On July 28 of the first year of Wuding, the entire 14th Army, the remnants of the First Army, and the Third Army stationed in Linqing defeated the Ming Army at Guangjimen. The formation killed 5,000 Ming troops and captured nearly 10,000 people. , captured 150,000 shi of grain and grass, 2,870 horses, 6,700 pieces of cloth, 9,400 jins of silk, and 1,530,000 taels of silver...
Historical records record, "After this battle, all the sixty-year-olds from Jiangnan were returned to Taizu. From then on, Ming thieves did not dare to look north." (Note 1)
The four battalions in Jiangbei of Nanming were almost completely wiped out, with losses exceeding 40,000. Except for Zuo Liangyu, who managed to escape without firing a single shot, Wu Sangui, Liu Zeqing, and Huang Degong were all beheaded by Emperor Wu Ding. The Qi army and cavalry pursued southward to Guanxian County, chasing the Ming Dynasty. The army returned after three hundred miles.
Since then, the defense battle of Linqing, which lasted for nearly two months, ended with the Qi army's victory.
On July 29, Emperor Wuding of Daqi issued his first oral edict after entering the city:
You damn Ming thief, you killed my wife, dug up my royal tomb, attacked my city, and massacred my people, but they are all useless. Zhang Mazi, you take people to select a thousand newly recruited, obedient and honest people among the captives, and the rest Kill them all! Admire this!
On July 30, Zhang Dong, the chief officer of the Imperial Guard (formerly the Chinese Army Guard), led 300 Zhenfu soldiers. With the assistance of the 14th Army, they took the Ming army prisoners to Aotou Jishiba (Note 2) for execution. , the 14th Guards Army sent thirty-six executioners. The executioners beheaded for half an hour before beheading all the more than 7,000 prisoners. The bloody water flowed into the river along the stone dam, and the water of the converging river turned red. The people of Linqing watched on All are timid.
~~~~~
Emperor Wuding's palace was located at Chaoguan Yamen on the Linqing Canal. It was a five-entry quadrangle and the largest palace in Linqing Prefecture. The emperor lived in the innermost wing. Zhang Dong led twelve guards (including one Cook) stationed in the wing rooms on both sides of Chaoguan Yamen, Pu Gang dispatched fifty soldiers from each battalion to strengthen the palace guard.
Zhang Mazi arranged for guards to patrol day and night, for fear that someone would have evil intentions and do things that would harm the emperor. Of course, for Emperor Wu Ding, these guards were more ceremonial. If an assassin really dared to assassinate him, it was most likely that Liu Zhaosun would protect the guards in the end, rather than the guards protecting the emperor.
On the night of the execution of seven thousand prisoners, Emperor Wu Ding took a bath and changed his clothes in the presence of two maids.
The two maids were originally the daughters of the magistrate of Gaotang, but their whole family was destroyed by the war. They lived here and were bought by a Linqing medicine merchant.
The drug dealer had sharp eyes and ears. Hearing that the emperor was in a hurry to "hunt south" and did not have time to bring the palace maids with him, he immediately asked the housekeeper to use two sedans and sent the two beauties into Chaoguan Yamen overnight.
Zhang Dong heard that the medicine dealer and Pu Shen General were familiar with each other and were both his own people, so he searched carefully and let the two beauties in.
~~~~~
Emperor Wu Ding washed off the blood on his body, tied up his white hair with a knotted net scarf, put on a thin sweatshirt, and lay on the wooden pole style, surrounded by the elegant fragrance of the two women.
This bed is huge in size, with the front door fence engraved with unicorn, phoenix, peony and other patterns. It is said to be the contribution of the apothecary.
Liu Zhaosun carefully observed the exquisite patterns carved on the baffle. He had been in Kaiyuan for five years and the capital for two years. He was a highly respected official. He rarely saw such a luxurious bed. He thought that in the coming Qing Dynasty, "prosperity overwhelmed both capitals. His reputation as "the richest county in Qi" is indeed true. In the past, he was too kind to the merchants. In the end, when he invaded the city and conquered the city, he was inseparable from the merchants in the capital.
Now, it's time to make a change.
The high-ranking official from the East who took the initiative to give away money attracted the attention of Emperor Wu Ding.
Emperor Wu Ding heard from Pu Gang that among the merchants in Linqing, there were many people who colluded with Ming thieves. Kuaishou Yamen, the Dianli Menzi in the prefecture and county yamen, colluded with the merchants during the siege of the city by the Ming army and prepared to attack the city. Something should happen internally.
A wasp broke into the curtain, buzzing wildly and recklessly. The whale oil lamps surrounding the curtain kept spinning, staring furtively at the people in the tent.
Liu Zhaosun looked at the poisonous thing carelessly for a while, then a cold light flashed in his eyes. If he struck out with lightning, he would catch the poisonous bee and crush it alive...
Looking back behind me, through the thin gauze curtain, two stunningly beautiful women were still bathing, revealing their graceful figures.
Liu Zhaosun's throat trembled slightly, and the image of Zhang Yan, the wife of Gaoming, appeared in his mind.
He stayed with her in the tomb for forty days.
Maybe it was because he had a fierce battle with the Ming army yesterday and killed hundreds of people in a row, which consumed too much energy. Although he had rested for a day, he still felt that his energy was a little weak. It was not until he took a bath with Lao Songtou's medicinal soup that he recovered a little.
Emperor Wu Ding closed his eyes and imagined the scene of rivers of blood flowing in Aotouji today, with a satisfied smile on his lips.
After a while, the two beauties who had just finished bathing saw the emperor sleeping peacefully. They looked at each other, burst into laughter, and untied their clothes, revealing their graceful figures. They walked gently and boarded the When he stepped out of bed, Liu Zhaosun, who was already snoring like thunder, suddenly opened his eyes, waved to them and said:
"Go down."
~~~~~
On the second day of August, Dongfang Zhu got up early to wash up. He didn't have time to have breakfast, so he took his servant Da'an and gifts and hurried to Linqing Wanghe Tower to pay a visit to his new friend, the instructor of the 14th Guards Corps. Xing Zhongyi.
Pu Gang and the instructor Xing Zhongyi originally lived in the Chaoguan Yamen mansion, but the emperor suddenly went south to Linqing, so Chaoguan Yamen, the largest mansion in the state city, naturally became a palace.
The chief officer and training officer of the Guards moved out of the Yamen and moved to Wanghe Tower in Hexi.
Compared with Chaoguan Yamen, Wanghe Tower is obviously simpler, but in Linqingzhou City, it is also the most prosperous and important place.
Seeing Dongfang Zhu carrying something, Xing Zhongyi's guards blocked the door from a distance, stopped the two of them and said:
"Master Dongfang, Instructor Xing is not here,"
"Aren't you here?" Dongfang Zhu touched his forehead and muttered, "Are you not there? Did you go to visit the brothel?"
After hearing this, the guard's face turned blue and white. He looked around and saw no one around. He quickly picked up Dongfang Zhu and whispered: "You don't want to talk nonsense. If the guards patrolling the city hear it... do you know the Kaiyuan Army?" Law, whores must be beheaded!"
Dongfang Zhu nodded with a smile and stuffed a silver ingot into the guard's sleeve. The guard quickly threw the silver out of his sleeve and walked three or four steps away, avoiding Dongfang Zhu like a plague.
With a smile, he picked up the money and said with a smile: "That's all, I know you are too stubborn to give away the money. If you don't accept it, you won't take it. What are you doing? Quickly, call your instructor Xing and say I have something important to see him! It’s too late, and you can’t afford to be involved!”
The guard knew that Dongfang Zhu defrauded Jiangbei Fourth Battalion. He was so frightened by him just now. He was afraid that this powerful medicine dealer would cause trouble again, so he stamped his foot and turned around to go in.
After a cup of tea, Xing Zhongyi, dressed in military uniform, came to the door in person, stretched his neck and glanced at both sides of the street, and then said to Dongfang:
"Master Dongfang, why didn't you tell me in advance that your Majesty is coming so that I can pick you up?"
Dongfang Zhu chuckled, slightly arched his hands towards him, and apologized. "Brother Xing, long time no see. Shall we talk upstairs?"
Xing Zhongyi looked Dongfang Zhu up and down, and seeing how anxious he was, he gritted his teeth and let in the wealthy businessman who had just made great achievements.
The instructor walked in front and climbed up the stairs. Dongfang Zhu used to drink tea and listen to storytelling here, and was quite familiar with the road conditions. He followed Xing Zhongyi and climbed up to the third floor.
When passing by guest rooms, they were filled with officers and civil servants dressed in black Qi uniforms, busy cleaning up accounts.
The black antelope military flag placed at the door, the military flag of the Fourteenth Guards Army, swayed gently in the breeze of the Wei River, making a rustling sound.
Dongfangzhu heard Xing Zhongyi say that the people who work here are military clerks and local officials from Qi State. Dongfangzhu has dealt with these people, and they are basically the same as the guard at the door just now. They are smelly, hard, and have no money. It’s not easy to deal with women...
Xing Zhongyi pushed open the door of the living room at the end of the third floor and walked in. There was a guard standing at the door.
Dongfang Zhu asked the servant to stand at the door without looking at the instructor's bitter face. He looked familiar and walked in without waiting for anyone to greet him.
Xing Zhongyi opened the door and wished Dongfang:
"Brother Dongfang, I've been busy counting the seizures these days. I don't have time to drink tea with you. I'm neglecting you. I'm neglecting you."
After he finished speaking, he didn't even look at the gift that Dongfang Zhu had brought. He didn't wait for the pharmacist to enter the room and sit down, then he pretended to see off the guests.
Dongfang Zhu was a little embarrassed, laughed dryly, and lowered his voice:
"Brother Xing, I'm here not to give gifts, but to do something else. I understand Kaiyuan's rules. If I don't give gifts, I won't cause trouble for you!"
The instructor's tense nerves relaxed slightly and waved for him to sit down.
Dongfang Zhu put down the gift box with a smile and sat down next to the instructor. Without talking nonsense, he got straight to the point:
"Brother Xing, does the emperor want to..."
He lowered his voice and stretched out his hand to make a beheading gesture.
Xing Zhongyi sneered and winked at the guard at the door. The guard quickly closed the door and retreated.
After the guards went out, the training officer asked in a low voice: "I have been in Linqing for three months and have always heard that your Dongfang Zhu has hands and eyes that reach the sky. Today I have gained some experience. How did you learn about this news?"
Dongfang Zhu smiled and did not answer the question. He reached out to open the gift box on the desk.
Xing Zhongyi got up and opened the door to see the guests off.
Dongfang Zhu stopped quickly, patted Qi Guo's instructor on the shoulder, and said with a smile on his face: "I, Dongfang Zhu, have been struggling in the Beiyun River for more than 20 years. I have seen a lot of the underworld, the white way, the three religions and nine streams, and I have seen many people eating people without spitting out their bones. Quite a few, like you Kai Yuan soldiers who are incompetent, only see them once in eight lifetimes, so I’m convinced!"
When Xing Zhongyi saw him putting away the gift, his expression returned to his original state, and he smiled and said:
"Hahaha, thank you Dongfang brother for your praise. Do you know how many people were killed by Emperor Wu Ding in order to clean up military discipline in Liaodong? He also used trade and equity checks and balances and a multi-pronged approach to achieve the military appearance of Da Qi today. "
Dongfang Zhu nodded frequently. Hearing the mention of killing, he trembled in his heart and quickly fell to his knees.
"Instructor Xing must help me! Although I claim to be the tyrant of Linqing, I have never killed anyone or done anything treacherous or evil. It seems that Emperor Wu Ding wants to kill the goose and take out the eggs!"
Xing Zhongyi quickly helped Dongfang Zhu and asked, "Did the two women you sent there that night tell you?"
Dongfang Zhu nodded repeatedly and told the instructor about Emperor Wu Ding's crushing of a wasp. He also talked about the current situation of the canal and talked for a while.
After hearing this, Xing Zhongyi smiled and said: "You know the subtleties. Well, you guessed it right. The emperor is indeed murderous and will take action soon. Brother Dongfang, you are a great talent. If you can assist Daqi in the future, you will have a bright future." !”
Dongfang Zhu knew that his life was in danger. A few days ago, he was at the top of the city and witnessed with his own eyes the scene of Emperor Wu Ding sweeping through the Ming army. It was really a god coming down to earth to kill a hundred with one person. If it was just a single brute force, then the emperor would kill seven thousand people. All the prisoners were beheaded, and the cruel methods made Dongfang Zhu frightened.
Based on the current situation in Linqing and the decline of the canal, anyone with a discerning eye can see that Emperor Wuding will probably take action against the wealthy merchants in Linqing, not to mention that these people were seeking death before, but it is not yet clear how many people the emperor wants to kill... ···
Dongfang Zhu estimated that he would also be implicated and lose his life in vain - this violent emperor even killed children, he would not care about whether he had made meritorious deeds - when Dongfang Zhu realized this, he immediately showed his She has a strong desire to survive, so she sent someone to send Meiji to a bed on the same day...
"Don't be ridiculous at this time. How about assisting Da Qi? Thank God for being able to save my life now!"
Dongfang Zhu shed tears as he spoke. He knew very well that when the butcher knife fell, not only one person would die, but the whole family might also be implicated. Emperor Wuding's ruthlessness made him, a local snake in Linqing, feel a chill to the bone.
Xing Zhongyi said nothing, just sat there and looked at Dongfang Zhu. After Dongfang Zhu cried for a long time, he sighed and patted his thigh:
"That's it, that's it! You and I have known each other for a while. Others don't know who you are, but I know it. Today I risk beheading to tell you that the emperor really wants to slaughter all the merchants in Linqing. I don't know about the rest, and I don't know. Dare to ask more questions.”
"Kill all the merchants in the city... Please, Mr. Xing, save me! Please, Mr. Xing, save me!"
Dongfang Zhu fell to his knees with a plop, his eyes full of fear. Xing Zhongyi hurriedly stepped forward to help him up, let him sit down, and handed him a cup of tea. Dongfang Zhu took the tea cup, but his fingers couldn't stop trembling, and the tea spilled. All over the place.
"Here's a trick for you. Whether it works or not depends on your luck, but you have to make a poisonous oath first. You can't say I told you this."
After Dongfang Zhu heard this, he quickly wiped away his tears, bit his finger, and swore a poisonous oath to the sky.
After hearing this, Xing Zhongyi pulled him to his side and lowered his voice:
"I heard that a few days ago, Emperor Wu Ding captured a woman in the camp of the traitor Zuo Liangyu. This woman is of great importance. It affects the lives of your family. You must..."
Note:
1. See "Records of Qi Taizong*Volume 15"
2. Aotouji: It is located on the protruding point of Zhongzhou in Linqing. During the Zhengde period, stones were stacked here to form a dam, which looks like Aotou. The Linqing and Huitong Second Gates of the Yuan Dynasty Canal and the south plate and newly opened Second Gate of the Ming Canal are divided into two parts: Aozu, behind it is the Guangji Bridge, which is like Aowei. Malun, the prefect of the state, named it "Aotouji".
