1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2377
One of the necessary means to implement military control is to gather the supply channels of living materials and prevent people from hoarding goods during wartime and disrupting social order with scarce necessities.Of course, doing so will affect the interests of certain merchants, but there is no time to communicate with these merchants one by one at the moment. Under the control of relevant measures, even the Ma family's industry has not been spared, and the inventory must also be seized and closed. Closed.

In order to avoid causing widespread panic among the people, Liu Shang's old business came in handy at this time. By posting notices and public lectures, he asked the publicity officers to explain to the local people the recent implementation of The reasons for military control, and the various safeguards that Haihan will provide to the people, are used to appease the hearts of the people.

In fact, it is no secret that the Qing army invaded Shandong. The dignitaries who fled to Fushan County to escape the war a few days ago have brought this news to the local area, so the public will not be too concerned about the news announced by the Haihan government. Surprised, I just didn't expect the war that happened in Jinan Mansion to affect me so quickly.

As for the local county government, there is no sense of existence for a long time now. The local government orders are all formulated and implemented by Haihan, and even the legal provisions are gradually changing from Daming law to Haihan law.In such a general environment, the people actually don't care too much about the county government's attitude towards the current situation.

Zhang Pucheng, the county magistrate, seldom appears in front of the public, because there are not many official affairs in Fushan County that require him to come forward. Even the people in this county now go to the Haihan Court in Majiazhuang to submit papers. Few people will come to this unattended county office to take care of business.

But Zhang Pucheng didn't feel particularly disappointed. Although Haihan had occupied most of Fushan County in fact, continuing to be a magistrate here meant that there was no hope of promotion in the end of his official career, but getting rich was a gamble.Now he not only receives the salary from the imperial court, but also collects the monthly "office expenses" from Haihan, the benefits given by the latter are even much more than the salary.

In addition, through the arrangement of the Haihan people, Zhang Pucheng bought a batch of pack horses with money, and handed them over to the Ma family's chariot and horse company to operate them. In addition, he is also one of the shareholders of the boat company under the name of the Ma family.The gray income that such a covert transaction can bring him is far more than the two salaries he received on the surface.Even if he resigns and retires in the future, these investments can still continue to bring him long-term benefits.

Of course, these benefits are not for nothing. After Zhang Pucheng received the money, he had to follow Haihan's wishes, try to cooperate with Haihan's various arrangements, and reduce the influence of the Daming government in the local area.To put it simply, it means not doing anything, not caring about anything, as long as you hang on to the name of the county magistrate and enjoy the happiness.

Fushan County will evolve all the way to the current situation. Of course, he is not the only one who has taken advantage of Haihan. The chief pornographic song and the captor Han Qin have also become Haihan's tools just like him.

The three of them are now living the same leisurely life. After reporting to the county office every day, they sit together drinking tea and chatting to pass the time.At the end of the month, look at the accounts sent by the Haihan people, and collect the monthly dividends. Compared with the days before the Haihan people came, there is a difference between heaven and earth.

However, following Chen Yixin's sudden return to Fushan County, the local situation has undergone great changes in just a few days. Zhifu Port has entered a long-lost state of military control, and even their nominal parents and officials can no longer leave the county at will based on their identities.

"The people of Haihan ordered the entire county to be under martial law. Is it really to accept refugees, or... have other plans?"

Zhang Pucheng put the written notice he had just received on the desk, and motioned Huang Qu and Han Qin to take a look at what was written on it.

Huang Qu said: "You mean that the Haihan people may take advantage of this opportunity to fish in troubled waters and make a bigger fuss in Dengzhou?"

Zhang Pucheng said: "It has been the fifth year since the Haihan people came to Fushan County. With their behavior, how can they be willing to control only this county? In my opinion, they just don't want to start a war with Daming, otherwise It’s time to expand the territory! Now that the troops stationed in various places in Shandong are being transferred to fight against the Qing army, the Haihan people can just find an excuse to transfer the army, who else in Dengzhou Prefecture can stop them?”

Zhang Pucheng's words are indeed not unreasonable. After Haihan came to Fushan County, he did not deliberately conceal his ambitions. He built roads, built ports, opened mines and emigrated. He managed this place as his own territory and never released the Dengzhou government. in the eyes.Moreover, in Jinzhou across the Bohai Sea, the Haihan people also took it as they said, so they haven't done anything in Dengzhou in the past few years, and it seems that the only reason is that they don't want to go to war with Daming.

But not starting a war does not mean that Haihan has no interest in Dengzhou. Zhang Pucheng has dealt with the Haihan people for several years, and he naturally knows that they are not good men and women. They have a very strong desire for land and population. Once the Haihan people find a suitable opportunity, They will certainly not be polite.

During the conversation, Han Qin had already read the notice sent by Haihan, and then Zhang Pucheng said: "My lords, if Haihan intends to occupy Dengzhou, then our errand may really come to an end!"

Huang Qu frowned and said, "How do you say that?"

Han Qin said: "Master Huang, what is the reason why the Haihan people have occupied Fushan County and let us continue to work in the county? It is just to keep us stable. But if they occupy the entire Dengzhou by hand, then the ownership of Fushan County will be returned. Is it important? What's the point of keeping you and me at that time?"

"What Han Butou said is not unreasonable." Zhang Pucheng also agreed with Han Qin's opinion: "Actually, we should all be clear that it is only a matter of time before we lose our official position, and the right thing to do now is to make plans for the future as early as possible matter."

Huang Qu said: "Could it be that we also follow the example of those naturalized Haihan people and leave Dengzhou to settle in Haihan Kingdom?"

Zhang Pucheng said: "Why not? I heard that Haihan Kingdom owns a lot of territory in the South China Sea, and the land is vast and sparsely populated. As long as you have a little property, you can become a big landlord when you go there. From now on, you can live comfortably. Although we are now I live a leisurely life, but in fact, I still can't help being frightened if there is a slight disturbance, why not just go to Haihan to settle down, and become a rich man who doesn't care about world affairs, wouldn't it be beautiful?"

Huang Qu said with a smile: "According to Mr. Zhang, it should be that this way out has been planned for a long time!"

Zhang Pucheng said seriously: "The chaos is imminent, there is nothing wrong with finding a way out for yourself earlier!"

Huang Qu said: "But at this time, the situation of the battle in Jinan Prefecture is unclear, and Haihan issued this notice, saying that the whole of Shandong is about to usher in an unprecedented chaos.

"It's hard to say." Han Qin shook his head and said, "I have a distant relative from Jinan Prefecture. I just brought my family to Fushan County a few days ago, and now I rented a yard outside the county seat to live in. According to him, this time There were tens of thousands of Qing troops who entered Shandong, and it seemed that they wanted to take down a few big cities and would not go away. The imperial court deployed two lines of defense in Dezhou and along the Yellow River, but they could not stop the Qing army. It is said that Jinan Prefecture also mostly I can't keep it."

Zhang Pucheng added: "If Jinan Mansion is lost, it will be a real mess!"

If it is as strong as the city of Jinan and cannot be defended, can other cities in Shandong stop the offensive of the Qing army?The answer is obviously no.And these dignitaries from other places who have poured into Fushan County recently are definitely not fools. The information they have has indicated that Daming is unable to recover from the situation in Shandong, so these people hurried to such a far place to avoid the war.

If Jinan City and other big cities fall one after another, then the situation that Haihan foretells will most likely be staged in Shandong.At that time, even Fushan County under the protection of Haihan may not be a safe place. Even if the Qing army did not kill it, the influx of refugees and the rebellious soldiers may turn this place into a hell on earth.

The three people here have all personally experienced the Denglai Rebellion, so they naturally know how terrible refugees and rebellious soldiers are.Even Huang Qu, who had been questioning Haihan's actions, had a very ugly face at this time, as if thinking of some scenes he had seen back then.

If the situation of Denglei Rebellion reappeared, they would definitely rather be overseas than go to this muddy water again.

Zhang Pucheng continued: "The Haihan people are reluctant to part with the local industry, so they will definitely mobilize troops to protect Fushan County. Chen Yixin rushed back to take charge of the overall situation, and it should be for this purpose."

Although they usually don't go out of the county, the measures Chen Yixin took after returning to Fushan County, as well as the speeches he made in public, have already reached their ears through various channels.At this time, when I think about the information carefully, it is indeed as Zhang Pucheng said.

Huang Qu said with a sullen face: "Even if the Haihan people can't protect the entire Fushan County, if the situation is not good, if they retreat to Zhifu Island, even thousands of troops will not be able to attack. But we can't leave the county seat. If this Once it gets messed up, there is nothing we can do!"

Zhang Pucheng said with a light smile: "With Mr. Huang guarding the county, it should be safe."

Huang Qu snorted when he heard the words, but didn't answer the words.

The few armed personnel in Fushan County had been conscripted to Dengzhou a few days ago. Originally, Huang Qu, as the general, should lead the team to command, but Huang Qu said he was sick at home and turned down the task.As for why Huang Qu couldn't evade it, Zhang Pucheng believed that it was because Huang Qu already knew that the situation on the front line was not good, and he didn't want to put himself in danger.

It's normal for Huang Qu to make such a choice. They are already rich in wealth, and they don't need to work hard for fame and fame. It is wise to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.However, the reason why Zhang Pucheng looks down on Huang Qu is that while taking the benefits Hai Han gave him, he questioned that Hai Han's actions would mess up the situation in Shandong, and at the same time he was evading his responsibility as an official of the Ming Dynasty.So when it came to this juncture, Zhang Pucheng poked Huangqu's weakness gently.

Han Qin's status in the yamen is one level lower than these two, so he can only come out to smooth things over at this time: "My lords, since this county is not safe anymore, why don't we take the initiative to contact the Haihan people for a while? Move to Zhifu Island to live, and wait until you pass this pass before taking another step. In the future, whether to stay in the county and continue to maintain the operation of the county government, or emigrate to Haihan Kingdom to become a rich man, can be discussed slowly at that time!"

In fact, Han Qin understood the meaning of Zhang and Huang a long time ago, and he didn't have much resistance to joining Haihan. After all, he was just a good-for-nothing headhunter, and he would give up his job at worst. Pat your ass and leave.However, Zhang and Huang are serious officials of the imperial court, so they naturally have more scruples in speaking and doing things, and such "rebellious" words can only be spoken by him.

Zhang Pucheng was still pretending to consider: "If we do this, will it be inappropriate? Besides, it's not easy to talk to the Haihan people, and it might cause them to misunderstand..."

Seeing this, Han Qin had no choice but to take the whole blame away: "My lord, you don't have to worry about this matter, I'll take care of it. It just so happens that the young master of the Ma family still owes me a favor, so I can ask him to go to the Haihan people on his behalf. Ask."

The road has been paved, Zhang Pucheng and Huang Qu naturally no longer shirk, so they asked Han Qin to undertake the matter.

However, Han Qin is not such an easy-to-get-together character, and immediately said: "Now that the whole county is under martial law, we can't leave the county seat, so this matter can only be entrusted to the young master of the Ma family by letter. I can't write in the following, just Can I ask Mr. Zhang to write an explanation of the whole story."

Zhang Pucheng certainly didn't dare to hand over such a big matter to his master's staff, but he knew that Han Qin had a lot of friends, so there must be other ways to send the message out of the city.

Zhang Pucheng kept on doing the same thing, and immediately replied: "Okay, then I will draft the letter, and I will also ask Mr. Huang to sign and sign it, so that the Haihan people will not believe it."

Huang Qu didn't respond, and after thinking about it for a while, he nodded heavily to express his approval of the plan.Chaos is approaching, and I can't take care of other things at this time. It is more important to try to save my life and property.Looking at the entire Fushan County, the safest place is Zhifu Island, where the Haihan garrison is stationed. As long as you go there, you don't have to worry about the threat of refugees.

Immediately, Zhang Pucheng wrote a letter, briefly explaining the plan of the three of them.Of course, he did not directly state in the letter that he would move to Zhifu Island to live temporarily, but tactfully proposed that he hoped to send his family and belongings to the island and accept the protection of the Haihan Army.He believed that with Haihan's ability to deal with things, he would naturally be able to understand what his true intentions were.

After reading the content, Huang Qu and Han Qin also expressed their approval of Zhang Pucheng's approach, and immediately signed and stamped the letter together, showing that the three of them are of one mind.

(End of this chapter)