The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

In the deep mountains and old forests of Yongping Prefecture, Zhang Zhouzheng stood on the top of a hill, looking at the explosive mines two miles away with his binoculars.

"boom!"

With a loud noise, the mountainside in the distance exploded, causing rocks to fly, and it was as thrilling as the earth was shaking. Under this situation, Li Rong dragged his old and tired body out from behind the rocks, like a man. The young daughter-in-law waiting to be married stood timidly behind Zhang Zhou.

"It's over?" Li Rong saw such a scene as soon as he arrived.

For Li Rong, the old heart was a bit unbearable. He had never seen such an awesome scene before, and probably he would never see it again until he was buried.

Zhang Zhou nodded: "This round is over."

Li Rong breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Mr. Zhang is still impressive. Just by looking at this stance, you can dig up anything underground. With your skills, you can find any good mines."

To put it simply, other people's mining model is simply unsightly and extremely weak.

This is what you call professional.

What did Zhang Zhou rely on to start a mine?
The first is to know where the mineral producing areas are. In the next few hundred years of development, many mines will be excavated. Zhang Zhou does not know every place, but at least the general location is clear. The rest depends on... ...yellow gunpowder to explode.

With this thing, as Li Rong said, the ground can be opened up for you. What is there a few meters, ten meters or even dozens of meters below can be clearly understood after a series of crazy bombings, and the time and labor costs are greatly reduced. .

Others want to imitate his method of mining, but the lack of yellow gunpowder will almost end their dreams of getting rich.

Zhang Zhou is not afraid of others trying to rob him, because it is really impossible to rob him. After the mine opened, the application of yellow gunpowder has almost continued into daily life. It is almost impossible to do it with black gunpowder, let alone This also involves the issue of mine safety.

Zhang Zhou said: "In order to realize His Majesty's ambition as soon as possible, all ministers must work hard."

Li Rong was startled.

Why are you talking about this nonsense till now?If you want to flatter me, you should go to the emperor and say it. Do you want me, an old man, to tell you this?

"By the way, Eunuch Li, what did you say about what happened in Yongping Mansion City earlier?"

Only then did Zhang Zhou remember that he wanted to talk to Li Rong about Dongchang's concerns.

"Sir, a hole has been blown up in front, and people have been sent up to find samples of the ore. Together with the two we opened before, more samples can be sent to you tonight."

It was Sun Shangqi who spoke.

Although Sun Shangqi was injured by an arrow before, the injured part was his arm after all, so he was basically able to go out and do things with him.

But Zhang Zhou wanted him to rest as much as possible, because the biggest problem with trauma in this era was wound infection.

What's more, it's still the scorching heat of summer.

Zhang Zhou said: "Then move to the temporary tent first. It's hard for Eunuch Li to come here with me."

"It's not hard, please." Li Rong said, while thinking, if you don't bother me too much, I'm just giving you face. Why are you saying such sarcastic words?
……

……

Back to station.

The large number of officers and soldiers around them were armed with live ammunition, also to guard against the evil intentions of local people.

At sunset and dusk, the camp was also a military camp, and fires were lit everywhere. And because Zhang Zhou was here in person, both the accompanying Jinyi guards and the soldiers in the Beijing camp seemed to be in high spirits. Everything was stationed in the camp according to wartime standards. The entire camp was in full swing. The station also appeared to be in good order.

There were still people moving the ore, and Zhang Zhou had to wait for everyone to sort it out before going over to take a look. He followed Li Rong into the tent first, drank herbal tea, and also checked some official documents from the Ministry of War that Li Rong handed over. Ichiban.

Originally, this was not Li Rong's errand. Li Rong happened to be going up the mountain, so he brought the luck up by the way.

"The road is not easy to walk. It is a mountain road all the way. Needless to say, there are many potholes. Let's just say that the ups and downs are really hard for our old bones." After Li Rong sat down, he also complained a little.

He hoped that Zhang Zhou would be considerate and take care of him and not let him wander around.

Zhang Zhou said: "Perhaps Eunuch Li should stay in the surrounding counties, or go to the capital, and send people to contact each other if there is anything."

"No." Li Rong said, "The emperor's order is with you, who dares to delay? No... the situation in Yongping Mansion seems to be going well so far. Mou Bin, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, has gone. I heard... Brother Ling There too."

"Who?" Zhang Zhouyi was still a little confused.

With this look, Li Rong didn't know if Zhang Zhou was faking it.

Li Rongdao: "Mr. Zhang, your brother has been very active since he arrived in Yongping Fucheng. I heard that he got involved with the local officials and even stood up for local officials and gentry. Didn't you know?"

Zhang Zhou sighed: "My brother, I have followed my father since he was a child. He has some skills, but he is not an upright person. If I knew that his doing things would ruin my reputation, I still let him come out." If so, wouldn’t I be causing trouble for myself?”

Li Rong breathed a sigh of relief, which probably meant that you didn't ask him to come.

"That's right." Li Rong said, "Sir's reputation is very important, but brother Ling also managed to put things right in time. He did not interfere with Jin Yiwei's affairs later on, but he had received a lot of gifts before, so he was afraid that someone would gossip."

"Snapped!"

Zhang Zhou suddenly slammed the table, startling Li Rong.

Zhang Zhou said: "What a person who is not enterprising. He thought that he was appointed by the imperial court to do things for the imperial court, but he actually went all the way to Yongping Mansion to cause trouble! Accepting stolen money, no matter what Whether he has changed or not, it is against the laws of the imperial court. Please help me, Eunuch Li, teach him a lesson."

"Ah? This... forget it." Li Rong smiled bitterly.

As a younger brother, you actually let an outsider teach your elder brother a lesson for you?

Let’s talk about filial piety first. Let’s just say that if you let outsiders punish your family, who knows whether you will avenge your brother when you turn around?After all, you two brothers broke your bones and your tendons are still attached.

Zhang Zhou asked: "Why did he come here with his eyesight?"

Li Rong replied: "I heard that he came in the name of shipbuilding and was related to the shipyard in Bohai. Our family has just learned about this matter, but we don't know what he can do about it after his arrival..."

"Let's do this." Zhang Zhou said, "Eunuch Li, you see, he is not very stable, so just send him to the shipyard in Bohai Sea and let him be a camp guard. Let him suffer some hardships, which can be regarded as a kind of kindness to him." Experience, what do you think?"

Li Rong thought about it.

There is no trace of this shipyard yet, which means that everything is starting from scratch.

If Zhang Ye is really allowed to go to a place like this to guard the camp, it will be no different from being sent to the frontier. In this summer, there are many snakes, insects, rats, and ants in the northern wasteland. If he stays for a year or two, there will be very few. , if you hang around for a few more years, even if you don't die, you can't just shed a layer of skin, but just shed a few bones.

Li Rongxin said, you should be ruthless. I guess it was you who arranged your brother's trip north.

Deliberately letting him get some profit and water, turning a blind eye, and then waiting for him to commit a crime to let people know, and then taking the opportunity to send your brother to the border to endure hardships, you are a "well-intentioned" younger brother.

"Mr. Zhang, if you have made arrangements, there is no need to discuss it with our family. Originally, someone needs to go over to take care of the shipbuilding matter." Li Rongpai said with a smile.

Zhang Zhou nodded with satisfaction and said: "Then it's settled. Speaking of which, my brother is really unsatisfactory. He is far worse than An Bian Hou. It is said that An Bian Hou has been idle recently. He should be arranged to follow Eunuch Li. Practice more."

Li Rong quickly waved his hand and said, "No, our family doesn't have the ability to teach An Bianhou. There are still many things... I need to ask you two for more advice."

"Does Eunuch Li have anything else to do?" Zhang Zhou asked.

Li Rong smiled and said: "Only the matter of local officials and gentry is left. This time, His Majesty has given orders to deal with the intricate forces in Yongping Mansion. It can be said that he will be ruthless. A lot of land and other things may be freed up. You Look...do I want to leave some for you?"

Zhang Zhou asked curiously: "Is this considered a plunder?"

Li Rong was startled and said hurriedly: "How can this be counted? It's just that someone committed a crime and confiscated the property."

Zhang Zhou said: "Since I have committed a crime, it is better to follow the formal process. As a bystander, what does this have to do with me?"

"Yes." Li Rong responded with a smile.

A strong dragon will not suppress local snakes, but that depends on whether Qiang Long really goes all out. If, like the emperor and Zhang Zhou, they send thousands of uniformed guards and thousands of officers and soldiers at a time to suppress local snakes, no matter how powerful the local snakes are, they will be defeated. If you get rid of reptiles, it is easy to end up losing everything. What you are afraid of is that your family will be ruined.

In this era, if you want to go against the imperial power, you will die without knowing how. If you don't have any strength, you should live with your tail between your legs.

…………

Zhang Zhou was in the deep mountains and old forests, but his message could be quickly conveyed to Yongping City.

In Yongping Prefecture, Zhang Ye and his son experienced the ups and downs of life overnight.

At first, the father and son just learned the news from Mou Bin, the commander of Jinyiwei. They said that several large households were seized locally and a lot of property was confiscated at one time. The exact amount was not known, but Mou Bin followed Li Rong's previous instructions. , leaving a copy for the father and son.

This is not to mention what the emperor ordered to give to the father and son.

Rewards such as fields and houses, plus silver and other gifts, plus the gifts I received before, are worth at least three to four thousand taels of silver.

What's even worse is that when Zhang Ye confiscated the property of a large local family, Zhang Ye also asked Zhang Ping to fish in troubled waters. There were two boxes that Zhang Ping brought back from the scene. Not all of them were gold, silver and jewelry, but they were all valuable. A few hundred taels of silver.

"Good stuff."

Zhang Ye looked at the box his son brought back, a little unbelievable. He was obsessed with money and was already planning to bring the things back to Nanjing to buy more properties.

Zhang Ping was also a little excited and said: "Father, Commander Mou said that there are also family members of local officials and gentry who have committed crimes, and some of them have been assigned as slaves. They also said that they would send people over to us. You see..."

"Really? Son, spring has come for us, father and son." Zhang Ye said with great satisfaction, "Let's go out with my father and have a good time."

"Dad, they haven't been delivered yet," Zhang Ping reminded.

Zhang Ye frowned and said: "You have money, but you still have to worry about lack of food and clothing? But for this kind of thing, father and son are still separated, each caring for his own business. After being a father for so many years, I am finally proud, but I didn't expect that I still rely on your second uncle. It’s really not easy.”

Zhang Ping said: "Isn't the relationship between my second uncle and us bad? If my second uncle finds out, will he blame me?"

Zhang Ye curled his lips and said: "He has such great power, if he gives us a little bit of power, we won't have to worry about food and drink. He really intends to annihilate himself from the ancestors of the Zhang family, but don't forget who is the head of the Zhang family." Man! I didn’t ask him for a title, so that’s good.”

……

……

That night, father and son each found their own happiness.

When the two returned to the inn at three o'clock in the morning, Mou Bin was already waiting for them.

"Commander Mou, are you okay?" When Zhang Ye saw Mou Bin, he didn't feel that he was a subordinate at all. Instead, he felt a little shameless and went up to him, as if he wanted to treat him as equals.

Mou Bin said seriously: "The emperor's order has just been conveyed."

"Imperial order?"

Zhang Ye was so happy that he almost jumped up on the spot.

Mou Bin said: "His Majesty passed down an oral message, saying that Zhang Baihu should receive some reward for your hard work. He specially asked a large local family to allocate a house and a hundred acres of fertile land as a reward."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness." Zhang Ye knew some rules after all and was about to kneel down.

Mou Bin raised his hand, supported him, and said, "But Shangfeng also has a new message to convey."

Zhang Ye said with a sneer on his face: "If it's a reward from the side, it wouldn't be necessary. I haven't done much."

Mou Bin suddenly said with a dark face: "One hundred households of Jin Yiwei in Zhangye have committed evil crimes in the local area and blackmailed local officials and gentry to make money. The property seized was equivalent to nearly 900 taels of silver. This is a crime of dereliction of duty, embezzlement and bribery, and should be dealt with strictly." !”

"what?"

Zhang Ye was still in surprise. When he heard this, he didn't react.

Didn't it mean that even the emperor appreciated his hard work and gave him a reward?

How could he be convicted so quickly?

Zhang Ping was still a little confused. When he heard Mou Bin's words, he rushed over from the corner and said loudly: "Commander Mou, my father is at fault. Please give him a chance to change his ways. We are willing to return the stolen goods. "

Zhang Ye said: "You know how to play football? Don't talk nonsense!"

Mou Bin also had a good face. If it had been anyone else, it is estimated that given his identity and status, it would be absolutely impossible for the person in front of him to continue standing and talking to him.

Mu Bin also tried to give Zhang Zhou some face, saying, "Zhang Baihu, you committed a crime. The evidence is conclusive. Boxes and other items were found from your room. What can you say to deny it?"

"I..." Zhang Ye was a little anxious, but didn't know how to explain himself.

Mou Bin said: "But since this is your first offender, it is still timely to return the stolen goods, so I will send you a new errand so that you can complete the original errand earlier. Nowadays, a new shipyard is being built along the coast. In order to build ships and docks, etc., I will demote you as the general banner of Jinyiwei, and your son as the minor banner, and go to the shipyard to complete the initial supervision of the shipbuilding. You will be punished for your merits!"

Zhang Ye looked aggrieved and said: "Do you mean that all those boxes were confiscated? What about the gifts from the Holy One?"

Mou Bin said angrily: "No one has touched that one. It belongs to you. When you finish your errand, you will naturally come here, and the house and property will be reserved for you."

"How long will it take?" Zhang Ye seemed to feel that he couldn't refuse.

When Mou Bin in front of you is polite to you, it makes you feel like a spring breeze.

But when it comes to punishing you, you don't even have to take a breath to evaluate whether your head can continue to hang around your neck.

Mou Bin said: "It's hard to say. If there is a new transfer order, it will be conveyed to you and your son. You are still a member of the Jinyi Guards. Be careful in the future. Among the Jinyi Guards, although it is easy to get the reward of holy grace, it is also the target of public criticism. Anyone who does not If you are careful, you will be guilty and punished. Even if Cai Guogong is here, I advise you to take care of yourself."

When Zhang Ye heard this, he asked, "Is it because of the brother's face that I was given a lighter punishment?"

"if not?"

Mou Bin said, "Look at these people, do any of them dare to openly ask for bribes like you?"

Zhang Ye looked around. Although he didn't know who the Jinyiwei around him were, looking at the clothes of this group of people, they were all either Jinyiwei Qianhu or deputy Qianhu. Several hundred households were not even qualified to enter the main hall. He was the only one. Only this hundred households can stand in front of Mou Bin and speak.

He seemed to immediately understand what Mu Bin meant, that is, without Zhang Zhou, his younger brother, Zhang Ye would be nothing in Jinyiwei. Let alone committing a crime, he would easily be stepped on even if he was ordinary.

……

……

Zhang Ye and Zhang Ping were immediately sent to the beach to guard the camp.

Guo Ang came in and restored Mou Bin's life.

"Song Ming, the local magistrate, has made it clear that he will never be involved in Jinyiwei's affairs. It seems that he is afraid. Eunuch Li just sent a message, asking me not to make the matter too big, but I still have to be charged with what I deserve. Yes, we must make an ironclad case first." Guo Ang said.

"Yeah." Mou Bin nodded.

Guo Ang continued: "Even the local gentry who was convicted mentioned Zhang Baihu. What you said to him earlier was heard by the humble official. Even if he is allowed to go and make meritorious deeds, those fields and houses will... …Keep it for him?”

Mou Bin glanced sideways and said, "Are you going to disobey His Majesty's order?"

"This is not what I mean by humble position." Guo Ang lowered his head.

Mou Bin said in a gentle tone: "He has a destiny, and he needs a destiny flower. I thought that Duke Cai Guo was protecting him, but now it seems that Duke Cai Guo dealt with it impartially. If this kind of thing happens, let's look at Duke Cai first. The idea comes first. There are no employees in the shipyard right now, and craftsmen, servants, etc. all have to be deployed on the spot. Do you think you can come back so easily?"

Guo Ang said: "Then what is he going to do now?"

Mou Bin said: "The camp needs to be built, transported and guarded, and contacted and deployed with the local area. In short, it is all hard work. Among the Jinyi Guards, let those who have been convicted or marginalized be responsible for this. As for employing people, Then just use the local ones, and don’t deploy the soldiers from the capital camp yet! It is said that the governor of Ji Town is very flattering to Cai Guogong, and he will send his soldiers back to assist."

"This kind of thing is a thankless thing. What does Governor Liu want?" Guo Ang was a little confused.

Mou Bin said coldly: "Whatever we are after, he will be after. Don't you even understand the rules? If you shouldn't ask or discuss, you should shut up!"

Guo Ang lowered his head again and said: "I accept my order from my humble position." (End of Chapter)