I, the Ming Dynasty, can still save me

Chapter 258: Tongzhou Experience (please subscribe)

"Luo Baihu, Lord Qianhu told me it's time to set off."

"Understood, let's go."

Luo Yangxing was already ready. He checked again to see if there was anything missing. Then he nodded to his subordinate who was also preparing to mount his horse, then mounted his horse and whipped up his horse to join Ma Chi.

Outside Fusi Yamen in Beizhen.

"Sir Chihu, I've kept you waiting for a long time. Let's set off quickly."

"It's okay. Yongping Mansion is not far from the capital. We can arrive in one day or two days."

As the person in charge of going to Yongping to investigate the rebellion, Ma Chi had been informed in advance by Luo Sigong of the purpose of going to investigate.

Seeing that the commander entrusted him with such a great contribution, Ma Chi was extremely grateful to Luo Sigong. He loved Luo Sigong, so he naturally took more care of Luo Yangxing.

"When you leave the city, you will follow me. The commander will hand you over to me. I can't let anything go wrong with you."

Luo Yangxing still wanted to catch the thief himself, so he was most afraid of what Ma Chi would say. Wouldn't this tie him up?

But Ma Chi was his father's confidant, and he must be afraid that something might happen to him, but going to Yongping Mansion to investigate the White Lotus Sect might lead to any accidents. So after hearing what Ma Chi said, he immediately offered to persuade him.

"Sir Qianhu, since the commander sent me there, he must have asked me to do things. If I keep being timid around you, I'm afraid it won't be very good."

"What's wrong? Don't worry, my dear nephew. Everything is under the control of the commander. You can make your own arrangements. Just follow me."

Luo Yangxing had no choice but to give up upon hearing this, and just thought of arriving in Yongping first before making any plans.Seeing that everything was ready, everyone stopped talking and followed Ma Chi to ride out of the city. However, on the way to Chaoyang Gate today, there were more people than before, and the bustling crowd on the street made it difficult for them to move.

"Why are there so many people today? Is something big happening?"

Ma Chi took Luo Yangxing to Chaoyang Gate and saw many people on the roadside staring into the distance from time to time, as if they were looking forward to something, so he asked curiously.

"Sir Qianhu, you may not have known when you went to Shandong before. Today is the day when the Enke Association Examination List will be released. Many people have gone to Gongyuan to look at the list. These people who are looking around are probably waiting for the messenger to announce the good news."

The Jinyiwei Baihu who were beside Luo Yangxing immediately started talking to each other after hearing this.

"I actually forgot about this. It seems like today is a good day. I think we will definitely have a successful start in Yongping."

Seeing that Ma Chi seemed to be extremely confident about this matter, Luo Yangxing sighed behind him and instantly felt that he was just making soy sauce and just looking around, which probably had no effect.

Just as they were talking and walking, there was a sudden exclamation from behind.

"It's coming, it's coming, the team to announce the good news is coming here."

As soon as these words came out, everyone looked back and saw two officials behind them, their hats wrapped in red cloth, holding a list of names, and three servants behind them holding gongs to clear the way.

Ma Chi and others quickly gave way and saw the announcement procession passing in front of them. There were many inns and clubs in front of them. When the waiters inside heard the gongs and shouts, they ran out one after another to see if they would stop at their home.

After a while, the team announcing the good news stopped in front of a hotel called "Jiyuan Inn".When the boss saw that his inn's trick was actually successful, he immediately asked people to set off firecrackers to greet him.

"Congratulations to Mr. Gui'an Mao, 42nd in the high school examination!"

The officer who announced the good news immediately shouted in front of the inn door. When the innkeeper heard the name, he immediately turned around and shouted to his servants:

"Mr. Mao is in room No. [-], Tianzi. Go and invite him quickly."

Anyone was willing to be the bearer of the good news. The servants in the store shouted and ran upstairs to tell the good news. The shopkeeper also called two servants to go to the inn to rest, and at the same time asked people to continue lighting the firecrackers and never stop.

He was feeling happy now. There was actually a high school student in the inn, and his business would definitely be good next year.

Ma Chi watched the succession of good news teams passing by him, his eyes filled with envy and admiration.

"Look at how grand this is. I must let my children take the imperial examination in the future. Don't endure hardships like us. What a life we ​​have all day long."

Ma Chi's words immediately aroused the resonance of everyone. Everyone in the Ming Dynasty was not aware of the truth that one day he would become a disciple of the emperor and shine on the lintel of his family. He could only regret that he did not have this ability.

So everyone watched for a long time. Seeing the large number of people announcing the good news, they stopped riding and led the horses towards Chaoyang Gate.

Along the way, there were not only teams announcing the good news, but also many newsboys selling lists of high schools for the high school entrance exams on the street. The efficiency was jaw-dropping.

Luo Yangxing also bought a copy when he saw this, and then opened it to see who was on the list.Seeing that he was interested in the list of candidates who passed the examination, Ma Chi said with a smile: "I heard from the commander that there will be a large number of talents in the Enke examination this time. The emperor has nominated several people. I think there will be many in the future." Reuse. But who is it? It was originally classified and we have no way of knowing."

When Luo Yangxing heard this, he looked at the list and saw the three characters Lu Xiangsheng written under the word "Xing Huiyuan" in the first column on the right.

As the emperor's eyes and ears, Luo Sigong knew all the people he met during his private visits incognito, and Lu Xiangsheng was no exception. He had heard from his father that this man's arm strength was different from others. Although he was a scholar, he was very knowledgeable about military matters. learn.

"Although I don't know who Lord Qianhu is talking about, this Lu Xiangsheng will definitely have a bright future in the future."

Thinking of this, he closed the list and echoed Ma Chi's words.

Ma Chi immediately became interested after hearing these words. It seemed that the commander must have told Luo Yangxing something, but now it was inconvenient to ask due to the large number of people, so he started making fun of him.

"In that case, you should be more respectful when you meet in the future and leave a good impression."

"Of course, we are just afraid that others won't like us and look down on us, which would be bad."

Luo Yangxing also made a joke, making everyone laugh.Although these candidates can take high school exams, Jin Yiwei, as the emperor's personal guard, is naturally not afraid. There are many civil servants in Jinyiwei's rectification, and they are still afraid of them.

So the group of people walked quickly and left Beijing through Chaoyang Gate. Then they immediately mounted their horses and galloped towards Yongping.

It is about three hundred miles from Beijing to Yongping, passing through Tongzhou, Jizhou and other places along the way. Since the distance is not long, Ma Chi, Luo Yangxing and the dozen or so people walked not in a hurry.

After arriving in Tongzhou, everyone found that this place was completely different from the city of Beijing. From time to time, there were sounds of gongs and drums announcing good news throughout the city, and it was very lively and prosperous.But in Tongzhou, everyone found that the atmosphere of urban life here was very light, but it was full of busy work.

As the terminus of grain transportation in the Ming Dynasty, every year when the ships arrived here, they would return rice to go into the warehouse. Many merchants, merchants, and dignitaries traveling by boat from the south to the south of the Yangtze River would also choose to disembark here.

The grain, cotton, silk, tea, timber and other goods shipped here every year made it a large and bustling distribution center and wholesale center at that time.

It happens to be close to May now. The first batch of grain every year has been heading north since March, and loading and unloading has now begun in Tongzhou.

On both sides of the canal, the trackers pulling the canal were trying hard to pull it forward amidst the sounds of commands and slogans from behind. Finally, they slowly stopped amid the shouts of the foreman, slightly adjusted the position of the canal and allowed it to dock, and then The Caoliang Ambassador from the Ministry of Revenue will send people on board the ship to count the Caoliang with the person in charge of the Caoliang, check the amount, and then direct the footwork to slowly move all the Caoliang ashore.

"Haha, His Majesty still needs to issue an order to punish them. Seeing that there are many more water ships than in previous years, the price of food will also be lower than before."

Looking at the canals queuing up on the canal in the distance, Luo Yangxing couldn't help but sigh.

"Yes, this is just grain. I heard that just by collecting last year's debt, Bi Ziyan has made the Yu family in Zhenjiang disgraced and embarrassed. Now the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River probably hates Bi Ziyan to the core. "

Ma Chi nodded when he heard this. He admired the current emperor very much. He couldn't do such a thing without courage.

"What's the use of hating him? The court's evidence is solid. What can they say? Don't talk about the Yu family in Zhenjiang. Even Fang Congzhe, the former chief minister of the cabinet, was so ashamed that he sold his land after hearing that the emperor wanted to make up for his debt. To make up for the debt, even the former Minister of the Ministry of Revenue has been put to death because of this matter, it’s up to you to see how they can behave like this."

Luo Yangxing was young and vigorous, and he was straightforward in his work. In his opinion, these people were seeking death. The emperor just asked them to pay up their debts, which was considered a minor matter. It was not an exaggeration for these people to confiscate their homes.

"You're right, His Majesty's thunderous methods are the best, otherwise we don't know how long the trouble will last."

Seeing this, other people also agreed. They didn't have a good impression of these gentry, and they naturally regarded it as a fun to be punished.

After that, everyone continued to watch for a while and then set off on their way. However, they planned to rest in Jizhou, so they did not enter Tongzhou City, but passed through Tongzhou and continued eastward.

But not long after walking, I saw a huge military camp located on the bank of the North Canal. It was heavily guarded outside, with many soldiers guarding the outside. Several large flags were hung on the fence, which read "Tongzhou Campus".

But what surprised them was that although the school grounds were heavily guarded, looking vaguely from the outside, there were not many soldiers inside. There were more craftsmen living and moving inside, and there were even some carriages transporting wood going inside from time to time. go.

Although the situation inside could not be clearly seen, one could tell from the thick smoke in the sky that although this was a school ground, it had already been used for other purposes.

"This must be the newly-built firearms workshop of the Ordnance Bureau of the Ministry of Industry. I have always heard that this workshop costs a lot of money. Currently, most of the firearms craftsmen in charge of the Ministry of Industry live there. The Krupp cannon that was so successful in Liaodong is here. Built.”

Looking at the thick smoke above the school grounds in the distance and the clusters of craftsmen inside, Luo Yangxing probably guessed what it was.

When he said this, others immediately understood.

"I have also heard about this workshop. It was newly built by Xu Guangqi, Minister of the Ministry of Industry. It only took half a year, so many of it is not perfect. I read in the "Da Ming Daily" that another 100 million taels will be allocated today to continue. build.

In the future, not only Krupp cannons will be manufactured, but all firearms and gunpowder manufacturing and warehousing will be placed here. "

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(End of this chapter)