Ming politicians

Tragic scenes that hadn't been seen for a long time began to appear in Jiaxing, Huzhou, Hangzhou and other places.

Liu Zeqing's army did not rush to Ningbo to confront the Jiangning battalion, but in Jiaxing and other places, began to collect food and grass on a large scale. This task was rigidly issued, and the goal was very clear. It was aimed at merchants and wealthy households, including some gentry. Liu Zeqing is not stupid, his reason is very sufficient, the imperial court wants to wipe out the rebels, the army wants to fight, but there is no food and grass. Must be caught.

Liu Zeqing's tricks are very poisonous, there is no place for the exploited to talk, and all the responsibility for this falls on Su Tiancheng. The scholars, bureaucrats and businessmen want to complain, it is because of Su Tiancheng's rebellion.

What Liu Zeqing wanted was money, but the officers and non-commissioned officers below wanted more than just money, including people.Knowing that such an order continues, the officers and sergeants below will definitely mess up, but Liu Zeqing can't control that much. In his opinion, the best way to win over the army is to let the sergeants get the most benefits.

Fan Jingwen went directly to Hangzhou Mansion via Nanzhili. Although he came with an imperial decree, he kept a low profile along the way, not to mention Wu Weiye and Yan Zizhang. Large-scale liquidation was still going on in the capital. The first time I came out with Fan Wencheng, it was impossible to complete the task, and I didn't know the fate of going back.

Zhejiang Governor Li Juesi specially hosted a banquet for Fan Wencheng and Yan Zizhang.

Fan Jingwen was not in the mood to eat. From Li Juesi's report, he learned that Su Tiancheng was indeed in Zhejiang, leading the soldiers of the Jiangning Battalion to launch an attack, and the Jiangning Battalion had already started to move.Occupying Ningbo Mansion, Shaoxing Mansion, and Taizhou Mansion can be described as bloodless, and the air in Hangzhou Mansion is filled with a tense atmosphere.

Upon learning of these circumstances, Fan Jingwen was very angry and asked Liu Zeqing who was stationed in Jiaxing.Why didn't he act? Li Juesi hesitated and didn't say why.Fan Wencheng was silent, how could he not be clear about the reason.

As for Yan Zizhang, he is more aware of the reason behind this, but he is a guilty minister, let alone open his mouth. [

Wu Weiye originally wanted to speak, but his situation.Compared with Yan Zizhang, it was not much better. Seeing that neither Fan Jingwen nor Yan Zizhang had spoken, naturally they would not ask questions or offer any suggestions.

Li Juesi originally suggested that Fan Jingwen stay in Hangzhou Fucheng for a few days and take a rest, but Fan Jingwen couldn't sit still, he didn't plan to stay in Hangzhou Fucheng.He planned to go directly to Shaoxing Mansion, but there was something strange about Fan Jingwen.That is, the people in Hangzhou Fucheng did not seem to be so panicked. It was not the officials in the government who felt nervous, and the market was not affected too much. This situation is too strange.

It is said that Su Tiancheng led the Jiangning camp to conquer Zhejiang.Zhejiang should be in chaos. Who doesn't know that in times of chaos, it is always the common people who suffer. But seeing the situation in Hangzhou, it seems that the war is very far away from here.It's a pity that the actual situation is not like this. Shaoxing Mansion, which is next to Hangzhou Mansion, has been occupied by Su Tiancheng.

When Fan Jingwen and his party left Hangzhou Fucheng, Li Juesi was going to send a sergeant to escort him, but Fan Jingwen resolutely refused. He was already determined to die. If Su Tiancheng was really ready to kill, he was willing to become No.1, a cabinet scholar The identity is not simple.

In fact, Fan Jingwen didn't know at all. The reason why Li Juesi sent sergeants was because he was worried that Liu Zeqing's army would accidentally meet Fan Jingwen, and something would happen. As for the Jiangning battalion led by Su Tiancheng, Li Juesi didn't have to worry too much. I am worried that the military discipline of the Jiangning Camp is very strict. Although Ningbo, Shaoxing and Taizhou are occupied, these places are very peaceful, even calmer than before. Merchants even continue to come to Hangzhou to do business. Some merchants even I took the initiative to move to Shaoxing and other places to do business.

Merchants have a very keen sense of smell, otherwise it would be impossible to earn money. Judging from these situations, Li Juesi also had some strange thoughts in his heart. He even thought of following Fan Jingwen to Shaoxing and other places to see, What is the situation like, let's also get in touch with Su Tiancheng by the way, and get to know this well-known figure in Daming.

However, there are too many things to do in the governor's yamen. You have to pay attention to it every day to see if there is an imperial decree from the emperor, or an edict from the imperial court, and to urge Liu Zeqing to send troops quickly. Censor, if you are dissatisfied with the situation in Zhejiang and refer to your own book, it will be troublesome.

Of course, Li Juesi still knows a little about what Liu Zeqing's army did. In the past, such a situation was impossible. The generals of Ming Dynasty were not of high status. The right governor of the mansion, but in front of the governor who was born in the imperial examination, he is still inferior. Unfortunately, the situation is different now. He has the imperial decree of the emperor, and he has the title of Minister of the Ministry of War. Everything he does is approved by the emperor. Yes, it's not easy for Li Juesi to interfere.

A lot of officials have come to complain, complaining about the brutality of Liu Zeqing's army, and telling the common people that there is no way out. Li Juesi knew the situation, but he had no choice but to complain to the court, or even directly to the emperor. The face-to-face performance may not have much effect. What the emperor and the court thought of was that Liu Zeqing needed to send troops quickly to start a fight with the Jiangning battalion, and be able to defeat the Jiangning battalion. The rest of the things were not big things.

Fan Jingwen still paid attention to observation along the way, this observation was not important, a situation that confused him even more appeared, there were quite a few common people on the official road, and they went to Shaoxing Mansion with their families, and there were quite a few of them. Has Su Tiancheng occupied it? It should be very chaotic, and the common people are born as vulnerable groups, so they are afraid of wars and chaos, and it is too late to escape. Why do they go to Shaoxing Mansion in groups.

Fan Jingwen asked several groups of people, but their attitudes were all vigilant. No one told the truth, most of them shook their heads and left, and continued on their way. They could tell that Fan Jingwen was an official, so he didn't dare to say anything casually. of.

Two days later, when he was about to enter the territory under the jurisdiction of Shaoxing Mansion, Fan Jingwen finally seized the opportunity. This time, the person who returned to Fan Jingwen's question was an old man in his sixties and frail body. The old man drove to Shaoxing Mansion in a carriage. It seems that the conditions at home should be very good, at least it is a merchant's home.

The old man may have seen many worlds, and his eyes are full of wisdom.

The old man told Fan Jingwen directly that most of these refugees were merchants or small businesses, and there were also some ordinary people. Everyone’s destination was Shaoxing Prefecture, or Taizhou Prefecture, or Ningbo Prefecture. He just wanted to go to the place under the command of Su Tiancheng, and he didn't want to stay in the place controlled by the imperial court.Many merchants knew that Su Tiancheng had rebelled and had already become His Royal Highness King De, but many merchants were willing to go there, even if the court wanted to punish him, they would go there.

Hearing the old man say this, Fan Jingwen was very surprised, he really didn't understand the meaning. [

The old man probably guessed that Fan Jingwen's identity was unusual, so he simply made his words clear.

Last year, many places in Zhejiang were plagued by locusts. In addition to the drought, the fields were full of grains. Even the leaves of some trees were eaten by locusts. The victims of the disaster have all fled. Not only did the government not provide relief to the victims, but they also forced the common people to pay taxes. The quasi-disaster victims did not provide relief. Later, some disaster victims went to Shandong and received relief, and the arrangements were very good. After the news spread, a large number of disaster victims began to flock to Shandong.

The same is true for merchants. After it was difficult to maintain, many merchants began to look for colleagues who did business in Dengzhou, Shandong and other places, and they got help, so the line between Dengzhou, Shandong and Zhejiang was implicated by merchants. Many merchants simply rushed to Shandong to do business. They were worried that after arriving in Shandong, they would encounter exploitation by the government. Unexpectedly, the government was very enthusiastic and offered convenience, which moved many merchants.

It is because of these things that Su Tiancheng's prestige in Zhejiang has risen unprecedentedly.

This time Su Tiancheng led the Jiangning camp into Zhejiang. Many merchants are so-called. They know the situation in Shandong, and they also know that the Jiangning camp has committed no crimes. They will not harass the people and merchants at all, so they do business as usual. The merchant law accepted it. It is said that the emperor asked General Liu Zeqing, who was stationed in Jiaxing, to conquer the Jiangning camp. However, this General Liu did not see sending troops to Shaoxing and other places, but sent troops to Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou and other places. The food was paid, and orders were directly issued, mainly merchants and some gentry and wealthy households. Who can bear the thousands of taels of silver for each family? Moreover, these so-called court troops not only want silver, but even All the pretty women were robbed. This time, many merchants could not accept it. The only thing they could do was to flee to Shaoxing Mansion and Su Tiancheng. Moreover, many merchants knew that the Jiangning camp led by Su Tiancheng , although Ningbo, Shaoxing, Taizhou and other places were said to be occupied, merchants in these places continued to do business without the slightest harassment.

This is the reason why a large number of people are currently entering Shaoxing. Merchants value immediate benefits, but they can also see long-term benefits. If this trend continues, they may be able to rule the world. The real king Su Tiancheng . (To be continued..)