The first ten days of April on the lunar calendar, which is equivalent to the beginning of May in later generations, is the most comfortable season in Liaodong.
At dusk, the garnet-red sunset glows across the entire sky, and the evening breeze in late spring gently touches people's cheeks without a hint of chill.
The fortress in the southeast of Fushun in the Ming Dynasty, outside the Magendan Fortress, there is a branch of the Majun River with a not narrow river bed, hidden in the forest shrouded in twilight.
Zheng Haizhu stood in front of the dam in Xinlei. The sight of the river filled her eyes, which made her feel elated.
Wu Bondang took Kong Youde and a few miners back to the river from a farther hillside.
Zheng Haizhu turned around and said to them: "The explosion of rocks today made a lot of noise. How did the nearby villagers react?"
Kong Youde said: "The common people are most afraid of our anti-army flags, and the guards of Ma County have scared them, so they dare not approach easily. Only a few strong men from Tongjiazhuang went up the mountain to watch the excitement. We said that the imperial court was mining, and they were far away."
Blow them away."
Wu Bondang added on the side: "The owner of this Tongjiazhuang is indeed called Tong Yangxing."
Zheng Haizhu nodded.
Tong Yangxing was a wealthy border merchant who brought his people to Nurhaci after the Battle of Fushun. Later, he made a very useful red barbarian cannon for Huang Taiji. Zheng Haizhu was in Hetuala, and he learned from the writing of Tong Yangding.
When we figured out the location of the Tong family, we began to think about how to deal with Tong Yangxing.
But certainly not now.
From the Minister of War, Zhang Quan, to the Commander-in-Chief of Liaodong, Zhang Chengyin, and the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Po Yanxiang, from the newly promoted guerrilla Mao Wenlong to the commanders of the two guest armies in Zhejiang and Sichuan, from the temporarily resurrected successor Li Rubai to Qinghe Guardsmen Zou Chuxian, Zheng Haizhu and
These people are like chess pieces that move carefully on a chessboard. They perform their own duties and complete their steps according to the plan set at the end of the first month.
The premise of action is to try not to alert others.
Nurhachi and his sons, as well as the soldiers of the Eight Banners, were all hunters. They were more cunning than foxes and had a keener sense of smell than wild dogs.
All actions taken by the Ming army in response to this battle must be disguised at the same time.
It is really impossible to do it secretly, just like Li Rubai did, stuck in time and blocked at Xin'an Pass.
Therefore, after Zheng Haizhu and others arrived at the upper reaches of the tributary of the Majun River, Kong Youde and more than ten elite servants blocked a certain area, allowing the strong miners who had been transferred to build the dam secretly, and announced to the outside world that the iron ore was mined by the imperial court.
Today, Wu Bangdang and Kong Youde, in the lee of the hillside, used the gunpowder package matched by Sun Yuanhua and Frankie to test explode the simulated dam body several times. Zheng Haizhu became more determined.
When she and Wu Bond were investigating Fushun years ago, they proposed a battle plan related to the water-breaking to Zhang Quan.
In April and May, there was abundant rain in the Fushun area. There were many tributaries of the Majun River, all coming from nearby mountains and rivers. Zheng Haizhu chose one with complex terrain and asked Kong Youde to recruit more than 20 young miners from his hometown in Kaiyuan to build the dam step by step.
, rushing to finish the project in advance of April, and sure enough, on April 10th three days ago, it started to rain heavily and it didn’t stop until the end of today.
The miners resting by the dam looked at the bright fish-scale clouds in the sky and said to Zheng Haizhu and others: "My boss, there must be a heavy rain ahead."
Zheng Haizhu thought to himself, the bigger the better.
Then he smiled kindly at the miners: "Brothers, thank you for your hard work. In three days, we will give you a silver reward and ask Youde to ride a horse to take it back to your family. Then we will go to Shandong and make a lot of money. If I work for the big boss,
Well done, my wife and children will be here next year too! Let’s go eat some meat now, have a peaceful night’s sleep and gather enough strength, there will be big work tomorrow.”
The miners cheered and rushed to the cook.
Zheng Haizhu called Kong Youde aside: "There are twenty-three in total. Watch them all night. You are not allowed to leave your sight even if you untie your hands. Don't fall short. Even if each one is a fellow countryman you recognize when you wear crotchless pants, at this time
I can’t believe it all.”
Kong Youde whispered: "I understand. If anyone among them leaks the news, even if the girl spares me, General Mao will chop off my head without hesitation."
At night, insects and larvae chirp low, the fourteenth moon is almost full, and silver rays shine on the river.
The music and pictures at this time should be moving, but the snoring all around was like thunder.
Wu Bondang walked to the stone dam and sat down next to Zheng Haizhu: "Not to mention you, I was too disturbed to sleep."
Zheng Haizhu stared at the water: "There must be too many people who can't sleep tonight. Just for a moment, I wanted to get on my horse and rush back to Fushun City overnight, so that I can see with my own eyes the power of the artillery we got tomorrow.
"
Wu Bond said: "Listen to Minister Zhang and General Mao, it is safer for you to stay here."
Zheng Haizhu smiled: "Back then, I met General Ma in the bandit camp, and he was about to fight the bandits. He told me that no battle can be won or lost before it starts. This time we
We have done our best, and we will leave it to fate tomorrow. If there is a fight here, Jiannu will not necessarily lose. By the way, Mu Zaohua said that you taught them to use daggers in close combat, and what they practiced was to pierce the heart with one knife. How are you accurate?
?”
Wu Bang Bang stared at her sideways: "What are you going to say?"
Zheng Haizhu said: "Although General Mao kept saying that Nurhaci had divided his troops outside the pass, if the number of Jurchens coming to attack Magendan tomorrow doubled and General Zou did not arrive in time, this place would be worse than Fushun City.
It's still dangerous. If we don't run away, you can stab me with a knife and give me a good time."
She was answered with silence.
After a long time, Wu Bondang finally said: "You are a very smart person. Don't be a fool in this matter. You are not a leader or a soldier. You shouldn't feel ashamed to kneel down and beg for mercy. Tatars treat women like
Robbery is more common than killing. If, if you fall into the enemy's hands, don't resist, just pretend to be a commoner, follow them obediently, and survive first."
After a pause, he rubbed his cheeks with both hands several times, and his voice became deeper and deeper: "When I arrived in Fushun in the twelfth lunar month, I looked at the river beach outside the city and couldn't help but think over and over again, if it weren't for losing one's virginity,
Amei is haunted by the thought of whether she will survive if she doesn’t hit the sword of Li Yongfang’s soldier. I know, I know I can’t blame her, but every time I dream about her, I chase after her.
I told her that surviving, surviving is the most important thing, no matter what she has experienced, I still regard her as the best woman."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Zheng Haizhu quietly listened to his partner's confession.
People are so different from each other. In the historical records and notes seen by later generations, when the Qing army went south, during the Tenth Day in Yangzhou and the Three Massacres in Jiading, many Han wives who were wives left writings clearly describing how they told their wives and concubines, if
If the city is broken, they must commit suicide and must not be humiliated by foreigners. If their wives and concubines are afraid and hesitant, they will kill them before the enemy does, and then try to escape from the city with their sons.
It's really touching to read Wu Bondang's words carefully at this moment.
Zheng Haizhu sighed softly, patted him on the shoulder and said: "I understand. Go and rest."
Just as she stood up, she suddenly froze.
Outside the dense forest, there was the sound of a sword being unsheathed.
Wu Bondang also jumped up suddenly, faced the direction of the movement, and listened carefully.
Not far away from them, Kong Youde and several Mao soldiers drew their swords at the same time and walked away quickly.
Just when Zheng Haizhu felt that his heart was about to jump into his throat, the uninvited guest from outside the forest had already rushed in on horseback.
A female voice with a Mandarin accent in the capital sounded: "My own people, my own people! Under Qin Liangyu's tent."
…
Zhang Fengyi got off her horse and strode up to Zheng Haizhu and others.
The torch held up by Kong Youde shone on her face, and the flickering light reflected her square forehead, thick eyebrows and phoenix eyes.
A heroic spirit of killing and decisiveness flowed on this face.
Zhang Fengyi looked directly at Zheng Haizhu: "You are Miss Zheng, right? I am the daughter of Minister Zhang, well, now I am Qin Liangyu's daughter-in-law."
Zheng Haizhu was shocked when she heard this. She originally thought that the other party was just a female general under General Qin.
"Then you are General Ma's..."
Zhang Fengyi smiled heartily: "I'm happy to say she's Qin Liangyu's daughter-in-law. I don't like to hear it said she's Ma Xianglin's daughter-in-law. His marksmanship is mediocre, but his archery accuracy is really not as good as mine. Why does he have a name? I am
What the Ma family’s wife, the Ma family’s young mistress, General Ma’s wife.”
Wu Bangde and Kong Youde stared at the aunt who fell from the sky in front of them, and then glanced at Zheng Haizhu. Obviously, Zheng Haizhu didn't know that Zhang Shilang's daughter and General Qin's beloved daughter-in-law would also appear in Liaodong.
Zhang Fengyi noticed everyone's thoughts and stopped chatting. She turned around and grabbed a man whose mouth was gagged and his hands were tied.
"Three days ago, I left Xianglin with a sentry horse and came south to patrol here for reconnaissance. I was lucky tonight and I really caught a spy."
With that said, she pulled out the strip of cloth from the prisoner's mouth and put him under Kong Youde's torch.
The prisoner languished on the ground and said in a loud voice: "Generals, spare your life. My whole family's life is in the hands of the village owner, so I have to do some reporting."
Zheng Haizhu stared at him: "Are you from Tongjiazhuang?"
The prisoner nodded.
Zhang Fengyi glanced at the miners who came out of their tents to watch the excitement, then looked at the stone dam on the river, and said to Zheng Haizhu: "Miss Zheng, I can take a step to speak."
After walking further, Zhang Fengyi explained the reason in detail: "We saw the smoke of a fire in a small mountain col about ten miles away. We sneaked over to take a look and found that there were three Tatars and this one who had not shaved his head. After they finished eating, the three
A Tatar got on his horse and walked east. We captured the Han man and interrogated him on the way. He said that he had gone to meet with the Tatar sentry this morning to report that everything was normal in Magendan. Miss Zheng looked at it, but
Is there any flaw?"
Zheng Haizhu stared at Zhang Fengyi: "What is embroidered on the forehead?"
Zhang Fengyi was stunned for a moment, then understood and smiled, with admiration in her smile: "Miss Zheng, you even doubt whether I am Zhang Quan's daughter and Qin Liangyu's daughter-in-law? No wonder they all say you are seductive. Wipe the embroidery on your forehead
The begonia is embroidered, and the cloud shoulders are embroidered with pomegranates. The forehead is azure, and the cloud shoulders are aqua. The embroidery work of the Han family in Jiangnan is as good as heaven. Thank you Miss Han and Miss Zheng for the wedding gift."
OK, the test passed.
After verifying his identity, the other party directly found the tributary in the forest and called out his last name. He must have come from Fushun.
Zheng Haizhu also smiled: "The enemy is facing us now, so we have no choice but to accuse Miss Fengyi. Miss Fengyi also came to help in the battle. He did not inform Zhang Shilang when we parted ways in Shenyang a month ago."
"My father doesn't know now," Zhang Fengyi said proudly, "Xianglin refused to follow me at first. It was my mother-in-law who nodded so that I could come with him."
Zheng Haizhu roughly understood the reason and continued: "You were right not to kill those three Tatars. If you had killed them, the Jianzhou army would have become suspicious if they did not see them return. The spy in Tongjiazhuang probably did not inform them either.
They have something different here, otherwise, the three sentry detectives would not have the energy to make a fire and eat, and then go on the road after eating."
Zhang Fengyi pursed her lips knowingly.
She and Miss Zheng thought of going together.
She looked back at the captives under the torch not far away, and said coldly: "Jiannu's sentinels are not very good, they even roasted rabbits. We have been traveling for three days and have only eaten dry food, how dare we light a fire."
Zheng Haizhu said: "The hardship was not in vain, we found out the traitorous owner Tong."
Zhang Fengyi smiled and said: "Okay, after watching your play tomorrow, I will lead people to surround the village."
…
On the same night, the city of Fushun was not as cool as the forest outside Magendan.
The originally spacious city wing was crowded with merchants from all over the world.
The entire city was filled to the brim with the noisy voices of people, the neighing of animals, and the stench of sweat, urine, and feces emanating from humans and animals. The irritating and stuffy heat seemed to have doubled.
Fan Wencheng frowned and sat by the oil lamp under the window.
It’s uncomfortable not to open the window, and it’s even more uncomfortable to open the window. How can one study well?!
In a few months, he will go to Shenyang to participate in the "Autumn Festival".
As a descendant of Fan Zhongyan, a famous minister of the Song Dynasty who is well known throughout the city, if he, Fan Xiucai, does not improve his fame, wouldn't he be a joke to those who were born in the same year in Fushun City?
More importantly, he really couldn't bear to stay in this poor place in Fushun.
More and more Tatars came to do business, and guard Li Yongfang welcomed them all into the city.
During this year's horse market, the Confucian Temple and Academy were actually set aside for these barbarians to live in.
If not, you must quickly win the imperial examination, then become a Jinshi, and leave Liaodong. With your family background after being a famous official in the Song Dynasty, how could the imperial court give you a position to "watch government" in a certain yamen in the capital?
Thinking of this, Fan Wencheng tried his best to adapt to the noise of Fushun City tonight, so that he could not hear anything outside the window and only read the books of sages.
He finished an article on craftsmanship, and when he heard the drums outside, he realized that it was too late.
The city has finally calmed down. The merchants have probably fallen asleep, replenishing their spirits and waiting for the opening of the horse market tomorrow.
Fan Wencheng walked out of the shabby room.
His home was not far from the east city wall. Late at night, tired from studying, he went outside and looked up at the silhouette of the city wall under the bright moon. This made him, a self-professed nostalgic scholar, feel relieved.
However, soon, he saw more guards than usual on the city wall, and they seemed to be transporting things.
It seems to be Sagi?
Fan Wencheng was wondering when he suddenly heard louder noise coming from the direction of the Confucian Temple.
At first he thought it was because he had lost his temper, but after listening more carefully, he realized something was wrong.
It was the heart-wrenching clash of weapons and the screams one after another.