The people in the fields suddenly saw cavalry troops rolling in. They were so frightened that they shouted and wanted to run away.
We can't blame them for this. When the world is in chaos, there are bandits everywhere, but the difference is that there are more and less.
When Sun Chuanting led the armies and drove Li Zicheng's troops south, the north was generally peaceful, but this was only a relative term.
It was impossible for Sun Chuanting's army to clean up the small groups of local bandits, the bandits who occupied the mountains as kings, the bandits who blocked the roads and plundered, etc.
Basically, local governments have to deal with these bandits themselves.
As for the local military force, the local guards have long been exhausted. Local public security mostly relies on the strength of the people.
If the people are strong and strong, they may be able to clear out the bandits early, at least they won't plunder on the main roads or in broad daylight.
As for the weak people, or the strong thieves and bandits, although it is unlikely that they will attack the county town, the wild areas will not be safe either.
It is estimated that it will take a few years for the world to truly be at peace.
Therefore, when the people in the wild hear the noise, they subconsciously think that there are bandits.
But soon, they all discovered that those who came were not bandits, but court officials and regular cavalry troops wearing Ming Dynasty uniforms.
If it were the past, they would be afraid even of the imperial officers and soldiers.
But in the past two years, the imperial court has severely punished those imperial officers and soldiers with corrupt military discipline, such as the most famous Zuo Liangyu's troops, whose heads have been spread all over the world.
Nowadays, it is rare to hear that officials and soldiers of the imperial court have harmed the people.
As a result, the people working in the fields stopped to watch, curiously staring at the cavalry heading towards Qufu County.
"I haven't heard of a large number of bandits here recently. What are these many cavalry here for?"
"Who knows, maybe he was passing by?"
"..."
At this time of year, those working in the fields were basically tenants of the Kong family, or people who were sold to the Kong family and changed their surnames to the Kong family. Naturally, they could not know what Yan Shenggong and others were planning.
For such a cavalry army to come to Qufu, I was more out of curiosity.
However, at the top of Qufu City, there was a close confidant of Kong Yinzhi. Kong Yunchun, who would soon be appointed as the magistrate of Qufu County, was in charge of city defense.
Seeing a cavalry army charging towards Qufu County from a distance, he was immediately frightened. He quickly ordered the city gates to be closed and immediately sent someone to report to Confucius Mansion.
"Oh no, a royal cavalry force is arriving outside the city soon!"
"What?" Kong Yinzhi was shocked when he heard this, "Are you coming to Qufu or passing through Qufu?"
This is something special!
If it is coming to Qufu, it may be related to the matter in the capital, and if troops are sent here, the matter may be serious.
But if you say you are passing through Qufu, it is just a false alarm!
However, as soon as the cavalry troops were seen approaching on the top of the city, they hurried over to report them. How could they possibly know whether the cavalry troops were coming towards Qufu?
Kong Yinzhi couldn't get the answer, so after thinking for a moment, he immediately asked the maid to put him into the official robe of Duke Yansheng.
No matter what, wearing this clothes is like a talisman!
………………
Outside the gate of Qufu City, Kong Yunchun saw on the top of the city that this cavalry army was really coming towards Qufu and would soon reach the city. He couldn't help but secretly complained. Although the top of the city at this time was already full of guards, wasn't it?
The Kong family are tenants of the Kong family, but there is a regular imperial cavalry force outside the city!
This army came to Qufu. Needless to say, it must be because of the matter in the capital.
At this time, Kong Yunchun felt a lot of pressure. The court actually sent troops over, indicating that the matter was serious and it was difficult to open this door!
However, if you don't open the door, it won't be justified if the people outside are the imperial army!
But soon, he remembered that in the past, various places had encountered situations where the city gates were closed and the imperial troops were not allowed to enter!
Even the chief minister of the Ming Dynasty led the army, but in the end he was still not allowed to enter. Although the Jin Yiwei arrested the magistrate later, he was eventually released.
When he thought of this, Kong Yunchun felt confident.
No matter what, let's not open the door first, avoid the limelight, decide what the punishment will be, and then see if we can work on the relationship to reduce the punishment.
While he was thinking about this, the cavalry led by Liu Wenxiu outside the city had already arrived at Qufu City.
Seeing that the city gate was tightly closed and the guards on top of the city seemed to be well prepared, Liu Wenxiu did not panic at all and did not retreat to a stone's throw away.
Because he could tell at just a glance that the guards on the city were all panicked, and they didn't have the determination to defend the city that they had encountered during the previous siege.
When the eunuchs who were in the procession saw that the city gate was closed, they rushed out of the crowd and shouted at the top of the city: "The imperial edict has arrived. Open the city gate quickly and let Duke Yansheng receive the edict!"
When Kong Yunchun heard this, he was immediately dumbfounded.
Are you here to deliver an edict to Duke Yansheng?
Before delivering the decree, this is tantamount to the royal commander coming in person. Who dares to close the city gate?
If it were somewhere else, since they had made up their mind not to allow the army to enter the city, but to go to the capital to establish relations first, then even if there was an edict outside the city, they could come up with excuses, such as being fake, etc., to use it as a prevarication;
However, for people like the Kong family, the most insidious thing is actually the family's fight for the magistrate of Qufu, and they all know each other's ins and outs.
Once you encounter people and things outside, your intelligence can drop several levels.
This type is the so-called internal fighting, which is practiced by experts, and external fighting, which is practiced by outsiders.
Kong Yunchun could not bear the tremendous pressure from the outside world, and finally obediently opened the city gate.
After all, the Kong family is still a moth raised by successive dynasties. If it does not experience the wind and rain, it will be a fat sheep to be slaughtered!
As soon as the city gate opened, Liu Wenxiu just waved his hand, and his cavalry immediately poured into Qufu County.
Immediately, cavalry soldiers appeared everywhere near the city gate and on top of the city, and loud shouts of rebuke rang out one after another.
"Put down your weapon and hold your head in your hands..."
"Grudge, move faster..."
"..."
Kong Yunchun was a little dumbfounded as he looked at these imperial officers and soldiers, all of them disarming the Qufu guards in a ferocious manner, without giving them any face.
This kind of treatment has never been encountered before. No matter where the Kong family goes, or when others come to Qufu, they are always respectful!
If the people who came here this time were led by civilian officials, they might be as polite as he thought.
However, what came this time was an army of bandits, as well as Xichang and eunuchs who carried out orders. No one took the Kong family in Qufu seriously.
In their minds, who is the elder of the Qufu Kong family?
At this time, Kong Yinzhi came in a hurry wearing the official uniform of Duke Yansheng.
It was in a large sedan chair with eight carriages, and the Kong family members who were in charge of the Kong Mansion also came with them.
When one of them saw the movement at the door, he lost his usual arrogance of the Kong family and quickly shouted: "If you have something to say, if you have something to say, Duke Yan Sheng is here!"
They seemed to feel that no matter what happened, the court would always give Duke Yan Sheng some face.
After all, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Yan Shenggong was originally only a third-grade man, but he was promoted to a first-class emperor by Emperor Taizu. The subsequent emperors also respected Yan Shenggong very much. Even the current emperor respected Yan Shenggong before.
The Holy Duke respected him very much.
Kong Yinzhi arranged his clothes in the sedan chair and emboldened himself: It's okay, it's okay, things will definitely not be particularly bad. At most, this Yan Shenggong is not in a good position. It's a pity that his son is only eight years old, so he can't do it.
I know if the emperor is willing to let his son take over the title of Yanshenggong.
Out of wishful thinking, after the sedan stopped, he got out of the sedan.
Originally, Kong Yinzhi wanted to act like Duke Yan. No matter what, he couldn't lose the reputation of Kong Sheng, so that he could bargain later.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he got out of the sedan chair, the eunuch who delivered the decree coldly shouted: "The Holy Duke Kong Yinzhi comes forward to listen to the decree!"
Kong Yinzhi was stunned after hearing this. Didn't he want to go back to the incense table to receive the order? Just receive the order like this? How is this decent?
The dignified Duke Yan, kneeling on such a dirty road?
Just as he was thinking about it, he suddenly heard a loud hum.
Suddenly, Kong Yinzhi was startled. He looked up and saw that the people beside the eunuch delivering the decree, as well as the generals and others, were all staring at him, as if they would kill him if he disagreed. Suddenly, his knees shook.
So weak, he immediately knelt down.
When the stewards of the Confucius Mansion he brought saw him kneeling, they also knelt down one after another.
Under the gaze of Liu Wenxiu and others, there was still half of the Kong family's sense of superiority.
When the eunuch who delivered the edict saw it, he immediately unfolded the edict and read it loudly.
Kong Yinzhi just listened to the edict being read out in a cadence, and then he couldn't kneel any longer and collapsed to the ground.
He never expected that he would cause trouble? He would be charged with gathering a crowd to rebel!
Gathering a crowd to conspire is a grave crime against the Nine Tribes!
When did the Kong family ever rebel? In every dynasty, they were always obedient to the imperial court!
This matter is really unjust!
Fear that he had never experienced before emerged from the depths of Kong Yinzhi's heart. He could not even hear the second half of the imperial edict clearly. He was trembling and wanted to explain a few words, but his mouth was trembling and he couldn't say anything.
Words come.
The eunuch who delivered the edict finished reading out the imperial edict. Seeing the ugly behavior of the Kong family in front of him, he couldn't help but feel very contempt in his heart. After the saint Kong, he had no integrity at all! No, he was worse than ordinary people!
With this thought in mind, he turned to look at Liu Wenxiu and said, "Get someone!"
When Liu Wenxiu saw the ugly appearance of Yan Shenggong, he felt contempt in his heart. He immediately waved his hand, and his men immediately rushed over, knocked off Yan Shenggong's official hat, and lifted him up.
At this time, Liu Wenxiu discovered that the ground was actually wet.