In the Zhang family's courtyard on Chayuan Street in Luoyang City, Tong Shoushan led Bao Jiqiang into the main room. After sitting down, someone brought them hot water.
Tong Shoushan asked directly: "Can we find out when the intruders entered the city? Where are the other brothers staying? We can't find out!"
Bao Jiqiang drank a few sips of hot water and felt that he immediately regained a lot of strength. He sighed first and then said: "Although looting has been banned in the city, thieves are everywhere, and interrogation is extremely strict. , it’s not easy to move around.
The subordinates have not yet visited the resting places of the other groups of brothers. They must have found a temple or a suitable private house to hide in to observe the movements of the thieves.
However, I heard from the outsiders that the intruder was going to enter the city after lunch. Now every house in the city has a note with the word 'Shun' or 'Submit' on the front door to express submission to the intruder. .
The subordinates took it upon themselves to make the decision and brought back some notes like this from the street, asking Mr. Tong to decide whether we should affix such notes. "
Tong Shoushan said without hesitation: "Bring it here, why don't you put it on? I'll put it on right away."
He took the notes and took two of them with the word "obey the people" written on them. He handed them to a sergeant and pasted them on the front and side doors. The sergeant took the notes and turned around and went out.
Bao Jiqiang reported again: "Master Tong, we just saw the notice posted by the traitors to calm the people by the procuratorate outside. It's called "Nine Questions and Nine Admonitions". What's written on it is called evil. It's all incitement. The words of a hungry people revolting.”
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The "Nine Questions and Nine Advices" notice posted by the Chuang Army in Luoyang City was drafted by Li Yan, a scholar who had newly joined the Chuang King after he entered Henan. This is an extremely important propaganda tool and is extremely inflammatory. powerful.
Its content is almost entirely written according to the meaning of Chuang Wang Li Zicheng, and it also uses the tune of Guer Ci, which is most familiar to Henan people. It raises a total of nine questions to the people and persuades the poor people to do nine things. .
For example, one of the questions asked why there are a few people who have a lot of land and are richer than princes, while many ordinary people are poor and have no foundation.
The second question is why those rich and powerful families with vast land are trying every possible means to evade taxes and pass all the taxes and exorbitant levies on to the common people, without the court or government taking any action?
The third question is that the common people have a heavy burden and have raised soldiers for the imperial court. Why does the imperial court still allow the officers and soldiers to rape prostitutes, plunder property, burn houses, kill good people and take credit for their merits, and only harm the people?
The fourth question is why the imperial court has treacherous ministers and eunuchs, while corruption is rampant and bribery is common in the local areas, putting the people in dire straits, but the emperor turns a deaf ear to this?
Five Questions: Why does the imperial court use imperial examinations, and those who become officials are often either dim-witted and useless people who do not know the difference between wheat and wheat, or they are flattering villains who are worse than dogs and pigs, while the real talents and gentlemen are not admitted? the road? …
Li Yan raised a series of nine questions in his proclamation "Nine Questions and Nine Admonitions". One of them directly pointed out that successive emperors of the Ming Dynasty had made their sons and nephews kings and occupied countless fertile lands across the country. Over the heads of the common people, how much land will be left in the country in a few generations?
The nine questions he asked can be said to be lively and vivid, and deeply hit the bad government of the Ming Dynasty at that time.
Following Jiu Wen was Jiu Quan.
In his proclamation, Li Yan advised the poor people to quickly follow King Chuang, not to pay for food, not to serve as servants, not to be the fish and meat of the government, or the cattle and horses of the rich and powerful.
Second, he urged all the people to follow King Chuang, eliminate the officers and soldiers, kill the powerful locals, and eliminate harm for the people.
Gu San persuaded the common people to follow King Chuang, kill corrupt officials, eliminate corrupt officials, severely punish lawless local eunuchs, and avenge the common people...
The last advice was even more powerful, actually urging the common people to follow King Chuang, invade Beijing, seize the Ming Dynasty, and establish a peaceful world with clear politics.
When Li Yan wrote "Nine Questions and Nine Admonitions", he almost refined it word for word, and then refined it again and again until he finally wrote it, it was really catchy.
What's even more rare is that every sentence in this proclamation is a common saying that is easy to understand. Not only is it easy to sing among the people, but every question goes straight into the hearts of the people, and Jiu Quan also got it right. superior.
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However, Tong Shoushan looked indifferent to this, and just heard him say: "We can't care about this now. You have been wandering outside for a while, and you are more familiar with the outside world than the people here. Take a breath first. You can also put a note on your hat later and take two brothers with you to welcome King Chuang into the city."
As he spoke, he handed another note to Bao Jiqiang and said: "Sixty people came in from our left post, and I guess the number from the right post is about the same.
Now the war horses have been left outside the city. Now that the inspections in the city are strict, it is inconvenient to leave the city for a while, so you can only hide in the city. You went out this time to welcome King Chuang into the city and observe the conditions of the roads and vacant houses in the city. "
Tong Shoushan also took a few sips of warm water, and then said: "Secondly, let's try our luck to see if we can meet other brothers entering the city, so that we can get in touch and take care of each other.
As for the notice you just mentioned, I can only look for an opportunity to go out at night and see if I can get a copy in my hand so that I can take it back to the commander in the future. "
Bao Jiqiang nodded and said, "Okay, let's go out now. We can blend in with the crowd leaving the city early so we can hide easily!"
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The twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month in the thirteenth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty was a day of disaster for Luoyang City and the wealthy officials, gentry and wealthy households in the city, but for others it was a day of joy.
Li Zicheng, the King of Chuang, was still as before. He was wearing a green cloth arrow jacket, a sheepskin cloak, and a half-old white felt hat that northern farmers liked to wear. There was a red tassel on the top of the hat. .
Previously, Li Zicheng had been informed that the people in Luoyang City were going to welcome him into the city outside the south gate of Luoyang, but he did not expect that hundreds of thousands of poor people would come to the north bank of the Luo River to welcome him.
Moreover, the small streets along the bank of the Luo River were also full of people in the city, and even both sides of the main road leading to Luoyang Nanguan were full of people coming to greet him as King Chuang.
An incense table was placed every not far away, and buckets of hot tea and porridge were prepared for the soldiers under King Chuang's command to quench their thirst and satisfy their hunger, as a welcome gesture.
Li Zicheng, the King of Chuang, led the troops under his command without stopping along the road, rushing to the south gate of Luoyang and marching slowly.
Wearing a flowered horse sword on his waist, he rode slowly forward on his beloved black horse. He kept looking at the people on both sides of the street who were coming out of the city to welcome him. In order not to make these people feel scared, he even painted a special color on his face. Put on a gentle smile.
After more than ten years of hard work, including many ups and downs, Li Zicheng, the king of Chuang, was lucky enough to successfully enter Luoyang, a historical city that was once the capital of nine dynasties. Many people in the city greeted him like this. How could he? How can I not be excited!
