The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

As good news from the front lines came in frequently, the people in Kaifeng gradually felt at ease and stopped fleeing.

Mr. Luo and Uncle Daqiang even took time out to visit each other, which made Zhang Pingan feel very warm.

Especially after Xiaohu's experience in Nanshi over the past few months, he has indeed made a lot of progress. He has become very measured in what he says and does, and has shown some ability to take on responsibilities.

Zhang Pingan was also very pleased. "I've heard from the mayor of Nanshi that Xiaohu has been doing a lot recently, and the situation is gradually becoming peaceful. I may have to go back to Lin'an in December to see the emperor in person. Xiaohu, come with me to Lin'an to see the world and learn more."

"This... this is of course the best, but I have to trouble Ping An again." Daqiang was so happy that he rubbed his hands repeatedly and was almost incoherent with excitement.

Xiaohu couldn't contain his excitement and said happily, "Thank you, Brother Ping'an. I will do my best!"

He said that hard work pays off, and as long as you are willing to work hard and learn, you will definitely have opportunities!

Although the Luo family was envious, they were not greedy. The clan was very important at this time. If there was a chance, people would definitely promote their own clansmen first. There was nothing to say about it.

Little did they know that Zhang Ping'an had already made plans for them, it was just that the time had not come yet!

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, more than three months have passed, and it is the beginning of the twelfth lunar month.

The battle in the Beijing-Tianjin area was almost coming to an end. Under the pincer attack from both Yang Zhong's army and Lu Xian's army, Abula was defeated step by step and eventually died in the imperial palace in Beijing.

It is said that the death was horrific. Except for the head that Yang Zhong had chopped off in advance, the rest of the bodies were cut into pieces by the soldiers under him, leaving no trace of skin, in order to vent their hatred.

Although Yang Zhong did not participate, he did not stop it either. It was really because Abula led the northern tribes to cause trouble in various parts of the north in recent years.

The atrocities were inhumane.

Whenever the common people heard his name, they wanted to eat his flesh and drink his blood, let alone the soldiers.

Just when Zhang Ping'an and the court officials thought that the battle in Kyoto would end and peace would return to the north.

Suddenly, news came that a large-scale plague had broken out in the capital.

The military camp was filled with gloom and sadness for a while. The remnants of the northern tribes sensed a turning point and slowly gathered outside the capital, hesitating.

"How could a plague suddenly break out? It's winter now, it's very strange!" Lord Huang stroked his beard and said in confusion.

As the year was coming to an end, he returned to Kaifeng from Daming Prefecture. After reporting his work to Zhang Ping'an, he would be able to return to Lin'an with Zhang Ping'an and others in a few days when the army returned to the capital.

With rapid advancement in career and wealth right before his eyes, he never expected that something like this would suddenly happen.

It’s really frustrating to watch buildings rise and fall!

Zhang Ping'an also felt strange. The weather was cold at this time, which was not a good time for bacteria and viruses to breed. How could a plague suddenly break out?

Is it a coincidence or human error?

"I wrote to several of my classmates in Lin'an and my brothers-in-law to inquire about the situation. The court is also troubled by this matter now. The emperor is furious and has sent many imperial doctors to the capital, ordering them to develop an antidote as soon as possible, otherwise they will be buried in the capital!" Zhang Ping'an said in a deep voice.

"It's really like living with a tiger to serve the emperor," Lord Huang shook his head and sighed.

"Anyway, the current situation doesn't look good. I probably won't be able to go back to Lin'an for the New Year this year," Zhang Ping'an also sighed.

Both of them kept a close eye on the situation in the capital, hoping that the imperial physicians sent there could come up with a solution.

As a result, the situation not only did not improve, but became worse.

All soldiers infected with the plague suffered from red and swollen skin ulcers, dizziness, tinnitus, and vomiting. It was highly contagious.

However, it will not cause immediate death, but will make people lose their fighting ability and feel uncomfortable all over.

In less than ten days, more than half of the people had been infected.

But this is exactly what makes Yang Zhong feel difficult. As long as people are alive, they need to eat and drink. The sick soldiers cannot be ignored, otherwise it will discourage the people under him.

However, the amount of food and fodder consumed by more than 100,000 people every day is astonishing. If they cannot return to the capital in time, they can only rely on allocating food and fodder from the south or Kaifeng and other places.

Not only did it cause trouble, it also prolonged the war indefinitely.

This year, it seems impossible for the emperor to hold a celebration banquet for everyone before the New Year.

At this moment, the Tatars actually sent people to negotiate.

It turned out that a new leader emerged soon after Abra, and no one knew what method he used, but he quickly unified the northern tribes.

This is also the reason why these remnants of the army have been lingering around the capital and have not returned to Mobei.

The other party said that they had the antidote and were willing to submit to the Great Zhou, but they had to sign an alliance.

The content of the covenant was even more unexpected to Yang Zhong.