Wen Tiren said: "I have observed the movement of the Kun people. It may not be necessary to suppress them blindly. They are pirates and merchants. It is not known whether Xiong Wencan can be ordered to increase the number according to Zheng Zhilong's rules and use both suppression and appeasement to eliminate military disasters. …”
An hour later, Wen Tiren sat in the sedan chair with his eyes closed and meditative. The sedan chair was very stable, and there was a sense of leisurely rhythm in it, which made him feel sleepy. He felt that the empire was weak, but it was It still retains a huge body. Wen Tiren never thought about its collapse. Even with its huge frame, it can crush the provocateurs who keep appearing. Donglu can cross the border wall, but cannot occupy the pass. Although the rogue bandits are raging, It's just a locust plague passing through. Although the newly emerged bandits have occupied Guangdong, in Wen Tiren's view, they are just coastal bandits. He breathed a sigh of relief, as long as I am still sitting in this position, everything will be fine.
The concierge of Wen Mansion and the steward of Wen Mansion returned a gift list to Xiong Wencan's messenger and said: "My master has always been a Qingjie, and the etiquette is too heavy to bear. When your envoy goes back, he will only tell Governor Xiong that the entrustment has been fulfilled, and there is no need to come again. Please." "
The side door of Wen Mansion slammed shut, leaving behind a group of retreating figures on the street.
In Beijing, the flying sand is dancing, the sun is gray, and the dusty wind blows up the fallen leaves, bringing with it the loneliness and desolation of the city.
In the twelfth lunar month of the ninth year of Chongzhen (January 1637), one of the fiercest cold waves of the Little Ice Age rushed down from Siberia, and another heavy snowfall hit the mountainous areas of northern Guangdong. After passing through Dayuling, Zhuji Lane on the side is already covered in silver. Since Zhang Jiuling organized the construction of a new road in Dayuling during the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, this place has been the only way for merchants from the north and the south to travel. From Guangdong to Jiangxi, there are two passages: Meiling Road on Dayu Mountain and Wujing Road in the northeast of Nanxiong. Meiling Road is divided into Hengpu Road, Xiaomeiguan Road and Dayuling New Road. They all go to Nan'an (Dayu), while Wujing Road goes east to Nanye (Xinfeng).
A group of merchants carrying burdens, sitting in sedans, and leading donkeys and horses crossed the Meiguan Ancient Road, stopped for a short break at Zhongzhan Village, and then hurried back on the road until they reached Zhuji Lane. Some of them turned back to Meiguan after unloading and handing over the goods here, and some continued to march to the first city of Tiannan, where their wealth was.
Zhuji Lane has flourished since the Tang and Song Dynasties. It originally had three streets and four lanes, and more than a thousand households, relying on the merchants and porters who came from the south to the north. Nowadays, it seems to be in decline, far less than when it was at its peak, and there were still many more soldiers patrolling with guns. Dayuling Mountain was originally the main land channel for trade between Jiangxi and Guangdong. The north transported mainly medicinal materials, grain, gold and silver to the south, while the south transported mainly salt and ironware to the north. There are hundreds of loads of people, and there are thousands of people crossing the north every day." Since the Senate opened the ocean route, goods from Jiangxi can be transported directly to Guangzhou by waterway, and the price is half cheaper than land transportation. Therefore, the number of business travelers on this trade route has been greatly reduced. Many people make a living by carrying goods and working as porters. Having lost their source of food and clothing, and without a livelihood, many people were desperate and turned into bandits one after another. Nanxiong City, which had always been prosperous, also gradually showed signs of decline.
After the Central Army of the Senate Army captured Nanxiong County, the frontline had already passed Meiling, and it was said that the reconnaissance cavalry had arrived at the gates of Ganzhou City. However, although the Australian troops are fierce, they are at the end of their strength when they arrive here. However, within a few days, they gradually withdrew from the boundaries of Jiangxi, occupying only two exits of Meiling Road: Nan'an and Nanye.
Although the Wuling area is now like two countries, the north and the south, the roads are not blocked, and people and merchants on both sides can pass smoothly. The reason is that both the Australians and the Ming Dynasty officials and gentry needed this channel to maintain trade and personnel flow. So soon after retreating. The local Australian officials privately reached an agreement with the local gentry in Lingbei. The other party promised not to restrict trade in exchange for the Senate not to invade and harass Jiangxi.
At this moment, in a tea shed next to the newly renovated Guan Road, a scholar in Ming Dynasty attire looked sad. He remembered that his teacher Huang Gongfu had written a poem when he passed by, and he was inspired to say: "The way to Changting is Zhuji, here. I watch the wind every day and feel the millet leave. In the village of Bianhu, where people gather, horses gallop on the shoulder-to-shoulder road."
"Sir, what does this poem mean?" asked the boy who was following him.
The scholar said: "Hey, it's just a sigh of relief for the prosperous scene back then, so don't mention it."
The merchant who had passed through the border with him was resting under the tea shed. When he saw him sighing, he comforted him and said, "Old sir, there is nothing good to say. Last year, during the war between Song and Ming Dynasty, bandits were rampant and the trade route on Yuling Road was cut off for a year! Everyone is We are almost out of food. Fortunately, the war calmed down quickly, and the Fubo Army was able to suppress many bandits. Now that the ground is calm, we can return to our old business and make a living."
The scholar shook his head and sighed: "It's pity that the Ming Dynasty has been raising scholars for more than two hundred years. I didn't expect that all the cities in Tiannan would change hands, and all I would have to raise are wine bags and rice bags!"
The businessman rubbed his cold hands, then brought the hot air to his mouth to keep warm, and said: "I think the Song Dynasty is not bad, at least..."
The literati snorted coldly, thinking that businessmen are indeed people who forget their loyalty when they see profit. Running around for profit and not serving their parents is unfilial, and failing to serve the country because of profit and forgetting the kindness of the king is disloyal.
When the merchants saw his displeasure, one person said: "You only know that business is prosperous, but you don't see how difficult people's livelihood is. This place is at the junction of the three provinces of Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong, with thousands of mountains and mountains, deep valleys, and alienated politics and religion. Zhu Ming has been orthodox since In Chongzhen, for more than a hundred years, villagers rioted almost every other year. After the Song Dynasty came, the bandits surrendered, died, and escaped. Nowadays, although the trade between the north and the south is not as prosperous as before, making a living is easier than before. .”
Another person answered: "Yes, in the first year of Chongzhen, Su Jun, a bandit from the Xingning Mountains, gathered people and raided neighboring counties in the three provinces of Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong. The governor of Southern Jiangxi first appeased the bandits and gave them several general officer titles. Soon after, they rebelled again. After Su Jun was killed, thousands of people including Zhong Lingxiu from the remaining party resurrected in the third year of Chongzhen. They robbed Huichang, Wuping, and Chengxiang, and the counties suffered greatly. Since there were many bandits in Xingning, the villagers chose Those who can defend the land should build enclosures to avoid chaos. Thirty-six enclosures and seventy-one forts will be built."
"There are more than ten passes in Nanxiong alone to protect against bandits."
The boy was a little curious and asked: "In that case, what secret technique did Song Bing use? Can he eliminate this banditry that has caused trouble for hundreds of years?"
"Little brother, you don't understand. Are there born bandits in the world? Zhu Ming suppresses bandits without following the fundamentals, just like putting out a fire with firewood. The fire will not be extinguished until the firewood is exhausted."
"That's what you said." The boy reminded him.
The businessman showed a meaningful smile and said in a low voice: "Most bandits are just people of the same clan who are surnamed by other clans because of their tyranny, and they do whatever they want to stir up civil unrest, resulting in bandits running rampant. After the Song Dynasty came, Ah, fight against the local tyrants and evil gentry, pay off the blood debt, and clear the land. Those who stubbornly resisted are either dead, and those who are not dead are said to have been exiled to Nanyang."
The scholar sneered and said: "Hahaha, I know why, it turned out to be Kun...Song Bing became the bandit leader here."
"Be careful what you say, be careful what you say." The businessman carefully looked around and only felt relieved when he was sure that there were no officials.
The scholar said: "Every man is not guilty, but he is guilty of carrying a jade. He seizes people's property and divides their fields. How is this behavior different from that of bandits?"
Another businessman said: "Since ancient times, 'when there is prosperity, the people suffer; when there is death, the people suffer.' You and I are living in troubled times. I must have heard the saying, 'bandits are like combs, soldiers are like grates.' People are afraid of bandits and hate officers and soldiers even more." .Only the Fubo Army of the Song Dynasty did not engage in rape, robbery, killing and defrauding the good. Along with the military disaster, epidemics also became popular. In the past two years, pox was rampant in northern Guangdong, and every village wore mourning. Fortunately, the officials administered vaccines. , now everyone in the border villages has been vaccinated, and no longer suffers from the pain of death. If the bandits are like the Song Dynasty, what about being thieves?"
The scholar stopped talking. When he and the boy were checking in at Nan'an, they also went through the so-called "purification" quarantine. The short-haired woman in white poked her arm several times with a needle she had never seen before. , he was allowed to enter customs only after acne appeared on his upper arm, and a "vaccination certificate" was also issued.
The businessmen were still talking happily about the previous war.
"Fubo's army attacked Nanxiong, Nan'an and Nanye City like a ravage, and Ganzhou was shocked. At this time, the miners in Linwu also rioted in response, and the Ming Dynasty bandit soldiers were beaten until they ran away..."
Another person laughed and said: "Hey, the governor of Nangan heard that 'the thieves are invincible if they are less than a thousand, but they are invincible if they are less than a thousand'. He was so frightened that he closed the city gate tightly and almost hanged himself."
"The city of Ganzhou is strong, easy to defend and difficult to attack. I have never heard that the Fubo army attacked Ganzhou. However, more than half of the area under the jurisdiction of the governor of Nangan was lost. Chongzhen's son was so angry that he was thrown into prison in a rage."
…
Listening to the businessmen's performance commentary, the scholar raised his head and closed his eyes. Three years ago, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, he and his friends got drunk and rode horses to visit the lantern night market in Guangzhou, which was a great time. It happened that Huang Xi, the magistrate of Nanhai County, was on a patrol. He had no time to avoid it and was yelled at by the Yamen servant, but he did not dismount. Huang Xi was very angry and ordered his horse to be collected. He relied on his talent and arrogance, and regarded himself as a talented and romantic man. He sarcastically said: "It's just the right thing to ride a donkey in line with the order of Huayin. If you lose a horse, you will still be saddled with an old man." Therefore, he offended the county magistrate.
Huang Xi submitted a petition to deprive him of his reputation and punish him. His father-in-law, Liang Yuanzhu, pleaded for mercy in vain, so he had no choice but to flee to Guangxi. Since then, he has wandered around the world, leaving footprints all over Guangxi, Hunan, and Jiangxi, and also witnessed the wars of the Ming Dynasty.
Last year, he suddenly heard that the Kun bandits were causing a rebellion and had captured Guangzhou without a single blow. He was worried about the safety of his family and wanted to return to his hometown to organize volunteers to serve the court, so he tried his best to return to Guangzhou. I just regret that the bandit Kun cut off the trade route to Dayuling, and the interrogation was very strict, so he could not return. When he was in a dilemma, worried and angry, he occasionally received help from a noble person. Only then did he settle down temporarily. After half a year, Pan Heng heard that the Kun thieves seemed to have reached some kind of tacit agreement with the Jiangxi locals, that there would be no peace or war, and the trade routes would be reopened, so he set out on his way back home.
What will be waiting for him after he leaves?
(End of chapter)
