Ma Shiying returned from Sakhalin after a long absence.
Of the more than 800 people brought there initially, a year and a half later, only 100 people were left. The living people have sallow faces and thin muscles, and are in ragged clothes. They don't show any signs of life. They can easily be mistaken for refugees when walking on the road.
This team was originally going to Sakhalin Island to rescue Li Sanguang and others - the first expedition team - but unexpectedly they became Calabash Boys to save Grandpa, and the second wave of team members were attacked by the enemy.
They were attacked not only by Rakshasa ghosts, but also by white-armored soldiers sent by the Jianzhou Department.
More than 800 people suffered heavy casualties under the attack of Rakshasa ghosts and Jiannu. When they escaped, the team divided into several groups. The largest group surrounded the chief officer Ma Shiying.
It was a turbulent journey, and after half a year of thrilling escape, I finally returned to Liaodong.
Kang Yingqian and Ma Shiying had a close relationship. When they were in Kaiyuan, they had a similar affinity and called themselves close friends. There was always endless topics to talk about when they were together.
Ma Shiying was very eloquent and well-informed. He was neither as outspoken as Qiao Yiqi nor as ruthless as Sun Chuanting.
Like Kang Yingqian, Ma Shiying always has a bit of human fireworks in her body.
That night, regardless of his old age, Kang Yingqian went to Ma Shiying's house in person and held a candlelit night chat with his former friend.
After hearing that Wang Erhu and Shen Lian died in battle, Emperor Wu Ding disappeared in the capital, and Yuan Chonghuan died in Kyushu, Ma Shiying fell into deep thought. Seeing this, Kang Yingqian was about to comfort his old friend, but heard Ma Shiying ask:
"Lao Kang, when did you say the explosion occurred?"
Kang Yingqian remembered that day deeply and blurted out:
"On the night of the sixth day of May, it's Yin time."
Ma Shiying said in surprise: "How strange! On the night of the sixth day of the lunar month, Jiang Liu'er and I were on Kuyi Island. We saw a large jade plate flying from the western sky, like a full moon, hovering in the sky, then circling the island several times, heading towards The capital is flying away..."
Kang Yingqian had never been interested in these theories about strange powers and gods. Liu Zhaosun had always been nagging in front of him before his death, summoning spirits and praying to immortals. Lao Kang had had enough.
I didn't expect Ma Shiying to become like this.
"Old Kang, I'm not the only one who saw it, there were many people..."
Seeing that Kang Yingqian didn't believe it, Ma Shiying swore to defend himself, and Prime Minister Kang changed the subject.
"Is this the same Jiang Liu'er who killed Ding Bi in Shenyang?"
Distracted by this, Ma Shiying forgot about the big jade plate and replied:
"Yes, in the blink of an eye, in seven or eight years, this child has grown up. He has learned kung fu from the Taoist priests in the Qing Palace. He has grown into a tiger, has very good skills, and even raised a tiger..."
Kang Yingqian was speechless and interrupted Ma Shiying again. He knew that his old friend had suffered heavy casualties on his trip to Kuyi Island and was going crazy. Otherwise, he would not have just talked about the flying jade plate and talked about the tiger.
"What about the child? It would be great if Guangxu could have half the child."
Kang Yingqian had an only son named Kang Guangxu. This eldest son of the Kang family was arrogant and domineering since he was a child. He had a reputation as a bad boy in Kaiyuan.
"You got separated from me, maybe you are still in Kuandian..."
~~~~~
The moonlight was like water, illuminating the front courtyard of the Prime Minister's residence. The trees in the empty courtyard were shadowy, with only the night guard still yawning.
Kang Yingqian blew out the candles on his desk and took a nap. He dreamed that he was presiding over the young emperor Liu Kan's acceptance ceremony. Kang Yingqian stood respectfully beside the young emperor and tremblingly presented the jade seal symbolizing the highest power to the emperor. At this time, a familiar face came in from outside the main hall, and the surrounding guards did not stop him. When he got closer, he discovered that it was Liu Zhaosun.
"Brother Ma,"
Kang Ying rubbed his sleepy eyes and found that Ma Shiying, who was sitting opposite him, was still in high spirits.
"I have something to ask for."
Ma Shiying leaned forward and looked seriously at the old friend with white beard and hair in front of him.
"Tell me, as long as you don't let me go to Kuyi Island again, anything will do!"
Kang Yingqian laughed, stared at Ma Shiying's small eyes, and said lightly:
"Okay, go to Southern Zhili and bribe their cabinet ministers with a lot of money. I know that you have a wide range of ways. I must impeach that old man Liu Zongzhou and prevent him from further northern expedition. This Liu Qidong (characterized by Liu Zongzhou) has no Yue Wu Mu’s life is suffering from Yue Wu Mu’s disease!”
"Old Kang, did you know that I just escaped from the tiger's den, and now you want me to plunge into the dragon pool again?"
"Don't be afraid. I've been in Nanzhili before. The people there recognize money but not people. By the way, let's go to Linqing and contact Pu Gang of the 14th Guards Army..."
Ma Shiying:······
~~~~~
In May of the first year of Hongguang, after half a year of waiting and watching, the Southern Ming court finally stopped waiting and decided to send troops to the Northern Expedition.
At this time, the remnants of the Qi army in Henan, Shandong and other places gathered in Linqing. The power of the bandits in the northern province should not be underestimated. Coupled with the large households in various places who took over the villages to protect themselves, the situation became increasingly unfavorable to the Ming Dynasty.
What's even worse is that all parties do not like the Nanming court, which considers itself orthodox.
The remaining troops of the bandits are mainly entrenched in Henan, and Liu Fangliang is trapped in Nanyang. It is said that he has tens of thousands of troops under his command.
However, since the entire middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River have basically been included in the rule of the Hongguang court, Superintendent Liu Zongzhou is not in a hurry to eliminate Liu Fangliang's tribe - although the intruders are also rebellious - but concentrates on attacking the remnants of the Qi army and avenging the Apocalypse Emperor Zhu Youjian.
When he raised his troops from Yangzhou, Liu Zongzhou discussed the Northern Expedition strategy with his staff and generals, and determined the decisions and arrangements for the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains and the restoration of the capital:
First take Shandong to remove its barrier, then move troops from the Huai River to the river, capture Henan to break its barrier, then pull out Guanlong to strangle its threshold, and finally capture Beijing.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this Northern Expedition route is almost exactly the same as Taizu’s Northern Expedition to destroy the Yuan Dynasty.
This was not because Liu Zongmin's staff were trying to save trouble, but just to bypass the remnants of Liu Fangliang in Nanyang and avoid unnecessary conflicts with the bandits.
Compared with Chuang Wang Li Xianzhong and others, the pseudo-Qi emperor Liu Zhaosun who was entrenched in the capital was undoubtedly more hateful to the Southern Ming court.
Liu Zongzhou followed Confucianism and regarded loyalty, filial piety and justice as his code of conduct. The supervisor made up his mind that if Liu Zhaosun, a traitor and traitor, could be caught, he would not only be cut into pieces but also his bones would be reduced to ashes.
On May 20th, nearly half a month after the Wanggong Factory explosion, the news spread from the surviving bandits back to Nanyang and reached Liu Fangliang's ears. The Ming Army in the Northern Expedition only learned of the news at the end of May.
The capital suddenly suffered such a catastrophe. The tens of thousands of Qi troops trapped in the capital city, together with the 120,000 bandits who besieged the capital, were almost wiped out.
This super explosion, which was suspected to be caused by extraterrestrial civilization, was more than ten times more powerful than the original Wang Gongchang explosion. The explosion caused more than 500,000 casualties in the capital. Only tens of thousands of people survived by chance, and they were no longer human.
The explosion caused the entire empire's elite civil servants - whether they supported Qi or Ming - to disappear. It also completely paralyzed Beicao River water transportation. The end point of water transportation and the consumer city no longer existed.
There were no less than 100,000 unemployed workers in the North. In the vacuum of power, the workers who lost their livelihood either joined the bandits or the remaining Qi army.
The butterfly effect caused by the big bang goes far beyond that. The entire Gyeonggi Province turns into a black hole in the universe, attracting all surrounding forces trying to fish in troubled waters towards the black hole.
The Ming army marched north from Huaiyang, bypassing the town passes occupied by the bandits, and advanced smoothly. Liu Fangliang and the other surviving generals of the Chuang army consciously formed a tacit agreement with the Northern Expedition: the two sides would not attack each other.
For Liu Fangliang, sticking to Henan to protect himself is undoubtedly the wisest choice. The main force of the invading army that besieged the capital is no longer there. Liu Fangliang's partial army, whether it returns to Shaanxi or continues to fight with the Qi army, will be a dead end in the end.
As a result, throughout June, the Northern Expeditionary Army surged forward to regain the lost territory.
The towns along the way where the army passed were restless, and Ming troops often molested and raped women. However, most of the scholars along the way, especially the local wealthy households, were still very sensible.
Everyone poured out pots of wine to welcome Master Wang.
With the arrival of Master Wang, there will be peace in Kangcheng, Echeng. The evil levy of 30% tenant rent enacted by the Puppet Qi can be abolished, and the descendants of Duke Yan who were slaughtered and bullied can also come out to seek revenge.
The remaining Qi troops in Henan and Shandong moved closer to Linqing after the big explosion. Linqing will become the last and most important stronghold of the Qi army in the pass.
Linqing County was first established in the 21st year of Taihe in the Northern Wei Dynasty (497). It evolved through various generations, including the Ming Dynasty, and reached its peak in the Wanli Period.
It is recorded in "Unification of the Ming Dynasty":
In the second year of Hongwu's reign, it was moved to Linqingzha in Bali, north of the county. After Chengzu moved the capital, the political center was far away from the economically prosperous south, and Linqing's position in the north-south transfer became increasingly important.
In the fourth year of Xuande (1429), the law of fortune and luck was restored. Chang, Zhen, Tan, Yang, Feng, Da, Chu, He and Xu Min transported 2.2 million shi of grain to Linqing warehouse.
Jingtai "Kaizhong" in Linqing. Order merchants from all over the country to transport grain to Linqing in exchange for salt. Near Zhongzhou, grain ships and salt boats gathered together, military and civilian transportation was busy, and industry and commerce developed rapidly.
During the Wanli period, Linqing "started from Tawan in the north and ended at Touzha in the south, stretching for dozens of miles, and there were many shops here."
The market Yanlu extends to three miles north of Tucheng. Linqing Chaoguan collected more than 83,000 taels of shipping material merchant tax, which was higher than the amount collected by Chongwenmen in the capital. It ranked first among the eight major Chaoguan in the country and accounted for a quarter of the total national tax revenue at that time.
Liu Zongzhou commanded 50,000 Northern Expeditionary troops to surround this most important city on the canal and attack day and night. The Qi army rose up to resist, but the Ming army could not capture it for a long time.
Shi Kefa suggested that in order to boost morale, the city should be captured and the soldiers allowed to loot for three days.
Liu Zongzhou was noncommittal about this, neither accepting it nor scolding Shi Kefa for being so cruel and careless about human life. However, as the war became anxious, the governor's thoughts were changing.
At this time, there were more than 2,000 Qi troops entrenched in Linqing City, and their commander was Pu Gang, the commander of the 14th Guards Corps.
Pu Gang was a veteran in the first year of Taichang. He had been following Emperor Wu Ding in his expeditions east and west. After the establishment of Qi State, Pu Gang led the 14th Guards Army to garrison Jining.
After the big explosion, Qi troops from all over Shandong and Henan moved closer to the canal, uniting to survive.
Pu Gang made a decisive decision. Since he could not return to Liaodong, he could only stick to Linqing.
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