Chapter 80 Great Wisdom
Ding Shichang rushed back to Luoyang Mansion before noon. Qi Xiaoguang, who was so shocked that he didn't bother to have lunch, hurried over to see King Shou. Even though I was full of thoughts just now, I didn't feel hungry. When Zhu Zhixun forced me to sit down, I suddenly felt hungry and my sense of smell was particularly sensitive.
The strange fragrance that Qi Xiaoguang smelled was actually shiitake mushrooms.
Yes, it’s the ordinary shiitake mushroom we use to stir-fry vegetables today.
However, in the Ming Dynasty, the price of mushrooms... well, to be precise, in the Ming Dynasty, there was no price for this thing at all - because you had no chance to see it! Not to mention ordinary people, even the prefect Qi Xiaoguang had never heard of this thing.
"Longquan County Chronicle" records: Fragrant mushrooms (pronounced "Xun", mushroom) can only be found in deep mountains and shaded places. The method is to use dry heartwood olive wood, which is called mushroom wood. First, they cut down the ground at the foot of the mountain, and used an ax to mottle the bark of the wood. They waited until it was soaked and wet. After the second year (read "see" here, meaning sparse and scattered), the mushrooms came out. By the third year, the mushrooms came out. Every time after the beginning of spring, when the earth's energy is vented and thunderstorms shake it, it is handed over to the tree, hung with bamboo strips, and baked. There is another kind of mushroom that happens to appear in the sunny place during the Qingming Festival. It dries on the tree and is called sun mushroom. This mushroom is particularly good, but rare.
It is now easy to control and adjust the different temperatures, humidity, water, light, nutrients, pH, etc. required for the growth of various fungi. But in the Ming Dynasty, when there was no scientific cultivation technology, shiitake mushrooms were a luxury item among luxuries. They could only grow on a few types of trees unique to a few areas in Fujian and Zhejiang (other types of trees can also grow on them, but they don’t have a unique aroma. It’s a fake) - it takes three years to produce one if it is cultivated under artificial conditions. Moreover, whether it is obtained depends entirely on God’s favor, while the wild one is 100% dependent on luck. People at that time had never heard of the spore reproduction of fungi, and believed that the things without "seeds" were the "essence of heaven and earth" produced by "the venting of earth energy and the vibration of thunder and rain". Therefore, it was a tribute that only the royal family could enjoy. Two grains were put into the "Golden Whip Soup" stewed by the longevity king Zhu Zhixun.
In order to let King Shou finish eating and talk about business as soon as possible, and because he was curious and curious, Qi Xiaoguang drank the soup in the cup in few mouthfuls. However, it may be that he was depressed under the pressure of a strong enemy. He smelled the fragrance, but there was no special taste in his mouth.
Finally, when Zhu Zhixun wiped his mouth with satisfaction, sat up straight, and nodded to Qi Xiaoguang, two eunuchs from the palace hurried forward, lifting up the mountain of meat one on the left and the other on the right. The people behind him had already removed the special chairs. King Shou put his hands on the shoulders of the two eunuchs, and they held him up as he walked with difficulty to the main hall of the palace. Qi Xiaoguang followed closely behind.
In the main hall, Hu Zhiqi, the longevity king, was already waiting aside.
The enfeoffment of vassal kings was historically divided into three types: actual enfeoffment, virtual enfeoffment, and half-actual and half-empty enfeoffment. Real enfeoffment is to give the vassal king the power to govern the land. The prince can set up a small court in the fiefdom, which has the prime minister, six ministries and other institutions. Except for the ceremonial guard, which is lower than that of the emperor, everything else is almost the same. This method has great hidden dangers. There are always some powerful factions who are eager to take advantage of the dragon throne in the capital. As far away as the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion of Liu Bi, King of Wu in the Han Dynasty, and as close as...well, Grandpa Cheng is a successful example.
A false title is to give an honorary title and corresponding salary and treatment. Not only does it not have any governance rights, it does not even have a fiefdom. For example, in the Qing Dynasty, since Kangxi reduced the vassal status and exterminated Wu Sangui and others, all the princes, princes, princes, and princes, regardless of whether they had iron hats or not, were all in vain.
Zhu Yuanzhang, who thought he was the smartest, used a half-truth and half-truth: to give you a fiefdom and let you "become a vassal", but without the power to govern. This is called "enjoying wealth but not managing things". At the same time, it greatly restricted the administrative structure of the vassal palace. For example, in the 13th year of Hongwu's reign, the positions of prime minister and other ministers in the palace were abolished, and the left and right long histories were instead established. The long histories, regardless of left or right, were all of the fifth rank. Those with lower status than the prime minister were not even a little bit lower than the prime minister. The prime minister was a person, and the long history was divided into left and right. The meaning of mutual supervision is obvious.
The long history is selected by the imperial court and has four main tasks:
First, monitor the vassal king for the court. Record the prince's daily behavior, thoughts and speech, and report to the court regularly. If this person has any signs of evil impulses, please report it immediately! In terms of political orientation, one should "be loyal to the emperor more than serve the emperor."
Second, correct the behavior of the feudal king. The status of the vassal king is extremely noble. Although he has no political power and personal freedom (the palace was quietly managed hundreds of years ago and is generally not allowed out), if he really wants to do something random, the local officials are helpless, so someone needs to persuade them to respect the king. Mingli: Forget about robbing a common girl, but don’t dare to think about the rebellion. The feudal king pushed down the common girl in the back house and forced her to give her warmth. The long history came out to scare the relatives to take the overall situation into consideration and not to give any more trouble to the hostile forces. Giving them two money to send them away would be considered corrective.
Third, deal with the ritual and music affairs of the vassal vassal. The important affairs of the country are Rong and Sacrifice. The matter of war is decided by the Holy Emperor. The feudal king cannot interfere and maintain the hierarchical system. Always remind superiors and inferiors to rely on cumbersome etiquette procedures: when should you worship your ancestors? The last congratulatory chapter expressed loyalty. The prince is busy with Li, Zhang, Wang, Zhao Wan... Ji, these things need to be remembered and reminded by the long history.
Fourth, take the blame for the feudal king. If the feudal king gets into trouble, or if the Holy Emperor dislikes him, he will punish him. But the vassal king’s golden branches and jade leaves can’t be beaten? Then clean up the long history and kill the chicken to show the monkeys as a warning to others. This is called "The king has his faults and the history is interrogated" - much like the prince's children accompanying the prince to study. The bachelor's lecturer was babbling until smoke came out of his throat, and then the prince came over with his arms around the two maids. Is this okay? The bachelor glared and shouted to the little kid who had been studying with him for a long time before dawn: "You came here at three o'clock in the morning? You are such a naughty boy. Beat him!" So the eunuch knocked down the unlucky kid and beat him with a ping pong board. Ghosts cry and wolves howl... The saying "study with the prince" today means that it is useless work. You will not be able to succeed to the throne anyway, but in its original meaning, it means taking the blame.
In the early Ming Dynasty, the Changshi represented the trust of the court and had great responsibilities. He was somewhat similar to the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. His rank was limited but his status was high. When he returned to the court after serving, his future was bright. However, in the middle and late stages, the Holy Emperor only cared about his uncles and nephews not to rebel. He often closed his eyes and pretended not to see anything else. Except for Wu Zong who caused a farce for the short-circuited Prince Ning Zhu Chenhao, most of the other vassal kings were busy. Focus on two things every day - three meals a day. The imperial court was relieved and responsible for supervising their long history, and their status plummeted. After Tianshun (the Yingzong, who was captured in Tumubao, and later became buddies with Wala after a while, was released and launched a coup to seize the door, and became the emperor twice), the position became lifelong, and once he sat there until death, he would no longer be in officialdom. There is no future. Therefore, those who come from a decent background are often unwilling to do this or do this, because they have no way to make progress, and most of them are determined to follow the prince and help the evildoer.
This is what Hu Zhiqi is like. The position of the left chief historian in Prince Shou's palace has always been vacant, and he is the right chief historian. Hu Zhiqi used to be the head of the Department of Ceremony and Qing Officials of the Ministry of Rites, and was in the sixth rank. Because he followed the uproar and established the crown prince, he could no longer stand in the court. The late emperor thought that since you were so loyal to King Shou, you might as well let him out and make a long history for him. With you being so loyal and loyal, my fat baby will not suffer the consequences! Although his position has jumped two levels, his official career has come to an end. Hu Zhiqi also understood this truth and simply gave up all other thoughts and followed Zhu Zhixun. Fortunately, King Shou's IQ is not high. Apart from his greedy mouth, compared with other vassal kings who come up with various tricks, he does not cause much harm to the local area.
After Qi Xiaoguang explained that Shaanzhou had been lost, Mianchi Xin'an was difficult to protect, and Guan Shengyun and others were about to invade Luoyang, Zhu Zhixun asked blankly: "Qi Aiqing, in your opinion, what should I do?"
Qi Xiaoguang left his seat and paid homage: "I dare to ask the prince for three things. The first is to send troops to guard the passes. The second is to open the palace to feed the hungry troops. The third is to give money, recruit refugees, and help defend the city."
Before Zhu Zhixun could speak, Hu Zhizhi responded in a strange voice: "Master Qi, raising soldiers and helping the people should be funded by the national vassal treasury. It seems unreasonable to misappropriate the imperial court to provide the prince with thousands of years of support, right? The palace guards the army. I was supposed to protect the safety of the prince, but my lord decided to leave with just one word. According to your wishes, I decided to go out to the city to fight in the field. Then, who will protect the prince if he is a thousand years old? Not to mention that if something goes wrong, even if the bad guy scares Wang Jia, the crime will be serious. No one can afford it, right?"
Qi Xiaoguang had known for a long time that this Hu Zhiqi was not a good guy. His face darkened and he replied: "What Hu Changshi said is wrong. Your Changshi has lived in the palace for a long time and seems to be ignorant of the difficulties of the place. Grain harvests from various states and counties will only start from next month. Send him to my mansion. At this time of the crisis, the storehouses of food are less than a thousand stones. If the thieves besiege the city in large numbers, it will be barely enough to sustain them for ten days. You know, the emperor does not want hungry soldiers. If there is no food in the belly, the morale of the army can be imagined. , how to defend the city? Hangu Pass is in the west of the city, blocking the way the thieves must pass. If the palace guards have strong soldiers and strong soldiers to guard it with this natural and dangerous pass, they can block a hundred people. This is a defensive battle, how can we fight in the field? Say? How can there be any reason to abandon a dangerous pass when thieves and soldiers are pressing down on the territory? Doesn’t your history know that overturning the nest will leave the eggs unfinished?"
Hu Zhiqi argued: "Master Qi, the vassal treasury has no money and food, so we can just ask the rich people in the city to collect some taxes. Just as your Excellency said, it is difficult to leave eggs after the nest is overturned. I think, once the city falls, The common people still understand this truth when their families are destroyed and their families are destroyed. Sand becomes a tower and armpits become fur, which is just a mere thing of the prince's palace. Haha, sir, just be so noble and don't worry about it."
Qi Xiaoguang said angrily: "Hu Changshi! When the thieves and soldiers are coming, Xiaoxiao is already ready to break the law. To impose taxes at this time is to provoke a popular uprising! I firmly believe that even the illiterate people will understand that once the city falls, The reason why a family is destroyed and people are destroyed. But today I know that there are people who have read the books of saints and sages, but they don’t understand!"
Hu Zhiqi still argued forcefully: "Huh, isn't it the duty of the magistrate to punish rape and eradicate evil? How come Lord Qi has been governing Luoyang for so long, and there are still some small-time lawbreakers who are ready to take action?"
Zhu Zhixun, the longevity king, raised his hand and stopped Qi Xiaoguang who was about to slap the case: "Qi Aiqing, I understand. Taizu's ancestral system means that the vassal king enjoys his salary but does not manage things. Hu Aiqing, don't talk too much about local affairs."
Qi Xiaoguang left his seat and bowed: "Thank you for being a thousand years old. A thousand years old is a wise guide for thousands of miles."
Hu Zhiqi immediately changed his appearance and knelt down before him: "I am guilty of death. Your Majesty, please forgive me."
Zhu Zhixun waved his hand to Qi Xiaoguang: "Qi Aiqing, I just want to be a prince of peace, and I have to rely on you to destroy thieves and calm the people."
Before he finished speaking, Hu Zhiqi, who was kneeling on the ground, showed a proud look on his face. Qi Xiaoguang's heart tightened when he heard this. He was about to say something more, but when he was about to bow, he heard King Shou continue to say: "King of vassal, lord of vassal, this word vassal" Doesn’t it just mean a fence? The fence protects the house, not to mention that if a thief invades my own territory, there is no reason for me to stand by and watch!"
Qi Xiaoguang bowed to the ground from the bottom of his heart: "A thousand-year-old wise man! I am grateful to you!"
King Shou nodded and continued: "I don't know how much grain there is in the king's warehouse. I'll go back and check with Hu Aiqing. Qi Qing's family can first take 10,000 shi for emergency use, and Shu Gu will definitely be able to get it. I'll give you another 20,000 taels of silver." , you can use it as you see fit.”
Qi Xiaoguang didn't expect that this mediocre prince who usually seemed to be eating and drinking all day long would understand the righteousness so well at the critical moment. He was so moved that he choked up and kowtowed heavily to the ground. He thought to himself that the second of the three things had already been accomplished. It was indeed inappropriate to call the royal guards. Just as he was about to leave, King Shou said again: "Qi Aiqing, wait a moment. Someone, call Sun Fugui."
After a while, a strong man like a black tower wearing leather armor entered the main hall and greeted Zhu Zhixun angrily with his head down on the ground.
The person who came was none other than Sun Fugui, the commander of King Shou's army.
Strictly speaking, Sun Fugui is not a Central Plains person. His ancestors were Koreans who lived in Haixi.
In the first year of Yongle, Jurchen leaders Xiyang Ha and Suo Shiha came to pay tribute to the horses. The Ming court then set up Wu Zhe guards, with Xiyang Ha as the commander and Suo Shiha as the commander. In the ninth year of Yongle, the Nurgan Dusi Mansion was officially established. However, unlike other Dusi Prefectures, the Nurgan Dusi's main responsibility is to appease the Kuman tribes in the Heilongjiang, Songhua, and Ussuli River basins. It has no substantial military command power, and hundreds of guard posts north of Liaodong are not under its jurisdiction. , but directly take orders from the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion, and even the military intelligence system of the post station is under the jurisdiction of the Liaodong Governor's Mansion.
During the reign of Emperor Yingzong, when the Wara was conquered, the Wuzhewei responded by sending troops to assist in the battle. The leader of the troops was Sun Fugui's grandfather Ahachu. Although there was a small victory, the changes in Tumubao were powerless. The defeated army fled all the way back to the capital, and participated in the defense battle of Beijing commanded by Yu Qian. They were unparalleled in bravery. After the battle, most of their subordinates suffered casualties, so they simply stayed in the pass. When Yingzong launched the coup to seize the gate, regained his position in Dabao, and liquidated Daizong's old friends, he encountered trouble when Aha came out: this barbarian almost lost his life by sharing the same adversity with him, and he also gained trust after being around Daizong. He was simply a tool man who supported whoever sat on the dragon's throne, so he gave Sun the surname and was "promoted" from the Tartar officer commander to the commander and fellow magistrate (of course the commander is higher than the commander and fellow magistrate, but the official position of the Tartar officer is not valuable. It is completely different from the official position of a court official - for example: the regular army platoon leader can use the militia company commander as his top soldier), and stayed in the Beijing camp.
However, how could a stubborn Sun Ha be treated well in the Jing camp where Jingyouzi gathered? Holding the title of Commander and Colleague, he is not even as good as a general. When it comes to Sun Fugui's generation, the late emperor has heard that this family has a genetic trait that lacks brains and strength, so he simply released the commander of the Shou King Guard Army - such a guy can make people feel at ease and protect my beloved Fatty. Let's go, son.
According to Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang's conception, each vassal prince's palace guard command department "guards the prince's residence. If there is a recruitment, he will obey the order of the court." There are three guards, each guard has jurisdiction over five front, rear, left, and center, with a total of 5,600 people. In addition, , and there are two enclosures, each with more than a thousand people. In this way, each vassal king has more than 20,000 armed forces in his hands - Taizu has granted more than 20 vassal kings, and the Lao Zhu family directly controls more than 400,000 troops! With such a world-leading direct-controlled army, which military leader would have the courage to rebel? More importantly, these tool men usually farm and eat their own takeaways, but they let the prince suck blood and are obedient to their master. When fighting, they are so tough that they will cut down whoever the prince tells them to cut! Is there anyone smarter than me, Old Zhu, in the world? The more Grandpa thought about it, the happier he became, so he kicked his legs to make himself beautiful.
However, despite all the calculations, I forgot to count the fourth child who was the direct descendant of my bloodline. When Lao Zhu died, Da Zhu pretended to be crazy. He was crying and holding a knife, and chopped his nephew Xiao Zhu until he disappeared. No one has found him for hundreds of years.
Zhu Laosi knew how he won this game, so he would never let others have the opportunity to play like this, so he took the simplest method: confiscate all the cards in your hand and leave only one for you. Let’s see how you play with me!
Therefore, now, there is only one guard left in King Shou's army, and the leader is Sun Fugui. Sun Fugui's subordinates are still nominally five thousand households, with a total of 1,500 people. Fortunately, Sun Fugui doesn't know how to be lazy and slippery, and he does a good job in daily training. These people are much better than other guard soldiers.
King Shou called Sun Fugui up and said to him: "Fugui, there are thieves attacking Luoyang. Pick a thousand men and horses and go with Qi Qing's family. Follow the orders of Qi Qing's family in everything."
Sun Fugui clasped his fists and responded: "The general will obey the order."
Qi Xiaoguang, who was beyond words to express his gratitude, bowed respectfully to the ground and led Sun Fugui out of Prince Shou's Mansion.
All the guards in Henan Prefecture have long been cut off and merged. The Hongnong Guard closest to Luoyang is in Shaanzhou. Needless to say, it has been completely defeated by the thieves. Although 600-mile urgent post horses have been dispatched to the imperial court, the provincial capital Kaifeng, and surrounding prefectures, it is difficult to quench the thirst of those near by water far away. Now, except for the useless miscellaneous soldiers, the only one Qi Xiaoguang can count on is Sun Yat-sen. Fugui, the royal guard army.
Fortunately, Sun Fugui believed that what the prince had told him was a big deal. According to Qi Xiaoguang's arrangement, he led a thousand men and horses to Xin'an and arrived at Hangu Pass just in time before Guan Shengyun's forward arrived.
There are a total of three passes in history called Hangu Pass, of which two are the most famous: the one in the Qin Ju Six Kingdoms is the Jiuguan Pass, which was once known as the most powerful pass in the world, in Lingbao. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, in order to win over people's hearts, Liu Che enfeoffed the land in Guanzhong (Hangu) to meritorious officials, but he forgot about General Yang Pu, who had made great military exploits, so he said to him: You can become a "Marquis outside Guan". Bar. Yang Pu was afraid of being laughed at by others, so he said that I was ashamed to be an outsider and asked him to move eastward to Hangu Pass. In order to strengthen his rule over the Guandong region and deter the mighty powers of the Guandong region, Liu Che agreed to Yang Pu's request and ordered the Hangu Pass to be moved 300 miles east to the east of Xin'an County, which was called the New Pass. After the completion of the new pass, the importance of the old pass was greatly reduced, and the title of the most powerful pass in the world went to Tongguan. Wang Changling's popular saying "The bright moon of the Qin Dynasty passed the Han Pass, and the people who marched thousands of miles have not yet returned", refers to Hanguan here.
Cai Wenying, the magistrate of Xin'an County, is still alive at this moment.
On the way to Prince Shou's Mansion, Qi Xiaoguang ordered Cai Wenying to lead Ding Zhuang to repair the Hangu Pass in advance of the battle. Of course, there must be selfish motives inside - Mianchi is too far away, and Fu Yuehui really has no time to save him. Xinguan is already within the territory of Xin'an, and given my honest reasons, I can save every one I can.
The scouts of Guan Shengyun's army did not delay in the empty Xin'an County, and went straight through the city. As soon as he galloped out of the east gate, he reined in his mount - the majestic hero closed the red flag and waved it. The dog officers and soldiers had completed their defense. What awaited him ahead was another bloody battle.
