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Volume 3: The Wind Rises in the South Chapter 11 Prelude to Chapter 11

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    Chen Zaixing stood in the courtyard, the moon was sparse and the night wind was blowing, which made people feel chilly and shivered.  He recalled what he had said just now and felt that there was nothing wrong with it. They were all directed at Shen Hongmao's likes and dislikes. However, everything in this world depends on people, but the success of things depends on God. Whether it succeeds or not depends on God's will.  After about half a cup of tea, Chen Zaixing heard the sound of the door opening behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Shen Hongmao who came out. With a very serious face, he asked Chen Zaixing: "Brother Zaixing, is it true that Dashun will send troops to Burma?"  "Yes!" Chen Zaixing said solemnly: "If the princes in the court were not clay sculptures and wood carvings, they would definitely send troops as soon as possible to expel the British barbarians and retake Myanmar!" "Okay!" Shen Hongmao whispered: "If the court really sends troops to retake Myanmar  , I will try my best to help Brother Zaixing with the government-owned iron factory!" "That's great!" Chen Zaixing couldn't help but beam with joy when he heard this. He stepped forward and grabbed the opponent's right hand and said with a smile: "Brothers working together can break gold!  , you and I will work together to create a great cause that will create a new world!" Kunming, Yunnan, the Yunnan-Guizhou Envoy's Office.  Chen Zaixing took a sip of the tea in the cup, looked at the old man sitting above him who was tasting the fragrant tea in the cup, and then carefully put the teacup in his hand back on the table.  At this time, he behaved as if he were a distinguished guest, which was very different from usual. He was the official of the Honglu Temple in Chaozhong. I'm afraid there was nothing wrong with him at this time.  "So, you really want to go to Burma again and send those two barbarian princes away?" A voice suddenly broke the silence in the room, but the old man still closed his eyes slightly, intoxicated by the fragrance of tea.  , as if the words just now did not come from his mouth.  "Yes, Master, this is exactly why this disciple came here. I also asked Master to let the disciple join in the planning and participate in this matter!" "Absurd!" The old man suddenly stood up and slammed the tea cup in his hand on the coffee table.  On the table, the Jun kiln tea set worth thousands of gold immediately split into two halves, and the hot tea splashed into his hand, but he didn't realize it.  "Back then, you didn't want to be a good bachelor of Hongwenguan, saying that you were heartbroken and had no intention of pursuing an official career, so you must abandon your official position and return to your hometown. Well, I said that you can come to my tent and stay for a while to relax.  Let you experience some worldly things and temper yourself; but you say that you hate strangers and go to the old forests of Myanmar to mine and make money. Now you come to me and say that you want to become an official and lead troops into Myanmar. Don't even think about it.  ? Aren¡¯t you Chen Zaixing very capable? If you have the ability, I, Wu Shengsan, can speak up. Even if the imperial edict is issued, you still have to pass this test!" The old man just looked like a rich man.  Weng, but in the blink of an eye, his eyebrows tensed up, his eyes widened, and his whole figure seemed to have grown a bit bigger, making Chen Zaixing, who was opposite him, a little breathless.  It turned out that this person was Chen Zaixing's mentor when he was a Jinshi scholar, Wu Hanmin and Wu Shengsan, the military governor of Yunnan and Guizhou.  This person had lived through three dynasties. The previous emperor had served as a high-ranking official such as Beijing Liushou, Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and Pingzhang State Affairs. If Ding You had not returned to his hometown to maintain the system one year before the death of the late emperor and was no longer in the court, he would have been one of those few lonely and important ministers.  His official position and status are really powerful when he gets angry.  Wu Hanmin got angry. When he saw Chen Zaixing lowering his head and eyebrows, as if he was bowing his head and listening to his instructions, he felt a little better, but his face didn't show it at all. He snorted coldly and said: "If you are doing it for those industries,  , It doesn¡¯t matter, if I write a letter, no matter who is in power in Myanmar, they will buy my thin noodles!¡± It turns out that although Wu Hanmin is tough in words, he still has the heart to protect the shortcomings of his disciples.  Chen Zaixing lowered his head and said: "Teacher, although the disciple is incompetent, he is not the kind of unscrupulous person who troubles the teacher just to make some aduwu. In fact, there were disciples who escorted the two Burmese princes and girls to escape from Mandalay this time.  ! "So, Chen Zaixing told Wu Hanmin everything about his chance encounter with Batu and his group, their journey through the Barbarian Valley, and their arrival at Wanding, and Wu Hanmin's expression gradually softened.  At the end, Chen Zaixing said loudly: "Although my disciple is ignorant and ignorant, he also knows that Myanmar is our southwest border with Dashun. If it falls into the hands of the British, all the southwestern provinces will have no peace. I have been in Myanmar for many years and am familiar with the direction of its mountains and rivers.  , Human feelings are similar and different, I am afraid that no one in the mentor's house can match him. The sage said: "Do your duty without giving in", and also said, "Ability is listed, and those who are unable are stopped." It is precisely at this time that the country is in decline and foreign barbarians are plundering.  When we make great achievements, even though our disciples are humble, we dare not fall behind others!¡± ¡°Okay, okay!¡± When Wu Hanmin heard this, his face was full of smiles: ¡°This is what you do!  I, the disciple of Wu Shengsan, deserved my ranking of you as the second choice. Okay, okay, I made the mistake of blaming you!" At this point, Wu Hanmin subconsciously gave a high-five, and then he felt a sharp pain and couldn't help but exhale.  When he heard the sound, he lowered his head and saw that his right hand was already red and swollen. It was because he had been burned by the tea in the cup.  "Teacher, be careful. If someone comes, call the doctor!" Chen Zai said.?He hurried forward and washed the wound with cold water, but Wu Hanmin smiled and said: "That's it. Although my hand hurts, I see you have made progress, but I am very happy in my heart. Come here, get some wine, I want it tonight  Let¡¯s talk to Zaixing Zhiye and talk about it!¡± At this point, Wu Hanmin couldn¡¯t help laughing.  Wanding, this is the southwestmost garrison of Dashun. Unlike the surrounding locals whose houses are mainly made of bamboo and wood structures, the buildings in the city are basically made of earth and stone. The reason is very simple. The residents in this fortress are basically stationed soldiers.  Or the descendants of garrison soldiers, even with a few exceptions, they are all businessmen and craftsmen serving the army.  Such a garrison established for military reasons naturally has to consider more defensive factors.  As soon as you enter the city gate, you will see rough civil structure houses, arranged very neatly. In order to improve defense, all the doors and windows of the houses are not open to the street, like an inner city.  The houses that have not been repaired for many years are quite dilapidated. Even the house where the commander of the local garrison is located is not much better. The four walls are made of red clay sandwiched with straw, and the surface was originally painted  The white lime has peeled off a lot under the erosion of wind and rain, revealing the black-red soil inside. The wooden doors and windows also show a disgusting gray-black color, and the gaps between the black tiles on the roof are covered with thatch that is half a person tall.  The whole house was like an old man suffering from leprosy, decayed and tattered, as if it might fall down at any time. If it weren't for the Zhuque flag hanging in front of the door, who would have known that it was the yamen of the local garrison's brigade.  "Three days and three days! Three days and three days! I have been here for more than two months, but not even the slightest news has been sent down from above. How long will it take to wait?" Batu shouted, he  The sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, exposing his muscular forearms. The heavy military leather shoes trampled on the old wooden floor, making a terrible creaking sound, as if he was about to make a hole under his feet.  "Ba Zhang Brigade, please be patient. Whether it is war or peace, the princes in the court will decide. You and I are just humble officials, so just relax and wait here!" The speaker was a man sitting at the table.  A man in his forties, judging from the military rank on his shoulder, he should be the general of the guard. He slowly took a piece of betel nut from the plate on the table, put it into his mouth, and said in a vague voice while refusing.  Batu smiled and said: "Bazhang Brigade, you want some too? This stuff is good. After chewing it for a few times, you won't be bothered at all!" "No need! I won't get used to this stuff!" Batu looked at the other party.  With his mouth full of scarlet juice, he suppressed the feeling of nausea, snorted coldly, opened the door and went out without saluting the other party.  Batu returned to his room, untied the belt around his waist, and without taking off his coat, he threw himself on his shabby bed.  After a while, he turned over violently and cursed: "Asshole, if I had known that all the princes in the court were so eggless, I might as well have stayed in the Duhu Mansion and fought to death! Chang Zhao  Shi, you really died in vain!" It turned out that after Batu returned to Wanding, Shunjun did not react immediately as he imagined, but only took the two Burmese princes and princesses to Kunming for protection, and  He personally blamed the order to stay in Wanding.  On the other hand, Batu stayed in Wanding and was gearing up all day, always preparing to lead his army back to Mandalay to avenge Chief Zhao Youting. However, almost two months had passed, and there was no news of sending troops. Sometimes, Batu  I couldn't help but wonder if I might have been forgotten here.  "Master!" There was a knock on the door. Batu suddenly raised his head and shouted: "What's the matter?" "Master, please invite me to discuss important matters!" The timid voice of a soldier came from outside the door.  "Is it important?" Batu immediately became excited after hearing this, and thought to himself: "Could it be a matter of sending troops!" He jumped up, grabbed the belt on the side and tied it on, and shouted loudly: "You  Go back and let me know, I'll be there soon!  "Batu pushed open the door fiercely and bowed to the general sitting at the head. The general smiled and said: "Get up, Commander, come and see the Shangguan from Kunming, disciple of Xianggong Wu, preparations before sending troops to Burma.  This matter was presided over by Director Chen!  " Batu looked in the direction of the camp leader's finger, and a familiar figure came into his eyes. He was tall, with a straight back, wearing a green robe of a seventh-grade officer, and a black gauze hat on his head. The man turned around.  After coming to his senses, he bowed his hands to Batu and said with a smile: "Bazhang Brigade, we meet again!  Batu opened his mouth in surprise, pointed at Chen Zaixing and asked loudly: "Why is it you, Chen Zaixing, why are you here?"  " Chen Zaixing's face showed a smile like sunshine: "How can I not come to such interesting things?  " There were only two people left in the room, Batu and Chen Zaixing. The palm leader had already moved out of the way. Although he could compete with Chen Zaixing in terms of rank, or even be above him, he was the envoy in charge of Yunnan and Guizhou.  My disciples can¡¯t be any tougher.How could he be compared with a border guard like himself if he was born as a Jinshi?  Since Shangguan's letter stated that this person would handle all the preliminary matters before sending troops to Burma, why should he join in to cause trouble?  "Chen, Mr. Chen!" Batu hesitated for a moment, but still addressed Chen Zaixing as Mr. He pointed to the official robe on Chen Zaixing and asked: "I remember when you were in Myanmar, you were -, how come you are now -  " Chen Zaixing looked at the official robe on his body and said with a smile: "Oh, you are talking about my official position? Of course I just resigned because of illness, not because of a crime.  Quan, I am a scholar in the imperial court, and I am serving as his staff. I only need to report to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and get approval!" He looked very relaxed.  Batu¡¯s face was a little ugly. The drastic change in the identity relationship between the two made him unable to adapt for a while. For a while, he didn¡¯t know whether he should pay homage to the other party with the etiquette of treating a superior.  Chen Zaixing seemed to have guessed what he was thinking. He smiled slightly, pointed to the chair in front of him, and said with a smile: "Brother Ba, you and I are friends in need, so there is no need to adhere to these false courtesy. Time is running out now, so let's do it first  Let¡¯s talk about Myanmar!¡± Batu felt a little better after hearing this. After sitting down, he whispered: ¡°Brother Chen also knows about the death of Zhao Changshi in Mandalay! The Burmese barbarians dared to kill the envoys of the country.  , If the imperial court does not send troops to attack, wouldn't it chill the hearts of the people with lofty ideals?" "Brother Ba, please have some tea!" Chen Zaixing did not respond directly. He waited until the soldiers who brought the tea withdrew and then spoke in a solemn voice.  Said: "Brother Ba, I have been back and forth to Han and Beijing these days. Don't worry, the imperial court will never let Zhao Changshi die in vain. The imperial court has secretly ordered two model soldiers from Hunan, Sichuan, and Guangxi to be sent to Yunnan!" "  Great!" Batu was overjoyed when he heard this. It turns out that according to the Dashun military system, there are teams of hundreds, and the officers are called flag-bearers; there are brigades on the team, and the leader of the brigade is the flag-bearer;  There is a camp on the mark, and holding the camp is to control the general.  The battalion was the largest establishment in Shun. It was equivalent to the divisions in the West at that time and the Zhentai and divisions in Japan after the Meiji Restoration. Six pacesetters were mobilized into Yunnan at once, which was not a small move. When Batu heard this, he couldn't help but stand up.  He stood up and bowed to the northwest where Han Jing was, saying: "The Holy Emperor is in the court, and all the small towns in the southwest should be wiped out in one fell swoop!" When Chen Zaixing saw Batu's pious performance, a slightly sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He naturally knew  These were not decisions made by the six-year-old in the palace.  After Batu saluted, he turned around excitedly and asked eagerly: "Brother Chen, please advise Mr. Wu and let me be the vanguard of the army." "It's too early to say this now!" Chen Zaixing replied: "Before coming.  Mr. Wu has already made a strategy. This time when entering Myanmar, we must move forward slowly and fight quickly!" Batu was stunned when he heard this. Chen Zaixing saw him and asked, "You are in Mandalay.  After many years, what do you think the Burmese army's combat strength is?" Batu thought for a moment, and then carefully replied: "The Burmese people have been at peace for many years, and their military equipment has been weakened, and they are not as brave as they were when the country was founded.  It is vulnerable to a single blow. But its people believe in gods and Buddhas and are simple and brave. There must be heroes among the wilderness. If someone takes advantage of my army's entry, we should not underestimate it!" He has been in Mandalay for many years and naturally knows Myanmar!  The current state of the army, but when Emperor Hengzong sent out troops, it was overwhelming at first and easily occupied the Burmese capital of Awa. However, later on, facing the new army of the Gonbang Dynasty, they suffered consecutive defeats and had to withdraw from Burma in embarrassment.  .  This period of history is remembered by many cis** people.  "Not bad!" Chen Zaixing nodded: "So this time, Xianggong Wu decided on the strategy of 'slowly advance and fight quickly'. Slowly advance will require less military supplies, and the Burmese will not react violently and will not give any  The heroes in the wilderness have the opportunity to make trouble; a quick battle will pacify the land with lightning speed!" At this point, Chen Zaixing paused for a moment and said with a smile: "Before coming, I once spoke to my mentor.  There are not many troops entering Burma, just two to three bids!" Batu nodded repeatedly at first, and then said anxiously: "Two to three bids? This is too little!" "At most!  That's all!" Chen Zaixing replied: "You also know the road from here to Mandalay this season. Each soldier needs at least three captains to transport food and military supplies. One standard is two thousand for five brigades.  Five hundred soldiers, even if six thousand soldiers are transferred to the civilians, it will be almost 20,000. If we include animals and so on, it will be more if we send out four or five standard troops. " "Well, that's fine.  "Brother Ba, the Burmese people are not like the Chinese. Their land is fertile and the climate is mild. They don't engage in farming and have very little savings. What if we can't rely on expropriation to solve this gap?"  , the Burmese people along the way will inevitably flee into the mountains and forests and become bandits. At that time, there will be a lot of troops escorting them along the way!" Speaking of this, Batu couldn't help but be speechless, as Chen Zaixing said, "??The area to Mandalay is not a highly developed rice planting area in southeastern Myanmar. Many people are still in the slash-and-burn production stage. In addition, the nearby vegetation is rich and there are many food sources. Many villages are not as dense as those in Dashun.  There are considerable food reserves, and there are no grassroots political organizations in the local area.  The Shun army, who were unfamiliar with the place, would not be able to collect enough food even if they were recruited. Instead, they would drive the Burmese in these villages into the mountains and forests, becoming a huge threat to the supply convoys.  "Actually, besides guns and cannons, other weapons can be used!" "Other weapons?" "Yes, gold and silver!" Chen Zaixing showed a meaningful smile on his face: "I came here this time to bring some weapons from Mr. Wu.  Three hundred thousand taels of silver came, and I raised some myself, as well as six thousand taels of well salt. I am going to use these silver to build a road to Mandalay!" Chen Zaixing walked to the map and pointed at it!  The road to Mandalay on the map said: "It's only a few hundred miles from here to Mandalay. The road is not good, so I will pay for salt and ask the local Burmese to repair it. If I don't have enough food, I will buy it from them."  "If there are guards, I will pay the generals and try to enter Mandalay without firing a single shot!"
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