Fang Zhongjia slapped the table and said, "Why are you leaving your post without permission? Our duty as Commander-in-Chief of Diggang is to patrol the river. We can go anywhere on the river. I need you, a lowly servant, to take care of everything I go to and from."
"Yeah?"
Pang Yu smiled and said, "General Digang commanded 600 sailors and patrolled an area of 320 miles, from Liubaizhang to Xiliang Mountain on the north bank of the river, and from Chikou to Daxin on the south bank of the river.
Daxin Town is at the foot of Tianmen Mountain, and I don’t know when it included Nanjing.”
"I..." Fang Zhongjia was speechless. He didn't expect that Pang Yu even knew this. With the information conditions at this time, even many officials in Wuhu didn't know which river sections Diggang General was in charge of. It wasn't that he couldn't ask, but that he didn't care.
How could he, a Tongcheng slave, know so clearly?
Fang Kongzheng did not interrupt, staring at the floor as if in trance, as if it had nothing to do with him.
Pang Yu ignored Fang Kongzheng and continued to ask Fang Zhongjia, "Nanjing is a section of the river controlled by the rangers. The rangers led 1,200 troops to station on the Xinhe River. Didn't General Fang trespass into the territory believed by others?"
What, I don’t know what you want.”
Fang Zhongjia's face turned red for a moment, and after a while he gritted his teeth and said, "I just went with the current to Nanjing and entered the harbor to wait for a favorable wind."
"General Fang went a little far. He must have overslept on the boat. It is dangerous driving. I wish the general good luck on his return and don't oversleep again."
"It doesn't make sense."
Fang Zhongjia couldn't hold back his face and stood up angrily.
Pang Yu looked stunned, "Which sentence did you say wrong?"
"Zhongjia, only by steadying your energy can you calm your mind."
Fang Kongzheng raised his gaze and looked at Pang Yu, "Didn't Pang Xiaoyou, a Tongcheng squad leader, also come to Nanjing? Could it be that he also trespassed into Xinjiang and came to Nanjing to arrest people?"
Pang Yu said with a smile, "Mr. Fang spoke appropriately and asked the villain in one sentence.
The villain is indeed not here to arrest anyone. The county government sent the villain to inquire about the meritorious service, mainly to Suzhou.
I was passing through Nanjing and couldn’t help but come to visit an old friend.”
"Who is your old friend?"
Fang Zhongjia was still standing, looking like he was about to pounce and kill him. He said angrily to Pang Yu, "How dare you, a lowly slave, claim to be a friend of the Fang family's children?"
"Zhongjia!"
Fang Kongzheng increased his tone, Fang Zhongjia glared at Pang Yu, and finally sat back in his seat.
Pang Yu didn't take it seriously at all and kept smiling.
Fang Kongzheng turned to Pang Yu, "After this invasion, many gentry from Anqing came to Jinling. They heard that Tongcheng was severely damaged, but there are different opinions. After all, Fang Mou is an unforgettable hometown, so he specially invited Pang Xiaoyou to come to the side hall to talk about it first.
, I want to hear some real news, but it’s unavoidable that it’s a bit abrupt, so please don’t take it off, Xiaoyou Pang.”
Pang Yu listened to Fang Kongzhen's polite words and said respectfully, "Returning to what Mr. Fang said, along the official road from Tongcheng to Lujiang and Qianshan, the villages were dilapidated and depopulated. Within twenty miles of the pass, thousands of people were killed.
The number of victims was probably in the tens of thousands. Fortunately, we were able to hold on to the county seat. Among the four counties in Anqing that the bandits passed through, Tongcheng suffered relatively small losses. The other three counties of Qianshan, Taihu, and Susong did not suffer losses for decades. Don’t think about it.
recover."
Fang Kongzheng sighed softly, and Fang Zhongjia did not speak this time. Tongcheng was their hometown, which was different from the usual news that a county town in Huguang, Henan, was broken.
After a while, Fang Kongzhen spoke again, "I heard that Pang Xiaoyou was responsible for defending the city. Not only did he defend the city, but he also went out to attack the enemy at night without any calculation. In this great victory in Tongcheng, thousands of people were beheaded. Is this true?
"
After Fang Zhongjia heard this, he looked at Pang Yu carefully with doubt on his face.
Pang Yu said politely, "It is true that I led a strong squad to attack at night and beheaded nearly two thousand people. If you say thousands, you can barely count."
Fang Zhongjia said coldly, "Pang Bantou, how many strong squads can you lead to kill two thousand enemies? I'm afraid you just beheaded the common people to make up the number."
"It seems that General Fang often does this thing, which is unheard of for me here. He can actually behead people to make up for it.
It’s fine that I don’t believe the general, but this is a real number approved by the two departments. Could it be that the general meant that it’s impossible for both departments to lie about the military situation?”
Fang Zhongjia was speechless again. Pang Yu ignored Fang Zhongjia's expression and said to Fang Kong Zheng, "A villain doesn't need to prove his innocence to others. Anyone can understand this matter. The guest army may be able to do it, but so is Tongcheng."
When I went to the countryside, the strong and fast classes I led were all from Tongcheng. If I asked them to kill the people of Tongcheng, they would not go."
Fang Kongzheng nodded, glanced at Pang Yu and said, "Fang also trusts Pang Xiaoyou. He was also in Tongcheng on the day of the gathering. It is said that he has assisted in guarding the city and made great achievements. I don't know if he has encountered any danger."
The name of the collection is Ruan Dacheng. Fang Kongzhen and Ruan Dacheng are both close friends from the same hometown and the same age. They should have the closest relationship. However, during the civil unrest in Tongcheng last time, Pang Yu could see that Fang Kongzhen deliberately maintained a relationship with Ruan Dacheng.
Despite the distance, today he turned to Ruan Dacheng in just a few words, and his intention to inquire was obvious.
After hearing this, Pang Yu said calmly, "Mr. Ruan is eager for justice and has indeed done his best. Defending the city and fighting in the war will always be dangerous, otherwise there will be no great achievements."
"Since returning to my hometown, I have been talking about war and swordsmanship. It seems that I have finally learned some tactics."
Pang Yu didn't know what Fang Kongzheng's intention was in asking about Ruan Dacheng. He didn't want to continue talking about this topic, so he looked around and said, "I went to Tongcheng, Nanjing to visit an old friend. I also asked Mr. Fang to give me a cup of tea."
Fang Kongzheng's face felt embarrassed, and Pang Yu couldn't help but secretly laugh. He was thirsty on the road just now. As soon as he came in, he started arguing with Fang Zhongjia. He didn't even think of drinking water. At this time, he was in a calm mood, and then he thought of drinking water again.
Things come up.
Fang Kongzheng must have been affected by the bickering between the two, and he forgot to show Pang Yu tea. Normally, this is not a big deal, but for a big family like the Fang family, which has heirlooms of poetry and calligraphy, etiquette is particularly important.
In the past, Fang Kongzheng's impression on Pang Yu was that he was very deep and intangible with emotions and anger. This time he could embarrass him and make Pang Yu feel a little gloating about his misfortune.
"It's Fang who is rude, please wait a moment, Xiaoyou Pang."
Fang Kongzheng called the servant and gave Pang Yu a cup of tea.
Pang Yu took a drink and said, "I came here to pay a visit to Mr. Fang today, but I didn't expect to disturb Mr. Fang. If Mr. Fang is not here, I will come back later."
Fang Kongzheng lost his composure at this time, coughed slightly and said, "Quinzi is in the study in the back room, Xiaoyou Pang, please go."
Pang Yu felt a little uncomfortable sitting in this side hall. He quickly stood up and bowed to Fang Kong Zheng, then turned to Fang Zhongjia and cupped his hand. Fang Zhongjia still turned his head away and ignored Pang Yu.
After Pang Yu left the side hall, Fang Zhongjia said, "Brother, do you really believe that this bitch can kill two thousand bandits?"
Fang Kongzhen stood up slowly, "Ruan Dacheng has only been in Nanjing for ten days. He has been preaching about planning for the great victory of Tongcheng and claiming that the resumption of the war is imminent. There are quite a few people in Nanjing who believe him. I know this person. I don't know whether he has any credit, but this
A great victory is certainly true.
Then tell me, do you believe that Ruan Dacheng can attack the bandits at night, or do you believe in this little squad leader?"
Fang Zhongjia frowned for a moment and said, "Xin Xiaoban, this dog servant is greedy for money, lustful and has low moral character, but it is true that the dog is brave. If anyone in Tongcheng dares to go out of the city to attack at night, the first one is this huge dog servant. Ruan Dacheng does not have the courage.
.”
Fang Kongzhen smiled and said, "It's nothing special to be a coward. He actually knows all the river sections along the river. He clearly put a lot of thought into it, and it's definitely not just to quarrel with you.
It seems that we still underestimated him. This person is not an enemy or friend of the Fang family, so we have to be careful to see if there is any room for us to get along with him in the future."
"As for this dog servant, our Fang family still needs to give him a lot of leeway. If I hadn't forced me to swear a poisonous oath that day, I would have asked him to stay in Nanjing today."
Fang Kongzheng took two steps and stopped, "Let's not mention the past. His coming to Nanjing this time is definitely not just to visit Mi Zhi. He must have other purposes, and he must have something to do with Dajiang."
"Then let me go and find out. He did bad things to me that day. Although I can't seek revenge on him, I can always do bad things to him. This time I want to make him come back in vain."
Fang Kongzheng shook his head and said, "How can such a big Nanjing person find out? After a while, you can find out the secret by asking about it."
...A servant led Pang Yu into the backyard. This was not where they lived. There were no female relatives here. There was a small pond and several flower trees in the garden, which was smaller than the Fang family's old house in Fengyi.
Much simpler.
The servant went to report first, and Fang Yizhi's figure appeared in front of the study door. He laughed heartily, and cupped his hands to Pang Yuyi from a distance and said, "What a great leader of the Tongcheng bandit."
Pang Yu also held up his hands and said, "I don't dare to take it seriously. If Mr. Fang were attacking the city, he would definitely kill more bandits."
Fang Yizhi laughed again and invited Pang Yu into the study.
The furnishings in the study are similar to those in Tongcheng. Even the screen was moved here. The Fang family probably chartered more than one boat.
After Pang Yu sat down, he didn't have time to take a closer look. He was thinking about how to get Fang Yizhi to take him to visit He Ru Chong.
Before he could speak, Fang Yizhi said excitedly, "Pang Bantou is already well-known among the gentry in Nandu. A few days ago, Guomen Guangye Society held a community gathering, and someone talked about the great victory in Tongcheng.
The person who was mentioned in the night attack with the Yamen soldiers was none other than Tongcheng’s leader Pang, who is a descendant of Tongcheng, so he was quite proud when he heard about it.”
"Am I still famous in Nandu?"
Pang Yu asked in surprise.
"The rogue bandits' invasion of Jiangbei was even more shocking than the civil unrest in Tongcheng. On that day, news of the burning of Fengyang came. People fleeing from Chuzhou, Yangzhou and other places crossed the river one after another. Nanjing was shocked every day. I didn't know whether the rogue bandits would cross the river. Everyone
Everyone is concerned about the movements of rogue bandits. News about rogue bandits spreads very quickly, and Pang Bantou naturally becomes famous.
When we resumed our society, many scholars wanted to see the leader of the group who was independent of the common people and led to chaos and rogue bandits."
Pang Yu was not modest either, and said with a smile, "Killing thieves and protecting the people is exactly the duty of the public. It's all thanks to your praise."
Fang Yizhi observed Pang Yu for a while and then said, "When Mr. Ruan arrived in Nanjing, he went around saying that it was his planning that led to the great victory in Tongcheng. It was also rumored that he personally led troops to attack the King of Sweepers at night and would soon be resurrected due to his merits.
The news spread throughout the official circles of Nandu in a few days, and many followers believed in it.
Some friends didn't believe it and said they had to go to Anqing to verify it, and some even went to the Suzhou Governor's Yamen to inquire.
Pantou Pang is a person who has personally experienced it, so I don’t know if what Mr. Ruan said is true.”
Pang Yu had a headache. No matter where he went, he couldn't avoid the topic of Ruan Dacheng. It sounded like Ruan Dacheng had become more high-profile after coming to Nanjing. It seemed that he was indeed a trouble and had a tendency to become a risk. Logically, he should avoid it.
But by chance, the only one who can help Pang Yu now is Ruan Dacheng.
Now he said the perfunctory words to Fang Kongzhen again. After hearing this, Fang Yizhi knew that Pang Yu didn't want to say more, "This month our Guomen Guangye Society has a society meeting in Taoyedu, and I invite Pang Bantou to participate. I don't know.
How many days can Pantou Pang stay in Nanjing?"
After Pang Yu heard this, another Guomen Guangye Society appeared out of nowhere. It was probably of the same nature as Ze Society. It would be okay to participate, but this time might not be suitable. He said in an embarrassed tone, "I'm going to Suzhou for business soon.
I'm afraid I won't be able to stay in Nanjing for a few days, but I have to pass through Nanjing on my way back. If it happens to be the right time, I will definitely go there next time."
"Pang Bantou is going to Yingtian Governor's Yamen to do business?"
The words were already on his lips. It was the best time to tell him about meeting He Ru Chong. Pang Yu hesitated for a moment, remembering the atmosphere in the side hall just now, and suddenly decided not to say anything.
"It's still a matter of rogue bandits. The governor has some questions about rogue bandits. I asked him to explain it more clearly, so he can only let me go to Suzhou."
Fang Yizhi did not have the slightest doubt, "Pang Bantou will definitely come to Nanjing for a few days on his way back. It would be okay to hold a community meeting specifically for Pang Bantou. There are many members of my club who discuss military matters, so they can discuss things with Pang Bantou."
.”
After he finished speaking, he opened a volume on the table with a look of excitement on his face, "I mentioned this before the club meeting. I remember that Pang Bantou's miscellaneous studies were quite profitable. I have gained something recently. I will record it here.
I have some doubts that no one discusses with me on weekdays and I keep them in my mind. Today I just discussed them with Pantou Pang."
"Master Fang, please tell me."
"When using telescopes to measure Venus (Taiwan) recently, it is sometimes dark, sometimes full, and sometimes up and down.
The Taibai Star moves along the sun. I foolishly think that the Taibai Star is attached to the sun as a wheel. When it is above the sun, the time is full, but when it is below the sun, it is dark.
This is one of them.”
(Note 1) Pang Yu felt a little dizzy after hearing this. He didn’t know which Taibai star it was, but it sounded like it was a question about a certain planet orbiting the sun. He could give a clear answer to this question.
"What Mr. Fang said is true. Mr. Fang can infer that the star is moving around the sun just by hearing the words. He is really an astronomical wizard."
Fang Yizhi continued to talk about the next thing. After hearing this, he raised his head and said, "I am currently trial-producing a telescope."
Pang Yu said in surprise, "Do you know how to do it?"
"Tang Ruowang and Li Zubai co-authored a book called "The Theory of Telescope". I happen to have a copy of it below and are trying to produce it according to the drawings, but it has not been successful yet."
Fang Yizhi stood up and led Pang Yu around the screen. On the wooden frame in front of the study window, there was a cylinder pointing diagonally at the sky.
...Note 1: Jian Fang Yizhi's "Little Knowledge of Physics" - Discussing the distance and distance, he proposed that Venus and Mercury orbit the sun.
In the seventh year of Chongzhen's reign, the Ming Dynasty built the first astronomical telescope, named Yun.