Wen Renjun looked at the expressionless Pang Gang, knowing that if he did not pass this test well, he would still be decapitated with a knife. However, this Wen Renjun was quite courageous, and his expression remained as usual.
He laughed loudly and said: "The general's military training skills are famous all over the world, and the general has greatly expanded his army in the past two years, rising from a hundred households to a feudal official with tens of thousands of troops. This is fine, but the students found that the general is more
It is a bit thought-provoking to vigorously build up a navy. It should be noted that banning the sea is a national policy of our Ming Dynasty. Even the only navy was hunkered down in Nanjing due to disrepair for a long time, so that it had to recruit Zheng Zhilong, a sea pirate. In fact,
This is extremely sad and deplorable. On the other hand, the general did the opposite. Not only did he form a navy, but he also fought a battle with the invading navy of Zheng Zhilong, severely inflicting a heavy blow on it and preventing it from retreating. All of this was without a doubt.
It shows that the general is a man who cares about the world, otherwise you would not do such a thankless thing. In addition, the battalion of elite soldiers you left in Luoyang a few days ago must not be just to covet the little money and food, right? Doesn't this prove that Li Li
Is the day of your rebellion getting closer and closer?"
Pang Gang stared at Wen Renjun, a look of admiration flashing through his cold eyes.
Wen Renjun continued to talk, "If what the students expected is true, the general should have also proposed to Magistrate Cen about garrisoning troops in Kaifeng tonight when he was drinking with Magistrate Cen and others, right?"
"That's enough, that's enough!" Pang Gang waved his hand, and his sullen face slowly softened. "What you said is right, and I admit it, but you haven't said what the purpose of your coming here tonight is. It can't be specifically for you.
Can I show off your knowledge?"
Hearing this, Wen Renjun stood up and came to Pang Gang, bowed to Pang Gang with both hands, and said loudly: "If General Meng will not give up, the student is willing to help the general and contribute his meager strength to the general!"
"Oh, is this Wen Renjun really a defector or an undercover agent?" This was Pang Gang's first thought, after all, he would not dare to believe someone with unknown origins easily.
Pang Gang's eyes turned a few times, he stood up, took two steps forward, helped Wen Renjun up, and asked solemnly: "Mr. Wen, are you serious about what you said?"
"Everything the student said just now is true. There is absolutely no lies." Wen Renjun answered affirmatively.
"Since you, sir, are interested in getting along with me, I'd better trouble you to tell me your family background."
"That's natural."
Wen Renjun smiled slightly, and then he told his origins. It turned out that Wen Renjun was a promising candidate in Kaifeng City, but during the Tianqi period, he offended someone when he went to Beijing to take the exam. Not only did he lose his title on the gold list,
Because of his reputation, he was expelled from the Ministry of Rites even for being a candidate. As he was too embarrassed to return home, he began to travel around the country.
He didn't return to his hometown until April this year. However, after ten years of traveling, his vision is far different from what it was ten years ago. During his travels, he saw too many things that were not written in books. Nowadays, the rich in the Ming Dynasty are getting richer.
The capital was living a life of luxury and wine, while the poor had no place to stand. The strong contrast made him, a person who only knew how to read books from sages, gradually develop an indescribable disgust for the current court. He was in
During the tour, it was concluded that the Ming Dynasty was exhausted and a change of dynasty was imminent.
It just so happened that Wen Renjun had also been to Qingzhou. In his opinion, Qingzhou was a vibrant city. He had never seen this kind of situation anywhere else in the Ming Dynasty. In Qingzhou, the status of military households was different from other places.
Different, it was quite high. Not only was every household assigned a field, but those who served as soldiers were even more well-paid. Wen Renjun saw it with his own eyes in Jinan. As soon as Jinan’s recruitment notice was posted, the nearby Qing Dynasty
The sight of Zhuang refugees swarming forward to sign up surprised Wen Renjun, who had always believed that a good man should not be a soldier and a good man should not make nails.
However, after Wen Renjun wandered around Shandong for a while, he came to a conclusion. That is, the actual ruler of Shandong, Shandong General Pang Gang, was a man of great talent. He had no intention of having an official career, but
For someone who is ambitious and ambitious, joining Pang Gang is a good choice.
So, Wen Renjun planned to go home to Qingzhou to join the Ming Dynasty. Unexpectedly, less than a month after returning home, he heard that Pang Gang had led an army to help Henan. Today, Wen Renjun was in Kaifeng Mansion to carefully inquire about Pang Gang's news.
Renjun learned that Pang Gang had arrived in Kaifeng, so he decided to visit late at night.
After listening to Wen Renjun's narration, Pang Gang wiped his sweat very much. He had been in this era for almost three years, and there were not many available men under his command. As for generals, it was okay, and he could be found among lower-level officers, but
There are very few literati who can really work hard for themselves. There are only a few poor scholars such as Hua Yan, Meng Qing, and Lin Feng. Although the prefects, county magistrates and others across Shandong seem to have taken refuge in themselves, that is also because
He held military power and financial power, and with the pressure from his father-in-law Wei Tongnian, they had to listen to him. But Pang Gang was worried that one day he would stand on the opposite side of the court, and a few people would follow him. After all, the Ming Dynasty had nearly three hundred people.
Nian's prestige is still very high, and he has not openly raised the flag of rebellion. Officials at all levels in Shandong have just turned a blind eye and listened to his orders. Now Wen Renjun's arrival has given Pang Gang a new idea.
The idea of cultivating a group of literati who are loyal to themselves.
Looking at Wen Renjun in front of him, Pang Gang asked tentatively: "Mr. Wen, although I occupy the land in Shandong now, if Shandong officials are appointed by the imperial court, how can we ensure that they are loyal to me?"
When Wen Renjun heard this, he knew that this was the first test question that his future boss would ask him. He laughed out loud: "What you said is wrong. The students already understand what you are thinking, but the students think that what you are thinking is wrong."
There is no need to worry about things. Students know the thoughts of the current imperial court officials too well. Maybe a few of them are loyal to the imperial court, but the vast majority of them are loyal to themselves and their own families. As long as adults can help
Once they hold military power for one day, they will never have any objections to you."
"Oh, is there another saying?" Pang Gang was very curious. Although he had been in this era for several years, he didn't know much about the thoughts and behaviors of Ming officials. In the same year, he heard Renjun say this
As soon as he said it, it aroused his curiosity.
"Of course, sir, please listen to what the student has to say in detail."
Seeing that Pang Gang was very interested in what he said, Wen Renjun felt happy, so he cheered up and began to explain Pang Gang in detail.
Although there is a proverb among the people, it is called poor literature and rich martial arts, which means that if you have no money, you go to school, and after studying, you will be the number one scholar and gain fame, return to your hometown in rich clothes, build a house, and marry two wives. As for why Chen Shimei was beheaded
This is a digression. If you meet an old man who accepts death, he will be in trouble. If a poor man studies literature, he can use his head to pierce his bones, he can drill holes to get light, he can catch fireflies and put them in a small gauze bag to read at night. In short, it doesn’t matter.
No matter how poor you are, as long as you can wrap up your belly, eat steamed buns for three days, and walk to the capital with worn-out straw sandals, you can obtain fame.
But in fact, this is not the case. People say that poor scholars make poor scholars. In fact, in ancient times, most people who could afford to study had rich families. If your family is not up to the level of a well-off family, it cannot afford a scholar.
.
First of all, when your children are young, you need to hire a good teacher, and then you have to go to a county school or a government school. After you are admitted to the scholar examination, you have to wait for two years to take the examination for the judicial examination. Once you have the examination, you can
Only then can they go to the capital to rush for the exam. In this way, no scholar can hope to get ahead without at least ten years of hard work. Those stories about teenagers or teenagers becoming the top scholar in high school are basically legends. In reality, most people who can get the Jinshi are in the second grade.
Sixteen or seventeen or even middle-aged uncles over thirty or forty years old.
In the past ten or twenty years, this scholar has not been engaged in any production. In other words, you have provided a great god at home, providing for his food, drink, and toilet, and this person has to continue to
The huge expenses for going out for entertainment and traveling to and from the capital and the state capitals are enough to bring down a well-off family.
After this scholar became an official, the first person he wanted to repay was naturally the family that had provided him with food and drink for so many years. There was no doubt that the emperor would have to back off. So Pang Gang was worried.
It is basically impossible for officials from all over the country to run away after he raises his flag of rebellion, because if they run away like this, it means that all their efforts over the years have been in vain. Of course, there are no absolutes in things.
It is not that there are no people from the imperial court and the emperor, but the proportion is relatively small.
After listening to Wen Renjun's words, our large officials couldn't help but feel guilty. The bloody TV dramas in later generations are killing people. In later generations, none of the champions or Jinshis on TV in ancient times are young and successful.
You are so proud of being named a gold medalist when you are in your twenties, and there is a TV series that is even more exaggerated, called the nine-year-old county magistrate. Damn it, even if you were the emperor, you wouldn't be treated like this.
Now after listening to Wen Renjun's explanation, Pang just knew that it turned out that this was all made up by those uneducated directors. The Ming Dynasty exam was held every three years, and tens of thousands of people came to Beijing to take the exam each time. These tens of thousands of people
The competition for only one to two hundred or even seventy or eighty people shows how difficult it is. Its difficulty is many times more difficult than the civil service examination in later generations. It is not an exaggeration to say that thousands of troops are walking a tightrope.
"Listening to your words is worth ten years of reading. I have learned a lesson today." After listening to Wen Renjun's explanation, Pang Gang stood up and bowed deeply to Wen Renjun.
"Don't dare, don't dare, this is what students should do!" Wen Renjun quickly stood up and bowed in return.
After a round of literacy training, Pang Gang's attitude towards Wen Renjun became much better. He picked up the cold tea and took a sip before saying to him: "Mr. Wen, if you can help me, I will be very grateful."
I'm glad, so be it, now I have temporarily appointed you to the post of Zhonghua Painting in the Army, what do you think?"
Wen Renjun was overjoyed and bowed to express his thanks: "Thank you for your kindness." Now that I have taken over someone else's job, this title naturally had to be changed.
The position of "Zan Hua" was also an official title in the Ming Dynasty, which means "Zan Xiang plans paintings". It is a civilian position. The specific responsibilities and grades are not customized. The size of its authority depends on the trust of the boss, and this position is for
It is very suitable for Wen Renjun to join Pang Gang. After all, he is new here, and Pang Gang cannot give him a high position.
After thinking for a while, Pang Gang asked casually: "Who else is there in Mr. Wen's family?"
Wen Renjun said with some shame: "We still have a virtuous wife and a daughter at home. Back then, Wen sold his property and went to Beijing to take the exam. Not only did Wen lose his reputation, but his qualifications were also removed. He was too embarrassed to return home. He had been wandering outside for many years, and his wife was
Not only did he work hard to run the house, but he also raised his little daughter all by himself. He was really ashamed of them for his humble position."
Pang Gang looked at Wen Renjun with some surprise and thought: "This guy actually married a good wife. Her husband has been wandering for more than ten years. Not only did she not have Hongxing at home, but she also worked hard to raise her children.
When my husband comes back, this guy's luck is not very good. If any man in the future dares to leave his wife and disappear, it will not take ten years, but it will be estimated that his wife will cheat on her in three months."
He meant to tease Wen Renjun a few words, but considering that this guy had just surrendered to him, he didn't know if he could make a joke, so Pang Gang swallowed the joke he was about to say and then said: "Okay, the weather is getting better.
It's too late. Sir, you'll just have to stay here for one night. Tomorrow you will take your family to the army, and I will order someone to settle you down."
"Thank you, sir!"
Wen Renjun wisely handed over to Pang Gang and left the tent, taking a rest under the leadership of a soldier.
"Interesting!" Looking at Wen Renjun who was following the soldiers out, Pang Gang's lips curled up slightly. "It seems that there are still too few talents around him. Even a Juren who has had his reputation eliminated.
I am so happy with the results. It seems that I will step up my search for talents after I return."
With waves of drunkenness, Pang Gang fell into a deep sleep...
Pang Gang was really exhausted these days. He slept very soundly that night. He didn't wake up until three o'clock in the morning. When Pang Gang finished washing and walked out of the tent, he saw Wen Renjun and a man in his forties.
A middle-aged woman who still retains her charm and an eleven-year-old girl wearing a red huā coat stood outside and looked at Pang Gang timidly. There was a big cloth bag behind them. It probably belonged to their family.
Saluted.
Seeing Wen Renjun's family of three standing at the door, Pang Gang greeted him with a smile: "Mr. Wen, did you pick up your wife and your daughter so quickly?"
Wen Renjun said nonchalantly: "That's right. Anyway, the humble family of three only has one shabby house in Kaifeng, so they have nothing to worry about. If you come here quickly, you can run errands for the Lord quickly."
"Well, it's good to have such a heart." Pang Gang nodded, walked to Shi Bowen who was standing outside the big tent and said, "Shi Qianhu, please arrange for Mrs. Wen and your daughter's family to move to a larger tent.
in addition......"
At this point, Pang Gang whispered: "In addition, you can take another hundred taels of silver and quietly give it to Mrs. Wen."
Pang Gang saw that among the three of them, except Wen Renjun, who wore a relatively new gown, his wife and daughter's clothes, although they were washed clean, had been patched. It looked like Wen Renjun
Your life was not easy, so you specially asked Shi Bowen.
"Yes, sir, I understand." Shi Bowen nodded, and then led Mrs. Wen towards the big tent at the back.
Wen Renjun followed Pang Gang into the big tent. This also means that Wen Renjun will officially take up his post from now on.
"sit down."
Pang Gang pointed to the side and took the lead in sitting down on a stool. Wen Renjun waited for Pang Gang to sit down before sitting down on a stool in front of Pang Gang. This small detail made Pang Gang noticed.
When he arrived, he nodded secretly in his heart. This Wenrenjun seems to be a person who knows how to advance and retreat.
"Mr. Wen, you were right about what you said yesterday. I have indeed reached an agreement with the Kaifeng government to leave a battalion of soldiers and horses stationed in Kaifeng City to prevent the bandits from killing them. Moreover, I also offered to help them.
All the refugees in the city will be moved to Shandong. Kaifeng City will pay us 200,000 taels of silver and 200,000 shi of grain for this purpose. These things must be delivered to our army within three days. Do you have any opinion on this?"
Pang Gang told what happened yesterday and sought the opinion of the newly appointed Zan Hua.
Wen Renjun thought for a while and nodded, "If this is the case, we won't be at a loss. The two hundred thousand taels of silver are nothing more. The two hundred thousand stones of grain alone are enough to support the fifty or sixty thousand immigrants in the city through this winter."
.However, what I am worried about is that I heard that your Excellency has been migrating refugees to Shandong in recent years, which will have an impact on the people of Shandong."
Pang Gang understood what Wen Renjun meant. There is only so much land in Shandong. If refugees continue to move in, it will inevitably lead to a situation of more people and less land. Wen Renjun is worried that these refugees will cause a heavy blow to Pang Gang in the future.
burden.
Pang Gang laughed and said: "I understand what Mr. Wen is worried about, but now Shandong still needs a large number of refugees to fill various workshops, farms and mines. That situation will not happen in the short term.
Furthermore, even if this situation occurs in the future, we are not afraid. If there is no land, it does not matter, we will just grab it! Don't forget, there is still a large and vast land in Liaodong waiting for us to occupy!"
Looking at Pang Gang with a proud face, Wen Renjun couldn't help but secretly admire him. Apart from the general in front of him, who else in the entire Ming Dynasty dared to make such bold statements about snatching the land of Liaodong from the Tatars.
Seeing that his boss had made up his mind, Wen Renjun volunteered to go to the magistrate's office to urge the government to prepare money and food as soon as possible. He wanted Pang Gang to see that Wen Renjun was not a useless scholar who commanded and talked, he could also do things.
Practical.
Pang Gang smiled and said: "Sure, then you go, remember to bring a team of soldiers and horses. I will be waiting for your good news here. Remember, all the money and food must be received within three days, otherwise it will be late."
Afraid of change."
Wen Renjun stood up and clasped his fists and said, "Don't worry, sir. I will definitely get my money and food back from my humble position!"
After saying that, Wen Renjun went out in a hurry... (To be continued)!~!
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