There is a space for passenger planes in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 175 The distressed Zhang Yingjie

Zhang Yingjie, a colleague in Jiazhou, has been having a hard time recently. Ever since Lin Feng started the rebellion, he can no longer take off his hat as an old rebel leader.

Not only was he being reprimanded by the prefect Chen Jiace every three days, but the officials in the prefectural government did not think favorably of him. He would definitely bear the brunt of the next step in the government's pursuit of accountability, so he violated the law.

This made him miss the days when he was a county magistrate in Fugu. At that time, he didn't have to worry about anything and would get money when the time came. What a great life it was.

Fugu, on the other hand, did not pay any autumn taxes last year, and he happened to be in charge of the tax collection.

Even if Lin Feng is not involved in the rebellion, just looking at the tax collection situation this year, it is estimated that one-third of the tasks will not be completed, and it is inevitable to be severely held accountable by the court.

Now Zhizhou Chen Jiace has given him the task of finding big households in the city to forcibly distribute grain and grass.

Half of the supply task for a 15,000-strong quelling army would require about 4,000 shi of food in one month. Taking into account the losses incurred in transporting food on the road, the total would be 5,000 shi, or about 5,000 taels of silver.

Of course, a large army cannot fight with just food. There must be some necessary military pay and silver rewards, so at least ten thousand taels must be raised.

This made Zhang Yingjie's hair turn gray. The big houses in the city had connections in all aspects, so how could it be so easy to control.

This is not the first time that large households have been summoned to apportion food and wages, and many large households have only sent housekeepers to deal with it. No matter how dry Zhang Yingjie was, the big households just said that they had no money now and could only wait until after the summer harvest if they wanted to share the money.

Of course, this is also the excuse of the big players. Everyone knows that it is impossible to wait until June or July to put an end to the chaos.

Zhang Yingjie was determined to imitate Lin Feng and win over one or two big households to establish his authority. However, no one in the execution room of the state government was willing to cooperate, and he was not in charge of executions, so he had no choice but to give up.

The people in the execution room are also very shrewd. Not to mention that Zhang Datong knew that he was already in trouble. Even if this had not happened, their officials were not exiled officials and had been working in the state government all year round. They would rather offend the exiled officials than offend the big families.

Today, Zhang Yingjie returned home after being released from office. It was another day with little progress. Under his hard work, coercion and inducement, several large households also knew that it was impossible to quell the chaos without removing a cent, so they reluctantly agreed to raise 3,000 shi of food for emergencies, and refused to part with the rest of the money at all costs.

Tomorrow is the day when the limited amount of money and food is handed over, and it is inevitable that he will be punished. Zhang Yingjie had no choice but to sigh and drink alone at home.

At this time, the Zhang family's housekeeper came in and reported: "Master, there is someone outside the door claiming to be an old friend of yours and saying that he is here to deliver a letter. I wonder if you can see him?"

"An old friend from Fugu? Let's meet him." Zhang Yingjie had a hunch that Lin Feng might have sent someone to look for him, but he was at the end of his rope and it would be a good idea to see if there was any way out.

After a while, the housekeeper led a strange man in. When he saw Zhang Yingjie, he saluted and said, "I have met Mr. Tongzhi."

"Who are you?" Zhang Yingjie asked.

"The younger one is from Fugu. His name is Huang Cheng. He is here to deliver a letter to you from Jia Yonggui, the military officer of Fugu."

"Oh, there's a letter from Yonggui, show it to me." Zhang Yingjie said.

Huang Cheng handed over the letter written by Jia Yonggui.

The person coming was none other than Huangcheng from the Jiazhou Intelligence Station of the Zhenming Army. Since Deng Hao established the Black Tiger Gang, his ability to inquire for information has been greatly enhanced. After learning about the predicament of Zhang Yingjie, a fellow governor in Jiazhou, he asked Fugu for instructions to instigate rebellion.

Zhang Yingjie opened the letter and read it. Jia Yonggui first greeted the old leader and then said that Fugu was developing very well. Lin Feng was also very concerned about Zhang Yingjie's old subordinates. They all hold the original position now and their salary has been continuously improved. .

The key to the letter is that it vaguely stated that Fugu is now very powerful, and persuaded Zhang Yingjie to consider his consistent relationship with Fugu, not to rush ahead in quelling the chaos, and to leave a way out for himself.

The whole letter was written very peacefully, and there was no such thing as persuading surrender. It was entirely a message from an old subordinate who cared about the old leader. Of course, he was not qualified to persuade Jia Yonggui to surrender.

Zhang Yingjie fell into deep thought after reading the letter. There were two sentences in the letter that touched him very much, one of which was about his consistent relationship with Fugu.

This was both a sentimental statement and a hint that Zhang Yingjie was inextricably involved with Fugu. Regardless of whether the quelling of the chaos was successful or not, he would definitely be held accountable.

What's more, after he became the Tongzhi, he also accepted filial piety from Fugu many times. Once he was found out after the rebellion was over, it would be difficult to get rid of the charge of colluding with the rebels.

Another sentence is to leave yourself a way out. After he came to serve in the state government, he had a more personal understanding of the Ming Dynasty's strong external power and internal cadres. In the past in Fugu, with Lin Feng supporting him, he had never worried about money and food.

Nowadays, there is a shortage of money everywhere in Jiazhou, and the tax collection cannot be completed at all. It is very difficult for the state government to distribute salaries to officials. Besides, Zhang Yingjie knew Lin Feng's abilities very well. He felt that Lin Feng would not necessarily fail this time. Lin Feng was best at making decisions and then taking action.

It seems that I have to leave a way out for myself. Since there is no future in the Ming Dynasty, I can only hope that Lin Feng can make something famous. Of course, the situation is still unclear, and we cannot go all the way to black. It is still possible to bet on both sides and leave an escape route.

After thinking about these situations clearly, Zhang Yingjie asked: "Huang Cheng, right? Besides bringing me a letter, what else do you have to do?"

Looking at Zhang Yingjie's questioning attitude, Huang Cheng knew that he was shaken, so he said, "We won't make it difficult for Master Tongzhi. The Quyechuan River in Shenmu is very long. I don't know where to cross the river." Zhang Yingjie pondered for a while and said: "Well, I know a little bit about this. I heard that the southern end of Quye River is relatively flat, which is very suitable for crossing the river."

This old fox was also cunning and spoke vaguely, not wanting to leave anything behind.

"Sir, I heard that the state government arrested Chen Xiong and Cao Qiang, Fugu's chief officers in Jiazhou. I wonder what happened to these two traitors now?" Huang Cheng then inquired.

"Chen Xiong understands justice well, has surrendered to the imperial court, and has been appointed as the deputy leader of the prefectural government arrest squad. That Cao Qiang does not know whether he is alive or dead. He has been beaten to death and is being held in the prefectural government prison." Zhang Yingjie certainly knew what Fugu wanted. Know something.

"This Cao Qiang is stubborn and unruly. It's best not to let him die easily. Only by living can he be tortured." Huang Cheng made a vague request.

"This prison will naturally pay attention. How can we let the prisoner die so easily." Zhang Yingjie agreed, and this request was not difficult to handle.

"The villain has just left. I wonder if you have a reply to take back?" Huang Cheng said. The main goal has been achieved, and it is impossible for Zhang Datong to surrender to Lin Feng right now.

"The situation is sensitive now, so I won't reply to the letter. Send him a message when you go back and say thank you to my old subordinate for his concern. I will consider his suggestions." Zhang Yingjie is also very cunning and will never leave any written evidence.

To the east of Jiazhou City, there is the Earth Temple.

Huang Cheng returned to the Black Tiger Gang station and reported to Deng Haohui: "Stationmaster, this Zhang Yingjie obviously wants to leave a way out. He revealed to us that the main attack direction of the imperial army is the south end of Quye River, and promised to take care of those who are still there. Cao Qiang in prison."

"This news is very important. You should spread it to Shenmu immediately. The Governor has already arrived at Shenmu." Deng Hao explained.

"Yes, I'll do it right away!" Huang Cheng responded.

Since he re-contacted the Tingfengwei headquarters and sent two more intelligence agents from Fugu with one thousand taels of silver, Deng Hao's troops were strong and they quickly annexed the other two small gangs in the east of Jiazhou City. The Black Tiger Gang has grown to fifty or sixty people, and has become the leading gang in the east of the city.

The side hall of the Earth Temple.

The inside has been renovated and is much neater than before. Some tables and chairs have also been added to serve as the Black Tiger Gang's meeting room.

Deng Hao was convening Jiang Jiaming, new intelligence agent Zhao Pengfei and others to discuss matters, and Lao Zhengtou was also called to participate.

After careful consideration, the old man also wanted to join Governor Lin to see if he could try his best to turn the wheelbarrow into a carriage. Deng Hao also recruited him.

"Brothers, now the imperial army is gathering to prepare to deal with our Zhenming Army. We must take active actions in Jiazhou and strive to cooperate with the Governor's counter-encirclement and suppression operations. Can you guys tell us any good ideas?" Deng Hao said.

"Gang leader, what we can do is mainly to inquire about the information, try to grasp the specific movements of the imperial army, and report to the governor as early as possible." Intelligence officer Zhao Pengfei took the lead in saying.

"Well, gathering information is of course the main task. Is there anything else we can do?" Deng Hao then asked.

"Gang leader, we can also cause sabotage. It is best to burn the army's food and grass. This will be more helpful to the Governor." Jiang Jiaming suggested.

"Do you know where their food and grass are gathered?" Deng Hao asked.

"The first batch of grain and grass has been transported to the military camp, and it will definitely not be damaged. After the army sets off, the subsequent supply of grain and grass will not be so strict. Now the state government is recruiting civilian laborers to transport grain. We can send people to mix it up. Go in and burn the food and grass when you find the opportunity." Jiang Jiaming continued.

"Jia Ming's suggestion is very good. You will be responsible for this matter. Then you can bring a brother to find a way to sneak in and transport the grain. Spread the news about where the grain is stored, and we will organize to burn the grain. If it is done, It’s a great achievement!”

"Yes!" Jiang Jiaming responded.

"One more thing is that we need to find out the city defense of Jiazhou. If Mr. Lin wants to attack Jiazhou City in the next step, we can provide intelligence." Deng Hao then arranged.

"Gang leader, this is easier. We have a lot of people in the gang now, so we can send more people to investigate." Old Zhengtou said.

"Don't be too deliberate to avoid leaking secrets. Don't tell ordinary gang members what they are going to do. Just ask around."

"understand!"

"In addition, as our Black Tiger Gang has more and more people, we can't just rely on the money we originally saved. We have to find some ways to make money, such as opening casinos and collecting protection fees. We can't just sit back and have nothing. This matter is left to Lao Zheng. You take the lead and take responsibility." Deng Hao continued.

"Understood!" Lao Zhengtou replied.

(End of this chapter)