Beijing, Forbidden City, in the imperial study.

Zhu Youjian, Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, was sitting next to his desk with a calm expression on his face. He was holding a purple-haired pen and white rice paper in front of him. He seemed to want to write something. He just pondered for a long time, but the tip of the pen still lingered.

After a while, a drop of ink fell instead, making a big black dot on the white paper. Chongzhen sighed, simply put down the brush, and the calm expression on his face finally broke, and he turned around and called:

"Cao Banban?"

The two chamberlains guarding the door took a step forward at the same time, but no one responded. Chongzhen also immediately reacted - Cao Huachun was ordered to supervise the short-haired army, and the two people taking charge here were Zhang Yixian and Wang Chengen.

Originally, only one person was enough, but the two eunuchs Zhang and Wang did not want to miss this good opportunity, so they each used some means to find a way to get into the emperor's imperial study, even if it was just a temporary position - after all

Among the eunuchs in the Forbidden City, the eunuch Bingbi, the eunuch and eunuch responsible for rituals, had the greatest power. This power mainly came from being able to accompany the emperor when he was handling government affairs.

Chongzhen actually knew about the little calculations of these chamberlains, but he didn't care - after all, he had been emperor for seven years, and he had some experience in the emperor's mind. Although he still couldn't defeat the treacherous and cunning civil servants in the outer court, they suppressed these wealthy officials.

The palace prisoner whose life is completely in his own hands is enough.

If two people stare at each other, supervise, contain, and compete with each other, it will be much easier for them to use it. For example, at this moment, Chongzhen just clicked on the window and did not give any specific instructions, but the two smart eunuchs immediately understood

With his intention in mind, he quickly stepped forward and pushed open the lattice window - facing east, towards Tongzhou and Tianjin.

The Yongtong Bridge is a full twenty miles away, and it is obviously impossible for any movement to come over. But Emperor Chongzhen was still looking at the sky in ecstasy, imagining what was about to happen there - not long ago, the short-haired man

News came from Bian via telegram that they had encountered the Tatar army at Yongtong Bridge and that the battle had begun. It was estimated that the outcome would be seen within a day.

The telegram was very short, with only a dozen words. Even an illiterate eunuch could remember it and accurately transmit it to the palace. At this time, there were more than a dozen eunuchs queuing outside the short-haired telegraph office.

Waiting, ready to rush to the palace anytime and anywhere with the latest news coming back from there.

There was a slight noise outside the door. Wang Chengen immediately walked out, returned after a while, bowed and played:

"Reporting to your Majesty, there is another battle report from Qiongzhen."

"Read quickly."

Chongzhen responded immediately, and Wang Chengen paused for a moment - the message this time was very long, and it is not something that ordinary people can't remember. Fortunately, he can be a great eunuch, and his ability to recite imperial edicts is not weak. Wang Chengen recalled briefly,

Then he recited in a cadence:

"The imperial envoy was monitoring Qiong Town's food, wages, soldiers, horses, border troops, and rewards. Cao Huachun, the Superintendent of Ceremonies and the Eunuch Minister, reported: At that time, the bandit army arrived in large numbers. They first attacked us in scattered formations. General Ma blasted them with artillery. The thieves were defeated and fled.

There are also countless thieves and chiefs in red who have fallen from their horses and do not know whether they are alive or dead."

When he heard this, the impatient Chongzhen couldn't help but stand up:

"Is this the end of the fight?"

Wang Chengen shook his head quickly and quickly recited the second half:

"The thieves' power has been reduced for the time being, but their army is still gathered in the clouds several miles away, and their troops are still sharp. All the generals in Qiongzhen thought that there would be a fierce battle in the afternoon, so they ordered the whole army to rest and enjoy their meals. I also got a small cake.

There are a few pieces, and the pine nuts on them are very good..."

After that, there was another nonsense that had no important point. Chongzhen could only hear his eyebrows jump. But it was hard to get angry - because this was what he personally told Cao Huachun when he sent him there: when you get there, you must have sharp ears and eyes, and do not care about big or small things.

Love, details, trivial, must be reported in detail.

So Cao Huachun did just that. As a eunuch who made his fortune by serving people, he was only good at this. Chongzhen didn't expect him to have the ability to write accurate battle reports, so he could only listen to nonsense patiently.

Fortunately, he could at least feel one thing from this nonsense: those shorthairs were very calm and calm from top to bottom, and had no fear of the upcoming fierce battle. Realizing this gave Chongzhen some comfort.

, but then there was a strange feeling: those short-haired guys are not good birds. For the Ming Dynasty, the best outcome of this war is of course that both sides will lose. But based on the performance of those short-haired guys,

He was so cunning and cunning, Chongzhen didn't think they could fail to see this.

Therefore, it is obvious that those people thought that they would definitely win and get benefits, so they came into this troubled water. Shorthair never does business at a loss, and after this battle, they wanted to squeeze money from Daming.

How much benefit?

Chongzhen stroked his forehead and fell into deep thought again.

…………

At the same time, on the other side of Beijing, in the office area of ​​Qiongshifang, the group of people including the blind date group and the trade group were also in a daze looking at the telegrams and newspapers that had just been sent back from the front line.

Compared with the little eunuchs in the palace who had to memorize and run errands back and forth, they could directly check the newly translated telegraph newspaper immediately, and get the fastest and most complete information. But this did not alleviate everyone's anxiety, and they could not even think of it.

Like outsiders, they are unconditionally optimistic about Qiong Haijun - they are all too aware of the strengths and weaknesses, strengths and weaknesses of their own army.

"Six thousand versus eighty thousand, I have the advantage."

Seeing that everyone looked nervous, Guo Yiyuan tried his best to tell a joke to liven up the atmosphere. Unfortunately, no one appreciated it, and instead received a few more eye rolls. So Guo Yi had to return to his normal and serious tone:

"There's nothing to worry about. Didn't we conduct repeated drills before the war? No matter how many infantry the opponent has, they will definitely not be able to break through our artillery line of fire."

"The key lies in the cavalry... Judging from the telegram, the Mongolian cavalry currently appearing on the battlefield. The main force of the Manchu cavalry is missing and may become the winner on the battlefield."

Next to him, Lin Hanlong frowned and said - all the personnel with some military experience in Qiong Haijun's capital team are gathered in this "war situation room". Including Chen Tao and Wang Chen, who are usually not very interested in military affairs, now they have to

I squeezed in, but I could only sit on the chair next to me and drink tea nervously.

On the other side, Old Jack did not participate in the discussion. He kept looking down at the topographic map around Yongtong Bridge on the table, and from time to time he spread his fingers to measure the positions of the enemy and ourselves based on the description in the telegram - he could not make a sandbox in a hurry, so he just

You can lay out a highly accurate map around the capital, and then put a bunch of small chess pieces on it to simulate a battle situation.

"So Pang Yu prepared four heavy machine guns and waited for them. He also deliberately arranged the positions very compactly to ensure that the machine gun positions could all cover them. He has gone to the extreme..."

Guo Yi tried his best to comfort everyone, but soon realized that everyone actually knew what he said, but they just couldn't relieve their tension, including himself.

Sighing helplessly, Guo Yi stood up and planned to go out for a walk. Outside the conference room was a small garden with elegant scenery. It was usually quiet and empty of people. But this time it seemed a bit crowded. Not only were there stone piers and bamboo chairs, but also

Even the rockeries and rocks everywhere were filled with people.

——These are their "connected households" in the capital, and they are still the most closely connected and have the highest status. For example, those of the Wuxun family who are married to them, the older generation of family members did not come, but almost all of them were sent

The most capable junior in the family, and most likely the next generation who will inherit the title, came to inquire for information.

At this time, most of them were gathered together, and they didn't dare to make loud noises, just all kinds of nervous whispers. From time to time, they glanced in the direction of the conference room - this "war room" can only be entered by Zhenkun. All the news sent back from the front line

First of all, it comes from here - because the original texts of those telegrams were sent here and interpreted by Mr. Shorthair himself.

So Guo Yicai received a lot of attention and gifts as soon as he walked out. Guo Yi naturally knew what those people were thinking, and at the same time he knew very well how to behave - no matter how nervous he was inside, the moment he walked out, he immediately became confident and confident.

Calmly.

"...Yes, we are fighting. It will probably be over today. It will be very simple..."

He walked up to the group of "Second Generations" and chatted with them for a few words with a smile on his face. Guo Yi was quite familiar with handling this situation and calmed down everyone's emotions easily.

Turning around, I saw a few people sitting on the other side. They were also young and handsome men from the Ming Dynasty, but they were clearly different from the group of nobles. Even the places where they sat were deliberately separated.

——Those are a group of scholars recommended by Qian Qianyi, Zhou Yanru and others. Of course, they are not ordinary poor people. They have all passed the imperial examination. At least they have a reputation as a civil servant, and the court will make great use of them sooner or later.

I came here just to set up a short-haired line and see if I could find a better position within Qiong Haijun's sphere of influence.

After all, these days there are too many officials and few jobs, and the land in Qiongzhen is notoriously fat. Even if it is not very fat, it can be fattened up in their hands. There are also Wang Jieshan and Shi Xianzhi.

The success stories of the seniors are there, not to mention the pearls and jade of Mr. Qian Muzhai Qian. Even if the short-haired bandits have a bad background, there is nothing wrong with burning one more stick of incense and worshiping one more temple.

It will be effective.

Among this group of people, the leader was Wu Weiye, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, who was famous for his poetry in later generations, and the famous Mr. Meicun. Everyone in Qiong Haijun was also very interested in this historical celebrity and was very interested in making friends. Wu Weiye every day

Whenever he came here for the first time, Guo Yilin, Hanlong and others would personally receive him, talk to him, and build a closer relationship with him.

But when Guo Yi took a look at it, he found that Wu Dahanlin was a little unseemly. Although he was chatting with his companions, his eyes were always darting towards the rockery pavilion.

Looking over there.

And all the people sitting in the pavilion are women. In addition to Wang Jiaojiao, Zhu Yueyue, Anna, Su Muxue and other "female concubines", there are also several princes and ladies, including Guo Yi's wife who has never been married to him.

The place where the women were waiting should have been separated from outsiders, or at least covered with a curtain, but the current situation was such that they were in a hurry and did not take this aspect into consideration.

Fortunately, most of the visitors were respectable people, so they would naturally take the initiative to avoid looking at them. But he never expected that a dignified Hanlin scholar and a famous literary figure in history would do the same... This made Guo Yi, a former literary young man, feel quite disillusioned.

With some complicated mood, he stepped forward and quietly blocked the other party's sight. Of course, he still had a full and decent smile on his face:
Chapter completed!