Chapter 999
Man’s calculation is not as good as God’s calculation
Chapter 999 Man’s calculation is not as good as God’s calculation
Inside Jiangnanchun Restaurant,
The people who didn't know the inside story seemed to be suddenly speechless. What they had just discussed could not be implemented. If they delayed any further, they would run out of time. In addition, everyone was a little scared and worried. Where had the White Lotus rebels been?
"What nonsense are you talking about? Get out of here now,"
Shen Wanhe's face tightened and he immediately cursed, but was stopped by Eunuch Yang.
"Why are you in such a hurry? I want to ask you, the Jiangnan camp has 50,000 elite soldiers, and the King of the East is in charge personally, so where can the soldiers go?"
He asked anxiously, and a lot of associations suddenly occurred to his mind. At this juncture, there were no soldiers in the Jiangnan camp, which meant that the soldiers had been transferred out. The situation in Xihe County might have deteriorated. This would threaten Jiangnan and the canal transportation.
The other officials were not fools either. They had been officials in Jiangnan for so long. Jiangnan was rich because of the canal and river transportation. If the river transportation was blocked, how could Jiangnan be safe?
"In reply to your question, the merchant did not say much, but he said that he saw the army boarding a boat at Suzhou Wharf and heading to the other side of the river. I know that the other side of the river is Yangping, Xihe County, so I think they went there."
The housekeeper Si Yujin accompanied the master on his travels in Jiangnan and knew everything about the area, especially the river transportation business, which the Shen family had a lot of experience in.
With just this, everyone fell silent.
Su Chong sighed and said;
"Eunuch Yang, Lord Jing, the government office should order people to build a manor in Jinling. Since Prince Mu has sent troops to the other side of the river, the situation in Xihe County is probably not optimistic. Perhaps Lord Wei of Shizhou failed to hold on. If so, the river transportation will be disrupted and no one will be available. The various prefectures in Jiangnan can only save themselves. It would be better to hire the people in the city to help the government office in the countryside. They will take care of the money and grain, and maybe we can plant some crops in time."
The words were spoken sincerely. Man proposes, God disposes. After taking a look at the judge Ma Guangcheng, he sat there in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking. If he knew the situation would be like this, would he still have done this secretive thing?
The imperial court must be short of money for this war. If the textile bureau cannot provide money, it will be a big deal. No one present here can escape.
Eunuch Yang's face became even uglier. As the saying goes, food and grass must be sent before troops move. The more wars there are, the more money the court needs. If mulberry trees are not planted, the weaving bureau will not be completed this year. His eyes turned cold, no longer gentle as before, and he said sternly;
"Okay, let's do it according to Lord Su's plan. In order to speed up the replanting, the government and the various government offices in Jinling must go to the county government to supervise in person. I am not going to cause any trouble for you. If the Suzhou Weaving Bureau fails to complete the task assigned by the court this year, none of you here will be able to escape. You can't even eat. Go and post notices now to recruit people. Go."
Everyone was stunned when they heard this, and they all stood up and bowed to say goodbye. They walked away slowly, with heavy hearts. Only Shen Wanhe had a worried look on his face.
"Eunuch, it looks like the situation is not good. Since the trade routes to Jingnan and Xihe County have been cut off, the raw silk trade routes to the southwest inland are also cut off. The current plan is to find a way to raise funds from Hangzhou and other places, as well as Fuling County. In addition, those noble families have a lot of land in their hands. Please coordinate these, Eunuch. Otherwise, I will not be able to continue."
Shen Wanhe had to speak up. Even if the weaving bureau was well managed, without raw silk, silk brocade could not be made.
"We should prepare for a rainy day. We should send people to contact the trade routes of these places and spend money to settle them. Our family will send people to inform the Zhen family and some of the problems can be solved, but the bulk of the problem can only be solved in the four counties of Jinling. Therefore, the relief grain and silver cannot be delayed."
Even if someone wants to take advantage of these, Eunuch Yang is ready to take ruthless action. Shen Wanhe nodded.
"Yes, sir, I will do it. Please wait for good news."
After Shen Wanhe said goodbye, he immediately left the restaurant, leaving Eunuch Yang alone.
"Godfather, go back and have a rest first. I think these adults have good intentions, but they still have concerns. Will it be blocked by the governor, Mr. Zhuang?"
As they were talking, Xiao Guizi had already come closer and whispered something to him. Yang Chi looked gloomy, thinking that the governor had not come to see him until today, which was obviously a clear sign of trouble. What did this old fox know or plan?
"We can't rule this out. Send someone to check. Didn't he have a student who was once the county magistrate of Chunyang County and was later transferred to Guancang? Check this county magistrate. We have to be on guard."
Yang Chi felt a little uneasy. This Governor Zhuang had never shown up, and he didn't know how many tricks he had used behind the scenes. Moreover, although he was to blame for the current situation in the counties of Jiangnan, it was not necessarily that there were no other people involved.
"Yes, godfather, I will send someone to check right away. The grain official's surname is Zuo, so it will be easy to check."
"Is your surname Zuo?"
Near noon,
Outside Chunyang County,
A nearby manor was already in full swing. Xu Changwen personally led the team to supervise the construction of the manor. All the remaining houses in the original manor were demolished, and several surrounding manors were merged to build a large manor. This way, the construction time could be reduced.
"Master Xu, drink some water and sit down to rest. It will take time to build the manor. The government office has sent a message saying that Master Jia and Master Jing have issued a strict order that spring crops and mulberry trees must be planted immediately. In addition, silver, relief grain, and Jiangbei coal have been delivered."
Xu Changwen sat down under a shed to rest his legs. Then, the head constable Li Zhen came to report the things that had been deposited into the county treasury. He was surprised that the master really had a powerful background. In just a few days, he could get silver, food, and even coal for burning.
"Oh, there are so many coming,"
Xu Changwen also seemed a little surprised. Looking at the farm in front of him, he saw that many houses had been built, which provided a place for the people to live. Looking at the situation in the fields, although they were flooded, the loose soil on top might not be a bad thing.
"Got it. Tomorrow, we will start to arrange for the people to replant the fields along the river. If there is any official document from the government office, we will bring it to you at any time."
I know that it is not easy to get this money and grain, but since the government has given it, it is not right not to do it. I can only allocate manpower, half of them to farm, and the other half to build houses, and do as much as possible.
"Yes, sir, I will arrange it, but there is one more thing. When I was leaving the government office, I met a beggar from the city. He said he had something important for you. I asked what it was, but he didn't tell me. He gave me a package and said it was related to your life and property. I didn't dare to neglect it, so I took it."
Although Li Zhen wanted to take a look, since it concerned the life and property of his master, he had to act with caution. He took out a small package, felt around for a few times, and did not find any sharp weapon, so he handed it over.
After hearing this, Xu Changwen suddenly became interested. He took the package in his hand and weighed it. It was not heavy. He touched the things inside. They looked like letters. After opening the package in his hand, he flipped through them one by one and looked inside. There were indeed quite a few letters inside.
He took out one of the letters and saw that it was signed by Ma Guangcheng, the prefect of Jinling. He was curious and opened it. After a moment, his face looked extremely ugly. He quickly took out other letters. Almost every one of them was different. Some had signatures, and some did not.
"Li Zhen, where is that beggar?"
"My Lord, that beggar is drinking porridge at the gate of the county school. He calls himself Xiao Liuzi. I wonder if what you wrote here is inappropriate."
Li Zhen felt something was amiss, and was even more shocked. This old man who came from the capital had never changed his expression like this when he encountered something. He didn't know what was written in the letter.
"Don't ask anything. Go back to the county government office and ask that little Liuzi to wait there."
"Yes, sir,"
Xu Changwen didn't say much. He packed up his bag and put it in his arms. Then, he packed up, called two officers, and went back to the county government.
As soon as they entered the hall, Li Zhen personally escorted the man over. Xu Changwen had not yet changed into his official uniform, but simply washed up. Seeing that the man was thin and did not look like a beggar, he asked;
"Did you deliver the letter?"
"Yes, sir. I came all the way here and asked around. I heard that the master came from the capital. He was not afraid of those corrupt officials, so he dared to show up. These days, I ate your porridge in the county school. I am grateful for your life. I want to sue Jinling Tongpan Ma Guangcheng for colluding with government officials to dig down the Xinbei dike, causing disasters in nine counties south and north of the Yangtze River. A captain of the Yangzhou army saw it with his own eyes."
Xiao Liuzi was determined to die just to avenge his sisters-in-law. In the prison, he heard that his sisters-in-law had died tragically, and the news was also spread by people in the government office. If he didn't take action, the flesh and blood of his two elder brothers would be hard to save.
Xu Changwen was shocked. Li Zhen was so frightened when he heard this that he turned pale. What should he do if he sued Ma Da Ren?
"Sir, everything I said is true. I am a relative of those police chiefs. A few days ago, I came back to visit my sister-in-law and elder sister, but was told that they had been arrested and thrown into prison. And a few days ago, several of my sister-in-law and elder sister were said to have died suddenly in prison. I had no choice but to resort to this last resort."
Xiao Liuzi immediately cried and kowtowed, tears streaming down his face. Only Xu Changwen's face was livid. How could such a corrupt official who treated the people as grass be able to occupy a high position in the government? He asked sternly:
"Do you dare to write a complaint and sue the Jinling Tongpan?"
"I dare, sir. As long as you write the complaint, I will sign it."
Wiping away tears, Xiao Liuzi nodded heavily. Coming here, he had already put life and death aside. What else could he do for his two elder brothers?
"Okay, I'll write the complaint myself, you can take a look." With the help of the pen and ink in the hall, he immediately wrote down the complaint in two copies. Xiao Liuzi signed it without hesitation.
"Li Zhen, take him to a bath and change his clothes, but do not allow him to leave the county government office."
"Uh, yes. Master, it's just that,"
Li Zhen's face was filled with disbelief. How could he win the lawsuit? He wanted to say something else, but Xu Changwen ignored him. Instead, he sat in the court, took out a bright yellow memorial, and wrote a few more memorials. He handed two of them to the servants and instructed them:
"Send one copy of the memorial to Luo Yunhou Mansion in the capital, and the other copy to the Ministry of Justice, quickly."
The servant nodded, then left the county government office and disappeared. Only Xu Changwen, with a serious expression, shouted,
"Prepare for the court session."
Linshan County,
On the west gate,
Zhang Jinyu was wearing golden armor, standing on the top of the city wall. Under the sunlight, he seemed to be covered with a layer of golden light. Behind him, a group of generals stood nervously behind him. King Jin frowned and looked at everyone with suspicion.
"Interesting. Three of the four gates of the county city were closed, and only the west gate was damaged and not closed. However, the Marquis and the King of Jin have been guarding here, and no enemy troops have left the city. As for the city walls, the patrol team did not find anything. Could it be that the Taiping Sect's guard has flown away?"
Zhang Jinyu had a cold face. Almost all the bandits in the city had been slaughtered. Occasionally, there were small groups of bandits hiding in the residential areas of the city, but they were quickly killed by the search and capture army. Especially the county governor's mansion was surrounded by water and no one found anything.
On the city,
The officers blushed, and all their soldiers were sent out to search the place several times. They found a lot of gold, silver, treasures, silks and satins, but they didn't find a single living person.
Li Zongbao blushed and clasped his fists.
"My Lord, I have issued strict orders to search all areas. We have searched more than three times and have indeed found no trace of the thief leader. However, there are a lot of grains and gold and silver items in the treasury, at least several million taels. The thieves have not moved. Moreover, the county governor's mansion is unusually clean. The gates are all locked from the inside, and no one is left behind."
It was really weird. Li Zongbao thought to himself, but even he didn't understand. It was obvious that at the end, when they attacked the county governor's mansion, the rebel soldiers were like crazy, fighting desperately to stop them. It was not fake.
"Yes, Lord, when I led the troops to the County Magistrate's Mansion, the bandits fought back desperately, probably to protect the bandit leader. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the County Magistrate's Mansion, no one was inside. I found it strange."
Qi Ping followed behind and replied with gritted teeth.
The more he talked, the more outrageous it became. King Jin looked suspicious. He had been standing on the city wall since the siege of the bandits began in the early morning. He had seen everything. The bandits had not even approached the west gate. Could there be something fishy going on at the other three gates?
"Have you asked if there are any unusual conditions at the other three city gates?"
"Your Highness, the three generals are stationed at the city gates, and there are no enemy troops harassing us."
Yue Linsong replied hurriedly, the messenger had confirmed it three times.
Zhang Jinyu listened for a long time and found it a little funny. The Taiping Sect guardian was injured, so even if he hid, there should be traces. Since there were none, it meant that something strange happened in the County Magistrate's Mansion. Could he have dug a cave and hid in it?
Looking at the mountain in the backyard of the County Magistrate's Mansion, it is almost the highest mountain in the city.
"Okay, since he disappeared in the County Magistrate's Mansion, let's go to the County Magistrate's Mansion and search it carefully. He can't fly away, so he can only hide underground. Go to the mountain in the backyard and see if there are any caves or something. Tell Song Yutian to collect all the property in the city and have Song Da make an account and record it. Take everything that you like, and then distribute it to the brothers according to the price. If anyone dares to keep it privately, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Yes, sir, I will obey your order."
The generals were delighted. There were many good things in Jujun City. If they searched the city, even if they divided it equally, they would still have a lot.
"The rest, prepare some people and go to the County Governor's Mansion to take a look. I don't believe that a group of living people can disappear under my nose. Captain Ji, you lead the Imperial City Division to go first."
"Yes, Lord Marquis,"
Zhang Jinyu directly asked Ji Yunhui to take the people from the Imperial City Bureau to go first. After all, the people from the Imperial City Bureau were most familiar with these traps. There were nearly 200,000 bandits in the city, and the bandit leader was a law protector. This meant that there should be quite a few high-ranking bandits in the county, but up to now, several important bandit leaders had not been found, which was really not right.
As soon as someone on the top of the city moved, the King of Jin immediately followed.
"My Lord, since you are going to the County Magistrate's Mansion, I will naturally go to take a look. It is said that the Governor of Southern Capital, Mr. Yu, is obsessed with the way of keeping healthy. I want to take a look."
The words were tactful, and Zhang Jinyu did not stop him. He nodded and said, "Master Yu, this is not a simple thing.
"I did not say that Your Highness cannot go, but you must be careful and follow behind."
"Okay, I'll follow your orders, sir."
The King of Jin quickly nodded his agreement, and just like that, under the escort of the imperial guards, they arrived at the gate of the prefectural governor's mansion.
At this moment, the county governor's mansion was surrounded by soldiers from the Beijing camp. Ji Yunhui led the Imperial City Division and went into the mansion to investigate.
Outside the mansion, Zhang Jinyu rode a horse to escort Prince Jin's carriage. When they arrived at the gate, they looked at the residence of the Jingnan Governor from afar. It was not magnificent, but it was also simple and elegant, with a gatehouse with carved beams and painted rafters, a vermilion gate, and two stone lions that looked a little majestic and domineering, but they were not as powerful as the two in Rongguo Mansion. After all, they were much smaller.
in addition,
The stone walls surrounding the palace were also quite exquisite. The one used by the government office was just a gate wall built of bluestone. But here, although the wall was also built of bluestone, one thing must be said. It was like a city wall. It was not very high, but it was wide enough for three people to stand on it. It was obvious that the county governor's mansion was not ordinary.
After waiting for a while in front of the palace gate, King Jin Zhou Ding couldn't help but lift the curtain, got off the carriage, and asked;
"My Lord, this is the County Magistrate's Mansion. It is really magnificent. I wonder what the Lord Yu intended by building the County Magistrate's Mansion so magnificently."
Zhou Ding looked around and checked. He had seen all kinds of houses in the capital. These houses were just bigger and ordinary.
Zhang Jinyu was a little speechless. No matter how well it was built, it couldn't compare to the beauty of the imperial palace.
"Your Highness, it is said that the south of the capital is in poverty. Although there is a shortage of water and poor harvests here, the various prefectures in the south are rich in various minerals. Even if they secretly sell some iron materials, they are still very rich. The governor is in a high position and is also a frontier official. It is natural for him to build a courtyard, but it takes up so much land, so he must have other intentions."
Unless it is used to train soldiers, the backyard and the training ground are very large, not to mention 10,000 people, even 20,000 people would be enough. I don't know whether it is for private army or government army.
The two of them were talking, thinking about something in their hearts. After a while, Ji Yunhui ran back panting and said;
"My Lord, Your Highness, we have searched the entire prefectural mansion. Only the silver and grain in the treasury were left untouched. We have not found anything. However, there is something strange in the back mountain. The Imperial City Division is searching it now."
"Oh, did you find anything?"
(End of this chapter)