On the fifth day of the fifth month of the twelfth year of Hongguang's reign, the King of Chu's Mansion in Gaoguan Mountain, Wuchang, paraded through the horse racing field, with flags waving and swords and guns like a forest.
Prince Shaobao of the Ming Dynasty, Duke of Kunshan, and Zuo Liangyu, the chief military officer of Jiangxia, sat at attention, their eyes slowly sweeping over the officers in the audience.
The Chu Palace in Wuchang was built in the twelfth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty. It has a total of 811 palace rooms and has the same regulations as the Yan Palace. The main entrance, front and rear halls, and four city walls are decorated with green, and the corridors are decorated with indigo. The main gates of the four cities are painted with red paint and gold-coated copper nails. They are luxurious and spectacular, just like a royal palace.
Since Zhu Zhen became a vassal in the twelfth year of Hongwu, there have been eight kings in the Chu lineage. Among the vassal kings in the Ming Dynasty, they can be regarded as a "longevity" branch.
In the first year of Hongguang, Liu Zhaosun, the protector of the country, trespassed. Emperor Zhu Youjian of Tianqi died. Troops from the north and south surrounded the capital and attacked Liu Zhaosun in the name of Jingnan. The whole country was in chaos.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Chu King Zhu Huakui also led a mob of 2,000 people to go on an expedition in the name of "Jingnan". However, his target was not the regicide and arrogance of the Protector in the north, but his distant relative Zhu Changhui who had just proclaimed himself emperor in Zhili in the south.
The army went eastward along the river to conquer southern Zhili. However, Zhu Huakui was a man of great talent and was defeated by Zuo Liangyu who went up the river before reaching Nanjing. With all the rebels and relatives deserted and desperate, Zhu Huakui had to set fire to himself on the Zhenjiang River. Chu vassalage was thus severed.
Zuo Liangyu was awarded the title of Marquis of Jing'an for his meritorious service in quelling the rebellion. In the second year of Hongguang, Zuo Liangyu was furious because the food and salary promised by the Nanming court had not been received. He sent troops to plunder Jiangxia City and Baishazhou, and massacred civilians to take credit for his merit. , and then plundered Jiangxia twice and occupied the palace of the King of Chu.
In the third year of Hongguang's reign, the imperial court not only did not punish the Zuo camp, but also named Zuo Liangyu the Duke of Kunshan, and included the Wuchang area within its defense scope. The Zuo camp moved to Jiangxia and faced off across the river with the Qi State's Fourth Corps stationed in Jiangbei.
After taking control of Jiangxia, Zuo Liangyu accepted the advice of his staff Lu Jingcai: "Build walls high, accumulate grain extensively, and slowly become king."
Then Wuchang City was built. Zuo Liangyu spent three years to expand the city wall to the south of Snake Mountain, not only enclosing Snake Mountain in Wuchang City, but also enclosing Ziyang Lake, Chang Lake, Gedi Lake, West Lake, and Dusi Lake. Inside the city wall.
Taking advantage of the Qi army's eastward expedition to Korea and the encirclement and suppression of the Cossacks, Zuo Liangyu expanded the perimeter of Wuchang to 30 miles, installed additional artillery and firearms at each city gate, and the number of defenders increased from 12,000 to 60,000. .
By the eighth year of Hongguang (the third year of Taichu), Wuchang City had been built by Zuo Liangyu into a strong city comparable to Nanjing, supplemented by the Yangtze River defense line. Kunshan Duke thought that it was unbreakable and was very satisfied.
Although the Qi Ming peace agreement has been completed, and although Liu Zhaosun and Zhu Changhui have become uncles and nephews, when he thinks of how Liu Zhaosun insulted him, how he killed his eldest son Zuo Mengeng, and how he intimidated Zuo Ying, the Duke of Kunshan could not sleep at night. Never forget to take revenge.
Ignoring the advice of Emperor Zhu Changhui, he insisted on becoming an enemy of Qi. He first launched several provocations on the Huaihe River defense line, but was defeated by Qin Jianxun stationed in Xuzhou. So he turned his attention to Wuchang in the west. It is said that the defenses here are even more empty. A large number of Qi troops from the Fourth Corps were mobilized north to assist the Korean battlefield.
Zuo Liangyu learned from the lessons of the previous failed wars and first searched Qi Guo Xizuo in various places in Huguang and Jiangxi. As a result, he caught Raozhou salt merchant Yu Chengze. Following the clues, he also discovered traces of Li Dingguo.
Zheng Chenggong could let Li Dingguo go back and report the news, but Duke Kunshan was not so magnanimous. His whole family died at the hands of Liu Zhaosun, and the blood debt must be paid with blood.
"Liu Thief goes too far to deceive others. Do you really think that Zuoying is a vegetable market where you can come and go when you want?"
"Go after him! Search inside and outside Wuchang City, don't leave the Qi bandits! Send the order, and whoever captures Li Dingguo alive will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver! He will be promoted to three levels in a row!"
~~~~~
On the white sandbank of Jiangxia, thousands of torches gathered into a sea of fire and chased towards the broad and flat river bank.
The young man was leading a thin mule and horse, and there was a girl on the horse's back. Both of them were in ragged clothes and had no human shape. To avoid pursuit, they had been hiding here for two days, just waiting for the ferry to cross the river.
There was the sound of dense footsteps in the distance, mixed with the sound of armor hitting weapons.
"The Ming army is coming, let's hide for a while."
The girl nodded, and the boy helped her down.
He took the five skulls out of the package, filled them with sand again, put them on the back of the mules and horses, and kicked the horses on the buttocks. The mules and horses couldn't bear the pain and ran wildly towards the south.
The two of them walked further north and huddled in a dense and messy grass.
After just a cup of tea, I heard the shouts of pursuing soldiers from all around.
"There are horse hoof prints here, heading south, chase!"
"You guys, go and pull the ferries from Baishazhou. Without the boats, they can't escape!"
Li Dingguo held a dagger in his hand, protecting Yin Susu and hiding in the grass. The two of them held their breath and listened to the clicking sound of official boots stepping on water plants outside, not daring to let out a breath.
They fled from Jiangxi to Huguang to avoid being chased by the Ming army. They stopped and stopped on the road and unknowingly had been walking for more than a month.
Relying on Li Dingguo's previous experience as a refugee in Shaanxi, the two of them traveled day and night, avoiding densely populated towns and only walking on wilderness country roads. Occasionally they would do some robberies and steal some of the villagers' clothes and food. He barely managed to survive until now, just barely surviving. Every time Li Dingguo stole a chicken, he would solemnly tell his companions:
"In the future, when the army goes south, we will definitely return double the amount of money to these villagers."
Yin Susu remained silent. The daughter of the magistrate had a much deeper understanding of the government than Li Dingguo. The imperial court was trying to drain the bones and marrow of the common people, and taxation had reached Hongguang's 70th year. Whether these villagers could survive this winter was a question.
After stealing several times, Li Dingguo felt guilty and stopped walking from the countryside, so they came to Wuchang City.
"Why did you save me? And twice."
Yin Susu asked the handsome young man in front of him more than once, why he had to save her twice.
"The kindness of a meal should be repaid with a spring of water."
Li Dingguo answered her like this every time.
"Is there no other reason? For example, my father is the governor of Raozhou, for example..."
It was midsummer, and the girl was wearing a green cloth dress she had just "borrowed" from a clothing store in the east of the city. Although it was simple, it highlighted the graceful posture of the beauty.
In the Ming Dynasty, the Han River changed its course and formed Hankou Town, which gradually developed into one of the most important cities in China. It is known as the "Four Gatherings of the World" together with Beijing, Suzhou, and Foshan, and is also known as the "Four Gatherings of the World" together with Zhuxian Town, Jingdezhen, and Foshan Town. The "Four Famous Towns" have become the most prosperous places in Chuzhong.
As Yin Susu said this, she looked back at Wuchang City with infinite tenderness. If she hadn't fled, she would definitely have some fun here.
"Your father dipped you in a pig cage for the sake of chastity arch and his own future. What kind of father is this? When my father and I fled to Bailuyuan, my father gave me the last mouthful of Guanyin soil to eat, and he starved to death..." ··”
Li Dingguo seemed to have opened up his chat box, telling this miserable girl all the things he had never said along the way.
When Emperor Wu Ding implemented the Qi Dynasty's land-acreage system in the north, the chastity archway of the Hongguang Court was built from Jiangxia to Xiamen, Fujian.
This is a crazy era, and those in power are using what they think is right to torture their people wantonly.
A red snake as thick as the mouth of a bowl suddenly crawled out of the water plants and scurried toward the woman.
"ah!"
The disheveled Yin Susu screamed in horror. Li Dingguo had quick eyesight and slashed away with his knife. The cold light flashed and the red snake turned into two parts.
"It's really dangerous,"
Yin Susu gasped for air, her pale and pretty face reflected in the river.
At this moment, the severed snake head suddenly flew up and hit the woman's calf like lightning. Li Dingguo quickly stepped forward, split the snake head open with a dagger, and sucked on the wound bitten by the poisonous snake.
Yin Susu stared blankly at Li Dingguo, watching the young man sucking out the snake venom, and couldn't help but ask him again:
"Why did you save me? This is the third time..."
"The kindness of a meal should be repaid with a spring of water."
~~~~
The sky in the east showed a hint of fish-belly white, the chirping of insects and frogs disappeared in my ears, and light rain fell from the sky. The east side of the Yangtze River, covered with tidal flats, was washed by the rain, revealing its original hideous and ugly face.
Nine sects spread across China, with a thin thread running through the north and the south. The mist and rain are vast, and turtles and snakes lock the river.
Guishan is right in front of him, across the vast river, and to the west is the territory of Daqi. Li Dingguo did not dare to hesitate, holding Yin Susu's hand, one foot deep and one foot shallow, on the muddy riverside, looking for a ferry to cross the river.
Suddenly, the red color of mandarin duck coats flashed on the river bank, and a group of Zuo Liangyu's servants spotted them.
"Don't leave Qi's bandits, catch them!"
Li Dingguo raised his dagger and prepared to fight to the death.
At the critical moment, an old man walked out of the forest by the river, wearing a square scarf and Taoist uniform, holding two horses in one hand, and a riding whip in each hand; he shouted:
"General Li, mount your horse quickly!"
Without thinking, Li Dingguo quickly helped Yin Susu mount the horse, took the whip and jumped onto the other horse, galloping away.
Behind him, the Zuoying servant pointed at the old man and yelled: "You old man, I will come over and kill you later!"
The boys and girls ran towards the white sandbank in the north. Less than half a mile away, they were blocked by a group of Ming troops in front of them, so they had no choice but to turn south again.
More servants came from the south, bows and arrows were drawn, and they shot at the horses.
Li Dingguo went to the edge of the Yangtze River and looked up, only to see a vast stretch of water along the Yangtze River.
The Ming army came after them again, and they were so anxious that they had no way to go to the sky and no way to enter the earth. Li Dingguo shouted: "Heaven mourns me!"
With this shout, the horse suddenly lifted its hooves, carried Li Dingguo on its back, and jumped into the river with a roar.
When a group of Ming soldiers saw it, they shouted: "No!" and they shot arrows into the river. The horse was like a fish entering the water, carrying the two men and was ignored. When they boarded the boat to pursue them, heavy fog rose from the river and they could not be seen. , where to chase again!
The Zuo family servant was furious and saw the two Qi bandits disappearing. He returned to the forest to look for the old man, but he had already disappeared.
~~~~~
Let's talk about Li Dingguo and Yin Susu riding a horse and jumping into the Yangtze River. The surface of the river was heavy with fog, but Li Dingguo could hear the sound of rushing water in his ears. In less than half an hour, the horse had already crossed the Yangtze River and jumped ashore.
After another journey, they reached a dense forest. The horse lowered Li Dingguo to the ground and watched as he ran into the forest.
Li Dingguo turned around and saw Yin Susu beside him, and couldn't help but said in surprise: "Could it be the blessing of the gods? The blessing of Emperor Zhenwu!"
While thinking about it, he raised his head and saw that the sun was setting and it was getting late, so he had to slowly walk into the forest.
It turns out that there is an ancient temple here. When I looked up, I saw an old plaque on the temple door. Although it was peeling off, the words on it could still be seen, but they were five gold characters that read "Cuifujun Temple".
The two walked into the temple gate, and there were two clay horses standing inside the gate, but the color was the same as the ones they rode. Seeing that the horse was wet and covered in water, Li Dingguo thought to himself: "Could it be that this horse is the one who can ferry us across the river?"
It turns out that Wanyan Gou's mud horse crossing the river was not just a rumor by ghosts and gods, it was all true!
Yin Susu lost his voice and said: "The horse is made of mud. If it touches water, how can it not be damaged?" Before he finished speaking, there was only a sound and the horse melted.
When Li Dingguo saw the two horses turned into mud, he couldn't help but became furious. Just as he was about to scold Yin Susu, the daughter of the magistrate went straight to the hall, raised his hands to the statue and said:
"My husband and I are blessed by divine power today! We escaped and returned to Daqi safely. Then we will rebuild the temple and build a golden body with you!"
"Couple?"
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