"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! ”

On the official road leading from Nanjing City to Xiaguan Wharf outside the city, several fast horses galloped.

The horsemen on the horse were led by a pock-faced man, and he was surrounded by four or five men dressed as soldiers. These men in fresh clothes and angry horses seem to be accustomed to being arrogant and domineering, and in a place like Nanjing, where the crown is gathered, they also dare to ride their horses and gallop on the streets, waving their whips from time to time, adding a whip to the horses under their crotches, so that the horses can run faster.

"Obediently rumbling hole! Spicy Lump Mom Drips! Who are these old poles? Such arrogant! provoked Lao Tzu, Lao Tzu dragged them to the garrison yamen to reason with the son of the Li family! A small vendor with a Yangzhou accent was almost knocked off the stall by a galloping fast horse, and he held on to the stall in horror and spat a mouthful of thick phlegm at the rider who was far away.

"Huh! Beware of the fines you pay! Spitting! The Nanjing locals next to him ridiculed this person from Jiangbei, and then explained to him with the condescending attitude of city people looking at country people: "I don't know who it is, right?" The pockmark headed by him was the best Liu Mazi who told stories in Nanjing at the beginning! Ryu Kyung-jeong! ”

"Liu Jingting! You know! I heard that he was from Tongzhou (now Nantong) and was famous for telling stories in Xuyi! In our Yangzhou, we also open a dock to tell stories! At that time, this Liu Mazi was very popular! ”

"Yes! Later, Jiangbei was not peaceful, and the rich people crossed the river, so he crossed the river to open a wharf. Every day, he said that he would write a book, and each time he fixed a cash dollar, and when he was done, he went to the yard to eat flowers and wine to find the girl. Your dignitary wants to find him to speak, I'm sorry, ten days and a half a month in advance, give him the next post, and ask him to come to the door to tell the story. ”

"Now even if Grandpa Guo calls him to go to the General's Mansion to tell a story, Liu Mazi has to pinch his half-pulled legs and pretend to be tight, and the yellow ripe plums are sold green!" Another vendor with a Nanjing accent next to him held a handful of silver dollars in his hand and two rice tickets, and at a glance he knew that they were scalpers on the dock.

"What do you mean by that?" Yangzhou people are very curious, how their fellow villagers sell yellow ripe plums and sell green, how to pinch and half-pull like a girl in the kiln?

"You don't know! Now Liu Mazi doesn't dare to call him Liu Mazi to his face! At first, the Nanjing vendors pouted, and they didn't know whether they despised their friends or Liu Jingting, who was a villain.

This person, who was respected as an ancestor in the storytelling industry in later generations, is now in a prominent position. As a general of the Ping Thief and the Marquis of Ningnan (although because of the title of this southern character, the four towns of Jiangbei and Zuo Liangyu are all pretending to be unacceptable) Zuo Liangyu's shogunate, Liu Jingting is equivalent to the director of the Beijing Office or Zuo Liangyu's special representative.

According to the biography of Liu Jingting written by Wu Weiye and Huang Zongxi, "Ningnan went south, and Anhui Shuai wanted to marry Ningnan and pay tribute to the pavilion in the shogunate." Ning Nan thought that it was too late to meet, so he made the staff secret. The army did not dare to pay tribute to the pavilion with a bibliography. Ning Nan didn't know the book, all the texts, the Confucian scholars under the curtain set up words to repair words, cited the past to prove the present, and tried their best to do it, and Ning Nan was displeased. And Jingting's ears are familiar, and those who come from the looper of the committee are all in line with Ningnan. Taste ordered to Jinling, is the time of the court are afraid of Ningnan, hearing that it makes people come, do not pour the salute, the following to make the south sitting, called General Liu, Jingting also has nothing to worry about. The villain in the market used to be with the people who respected Tingerru and whispered from the side of the road: 'Therefore, I am also a storyteller, and now I am rich and noble!' ’”

What does that mean?

Ningnan Marquis Zuo Liangyu was oppressed by Li Zicheng's army, and when he crossed the river from Wuchang to the south, Anhui Admiral Society Hongyu wanted to befriend Zuo Liangyu and introduce Liu Jingting to the government office (Zuo Liangyu). Zuo Liangyu regretted that he met Liu Jingting too late, and let Liu Jingting participate in the decision of important secret military affairs. Officials in the military did not dare to look at Liu Jingting as a storyteller. Zuo Liangyu has never read a book, and all the official documents are all written by his subordinates, refining words and sentences, citing the past to prove the present, and trying to write them, (but) Zuo Liangyu is not satisfied. And what Liu Jingting often hears in his ears and often says in his mouth, and what he gets from the common sayings in the remote alleys, there is nothing that does not conform to Zuo Liangyu's intentions. (Liu Jingting) was ordered to Nanjing, when the ministers of the Southern Ming Dynasty were in awe of Zuo Liangyu, I heard that he sent people, no one did not receive (him) with respectful salutes, the officials below the prime minister let Liu Jingting sit on the throne to the south, called him General Liu, Liu Jingting did not have any uneasy performance. Those colleagues in the street market who used to be very close to Liu Jingting and called each other you and me said privately on the side of the road: "This person used to tell stories with us, and now he is so prosperous!" ”

It turns out that relying on singing, dancing, saying that cross talk, acting in sketches and making movies can become a general, which has also been a thing for a long time. It's not just that these years have happened. These people have already had their ancestors as an example, but from a historical point of view, the so-called history can be used as a mirror to know the rise and fall, and these people who got the rank of general by singing and dancing don't seem to end well.

At this time, General Liu Jingting didn't care about the discussion of him in the streets and alleys, so he just rode his horse and galloped. The officers of the Left Army were already waiting on the dock, and the sailors hoisted their sails and waited for his arrival.

"Quick! Let's go! ”

His heels were not firmly on the ship's plank, so our General Liu gave the order and ordered the sailors to set sail westward as soon as possible.

Regarding General Liu's behavior, the soldiers and the sailors on the official ship under the command of General Ping Thief are naturally like falling into a fog, and in the past, I saw that Ma Shoufu and the officials of the six departments were all the same Mr. Liu, who treated each other with courtesy, what happened today?

How did they know that our ancestor Liu Jingting was also the same as his disciples and grandchildren. You don't see, the eldest brother of the father and son, who are both hot topic figures, came to Beijing in the 90s to admit his mistakes with a handful of snot and tears in front of the relevant departments and leaders, and reviewed his mistakes in performing many programs at the rallies and concerts held in Hong Kong last year to cheer for the so-called dizziness activities, and then got forgiveness. Since then, his films and cultural products have been sold well in the mainland, and he often appears on many major occasions wearing a Tang costume and a red scarf. In contrast, the Thousand Faces Girl Woman Flower who also participated in these activities was miserable, and was basically banned, and many works were cheaper than pirates.

And at the enthronement ceremony of Ah Bian, the sister of the Zhang family who loves to eat fatty pork and sang a so-called national anthem for him, although she realized that she could not learn the negative example of Anita Mui's predecessors, after all, she was of Gaoshan blood, and her realm had never been cultivated to the level of her eldest brother. So he was blocked for several years, and when he finally got through the work, the golden stage of his acting career was gone.

In a word, for the sake of profit, what a cheek! ! Chastity! It's all paper in the toilet puddle!

However, Liu Jingting is still much stronger than these disciples. At the very least, after Nan Ming died, he just picked up his old profession and returned to the streets to tell stories, unlike those so-called "remnants" who advertised themselves as scholars and had discipline, participated in the imperial examinations, and sent students' children and nephews to participate in activities such as compiling the history of the Ming Dynasty.

Although the sailors were very puzzled by Mr. Liu's behavior, Zuo Liangyu's military order was not a joke. That means that if you kill your whole family, you must kill your whole family. At the moment, carefully maneuvering the sail rudder, the clipper sails westward against the current.

Within a few days, they arrived at the pier outside Jiujiang City. Here, it is already the territory of Zuo Liangyujun.

At this time, it was already February of the first year of Hongguang. People say that the spring breeze in February is like scissors, and it is said that the spring spring in March is about to the breeze and warmth, and the green willows are smoky in the season, especially Jiujiang is known as "Xunyang County of the Nine Schools, which is clearly like a drawing" reputation, this ancient Jiangzhou, Xunyang, to the beautiful place of the world's eyebrows. If the land of Jiujiang is not good, Song Jiang's old father Song Taigong will not spend money on gifts, and send his son to this "good land, land of fish and rice".

It's a pity that in the eyes of Liu Jingting, who is familiar with the Water Margin and is good at saying "Water Margin", "Sui and Tang Dynasties", and "Western Han Dynasty", the Xunyang River described by Shi Nai'an's pen is "towering green mountains outside the clouds, and the water is turning silver from the riverside." faintly sartine, flying a few rows of gulls and herons; Leisurely Bupu, support back a few fishing boats. Turning over the snow waves and lapping the sky, blowing the cool breeze on the water. The Zixiao Peak is connected to the firmament, and the Pipa Pavilion is half on the river bank. The surrounding area is wide and exquisite. The column is dipped in glass, and the light outside the window is floating jade. In the past, Lotte was very expensive, and Sima had many tears back then. "There is nothing of this view!

It is something like "The mountains are lined with huge waves, and the water shakes the sky." Thousands of swords and guns were gathered in chaos, and thousands of layers of swords and halberds were lined up in strange trees. The antlers on the edge of the sea are all gathered into bones; The bowl scoop in the village is made of skeletons. Peel off the human skin and cover the war drum, and cut off the hair to make the reins. "Skeletons are like mountains, and bones are like forests. Human hair is felt, and human flesh is rotten into mud. The human tendons were wrapped around the trees, and the stems were scorched and shiny like silver. It's really a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, and it really smells bad. The little demon in the east took the flesh of the living; Splashing demons in the west, boiling and cooking human flesh freshly. "Peel off the human skin and cover the war drum, and cut off the hair to make the reins. These words and sentences describing the green forest cottage of Liangshanbo involuntarily poured into Liu Jingting's mind.

"This is my camp of the general of the thief? Is it my camp of Ningnanhou? ”

The messy camp of Zuo Liangyu's army in front of him made Liu Jingting look a little dazed.

The continuous camp, the big banner with the word "left" in the book, can not be seen at a glance, but the appearance of the left camp is majestic, after entering, it can be described as a mess, which is worse than the military camp of Marco at that time.

From time to time, groups of soldiers could be seen, carrying captive, screaming and weeping women, laughing wildly into the tents and insulting them, and then seeing the naked corpses of naked women who had been tortured to the point of being inhuman, dragged out and thrown into the river.

Not only is there chaos on the shore, but it is also chaotic in the river.

Bai Juyi and Shi Nai'an and many other people's pen all kinds of poetry and painting are gone, the river sails do not exist, even if Jiujiang is known as the mouth of the three rivers and the thoroughfare of the seven provinces, but there is a thief general Zuo Liangyu here, and which pedestrian businessman who is not afraid of death dares to come to Jiujiang, or through this section of the river?

From the river to the middle of the river, dozens of large ships connected in one place, blocking half of the river, the bow of the big ship, artillery, strong bows and crossbows are listed. In order to have a good discussion with the good words of the ships passing by, and to raise the salaries of the army.

It is said that it is to raise military salaries, but it is just a fig leaf on the mouth.

Seeing a merchant ship passing through the Jiujiang River, the patrol ships of Zuo Liangyu's army would board the boat for inspection under the cover of the gunboats sealing the river. Actually, that's to get on the boat and rob. After the robbery, you will be charged with fornication and robbery, hacked to death with a knife, and the body will be thrown into the river. Or they don't bother to find the crime, just get on the boat and grab it, if there is a beautiful woman on the boat, the end is even more miserable.

Of course, not all ships are treated like this. At the very least, the ships flying the flag issued by the Jianghai Joint Defense Agreement, Zuo Liangyu repeatedly ordered the group of heroes from the three mountains and five mountains under his command, "Don't offend!" He knew the details of these people, and the people who could get this banner and document from the Nanjing Garrison Yamen and the Nanyue Army Naval Division were either rich or noble. These people went back and forth to trade in the upper and lower rivers, which was also a great benefit to him Zuo Liangyu in raising grain and grass materials. Otherwise, how could the gold and silver he had obtained from plundering various state capitals be turned into knives, guns, and instruments?

There was also a fellow who was not long-eyed, and made an idea about a group of ships flying the flag of the joint defense of the river and the sea, but before the boat could reach the side of the ship, the sailors and guards on board showed their guns and small cannons. The two sides confronted each other on the river for a long time, and the patrol ships of the Nanyue Army's naval division battalion in Xiaogushan, Anqing, arrived. Under the cover of the guns of the naval division of the Nanyue Army, the leader of the fleet casually took out several letters from the bigwigs and nobles of the DPRK and China to Zuo Liangyu to prove their identity and background.

Although Zuo Liangyu politely let the ships go to Wuchang and let them trade with the Dashun army, but half a month later, there were still a few letters from Nanjing City to Jiujiang, and the content of the letters is unknown, but judging from the fact that Zuo Liangyu was so angry that even if he beheaded a whole team of people who committed the perpetrators that day, our Zuo Dashuai was stimulated a lot.

Mr. Donglin, the bigwig of the capital of the DPRK and China, these people, our Zuo Dashuai must be well maintained. The Nanyue Army is strong, and it has the lifeblood of grain, grass and materials, so we can't afford to provoke it. So, the hundreds of thousands of people under the command of Zuo Dashuai coerced almost all the young and middle-aged people in Wuchang Mansion, collected stragglers all the way from the east of Wuchang, annexed poles and regimental training, recruited bandits and horse thieves in Anshan, and coerced the good people and developed the army, what way to feed it?

Zuo Dashuai Zuo Hou Ye naturally has his way.

One word, "Rob!" "If you can't provoke the bigwigs in the DPRK and China, and you can't afford to provoke the Nanyue Army, then we can't afford to provoke the state capitals and counties around Jiujiang Mansion? Let's go all the way from Xiangyang to Wuchang to fight thieves and protect the place, shouldn't these Shengdou people take out some silver, grain, wine, meat, and beauties to reward us?

First of all, they robbed all the belongings of the people outside Jiujiang City, searched all the beautiful wives and concubines of every household, and rehearsed the experience and means accumulated in Xiangyang, Wuchang and other places on the people of Jiujiang.

Not only did he plunder the prefectures and counties, according to the meaning of Zuo Liangyu's son Zuo Mengeng, as well as Wang Yuncheng, Lu Guangzu and other generals, they should have plundered the ships of Wuchang, including the grain and salt ships, as they did in Wuchang, and then swept down the river. Break through Jiande, rob Chiyang, go to Wuhu for forty miles, dock in Sanshan and Digang, and take all the salt ships to carry troops. By the way, these cities are also looted.

If it weren't for Zuo Liangyu's seeing that there was a large battalion of the Nanyue Army Navy in Anqing, hundreds of ships of all sizes patrolling the river day and night, thousands of artillery, and nearly 10,000 elite soldiers of the naval division and land battalion, he would have weighed his own strength, and it would be impossible to bargain in front of the naval battalion, so he restrained his subordinates, "Don't come nonsense!" ”

Rao is so, tigers do not eat people and are notorious. In order to keep the party calm, the governor of Anqing wrote a letter to Zuo Liangyu, moved him with dangerous words, and sent tens of thousands of taels of silver to reward his army, and he had face, and saw that Jiangbei drove the soldiers and horses of Huang Degong, the general soldier of Luzhou, and our Zuo Jue Marshal completely gave up the idea of sacking Anqing.

Just drink and have fun in the camp outside Jiujiang City every day, and drill soldiers and horses. What the? Why didn't you say that Marshal Zuo didn't enter Jiujiang City? Nonsense! His army is so well disciplined, once it enters Jiujiang City, it is full of enthusiasm to help the people carry their property, help the men who are not in good health to comfort their wives, concubines, sisters and daughters, and see that the heating problem of the people in the harsh winter is not easy to solve, and light a fire to help the people solve the heating problem, what should the people in the city do? Shouldn't we be grateful with tears in our eyes?

Therefore, the gate of Jiujiang Mansion City is closed, not only the four gates are closed, but also two of them are blocked with bricks and stones, and the rest are only open for one or two hours a day, and the slightest wind and grass are closed immediately! At the head of the city, the soldiers and the people were strong, guarded in sections, and guarded the equipment, ash bottles, cannons, and the like piled up and down the city wall. lest by accident, the hundreds of thousands of jackals and hungry tigers under Zuo Liangyu's subordinates rushed into Jiujiang City.

Today, the Left Army has claimed to be 800,000 to the outside world, divided into internal and external battalions. The inner camp is Zuo Liangyu's pro-army and descendants, which are more elite. The outer camp was a mess of armed forces that he had contained along the way. The military law is based on two people galloping between horses, saying: "It's right", their horsemen often gallop outside the city of Jiujiang Mansion, showing off their might, but looking at these soldiers under Zuo Liangyu, the local people all hate it.

With the arrival of the thief general, the local people suffered continuously, and many of their wives and daughters were robbed and ruined in the camp. At this time, they do not understand why there are so many such brutes among the officers and soldiers. Didn't they protect the people, and why did they do so badly as beasts? There are songs that begin to be sung: Afraid of thieves, run thieves, and think of thieves when they reach the level of thieves!

Who is the thief?

Is it Zhang Xianzhong, who claims to have slaughtered tens of millions of people in Sichuan, or Li Zicheng, who has resisted the Qing Dynasty to the last moment for three generations? Or are these Ming officers and soldiers who eat the food and salary of the Ming Dynasty today, shave their hair tomorrow, and with the determination and perseverance of today's me to kill yesterday's me, they will conquer the city for the Qing Dynasty and obtain jade silk for their children?