The canal from Tianjin to Beijing is very busy, with countless watercrafts flowing continuously. On both sides of the canal, there are towns all over, with workshops, shops and estates everywhere.
Hong Hengjiu stood at the bow of the boat. He had just passed his sixtieth birthday and his hair was gray. The fortune teller once said that when he was fifty, sixty, seventy or eighty, he would have a great calamity, and each calamity was more prosperous than the last.
If you do it, you will be able to get richer and richer, but now this calamity has really come.
When he was fifty years old, Song Jin was defeated and captured. Emperor Chongzhen set up a mourning hall for him, which meant that he had died once.
"Every time I return to Beijing, I feel that Beijing and Tianjin are more prosperous, and both sides of the Beijing-Tianjin Canal are becoming more lively and prosperous."
"Yes, a few years ago, when His Majesty moved the old capital, this place was desolate. I thought it would be difficult to recover within ten or twenty years, but I didn't expect that in a few years, it would be far away from the prosperity of Jiajing and Wanli."
Hong Chengchou's third brother Hong Chengzhen pointed to both sides of the canal, "At the end of Chongzhen, Beijing suffered from plague, famine, Tatar invasion, and was trapped by bandits. It was desolate and trapped. The population was greatly reduced, prices skyrocketed, and the people were in dire straits. There were only countless trackers and river workers on both sides of the canal.
, they were all forced to become refugees or even thieves, how can it be compared with today."
"This city of Beijing was captured by bandits, and the Tatars even stole it for several years. However, under their hands, Beijing only became more dilapidated. The bandits were all over the city, torturing and extorting wages, and plundering the people everywhere. When the Tatars came, they were just trying to enclose the land.
, who truly regards this place as their own inheritance and the scholars and people here as their own people?"
Hong Chengjun and Hong Chengchou were brothers from the same mother, but they had been feuding for ten years.
Hong Chengchou was a master of calligraphy. He was well versed in calligraphy, history, poetry, and essays. His cursive writing was as winding as a startled snake entering the grass, and ancient vines hung on the walls, creating the dragon-snake style. After Hong Chengchou surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, Hong Chengchou personally went to Beijing to persuade him. There was no turning back for Hong Chengchou, and his brothers turned against each other.
, Hong Chengjun wanted to assassinate his brother and eliminate traitors for the country, but failed and was hunted down. He escaped all the way back to Quanzhou, Fujian and hid in Lianxin Temple, only to escape death.
Later, Hong Chengjun also built a Shuangzhong Temple in Quanzhou to commemorate Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan, who resisted Anlu Mountain during the Tang Dynasty. The two statues in the temple pointed at the gate of Hong Chengchou.
He built a boat and lived in seclusion on the river.
Later, Zheng Zhilong of Fujian supported Zhu Yihai. After hearing the news, Hong Chengquan immediately went to see Zheng Zhilong and offered to serve as an aide, just to resist the Qing Dynasty. After that, he followed Zheng Sen northward, first helping with military affairs in Shuiying, and later staying at the Hanlin Academy as a bachelor.
He repeatedly requested to lead a team to assassinate the traitor Hong Chengchou.
Later, Hong Chengchou was captured by Tu Guobao and brought to the imperial court. He also insisted on killing Hong Chengchou. He wanted to kill his relatives in a just and righteous way, and he also had to do it himself.
It was just that Zhu Yihai targeted the Tatars first at that time, so he claimed that Hong Chengchou never really surrendered after the defeat of Songjin, but only pretended to surrender, and had been informing the Ming Dynasty. In fact, it was just a strategy to attack the Tatars and unite those surrendering ministers.
Hong Chengchou then held important positions in Taijian, and later served as governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, governor of Liuqiu, and other positions. However, his brother Hong Chengchou, who was a minister in the same palace as him, never said a word to him or stepped into his home.
until now.
The emperor summoned Hong Chengchou to the capital to summon him to trial, and Hong Chengzhen took the initiative to take over the task of announcing the decree.
He went to Liuqiu to declare the decree, and then brought him back with his guards. The two brothers never spoke to each other on the way, but now they can chat, which is rare.
"Grain shipping and sea trade, as well as the stability of the Central Plains and the surrender of foreign countries, are the key to the prosperity of Beijing and Tianjin today. Many wealthy and powerful noble families in the Central Plains have moved their families to Beijing and Tianjin, and Tianjin Port and Tangshan
The construction of Qinhuangdao Port, Tokyo Port, and Dongying Port at the mouth of the Yellow River, as well as the comprehensive navigation of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, the re-drugging of the Hebei Canal, and the industry and commerce of the Jiaolai Canal, Bohai Bay, and Jiaozhou Bay, as well as
Dalian, Lushun, Yingkou and other ports in Liaodong have all led to the rapid prosperity of Beijing and Tianjin, the center of the world..."
Hong Chengzhen and his brother took a completely different path. At the end of Chongzhen, he lived in seclusion in his hometown. Later, he failed to assassinate his traitor brother and fled home to live in seclusion. Soon after, he came out to fight against the Qing Dynasty and became a member of Conglong Yuanxun.
Up to now, he is a Jinshi, Jin Ziguanglu doctor, assistant to Zhan Shifu, Zhan Shifu, and a bachelor of Hanlin Academy. He compiles the actual records of this dynasty and notes the daily management of Liucao Zhangzou.
Wrote an article and was given the official post by Yan Yan.
He is a third-grade official, and he is both a Hanlin official and an official of Zhan Shifu. Zhan Shifu is an official of the East Palace. He is also the prince's lecturer, and he is also an official whom the prince trusts and relies on in the East Palace.
When the prince succeeds to the throne next year, Hong Chengjun will definitely reach a higher level.
Compared to the third brother who went to Beijing for trial and ended his life, Hong Chengzhen gradually felt more pity for him, so the closer they got to Beijing, the more the brothers talked.
"Sea trade is indeed very important. I think in the past, the imperial court continued to ban the sea, but it banned the Jiajing Japanese Rebellion. Later, Longqing opened the sea and only opened Yuegang, Fujian. However, Yuegang, a remote fishing village in Fujian, quickly became a
The most prosperous and wealthy place has also led to the prosperity of the surrounding coastal areas, and even our Hong family has been deeply affected by this."
Although the two brothers had killed each other, they had also been brothers and sisters.
His father died early and the family was poor. As the eldest brother, Hong Chengchou began to help his mother sell tofu in the streets at a very young age. He also helped take care of his younger brothers and sisters. When Hong Chengzhen and his friends were young, Hong Chengchou was actually equivalent to their father.
An elder brother is like a father.
At one time, Hong Chengzhen and the others did respect this brother, but later Hong Chengzhen could not accept his surrender to the Qing Dynasty as a traitor.
But when it comes to ability, he actually admires his brother very much. Not only did he sell tofu while taking care of his younger brothers and sisters when he was a child, but he also knew how to make progress. He went to the family school to listen and learn secretly, and found an opportunity for himself to study. Later.
After being accepted as a disciple by a teacher from Dezu School, he also worked very hard. He studied hard for ten years and did not forget to help the family and take care of his younger brothers and sisters.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! After passing the Jinshi examination and serving as an official in Beijing, he did not forget to help his family. He provided the money for his brothers to study. Hong Chengzhen only failed to pass the Jinshi examination.
I passed the examination, but it was not easy either.
Hong Chengchou stood on the boat, feeling the wind blowing, feeling depressed. He would be lying if he said he was not depressed.
When he was a boy, he refused to admit defeat. When he was bullied while selling tofu on the street, he would not complain to anyone. Instead, he fought hard on his own. Even if he couldn't be beaten, he would fight. Even if he was beaten by a group of rogue teenagers, he would never give in. He would
Staring at a mad dog and biting him, this kind of lifeless fighting style earned Hong Jiuheng the reputation of Madman Hong when he was young.
When he was studying, he didn't have money to buy paper or pens, so he practiced on the sand with branches. If he didn't have enough time to study, he sold tofu and took care of his children while endorsing books. It was this energy that allowed him to pass the imperial examination all the way without having any background.
He became a Jinshi and later served in the ministry. It was only because of his ruthless and crazy energy that he was able to gain a foothold in the ministry and even be promoted all the way. When he was sent to Shaanxi, he even dared to take the initiative to attack as a civilian with some regimental training.
Thief.
He believes that man can conquer nature.
As long as he doesn't admit defeat, no one can let him lose.
Better than half the world.
A young man from a poor family can become a Jinshi, or even become a governor or a supervisor. Even if he is captured, he can still receive money and support in every possible way. He can also become an administrator of five provinces and become a bachelor. No step along the way is easy.
, all earned by his hard work.
Later, he returned to the Ming Dynasty anyway. When he admonished the two houses in Taiwan, he did it with his unselfish and ruthless ruthlessness. He impeached countless officials every year in exchange for a place in the new dynasty. Even in Shaanxi and Gansu, he and Wu Sangui teamed up to kill
Millions of rebels went to Andong to camp and Liuqiu, and they also completed their tasks brilliantly.
But in the end, we still cannot escape these sixty catastrophes.
When he was fifty, Song Jin was defeated and captured, but later he surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and the calamity was over. Now at sixty, it is difficult to survive this calamity.
Not willing to give in.
But his brother personally came to Liu to ask for the decree and let him return to the capital, so he followed him on the ship.
The different endings of Geng Zhongming, Qian Qianyi, Wu Sangui, and Zhang Guozhu left Hong Chengchou with no choice. He could choose not to return to Beijing, commit suicide, or rebel. Although the outcome was the same, at least he did not accept it.
But when he saw his brother and heard him say that his mother was in Beijing looking forward to his return, he finally decided to return. If he could die in exchange for the stability of his family and his mother for the safety of his children and grandchildren, that was all he could do.
He is no longer the boy who sold tofu barefoot in a small town in Fujian.
Zhu Yihai did not have the qualifications or opportunity to judge him. They did not deserve it and should not. That was due to the times. There was nothing wrong with what he did. He never thought that he had done anything wrong. If he was really wrong, it was just that Hou Jin was a foreigner.
, if it were other Han people who rebelled against the king, even Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong who started as thieves, as long as they could overthrow the previous dynasty and replace them, he would still be called a founding hero.
He originally thought that with these efforts, he would at least be able to achieve success in the Shaotian Dynasty, and he would become one of the founding heroes of the new dynasty in the future.
But who would have expected that Zhu Yihai would be so dishonest, and the world was so peaceful that he would still come back with this move.
At that time, Zhu Yihai was able to mainly recruit Shunying, and even said to the outside world that he, Hong Chengchou, Qian Qianyi and others, were pretending to surrender. He was surprised by the recruitment of high-ranking officials such as Li Chengdong, Zhang Guozhu, Liu Zeqing and other surrendered generals, ministers, and even bandits and bandits.
I was moved, but now this liquidation comes unexpectedly.
Such an emperor is indeed the founder of the Ming Dynasty. He is indeed no ordinary emperor. Ordinary rules cannot restrain him. He is the one who creates the rules.
"Grain transportation by sea has been around since the Yuan Dynasty, and was also implemented in the Ming Dynasty. The Yellow River has been a big scourge for many years, flooding and causing disasters. The court kept withdrawing grain and money, and even dispatched workers and soldiers, but it became a corrupt
There is so much shit that no amount of it can be filled.
However, Emperor Shaotian was able to make grain and sea transportation so smooth, which not only saved costs, but also promoted coastal ports. The diversion of the Yellow River would have been a major disaster, but the emperor was able to quickly repair the new river embankment in Shandong, and then opened the entire line from Shandong to Henan.
, brought the urban economy on both sides of the Yellow River."
"Same thing, same surname Zhu, but the results are completely different."
Hong Chengjun said to his brother, "Times have changed, and the world has naturally changed. In the past, both sides of the canal were full of shacks. Those trackers, river workers, and many thieves, robbers, prostitutes, and beggars gathered together like a festering wound on the canal.
Now you see those bustling market towns and wharves, those workshops and shops, those warehouses, those workers, and even those brand new and tidy houses and dormitories, they are different.
There are very few beggars now, and there are even fewer homeless people.”
"Yes." Hong Chengchou sighed, "There is no land to rent official land and private land. The imperial court has special laws on renting to protect the right to rent, restrict land rent, and even crack down on usury. You can also choose to work, and there are special
Labor laws, basic wages, etc.
If you can't stay in the Central Plains, you can still immigrate to the frontiers. There are vast areas and sparsely populated areas, and you can get your own land...
Big merchants and small traders are now protected, and the industrial and commercial environment has become much better.
Everything is full of hope, just like in front of you, the ships on the canal are flowing continuously, the shipowners and boatmen are full of excitement, the towns and docks on both sides of the canal, the people there are also full of energy, compared to the Beijing-Tianjin Canal during the Chongzhen Dynasty
The situation was completely different. At that time, people's eyes were numb and confused, they were naked and hungry, and there were even beggars and homeless people wandering around. Many people's eyes were full of hostility.
"My mother is old and I can no longer serve her. I hope you can take good care of her for me."
As we get closer to Beijing, so does the trial.
Hong Chengchou knew that he could not escape this disaster, so he turned to look at his brothers, full of begging.
"The Hong family, I leave everything to you."
Hong Chengzhen's eyes couldn't help but become moist. No matter what, he was a biological brother after all, an elder brother who was like his father.
He choked.
She quickly turned her head away, not wanting him to see her like this.
"You can go with peace of mind. I will definitely ask the saint to let my mother take care of me. I can't keep your wife, children and grandchildren, but if they go to the border, at least they will be safe. Even if the saint confiscates you then,
I will also pack up all the family property for them, and send people to take care of and help them when they get to the border..."
"Thanks!"
Hong Chengjun did not respond.
"Actually, when you came to Beijing to scold me and persuade me to rebel against the Qing Dynasty, I didn't listen to you because I had no choice but to leave. Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn't leave at that time.
However, I did not send anyone to hunt you down. I only found out about it later. It was not me who did it, but Dorgon sent people to do it. I have not explained this matter for many years, but I knew it was explained at that time.
You won't believe it either.
Now I am about to die. Before I die, I want to explain something to you.
Although you no longer recognize me as your brother, I have always regarded you as a brother. We are brothers from the same mother, and this will never change."
After saying that, Hong Chengchou turned around and returned to the cabin.
The brother's words came from behind, "I believe in you."
"The Hong family depends on you. My current fate, Hong Jiuheng, is also a fate."