Chapter 953
: Jinxiang Hou's Thoughts
Chapter 953: Jinxiang Hou's Thoughts
In the village south of Anhu Lake,
Marquis Jinxiang had received the news last night. He did not believe it at first and sent people to investigate the farm outside the city. After confirming that it had been burned to the ground, he changed into white clothes and went to the South Pacification Office to file a complaint early this morning. However, he was told that the commander of the South Pacification Office had led troops to the farm south of the city and needed Marquis Jinxiang to cooperate in the investigation.
After hearing this, Jinxiang Marquis Liao Daping turned pale, and then he trembled and went back to the Marquis's mansion, called many servants to guard the house, took knives and sticks, led many horses, and headed straight for Nantou Manor.
Along the way, everyone looked unhappy. Not to mention that Marquis Jinxiang himself was in a state of panic, the servants and guards who followed him, although they kept silent, could hardly hold the long swords in their hands.
"Father, tell me, can we trust the report from the Pacification Office last night? I think they are just trying to shirk responsibility. Why would the Taiping Cult come to the capital and kill the people in our farm? I think it's someone's army pretending to be a bandit army."
"Shut up, no one will think you are dumb if you don't speak."
Liao Daping's eldest son Liao Cheng was riding on his horse and didn't take it seriously. Before he could finish his rambling words, he was angrily rebuked by Marquis Jinxiang, who glared at him.
"You know nothing. The manors around Anhu Lake are all numbered. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has a clear record of which one belongs to whom. Whoever comes up with such a despicable move is looking for death. Since they dare to massacre the manors, it means they are fearless. Apart from those evil cult thieves, who else is so bold? Why would they come to our house? It's so painful for me."
Marquis Jinxiang was furious. The income of the mansion's industry was not abundant to begin with, and now such a big thing happened, which was like adding insult to injury.
"Dad, I am ignorant, please don't be angry. Now we can only wait for the word from the Pacification Office and rebuild the farm. Otherwise, the harvest next year will be in trouble."
Liao Cheng was not an ungrateful person. He was also worried because of what happened in the mansion.
"There is no rush to recruit people. There are still many people in the clan who are idle. There are many people who can go to the farm to make a living. But what if those thieves come back and attack us?"
This is what Marquis Jinxiang is most worried about. As long as the bandits are not eliminated, the village cannot be rebuilt. Therefore, the key lies in the Imperial City Office.
"Yes, Dad, I understand. Go ahead."
Liao Cheng nodded in agreement, waving his whip, and the group moved faster.
At least two thousand cavalrymen and three thousand armored soldiers had arrived in front of the manor of the Marquis' Mansion in Jinxiang, south of the city. Ma Mengquan, the commander of the Southern Pacification Office, looked at the manor that had been razed to the ground with a sullen face and asked solemnly:
"Captain Li, how is the investigation going?"
In front, the captain Li Yun, who had returned from the village, came up to him with a cold face and bowed;
"My Lord, it was probably done by the Taiping Cult. All the people in the village died, and no one escaped. Although many bodies were burned, many were still intact. The wounds on the neck were all fatal, and they were killed with one blow. I sent people to the village on the other side of the river to inquire about the reason for the fire. They said that thousands of people surrounded the village, and some people waved the flag of the Taiping Cult."
Li Yun spoke clearly and logically. Thinking about what had happened in the past few days, from the hunting palace of Prince Zhongshun's Mansion to the manor of Marquis Jinxiang's Mansion today, it seemed that these people were fighting guerrilla warfare with him.
"Since they can come here, the Taiping Cult's people can't outrun the four-legged ones with their two legs, right? Come on, send out the cavalry to explore the area within a hundred miles, and the rest of you can set up camp at the edge of the dense forest. They are still in the mountains and dense forests."
Ma Mengquan took out the geomancy map of this place and carefully checked their search route. This place has a large population, and the villages are scattered around Anhu Lake. Even if they want to hide people, there is no place, not to mention that there are so many spies. Therefore, the thieves can only hide in the mountains.
But the most difficult part is that the mountain is too big to find the way out. You can only wait and look for opportunities.
"Yes, sir, but this method will take a long time. If we delay it any further, I am afraid the court will blame us."
Li Yun nodded in agreement. This method was feasible. As long as they blocked the opening in the mountain range, even if they couldn't find the thieves, they would need food and supplies over time. There was no one and no food in the mountains, so they could either escape or take a gamble. However, it would take a long time, and the Marquis of Jinxiang was too shameless to deal with.
"You don't need to worry about the affairs of the court. What we need to consider now is whether the bandits will come out again. Choose a high place and build two camps ten miles apart. Block this place and send out scouts every day. Don't do this again. Do you understand?"
Ma Mengquan didn't care about that at all. Things on hand were not going well one after another. If he didn't make up for such a big mistake, even if he had a huge face, it would be unacceptable.
"Yes, sir. I will obey your orders."
Li Yun mounted his horse and took a few people to the south end to find a place to set up camp. The whole mountain range seemed huge, but there were not many places to walk out of the mountain pass, so they found a place to set up camp outside the valley entrance at the junction of the two mountains, so the bandits would not dare to act recklessly. As for the lack of troops, Li Yun sneered inwardly. The guards of the Imperial City Division could still fight their way out even if they had ten times as many as him.
Just as Captain Li Yun was leading his troops away, a group of soldiers came from the northwest and rushed over. Looking at the farm that had been burned to the ground, Marquis Jinxiang was heartbroken and fell off his horse wailing. When Liao Cheng saw this, he was so scared that he also rolled off his horse and supported his father with a grief-stricken look on his face.
"How could the damned thieves have the heart to do such a thing? The poor old and young in the tribe have been killed, and there is no one to watch over them."
A stream of snot and tears, everyone who heard it was sad and cried, only Ma Mengquan found it particularly irritating. Seeing that Jinxiang Hou was crying endlessly, he dismounted and walked over to comfort him;
"Lord Liao, I'm sorry for your loss. Since something has happened, you still have to take good care of the farm. The crops have already been planted in the fields, and we can't delay the harvest. So, the Southern Pacification Office will first raise two thousand taels of silver for you, and this matter must not be made public. How do you do that?"
After saying that, he took out two silver notes from his pocket and handed them over. Liao Cheng was a little dumbfounded. What could two thousand taels of silver do? He wanted to bargain, but Jinxiang Hou grabbed him with one hand. He wiped his tears and
"Thank you for your understanding, Commander. I wonder if Sir Ma can tell me whether the thief has returned?"
The other hand was holding Liao Ping down so that he could not speak, and he was asking him intentionally.
"Haha, they may come, but they won't come here again. There is a path leading into the mountain ahead. I am going to set up a camp. As long as the thieves don't fight hard, they probably won't come."
Ma Mengquan knew what the Marquis was asking, so he answered it. After the question and answer, both of them felt relieved.
"Thank you, sir. I will go back to comfort the rest of the family first, and then send someone to repair the manor."
"Okay, Lord, take care."
Ma Mengquan was not interested in this. Now that he had dealt with it, he began to mobilize troops and prepare to go into the mountains for a siege. He needed to wait for a few more days for intelligence from scouts. He jumped on his horse and galloped south with a large number of soldiers.
Jinxiang Hou and the others were left standing there in a daze.
"Dad, I just gave two thousand taels of silver to send away the beggars."
Liao Ping was unhappy. He wanted to speak just now but was stopped by his father. If he wanted to do what he wanted, he would have to give him at least five thousand taels.
"What do you know? How dare you think that? This person has been promoted all the way in the Imperial City Department. Now he is the commander of the Southern Pacification Department of the Imperial City Department. He is a new noble in the palace. They are in the wrong here. If it weren't for the Taiping Cult thieves coming here, it would have been bandits. It can only be those people from the Military Department who came here to argue. It's good to have these, and more importantly, his guarantee." There was no trace of grief on the face of Jinxiang Hou. There was only a trace of pain in it. Many people of the clan died, and the silver for the compensation was not small. He glared at his son and scolded him;
"What are you standing there for? Go back and gather some people to rebuild the manor. Oh, don't build a big manor. Remember the fort? Build a simple one to prevent any more accidents."
When he heard his father talking about building a fort, even if it was a simple one, it would cost a lot of money, so he hesitated to get started, and was kicked and scolded by Marquis Jinxiang.
"Why are you feeling distressed? I am not feeling distressed at all. The Marquis's Mansion still relies on this manor for its livelihood every year. If something happens again, how will the Marquis's Mansion make a living in the future? Why don't you go quickly?"
A rotten tree cannot be carved. After a few curses, Liao Cheng finally reacted and helped his father onto the horse. Then he followed and hurried back to the city to call for help.
The mountains and dense forests of Nantou,
now,
Ma Mengquan has already started organizing his men, taking off their heavy armor and putting on light armor, holding bows and arrows, short blades, and groups of ten, gradually going into the mountains to search, carrying special signal fireworks, ready to check for possible hiding places for the Taiping Cult bandits.
While I was busy outside the city,
inside the city,
After many noble families, gentry and wealthy merchants learned of this, they did not dare to neglect it. They spent a large sum of money to hire escort agents from the escort agency, or hired martial arts disciples in order to seek safety.
In addition, he sent people to inquire around the various cities and districts in the capital, looking for materials such as stone and wood, and hired craftsmen. He gathered people and went to his own manor to start building a fortress in the style of the past.
this time,
The prices of stone and wood, which had already increased due to the imperial concubine's visit, increased several times in price almost instantly, to the point that "paper was as expensive as gold in Luoyang." Many noble families who learned the news late sighed, but they had no choice but to buy. They gritted their teeth, took out the silver, and inquired privately. So in the end, they found the Ministry of Works of the imperial court, and Qin Langzhong, who was in charge of rebuilding the courtyard, naturally became a "hot cake". Many people asked people to pass on messages to buy some cheap stone and wood for their own use first.
"Drive, drive."
On the official road north of Daliang City, the southern gateway to Beijing, smoke and dust were billowing. Nearly 400,000 soldiers and horses, carrying the power of a great victory, were already moving rapidly southward. The soldiers were in full armor and their morale was high. The logistics and baggage accompanying the army also changed their strategy and packed up the camp, and the rear army followed.
This time,
It was evening.
The south end is vaguely visible, revealing a city.
"Report, Your Highness, Lord Marquis, we are less than 40 miles away from Daliang City. General Duan asked if we should go straight to Daliang City to rest."
inside the carriage,
Zhang Jinyu had already finished his dinner. When he heard the voice outside the car window, he immediately took out the geomancy map and pointed to the location of Daliang City. He silently said in his heart, "There are still forty miles to go. It will take at least three hours. If this happens, it will be nightfall soon."
If the Taiping rebels have not yet withdrawn, it will be another encounter. However, it is still unknown how many troops will be left. I am afraid that if there are not enough people, they will be killed in a counterattack.
If too many people go, they will run away before they arrive. Tsk tsk, it will be difficult to deal with it at this time.
Seeing the Marquis bow his head and remain silent, the Jin Wang Zhou Ding beside him was already fidgeting and asked softly;
"My Lord, do you want to rest or continue moving forward?"
Zhang Jinyu smiled slightly, put away the map in his hand, and glanced at His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin. He had not eaten well and slept well in the past few days. Although he was full of energy, his body could not bear it. He had also lost a lot of weight. If he couldn't bear it mentally, he couldn't do anything. If he got sick, it would be a huge trouble.
"Your Highness, please do not disturb me. Marching and fighting is just like your schoolwork. You must not be impatient. Your Highness has not rested well these days. If you continue to endure this, your body will definitely not be able to hold on. Therefore, it is important for Your Highness to take care of yourself. After all, there are still many things to do."
This was not Zhang Jinyu's deliberate words of comfort. When he arrived in Jingnan, many things would be related to His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin. Not to mention the distant ones, there was also the Jingnan General Gu Ping. When he arrived in the city, there were all the military governors and commanders of various prefectures. If there was no one to calm them down, who knows what would happen to the subsequent deployment of troops.
Zhang Jinyu even thought about it. After lifting the siege of Daliang City, he would let Wang Ziteng and his scattered soldiers retreat to the capital immediately to avoid trouble here, especially the son of Baoning Hou. He was the only promising one. If he got hurt, it would be strange if the old man Baoning Hou was not anxious.
"Well, my Lord, I will pay attention. I am not used to it this first time. I always feel sleepy at night, but once I lie down on the bed, I can't fall asleep for some reason. Until I can't bear it anymore, I fall asleep for a while. It seems that in just a moment, it's dawn."
Prince Jin's face turned slightly red, and he felt a little shy. He was also a little confused. He didn't have this feeling when he was in the palace and the prince's mansion. But when he was outside, the bed was also brought out from the prince's mansion. He always felt uncomfortable and couldn't sleep.
Zhang Jinyu lifted the curtain of the carriage and gave instructions to the messenger outside;
"Send a message to General Hu, have him lead 40,000 cavalrymen to check the situation in Daliang City, and then have Yang Shixiong lead 50,000 troops to provide support. The rest of the army will continue to march normally and stay overnight in Daliang City."
"Yes, my Lord, I will obey your orders."
Seeing this, the messenger outside the carriage saluted and rode back quickly.
After people leave,
Zhang Jinyu then turned around and looked at the still somewhat drowsy Prince Jin. What he just said was about getting used to his bed. He didn't expect that Prince Jin was such a nostalgic person. Generally speaking, it would take three to five days for him to get used to his bed and just stay in the big tent for a few more days.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. We are all nervous. So, when we get to the city tonight, you can still sleep in the tent. The bed is still the same bed, and the tent and other things are all over the baggage camp. Since the war has been won, there is no need to worry about these things."
"Your Majesty is right. I am a little anxious. Just now, Your Majesty said that we should keep going. What if the people from the Taiping Sect have not left?"
The King of Jin was still somewhat worried. The thieves were cunning and it would be bad if they set a trap and got hurt.
"Ahahaha, Your Highness, think about it, 40,000 cavalry, 50,000 vanguard troops. Even if the Taiping Cult really wants to turn the tables, our army is only an hour away at most. If we really fight, we can't just retreat if we want to. If we get stuck, they won't be able to escape."
This is the usual fighting style of the Taiping Sect, relying on numbers to fight a favorable battle. As long as there is hope of winning, morale will be boosted. But when there is no hope of winning, the army will be defeated. I think the leader Chu is a smart man and will not be so unwise. Even if there are people left, they are just cannon fodder. I don't know what the leader Chu will choose next, will he defend the county city to the death, or fight in other places like bandits. This is what the court is most uncomfortable with. If it weren't for the Anyang Mountains blocking the entry into the southwestern hinterland of the Central Plains, the court would really be dragged down by the fat and thin. If the foreign races take the opportunity to enter the pass, the Han Dynasty will be handed over to others.
Zhang Jinyu, who originally wanted to win the battle, now couldn't help but think about the court. Let's not talk about the Taiping Sect. It seems that the people of the White Lotus Sect have been rebelling or on the way to rebellion in the previous dynasties. Whoever said that they could be wiped out was lying. The Taiping Sect seemed to be the same. So it was okay to suppress it, but not to wipe it out. How about another way of saying it?
Thinking of the key point, I quickly took out the Beijing South Feng Shui Map and groped down with my hands. Beijing South Linyue Mansion, and then down were some high mountains and steep hills such as Lingxi County. It was not an exaggeration to say that the mountains were poor and the water was bad.
After reacting, he immediately asked;
"Your Highness, I would like to ask, the areas south of the capital are mostly mountainous. How does the court manage a place like Lingxi County?"
After all, the promotion and transfer of a county governor requires the assessment of the Ministry of Personnel and the Cabinet of the imperial court, but I don't think anyone from this place has been there.
Seeing that the Marquis was asking about this, King Zhou Ding of Jin smiled. He really knew all this and had discussed it with the Master. He put down the tea bowl in his hand, pointed to the bottom of the map, and said;
"My Lord, the management of this place is different from other places in the interior. These counties are vast and sparsely populated, and there are many mountain tribes who refuse to obey the king. Although they have been brought under the management of the court and set up as counties, only cities have been set up in places with better terrain and are under the jurisdiction of the court. The rest of the places are all ruled by those mountain people. Back then, they signed a treaty under the city."
"Oh, Your Highness means that only the county town is under the control of the court, and the rest of the place is not certain."
Isn't it just co-governance? It sounds good, but to put it bluntly, it means that he only obeys orders and not announcements, and is just a local tyrant. Zhang Jinyu spoke quickly, making King Zhou Ding of Jin look a little embarrassed. That's what he meant, but the details are different.
"My Lord, that's about what I meant. However, in recent years, officials in the court have not wanted to serve in those counties. So later, the cabinet agreed to let the chiefs of the Shanyue tribe serve in county cities for the convenience of management, and co-govern with the Han people, so as to lead the Shanyue people out of the mountains."
"what!"
(End of this chapter)