Speaking of which, the twenty or so people in the Fukou Restaurant were acting suspiciously, but there was nothing they could do.
After the Chinese New Year, there are hundreds of thousands of refugees stranded on the north bank of Chaotiandang, especially along the Shiliang River. Hongzepu fishermen and boat owners also gathered to protest. To say that they were acting suspiciously, there were groups of people along the Shiliang River.
How many refugees are not suspicious?
Refugees are common people and can easily be humbled. In a chaotic world, the so-called morality is really useless. In order to find a way to survive, they will kill people, set fires, and rob homes and homes. Refugees gather and scatter like locusts. If there is work to do, they will work.
At work, they beg, feed off the rich, and rob homes and homes. They gather to rob property and kill people, and then disperse into the countryside. The refugees are everywhere in the mountains and plains. The government has no way to arrest the criminals, and even small groups of people who directly plant flags suddenly increase in number.
The swordsmen and archers in the county can barely survive in the city by catching thieves and catching lowly people, but they cannot show off their strength in the vast countryside. At this time, the rural soldiers and the local warriors play a key role in maintaining and stabilizing the place.
, but Xiangbingxiangyong are mostly private soldiers controlled by wealthy families. After all, their scale is limited. They can barely form associations to protect themselves. They dare not force themselves to attack bandits, and they have no such motivation. In order to protect themselves and win over people's hearts, some wealthy families have opened more
The porridge farm takes out some rice every day to cook porridge to relieve the victims.
Such is the situation, the local officials are naturally cautious in dealing with suspicious people, at least they dare not arrest them at will. Even if they are detained and imprisoned, nothing can be found from these people. Everyone is holding on to many things.
It is better to do less than to do one thing. On the one hand, we mobilized troops to intimidate the refugees not to cause chaos, and on the other hand, we very much hope that this sub-flux of refugees will pass stably. On the contrary, we do less things to overly provoke the refugees than in previous years.
Lin Fu invited Liu Xilin and others to have a drink on the boat and asked them to move their luggage, mules and horses onto the boat. In addition to the suspicious behavior of the men drinking in the restaurant, many shacks were built around the ferry to house the refugees stranded here.
, very few refugees can afford oil lamps or candles. At night, the shacks are all dark together. I don’t know how many people there are here. There is no credible statistical data in Shiliang County.
"Alas..." Lin Fu sighed slightly in his heart. On the south bank of Chaotiandang, there was still a peaceful scene inside and outside Jiangning City. As soon as he reached the north bank and headed north, he knew that the situation became more and more tense. The central government vigorously cleared out bandits around the New Year's Day.
, a wave of refugees formed earlier than in previous years, causing many places to miss the spring planting season. The famine in the north may not be alleviated this year.
It started to drizzle again at night, and there were three cabins on the stern deck of the Dongyang. Lin Fu and the others were drinking in the uppermost cabin. The cabin door was opened, and the candlelight was swaying in the night wind, reflecting on Lin Fu.
On the faces of Liu Xilin, Sun Jingtang, Zhao Hu, Gu Tianqiao, Da Loach and others.
Only then did Sun Jingtang know that the young man with a simple appearance and a strong body that he met by chance at Yerendu was the Dongcheng captain who was about to take up his post in Jiangning.
Gu Wuchen was able to defeat Wang Xueshan because, in the final analysis, his predecessor, Dongcheng Lieutenant Chen Zhi, was too stupid. After Chen Zhi was dismissed and imprisoned, the post of Dongcheng Lieutenant had been vacant. Zhang Yubo, a member of the Zuo Sikou Army, took the concurrent post. Only then did Sun Jingtang know that this post was still held by
The military attache of Gu Wuchen's family took over, and now it seems that Gu Wuchen has a considerable foundation in Jiangning. Seeing Liu Xilin's respect for Lin Fu, Sun Jingtang became more convinced that Lin Fu being the first disciple of the Gu family was not a legend. This book
Although the imperial court suppressed martial arts and worshiped literature, Dongcheng Lieutenant was an important figure. Even if we only compare it in terms of official position, the military position of the sixth rank was not comparable to that of the ninth-rank scholar. However, Lin Fu and Liu Xilin both belonged to Gu Wuchen's lineage.
The actual status of each other should still be determined by the closeness of the relationship with Gu Wuchen.
"The Huai'an Prefecture increased the fishing tax to support the anti-piracy camp, and the situation in Hongzepu suddenly became tense. When the situation was at its most tense, tens of thousands of fishermen gathered and made noise. In addition, refugees were crossing the border at that time. Around the New Year, the Hongzepu waterway was completely blocked.
Although Dongyang only has the northeastern corner of Shiliang County adjacent to Hongzepu, once the Hongzepu fishermen cause trouble, Dongyang will also be affected. When I received the transfer order, I was on guard in the north of Shiliang County and could not escape for a while.
At the beginning of the month, Chen Han, the anti-theft department who was clearing the bandits in Huai'an, was transferred to Huai'an and stationed in the northeast of Hongzepu to intimidate the mob. Only then did the fishermen gather and disperse, and I was able to return to Fucheng and follow Shen.
Your Excellency, please..." Liu Xilin said.
"When the three troops of Chen and Han were transferred to Huai'an, was there any bloody incident?" Lin Fu asked.
"I heard that he killed some people, but it was not serious. Chen Hansan is not from Huai'an. He was also bloody in Huai'an, and he had no scruples when he started doing it in Hongzepu. Mr. Shen is very opposed to transferring Chen Hansan here.
It has been too tight and needs to be relaxed at the right time, but Mr. Shen cannot control things outside Dongyang Mansion. Brother Lin, don’t worry too much when he goes to Shiliang County. When I return to Fucheng, Mr. Shen still has a group of troops stationed in Shiliang County.
, controlled by Shiliang County Magistrate..." Liu Xilin said.
Shen Rong, the prefect of Dongyang Prefecture, is a young official who advocates the reorganization of the local government army. Liu Xilin is an outstanding general discovered by Shen Rong. The Dongyang Prefecture Army is more trustworthy than the town army. According to Liu Xilin, Shen Rong's situation towards Hongzepu is still
There are worries. Indeed, when the fishermen's livelihood is in question, the gathering of people and rioting should not be easily dispersed by force. The dispersal of the fishermen at this time may be a temporary forbearance, but it also reveals some other information.
The gathering and dispersing of fishermen in Hongzepo seemed orderly and did not look like ordinary noise.
Ge Cunxin, brother Ge Cunxiong and the Ge family were the leaders of Nanru River fishermen and boat households. They were also the leaders who later led the Nanru River fishermen and boat households to resist donations. There are also many wealthy people of the same character as the Ge family in more than 40 lakes in Hongzepu.
In normal times, the government uses them to manage fishermen and boat households, collect taxes and donations from fishermen and boat households, and ease the conflict between the government and fishermen. Once the conflict intensifies, some powerful people and powerful people are willing to become the government's minions, while others
Although I sympathize with the fishermen, I can't guarantee that some people have other ambitions.
It is not difficult to understand that there must be some people behind the Hongzepu fishermen gathering to make a fuss and secretly organizing and promoting it. Unfortunately, it is a pity that the local government was not aware of this from the copy of the Tang newspaper sent to the county magistrate by Huai'an Prefecture.
Big Loach was going to be on duty all night, so he stopped drinking halfway through his drink and went out to patrol.
Lin Fu told Liu Xilin some of the situation in Jiangning. Sun Jingtang and Gu Tianqiao were present. Lin Fu only talked in general terms, allowing Liu Xilin to have a general understanding of the situation in Jiangning. Regarding specific and confidential matters, Liu Xilin arrived
After Jiang Ning, Gu Wuchen and Zhang Yubo will meet with him to discuss the matter.
After drinking until late at night, Lin Fu left Liu Xilin to rest on the boat and asked Xihehui to send a boat to take them to Jiangning after daybreak. One more boat and one less boat on his side would not be a big deal.
Those people on the ferry behave suspiciously, and there are many refugees. If someone incites the refugees to mutiny, Liu Xilin and his three followers will definitely not be able to deal with it. Nor can we expect the sentries and tax collectors at the ferry who can only bully good people to help.
What are you busy with?
Sun Jingtang went back to the Wupeng canal boat in Xihehui to rest. Lin Fu asked Zhao Hu to accompany him for a walk on the deck. Ge Cunxin, the great loach master, stood on the bow of the boat and stared at the shore. Except for a few solitary lights on the ferry, everything else was dark.
It's a dark shadow.
"What's going on?" Lin Fu saw Big Loach staring at the shore with a serious expression.
"There are several groups of people coveting this place, and there is also a group of people who have just left," said Mr. Loach. He was standing at the bow of the boat and could still vaguely see the situation on the shore. "The brothers all wore armor and took turns to rest. They
If you target us, you will be asking for trouble."
There is a huge gap between those who have armor and those who don't. The Dongyang has twenty pairs of fine armor, and the others on the ship have double-layered leather armor, no matter how bad they are. They don't even need to be afraid of hunting bows at close range, and they are also difficult to be hurt by ordinary swords.
Everyone fights bravely, equipped with sharp weapons such as Mo Dao, and they also have strong bows and sharp clusters. If they are still afraid of small groups of bandits, Ge Cunxin, the great Loach Master, will live his life in vain.
Lin Fu stared at the shore for a moment. It was dark, and the people who coveted it had withdrawn. He couldn't see anything. He pulled the big Loach Master, and Zhao Hu squatted on the deck to discuss: "Our ship is empty. Let's take a moment."
People with sailing experience can tell the truth at a glance; besides, the water in Hongzepu is shallow. Even if the Dongyang does not carry cargo and wants to transfer to the Huaihe River from Hongzepu, it will still be afraid of the shallow water. What are these people doing to rob our ship? And Hongzepu
It’s a bit strange that the fishermen who gathered to protest against donations suddenly dispersed in the middle of the month..."
"Are they going to set a trap to lure Uncle Qin Cheng into their trap?" Zhao Hu remembered that Lin Fu said before drinking that Uncle Qin Cheng would probably want to visit his hometown to make a name for himself after he left office. He kept thinking about this and said, "Hongzepu
The fishermen and boat owners continued to block the waterway and refused to disperse. Even if Uncle Qin Cheng wanted to return to his hometown to honor his ancestors, he would not be able to borrow a road from Hongzepu to Zhongli County..."
"Hongzepu has always been a place with shallow water. Fishermen and boat owners do not have large boats. Uncle Qin Cheng and his family are bound to have a huge fleet when they return to Zhongli. Someone really wants to lure Uncle Qin Cheng into this, as long as the Qin family's fleet is
You can do whatever you want if you force them to run aground in the shallow waters of Hongzepu, but you must also prevent the Qin family fleet from taking advantage of the opportunity and retreating into the Shiliang River. If it were me, it would be very necessary to block the Qin family fleet's retreat route with a large ship..." Big Loach
Ye said.
"It seems like we should first confirm whether the people secretly searching here are related to Hongzepu..." Lin Fu frowned and ordered: "Light the lamps and have a group of people come out in armor and hold swords in formation. If you can't afford it,
There will be as little conflict as possible; in addition, a summons will be sent to inform Lord Crow to come on board."
"Okay." The big loach master Ge Cunxin responded and went to make arrangements. He was also a boat owner. If the fishermen and boat owners who covet this place are Hongzepu fishermen and boat owners, it would be better if they can frighten the other party and avoid conflicts.
There are three levels of cabins on the stern deck. The top deck is about three feet high from the water. There is also a wooden tower about ten feet high on the top deck, which is similar to the estuary turret. Although the copper oil lamp placed on it is not as huge as the estuary turret,
The three wicks are as thick as a baby's arm. The oil lamp holder is half a person tall, with a canopy on top and a glass cover to block the wind. When the wick is lit, the entire deck of the Dongyang, which is 12 feet long and 2 feet wide, is as bright as
day.
To be honest, if the wooden lighthouse on the cabin deck is just like this, it is far less convenient and economical than hanging a few more wind lanterns on the ship. The glass cover is fragile and expensive, but using a polished concave bronze mirror can
It can project the light to a distance of 300 steps. In the era without searchlights, such a simple wooden lighthouse can enable the Dongyang to make fewer mistakes during night navigation or gain many advantages in night battles.
At this time, Lin Fu just wanted to intimidate those people not to be greedy for Dongyang. If these people are targeting Uncle Qin Cheng, who is about to leave his post and leave Jiangning, then they should give Uncle Qin Cheng a Shiliang River, so that Hongzepu can be safe.
Instead of acting rashly against the Dongyang, it gave the illusion of passing.