Just when Zhu Zaijing was about to regroup under the comfort of Xu Jie, on the other side, in the capital, was the Yan Mansion.
At this moment, in the hall of Yan Mansion.
I saw Yan Shifan taking a bowl of iced mung bean soup from the maid on the side and drinking it hummingly. There were also various fruits such as lychees, loquats, and watermelons placed on the table.
Later, Yan Shifan put down the spoon in his hand and complained: "Father, the weather has been really hot recently!"
Yan Song on the side heard Yan Shifan's words and felt the same, nodded, and then sighed.
"Yes, the weather this year is very weird. Fortunately, we still have enough ice cubes stored in our ice cellar. Otherwise, we don't know how we will survive this summer!"
When Yan Song said this, he changed the topic, glanced at Yan Shifan, and asked instead.
"By the way, how is the situation in Zhejiang now?"
Facing Yan Song's inquiry, Yan Shifan did not dare to hide anything. After organizing the words in his mind, he answered carefully.
"Back to my father, not long ago, Zheng Michang wrote a handwritten letter to his child. In the letter, he mentioned that the growth of mulberry seedlings in Zhejiang is very gratifying, and the mulberry seedlings in some places have even matured!"
"By mid-August at the latest, all mulberry seedlings in Zhejiang should be mature!"
After listening to Yan Shifan's report, Yan Song nodded and murmured to himself.
"Is it mid-August? It seems that the day when Hu Zongxian comes to Beijing is not far away!"
Then, Yan Song came back to his senses, looked in the direction of Yan Shifan, nodded, and responded.
"Yeah, I know!"
Then, Yan Song seemed worried, turned his gaze to Yan Shifan, and warned in a deep voice.
"The more times like this come, the less you can take it lightly. Tell your subordinates Zheng Michang and He Maocai to be more cautious in the recent period!"
When Yan Shifan heard this, he couldn't help but have a look of doubt on his face. He mustered up the courage and confirmed it to Yan Song.
"Father, do you mean that Xu Jie and the others might take this opportunity to do something behind their back?"
"Huh, no matter what, it's always good to be careful. Do you want to see what happened last time happen again?"
Hearing this, Yan Song snorted coldly, looked away from Yan Shifan, and said coldly.
"Yes, father, the child will pay attention!"
When Yan Shifan saw this situation, a look of fear appeared on his face, and he responded respectfully.
After that, Yan Song's attitude also obviously softened. He took the peeled lychee from the maid on the side and continued to ask.
"By the way, your student has made great achievements this time. Where do you plan to transfer him next?"
"Father, to be honest, my son plans to transfer him to a casual position!"
Seeing Yan Song mention his student Gao Hanwen, Yan Shifan responded without thinking.
"Oh, why is that?"
After Yan Song learned of Yan Shifan's decision, a trace of curiosity flashed across his face, and he asked immediately.
After Yan Shifan heard this, he responded without thinking.
"Gao Hanwen is indeed quite talented, but his talent is not enough to protect himself!"
When Yan Shifan said this, he inevitably paused for a moment.
"As his teacher, I know him well. Gao Hanwen has a noble character, hates evil, and views problems too idealistically!"
"There is a saying that goes well, in the officialdom, you have to be like the light. With his character, he is not suitable for being in the officialdom at all!"
"If we had not sent him to Zhejiang to serve, but sent him elsewhere, with his temperament, he would have died a long time ago!"
After Yan Song patiently listened to Yan Shifan's explanation, he stood up from his seat tremblingly and said slowly.
"Forget it, since you have decided, let's do it this way!"
"Father, please slow down and pay more attention to your steps!"
Yan Shifan saw Yan Song getting up from his seat and quickly stepped forward to help him.
Then, with Yan Shifan's support, the father and son walked slowly towards the direction of the study.
…
Gradually, the night got darker, but at this moment, Zhao Zhenji still did not feel sleepy at all.
After tossing and turning for a long time, Zhao Zhenji sat up from the bed, put on a piece of clothing, and quietly left the room.
After leaving the room, Zhao Zhenji began to walk alone in the yard. The bright moonlight peeked out of the clouds and fell on the ground, reflecting Zhao Zhenji's shadow very clearly.
"Oh, after a while, I will have to leave the capital and go to Zhejiang to take up a post!"
"I don't know if I can do the job this time and find out all the people and acres of land hidden by the wealthy gentry!"
Zhao Zhenji thought so and sighed helplessly, then came to a pavilion and sat down.
Zhao Zhenji did not expect that on weekdays, he would always be eager to leave the capital, a place of right and wrong, as soon as possible, but when it was time to leave, he would be reluctant to leave.
Those scenes from the past were like a slideshow, flashing through Zhao Zhenji's mind.
Then, Zhao Zhenji came back to his senses, looked at the bright moon in the night sky, and said silently to himself.
"Oh, I left at the wrong time!"
"There is news in the court that the child in the belly of Imperial Concubine Shen will be born in September. It seems that I will not be able to make it!"
Immediately, Zhao Zhenji suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, stood up slowly, and said to himself.
"Forget it, what happens next in the capital has nothing to do with me, Zhao Zhenji!"
"Before I leave the capital, find a time to remind Hai Rui and ask him to pay more attention!"
After Zhao Zhenji finished speaking, he stood up immediately. At this moment, a breeze blew by, making people feel comfortable.
…
Beijing, the mansion where Xu Jie lives.
As soon as the sedan Xu Jie was riding stopped, the steward who had been waiting for a long time came up to him, leaned down and said respectfully.
"master!"
After Xu Jie got down from the sedan chair, he saw that the housekeeper was hesitant to speak, so he waved his hand and gave instructions in a deep voice.
"This is not the place to talk. If you have anything to say, just go in and say it!"
"Yes, sir!"
After the two of them entered the hall for entertaining guests, Xu Jie suddenly stopped, turned around, and asked.
"Tell me, what's the matter?"
"Sir, not long ago, Mr. Wang Tingwang came to visit!"
When Xu Jie heard what the housekeeper said, he couldn't help but frown and asked.
"What is he here for?"
Seeing this situation, the housekeeper did not dare to hide anything, and immediately told everything he knew.
"Master, to be honest, Mr. Wang has entrusted me to bring you a message, saying that the local mulberry seedlings in Zhejiang will be fully mature in mid-August, and they and the Weaving Bureau have made complete preparations. !”
After Xu Jie learned the news from the housekeeper, he couldn't help but perked up and couldn't hide the excitement on his face.
For Xu Jie, as long as they can buy raw silk from the people at half price according to the established plan, then they will be able to make a lot of money, and they will live up to their plan for so long.
But Xu Jie was not dazzled by the sudden good news. After thinking about it for a moment, Xu Jie gave instructions.
"Tell them not to act rashly for the time being, investigate the local situation carefully, and then take decisive action when the time is right!"
"Yes, sir, I understand!"
When the housekeeper heard this, his expression immediately became serious and he responded in a deep voice.
…
As Jiajing had expected earlier, after the army led by Feng Yue broke through Sangmuguan and annihilated the 40,000 Bozhou soldiers who came to support, they relied on the power of firearms to win consecutive battles and captured Wangcao. , Zheng'an and other places, as well as many surrounding counties and cities, are also waiting for the wind to fall.
Less than ten miles outside Suiyang County, a 50,000-strong army commanded by Feng Yue himself was waiting in full formation.
The Ming army in front of them was neatly arrayed, their robes were belted, and their expressions were solemn. A chilling air gradually filled the air.
Feng Yue looked at Suiyang County, which was so close in front of him, and his heart became more and more excited.
Not long ago, he received news from Sichuan Division 3rd Road that 40,000 soldiers and horses, commanded by General Wu Guang, General Chen Lin, and Deputy General Cao Xibin, had entered Bozhou from Nanchuan, winning consecutive battles along the way. , are heading towards Renhuai!
In addition to the Third Sichuan Division, good news also came from the Guizhou Division. The 30,000 soldiers and horses commanded by General Li Yingxiang and General Tan Jian have also successfully defeated Xinglong, and are now vigorously clearing out the remaining Bozhou along the way. soldiers.
Feng Yue knew very well in his heart that as long as he captured Suiyang County in front of him, Yang Lie's end would not be far away.
At that time, the imperial army will attack Hailongtun from three directions: Suiyang, Tongzi, and Renhuai.
Even though Hailongtun has been perfected by several generations of propaganda envoys and has become a veritable military fortress, it will not help. After all, the imperial court dispatched a total of 130,000 troops to eliminate Yang Lie this time!
Feng Yue was very confident that even if he didn't take the initiative to attack, he could trap Yang Lie to death in Hailongtun with just the hundreds of thousands of troops at his disposal!
But what surprised Feng Yue most right now was that he hadn't seen any defenders since his army arrived on the outskirts of Suiyang County.
Then, Feng Yue calmed down, took a deep breath, pulled out the long sword from his waist, and said in a deep voice.
"Transmit this general's order and attack with the entire army!"
When Feng Yue's words fell, a drum beat sounded as densely as raindrops. More than 15,000 soldiers commanded by Shi Bangxian were divided into three groups, left, middle and right, and launched an attack on Suiyang County.
At this moment, the city gate of Suiyang County was opened. At first, Shi Bangxian thought it was the defenders in the city, and planned to fight to the death and go out to fight.
But when he saw those people walking out of Suiyang County, his face was full of shock.
Because those who came out of Suiyang County were not the defenders in the city, but ordinary people in ragged clothes and disheveled faces.
At this moment, their expressions were dull. Even if they saw the Ming army rushing towards them in the distance, they would not avoid it.
In addition, there were no defenders on the city wall. When the Ming army arrived less than five miles away from Suiyang County, they were not attacked!
Seeing this, Shi Bangxian quickly pulled out the sword from his waist and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Stop the attack! Pass this general's order to stop the attack!"
Soon, Shi Bangxian's orders were conveyed one by one through the surrounding generals.
Immediately afterwards, the Ming soldiers also heard the sound of gongs symbolizing Ming Jin's withdrawal of troops. Although the soldiers were confused about this order, they still reined in the reins of their horses and stopped their attack.
The front army led by Shi Bangxian suddenly stopped attacking. This unusual situation could not be concealed. At this moment, Feng Yue, who was commanding the central army, looked at his subordinates and gave instructions in a deep voice.
"Give me the telescope!"
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
Then, Feng Yue took the monocular telescope from his subordinate and began to observe the situation in the distance.
Soon, Feng Yue also understood why Shi Bangxian ordered the army to stop attacking, because the people coming out of Suiyang County in front of him were not the defenders of Suiyang County, but ragged common people with disheveled faces.
At this moment, these ragged people with dull expressions were kneeling on both sides of the road near the gate of Suiyang County, and more and more people were coming out of Suiyang County.
At this point, how could Feng Yue not see that the Suiyang County in front of him had become an empty city, with only these unarmed and ragged people remaining.
Then, Feng Yue sighed, handed the monocular telescope in his hand back to his subordinate, and gave instructions.
"Hey, let's go over with my officer and see what's going on!"
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
At this moment, the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty who had rushed to the front were already shocked by the scene in front of them. At this moment, they also understood why the gong sound of Mingjin's withdrawal of troops was sounded earlier, and they lowered their heads and remained silent.
Under the protection of many soldiers, Shi Bangxian dismounted from the maroon war horse he was riding. When the people on both sides of the road saw this, their eyes were full of fear.
At this moment, a timid voice sounded: "Mom, are they the imperial army that the bad guys said? Will they steal our food?"
"Mom, I'm so hungry!"
After Shi Bangxian heard the words, he followed the sound and saw a skinny, ragged child not far away, about seven or eight years old, who broke away from his mother's arms and asked like this.
After his mother heard what her child said, she was shocked and quickly covered the child's mouth with her hands.
Then, the mother was seen kowtowing on the ground in a panic: "Sir, he is still young and ignorant, please spare his life!"
When the people on the side saw this, they kowtowed on the ground and begged for mercy for the child: "Yes, sir, he is still young. You don't remember the faults of villains, so please spare his life!"
When Shi Bangxian heard this, his throat moved. He wanted to say something, but found that he couldn't say anything!
When those people saw that Shi Bangxian had not responded for a long time, they thought they had offended him, and kowtowed on the ground even more vigorously to beg for his forgiveness.
Then, Shi Bangxian came back to his senses, his face full of guilt, and after looking around, he said in a deep voice.
"Don't worry, everyone, we are the army sent by the imperial court to suppress the rebellion, and we are here to protect everyone!"
Shi Bangxian's words obviously had no effect. The eyes of the people looking at him were still full of alertness and fear.
At this moment, an inappropriate voice sounded again: "Mom, I'm so hungry!"
The one who made the sound was the skinny, ragged child from before.
Seeing this, his mother quickly took the child into her arms, stroked his head, and comforted him softly.
"Be good, take a nap, you won't be hungry when you sleep!"
"But mother, I'm so hungry that I can't sleep!"
After the child finished speaking, he looked at his mother longingly. Seeing this, the mother kept wiping her tears.
Seeing this situation, Shi Bangxian gave the subordinate next to him a wink, and the latter quickly understood and brought some dry food after a while.
Then, Shi Bangxian squatted down, put the dry food in his hand in front of the child, and said softly.
"Eat it!"
The child did not immediately take the dry food from Shi Bangxian's hand, but looked at his mother, seemingly asking for advice.
Seeing this, the mother gently stroked his head and said slowly.
"Take it!"
After getting his mother's permission, the child immediately cheered and carefully took the dry food from Shi Bangxian's hand.
Afterwards, he was seen breaking the dry food into two halves, and then handed half of it to his mother.
"Mom, you eat too!"
When the mother heard this, she shook her head and said slowly.
"You can eat it yourself, mother is not hungry!"
At this moment, Feng Yue, escorted by his personal guards, arrived near the city gate of Suiyang County. He looked at the scene in front of him with a look of shame on his face.
When Shi Bangxian saw Feng Yue arriving, he immediately turned around and saluted him respectfully.
"I will finally meet the Governor!"
Feng Yue heard the words and responded in a subtle way. At this moment, he saw an old man with white hair and a ragged gown. He stood up from the ground tremblingly. He mustered up his courage and asked Feng Yue. .
"Are you...are you the Governor?"
"Yes, old man, I am Governor Feng Yue of Huguang!"
After Feng Yue heard this, he immediately looked at the old man, nodded and responded.
The white-haired old man, after learning Feng Yue's identity, immediately fell to his knees on the ground and cried.
"Please, Lord Governor, save our lives!"
After the old man knelt down, many people at the scene also knelt on the ground and said in unison.
"Please, Lord Governor, save our lives!"
Seeing this situation, Feng Yue quickly stepped forward, helped the white-haired old man up from the ground, and asked.
"Old man, what happened, can you tell me?"
The white-haired old man, after being lifted up from the ground by Feng Yue, sighed helplessly and began to tell the whole story.
"Sir...sir, this is what happened..."
Under the old man's narration, Feng Yue finally had a general understanding of the whole incident.
Suiyang County Magistrate Yuan Zhi was deeply frightened when he learned that the Ming army had broken through Sangmuguan, annihilated 40,000 Bozhou soldiers, and captured Wangcao, Zheng'an and other places along the way, so he indulged his soldiers and began to plunder the city wantonly. Common people.
The little wealth left in the hands of the people was quickly squeezed out. Later, Suiyang County Magistrate Yuan Zhi used the excuse of supporting the defenders in the city to forcibly confiscate the food in the hands of the people. After passing by, not even the minimum rations were left.
Anyone who dares to disobey orders and fail to hand over food will be killed on the spot once discovered!
After doing this, late one night a few days ago, Suiyang County Magistrate Yuan Zhi took the garrison in the city and quietly left Suiyang County.
Feng Yue also learned from the old man that the reason why Yuan Zhi, the magistrate of Suiyang County, dared to act like this was because his Yuan family was one of the seven little chieftains with different surnames under the Yang family in Bozhou.
Bozhou's Xuanwei envoy Yang Lie had two pacification envoys in Huangping and Caotang, as well as six official divisions including Zhenbo, Baini, Yuqing, Chong'an and Rongshan. In addition, Tian, Zhang and Yuan Seven small chieftains with surnames such as , Lu, Tan, Luo and Wu were also under his jurisdiction.
For hundreds of years, the Yang family of Bozhou has firmly occupied a dominant position in Bozhou. Even if the remaining seven small chieftains with different surnames are dissatisfied, they have to obey the orders of the Yang family of Bozhou.
After all, whoever has the biggest fist has the truth!
After understanding the ins and outs of the matter, Feng Yue called his subordinates and asked.
"Is the food and fodder for the army still enough?"
After hearing this, the subordinate thought about it for a long time before giving a response.
"Your Majesty the Governor, not long ago, the army captured a lot of food and supplies when they broke through Sangmuguan. After that, we also obtained a lot of food from the 40,000 Bozhou soldiers who came to support us!"
"Therefore, the current supply of food and grass for the army is very sufficient!"
After listening to the subordinate's report, Feng Yue ordered in a deep voice.
"Take part of the food from it to help the people!"
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
When the subordinate heard Feng Yue's words, he cupped his hands and responded in a deep voice.
The people's faces were full of disbelief when they saw that Feng Yue was willing to use part of the food provided by the imperial army to help them.
"Master Qingtian!"
Among the crowd, I don't know who was the first to shout such a sentence, and then all the people on the scene knelt on the ground, and their voices kept rising and falling.
"Master Qingtian! Master Qingtian!"
At this time, the faces of the people were filled with expressions of gratitude.
Then, Feng Yue was seen pressing his sword with one hand, looking at Suiyang County, which was just around the corner, and giving instructions.
"Pass this general's order and the army enters the city!"
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
Shi Bangxian and many generals on the side saw that Feng Yue had issued the order, and they immediately looked stern and responded in a deep voice.
Subsequently, the Ming army entered Suiyang County amid bursts of cheers from the people of Suiyang County. (End of chapter)
