Wang Tiaoding's hometown is in Weixian County (Weifang), Shandong Province, and the whole family was taken to the south by sea ship.
Although he has no worries, he still has immediate difficulties.
In order to ensure the safety of the prince and princess, Wang Diaoding organized and trained troops in Tianjin.
Thousands of refugees from Liaodong and more than a thousand Tianjin soldiers, including the soldiers' families, the number exceeded 10,000, grabbed ships along the way and headed south in a mighty manner.
When we ran out of food, we asked the government to borrow it.
The local officials in the coastal cities are quite friendly, and wealthy households in the city will help to collect some.
Zuo Liangyu is entrenched in Dongchang Prefecture (Liaocheng). He is not a warlord, but more like a warlord. Guantao, Linqing, Wucheng, Yanggu, Gaotang... these are all his territories, and he even plans to occupy Jinan in the name of suppressing bandits.
.
At this moment, Zuo Liangyu stood at the top of the city, looking at the northern fleet with a gloomy expression.
They were all merchant ships snatched all the way from Tianjin. Since there were not enough ships, there were also many small passenger ships. There were more than 300 large and small ships in total.
In order for the prince and princess to go south safely, Wang Diaoding no longer cares so much.
Anyway, if he doesn't seize the ship, rogue bandits, Tatars, and rebels will seize the ship, and the merchants engaged in transportation in the north will not be able to save the ship.
"The military flag of Datong?"
Zuo Liangyu muttered to himself, unable to figure out what the other party was and what his purpose was.
Moreover, Zuo Liangyu was hesitant. He wanted to seek refuge with Zhao Han, but he was reluctant to give up power. After surrendering, he would at most become a rich man.
"Let us go quickly!" Wang Tiaoding came out of the cabin and shouted.
The river ahead was blocked by Zuo Liangyu, and a large number of officers and soldiers came out of the city, and archers aimed at the fleet.
Zuo Liangyu personally went out of the city to negotiate and stood on the shore and shouted: "Who is your Excellency?"
Wang Tiaoding replied: "A student at the Imperial Academy of the Ming Dynasty and a professor at Bailuzhou Academy in Jiangxi Province, Wang Tiaoding!"
Is he an official from the Ming Dynasty, or from Zhao Han in Jiangxi?
Zuo Liangyu was a little confused and asked again: "Where are you going?"
"Nanjing!" Wang Tiaoding replied.
Sure enough, he is from Zhao Han.
Suddenly, Yuan Jixian came out of the cabin and shouted: "Yuan Jixian, the censor of Youqiandu in the Ming Dynasty, is here!"
Zuo Liangyu hurriedly bowed: "It turns out to be Mr. Linhou, who was greeted from afar."
Ran Xingrang also came out of the cabin and shouted: "The palm of the Ming Dynasty's mansion, Prince Consort Ran Xingrang is here!"
Zuo Liangyu was stunned for a moment: "Prince-in-law?"
Ran Xingrang scolded: "Your Majesty wants to confer Jiangxi Zhao Han as King of Wu. I am leaving the capital on the emperor's order. Why don't you get out of the river quickly?"
"That's it." Zuo Liangyu suddenly realized.
This guy obviously had a misunderstanding. He thought that Chongzhen was trying to recruit troops and wanted Zhao Han to lead troops to King Qin of Beijing.
Zuo Liangyu asked: "What are the things on the boat?"
Wang Diaoding smiled and said: "Does General Zuo think that Your Majesty still has wealth for rewards?"
"Angel Wang is worrying too much." Zuo Liangyu said with an embarrassed smile.
These ships had a deep draft, and Zuo Liangyu suspected that they were property. Even if they were not rewarded by Chongzhen, they belonged to several officials in front of him. He wanted to destroy the fleet for robbery.
Wang Tiaoding said to Fu Shan: "Blow the whistle."
"Uu! Uu! Uu!"
The copper whistle sounded, and soldiers stood out one after another from more than 300 ships.
Although the equipment is sparse and the weapons are all kinds of, they are indeed capable of fighting, at least they can fight Zuo Liangyu.
As if facing a formidable enemy, Zuo Liangyu ordered his soldiers to raise their bows and asked, "What does Angel Wang mean by this?"
Wang Diaoding smiled and said: "There are many thieves and bandits along the way. We have no choice but to recruit soldiers along the way. Many of the soldiers here are Liaodong soldiers who fled into Shanhaiguan. They wanted to rebel but I recruited them."
Zuo Liangyu didn't want to create a conflict. Even if he could win, he wouldn't get much benefit and would instead lose troops.
He sighed: "There are big thieves entrenched in Yanzhou with hundreds of thousands of troops. Angels had better not go any further."
Wang Tiaoding, Yuan Jixian, and Ran Xing looked at each other, wondering whether Zuo Liangyu was lying or whether there was really a big bandit in Yanzhou.
At this moment, a clipper ship came from the south.
The messenger jumped to the shore and rushed over: "Uncle, there are changes in Yanzhou!"
Zuo Liangyu has been named Dongchang Bo, a serious earl.
He called the messenger aside and asked in a low voice: "What changes have occurred in Yanzhou?"
The messenger replied: "The bandits from Yanzhou fought a decisive battle with the Zhao army in Xuzhou, and the religious bandits have been completely wiped out."
"Hundreds of thousands of people are gone?" Zuo Liangyu asked in shock.
"It's all gone," said the messenger.
Zuo Liangyu asked again: "How many Jiangxi soldiers participated in the war?"
The messenger replied: "Some say several thousand, some say tens of thousands, and some say hundreds of thousands."
Zuo Liangyu returned to the shore and laughed and said: "Hahaha, even if I am an angel who went south to be crowned king, how could I lose my etiquette and accept five hundred stones of grain as a meeting gift!"
Zuo Liangyu asked people to bring in food. At the same time, he ordered the troops to assemble. He would take the opportunity to go south and occupy Jining and Yanzhou.
These are the territory of the religious bandit. If he conquers them, he will not offend anyone, and the court will find no reason to reprimand him.
The areas under Zuo Liangyu's current actual control were all conquered by bandits, and he has never provoked the government or the army.
This guy will soon take over the Shandong section of the Grand Canal. No matter who wins the world from now on, he can bring the canal to join him. If there are several parties competing for hegemony, he can also choose the side that is most beneficial to him.
Zuo Liangyu never thought about becoming an emperor. His biggest wish was to be a marquis in the new dynasty.
Picking up 500 shi of grain for nothing, Wang Diaoding led his fleet south.
A few days later, Zuo Liangyu gathered a large army and went along the canal to attack the territory of the religious bandits.
There were some religious bandits guarding each city, but the people were so frightened that they barely put up any resistance, and Zuo Liangyu easily broke through the city.
Yanzhou, Qufu, Ningyang, Jining, Jiaxiang, Juye, Jinxiang, Yutai... Zuo Liangyu quickly captured more than a dozen cities, doubling the actual territory under his control in an instant. He also sent people to welcome the Kong family back to Qufu.
Yes, the Kong family ran away and were driven away by the White Lotus Cult. Hundreds of Kong family descendants were killed by the White Lotus Cult.
At this point, Zuo Liangyu actually became a warlord, and one-third of Shandong was owned by him.
Just when Zuo Liangyu was frantically expanding his army, several more ships came from the north, and they also said that they were going south to confer the title of King of Wu.
The person who led the team to go south for the canonization was named Yao Minggong, Xiong Wencan's son and daughter, who are currently serving as Bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion, Crown Prince Taibao, and Shangshu of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
Zuo Liangyu was extremely puzzled: "Mr. Yao Ge, didn't a group of the fleet that was consecrated to the King of Wu pass by a few days ago?"
Yao Ming smiled respectfully and said: "That must be the fleet that the princess is riding on."
"Princess?" Zuo Liangyu became more and more confused as he listened.
Yao Ming smiled respectfully and said: "Your Majesty has granted Princess Kunxing to marry the King of Wu."
Yao Minggong did not say that the prince also went to Nanjing. After all, this matter was too embarrassing and would easily cause confusion if word spread.
Zuo Liangyu had another misunderstanding. He thought that Chongzhen had completely lost his face and wanted to exchange his daughter for Zhao Han's support, and exchange the position of King Wu and Prince Consort for King Qin of the Southern Army.
Zuo Liangyu thought to himself: The kings and ministers of the whole dynasty are still daydreaming. If Zhao Han has ambitions in the world, how can he just be dismissed by the king of Wu?
Zuo Liangyu didn't bother to stop the civil servants, eunuchs and factory guards in front of him.
Anyway, Zhao Han won't help King Qin, so why is he trying to stop him? Don't offend the court and Zhao Han at the same time.
…
Xuzhou.
Li Zheng reached the edge of the Huaihe River (Yellow River) and did not continue further north.
The vast area on the south bank of the Huaihe River (Yellow River) has experienced repeated wars, and in some prefectures and counties, nine out of ten houses are empty.
After the Datong officials came, even recruiting refugees to divide the land was not enough. Immigrants had to come from the south to replenish the population.
Although it can alleviate the population pressure in the south, it will consume a lot of money and food. Zhao Han will not be able to go north in the short term and must first consolidate the newly occupied territory.
"Prince and princess?" Li Zheng thought he heard wrongly.
Wang Tiaoding said with a smile: "The prince and princess are all on the ship, and they are all sent to Nanjing. As for how to treat them, it is all up to Mr. Zhao's own wish."
Li Zheng said quickly: "Okay, I will send five hundred soldiers to escort you. Don't let anything go wrong along the way."
Wang Tiaoding added: "On these more than 300 ships, there are thousands of refugees from Liaodong and more than a thousand Tianjin officers and soldiers, all with their families."
Li Zheng smiled and said: "Then it's just a good idea to stay here. Some nearby states and counties are short of people, so they have to immigrate from the south."
There are approximately 5,000 refugees from Liaodong, mostly men and few women.
There are nearly 6,000 soldiers and their families in Tianjin, but there is no need to reorganize their families.
After tens of thousands of people disembarked in Xuzhou, Wang Diaoding said: "You don't have to go south, just divide the fields and settle here. The government will distribute seeds and lend you cattle, quilts, cotton clothes and other things to keep out the cold."
, I will also lend it to you, and after you have settled down, I will slowly make money and return it."
"Can we really divide the land? Will the government give us free land?" Liu Mang asked.
Wang Diaoding smiled and said: "Not only will the land be divided, but also the daily necessities will be provided. The land will be given free of charge, and other items will be temporarily loaned without any interest. You can just repay some every year in the future."
"That's great, King Zhao is so benevolent and righteous!" Liu Mang was overjoyed.
Wu Huapu asked, "Can I become a soldier? I want to return to Liaodong and take revenge on those son-of-a-bitch Tatars!"
Wang Tiaoding explained: "After you divide the fields, some people will come to the villages and towns to train peasant soldiers. They will farm when they are busy and drill when they are free. If Datong's regular soldiers expand the army, they will be drawn from peasant soldiers from all over the country first, and they will not recruit soldiers directly from ordinary people.
"
Wu Huapu said: "How can I choose this? I only have one arm."
Wang Diaoding sighed: "You can live with one arm. Let's live a good life from now on."
"That won't work. I have to fight back to Liaodong," Wu Huapu said anxiously, "I won't divide the fields anymore. I will go with you to Nanjing to see King Zhao Tian. Even if you dislike me for having only one arm, I can still serve as a guide in Liaodong.
I’m very familiar with everything!”
Wang Tiaoding said: "I will only take you to Nanjing. As for whether you can see Mr. Zhao, it depends on your own luck."
"Thank you!" Wu Huapu became happy.
He also has relatives, but only his younger brother, sister-in-law and nephew are left, and the lives and deaths of the rest of his family are unknown.
The family has been separated for several years. They may have been captured by the Tatars and made serfs, or they may have been killed by the Tatars.
Wu Huapu left his younger brother and his family behind and went to Nanjing on the ship.
As for Liu Mang, who stayed in Xuzhou to divide the fields, he didn't know that he had met Zhao Tianwang and even gave a few copper coins to Zhao Tianwang's brother and sister.
When these people from Liaodong and Tianjin learned that they could divide their fields and temporarily borrow daily necessities, they all cheered and celebrated.
Although the days ahead are difficult and there are often droughts here, there is finally hope.