To the south of Dongchang Prefecture where Linqing is located is Yanzhou Prefecture.
Yanzhou Prefecture is so large that there are four prefectures and 23 counties under it. Within Yanzhou Prefecture, there are counties such as Qufu, as well as Yanggu County, Yuncheng County, and Liangshanbo, which were famous in the "Water Margin" that came out later.
In addition, there is Caoxian County located in the southwest corner.
In a Yanzhou Prefecture, there are three guards in Jining, Yizhou and Yanzhou, two thousand-household offices in Tengxian and Dongping, and twelve inspection departments.
However, Dongchang Prefecture, which is much smaller than Yanzhou Prefecture, also has three guards, Linqing, Dongchang, and Pingshan, and there is still something wrong with the canal.
Now the imperial driver passes through Liaocheng County, the prefecture of Dongchang Prefecture, and enters Yanggu County. Next is the long route passing through Liangshanbo and Weishan Lake.
Cui Yuan went directly to Huai'an Prefecture to set up an outpost, while Li Quanli, Liu Zhenyuan, Zhang Fujing, and Qi Yuanda tightened their nerves, and the investigation scope on both sides of the river in front of them extended for twenty miles at any time, not letting go of any clues.
In Linqing City, the investigation of the case was handed over to the right minister of the Ministry of Justice who went south with him. Zhang Fujing and Qi Jingtong assisted. Gao Zhong was also on the way from Jinan.
With Qi Jingtong's participation, it can only be said that Caojun Shandong always has to prove its loyalty.
A large-scale investigation has begun in Linqing City.
If the organizer behind this is not found out as soon as possible, the emperor who is rushing south will only make Nanzhili feel even more terrifying.
Regardless of other sentiments, since Linqing City was on heightened alert in preparation for welcoming the emperor, no one who had left or entered the city had been spared. Many officials from Shandong Jisi and Dongchang Mansion were transferred over to help with the investigation. case.
At the same time, of course, there were also Shandong Xingxing's subordinates and spies from outside factories who Gao Zhong had already informed about taking action.
The major assassination case is unprecedented in intensity.
There is another line that has attracted much attention, and that is the "inaction teaching" mentioned by Zhu Houcong when he summoned Qi Yuanda.
This newly emerged religion now has many followers among the large and small Cao gangs along the canal. Throughout the ages, too many rebellions have been related to these large and small civil sects. Even the rebels at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty themselves were inseparable from this shadow.
Shopkeeper Wu already knows the "results" on the canal.
It was a pity for him that he neither injured Zhu Houcong nor blew up the canal embankment. He even failed to frighten Zhu Houcong and make him stay in Shandong.
The suspicion caused by the inability to communicate effectively is the greatest pressure. If the emperor doubts the loyalty of the South Zhili side, he will definitely take action. Under tremendous pressure, some people in another center of Ming Dynasty will worry about being implicated and liquidated.
If the emperor dares to continue moving forward despite being assassinated, the signal reaching South Zhili will be different.
It's more pressure, but it's also an opportunity to show loyalty. On the contrary, if you jump out at this time, you have to weigh the emperor's trust.
He decided to remain silent.
The two nephews would not leave any identity clues, and the person who provided the gunpowder and the temporary shelter used for robbery on the river would never show up at this time.
But once you get serious, you have the opportunity to make meritorious deeds, and you have the motivation to clear your suspicions, and you can uncover clues no matter how far away you are.
As the emperor approached Jining, Qi Yuanda, who took the initiative to continue checking the river course, asked to see him again.
By the time the boat reached this point, the water was already flowing southward. To the left and right of the canal are vast Weishan and other lakes, and the water on the canal is wide and gentle.
Zhu Houcong sat on the seat in the small hall of the ship, with Huang Jin standing next to him. Yang Tan, Li Hao and Yang Tingyi sat on the left and right, and the last seat was reserved for Qi Yuanda.
"Why can't we wait until nightfall to anchor?"
Hearing this, Qi Yuanda stood up from his seat again and said respectfully: "After listening to the preliminary investigation results in Linqing, it is incredible that the small iron house on the shore can be so hidden. After thinking about it, I think it is. I remembered some old news and didn’t dare to delay.”
"speak."
Qi Yuanda said seriously: "How important is the canal embankment? The Yellow River changes its course and goes south to seize the Huaihe River. It often overflows and invades the canal. Protecting the canal has always been a top priority, so the west bank of the canal is repaired every year. Your Majesty, this matter, It’s all the responsibility of the Hedao Yamen.”
Li Hao's eyes narrowed when he heard this: the chief officer of the Hedao Yamen is called the Governor of Hedao, and its headquarters is in Jining.
"In December of the twelfth year of Zhengde, the Yellow River burst. Gong Hong, Yin of Yingtian Prefecture at that time, was appointed as the right deputy censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the prime minister of Hedao." Qi Yuanda continued, "Your Majesty is the empress, and Gong Hong is the right minister of the Ministry of Industry. , and later became an official with the title of Minister of the Ministry of Industry. The current Zhang Zheng was formerly a doctor in the Nanjing Ministry of War. Your Majesty, there were some disputes between He and Cao last year. I can only say... I can only say that there is quite an old grudge between Zonghe and Zongcao. .”
Qi Yuanda's reminder made Yang Tan and others start to think.
After a while, Li Hao spoke: "I was the Minister of the Ministry of Industry at that time, and Gong Hong asked me to become an official. It was after the national policy meeting set a three-year national policy of checking floods and water conservancy."
Yang Tan also said: "Last year, there was a slight obstruction in water transportation. Grain transportation was blocked for a while. All water transport equipment was sparse and pushed to the river. The imperial court asked Zhang Zheng's responsibility."
"More than that." Li Hao introduced to Zhu Houxuan, "This post of chief river was originally established in the seventh year of Chenghua. It was only dispatched in sections and then withdrawn after the work was completed. In the fourth year of Zhengde, the Yellow River was sealed and moved northward. It crossed Huanglinggang and rushed into the Jialu River. Since then, there have been discussions about reinstating a special official because of the river erosion. However, Gong Hong served as this official from the 12th year of Zhengde to the 16th year of Zhengde. After that, Zongcao and Zonghe became custom made."
He didn't speak clearly, but Zhu Houcong understood what he meant.
After the temporary officers become customized, huge interests are involved. What's more, is this the governor of a river related to the lifeblood of the Ming Dynasty?
However, on a canal, there are water transport governors and river governors. It is conceivable that there will be disputes over authority.
The main responsibility of the river governor was to manage the dredging and renovation of the canal. Zhu Houcong began to recall the amount of money allocated by the imperial court to the Ministry of Industry every year to maintain the navigation conditions of the canal.
This is the benefit of engineering.
In addition, the river governor also had partial control over the power of the military guards along the canal and the many special offices on the canal, which could breed a lot of benefits.
Zhu Houcong looked at Qi Yuanda: "By reporting this matter, are you implying that when the Hedao Yamen was renovating the river embankment, you were connected with others and allowed others to take advantage of the loopholes?"
Qi Yuanda said nonchalantly: "I just think... Hedao Yamen should investigate..."
Zhu Houcong frowned: "If you have evidence, tell it."
Qi Yuanda looked at the two elders Yang Tan and Li Hao with a little embarrassment, as well as Mr. Yang's younger brother Yang Tingyi.
Afterwards, he could only say: "I, the Shandong Commander-in-Chief of the Cao Army, have to go to the Hedao Yamen to pay a tribute of three thousand taels of silver every year..."
Yang Tan could only open his mouth.
Even though the Hedao Yamen is based in Jining and seems to only care about canals, that's because after the Yellow River diverted the Huai River and entered the sea, flooding in the Yellow River and flooding in the canals became almost the same problem.
In fact, the river governor also manages the areas along the Yellow River.
If the Cajun General Office contributes so much money in one year, what about the entire Cajun Army and the other yamen along the Yellow River Canal?
For this reason, the imperial court still needs to budget no less than 300,000 taels of silver to the Hedao Yamen every year on average to maintain the navigation capacity of the canal.
Zhu Houcong sighed: "The soldiers fled their country and many of them became thieves. Robbery continued along the canal. I'm afraid I don't know how many yamen colluded with them to set up such dens on the river embankment to avoid arrests. This is The canal is really rotten, full of holes!"
Li Hao's scalp was numb and he stood up to plead guilty: "I am guilty."
"However, river flooding cannot be ignored." Zhu Houcong looked at him, "This dispute between the main canal and the main river, after I personally see the canal and the Yellow River this time, there should be a regulation."
After a pause, he told Huang Jin: "Send an order to Uncle Xiangcheng to capture Zhang Zheng and the following first. With Qi Yuanda's words as evidence, I will go to Jiading, Suzhou and ask Gong Hong. I want to know how many years this canal embankment has been built." How was it repaired and how could the canal robbers set up dens on the embankment to avoid arrest?"
"...Your Majesty, have you taken them all?" Yang Tan couldn't help but be shocked.
"Winter is almost here, and at least until spring and summer next year, the flooding will not cause serious problems due to a little disturbance in the river yamen." Zhu Houcong said with a cold face, "The imperial court spends nearly 200,000 taels of silver to build water boats every year. How much is the annual food and salary for 20,000 Cao troops? More than 49,000 taels of labor for the Caohe River in Shandong Province are not enough, and more than 110,000 taels of silver are needed for labor service. In no time has the river construction been started, and the silver consumption has not been millions. ?”
He paused and then said: "At the beginning of my reign, I made a national policy to check for floods and water conservancy. In the more than a hundred years since Yongle, have you ever calculated how much money the imperial court has spent on this river? I have calculated it. If so, The average corvee of the Shangqian sect is worth nearly three million taels of silver every year! Three million taels of silver is just for four million stones of grain and more than two hundred thousand taels of taxes!"
Zhu Houcong looked at Yang Tan: "You are the Minister of the Ministry of Households. The imperial court's expenses are stretched thin, and the Hedao Yamen is better. The Shandong Chief of the Cao Army can safely take three thousand taels to pay tribute every year, but river floods are becoming more and more frequent. This is natural Yes, if floods are not frequent, how can we ask the court for money to repair the river? Therefore, even if someone digs a hole on the river embankment, he can turn a blind eye! No matter who dug it when, Can't we find such a large den that can hide two or three people when we check the river embankment?"
Yang Tan was speechless. He was just worried that the river yamen would be in chaos and water transportation would be blocked again.
Could the imperial court not know the underlying situation?
But if the capital cannot securely obtain the four million shi of food every year, it will really be a big mess. For this reason, no matter how high the price, I could only endure it before.
Now that the emperor wants to expose this bad debt, what are the solutions to the future problems of canal transportation and floods in the two rivers?
When Qi Yuanda heard the emperor say so much, and also included the cost of canal ship construction and Caohe labor force data, he knew that the emperor did not need him to remind the Hedao Yamen that there might be a problem. His Majesty was just waiting for him to provide evidence.
He was sweating in his heart: Fortunately, he made this decision before arriving in Jining.
But next, there will be great turmoil among the three major yamen of the canal between the governor of the canal, the governor of the river, and the canal army. This is inevitable.
The emperor apparently could no longer accept the high cost of maintaining the canal's transshipment capacity.
But... the interests involved in this river are really too great!
…
The interests of the canal are a matter of the future. Now that the emperor is facing an assassin, this is first of all a major case.
Although Li Quanli was a little shocked after receiving the order, he quickly ordered his troops and went straight to the Hedao Yamen.
Zhang Zheng, a native of Lanxi County, Jinhua Prefecture, Zhejiang Province, was a Jinshi in the fifteenth year of Hongzhi. When he became a Jinshi, he became the head of the Ministry of Industry. Then because he offended Liu Jin, he went to Fuzhou to serve as a general judge. After Liu Jin was executed, he first became a doctor in the Nanjing Ministry of War, and then was promoted step by step. When Zhu Houcong ascended the throne and temporarily balanced the power of the imperial court, he succeeded Gong Hong as the governor of the river.
Now because of an imperial edict, Li Quanli directly controlled the officials of the Hedao Yamen below Zhang Zheng, waiting for investigation.
"It's unfair..." Zhang Zheng started to express his innocence after listening to Li Quanli's oral instructions, "The Linqing River section has been stable for many years. Since I took office, that section has only been surveyed by Linqing Prefecture. There are only a few people in the river Yamen, and many things have been done. It is the responsibility of the local..."
Li Quanli interrupted him: "If you have grievances, you don't have to cry to me. There is such a big mistake on the river, and you don't want to apologize, but you still cry grievances? It doesn't make any difference whether it's you or Gong Hong who didn't do things well. His Majesty has sent an order to Eunuch Zhang in Nanjing. Go ask Gong Hong and Zhang Zonghe. His Majesty will arrive in Jining tomorrow. You might as well think carefully about what to say when you meet the Holy Spirit. I remind you that it is one thing for the Hedao Yamen not to do things well. In the case, it’s a different story.”
Although there were no problems from Linqing to here, Li Quanli didn't want the major assassination case to be solved too slowly.
He is the commander of the Beijing camp's escort army. If this incident happened, he could be regarded as incompetent.
Jin Yiwei sacrificed two people on the spot, and two more people later died of serious injuries, but after all, they used their lives to eliminate hidden dangers for the emperor.
Li Quanli's division of labor was different, and he was not as professional as Jin Yiwei, who had gradually transformed after listening to many of the emperor's specific requests, but he didn't want the rest of the journey to be as tiring as these days.
Over in Linqing Prefecture, as Zhang Zheng said, the Hedao Yamen neither had its own soldiers nor that many establishments. Inspecting rivers, dispatching officers, and undertaking some renovation projects are all Linqing Prefecture's affairs.
Since the iron house had been there for a long time, it was difficult to get in again after the river embankment was built, and it should not have been discovered for so long, Zhang Fujing decided on the spot to get rid of Linqing Zhizhou.
After being temporarily appointed as the magistrate of Qufu County, he was once again temporarily appointed as the magistrate of Linqing. As the governor of Shandong, he was known as "digging three feet in the ground" in Linqing.
Zhang Behead was a man of great power. From the vast documents, the person in charge of the river renovation and inspection over the years and the reports at that time were found, and then he was questioned by Zhang Fujing.
After asking each person one by one, Qi Fuguang, the head of the Nanban Qi family, was heartbroken: "The villain is guilty. At that time, the younger brother led the brothers to take over the work of repairing that section of the river embankment, but at that time the Shandong President And the younger ones are asked to transport grain, which is actually not the job for the younger ones..."
"Tell me who it is!"
"Small trick, small trick..."
When the clues again pointed to a wealthy businessman in Linqing, he was also heartbroken: "The timber business was run by ordinary people. After the ordinary people took over this matter, they investigated it for Fangzhou Yamen and Hedao Yamen. It was Qin's younger brother who rebelled against the official." Made by grassroots farmers, they mainly sold a lot of wood..."
Zhang Fujing took Judge Qin and his brother again, which was better this time. His brother was just a middleman, and someone else took over the work.
When this group of people went to get it again, they discovered that it was a small Cao Gang who also had the identity of a bandit.
The leader has already fled, and only some miserable laborers were captured.
But Zhang Fujing got some information after all: the boss of their gang left the city to transport a batch of goods after going to Sitonglou for a banquet.
After an investigation, the timber merchant named Fu was mentioned again.
Zhang Fujing asked sternly: "Since you changed hands to the man named Qin, and then had a banquet with the bandit leader, you still complained about injustice?"
"It's Shopkeeper Wu! It must be him, he invited the banquet! The common people don't know what the Cao Gang leader did back then!" Fu Ji Mu Xing's face was full of grief and anger, "It's just because everyone was born in Fujian , Unexpectedly, he wanted to implicate us. Zhang Dutai, the shopkeeper Wu was born in the Wu family in Zhao'an, and the Wu family in Zhao'an came from the Pu family in Quanzhou! Later when we met, he also laughed at the common people, saying that Zhang Dutai wanted to be in Shandong If we try out the new law and the watercraft will no longer be available, can we dare to rebel?"
Zhang Fuking's eyes narrowed slightly, and then he showed a hint of joy.
"Old Qi, go get someone!"
What kind of family has been separated for three hundred years and is outside the nine clans?
The descendants of the Pu family are so brave!
While His Majesty was on tour to the south, he wanted to blow up the Emperor and make the world more chaotic.
Is this asking for rebellion? This is a naked attempt to seize the Zhu family's kingdom!
Once the case was solved, the rebels' claims were completely untenable.
The major assassination case on the canal was actually related to the rebellion by the rebels. This further shows that it is not the water transportation system or some people in South Zhili who want to cause trouble, and everyone's spirit will be relaxed a lot.
When Qi Jingtong arrived, he only found a body that had committed suicide.
Shopkeeper Wu didn't leave his life to reveal more, but for the emperor, this was enough.
When Zhang Zheng was escorted to the imperial boat parked at the dock outside Jining Prefecture City, the fast horses from Linqing also arrived here.
"Levels of subcontracting, heavy squeezing." Zhu Houcong looked at him coldly, "This is how your river yamen regulates rivers. With ten taels of silver, can you do the work of one tael of silver? Zhang Zheng, Jiajing Yuan In the past year, your Hedao Yamen has received a total of more than 800,000 taels of silver. How much have you swallowed? Your predecessor, you should also have some information in the Hedao Yamen's records. He has been in Hedao Yamen for more than three years, and how much has he swallowed? "
Zhang Zheng cried bitterly: "I...are guilty..."
At least it was found out that he had nothing to do with the assassination. It was just a loophole left by the supervision of the Hedao Yamen river repair project, and that was before he took office.
If we treat it as corruption, we won't be punished by the Nine Tribes, right?
But several other families will be happy to mention the Nine Clans Xiaoxiaole.
Yang Tingyi immediately called for a report: "The Wu family in Zhao'an was so bold. It shows that Pu Zitong has such great courage. He relies on the Pu family's hundreds of years of management to create troubles everywhere in the Ming Dynasty. I ask for your majesty's decree and immediately Capture the remnants of the Pu family and torture the rest of the rebellious people!"
What Zhu Houcong wanted was to act on the most unavoidable crime of this era after treason.
On the boat, he just said one word coldly: "Accurate!"
In Hengyang City, Pu Zitong also said after thinking for a while: "This statement makes sense."
His new humerus patted his chest and promised: "Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief, if Shuikou Mountain cannot be recaptured, the general will definitely protect His Majesty and the Queen Mother!"
Over at Shuikou Cottage, Puzitong took more than a thousand lives but failed to capture it.
At this moment, Shuikou Mountain Fort was really stabilized by the imperial army, peeping at Leiyang from the southeast, and threatening Leishui Camp to the south and southeast of Hengyang City from the north.
Pu Zitong has subordinates who have been with him for a longer period of time, but now that he is surrounded by enemies on three and a half sides, it is really difficult to arrange things.
Gu Shilong and Zhu Qi's general attack is imminent, and these generals must concentrate on defending the city in each department.
But you must also arrange a retreat.
Nowadays, the safest way is to go out of the east gate, get on the boat directly, and then go to Leiyang along the Xiangshui River after returning to Yanfeng and Leishui Camp.
Yan Chunsheng, who was guarding the east of the city, gradually gained Pu Zitong's recognition as a distinct bandit. He approached the "Young Emperor", "Queen Mother" and the civil servants in Hengyang City, and advanced by land and water with the army led by Pu Zitong, heading south to "turn around". Enter "Chenzhou."
After leaving, Yan Chunsheng called over Cai Jia, the commander-in-chief and "pig-killer" whom he had promoted when he was supervising the construction of the trench in the west of the city.
The two exchanged glances, and Cai Jia nodded.
Since the civilian husband is brave, the matter of organizing the transfer in the city will naturally be left to him.
People from Jining were rushing to Nanjing, asking Zhang Jin to go to Jiading to get Gong Hong.
Orders to arrest the families of Pu's descendants were sent to Guangdong, Zhejiang, Fujian and other places.
There are more and more ships on the northeast side of the Xiang River in Hengyang City. Shields are being nailed to withstand arrows and projectiles in preparation for crossing the river. There is a large earth mountain in the west of the city.
Pu Zitong had stayed up late for several days, but now he couldn't relax.
The most difficult moment is coming, Guiyang Prefecture has also fallen. It is not clear whether the Fifth Army Camp is going to attack Chenzhou, or whether it is going north to join the Shuikou Mountain army to encircle the south.
"Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief, we will win!"
Pu Zitong stood on the east wall and felt relieved when he heard Yan Chunsheng's very affirmative tone.
Although Zhan Huabi is gone, after all, he has another loyal and brave general with unparalleled archery skills.
After dark, it's very quiet.
But Pu Zitong knew that today was probably the last moment of peace, but the defenders in the city could not relax at all.
It is possible to cross the river and attack the city at night. It is more possible to shell the tired defenders on the west side of the city.
"I'm going to the west of the city. I'll leave it to you to the east of the city!"
Yan Chunsheng nodded, looked at his back and then looked up at the waning moon at the end of October.
In case of emergency, I have obtained the authorization to go straight to the palace and can start.
He didn't know if he could hit a non-fatal spot on Pu Zitong, who was wearing tight armor, in the middle of the night.
It’s difficult.
(End of chapter)
