Rise From the Humble

"Qin'er, why did you bring the chicken soup back again? Is it too greasy and Brother Zhu doesn't like it? Or is it because Brother Zhu enforces strict military discipline in the military camp and no one or anything is allowed in?"

Li Shu was arranging flowers. A blue and white porcelain vase was filled with flowers and green leaves of various colors scattered high and low. Some were dried flowers, and some were fresh flowers. They were lifelike and very beautiful. When she saw Hua'er and Qin'er, who had just gone out, they were carrying fish maw chicken soup. When he came back, he couldn't help but asked in surprise.

"No, miss." Hua'er and Qin'er shook their heads and explained, "When we arrived at the military camp, Liu Mu told us that an imperial envoy named Zhao Wenhua gave an urgent order for his uncle to lead 800 people to the sandbank to assist in the sea sacrifice. . Because the military situation was urgent, my uncle had no time to say goodbye to the young lady, so he set off with his people. However, my uncle left a special message for the young lady, asking her to rest at home and raise her baby. He will come to see the young lady as soon as he comes back from the sandbank to worship the sea. "

"Oh..." Li Shu couldn't help but put down the flowers in her hand when she heard that Zhu Ping'an had gone to the sandbank. She no longer had the interest in arranging flowers.

"Miss, don't be sad. I heard that we will be offering sacrifices to Hai tomorrow, and my uncle will be back after offering sacrifices to Hai."

Qin'er and Hua'er saw Li Shu's disappointed look and quickly stepped forward to comfort her.

"The news about the sea sacrifice is spreading. Everyone in the streets knows that the sea sacrifice will be held on the sandbank tomorrow. How could the Japanese pirates not know that they will definitely take the opportunity to cause trouble and cause destruction." Li Shu said worriedly.

"Ah... no wonder Fengqiao Camp sent out so many soldiers to patrol. It turned out to be worried about Japanese pirates causing trouble."

Qin'er and Hua'er were stunned. They didn't think so much. They thought that their uncle led the troops to worship the sea and that was all.

"Miss, don't worry, my uncle is very powerful. If the Japanese pirates encounter my uncle, it will be bad luck for them."

"Yes, yes. In the past, in Jingnan, my uncle only had Da Dao and the others and dozens of county government officials, so he beat away thousands of Japanese pirates; in Yingtian, my uncle led 800 Zhejiang troops and The three-headed and six-armed Japanese pirates who fought all over the south of the Yangtze River were wiped out. Didn't my uncle say that the new army he trained can dominate the world with a thousand men?"

"Oh, although I only brought 800 people with me this time and can't conquer the world, I can conquer the sandbank with no problem. Miss, don't worry."

Hua'er and Qin'er said to each other one by one, so that their young ladies don't have to worry.

Li Shulian walked to the window, clasped her hands together, closed her eyes piously and prayed to the gods and Buddhas in the sky.

"I hope you will have wings and attack the Northern Underworld Fish. Brother Zhu, we will wait for you to come back safely."

After praying, Li Shu gently stroked her lower abdomen with her slender hands, looked out the window in the direction of the sandbank, and murmured in a low voice.

While Li Shu was praying, Zhu Ping'an had already led 800 Zhejiang troops to the sandbank to worship the sea.

At this time, the sandbank has changed greatly. The sandbank, which was originally just a natural dock, has now become a large-scale fasting and sacred place.

From a distance, we can see the flagpole erected high on the sandbank, with the long dragon flag flying high.

An altar covering an area of ​​thousands of square meters rose from the ground, and there were statues of gods enshrined on it. In the four directions of the altar, east, west, north and south, there were also huge statues of the Dragon King of the Four Seas.

In the center of the altar, there is a huge stone pillar more than ten meters high, which is engraved with Taoist scriptures. In the center are four huge relief stone characters "Dinghai Shenzhen".

Well, could this be the source of inspiration for the sea-fixing needle in Wu Chengen's "Journey to the West"?

When Zhu Ping'an saw this huge stone pillar, he couldn't help but twitching at the corner of his mouth. It seemed that Lao Wu lived in this era, and Journey to the West began to be conceived and written around this time.

In my impression, Lao Wu suffered repeated setbacks in the imperial examinations, and later became a Gongsheng student in Jiajing more than 20 years ago. In order to study in the Imperial College on Chengxian Street in Nanjing, Lao Wu moved to Yingtian and lived near Chengxian Street, earning a living by selling literature. born.

Although the Sea Festival has only officially started tomorrow, there are already many spectators watching from a distance.

According to the radius of Lao Wu's life, maybe, maybe, Lao Wu is among the people watching. Or, when the official memorial ceremony is held tomorrow, Comrade Wu might come to watch the fun while studying.

Such a large-scale sea sacrifice is rare in decades, so it is normal to come and watch the fun.

Just when Zhu Ping'an's thoughts were distracted by this huge Dinghaishen needle stone pillar about ten meters high, he heard a familiar voice coming from his ears, "Hahaha, nephew, you are here. I specially came next to my Jianghuai camp. A piece of land has been reserved for you to set up camp.”

Zhu Ping'an looked up and saw the Marquis of Linhuai, who was surrounded by many generals. The Marquis of Linhuai was walking towards him with a smile on his face.

Linhuai Hou, like himself, wore a military uniform and full armor. It was rare for him to wear oversized armor, so it must have been specially customized. However, the fat Marquis of Linhuai, after putting on the armor, looked like a bear with his tonnage placed there, and visually he looked like a general.

At this moment, the Marquis of Linhuai is already the deputy commander-in-chief of Jianghuai. He is stationed at Jinshan Guard, rectifying the Yangtze River, taking charge of Huaihai, and commanding coastal defense. The Jinshan Guard where he is stationed is one of the four famous guards of the Ming Dynasty. It is an important military town and a masonry. The built strong city has the reputation of "the first city under Stone City (Yingtian)". It is located in Shanghai, not far from Shazhou. As for the principle of proximity, it is reasonable for him to be transferred by Zhao Wenhua's order to lead troops to assist in offering sacrifices to the sea.

"Greetings to uncle." Zhu Ping'an got off his horse, walked towards Linhuai Marquis, and bowed his hands in greeting.

"Why are we uncles and nephews so polite? Let's go. Take your soldiers and follow me. The land I left for you is flat by wind and water. It's definitely a good place to set up camp."

The Marquis of Linhuai said with enthusiasm, grabbing Zhu Ping'an's arm and walking forward without refusal.

Well, it was verified that the Marquis of Linhuai was not bloated, but really had a lot of strength. Zhu Pingan really couldn't refuse.

Of course, Zhu Ping'an had no intention of refusing. After all, it was just a temporary camp, and it didn't matter if it was next to Linhuai Marquis's Jianghuai camp.

Soon, Zhu Ping'an led the Zhejiang army to the place where Linhuai Marquis Moxia set up camp at Jianghuai.

This is a meadow next to the woods. The terrain is flat and there is a meandering stream not too far away. It is indeed a good place to camp.

Looking at the number of tents in Jianghuai Camp, Zhu Pingan calculated that Linhuai Marquis brought about 3,000 troops this time.

However, although it is a temporary camp, the defense of the Jianghuai Camp is too lax. There are no fences and antlers. I only saw a few people standing guard at the door, and there were no patrol soldiers around.

"How is this place?" Linhuai Marquis pointed to the reserved open space and asked Zhu Ping'an with a proud look on his face.

"It's easy to get materials near the forest, easy to get water near the water, and the terrain is flat. It's really a good place to camp." Zhu Ping'an praised without hesitation.

The smile on Linhuaihou's face suddenly became brighter.