"Zhou Jun, please don't be humble. Being able to stick to your duties even in the midst of chaos is a great achievement. I will definitely give you a commendation from my royal brother at the meeting!" Zhao Bing raised his hand and patted Zhou Xiang's shoulder.

"Thank you for your favor, Your Highness!" Zhou Xiang bent down even lower so that His Highness could take the photo easily. Of course, he was flattered by His Highness's intimate gesture.

"I wonder which army the Zhou army envoy belongs to?" Zhao Bing saw that he was "sensible" and said a few more words.

"Your Highness, I am ashamed to say that, my subordinate is affiliated with the Right Wing Army of the Infantry Division of the Guards and serves in the Ordnance Supervision." Zhou Xiang raised his eyes to look at Liu Fu, his eyes averted and his face turned red as he said.

"Oh, it's really not easy for the Zhou army to follow the imperial court without fear of hardships and dangers!" Zhao Bing said as if he didn't notice that he was ashamed. But he knew very well in his heart that the Xiang army was a local one in the order of the Song Dynasty's armed forces.

The army, called the Standing Army, is actually a handyman of state capitals and some central agencies.

According to the modern point of view, it is more similar to the armed police. They are always subordinate to the Guard Mahan Division and the Guard Infantry Division, but are under the control of the state government and certain central agencies. Their main tasks are to build cities, make weapons, build roads and bridges, transport grain and reclaim wasteland, and

As bodyguards of officials, serving as escorts and honor guards, etc., they generally have no training, combat missions, and low combat effectiveness. Therefore, at this time of tense war, Zhou Xiang was worried that the two adults would despise them as useless.

"My subordinates have been eating food for many years, but they still know the basic principles of raising troops for a thousand days and using them for a short time. How can we sit back and watch the Tatars rampage when the imperial court is in trouble." Zhou Xiang was secretly happy after hearing this, and thought that His Highness was young and did not understand the meaning.

A soldier can go into battle, he straightened his back and said arrogantly.

"I wonder how many military craftsmen the Zhou army brought out from Beijing. Are they still in the fleet?" Zhao Bing didn't know what he had planned. Instead, he had other ideas and asked again. Biqu Ge

"On the night before the Tatars entered the city, there was chaos in the capital, and the craftsmen and military supervisors were also scattered. However, when I learned that His Majesty and His Highness were out of the capital for a tour, my subordinates raised their arms and immediately thousands of people were willing to accompany them. It was just a journey.

Far away, fighting continues, and many people are separated. There are less than a thousand people who arrived in Fuzhou. After being incorporated into the front army, they were scattered to various ministries. There are still less than a hundred people around me." Zhou Xiang said with a sad face, but his eyes were bright.

He kept wandering around and never left His Highness.

In fact, Zhou Xiang was very nervous. He knew how much his words carried. It was true that the city was in chaos the night before the city was destroyed. The temple supervisor and the young supervisor of the weapons supervisor had long since disappeared. Only he, the supervisor, was still maintaining the situation.

.And the Ordnance Supervision has long since lost its original prosperity. The manufacturing of weapons and other matters have mainly been placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry. The affairs here are sparse and have degenerated into a place to reserve talents. The number of people is only a few hundred.

The Song Dynasty has always attached great importance to the manufacture of weapons. There are thousands of craftsmen in various workshops in the capital, all of whom are skilled workers recruited from various places. However, the management of military craftsmen is very harsh. The work is intensive, the life is difficult, and they are all beaten.

They were imprisoned in the workshop and were not allowed to come in and out at will, just like slaves. Now that the city was about to be destroyed, the leaders escaped first, and the military craftsmen were already panicked.

Zhou Xiang also knew that the Mongols were ferocious. Although craftsmen could survive after the city was destroyed, they were often moved to the north or fought with the army. You can imagine what it felt like to leave your hometown and work as a cow. So Zhou Xiang also thought about running away.

As the temporary top person in charge, he ordered his cronies to sneak into the warehouse and pack up some valuable things, preparing to bribe the general guarding the gate and find an opportunity to escape.

Zhou Xiang didn't do things secretly. As soon as he set off, he was discovered by the military craftsmen. A swarm of people with their families and their families chased him, hoping to catch a ride. His heart dropped when he saw this. If there were dozens of people, it would be okay.

It's just a little more money, but if so many people go out of the city at night, they won't be regarded as traitors to the city. ? ? w ?w?．

?b?i?q?u But what was surprising was that when they arrived at the city gate, a large group of people was leaving the city, so these 1,800 people followed them out of the city.

After successfully leaving the city, it was easy for Zhou Xiang to find out, but it was difficult to escape. They had been involved in the team that Empress Dowager Xie ordered Jiang Wanzai and others to escort the two young princes out of the city. In the chaos, no one went to pursue this gang.

Based on the intentions and origins of the military craftsmen, they were organized into a commanding force and became members of the escorting army. Zhou Xiang also became the commander of this team.

Zhou Xiang followed the escort team through mountains and rivers, hiding in Tibet, and fighting the pursuing enemy troops. Some of them kept falling behind and fleeing, and by the time they arrived in Fuzhou, their number had been reduced a lot. As the escort team continued to arrive,

Although their team had no fighting ability, they were marginalized and returned to their old job - serving as handymen. Today, in order to change his destiny, Zhou Xiang ignored his face and showed his dignity in front of His Highness.

I blew it hard, hoping to gain favor from His Highness...

"Oh, what a pity. These skilled workers are all rare talents!" Zhao Bing sighed and said with a look of regret on his face.

As a manufacturing practitioner in his previous life, Zhao Bing certainly knew the importance of skilled workers, and their social value was immeasurable. But even in future generations with advanced technology, it would take several years, or even ten years, to train a good skilled worker from school to factory.

time. In ancient times, the cycle of cultivating a good worker through words and deeds would be even longer. How could it not make people feel bad if it is wasted like this now?

"What Your Highness said is absolutely true. Those military craftsmen are not good at charging into battle, but they are all leaders in their profession. They can make weapons, build houses and build cities. Please show mercy to Your Highness." As soon as Zhou Xiang heard what His Highness said, he immediately put on a good show.

He said with a heartbroken look, but his sad expression was quite real. After all, he brought these people out by himself, but it was very sad to see them die one by one in the battle.

"Master Liu, do you think this is okay?" Zhao Bing did not answer him, but looked up to Liu Fu for advice.

"Your Highness, this is a time of turmoil. How can you leave your post without authorization? Besides, they are under the command of the army in front of the palace, so we can't say much." Liu Fu thought for a while and said. In fact, he felt a little bit guilty of His Highness's meddling and craftsmanship.

It was a lowly act. If the situation wasn't critical, he wouldn't have talked to them. However, when His Highness asked him face to face, he couldn't refuse directly, so he refused by saying that it was something that was not his responsibility.

"Having said that, as the saying goes, 'make the best use of things and make the best use of people's talents', wouldn't it be contrary to nature to use military craftsmen as soldiers?" Zhao Bing was a little disappointed, but he insisted. He thought Liu Fu was a righteous person, so he still

With a reputation for caring about people's livelihood, he would not look at craftsmen in a different light, and would definitely agree to it, but now it seems that he has underestimated the hierarchy of these scholars.

"I and all my brothers are willing to enter the palace and follow you until death!" Originally, His Highness had intended to help, but Mr. Liu was trying to avoid it. Seeing that the matter was about to go to waste, His Highness's return of protection made him feel that there was still a way. Zhou Xiang

He knelt down in a hurry and saluted. Several people behind him also realized that this was a fate-changing moment and knelt down to kowtow.

"Everyone, please get up. We will wait until we meet up with the brigade. I will make it clear to the Queen Mother and Your Majesty that you will make the best use of your skills." Zhao Bing hurriedly supported him. He understood that the value and role of these military craftsmen were in no way as high as that of an army.

The effect is low, but the situation is unclear at the moment and I dare not say anything fully, so I can only choose another opportunity.

"Thank you... thank you, Your Highness!" Zhou Xiang kowtowed. Although his goal was not completely achieved, a child often talked about whatever came to mind, and His Highness was sincere and did not seem to be trying to coax them. Moreover, he also

Knowing his identity, it would have been difficult for him to meet His Highness if it weren't for chance. His Highness's agreement to speak for his people is already a huge honor.

"Envoy Zhou Jun, since there are no enemy troops around, you can send people to the island to check if there are houses, water sources, and to replenish some supplies." Liu Fu was a little dissatisfied with His Highness's careless kindness, but at this time, it was the right time to employ people.

It was hard to say anything, so I wanted to send him away.

"Yes, you can go to the island to check it out!" Zhou Xiang also recognized the interest and bowed to salute and was about to go there in person. At this moment, there was a sudden noise on the sea, and everyone raised their eyes to look in the direction of Haikou...

Zhao Mengjin's party searched for the capsized enemy ship and gained a lot. Not only did they find the weapons and armor they urgently needed on the ship, but they also found a lot of property. They couldn't help but cheer. They couldn't refuse the things that were delivered to their door. Liu Fu ordered people to move them.

All those who could move were transferred to the shore in small boats. Unfortunately, they could not right the boat and could only watch it rise and fall in the rising tide and be dismembered by the waves.

The collected weapons were quickly distributed to each ship. Now everyone had something in their hands. Even Zhao Bing had a foot-long Mongolian dagger hanging from his waist. He picked this from the pile, I guess.

It was the thing that the Mongolian brought with him for eating, because he found that there were actually two chopsticks in the scabbard. But there was nothing he could do about it. The length of an ordinary single sword was almost the same as his height, and it was difficult to hold it.

, let alone dancing, but even the shortest meat cleaver was banging on my feet.

Not to mention that people need clothes, once everyone on the ship wears them, their temperament will immediately change, especially those who have been on the battlefield. Of course, it is not a neat military appearance, but everyone has someone who can take advantage of them.

, it’s true that I feel a lot more courageous.

After a careful search, no enemy troops were found on the shore or on the nearby sea. Liu Fu ordered the crew of each ship to land. Because they had been floating on the sea for more than ten days, the fresh water was almost exhausted and needed to be replenished;
Chapter completed!