Deng Ming didn't like drinking, and Yuan Zongdi knew it, but said that today's banquet was set up for him to celebrate, so he suggested that he drink a little bit no matter what. He really refused Yuan Zongdi's enthusiasm. After the banquet began, Deng Ming stood up and raised his glass and said to the full officer Dachang: "I really don't know how to drink, and I am young, have a good appetite and are greedy. Every time I drink, I will delay eating vegetables. Today, the Duke prepared so many good dishes, and I will regret not eating them." After that, Deng Ming sipped it, and then put down the glass: "I wish you good health, everything goes well, and wait for the expulsion of the Tartars to share peace."

Deng Ming's initial words caused some laughter. After he finished speaking, everyone replied: "I wish to share peace with sir." Some even thought that this was the third prince's promise that he would not forget everyone's contribution in the future and would share wealth with the soldiers in the camp.

Since Deng Ming gave him a face, Yuan Zongdi would certainly not continue to force himself. He smiled at Deng Ming and said, "Today there is a large dogwood meat, which is Sichuan cuisine. Mr. Deng might as well eat more."

Deng Ming had just seen some red colors in the dish he gave him. At first he thought it was chili peppers, but after Yuan Zongyi said that he lowered his head and carefully identified it, but it was a plant he didn't know.

"Dognus?" Deng Ming remembered that there was a poem that mentioned this plant, but it sounded like a decoration, and he never knew that Sichuan cuisine would use this as a seasoning.

Seeing Deng Ming looking confused and staring at the dish without putting it down for a long time, Yuan Zongdi thought he didn't like to eat it, so he quickly greeted the person: "Come on, take it down and change it to Mr. Deng for a spicy one."

"Let's go," Deng Ming didn't want to eat spicy food. He had eaten Sichuan cuisine and Sichuan hot pot, and he liked it very much. But he remembered that Sichuan cuisine should be made into seasonings. He smiled at Yuan Zongdi and said, "I haven't eaten dogwood, so I laughed at the general."

"Oh, I should really put it less." Yuan Zongdi thought that Deng Ming had never eaten spicy dishes, and felt a little regretful. He introduced to Deng Ming: "Sichuan people like to eat spicy food, which is simply spicy. I have many Sichuan people under my subordinates and have been in Sichuan for many years, so I fell in love with it."

The conditions of the Ming army have been particularly difficult in recent years. Although Yuan Zongdi has many Sichuan people under his command, the limited land is used to grow crops. Near Dachang has not produced dogwood by itself for five or six years. This is some seasonings that Yuan Zongdi exchanged for when he smuggled stone salt this time. However, after seeing the dogwood transported it back into baskets, everyone cheered in unison, and these spicy crops that he had finally obtained were also consumed at a very fast speed.

In Yuan Zongdi's impression, Deng Ming was a person who had eaten and met. Since he had this kind of condiment in his hand, he would certainly take it out to entertain the VIPs. At this time, Yuan Zongdi thought in his heart that Beijingers probably did not have the habit of eating spicy food. If he had known this, he would not have given Deng Ming so much. Most people who ate spicy food for the first time would not be able to adapt to this taste.

"Well, I've heard of the best spicy food in Sichuan, but don't you need chili?" Deng Ming asked in a daze.

"Chi pepper?" Yuan Zongdi seemed very confused. He had never eaten what Deng Ming said: "What is chili pepper?"

"It's also bright red..." Deng Ming compared the size of the pepper with his hand and described its shape.

Yuan Zongdi still didn't know. He asked several Sichuan officers around him. They knew nothing about what Deng Ming said, and his face was full of confusion. Li Xinghan, a subordinate of Deng Ming, was also asked, and he shook his head and said that he had never heard of this thing.

"Is it a pepper?" Mu Tan, who had been listening quietly by the side, suddenly asked. He had heard what Deng Ming said. The Dutch and the Spanish had brought the pepper seeds, but everyone thought it was an ornamental plant. At this time, some wealthy families in Jiangnan and Fujian were planted in the courtyard. Zheng Chenggong's mansion also planted several plants, and once showed it to people that this was a rare flower overseas. Although Mu Tan felt that it was not as beautiful as peonies and other things, and there was no fragrance of flowers, the fruit was red and cute: "There are golden seeds inside. When looking at the pepper, someone reminded him not to crush its fruit, otherwise he would burst into tears when he accidentally touched his eyes."

Deng Ming felt that Mu Tan was talking about chili peppers. It seemed that this thing had not become popular at this time, so he casually said: "This chili pepper should be what I had eaten before. I told me it was called chili peppers."

As Deng Ming guessed, at this time, the spicy dishes in Huguang and Sichuan were still made of dogwood. In his original world, peppers would have to wait for more than ten years before they were discovered to be a very good condiment. Once discovered, they would spread quickly. Peppers were widely planted and completely replaced dogwood in just a few decades.

Although Deng Ming never mentioned this matter again, many people here remembered the name silently in their hearts. Many people, including Yuan Zongdi, were thinking in their hearts: "No one has ever eaten it before, and no one knows it. The third prince knows it so clearly. It must be a secret recipe for the Imperial Seed in the United States. In the future, we must try it out, or next time an envoy travels to Fujian, and try this pepper to see how good it is."

Deng Ming tasted the dogwood, which was a different kind of spicy than peppers. It was a bit spicy, but it was far less sensation than the peppers. He was thinking in his mind at this moment: "No wonder I didn't eat this thing later. The Sichuanese's temper who was afraid of not being spicy when eating vegetables was eaten, it was also appropriate to eliminate the dogwoods by peppers."

Many people asked Deng Ming to tell his trip to Yunnan again. Deng Ming knew that Zhou Kaihuang was the best, so he handed over this glorious task to him. As expected, Zhou Kaihuang suddenly jumped up with a flash of elegance. Starting from Jianchang, he told everyone the stories along the way. Even the thrilling moment he encountered at several beacon towers in Dongchuan Prefecture was completely said by him.

The ups and downs of Zhou Kaihuang made everyone intoxicated. Yuan Zongdi, who was familiar with Zhou Kaihuang's temper, only smiled, but later he was brought into the play by his endless suspense, and like everyone else, he could not turn his eyes on it. Zhou Kaihuang caused excitement after excitement. After every cheer, someone would toast him. Zhou Qian always refused everyone, and he drank it all in one drink every time, continuing to narrate the thrilling legendary journey with a louder voice.

I don’t know how long it took, but Zhou Kaihuang finally talked about entering Kunming. But Wu Sangui only called Deng Ming alone that day. He wanted to continue to perform by reposting Deng Ming’s words, but Zhao Tianba pulled him hard and forced him to sit down. Zhou Kaihuang had to say unwillingly: "Let Mr. Deng talk about the matter at the banquet."

All the eyes in the house turned to Deng Ming again.

"It was indeed a lucky day," Deng Ming pointed to the land renovation next week and said with a smile: "Wu Sangui and Zhao Liangdong were even more drunk than Mr. Zhou Qian..."

After the banquet ended, Yuan Zongdi asked Deng Ming’s purpose for this trip: “Did the supervisor heard that General Hao from Fang County was going to send troops to Yunyang, so he asked his husband to come to supervise the army for the supervisor?”

"Is General Hao going to send troops to Yunyang?" Deng Ming didn't know about this. Fang County is located in the north of Dachang, in the territory of Yunyang Prefecture in Huguang. The general stationed was Hao Yaoqi, a former general of the camp, who was not far from Yunyang, Xiangyang and other places. Hao Yaoqi, who was stationed in Fang County, was the Ming army that was the northernmost Ming army, responsible for defending the Qing army's attack from the north. However, the Qing army had never attacked Fang County in recent years. Instead, Hao Yaoqi kept harassing the Qing army controlled area: "I don't know about this."

The main purpose of Hao Yaoqi's troops to send troops to Yunyang Fucheng was to force the Qing army to retreat into the defense of the Fucheng, so that he could find some food and grass around the Fucheng, and at the same time try to relocate some people. In the past, Hao Yaoqi would send a letter to Fengjie every time he sent troops, but this was also symbolic. Fengjie would not interfere with Hao's army's actions, nor could he remotely command the war in Fang County. When Deng Ming set out from Fengjie, Hao Yaoqi's messenger had just passed by Dachang, and it could be said that he had passed by Deng Ming and his party.

"Yes, it also entrusted Mr. Deng to the great victory in Kunming." Yuan Zongdi told Deng Ming that Hao Yaoqi did not go out alone this time, but wrote to He Jin from Daning, Yuan Zongdi from Dachang, Liu Tichun from Badong and others, suggesting that they join forces with them to sweep the Yunyang area. Because of Deng Ming's actions in Kunming, the Qing court could not bring back the troops sent by Huguang to support Wu Sangui's western expedition. According to the investigation by Hao Yaoqi, Liu Tichun and others, the enemy opposite the Dongming Army is currently quite empty, and the Ming army is far stronger than the Qing army. Therefore, Hao Yaoqi suggested a unified action, if it was only the lonely county.

If the army attacked, although it could force the Qing army in Yunyang to retreat to the city, the surrounding reinforcements would have to retreat as soon as they arrived at Hao Yaoqi and could not collect food, grass and supplies with peace of mind. If the Ming army in Fangxian, Dachang, Daning and Badong combined, they could probably dispatch about 20,000 troops. Such a large-scale army would not be afraid of the Qing army in Guangxiang, Xiangyang and other places coming to reinforce. Hao Yaoqi felt that this would force the Qing army in several places to hold their own guards. The Ming army could unscrupulously collect food, grass and replenish troops in the local area, and time would be abundant.

Of course, Yuan Zongdi was very moved. He suffered the greatest losses in the battle of Chongqing, and his troops were lost by thousands. If Deng Ming had not brought back more than a thousand people, he would probably not be able to participate in this operation. Although the others suffered not as much losses as Yuan Zongdi, most of the accumulated food and grass were burned by the rebel Tan Yi. Since the troops participating in the expedition to the southwest of Huguang have not yet returned, they all planned to seize the time to recover their vitality.

After hearing Yuan Zongdi talk about the causes and consequences, Deng Ming shook his head: "I don't know about this, so this kind of military supervisor will not interfere."

Yuan Zongdi thought to himself: "Of course the supervisor will not interfere, but Hao Yaoqi's letter also mentioned that if you have returned to Fengjie, the generals welcome you to supervise the army on behalf of the supervisor. Isn't this to make friends with the third prince and let you remember our contribution?"

"I plan to send out 500 soldiers and 2,500 auxiliary soldiers to Fang County." Everyone knows that Chongqing's failure caused Yuan Zongdi to get hurt, so Hao Yaoqi, Liu Tichun and others said that Yuan Zongdi could send fewer people to come, and they would give him more people, food and grass to help him get through the difficulties as soon as possible. Originally, Yuan Zongdi did not plan to go in person, and only planned to send more auxiliary soldiers to carry things, but if he could convince Deng Ming... Yuan Zongdi said generously: "I plan to lead troops to help General Hao with his own strength. Mr. Deng is fine anyway, so why not go together."

"I have nothing to do in the past month, but I can't stay for too long." Deng Ming hesitated a little. The other party invited him warmly. If he refused, he might disappoint these generals. He didn't intend to hide it from Yuan Zongdi, so he told the other party that he planned to arrive in Nanjing around July and then see if there was anything that could help Zheng Chenggong.

After hearing Deng Ming say it, Yuan Zongdi frowned and pondered for a moment, and actually had the same question as Wen Anzhi, Li Xinghan and others, whether Deng Ming did not plan to return to Sichuan after leaving this trip. Deng Ming had to explain to Yuan Zongdi again. After hearing it, the other party seemed to be a little skeptical.

"How does Mr. Deng plan to go to Nanjing?"

"I plan to go down the river." Deng Ming originally planned to dress up as a businessman and escaped through the Qing army checkpoint. Fengjie has experience, and Zhao Tianba is also well aware of this. When he came to Dachang this time, Deng Ming wanted to ask Yuan Zongdi for advice because Zhou Kaihuang said that Dachang often sent people to disguise themselves and smuggled in the Qing army controlled areas, and there were people who were insiders or had been bribed by Ming army in various checkpoints.

But Yuan Zongdi opposed Deng Ming's plan. He said that the Yangtze River was full of checkpoints all the way, because the Qing court knew that this was the most convenient route for the Ming army to attack, and the troops stationed were far higher than other places. Yuan Zongdi did not agree with Deng Ming's adventure in the Qing army controlled area. He thought that Deng Ming would be best to stay in Fengjie honestly. He could go to the defense areas of the generals to inspect the officers and soldiers to boost morale. However, Deng Ming could not persuade him, so Yuan Zongdi suggested that he take a safer road and not take the Jiangling shortcut to save trouble.

"Mr. Deng might as well go to Yunyang with us. This time we will probably go to Xiangyang City for a walk. At that time, the Tartars will definitely retract back to the city and there will be no enemies in the wild. Mr. Deng can take his subordinates from Hanshui to Wuchang and then to Nanjing, so that he will avoid the Yangtze River, which is the most guarded and most closely guarded, and is much safer."

In addition to safety factors, Yuan Zongdi still hoped that Deng Ming could follow them around Yunyang, and the generals in the camp were looking forward to Deng Ming's carriage. If Deng Ming went to the army with the army, it would definitely make everyone excited, and safety was guaranteed in the army.

"Will you attack Yunyang, Xiangyang?" Deng Ming felt that what Yuan Zongdi said made sense. If the Ming army attacked the city, he would have the opportunity to observe the siege tactics of this era. Deng Ming did not have the chance to watch it nearby last time in Chongqing, and he was still unstable at that time and did not have much interest in various siege methods. But now it is different. After a few months, Deng Ming felt that he probably would not have the chance to go home. The Battle of Nanjing was close to him. Deng Ming thought that if there were all the generals who could teach the camp by example, he would be more likely to help Zheng Chenggong.

"This..." Yuan Zongdi smiled bitterly: "The attack is probably something to attack, but it will definitely not be able to attack."

"Why can't you conquer it?" Deng Ming was a little surprised to see that Yuan Zongdi had no confidence.

"The main purpose of this trip is to collect food and grass around. If the army is concentrated under the city, there will be insufficient personnel to collect food and grass, and it will take time to build siege weapons. This is not Chongqing. If we see that we have the intention of attacking, the Tatars will soon send reinforcements from Henan. Under the strong city, the troops are limited and there is not enough food and grass, and it will probably not be worth the loss in the end." Not only Yuan Zongdi, Hao Yaoqi, Liu Tichun and others have no plans to attack the city. Although there will definitely be many people who can seize the city by breaking the city, there will be no heavy artillery in the camp. The losses will definitely be very astonishing by relying on ladders and tower cars to attack the city. It is difficult for the Ming army to bear it now.

"Then why do you have to attack?" When Deng Ming thought about how to learn the methods of siege from the generals who broke into the camp, he was moved to Fang County with Yuan Zong for the first time, but now he was a little disappointed, but he was still a little puzzled. Why did he still have to attack the city even though he knew he couldn't defeat it?

"Because you have to teach your skills." Yuan Zongdi replied. Although there have not been many opportunities to attack the city in recent years, everyone knows that if the great cause of expelling the Tartars cannot be completed by simple defense, there will definitely be a large number of siege battles in the future. Yuan Zongdi, Liu Tichun and others will seize every opportunity to train young officers and soldiers. Although it is impossible to capture the city, at least they must see the scene of the siege and feel the atmosphere during the siege.

"Although we don't have heavy artillery, we have a few small artillery, and we will set a few cannons on the city wall at that time. Create a few ladders so that the men can see what they should pay attention to when siege, what kind of defensive methods the enemy will have, and how to deal with it, so as not to know nothing in the future, and be helpless in the city wall." Yuan Zongdi patiently explained to Deng Ming: At that time, he might dig a few holes under the city wall to let inexperienced young officers see how to attack; dig two channels outside the trenches, and experienced old people will give them guidance on how to lure the water of the moat.

"I'll go to Yunyang with a few generals." Deng Ming knew very well that these siege measures were all done briefly, just to show them to young people, but these were all urgently needed knowledge for him.

"Okay." Yuan Zongdi was overjoyed when he heard this. He immediately asked his men to go to Fangxian, Badong and other places to report the news, telling several generals and the third princes to go to the expedition with the army. Yuan Zongdi suggested that Deng Ming would not have to continue moving forward, and would stay in Dachang first in the next few days, and then set off with his own army. Anyway, he could see Liu Tichun when he went to Fangxian.

Deng Ming thought this was good, so he just happened to see what Yuan Zongdi did when commanding thousands of people marched. At first, Yuan Zongdi did not plan to send a few war soldiers at all. The 500 war soldiers mentioned to Deng Ming just now was also an imaginary number, but since Deng Ming really went, Yuan Zongdi really pointed out 500 war soldiers, intending to show his skills in front of Deng Ming and save some images that were affected by Chongqing's impoliteness.

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