The heat was steaming outside the Puzikou Guards Office. As soon as Pang Yu walked out of the door, he opened the collar of his official uniform and asked Chen Yuwang next to him with some doubts.
Half a day after receiving Zhang Guowei's message, Pang Yu received a second order to change the meeting place from Jurong to Puzikou garrison. Two urgent orders in one day showed Zhang Guowei's urgency at that time.
Within Yingtian's jurisdiction, there is the capital of Nanjing, which is not under the jurisdiction of the governor of Yingtian. There are complete central agencies. Although most of the duties are merit-based, the capital itself is relatively sensitive, so Zhang Guowei tries to avoid Nanjing as much as possible, usually when dealing with military affairs in Jiangbei.
, so he stayed in Jurong, even though it was a lot of inconvenience.
This time, because of the possibility of going north to King Qin, the station was set at Puzikou.
In summer, the current on the river is faster and the wind direction is smoother. After only three days of sailing, Pang Yu arrived at Puzikou, and Zhang Guowei was already at the garrison.
This meeting is to report the latest war situation, and requires all generals to attach great importance to the task of serving the king from a political perspective. The army should make various preparations. If the court mobilizes troops, it can go north to the king at any time, but at the same time, it cannot relax its preparations.
Kou's job.
Due to the invasion of bandits last year, all the troops that can be mobilized in Yingtian's jurisdiction have been concentrated near Nanjing. Most of the Fubiao camp is in Jiangpu and Liuhe. It is more convenient for them to go north. Pang Yu and Xu Ziqiang in Anqing need water and land transportation.
Much more complicated.
Therefore, Zhang Guowei also specifically told the two of them that they needed to recruit ships and make plans for the northward route.
All the generals under Zhang Guowei were basically present, and Pang Yu had basically seen them when he rescued Jiangnan at the beginning of the year.
The one I am most familiar with here is King Chen Yu. Due to their experiences in the Battle of Chuzhou, the friendship between the two is far deeper than others.
Due to King Chen Yu's experience in Liaodong, Pang Yu currently has access to the person who is most familiar with the Qing army.
"How many times have slaves been invaded by slaves? From the year of Jisi to now, they have been invaded by bandits every two or three years."
King Chen Yu paused for a moment, recalled, "There were two times in Shanxi, and this is the second time in the capital."
Pang Yu breathed a sigh of relief. After receiving the news, he ordered the garrison camp to cancel the march training and assemble in each camp to be on standby. During the three days on the river, he thought of various ways to deal with it, but with the current two or three days, he
Thousands of armed men were unable to resist the powerful Qing army in his impression.
At present, it sounds like the Qing troops are frequent visitors, and their lives are not guaranteed if they enter the customs.
"Brother Chen, do you think Jiannu will endanger the capital this time?"
King Chen Yu immediately shook his head, "Jian Nu invaded with light troops. You probably haven't seen the city walls of the capital. Jian Nu can't attack the capital, and they can't attack the city either."
"Then why did Jian Nu go to the capital?"
"It's not just robbing children of money and food, it's the same virtue as rogue bandits."
King Chen Yu sighed disdainfully, "They are just a group of thieves, but they are more arrogant."
"robbing?"
Pang Yu pondered for a moment. Zhang Guowei had just reported the situation of the rogue bandits. Li Zicheng and Gao Yingxiang were still in Huguang and were being chased by Lu Xiangsheng. They didn't look like they could break into the capital and force Chongzhen to death. They looked like they were about to be forced by Lu Xiangsheng.
died.
In Pang Yu's limited historical knowledge, Li Zicheng is an important reference. The Manchus entered the Pass after Li Zicheng conquered the capital. It is said that he was still related to Chen Yuanyuan, and he only allowed the Qing army to come in because of his anger as a beauty. Pang Yu even
I still remember that the author is called Wu Meicun.
According to the current situation, Li Zicheng did not capture the capital, and Chen Yuanyuan was naturally not robbed. Therefore, the Qing army's entry into the customs this time should have returned without success. Maybe it was just like what Chen Yuwang said, the Qing army came to rob things and figured it out.
Pang Yu felt even more reassured by this ingenious logic.
"General Pang!"
Hearing someone shouting from behind, Pang Yu hurriedly turned her head, only to see her old acquaintance Xu Ziqiang chasing after her. Although they were both stationed in Anqing, they came here separately this time and only met during the meeting.
"I have met Mr. Xu."
Xu Ziqiang's face was so hot that it was covered with sweat. He groaned, wiped it on his forehead with his sleeve, and then affectionately pulled Pang Yu and walked a few steps aside. When Chen Yuwang saw this, he rolled his eyes at Xu Ziqiang.
, and walked away.
When Pang Yu felt strange, Xu Ziqiang spoke in a low voice, "I and General Pang are old friends. We are both in Anqing and we are in the same boat. We can trust each other."
Pang Yu didn't know what he meant, but he still agreed, "I hit it off with Mr. Xu and we have always got along very well."
Xu Ziqiang nodded solemnly, "You see, the people just discussed in the hall are mostly under the command of Fubiao Camp. They are familiar with each other, but they are somewhat different from us.
If we go north this time, you and I must take care of each other and work together. It's best for us to be together for marching and fighting. We are brothers in fighting tigers, right?"
After hearing this, Pang Yu suddenly realized that Xu Ziqiang's Wusong soldiers and horses had low combat effectiveness. Now that he knew that they might be transferred to fight against the slaves, he had long been afraid in his heart. Seeing that others could not count on him, he had to find Pang Yu to have a relationship with him, hoping to get the best combat effectiveness.
Together with a strong garrison battalion, the guarantee of survival is increased, which also shows that the combat effectiveness of the garrison battalion has been recognized by everyone.
"I think so too, and it coincides with Master Xu."
When Xu Ziqiang saw Pang Yu's immediate agreement, he looked obviously relieved. Pang Yu was trying to sell him a favor. According to his inference, this time the Qing army was just invading the invaders to grab things. With the current marching speed, he, the soldiers from South Zhili,
By the time we reach the north, the Qing army may have already left, and the overall risk is controllable, so it might as well agree first.
Xu Ziqiang didn't know what Pang Yu was thinking, so he obviously accepted this favor. He patted Pang Yu on the shoulder and said, "Brother Pang is a happy person. Let's make an agreement. King Qin will go together... Tomorrow we will meet Zhang Duye
The shogunate reports the king's soldiers, horses, money and food, so when we return to Anqing, you and my brothers should also go with us."
Pang Yu feels that after a few words today, the relationship with Xu Ziqiang has become much closer. Although Wu Song's troops are in disarray, Xu Ziqiang is the commander-in-chief after all, and it is always good to have more help in Anqing.
"It's good to have Sir Xu go with us, but I may have to spend a few days in Nanjing."
"It doesn't matter, my brother has a foreign wife in Nanjing who will be waiting for you for a few days."
Xu Ziqiang smiled mysteriously, "My brother has another place to go in Puzikou tonight, so I won't accompany you. When I get to Nanjing, I will take you to a good place, a good place on the Qinhuai River."
Xu Ziqiang laughed loudly after saying this, and then said goodbye to Pang Yu. He didn't have the airs of the former commander-in-chief at all. He smiled with Pang Yuyan, and it felt like the two of them had been friends for decades.
After Xu Ziqiang left, Pang Yu opened the collar of his official uniform. It was extremely hot in Jiangpu in July, and formal attire was required for court meetings. Zhang Guowei had someone to fan him, and Pang Yu was already covered in sweat from the heat.
Pang Ding, who was following from a distance, came over and said in a low voice, "Master, when you were having a meeting just now, Mr. Ma came over and said that he would hold a private banquet for you in the evening at Linjiang Pavilion inside Jintang Gate."
"Master Zhang, are you going?"
"Mr. Ma didn't say."
Pang Yu hummed. According to his understanding of Zhang Guowei, this time King Qin could be regarded as a political opportunity. It was very likely that Zhang Guowei would be there in the evening, and the banquet would be a bit like the Hongmen Banquet. Zhang Guowei would probably have to contribute on his own.
"Ask Mr. Yu to add some armor, saltpetre, and sulfur to the inventory of money, food, and equipment in the evening. It will be reported to the Duke's shogunate before noon tomorrow. If you want me to contribute, you must give me some benefits."
Pang Yu looked around and said relaxedly, "Let's cross the river to Nanjing tomorrow afternoon and meet Liu Ruogu and the others."
Pang Ding said in surprise: "Master, if you are not busy going back to Anqing to gather people...why are you not worried about establishing slaves?"
"I suddenly figured out that the capital will be safe this time."
"But Master, when you were on the boat yesterday, weren't you already thinking about surrendering to the Qing army?"
Pang Ding rolled his eyes and said, "You also asked if you could mobilize troops to occupy Nanjing. How come it changed in just half a day?"
Pang Yu coughed and said, "You must have heard wrong. A man as upright as the young master would not think of these things. Don't mention them again in the future."
"Yes, Master."
Pang Ding cautiously probed again, "Young master is going to Nanjing this time, but are you going to help restore the community?"
Pang Yu shook his head and said with a smile, "I'm not going to help restore the society, and I don't have the ability. But whether it falls or not, we have to find a way to make profits from it."
...In the garden outside Taoye Dumei Tower, a group of Fushe scholars were sitting around under the shade of the trees. Today, they did not listen to music to entertain themselves. Only the cicadas around them kept shouting irritably.
"The slaves once again invaded Shenjing. How can the emperor tolerate the traitors?"
Wu Yingji said in a stern voice, "The world is in shock. How can we, the people who are aspiring to restore society, sit in the south of the Yangtze River and recruit volunteers to go north to King Qin and fight to the death with the Jiannu?"
Fang Yizhi stood up with the sword on his waist and said, "If we recruit volunteers, I would like to be the first one."
At this time, another person also stood up and loudly said with grief and indignation, "Slaves invaded Shenjing, and thieves were rampant in China. There are so many troubles in the world. I can't help but think that the emperor's talents are actually forced by Xiaoxiao.
The pain is piercing to the bone. If Zhou were in the capital, he would have to fight with all his strength to avenge the great hatred of his family and country. What matters about his personal life and death?"
Fang touched his palm with wisdom and said, "What Jie Sheng said deeply resonates with my heart. I would like to attach it to you."
(Note: Jiesheng is Zhou Zhongbiao) Sun Lin cheered and responded loudly, and the crowd was excited for a while. He Houming, whom Pang Yu had met before, was also present. He hesitated to speak, but in the end he still responded with a few words.
Zhou Zhong waited for everyone to rest for a while, then said in a deep voice, "The world has been in chaos for a long time, but tracing the root cause, it is still the traitors who are in power to deceive the emperor.
I think that at the beginning of the year, thieves came to the river and the southeastern half of the wall was shaken. At that time, the powerful traitors in the court did not think about peace and tranquility in the world, but instead wanted to frame Mr. Tianru. This time Mr. Tianru came to the southern capital for this reason."
As he spoke, everyone turned their attention to the person at the top. This person was about forty years old. He wore a black gauze hat on his head. His clothes were light but luxurious. He was holding a famous folding fan for small officials. His expression was kind and calm. He
It was the Mr. Laizhi whom Zhou Zhong had just mentioned. His name was Wu Changshi. He was from Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province. He had a good position in Fushe. Everyone looked at him with respect.
At this time, the topic had shifted from establishing slaves and becoming invaders to restoring society itself. Wu Changshi looked at Zhou Zhong approvingly, and then gently shook his folding fan, "This time the traitors are coming with great force. Although you are not afraid, sir, we can't take it easy."
It seems that there are honest people in the capital delivering reports, except for Zhou Zhikui's article "Fushe or Wen"..." When he said this, Wu Yingji waved his hand back and forth in front of his nose, "This article is really smelly."
Wu Changshi was not angry at the interruption. He smiled and continued, "Besides the stench, there is also the impeachment of Lu Ruohan under the command of Xue Guoguan. The emperor was deceived by his traitor and sent the impeachment to the department for verification. Tiqi has arrived in the south of the Yangtze River.
The Suzhou government office has been asking questions for more than ten days, and they seem to insist that Zhou Zhikui's incident is related to Mr. Tianru."
There was a moment of silence in the field, and Tiqi came to explain that it was indeed the emperor's approval, otherwise Wen Tiren would not be able to mobilize the Jin Yiwei, and the atmosphere became a little solemn.
Wu Changshi glanced around calmly and took everyone's reactions into his eyes, "Members of the society, there is no need to be discouraged. Mr. Zhou Zhikui and Lu Ruohan are all righteous. They are clowns jumping off the beam. All they do is false accusations. Tiqi is everywhere.
In the end, no real evidence was obtained.
At this critical juncture, and something involving heaven and earth is involved, Mr. Xi, the members of the society should do their part to restore society. If traitors are in power, the world will be in trouble. In the face of such great righteousness, we members of the society must support each other and spread the word.
Public opinion reaches heaven to listen, and it rectifies the origin of the world."
Wu Yingji slapped his palm on the table, "The traitors are in trouble in the world, and there are also eunuchs waiting for opportunities in the opposition. Ruan Dacheng, Yang Weiyuan and others recruit knights to talk about war and swords, and they slander people's eyes and ears in the Baimen Group. I
Wait for the community members to attack together."
Zhou Zhong and others cheered one after another, but Fang Yizhi only responded briefly and responded perfunctorily.
Wu Changshi's eyes kept looking at everyone, until Wu Yingji looked at him again, Wu Changshi put away the folding fan with a swipe, and said with dignity, "Wen Tiren is called a lonely minister, but he is actually an accomplice of the Eunuch Party, and is plotting against the Party to gather in Nandu.
When he comes back again, Ruan Dacheng is the chief evildoer, and we are also incompatible with good and evil."
The atmosphere in the venue was lively. Someone wrote an announcement on the table to support Zhang Pu who was in a difficult situation. Wu Changshi echoed while paying attention to the surroundings. When he saw Li Lihua's maid Li Ping'er appearing outside the building, there seemed to be something in his eyes.
Indicate.
Seeing that the other scholars did not pay attention, Li Ping'er immediately stood up and walked over. Li Ping'er walked directly behind a banana tree and blocked the view of the scholars in the garden.
After Wu Changshi approached, Li Ping'er whispered, "Mother asked me to tell Mr. Wu that the gentleman has made an appointment for you."
"My sister is busy running around."
Wu Changshi finished speaking hastily and took out a piece of silver from his arms. Li Ping'er was stunned for a moment. This Master Wu was a scholar from Jiaxing. He had been awarded the Jinshi title in the seventh year of Chongzhen. He also came from a very wealthy family. He never thought of treating his maid like this.
So polite.
Immediately he realized that Mr. Wu wanted to keep the secret to himself and not let others know about it.
Immediately he took the money and said, "Thank you, sir. The gentleman will take a boat to the appointment at that time. The road will be quiet."