Chapter 329: The Siege of Jiangning (Part 3)
The Governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Gao Pang, looked completely worry-free, so Gao Pang's teacher, Chen Mingtai, simply gave up the idea of proposing marriage. Instead, he asked, "Gao Pang, are you trying to persuade me to become an official? Could it be that Mr. Huo is going to hold an imperial examination?"
"Mr. Huo has always respected others and has great self-respect. What the teacher said will not happen. I just want to ask the teacher to recruit some people to serve as cultural and historical personnel. There are many studies that still require the teachers' efforts."
Chen Mingtai was amused. "Haha, it's not easy to ask people to come out in this chaotic situation. Speaking of which, Gao Pang, what does your newspaper mean? The Qing army has assembled on June 14 to attack Jiangning. Jiangning is only 200 miles away from Zhenjiang. Aren't you afraid that everyone will be frightened by saying this?"
Gao Pang disagreed, "The Huaxia Dynasty is not afraid of everyone knowing the news, but is afraid that everyone does not know the news."
Chen Mingtai looked at his student and felt that Gao Pang was getting beyond his imagination. At this time, he had already exceeded his imagination. After calming down and thinking for a while, Chen Mingtai had figured out what Gao Pang meant. Chen Mingtai was unhappy and just responded with "Got it!"
Gao Pang did not force the teacher to say anything. Since the teacher knew about it, Gao Pang put the invitation in front of the teacher and said, "Teacher, this is the day of the meeting. Please take a look."
Seeing that Chen Mingtai said nothing, Gao Pang stood up and said goodbye. After Gao Pang left, Mrs. Chen came out and asked in confusion, "Master, why didn't you explain it to Gao Pang?"
"That guy is actually blackmailing me! He doesn't even think about how I would agree to let him take a step back and take the exam if I don't want to help him!"
Understanding Chen Mingtai's thoughts, Mrs. Chen couldn't help but teasing, "Master, I remember the teacher told Mr. Huo that if Mr. Huo could manage the salt administration, he would come out to work in the salt administration. Gao Pang might be worried that the master would go back on his word."
After being ruthlessly exposed by his wife, Chen Mingtai sighed, got up and left. After sulking in the garden for a while, Chen Mingtai finally understood what his wife meant. Although he knew his wife was kind, Chen Mingtai still felt very unhappy. After all, it was always a bit unhappy to be directly exposed that he had agreed to be an official to Huo Chong and then rejected Huo Chong.
After figuring this out, Chen Mingtai went out to visit a scholar in Zhenjiang. He first went to a place, and unexpectedly, this person immediately asked anxiously: "Brother Chen, when will the court fight back?"
"Fight back? How to fight back?" Chen Mingtai didn't understand what had possessed this person.
"Brother Chen, the imperial court can mobilize troops from Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Jiangxi. It is only a matter of time before we fight back."
Chen Mingtai couldn't stand it anymore and taunted, "Are you trying to discuss the five-pronged attack on Xia?"
"What do you mean by five-pronged attack on Xia?" The man was a little confused. After thinking for a while, he asked nervously, "When did the Shang Dynasty send five-pronged attack on Xia? Didn't they say that after King Jie of Xia was defeated in the Battle of Mingtiao, he was exiled?"
Chen Mingtai didn't know what to say for a moment. However, the knowledge of these people was probably just like this. When it comes to the Four Books and Five Classics, every word can be seen as an article. But when it comes to real history, it reveals the insufficiency of the total amount of personal reading.
The Five-Way Expedition to Xia was an attack by the Northern Song Dynasty on the Western Xia. It once showed a very good situation. However, it was eventually destroyed. It was a major setback in the Song Dynasty's strategy of counterattacking the northwest.
I have roughly explained this to this brother. He has just come across this historical knowledge and has not been able to correctly understand Chen Mingtai's thoughts. Instead, he became even more worried, "Brother Chen, let me put it this way... the court sent troops from Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong and Guangxi, and Huguang. Isn't that a five-way attack on Xia?"
"Then what will be the outcome of the five-pronged attack on Xia?" Chen Mingtai could only ask about the result.
"Uh... is it possible that the imperial court will fail?" This brother finally understood what Chen Mingtai meant.
Chen Mingtai really had no other choice but to reduce his more sophisticated judgment of the situation to a reality that anyone could understand without reading. "The court is currently setting up a bureau of literature and history, and wants us to translate and search for ancient books for the court, so as to serve as a reference for current governance. Although we cannot become officials by doing this, it is also a statement of our stance. Do we support the Chinese court or the Qing court? I came here this time just to tell you all this."
"What do you think, Brother Chen?"
Chen Mingtai was ashamed of rejecting Huo Chong before. Seeing that the scholars were so unhelpful, he was also annoyed. He simply replied, "Mr. Huo invited me to be the salt administrator before. At that time, I felt that Mr. Huo's ruling the world by horseback was too harsh, so I didn't want to be an official. Now I feel a little regretful. If I felt that ruling the world by horseback was too harsh, I should have become an official. If I didn't become an official, how could I stop those overly harsh things! I have made up my mind about this matter. I will become an official! This time I want to tell you my intentions."
After saying this, Chen Mingtai didn't want to say anything more, so he stood up and said goodbye.
Soon, the news that Chen Mingtai was going to be an official spread among the scholars in Zhenjiang. People were talking about it. Some said that Chen Mingtai was finally going to come out of retirement for the sake of wealth and glory. Some said that Chen Mingtai came out in this unclear situation to fish in troubled waters and seize the opportunity.
Some people also believe that Chen Mingtai has already determined the situation and should take the lead.
Regardless of their opinions, the scholars had no intention of following suit immediately. They all wanted to wait and see.
In Jiangning, less than 200 miles away from Zhenjiang, Lei Hu, who was in charge of commanding the war, did not care about the thoughts of the Zhenjiang literati. At this time, Lei Hu was urging the staff of various state-owned farms to transport food and supplies back to Jiangning City as soon as possible, and at the same time persuading the people who had reached a land lease agreement with the Huaxia court to take refuge in Jiangning City, or take refuge on their own.
After all, there are many gentry and landlords in the Jiangning area, and they are opposed to the drastic changes brought about by the Chinese court. It is possible that these people will take advantage of the Qing army's counterattack to attack these new farmers.
After Lei Hu proposed the suggestion, the division commander Xu Min immediately expressed his opposition, "Chief of Staff, if that's the case, why don't we tell those landlords that if they dare to do this, we will never let them off."
This suggestion made Lei Hu's eyes light up, and he really wanted to say something. Li Dongsheng, the chief of staff of the Jiangning Command, also said: "Chief of Staff Lei, I also think sending people to warn is a solution. We have long wanted to deal with those landlords and gentry, but we have no chance. If they dare to do so, we can take action!"
Lei Hu agreed very much and said, "In this case, we should bring back everything we can, and send someone to explain it to the landlords and gentry."
The work here was progressing in two directions. Lei Hu was busy with his work when his secretary came to report, "Commander Lei, some gentry from outside the city came to ask for an audience, saying that they must see the commander no matter what."
Lei Hu was originally the chief of staff in Shandong. This time he came to Jiangning as the commander and chief of staff of the Yangtze River Theater. So those who called him the chief of staff were old comrades and old subordinates, and the correct title was to call him Commander Lei Hu.
"No!" Lei Hu replied unhappily. It was already so late, and the gentry's nonsense should not waste Lei Hu's time.
After the secretary was out for a while, the head of the regiment in charge of the defense of Jiangning City came running in. "Commander Lei, many gentry are kneeling outside the city to ask for an audience, saying that they want to see you no matter what. They are crying so hard that they can't even be pulled up. Please ask the commander to see them."
Lei Hu was extremely unhappy and shouted, "Call the leader!"
Soon, three leaders came. When they saw Lei Hu, they wanted to kneel down. Fortunately, the guards were prepared and grabbed them and held them down, shouting, "Don't move."
After being treated like this, the leader shouted, "General, we came here to beg for mercy. Please don't kill us after the court wins the battle."
"Who wants to kill you! I just gave an order. If you dare to bring the Qing army to harm the peasants who have signed the contract with the court, we will not forgive you. You are talking nonsense, you want to frame the court first!" After all, he is a scholar, so Lei Hu also used many words that only scholars can understand.
The landlords and gentry who came here to beg for mercy immediately complained, "General, if you give such an order, won't all the deaths be blamed on us? Do you think the Qing Dynasty has such strict military discipline as the Chinese Army? If they kill people indiscriminately, it will be blamed on us. Aren't we doomed!"
Puff! Lei Hu couldn't help laughing. He had really planned everything, but he didn't expect these people to admit that the Chinese Army had strict military discipline.
Lei Hu carefully looked at the leader and saw that he was in his thirties and looked very energetic. The other two were about the same age. They should be the young landlords and gentry in the Jiangning area.
Lei Hu had chairs prepared for the three men and asked, "Brother, you said that the Chinese Army has strict military discipline, which is quite knowledgeable. However, you said that the Chinese Army would use such means to kill people. I think you underestimated us."
The three men did not dare to sit down. The leader said proudly, "General, if you win this battle, with the discipline of the Qing army, how can they not plunder the villages when they scatter? When the villagers suffer losses, they will say that we instructed and condoned them. How will the general deal with them then? Will he really investigate one by one? Not to mention that the court has already ordered to collect all the land for nationalization. Isn't this a good opportunity?"
Lei Hu liked this guy even more. "I don't know what this brother's name is. Um, my name is Lei Hu. May I ask your full name?"
"My surname is Fu, and my name is Fu Pinghuan." The leader replied quickly.
"It turns out to be Brother Fu. Where are the other two?" Lei Hu continued to ask.
The other two also introduced themselves. After the introductions, Lei Hu put away his smile and said, "If you are really worried about your safety, you might as well move into the city. First, you won't be sued, and second, you won't be disturbed by the Qing army. If you want to find a way out on your own, or want to find some opportunities to play both sides. I can only wish you good luck. Our commander Huo Chong has a saying, which is actually very good. There are ghosts who died unjustly in every temple. If it means to be observant, we also want to do it, but we can't. We can only say that we will try our best."
Hearing Lei Hu's words, Fu Pinghuan looked disappointed, but he didn't look even sadder. He sighed, "The general said he wouldn't take the initiative to find someone to sue us ?"
Lei Hu nodded, "Although this method seems to be effective, it may not be. The Qing Dynasty is shameless, but we Chinese Army should have dignity. You don't have to worry about us being too eager for quick success, we really won't do that. After all, if there were no internal support, the Qing Dynasty would not dare to come to attack Jiangning."
Fu Pinghuan was stunned on the spot. Lei Hu looked at his expression and thought that... he understood.
After a moment of silence, Fu Pinghuan asked, "If we move into the city, where will the general place us?"
Lei Hu laughed twice, "Jiangning City is so big, there must be room for everyone to live. Don't worry, move in, there's plenty of room!"
If this was said in other cities during the Qing Dynasty, it would be true bragging. However, Lei Hu said this about Nanjing City, and it was fine.
Nanjing in the Ming Dynasty was Jiangning City in the Qing Dynasty. The reason why it is no longer called Nanjing is that there were Nanjing and Beijing in the Ming Dynasty, but there was only Beijing in the Qing Dynasty. Since the name is not worthy of the city, Nanjing was changed back to Jiangning.
Even in the 21st century, the Nanjing Ming City Wall includes the four walls of the palace city, imperial city, capital city and outer city of Yingtianfu (Nanjing), the capital of the Ming Dynasty. Except for the parts that had to be demolished due to urban construction, the entire Nanjing Ancient City is a well-preserved capital city wall. It is the longest, largest and best-preserved ancient city wall in the world.
The construction of Nanjing Ming City Wall began in the 26th year of Zhizheng in the Yuan Dynasty (1366) and was completed in the 26th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1393). It took 28 years and mobilized 1 ministry, 3 guards, 5 provinces, 37 prefectures, 162 counties across the country, a total of 280,000 workers, and about 350 million bricks to finally complete the layout of the four-layer city wall.
After that, the city walls were constantly repaired, and by 1733, there was no problem of the city walls collapsing. The city built by Zhu Yuanzhang still played a complete role.
The construction of Nanjing Ming City Wall changed the old square or rectangular system. On the basis of Jiankang City in the Six Dynasties and Jinling City in the Southern Tang Dynasty, the city was built along the direction of mountains and water systems. It took advantage of the mountains and rivers and the situation of rivers and lakes. The Qinhuai River in the south is a natural moat, Zhongshan Mountain in the east, Houhu Lake in the north, and the stone city in the west, forming a three-dimensional military fortress with unique defensive characteristics.
Not only is the Beijing city wall 35.3 kilometers long, it is also the largest city wall in China and the largest city wall in the world.
Lei Hu relied on the outer walls of Jiangning City, which were more than 60 kilometers long, or 120 miles long. Under the protection of such a long wall, a vast area of more than 230 square kilometers was enclosed.
As long as there are enough troops to protect them, the land in Nanjing alone can be used for cultivation. As for cramming tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people into Jiangning City, it is simply a drizzle. No need to worry about it.
Fu Pinghuan and other gentry were unwilling to take the blame for the Qing Dynasty. When Fu Pinghuan came out to tell the content of his conversation with Lei Hu, the gentry were relieved. Before they could disperse, troops had already led everyone to several places in the city.
However, there were many things that were obviously temporary buildings on the open land. The doors and walls made of bamboo were not too strange. Only the roof looked a little weird.
Fu Pinghuan and others lived outside Jiangning City, and many of them already had homes in the city. The purpose of speaking pitifully was to gain more sympathy, not that they really had nowhere to live. However, seeing so many temporary homes, he became interested.
When they asked the Huaxia soldier who was showing them around, he told them that these temporary residences were for the state-owned farms outside the city and the farmers who came into the city to live in.
Fu Pinghuan couldn't help but sigh in amazement, "General Lei's actions are not what a military commander should do. Civil officials can't even think of doing it, let alone do it!"
The other gentry had dealt with the Qing government before, and they knew that Fu Pinghuan was not talking nonsense. Given the nature of the Qing government, as long as it did not involve collecting taxes or making profits, they would not even think of doing anything.
Build houses for the people? The Qing Dynasty didn’t even build houses for its own people, so the masters didn’t care where the common people lived.
Lei Hu here didn't know that the official duties he was ordered to perform were so highly praised. He was leading the civil servants in Jiangning to study the "Research Report on Millions of Canal Workers" written by Huo Chong based on the information provided by his Bureau of Literature and History.
Having already finished studying the first few sections, Lei Hu himself felt too tired, after all, these numbers were completely meaningless. Shandong was never a target for the grain transport, and Lei Hu had never been able to get to the level of eating grain transported by the grain transport.
After a short rest, Lei Hu continued to work hard to lead the civil servants in Jiangning, who had to deal with millions of canal workers and grain supply, to study this article.
…
The maritime ban may be an important reason, but it is far from being decisive. Huang also cited in his book that in 1560, due to food shortages in Liaodong, the Ming court temporarily allowed sea transportation in Bohai Bay. He used this as proof of the severity of the Ming court's maritime ban. On the other the maritime ban could be temporarily lifted. Since the Jiajing period, when the national strength of the Ming Dynasty gradually declined, the cost of using a large amount of manpower and material resources for grain transport must have greatly exceeded that of sea transportation. Moreover, replacing grain transport with sea transportation is not equivalent to lifting the maritime ban. In addition, the Japanese pirates were basically eliminated during the Jiajing period. The pressure on the Ming court began to come from the Mongolian Empire in the north and the Later Jin Dynasty that rose in the northeast. It seems that there are more and more sufficient reasons for sea transportation to replace grain transport.
Needless to say, the boatmen had more than 47,000 legal laborers on the Caohe River from Tongzhou (now Nantong, Jiangsu) to Yizheng (now Yizheng, Jiangsu) in the early 16th century. Many of them could bring their families to live on the construction site due to the nature of their work. In addition to labor under special circumstances, it should be noted that the so-called "special circumstances" of the Ming Dynasty became more and more normal in the future... All of these inevitably determined that the number of people who depended on the Caohe River for survival in the middle and late Ming Dynasty was quite considerable. Since the "floating" of grain in the Bohai Bay has become a generally accepted unspoken rule, the Grand Canal stretches for thousands of miles, and the population it feeds and its related interest chain cannot be replaced by a simple sea transportation? It reminds me of Chongzhen's layoff of civil servants and the postman Li Zicheng who was laid off. If any emperor of the Ming court was really determined to replace the Caohe River with the sea, the drama of King Chuang entering Beijing might have been played in advance.
