For the Han people who value the culture of their ancestors, it is impossible to miss the Hungry Ghost Festival.
The Hungry Ghost Festival, also known as the Half of July.
Among the Taoist gods, there are the Heavenly Official, the Earth Official, and the Shuiguan, collectively known as the "Three Officials". They are the representatives of the Emperor of Heaven in the human world. On the "Three Yuan Day", they inspect the human merits and crimes for the Emperor of Heaven and determine rewards and punishments.
"The Heavenly Official will bless you on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the Earth Official will forgive sins on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, and the Water Official will relieve misfortune on the 15th day of the 10th month."
Therefore, the local officials are in charge of the underworld, and the focus of inspection is naturally the various ghosts.
On the day when the underworld opens, all ghosts will leave the underworld and take exams. The ghosts with owners will go home, while the ghosts without owners will wander around the world, wandering around looking for food, so it is also called Ghost Festival.
Although the city of Beijing is now full of people but not of Han people, there are still many people celebrating the Hungry Ghost Festival.
Fireworks were lingering, ashes were flying, and the huge capital city smelled of countless paper money.
In the ancestral house, Zu Dashou brought his wife, children, and children to worship his ancestors in the small ancestral hall.
Among his brothers who are still in the capital, Zu Dalue and Zu Dabi are the only ones.
"Blessed by our ancestors——"
Zu Dashou kowtowed hard several times and muttered. Although his voice was not loud, it was clearly heard by everyone.
After the incident, the father, son and brothers sat together, with more than two digits in number, and all looked at Zu Dashou in the center.
Zu Dashou, who is over sixty years old, is now in good spirits, with gray temples, but his eyes are extremely bright, his gray beard is slender, and he still has the majesty of a tiger.
If we say who among the generals who surrendered in the late Ming Dynasty were the most helpless, it was only Zu Dashou.
Although he has all the bad habits of Liaodong generals, such as corruption in military pay, raising servants, and unruly and unruly soldiers, his loyalty to the Ming Dynasty can be guaranteed.
He was the main organizer of the Ningyuan victory in the first year of Chongzhen.
After Yuan Chonghuan was released from prison, he was worried about being implicated, so he escaped from the customs, and was personally cared for by Yuan Chonghuan before returning to the Ming Dynasty.
In the fourth year of Chongzhen (1631), he participated in the Battle of Daling River. Faced with running out of food and aid, he pretended to surrender. He fled to Jinzhou and continued to fight against the Qing army, refusing to surrender.
During the Songjin Battle in the 14th year of Chongzhen (1641), Hong Chengchou was defeated and surrendered. After Zu Dashou held on for a year, he ran out of ammunition and food. In the miserable situation of cannibalism, he had to lead his troops to surrender to the Qing army.
This is what we are forced to do out of necessity and as a last resort.
The other nephews and nephews worked for the Manchus, but he was leisurely at home and had no intention of working hard.
Stubborn and stubborn, yet full of helplessness.
"Father, the imperial court is no longer powerful."
At this time, the adopted son Zu Kefa suddenly spoke and looked at Zu Dashou, the old god.
Two brothers, Zu Dabi and Zu Dale, also turned their heads and looked at their elder brother.
"No more!"
When Zu Dashou heard this, he just blinked his eyes slightly and said with a bit of gloating and a bit of ease:
"Is there anything in the world that can last forever?"
"But--"
Zukefa raised his head and said helplessly: "We brothers are all serving in the army. The Eight Banners of the Han Dynasty suffered heavy losses and there are no troops under their command. Do we have to go back to Liaodong in the future?"
“What’s wrong with Liaodong?”
Ancestor Dashouhu stared: "It has been more than two hundred years since our ancestors moved from Nanzhili to Ningyuan in the year of Xuande. Liaodong is a good place."
"no……"
Zu Kefa was helpless.
As an adopted son, he was detained as a hostage in the Qing army's camp during the Battle of Daling River in the fourth year of Chongzhen (1632). As a result, he was reused. When the Eight Banners of the Han Army were established, he was the deputy commander of the Yellow Banner of the Han Army.
He has the highest official position in the ancestor's family, but because he was demoted early, he has been complained by ancestor Dashou to this day.
The third son, Zu Zehong, saw this and hurriedly spoke to help: "Brother, that's not what you meant. It's just that our ancestral family is based on the Eight Banners of the Han Dynasty. Now the army that established our family has been beaten to pieces. Even if we return to Liaodong in the future, I'm afraid it will be sad.
Already..."
"You can't believe it if you don't believe in fate."
Zu Dashou glanced at him and said to himself: "Since the Wanli period, the Ming court has been defeated again and again, and the Qing army has won and fought again. However, since the defeat of Luoyang the year before last, the momentum has been hindered..."
"The Manchus are in a corner of Liaodong. They are a small country with few people. Tens of thousands of troops are enough to traverse Liaodong, just like the palm of a man, holding it tightly and using it."
"After entering the customs, your fists become fingers. Not only do you have to guard the provinces, but you also have to send troops to fight. If everything goes well..."
Having said this, Zu Dashou stopped talking and became silent.
All the brothers and nephews also looked ugly.
"Brother, what about our ancestral family?"
Zu Dabi raised his head and asked seriously.
“Just go with the flow!”
Zu Dashou sighed.
"It's a pity that Wu Sangui is dead."
There was some helplessness in Zu Dale's slightly cloudy eyes: "Otherwise, with his Guan Ningjun as our backer, we wouldn't be so entangled."
"Why did Wu Sangui die?" Zu Hongze and other brothers were also extremely puzzled by the death of their cousin.
Another corner of the inner city.
After worshiping their ancestors, Fan Yongdou and other eight imperial merchants gathered together again.
As businessmen and domestic servants of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they were extremely well-informed and obviously already knew the movements of the Ming army.
On the tenth day of July, reinforcements and grain from the Ming army arrived, and they immediately chose to march north, following the canal to Dezhou.
And by July 15th, I am afraid we have arrived in Nanpi, and we are just around the corner to gather in Cangzhou.
There is only two counties between Cangzhou and Tianjin Wei. When the time comes, let alone threaten the capital, it will be the capital's turn to fall.
"The imperial court will never defend Beijing."
Fan Wencheng made the final decision and spoke at the beginning: "Beijing's outer city is dozens of miles long. Even if it is full of people, it will only number two to three hundred thousand people. There are not that many people in Beijing."
"Then what to do!" Wang Dengku was also anxious, his face turned red: "All the family's money has been transported outside the customs, and no one wants the property deed. These losses are nothing."
"Only the job that we have built our lives on can no longer be saved."
As soon as these words came out, several other people also had bitter expressions on their faces.
The reason why the Eight Great Imperial Merchants rose up was not only because they had a positional advantage, they could sell the gold, silver and jewelry plundered by the Manchu Qing Dynasty into food, thus surviving the famine period when food was scarce.
In addition, with the advantages of the Ming people, they bribed the guards, found out the military situation, and purchased gunpowder, ironware, etc. on a large scale, which made great contributions to the Qing Dynasty's entry into the customs.
Chahar Mongolia could be conquered, and they also provided maps and information.
Therefore, they have to enter the Ministry of Internal Affairs and obtain business privileges.
Now that they are among the imperial merchants, once the Manchus withdraw from the customs, the Ming court will definitely not let them go and their homes will be confiscated.
And the huge business network that has been built will be cut off, and there will be no use value. Can these eight imperial merchants maintain their interests?
"If you can make it once, you can make it the second time!"
Fan Yongdou said solemnly: "We have to use our strength to do business with Mongolia."