In Tongcheng at that time, two houses outside the city were flashing with fire. Some gentry and wealthy households in Tongcheng fled early and did not buy the emperor's fire-free flag. Their houses were looted and burned by Huang Wending and others. Some houses were only partially burned.
, but then the thieves came and removed everything that could be moved, and finally set a fire to completely burn it.
In Tongcheng recently, houses are burning every day, and no one is on duty in the government office. During the day, rioters walk through the city to perform incense. At night, all six doors are opened, and the watchman disappears without a trace. All kinds of thieves and robbers are in and out of the streets.
Tongcheng is in a state of complete anarchy.
The county government office in the north arch gate was dark, and there were no lanterns hanging in the courtyard. There were two night gatekeepers in the residential area at the back, leaning on the porch and dozing off.
"Dang Dang Dang!"
The gongs in Weijiaxiang across the street were noisy, and then the noise of life could be heard. I don't know if it was a robbery or a fire.
The two disciples cheered up and listened for a while in the courtyard. The voices in Weijiaxiang gradually became quieter. They just breathed a sigh of relief when suddenly there was a loud bang from the kitchen in the courtyard, followed by a crash.
The sound of tiles falling to the ground.
There were screams in the courtyard, lights were lit in every room, and the county magistrate and his friends also went to the courtyard to check in panic.
Since the rebels entered the city, the original servants, sweepers, and lamplighters in the county government office have fled one after another. Although Huang Wending promised not to invade the official residence, everyone can see the weakness of the officialdom. I don't know when the officials and bandits will conflict, they will
Affected by the disaster of Chiyu, these Zaoli sweepers were all locals of Tongcheng, so they all returned home.
The only people left in the county magistrate's office are the disciples brought from their hometown and a local groom. The safety of the county magistrate's office relies on these two people. The county magistrate recently beat up a large number of local subordinates, so he can be said to be an enemy.
All over Tongcheng. Whenever there is any disturbance around at night, the county magistrate's family will be frightened.
Mr. Yu entered the kitchen with a lantern and found that the roof had been broken by a stone thrown by someone. Before he could report it to the magistrate, there was a banging sound at the side door, which was particularly harsh in the quiet night.
The family members in the courtyard screamed loudly, and both the county magistrate and Mr. Yu were panicked. They were usually very pampered and had no preparation for such a situation.
When the family was panicking, they heard a shout outside the door, "The thief is bold!"
After a fierce sound of killing, someone was heard yelling and fleeing to the north.
The curtain friend was leaning in front of the door. Hearing someone gasping for breath outside, he asked tremblingly, "Who is outside?"
A voice came from outside, "Pang Yu from the little house has seen Mr. Yu. Did the thief just now scare you?"
When Mr. Yu heard this, he felt relieved and almost fell down.
The county magistrate said quickly, "Open the door quickly and let him in."
The doorman did not dare to ask for any more money to open the door this time, so he hurriedly opened the door and let Pang Yu into the courtyard outside.
Pang Yu saw that the county magistrate was wearing a lining, and he quickly said respectfully, "The little man's guard is late, please don't blame me, magistrate."
The county magistrate sighed and waved his hand, and Mr. Yu asked from the side, "Why did Pang Xiaoyou come here late at night, but he happened to be nearby?"
Pang Yu bowed and said, "I came here specially because thieves are rampant today. I know that the county magistrate is usually upright and enforces the law impartially. I'm afraid some people will hold a grudge. I'm worried that someone will take the opportunity to retaliate and engage in some sneaky things.
He always stayed nearby. Just now, there happened to be two people outside throwing stones at the door, so the villain helped the adults drive them away."
The county magistrate said with some sigh, "The strong wind knows the strong grass, Pang Yu, you are very good."
Mr. Yu saw Pang Yu carrying a stick and a medicine knife on his waist. When he heard that he beat away two rioters by himself, he felt a much safer feeling in his heart. He then tentatively said, "Will Pang Xiaoyou still be able to do it tonight?"
Going somewhere else?"
Pang Yu immediately understood what Mr. Yu meant, "If you allow me, I plan to protect your family outside the door."
The county magistrate also hoped that Pang Yu would stay. Everyone was deeply impressed by the scene just now and regarded Pang Yu as a martial arts master.
"Then you can settle down and let Pang Yu stay here for the night today." After the county magistrate finished speaking, he nodded and went back to Houjin. The other family members also returned to their respective rooms, and the courtyard returned to calm.
Mr. Yu directed the two maids to go to the room where they were preparing to go out. He and Pang Yu sat in the small pavilion on the east side and waited. The two maids moved very quickly. They prepared the bed in a short time and went back on their own.
Mr. Yu had no intention of leaving, and Pang Yu couldn't ask questions, so he had to wait for Mr. Yu to speak.
The moonlight was very dark at the end of the month. The oil lamp lit by the maid in the room shone faint light through the window paper into the small courtyard. After Pang Yu got used to the light, he could vaguely see Mr. Yu through this light.
Wrinkles on face.
Mr. Yu looked at Pang Yu who was opposite him for a moment and said softly, "If Yu remembers correctly, Pang Xiaoyou is only seventeen. To have such composure at such an age is indeed very valuable."
"I don't dare to say that I am calm. I just remember the kindness of the adults and Mr. Yu's guidance and care, and I want to do my little bit for you two."
"Seventeen, what a good age." Mr. Yu took a long sigh and said in a solemn tone, "Pang Xiaoyou, do you think Huang Wending and others are waiting for a suitable opportunity to capture the county government again?
Are you using my head to lead the rebellion?"
"This..." Pang Yu didn't expect Mr. Yu to say this, but seeing that Mr. Yu's mood was not right, he had to follow Mr. Yu and said, "I'm afraid Huang Wending has thought about it, but he just doesn't have the courage or the ability."
"No, he must be prepared to do this!" Mr. Yu shook his head and suddenly said with sobs and tears in his voice, "I am so sorry that I have reached the end of my rope. I will die at the hands of these thieves before I have any heirs. I am not willing to accept it..."
Pang Yuwan did not expect Mr. Yu to come in the middle of the night. I am afraid that he had been suppressed for a long time and his spirit collapsed in this critical period. He quickly advised, "Mr. Yu, don't worry, Huang Wending and his gang are not gangsters, and they are not determined to do anything."
Opposing the Yamen is nothing more than a personal grudge fight and an opportunity to make some money. They will eventually negotiate peace with the Yamen. If the Yamen is destroyed, who will they talk to, so sir, just relax."
Mr. Yu wiped away his tears, looked up at Pang Yu and said suspiciously, "Is what you said true?"
"Indeed, I have been worried about causing a big chaos and endangering the county magistrate and Mr. Wang. In order to find out the movements of the thieves, I have tried to sneak into the group of thieves and learned their intentions."
Mr. Yu said in surprise, "That makes me feel relieved. It's hard to believe that Pang Xiaoyou has such a scheme."
"When Sir is not complimenting me, I have no choice but to interact with those thieves in order to find out the information. After the chaos is settled in the future, I will ask Sir and the county magistrate to explain it on my behalf to prevent others from misunderstanding me."
Mr. Yu agreed wholeheartedly, and Pang Yu continued, "If this villain finds out any important information, he will report it to you. At least for now, it seems that Huang Wending is focused on sending flags to make money and will never break into the government office. As for what Mr. just said."
There are no heirs yet, but I have heard about it."
Mr. Yu sighed and waved his hands and said, "It's my wife. Not only is she not allowed to take concubines, she is not even allowed to fill a house... All these things are not understandable to outsiders."
Pang Yu came closer and whispered, "If you believe me, sir, I will help you find a way to convince your wife to allow you to have a concubine in your house."
Mr. Yu looked at Pang Yu in surprise for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand and said, "If Pang Xiaoyou can help me so much, then he is my benefactor to the Yu family, and I will definitely repay him in the future."
"Sir, you're welcome. I'll leave this matter to the villain."
Mr. Yu has been in an abnormal mental state recently. He was agitated by Pang Yu's painting. After calming down for a while, he said to Pang Yu, "If you are willing, Pang Xiaoyou, can you come to the county magistrate's office tomorrow to be on duty? Your Excellency happens to be hiring people these days."
At that time, all the subordinate officials in the government were not around..."
Pang Yu originally wanted to get close to the decision-making level in order to obtain enough information, so he agreed, "The little man will stay here. If you have anything to do, please feel free to dispatch me."
"There is indeed something going on tomorrow. The county magistrate wants to discuss with the Tongcheng gentry whether to pacify or suppress the rebellion. Yang Tangzun asked the county magistrate to participate in the discussion. We must have a clear discussion with them. We must not delay it any longer."
…
"Because Mr. Kong said that there are too many people in the county government office hall, I specially invite you to come to the county government office for discussion today. The place is a little cramped, so please don't be surprised." Yang Fangqian was sitting high on the seat, but faced the people below.
The people in the two rows on the left and right were very polite. These people were representatives of the Tongcheng gentry, either rich or noble.
The county magistrate took the lead on the right side, while Pang Yu stood in the back row in case the people discussing the matter needed it.
"The chaos in Tongcheng has been feared to change for a long time, but the government has been rotten for a long time, and the subordinate officials are unreliable. We still need the help of all the gentry, so that we can hope to put an end to the chaos. Today, I ask you to speak freely, and be sure to have a solid conclusion, so that the officials and gentry can work together."
When Yang Fangqian mentioned that the yamen had been corrupted for a long time, she deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of the word "already for a long time" to remind everyone that it was the fault of her predecessor Gu Chaojian. He had only been acting as the county magistrate for twenty days. Although he was forced to solve the problem,
But this pot cannot be passed on.
There was silence for a moment, and Pang Yu secretly observed the second man in gray across from him. This man had a soft face and a full complexion. He was sitting in the hall calmly and calmly. This man was Fang Kongzheng. Although he sat down and lowered his head,
He was born as a Jinshi, and he was a wailang in Dingyou, his hometown. His actual status here is the highest, but in appearance, he is just a civilian now.
Seeing no one speaking in the hall, a young scholar couldn't help but said loudly, "Yesterday, the thieves went through the city in two ways again and issued thirteen flags. Because Mo Xiucai did not buy the free fire flag, Huang Wending led the people in the afternoon.
The gatekeeper of Mo Xiucai's house was destroyed. The stupid people in the city took advantage of the chaos at night and plundered Mo Xiucai's house. At dawn, they set fire to Mo's house and burned three other houses. Tongcheng has been in chaos for several days. As time goes by, people's hearts are devastated and the people are in darkness. It is not appropriate to delay the time. Please ask
Anchi prepared troops (Note 1) to send troops to assist in the suppression."
"No!" Several people in the hall roared in unison.
Since the incident, these big gentry families have discussed matters at the county government office, and Pang Yu has never seen them so unanimous.
A man who looked like a wealthy businessman in gorgeous clothes stood up and said, "You must not invite troops. The rebels only want some money, but the disaster caused by the military is far worse than the chaos. They say that the suffering soldiers in the world are worse than the suffering bandits. We, South Zhili, have been peaceful for many years."
If nothing happens and people are humble, even if a few bandits appear, they will still be better than visiting soldiers."
Fang Kongzheng sat at the table with his head lowered, looking at the bluestone on the ground without saying a word. His eyelids were slightly drooped. No emotion could be seen on him, and he didn't know which side he supported.
Another scholar stood up and said, "Not to mention the soldiers passing by, there was just a small chaos in the city. Once the Chizhou soldiers and horses crossed the river, if Huang Wending and others here got the news and were stimulated by the soldiers and horses, they would make a decision.
If you come to cause trouble, everything will be burned. What benefit will it do to the people when Chizhou soldiers and horses arrive and burn it into an empty city?"
Another person said to Yang Fangqian, "I know that you need soldiers to recruit troops. According to Wansheng's knowledge, although the Anqing Prefecture Guards Station has a quota of more than 5,700, there are really no soldiers available. Anchi soldiers
Bei Dao was stationed on the south bank. He heard about the rebellion in Tongcheng a few days ago and recruited more than a thousand soldiers. However, as soon as he said that he would come to quell the chaos, half of them dispersed that night. The rest said that they would never cross the river until they left. From this point of view, even if
If you want to mobilize troops, I'm afraid you have to ask Governor Yingtian for troops. I think Governor Biaoying should be able to control them well."
The person sitting next to Fang Kongzhen was a middle-aged man in Tsing Yi who was in his forties or fifties. He had a thin face and rosy skin. At this time, he ignored the speaker and just tilted his head. Kongzhen bowed slightly and said, "If Brother Fang thinks
We need to recruit troops, and Ruan is willing to do his best to provide 1,300 taels of silver to help Chizhou's troops march out."
There was a low-pitched discussion in the hall. Pang Yu was surprised that this person's tone was so calm. One thousand three hundred taels came out casually. It was obvious that his family was very rich. However, those who expressed their unwillingness to invite soldiers looked unhappy. This middle-aged man in Tsing Yi
It is clear that he only wants to please Fang Kongzheng, and other people's opinions are not important at all.
Yang Fangqian had already agreed with Pi Yingju not to call for troops, and today he just wanted the Tongcheng gentry to say no to calling for troops. So he reminded everyone in his opening remarks that he wanted to discuss how to use the Tongcheng officials and gentry to work together to quell the chaos, not
It's a question of whether to invite troops or not.
The first young scholar was just ignorant, but the middle-aged man in Tsing Yi also wanted to help the Chizhou soldiers march out, which obviously did not give Yang Fangqian face.
Yang Fangqian suppressed her anger and frowned and asked, "I haven't asked this gentleman about my taboo yet."
The middle-aged man in green clothes looked calm, stood up and said without being arrogant or humble, "I'm Ruan Dacheng."