Shaozhou Prefecture, Qujiang County.
This small town in northern Guangdong surrounded by mountains is now the capital of Guangdong Province under the Qing Dynasty.
When the news of the fall of Guangzhou Fucheng and the defeat and capture of Hepingnan King Shang Kexi reached the front line of Jieyang, the Qing army that was confronting Prince Zhu San under the city of Jieyang could not hold back anymore and immediately collapsed across the board. More than 20,000 troops from Yan Ziming, Miao Zhixiu, Zhang Guoxun, Deng Guangming, Zhang Mengji and others were defeated. They abandoned their artillery, military supplies, and tents and fled. First, he ran wildly to Mianhu Village, and then escaped with Liu Bingquan, the governor of Guangdong, abandoning Puning County and Mianhu Village, running all the way out of Chaozhou Prefecture, and fled to Huizhou Prefecture, where he slightly stabilized his position.
Liu Bingquan then ordered Yan Ziming, Miao Zhixiu, Zhang Guoxun and others to divide their troops to guard Guishan, Heyuan, Lianpingzhou, Changning and Longmen County in Guangzhou Prefecture. He, Deng Guangming, Zhang Mengji, and Fengmingshan, the Tongzhi of Chaozhou Prefecture, withdrew to Shaozhou Prefecture.
At this time, some Qing officials who had escaped from Guangzhou also ran to Qujiang, the capital county of Shaozhou. So Liu Bingquan wrote a confession to plead guilty, and at the same time frightened the Qing Guangdong governor's Yamen again in Qujiang.
Although the yamen has become more stable, the number of officials has decreased by more than half - the escape from Guangzhou is not easy! There were typhoons and heavy rains, as well as unruly people and rebels who robbed, killed and pursued us along the way. When crossing the Liuxi River, the wooden bridge was too crowded, causing many people to be squeezed into the water and drowned. After crossing the Liuxi River, we were starving all the way due to lack of food... The gates of the local guesthouses along the way were closed tightly, and there was no need for a group of refugee officials. When Liu Bingquan goes to Qujiang, Shaozhou to count one point, it will be miserable! Even the feudal lords and lords of Guangdong Province have disappeared, and the original prefect of Guangzhou has also disappeared. The only officials with important positions in Shaozhou are Liu Bingquan, the governor of Guangdong, Xue Zhang, the governor of Guangdong, the governor of Pingnan Palace, Shang Zhijie, the deputy capital of Pingnan Palace, Shang Zhilong, and the chief minister of Honglu Temple, Jin Guang. Waiting for only a few people.
Even these officials were not safe. Except for Xue Zhang, all of them handed over confession papers and waited for Emperor Kangxi to punish them.
Although Guangdong Xuezheng Xue Zhang did not submit a confession, Shang Zhixin "surrendered" through him, and the letter of help from Shang Kexi brought by Jin Guang was also delivered through him-who made him the unjust person in Guangzhou City that day? The biggest one among the officials of the Nanwang system? So he, like everyone else, was anxiously waiting for Emperor Kangxi's edict.
On June 15th, Emperor Kangxi finally sent his imperial guards to deliver the edict to Liu Bingquan, Xue Zhang, Shang Zhijie, Shang Zhilong and others. What was delivered was not a formal imperial edict, but a court message.
In addition to several edicts, the imperial guard also sent a "private message" from Tu Hai, the great scholar of Zhonghe Palace, to Xue Zhang, the admiral of Guangdong Academic Affairs... This matter is real A bit unusual.
In addition, these edicts were all addressed to Liu Bingquan, Xue Zhang, Shang Zhijie, and Shang Zhilong, so there was nothing wrong with Jin Guang.
Although this Jin Guang is a good military advisor, he has the official position of chief minister of Honglu Temple, which is one of the nine ministers!
This thing is a bit weird too.
However, no matter how unusual or weird it is, Liu Bingquan, Xue Zhang, Shang Zhijie, and Shang Zhilong still have to accept the edict and read the edict.
But they didn't drive away the pitiful-looking Jin Guang... Although Jin Guang had the official position of the chief minister of Honglu Temple, his official position was fictitious. His real identity was still the dog of Prince Pingnan's palace. Therefore, the edicts that Shang Zhijie and Shang Zhilong can see are equivalent to the ones that Jin Guang can see.
"What? Ping, King Pingnan and my father have become loyal martyrs? Am I right?"
In the second hall of the Guangdong Governor's Yamen in Qujiang County, Liu Bingquan was the first to pick up the imperial mail and look through it. After just a few glances, he couldn't help but scream.
As he spoke, he handed the imperial mail to Xue Zhang - this imperial mail was for Liu Bingquan, Xue Zhang, Shang Zhijie, and Shang Zhilong.
Xue Zhang took the mail from Ting and read it carefully, his brows were already twisted into a ball, and then he glanced at Jin Guang, "The Emperor said that the prince and I have both died for their country in Guangzhou City... Lord Shang Wu will succeed him as the new King Pingnan."
When the old man Jin Guangjin heard this, he burst into tears, "Your Majesty, the Second Prince..."
Kangxi's decree was equivalent to a death sentence for Shang Kexi and Shang Zhixiao... To the Qing Dynasty, they were already dead!
For Zhu Heji, the value of Shang Kexi and Shang Zhixiao is only one death... These two people are too cruel to the Cantonese people. Killing them can relieve the hatred of the Cantonese people and save Zhu He's life. You win people's hearts.
So these two people must die!
As for the group of Shang Zhixin, Shang Kele, Li Tianzhi, and Wang Guodong who are still trapped in Xinhui City, it seems that there is only one way to die.
Because as far as the Qing Dynasty is concerned, they are already dead!
Liu Bingquan sighed: "For the sake of the court's dignity, I have no choice but to do this..."
The old man Jin Guangjin just shed tears.
Liu Bingquan glanced at the sick-looking Shang Zhijie again, and comforted him in a low voice, "We slaves must understand our master's difficulties."
Shang Zhijie feels miserable! He had no objections to Ama Shang Kexi, his eldest brother Shang Zhixin, and his second brother Shang Zhixiao, and to Bei Zhonglie.
But why was it not he who succeeded him, but his fifth brother Shang Zhidian?
However, no matter how dissatisfied he felt, he could only thank the Lord for His kindness...
At this time, Xue Zhang took out the imperial edict sent to him by Emperor Kangxi, and also allowed Liu Bingquan, Shang Zhijie, and Shang Zhilong to read it together.
"Liu Futai," Xue Zhang finally showed a smile after reading the edict, "The emperor asked us to hold a large-scale Guangdong Provincial Examination, and we can get twice as much filial piety and integrity."
"Really?" Liu Bingquan also laughed, then reached out and took the Tingji from Xue Zhang's hand and looked at it, the more he looked at it, the happier he became.
This is a good thing!
First of all, it shows that he and Xue Zhang are still good officials... The emperor also asked them to hold the Guangdong Provincial Examination. They will definitely not be punished!
Secondly, holding the rural examination is an opportunity to make money!
The emperor said in his court letter that he could get twice as many candidates as the last Guangdong Provincial Examination.
Now eleven counties in Guangfu, one county in Zhaoqing Prefecture, and five counties in Chaozhou have been lost. Qiongzhou Prefecture has lost contact because the port at Haikou, the only port leading to the mainland, has been occupied.
The remaining counties in Chaozhou may not last long.
Therefore, those who can participate in the Guangdong Provincial Examination are scholars from Zhaoqing, Shaozhou, Huizhou, Jiaying, Gaozhou, Leizhou, and Lianzhou. The number is more than half less than the previous session!
In this case, the quota for the people to be promoted will be doubled... Obviously, the emperor's intention is to use the reputation of the people to win over the powerful in Guangdong.
It doesn’t matter whether you have knowledge or not!
Therefore, it is only natural that Xue Zhang, who presided over the provincial examination, and Liu Bingquan, who co-organized the examination, should receive some "make-up tuition" from it.
The money Liu Bingquan had embezzled over the years had been hidden in the backyard of the Guangdong Governor's Yamen. Now that it is all gone, he just took this opportunity to get some back.
Just as he was thinking about how to make money, Xue Zhang suddenly exclaimed: "What...what?"
Liu Bingquan was startled. He quickly looked up and found Xue Zhang shaking there holding a piece of letter - the letter should have been sent to Xue Zhang by the bachelor Tu Hai.
"Xue Tixue," Liu Bingquan looked at the horrified Xue Zhang and asked, "What was written in Tu Linzhou's letter?"
Xue Zhang's face turned pale, and he did not answer Liu Bingquan's words, but looked up at Jin Guang, "Mr. Jin, Master Tu... He wants you to be a loyal martyr of the Qing Dynasty together with King Pingnan and my father-in-law!"
It turns out that the trouble Kangxi wanted Xue Zhang to solve was Jin Guang!
Because except for Jin Guang, no one with enough weight in the Qing camp had seen the captured Shang Kexi, so as long as Jin Guang was loyal, Shang Kexi would naturally be able to become a loyal soldier with peace of mind.
When Jin Guang learned that Shang Kexi and Shang Zhixin had been loyal, he knew that he might die, but he didn't expect that his death would come so quickly.
But he had no choice but to sigh: "If the Lord wants the slave to die, the slave has to die...but the slave's life is also life!"
After saying that, Old Man Jin burst into tears!
