he deliberately suffered a great defeat and fled, leaving behind the provisions to the Tatars. Those starving soldiers hastily buried the pot and cooked rice. In one meal, more than five thousand people were poisoned to death, even the war horses ate the poisoned fodder and died for the most part. Those were Boyan's elite troops. Ha ha, without losing any soldiers, they were able to inflict heavy defeat on the enemy. This kind of battle, Zhen likes it! "
"Ay, I wonder if Boyan Meng vomited blood after hearing this? Later on, ask your people to inquire." Zhengde was very happy; he patted Yang Ling's shoulder and said with a chuckle.
Hearing this, Yang Ling was also very happy; he said, "This kind of great merit, Your Majesty should reward them well. Using troops on the battlefield, it is not easy to be a general. With Your Majesty's reward, their morale is high, one soldier is worth two soldiers."
"Ah!" Zhengde slapped his forehead and said, "Zhen originally wanted to reward them, but Liu Jin said that the first battle was a victory, if I reward them too much, they might become arrogant, so Zhen put it aside. This … is there any problem with rewarding them now?"
Hearing this, Yang Ling was startled; he guessed that Liu Jin was extremely dissatisfied with Yang Yiqing and Wei Xiaobao. Even though the matter of using troops was closely related to him and he had no choice but to do his utmost to support the logistics, he did not want the two of them to receive any reward.
Yang Ling did not answer directly, but said with a smile, "Meritorious service will be rewarded, mistakes will be punished, when to show mercy, when to enforce the law, Your Majesty must have a well-thought-out plan. If Your Majesty was the general leading the troops, what would you hope for?"
Without hesitation, Zhengde confidently said, "Zhen? Zhen has performed a great service, of course I must reward you, I want to promote your position, I want to raise the nobility, I want to parade my horse through the streets, I want to look good; otherwise, who would risk their lives for you? Zhen agrees, Zhen's troops will not … uh … "
Suddenly he stopped talking, with a smile that was not a smile he cast a sidelong glance at Yang Ling, and then affectionately punched him on the chest. He chuckled and said, "You are beating around the bush, Yang Wei has also pulled Zhen into it."
Zhengde thought for a moment and said, "Then reward them. It's the New Year, the officers and men are risking their lives on the frontlines, even if it's not for this reason, we must still reward them. Later Zhen will ask Li Dongyang and Jiao Fang to do it. That's right, Yang Yiqing and Wang Shouren's joint memorial also mentioned that Tatar's strength is greatly damaged, they live as nomads, they do not know how to farm. This winter they have consumed too many cattle and sheep, I am afraid that when spring comes, they will also change their habits of previous years, they will continue to attack the border. They suggested that Zhen should still station a large number of troops at the frontier fortress, if Tatar's attack on the border does not yield anything, I am afraid they will still pressure the Duoyan San Wei for money and property. They suggested that Zhen show kindness to the Duoyan San Wei and rope them in; it actually has the same ingenuity as your suggestion. "
"Hmm," Yang Ling said thoughtfully, "They are at the front, naturally they can see clearly and think far ahead. Next year Tatar will attack the border, it is exactly what I want. Your Majesty can take this opportunity to constantly exchange the Capital Camp with the border army, let them take turns to go to the battlefield to gain experience and gain experience. Borrowing Tatar's hand, we can train our Ming Destiny's troops.
As for the Duoyan San Wei, originally this was an opportunity to lower the bargaining chip, to force them to draw closer to the imperial court. However, they are only interested in profit, they are wavering between Ming Destiny and Tatar, fishing in troubled waters. Previously when they were on good terms, from time to time they raided the border in small groups, they have never been truly respectful. The alliance is only a temporary measure. Sooner or later a large area of Liaodong must be controlled by the imperial court, therefore, we cannot suppress them.
If a general wants to take something, he must first give it. They have horses, we have grain, oil, salt, cloth, silk. Not only can we not give them less benefits, we can also give them more, increase the exchange rate of war horses, grain and oil. The richer they are, the less they will care about Tatar, the more envious Tatar will be. At that time, the imperial court's opportunity will come. "
Zhengde seemed to have a natural interest in swindling and robbing robbers, he did not have the slightest awareness of being a celestial emperor. Listening to Yang Ling's' insidious and despicable 'strategy, he could not help but nod his head and repeatedly agreed.
The end of the year was approaching, the imperial court's ability to control the world and its prestige would be damaged because of the scene of a great thief filling the city with armor. Unless there was no other choice, it was really not a good idea to be so nervous. Since Red Madame had fled the Capital, Li Dongyang requested Zhengde to withdraw the Capital Camp's officers and soldiers. The Capital seemed to have returned to its former peaceful and prosperous state.
The Ministry of Punishments immediately issued a public notice to all the prefectures and departments, ordering the arrest of the great thief Yang Hu and Red Madame.
Li Dongyang also requested Zhengde to withdraw the Capital Camp's officers and soldiers. The Capital seemed to have returned to its former peaceful and prosperous state, but the imperial court's army to sweep through the Lulin of Ba Province had already quietly set off.
Using troops against the mountain bandits in winter was not worth the loss, but Yang Hu and his wife's actions had greatly damaged the imperial court's reputation. Under such circumstances, Liu Daxia did not dare to disobey the imperial edict. He could only secretly order the leading generals to use both suppression and pacification, using blockades instead of attacks, and not to rashly enter the mountains on a large scale.
The officers of the Ministry of Punishments who were investigating the scene discovered the corpse behind the Taoist temple in the dilapidated alley in the North City. They found the token of the Maitreya Cult on the corpse, which confirmed Yang Ling's judgment. The two factories and one guard originally thought that the Maitreya Cult had been annihilated, but now they knew that they had made a comeback, so they could not help but increase the intensity of the investigation.
It was almost the New Year, the imperial court's' holiday 'three days in advance. The emperor did not listen to politics, so some officials from other places also took leave to celebrate the New Year. It was a day of celebration, even the Capital allowed beggars to beg in the city, and the curfew was lifted. The servants of the QING: Five Cities Warlords were also less domineering, and they did not easily beat the pedestrians who made mistakes.
The heavy snow two days ago had crushed the houses of some commoners in the North and West City. The Ministry of Revenue sent laborers to repair the houses, or subsidized them with some money. This was the imperial court's practice, and it was the same everywhere. No one dared to disobey it.
Women who usually did not step out of their doors could also go out for a stroll, go to the temples to burn incense, go to the market to buy some rouge, face powder, auspicious New Year paintings, and other things that women liked.
Yang Ling returned to his mansion, but he still did not dare to reveal anything about his abduction. He saw that his children were excited to go out on the streets, and he did not want to dampen their spirits during the New Year, so he could only secretly order the guards from the Inner Factory. This time he did not dare to be careless. The forty plain-clothed men were all men who knew some Jianghu kung fu. They carried short crossbows and guns, and accompanied the wives, Gao Wenxin, and Cheng Qiyun.
The officials who stayed in the capital had to participate in the imperial court's ceremony, and as the head of the family, they had to manage the family's New Year's arrangements, so everyone was busy. Yang Ling was even busier. He was so busy that he did not even have the time to accompany the three wives on the streets. He spent all day running between the Three Workshops, the First Guard, and the Twelfth Regiment, reorganizing the military, investigating his background, and choosing the elite. With the Inner Factory as the main force, he chose the elite soldiers to accompany the Emperor on his journey north. Of course, all of this was done in secret, and the people who knew his purpose were few and far between.
The Emperor's personal bodyguards had their own aces, and the elite soldiers Yang Ling chose were all brave and outstanding, and were all men chosen from a hundred. Using such elite soldiers to form a troop of five thousand people was enough to raise the eyebrows of any other troop.
Yang Ling wore soft armor, and when he entered and left the city, he was also heavily guarded. Wu Hanchao came from a prestigious family and disdained the use of concealed weapons. After suffering a great loss last time, other than carrying a sharp sword, he was equipped with two bags of gold coins and darts. He followed Yang Ling like a shadow, and did not leave his side for even an inch. Outside the perimeter, there were also twelve open and hidden foreign soldiers. It could be said that the protection was impenetrable.
Five hundred female swordsmen were his personal bodyguards, two thousand internal guards were on duty in shifts, in addition to the accompanying military officers and warriors, the Imperial Bodyguards, there were also several personal disciples of Shui Yun Shitai, the Shuiyun Nunnery's Shitai, the Taoist priests of Mount Longhu recommended by Tao Zhongwen, the Quanzhen Dragon Sect's Taoist priests, the Imperial Family appointed the Wudang Temple's Taoist priests, the Imperial Family appointed the Shaolin Monastery's warrior monks, the eminent monks of Shanxi's Mount Wutai.
The elite soldiers had been selected, but they still needed to be familiar with each other and have tacit understanding. Yang Ling placed these five thousand elite soldiers in the Shenji Battalion, and asked the Five Armies Commander-In-Chief's Office and the Imperial Palace to send people to train them in battle formations and joint attacks. At this time, he had just returned from the Shenji Battalion and had to return to the Inner Yard to see the specific arrangements that Wu Jie and the others had made for the Emperor's departure from the capital.
When the horse arrived at the city gate, in the bustling stream of people, Yang Ling suddenly saw a few familiar figures. He looked carefully and saw that it was Han Youniang, Su San, Sheridan, and a few other women, standing on their tiptoes and touching the bronze nails on the city gate. Behind them stood Gao Wenxin and Cheng Qiyun. Looking at them from the side, their pretty faces were full of smiles, and their rosy cheeks were rosy. These women were all delicate and charming. The common people passing by all gave them friendly smiles.
There were still many officers and soldiers stationed at the city gate. In addition, with Bazhou sweeping bandits and Datong resisting the bandits, there were often officers and soldiers on horseback coming back and forth to report the news. Not far from the city gate, there was a group of people playing with dragon lanterns and lion heads dancing, and the sound of gongs and drums. Since Yang Ling and the others came from outside the city, they had not yet attracted their attention. However, Liu Biao, who was accompanying the ladies, had been paying attention to the movements in all directions. Seeing him coming, he hurriedly whispered a few words to a man beside him who was dressed like a common person, and then walked around a few people towards him.
Yang Ling bent down slightly from his horse and asked, "What are the ladies doing?"
Liu Biao could not help but reply, "Your Excellency, subordinate accompanied the ladies to the temple to pray and the market to stroll. I mentioned to them that on the sixteenth day of the first month, the ladies must climb the city wall, go up the city wall to get rid of all kinds of diseases, hold each other's clothes and cross the small bridge to avoid misfortune, and touch the copper nail to give birth, and to give birth to more boys, cough cough … the ladies came … came to touch the copper nail, subordinate said that touching it on the sixteenth day of the first month is only effective, Xue Furen said … since we are out, touching it one more time is always good."
Hearing this, Yang Ling did not know whether to laugh or cry. He saw that the ladies were in high spirits, and it was just noon, if he went over, they would definitely follow him back. It was rare for them to come out, Yang Ling did not want to disturb their interest. Just as he was hesitating if he should go to the side, suddenly a group of people and horses stopped. A mighty man in his forties, wearing a loose robe with big sleeves, reined in his horse and said with a smile, "Is that Mr Yang in front?"
Yang Ling raised his head and saw that the man had a black beard as black as ink, wearing an embroidered robe and a jade belt, sitting upright on the horse, exuding a heroic aura. Beside him were a few family warriors, and beside him on a horse was a man in his fifties, wearing a round collar Confucian robe, smiling from ear to ear.
Yang Ling thought for a while and remembered that this man was Guo Xun, the son of Marquis Wuding Guo Liang. Although he has not inherited the title of nobility, his father is now old and unable to walk, so Guo Xun is the one who handles all the social engagements. Obviously, he has the status of an honorary minister. The Guo family and the royal family have three generations of marriage, and now Guo Xun is the commander of the Three Thousand Battalions. Two days ago, Yang Ling saw him.
Yang Ling lifted his horse's head and went over to welcome him, cupping his hands and said, "So it is General Guo, my apologies, are you leaving the city?"
Guo Xun laughed and said, "Today is the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, it is the day the seal is lifted, there is no need to open the yamen to do business. This good friend of mine is anxious to leave the capital to take up his post, therefore I am escorting him out of the city."
Yang Ling saw Guo Xun pointed to the scholarly and good-natured man in his fifties next to him. Hearing that he was going to take up his post as an official, plus he was Guo Xun's good friend, Yang Ling guessed that he was not a low-ranking official. Hastily he cupped his hands and said, "Nice to meet you, nice to meet you. This Daren looks very unfamiliar. The New Year is coming soon, why don't you stay in the capital for the New Year before taking up your post?"
Guo Xun laughed and said, "Otherwise, do you think this good friend of mine who is refined and refined is a civil official? This good friend of mine is surnamed Zhang, given name Yin, the Commander of the Taiyuan Guards who died of a sudden illness. This good friend of mine has been appointed to take up his post. Most of the armors and rations shipped to Datong pass through Taiyuan. With such a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, he has no choice but to do it. "
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