In May, the summer flowers are gorgeous, and the fields are lush and green.

Although there has been drought and little rain in the north since the Chongzhen Emperor's seven years, in Beizhili at the foot of the Yanshan Mountains, God has rewarded it with a few rains before and after the beginning of summer, which has alleviated the drought. It has also turned the fields and roadsides around Beijing green.

The wild flowers also took the opportunity to bloom, covering the ground with colorful colors.

The hot and humid monsoon blowing from the southeast not only brings precipitation, but also makes the weather in Beijing a bit hot, which makes Xi Fu, Sony, Fan Wencheng and others who came from outside the customs a little uncomfortable.

Further ahead, you can see the Chaoyangmen Urn City.

The high, thick and solid city walls and the towers with cornices and brackets give off a majestic atmosphere in the sunlight.

The official road leading directly from Chaoyang Gate to Tongzhou was originally a bustling and lively place. At least when Fan Wencheng came back to Beijing to work as a craftsman, the area was still a good place with many shops and traffic. But it has only been a few years ago.

Come on, this area is extremely dilapidated. Almost all the shops on both sides of the official road have collapsed, and the doors of each house are closed. Some even houses have collapsed. It looks like an apocalyptic scene of the end of the country.

In Jinzhou, Ningyuan, and Shanhaiguan, Xifu, Sony, Fan Wencheng and others saw many powerful soldiers in the bastion, and they were very happy. It seems that Zhu Youjian's weak fire in the strong soldiers was due to excessive conscription.

Although the troops and horses that had been propped up were strong for a while, the foundation of the Ming Dynasty was rotten.

Look, even the emperor's feet are in such depression. Just think about it and you will know what it is like elsewhere.

The atmosphere of the Great Tomorrow has disappeared.

In addition to the depression outside Chaoyang Gate, which shows that the Ming Dynasty building will collapse, the road from Shanhaiguan also shows that the foundation of the Ming Empire is shaking!

On the way from Shanhaiguan to Beijing, Xifu, Sony, Fan Wencheng and others discovered that in the fields along the way, the growth of crops was not very good, and most of the farmers working in the fields had plenty of food. And what was most satisfying to them was that

What surprised a few people was that they also saw many landlord manors that were built like castles!

It would be normal for such a fort to be built outside the Great Wall. That is the front line after all! But in Yongping and Shuntian Mansion within the Great Wall, there are actually landowners and gentry who have begun to build forts and live there. What does this mean? It means that everyone

I’m not optimistic about the Ming Dynasty!

The world was in chaos during the Ming Dynasty, so there were so many landowners and gentry who abandoned their good houses to live in castles like this.

And these "bearish on the Ming Dynasty" signs become more common the closer you get to Beijing... On both sides of the official road from Tongzhou to Beijing's Chaoyang Gate, you can see ditches and brick and stone fortresses everywhere.

style mansion.

The emperor's feet are like this. It seems that the Ming Dynasty's stable days are numbered.

But think about it, the people inside the Great Wall have suffered miserably from "floods, droughts, locusts, and scars" in recent years. Last year, there were even robbers in Shanxi, which is very close to Beijing, and Zhu Youjian had to go to Taiyuan in person.

I sat in charge and suppressed the army for more than half a year, but I don’t know if it was destroyed? Probably not, because Hou Jin had never heard of any news about the Ming Emperor’s victory in Shanxi...

When the envoy from the Kingdom of Jin, accompanied by Shi Kefa, the governor of the Eight Prefectures of North Zhili, walked near the Chaoyangmen Urn City, they suddenly bumped into people queuing up to enter the city!

Yes, it's just people and horses...people holding horses, lining up in a long line outside Chaoyangmen Urn City, occupying half of the official road, and I don't know what they do?

Shi Kefa had a big reputation, so of course he didn't have to queue up like these people, so he passed directly through the other half of the official road that was empty.

Xifu, Sony, and Fan Wencheng were all careful people. Although they were tired all the way, they still paid close attention to the people lining up to enter the city.

After observing, these visitors from the Hou Jin Dynasty were a little surprised because they found that among the people queuing up to enter the city, there were many armed teenagers around ten years old - these teenagers were all wearing neat archery jackets, carrying bows and arrows, and carrying waist knives.

Who are these teenagers? Why are they all armed? Are they going to join the army? But they are still young...

Some of the generals who accompanied the Liao army were also curious. Regardless of the "foreign affairs discipline", when they were waiting outside the Chaoyangmen Wengcheng to be greeted by the ambassador from the Ministry of War Joint Hall, they were like the armed teenagers queuing up next to them for inspection and registration.

The family started to inquire.

"He is a knight in front of the tent, with the official title of Qianhu... This is to send his son to join the young guards in front of the tent to serve as a soldier!"

"What? A soldier? How old are you? Why did you become a soldier?"

"Long live the Lord has just decreed that the children of the knights in front of the account or officials from the fifth rank and above can join the young guards in front of the account as apprentices... Well, if this grandson can learn well, he can be with him in the future.

Like Ada, become a knight!"

"Is there such a thing? How come I don't know about it? I am also from the fifth grade and five senses!"

"Maybe the imperial edict didn't reach you? Well, I just found out about it..."

"Oh, then I have to let my two sons join some young guard group... They sound very promising!"

Xifu, Sony, and Fan Wencheng all have language talents and can understand some Shaanxi Mandarin, so they all know that these young men with weapons and horses are really here to join the army!

For such a young kid to join the army... isn't this too militaristic?

Just when they were surprised, they heard the loud singing of young people coming from the Chaoyangmen Urn City.

"The wind is rustling and the water is cold. The heroes are gone and never come back; they explore the grasslands and enter the South Seas, and kill the barbarians and become heroes..."

There must be many young people singing, but the singing is very neat, and they have obviously been practiced. Along with the singing, there is also the sound of intensive horse hooves.

Shi Kefa was riding on his horse, but when he heard the singing, he immediately got off his horse and ran into the city gate. Xifu, Sony, and Fan Wencheng all had sharp eyes and felt like they were squinting to look into the city gate.

I saw a group of cavalry appear in the doorway for some reason (they came down the horse path from the city wall). At first there was a little red horse, and there were two guards wearing flying fish uniforms next to it. And the one riding on the horse,

It was a boy who looked to be only seven or eight years old at most, wearing a red military uniform, carrying a bow and arrow, and a sword on his shoulder.

When the boy saw Shi Kefa, he immediately reined in the little red horse, and the singing of the young people stopped. Then Shi Kefa bowed to the boy and said loudly: "Shi Kefa, the governor of the Eighth Prefecture, respectfully invites your great nephew.

Jin An.”

What?

Your Highness the Great Nephew?

That boy turned out to be Zhu Cixiang, nephew of the Ming Dynasty Emperor?

Zhu Cixiang is only 7 years old this year! If he doesn’t just stay in the palace and study, why does he bring a bow, arrow, sword, and a bunch of little knights out of the palace to play?

In fact, Zhu Cihong was not out of the palace for fun, but to patrol the city!

He is the nephew of the prisoner! It's not enough to stay in the palace all day long. You must at least go to the top of Beijing to check the defenses!

So after Zhu Youjian left, Zhu Cixiang went out of the palace to patrol the city every day, rain or shine.

Accompanying him on his tour of the city were, of course, the students from the Young Guards Corps and some of the royal guards.

Today, Zhu Cixiang looked a little angry, frowning, and asked in a deep voice: "Shi Kefa, I haven't seen you for a while, where have you been?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, I have been ordered to go to Shanhaiguan to welcome the delegation from Jianzhou."

"Jianzhou Mission?" Zhu Cihong asked, "Where are they?"

"Just outside the Wengcheng."

"Tell them to come in, I want to see them."

"I will go and declare them right now."

Xifu, Sony, Fan Wencheng and others were originally here to see Zhu Cihong - Zhu Youjian had traveled far away, and the only one who wanted to see him was Zhu Cihong.

Therefore, Shi Kefa did not refuse to let Zhu Cihong see him, and quickly led several envoys into Wengcheng.

Of course, several envoys will not be afraid of a 7-year-old kid, so what if the emperor's nephew is the emperor's nephew? The two countries are at war and they are not going to kill the envoys!

Several people walked over in a swaggering manner, not saluting, but waiting to look at Zhu Cihong with their eyes.

This is where trouble comes.
Chapter completed!