The official post office of the county government in Ye County has only four rooms in total.
In most counties of the Ming Empire, it was a common sight for government offices and offices to have only a few more layers of tiles than thatched huts.
Compared with the deep mansions and courtyards of the Jin gentry, they were as shabby as stables and barns.
The county magistrate was caught off guard by the arrival of Zhu Yipai's motorcade. In panic, he asked his subordinates to go down and inform the top gentry families in the county to clean their houses and receive the general and his entourage, but Zhu Yipai refused.
Zheng Haizhu had warned Zhu Yipai in advance, and when he was on the stone street, he took the opportunity to ask the book boy who patrolled the censor Wang Yaliang.
Wang Yushi was a simple man. After changing his private clothes into public clothes today, he took the little Kanhe from the Metropolitan Procuratorate and already lived in the simple post house.
Zhu Yipai then did not show his condescending attitude, but sincerely told the county magistrate: "When the general and his wife were hunting in the mountains, didn't they also set up a felt tent to rest for the night? They will leave tomorrow, so there is no need to disturb the people. . Just give me and my wife a room, give Miss Zheng a room, and the guards and servants will be accommodated in the front hall, kitchen and woodshed."
When Zhu Yipai led his people into the inn, Wang Yushi took the initiative to give up his big house and moved it to the east chamber.
When Zheng Haizhu knocked on the door and extended an invitation to have dinner together on behalf of Zhu Yipai, Wang Yaliang also agreed.
There are only three people at this table: Zhu, Wang and Zheng. Unlike when facing Zhu Yipai, Zheng Haizhu deliberately asked Wu Bond to avoid him when facing a censor.
At this moment, after Wu Bondang covered the goods with linoleum, he asked Xu San to follow the guards sent by Zhu Yi to the front yard to get some steamed buns.
He himself walked through the night-filled courtyard and walked outside the west wing where the lights were lit.
Mu Zaohua was standing on the corridor, facing the window, with a ball of heat in her hand that was illuminated by the bright light, and the birds were rising.
"Zaohua." Wu Bondang called her in a deep voice.
"Ah..." Mu Zaohua's shoulders shook and she turned around suddenly. The hot air came from two large white-faced steamed buns in her hands.
Seeing Wu Bang Bang looking at her expressionlessly, Mu Zaohua's eyes deepened with fear.
She held up the steamed bun and murmured, "Yes, Miss Zheng brought it to me. She said it was okay to eat."
Wu Bond said: "I walked over there, didn't you hear the footsteps?"
Mu Zaohua recognized the reproach in her words and nodded honestly.
Wu Bondang made a gesture, and the two of them walked farther away from the west wing. Wu Bondang then spoke again: "There are Wang Yushi's book boy and His Royal Highness's head guard inside. They are safe. Miss Zheng sent you out to guard, so you can You should be staring at your surroundings, not trying to listen to what they are talking about, so that you don’t even notice that a big living person like me appears behind you.”
Mu Zaohua looked at his nose with his eyes, his nose at his heart, and he lowered his head and listened.
Wu Bondang's tone was a bit harsher: "You are just pretending to be a maid today. What if you follow me to spy on the enemy in the future? Are you absent-mindedly and absent from your post? What were you listening to just now? Can you hear what they said? Do you understand?"
Mu Zaohua's heart skipped a beat when she heard the words "Follow me to spy on the enemy." Then she heard the words "Do you understand?" and her heartbeat turned into pain again.
Yes, she and Miss Zheng are from two different worlds.
Mu Zaohua somehow found the courage to answer.
"Mr. Wu, I think Miss Zheng is amazing. I want to imitate her way of dealing with noble people, which may be useful in the future. Didn't Miss Zheng also say that we intelligence agents and all kinds of people should imitate her?"
This sentence, which sounded like a rebuttal, did not attract any more reprimands from Bond Wu.
He paused and pointed to the steamed bun in Mu Zaohua's hand: "Eat it while it's hot, it's really cold."
Mu Zaohua handed one over: "Master Wu, do you want to eat too?"
"I'm not hungry."
Mu Zaohua took a bite of the steamed bun and saw Wu Bang Bang looking at the bright window in the west wing, and suddenly said: "Sir, when I accompanied Miss Zheng in just now, I saw that the room was quite decent, with tables and chairs. Evacuate, spread some straw, and you can sleep comfortably. After they finish eating, I will clean up, and the young master will not need firewood..."
"Zaohua," Wu Bondang interrupted the attentive girl,
"Miss Zheng paid you to hire you, not to serve me. If you are only thinking about how to serve me more comfortably, then you don't have to go to Dengzhou and Liaodong. Now go back to the south and replace Chen Sanni. Come."
Mu Zaohua's expression changed from cautious to angry.
Wu Bangde showed no emotion and still said coldly: "Where is Li Daniu?"
Mu Zaohua braced herself: "He informed Miss Zheng at Shen Shi and went to pay homage to his family at the cemetery outside the city."
"Family? Isn't he, like you, originally a farmer from Yanzhou? How come he's from Yexian again?"
"Looking back to the young master, Danuo's wife fled from Ye County. This time Danuo came to burn some paper money for his wife and tell the two elders underground that they have a grandson."
Wu Bondang said "Huh" in a low voice and stopped asking questions.
Mu Zaohua continued to eat the bun in silence. When she finally finished eating, the male intelligence officer Li Daniu stepped into the patio.
Wu Bondang walked over: "Have you found the cemetery?"
Li Daniu secretly said, "I have found the place my wife mentioned, but the grave has been dug up by wild dogs, and I don't know which bones belong to my father-in-law and mother-in-law.
I could only pick up the remaining bones together, dig a new hole, bury them, and burn the paper money.
Come to think of it, the other bones in the pit are all my wife's fellow villagers. They didn't eat her during the famine. I also want to thank them and burn some paper.
After I dug the hole, I went to find some big rocks to cover it tightly to prevent wild dogs from digging it out again. So I came back late, please punish me. "
Wu Bond was in the shadow of the eaves, listening quietly.
He was no stranger to the scene of wild dogs digging up carcasses.
Li Daniu's voice seemed to become distant.
In Wu Bondang's ears, there were only cries coming from his own throat. It was by a river beach in Liaodong. He was holding a pale green skirt and crying, which was worse than the wild dogs not far away that he beat away like crazy. The sobbing was still unpleasant.
Wu Bondang felt a chill running down his cheeks.
Thanks to the night, no one can see tears even if they are as close as Chi Chi.
"It's snowing." Mu Zaohua suddenly shouted.
Li Daniu also touched his nose and stretched out his palm towards the night sky.
"Yeah, it's really snowing," Xu San came back from the front yard with an armful of steamed buns in his arms. He handed the food to Wu Bond and Li Daniu and said, "Mr. Wu, we have to leave Dengzhou in five or six days. , otherwise, the ship will be frozen in the Liaohai Sea."
…
"Sir, it's snowing outside."
In the west wing room, the book boy turned around and respectfully reported to Wang Yaliang.
Wang Yaliang took a sip of the hot wine that had just been boiled, looked at Kanzhu Yipai, then at Zheng Haizhu, and said with a dull teasing: "Miss Zheng, if you had hired a coal digger for Lu Fan in Yanzhou half a year ago, Idea, let the general of Zhenguo dig out the coal as soon as possible. In this winter of ice and snow, we will really make a fortune."
Zheng Haizhu leaned forward, smiled respectfully, and then said sincerely: "If it had been dug out earlier, the furnaces of the grassroots in Songjiang would have been burned with coal, and the firepower should be much stronger than the furnace filled with firewood."
Zheng Haizhu seized on every conversation and persuaded Wang Yushi about her plan to make firearms.
After dealing with each other during the day, having a meal of coarse food and wine at night, and exchanging words, Zheng Haizhu initially felt that this Wang Yaliang Wang Yushi, in addition to Hai Ruifan'er's abiding by etiquette, did not think about the current situation of the empire. It's not rigid and vague, but rather down-to-earth.
His Highness, Zhu Yipai, obviously took all Zheng Haizhu's impromptu instructions to heart. He paid great attention to the officials of the Metropolitan Procuratorate system, and even lowered his attitude towards the censor in front of him who was patrolling Shandong. .
As soon as the banquet started, Zhu Yipai showed an upright look and told Wang Censor everything about his plan to open a large-scale coal mine in Lufan, Yanzhou, including the implementation plan for recruiting Liao people to work as miners and paying taxes. Including selling part of the coal to the blast furnace of Songjiang Firearms Factory as fuel.
According to Zheng Haizhu, these things were already done or were waiting for the court's nod, and they were openly handed over to Wang Yaliang, the patrol official who governs the province.
History is more useful than telling it to anyone.
The group of censors and officials are the obstacles and stumbling blocks for those who want to do great things in this era.
However, roadblocks can also become stone lions guarding the gate, and stumbling blocks can also become stepping stones to help. It depends on how to win over them.
Only by combing your hair according to their definition of the pinnacle of life for civil servants and military generals can you win over them.
Private visits incognito, refusal of ceremonial money, etc. may be a show to gain a reputation, but the whereabouts of an official visiting a certain place during his tenure can be clearly traced.
During the day, Zheng Haizhu found out from the little book boy that Wang Yaliang, the patrol commissioner of Shandong, had indeed just visited Liaodong.
After Nurhachi proclaimed himself Khan, Wang Yaliang was the first censor sent to Liaodong. Moreover, he met the prefect Tao Lang in Dengzhou and took the Deng Liaohai Road. When he came back, he landed in Laizhou, so he knew how to walk. Come to Ye County.
What does this mean?
Explain three points.
First, the Ming court was not that indifferent to the situation in Liaodong, lying in the crater of the volcano without knowing it.
Second, Wang Yaliang was on the rise in his official career, so he was entrusted by the imperial court with the responsibility of inspecting the Liaodong Peninsula.
Third, this person is also very capable personally. He is not one of those faint Ming officials who traveled all over the country just to get gifts from various states and counties. Because according to Xu San, the Dengliao Sea Road is easier to travel than the direction to Laizhou, but Wang Yaliang took the Laizhou Sea Road on his return trip, obviously doing his due diligence to explore the road.
Based on this, Zheng Haizhu deduced that Wang Yaliang was concerned about border affairs, and ministers who cared about border affairs would definitely care about military expenditures, and then national finances.
Therefore, since Zhu Yipai, a nobleman of the Lu vassal, had sacrificed his face during the day and promoted the official prestige of Wang Yushi, Zheng Haizhu, who was tied to Zhu Yipai, had to say something during the further friendship at the dinner table. Only through finance, taxation, and arms can we win the support of the civil servant for our family while being in favor of the censor.
When Wang Yaliang returned to Beijing to report the situation in Liaodong, if he could have said something like "cannons made by Songjiang Firearms Factory may be effective in defeating the enemy," he would have been more powerful than Xu Guangqi, who had never been to Liaodong and only fought with the Hongyi people. It’s much more powerful when explained from a perspective.
Wang Yaliang obviously also likes to hear Zheng Haizhu talk about firearms.
Wang Yaliang drew three types of terrain on the paper brought by the boy.
"Miss Zheng, I visited Liaodong this time and made inquiries from many sources. I learned that the Jiannu invaders usually came on horseback, or charged with their horses, or dismounted and shot them with heavy arrows from a walking bow. Miss, tell me, you admire them. With all the firearms prepared, how can we defeat the enemy?"
Zheng Haizhu leaned forward and took a closer look at the three terrains, which were all discussed by Xu Guangqi and Lu Xiangsheng before. It can be seen that the civil servants in the court who were worried-minded conducted similar "due diligence investigations".
She then took the pen and first drew some marks on various terrains, and then explained one by one: "Xianzun, please see, if there is no obstruction on all sides, and the slave chief rides into battle, the fire gun soldiers will be behind the spear soldiers." Finally, the spears blocked the formation, and the firecrackers were fired in turns. Qi Shaobao's car formation was actually similar, and the cavalry was not allowed to break in. Our firearms struck outwards from within the formation. If the range of our firearms was extended, Jiannu would not dare to attack them. If you are far away, dismount and use your rifle, because we can block their arrows with a shield wall in front of our formation, but they cannot withstand our long-range firepower."
Wang Yaliang squinted, nodded, and pointed to another place: "Where are the hills and slopes?"
"In hilly and sloping areas, regardless of whether we are the enemy or not, the advantage of cavalry is not obvious. The warriors sent by Jiannu, even if they are called Bagala, should be dismounted infantry who can fight in close combat. After a few rounds of suppression, they can attack Qi Shaobao's The Yuanyang formation slightly improved its weapons, surrounded and annihilated them, and the so-called firearms team and the killer team alternated."
"As for the artillery," Zheng Haizhu thought for a while and said thoughtfully, "Actually, the Crouching Tiger Artillery, the Big and Little Frankie Artillery, and the Red Yi Artillery each have their own disadvantages and are suitable for different battles and terrains, whether they are defending or attacking a city. , are used in different ways. For example, the Hongyi cannon, our people asked the foreigners in Haojing that when firing, someone needs to use tools to measure and use it with a telescope, and only when the enemy enters the range of the cannon can it be fired. But this kind of cannon, The attack on the city is very powerful."
What Zheng Haizhu said, to summarize, is mainly about the range and ballistics of artillery shells.
, she naturally does not have specific knowledge, but these two points are at least key points that should be considered in conjunction with actual combat.
Although Zhu Yipai, a nobleman of the clan, had never been on the battlefield, his daily hobby of hunting made him interested in the process of using firearms to surround and suppress the enemy's "prey".
As for Wang Yaliang, as a veteran of Xiantai who has countless contacts on the surveillance front, after listening to what he said, he admired the little businesswoman in front of him. .
Not to mention explaining the principles of a telescope to two men.
"If you can defeat the enemy, why not learn from the barbarians and learn their skills? What does Xianzun think?" Zheng Haizhu asked Wang Yaliang in a calm tone.
Wang Yaliang nodded thoughtfully.
Zhu Yipai rolled his eyes and suddenly said: "You just have to be careful and don't let the slave chief steal it."
Zheng Haizhu secretly praised "excellent". Historically, after Nurhaci, Huang Taiji did imitate the artillery of the Ming army.
She then said seriously: "It is inevitable for the two armies to fight and seize each other's weapons and firearms. I, the Ming Dynasty, had our first confrontation with the Frankie people at the Pearl River Estuary decades ago, and secretly learned their alphabet guns. The key is that we have to seize the opportunity to compete with the slaves and subdue them before they have the money and craftsmen to imitate our firearms in large quantities."
When Wang Yaliang heard this, he couldn't help but sigh softly and said: "Miss Zheng, if you are a man who has been selected as a Jinshi, I should really recommend you to the imperial court and let you go to Taipu Temple to take care of the money bag and buy some good things for the imperial court. Good horses, good cannon, and decent military uniforms.”
Taipu Temple?
Zheng Haizhu's heart moved, and she thought of the dirty Taipusi Shaoqing Xu Dahua.
Well, I am not a holy mother. I will repay my personal grudges directly, and I can't bear to see a bastard like you, who is drunk and wealthy, occupying such an important position in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty.
You have to look for an opportunity when you look back, maybe it's this Wang Yushi who can pull you down.
