Zhao Tong and Duan Siyan negotiated the matter and purchased 10,000 pairs of rattan armor with 100,000 taels of silver. The payment can only be made in advance and cannot be postponed in two years.
Then, he blocked Duan Siyan's plan to travel in Tokyo, and coldly used people from Suiyulou to send Duan Siyan away.
No matter how good Duan Siyan's martial arts skills are or how powerful the guards around her are, Zhao Tong cannot let her continue to stay in Tokyo City, even within the Song Dynasty. There is no room for negotiation on this matter.
Duan and Gao share the world in Dali. At this time, the situation in Dali is in chaos. If something happens to Princess Zhaoqing in the Song Dynasty, the implications will be huge. Not only will it disrupt his arrangement, but even he and Duan Yichang will be involved. Get involved.
There must be no room for error when it comes to rattan armor. Armor is an important weapon in the army, second only to the crossbow. This is also the reason why all dynasties have banned weapons and armor.
Often a few pieces of armor can stir up trouble. This thing is a kind of call. With armor, those who follow will have confidence.
At present, Liu Suiyun over at Longyou is trying every means to destroy the armor and weapons of the Longyou army, reporting damage, consumption, and falsely increasing the number of people. The weapons are not bad, but the armor is very difficult.
In nearly two years, he only received more than a hundred pieces of iron armor, five hundred pairs of leather armor, and more than two thousand pairs of cloth armor.
Among them, the infantry armor can be ignored, because it is not very useful. The more than one hundred pairs of iron armor and the more than five hundred pairs of leather armor are too few.
Although the soldiers of the Longyou Protectorate have armor themselves, if something unexpected happens in the future, it is still unknown how many of them can be used by him. And the Tibetan soldiers and falcon soldiers secretly recruited by Liu Suiyun cannot be used without armor. .
As for the capital, although he can make a large number of armors here, it is difficult to transport them out. Zhao Kai is keeping a close eye on him, and Emperor Daojun is not at ease with him. The armor is large and it is difficult to escape from the imperial city no matter how he transports it. Eyeliner.
Right now we can only count on Dali's Tengjia and Fujian's armor-making companies.
Fujian has many mountains and is not a battleground for military affairs, so it can be kept secret to the greatest extent. In the mountains of Fujian, armors and weapons are being made day and night, but the problem is... these things cannot be sent as far away as Longyou.
But Dali is different. Although Dali normally has to take the four roads under the jurisdiction of Chengdu Prefecture, as well as Qinfeng and Xihe to get to Longyou, there is another way to go.
That is the Tibetan road. The territory of Tubo is narrow in the east and wide in the west. There is a plate of loose sand in the north of Tibet, and there is an opportunity to take advantage of the land in the southeast of Tibet.
After the collapse of the Tubo Dynasty, the remaining forces descended from King Mujian and King Guanghu are all in central or southern Tibet, while King Gesar is in southwest Tibet.
There are no complete big forces in the southeastern part of Tubo. They are all scattered tribes, and because they are close to the Song Dynasty along the way, there are mostly familiar Tibetans.
Although the road is difficult to walk, it is possible to walk. From Jianchang Mansion in Dali, go straight to Longyou from Fandong, the distance is even closer.
Dongfang has been doing business since ancient times, and it is possible to transport vehicles and horses. As long as there are many escorts, it is considered safe.
Moreover, Zhao Tong once gave Liu Suiyun the same task, which was to bribe the Southeastern tribes. After two years, most of those tribes were in contact, so they were safer.
Although Zhao Tong drove Duan Siyan away at this moment, he gave her some gifts and specialties, and even wrote her a flower from Nanlu. This was the reason why Duan Siyan could leave willingly.
Duan Siyan also gave a gift in return, which was a dozen small jars, containing some flower seeds that were rare in the Song Dynasty, including Datura. Before leaving, Siyan smiled and warned that although this thing is beautiful, it is poisonous throughout the body, so don't do it. edible.
Zhao Tong looked at the pile of bottles and jars and couldn't laugh or cry, so he had to take them to his mother-in-law. She was surprised when she saw them and asked where they got all these rare flower seeds.
Naturally, Zhao Tong couldn't tell the truth. He only said that a friend from the south sent it and said that the datura flowers were poisonous.
The young lady couldn't help but said softly: "Which lady should have given it to me?"
Zhao Tong laughed to himself and said, "Zhen Niang is still smart. How can a grown man send you flower seeds?"
The little girl looked at the flower seeds and liked them, she put them away as if she had found a treasure, saying that she would plant them when the spring comes after the New Year...
Muzhou, Qingxi County, within the county government.
Chen Guang, the magistrate of Qingxi County, frowned at this moment. He had originally heard about Fangla's incident in Wannian Town, the talisman, and the king's shadow in the stream, but he didn't take it seriously at first. After all, belief in ghosts and gods is more common in rural areas.
But at this moment, Fang Shilong, the swordsman and pen in front of him, said that Fang La secretly proclaimed himself emperor, which made him feel a little shocked and panicked.
This Fang Shilong is the son of Zhengfang Youchang in Wannian Town. Fang Youchang is a squire in Wannian Town. He has a thousand acres of land and has five sons. His name is "Long Xiong Geng Zhencheng" and he is known as the Five Tigers of Impermanence.
The eldest brother, Fang Shilong, worked as an official in Qingxi Yamen, and the second brother, Fang Shixiong, worked as a catcher. Fang Shilong recounted the news from Wannian Town and received a letter, which was written by Fang Youchang himself.
Chen Guang couldn't help but gasped after reading the letter. It turned out that Fang La's proclaimed emperor was secret, but there was no airtight wall in the world. There had been a lot of uproar in Wannian Town, and Fang La sent troops to the gentry in the town. The family's "borrowing food and money" further confirmed their evil intentions.
After Chen Guang read the letter, he hurriedly wrote the official document in his own hand, used a big seal, and sent the county captain Wengkai to Muzhou Prefecture to deliver it.
Two days after the incident, Chen Guangzheng was sitting in the morning office. After midnight, he saw Fang Shilong and Fang Shixiong leading a dark man into the courtroom.
The three people knelt down in front of the public case and burst into tears. Chen Guang was confused and looked at Fang Shichang and asked: "Fang Yasi, what do you mean, why are you three crying so loudly?"
Fang Shilong choked with sobs and cried: "The villain's father found out that the thief Chief Fang La had proclaimed himself emperor and rebelled, so he sent his third brother to report to me and brought a letter. The county magistrate read it the day before yesterday, but who knew that the thief had set up his eyes and ears in Wannian Town? After finding out about this, he held a grudge and sent more than 200 thieves to the town that night. They killed forty-eight members of the clerk's family, old and young, and robbed money, food and other items. The third brother Fang Shigeng escaped with his life by jumping over the wall. The patrolmen and archers suppress and arrest, firstly to avenge the villain, and secondly, to eliminate harm to the country."
After that, there was another exchange of tears, and their heads made a thumping sound on the ground. Fang Shixiong and Fang Shigeng also burst into tears, heartbroken.
Chen Guang was shocked when he heard this, but he suddenly slapped his hands in shock and said angrily: "You three are crying and crying, how can you behave like this? Please stop crying, the county has already written the documents, and we are just waiting for the troops from the state capital to arrive. , we must wipe out the rebels, just hold Fang La and let your brothers slaughter him."
Fang Shilong wiped his tears and said: "Sir, everything must be done sooner rather than later. If we don't go to exterminate them now, it will be difficult to exterminate them when Fang Lakou gathers in large numbers and becomes more and more powerful. When will this revenge be avenged? I'm afraid he will seize it. I came to Wannian Town and thought about going to the county again."
Chen Guang took a breath and said: "This county is not afraid of bandits. In fact, Qingxi is a small county in a small area with few soldiers and generals. How can we subdue them? If we are negligent, how can we regret it? If we fail, it will only encourage the bandits!" "
All the officials on both sides also came to comfort him: "Fang Yasi, people say that it is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge after ten years. We should discuss it calmly. Now we are just crying, what will it do?" After hearing this, the expressions of the three brothers softened.
Although Chen Guang looked calm at this time, he knew something was wrong in his heart, so he hurriedly wrote two more urgent documents, one sent to the Zhizhou Yamen of Muzhou, and the other to the Zhexi West Appeasement Department in Hangzhou.
As soon as he sent his people out before retreating, several urgent documents were delivered. They were all cases of Mingjiao believers robbing and killing wealthy gentry. Chen Guang suddenly felt confused. After he sent everyone away and went back, he just didn't think about food and drinks. He could not sleep at night, fearing that Fangla would attack Qingxi, so he ordered the entire city's soldiers and civilians to take turns patrolling. The city gates were opened during the day and closed at night, and people who came in and out were strictly questioned.
It is said that Zhang Huiyan, the Zhizhou magistrate of Muzhou, was compiled by Zhongdafu Youwendian. After reading the counter-insurgency document submitted by Qingxi County, he was very surprised. He then transferred to the West Zhejiang Road to appease the envoys and asked the Muzhou military commander to inspect the troops and plan to arrest him.
But just after the matter was done, urgent documents from Qingxi County came like snow flakes. Zhang Huiyan immediately panicked and quickly asked the general judge Ye Juzhong, the military manager Tong Shu, and the prisoner Zhang Yuan to discuss it.
Zhang Huiyan looked at several people and said: "Anti-bandit gangster Fangla gathered tens of thousands of people in the village of Wannian Town, Qingxi County under the jurisdiction of this state. They killed their families and robbed the property of the gentry. This group of thieves used Bangyuan and Zitong as their nests and went out everywhere. The intrusion, the robbery of homes and houses, is not limited to one end. This state has urgently sent an official document to the Western Zhejiang Envoy. We have not yet replied, but I am afraid that the matter is urgent, so we need to make plans first. Do you have any good advice?"
Hearing this, Ye Juzhong said: "This department has also been receiving documents from Qingxi and other places, saying that Fang La began to confuse the public with demonic teachings, win over the foolish people in the mountains and fields who dare to die, kill officials and destroy the rich, rob food and property, and hate the common people. He is interested in profit and has many followers, and now he has recruited ten thousand desperadoes. These people are hiding in deep mountains and deep valleys. If there are only a few people, it will be difficult to penetrate deep into the territory."
Tong Shu, the commander of the army and horses, said anxiously: "My lords, there are only a few hundred officers and soldiers in the inspection departments under the jurisdiction of Muzhou to arrest thieves. They also have to defend the place. If they are small thieves, they can still be arrested. Such a large group of rebels can be arrested." Kou, I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do!”
Zhang Yuan shook his head and said: "Master Tong is too cowardly to capture these little desperate grass bandits? Master Tong, if he takes the place of an official in prison, Zhang is not talented. He is willing to bring 500 soldiers to defeat the enemy. He must be captured alive." That rebel Fang La!"
Zhang Zhizhou said angrily: "What did Zhang Tixing say? Chief Tong is too skilled with guns and horses to arrest him, let alone go away? Moreover, this state relies entirely on these soldiers to protect it. If Muzhou is here, he is fulfilling his duty. If this city is lost, This is a dereliction of duty, the Qingxi rebels are not far from here, if the rebels attack the city, who can defend the city? How can they leave without permission!"
The general judge Ye Juzhong said quickly: "Sir, please don't argue. Catching bandits is the responsibility of the superior government. However, Muzhou's strength is weak and it is difficult to send troops. Since it has been reported to the Western Zhejiang Appeasement Department, let's wait for the soldiers to come down to arrest them. In addition, It is necessary to prepare a report to the imperial court and ask for official approval."
He is the general magistrate of a state, so naturally his main priority is to go to heaven to hear the matter. As for whether there will be a report from the West Zhejiang Road, it is a matter to appease the envoy.
Zhang Huiyan, the magistrate of the state, nodded when he heard this and said, "Ye Tong's judgment is reasonable. This is the best policy."
He immediately asked people to prepare paper and ink, write down the memorial, and sent his confidant Yuhou Wu Qing with two state officials to quickly send to the capital to ask Prime Minister Wang Fu to report to the capital.
Wu Qing, Marquis of Wu Yu, chose a fast horse and took two servants with him. They traveled at dawn and stayed overnight. They arrived in Tokyo in more than one day. Then they walked through Nanxun Gate, then entered Zhuque Gate, then went to the river bridge and went straight to Zhongshu Province. go.
At this moment, an official sedan carried by four people came forward. Wu Yuhou's horse was walking too fast and could not avoid it. He strangled and pulled the horse, causing the official sedan to stop.
It is said that the person in this sedan chair, whose surname is Yu Shen, is considered one of the prime ministers of the dynasty. He once worshiped the prime minister and had several ups and downs. Now, although he is only appointed as an imperial envoy, Zhongcheng and concurrently as an attendant, he is still a senior official with the title of "Jia Shaobao". , named Feng Guogong.
At this moment, Yu Shen opened the sedan curtain and saw a Marquis Yu leading a messenger outside to lead the horse. The horse was soaked with sweat and steaming with sweat. Yu Shen stamped his feet. The bearer got off the sedan chair, raised the curtain and asked the attendant to call the leader. Marquis Yu of the horse came over.
The attendant went over and said angrily: "It's a shame that you are still an official in the palace and don't know any rules. You dared to block my husband's sedan chair. My husband is calling you!"
Wu Yuhou was shocked when he heard the word "Xiangong". He hurriedly handed the horse to the messenger behind him, walked to the sedan, lifted his clothes and bowed, kowtowing and said: "I have urgent business to send to the middle school." Under the Shumen, I was reckless and blocked my husband's way, and I hope my husband will forgive me!"
Yu Shen looked at his dusty appearance and said, "I don't blame you for the truth. You just said where you came from. What business do you have under Zhongshu's family?"
Wu Yuhou said hurriedly: "Back to Mr. Yu, I am the Yuhou from Muzhou Prefecture on the West Zhejiang Road. Recently, Fangla rebelled in Wannian Town, Qingxi County, Muzhou Prefecture, and arrogated his honor. The local government was unable to suppress him, so he has gone to appease him." The envoy asked for troops, and the governor Zhang sent me to Beijing to deliver the memorial."
Yu Shen was surprised when he heard this and asked quickly: "How did Fang La rebel?"
Wu Yuhou said: "Returning to your husband, in the early days of Fang La, he used Ming religion to persuade the people to resist rent and taxes. Later, he killed officials and robbed wealthy gentry. He used Bangyuan and Zitong caves as his nests, recruited soldiers and horses, gathered grass and stocked up food. Now he has More than ten thousand people have recently claimed the title of emperor, and their momentum has become even greater. Bandits from all directions have come to surrender, threatening to kill Zhu Meng first and then seize Kaifeng, so that the people can refuse to accept Huagang's corvee or pay for food. Master Zhang wrote specifically for this matter After getting the manuscript, I sent a villain to knock on the door and ask the Prime Minister Wang Fu to report it to the officials."
Yu Shen frowned when he heard this and thought to himself, could this be Hua Shigang forcing him to rebel against the people? See, Wang Fu won’t play at court tomorrow? If he deceives the officials, I will impeach him.
This Yu Shen was in the same party as Cai Jing, and Wang Fu was at odds with Cai Jing because of his position. Cai Jing had previously promoted Yu Shen, but within a few months, he was replaced by Wang Fu, so he felt resentful in his heart.
After thinking about it, he said with a stern face: "Since it is your master who is going to present the memorial, then go to Zhongshu's door as soon as possible. If Mr. Wang is not here, go and wait in front of the Prime Minister's Mansion so that you can see me in time."
"Thank you, Mr. Xian!" Wu Yuhou kowtowed a few times and stepped back, passing the sedan chair. He also got on his horse and whipped his whip to go straight to Zhongshu's door.
Unexpectedly, he was not there when he went there. He remembered Yu Shen's words and led people straight to Wang Fu's house.
Marquis Wu Yu was born as a civil servant, so he naturally knew some of the rules of the Prime Minister's Office. Even if it was a big matter, the routine should be given first and then introduced by the concierge.
Zhang Huiyan had been prepared when he sent him here. The two Zhejiang roads were rich and there was no shortage of these silver coins.
Marquis Wu Yu took care of everything, and it took another half an hour before he could enter. Wang Fu was drowsy at this time. It turned out that he had been drinking and having fun with Emperor Daojun and Li Bangyan last night, and had just returned from going to court to rest. Just heard the report.
He did know that Zhang Huiyan was originally a disciple of Cai Jing. He thought that he wanted to change his family after sending someone to deliver gifts, so he reluctantly met him.
Wu Yuhou did not dare to look up at this moment. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed and said: "Your Excellency, I am the minister of the House of Lord Zhang in Muzhou in the west of Zhejiang Province. Due to an urgent military situation, I have ordered this villain to come and report. I ask the Prime Minister to play." Official family."
Marquis Wu Yu took out the memorial and his attendant took it and presented it to him.
When Wang Fu heard that it was not a gift, he lost half of his energy and hastily opened the book on the desk to read.
I saw the book written: I, Zhang Huiyan, would like to report that recently, in Qingxi Wannian Town Fangla, he falsely obtained the celestial talisman, linked up with the demon sect, incited the people to rebel, and gathered tens of thousands of people to kill officials and steal wealth. Fang La claimed to be Emperor Shenggong, changed his reign to "Yongle", appointed generals, and appointed officials from three provinces and six ministries. He threatened to kill Zhu Meng first and then open the seal. Fubei officials quickly sent out elite soldiers and generals to conquer them. The ministers were extremely frightened and awaited the verdict.
After Wang Fu finished reading, he threw the book to the ground with an angry face and sneered: "Your family is very ignorant. This kind of thing has happened many times. You will rebel at every turn and ask the court to send troops." The West Zhejiang Road is not without soldiers. I remember that there are two thousand forbidden troops on the West Zhejiang Road, and there are nearly ten thousand Xiangjun soldiers. How can we not redress the situation? Go back and tell your Lord Zhang that now that the new year is approaching, he has come to disturb the holy bow. It’s a sin. If you don’t remember his past hard work, he will definitely be punished with a serious crime!”
Wu Yuhou was scolded and broke into a cold sweat. He left the capital immediately after leaving the Prime Minister's Mansion and returned to Muzhou overnight.
However, Emperor Daojun came to Zichen Palace early in the morning. The civil and military ministers stood in two groups. The head official of the palace sang and asked questions. No one among the civil and military ministers spoke. Emperor Daojun nodded, tossed his robe sleeves and drove back to the palace.
All civil and military officials withdrew one by one. Yu Shen thought to himself in the crowd: "How dare Wang Fu deceive the emperor like this? If he hides his rebellion and fails to do anything in the future, he will be impeached for the crime of harming the country."
After leaving the palace, he pretended to parade around in his sedan chair, and then went straight to Cai Jing's mansion.
In the middle hall of Cai Mansion, Yu Shen recounted yesterday's encounter with Muzhou Yu Hou. Cai Jing remained silent after hearing this.
Although he is old and decrepit at the moment, he has heard of the rebellion but he did not know that it was due to the Huashi Incident. In recent years, the Zhu family in the southeast has become bigger, which has attracted complaints from the people. The Zhu family was originally supported by him, but now it has been made by Wang Fu, and he has gained all the big profits.
But now the Zhu family's tail cannot be lost, Wang Fu has gained power, and he is old. After hearing Yu Shen's words, without saying a word, he was helped back to the rear.
Yu Shen didn't have any countermeasures, and felt angry. The next morning, when the ministers had finished paying their congratulations, he walked out of the class and said, "Officials, I have something to report."
After saying that, he reported the fact that he met Wu Yuhou on the road and learned about Muzhou, and then added more fuel and jealousy to impeach Wang Fu for concealing important military information.
Emperor Daojun was shocked when he heard this. What he feared most at this time was rebellion. The chaos in Wang Qing was vivid in his mind, and Tian Hu was still unrest at the moment, so he couldn't listen to such right and wrong.
At this time, Wang Fu hurriedly went out: "The officials, the ministers have listened to Muzhou's report and understood it. This is because the weed people in the mountains of western Zhejiang have suffered some drought and are short of food. They have gathered to rob homes and houses, and plunder food and clothing, so they are alarmed." The government, I have severely ordered Zhang Huiyan, the magistrate of Muzhou, to arrest him within a time limit."
When Emperor Daojun heard this, he nodded slightly and breathed a sigh of relief.
Yu Shen saw that he was making an understatement, so he continued: "Officials, I have heard that the people in Qingxi Mountain are bandits because they suffer from the corvee labor in Huagang every year. Your Majesty can issue an edict to stop the disturbance of Huashi in two Zhejiang provinces, so that the people can be at peace. The bandits will naturally subside."
When Wang Fu heard this, he immediately said angrily: "It is outrageous and rude to dismiss officials even if they receive tributes of flowers and stones. What is your intention, Yu Zhongcheng? Where do you put the officials?"
Just as Yu Shen was about to defend himself, he saw that Emperor Daojun looked unhappy. He looked at him coldly, snorted, and immediately got up and drove back to the palace.
Immediately, the officials dispersed.
(End of chapter)
