"The governor has arrived!" Two days later, Fang Zhenru's motorcade finally arrived at Zhennanguan.
In fact, if you look at the map, Zhennanguan is not far from Nanning Prefecture in a straight line, but the road is difficult to travel. The road construction at that time was not like that of later generations. When Fang Zhenru left Nanning Prefecture, the road conditions were pretty good, but as he went further The roads get worse as we go west. As we approach Zhennanguan, many places turn into narrow paths, and the convoys can only form a long snake formation when they come.
In normal times, the convoy would have been dawdling as long as it could. Who would want to go to Zhennanguan, a place where birds don’t lay eggs? But this time it was different. Fang Zhenru was in the convoy, and after his constant urging, he finally hurried on. Hurrying slowly, we arrived at Zhennanguan on time.
Knowing that the governor was coming in person, Zhennanguan and Pingxiang Prefecture had made full preparations. They paved roads with loess and splashed clean water on the streets. Fang Wen and Zuo Bin, leading the cultural relic officers, had been waiting at the city gate early.
After hearing the news from the messenger that Fang Zhenru had arrived, everyone immediately rushed forward to greet him. Although Fang Zhenru is an old man in his sixties, his body is still strong. When he first set out, he took a carriage. When the road was bad later, Fang Zhenru simply abandoned the carriage and rode directly forward. The crowd gathered around Fang Zhenru, who was wearing a bright red official robe, and came to the foot of Guancheng. Fang Wen and others immediately bowed to pay homage and said, "I'll wait and see you, sir."
Fang Zhenru immediately dismounted, walked to Fang Wen, took his arm and said: "Master Fang, thank you for your hard work. Thank you for your hard work. This is a rare occasion for me. In fact, such a large battle cannot be used. The protagonists are the soldiers in front, not Old man."
Fang Wen immediately held up his hands and said, "This is because I didn't think carefully."
Fang Zhenru was happy in his heart and waved his hand: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter."
Fang Wen said again: "Sir, the conditions in Guancheng are not very good. After your work, why don't you go to the city to rest, and also appreciate the customs and customs of Pingxiangzhou?"
Fang Zhenru shook his head and said: "You and I were a family five hundred years ago, but you may not know me well. I came here to express condolences to the meritorious soldiers, not just to show off, so of course I want to be with the soldiers. Together, I will only stay for two days and will return the day after tomorrow, so let’s rest here in the city."
Fang Wendao said: "But the border is dangerous, and the lower officials are afraid."
"It doesn't matter. The Annan people are newly defeated. Wherever they dare to raid the border again, the most dangerous place is often the safest place." Fang Zhenru chuckled.
He raised his eyes and saw a general, dressed in Qian Zong uniform, following Fang Wen, who should be Zuo Bin. Of course, Fang Zhenru had never met Zuo Bin, but he knew that Pingxiangzhou's garrison position was temporarily vacant, so in fact the highest military attache was General Qian. This person was following Fang Wen, so he should be Mr. Zuo Qian of Zhennanguan.
"This must be Mr. Zuo Qian." Fang Zhenru walked around Fang Wen and said.
Zuo Bin immediately took a step forward and said, "Sir, the humble one is Zuo Bin." Fang Zhenru patted him on the shoulder and said, "Well done, indeed well done. General Zuo led his army to attack on his own initiative. The Ming Dynasty's illustrious military power shocked the border Xiaoxiao, he is a model military general of the Ming Dynasty."
Zuo Bin was flattered to receive such a high evaluation from Fang Zhenru. He immediately clasped his fists and said: "I don't dare to take the humble position. The humble position is just a small thousand generals. How can I be called a general? Guarding the border is my responsibility. I dare not take credit."
"Good! You are neither arrogant nor impetuous, and have the air of a general. Although you are a thousand-year-old general, you have made such a great contribution. I have no choice but to praise you. I dare not say anything else. But after all, I am the governor of Guangxi. With the defense of Xiangzhou I'm short of it for now, why don't I leave it to you?" Fang Zhenru said.
Zuo Bin felt that his body was light and airy, as if he was about to fly. Happiness came so suddenly. He didn't expect the governor to do things so readily. He had been in the position of President Qian for many years, and he always wanted to find ways to go further. But he couldn't get what he asked for, but no one expected that by chance, a small civilian would become a lever to lever fate. If Pingxiangzhou's defense had given it to him, Zuo Bin would have been the highest military attache in Pingxiangzhou. .
Fang Zhenru was not bragging. Of course he had no right to appoint senior military attachés such as generals and staff generals. They were under the direct control of the Ministry of War. However, a garrison basically belonged to the ceiling of the local soldiers, which happened to be under the jurisdiction of his governor. Although it must be reported to the Ministry of War, it is basically a process. If a governor cannot even handle the duty of guarding, his power is too small.
Fang Wen had been in the officialdom for a long time and was familiar with all the doorways inside. He immediately stepped forward and said: "Congratulations, congratulations to General Zuo." According to the Ming Dynasty's practice, generally only those with guerrilla and above can be called generals, but the garrison is also the highest military attache in the place. If he crosses the line, he is called a general. , the problem is not big.
Zuo Bin was still top-heavy, but Fang Zhenru said: "Hurry and go to the military camp to express condolences to the soldiers. I am ashamed to say that I came here this time and did not bring more supplies to reward the meritorious soldiers. There is only five thousand taels of silver in total." , I took out my private property and added another thousand taels of silver, which is already the limit. There are two thousand dan of grain, which is enough to hold Nanguan for a while."
"Your Majesty said it, your Majesty said it." Zuo Bin had no idea what Fang Zhenru was talking about. He was dreaming about taking office, his mind had already gone to the sky, and he kept saying yes.
He led the way and led Fang Zhenru to the military camp. Fang Zhenru naturally gave a morale-boosting speech, and then said in front of all the soldiers that he could keep the spoils for himself, and distributed money and food. Although the money is not much, on average, each person can receive six taels of silver, which is half a year's military pay, and it is cash. The soldiers are also smiling. No matter what, under the supervision of the governor, no superior officer dares to do anything. The money was distributed in real terms.
After everything was done, Fang Wen and Zuo Bin had already arranged a welcome dinner at Zhennanguan. Since the governor was not going to the city, they had to entertain him at Zhennanguan. The friendship of the landlords still had to be fulfilled.
Fang Zhenru was also in high spirits today. Seeing the soldiers in the front using their lives, Fang Zhenru felt that the Ming Dynasty was still strong. As long as there were more soldiers like the Zhennanguan garrison, defeating the Jianlu and Liu bandits would be just around the corner. So he, who didn't drink much on weekdays, picked up his wine glass and started changing glasses with Fang Wen and others, without any airs of a governor at all.
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Fang Zhenru said: "Mr. Zuo Qian, can you tell me about the specific battle process? You should be the only one here who is most familiar with it."
Zuo Bin was staggering with alcohol and his face was full of alcohol. When he heard Fang Zhenru ask this question, he said: "Sir, Gao Heng, a small flag officer in our army, led his team to sneak into Yuan County and beheaded Zheng Guang. , then set up an ambush to kill the pursuers, took advantage of the chaos among the Annan people, led the army out of the city, took the initiative to attack, and then killed them all, haha."
Fang Zhenru said: "Oh? There are such brave men. Why didn't you tell me earlier? I should express my sympathy and praise."
"Yes, yes, I was negligent in my humble duty." Zuo Bin squinted his eyes and hiccupped.
"In that case, ask someone to find him now. I want to see him." Fang Zhenru said.
"Oh, him, he's already working alone in Annan." Zuo Bin said.
Fang Wen quickly gave him a wink. This guy really drank too much and didn't know how much he weighed. He told him to tell the truth this morning, but that's not what he said. But Zuo Bin didn't raise his eyes to look at Fang Wen, making Fang Wen as anxious as an ant on a hot pot.
Fang Zhenru was not as drunk as Zuo Bin. He immediately realized that something was wrong with Zuo Bin's words. What did he mean that this man was already working alone in Annan. "Zuo Bin, what do you mean by this? Why can't I understand?" Fang Zhenru turned around and asked.
"Oh, sir, sir, he has captured a city by himself and has gathered thousands of troops. There are, and there are." Zuo Bin was in a daze and didn't know what to say for a moment.
With a bang, everyone immediately turned their attention and saw that Fang Zhenru's expression changed several times and he placed the wine glass heavily on the table, almost breaking it. "Humph, Zuo Bin, stand up and answer properly. Why is this not reflected in your battle report? What is going on? Please tell me clearly!"
"Sir!" Fang Wen suddenly stood up and slapped Zuo Bin in the mouth. Zuo Bin was slapped, and he immediately woke up from the drunkenness. He saw everyone's eyes staring at him. Fang Zhenru's face was very ugly, and cold sweat started to flow down his back.
Zuo Bin knew that he had made a drunken blunder and made the governor unhappy. Zuo Bin quickly knelt down and said: "My lord, my lord, this is a despicable position, a despicable position."
Fang Zhenru glanced at him and said: "What happened to the little flag officer named Gao Heng you just mentioned? Explain it to me word by word. Why didn't you include this person in the battle report when he made such great contributions? Reflect, I thought you were one of the few brave and capable generals of the Ming Dynasty, but I didn’t expect you to be the same as those guys who eat nothing but corpses!”
Fang Zhenru's words were so serious that Zuo Bin was about to urinate. He was only one step away from the guarding position. Now he seemed to be in doubt. This was what happened in Fang Zhenru's thoughts. He didn't know that the governor had always thought that people were known for their integrity, but now that he was doing this, he was taking advantage of Gao Heng's military achievements and putting the credit of others on his own head. Fang Zhenru usually hated this kind of thing. .
Seeing that Zuo Bin was speechless and speechless, Fang Wen, who knew the inside story, immediately stepped forward to smooth things over, "Sir, Mr. Zuo Qian also reported this matter to the official yesterday, so the official will explain it." Immediately, Gao Heng was tell the whole story.
Fang Zhenru was no longer in the mood to eat. After listening to Fang Wen's words, he immediately stood up and paced back and forth in the room, saying at the same time: "Tens of thousands of overseas Chinese are suffering, shouldn't we do something? This Gao Heng is really powerful, so The overseas Chinese were organized in a short period of time. It is commendable that they can not only fight but also win the war. I think we should lead them back to Zhennanguan and return to the embrace of the Ming Dynasty."
No one answered. In addition to the civilian and military generals from Pingxiangzhou, there were also the entourage brought by Fang Zhenru from Nanning Mansion. Everyone was silent. Fang Zhenru suddenly realized something and sat down dejectedly.
Everyone was silent, but he also understood what it meant. Most of the expatriates who went overseas went there because they had difficulty making a living in Ming Dynasty or could not find a good job. If they could live and work in peace and contentment in Ming Dynasty, who would go out? What's more, the current situation in Ming Dynasty is not much better than that in Annan. With so many people coming back, where will they be resettled?
The government's current government decrees are blocked, and it is definitely out of control. If this was left to the local officials, which local official would take over this hot potato? Various passes in northern Guangxi have begun to deny entry to northern refugees. One more person means one more mouth. Without food, people cannot be fed.
There are more people without food, which is even more of a hidden danger. Now these overseas Chinese take the initiative to gather together to stay warm. This is the best solution for them. Besides, the migration of tens of thousands of people is not a simple matter. Even if they are very close to the border of the Ming Dynasty, it is the internal affairs of the Annan Kingdom after all. If they interfere rashly, wouldn't they be actively handing over the knife and providing an excuse for the Annan people to attack the Ming Dynasty? ?
It's just this Gao Heng, what a pity. Listening to their introduction, he is a very talented person.
Fang Zhenru said: "Okay, let's all get up. In this case, we can't just sit here and send people immediately to find a way to get in touch with them. I also want to know what Gao Heng is thinking."
The banquet was over. Fang Zhenru and the other officials were not interested in eating any more. Fang Zhenru got up and went to the room arranged by Zuo Bin to rest, leaving Fang Wen and Zuo Bin aside. Fang Wen glanced at Zuo Bin angrily, watched Fang Zhenru leave, and then cursed Zuo Bin.
Back in the room, Fang Zhenru felt mixed emotions. He called his staff Sun Ding into the room and wanted to have a chat with him. This Sun Ding was a talented person he had known in Jiangnan. When he was about forty years old, Fang Zhenru recruited him into his army and often asked him for advice.
As soon as Sun Ding came in, he cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, sir."
Fang Zhenru waved his hand and said: "Sit down, no need for these false courtesy, I'm here to talk to you casually."
Sun Ding said: "I'm afraid your lord doesn't want to have a casual chat with me. I've seen the scene just now. I'm afraid your lord is feeling upset."
Fang Zhenru sighed: "The world is difficult. Although I have never met this Gao Heng, a mere flag officer dared to attack and kill the opponent's general. He also defeated the vanguard of the Annan army. He even rescued the overseas Chinese and organized them to fight against the follow-up reinforcements." , and also captured the other party’s prince, this is a fantasy no matter how you look at it, but it happened to be done by this person, which is enough to prove that this person is by no means an idle person. When the Ming Dynasty is employing people, it is a pity to abandon such a brave general. .”
He stood up and said: "What's more, apart from him, there are so many people of the original Ming Dynasty in Annan. If we just sit back and ignore them, how can I bear it?"
