Chapter 471: Moonlight, Don't panic, digging people busy

Liu Qidong is Liu Zongzhou, his name Qidong, so he is called Liu Qidong. Speaking of Liu Zongzhou, he is quite a remarkable figure. What is remarkable about him is not in his official position, but in his ideas and scholarship. He was the last master of Confucianism in the late Ming Dynasty, focusing on the study of mind. He started a faction called the Ji Shan School.

There may be many people who don't know his name, but there may not be too many people who don't know the names of his disciples. Because, his disciple's name is Huang Zongxi. After the Qing army went south, Liu Zongzhou died of hunger strike. Later generations said that Liu Zongzhou's death led to a crisis in the lifeblood of the Chinese nation and the lifeblood of Chinese culture, and this crisis continues to this day.

Zhang Zhun said casually: "Duke Despise Shan is from Jiangnan, I don't know what the situation in Jiangnan is?" Does the arrival of the Tatars in Shandong have any impact on Jiangnan? ”

Zhang Shenyan said obscurely: "It's not good, it's quite bad." ”

With his steady character, it is not good to repeat it twice in a row, and the situation in Jiangnan is really quite bad. In fact, not only Jiangnan, but the situation of the entire Ming Dynasty is very bad. If the situation was crumbling before, now it is dying.

The surrender of Dongjiang Town and the surrender of Governor Denglai were all bad news like a bolt from the blue for the entire Ming Kingdom. Shandong is not Liaodong, and Dengzhou City is not Shenyang. For a long time, Shandong has been regarded as the core hinterland of the Ming Kingdom, an area that cannot be touched by the Tartars, and a relatively safe place. Now, how can it not be surprising that the Tartars actually occupy a corner of Shandong?

From the time when the Tartars appeared in Shandong, the entire Ming Kingdom was frantically spreading the relevant news. The people of the Smell Fragrance Sect fled in all directions, bringing with them a large amount of news, both true and false. Eventually, the news spread, and all of it turned into a rumor. Because of the involvement of Tartar and the close proximity of Shandong, the spread of rumors is quite fast.

Don't expect rumors to have any truth, if they are, they won't be called rumors. The more exaggerated the rumors, the more people believe them. Some rumors even say that the Tartars have taken control of Jinan Province and are preparing to split into two routes, one north to the Gyeonggi region and the other south to sweep Jiangnan. For a time, the entire Jiangnan was full of people's hearts and minds, and they couldn't live in fear.

The panic of the poor people can be bearable, but the key is that even the government and the gentry can't support it. The most obvious performance is Yangzhou Mansion. Yangzhou Mansion gathers most of the wealthy merchants in the south of the Yangtze River, and all the salt merchants are in Yangzhou Mansion. To the south of Shandong, the first to bear the brunt is Yangzhou Mansion. When those big salt merchants heard that the Tartars appeared in Shandong, they would go south at any time, and they were all nervous. Some even fled south overnight. The entire Yangzhou Mansion was in a panic.

Liu Zongzhou, the new secretary of the Nanjing Military Department, was also taken aback when he heard that the Tartars appeared in Shandong. The Tartars took control of Shandong, and this is no joke. To the north of Shandong is Beizhili. To the south of Shandong, is Nanzhili. It can be said that as long as the Tartars control Shandong, it is equivalent to completely separating the north and the south. Shandong is so close to Nanzhili, and the cavalry of the Tartars will be able to reach the Yangtze River in just one day!

In the past, everyone may still think that relying on the natural risks of the Yangtze River can still block one or two. However, after the last time Nanjing City was made a big fuss by Zhang Zhun, everyone saw through the true face of the defenders of Nanjing. Zhang Zhun only had a few hundred people, and the defenders of Nanjing could not support it, let alone a large number of Tartars. Rather than counting on these defenders, you should count on your own family. If the Tartars really reached the Yangtze River, the city of Nanjing would definitely not be protected. The city of Nanjing can't be saved, let alone Yangzhou.

In the past, whether the Tartars fought fiercely with the Ming army in Liaodong, or crossed the Great Wall to the south to loot, and suffered from the people of Liaodong, or the people of the north of the Ming Kingdom, and basically had nothing to do with Jiangnan. Regarding the disaster that occurred in the north, the people in Jiangnan basically sat idly by. Because, the battlefield is still far away from them. It is impossible for the Tartars to cross the Great Wall and go south, and it is impossible to reach the south of the Yangtze River. Therefore, the people in Jiangnan are very calm.

However, after the Tatars took control of Shandong, the people of Jiangnan could not be calm. Starting from Shandong, Tartar, one arrow step, can reach Jiangnan. Everyone shuddered at the thought of the ferocity of the Tartars. Especially those wealthy businessmen and large families, they are like sitting on pins and needles, living like a year. Those who have a way to take refuge in the direction of Suzhou and Hangzhou, and those who have no way have to stay at home and wait for death.

For the imperial court of Jingshi, the appearance of Tartars in Shandong was also a bolt from the blue. Originally, he was exhausted from dealing with the Tartars in Liaodong. The Tartars bypassed the Great Wall and went south, and the imperial court had no way to deal with it, so it could only sit and watch the Tartars burn, kill and loot, and return with a full load. Now, the Tartars have actually appeared in Shandong, where is the imperial court still capable of dealing with them?

When I heard that the Tartars were coming to Shandong, the first person to react was King Heng. had the experience of being exiled by Zhang Zhun last time, and this time, King Heng didn't care about thirty-seven twenty-one, and ran away first. What rules such as the prohibition of vassal kings from leaving the country without authorization, King Heng doesn't care. In case you are caught by a Tartar and you don't even have a head, what kind of etiquette are you talking about?

King Heng ran to Jinan in one go, and hid in King De's house. Unlike last time, this time, King De couldn't calmly comfort King Heng. Because he is also in fear. God knows when the Tartars will come to Jinan Mansion, and even he will serve it in one pot? After thinking about it, he couldn't get the essentials, so King De had to write to Emperor Chongzhen with King Lu of Yanzhou, asking for troops to be sent to protect him. After Chongzhen received the report, he naturally ordered the military department to immediately send troops to protect Shandong.

However, the current strength of the imperial court is also stretched, where is the surplus force sent to Shandong? The soldiers in Zhu Dadian's hands also sent 20,000 troops to Henan to deploy defenses to prevent the Shaanxi rebels from entering Henan. This was strongly requested by Hong Chengchou, and Hong Laojiu decided not to let the Shaanxi rebels re-enter Henan. However, the main artery of the Beijing Division, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, passes through Shandong, and if this artery is cut by the Tartars, the Beijing Division will be finished. Therefore, Shandong must also hold on. Chongzhen was anxious and angry, and strictly ordered the military department to find a way to solve it.

At that time, Zhang Fengyi was the secretary of the Beijing Military Department, and he also served as the Jiliao Governor. He wasn't a particularly capable person in the first place, he was just obedient. After receiving Chongzhen's strict order, Zhang Fengyi was really as big as a fight. Where does he still have troops to Shandong? Unless you don't want Liaodong, don't want Xuanfu, don't want Datong, don't want Henan. He couldn't solve it himself, so he simply threw the problem to Liu Zongzhou, the secretary of the Nanjing Military Department.

Liu Zongzhou himself has no troops, and it is not enough to block the Shaanxi rebel army from entering Nanzhili, where is the spare strength to take care of Shandong's affairs? Now Jiangnan is in a mess, and rumors are spreading everywhere that the Tartars are going to go down from the southeast of Shandong. Not only the common people ran, not only the rich businessmen ran, but even some health centers were all gone. Many of the lords and magnates in Nanjing sent people to Fujian to find a place to stay.

Why go to Fujian? Because Fujian has Zheng Zhilong there! According to the impression of ordinary people in Jiangnan, Zheng Zhilong is still quite capable of fighting, and he has many warships under his command. If it really doesn't work, the only way to go out to sea is to take a boat. Some people also sent people to Yunnan to step on the spot. In the border areas of Yunnan, it is probably impossible for the Tatars to reach Yunnan in a short time. There are also people who go to Guangzhou, preparing to go to Nanyang from there. Anyway, in any case, first avoid the edge of the Tartar.

Liu Zongzhou wanted to discuss with Han Zanzhou, the eunuch guarding the town of Nanjing, how to solve the affairs in Shandong, but found that Han Zanzhou was not in Nanjing. Han Zanzhou is not in Nanjing, where did he go? Went to Fengyang! It turned out that Han Zanzhou also had no confidence in the defense of Nanjing City, and he was unwilling to stay in Nanjing City and wait for death in vain, so he went to Yang Yipeng, the governor of Fengyang. Yang Yipeng's subordinates have tens of thousands of troops, even if the Tartars call, they can block one or two, which is much better than staying in Nanjing City.

Liu Zongzhou, who wanted to cry without tears, had to be in a daze alone. Suddenly, Liu Zongzhou remembered someone. This person is Zhang Shenyan. Liu Zongzhou immediately sent someone to find Zhang Shenyan and talk to Zhang Shenyan about the matter. Zhang Shenyan immediately thought of Zhang Zhun. Zhang Shenyan felt that only Zhang Zhun could save the situation in Shandong at present. No one else can.

At this point, any anti-thief, any rebellious thief and the like, must be put aside for the time being. Zhang Shenyan was very confident in the combat effectiveness of Zhang Zhun's troops, and felt that as long as Zhang Zhun was willing to fight to the death, the Tatars might not be able to wreak havoc on Shandong. The key is, how to make Zhang Zhun fight to the death. After discussing with Liu Zongzhou for a long time, he volunteered to come to Shandong.

Zhang Shenyan said a little worriedly: "Yulin, how long can you hold out in Huang County?" ”

Zhang Zhun said a little tiredly: "The juniors can only do their best, the Tartar is too powerful." After a day of fierce fighting, our army suffered heavy casualties and was in dire need of reinforcements. ”

Zhang Shenyan said slowly: "Don't you have any other troops in your hands?" ”

Zhang Zhun nodded, and said bitterly: "There are some non-main forces in the younger generation, all of which are used to guard the common people, and they can only maintain local law and order, and they don't do anything at all in front of the Tartars." According to the intelligence, the Tartars in Dengzhou City have approached 10,000 people, and more troops are arriving one after another. The Jurchen is not more than 10,000, and more than 10,000 cannot be defeated. Huangxian is the only way for the Tartars to advance westward, and they will definitely make a comeback. If there are no reinforcements, I am afraid that the younger generation will have to give up Huangxian. ”

Zhang Shenyan said with a solemn face: "Yulin, the Tartars are cruel and unreasonable, if the Tartars are allowed to enter the hinterland of Shandong, the six prefectures of Shandong, millions of people, will inevitably be ruined, and the land will be thousands of miles away." You and I should do everything in our power to stop the Tartars from advancing westward. ”

Zhang Zhun said bluntly: "Shan Gong, the younger generation is indeed willing to fight to the death with the Tartars. However, you also know that the younger generation has limited strength and is isolated, and even if they are all killed in battle, they will not be able to stop the Tartars from advancing westward. ”

Zhang Shenyan frowned and said: "The eldest husband should be loyal to the country, do his best, and die." ”

Zhang Zhun took a deep breath and said slowly: "In that case, when will Zhu Dadian send troops to support the juniors?" When will he be loyal to his country? ”

Zhang Shenyan said in a deep voice: "Zhu Dadian, the troops cannot be mobilized for the time being, you must rely on your own strength to defend Huang County." However, the court is willing to show sincerity and support you against the Tartars. ”

Zhang Zhun looked at Gao Hongtu,

Gao Hongtu nodded quietly.

Zhang Zhun said meaningfully: "In this case, I don't know what kind of sincerity the imperial court has?" ”

Zhang Shenyan said slowly: "The imperial court is ready to appoint you as the governor of the Houjun Governor's Mansion, Zhengyipin, and concurrently serve as the chief military officer of Dongjiang Town, in charge of the military affairs of Dengzhou and Laizhou, and the commander of the Dengzhou Water Division. Yulin, this is the most powerful governor since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. ”

After listening to this, Zhang Zhun said with a smile: "The great favor of the imperial court, it seems that the younger generation is really grateful, and it is really a big official position." ”

Zhang Shenyan realized that the actions of the imperial court were indeed a little stingy, all of them were useless shows, so he said apologetically: "Yulin, it is indeed an eventful time now, the country is difficult, and I can't take out too many troops and money and food. As a Han Chinese, you can't watch the Tartars wreak havoc in Denglai Erfu, right? ”

Zhang Zhun pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Okay!" As long as the court does not repent, I will accept this appointment! ”

Zhang Shenyan said with a smile: "This is Liu Qidong's proposal, Shi Kefa's letter, supported by all colleagues, there should be no problem, and the relevant edict should come down soon." ”

Zhang Zhun said with a smile: "Duke Shan, let me ask from the heart, in fact, the court is afraid that I will take refuge in the Tartars." ”

Zhang Shenyan was broken by him, and he didn't blush, but said with some emotion: "The wind knows the strength of the grass, the country is in turmoil and shows loyalty, Yulin, now is the time for you to repay the country and the emperor." Traitors like Ruan Dacheng will inevitably be left behind for 10,000 years in the future. If the Tartars are allowed to enter Shandong, we will all die without a place to be buried. Yulin, are you willing to cut your hair and tie it in braids and drag your long pig's tail to live? ”

Zhang Zhun nodded noncommittally.

The title given to him by the imperial court, of course, was all empty checks, and not a penny should be spent. It's just one edict, and it's worth up to five copper plates. Laizhou Mansion is now his territory, and no one can take it away, and the imperial court can't take it back. Dengzhou Mansion, as long as he wants, he can take it down at any time. The only one who has benefited is Dongjiang Town. In other words, now he can justifiably control Dongjiang Town, Dengzhou Mansion, and Laizhou Mansion. In terms of the territory under his control, he is indeed the commander in charge of the largest area under his control.

It's a pity that Dengzhou City is still under the control of the Tartars. Dongjiang Town is even more in the hands of the Tartars. If you want to get these places, you can only fight to the death with the Tartars. Driving wolves and chasing tigers, the court's little tricks, aren't very clever! Zhu Dadian still has soldiers in his hands, but he refuses to move, just because he wants to come out and pick up the bargain when he and the Tartars are defeated. However, Zhu Dadian's wishful thinking is too obvious for the blind to see. Lao Tzu still has five battalions waiting for you to provoke!

After a moment of silence, Zhang Zhun said slowly: "Gong Shan, I have a few small requests. ”

Zhang Shenyan nodded and said enthusiastically: "You might as well speak up." ”

Zhang Zhun said lightly: "Duke Shan, I asked the court how many people I wanted." ”

Zhang Shenyan said casually: "Who do you want?" ”

Zhang Zhun stood up, found a list, handed it to Zhang Shenyan with both hands, and said lightly: "I want these people." I asked the imperial court to help me transfer these people to Laizhou Mansion within a month's time, and I have made arrangements. It is a matter of fighting the Tartars, and please hand it over quickly. ”

Zhang Shenyan carefully looked at the list and found that the people in front of him were some officials he didn't know much, such as Song Yingxing, Feng Menglong, etc., but there were also some officials he knew, such as Zhang Huangyan, Qian Sule, Dong Zhining, Shen Tingyang, Zhang Kentang, Zhang Mingzhen, Zhang Mingyang and others. According to his understanding, these people are all Jinshi in recent years, and their official positions are basically below the seventh grade, and some are even not in the stream.

After carefully considering the list, Zhang Shenyan suddenly found that these people also have one thing in common, that is, they are more fair, and they are not used to the darkness, and some have written to the court many times, asking for the punishment of eunuchs and traitors, so they have not been very proud of their careers. However, there is no doubt that these people are definitely talented, and they are definitely not people who live in a mess.

I don't know how Zhang Zhun got this list, and then he thought of Gao Hongtu beside him. Perhaps, Lao Gao has noticed these people early on. Now, it's time to bring these people over. Zhang Shenyan also had to admire, if all these people arrived in Laizhou Mansion, it would be terrible here. Even if not the 21st century, talent is the most valuable.

"Yulin ......" Zhang Shen stopped talking.

He understands very well that once these people come to Zhang Zhun, they will become Zhang Zhun's people. Yes, Zhang Shenyan understands this very well. During his private visit to Weifu in Laizhou Prefecture, the biggest impression was not the change in productivity, but the change in the mentality of the people. In Laizhou Mansion, the people only knew Zhang Zhun and did not know that there was an emperor at all. Even, very disgusted with the emperor. Zhang Shenyan also knew that what Zhang Zhun was lacking now was cultural people, and if this group of people came under Zhang Zhun's command, Zhang Zhun would definitely be like a tiger with wings and soar into the sky.

Zhang Zhun said nonchalantly: "These officials, the highest is only seven grades, and in their original positions, they are not very well received, and it is really a waste of talents." Now, there is a serious vacancy in the officials of the second province of Denglai, and it is not just right for them to establish meritorious service for the defeat of the Tartars? ”

Zhang Shenyan had no choice but to say: "The old man will urge this matter, but the old man can't guarantee whether it will succeed or not." ”

In fact, he knows very well that there will be basically no obstacles to sending this list, because these officials, in the court, are all different and incompatible with the people around them. Many people were eager to kick them out. The opportunity to kick them under Zhang Zhun is naturally the best. Zhang Shenyan can almost imagine that Zhang Zhun's list, when he arrived at Wen Tiren, the first assistant of the cabinet, was definitely a big stroke of the pen, and these people were transferred to Zhang Zhun.

The corner of Zhang Zhun's mouth smiled slightly, and said quietly: "Then thank you to the Duke of Shan." Whether it succeeds or fails, the younger generation has no regrets. ”

Zhang Shenyan stared at Zhang Zhun with shining eyes, wanting to see something from his face. It's a pity that Zhang Zhun didn't have a special expression on his face, and he couldn't see anything. In desperation, Zhang Shenyan had no choice but to stand up, saying that he was tired and wanted to rest. In fact, he sensed in his heart that Zhang Zhun and the imperial court were going farther and farther away. Perhaps, this is the last cooperation between Zhang Zhun and the imperial court. In the future, even if the imperial court has an edict to Zhang Zhun, he will use it to make toilet paper.

In May, Zhang Shenyan inspected Laizhou Mansion alone and witnessed the changes in Laizhou Mansion with his own eyes. Everything that happened there was clearly telling him that Zhang Zhun had firmly established himself there. The productivity of Laizhou Mansion, the cohesion of the people of Laizhou Mansion, and the spirit of striving for progress are far beyond the rest of the Ming Dynasty. This is a land full of life and hope.

If this land belonged to the imperial court, Zhang Shenyan would definitely be ecstatic. Perhaps, the fate of the Ming Dynasty can be improved from Laizhou Mansion. It's a pity that this land has nothing to do with the imperial court at all. What's worse is that the rest of the imperial court can't replicate such a piece of land at all. Even if he was fully aware of Zhang Zhun's policy and how Zhang Zhun developed the productive forces, he would not be able to implement Zhang Zhun's policy in other places.

With the growth of time, the terrible productivity of Laizhou Mansion will accumulate a huge amount of combat power for Zhang Zhun and sweep away the world. And Zhang Zhun's target, in addition to Tartar, is obviously the imperial court. He admired Zhang Zhun's ability and Zhang Zhun's eclecticism, obviously Zhang Zhun's resolute attitude towards the Tartars, but he really didn't want Zhang Zhun to use swords against the imperial court. However, it was clear to him that this was simply impossible. Zhang Zhun will definitely do something to the imperial court.

It was with ambivalence that Zhang Shenyan left Laizhou Mansion without saying hello to Zhang Zhun. When leaving Mawan by boat, Zhang Shenyan deeply felt that if there was no accident, Zhang Zhun's rise was already an unstoppable fact. Now there is only one key to the problem, that is, how far Zhang Zhun is ready to go, and how long the imperial court can last long.

"Someone!"

"Take the Shan Gong to rest!"

Zhang Zhun quietly asked someone to arrange Zhang Shenyan's accommodation.

After all, Gao Hongtu is also old, and he feels very tired after a long journey, so he said hello to Zhang Zhun and went to rest himself. He and Zhang Zhun are now completely people in the same boat, and they don't need too many words to communicate with each other.

After the two left, Zhang Zhun was still not sleepy. He was in the hall, pacing back and forth. The news that Zhang Shenyan brought to him was not shocking. To put it coldly, there is actually nothing equaled by nothing. Dongjiang Town, Dengzhou Mansion, Laizhou Mansion...... These places, whether the court gave them to him or not, would eventually fall into his pocket. Now the imperial court is just looking for an excuse to let both sides have a step down.

Of course, if the imperial court has such a meaning, Zhang Zhun will not refuse. Wearing the coat of the imperial court, some things are still more convenient. For example, the people he likes are transferred to Laizhou Mansion. The names on that list actually have nothing to do with Gao Hongtu, they are all Zhang Zhun based on his own memories to pull some outstanding officials in the Southern Ming Dynasty to Shandong. These officials, at that time, have not yet come to prominence, and they are good seedlings to cultivate. What is the most precious thing of the seventeenth century? It's also talent!

Zhang Zhun suddenly walked out of the hall and looked at the gray sky in the east. Over there, it's the direction of Dengzhou City. I wonder if Dolgon in Dengzhou City will be able to fall asleep this night?