Chapter 140 One wave is not settled, another wave rises
Thinking that Yang Sichang was about to die and Changde Mansion was so damaged that it was difficult to recover, Shen Shuren couldn't help but sigh and ordered Gu Yanwu:
"The massacre here in Changde is so brutal, and the work of rehabilitating the people in the aftermath will definitely not be easy. You are not good at handling it. Please help me fix a letter and send it to Changsha, so that Fang Futai can allocate his manpower and energy to take over the situation in Changde.
Let’s do business.”
"Don't worry, Dong Weng, the students will take care of this little thing." Gu Yanwu accepted the order, went to repair the book, and had it sent out on the same day.
Chen Shuren felt that there was nothing he could do if he continued to stay in Changde Mansion, so he decided to head north again.
So before Gu Yanwu's letter was sent, he ordered the messenger to send the reply directly to Baling in Yuezhou Prefecture instead of returning to Changde.
After giving the instructions, Chen Shuren took the main force of his direct line and set off again early the next morning. They spent two days marching across Dongting Lake and first came to Baling at the mouth of the lake, where they rested for another two days.
Because Shen Shuren will definitely have to pass through Baling when he returns to Wuchang, and if Fang Kongzhen wants to return to Jiangling, he will also pass through here. This is a transportation hub, and neither party will take the wrong path while waiting for news here.
However, Chen Shuren arrived in Baling and rested here for a day, but he did not receive a reply from Fang Kongzhen. Instead, there were a lot of sudden new changes that caught him off guard.
As mentioned before, Shen Shuren initially drove away the rebels and restored order in Changde a few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival. Therefore, it was already August 14th when he arrived in Baling.
As a result, the next day, the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Shen Shuren originally thought that the festival was rare. He was in the military and wandering away, so he wanted to go to the Yueyang Tower in Chenglingji to see the moon again and appreciate the moon.
But early in the morning, what was waiting for them was a group of prison cars coming from Linxiang County in the south, and also came with the prison cars, the messenger sent by Gu Yanwu to deliver the message.
The messenger moved faster than the prison convoy and rushed into the city to notify Gu Yanwu. After Gu Yanwu learned about it, he quickly found Shen Shuren:
"Dong Weng, stop touring the mountains and rivers. Your Majesty issued an order to interrogate Zhang Xianzhong's culpability as the local governor of Huguang. Fang Futai was taken away in a prison car from the capital and held accountable!
The decree arrived in Changsha five days ago, and then escorted Fang Fu to Taipei, and happened to pass through Baling today! When we were in Changde, we were so clueless that we neglected to inquire about it, and we didn't know about it in advance!"
Chen Shuren was quite surprised when he heard this, but he quickly calmed down and quickly gave up going to Yueyang Tower for sightseeing and went straight back to the city.
The person who escorted Fang Kongzhen was from the Jin Yiwei. Calculating the days, it was actually not surprising - Zhang Xianzhong once again disrupted southern Huguang, and it was only in mid-June that it became completely out of control. The first vassal king was killed, which was basically the time
.
However, perhaps when Changde was lost, Chongzhen could still turn a blind eye and not severely punish the governor directly. But when even Changsha was lost and two vassal kings died in succession, the matter must be dealt with.
It has only been forty days since the fall of Changsha. It took the capital city ten days to receive the information and understand the situation, and another ten days to discuss accountability. It took more than half a month to send people south to deliver the order and lock it. Now it has just left Changsha.
After returning to Baling, it was normal to count the days.
The return journey will only be slower than the journey here, because the prisoners certainly cannot travel hundreds of miles a day like the cavalry. It would be great if the prison car can travel more than a hundred miles a day.
In addition, the roads in the Central Plains are not stable, so we may have to go east around the Grand Canal. Fang Kongzhen is locked up this time, and it is estimated that he can reach Beijing in early September, which will be very good.
In fact, in history, Fang Kongzhen was accused by Chongzhen because of his unfavorable battle with Zhang Xianzhong, inability to defend the territory, and continuous loss of territory. Later, it was only because of his son Fang Yizhi that he found a way to redress his grievances, so he was dismissed from office instead of being exiled or imprisoned. In the end, Chongzhen was 10
At the end of the sixth year, there was corruption everywhere, and there was a serious shortage of governors, so I wanted to use him again.
Therefore, Chen Shuren was not too surprised to go through the motions of questioning. So many vassal kings in Huguang died, so it was inevitable to suffer some temporary hardships.
Who said Chen Shuren couldn't kill Zhang Xianzhong instantly? Every fallen city would take months of fierce fighting before it could be recovered.
And if it was collected so slowly, Chongzhen would definitely have to question the governor if he didn't rub the sand in his eyes.
After being mentally prepared, Shen Shuren immediately handed over the post and asked the escorting Jin Yiwei to give him face so that he could reminisce with Fang Kongzheng.
Fang Kongzhen's treatment when he was escorted was not bad. Even though he was in the prison car, his clothes were still clean and he didn't need to wear shackles. He just sat upright in the prison car.
There was also a torn cotton mat inside. Although the cotton was torn, it didn't look dirty. It should have been cleaned every few days.
The Jin Yiwei who was in custody did not dare to offend him too much. He seemed to know that he was only sent to the capital for questioning and might just be dismissed from his post, so he did not want to enmity.
When Chen Shuren came to clear the joints, the Jin Yiwei Qianhu who was responsible for escorting him became even more humble. They also knew that Shen Shuren had just made a great contribution and cleared up the mess.
The thousand households said respectfully: "Shen Futai can do whatever he wants, as long as he doesn't delay it. He has a humble position and has to do so because of the emperor's orders.
When I left the capital on July 20th, the capital didn't know that Changsha had been recovered, let alone that Zhang Xianzhong's main force had been annihilated in Hengzhou and that Hengzhou had also been recovered. Therefore, the officials and censors in the court were all watching and had to take action first.
The next governor cleared the blame.
I heard that when Shen Futai regained Hengzhou, he also captured the criminal generals who surrendered without a fight? After these criminals were sent to the capital, the fall of Huguang must have another conclusion. Please don't worry Shen Futai. You will definitely have another promotion.
Already."
Shen Shuren didn't expect these people to be so generous. Maybe in the autumn of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, the imperial court had to be more polite to the governor who had a heavy army.
In this case, Shen Shuren did not reach out to hit the smiling man, but directly greeted the butler Shen Fu beside him, took out a few calligraphy and painting antiques that were robbed by Zhang Xianzhong from Prince Ji's Mansion, and were confiscated by him, and gave them to the Jinyi Qianhu and
Other main escort officers.
These people who came out of the capital, even military attachés, were quite knowledgeable and would be very happy to get the calligraphy and paintings. They knew that they would be able to turn them into gold and silver easily when they returned to the capital, so they accepted the offer with great gratitude.
If you were a country bumpkin from out of town, who would collect calligraphy and paintings in such a time of war and chaos? If you did, there would be no way to sell them.
After taking advantage of Shen Shuren, they also drove away Fang Kongzheng's prison car and allowed Shen Shuren to treat him to a drink to calm his shock.
Fang Kongzheng curled up and sat in the prison car for several days. He had no other problems, except that his knees could not straighten and his legs and feet were a little numb. When he saw Chen Shuren, he also smiled bitterly:
"I didn't expect to see my nephew in such a state again. Even if I can get away with it in the end, I'm afraid I'll have to suffer for a few months. I'm not afraid of this little hardship, but I'm afraid that my family will worry. My nephew
You can send a letter to my family, urging them to come to Wuchang as soon as possible.
Now our family relies on Zhi'er as the magistrate in Wuchang, and all the young and old need his protection and care. My nephew, the shogunate, is also in Wuchang, and he has been helping to take care of me in the past few months. I won't say anything about it when I see others."
Chen Shuren poured him a cup of blood-activating medicinal wine and said generously: "Uncle Shi, don't worry, everyone in the world knows that the loss of southern Hunan is the fault of Xianmin Yin. Once these soft bones are eaten, Uncle Shi will naturally
It will be released.
In fact, when my nephew left Hengzhou and headed north ten days ago, Yin Xianmin He Yide had already been escorted into a prison car and escorted to the capital by troops sent by my nephew. When they passed through Changsha, they were probably two or three days earlier than you set off.
The people in the capital just don't know the news yet.
When Uncle Shi arrives in the capital, Xianmin Yin may have already arrived for trial, so he won't suffer for long. It would be great if the truth comes out. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and my nephew has also passed by Chen Qianhu. You can continue your journey tomorrow morning.
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, let the prison car go and let Uncle Shi sleep in the post house for a good night and drink some wine to rejuvenate his blood. Even if he wants to go to Yueyang Tower to admire the moon and relieve his depression, it is not impossible. My nephew has already saved a few hundred taels of silver to get out of the relationship.
.”
Fang Kongzheng felt more relieved after hearing Shen Shuren's explanation clearly. Under an emperor like Chongzhen, accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger. Who has experienced ups and downs? A few months in jail is not unbearable.
.
He drank the medicinal wine in one gulp, and soon he felt warm. The joints that had been hunched over in recent days also began to activate blood circulation and remove blood stasis.
He rubbed his knees and elbows, stood up and moved his hands and feet. He raised his head and sighed for a while. He wanted to say a few more words to ask for care, especially to mention family matters.
But when I thought that I had been convicted, it seemed too unambitious to further develop a friendship with Shen Shuren, and my daughter might not be able to hold her head high for the rest of her life and be looked down upon by others, so she endured it.
He also knew in his heart that he had been convicted, and he had to rely on his friends to escape the crime. If he proposed a marriage with the Shen family at this time, it would cause the Shen family to be suspected of "a secret alliance between feudal officials."
The family wanted to avoid suspicion and couldn't help him.
So he was smart enough to keep quiet and let things take their own course. After he was acquitted, we could make long-term plans.
…
With Chen Shuren protecting him, Fang Kongzheng took a boat along the Yangtze River for the next few days, but he did not suffer any hardship.
In the early morning of August 16th, everyone set out again. After two days of traveling down the river, after nightfall on the 17th, they had arrived at Wuchang Mansion, five hundred miles away.
Chen Qianhu, who was in custody, benefited from Shen Shuren, so he naturally agreed to stay in Wuchang for another day and give Fang Kongzhen one day to explain some matters to his son Fang Yizhi.
In fact, the Fang family had already received the news of Fang Kongzhen's accident. His wife Wu Lingyi, daughter Fang Ziling, and other concubines and concubines all came over.
On the one hand, they wanted to meet the head of the family before being sent to Beijing, and on the other hand, they would have to rely on Fang Yizhi for shelter in the future, so the whole family would definitely have to move to Wuchang.
When they saw Fang Kongzheng wearing a white cotton prison uniform, and a group of women with long hair and short knowledge, most of them burst into tears. Only a few who had read a lot and knew the severity could barely control their emotions.
Fang Yizhi, the prefect of Wuchang, of course had to go out of the city for more than ten miles and go to the pier to greet him in person. This was filial piety. If he didn't greet him, he would definitely be impeached.
In feudal society, no matter whether the father has committed a crime or not, even if he is already a sinner, the son must still respect him. Even if Fang Yizhi chooses to temporarily abandon his official position and go to redress his father's grievances, he can win the approval of public opinion.
Seeing his mother, aunt, sister and father hugging each other and crying, Fang Yizhi could only thank Shen Shuren relatively calmly and discuss countermeasures together without leaving a trace:
"Brother Shen, I have relied on you a lot in this matter. If you hadn't so quickly inflicted heavy losses on Zhang Xianzhong, regained several mansions in the south, and destroyed his main force, I'm afraid this incident would have been even bigger. We can't thank you enough now.
If I have a close personal relationship with you and tell you the truth, I'd better repay you in the future. I won't thank you for your kindness."
His mother Wu Lingyi was concerned but confused. Seeing her son talking so politely to his friend and boss of the same year, she hurriedly came over to kneel down to Shen Shuren. She just wanted to say a few words, "As long as nephew Shen Xian saves my master."
, Our Fang family will definitely pay back at all costs." He even almost said that he wanted to give his daughter to Chen Shuren for marriage or even as a concubine.
Fortunately, Fang Ziling was still calm, and quickly grabbed her mother from behind, blocking her words: "Mom! Don't make mistakes. My father and eldest brother are both well versed in the court's laws, and their actions are naturally justified. If we are with you now,
Brother Shen is trying to gain friendship, which is harming others and himself!"
Wu Lingyi was awakened by a ladle of cold water poured on her head by her daughter. Then she realized that she had lost her mind and quickly shut up. A group of concubines nearby, seeing his wife being persuaded by the second lady, naturally did not dare to make a mistake.
"Just spend the day reminiscing about the past and being filial. We will set off tomorrow. Don't worry, nothing will happen." Shen Shuren also comforted the Fang family girl and gave Fang Ziling a thumbs up.
From the look in his eyes, he could tell that the other person still had discernment and general knowledge.
After comforting the Fang family, a group of women went to rest without mentioning anything.
Fang Yizhi took out a roll of official documents, shook his head and sighed and confessed to Shen Shuren: "Brother Shen, you are in Changsha, Changde, and the war situation in the north has changed again. Yangge Lao Zuo Liangyu's side was taken over by Li Zicheng...
...Oh, it’s hard to put it into words.
I heard you just said that all the people named Yang in Changde Mansion were slaughtered by Zhang Xianzhong? If this news reaches Mr. Ge's ears, I am afraid that Mr. Ge will not survive more than a month or two."
Chen Shuren heard that he was also one of the top two. He has been traveling around recently and has no fixed residence. The military information and reports sent from the north are indeed easy to miss, so the information is not well-informed and delayed for ten or eight days.
All are normal.
Chen Shuren said uneasily: "What big thing could happen on the battlefield in Henan? Kaifeng City shouldn't be captured so quickly, right? Before I went south, I had calculated it with Ge Lao. Li Zicheng didn't have such a strong ability to attack for the time being.
That’s right.”
What Chen Shuren is most afraid of is that Kaifeng City will be captured, because he originally agreed with Yang Sichang to move from the south to the north, and not to transfer the main force for the time being. It will take several months. This is because he is sure that Kaifeng is not that easy to break, and it can be done.
Use the fortified city to consume Li Zicheng's energy.
If Chen Shuren's calculations had huge flaws and could even be attributed as the main reason for the fall of Kaifeng, it would be very detrimental to him.
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If it wasn't because of this, but because of something else, then everything would be okay, since Shen Shuren wouldn't have to take the blame.
Fortunately, Fang Yizhi's next words made Shen Shuren relax: "It's not that there is a problem with Kaifeng City, it's that Li Zicheng changed his tactics, so that even Yang Gelao, Zuo Liangyu, and Sun Chuanting couldn't fully follow them.
You followed the strategy suggested before, so you had other failures."
When Shen Shuren heard this, he was still a little nervous, but at least he wasn't so nervous anymore.
It was already the autumn of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen's reign. Will the Ming Dynasty lose more battles on all fronts?
But as long as he himself will not be convicted and there will be no problems in his own basic territory, others can only solve problems when they encounter them, and take advantage of them.
"That's all, let's talk about it in detail when we get home. It's true that the trees are trying to be quiet but the wind is not stopping."