Xining City Tea Horse Department Official Office.
As night fell, Zhang Yuanheng, the lieutenant who monitored the tea horses, finished burning the incense on the second-floor window, leaning on the wooden railing with his pipe in his hand, looking at the lights of thousands of houses in the city.
Xiningwei is very prosperous, but this false prosperity is based on a smuggling trade that is so huge that no one can control it. The imperial court asked him to monitor the Tea Horse Company because the Tea Horse Company sold a lot of Sichuan tea, and the Hequ that should be exchanged for it was Horses, but not a single one was shipped to the mainland.
Zhang Yuanheng knew the reason very well. The Acropolis of Xining was now controlled by a group of frontier soldiers called "natural disasters that changed their lives", and Zhang Yuanheng was also one of those whose lives were changed by natural disasters and man-made disasters.
If there was a ranking of unlucky people, he would definitely be at the top.
He was born in Xiong County, Baoding Prefecture. His father was a veteran who fought in Korea. After the war, he returned to his hometown and used his hard work money to buy 200 acres of land. His mother opened a tailor shop in the county and had four children. Zhang Yuanheng ranked third.
At that time, prices were cheap and the economy was prosperous. My eldest brother was serving as a soldier in the Beijing camp, and my sister also married a Beijing soldier. People liked the new and disliked the old when wearing clothes. My mother's tailor shop was doing a prosperous business.
In Zhang Yuanheng's childhood, he lived a very happy life. There was always meat to eat every half month on weekdays, and not having five dishes on the table was considered a holiday.
He is the smartest son in the family. He has been studying in social studies since he was a child. The teacher always said that he is the unicorn son of the Zhang family and can become a high official in the future.
In the forty-fifth year of Wanli, he was sixteen years old and passed the scholar examination in Xiongxian County. It seems that from that year onwards, the surrounding environment changed rapidly, and the joys, sorrows and joys of life came to him one after another.
The brother who promised to give him a Korean bow disappeared on the battlefield of Sarhu. The brother-in-law escaped from the battlefield but did not come back. He only sent back an official document stating that deserters were executed. Because of this official document, my sister was ridiculed and looked down upon by her neighbors. , chose a night that no one knew about, and hung himself from the beam.
My mother always said that she dreamed that Dalang was back, holding her head and asking her to sew him up, and waiting outside the east gate of Xiongzhou Ancient City every day. Over time, she became mentally disturbed, and one day suddenly disappeared.
He lost his two children and his wife one after another. His father said this was retribution for killing too many people. He became taciturn and drank all day long until he became delirious.
The carefree Zhang Yuanheng became the mainstay of the family. His old father needed to be taken care of and his younger sister was still young. He could only barely maintain the business of the tailor shop until the sixth year of the Apocalypse.
Two small things happened that year.
The first thing was that the earth dragon turned over on June 15th. From Xuanda to Tianjin Wei, from the capital to Kaifeng, it affected more than 60 prefectures and counties in four provinces. There were dozens of aftershocks, and people were crushed to death by the collapsed houses. Countless people, his father was just one of them.
Zhang Yuanheng had no savings, but he had to organize the funeral for his old father, so he borrowed money to hold the funeral in a hurry.
He didn't want to scribble, but at that time every family was having a funeral, and the mourners' mouths were swollen, and no one bothered to attend other people's funerals, and no one's family was prosperous.
This money is not a big deal. It is time to harvest the grain from the fields. Once the grain is harvested, the account can be repaid.
The second little thing happened. Half a month later, there was a heavy rain. The Haihe River burst its banks and the Xionghe River surged. Everything from Tianjin Wei to Zhending Mansion was flooded.
It is natural to repay debts, and it is his turn to make a choice, whether to give his little sister to the creditor as a wife, or to give the creditor the land that was sold at a low price in the disaster years.
The former was much more cost-effective, but Zhang Yuanheng chose the latter. He lost his land and the tailor shop was not running well. The next year, he gave it to others in exchange for five taels of broken silver as a dowry for his younger sister's wedding.
Now that he thought about it, since he became a scholar, the only thing that went well for him was probably marrying his little sister to a good family.
The evening when his little sister got married was so beautiful. He still remembers the sunset that day. The sunset was beautiful.
He had a good family, but it fell apart in the beautiful scenery. He had nothing.
Later, he traveled to many places with his luggage on his back. In Beizhili, he scurried back and forth like a hooded fly with both civil and military skills. His business scope ranged from ghostwriting letters to performing chest-breaking performances, and he did everything.
Never mentioning his background as a scholar, he understood clearly that being a scholar could not change his wealth, but it could bring him into contact with dignitaries that poor farmers could not reach, adding a bit of indifference to his already miserable life.
In the seventh year of the Apocalypse, he went to the capital with the idea of trying his luck. The atmosphere there was more decadent, the rich and the poor were more polarized, there were more scholars than stray dogs, and there was no place for him either.
He also thought about getting an official position, but he had not studied for many years, and neither his financial situation nor his academic reserves were enough to allow him to take the judicial examination again.
What's more, he doesn't have any property, so even if he wants to have a relationship, others don't care about him being a poor scholar.
What is shameful is not the scholar, but the poor.
It was not easy to get to know a young eunuch who also had the surname Zhang. He could talk to him. He was such a powerful eunuch. Zhang Yuanheng felt that his destiny in this life depended on this young eunuch.
He tried his best to get Xiao Zhang drunk, pressed his head to recognize his uncle, and the night before, Emperor Tianqi died. The next day, Emperor Xin ascended the throne and Wei Zhongxian fell.
Not only did Uncle Zhang fail to improve Zhang Yuanheng's life, the two of them fell down together and were led by Zhang Yuanheng to hide in Tibet. Half of the sesame seed cake was cut into four pieces. They had one meal today and another meal tomorrow.
Until it was confirmed that the court's investigation of the eunuch was not Xiao Zhang.
He would always remember that day on the fourth day of February in the second year of Chongzhen.
It was not because that day at Yuhebao in northern Shaanxi, a frontier soldier was so hungry that he drank ice water from the Wuding River to satisfy his hunger; nor was it because that day was the birthday of the Ming Dynasty Prince Zhu Cixiang, and everyone celebrated it.
It was because Zhang Yuanheng, who had been looked down upon all his life, stayed up all night and got up early, thinking about his family's future.
This is what he thought: There are so many scholars in the world that they can't even find a suitable job; there are also many eunuchs in the world, so many that hundreds or even thousands of them are looking for jobs in the palace.
But there are not many eunuchs in the world who have the reputation of being a scholar. As long as they cut off the roots of right and wrong, whether they enter the palace or the palace, they will definitely be able to find a wealthy future with their knowledge.
No matter how bad it is, it's still better than Tumubao War God Wang Zhen, right?
He gritted his teeth and stabbed himself with a five-inch sword.
When a man is established in the world, his face is gone, so what’s the use of having a dick?
But that day was not a good day.
Before the blood on his crotch was dry, in the evening the officials posted the imperial edict of Emperor Chongzhen on the city gate: From the date of the edict, anyone who dares to purify himself privately will be executed himself and his associates, and the whole family will be infested with smoke. The local troops are sent to the army, and the proclamations are made at home and abroad, and they are strictly implemented and obeyed. My heart feels like a wound, and we join the realm of benevolence and longevity. Therefore, this is the edict.
After being in panic all day long, he was finally reported, and he was originally scheduled to be sent to Liaodong for exile. Fortunately, with the help of Uncle Zhang, he was sent to Xiaohe Camp of Songpanwei, which was also a barren land.
Although the Songpan Guards were also engaged in border defense, they were not as fierce as those in Liaodong. As soon as Zhang Yuanheng arrived in Songpan in the autumn of the second year of Chongzhen, he heard that Huang Taiji of Houjin had invaded and cut off the communication between Liaodong and Jizhen.
How should I put it, being a soldier in Songpan Guard is not too bad, but for the sake of being a soldier... Zhang Yuanheng didn't quite understand why he was stabbed that way, just to gain weight quickly?
On the fourth day of December in the second year of Chongzhen, a major earthquake occurred in Chengdu and Songpanwei. The earthquakes occurred twelve times a day. The rivers swelled and the water ran red. Landslides and city collapses occurred. The landslide of the Xiaohe Guarding Thousand Households caused the city wall to collapse by 120 feet.
Throughout the three years of Chongzhen, Zhang Yuanheng was in Songpan guarding and building the city wall.
He continued to practice until this summer, when a letter from Beijing made him ecstatic. Uncle Zhang was promoted to the inner court again. He wrote to see if his nephew was dead, and asked for two people who could change his life. It's a big errand. Come to the capital as soon as possible before you die.
Time was tight and the task was heavy, so he ran to the capital and put on the coveted Feiyu uniform. With two stalls and twenty followers under his command, he had to choose between two big errands.
One is to guard the army under the eunuchs of the local eunuchs in Liaodong.
Second, he went to guard the local eunuchs in Shaanxi to monitor the Tea Horse Division.
Although Zhang Yuanheng spent a year building the city wall in Songpanwei, and he didn't know anything about the big or small things that happened in the world during this period, anyone who is not a fool knows that neither of these things is a good job.
Needless to say, there is no need to mention Liaodong. The violent civil unrest in Shaanxi is not news.
What's more, when it comes to business, it can't be a good job if it's as dangerous as supervising the army in Liaodong.
But if he doesn't choose, Zhang Yuanheng will have no choice but to return to Songpan and serve as a soldier.
Between the two, he chose to go to Xining.
All I know is that on the day of departure from the capital, eight of the twenty-two stalls under his command had gone elsewhere, and one broke his leg while riding a horse and could not follow him to the west.
His eyes darkened, but he was lucky enough to be on the same road as the chief eunuch who took over the post of local eunuch in Shaanxi, and received great power and support from his superiors.
The eunuch who guarded Shaanxi Province said: "Yuanheng, as long as you are not good at provocation, the Tea Horse Division of Xining Guard can do it!"
That eunuch was really a kind and strong old man. Zhang Yuanheng had never been entrusted with such an important task, trusted and supported so much in his life. All he could think of for a moment were six words: A scholar will die for his confidant!
Hot blood cannot be eaten. When he arrived at Xiningwei, Zhang Yuanheng was already a devout believer in the three religions.
Regardless of whether it was Taoist ancestors or Buddha, who would open their eyes and transfer him to Liaodong to supervise the army? He would be willing to devote his life to incense.
The subordinate stall prostrated behind him, interrupting Zhang Yuanheng's contemplation as he looked at the lights of Wanjia: "Master, I have found out clearly that Xining Guards has 5,600 front soldiers, Nanchuan Fuqiang Fort has 500 front soldiers, and Chengxi Zhenhai Camp has 500 front soldiers. One thousand and fifty, there are fourteen more chieftains, and the native soldiers are rated at one thousand two hundred."
"Fore soldiers?"
Zhang Yuanheng turned around and thought to himself that there should be fifteen families of chieftains. He asked, "Where are the actual troops?"
"The actual troops..." The stall owner's expression was ugly: "The actual troops of Xining Guard are 5,600, the actual troops of Fuqiang Fort are 1,000, the actual troops of Zhenhai Camp are 2,000, the actual number of local troops is unknown."
Military households in remote areas have always fled a lot, and only those with fewer actual soldiers than front-line soldiers have never seen a place where there are more actual soldiers than front-line soldiers.
Zhang Yuanheng's eyes were opened today. He knew what was going on. He frowned and said, "How many soldiers of Chieftain Liu's family are there?"
Captain Fanzi shook his head and said apologetically: "It's a humble position and incompetent. I can't find out clearly. I hope you can forgive me."
"What do you think?"
Captain Fanzi had a bitter look on his face. He didn't know how to explain this. In his opinion, the situation in Xining was chaotic yet orderly.
It was orderly because it had been two days. The flag troops in the city should be training, plowing the ground, and building equipment. Nothing was delayed.
But in this case, the senior generals of Xining Guard stopped working.
For example, there was a general in Chief Qi's family who commanded the garrison of Fuqiang Fort. He was busy at home supervising the local soldiers and doing business every day. The last time he went to Fuqiang Fort was three months ago. When he heard that he was leading sheep, he didn't Know what kind of sheep you are getting.
Similar situations happened to various chieftains and generals who were exiled as officials, especially those exiled officials. The Xining Guards seemed to have assigned them ten to fifty military households according to their official positions, and sent them all day long from Lanzhou. Go all over Hanzhong.
Captain Fanzi raised his hands and rubbed his face, saying seriously but uncertainly: "All... all?"
Zhang Yuanheng kept his expression and scolded the local eunuchs who guarded Shaanxi with all the curse words he could say in his life.
He thought that he came to Xining to monitor the tea and horse trade at the border, and he was told to let him do it without provoking border conflicts. He felt that this was unparalleled support.
But now the situation is becoming clearer and clearer. Is this called a border? This is called going deep behind enemy lines!
No wonder before leaving the capital, Cao Huachun, the great eunuch next to the emperor, specially called him to meet him, but he said nothing and looked at him with eyes full of sympathy.
At that time, he thought that Eunuch Cao was sympathetic to his tragic experience of building the city wall in Songpan!
No wonder that when he came to Xining Guard, there was no one to greet him, and he was directly taken into the tea horse department by the officers and soldiers.
Zhang Yuanheng sighed, shook his head and said, "We are in a den of tigers and wolves. How did you find out this information?"
"ah?"
Captain Fanzi was stunned for a moment and said: "What the soldiers outside said, they also said that I came to Xining and lived a down-to-earth life here. If you want to make some money, it's not difficult, as long as you don't go against them, Marshal Liu."
In fact, Zhang Yuanheng didn't care much about the question of whether he could go back. He frowned and said, "If you don't go back, to put it lightly, what will we do if the court takes action?"
After saying this, he was stunned for a moment, this is enemy territory!
Who could the imperial court send here to kill him?
Zhang Yuanheng raised his hand to stop Captain Fanzi who wanted to speak, stood up and walked around the room, turned around a few times and took a breath and said: "You said Chief Liu wouldn't let us leave, so if the imperial court wants to capture us, right? ...Do you have to pass Tusi Liu first?"
This is what Captain Fanzi wants to say. Given the current situation in Xining, how capable is the imperial court to go to Xining Guards to arrest people?
When the captor entered Xining, he was treated similarly to them.
"Sir, if Chieftain Liu doesn't want to harm us, we may be safer at this moment than the eunuchs guarding Shaanxi."
Zhang Yuanheng thought about the situation he was currently in, and his mind immediately opened up. He understood why the eunuch guarding Shaanxi said he couldn't make provocations.
Xining is a place with the Yellow River to the south, the Qilian Mountains to the north, and the Huanggu Valley in the middle connecting Lanzhou. It is the frontline base for attacking Qinghai Lake. If the imperial court cannot control Xining, it will have no initiative to start a war in the northwest.
Ordinarily Lanzhou blocks the Yellow River, just like Shanhaiguan, and can keep Xining out. But the problem is that we can't fight around Lanzhou. It is a grain storage camp that transports grain to Gansu. When a war breaks out there, Gansu's border troops Food was immediately cut off, and even the arrears of wages were gone.
"Why did the imperial court give such an important place to Thief Liu... No!" Zhang Yuanheng shook his head with emotion and suddenly covered his mouth and said, "Where did it give it to the Grand Marshal of Qinghai Marshal's Mansion?"
After that, he shook his sleeves, clapped his hands and said: "Okay, go to sleep in your place. Everyone is thinking about not getting offended, so they think your master is a big fool. Ha, after so many years of misfortune, your family The master is still alive, and he won’t die this time!”
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Ugly is good!
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