Since the Jin Dynasty moved its capital to Kaifeng, it can be said that it has worked hard to manage Kaifeng. Although it has not returned to the old outlook of the Northern Song Dynasty, it is considered the largest and most prosperous city north of the Yangtze River.
Zhu Yuanzhang sealed his fifth son Zhu Ji in Kaifeng and called him King of Zhou. He also vigorously built the Zhou Palace on the basis of the palace in the Northern Song Dynasty.
From the early Ming Dynasty to this time, there have been nearly three hundred years of peace and war without war, and the city of Kaifeng has always been peaceful with singing and dancing.
It is located in the Central Plains. Not far from the north gate is the Yellow River Ferry. The canal from Suizhou to the south can still be used by boats. It has convenient water and land transportation, so its business is prosperous, making Xi'an far behind it.
, Luoyang cannot even be compared with it.
Especially in the past few years since Emperor Chongzhen came to the throne, as states, prefectures, and counties have been devastated or seriously threatened by war, an increasing number of wealthy gentry families have fled to the provincial capital, which has greatly increased the number of registered residents in Kaifeng. There are always about a hundred people inside and outside the city.
With a population of 10,000, the market is also more prosperous.
When Zhang Cheng went to Kaifeng last time, the intruder Li Zicheng showed signs of siege in Luoyang. But after all, it was still far away from Kaifeng. In addition to the officials and generals in the city who were worried about losing the important place of feudal lords, the wealthy gentry and ordinary people
But he didn't care about it.
But when Luoyang was attacked by bandits in just a few days, and when the exact news of King Fu's death reached Kaifeng, the whole city was shocked!
Previously, news of the fall of Yiyang and Yongning was reported to Kaifeng. Although the feudal officials living in the provincial capital began to feel that the situation was serious, they did not believe that Li Zicheng could conquer Luoyang, so they decided not to alarm the court for the time being and let the two cities fall.
The murder of King Wan'an took several days to report to the court.
But King Fu was the uncle of the current emperor, and because Prince Fu's son had escaped from Luoyang, they did not dare to hide it at all. After confirming the news, they immediately reported it to the court, and at the same time began preparations for the city's defense.
Today, the intruders are really besieging Kaifeng, but although the city's troops are weak, they have made complete preparations. Those porridge shacks that were set up overnight, and the refugee families who sold their children and daughters for food.
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Nowadays, in Kaifeng City, in addition to the kings of Zhou, there are 72 families of princes and princes, as well as various generals, lieutenants, and Yibin mansions spread throughout the main areas of the city, sometimes reaching more than 4,000.
Kaifeng City is simply a city of royal palaces. In addition, there are a large number of buildings related to the royal palace in the city, such as the royal palace archway, medical officer, ice cellar, charcoal factory, official factory, water-proof building, Shizi Mansion, Shisun Mansion, Zongxue Academy, etc.
Incense courtyards, high walls, etc., are arranged one after another and are countless.
The royal palace and the buildings related to the royal palace constitute the main body of Kaifeng architecture and formed a major feature of Kaifeng City in the Ming Dynasty.
The Zhou Palace was built on the ruins of the Song and Jin palaces. It consists of two inner and outer city walls.
The outer wall is called the Xiao Wall. Strictly speaking, it cannot be regarded as a city wall in the strategic defense system. Its symbolic significance is greater. It is only about two feet high. It is suppressed with centipede wood and covered with glazed tiles. It is nine miles and thirty paces away, facing south.
It is the Meridian Gate, with Donghua Gate to the east, Xihua Gate to the west, and Houzai Gate to the north.
Under the Xiao wall, there is a platform with a height of five feet, and a railing on it. Outside the railing, the street is five feet wide, where are the residents. There are seventy-two wells around it, which are called seventy-two gods. They are all on the palace gates and palaces.
It is covered with a copper wire mesh and is called a windbreaker. There is a white stone under it, which is called a foot stone, which means abundant food and clothing.
The inner city is the Forbidden City. The city is more than five miles long. The walls are about five feet high. There are crenellations on them. They are surrounded by moats. There are doors on all sides. Duanli Gate is in the south, Chengzhi Gate is in the north, and Liren Gate is in the east.
, Zunyi Gate in the west.
Today, when he heard that the rebels had arrived at the city, the King of Zhou sent his minister Cao Kun and left chief Shi Li Yingchun to lead the palace guards to help defend the city. After nightfall, he summoned the patrol commander Gao Mingheng and the envoys Liang Bing and the envoys Liang Bing and the right envoys.
Cai Maode and three others were sent to ask questions.
In the side hall of the Zhou palace, after serving tea, Zhou Wang Zhu Gong asked with his gray beard: "Now the bandits are approaching the city. I heard that there are tens of thousands of bandits, and they have the power to attack Luoyang.
Now there are no soldiers in the city. Gentlemen, do you think the Kaifeng city guards can hold on by relying only on the training of their soldiers?"
Several feudal officials stood up respectfully when the King of Zhou asked questions.
They waited for the King of Zhou to finish questioning. Although Gao Mingheng, the inspector, was not the person with the highest official position, he was the inspector and censor and had the title of "touring hunting on behalf of the emperor." Although his rank was not high, his status was extremely special.
The patrol censorship is only an official position of the seventh rank. Although the rank is not high, the authority and responsibility when being ordered to patrol the local area are very important.
According to the "History of the Ming Dynasty": "The patrol inspector patrols hunting on behalf of the emperor, and the ministers and prefecture and county magistrates conduct inspections, impeachments and special inspections, make judgments on major matters, and make decisions on minor matters.
When you arrive, you must first interrogate the guilty, record the case files, and explain those who have come and gone with a reason. Sacrifice altars, save their walls and sacrificial utensils, take care of the orphans, inspect warehouses, check money and food, encourage schools, and praise
A kind person can remove beetles, correct customs, and uphold discipline.
All court meetings are held to correct rituals and sacrifices are overseen. All political gains and losses, as well as benefits to the military and civilians, must be spoken out without hesitation. When there are major political affairs, the imperial court will gather to discuss them. The six ministries are the most important, but there are special departments, and the General Constitution of the Ducha Yuan
, but what you see and hear must be monitored.
When the censors correct and impeach them, they must record the actual facts and write down the year and month at the beginning. There is no need to make general slanders or criticize the details. When the censors return orders, all censors will accuse them of being competent and incompetent. If the censor commits a crime, three additional words will be added.
"Wait, if there is any stolen goods, then the consequences will be serious."
The censor of the censor "inspects hunting on behalf of the emperor", which shows his high position; "he reports on major matters and makes decisions on small matters", which shows his weight; "all the gains and losses in political affairs, the benefits and disadvantages of the military and civilians, he must speak out without hesitation", which shows his broad responsibilities
; "If the censor commits a crime, he will be given a three-level penalty", which shows that he is severely punished.
What's more, Gao Mingheng is still a person who dares to do things. After Li Xianfeng went to rescue Luoyang, he was responsible for everything in the Kaifeng city guard. Now it is natural that he is the one to talk to the king of Zhou.
At this time, when they saw Liang Bing and Cai Maode, they both looked at him. Gao Mingheng did not shirk, and hurriedly bowed and replied: "Reporting to Your Highness, although the bandits are fierce, most of them use traitors to capture the city, which often makes the hungry people hungry."
It was an internal response. There was Yongning, Yiyang and other cities in front of it. Even Luoyang had a spy internal response before it fell.
Although we in Kaifeng are short of major generals, the most important thing is the unity of the superiors and the concerted efforts of all officials. In addition, there are many people in the city. There is no shortage of strong men to defend the city. If the organization is properly organized, the city will be safe.
What's more, there are porridge shacks everywhere in the city, and the hungry people no longer have to worry about starving to death. In addition, everyone knows that if the intruders capture Kaifeng, they will not survive. How can the city defenders fail to work hard?
This afternoon I even heard that there was a military horse in Taojiadian in the north of the city. It was suspected that it was under Zhang Cheng's command in Xuan Town, which was passing through Kaifeng. Mr. Su, the guardian of the road, had personally gone to investigate and contact him. If it was really the Xuan Town border army commanded by Zhang Cheng, then Kaifeng would be absolutely safe.
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Please don’t worry, Your Highness."
The lineage of King Zhou Zhu and his family are relatively wise among the princes of the Ming Dynasty. Although they cannot be said to be heirs of poetry and calligraphy, there are not many Zhou kings in the past who are truly stupid. The current King Zhu Gongzhen is a wise and intelligent prince.
Coupled with the lessons learned from King Fu, Zhu Gongzhen told the officials in Kaifeng during the previous discussions that he could use the money and grain in his palace warehouse to fund the city defense, but all officials must do their best to defend the city to ensure the safety of the people of Kaifeng.
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After listening to Gao Mingheng's words, Zhou Wang Zhu Gongzhen nodded slightly and said: "This vassal adheres to the ancestral precepts and has never interfered with local military and political affairs.
However, Luoyang has fallen and his vassals are in trouble. The emperor will definitely be furious. Now the bandits are besieging Kaifeng again. You gentlemen, you should do your duty and do your best to protect the city and the people. If there is insufficient money and food, there is still some left in the king's treasury, so you can use it to defend the city.
For military and civilian purposes.”
Gao Mingheng knelt down and replied: "Your Highness is like this, how dare I not care!"
Zhou Wang Zhu Gongqiu said again: "There is also Zhang Cheng of Xuanzang. If he rushes to Kaifeng as soon as possible and is able to protect the city, he only needs to slightly defeat the thieves' fierce flames. I will not hesitate to reward him and report to the court to personally recommend his contribution."
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The people then discussed some matters such as the city guard and the allocation and use of money and grain. Gao Mingheng, Liang Bing and Cai Maode resigned and left.