Jiangnan in April is getting hotter and hotter.
However, all parts of Shandong are in dire straits, with three shocks a day.
Ever since Zuo Menggeng went south to get married, the New Army had stopped suppressing thieves.
This gave the White Lotus Sect rebels a chance to breathe. They became more and more troubled in Qingzhou Prefecture and the southern part of Yanzhou Prefecture where there were no new troops stationed. Even Yanzhou Prefecture was invaded three times.
Anyone with a discerning eye would know that this was the result of a conflict between Zuo Menggeng and the Kong family, and they deliberately watched the show.
For this reason, King Heng of Qingzhou Prefecture, King Lu of Yanzhou Prefecture, and local officials of Yanzhou Prefecture jointly submitted a letter to the emperor to complain.
But what can Chongzhen do?
The rebels in Shanxi could never be pacified. He had to sleep with one eye open and did not dare to mess with Shandong's military affairs.
With no other choice, he had to send a reprimand to Zuo Menggeng, ordering him to march quickly without delay.
Zuo Mengeng received this decree in Songjiang Mansion. Although he didn't pay much attention to it, he also knew that it was time to set off back.
Although you still have plenty of time, you still need to make good use of it if you want to be fully prepared.
And just before departure, an invitation letter was sent to the Xu Mansion.
The invitation was sent from Nanjing, and the person who invited it cannot be ignored.
Qian Qianyi, Qian Muzhai.
The words in the invitation letter were vague and official, such as "all walks of life in the south of the Yangtze River admire the young general's demeanor and are eager to see him" and "Mr. Jishan is famous all over the world, and scholars and scholars have been looking forward to it for a long time."
"It's really strange. Qian Muzhai is living happily in Nanjing. How could he think of inviting me to come?"
Huang Zongxi's mind was spinning quickly and he said, "I'm afraid the teacher's lecture that day has already reached Nanjing."
Everyone suddenly understood and nodded silently, thinking that this should be the case.
Liu Zongzhou's lecture that day caused an uproar in Songjiang Mansion, and the discussion on Confucianism had become a trend.
There are also many people who really use Confucianism to invest in their daily production and life, but the results have not been revealed yet.
Even people from Suzhou Prefecture next door made a special trip to ask for advice, and then brought the relevant content back.
Since the news has spread to Suzhou Prefecture, it is reasonable for Nanjing to take notice.
Liu Zongzhou was very happy about this result.
As a scholar, he is very happy to see his theories spread widely and influence many people.
Zuo Mengeng was more cautious.
He told Fu Yusun: "Send someone to Nanjing to check and report back quickly."
The Shilin people in Jiangnan had no sense of confidentiality, and Zuo Mengeng soon learned the truth.
"It seems that these Jiangnan literati are here with bad intentions."
Holding the information, Zuo Mengeng smiled cryptically.
He saw the names of Qian Qianyi, Zhang Cai, Chen Zilong and others on it, and also learned the reason for the incident.
It turned out that Chen Zilong and others took Liu Zongzhou's lectures to consult Zhang Cai that day, but Zhang Cai criticized Liu Zongzhou heavily.
This immediately led to a split within Fushe.
Zhang Cai, Song Zhengyu, Li Wen and others strongly opposed Liu Zongzhou's views, but Chen Zilong and Xia Yunyi agreed.
The two sides had a big debate at Zhang Cai's home. They were so noisy that no one could convince the other.
Seeing the smell of gunpowder getting stronger and stronger, Zhang Cai instinctively sensed the crisis and immediately suggested that everyone go to Nanjing to consult the literary masters to decide what was right and what was wrong.
Chen Zilong was very sad for the stubbornness of his friends. He felt that the big names in the literary world would definitely wake up Song Zhengyu and others, so he immediately agreed and followed them.
After Zhang Cai and others arrived in Nanjing, they visited Qian Qianyi, the Minister of Household Affairs Zheng Sanjun, the Minister of Rites Luo Congyu, the Minister of War Fu Zhenshang, the Minister of Punishments Xiong Mingyu, the Minister of Rites Qian Shisheng and other officials and celebrities who were living here, and submitted Liu Zongzhou's manuscript.
Not surprisingly, this incident quickly detonated the Nanjing literary world.
Not only the Nanjing officialdom and scholars were discussing this, but even the prince of Wei Guogong heard about it.
The literati were all big talkers, and they all liked to drink flower wine. As a result, in the end, Liu Zongzhou's lectures were circulated even in the brothels on the Qinhuai River.
I don’t know if Liu Zongzhou should cry or laugh when he learns about this.
However, the intelligence returned showed that at this time, there were more people in Nanjing who were hostile to the content of Liu Zongzhou's lectures.
It's obvious.
Where is Nanjing?
One of the two capitals of the Ming Dynasty, the center of power in Jiangnan. There are many nobles and nobles, there are many aristocratic families, and there are also big landowners and big businessmen. At the same time, they firmly hold the right to speak in the Ming Dynasty.
Who among the bureaucrats, nobles, merchants and scholars in this place would like Confucianism to be lowered to a lower level and "reduced" to become a sloppy science?
This is the foundation on which they rely to maintain their interests!
"It is said that the Nanjing officialdom has criticized you a lot. If it doesn't work out, why don't we just skip this appointment?"
Zuo Mengeng just wanted to return to Shandong safely now and didn't want to cause any complications, so he persuaded Liu Zongzhou to come.
Nanjing has now been divided into several camps,
The prince of Wei Guogong, Zheng Sanjun, Fu Zhenshang and others all stood with Zhang Cai and firmly opposed what Liu Zongzhou said.
However, Xiong Mingyu and Qian Shisheng sided with Liu Zongzhou, believing that Confucianism should abandon empty talk and become something useful in order to benefit the country and the people.
As for Qian Qianyi...
This recognized leader of the Jiangnan literary world gave full play to his true qualities as a wallflower. I neither oppose nor support, and I can’t see his intentions.
Liu Zongzhou and Zuo Mengeng had different views.
"Qian Muzhai, Zhang Cai and others have great influence in Jiangnan. Since they have launched such a battle with great fanfare, everyone in Jiangnan will definitely wait and see. If we retreat, we will no longer have a foundation in the future. There is a moral dispute. No advance, no retreat.”
Zuo Mengeng understood.
Zhang Cai and others set up their positions to discuss the matter with Liu Zongzhou. And this matter has attracted the attention of the entire Jiangnan.
Jiangnan is also the center of the world's literary world. Any ideas born here will surely affect the whole country.
Any kind of doctrine and thought must stand the test if it wants to be convinced by more people.
Liu Zongzhou obviously regarded his trip to Nanjing as a whetstone for new doctrines.
Only by defeating Zhang Cai and others head-on can his theory gain a foothold in Jiangnan and become a prominent school, laying the foundation for future conquests in Jiangnan.
Otherwise, if you retreat without a fight, you will definitely not be recognized by the world. Not only will Liu Zongzhou's reputation plummet, but the New Army's theory will have nowhere to go in the future.
"Okay, let's go to Nanjing. Let's see if the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties is a dragon's pond and a tiger's den?"
Seeing that Zuo Mengeng was in high spirits, Liu Zong and Zhou Laohuai were relieved.
If a leader has such courage, there is no need to worry about great achievements.
But behind the majestic spirit, there is precise calculation.
Zuo Mengeng did not dare to neglect at all and quickly made arrangements. Intelligence agents spread like locusts throughout Nanjing and began careful deployment.
He is not worried about the outcome of the debate, but is afraid that someone will take risks.
Nanjing is currently beyond the reach of the New Army. How can we be too careful?
Seven days later, news came back from Nanjing that all departments had been deployed.
What Zuo Menggeng and Huang Zongxi couldn't believe was that as the southern capital, Nanjing's defense was almost like paper.
The intelligence officers reported very confidently that they only needed twenty people to kill through the city of Nanjing, making it unstoppable.
Think about the Jiajing period, thirty or so Japanese pirates were able to make the city of Nanjing rumble, and every plant and tree be covered with soldiers. It is evident that the military preparedness in Jiangnan was depleted.
On the tenth day of April, Zuo Menggeng and others, who had completed their preparations, left Songjiang and prepared to return north.
On the dock, Zuo Mengeng finally made his explanation to the people from the Chamber of Commerce.
"At the latest one to two years, we can abandon the canal and realize cotton transportation by sea. You must be prepared, especially the Haiphong Yamen. It is best to open up the joints. If not, then leave it to me."
Everyone in the Chamber of Commerce is eager to realize the sea transportation as soon as possible.
"So let's just wait for the good news from Zhongheng."
Here we bid farewell, and in the distance a large group of vicious people rushed towards the pier. All the boats docked on the shore were dashed by them.
But seeing the situation here, those people couldn't help but stop.
None of them are blind, how could they not see that these are all well-connected people in Songjiang Mansion. If you offend these people, you will die without even knowing how.
Zuo Mengeng saw those people leaving angrily and didn't take them seriously.
The people on the left and right are just gangsters, if they really dare to come and provoke them, he doesn't mind letting these people see blood.
"The green mountains will not change, and the green waters will always flow. Zuo is waiting for you all in Shandong to discuss important matters together."
Everyone in Songjiang Mansion returned the greeting.
"You have been called upon, but you dare not resign."
It is conceivable that from now on, the exchanges between Shandong and Songjiang Prefecture will enter a new stage.
Everyone in Songjiang Mansion also wants to go north to Shandong to have a thorough understanding of the situation there. Especially the various new technologies brought over by Zuo Mengeng have made everyone in Songjiang Mansion yearn for Shandong.
The fleet slowly left the dock and went down the Huangpu River. For Zuo Mengeng, the trip to Songjiang Mansion was a fruitful one.
