Zhang Pu was indeed right, Qian Qianyi wanted him dead. Not only did the riot outside not subside, but it became even more chaotic. One after another, young people with strong skills climbed over the wall through the gaps. Before midnight, they could no longer defend the backyard and had to retreat to the main building where Pan Xiuwen lived.
In the chaos, the local government officials disappeared one after another at some unknown time. Only the Dongchang policemen and the policemen from Suzhou held the weapons in their hands and tried their best to guard the downstairs.
On the second floor, Pan Xiuwen's family members were all huddled on the bed and crying. These officials and their families had never seen such a thing before, and there was no warning in advance.
At this time, regardless of whether there were differences between men and women, Zhang Pu and others were all on the second floor, but of course not on the bed, but hiding in the middle, with furniture moved around to block things that might be thrown from outside to the second floor. To prevent injuries and the like.
It is true that there are many wars in the north. Regarding this kind of thing, Jiang Dong and others have more experience and made such arrangements.
Not long after, the thugs outside began to attack the building again.
However, the guards guarding below were not the ones with iron rulers like the policemen, but embroidered spring knives. As long as the thugs dared to get close, they would kill several of them on the spot. After seeing the blood, the thugs at the front were gone, and those behind were a little scared.
But it didn't take long for the thugs to steal the guy and start attacking again.
On the second floor, rocks and other objects broke through the windows from time to time and hit the furniture, making a loud noise.
Listening to the shouts outside and the sound of the rocks smashing in, Pan Xiuwen was really scared. He didn't know when his official hat fell off. He held his head and said in horror: "It's over, it's over. He is pushing to death." Us, if those servants rush in, it will be all over..."
Zhang Pu was not afraid at this time, but very angry. Of course he knew that the thugs outside were definitely servants of the Qian family. Even if they were not, they were definitely inseparable from that old guy Qian Qianyi.
This time, he will probably kill himself, and then say that he committed evil crimes in Changshu County based on his status as a patrol officer, which aroused public anger. With the former residence of his disciples and the campaign to slander North Korea-China relations, I am afraid that in the end, the accusations framed on him will not be able to escape. However, in order to give an account to the court, some people will definitely turn themselves in, saying that they were forced to do this because of being such a bad official.
Thinking that he might die here, Zhang Pu also felt a little regretful. If he had known that this old guy would just transfer the same thing from Suzhou and use it. He is so old and so ruthless, he should have brought more people here. That's good.
But now, it's too late to say anything.
Thinking of this, Zhang Pu sighed again. He did not hope that the surrounding officials would arrive in time. Maybe, after hearing about the situation here, the officials in the surrounding area would like to make a big fuss. If they die here, the verification of the quota of exemptions for officials and gentry, and the matter of Cui paying unpaid taxes will not continue. .
As he thought about it, Zhang Pu seemed to be unable to hear the sounds outside, and was completely immersed in his own mind.
Recalling the first half of his life, Zhang Pu hated that he was born poorly and had to grow up in shame. For this reason, he once secretly vowed to work hard and stand out.
Later, he did it and became a celebrity in the Ming Dynasty. How many people rushed thousands of miles to listen to his lectures, how many people respected him, and how many people fawned over him.
In the county hall, he is a respected guest; with the wave of his hand, he can decide who will become a member.
Although the official position is not high, in terms of fame and prestige, in this Ming Dynasty, there are few people who can catch up with him!
However, all this changed after receiving the decree. Those who originally supported him as the leader turned against each other; the seniors who used to talk and laugh with him, just like teachers and students, wanted to kill him!
After thinking about it, Zhang Pu finally settled on one sentence in his mind: The prosperity in the world is for profit, and the hustle and bustle in the world is for profit!
Haha, my whole life, I have been coerced by the word "profit" without knowing it. I thought that everyone in the world was convinced, but in fact I was just supporting myself because of the word "profit".
Thinking about it, suddenly, he was pushed hard a few times. He came back to his senses and took a closer look, but it was Jiang Dong with blood on his face. Suddenly, he was startled. At the same time, he also discovered , it’s already dawn.
Seeing Zhang Pu's reaction, Jiang Dong immediately shouted in a deep voice: "Sir, all my brothers are dead and wounded. These mobs will not retreat until daybreak. I'm afraid they will not be spared!"
Zhang Pu had already guessed this. Therefore, Pan Xiuwen was crying beside him, but he didn't react much. He turned around and looked around, and found that there were signs of fire, but they were all extinguished. There were rocks and other things everywhere, and I even saw some arrows. It can be seen that it is indeed not easy to keep it until now.
Ignoring the noise outside, he waved his hand and said, "You don't have to worry about me anymore. You can fight out with the remaining people or sneak out. As long as you can escape, tell the emperor everything that happened here!"
Jiang Dong was stunned after hearing this. He didn't expect Zhang Pu, a civil servant, to regard death as such. He would let them go if he didn't leave.
After coming back to his senses, he immediately said: "Sir, according to the emperor's decree, I must protect you. If you want to break out of the encirclement, let's break out of the encirclement together..."
Zhang Pu shook his head before he finished speaking, showing a wry smile and said: "That bitch Qian Qianyi will not let me go. As long as I stay here, you can have hope of escaping." …”
Seeing that Jiang Dong wanted to explain again, he took the lead and said: "Go back and report to the emperor that the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty is rotten. Many bureaucrats are seeking their own interests and are in vain for your kindness. This time, I have been ordered to verify the quota of privileges and exemptions for officials and gentry. And calling for the payment of arrears is affecting their interests. My official's death for the country today can also give the emperor a reason to take heavy measures to rectify the officialdom. These officials have forgotten the iron and blood at the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty. I feel that They should be given a long memory, this world belongs to the Emperor!"
When Jiang Dong heard this, he immediately felt a surge of blood. He did not expect that the civil servant who was so cruel that he could stab his own thigh was now prepared to die for his country for the sake of the emperor. He couldn't understand this, but he didn't want to think about it at this time. He made up his mind and immediately said to Zhang Pu: "My lord, there is no need to say more. I follow the emperor's decree, how can I escape from the battle and leave you alone. I will make arrangements for Changshu immediately."
After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but walk downstairs.
Looking at his back, for the first time, Zhang Pu suddenly felt something in his heart. Is the whole world for "profit"? Why is this Jiang Dong so stupid that he chooses to stay with him? When he was in the capital, had he heard that he had a girl that he wanted to protect to the death? But now, he still wants to stay here, just because he obeys the emperor's order?
No matter how Zhang Pu thought about these issues at this time, he still had no idea.
Soon, Jiang Dong turned around again and reported to Zhang Pu: "I have arranged for my brother to change his clothes and hide downstairs. If the mob rushes in, he can blend in and escape. In addition, there are also people who want to break out, attracting Attention of the mob…”
After hearing his words, Zhang Pu could confirm that Jiang Dong wanted to stay with him. Thinking of so many doubts in his heart, he couldn't help but want to ask.
But at this moment, he suddenly saw Jiang Dong himself stop talking and listen attentively.
His action made Zhang Pu a little confused, so he listened carefully. But before he heard anything, he saw Jiang Dong suddenly overjoyed and said loudly: "There is the sound of horse hooves, it's the cavalry, it's time for the army to arrive!"
Obviously, northerners are more familiar and sensitive to the sound of horse hooves, especially the sound of war horses.
After Zhang Pu heard what he said, before he could get confirmation, he heard a long "Woo..." sound, which was the sound of an army horn!
At this time, Zhang Pu also heard clearly. Suddenly, he, who was already determined to die, immediately became ecstatic. An army came over so quickly?
Thinking about his surroundings, he couldn't think of anyone who would come so actively. Could it be his mentor?
Although this conclusion seems a bit incredible, it seems that besides Zhou Yanru, there is indeed no one else.
Thinking this, he immediately said excitedly: "It seems that my mentor has arrived with his troops!"
Although Zhou Yanru was also dismissed from home, with his influence, it was very possible to persuade the local government to bring troops over, as long as he did so.
Pan Xiuwen, who was feeling sad and desperate, heard their conversation and knew that he would not die. He was overjoyed, wiped away tears and runny nose, and then rushed to his small house.
The sound of "bang bang bang" sounded immediately, and the mob outside also heard the movement one after another. When the gunfire rang out, they immediately dispersed. There may be one or two firearms among the people, but so many firearms are definitely not owned by the people. Then there is only one conclusion, the imperial officers and soldiers are coming!
A Dongchang officer was standing by the window. He looked outside and said overjoyed about the situation outside: "The army has arrived. There are many troops on the streets. The mobs that showed signs of resistance have all been suppressed. Okay." !Very good……"
As he was talking, the others could no longer bear it and leaned against the broken windows to look at what was going on outside.
Sure enough, just as the Dongchang officer said just now, groups of soldiers from the Ming Army were surrounding them from all sides. The red military uniforms looked so friendly no matter how you looked at them. Even Zhang Pu felt that these warriors outside were very pleasing to the eye when he saw them.
However, Zhang Pu and the Dongchang Fanfu had different concerns. He did not continue to see the Ming army officers and soldiers to drive and suppress the mob, but went to find the commander's flag. He thought that his mentor should be where Shuai Qi was.
After scanning around and even changing the window on the other side, he finally discovered where the flag of the Ming Army commander was outside the city. Looking at the flag on the flag over there, Zhang Pu couldn't help but be stunned.
At the same time, at Qian's house, Qian Qianyi was a bit old and couldn't stay up late at all. After the commotion last night, he went to bed much later than usual, and at this time, he hadn't even gotten up yet. It was Hou Fangyu who rushed outside in panic and shouted loudly through the curtains, which made Qian Qianyi wake up from his confusion.
"What, an army is coming?" Qian Qianyi was frightened, but at the same time he didn't believe what he heard. He quickly questioned: "Where did the army come from? The surrounding guards, even if you don't care about my face, it is absolutely impossible. They sent out troops so quickly!"
Before Hou Fangyu had time to answer, he heard gunshots coming from outside. This time, he didn't even need to answer, he already had the answer.
After Qian Qianyi heard this, he didn't even bother to put on his clothes and rushed out of the room. At this time, he no longer had the demeanor of a literary master and leader of Donglin. He looked panicked and cursed through gritted teeth: "Which common man would lead an army here? Could it be that I am doing this just for my own family? Are you crazy? Well, what are the benefits of doing this..."
Hou Fangyu was also panicked. He also contributed a lot to instigating the civil uprising. At least among the literati in Changshu, he appeared many times to encourage it. He even wrote an article just waiting for this incident. After this happened, he followed Zhang Pu's example to become famous.
However, everything did not go according to their predetermined plan. If Zhang Pu'er escaped, he would definitely take revenge! That guy is a very extreme person. He doesn't care about the unspoken rules of officialdom. He is a person who is completely chaotic!
At this time, Hou Fangyu was afraid again. He could only hope that Qian Qianyi would find a solution.
Qian Qianyi's concubine chased Qian Qianyi out with his clothes, and quickly put them on Qian Qianyi without caring about Hou Fangyu's presence.
Qian Qianyi walked out of the door and was a little more awake after being hit by the cold water. While asking his concubine to help him get dressed, he shouted loudly: "Quickly, let me check and see who brought the troops? Or maybe it was I don’t know the situation, so I have to show up!”
Hou Fangyu was overjoyed when he heard this. It was not just a misunderstanding. He turned around and found out who led the troops. Considering Qian Qianyi's reputation in the officialdom, there might be room for redemption.
Thinking this way, when he was about to say flattery, he saw a servant rushing towards the inner courtyard on the ground. As he ran, he shouted in panic: "Master, it's not good, master, sir!" The army is coming, sir, the army is coming..."
When they got closer, the servant looked a little confused and shouted to Qian Qianyi: "That Zhang Pu and his army have already arrived at the door..."
Before he finished speaking, he heard a "bang" sound, and the door was knocked open. In the front yard, there were noisy sounds soon, including the sounds of officers and soldiers shouting and scolding, the sound of armors clashing, and the sound of rapid footsteps, getting closer and closer to the backyard.
When Qian Qianyi heard this, he knew that it was Zhang Pu who was bringing the officers and soldiers. He panicked and pushed away the concubine who was still dressing him, turned around and ran away. Unexpectedly, he didn't pay attention to the threshold and suddenly fell down. .
