Chapter 561: King Zhong's Conjecture
Li Xiangtian looked at the empty surroundings, let go of Li Sizhu's mouth, squatted down, and pulled away the dead woman's hand that was holding her calf. Her snow-white legs had been scratched with dark blue marks.
"Are you afraid?" Li Xiangtian asked her with concern.
Shaken off the sudden start, she just shook her head and bit her lip tenaciously. She bent down and gently stroked the dead woman's eyes, which were still staring blankly at the sky.
"Let's go." She stood up and said firmly.
Li Xiangtian's eyes were full of surprise, he looked at her for a while before picking her up, and the two disappeared into the war-torn streets again.
Eventually, the city fell silent.
Death-like silence.
What about the father?
What about mothers?
Will they break through and leave the city safely?
Or will they die together calmly?
β¦β¦
When Li Sizhu woke up from the dream, his clothes were already wet with tears.
"Miss, miss." The maid's call was heard.
"What's the matter?" She took the handkerchief and wiped the tears from her face,
"Mademoiselle, please come and see you...... Lord Lin. β
"Lord Lin? Which Lord Lin? β
"Miss forgot? It's Lord Lin Yiqing, he is Aunt Lin's twin brother......"
Hearing Lin Yiqing's name, Li Sizhu's body couldn't help but tremble. She hurriedly got up and went with the maid.
When she reached the cloister, she heard a young man and an old man talking in the distance.
She couldn't help but lighten her steps.
What they were saying, she didn't care, her attention. Focus only on the young man's voice.
She couldn't remember. It's been a long time since she'd heard the voice that haunted her.
From the moment when his aunt, who loved him so much, made a promise to him.
After his sudden death in Beijing. She had been heartbroken to death, and she had spent many nights crying.
Now, is he back?
She walked softly to the door.
The moment she saw his back sitting in front of the hospital bed, her breathing stopped.
It was as if time had stopped at this moment.
She stared at him so fixedly, until Mrs. Wu's voice came, and she was startled at her gaffe.
"Sizhu. Why is he so light-hearted, and he doesn't say a word when he comes. Come, meet your brother Hanpeng. When Mrs. Wu saw Li Sizhu coming with the maid, she couldn't help but smile slightly and said softly.
When Lin Yiqing was talking to Shen Youdan, he always felt that there was a woman at the door looking at him, and it was inconvenient for him to turn back, but somehow, his heart beat fast because of her arrival.
"Hanpeng. This is Sizhu, and she can be regarded as your sister. Shen Youdan heard Mrs. Wu's words. Only then did he realize Li Sizhu's arrival, and a loving smile appeared on his face, "Come, Sizhu, I've seen your brother Hanpeng." β
Lin Yiqing stood up, turned around, and saw her in her dream.
No, it's more beautiful than in a dream.
Li Sizhu came to Lin Yiqing, Ying Ying bowed down, Lin Yiqing secretly took a deep breath, and finally calmed down, stretched out his hand and made a gesture of support.
"Brother is well...... Li Sizhu got up, lowered his head and whispered hello to him.
"Sister Sizhu, don't come unharmed." As soon as Lin Yiqing spoke, he felt that something was wrong, as if he and she had known each other before, and hurriedly said, "I heard my brother talk about Sister Sizhu in Japan, but I haven't been able to see it, and when I see it today, it's really comforting." β
Seeing Lin Yiqing, who had just talked about the navy, shipbuilding and foreign affairs, Lin Yiqing, who had been articulate about the navy, shipbuilding and foreign affairs, saw Li Sizhu and spoke a little incomprehensibly, Shen Youdan and Mrs. Wu were both stunned, but the husband and wife then looked at each other and smiled, each understanding the other's intentions.
Lin Yiqing looked at Li Sizhu and saw the faint melancholy between her eyebrows, which was very similar to the loyal king Li Xiucheng he was familiar with, and he was even more firm in his previous judgment.
Loyal King Li Xiucheng, how much affection and love does he have to give birth to such a daughter who is so captivating to the city and the country? Lin Yiqing thought about it for a while.
According to some historical records in Lin Yiqing's original historical time and space, Li Xiucheng had been living in hardship and hardship before joining the Taiping Army at the age of 28. In order to make a living, he participated in labor since he was a child, such as herding cattle, plowing mountains, burning charcoal, working as a casual worker in the village, serving as a handyman in a school, and working as a clerk in a shop in Dangwei Town. There is a historian who said: Being helped by a wealthy family made him blur the class difference, and the mutual help between relatives strengthened his family concept. Therefore, when Li Xiucheng governed Sufu Province, he was able to tolerate the rich landlords, and he would bribe his relatives who committed crimes before the destruction of Tianjing City.
Since then, there has been a discrepancy of historical records of his personal life, including when he married and when he became a father. But according to reliable evidence, Cai Yuanlong, the king of Hui, is his son-in-law, and Lingli said that the foreign brothers Er and Tan Shaoguang married his two daughters, and they can launch a lot of his daughters. Around 1863, the daughters reached the age of 18 to 20 years old, which also shows that Li Xiucheng completed the major life events of marriage and childbirth at the age of 20.
As the saying goes, "hunger does not choose food, poverty does not choose a wife", in that era, it was not easy for a man from a poor family to find a partner, and those who were even poorer or poorer even had to fight for a lifetime, so there was not much room for the original wife, and it was about enough to meet the three basic standards of "people, women, and living women". Zhong Wang Niang is an indispensable character in the semi-fictional "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Revolution", because her opposition has created a small obstacle to her daughter's marriage with Erzhong. But King Zhong calmed down the turmoil, indicating that he was not tracheitis, and she respected her husband's intentions. In any case, in the most difficult stage of Li Xiucheng's life, she accompanied him through thick and thin. Especially since he joined the army, the men returned to the men's battalion, the women returned to the women's battalion, and the husband and wife were not allowed to see each other, and the task of taking care of the mother-in-law and the babies fell on her shoulders. It is conceivable that in order to bear the weight of life. She must have had big strong feet.
Footbinding was prevalent in China in the 19th century. According to the "History of Foot Binding": the proverb in southern Fujian "small feet are mothers." Barefoot is a maid", foot binding marks the noble and low, in Lingnan Liangguang only allows rich and noble families to do it, the lower class poor women can not bind their feet, Guangxi foot binding custom development is slower, Guilin giant room also still has a "surplus ruler lotus boat". Therefore, with Li Xiucheng's consistent pragmatic style, he will definitely find a healthy, diligent, and capable working woman when choosing a mate.
Li Xiuben himself recalled when he joined the army. It is mentioned that "the faith of the Kaneda Uprising was known to have been spread to the homes of worshippers of God." I didn't go later, I was still at home", and said, "I was forced by the group training, so I came in a daze." Unexpectedly, some swordsmen and penciers were about to find fault with his revolutionary motives, so they made a judgment: When he participated in the revolution, his consciousness was not high, and this was the ideological root of the shameful "confession" written later. In fact, there is a story behind "I didn't go away, I am still at home". Although it is slightly different from the usual sense of "heroes save beauty". But it is just as moving: Dali folk legend is that when Li Xiucheng received the order of the regimental camp. That is, he settled the wages to the owner, and got two copper coins on the road. When I went over the mountain to the Eight Shrines, I met a poor peasant woman who gave birth by the altar. The ruffians accused her of "blasphemy" and ordered her to pay for the social altar to "burn cannons and hang red". The mother was so anxious that she committed suicide by throwing herself into the river. When Li Xiucheng saw this, he expressed deep sympathy, and immediately poured out his money to help her solve the difficulties. As a result, because the coil was exhausted, it was impossible to rush to the regimental camp. This legend reflects Li Xiucheng's heartfelt sympathy for the poor and weak, as well as his generous and chivalrous side.
It is impossible to record the ups and downs of Li Xiucheng's life, so this little good deed is ignored. In other places, as long as he remembers a little more military exploits, he will immediately be said to be "self-exalted, plundering beauty, stealing merit, and self-packaging". The hero is amorous, more helpless.
After joining the army, according to Li Xiucheng's recollection: "People in the countryside don't know the long way, they travel a hundred and ten miles away, they don't know how to turn back, and there are chasing soldiers later, so why not be afraid?" Accustomed to holding a hoe, his hands suddenly picked up his sword, and his life changed dramatically from the piety of "Qiu dare not commit any crimes" to the call to "kill all the demons". At that time, especially when the rebel army was in the middle of the road, in view of the fact that the congregation was all from the whole family, in order to strictly enforce military discipline and combat needs, the upper decision-makers stipulated the discipline of separating the family between men and women. The artillery fire was even in the sky, and the little soldiers couldn't even guarantee their lives, and they couldn't take into account the love between men and women, so they just killed the enemy with all their might. The difference is that the kings of Shouyi, while destroying the small families of the masses, organized their own big families -- with the sharp increase in the number of wives and concubines, they enjoyed the imperial treatment in advance.
The order for the men's and women's branches was officially issued on March 22, 1853 (three days after entering Tianjing), which had been in force in the army for two years. It is said that the people rushed to commit suicide, "floating corpses on the surface of the water or lying on their backs, crowded and indistinguishable"; Repeated couples in the army have been convicted of cohabitation at the risk of death. The strict military discipline of separation and separation of husband and wife went to the other extreme, and became the most inhumane act, not to mention the injustice of the kings who "only allowed the governors to set fires, and the people were not allowed to light lamps".
During the period of "abstinence" from 1853 to 1854, Li Xiucheng was still an ordinary officer, and was promoted from the commander of the fourth army in the right rear to the fourth army in the back, and then to the twentieth commander. The work side is very fulfilling, and his personal ability is improving rapidly, but his private life is quite monotonous. If he is indeed a decent person, then he can only stare at the ceiling in a daze after work. The wild history said that he was punished for peeking at the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the so-called "apostasy and demon attack book". Looking at the Three Kingdoms, it is not about looking at the golden bottle, even if you look at the latter, it is actually understandable.
But the other brothers were dishonest in their own way, and even committed a more disgusting taboo than fornication between men and women: that is, the hidden saying in the Taiping army was "playing copper drums" (beating child stocks). According to the regulations, all the old brothers in the army can accept the handsome sons of the people as righteous sons or service soldiers. At that time, the longevity of the horses and horses in "Jinling Guijia Xinle Fu" once recorded that these teenagers "followed the horse day and night". Although the law was harsh, once it was found that adultery with men and women was the same crime, and the five horses were divided into corpses and executed, "they abounded and protected each other." It is said that Lin Fengxiang, a famous general of the Northern Expedition, was betrayed to Monk Gelinqin by the boy next to him; Another senior member, Li Kaifang, was full of style when he was arrested, and accompanied by two prostitutes at the age of sixteen or seventeen, Shi Shiran entered the enemy tent. At that time, the slogan of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, "There are many men in the world, all are brothers", I am afraid that it could be changed to "There are many men in the world, all are comrades".
Lee so-sung lived in this anti-human environment for three full years. Has he himself been shrouded in the shadow of a sick system?
In fact. Li Xiucheng's attitude towards unreasonable rules and regulations has always been contrary to the law. And as his status increased, he became more and more bold, for example, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom explicitly banned acting, but there were "two or three theaters" (Li Hongzhang) in the palace of King Zhong. Maybe he didn't dare when he was young, but with his prudence and intelligence, it may not be difficult for Jinwu to hide a delicate, but it is in line with normal human nature. The lascivious are not human, and they are close to God. The joy of men and women is also elegant. Would it be better to push him to the other extreme?
In the two or three years of separation between men and women, all love is adultery, and only family affection makes people warm. However, family members must meet in accordance with the provisions of the "Book of Heavenly Feelings", "that is, sometimes to look at the parents and visit the wife, this is also a common human feeling, and it is forbidden to do so, but it is only appropriate to ask questions at the door, a few steps away, and the voice must be loud." They are not allowed to enter the sister camp, and they are not allowed to mix with men and women. "It's a long distance. Eliminate skin-to-skin kissing; Speak loudly, preventing private conversations. It's better than going to a prison to visit now. There is a poem in the time: "The men and women in the museum are overflowing with tears, and it is difficult for children and husbands and wives to meet." Ren is a man of King Kong, and he is relatively sad at this time. Once upon a time, Li Xiucheng, a filial son and loving father, was also like this, enduring his thoughts and shouting to greet his mother and wives and daughters.
In the spring of 1855, at the end of those good years, there was an absurd end. The top brass of the Kingdom of Heaven showed great kindness and allowed officials to choose multiple women from the women's hall as wives, presided over by male and female matchmakers, and men and women between the ages of 15 and 50 were all within the distribution range, and the mandarin ducks were randomly selected by lottery. So the old cow took the tender grass in his mouth, and the young man took him back to Obasang. Did Li Xiucheng go to the union to receive New Year's goods? Unknown.
From 1855 to 1860, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom experienced major events such as the Tianjing Rebellion, the departure of the Wing King, the great victory of the Three Rivers, and the Eastern Crusade. For both public and private purposes, he has to find a dream home where he can realize his dream of heavenly ideals. The Qing side said that "the wealth of Sanjiang is especially coveted by thieves", and a "prosperous map of Gusu" painted by Xu Yang during the Qianlong period was enough to dazzle the decision-makers of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. So, at the peak of Li Xiucheng's personal career, he formed an indissoluble bond with Suzhou.
Suzhou, the most beautiful city in China at that time, "the Su people thought that those who were elegant, then the Quartet would be elegant; The vulgar will follow the vulgar", leading the world's fashion and leading the trend of the moment, which is not an exaggeration than the modern New York, Tokyo and Shanghai of later generations. This city is a strange blend of wealth and prosperity, sophistication and elegance, and in this place where the mountains are warm and soft, even a fall is not as painful as other places.
The loyal king sweeps Su Chang, and looks at He Xiong! On the orders of the Heavenly King, Li Xiucheng established Sufu Province with Suzhou as the capital, which not only encircled the southeastern wealth area of the Qing court, but also took over the base camp of Jiangnan Ladies. Although "robbing money, grain, and girls" was by no means the official slogan of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's eastward march, after King Zhong swept through Jiangnan in June 1860, money and women poured into his horse like a tidal wave, almost drowning him.
The scribes of Suzhou were cowardly and feminine and unable to protect their families, and their courage stopped at scolding Long Mao in their diaries. So looking through that period of subverted years, how a group of women who were born in troubled times were frightened by long hair and turned away from hating. Rumors that the long hair is very yellow and violent are flying all over the sky, causing Suzhou women to meet for martyrdom and commit suicide. Hanging and throwing into the well are two epidemics, but the material preparation for finding death is insufficient, and the god of death refuses to manifest: first, the rope is very unstrong, "the two nephews and daughters-in-law have been hanging beams, and the eldest nephew and daughter-in-law are depressed and depressed, and they wake up for the thief"; Second, the well was overcrowded, "Zhu's nephew and daughter-in-law took her daughter to the ancestral hall to throw the well, there were many people who did not sink, and they still came out of the well to make it easy to serve", "In the middle of the night, the two nephews and granddaughters in the second room also went to the ancestral hall to throw themselves into the well, and Zhou Yu first entered the well, and the eldest nephew and daughter-in-law were held by him and did not sink, and two concubines Tang Xu and Tang San rescued them." They threw themselves into the well in order not to lose their bodies, but they could only get wet. On the contrary, the husbands of these women are more ferocious than the legendary Long Hair: "Pan lives in his alley, and on the day of the thief, he nails a wife, a concubine and two girls to the coffin." In order to preserve the chastity of his wives and concubines, this man would rather suffocate them to death. In the nunnery in the west of Xinqiao Port in Suzhou City, the old nun forced the little nun to commit suicide, and then jumped into the water to die.
Those very stupid and naΓ―ve Suzhou women thought that Li Xiucheng was a blue-faced and fanged woman's nemesis, but he was a friend of a kind woman. In order to protect women during the war, Li Xiucheng sacrificed the magic weapon of the women's hall for the people of Suzhou, and he gradually restored the women's hall system that had been interrupted for many years in some newly occupied cities. As the discipline of some Taiping soldiers at that time was becoming increasingly corrupt and rapes of women were occurring one after another, Li Xiucheng felt the need to gather displaced women for protection. However, unlike the previous practice of breaking up families across the board, he selectively set up them only in large cities or more important cities, and instead of pooling all the women in the city, he only housed refugee women, and housed and cared for the wives and other single women of the expeditions who had no one to support them. And he often warned the sergeants with great fanfare: "The two hundred people who were loyal and disobedient made false inspectors proclaimed: 'Do not kill anyone, do not commit adultery, and those who disobey the order will be beheaded,'" and "the order of the faithful and rebellious shall prohibit the plundering of women...... Violators will be punished". All this reflects Li Xiucheng's painstaking efforts to protect women and maintain military discipline, and has also achieved certain positive results. (To be continued......)
PS: Yesterday it rose 224 points, and today it fell 223 points, because it was July 1st, and it still saved 1 point of face for the party.
Since today, at the request of the majority of readers, we will speed up the progress, two changes a day, and a daily update of 10,000 words, please support! Thank you!
Collect! Ask for recommendations! Ask for a subscription! Click! Ask for a commuter pass!