Nanyang-born gentry, including the landlord Jin gentry who once briefly took refuge in Nanyang, Xiangyang and other places from Rucai and other places, in recent years, under the pressure of the New Deal in Beijing and Xiangyang (Chushan), they not only gave up the private fields, forest farms and mines occupied by their ancestors, but were also forced to
Land rents were reduced, and the taxes that had been stolen in the past were doubled. The preferential treatment enjoyed by local governments was basically cancelled. The descendants were eliminated from the ranks of state and county government officials on a large scale, not to mention the unscrupulous control of the countryside as before.
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From this, we can also imagine how deep the resentment and hatred that the Nanyang-born gentry who lived in Jianye had towards Jingxiang (Chushan) was deep in their hearts.
In the past, Jingxiang was powerful but not as powerful as central Beijing. The gentry from Nanyang used every possible means to slander Jingxiang (Chushan) in Jianye.
When Emperor Jianji was in power, Hu Kai and others advocated the merger of Xiangyang and Nanyang into Chushan in order to better organize the defense in the middle. However, it was the gentry from Nanyang who opposed the most fiercely. Under the secret instigation of Jin Zhuangcheng and others,
At one time, hundreds of gentry gathered in front of the palace to kowtow and petition. The establishment of Jingxiang Road was finally delayed until the second year of Shaolong, but the seeds of the break between Jingxiang and Qiandi were more thoroughly planted.
After Xu Huai went to Jianye by boat to be king of Qin, gathered the rebel army at Niushoushan, and took control of the Suwei imperial army, although the Nanyang gentry in Jianye had great influence on Jingxiang (Chu)
The attitude of Jingxiang (Chushan) has somewhat restrained, and there has been a subtle change. At least no one dares to criticize or slander Jingxiang (Chushan) in public anymore. However, there are very few who can’t wait to fawn over, and most of them are with Jingxiang (Chushan).
Mountain) Ignore it and keep your distance.
Although there is a lack of flattery in this, more people self-righteously conclude that Jingxiang (Chushan) is only temporarily strong, but is hard and easy to break; of course, this does not rule out the "arrogance" of scholars and the long-standing stubborn prejudice.
and hatred.
The inherent inertia caused the Nanyang gentry living in Jianye to surround Jin Zhuangcheng and others more closely; when people were in panic, the contact became closer.
This also made Jin Zhuangcheng and his son Jin Yuzhu once think that as long as they could control the hearts and minds of the Nanyang gentry, their Jin family would have the leverage to move forward and retreat freely in the court.
However, after learning about the hidden armored soldiers in Zhufengtangpu courtyard, Jin Zhuangcheng, Jin Yuzhu and his son discovered that this situation suddenly changed. It seemed that overnight, all the Nanyang gentry in Beijing were avoiding them.
Home.
"Is this how your fortune will turn out?"
Jin Zhuangcheng sat behind the case, staring at Jin Longquan with a sinister look and asked.
"I have had some minor disagreements with Editor Zhou in the past, but I dare not blame Editor Zhou on this matter,"
Jin Longquan hung his head, pulled Jin Zhuangcheng's nephew to testify for him, and said in frustration,
"This time, Bingyi and I went to Bianxiu Zhou's house to invite him. Before we entered the house, we heard Bianxiu Zhou talking to someone in a loud voice through the courtyard wall. But when the doorman came in to report,
But he said that he couldn’t even get out of bed, so he definitely couldn’t come over for a banquet at night..."
Jin Zhuangcheng glanced at his nephew Hu Bingyi. Of course he did not doubt Jin Longquan's "loyalty", but he just didn't believe that Zhou Yun, who had been eager to tie himself to Jin Zhuangcheng's belt in the past, refused to come so simply this time.
He had a banquet at Jin Mansion.
But this time the Jin Mansion held a night banquet, except for a few relatives who thought they were inseparable from the Jin family, they basically refused to come.
It’s not just Zhou Yun alone.
"No different than Tang Zhongyi, Chen Ershan and others, Zhou Yun is also an ungrateful villain,"
Jin Yuzhu couldn't bear it anymore and started scolding,
"Do they really think that my Jin family will be doomed this time? Don't forget, the sky belongs to Dai Viet, and no arrogant person can cover it with just one hand!"
In the third year of Shaolong's reign, the imperial examination was re-opened. Jin Yuzhu, who had studied hard in high school for more than 20 years, was admitted to the Hanlin Academy. He thought that he would be able to rise to the top like his father, but his daily life would not be very good.
, Chen Ershan, Tang Zhongyi and other people who are dedicated to officialdom are in their eyes.
Therefore, Jin Yuzhu felt particularly angry when he saw that these people were so ignorant of praise.
"Okay, stop saying a few words, the sky hasn't fallen yet!"
Jin Zhuangcheng shouted to his eldest son, Jin Yuzhu, to shut up. Now that there is a storm outside, several sources of information indicate that Jingxiang and Xiang Dynasties are very likely to include him, Jinzhuang Cheng, among those who must be killed before crossing the Huaihe River.
He was among the ministers, but when he was anxious in his heart, he did not want to see the house completely lose its sense of proportion and become a mess, so he waved his hand to Jin Longquan and the others to go out first.
Jin????????????Ying Huai glanced at Jin Zhuangcheng, Jin Yuzhu and his son, hesitated a little, but asked Jin Longquan to tug his sleeves, with a slightly stern look on his face, and lowered his head.
After walking out of the study, he stood in front of the corridor and listened to the Jin family's father and son whispering in the study. It was unimaginable that in just ten days, just hearing various gossips made them anxious and embarrassed like trapped animals.
After a long time, Jin Yuzhu opened the door from the inside. Jinzhuang sat behind the long desk, looking even more haggard, and ordered in a hoarse voice: "Get ready, follow me to see Wang Xiang..."
…………
…………
"I also missed a move, and ended up in such an embarrassing situation. I can only rely on His Majesty's protection. But His Majesty is still undecided. It seems that you and I will not be able to escape this disaster after all!"
Gao Chunnian sat behind the desk opposite Wang Boqian, his old face wrinkled like the bark of a locust tree, and he lowered his head to drink tea with a frown on his face, as if the fine tea in his hand was poison that would seal his throat upon seeing blood.
"Father, you can't hesitate any longer," Wang Xiuhan, Wang Boqian's son and former judge of the Sanbu Gouyuan, who resigned with his father, sat aside and urged, "Jingxiang has secretly mobilized two thousand soldiers into Jianye City. Maybe they
I am afraid of what the world will say, so I will not do anything to His Majesty for the time being, but we will definitely be among those to be killed."
"Is Jin Zhuangcheng's news necessarily reliable?" Wang Boqian frowned and asked hesitantly.
"The news about Jinzhuang Cheng should be reliable," Wang Xiuhan said. "Jingxiang does not need a leader of the Nanyang Jin gentry to take refuge. Instead, it needs to borrow Jin Zhuang Cheng's head so that the Nanyang Jin gentry will scatter from now on. No one will dare to fight with Jing Xiang."
sing a different tune……"
"What Xiuhan said makes sense,"
Gao Chunnian said,
"The Nanyang gentry suffered a lot from the new policies implemented by Jingxiang and Xiangzhou in these years, and they had deep resentments in their hearts. Even though they were afraid of the tyranny of Jingxiang and kept silent, they still had lingering resentment in their hearts. Jingxiang should also understand this, but will continue to do so if given the opportunity.
To attack, not to win over; there is no need to win over, but there is no value in wining over. A few days ago, during a small discussion in the Political Affairs Hall, Wang Fan said that there were too many people floating around in the capital, and if they were not doing farming, they would make the salt and grain more expensive. It would be better to use these floating people
The capital was moved to Lizhou to consolidate the border areas. This should be aimed at the Nanyang Jin gentry.
But before that, Jingxiang really needs to borrow Jinzhuangcheng’s head to reduce the resistance.”
"I'm afraid that if we act rashly, we will tell the truth!" Wang Boqian frowned and said.
"Prime Minister Wang is very worried," Gao Chunnian nodded and said, "Gu Fan, Wang Fan and others are still preparing for the battle to cross the Huaihe River in the court, and there are no waves visible on the water.
, it is pressing forward step by step under the water, and it cannot be ruled out that it is intended to alert the snake. If we act in a hurry, we may really fall into the trap of Jingxiang - well, it is really a dilemma now."
"My father's worries can be understood by my children. Jingxiang did not intend to alert the snake, but Pingliang Gong is a powerful man. He has always been ambitious and ignored the world's destruction of transcripts. Father really thought that we would be able to do it without losing any clues."
To prevent Duke Pingliang from attacking us?" Wang Xiuhan said, "According to my child's opinion, as long as His Majesty Jingxiang doesn't move for the time being, he will just eradicate us this time without any scruples at all. This is what they are doing. Want to add more.
There is no excuse for sin!"
"Is there still no news from Prime Minister Wei?" Wang Boqian asked hesitantly.
"Wei Xiangyuan was in Shouchun, but a few days ago he asked Duke Pingliang to go to Huangchuan to discuss crossing the Huaihe River, so there was no way to contact him. This must be the case.
Jingxiang did it intentionally," Wang Xiuhan said. "Another one, Prime Minister Wei is too forbearing..."
The Qiandi family is not monolithic. Wang Xiuhan thought that Wei Chujun's temperament was too tolerant, which caused His Majesty to be hesitant and not decisive enough, and missed many opportunities.
For example, when they expelled the former emperor's old ministers earlier, Wang Xiuhan believed that under the influence of Wei Chujun, they started too late. As a result, the Chihu people launched the second Huaihe crossing battle, and they failed to master the Jianye Navy and Xiaosheng well.
army, otherwise it would not have been defeated so miserably, giving Jingxiang a chance to become powerful.
For example, when the Suwei Forbidden Army was making noise, Wang Xiuhan also thought that they were too weak. They easily gave up the military power of the Suwei Forbidden Army, but did not decisively punish the restless military officials in the Suwei Forbidden Army. This is why they were unable to control the defense of Jianye City.
But the key is controlled by the Niushoushan Rebels.
With the situation they were facing now, Wang Xiuhan was worried that if Wei Chujun were to be recalled to Jianye, Wei Chujun would most likely advise His Majesty to continue to be patient before the Beijing-Xiang army officially crossed the Huaihe River, in order to avoid being caught in a trap.
Wang Xiuhan also admitted that in this turbulent time, Emperor Shaolong should have greater certainty.
After all, the battle between Beijing and Xiang to cross the Huaihe River is imminent, and if you don’t want to cause a huge stir in a short period of time, it is unlikely that you will directly take advantage of Emperor Shaolong.
After the Battle of Tikou, the palace also transferred Luo Wang and other generals to strengthen the control of the three thousand palace guards, at least ensuring that Emperor Shaolong's personal safety was not directly controlled by Jingxiang.
As for the Northern Expedition led by Duke Pingliang and his army across the Huaihe River, it will not be concluded in a short period of time. It is not impossible that it will be delayed for three to five years. During this period, Emperor Shaolong should have more opportunities if he wants to do something, rather than rushing for it.
hour.
However, the more critical question is, can the Wang family, Gao Chunnian, Jin Zhuangcheng and others continue to wait?
Wang Xiuhan didn't think that Pingliang Gong Xu Huai didn't dare to sacrifice his Wang family, Gao Chunnian, Jin Zhuangcheng and others before crossing the Huaihe River to the Northern Expedition; and from the deployment of Jingxiang City in Jianye City during this period,
