The tenth year of Kangxi's reign, the first day of July.
This is the seventh month of the lunar calendar, and it is already August in the Gregorian calendar of later generations. The weather was cooler during the Kangxi year. During the July fire season, the climate in the Qing capital in the north was already cooler. But the humidity of summer has not dissipated, and the wind and sand of autumn have not yet begun to blow. This is probably the most comfortable time of the year.
But unlike July in previous years, Beijing in July this year was somewhat deserted. After all, so many Eight Banners disciples and their slaves went out to fight against Wu Sangui. The 30,000 Eight Banners new troops alone took away the town. There are 30,000 gentings and men in charge of the banner, plus the domestic slaves of the genting and men in charge, the number of men in the inner city of Beijing will be reduced by about 80,000!
Today's Beijing is not the metropolis of later generations with a population of 10 to 20 million. Now the population of Beijing's inner city and outer city plus 100,000 is only 700,000 or 800,000. If 80,000 is taken away, the population will be reduced by 10%. Moreover, they were all bannermen Zhengding, Baoyi and their domestic slaves with strong spending power. Even the Bada Hutong has been a lot depressed these days, and the brothels and houses have lost a lot of money.
However, those "Eight Banners sisters" in the inner city of Beijing who have sent their husbands away and are taking care of the family business alone are quite happy these days. Although my husband is not with me for the time being, my life is very exciting!
As long as their husbands make meritorious deeds during the fight against Wu Sangui, won't they have better jobs and worldly positions when they return? Even if you don't achieve much merit, the emperor will still give you a generous reward.
After all, the Qing Dynasty belongs to their Eight Banners, and the emperor will never treat his own people badly!
As for losing the battle, that is impossible!
Therefore, the "Sisters of the Eight Banners" all over Beijing have been waiting with joy for their husbands to return victoriously during this period. Among them are the "half-sisters" Wu Xiaotuo and Yang Xiaohuan who live in the Wang family's residence in Dafu Lane.
The two sisters, Xiao Tu and Xiao Huan, stepped up to become mothers one after the other. Xiaohuan was born at the end of May, and Wang Zhongxiao gave birth to Wang Xiuquan, while Xiaotu was born on the sixth day of June, the day the war in Daguan Town started, and she gave birth to Wang Xiuqing!
Both of them gave birth to sons, one Xiuquan and the other Xiuqing. With the blessing of these two little babies, the Qing Dynasty's national fortunes suffered a lot. So Wu Xiaotuo felt that she would soon be a princess!
Although Yang Xiaohuan cannot be a princess, her family is also the hero of the restoration of the Ming Dynasty or the founding hero of the Wu family. In the future, she will be rewarded based on her merits, ranging from being made a marquis to being crowned a prince!
Therefore, her future status as a little wife cannot be determined, and it is possible to be granted the title of first-class wife. And her son Xiuquan seems to have a good appearance, "the heaven is full and the earth is round", and he will definitely have a future.
In addition, Yang Xiaohuan's sister Yang Xiaomi, the Lan'er who pretended to be a member of another family of the Yehenala family, also gave birth to a daughter to Fuquan a few days ago. Although it was not a son, Fuquan still liked it very much, and gave birth to Xiaomi again. A small courtyard was built on the ground with a blue flag in Beijing.
The yard is not big, but it is a house in the city, and it is not far from Dafu Alley, so it is convenient for Xiaomi to visit Xiaohuan when he has nothing to do.
Unlike Yang Xiaohuan who was married to Wang Zhongxiao, Yang Xiaomi didn't know her brother's plans - she thought she was his tool to curry favor with Yu Wang Fuquan. After all, the Yang family's transactions did not have a big backing That's not possible.
So, when she came to Dafu Alley for a visit today, she showed off that she was favored by Fuquan.
"Prince Yu has said that if I can recognize Ming Fen as my godfather, he will help me find a side marriage!"
When it came to being able to be a side Fujin, Yang Xiaomi, who was holding Wang Xiuquan and coaxing him to play, smiled like a flower. He was so unhappy. He smiled for a while and said to his own sister: "Sister Xiaohuan, I also mentioned Big Touou to the prince. matter."
"Oh?" Yang Xiaohuan frowned. She knew that her girl's temperament was a bit "watery".
Wu Xiaotuo, who had just put his son Wang Xiuqing to sleep, smiled and asked: "Sister Lan'er, what did you say to the prince?"
"Of course I transferred Big Touou back to Zhili earlier," Yang Xiaomi said. "What's the point of being the commander-in-chief of Yunnan?"
"Then what did the prince say?" Wu Xiaotuo asked again.
Yang Xiaomi patted his rather spectacular chest as if to show his credit, "Of course the prince listens to me. He said that when Yunnan is calmed down, he will transfer the big head brother to Tianjin's general army. Although Tianjin is not as prosperous as Beijing, But it’s much better than Yunnan, and our Yang family has a lot of acquaintances in Tianjin, so Brother Big Tou must be comfortable as the general soldier.”
Xiaohuan just smiled bitterly. She was not a bad girl and had a warm heart. She just didn't know many things.
When she was thinking about how to tell Yang Xiaomi to mind her own business, the voice of the butler Li Fuhan suddenly came from outside the door: "Second Young Master, are you the Second Young Master? Why are you back?"
Second Young Master?
The three women who were enjoying the shade, chatting, and looking after their children in the yard were all stunned.
Li Fuhan called Wang Jizhen the "eldest son" and Wang Zhongxiao the "second son". Could it be that Wang Zhongxiao returned to Beijing? Probably not? Not long ago, Wang Zhongxiao wrote a letter saying that he was going to Yunnan. How could he be in Beijing so soon?
As soon as the three women thought of this, they remembered Wang Zhongxiao's hoarse voice outside the door: "Second uncle, something big happened when I came back for business! I came back from Sichuan at a speed of 600 miles, more than 3,000 miles. It’s been a long journey after six days of walking!”
It turned out that Wang Zhongxiao and Fei Yanggu rushed all the way back to Beijing from Sichuan at an accelerated speed of 600 miles! That is to say, their body bones are strong enough, like iron nails, otherwise they would be exhausted.
However, even a macho man like Wang Zhongxiao has gone through many hardships along the way. He has changed from a strong man to a lanky man. His skin has also become a bit tanned, his eye sockets are sunken, his lips and chin are a little sunken. There were also many untrimmed beards. Wang Leiyong, who came back with him, was even worse. He was so black and thin from the torture that he could hardly hold on. He was helped to rest by two servants of the Wang family, one on each side.
Wang Zhongxiao then said: "Second uncle, get some food and drink for me and Dalei (Wang Leiyong), and boil some bath water. I will go to the palace to see the emperor later! If you smell it, I will stink. Turn around and smoke It's not okay to keep an eye on the emperor.
By the way, are Xiuquan and Xiuqing both here? I haven't met them yet! "
When Wu Xiaotuo and Yang Xiaohuan gave birth, Wang Zhongxiao had already gone to the army with Yue Le, so he did not stay with his two wives. He has never seen his "Xiuquan" and "Xiuqing" until now. Of course, he needs to meet them first. .
While Wang Zhongxiao was talking, he walked back into the hanging flower gate. When he finished speaking, he had already walked into the yard. As soon as he stood firm in the yard, he saw Yang Xiaomi who was holding a child.
"Hey, isn't this Xiaomi?" Wang Zhongxiao first looked at Xiaomi's charming face, and then glanced down. Oh, it looks even more impressive after giving birth to a child! She is also holding a child, and she doesn’t know whose it is?
Thinking of this, he quickly asked: "Who is this child?"
"It's yours!" Xiaomi said in a sweet voice, and then she held Wang Xiuquan in her arms to her brother-in-law with a smile, "Brother-in-law, look at it, how much does he look like you?"
"Mine?" Wang Zhongxiao glanced at Xiaomi again, and met her electric eyes, which made his bones feel a little soft.
"This is Xiuquan!" At this time, Wu Xiaotuo, a lady in charge, had already carried Wang Xiuqing and walked to Wang Zhongxiao. Seeing her husband's current appearance, she felt ecstatic and distressed. She was so happy that Wang Zhongxiao was now The deputy was unlucky to have lost the battle!
It hurt so much that Wang Zhongxiao looked like he had suffered a lot!
"Xiuquan?" Wang Zhongxiao was overjoyed. "Hurry up and give me a hug. Are you hugging Xiuqing? Come on, let me hug you too!"
Xiaomi first carefully handed Wang Xiuquan to Wang Zhongxiao. This boy was sleeping comfortably in the soft jade warm fragrance. Suddenly he smelled a sour smell. He opened his eyes suddenly and found that he had been surrounded by a man who looked like a beast. "Captured", this man is looking at me with his eyes wide open and his mouth wide open. Is he going to bite me?
Xiao Xiuquan cried out loud!
When Xiuqing, who was several months younger than Xiuquan, was handed into Wang Zhongxiao's arms, she probably thought her "stinky daddy" was ridiculous, so she giggled, which was very endearing.
Although one cried and the other laughed, Wang Zhongxiao liked the two fat boys very much. He held them and coaxed them for a long time. It was not until Li Fuhan had prepared the bath water that he had to hand the two children over to Yang Xiaohuan. . Then he smiled and said to Yang Xiaomi, who had been staring at him: "Xiaomi, I will go to the palace to face the saint later. By the way, the soldiers in the southwest are in danger! Also, your adoptive brother is back too. , he came back with the third-class Befeyancourt."
Yang Xiaomi's expression also became solemn, and he bowed to his brother-in-law, "Brother-in-law, I won't bother you anymore. I'll visit you another day."
"Okay, Xiaotu, I'll give it to your sister."
"yes."
Wang Zhongxiao asked his wife Xiaotu to send Yang Xiaomi away, then staggered to the side room where the bathtub was placed.
About an hour later, Wang Zhongxiao had washed himself clean and put on a somewhat loose official uniform. He ran to the duty room of the memorial office outside Jingyun Gate and handed over his green ticket to see him.
As soon as the green ticket was handed over, Fei Yanggu's voice came from the side: "Shikai, are you here too?"
When Wang Zhongxiao looked back, he found that Fei Yanggu had arrived earlier than him, but he had already washed himself and put on the count's top-grade official uniform. He was holding a steaming meat bun in his hand (it should be the imperial dining room bun Zhang). craftsmanship) sitting on a chair and chewing!
Just as Wang Zhongxiao was about to go up to say hello, he saw the Minister of Internal Affairs Tong Guowei running out of Jingyun Gate with his robe in hand. When he saw Fei Yanggu and Wang Zhongxiao, he asked nervously: "Yang Wu, Shi Kai, why are you two back?" ? Also, the military intelligence express delivery in the southwest has been suspended for some days, right?"
Fei Yanggu quickly stood up and approached Tong Guowei, waving his hand: "Gong Yun, has the emperor summoned me and Shikai?"
"It's announced, it's announced, come with me quickly! The emperor is watching his fall on Yingtai Island, so he needs to walk some distance."
Fei Yanggu smiled bitterly and said, "I've walked three thousand miles, what's left of me?"
As he spoke, Tong Guowei took Fei Yanggu and Wang Zhongxiao and trotted all the way to Yingtai Island. The current Nanxun Pavilion on Yingtai Island has been renovated and turned into a closed martial arts hall. Emperor Kangxi often enjoyed wrestling here with his two good brothers Fuquan and Chang Ning. Women's wrestling!
When Fei Yanggu and Wang Zhongxiao's green-headed signatures were handed over, Kangxi, who was upset because of the sudden interruption of the southwest military intelligence flight, was watching wrestling with his two good brothers on the island to relax!
Oh, this is not debauchery, this is the study of traditional Chinese martial arts!
That "loyal businessman" Yang Qilong had just donated two "female heroes" who were proficient in wrestling, with that figure and that face. Of course, Emperor Kangxi didn't care. What he cared about was the skill and birth of the "female heroes". He can't ask for Yang Qilong's girl. He is a noble, so he has to be careful.
And these two "female heroes" are not Han people, but grassland women from the Chahar tribe of Mongolia. It is said that they are also of Genghis Khan's blood. Yang Qilong spent a lot of money to get through the service of Prince Burney of Chahar, and "invited" them to Beijing from him. Then Yang Qilong's little mother Jin Yuhuan personally trained them for several months before presenting them to the palace.
Kangxi also asked Cao Yin to secretly send the monks at Niangan to check the background of the two "female heroes", and it was indeed exactly what Yang Qilong said. Now Emperor Xiao Mazi really believed that Yang Qilong was a "loyal businessman". Mayan was so happy that he rewarded Yang Qilong with the Ministry of Internal Affairs (rewarding him as a slave, which is really a great favor from the emperor), and also gave him a fourth-grade crown. And the privilege of "leading the internal treasury banker" - being able to "lead the internal treasury banker" means becoming the highest-level imperial merchant!
However, Kangxi was no longer in the mood to appreciate "traditional martial arts" at the moment. Instead, he was messing around in Nanxun Pavilion - who were Fei Yanggu and Wang Zhongxiao? They actually came to Beijing at an accelerated speed of 600 miles!
Something big must have happened. And it was probably a big defeat on the front line!
If they want to win, Yue Le and Leerjin would like to be able to fly quickly. How can they hide it?
And when Kangxi saw Fei Yanggu and Wang Zhongxiao's unlucky state, his heart almost broke. Without waiting for them to kowtow according to the rules, he asked directly: "How is it? How is the battle on the front line? What happened in the Battle of Fushun?" Win or lose?”
Yue Le had already written down the strategy for the Battle of Fushun on the memorial and delivered it to the capital by 800-mile flight. Kangxi was quite happy when he first saw it, thinking he had a chance to win. As a result, there was no news for several days!
"Your Majesty." Fei Yanggu just wanted to reply, but tears were already streaming down his face, "Minions, the minions have been defeated!"
"Defeated. How much?" Kangxi was not afraid of losing the battle, as long as he didn't lose too much. Even if he exchanged three or five green soldiers for one Wu soldier, he didn't care!
"Your Majesty," Wang Zhongxiao had already handed over the secret document, "this time we, we were tricked by Luo Sen, Ma Siwen, Zheng Jiaolin, Wu Zhimao and the other traitors."
Wang Zhongxiao cried even as he spoke!
Kangxi was dumbfounded now. Who were Luo Sen, Ma Siwen, Zheng Jiaolin, and Wu Zhimao? They are all traitors. How will the battle of Fushun be lost?
Fuquan had already jumped up: "What? The Sichuan governor, Sichuan admiral, Baoning commander-in-chief, and the commander-in-chief of the Green Camp New Army are all traitors? So can this battle still be fought?"
"We can't fight," Fei Yanggu cried bitterly, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, we let the traitors get into trouble this time."
Kangxi shook his hands and took the memorial held by Wang Zhongxiao into his hand, "Eight, how many casualties were there among the Eight Banners disciples?"
He doesn't care how many Green Camp soldiers die, but the Eight Banners disciples can't die casually! Especially Man Qizi, who is the core, if all these people are dead, how can he still be regarded as the emperor?
Fei Yanggu said hesitantly: "Your Majesty, when the slaves left Baoning, King An and King Shun had gathered more than 20,000 people. Among them, there were still five or six thousand Eight Banners disciples."
This means that one battle will result in a loss of 15,000!
Are you still fighting this battle?
"How is this possible? How is this possible?"
"That's right, aren't the Eight Banners soldiers invincible?"
Fuquan and Chang Ning also exploded.
"Two princes," Wang Zhongxiao said with tears, "Wu Ni's soldiers are so fierce now that they fight like crazy. They are ten times more ferocious than what I saw when I was in Yunnan. Even I was fooled by them." !”
Fei Yanggu also cried: "Two princes, Wang Shikai is right, Wu Ni's soldiers are now more powerful than our Eight Banners soldiers!"
"This this"
"No way, no way"
Kangxi looked at the two brothers who were about to collapse, and suddenly sighed and said: "This is the courage inspired by the "Celestial Land Acquisition System". In terms of dividing the land according to merit, this is half a military meritorious title!
This is what the Han people do! It was this way during the Qin and Han Dynasties, it was this way again during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was the same way in the early Ming Dynasty, and now it’s happening again! "
When Wang Zhongxiao heard what Kangxi said, he knew that the young emperor had already studied the "Celestial Land Acre System".
This Kangxi knew everything, including the military achievements of the Han people, new Western technologies, and what the earth looked like, but he did nothing and refused to let others understand.
"Your Majesty," Fei Yanggu said to Kangxi, "Your Majesty, don't worry too much. Today's Sichuan is just a piece of white land. No one is without food. It is impossible to support the army for a long time. As long as we can defend the Qinling Mountains and Qishan Mountains, we can firmly hold the Qinling Mountains and Qishan Mountains firmly." If Wu Sangui is blocked, this old guy will die of old age in the southwest!"
"Can it still be blocked?" Kangxi glanced at Fei Yanggu.
"Yes!" Fei Yanggu nodded heavily, "King An still has 20,000 troops. It is enough to guard the entrances of the Qinling Mountains and block the Qishan Mountains."
Kangxi glanced at Wang Zhongxiao, but Wang Zhongxiao shook his head, with a worried look on his face, "Your Majesty, I'm worried that Wu Ni still has the power to strike!
Although Sichuan was deserted, Wu Ni obtained the reserves of the official army and received the help of the governor and admiral of Sichuan. It was still possible to send an army of 100,000 to the northern expedition to the Central Plains!
Although our Eight Banners Army can still block the Qishan and Qinling Mountains and fight to the death, people will always die in the war. I am worried that the children of the Eight Banners will appear again in the Qinling and Qishan areas..."
(End of chapter)
