In the north of the Yellow River, the army is stationed in Chenqiao Town. In the Chinese army's tent under the deputy commander-in-chief Zhang Cheng of Xuan Town, the generals finally agreed to temporarily station the army here. They will contact the ferry tomorrow to send the army across the Yellow River first, and then decide whether to go to Luoyang.
.
Zhang Cheng's army camped along the bank of the Yellow River. The army camps stretched for several miles. Such a momentum had already been reported in Kaifeng Fucheng on the south bank of the river.
Sure enough, on the next day, Henan Governor Li Xianfeng sent someone to deliver an official document from the Ministry of War, urging Zhang Cheng again to quickly lead his army westward and go to Luoyang to guard the important land of the vassal.
However, the army had many vehicles and horses, so crossing the river was a big problem. Fortunately, Kaifeng's city was prosperous in commerce, so there were many ferries on this section of the Yellow River in Kaifeng, and there were also many boats. This was because the boatmen were afraid of being extorted and plundered when the army arrived.
And they all fled to the south bank.
In the end, the Henan Governor's Yamen sent clerks and officers to organize boatmen to come to the north bank to help transport the army and horses and horses across the river. Many of them were large flat-bottomed boats, originally used to transport goods and personnel from the north to the south.
It can transport dozens of people and horses at one time.
They were driven here by government officials. Although they were well-behaved, they seemed to lack motivation. How could Zhang Cheng let them waste their energy in transporting his troops and chariot frames?
Fair trade, and troops willing to spend money are naturally the most popular. Zhang Cheng did this, and the boatmen and boatmen were grateful to him. Of course, what they cared more about was the money they got in their hands.
But how could Zhang Cheng be so generous? The money he spent today will definitely be obtained through various yamen offices in Henan. However, today's move is really to earn money for him and the Xuanzang army.
There was a round of applause.
Such a large-scale transfer lasted for three full days before all the bandit-suppressing troops from Xuanzhen North Road who came to aid Zhongzhou were transferred to the north of Kaifeng City and set up a large company camp.
…………
On November 23, Zhang Cheng's Central Military Headquarters also crossed the raging Yellow River. He rode his horse outside the west gate of Kaifeng City. Looking at the tall and majestic Kaifeng city walls and gate towers in front of him, he felt filled with emotion.
The army traveled all the way from Wu'an County, and only replenished their rations once in Qishui County. They did not replenish their supplies when they passed Fengqiu. Zhang Cheng wanted to keep the rations in Fengqiu City for future use.
He naturally thought that after arriving in Kaifeng Fucheng, he would use the lack of food and grass in the army as an excuse to stay longer. This would not only train the army, relieve the fatigue of the sergeants from continuous marching, but also open up the autumn wind in Kaifeng Fucheng and ask for money.
, want food.
Now that Kaifeng is right in front of him, Zhang Cheng can feel a little bit of life in the world. The disaster here is slightly lighter than in other prefectures in Henan. Although there are still refugees everywhere and the villages and towns are desolate, there are finally some normal things.
Order of life and business.
Ahead is Kaifeng Fucheng. There are hundreds of thousands of original residents in the city. In addition, now there are hungry people everywhere in Henan. Everywhere is not very safe. And almost most of the wealthy households in Henan and the families of officials have also moved into this Fucheng.
The total number of people inside and outside Kaifeng City is nearly one million.
With such a large population living inside and outside a city, the daily demands are huge. On the Yellow River alone, the number of merchant ships and barges transporting goods has never stopped. Business travelers compete for the crossing, and people with various accents
Everyone has it.
Although he had seen the city of Xuanfu and even the city walls of the Ming Dynasty before, Zhang Cheng was still shocked when he looked at the city walls of Kaifeng from a distance.
Kaifeng Prefecture is the administrative seat of the Chengxuan Government Envoy in Henan Province. It is also the largest metropolis of the Ming Dynasty in the Central Plains, second only to the capital and Nanjing. It is a well-deserved international metropolis.
The city is estimated to be three to forty miles wide in circumference. The entire city is covered with bricks. The city wall is very thick and solid. Especially the trench surrounding the city is very eye-catching. There are four trenches, each about fifty feet wide, and it is estimated that there are four more deep.
Five feet.
City gate bridges are built at the spans of each city gate. The suspension bridge is made of elm locust wood and looks like a bridge. When pulling the suspension bridge, use iron ropes, iron rings, and iron wheel troughs to make it easy to pull up.
If there is a police officer outside the city, it can be pulled up quickly. Moreover, after the suspension bridge is pulled up, the elm locust wood is very strong and can also be used as a door guard.
Zhang Cheng couldn't help but sigh, it would be extremely difficult to break such a solid city even if the defenders were a little stronger. No wonder in history the intruder Li Zicheng tried to open the seal three times, but was unable to defeat it.
city.
Precisely because Kaifeng has a large population, there are naturally many business opportunities. For example, there are Henan Chief Secretary, Kaifeng Prefecture and government offices at all levels in the city. A large number of officials and their families are in the city, and there are also a large number of retired officials and gentry residences.
In addition to these, Kaifeng City also has its own unique specialty, which is the vassal palace.
Among the vassals, the King of Zhou should be the most powerful, and his fiefdom is in Kaifeng Mansion. Until now, the descendants of the King of Zhou's clan have grown to more than 5,000 people.
Among them, there are forty-eight who have been granted the title of county prince. There are many royal palaces in Kaifeng City. In addition to the Zhou Palace, there are also Qujing Palace, Huating Palace, Yuanwu Palace, Ruijin Palace and so on.
Each prince and county king has specialized civil and military officials and soldiers. The entire Kaifeng Mansion can be said to be centered on the Zhou Prince's Mansion, with officials and sergeants of all sizes serving them, plus the common people and merchants who work around them.
Various groups make up the population of Kaifeng.
So it is no surprise that most of the commerce in the city served the Zhou royal family and officials and nobles. Over hundreds of years, the commerce in the city was monopolized by local officials and merchants, and became a tool for everyone to make profits together.
…………
Zhang Cheng and all the guards were placed in a government office inside the west gate of Kaifeng City. More than 200 people lived there, which was quite comfortable, while Wei Zhice, Zhang Guodong, Zhang Guangda and other generals were stationed outside the city to direct the transfer and camping matters.
Kaifeng is the provincial capital of Henan, where Kaifeng's government is located. With Xiangfu County as its annex, the provincial, prefecture, and county government offices are all gathered in one city, and all the government offices are located southwest of the Zhou Palace.
The city is centered on the Bell Tower. The Chief Secretary's Office is on Zhongxi Street, and the General Command and Envoys' Office is on Zhongdong Street. It consists of the Judicial Affairs Department, the Prison Department, the Governor's Department, and the Experience Department.
Surrounding these government offices are a series of official residences, with high walls, red doors, and magnificent buildings.
The military commander Wang Yinchang and the commander-in-chief Wang Shaoyu who were stationed in Kaifeng City came to greet him in person. They were very polite when they saw Zhang Cheng, and even expressed their intention to keep Zhang Cheng stationed in Kaifeng to help defend the city.
Meaning.
After bringing Zhang Cheng to the station, the two of them said goodbye and left. Before leaving, the military commander Yinchang said enthusiastically: "General Zhang will take a short rest first. In the evening, Governor Li will hold a banquet for General Zhang."
The generals of Hexuan Town will take the wind and wash away the dust."
Commander-in-Chief Wang Shaoyu also said politely: "General Zhang will rest for now. I will send someone to pick him up before sunset, so there is no need to worry."