"Kang Xunjing, don't worry. I have a close relationship with your father. I will definitely help you with all my strength in clearing your parents."
"My uncle understands justice well and supports our emperor's new law, which is really a blessing for the Qi Dynasty and the country. When my father was still alive, he often mentioned his uncle and said that he has the style of an ancient gentleman... My nephew will never let my uncle get hurt. .”
"I heard that the raids in Wuzhong are like the horse thieves in Qi and Yan. They are not good. Newly attached to the south of the Yangtze River, we have to guard against them. My nephew has informed the camp officer Dong Fusheng that he has a thousand soldiers under his command and has allocated fifty to them. To protect my uncle's residence, in an emergency, extraordinary measures should be taken."
At dusk on February 11, the second year of Guangde, in the study room of Huang Mansion in Taicang Prefecture, Huang Wenye, wearing a Taoist robe, stood up to see off Inspector Kang Guangxu.
Kang Guangxu's father, Kang Yingqian, was in the same year as Huang Wenye. He passed the Jinshi examination that year and was only separated by one rank. Kang chose to advance bravely and later became the chief minister of the Qi Dynasty. Huang Wenye resigned early and returned home to live with Tao Yuanming. pastoral life.
"Don't worry, my dear nephew, your soldiers will be used elsewhere. Although the Huang family is not a wealthy family, they can still afford a dozen servants, and they will not be easily provoked by ordinary people. Besides, I am usually kind to others. There are no enemies..."
Huang Wenye personally sent his friend's son out of the Huangfu compound. Kang Guangxu asked to stop, but Huang Wenye insisted on sending him to the intersection of the street.
"Uncle, come here. My nephew will personally bring people to measure the Huang Mansion's fields tomorrow. I will never let my uncle suffer..."
Huang Wenye said: "What kind of words are these? The Huang family is the first to measure. How many pairs of eyes are staring at it. There can be no negligence."
Kang Guangxu nodded and said nothing more. Under the protection of the guards, he boarded a slightly armored carriage. The wheels creaked across the road. Kang Guangxu stuck his head out of the window and said to his uncle:
"Uncle, take care, I will bring troops to protect you tomorrow."
Kang Guangxu retracted his head into the carriage. The carriage equipped with shock absorbers ran quite comfortably, but he was not happy at all.
"Dad, you are such a cunning person, but you also have such a close friend..."
Huang Wenye cupped his hands and watched the slightly bumpy carriage go further and further away, and finally disappeared into the bustling crowd at the intersection of Zhoucheng. He then sighed and walked back with his servant Lao Zheng, sighing as he walked:
"When I saw him in Yingtian Mansion, he was only half a man tall. Now he is taller than his father."
The setting sun sank into the city wall, and the two-foot-seven-foot-tall Yingenmen city wall cast a deep shadow. Huang Wenye walked in the afterglow, leaving Old Zheng far behind in the shadow.
~~~~
In the first year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang established Taicang Guards, and in the twelfth year, Zhenhai Guards were set up.
In the tenth year of Hongzhi's reign, the land of Kunshan, Changshu, and Jiading was cut off to build Taicang Prefecture.
Taihu Lake has three spillways, Dongjiang River, Wusong River and Loujiang River. The Lou River flows through Kunshan to Taicang, where it merges into the Yangtze River.
Taicang is located on the bank of Lou River, so it is also called Lou City.
During the Chengxuan period, Zheng He made seven voyages to the Western Ocean, weighing anchor and changing anchor at Liujia Port in Loucheng. Loucheng was responsible for the storage and supply of Zheng He's fleet, ship repair and shipbuilding; it also welcomed officials and received tribute envoys, and it developed rapidly.
Historical records record that "Nine barbarians and hundreds of tribes paid tribute, and the roads were connected, and arks and ships came to dock one after another." It was very prosperous for a while.
By the first year of Wanli, Loucheng had become the capital of the southeast, once surpassing Nanjing and second only to Suzhou Fucheng.
The total length of the city wall is more than 14 miles, and the circumference of the city is more than 15 miles. The city walls are all made of brick.
There are 7 Lucheng gates in total: Dadongmen, Chaoyangmen, Dananmen, Daximen, Xiaoximen, Dabeimen and Xiaobeimen; among them, Dadongmen Binximen; Dananmen Qingyuanmen; Daximen Yingmen Enmen; Dabeimen Gongchenmen, are the most important.
Because the east-west Zhihe Pond and the north-south Yantie Pond run through the whole city and intersect each other. Therefore, Taicang set up three additional water gates to communicate with the rivers outside the city, namely: Dadong Water Gate, Daxi Water Gate, and Xiaoxi Water Gate.
After Taicang was merged into Daqi in the first year of Guangde, the city's regulations basically followed those of the Ming Dynasty, and even the place names remained unchanged.
According to the Daqi curfew system, the gates of prefectures and counties must be closed at 5:00 (about 8 o'clock). In border fortress areas, the doors will be closed earlier.
However, in cities like Taicang and Suzhou, curfews are basically just a formality. The city of Taicang is no less prosperous at night than during the day.
The number of pedestrians on the street gradually became sparse, and the hawking sounds of the vendors also decreased significantly. The master and the servant walked back along the main street to welcome Xie Yang's afterglow.
From time to time along the way, people raised their hands to Huang Wenye and exchanged greetings with Mr. Huang. They kept walking and walking like this. When they reached the edge of the Maple Bridge, it was already dark. Old Zheng picked up a whale oil lamp and opened the way in front.
Lao Zheng was huffing and puffing in front:
"Sir, do you really want the government to come to our house tomorrow?"
Huang Wenye looked at the lights of thousands of houses in the city, and said with a dim feeling: "That's natural. If I don't help them, who will?"
With a click, he took out a cigarette from his pocket. After waiting for a long time, Lao Zheng still didn't get the cigarette pack.
"Old Zheng."
"Hey, sir, I was distracted just now."
Lao Zheng hurriedly walked back, held up the fire stick, and shakily lit a cigarette for the master. Master Huang handed him a cigarette and motioned for Lao Zheng to take a sip as well.
"The one my nephew gave me just now is from the Jinzhou Cigarette Factory. It's more authentic than the Nanjing imitation."
Lao Zheng groaned, as if he had something to say. He smacked it carefully for a while, then swallowed the words that came to his lips back to his stomach.
The two of them smoked cigarettes one after the other, and the white smoke quickly enveloped Lao Zheng's face, reflecting the red light of the whale oil lamp, like a ghost from hell.
"Master, I don't know whether I should say something or not?"
Huang Wenye crushed the cigarette butt and narrowed his eyes: "What are you talking about? Is your son's typhoid fever better?"
"It's not about borrowing money. His typhoid fever has long been cured..." Lao Zheng waved his hand, held the cigarette butt between his fingers, and threw the cigarette butt to the ground as if he had used all his strength.
"In the entire city of Taicang Prefecture, our family and the government are the only ones who come together with the government in the north. What if, I mean what if, what if the Emperor and the State of Qi are defeated, how will we be able to establish a foothold in Taicang Prefecture in the future?"
Huang Wenye grinned and said, "What did I think you were going to say? It turned out to be this,"
"Kangge Lao told me that it is absolutely right to follow the Supreme Emperor, Liu Zhaosun... He is benevolent to the Huang family. Now Daqi is going to launch a new policy in Taicang. Regardless of success or failure, of course my Huang family will help. .”
"Master, don't you really want to be enemies with the big families in Taicang? Go and help the Emperor of Qi? Have you thought clearly?"
Just yesterday, the third invitation sent by the Wang family was returned by Huang Wenye. Not only that, Mr. Huang also collected the evidence of the crimes of the local tyrants and evil gentry in Yurouxiang that he knew over the years, and prepared a big one in Taicang.
The whale oil lamp reflected the servant's eyes, which were slightly blue, like a wolf lurking in the jungle.
Huang Wenye said coldly: "I don't want to be an enemy of anyone, it's them who want to be enemies of Daqi."
Lao Zheng felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by him, and said quickly: "They are all the businessmen in Fucheng. I am so independent, I am worried about you..."
Huang Wenye narrowed his eyes and said disdainfully:
"I know their methods, but this is Daqi Tianxia, not Qian Ming. After all, I am also a guest of Zhang Jinglue and Kang Xun. I am still a figure in Taicang City. If you want to touch me, you have to think carefully!"
The servants were carrying lanterns in front, Mr. Huang was walking in the middle, and Lao Zheng, who had just seen off guests with him, was walking at the end. Bamboo forests lined both sides of the road, and the lamps on the stone pillar shrines were shadowy, reflecting dim light and shadow in the bamboo forest.
Mr. Huang stepped on the dim yellow bluestone roadside and whispered:
"It's weird, how come the whale oil that was just replaced yesterday burned out again? Old Zheng, which boy stole the oil again, Old Zheng..."
Poof!
The sound of a sharp knife piercing flesh.
"ah·····"
Huang Wenye supported the shrine and stood up with difficulty, but there was another assassination blow from behind.
He struggled to open his mouth wide and wanted to shout, but a piece of rag was quickly stuffed into his mouth, making it difficult to breathe. Mr. Huang struggled for a few times and finally fell to the ground.
Several men in black, whose faces were covered, quickly covered Huang Wenye with a sack, picked him up and left.
A fierce voice said in his ear: "I told you not to use knives. Why don't you listen? There is so much blood on the ground, and it needs to be cleaned up carefully!"
"What Eunuch Cao died, do you know how to kill? If I were asked to wait and be directly tortured to death, even the scars on the body would be unreal, and you would only be holding a broken embroidered spring knife... "
The sound of a weapon being unsheathed could be heard faintly in his ears. Huang Wenye realized that his breathing was getting weaker and weaker, and he could no longer hear clearly.
At this time, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in my ears.
"I have brought him to you. How to kill him is your own business and has nothing to do with me. Give me the promised money first."
~~~~
In the living room of the Yamen in Taicang Prefecture, Zhang Jinglue and four inspectors were sitting at the table. Also arriving with them was Dong Fusheng, the war camp officer and the officer of the First Battalion of the Guards.
"Guard Dong Ying, how many soldiers do you have available for deployment?"
"Zhang Jinglue is asking, can we mobilize troops for combat?"
"Exactly."
"There are eighty-one more people, including the two guards behind me, and everyone else has been sent down."
Zhang Yunxiu was shocked. He knew very little about fighting and garrisoning, and he had the common flaws of talking on paper among literati.
"When we set out from Nanjing, the imperial court gave you a thousand soldiers. There were also several people from prefectures and counties who surrendered to the Ming army. They were all at your disposal. Why are there so few left?"
Dong Fusheng hurriedly explained: "Back to Jinglue, more than a dozen prefectures, counties and cities around Taicang have to send people to supervise them. It is not easy to have eighty people left."
Zhang Yunxiu shuddered. Only then did he realize that Daqi had been in turmoil for a long time, and it was not easy to maintain it until now.
It is almost impossible to expect eighty soldiers to control Taicang Prefecture City and face an enemy a hundred times their size.
Fortunately, Zhang Yunxiu shouldered such a heavy responsibility, and when he left Nanjing, he was determined to die.
Kang Guangxu changed from his usual leisurely and decadent mood and said loudly: "It is not appropriate to divide the troops. It is not appropriate to divide the troops. For the current plan, not only cannot we divide our troops, but we must also gather all our strength into an iron fist to crush these ungrateful beasts to death." "
Zhang Yunxiu is obviously not interested in such iron fist theory.
"The Holy Majesty has entrusted the major reform affairs to us, how can we be scornful? The imperial court has changed the reform pilot from two places in Zhejiang and Jiangsu to one place in Jiangsu, Suzhou, Taicang, Jiading, Wuxian, Kunshan, all places have to reform, how can we show weakness to others? ?”
Kang Guangxu is the only son of Kang Yingqian. Not only is he the 18th generation inheritor of the Vajra Sanctuary, he also has his own views on power struggles just like his father.
"Zhang Jinglue knows why the Supreme Emperor kept narrowing the scope of the Qing father-in-law again and again?"
Zhang Yunxiu said without thinking: "How dare you presume to speculate on the holy will? I am just acting in accordance with the holy decree."
Kang Guangxu laughed and said: "Is Zhang Jinglue really the successor of Zhang Taiyue? How pedantic is that? If you have Zhang Jiangling's 10% power..."
Zhang Bao coughed lightly and hurriedly came out to smooth things over. He first glared at Kang Guangxu and said angrily: "Kang Xun press..."
Finally take a vote.
Zhang Yunxiu and Zhang Bao advocated sending troops to the surrounding prefectures and counties of Taicang to fully bloom and promote the task of clearing the mother-in-law. Kang Guangxu and Dai Li advocated sticking to Taicang, working step by step, and finishing the Wang family first.
Two to two, everyone's eyes finally fell on Li Zicheng, the general of the coir raincoat guard.
"General Li, do you want to divide the troops?" Zhang Yunxiu looked at Li Zicheng expectantly.
Li Zicheng slowly raised his head and said after a long time: "When there was a drought in northern Shaanxi, the former Ming court allocated 300,000 taels of disaster relief money. The magistrate of Mizhi County intercepted 50,000 taels, and colluded with the judge Ai Zhao to lend money to the poor. Li Xianzhong could not repay the money. , was reported to the Mizhi County Government by Ai Ju people. The county magistrate locked Li Xianzhong in shackles and paraded him through the streets for three days. He almost starved to death. Later, he was lucky enough to survive and killed his creditor Ai Zhao. From this, the uprising started and the world was as black as crows. , Mizhi official is like this, Taicang official is the same, the Supreme Emperor is too kind to these former Ming officials, we can't underestimate them, these beasts can do anything."
While everyone was still discussing, the guards suddenly came in and whispered to Zhang Yunxiu.
"What? Huang Wenye is dead?"
All arguments ceased.
The last wave of eighty soldiers sent to Wu County stopped where they were.
"Everyone knows that Huang Wenye is a kind man. Now that he has been killed, he is also said to have been tortured to death by the coir raincoat guards. What is the intention of blaming the imperial court like this?"
Kang Guangxu advised: "Zhang Jinglue, ignore the culprit for now, recall the soldiers from all counties as soon as possible, and then defend Taicang."
Zhang Yunxiukang said passionately: "If you want to defend, you go and defend!" He clapped his arms and stood up.
"I will lead the troops to catch the murderer! I am the manager of the seven provinces south of the Yangtze River. As the saying goes, evil will not prevail against good! Who dares to touch me!"
Siluke
After Zhang Yunxiu said this, he ordered two guards and rushed out of the Jinglue Mansion without saying anything.
Kang Guangxu said quickly: "Zhang Jinglue, there are thousands of people gathered outside, and they all say they want revenge. I'm afraid you will be beaten to death if you go out..."
Kang Guangxu and Dai Li looked at each other, and they both shrugged and smiled.
No one knows why the Supreme Emperor put this stupid young man into the Qing mother-in-law's inspection team and gave him the power of life and death.
Could it be because this person is loyal?
Of course, now is not the time to think about this. Kang Guangxu quickly called on the remaining people to follow him.
"Officer Dongying, take your troops and go to the streets to protect Zhang Jinglue."
~~~~~
The entrance to the Wang family in Taicang.
Zhang Yunxiu, who was wearing a black official robe and an upright look, led the raincoat guards forward. The outside of Wang's house in Taicang was already crowded with citizens. It was estimated that there were thousands of people, and there was a steady stream of people coming from all directions.
Zhang Yunxiu rode on horseback and yelled about filial piety:
"Wang Heng conspired to murder Jin Shen. The evidence is conclusive. Nanchang (the abbreviation of Linyiwei) arrests him. Who dares to come forward?! Even if you kill me today, the army will wipe out Taicang, and Wang Heng will not be able to leave!"
