August 12th is approaching the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a day of reunion. Families gather together to worship the moon god and eat moon cakes. Many businessmen who do business abroad will rush home to reunite with their families as long as they have time.
But today, there are countless families in Quanzhou who cannot enjoy the joy of reunion.
On the north side of Quanzhou Bay, a few miles north of Jinjiang No. 3 Salt Farm, it is inaccessible. The people who originally lived here have been moved away and turned into military camps.
At midnight, the golden scales radiating endless light and heat, two battalions of a thousand soldiers and two hundred auxiliary soldiers boarded the new warships docked at the dock.
It is twenty feet long, and the widest part of the hull can reach four feet.
Wang Zhong and Zhizhou Chen Jun came to see them off in person. After saying some exciting and morale-boosting words, they had a farewell drink with Gu Er and a group of soldiers, and watched Gu Er lead a group of soldiers to board the warship. Chen Jun, who had no confidence in his heart, couldn't help but look at Wang Zhong next to him.
"Brother Zihou, can we really wipe out those pirates with such a big fight?"
Wang Zhong looked at Chen Jun with a smile and said: "I'm wise, as long as maritime trade exists, piracy will never be eradicated. Who doesn't want to do business without capital?"
"Hey!" Chen Jun sighed and said helplessly: "The human heart!"
Wang Zhongdao: "That's why we want to carry out enlightenment."
Chen Jun closed his eyes, smiled bitterly and shook his head.
Time passed day by day, and several good news came from Gu Er's side. However, within seven or eight days, two groups of pirates had been wiped out, and no one knew how much loot they had captured.
Zhizhou Chen Jun's face was filled with joy. Compared with the situation before the army set off, the contrast was stark.
But the most important thing is that the maritime merchants in Quanzhou knew that the government sent troops to sea to pursue pirates, and the clouds on their faces gradually disappeared, although they also knew that pirates could not be completely eradicated. But what they want is the attitude of the government. If the government can wipe out a group of people, they will bear less risk.
When Gu Er led the army back, it was already late September, almost October.
Of a thousand soldiers, nearly a hundred were lost and more than a hundred were injured. This was mainly because many of the soldiers were joining the army for the first time and had no experience, and the pirates were extremely ferocious, so there were such huge casualties.
However, the results were extremely gratifying. Eight gangs of pirates were wiped out, more than 300 thieves were killed, and more than 700 people were captured. There were also nearly 1,000 pirates' wives and children, occupying a total of six islands. They even obtained information from the pirates. A sea route to and from Ryukyu.
Looking at the ashes of the fallen soldiers piled in front of him, Wang Zhong felt a little heavy: "Go ahead and give the orders. The pensions of the fallen soldiers will be doubled and they will be exempted from taxes for two years. One of their children can choose to be sent to school for two years." Within this period, all repairs will be exempted."
"The general judge is high and righteous!" the soldiers shouted at Wang Zhong, cupping their hands.
Wang Zhong looked at the crowd and said: "These soldiers are all heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country. Naturally, the imperial court will not treat them badly, and the same goes for you."
Chen Jun, the governor of the state, brought over a dozen pigs and sheep, and specially invited the chef from Taibai Tower to cook for the soldiers and reward the three armies.
The soldiers went through life and death at sea, fighting pirates for their lives, all they wanted was wealth!
The seizures from the pirate lairs were piled into a hill. The military scribes had already recorded the military merits of the officers and soldiers. Chen Jun personally took the people and converted them into gold, silver and copper coins according to the merits recorded in the roster and distributed them to the subordinates. sergeant.
The seizures on the battlefield, plus the rewards issued at this time, were enough for the soldiers below to buy a few acres of paddy fields, build a new house, and get a wife.
"Chen Sanshui of the first battalion, second team and fifth team!" the clerk shouted loudly, holding the book.
"arrive!"
Chen Sanshui immediately stood up from the team.
"Beheaded six levels, climbed twice first, and captured a pirate leader! Are there any mistakes?" The clerk looked at Chen Sanshui and asked.
Chen Sanshui's smile almost stretched to his ears: "There are no mistakes or omissions!"
"Reward thirty taels of silver, hundreds of copper coins, and be promoted to deputy head of the capital! Do you have any objections?"
"No objection! No objection! Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!" Chen Sanshui quickly thanked him with a smile on his face.
"If you want to thank me, thank Zhizhou, thank Tongpan, thank our general!"
"Yes Yes Yes!"
"Okay, let's go get the reward!"
Chen Sanshui walked to the side, and there were already military officials collecting a bunch of rewards. The thirty taels of silver were all broken silver, which was not much and could be packed in a bag, but there were a lot of copper coins. The two officials A large bamboo basket was used to hold the general, as well as a saber with a pair of capital heads.
Not to mention anything else, just the whole basket of copper coins made the sergeants next to them envious and their eyes lit up.
The merit-based rewards were still going on, and the military merits of those soldiers who unfortunately died in battle were also read out in front of all the soldiers. Once the rewards were given, people from the military law enforcement team followed and sent them to the memorial halls of the fallen soldiers. at home.
After just this operation, these village warriors returned home and gathered all their strength, looking forward to the next expedition.
On that day, Chen Jun, the magistrate of the state, held a banquet at Taibai Tower to celebrate the victory of the generals above Yuhou who had returned home in triumph.
Gu Er, the leader and the biggest contributor to this victory, naturally received high praise from the governor, Chen Jun.
"The general uses his troops like a god. Chen admires him. Tongpan and I have already reported to the court to ask for credit for General Gu. I believe there will be a reward soon."
Chen Jun looked at Gu Er and became more and more satisfied.
Wang Chong smiled and echoed: "Zhong Huai is a thousand-mile horse, and Ming Gong is Bole. There are many talented people in the world, but if there is no Ming Gong with a keen eye to recognize talents, how can Zhong Huai show his trust so much in Zhong Huai?" An opportunity for the director?”
"What Zihou said is absolutely true. Without the guidance and full support of Ming Gong, how could I have been demoted to the official position today!" Although he has not experienced the changes in the Gu family, Gu Er is no longer the arrogant and arrogant Gu he used to be. Erlang.
Beheading hundreds of people and capturing more than a thousand people was no small matter. Moreover, Gu Er was the legitimate second son of Ningyuan Houfu. Ningyuan Houfu was a founding figure who had been in the army for generations, even in Bianjing. Among the nobles, they are considered to be at the top. His father, Marquis Ningyuan, has served the imperial court as a border guard for more than ten years. He has worked hard and made great achievements. The Gu family's influence in the army is not small.
Chen Jun had heard some of Gu Er's ridiculous things, but he didn't think it was anything. He was just young and energetic and ignorant. Even if he had a falling out with Mr. Gu, it was just between father and son. It's just grudge, there is no overnight feud between father and son.
Now Gu Er came to Quanzhou to join the army alone. He was already a prodigal son who had changed his past. Now that he had achieved such military exploits and had Wang Zhong's face, Chen Jun was naturally happy to recommend Gu Er.
We can also form a good relationship with Ningyuan Houfu, why not?
After a while of pushing cups and changing cups, there were singers singing, musicians playing the piano, and dancers dancing. Although it looked a bit corrupt, it still showed a scene where the guests and hosts were enjoying themselves and enjoying themselves.
Northwest of Quanzhou, thousands of miles away in Bianjing City, in the imperial city, the desks were piled up every day with the documents submitted by the princes requesting the appointment of the crown prince, which made Emperor Jiayou very upset. Emperor Jiayou, who was famous for his political power, didn't even bother to read the memorial.
"Your Majesty! There is a good news coming from Quanzhou. Your Majesty, would you like to review it?"
Emperor Jiayou looked at Li Naiguan, who was standing beside him and was confused, and couldn't help but ask: "Quanzhou? Where did the good news come from in Quanzhou?"
Li Neiguan said with a smile: "A few days ago, the magistrate of Quanzhou wrote a letter saying that pirates attacked passing ships in the coastal areas, killing people and robbing goods. Many people have suffered misfortunes. Quanzhou magistrate Chen Jun and Quanzhou general magistrate Wang Zhong unanimously decided to send troops Clear out the pirates.”
"So he won the battle?" Emperor Jiayou raised his eyebrows slightly, and his frown that had been frowning all day finally relaxed a little.
"According to the inspection report from the Imperial City Division, we have indeed won the battle, and it's a big victory!" Li Neiguan was very precise. He only said that it was the information obtained by the Imperial City Division, but did not mention anything about the content of the memorial. .
It was not that Emperor Jiayou didn't know that without a crown prince, the country would inevitably be in turmoil. However, when it came to choosing who to inherit the throne, Emperor Jiayou was really in trouble. As the king of a country, what he had to consider was the inheritance of the throne. , it is not a small private family selecting an heir, but selecting an heir for the entire dynasty, choosing a monarch for the entire world, and for the people of the world.
If he was slightly careless and chose the wrong person, what would happen to the people of the world and the Zhao and Song dynasties, Emperor Jiayou did not dare to notice.
There are many examples of emperors' incompetence in the history books, which is why Emperor Jiayou was so entangled and unable to make a decision.
In addition, there is another reason, that is, among the children of the clan, there is no one whose character and virtue can completely reassure Emperor Jiayou. Today, there are two most popular princes in Tokyo.
One is King Yong, who is greedy for flowers, lustful, ignorant and has no independent opinions. Princess Yong is arrogant and domineering, which has not happened in a day.
One is King Yan, who is very ambitious and goes too far. He has secretly won over many courtiers. The key is that King Yan has a violent temper, which Emperor Jiayou really doesn't like.
Recently, there has been another rebellion in the Huaihe River area, and the commotion is still quite big. In this troubled autumn, a group of important ministers in the court, headed by Grand Prime Minister Han Zhang, are also pressing hard on Emperor Jiayou. Now it is not easy. A memorial came with no news about the prince, but it was good news. Emperor Jiayou's tense heart could finally feel a little relieved.
"I want to see what kind of victory it is!"
Li Neiguan found the memorial and handed it to Emperor Jiayou. Emperor Jiayou opened the memorial and read it patiently, but after a while, his brows wrinkled again.
"When did the second son of the Gu family of Marquis Ningyuan go to Quanzhou? Why did he become the temporary military commander of Quanzhou?" Emperor Jiayou couldn't help but look at Li Naiguan next to him.
Li Neiguan said: "Back to Your Majesty, Gu Erlang had a falling out with his family a few days after he failed the imperial examination. I heard that he left Bianjing out of anger. Before he left, he even said that if he didn't make a name for himself, Never looking back at home, after the second son of Gu left the capital, he went straight to Quanzhou. He was first recommended by Wang Tongpan and trained local warriors in Quanzhou. Later, when Quanzhou sent troops to eliminate pirates, Wang Tongpan recommended him to the prefect Chen Jun. The commander in chief."
Li Neiguan knew full well that Yang Wuduan's affair was against Emperor Jiayou. Gu Tingye, a dignified second son from the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion, touched Emperor Jiayou's heart because of his words of grievance for Yang Wuduan when he was young. The reverse scale, the reverse scale of the dragon, would cause anger when touched, so Gu Tingye failed the exam. Emperor Jiayou also told him to take the exam again after he was fifty, just like Yang Wuduan.
"He is just a playboy, but he can lead troops to fight?" Emperor Jiayou obviously had a prejudice against Gu Er.
Li Neiguan said: "According to the inspection report from the Imperial City Division, the Second Young Master Gu was very determined in commanding the pirates this time. He anticipated the enemy like a god and used many ingenious plans to achieve a complete victory."
Just after Emperor Jiayou finished speaking, he realized that he was somewhat biased, and he already regretted it. However, since the words had been spoken out, it was naturally impossible to take them back. Now that Li Naiguan said this, the expression on his face changed slightly. He nodded and said: "So, this Gu Erlang has inherited Gu Hou's ability to lead troops in war."
Li Neiguan said: "Ningyuan Houfu has been serving in the army for generations, serving the court through life and death. Mr. Gu Hou also guarded the border for more than ten years in his early years. The eldest son of the Gu family has been frail and sick since he was a child. I heard that the second son of the Gu family is a member of the Gu family. Among the disciples of this generation, he is the only one who has learned martial arts from Gu Hou himself!"
Li Neiguan knew that he was not suitable to express his position, so he just told Emperor Jiayou everything he knew.
"Hey!" Emperor Jiayou sighed, looking at the memorial asking for credit for Gu Er with a somewhat uncertain gaze, "He led a group of local warriors who had never been on the battlefield and beheaded more than 360 people. We captured more than 700 young and strong pirates, as well as more than a thousand women, children, old and weak men, and only lost more than a hundred of them, so we are indeed quite capable!"
"Your Majesty, there is another letter from Wang Tongpuan. Would you like to take a look at it?" Li Neiguan said suddenly.
"Is there any more information?" Emperor Jiayou was a little confused: "Let's take a look."
Li Naiguan hurriedly took out a memorial without getting up and handed it to Emperor Jiayou.
Wang Zhong's memorial was short in words. He first expressed concern about Emperor Jiayou's health, and then said that although he was far away in Quanzhou, he had heard that there had been rebellion in the Huaihe River area recently, saying that Emperor Jiayou had the virtues of Yao and Shun. , with a universal mind, fearing that Emperor Jiayou would worry about the people of Huaihei and Huaihe and hurt his body, he specially recommended Gu Tingye, the temporary governor of Quanzhou, who has now completely changed his past, to help suppress the rebellion. He hoped that Emperor Jiayou could give Gu Tingye a way to serve the court. Chance.
After reading it, Emperor Jiayou couldn't help but smile on his face. He pointed at the memorial and said, "This prince is thick. He was afraid that I still had a grudge against Gu Erlang, so he specially praised me in the memorial, saying that I have a broad mind. Debi Yao and Shun·······”
As he spoke, he couldn't help but shake his head and said: "After all, he is still a little younger. His thoughts are written between the lines. I'm afraid I won't be able to tell!"
Li Neiguan said: "Wang Tongpan was successful at a young age and was very talented. However, he lacked the words and deeds of his close elders to teach him, so he inevitably lacked some thoughtfulness in doing things."
"He is indeed a rare talent for managing the world!" Emperor Jiayou raised his head and suddenly felt a little emotional, and said in a sad tone: "In just a few years, Quanzhou has been managed into such a situation!"
"That method of drying salt is really amazing!" Li Neiguan praised.
Emperor Jiayou said: "Salting is just one of them. Wang Zihou also called on the people in Quanzhou to cultivate terraced fields, build water conservancy projects, open mountains to grow tea, gather the people, provide work in exchange for relief, and spread education."
"In the past few years alone, under his call, more than 100,000 acres of terraced fields have been cultivated, hundreds of tea mountains have been built, and tens of thousands of households have gathered together, including mountain residents and refugees..."
The more Emperor Jiayou talked, the more he became emotional: "In him, I vaguely see a bit of the former Mr. Fan Wenzheng."
Li Neiguan knew that Emperor Jiayou valued Wang Zhong, but he did not expect that Emperor Jiayou's trust in Wang Zhong would reach this level.
That was Fan Wenzhenggong, the leader of the Qingli New Deal in the past, the prime minister at that time, and deeply relied on by Emperor Jiayou.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, congratulations to Your Majesty, you have gained another capable minister!" Li Neiguan hurriedly congratulated Emperor Jiayou.
In fact, the Imperial City Division has always paid attention to the situation in Quanzhou. After all, it is a place of concern to the officials. Naturally, they have to report it from time to time. Official Li also knows many things.
"What a pity!" The smile on Emperor Jiayou's face stopped abruptly, and he sighed regretfully: "It's a pity that I am already old, and I don't know how much time I have left!"
"Your Majesty is at the peak of the Spring and Autumn Period..." Before Li Nei could finish his official words, he was interrupted by Emperor Jiayou raising his hand.
"I know my body well, so there is no need to say these flattering words!" Emperor Jiayou looked at the fold in his hand, pondered for a moment, and finally said: "Send someone to the Ministry of War and let the Ministry of War reward you based on your merits. You can't If you have neglected the hero, go to the Privy Council again and ask the Privy Council to issue an order to mobilize troops. Let Gu Tingye go to Lianghuai to quell the rebellion!"
(End of chapter)
