Taoists believe that there are thirty-six Tiangang stars in the Big Dipper cluster, one star and one divine general. Earth Evil is the main killing star.
Tiangang earth evil spirits subjugate demons, and Taoists often call them down to earth to drive away ghosts when performing rituals.
"Thirty-six Tiangang, the great god king in the sky. Lord Taiyuan of the Seventh Lord, drive away disasters for me!"
When Liu Dong rushed back to his home in Luoyang, he heard that a ritual ceremony had been held at home and the Taoist priest was chanting something.
He was confused, but he couldn't delve into it for the moment. Instead, he ran to Liu Jian's soul in mourning and crying.
Not being able to come back before his father died was naturally "unfilial".
The journey was long, and although it was still hot in September, Liu Jian had not been buried yet, just to wait for Liu Dong to return home. Liu Jian had three sons. The eldest son died young, Liu Dong was the second son, and he had a younger brother.
It is disrespectful to remain without burial for a long time. Liu Jian's funeral was only 47 years old. After all, it was not like some people who chose a feng shui treasured place to stay without burial for several years.
But what does it mean to have a wedding ceremony at home?
"Confused! My father has never been close to Buddhism. In the past, he even asked monks and Taoists to stop building temples. The "Da Ming Code" contains clear words, if you stay in a mourning home, practice fasting and hold altars, if the head of the family has an eighty stick, the monks and Taoists will return to secular life for the same crime. Although there are many people who hold fastings and memorial ceremonies among the people, most of them are not investigated by the government, but if my father is included in the suicide note, how do you know that no one will take advantage of it to cause trouble?"
After receiving some relatives and friends as a dutiful son, Liu Dongcai scolded Liu Jie, his younger brother born in his father's side chamber, in front of Liu Jianling.
"...Dad told me this." Liu Jie felt aggrieved.
Liu Dong was speechless.
He couldn't figure it out.
Liu Jie had just found a chance to be private. He took out an envelope from his arms and said, "This is the suicide note that dad left for you."
Liu Dong quickly took it over and heard Liu Jie say: "Dad told me to burn it after reading it."
Thinking that his father was still worried about making so many arrangements before his death, Liu Dong shed tears of grief for his son after all.
After opening the letter, he was stunned for a moment: it was his father's handwriting.
Didn't it mean that he was suffering from rheumatic paralysis, and even his suicide note was dictated and ghostwritten?
The letter was very long, and Liu Dong couldn't stop crying as he read it word by word.
When I saw the back, not only were tears welling up in my eyes, my face was also unhealthy and red.
Finally, he cried out in grief and shame, hoarse at the top of his lungs: "My son is unfilial..."
In his excitement, he knelt there crying and kowtowing. His forehead was soon broken and blood was flowing.
Liu Jie was startled and went up to pull him: "Brother..."
The movement in the mourning hall made the relatives and friends outside couldn't help but look askance. Some people sighed: "This is how filial piety is..."
Then I heard Liu Jie shouting from inside: "Come here, come here quickly!"
When the Liu family rushed in, they saw Liu Dong passed out in the gap in the curtain between Liu Jie's arms, his forehead stained with blood. The brazier next to it was burning with blazing flames, as if a lot of paper money had been put in it.
"This is the end of your filial piety!"
Crying faintly in front of the soul, what is it if it is not sincerity and filial piety?
Liu Jian had lived in his hometown in Luoyang for so many years as his former chief assistant. There were countless Guanzhong Confucian scholars and local gentry who interacted with Liu Jian here.
Now seeing Liu Jian's son so sad, and Liu Jian passed away at the age of ninety-four, it is a joyous mourning. His posthumous name was also given the posthumous title "Wen Duan" by the emperor, which is enough to make many old people envious.
That night, when I heard that the two brothers were keeping vigil, Liu Dong cried and fainted several times. Among the words that came out, there was also a description of Liu Dong vomiting blood.
When outsiders saw Liu Dong again the next day, his face was indeed shockingly pale, and he looked as if he was going to be seriously ill and go with his father.
"My dear nephew needs to express his condolences!"
As soon as he said this sentence, Liu Dong burst into tears. The old man who comforted him was even more moved, with tears in his eyes: What if my son could be so filial?
But Liu Dong, who already knew the true situation, only blamed himself and was also very angry.
From his father's previous letters, he already knew that he was afraid that he had made some big mistake, which would frighten his father, who had gone through so many trials and hardships, and write letters to reprimand and give advice.
But what he didn't expect was that in order for him to mobilize more people in Jiangnan and even write a letter to ask his father to come forward to remonstrate with the emperor, his father's choice was to take the initiative to catch wind and cold after falling and hurting a little in anger, and to take medicine to aggravate the condition.
Many of his actions were attributed as "crime" by his father in the form of a suicide note. But the deceased was already dead, and he had resigned to become an official. How could the emperor continue to be mean and murderous to the Liu family?
As for setting up a funeral ceremony to save the souls of the dead...Liu Dong thought about his father's good intentions and felt sad.
When did the imperial court not tolerate even the slightest disagreement with politics?
Isn’t Nanjing the capital of the country? What's your fault?
…
"...so cautious?"
Zhu Houcong was stunned for a moment after learning the news.
"I don't know whether you are careful or not." Huang Jin only replied, "The public discussion now is that Liu Jian's legacy list discusses many hidden dangers such as ancestral system, redundant officials, recruitment of soldiers, and commercial laws, etc., and the second is that the word "Duan" is insufficient. To honor Liu Jian's contribution, the third is the matter of setting up a memorial ceremony. Some people say that Liu Jian's will was to use the inconsistency between his words and deeds before and after his life to show that the etiquette system is now broken. Some people say... The newly revised That article has been deleted from the Ming Dynasty Laws and Regulations, but Liu Jian actually wanted to tell His Majesty that he surrendered to the new law..."
Zhu Houcong was a little speechless: Whatever Liu Dong is doing in Nanjing, just do it. It is impossible to block the new law, nor to block his grand strategy towards Southern Zhili. As long as there is no substantial rebellion or anything like that, what will the emperor do to them? Or is there something dirty about Liu Dong, as the direct superior in charge of the former chief of Huang Ceku?
In short, Liu Jian was a bit overreacted.
Although I didn't check it carefully now, Liu Jian's suicide note seemed to have thousands of words, but in fact it didn't express much firm opposition. If you savor it carefully, it really feels like surrender but persuasion, not to cause trouble.
Combined with the abnormal speed at which his condition worsened, combined with his action of donating three hundred acres of land at home as a school field in Luoyang County, it all revealed a sense of avoiding disaster.
"...it's a small matter, let it go." Zhu Houcong asked again, "Do some people think that the Tiangang Disha chosen by the martial arts competition is not beautiful?"
Huang Jin laughed: "It's just that among the folk storytellers, some of them told "Water Margin of Loyalty and Righteousness", and some of them named Song Jiang and others as Tiangang Disha. Those are all rebels. Now some people are talking about this official and deputy military Jinshi. The name Tiangang Disha is not good, but some scholars are worried that the military officials will gradually become more powerful."
"Water Margin" was written in the early Ming Dynasty, but it was not classified as a banned book at this time.
Not only that, its influence is not small.
"It's not just some literati." Zhu Houcong smiled faintly, and then looked at Wang Shenzhong, "This Dao Shu was actually sent to the imperial study room by the State Council to petition for the Holy Inquisition. What do you think we should do?"
Wang Shenzhong was just a young man who had just entered the imperial study. He couldn't help but look at the chief and another bachelor who was more senior than him.
"Ask your opinion. Tian Rucheng is your classmate. He wrote a commentary in "Water Margin" about Song Jiang and other events. He has a detailed description of the mechanisms for thieves and thieves to escape from deception, and he has many tricks and deceitful ways. The writers are descendants of three generations. They are all guilty of muteness, and this book should be banned. What do you think?"
"...The ministers of state voted for it, and I think that the princes have thought carefully."
Wang Shenzhong has no opinion.
Huang Jin just said that the current discussion about Wu Jinshi's reputation is that scholars are worried about Wu Chen's power. The State Council brought this trivial matter to the Supreme Court to express their concerns. At least, Zhu Houcong's idea of a "military league" was mentioned in the military affairs meeting and the national policy meeting, which gave them a headache.
How can it stimulate the brave and ruthless hearts of the people in this way? Do we need to build a special school venue and sell tickets for them to watch?
"Maoglu, what do you think?" Zhu Houcong asked another imperial study companion, Jiang Rubi, who was a Jinshi in the 16th year of Zhengde's reign.
"I think this matter is being made out of a molehill. Tian Rucheng was appointed as the head of the Nanjing Criminal Department. This memorial blames the spread of books such as "Water Margin of Loyalty and Righteousness" for the crimes committed by the people. It is really a fallacy. The State Council thinks it is okay, but it is actually because Tian Rucheng holds the post. Nanjing. If this book is banned, it will be an excuse for the scholars and booksellers in the south of the Yangtze River. Using such trivial matters to show that the imperial court implemented new laws and even took strict precautions against rebellion is really inferior."
Jiang Rubi's words made Wang Shenzhong look askance: Yong, you said that the ministers of state are inferior.
"Jiuhe, what about you?"
Gu Dingchen, the chief of the imperial study, bowed: "I believe that not only should it not be banned, but it should also be imitated by the Three Kingdoms and published in Ming Pao in the future."
"Oh? Why?"
Gu Dingchen said with a smile: "There was an interesting story before. In the past, there were refugees in Shaanxi who were thieves. They took advantage of the heavy snowfall to raid the army camp and captured the general. The general was ashamed and confused and asked the leader of the refugees: 'You guys can't read. , If you don't know the art of war, how can you know how to use the right time?'"
He suddenly started telling a story, and Wang Shenzhong and Jiang Rubi couldn't help but look at him.
I saw Gu Dingchen talking eloquently: "The bandit leader replied: 'We don't know the art of war, we only know that Song Gong can make a lot of money on a snowy night!'"
Zhu Houcong laughed dumbly and looked at him deeply.
Gu Dingchen said: "The art of war has never been taught lightly, and it is also very difficult. In order to prevent internal rebellion, it is even a crime to learn the art of war privately. The so-called deceptions in "Water Margin" are actually also full of strategies. Now that your Majesty has the heart to reward military force, If you are thirsty for talent, you will emphasize martial arts over strategy before the martial arts examination. However, a good general must always know the art of war and strategy. Following this book, if the loyal and brave people among the people can learn more about martial arts, they will be able to understand some superficial strategies. "
Zhu Houcong smiled and asked: "Aren't you afraid that the rebels will be more difficult to deal with in the future?"
Gu Dingchen saluted: "Your Majesty is worried about the vitality of the people in the world. Now with the new law, young people can become officials. He wants to replace the greedy, cruel and cunning officials with people who are educated and polite. It is said that the officials force the people to rebel. If the government performs good governance, why should the people do the same? What about the beheading trade? Your Majesty not only promotes simplified characters and publishes Ming newspapers, but it actually aims to enlighten the people's wisdom and increase their strength. With your Majesty's mind, recommending this book will actually make the officials who will multiply in the future carefully abide by the laws of the Ming Dynasty. Otherwise, it will harm the people. Thieves are difficult to deal with and gradually become a serious problem, making it even harder to evade responsibility when they are held accountable."
"You are also practicing dialectics." Zhu Houxuan looked at him. After staying in the imperial study room for a long time, he really understood the emperor better and better.
Wang Shenzhong looked at Gu Dingchen's smiling face and lowered his head: It's still too young.
"The Three Kingdoms series has not been completed yet. There are many strategies in the Three Kingdoms." Zhu Houcong pointed to the memorial and said, "Criticize Zhu: there is nothing to be afraid of. Officials carry out good governance and are not afraid of rebellion by the soldiers and the people."
After saying that, he stood up and said, "Let's get up and go see the selected Tiangang Disha and the recruits my brave generals have trained in the past three months."
…
After five days of martial arts examinations, the dust has settled.
Lu Bing ranked 17th, and Yu Dayou was only fifth.
Before the palace examination, martial arts was given priority. At most, a "literacy" test was added after the general examination.
Yu Dayou, who was born as a soldier and practiced martial arts, martial arts, and art of war, could not compete with the four "strong men" whose martial arts and strength were outrageous.
Now, a total of 108 people on the main and deputy lists have not left the Fifth Army Camp.
In addition to the thirty-six people who already have the status of Wujinshi, they have to take the imperial examination, and the other seventy-two people have to wait for the next step: either going to the military academy for further study, or being directly appointed.
But before that, today is the day when the first round of the Ming Dynasty General Competition, which they already know, will be held.
Xinkewu Jinshi will watch the competition.
"The lowest is from the fifth rank of Deputy Qianhu, and the highest is the commander of Yiwei and Renren County Lord!" Lu Bing has already met Yu Dayou, "Did you see that big clock? They went to different places last night . Starting at eight o'clock this morning, we set off at the same time. We will march ten miles to see which general's subordinates arrive first. After arriving, we will march with bows, guns and cannons, and then we will march in separate columns."
Yu Dayou felt a little excited: "So, there are actually tens of thousands of troops marching in the suburbs of Beijing right now?"
"Exactly!" Lu Bing looked forward to it, "We all go straight here. Please note that it is not just a simple march, the cavalry of the 3,000 battalion also has a reconnaissance horse on its side. If you fail to detect the existence of this reconnaissance horse during the march, points will be deducted! The generals who are comparing this do not know this, and it depends on whether they send out sentries to clear the way when they march."
"...Then how did Brother Lu know?"
Lu Bing kept it secret and just smiled: "Brother Yu will naturally know in the future."
Having won the martial arts title, he is finally going to officially start his life. The emperor will come today.
Among the five military camps, they were rearranged after the martial arts examination.
Now, a temporary temporary wall has been built outside the five military camps in the past three months - Zhu Houcong said that the special expenditure of 50,000 taels was earmarked, and some of it was spent on this.
Today, flags were fluttering on the campus of the Fifth Army Camp, and the veterans in the Fifth Army Camp were wearing armor and standing behind the outermost wall.
The messenger cavalry kept walking and patrolled between the walls of the village.
The Xinkewu Jinshi couldn't see what was going on in the distance outside, but they all felt as if they were on a battlefield.
In the southern suburbs of Beijing, in many locations in the mountains and villages, many people were shocked to see groups of heavily armed officers and soldiers pulling chariots and cannons.
If it weren't for the fact that the Three-Chen Flag of the Ming Dynasty was already familiar to many people, they would almost panic.
Now the marching officers and soldiers are all in a hurry. No common people's villages were disturbed. If the people who were exploring the road ahead met pedestrians or villagers, they would just remind them: "Officers and soldiers marching, don't block the road."
Who dares to stop it?
"...Are the Tatars coming? Why are there so many officers and soldiers?"
"...I don't know. Go back and tell the leader."
The officers and soldiers who marched through the night to reach the pre-requested location and then suddenly appeared in the sight of the people of Beijing in the morning brought great trouble to the magistrates of the counties in the southern suburbs of Beijing and the governor of Shuntian.
But when I arrived at the Yamen early in the morning, I saw the eunuch delivering the order.
It’s really not a human being’s job to be a parent and official under the emperor’s feet!
What does it mean to respond seriously, test the Shuntian Prefecture's response to military emergencies, and carefully sum up experiences and lessons afterwards?
Isn't this a nuisance to the public?
But they also knew that since they were generals participating in the competition, they only wanted to get to the Fifth Army Camp as quickly and neatly as possible, and naturally they would not disturb any places on the way.
This test is nothing more than to see whether counties can convey government orders to villages in a timely and accurate manner, and whether officials can efficiently quell public discussion, suspicion, and panic.
"It's really costing me my life! Are there any rewards for the servants? The harvest of autumn crops is coming soon, so don't be so frightened that you can run away!"
The magistrate of Liangxiang almost wanted to scold his mother: Your Majesty... what are you doing?
At this moment, both inside and outside the capital, Wang Zuo and Zhang Bor were sitting solemnly in their respective offices, waiting for news to come back from various sources.
"In the next few days, we must be very energetic! The generals from all over the country are selected for a competition in Beijing, and matters such as county titles are only in the army. Today's march, the guns and cannons of the five military camps are firing, and next month the two armies will conduct exercises. Let's see See who is spreading false rumors and who is particularly enthusiastic, and find out as many spies as possible from the Mongolian Tatars inside and outside Beijing!"
In the main camp of the Fifth Army Camp, Yang Yiqing took the time to ask Zhang Jing: "Has the news arrived from all sides?"
As the general manager of the military affairs department, Zhang Jing knew all the memorials related to military affairs. He nodded and replied: "Everything is rewarded. Although the selection of military generals for the competition in Beijing cannot be said to be very secret, if some malicious rumors are spread, it may spread to Mobei, making Beiyuan think that there is chaos in the capital and there is an opportunity to take advantage of it."
He smiled bitterly and said: "Although I have been prepared for it for a long time, I really don't understand. Why don't we inform the officials and people of all counties first and make the matter clear?"
Although the Five Military Camps Incident in the third year of Jiajing's reign subsided quickly, the sudden "mobilization" of tens of thousands of soldiers and horses in the capital was still very sensitive in the first year of the implementation of the new law in the provinces.
Yang Yiqing saw what a big scene there was. When he heard the words, he just said lightly: "The advantages outweigh the disadvantages. If you are determined to eliminate the great troubles of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, Beijing is so close to the border town of Xuanfu, and the military situation will not be less. Do more drills, and the officials and people in Beijing will not encounter any dangers." Things are panicking. If the north side has listened to some rumors, whether by calculation or not, it will be difficult for me to fight in Caogu this year in the Ming Dynasty. And after the Beijing camp competition, the officers and soldiers are in neat appearance, and the training of the Beijing camp will naturally spread to the local area. When it comes to clearing land and reforming the military system, if some people are still unwilling to do so, they must reconsider."
Zhang Jing shook his head slowly and sighed.
He experienced Gao Kewei's incident in Sichuan, and he still clearly remembers the tension in Sichuan at that time.
Although the court has many considerations, as long as the people see the army, they will always think that there is a war and will always be afraid.
"The emperor has arrived!"
At this moment, Zhu Houcong Yujia finally arrived from the palace.
Yang Yiqing, Gu Shilong and others had been waiting at the camp gate for a long time. When they saw the eunuchs and guards who came to report, they walked a hundred steps out and looked at the imperial driver coming from afar.
Zhu Houcong has arrived at the main camp of the Fifth Army Camp, and the fastest marching team has arrived within three miles of the destination.
When Zhu Houcong arrived at the Fifth Army Camp and climbed onto the high tower in the center of the camp specially used for observation, he saw a group of figures in the distance.
"telescope."
Upon hearing this, Lu Song handed over the first pair of new telescopes that had just been polished using the transparent glass, and Zhu Houcong looked into the distance through them.
Through the telescope, he looked at the situation of the new recruits.
This round only determines the top ten, but it's not easy.
After fully armed and marching for ten miles, they had to go through "bows, guns, and cannons" and actually "fire".
Outside the temporary village wall, there are many targets simulating soldiers. On the temporary wall, there are two sentry towers to simulate turrets, and there are targets between the temporary wall and the real fifth army camp wall.
With muskets, artillery, and bows and arrows, each team after the march destroyed the sentry tower and shot and hit a sufficient number of targets inside and outside the wall before they could obtain the real "results" of the Fifth Army Camp. The veteran who was responsible for surveying the "results" behind the wall raised a flag to indicate passing. , opened the village gate to welcome them into the camp.
After each team of competing generals and their new recruits entered the camp, the first ones to arrive had more time to rest and recuperate. Those who arrived later had to participate in the parade almost non-stop after marching and attacking the stronghold. What the military appearance and morale look like at that time will naturally be incomparable.
Now, the first team to arrive stopped about 500 steps outside the temporary wall of the outer wall, and then set up their formation.
"Veteran generals and new recruits." Zhu Houcong said with a smile as he watched, "Both sentry towers collapsed, and more than 40% of the targets outside the village wall were hit by arrows. Let's see who doesn't obey the rules. There are no real enemy troops. If you are defending the stronghold, go directly to attack the stronghold. If you pass the order and do not follow the instructions and fire from too close a distance, you will be dismissed directly from the top ten."
This round of tests only tested their accuracy with bows, guns, and cannons.
There are only so many guns, ammunition, and bows that can be carried during the march. If they are exhausted and still fail to succeed, they can only enter camp under the white flag signal to rest and prepare for the last item.
It is a red flag indicating that it is qualified.
The total time for a successful march is also determined by counting the number of soldiers after entering the camp.
No one is fighting back. Those who want to rely on distance to gain accuracy, and those who want to shorten the time by cheating, then they have not understood the purpose of spending so much money: whether it is marching or attacking a stronghold, they want them to treat this competition as a real war. Playing these little tricks?
Now, that team has organized their battle formation.
"Listen to my general's orders. The spearmen are in front, the archers are second, and the artillery is last. Pay attention to the three steps forward and backward. Listen clearly. Step forward in unison and count them all. Stop at two hundred steps!"
The method of assessment is already very clear to the general.
Each of their teams was equipped with only five tiger squatting cannons, with a total of twenty projectiles.
Recently, I could only get as close as 200 steps to the temporary wall.
With the limited number of ammunition, bows and arrows, you can only enter the camp if you see the red flag raised in the camp ahead.
No one wants to see the white flag.
Nervously pushing to the spot, he roared: "This is war! The gunners should aim a little for me! Count down to five, and don't panic when you hear the sound of the cannon!"
After a while, Yu Dayou and others who could only watch the subsequent parade in the campus heard the sound of cannons and gunshots.
Now, it's just a few sounds.
As time went by, cannons gradually sounded from different directions.
Later, artillery fire continued from all directions in the Fifth Army Camp. After the number of bows and arrows increased, the faint resonance was even duller but mixed with harsh whistling.
The new martial arts scholars here feel excited, and the officers and soldiers of the fifth military camp who have not participated in the competition have never experienced such a battle.
Although the veterans standing behind the real fortress wall were at a "safe distance", who knows if someone was cheating and fired the cannon from a hundred or two hundred paces away?
It’s really like being on the front line. Can you not be nervous? Although I know what is actually going on, right now, there are really over 10,000 troops "attacking" the Fifth Army Camp!
"Your Majesty is already in the camp, don't embarrass me! Keep an eye on it and count the number of targets!" Their flag officer cursed, still holding the temporary telescope issued, "Twenty-seven... "
Damn it, this telescope is good, but it would be better if it could see a little more clearly.
How far can the momentum created by the continuous sound of artillery fire from the direction of the Fifth Army Camp be carried?
In the villages and towns relatively close to here, the government servants, district chiefs and armor chiefs could only rush to tell each other.
"Don't panic! It's not a rebellion, it's a military training!"
The day before yesterday, I was socializing and drinking until four o'clock at night. I was seriously injured. I recovered from my injuries yesterday. Fortunately, I didn't die.
(End of chapter)
