In the high mountains southeast of Ninggu Pagoda, two men in their thirties, each carrying a child on their backs, were walking with difficulty in the howling wind and snow.
"Uncle Lu, are you tired? Let's take a break before leaving." A child behind the man asked.
"Master, we can't rest. Let's leave quickly while the wind is light. Otherwise, we won't be able to leave until the wind gets stronger." The man named Lu turned his head and responded in a low voice, without stopping at all.
These two adults were Lu Shoushan and Pan Xiucheng who escaped from Ninggu Pagoda, and the two children on their backs were the two children who attracted Qianlong's attention, brothers Xu Shounan and Xu Funan.
"Uncle Pan, let me come down and walk by myself." Xu Shounan, who was slightly older, said quickly when he saw Pan Xiucheng carrying him on his back and was panting from exhaustion.
"Shoushan, let's find a place to rest for a while." Pan Xiucheng ignored Xu Shounan and asked Lu Shoushan who was walking in front.
"After passing the mountain col ahead, let's find a place with leeward wind." Lu Shoushan said without looking back.
Although Pan Xiucheng was very tired, he didn't say anything after hearing Lu Shoushan's words. Instead, he lifted Xu Shounan on his back and accelerated his pace a little.
Since they escaped from Ninggu Pagoda twenty days ago, these four people, one big and two small, have been walking eastward along the mountain valley between the Hualan River and Shangjian River. By this time, they had crossed the big ridge.
Further east is Suifenhe.
The original plan of the two was to cross the Shangjian River and walk all the way south. However, when they arrived near the Taktonka River, they discovered a patrol of flag soldiers, so they had to go east over the ridge. As for heading east to the end
Where to go, Lu Shoushan didn't think clearly at this time.
As servants who had been greatly favored by the Xu family, Lu and Pan's purpose was to rescue the two remaining boys of the Xu family and leave this bloodline for the Xu family.
For this reason, starting from three years ago, the two began to quietly prepare and please the flag soldiers guarding them, making them constantly relax their vigilance.
After more than an hour, Lu and Pan, carrying their children on their backs, finally crossed the mountain col ahead and came to a rock leeward.
Pan Xiucheng put Xu Funan down on his back and sat down on the ground, wheezing. Lu Shoushan took out a water bag made of rabbit skin from his arms and handed it to him.
The water in the water bag was still slightly warm. Pan Xiucheng pulled out the stopper, raised his head and took a big sip.
"Slow down, don't drink so much."
Pan Xiucheng drank a sip of water, raised his sleeve and wiped his mouth, then handed the water bag to the youngest Xu Funan.
"Uncle Pan, I, I'm not thirsty, you can drink." Six-year-old Xu Funan is very sensible.
Pan Xiucheng smiled softly when he heard this, rubbed Xu Funan's head and comforted him: "Drink, Uncle Pan is not thirsty anymore."
After hearing this, Xu Funan picked up the water bag with both hands, raised his head and drank a few sips, then handed it to his brother's hand.
Pan Xiucheng looked at the two children, raised his head and asked Lu Shoushan: "Shoushan, the road to the south is blocked now, where do you think we should go? Escape like this is not an option."
"What a crazy weather." Lu Shoushan looked at the falling snowflakes in front of him and cursed fiercely. Then he squatted down, leaned against a big rock, and put his hands into his sleeves.
The four people's tattered clothes and shoes were stuffed with urala grass, which kept them warm. Pan Xiucheng had stolen this grass from a bannerman's house before fleeing. Many felons who were exiled to Ningguta sometimes even
They couldn't get rid of all the urala grass, and even wailed bitterly in the cold wind of winter until they finally froze to death.
"Looking at the current situation, it's impossible to go south, and it's even more impossible to go back. We have to go east and follow the river in front of us."
"Ah, then where is this way?"
Lu Shoushan said nothing. He looked at the two children who were as thin as big-headed dolls in front of him and said to Pan Xiucheng: "Take two whiskers."
After hearing this, Pan Xiucheng reached into his arms, rubbed for a long time, and pinched out two ginseng whiskers with his fingers. Then he cut off the two ginseng whiskers, divided them into four parts, and handed them to Lu Shoushan and two others respectively.
child.
Pan Xiucheng put the ginseng roots into his mouth, chewed it, and said to Lu Shoushan: "You said we are going to Hunchun City...?"
Lu Shoushandao interrupted before the other party could finish his words: "No. We have been escaping for more than twenty days. Hunchun must have received the letter. If you go there now, you will definitely be caught by the flag soldiers."
"Then what do you think we should do?"
"Last year, when we went to Hunchun to harvest sorghum, I heard from the Kurkaqi people (Hezhe ethnic group) who were transporting grain that if you go eastward along the Suifen River, you will reach the seaside. There is a fishing village there.
The Kurkhachi people have no flag soldiers."
"How long do we have to go?"
"I think it will take more than half a month. When we arrive at the fishing village, we will be able to find a boat. After next spring, we will go by sea. At worst, we will go to North Korea."
"North Korea?" Pan Xiucheng, who grew up in the south, had never even heard of this place.
"Well. Eat, eat. Let's continue walking after eating. We need to find a place to stay before it gets dark." Lu Shoushan chewed the ginseng whiskers and said to the three people in front of him.
The two children nodded and chewed the ginseng whiskers in their mouths.
Pan Xiucheng was speechless and sighed deeply in his heart.
Hunchun City, inside the government office.
At this time, Yongde, the co-leader of Hunchun City, had received the document sent by Ning Guta on horseback, and was arranging manpower to strictly guard the road checkpoints and the South China Sea (the Qing Dynasty called the ocean north of Korea Bay and south of Vladivostok the South China Sea)
Everywhere along the coast.
"Tomo Huoguo, you lead eighty armored soldiers to patrol westward along both sides of the Zhanmi River."
"As commanded."
"Teying, you lead eighty armored soldiers to the north to inspect both sides of the Lat River."
"As commanded."
"You two will set off tomorrow with your troops and horses, and return to camp within fifteen days."
The two assistant leaders took the token from Yongde's hand and went down separately.
"Damn it, you'll find trouble for me in the cold weather!" Yongde, the leader of the Hunchun Alliance, cursed. It's not clear whether he was dissatisfied with Ning Guta's deputy commander or with these escaped banner slaves.
The life of Yongde, the co-leader, is usually very relaxed. Except for the routine preparation of grain, grass and weapons and the inspection of mountains, forests and islands throughout the year, there are no major events. Since he became the co-leader, nothing major has happened in Hunchun.
In the 49th year of Kangxi's reign (1710), Li Wanzhi, a border resident of Weiyuan County, Ping'an Road, North Korea, and others illegally crossed the border, killed five border residents, and robbed ginseng goods. This incident aroused Kangxi's anger, so he ordered Jilin to kill Ula, the general manager of Mu.
Keden was an imperial envoy who went to Phoenix City to handle the incident. He was also ordered to inspect the entire border between China and North Korea. Then the North Korean side arrested five people, including Li Wancheng and Li Wanzhi, and sent them to the Qing court to be beheaded. Their wives and children were punished as slaves and their property was taken away from them.
Then they were completely confiscated. North Korea's Ping An Dao Observation Envoy, Jiedu Envoy, County Sheriff, Qian Envoy, Wanhu, etc. were all dismissed from their posts.
Mukeden personally surveyed the border with representatives sent by North Korea, erected a boundary monument in Changbai Mountain, determined that the Yalu River and Tumen River were the borders between the two countries, and tightened the closure of the Changbai Mountain area.
Therefore, starting from the 53rd year of Kangxi, in order to protect the "Longxing Land" from intrusion and manage the local banner people, the Qing government set up an office on the north bank of the Hunchun River and set up three banners: Xianghuang, Zhengbai and Zhenghuang to manage Hunchun.
The flag affairs in the area and the border defense matters of the fourteen islands in the South China Sea are under the jurisdiction of the Deputy Governor of Ningguta.
At that time, Hunchun's establishment was composed of one assistant leader, three assistant leaders and three Xiaoqi cadets, and two defenders. One hundred and fifty otter-catching Hezhe soldiers (the so-called fish-skin Tatars) were called Hunchun's front soldiers. Later,
Because the Hezhe tribe was located in a remote area and did not accept the king's rule, resulting in poor troop training results, 40 Manchurian Eight Banners soldiers were transferred from Ningguta, a total of 190 people, including 19 leaders and 171 armored soldiers.
.
In the seventeenth year of Qianlong's reign, due to the addition of Karen (outpost) in Hunchun and the lack of garrison soldiers, Hezhe soldiers were transferred from the garrison of Sanxing (name of place, today's Yilan, Heilongjiang Province).
In the following years, the number of garrisoned flag soldiers was reduced. By the 48th year of Qianlong's reign, Hunchun City had a total of 13 Karen towers, with a total of 450 garrison soldiers, including 27 leaders and 363 armored soldiers.
There are four city gates in Hunchun City. After continuous renovation and expansion during the Yongzong and Qianlong dynasties, there are now 3 office rooms, 1 archive room, 1 bank building, and 2 three-banner transfer rooms.
There are 2 rooms for the guard warehouse, 2 rooms for the main gate of the government office, 1 room for the second gate, 10 rooms for the free warehouse, 3 rooms for the teaching field, and 1 room for the official school.
Yongde came out of the office and returned to his residence in the backyard of the government office. After sitting down, he said to Geshiha beside him: "I asked you to investigate the banner slaves in the city. What is the result?"
In February this year, a domestic slave escaped from the home of a flag soldier in the Xianghuang Banner. Although he was eventually captured, Yongde lied in the report sent to Ningguta that the domestic slave had escaped.
Desperate, he surrendered himself. The deputy governor's office did not pursue the case. But from then on, Yongde asked his soldiers to lead a team every month to inspect every house in the city to check whether any slaves had escaped.
Nagoshha replied: "Sir, all inspections were completed yesterday. All the slaves in the city are here, and no one has escaped."
"Yes." Yongde nodded with satisfaction, and then told the clerk waiting on the side: "Then help me write a report to the Deputy Dutong Yamen."
The clerk nodded and obeyed, and was about to leave when Yongde stopped him again.
"Have you arranged all the deer tails prepared for the Emperor this year?"
"My servant has already inspected and prepared everything. This year's deer tails are of slightly better quality than in previous years." This clerk was actually a prisoner assigned to Ning Guta. In the first few years, Yongde happened to be short of pen and ink servants, so he
Call it under your own name.
"Okay. Then you will write two more reports, just like in previous years."
"My servant knows. I will give one copy to the General Yamen and the other to the Ning Guta Dutong Yamen, and tell them the preparations for the deer tail tribute and the date of delivery. Does the master have any other instructions?"
Yongde waved his hand and asked the secretary and Goshiha to go down.
At this time, the servants at home brought tea. Yongde drank the hot tea and cursed in a low voice: "God damn the escaped slave! The Emperor's Holy Ming spared you from waiting for death, but you didn't even think about repenting. If you are caught by me, you will definitely
I’ll tie you up and freeze you all night in the teaching field. Let’s see who dares to escape again!”