On the fourth day of February, Zuo Liangyu and Wu Sangui stood in front of Shi Kefa at the Shijia Residence in Nanjing, bowing their hands.
When Shi Kefa heard Zuo and Wu's words, he forced himself to calmly stroke his beard with his hands, but he couldn't suppress the slight trembling of his hands.
Zuo Liangyu said: "My lord, Huai'an and Yangzhou have been captured by Li Zhi. Now there is no danger to defend Jiangnan. Li Zhi has thousands of cannons, and it will only take a few days to capture Nanjing. My soldiers
Your Excellency is the most popular place in Jiangnan. If you defend Nanjing city, how can you escape this disaster?"
"At this time, we can only withdraw into Jiangxi."
During the Chongzhen Dynasty, with the tug-of-war of border customs and bandit suppression, the status of Ming generals continued to improve. Now in the 19th year of Chongzhen, military power has completely fallen into the hands of the general.
Zuo Liangyu and Wu Sangui, as the commander-in-chief of Jiangbei Town, had no need to listen to civilian officials at other times except for the need for food and salary. Zuo Liangyu and Wu Sangui wanted to abandon Nanjing and evacuate to Jiangxi, but Shi Kefa was
There is no way.
Shi Kefa's hands were trembling and he said: "I don't know how many officials from the six departments of Nanjing are involved in the affairs of Jiangbei Town. If Li Zhi attacks Nanjing, won't there be a bloodbath? How can the two generals ignore the life and death of Nanjing civil servants?
Retreat without permission?"
Wu Sangui looked at Zuo Liangyu but said nothing.
Zuo Liangyu and Shi Kefa were more familiar with each other. They had cooperated many times when suppressing thieves. If there were some sharp words, it would be more appropriate for Zuo Liangyu to speak up.
Zuo Liangyu cupped his hands and said: "My lord, the Jiangbei Army is no match for Li Zhi's 40,000-strong army. If it does not go west, the whole army will be annihilated. Now the gentry in the world place their hopes on the Jiangbei Army. If the Jiangbei Army is destroyed
, then Li Zhi’s power will be unstoppable.”
"My lord is the leader of the Jiangnan people. If my lord retreats westward with the Jiangbei army, then when the time comes when my army rises high and shouts, the gentry in the world will definitely lose their wealth, and the Jiangbei army will definitely continue to grow and even overwhelm Li Thief. Otherwise, only
On the left, the two men of Wu fled in panic, as anxious as a bereaved dog. The scholars of the world have lost their backbone, and they are as confused as hozens falling down trees. Then the whole world will be destroyed by Li Zhi'er."
Shi Kefa stroked his beard with trembling hands, and after a long time he said: "Ignoring Qian Qianyi, Zhang Shenyan is the second master? Is it Shi Kefa who will flee westward alone with the Jiangbei Army?"
Wu Sangui cupped his hands and said: "My lord, I know clearly that although Qian Qianyi and Zhang Shenyan are famous all over the world, they have been labeled as traitors by the emperor because of their alliance with the Qing Dynasty in the north. If they are led by Zhang and Qian, their names are not correct.
It will be very difficult at that time. My Lord Bing has always been upright and aboveboard, and he is indeed respected by people in the south of the Yangtze River. Only with My Lord Bing as the leader can the gentry of the world be united."
Zuo Liangyu looked at Shi Kefa's face and said: "My lord, I am not thinking about my own fame and fortune, but I should also be thinking about the life and death of the world's scholars. If my lord, Bing, does not follow my Jiangbei army to withdraw westward, then the world's scholars will be in trouble."
They will lose their backbone. When the time comes to fight on their own, they will be defeated one by one by Li Zhi."
By the 19th year of Chongzhen, because the emperor stood firmly on Li Zhi's side, there was already an undercurrent in the south. Although the taxes and money paid to the Ministry of Household Affairs were still paid on time, in addition to these taxes and money, the scholars in the south had already expressed their disapproval of the Beijing government.
Completely disappointed, he increasingly disobeyed the court's orders.
Nowadays, those who can mobilize various resources and forces in the south are the southern celebrities who have raised the banner of resistance to Li Zhi. Among these celebrities, the most popular one today is Shi Kefa, the Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing.
Nowadays, scholars in the south shake their heads and sigh when they talk about the emperor. I'm afraid Zhu Youjian's imperial edict is not as effective as Shi Kefa's private message.
As long as Shi Kefa fled into Jiangxi with the Second Jiangbei Town, military pay and food would not be a problem. The southern gentry who hated and feared Li Zhi would continue to support the Second Jiangbei Town, and the Second Jiangbei Town could continue to grow.
Hearing Zuo Liangyu's words, Shi Kefa closed his eyes and didn't speak for a long time.
I don't know how long it took before Shi Kefa opened his eyes and said, "Okay, I will follow you into Jiangxi."
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Li Zhi was walking in the house of the Hao family, the richest man in Yangzhou, and was shocked by the magnificence of the house.
The courtyard looks very ordinary from the outside, just an ordinary house with blue bricks and black tiles. But when you walk into the house, you realize the exquisite wood carvings, expensive and elegant decorations, and the beautiful and winding gardens. There is a hanging hanging in the house.
The water lantern with the character "Hao" in it, the lantern's bracket and crank are all made of fine brass, costing an unknown amount of silver.
Li Zhi stopped next to a pillar in the hall and saw that there were many images of "children playing with carp" carved on the pillar made of huanghuali wood. Some children were riding on the backs of carp, some were holding on to the tail of the fish, and some were
The child was supported by a carp, and the carvings were lifelike. Li Zhi counted them carefully and found that there were twenty-three children and carps carved on one beam.
Li Zhi sighed: "What a good carver."
Walking further, you enter the courtyard again. In the middle of the courtyard is a garden covering an area of several acres. There is a hexagonal pavilion with a helmet top in the garden. A stone boat stands in a large lotus pond, contrasting with the green water.
Behind the garden are the study and library, with elegant and quiet windows and carved doors. On the west side of the library, century-old wisteria is full of vitality.
Li Zhi walked in the corridor next to the courtyard, marveling at the winding paths leading to the garden.
Han Jinxin said: "My lord, this garden was carefully designed and supervised by Ji Cheng, a famous gardener from the south of the Yangtze River. It was inscribed by the famous calligrapher and painter Dong Qichang. It is a place where Yangzhou literati and scholars gather for a grand gathering."
Li Zhi suddenly remembered something and asked: "When is this the first time you have entered the yard?"
Han Jinxin replied: "My lord, this is the seventh courtyard. There are four more courtyards ahead."
Li Zhi shook his head and said, "How did the Hao family manage to become so rich?"
Han Jinxin replied: "My lord, the head of the Hao family is the governor of Sichuan who has become an official. He is seventy-one years old today. Not only does he not pay land tax on his land, he also reduces the land rent to 20%. The unruly people of Yangzhou
Peixiao suffered from the heavy land tax and saw that the land rent of the Hao family was so low, so everyone rushed to contribute. The head of the Hao family has accumulated more than 70,000 acres of fertile land over the past few decades, and his income from land rent alone is tens of thousands taels a year. He is a wealthy man.
Party A."
Zheng Kaicheng took a step towards the garden and said: "What people call the prosperity in Jiangnan, I think it all comes from the gentry. Ordinary people rack their brains just to have enough food and clothing."
Li Zhi asked: "How much money did the head of the Hao family donate when Qian Yi formed the Jiangbei Army?"
Li Laosi replied: "Yesterday, the Yangzhou magistrate was tortured, and the magistrate confessed. The Hao family donated 8,000 taels of silver to the Jiangbei Army, and another 13,000 taels of silver to the temporary organization Minzhuang."
Li Zhi was silent for a few seconds after hearing this, and then slowly said: "The shameless parasite has become so fat that it will backfire on the owner and can be killed!"
All the generals bowed their hands to Li Zhi one after another and remained silent.
While everyone was thinking about the Hao family, a secret guard suddenly ran in from the front. Seeing that Li Zhi was surrounded by senior generals, the secret guard knelt on one knee and said: "Master! Ambassador! Zuo Liangyu and Wu Sangui have abandoned
Nanjing City, fled to Jiangxi with Shi Kefa, the Minister of War of Nanjing."
