When they entered the territory of Suzhou Prefecture, Tan Lun and Gao Hanwen suddenly discovered that there were many fewer checkpoints.
I encountered a customs checkpoint by chance. In addition to the customs clearance goods that need to go through the tax-paying cargo channel, people who only carry a small amount of luggage do not need to check at all and can pass directly quickly.
Tan Lun and Gao Hanwen looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes.
It stands to reason that it is wartime, but there is no sign of fighting between the two sides at all. They saw truckloads of goods being transported towards Nanjing. Those who didn't know better thought that Suzhou Prefecture was still under the control of the Ming court.
"Brother Zili, where should we go when we arrive in Suzhou?"
Tan Lun had already figured out where to go on the way, and he immediately said: "Go find Wang Shizhen!"
Gao Hanwen then remembered that Wang Shizhen, the great literary master of today, was currently in mourning in his hometown of Taicang County, Suzhou.
Wang Shizhen's father, Wang Yan, was ordered to be executed by the emperor because of the frame-up by Yan Song, Yan Shifan and his son. Wang Shizhen was disheartened by the court, resigned from office, and returned to his hometown in Suzhou with his father's body in his arms.
Tan Lun said: "Wang Yuanmei and I were Jinshi scholars in a different subject. We were both officials in the Hanlin Academy at that time, so we have a friendship in the same academy."
"Wang Yuanmei's father was a loyal man who was harmed by the imperial court. He must have deeply hated him when he resigned and returned home."
"Let's go find him to settle down first and then wait and see how the situation changes."
Even a man like Tan Lun, who was loyal to the country, was arrested by the court.
He also thought about the courtesy he received from his colleagues around him when he took office in Hangzhou, and then thought about the cold reception he received from those people after he was released to Nanjing.
Gao Hanwen was now completely desperate for the court.
The two simply set off directly towards Taicang County and soon arrived at Taicang County.
After all, it was wartime, so the gatekeepers asked the two of them to wait outside the city, and then sent someone to inform the Wang family.
However, neither Tan Lun nor Gao Hanwen were exploited by the soldiers. When the Wang family sent someone to act as guarantee, they were released directly into the city.
Tan Lun became even more silent now. Nanjing and Suzhou are so close to each other, and the military discipline on both sides is as high as heaven. Is it possible for the Ming court to win?
The Wang family was originally a wealthy family in Taicang, and Wang Shizhen, a third-ranked scholar, was originally the most prominent family in Taicang City.
Wang Shizhen's younger brother Wang Shimao became a Jinshi in the thirty-eighth year of Jiajing, but his father Wang Yan disobeyed Yan Song and his son, and was executed in the West Market of Beijing for the crime of misdirection.
The two brothers wept and mourned each other and returned home in mourning. However, the officials and gentry in Taicang County were afraid of Yan Song's power at that time, so no one came to express their condolences.
Brother Wang Shizhen saw through the warmth and coldness of human nature, so he simply dismissed the slaves and found a secluded place to live in Taicang City to observe filial piety to his father.
What greeted Tan Lun was Wang Shizhen's younger brother Wang Shimao and an old steward.
After returning to Taicang, Wang Shizhen burned the deeds of the servants at home, but the old steward had watched Wang Shizhen grow up and had a deep affection for the Wang family, so he voluntarily stayed to help the two brothers.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Wang Shimao introduced Tan Lun and Gao Hanwen to the Wang brothers' new residence.
Seeing Wang Shizhen in filial piety clothes, Tan Lun said silently:
"Brother Wang, I was not able to burn a stick of incense in the mourning hall of the old man that day. How shameful is Tan!"
Wang Shizhen's expression was very calm and he said: "After my father was imprisoned, brother Zili also tried his best to rescue him. At that time, brother Zili was serving the imperial court outside the capital."
Speaking of his father's unjust murder, Wang Shimao wiped away tears again.
Wang Shizhen pulled Tan Lun and said: "After seeing the news in the "Jingshi Bao" today, my two brothers are worried about brother Zili! Fortunately, brother Zili left well! You guys stay at my house! Watch Nanjing quietly. The situation."
Tan Lun and Gao Hanwen immediately said, "That's too much trouble!"
Tan Lun and Wang Shizhen had an old friendship, and now Tan Lun's experience is very similar to that of Wang Yan, so the relationship between the two parties has naturally become closer.
Brother Wang Shizhen was not allowed to drink during his mourning period, but a dinner was held for them.
Although the house was dilapidated, Wang Shizhen was a literary master of the time. He was proficient in poetry, lyrics, and songs. He was also good at writing plays and music, and his calligraphy was also excellent.
The imperial examination eight-legged essays written by Wang Shizhen back then were printed and published by booksellers as model essays, so it was natural that they would not be able to make a living.
When Tan Lun and Gao Hanwen were in Nanjing, their future was uncertain, they had little income, and their food was very simple.
The two picked up chopsticks, and Gao Hanwen shed tears from the corners of his eyes.
Wang Shimao looked at the two of them and said, "If you ask me, you two should not return home that day!"
His elder brother Wang Shizhen served as an official for the imperial court for several years. Wang Shimao had just been admitted to the imperial examination, but his father had already committed a crime before he was awarded the official title. Therefore, Wang Shimao had not eaten the emperor's food for a whole day, so naturally he was more resentful towards the Ming Dynasty court.
"Beautiful!"
Wang Shizhen called his brother's cousin, and Wang Shimao shut his mouth.
Wang Shizhen said to Tan Lun again: "It will be great if you can escape from Nanjing. As long as you remain useful, there will always be a time when the clouds will clear and the sun will shine."
Gao Hanwen wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and nodded heavily.
Tan Lun lowered his head and then raised his head and said: "After today, the relationship between Tan and Ming Ting has been severed. Today I would like to thank Brother Yuanmei for taking me in. When the situation becomes clear in a few days, Tan will go to Hangzhou to pick up his family and go to Fuzhou to find Su." Grand Governor!"
Gao Hanwen looked at Tan Lun in surprise. You must know that Tan Lun was a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty and insisted on leaving Zhejiang despite Su Ze's personal efforts to stay.
Brother Wang Shizhen was not surprised at all. Wang Shizhen said:
"Brother Zili, please stay here first and wait until we inquire about the situation in Nanjing."
Sure enough, on September 20, the imperial guards arrived in Nanjing with the imperial edict, only to learn that Tan Lun had escaped.
The leading prince of Dongchang was very angry, but he could not rebuke the Nanjing ministers.
Isn’t it as fast as Su Ze’s newspapers? So who does it depend on?
Are the officials in Nanjing guilty of not arresting Tan Lun directly after seeing the news in the anti-thief newspapers?
The prince could only call for martial law in the entire city of Nanjing, and then ordered an investigation into the accomplices who assisted Tan Lun in escaping.
But Eunuch Wang investigated for a long time, and the result became even more embarrassing.
Tan Lun ran away after seeing the news in the "Jingshi Bao". When Tan Lun ran away, the court did not remove his official status. He even walked out of the main gate of Nanjing openly, and had to pass customs along the way. record of.
In other words, Tan Lun, the key criminal whom the emperor personally ordered to arrest, actually walked out of Nanjing in an upright manner.
The prince is crazy, isn’t it too difficult to be the Dongchang Banner this term?
Then we went to investigate Tan Lun's associates in Nanjing. After Tan Lun entered Nanjing, he went to Zhao Zhenji to deliver the memorial, and then rented with Gao Hanwen. There was no record of contact with other people at all.
Is this arresting Zhao Zhenji?
The emperor didn’t even let him be arrested!
Without the decree of the imperial court, the prince and his father-in-law would not dare to touch a cabinet official like Zhao Zhenji!
He could only vent his anger on the returned officials who stayed in Nanjing and did not run away. He only heard screams from time to time in the prison of the Nanjing Criminal Department. The prince finally gathered a list of names and ordered the Jin Yiwei to go. Continue to arrest other officers on the list.
A prison suddenly appeared in Nanjing. Anyone who had anything to do with officials who had returned from Zhejiang would be arrested and imprisoned by the Jin Yiwei.
The worst situation was in the Nanjing Household Department. Although Zhao Zhenji could not move, Fang Wanghai, the father-in-law of the rebel Su Ze, had served as the Nanjing Household Secretary and was in charge of the transfer department.
Wang Gonggong and his men almost captured the Nanjing household department, making even Zhao Zhenji unable to sit still.
The order given by the imperial court to Zhao Zhenji was to ask the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs to build water transport ships to ensure that this year's grain could be delivered to the capital.
Now that the Nanjing Household Department could not maintain its operations, Zhao Zhenji ran to the prison cell of the Criminal Department and made a fuss for a while, finally saving a few key men.
But soon, Zhao Zhenji's Nanjing household department will no longer have to be busy.
"Jingshi Bao" once again published the fastest frontline news. Lin Liangjun's second brigade has captured Jiujiang City! The Yangtze River waterway has been blocked!
Zhao Zhenji almost fainted when he saw the news. He quickly sent his men to the Nanjing Ministry of War to inquire about the situation. However, the left-behind officials from the Nanjing Ministry of War took the "Warning World Newspaper" and told Zhao Zhenji's men:
"Since it was published in the "Warning News", it is most likely true."
Zhao Zhenji's men were surprised: "Is there no news coming back from the front line? Isn't Zhang Butang in Huizhou Prefecture?"
The Ministry of War official said: "It is true that Zhang Butang is in Huizhou Prefecture, but Zhang Butang cannot find out the news about Jiangxi. The news in the "Jingshi Bao" is faster."
"When our Ministry of War gets the "Warning World News", we will rush to Huizhou Prefecture and report it to Zhang Butang."
The household official was shocked. He pointed at the other party and said, "You inquired about the military situation through the rebel army's newspapers, and then sent them to Zhang Butang on the front line?"
After the other party nodded, the household official felt dizzy. Is this world too magical, or is he unable to keep up with the times?
The Ministry of Revenue official quickly went back to tell Zhao Zhenji the news. Zhao Zhenji looked at the water transportation chart for a long time, and then said:
"It's over! Huguang's autumn grain won't arrive this year."
Zhao Zhenji said to himself: "The autumn grain in Huizhou Prefecture cannot be moved. It is the military ration left for Nanjing's left and right guards."
"I ordered that this year's grain in Jiangbei be collected immediately! Harvest twice as much as last year! Immediately ship after harvesting. Be sure to send a batch of grain to the capital!"
Before Zhao Zhenji could enjoy the joy of defeating Tan Lun, he waited for his own end.
He was good at trying to figure out the wishes of the emperor and the cabinet. He knew that his most important task now was to deliver grain to the capital.
Only when the food arrives can the imperial court mobilize the troops from all sides to go south, and the imperial court can recapture the Fujian, Zhejiang and Susong prefectures.
There were more than 100,000 elite soldiers on all sides, and Su Ze only had these few troops. It would be difficult to control Fujian and Zhejiang. Zhao Zhenji originally did not think that the court would fail.
However, the fall of Jiujiang plunged Zhao Zhenji into panic.
Zhao Zhenji looked at the map. If the food from Huguang could not be transported, he would have to rely on food from Jiangbei and Shandong.
The Jiangbei region is also an important production area. Huai'an, Taizhou, and Yangzhou are all water towns. If the food here can be successfully transported to the capital, it should be possible to mobilize some of the elites from the Nine Borders to go south, right?
However, Jiangbei has been plagued by Japanese pirates in recent years. Later, the Huaihe River was dug up to fight against the Japanese, and the Lixiahe area was severely affected.
This year, things have finally eased a bit. If food is forcibly collected, there will be starvation all over the place again.
Even his subordinates couldn’t stand it. The Ministry of Revenue official said:
"Zhao Butang, this year the imperial court granted permission to reduce taxes in the counties in the north of the Yangtze River. Now we have to double the taxes. What if there is a civil unrest?"
Zhao Zhenji closed his eyes and said: "For the sake of the court, we can only suffer the common people!"
"I wrote a warrant to ask the Jiangbei guards to assist the Yamen in collecting grain in order to prevent being attacked by Su thieves."
"In addition, we will recruit another three thousand craftsmen in Nanjing, Yang, and Zhen prefectures, and speed up the construction of large ships in Yangzhou. The food from Jiangbei must be sent to the capital!"
Zhao Zhenji, who had always cherished feathers, finally panicked, and the dilapidated machine of Nanjing Household Department finally started to run.
At this time, at the dock in Fuzhou, Su Ze and his subordinates were waiting for the official ship to dock.
When he saw the white-haired Hu Zongxian, Xu Wei, who was standing behind Su Ze, was stunned for a moment. It had only been a few months since he saw Hu Zongxian, and Hu Zongxian was actually much older.
"Hu Gong!"
Su Ze stepped forward personally, supported Hu Zongxian, and pulled him down the pier together.
Hu Zongxian did not expect Su Ze to be so enthusiastic. Su Ze pulled him into the carriage. Xu Wei saluted Hu Zongxian and said:
"Hu Budang."
Hu Zongxian waved his hand and said: "Now there is no Hu Butang. The imperial court has removed my title."
Hu Zongxian looked at Su Ze and said, "Grand Governor, Hu stayed in Zhejiang for a while for this matter."
After speaking, Hu Zongxian took out a silk painting from his clothes, and Su Ze took it carefully. It turned out to be a detailed map of Zhejiang's mountains and rivers.
Hu Zongxian said: "There are many floods in Zhejiang. Last year, nine counties in northern Zhejiang were flooded, destroying embankments and flooding countless fields."
"Although there are human-caused disasters, it is also related to the frequent floods in Zhejiang."
"In addition to floods, Zhejiang also has wind disasters (typhoons) and pond disasters (tsunamis). This picture is based on Hu's collection of suggestions from officials who know water in Zhejiang, asking the governor to repair the water system in Zhejiang to save the people from floods. !”
Looking at the various marks on the silk, Su Ze smiled and said, "Mr. Hu has really worked hard for the people! There is a banquet today, so Su must entertain Mr. Hu well!"
But Xu Wei, who was sitting in the car at the same time, turned pale.
After the car arrived at the Governor's Mansion, Hu Zongxian was welcomed into the mansion. Xu Wei took Su Ze alone and said:
"Grand Governor! I'm afraid Mr. Hu is still thinking about the Ming Dynasty. He has bad intentions in presenting this hydrological map!"
Su Ze said with a smile: "Chang Wen, do you think Hu Gong wants to be a leader of Zheng Guo? Offer advice to Zheng Guoqu?"
Xu Wei nodded quickly.
Su Ze said: "Zheng Guo built the Zheng Guo Canal, and the water canal was built. It only extended Han's life for a few years, but it built eternal achievements for Qin."
"From then on, Guanzhong will be more prosperous, and then Qin will have the foundation to unite the world."
"Zheng Guo's canal construction is also beneficial to the people. Since Hu Gong is doing it for the people, Su is also willing to build water conservancy for the people."
Xu Wei said: "Grand Governor! Jiangxi is still fighting fiercely. The elites from the nine sides will definitely go south next year. Now is not the time to repair water conservancy!"
Su Ze said, "Don't worry, Chief Wen. I also know that water control is not a day-to-day project. Let me take a look at the hydrology map first and pick out some easy-to-fix things to try first."
"It seems that Mr. Hu is still unwilling to serve me as an official, so that's fine, let him build water conservancy for the people of Zhejiang."
(End of chapter)
