The sunset was shining in the evening, and the bride Gu Junxun sat in front of the dressing table with her phoenix crown and rosy ornaments. She was fascinated by the sunset light filtering through the window panes. She listened to the sound of footsteps in the yard. She stood up expectantly and anxiously, walked to the door, and saw the hall.
Sister Gu Yingxiu, the sixth lady Shan and Zhao Hu's mother Zhao walked up the steps to the corridor and asked anxiously: "Is there any news?"
"Not yet," Gu Yingxiu took Jun Xun's hand, walked into the house together, and said, "There are a lot of soldiers in the north, and Lin Fu doesn't have to charge the trap himself now, so you don't have to worry too much. The war has just started, Lin Fu
As a commander-in-chief, I have to boost morale in the camp. I can't get away. If he neglects you, don't complain to him... It's not advisable to miss an auspicious time and let Xiaoman temporarily take over Lin Biao's place during the ceremony. What do you think?"
"Why should I complain about him?" Gu Junxun's face was anxious and he sat on the bedside and said, "I just want to hear the news that he is safe and sound in the north, so that I can feel at ease."
"Alas," Gu Yingxiu looked at Gu Junxun's childish face, sighed slightly, held her in her arms pitifully, and said, "It's really hard for you to be frightened before you even come in...
"She can't stay with Jun Xun. Liu Yue'er is five months pregnant in this inner house and has difficulty moving. Xiaoman is not steady enough in doing things. There is no other person in charge at this time. We can't let the Song family
That charming woman interfered in the wedding, and Lin Fu was supervising the battle on the northern front. In the past two days, Gu Yingxiu was as busy as a top and couldn't rest.
The military situation in Chongzhou was tight, and the new city had not yet been built. The Donghai bandits might break through the blockade of the river mouth at any time and approach Zilang Mountain. There were many people attending the ceremony, but not many people actually came to watch the ceremony and eat the wedding banquet.
The guests outside the house were attended by Fu Qinghe and Sun Jingtang, but there was no definite news about the northern route. Lin Fu would not rush back. Even if the auspicious time came, Xiaoman would hold a rooster in his arms and perform a grand ceremony on Lin Fu's behalf.
The wedding banquet went on in a boring way - everyone was thinking about the war at Hecheng West Garrison on the northern line.
Gu Yingxiu knew that she couldn't show too much anxiety and uneasiness. She had to arrange many things. She panicked. Liu Yuer, Jun Xun, Xiaoman and the others had no idea. They walked through the front hall and saw that
I went to the side table where the charming woman was sitting gracefully writing in the back room, walked in and asked, "I thought you were behind me..."
"Seventh Madam, Sixth Madam," Song Jia stood up and bowed to Gu Yingxiu and Sixth Madam Danrou, saying, "I can't help you at the back, so I took the time to practice my calligraphy..."
Gu Yingxiu was unhappy and secretly thought that everyone was worried about the war in the north and about Lin Fu. This woman still had time to practice calligraphy here. She thought that she was left here for Qiang after all, so she couldn't be of the same mind.
Song Jia looked at Gu Yingxiu's slightly frowning expression of worry and displeasure, and said with a sweet smile: "The governor has made all kinds of troubles come over, and the bandit soldiers have provoked Hecheng to arrest you for a trivial matter. The seventh lady really doesn't need to be so concerned.
The sun has set and twilight is approaching. I will have good news soon, and maybe the governor of the capital will come back to pay his respects."
"That's what I wish..." Gu Yingxiu didn't share Song Jia's experience, so she and her sixth lady, Shan Rou, went to the courtyard to entertain the female guests.
The uneasiness and concern in her heart will not be alleviated by Song Jia's harmless words. The other female family members in the inner house do not know the military situation, but she knows it. The She family has assembled four to five thousand soldiers and horses in the Hecheng area. Lin
The elite troops that Fu brought to the north were less than 2,000. Adding in the local garrison and civilian warriors, the total number was only 3,000. The war might not go so smoothly.
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The female family members in the inner house were anxious and anxious. The people who could come to attend the wedding banquet at this time were all close to the Jiangdong Left Army and Lin Fu. Naturally, they were also concerned about the war on the northern front.
Fu Qinghe went to Jiangmen to supervise the battle, controlled the Jinghai camp and the Jiangmen garrison to block the Jiangkou, and copied the back route of the Hecheng military fortress; Sun Jingtang, Sun Jingxuan, Ao Canghai, Hu Zhiyong, Hu Zhicheng and others stayed at Zilang Mountain, but Fenglibu camp was mobilized overnight
To the north, apart from more than a thousand county soldiers, there are not many defensive forces left.
There was no spacious place to host the wedding banquet on the mountain, so the banquet was held in the backyard of the East Government Office. Sun Jingtang, Sun Jingxuan and many guests who came to watch the ceremony and have the banquet were waiting in the meeting hall.
"Should we send someone to the north to inquire about the news?" Li Shuyi couldn't help but asked his clan brother Li Shutang softly. Before noon, news came back that there was a large-scale battle with the Japanese soldiers on the south bank at dawn, and the fighting continued throughout the afternoon.
The news was getting dark, and no further news had come back from the north. Counting the time, the battle on the south bank of the Yanyan River continued for three or four hours with no result. How could everyone feel relieved?
Li Shutang shook his head slightly and said, "It's better to be more patient and wait."
The Li family has been completely tied to the Jiangdong Left Army. Lin Fu inspected the public land, and the Li family also stood up and set an example. Together with Lin Fu, they had completely offended the local big families in Chongzhou. Lin Fu could not gain a foothold in Chongzhou, and he Li
Jia also wants to get out of Chongzhou in despair. He cares more about the war in the north than anyone else, but he can still be patient.
Except for Hu Zhiyong and others who are still on the defensive on Xisha Island, except for the leading generals, almost all the other direct descendants of the Jiangdong Left Army gathered here to wait for further news. Even if they are really worried, they have to send people to the north to find out the news. Ao Canghai, Sun Jingxuan, Sun Jingtang
They will also bring it up.
Wu Mei held the tea cup for a long time, blew the tea leaves away, and took a sip. He was also worried about the war in the north, but he was closely related to the Jiangdong Left Army, and even resented the power of Lin Fu, so his mentality was slightly more relaxed than others.
Some. On the other hand, Song Xiaobo was on pins and needles. Whether he could wash away the serious crime of abandoning the city and fleeing first, and save the lives of his family, was completely pinned on Lin Fu. But he was too nervous, and it was inevitable that he would have some delusions: If the famous Jiangdong Zuojun also
If they were defeated by the Japanese soldiers, then abandoning the Hecheng military fortress wouldn't be considered a big crime?
Gu Siyuan, Zhao Shuhan and others also looked worried.
The only people in the lobby who knew the details were Ao Canghai, Sun Jingtang, Sun Jingxuan, Hu Zhicheng and others. They knew in their hearts that even if no victory was reported today, there would be no leisure in the north, and their mentality was stable.
It is necessary to be on guard against small groups of bandit soldiers infiltrating into the hinterland of Chongzhou.
At this time, there was a faint sound of horse hooves, as fast as spring thunder, and it did not slow down even when approaching. Only the sentry riders who were carrying messages could rush forward. Everyone stood up together, and heard that the sentry riders had not entered the door.
, he loudly announced: "The great victory in Hecheng, the enemy soldiers were defeated. They killed 600 enemies and captured 2,000. Only a thousand remaining soldiers returned to the dock to defend, and our army suffered very few casualties. Your Excellency then
Come back and have a banquet with all your lords..."
Everyone rushed out of the meeting hall together and summoned the messenger sentry to the corridor to ask about the details of the victory in Hecheng. Sun Jingxuan was calmer and ordered: "Send someone up the mountain quickly to the new madam to report the victory..."
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Lin Fu spent some time in the west of Hecheng before setting off back to Zilang Mountain.
News of the great victory in Hecheng had already spread throughout Chongzhou. Surrounded by his guards, he galloped southward. On both sides of the road, villagers who had heard the news of the great victory gathered to send Lin Fu off to Zilang Mountain to get married.
When these simple and unpretentious villagers heard the news of Jiangdong Zuojun's victory, they were full of gratitude to Jiangdong Zuojun and Lin Fu for protecting Chongzhou from the invaders. They came out to see the Jinghai Dujian. Some people even left their homes with only
Some old hens were holding in their arms to give to Lin Fu as a wedding gift. Some were carrying bags of rice, while others were holding Lin Fu's horse's head, bringing their nephews to them, patting their strong chests, and asking Lin Fu to do so.
Fu agreed with them to join the Jiangdong Left Army to kill the invaders and defend the land...
Lin Fu had no choice but to slow down, dismount from his horse, greet these simple folks, thank them, understand their thoughts, and persuade them to take the gifts back.
In addition to the simple villagers, some of the big families in Chongzhou who hated Lin Fu because he inspected the public fields also reacted very quickly. After hearing the news of the victory in Hecheng, they immediately prepared generous gifts and carried them on mules and horses.
Then, he hurried directly ahead of Lin Fu and rushed to Zilang Mountain to attend the wedding banquet.
In order to obtain enough funds to raise troops, Lin Fu carried out a large-scale inventory of public lands in Chongzhou, which directly touched the interests of the powerful families in Chongzhou. However, the Jiangdong Left Army was very powerful in Chongzhou, and the wealthy families in Chongzhou had a grudge, but there was nothing they could do. Lin Fu was really in trouble.
The core figures of the Gu family cannot be defeated secretly by people like them.
This time the Donghai bandits invaded, the minds of these wealthy people in Chongzhou were extremely contradictory. They were eager for the Jiangdong left army to suffer heavy losses to relieve their hatred, but they were also worried that the Jiangdong left army would not be able to stop the Donghai bandits, causing the disaster of April in Chongzhou.
If it happens again, I don’t know how many villages will be looted.
When the news of the great victory in Hecheng came, even if the big families in Chongzhou could not see the good show of the Jiangdong Left Army, they did not need to worry about the bandits invading Chongzhou to kill, kill and loot. Even at this moment, their hatred for Lin Fu and the Jiangdong Left Army diminished.
After all, it was much better to lose some fields than to have them all looted by the East China Sea invaders. This change in mentality also made some people realize that they also shared the responsibility for the food and salary of Jiangdong Zuojun, and instead they could reflect on the matter of inventorying public fields.
The big families with a little foresight and foresight realized that after the Jiangdong Left Army won the victory at Hecheng, Lin Fu's foundation in Chongzhou was completely stabilized, and it was not something that big families like them in the countryside could resist. Some people might close their doors and hide.
Cursing secretly in the house; some people are pragmatic and realize that even if their interests are harmed, people like Lin Fu are worth fawning over. The existence of the Jiangdong Left Army is beneficial to the local area after all.
Lin Fu didn't rush back to Zilangshan Dongyamen until it was dark. More people gathered here, sandwiched on the side of the road, cheering like the waves of the river, and the echoes of "Jinghai Dujian" kept coming from the mountains.
.
Compared to the desolation during the day, Zilang Mountain is very lively at the moment.
During the day, except for the county officials who were close to Lin Fu and were promoted because of Lin Fu, and a few people like Wu Meijiu who had to attend, almost no one else in Chongzhou County came to attend Lin Fu's wedding banquet. At this time, people who were watching the ceremony were arriving one after another.
, there was an endless stream of people driving horses and carts, and there were also many expensive gifts. It seemed that at this moment, everyone in Chongzhou truly recognized and supported the status of Lin Fu and the Jiangdong Left Army in Chongzhou.
Lin Fubian also seemed to have forgotten the resentment and rejection of him by the wealthy people in Chongzhou. He smiled at the people who came to attend the wedding due to the situation at this time, without being arrogant or putting on airs. He hurried to change to the wedding hall.
For the auspicious clothes, Sun Jingtang, Sun Jingxuan, Hu Zhicheng, Li Shuyi and others must not neglect the guests and friends.
After Lin Fu reduced the Ding tax, corvee and head distribution in Chongzhou, there was no need to hide the Ding population at the local level, and a large number of displaced households were able to surface. The actual recorded Ding population was 320,000, which was more than the original registered Ding population.
An increase of 130,000, totaling more than 56,000 households. Based on the calculation of one hundred households per li, Chongzhou has a total of more than 560 li.
In Chongzhou, land annexation is quite serious. There are 21 large landowners in Chongzhou with 10,000 acres of fertile land, and 126 large households with more than 2,000 acres of land. These 147 large landowners alone
It occupies 70% of the registered land in Chongzhou, totaling more than 10,000 hectares.
According to the results of the inventory of temple fields and public lands, the 147 companies that concealed their fields and occupied public lands the most seriously accounted for almost 80 to 90% of the total.
These large households also firmly controlled local affairs through their clans, through Lijia, and through the tenants attached to the fields.
Lin Fu took advantage of the bandit case to investigate the temple property, and secretly obtained nearly 200,000 acres of farmland to support the army, and also solved the money to build the new city; this time the inventory of public land is expected to also uncover nearly 300,000 acres of land.
When Susukian came out, the fines and taxes were as high as hundreds of thousands of grains and grains - almost all of which were plucked from the heads of these big households. Lin Fu, how could the Jiangdong Left Army not arouse the hatred of these big households?
Lin Fu is also self-aware. He used power and military power to suppress these big households before, but he knew in his heart that if he could improve the relationship with the big households that control a large amount of land resources and tenant farmers in Chongzhou at this stage, it would be more beneficial to the Jiangdong Left Army.
Settled in Chongzhou.
Lin Fu does not expect to get all the big families in Chongzhou to support him and support the Jiangdong Zuo Army, but if he can win over a group of people, the foundation of the Jiangdong Zuo Army in Chongzhou will be stronger. At least the big families in Chongzhou who have changed the direction of the trend can be considered enlightened at this time.
In other words, if people who are aware of the current affairs draw them over, there is still a small group of stubborn ones, but they will not be able to make a difference or cause any trouble.