Before hanging himself, Chongzhen lifted the table

Chapter 129 Looking for venting anger on the Kong family

The Kong family's grain fields were divided into sacrificial fields and private fields.The sacrificial fields were given by the imperial court and were mainly used to commemorate the Confucius Temple. The private fields were purchased by the Confucius family themselves.According to records, the grain fields belonging to the Confucius family amounted to one million acres and were distributed in various provinces centered on Qufu, not to mention Shandong, but also in Zhili, Henan and other places in the north and south.

According to records, later on, there were so many fields that even the Kong family could not remember them all.It can be said that the Kong family is the largest landowner in the world, with more people than the emperor.

If it had been anyone else, Li Zicheng would have pounced on such a big fat sheep, that is, the Kong family, so when the army was in urgent need of food and grass, he would start to take advantage of the Kong family.

However, after hearing this, Niu Jinxing still wanted to persuade, so he said to Li Zicheng: "Your Highness, you see, even Liu Zeqing does not dare to touch the Kong family, he..."

Originally he wanted to say that Liu Zeqing, a warrior, knew that he should respect the Kong family, but Li Zicheng impatiently interrupted Niu Jinxing and said: "Well, you are in charge of the food and baggage. If the army runs out of food, how about your head? "

Upon hearing this, Niu Jinxing shrank his neck and immediately forced a smile and said: "Your Highness is joking. I thought that the Kong family is reasonable and will definitely give some money and food."

After he finished speaking, he did not dare to say any more, shrank behind the others, and quickly faded out of Li Zicheng's sight.

………………

In the meeting hall of the Confucius family in Qufu, the core members of the Confucius family are discussing matters here.

Sitting on the main seat was the contemporary Yanshenggong Kong Yinzhi. He worriedly asked Kong Zhenkan, the magistrate of Qufu and a disciple of the Confucius family, who was sitting at the top of the table: "The army of Li thieves is really so powerful." Come to our Qufu, you are the magistrate of Qufu, what are the rules?"

In the past, even if there were bad ideas outside, the Kong family would just sit back and watch the situation, safe and sound.

But I didn't expect that some time ago, there were rumors that Li's army was going to attack Yanzhou Prefecture and even move to Qufu.

Although Kong Yinzhi was not worried based on his experience and thought it was still a rumor, he still sent someone to ask for help, so it was just a matter of course.

Unexpectedly, the reply from the court said that the emperor went on an expedition and the prince was in charge of the country. There were no reinforcements to send for the time being. As long as the Yanzhou government worked together as one, the rebel army would retreat.

After the news came back to Qufu, the Kong family discussed it and all believed that the Ming Dynasty was at the end of its war effort and was unable to recover. It was basically impossible to expect rescue from the Ming Dynasty.

But they didn't take it seriously. Even the Jianlu from Liaodong came to Yanzhou Prefecture and showed respect to the Kong family in Qufu. Qiu had done nothing wrong. Although Li Thief was a thief, he was also a Han. Shouldn't he respect the Kong family more? !

Unexpectedly, after the army of Li thieves broke through the capital of Yanzhou, they came to Qufu. At this time, Kong Yinzhi finally became anxious and quickly summoned the people in power of the Kong family to discuss the situation.

The county magistrate of Qufu was appointed by Duke Yansheng after he recommended the best among the Confucian disciples to the emperor and was approved. Generally, county magistrates were of the seventh rank, but the magistrate of Qufu was of the sixth rank, and he could serve without going through the imperial examination.

How much real talent can such a Qufu County Magistrate have?

At this time, Kong Zhenkan had a headache when he heard Kong Yinzhi's question, but he still held on to hope and said: "Although the bandits are coming to Qufu, they may also be passing by, going to Jinan Prefecture or The Qingzhou Prefecture has not yet been decided, so Duke Yan Sheng has no worries!"

Another Kong family member sitting below him, Kong Zhen, who was also Kong Yinzhi's confidant, came to listen, but retorted: "Does that mean there is no countermeasure?"

Sitting opposite him was another confidant of Kong Yinzhi, named Kong Yinchun. He and Kong Zhenlai were secretly competing, hoping to be recommended by Yan Shenggong to snatch the Qufu County Magistrate.In the original history, Kong Zhenkan's father died of illness at the end of the year and Ding You. Both of them were recommended by Kong Yinzhi, and Dorgon finally decided to choose Kong Yinchun to take over as the magistrate of Qufu County.

At this time, Kong Yinchun immediately followed up and said: "What Duke Yan Sheng wants is a way to deal with it. I have an idea here."

When Kong Yinzhi heard this, he was immediately delighted and asked quickly: "What's Yuanju's idea?"

Yuanju is the name of Kong Yinchun, the 65th generation grandson of Confucius and a student of the Fourth Family School.

As soon as Kong Yinchun heard that he had successfully won the attention of Duke Yansheng, he quickly replied: "I think that Li Zicheng should be made aware of the status of my Kong family and the powerful relationship therein. In this way, Li Zicheng wants to touch my Qufu Kong family. I will definitely give up my thoughts.”

In his mind, he didn't think anyone would attack the Kong family in Qufu, unless he didn't know how powerful it was and was unlearned and unskilled.

Li Zicheng was just a postman, and in his eyes, he was unlearned and unskilled.

Kong Zhenkan knew that his father's time was short, and sooner or later Ding You would not be able to be the magistrate of Qufu County, so he took the opportunity to follow the trend and said to Kong Yinzhi: "My father is seriously ill and really has no interest in political affairs. Yuanzhi has some ideas, so he can act on his behalf." The post of county magistrate!”

The Kong family in Qufu had a large number of people, with more than 1 tenants alone, but not a single soldier who could fight.Normally, there is no problem with a fox pretending to be a tiger, but now that the army of Li thieves is coming to attack, even if it is to defend the city, there are not many strong people available, let alone the experience.

Kong Zhenkan was afraid and didn't want to take this responsibility. It happened that his father was seriously ill, so he came up with this theory.

When Kong Yinchun heard this, he was immediately overjoyed. Without waiting for his competitor Kong Zhen to speak, he quickly expressed his position to Kong Yinzhi loudly: "Students are willing to serve Duke Yansheng as hard as they can!"

After Kong Yinzhi heard this, he nodded immediately and said: "Okay, I will temporarily act as the county magistrate. Don't let me down!"

Kong Zhen, who was nearby, came to see him. He couldn't help but feel helpless, but there was nothing he could do. There was no hope for the county magistrate!

………………

The nearly 20 Dashun troops were divided into several columns and marched in a mighty manner, which can be said to be very spectacular.

The forward troops will soon enter the boundary of Qufu.Among the forward troops, a large flag with the character "Liu" fluttered in the wind.This general is none other than Ruhou Liu Zongmin, the first general under Li Zicheng.

With Liu Zongmin as the forward commander, it can be said that Li Zicheng attaches great importance to Qufu.Therefore, he was also reminded of the purpose of his trip.

Just as Liu Zongmin was riding on horseback, someone suddenly reported: "Master Hou, there are a few people coming in front. After claiming to be Kong Shengren, they said they want to see Master Hou!"

When Liu Zongmin heard this, he was actually a little dissatisfied. He was not coming until he was about to enter Qufu. Isn't it a bit disrespectful to the Dashun Army?
While he was thinking about it, he saw a servant leading a donkey. There was a man who looked like a scholar sitting on the donkey, and there was another person behind him carrying a burden, coming towards him.

He was unhurried and his posture was calm, as if he was not here to meet the general of the army, but on an outing in the courtyard.

From the moment Liu Zongmin saw this man and waited for him to approach, he became a little impatient. What kind of airing was this?
After finally waiting for the arrival to come close, he saw that the man on the donkey did not get off the donkey, so he sat sideways on the donkey, cupped his fists with both hands and saluted Liu Zongmin and said: "I am the sixth-grade magistrate of Qufu County, the 65th generation of Confucius. Sun’s name is Yinchun, and his courtesy name is Yuanju!”

Liu Zongmin was already waiting for him to come over. He didn't expect the birdman to be so arrogant when he saw him, and he immediately became angry. However, in line with the principle of courtesy first and then fighting as explained by Li Zicheng, he said angrily: "What are you doing here? If you have something to say, say it quickly, and if you have a fart, say it quickly!"

Kong Yinchun was startled when he heard this.

The dignity of the Qufu Confucius family once said that in the eyes of the Qufu Confucius family, there are only three most noble families in the world.The first family is naturally the Kong family in Qufu, the second family is the Zhang family in Longhushan, and the third family is the Zhu family in Fengyang.Among them, the Fengyang Zhu family ranked last because they were just a nouveau riche.

Of course, there is no way to verify whether this statement is really what the Kong family said.But in the eyes of the Kong family, their Kong family is so noble.

At this time, Kong Yinchun heard Liu Zongmin's words and felt vulgar. When he came to his senses, a trace of contempt flashed across his face.Who is Liu Zongmin?The number one general under Li Zicheng was naturally a man with eyes and ears. Not to mention that when he looked at Kong Yinchun's words, he immediately noticed Kong Yinchun's expression and became angry.

Damn it, you actually look down on me, and I look down on you!
Liu Zongmin's parents both died of starvation, so he hated landlords and wealthy people the most.In the original history, he was the one who was in charge of the recovery of stolen property and stipends in the capital. He showed absolutely no mercy when facing dignitaries.

He came all the way and saw that the Kong family had so many fields, the most he had ever seen in his life, and he even lost his favorable impression.As for whether Sage Kong is not Sage Kong, in his eyes, that's bullshit.

Kong Yinchun didn't know it yet, but he still sat on the donkey and said: "My Lord Yansheng heard that your army was passing by Qufu and wanted to work for him. He specially ordered the county to come to meet the general and prepare a small amount of wine to offer to the general!"

When he said this, the servant carrying the burden behind him stepped forward, put down the burden in front of Liu Zongmin, and then opened the lid, revealing the small wine jar inside.

Liu Zongmin was stunned when he saw it.When the Kong family came to work, they only had two jars of wine, or such a small jar?
Kong Yinchun was still there and introduced: "This is a special offering to commemorate the ancestors of Saint Kong. Even high-ranking officials and dignitaries cannot drink it. Generals should cherish it and don't waste it in a big bowl."

If scholars hear his words, they may be surprised. Drinking this wine will bring you the supreme glory of the immortal spirit of Confucius.But who is Liu Zongmin?Does he care about this?
Suppressing his anger, Liu Zongmin immediately asked impatiently: "What else?"

Just these two small jars of wine just wanted to send him away, dreaming!
Kong Yinchun was stunned when he heard it. After he came to his senses, he immediately said: "Scholars all over the world, no matter how high their fame is, are all envious of this wine, even if they can't exchange it for a thousand pieces of gold."

The implication is to warn Liu Zongmin, this is Qufu wine admired by scholars all over the world, so you should stop being greedy.A more straightforward hint is that behind Qufu, there are scholars all over the world, regardless of their fame or fame.

When Liu Zongmin heard this, he immediately got angry. He immediately got off his horse and kicked over the two small jars of wine. He then stepped forward and grabbed Kong Yinchun, pulled him off the donkey, and looked down at Kong Yinchun. Yin Chun shouted angrily: "What I want is money and food, where are they?"

Kong Yinchun had never seen such a rude man, and he was so cruel to him, as if he wanted to eat him. His feet were shaking with fright, and he said with a pale face: "The general wants money and food, yes, yes, yes..."

Upon hearing his words, Liu Zongmin let go of him.

As a result, Kong Yinchun didn't stop at all and sat down on the ground.

He hurriedly got up, not caring about arranging his clothes, and quickly moved a little away from Liu Zongmin, and then said: "As long as the general does not enter Qufu, I can agree on behalf of Duke Yan to send your army a hundred shi of food and 1 yuan." Two pieces of silver!"

When Liu Zongmin heard this, he was immediately shocked. After he asked so much, he actually gave so much back?
When he came to his senses, he burst into laughter.

When Kong Yinchun heard him smiling like this, he thought he was satisfied, and immediately laughed.Only then did he remember that it was degrading to be polite and he quickly straightened his clothes.Seeing that Liu Zongmin's clothes were stained, he frowned.

Suddenly, he saw something flying over from the corner of his eye. Just as he was about to avoid it, he saw a pain in his face and his whole body flew out.

His two servants were shocked and dumbfounded when they saw the general thief suddenly reaching out and slapping their master, causing their master to fly away.

In their eyes, the Kong family is heaven. Officials who come to Qufu, no matter how high they are, or whether they are civil or military officials, are very polite to the Kong family.Unexpectedly, they saw an outsider beating their master out today!
"Damn it, you actually sent a beggar away!" Liu Zongmin cursed angrily and stepped forward, ready to beat him again.

Now, his horizons are much higher. One hundred stones of grain and 1 taels of silver, which is nothing, but he still wants to send him away. No, he wants to send away their entire Dashun army. He doesn't think he can teach him a lesson. Sorry Li Zicheng, he will be laughed at by other brothers!

As one of the core members of the Kong family, Kong Yinchun must have been pampered on weekdays. His skin and tender flesh could not withstand Liu Zongmin's beatings. That half of his face was so swollen that even his teeth were knocked out. A few.

When he was about to faint from the pain but didn't faint, he saw Liu Zongmin walking towards him again. He didn't know where he got the strength. He sat on the ground and moved back quickly, with a sad face and a little slurred speech. : "Don't fight, don't fight. Just give the general as much as he wants..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zongmin smiled contemptuously. This is because he is ignorant if he doesn't fight. He must be beaten!

As a result, just as he was thinking about it, he heard Kong Yinchun continue to say: "...doubling it is enough, if not, then... doubling it?"

When Liu Zongmin heard this, he was dumbfounded. Is this person stupid because of his studies or has he never seen the world? He actually wants to send him off as a beggar?

So, he didn't say anything, and despite Kong Yinchun shouting, he stepped forward and beat him.

Fortunately, he kept his hands open. He knew he couldn't kill anyone, so he held them back.

After a beating, he was relieved, and then he stopped his hand, looked at the curled up pig's head, and shouted in a cold voice: "Go back and tell that gentleman of yours, I will lead my own troops to get the property in Qufu, if you dare to ask for it, If anyone hides property privately, I will beat him into a pig's head!"

At this time, Kong Yinchun was speechless at all and fell into a semi-conscious state.It was his two servants who stepped forward fearfully and lifted Kong Yinchun onto the donkey's back. Then one led the donkey and the other supported Kong Yinchun. They were afraid that he would fall and ran away.

Seeing this scene, Liu Zongmin burst into laughter immediately.It seemed that the depressed mood during this period of time suddenly became lighter.

When his personal guard saw him, he couldn't help but remind him: "Master Marquis, that person is the magistrate of Qufu County. Will His Highness blame you for being beaten like this?"

After hearing this, Liu Zongmin didn't look at him at all. He just looked at the fleeing figure in the distance and shouted coldly: "They are the ones I'm going to beat. Damn it, these people won't listen to reason when they are told. They only recognize fists!"

Having said this, he immediately shouted an order: "Come on, tell the brothers, get up and start walking with great fanfare. I will scare these landlords and rich people to death!"

At the end, he added: "Damn it, you dare to send a beggar away, I want him to be stingy!"

In fact, Liu Zongmin misunderstood Kong Yinchun a little.

The Confucius family in Qufu did have countless fields, but the Confucius family also had countless descendants, and they all cost money.

Just relying on the income from land rent does not make much money throughout the year.Moreover, the Kong family was restricted to Qufu, and could not go to other places to serve as officials and search, and they did not do business, so the amount of money was limited.According to records, the Kong family’s recorded income from field sacrifices was more than 8000 taels a year. Of course, this does not include private fields.

The Confucius family in Qufu is a thousand-year-old family. It has indeed collected a lot of antiques, calligraphy and paintings from past dynasties. They were priceless treasures in prosperous and peaceful times, but they are worthless in these troubled times.Those in power in the Kong family certainly enjoyed themselves very much, just like emperors.

If nothing else, the scale of the Confucius Mansion is only slightly smaller than the Forbidden City where the emperor lived. The flowers in the Confucius Mansion, such as gardenia, jasmine, osmanthus, plum blossoms, etc., use duck eggs as fertilizer. Every year just for To grow flowers, you have to bring more than a dozen carts of duck eggs from Dushan Lake to fertilize them.We also brought goldfish from the goldfish pit in Jining and put them in the garden for viewing.

During the liberation of later generations, a special committee was set up to clean up the cultural relics hidden in the Confucius Mansion, which took more than half a month.Not to mention, this is only part of the Kong family's belongings left on the mainland.

But as far as money is concerned, hereditary princes can use their power to plunder and occupy various shops for business, etc. The accumulated money is not comparable to that of a "scholarly family" like the Confucius family.

The amount of money reported by Kong Yinchun, at least in his opinion, was indeed quite a lot.It's just that Liu Zongmin has seen a lot of money. He usually doesn't know how much money he has seen when chasing stolen money and subsidies in various places. How can he be interested in a mere tens of thousands of taels of silver!

At this time, after Liu Zongmin gave the order, the soldiers of the Dashun Army under him did not care whether the Kong family was a saint in the eyes of scholars. Qufu is a holy land. They immediately obeyed the military order, opened up their posture, and chased Kong Yinchun. Behind him, he rushed into Qufu with great fanfare and swagger.

Suddenly, the Kong family in Qufu were so frightened that they fled to Qufu County to find Duke Yan to make the decision.

(End of this chapter)