I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1011 Green hills everywhere bury loyal bones, stone spirits forever preserve pure souls

The Mexican governor's office was well aware of the difficulties Jinshan Kingdom faced in fighting on two fronts, but no pirate dared to gamble with the armed patrol of the Ming Dynasty's fast sailing ships. Those cannons were fake, because it was a gamble with their own lives.

Pirates don't value other people's lives, but they value their own lives more than anything else.

"Your Highness Prince Lu is wise," Luo Shangzhi said sincerely.

On one front, the Ming Dynasty used its previous naval victory as a pretext to intimidate the enemy and employ the "empty city ploy." On the other front, Luo Shangzhi led the Ming navy in an offensive. For the Jinshan Kingdom, the life-or-death predicament was resolved by the military might of the Ming navy and the wisdom of the Prince of Lu.

Once the only exit from the Great Valley is completed and Zhenyi Pass is established, the Jinshan Kingdom will have firmly established itself.

Originally, Quan Tianpei and others thought that they should abandon the two hundred camps in Long Beach Port, defend Jinshan City, and focus on dealing with the construction of the Hopi people and Zhenyi Pass. This strategy of abandoning Long Beach and shifting the strategic direction of expansion to the Great Valley was recognized by many people.

Despite the opposition, Prince Lu chose to fight on two fronts. Zhu Yiliu had been following his elder brother in governing for more than ten years, and his ideas were completely different from those of the people in Jinshan Kingdom.

Zhu Yiliu believed that abandoning Long Beach Port would be tantamount to showing weakness to the Hongmao Barbarians. The biggest characteristic of these barbarians was that they would take an inch and then a mile. As long as Jinshan Kingdom abandoned Long Beach Port, the Hongmao Barbarians would think that Jinshan Kingdom was easy to bully and would swarm in. At that time, Jinshan City would be in danger.

This "want-all" approach has proven to be correct.

The Hopi tribe is large and the Mexicans are fierce. If the Golden Mountain Kingdom shows even the slightest weakness, it will be torn to shreds.

Quan Tianpei was very good at management, especially personnel arrangements. He quickly mobilized everyone. The initial construction of Zhenyi Pass was just to build a rammed earth platform no more than seven miles long, with a ditch dug in front to serve as a moat. The city walls and moat were not regular because there were forward gun emplacements. A total of twelve mortar positions were built to house the cannons.

This irregular city wall and forward-facing gun emplacements were a method adopted by the Ming Dynasty from Western colonists in building bastions. There was nothing shameful about it. The Ming Dynasty did not have much colonial experience, so it would naturally refer to existing experience. Just like when the Ming Dynasty lost its shipbuilding capabilities and could only imitate Western three-masted deck ships before conducting archaeological research.

Being behind is not shameful; what is cowardly is not thinking about catching up.

On the sixth day of the fifth month of the twentieth year of the Wanli reign, the rammed earth city wall of Zhenyi Pass was completed. This kind of rammed earth city wall can actually be built very quickly. However, it would be more difficult to upgrade it to a brick and stone city wall because there was a lack of sufficient transport capacity to transport bricks to the front line. Jinshan Kingdom did not have many livestock, so it would take a lot of time to carry them by hand.

However, the rammed earth walls were more than enough, because the Hopi people had no experience in siege warfare and lacked siege equipment. They did not know how to build siege equipment and were somewhat helpless in the face of the three-zhang-high rammed earth walls.

Even the most basic siege tactic, ant-like siege tactics, requires a lot of experience gained from countless deaths. Coupled with the deterrent effect of twelve 36-pound cannons, the predicament of Jinshan Kingdom fighting on two fronts is slowly disappearing as Zhenyi Pass is completed.

Inside Jinshan City, everyone was in high spirits. Even though the common people didn't know much about the pressure, they could still tell from the hurried arrival and departure of soldiers, the constant gathering of provisions, and the continuous mobilization of artillery that Jinshan Kingdom was facing a severe test.

The good news was like a sharp sword, slicing away all worries. The relaxed atmosphere, like the rising sun, shone upon Jinshan City.

The sky was cloudless and clear, a deep blue like a crystal-clear sapphire. The sixth day was the day Luo Shangzhi led his army in triumph.

Three hundred men were sufficient to guard Zhenyi Pass and prevent harassment from the Hopi people.

Zhao Mu, the chief of the Jinshan Kingdom's coastal defense patrol, led three hundred men to defend the city, which had a total of twenty-five beacon towers. In the event of a large-scale enemy attack, Jinshan City could be quickly reinforced.

The decent roads in Jinshan Kingdom were all inside Jinshan City; outside the city, they were all dirt roads. Two thousand seven hundred naval soldiers led the way, while fifteen hundred Jinshan soldiers drove four thousand slaves. Lacking animal power, these slaves served as the animal power, pulling cannons and supplies along the dirt roads with great difficulty.

The 36-pound naval cannon weighed a full 8,000 pounds and was about 13 feet long. It was usually mounted at the stern of the ship and fired in a salvo from one side. When turning, the stern cannon was responsible for the final blow. This time, a total of 36 naval cannons were removed. Twelve were installed at Zhenyi Pass, and the rest were to be dragged back by the slaves.

The cannons were covered by thick sailing cloth woven from cotton and linen. Because the road was so bad, the ruts were deeply embedded in the soil, and the tow ropes were deeply embedded in the slaves' slightly thin shoulders as they struggled to pull the cannons forward.

Zhu Yiliu, Luo Shangzhi, Meng Jinquan, Zhao Mu, and even the kind-hearted Quan Tianpei, did not have much emotion about this scene. These powerful figures who went to sea knew very well that if they did not let the foreigners suffer this hardship, then the people of the Ming Dynasty would have to suffer this hardship.

Moreover, they were too busy struggling to make ends meet to have any energy to sympathize with these slaves.

As the army returned in triumph and as cannons were hoisted onto the ships, Zhu Yiliu's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled back into his stomach.

Zhu Yiliu is not Zhuge Liang. He is only twenty-five years old. How could he have so much strategic planning and empty city strategy? He was really insecure.

Every time he closes his eyes, he dreams of the barbarians coming in with a desperate attack. So what if he dies? As the Prince of Lu, Zhu Yiliu died on the way to open the sea. His Majesty will definitely avenge him, and history will elevate him to a height that does not belong to him.

What Zhu Yiliu feared most was that all the efforts of everyone would be wasted because of his decision.

This was the first time Zhu Yiliu had left the protection of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, and he made a decision against all odds. The young Prince of Lu was not completely at ease until the cannons were back on the ship. The cannons brought Zhu Yiliu a great sense of security.

After this battle, Zhu Yiliu finally understood why his elder brother was willing to be a donkey working the millstone in the Imperial Study. He was now also a donkey working the millstone because of responsibility. The lives of the people of Jinshan Kingdom were all in his hands. He had to live up to the expectations of those who had placed so much hope in him.

"Jin Quan, how heavy is the burden of carrying the sun and moon on your shoulders and the nation on your shoulders?" Zhu Yiliu said from the bottom of his heart, looking at the boundless sea. His Majesty has been carrying this burden for twenty years, through wind and rain, without ever slacking off.

Meng Jinquan thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "Being a foolish ruler makes things less tiring."

"That won't work!"

Zhu Yiliu waved his hand and said, "What kind of man is a foolish ruler? A true man stands tall and upright!"

Meng Jinquan just smiled. If His Majesty didn't want to be a great man, he would still be struggling in the Ming Dynasty's officialdom. How could he become the prime minister of Jinshan Kingdom?

"Your Highness, it's time to return to the palace. There are still official duties to be dealt with today." Meng Jinquan reminded Prince Lu that it was time to go to the mill after Prince Lu finished his reflections. With the port expansion underway and Prince Lu launching a heavy attack on the Jinshan gentry, he had thoroughly enjoyed the victory, and all the official duties had fallen on Prince Lu's shoulders.

The three governorates of Mexico, Peru, and Chile sent a total of 4200 slaves, of whom 1200 were foreign women. According to regulations, 1000 of them were to be distributed to all the soldiers who participated in the war based on the merits and titles bestowed upon them, while the remaining 4200 women were to be given to the Jinshan Navy.

The main reward for the Jinshan Navy was the gold produced in Jinshan City. The three thousand naval soldiers fought continuously for four months, and the total reward was a full thirty thousand taels of gold.

Jinshan Kingdom cannot afford to maintain a navy of three thousand men. Even if a ship is slightly damaged, it cannot be repaired and must be rotated back to the Ming Dynasty for repairs every three years. Furthermore, Jinshan Kingdom does not have enough craftsmen to build shipyards, nor is there enough timber nearby to build ships.

The main hall bell and drum tower and Jinshan Port are iconic buildings of Jinshan City. A new iconic building is under construction: Jinshan Academy. Jinshan Academy is a three-tiered school, including a primary school, a middle school, and a junior high school. The entire school covers an area of ​​more than 500 acres, which is about half the size of a palace.

Jinshan Academy is located by the sea and has a small port. The construction standards here are extremely high, even higher than those of the Prince of Lu's Mansion. It has a three-zhang-high brick and stone city wall, a barbican, cannon positions, and so on. The reason for such high standards is that once Jinshan Kingdom falls, the children in the academy will board ships immediately, leave Jinshan Kingdom, and return to the Ming Dynasty.

It can be said that if even Jinshan Academy has fallen, then Jinshan Kingdom is completely doomed.

Apart from that, they were all routine matters. Most of the cases that Zhu Yiliu needed to handle personally were murder cases and port cargo disputes. The rest of the things that Zhu Yiliu needed to know were trivial matters such as this family's water, that family's land, and the theft of pigs and dogs.

There are three to five cargo disputes at the port every day. The situations involved are very complicated, including murder and robbery, double-crossing, smuggled goods, and disputes over the division of profits.

Jinshan City lacks sufficient mathematical talent. When problems arise with the delivery of some goods after they arrive at the port, the Prince of Lu's Mansion has to step in, because even the Jinshan government office doesn't quite understand these accounts. Only the accountant and five apprentices brought by the Prince of Lu when he took up his fiefdom can figure out the accounts.

On the dirt road leading from Jinshan City to Zhenyi Pass, three fast riders galloped along, each carrying a vermilion dragon banner on their back, signifying the importance of this message. Once the riders with the dragon banner were seen, everyone had to give way to them, and the riders would pass quickly.

As they passed through the Jinshan City Gate, one rider slowed down and stayed behind to verify their identity. The remaining two riders dismounted at the dismounting stone in front of the Lu Prince's Mansion. After a brief inspection, one rider stayed behind to verify their identity, while the other rider, carrying a bamboo tube sealed with wax, quickly rode towards the study of the Lu Prince's Mansion.

"Report!" The Marquis of Duntai presented the bamboo tube to His Highness before panting and saying, "Urgent report from Zhenyi Pass!"

Zhu Yiliu was greatly alarmed. His army had just returned in triumph and had not yet rested. Could it be that the Huo Pi tribe had launched a general offensive? Was Zhenyi Pass in imminent danger?

But it doesn't matter. The Hopi people can win countless times, but they can only lose once. If the Ming Dynasty occupies the mountain pass, it will be their death!
Zhu Yiliu removed the sealing wax, glanced at it, and his worry was immediately replaced by joy. He stood up with the report in hand, his face beaming, and said to Meng Jinquan, "Jinquan, Heaven is helping me! Heaven is helping me!"

"A coal mine has been discovered twelve miles southwest of Zhenyi Pass! It's a coal mine!"

"A coal mine?!" Meng Jinquan was first taken aback, then overjoyed!
From Jinshan City to Long Beach Port, the rain and heat don't coincide. Autumn and winter are the rainy seasons, while spring and summer are the dry seasons. This has resulted in a lack of sufficient forests on this vast land. Most of the land is covered with low shrubs. The lack of timber means a lack of firewood.

The forests in North Bay have been almost completely depleted, yet they still cannot adequately supply firewood to Jinshan City.

Even Jinshan City couldn't accommodate more people, not because of land or food limitations, but because of fuel. Firewood is the most important thing in life, and without it, even the Prime Minister Meng Jinquan was quite overwhelmed. As a last resort, he introduced fast-growing poplars from the Ming Dynasty, but even the fastest-growing poplars take three to five years to grow.

The discovery of the coal mine was truly a timely boon!

"A generous reward indeed! Jin Quan, an extra three thousand taels of gold will be allocated to reward the soldiers who participated in this battle!" Zhu Yiliu waved his hand, bestowing a generous reward. This solved his immediate crisis. He only thought that once Zhenyi Pass was built, Jinshan Kingdom would not be disturbed by the Huopi tribe, and the road to Maiden Silver Mountain would be opened.

Unexpectedly, there were even more benefits!
"Alright! Your subject will take care of it right away!" Meng Jinquan was usually very stingy, but this time he was unusually generous because it was truly something to celebrate.

"Quickly, post a public notice! Let everyone know about this; the timing of this visit to Coal Hill is perfect." Zhu Yiliu continued to issue orders, not only wanting to know the good news himself, but also to let more people know to reassure them.

Good news kept coming, and the entire Jinshan City was immersed in a sea of ​​joy. The shortage of firewood had been troubling Jinshan City for a very long time.

"Your Highness, Commander Luo requests an audience," a young eunuch rushed into the study and said urgently.

"Please."

Luo Shangzhi strode into the study, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Your Highness. May Your Highness live a long and peaceful life."

"Commander Luo, you've worked hard in the Battle of Zhenyi Pass," Zhu Yiliu said with a smile.

"I have come today for Zhao Mu," Luo Shangzhi said, getting straight to the point.

Luo Shangzhi was a military man and didn't mince words; he simply told the Prince of Lu that Zhao Mu was a capable person.

After two months of observation, Luo Shangzhi conducted a comprehensive assessment of Zhao Mu. He concluded that Zhao Mu possessed sufficient military talent and was brave and skilled in battle. Given time, he could become the right-hand man of the King of Lu. Moreover, he had come to Jinshan Kingdom to repay the Emperor's favor.

Zhao Mu had very clear principles in life: he was clear about gratitude and resentment, and he would repay kindness and avenge wrongs.

In Zhao Mu's view, the Emperor and Vice Minister Ling had been kind to him, and he should repay them. The Emperor and Vice Minister Ling had exonerated his father and severely punished the corrupt officials who embezzled pension funds, resulting in a large number of executions. This was all a sign of imperial grace. "Commander Luo, I have some good news. A coal mine has been discovered twelve miles southwest of Zhenyi Pass." Zhu Yiliu handed the report to Luo Shangzhi, quite excited.

Luo Shangzhi looked at it and said with a delighted expression, "It really is Coal Hill."

The discovery of this coal mountain was made when the naval troops were pursuing the barbarians and searching the mountains. They found some stones with coal-bearing characteristics in the forest, so they asked a geomancer to go there. Luo Shangzhi did not have high hopes, because the geomancer went several times but did not find any mineral deposits, let alone a large dragon.

Unexpectedly, he made significant progress right after returning from his campaign.

Mineral exploration is actually very troublesome; it involves turning over rocks.

When mineral deposits are exposed on the ground, they are weathered over a long period of time, producing mineral gravel or pebbles. These stones, under the scouring of water, will spread over a much larger area than the mine. The more gravel there is, the more likely there are mineral deposits, but there may also be nothing at all.

Sometimes geomancers feel that they found a mine because of their professional expertise, but more often they feel that they were lucky. Whether it was luck or expertise, geomancers can't really say for sure.

Of course, there is another consensus among geographers: even dogs don't study geology.

This line of work is really tough.

"What do you think should be called, General Luo?" Zhu Yiliu entrusted the naming rights of this coal hill to Luo Shangzhi.

After thinking for a moment, Luo Shangzhi said with a heavy expression, "Let's call it Qingshi Coal Hill. The soldiers who sacrificed their lives this time will be buried here."

In the Battle of Zhenyi Pass, a total of 27 soldiers sacrificed their lives. All 27 of them were buried at the foot of Qingshi Mountain. The mountain is full of loyal bones, and the stone spirits will forever remain pure souls. Hence, it is called Qingshi Mountain.

“Alright.” Zhu Yiliu agreed. He hesitated for a moment, but finally asked the question he wanted to ask: “Commander Luo, recently some people in the city have said that he can die for Jinshan City, but he cannot be forced to die.”

Recently, due to wartime pressure, rumors of conscription have spread throughout Jinshan City. Some people have declared with righteous indignation: "I can die for the survival of Jinshan City, but I cannot be forced to die." This statement is based on the doctrine of freedom of the Ming Dynasty.

Once this statement is made, one immediately stands on the moral high ground.

I am capable of sacrifice, but if you ask me why I haven't sacrificed myself, it means you're forcing me, trying to make me a sacrifice.
As for why I didn't sacrifice myself in the end, because I was capable of sacrificing myself, I am still noble and righteous.

Sending him to the battlefield is coercion; not sending him to the battlefield does not diminish his righteousness.

Luo Shangzhi was somewhat puzzled. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "We should first check whether he has paid his taxes. I think most people who say this have not paid their taxes on time or in full."

Zhu Yiliu was taken aback, the fog before his eyes cleared, and he burst into laughter. After laughing for a while, he shook his head repeatedly, having completely understood what Luo Shangzhi meant.

Luo Shangzhi believed that such people would never go to the battlefield. Whether they would die for the Jinshan Kingdom was actually not very relevant to them, and it was not worth discussing a non-existent issue.

So the biggest issue involving these people is whether or not taxes are paid in full and according to regulations.

The things that had been crammed into his brain before, in a strange way, helped Zhu Yiliu understand the problem at hand.

Human beings’ ability to change nature is productivity, but an individual’s productivity cannot be completely self-sufficient. Therefore, it is necessary to use one’s own surplus production to exchange for the surplus production of others. Thus, the division of labor arises in society.

Fighting is the division of labor for soldiers, while paying taxes is the division of labor for ordinary people.

If the war goes badly and it really comes to the point where people need to be conscripted, whether an individual is willing or not, or whether they have a moral high ground, really doesn't matter that much, and nobody cares, because everyone is caught up in the tide of the times and has no choice in the matter.

Even the supreme emperor.

"If we look at it specifically on the battlefield, this is also a settled matter in war theory: those who cover the rear are strong." Luo Shangzhi said, slightly lost in thought, "Those who can cover the rear must be strong armies, or rather, they are strong armies that have been prepared for a long time. Those who are sacrificed have actually been prepared to sacrifice themselves."

"The Han dynasty has produced loyal and virtuous officials throughout its history, and these are such loyal and virtuous officials."

Luo Shangzhi gave a complete answer to Zhu Yiliu's question: In matters of military ranks and battle formations, loyal and virtuous people would not think about such trivial questions, and those who are not loyal and virtuous have no right to talk about whether or not to sacrifice.

"Thank you for your guidance, Commander Luo." Zhu Yiliu carefully considered what Luo Shangzhi said, ending his contemplation of this trivial question, which was essentially a conflict between rights and obligations.

He wrote a long memorial to the emperor, telling him about the recent events in Jinshan City.

Zhu Yiliu and Luo Shangzhi's memorials, along with the Spanish treasure ships sailing towards the Ming Dynasty, were delivered. The Pacific Ocean was indeed not very stormy at this time of year, but the long voyage would be very tedious and boring.

Meanwhile, in the capital of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Zhu Yijun was in the Imperial Academy of Natural Sciences, listening to reports from scholars such as Zhu Zaiyu, Xu Guangqi, Li Kaifang, Galileo, and Kepler on problems of pure mathematics.

Mathematics is the most important tool for studying the infinite principles of all things.

Li Kaifang stood in front of a model that included the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The planets all revolved around the Sun, which was the center of these planets. Mercury was the closest, and Saturn was the farthest. The fact that they could derive such a rough framework was already a remarkable achievement for the Institute of Physics.

After all, in the 20th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, the Roman Catholic Church was still studying how to burn heretics who supported heliocentrism.

Li Kaifang pointed to the model and said, "If we want to study astronomy, we need to use the methods of infinitesimals and infinite differentials to calculate the area of ​​curvilinear shapes and the volume of solids of revolution. Kepler's involvement accelerated this research. We can now announce that the Earth's orbit is elliptical rather than a perfect circle."

"Your Majesty, there is a formula I discovered here: the volume of a solid figure rotating around an axis is equal to its perimeter multiplied by its area."

When Li Kaifang got to this point, his expression was somewhat hesitant. The late Wan Shi and Wan Zongbo, when they were in charge of the administration of the Academy of Sciences, had repeatedly said that when explaining things to His Majesty, it was best not to use any formulas, otherwise it would be very difficult to understand.

Li Kaifang hesitated, unsure whether His Majesty understood what he was saying.

"You can continue," Zhu Yijun nodded and said.

Upon hearing the emperor's words, Li Kaifang immediately began his lecture with great enthusiasm. He wrote a large number of formulas on the blackboard, completely immersed in the world of genius.

"Your Majesty, I have finished speaking." Li Kaifang finally finished what he had to say.

Zhu Yijun rubbed his forehead slightly and said, "Yes, I understand. Dr. Li is talking about starting from practical problems and using infinitesimals and infinite differentials, and infinite integrals to solve them. Differentiation and integration are inverse operations, just like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and exponentiation."

"Furthermore, Dr. Li, along with two Dr. Tethys who came from afar, Galileo and Kepler, made the formulas even simpler by utilizing the more convenient features of Tethys notation."

Zhu Zaiyu had already prepared his memorial beforehand, and Zhu Yijun had done his preparation before coming to hear the report.

He really understood it, but if he hadn't studied in advance, he really wouldn't have been able to keep up with the thinking speed of these geniuses.

Seeing that His Majesty understood completely, Zhu Zaiyu immediately relaxed and said with a smile, "I knew it! Differentiation, integration, and their inverse operations are very simple. Even the dumbest person can learn calculus, right?"

The scholars who stood before the emperor were all people who had broken through the boundaries of human cognition and taken that step. Before taking that step, they were actually very confused, but after they did, they felt that it would be too easy for later generations to follow in their footsteps!
It's really not easy. Zhu Yijun still believes that these things are too difficult for ordinary students.

"This study of differential and integral calculus is truly the key to investigating things and acquiring knowledge. It can analyze subtle changes and accumulate small steps, making the obscure and difficult-to-understand principles of all things gradually reveal their true nature, like parting the clouds to see the sun. It has a great power to open up new paths in practical matters such as astronomy, calendar systems, and the fine craftsmanship of objects."

“Those who participated will each be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver to reward their diligence; in addition, they will be bestowed with imperial writing implements, hoping that you will use your inspiration to continue writing the world's literature; furthermore, each will be rewarded with one bolt of dark blue and one bolt of vermilion palace satin to show your honor.”

"I earnestly hope that all of you will uphold this spirit, strive diligently and tirelessly, thoroughly investigate the infinite principles of all things, so as to benefit the nation and its people, and publish your findings in the official gazette and government gazette to enlighten future generations."

Zhu Yijun waved his hand, signaling Feng Bao to bring the prepared reward. He gave him an extra reward and published the article written by the Institute of Natural Sciences in the Natural Sciences Gazette and the Imperial Gazette.

"Your Majesty, we thank you for your great kindness." Zhu Zaiyu led the scholars of physics in expressing their gratitude.

"Uncle, there's a large-scale rout drill of the elite troops of the capital garrison tomorrow. Would you like to go and take a look?" After finishing his business, Zhu Yijun brought up another matter: military inspection. Unlike in the past, this time it was a rout drill.

?

Zhu Zaiyu was somewhat confused and asked in bewilderment, "Your Majesty, since ancient times, military drills have always been about showing off and displaying power. Why is there such a defeat training exercise? Moreover, Your Majesty, it is somewhat unrealistic to talk about the elite troops of the capital garrison and a major rout together."

Looking across the world, with the current strength of the Ming Dynasty's capital garrison, who can defeat them!

Zhu Yijun said with a smile, "It was decided by Commander Qi. He said that a meteorite hit the military camp and smashed the central command tent."

Zhu Zaiyu remained silent. He suddenly realized that human imagination is truly boundless, yet it is also very realistic. After all, Liu Xiu, the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was a master of meteorite manipulation.

"Your Majesty, I will accompany you tomorrow." Zhu Zaiyu hurriedly accepted the order.

"If you gentlemen are free tomorrow, please come and take a look as well," Zhu Yijun said, standing up and inviting the scholars to join him.

"Your Majesty, we obey!" The scholars looked at each other and hurriedly replied in unison.

This large-scale defeat training exercise was decided by Qi Jiguang.

The specific combat mission was to bring two battalions, totaling 6,000 men, to Juyong Pass, and to prepare 600 stretchers and dummies.

At noon today, a notice will suddenly be issued saying that the Northern barbarians have rebelled and marched south, and have already captured Xuanfu. The two battalions are required to form teams of twelve men each, and within one day, carry dummy wounded soldiers on foot from Juyong Pass back to the Beidaying camp to guard the capital.

This section of the road is 142 li (approximately 70 kilometers), and it was covered by a rapid 24-hour march.

(End of this chapter)