After being exiled, I led my whole family to rebel.

Chapter 310 Counterattack
In the camp in Qiongzhou.

Almost all of Zhou Heng's remaining 100,000 troops are here.

Now that the war is raging, the initiative is in Jiang Yongkang's hands. The people in Jinzhou Prefecture stopped to repair when they were tired, so they had time to repair.

Ever since Zhou Heng fought against the people of Jinzhou Prefecture, they have been defeated one after another, and now they have lost three prefectures. If the people of Jinzhou Prefecture take another capital, they will almost meet in Qiongzhou.

The word "firearms" is like a dark shadow hanging over Qiongzhou's sky, lingering for a long time.

What's even more disgusting is that today, for the first time in the court, the voice of Lord He appeared.

Some officials said that firearms cost a lot of money, waste money and people, and the results will not be seen for a long time. Now the people of Jinzhou Prefecture are almost coming to the door. If they surrender now, there may be a way to survive.

Some people even said that they could not pay out the money for the seeds purchased in the spring this year. The local government complained repeatedly, saying that it would affect the spring farming. This year's food harvest would be impossible. In the winter, people would starve all over the place. There were piles of offers to persuade him to stop making firearms. .

What Zhou Heng didn't expect was that many people agreed.

He couldn't control his temper for a moment, and regardless of the dissuasion of Zhou Ying, Fang Ruyu and others, he had all the officials who were in charge dragged out and beaten to death.

Listening to the gradually weakening wails and looking at the people in the court who no longer dared to speak out, the anger in Zhou Heng's heart calmed down a little.

At that moment, he even felt the joy of power.

The feeling of life and death, the power that scares everyone, is so addictive.

He, Zhou Heng, has the orthodox royal blood of the Great Zhou Dynasty flowing through his body. How could he beg for mercy from a woman of his generation?
What's more, who is Xu Zhenying?
He felt that God was unfair.

When he was young, his mother and concubine were not favored. Although his father, the prince, did not have many children, he was still not favored.

My father loves no one.

He doesn't love the queen or the prince. He just wants to pursue immortality and enjoy the glory and power of the emperor forever.

Since none of the father's sons loves him, why can't he pass the throne to him?
It's just that he was born as a concubine.

The so-called princes, generals and prime ministers, would you rather have the kind? He was countless times better than that bastard. It had been so many years since the previous prince had passed away, so why didn't his father want to appoint him?

Zhou Heng locked himself in the study, forcing himself not to read the battle report on the table.

The battle report said that Xu Zhenying had arrived in Luzhou.

Wherever they went, the momentum of the soldiers was high. The war drums in Luzhou on the opposite side were beating all day long without stopping. The soldiers were shouting loudly, as if they were going to fight outside the study in the next moment.

How can I say that I have no clothes, and I share the same robe with you? When the king raised an army, I repaired my sword and spear, and I shared the same enemy with you;

How can I say that I have no clothes, and I am in the same position as my son?

How can I say that I have no clothes, and I share the same clothes with you? When the king raised his troops, he repaired my armor and soldiers, and went with him.

Zhou Heng chanted softly, seeming a little intoxicated.

Ok.

Did Xu Zhenying go to the front line to encourage military morale?
Does she think Qiongzhou is in her pocket?
At this moment, he actually admired this woman.

According to the information gathered, Xu Zhenying started from scratch, from an exiled prisoner to a bandit in Luocao in Lan County. He used Lan County as the starting point to seize Jinzhou Prefecture and then Qianzhou.

Step by step, it can be said to be a steady and steady progress.

Sometimes Zhou Heng also wonders, what kind of magic power does this woman have that can make the women of Jinzhou Mansion loyal to her, and even the men are willing to risk their lives for her?

In fact, in just over five years, she had firmly occupied the southwest, and now she was also encroaching on the east.

When Zhou Heng is defeated, how long can Bianjing City in the north survive?

At that time, the Zhou Dynasty truly became history.

The enemy facing me from afar really wanted to see her.

Zhou Heng also wanted to know what kind of person he would die in the hands of.

Since Xu Zhenying arrived at the front line, Zhou Heng's whole person has obviously become much more gloomy. The entire Qiongzhou Prefecture has also felt the uncertainty of this powerful person and has become more frightened.

Nowadays, not only ordinary people have begun to abandon their homes and businesses and run towards Jinzhou Prefecture, but even many wealthy households have begun to flee with their gold and silver.

It was even discovered a few days ago that his subordinates were engaged in escape business.

Qiongzhou has always prevented the people from fleeing, so key roads are heavily guarded. Even so, the people's enthusiasm for fleeing has not diminished. Some people actually bribed officials to lead the way and be responsible for safely transporting them to Luzhou.

This frightened and angered him.

After executing several officials, Zhou Heng began to reflect on himself.

How is he inferior to Xu Zhenying?

Why do all the people in the world turn to her, Xu Zhenying?

Why can she, Xu Zhenying, make firearms but he can't.

Everyone below was afraid of him, so he could only ask Zhou Ying, his biological sister from the same mother.

Moreover, Zhou Ying had been to Jinzhou Mansion and even met the female rebel.

Zhou Ying smiled bitterly, "Brother asked me, I can't hide it, I can only say that everyone who has been to Jinzhou Mansion doesn't want to stay in Jinzhou Mansion."

Zhou Heng was shocked.

He couldn't help but think of the hidden stakes he had sent to gather information before. Each one of them simply surrendered to Jinzhou Prefecture, and they were gone forever.

"But Xu Zhenying paid a lot of money to bribe him? Or did he allow them to be rewarded with high-ranking officials?" Zhou Heng racked his brains and could only think of this, "If these are just the means, I can do it."

Zhou Ying shook her head, "Brother, I don't know how to describe it to you."

Zhou Heng had never seen such an uneasy and confused look on his sister's face.

He was slightly nervous, and his heart sank, "Speak slowly."

"I can't tell. Maybe you have to experience it personally before you know the difference in Jinzhou Mansion."

Zhou Ying carefully recalled her trip to Jinzhou two years ago, "It's more like a Datong society there. No matter what your status is, you will not be looked down upon. They don't look at your status and family background when doing things, they only look at you." Your personal ability. I heard that there are girls from Yihong Building who are taking exams."

Zhou Heng sneered, "To win people's hearts. She always uses this trick, but I was negligent and forgot that the poor are the majority."

"This is due to different governance concepts." Zhou Ying shook her head, "Eldest brother said that she is trying to win people's hearts, but I don't agree very much. According to my observations in Jinzhou Mansion, I found that Xu Zhenying... seems to be really different from us. She truly believes that all people are created equal——"

Zhou Heng frowned, "It's really unreasonable! You and I are of royal blood and noble birth, how can we be compared with merchants and farmers? Then if everyone is equal, who will cultivate the fields in the fields? Who will pay the taxes in the fields? Who should serve as a corvee? Ranking is a matter of status. You should do what you are, and you should not have other thoughts. If everyone is equal, how can the common people be educated? ? How should the imperial court operate? According to you, doesn’t Jinzhou Prefecture have its own orthodoxy? "

"Brother, I said that the difference in Jinzhou Prefecture needs to be experienced in person." Zhou Ying knew that her brother was unwilling to give up easily, and she also knew that she could not convince him. "I can only say that if I am not The princess is just an ordinary citizen, so I will definitely choose Jinzhou Mansion.”

Zhou Heng didn't seem angry, but instead asked, "Why?"

"In our Qiongzhou, ordinary people have no chance of success. It may take the whole family to endure hunger, just to be able to provide a Jinshi. And even so, talent, luck and hard work are all indispensable. But in Jinzhou Prefecture, Literacy classes are everywhere, and the master will lead you in. It depends on the individual. Once you have learned Pinyin, it is not difficult to figure out how to read on your own. As long as you are willing to work hard, opportunities are everywhere. You can become a soldier, become a doctor, or take the exam. Officials all rely on their own abilities and do not even need to rely on their families.”

"What if your family is poor and cannot hire a teacher?"

"It's strange to say that the city over there is recruiting workers everywhere. It seems that as long as you enter the city, there are always countless opportunities to make money. Brother, have you heard Master Meng mention a set of data? Officials from the Twelve Prefectures of Jinzhou Prefecture It has reached more than 90,000 people, and our Qiongzhou is now only five states, but it is not even 6,000."

Zhou Heng's face changed slightly, "Does it include the number of soldiers?"

Zhou Ying shook her head, "It doesn't count. It's just officials. Those who are serious and registered. And men and women account for almost half."

"How did Master Meng know this data?"

"It's written in the monthly report. They have a section on government affairs disclosure, which revealed some things about the Jinzhou government. This number also came from there." Zhou Heng was shocked this time, "Xu Zhenying is crazy. How dare you write these things in that newspaper?"

"Her behavior has always been puzzling. Not only that, but also on the government affairs section, there are meetings they held and decisions they made, including explanations of some policies."

Zhou Heng seemed to be shocked by the news, and was a little overwhelmed for a while.

"There are more than 90,000 officials... She is only in the Twelve Prefectures, but there are more officials than the Zhou Dynasty at its peak. There is no need for so many officials, why is this-"

Zhou Ying shook her head. She also knew little about government affairs, so she couldn't understand the issues that Zhou Heng didn't understand.

"It seems that we have really underestimated Xu Zhenying. As for the newspaper, Master Meng and the others were right to worry at the beginning."

Zhou Ying nodded, "That's right. Although we have banned newspapers, Master Meng and the others still buy some through some channels every month to study the latest situation in Jinzhou Prefecture. Brother, this newspaper is extremely important , Now I think that she has premeditated to control the power of speaking. As long as her newspapers continue to publish, she can confuse right and wrong. "

"You're right." Zhou Heng understood deeply.

The first issue of the newspaper was written by Fang Zhi. It described in detail the details of his pursuit of Fang's family at that time, which made many people who followed him have some thoughts.

This gave the civil servants in Bianjing City a basis to attack his personal ethics.

This move can't be described as cruel.

Even after he takes office, he may not be able to clear away this black spot for the rest of his life.

But on the battlefield to the west, Liu Dazhuang and his men led their men to kill all the people of King Zhoushan, and even set fire to the mountain, burning the followers of King Zhoushan alive in the forest. They had no appearance of the "teachers of benevolence and righteousness" they had preached before.

Instead, they smeared those people in newspapers, saying that they were anti-human beasts and unworthy of sympathy.

Zhou Heng was even more furious.

At that time, when he asked the people to serve as human flesh for the city wall, the editorial staff described him in detail, describing him as a faint king comparable to Xia Jie, and used the words "to evil the people of the world, to criticize heaven and insult ghosts, there are many thieves, Therefore, it is a disaster from heaven that he will lose his country, and his body and death will be slaughtered in the world, and future generations will destroy it." Such vicious language insults.

After all, what is the difference between what Xu Zhenying did on the western battlefield and what he did back then?
It's just because she has the newspaper, she has the power to speak, and she can turn black and white into false accusations.

Really hateful!
"I can finally see it." Zhou Heng couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Everything is caused by money."

Zhou Ying looked at him.

"It takes money to support so many officials, money to support so many soldiers, money to run newspapers, and even more money to make firearms. After all, Xu Zhenying is rich. Her ability to make money is first-rate."

Having said this, Zhou Heng was willing to show some regret in front of his relatives, "It's all my fault. I wish I had listened to you and established the Ministry of Commerce earlier."

Of course Zhou Ying did not say that even if the Ministry of Commerce was established, they would not be able to match the strong financial resources of Jinzhou Prefecture.

Those gadgets sold by the Commerce Department, such as clocks, pencils, pocket watches, and soaps, which one is not an extraordinary thing that is rare in the world?

Even if it is the Qiongzhou Prefecture of the two opposing parties, which of the officials below does not have a few items from the Jinzhou Prefecture in their homes?

What do they use to fight against others?
The two brothers sighed silently, seeming to sense an invisible resistance and despair.

The battle between trapped beasts, maybe they are the ones we are talking about, right?

Just then, a servant came to tell them that Fang Ruyu invited them to go to the military camp and said that there was a new breakthrough in firearms——

Zhou Heng's face lit up with joy.

Zhou Ying couldn't help but said: "Could it be that the barrel of the firearm has arrived?"

The brother and sister headed towards the camp almost non-stop.

It must have been a firearm!
They can launch a full-scale counterattack against Jinzhou Prefecture!

Zhou Heng swept away the gloominess of several months and felt his heart became brighter!
In the carriage, Zhou Ying did not forget to tell her: "Brother, please give me more praise when you meet Sister Ruyu later. Some time ago, not only you, brother, but also Sister Ruyu were isolated by the court because of the firearm matter, and she was even almost killed." Labeled a witch and a traitor! Sister Ruyu is indispensable for the creation of firearms this time——"

Zhou Heng smiled happily and said, "I understand! Thank you sister for reminding me! Fang Ruyu has made great contributions. When I ascend the throne in the future, I will definitely give her the position of concubine. But sister, you are also indispensable for thinking about me. I will wait for the future. When all is said and done, I will definitely give you a marriage that will satisfy you very much, and you will have your choice of good men from my great Zhou Dynasty!"

For some reason, Zhou Ying smiled a little reluctantly at this moment, "Brother, you are just joking. You are my last and only relative in the world. Naturally, I hope that your brother will be well."

What she wanted was never a happy consort.

She wants power and control over her own destiny.

just like--

Just like the one from Jinzhou Mansion!
But why does brother think that choosing a good marriage for her is everything?

The two of them galloped all the way until they arrived at the camp at the foot of Junshan Mountain.

Master Meng and the others had obviously gotten wind of the matter, and the matter of firearms was not a trivial matter. Therefore, as soon as they heard that there was a major progress in firearms, all the civil and military officials from Qiongzhou Prefecture rushed over.

Civil servants and generals on both sides were waiting outside the warehouse. The warehouse was shaped like a fortress and was square. There were countless weapons, armors, and even grain and grass in it. One of them contained gunpowder.

As soon as Master Meng saw Zhou Heng, he was so excited that he could not speak coherently, "Your Highness! The gun barrel has arrived! The craftsman said that everything is ready, and all that is left is to install it according to the drawings! It only takes a few days at most to make this firearm. !”

Others were also excited and knelt on the ground, "God bless Your Majesty, now that I, Qiongzhou, have also made firearms, we no longer have to be afraid of Jinzhou Mansion!"

Some generals were eager to try it out and asked Ying: "Your Highness, it is said that this firearm is very powerful. Can you let the general come and try it first?"

"Now that we have six firearms, we don't have to be afraid even if we face Jinzhou Prefecture! We must take back the Jianzhou, Luzhou, Xiangzhou, and Jiangling Prefectures we lost before!"

"That's right! As long as we have firearms, we can avenge our dead brothers!"

Zhou Heng couldn't hide his excitement, but he didn't see any firearms, so he was still worried, "Follow me in and take a look."

Looking at the door of the warehouse, there is a beautiful figure in the room.

Therefore, Fang Ruyu said that the conditions for storing gunpowder are harsh, there must be no wind, no rain, no water, and no moisture, so there are no windows in the warehouse.

The man held a torch and was carefully inspecting the newly delivered cannon barrel with the craftsmen.

The woman was thin, with shaved shoulders. She was dressed in thin green clothes and had black hair like a waterfall. In the hazy firelight, she looked strangely like a goddess.

Zhou Heng took a look and knew that it was the barrel of the firearm.

He couldn't help but stepped forward quickly, and then tapped it with his finger. The sound of the barrel was dull, which showed its thickness.

The material is neither copper nor iron, but it is indestructible.

Just this house of things cost him nearly 600,000 taels of military expenses and almost emptied the entire Qiongzhou tax revenue.

Fang Ruyu signaled all the craftsmen to step back, then stared at Zhou Heng with a smile on her face: "Congratulations to Your Highness for getting what he wanted."

Zhou Heng immediately asked: "How long will it take to assemble all these firearms?"

"If everything goes well, it will only take a few days at most. I have studied the drawings with Teacher Zhu before. The assembly is not difficult. The difficulty is finding the raw materials. But now that the raw materials are complete and the gunpowder is in place, the rest is just It doesn’t take much effort to put it all together.”

Zhou Heng was overjoyed when he heard this, "Okay, okay, okay!"

The civil and military officials behind Zhou Heng also immediately beamed with joy, and there was a burst of congratulations to Zhou Heng. He couldn't breathe under the pressure of the past few days. At this moment, he could only see the beaming faces in front of him. Face, I could only hear the compliments in my ears, and suddenly I felt my heart was floating.

He is not a careless person, but now, with this firearm so close in front of him, success is so close, and he doesn't want to walk on thin ice anymore.

Zhou Heng waved his hand and said, "Everyone has worked hard these days. Today's banquet in my courtyard is considered as an early celebration!"

There was a roar of compliments.

Everyone was praising Prince Ming's foresight, as if he was the most far-sighted emperor in history.

"what?"

Fang Ruyu gently picked up the gunpowder and put it under her nose to smell it, then frowned slightly.