Haisheng Mingdi

Chapter 329 The Dock
Tongzhou, the prefecture of Yangzhou.

It has the advantages of fish salt and the convenience of shipping.

The Ming army had a navy stationed at Langshan in the south of Tongzhou, and an army was also stationed in Tongzhou city, forming a horned situation.

In this early winter, the city's port terminal, which has been renamed Nantong, is busy and lively.

Zhao Fu handed Zhao Gui a freshly baked sweet potato, "Sweet potato, it's all powder."

Zhao Gui took it and patted it left and right to remove the ashes, and then started to eat.They are all hungry people who escaped the famine. Although they have become officials of the imperial camp grain platform, Zhao Fu has four taels of silver a month, and Zhao Gui has six taels a month, including food and lodging. People seem to have the aftereffects of fleeing famine. They always have to store some food on their bodies, and they can't even keep their mouths idle when they have a chance.

After a busy day, eating a baked sweet potato is indeed very satisfying.

"I don't know where their mothers have gone." Zhao Gui said while eating.

"Yeah, I don't know if the third girl in my family married an imperial soldier."

After the first battle in Shijiazhuang, the two of them were completely separated from their families.They became the food servants of the book office of the imperial camp grain platform, and their wives and children were incorporated into the private camp going south.

They followed the imperial camp all the way north, while their wives and children were moved south in batches.

Fortunately, they are going south as family members of the imperial camp, so there is no need to worry about eating and drinking along the way.

The Northern Expedition of the imperial camp swept Shandong, and moved a large number of craftsmen and scholars to the south, followed by the young girls who were selected for the imperial camp, and then the families of those craftsmen, scholars, and girls.

It is also impossible for the imperial camp to move everyone away. Migrating so many people needs to provide food along the way, so they can only move in batches, starting with the craftsmen who are most needed in the south, then the literate scholars, and then the young girls , and then their families.

Finally there are those young men who wait.

The earliest to go is the safest.

Today's Shandong is completely smashed, and the Qing army has taken the last bit of food from the people. If the people can't escape, they will just freeze and starve to death in this cold winter.

Zhao Fu was lucky that they met the Jinwu cavalry in Luqiao Town, and he was also lucky that he and Zhao Gui helped capture the prisoners, etc., and finally entered the imperial camp grain platform. the boat ticket.

After withdrawing from the southeast of Shandong, Zhao Gui and the others retreated all the way to Nantong.

The Ming army has been evacuating people to the south in the past few months. Some evacuated from Miaowan Port at the mouth of the Yellow River, some went straight to Yangzhou, and some did not transport Yanhe to Tongzhou and Jingjiang.

Every port is full of people going south.

The boats are limited, so you can only wait in line to get on the boat.

In addition to evacuating these people, a large amount of supplies must also be evacuated. The work of the grain station is very heavy, and people have been sent to each port. work.

But now, after all, they are staying in Nantong. This is already the base camp of the Ming army. With Langshan and Chongming as its back, the Qing army dare not approach at all.

Even the Ming army supported the seven township regiments formed by the righteous gentry Ming Wanli and Su Ruzhe in Nantong here, and even the salt farms and kitchen households here all trained militiamen and Baoding according to Baojia.

Zhao Gui and the others at least sleep in a house in the city every day, which is very warm and safe, and even the food is not bad, with fish to eat every day.

Zhao Gui has grown up a lot, and Zhao Fu even has a little belly.

"I have already greeted Mr. Zhao several times. He said that he has asked someone to inquire about it. He said that he is too busy recently, and he may not have settled down yet. When he is settled down, he will definitely reply." Zhao Fu sighed, He is very satisfied with his life now.

It was almost lying down at first, but now it is doing well, four taels of silver a month, even if you only get half of it first, you still have two taels of money, not to mention that the half is not not paid, but in various places. Issued during the New Year's Eve.

But now that his wife and children are going south, he doesn't have to worry about eating and drinking alone in the military camp.

Just now Liangtai sent them winter clothes, cotton jackets, cotton shoes and even a sheepskin vest, as well as bed blankets and cotton hats, which are very good.

Except that I haven't been able to contact my family now, everything else is fine.

Zhao Gui also misses his wife and children very much. His children are still young. It is not easy for his wife and children to take care of several children on the way south.But compared to those hungry people who are still in the north, they are happy.

At least I no longer suffer from hunger and cold, and I have more hope.

"They probably went to Xiangshan or Yuhuan Island," said Zhao Gui, who was always inquiring about the whereabouts of his wife and children whenever he was free. Now he probably knew that they had already crossed the Yangtze River, and it was basically unlikely to go to Chongming or Zhoushan.

"When do you think we will go south?" Zhao Fu asked.

"We estimate that we will have to stay in Nantong this year. There are still so many materials and craftsmen's families to evacuate here. Besides, the salt in Nantong is also an important material. The salt from the kitchen households will be handed over to us. Someone has to be responsible for taking salt from us."

"Now the Salt Transport Envoy can't handle it. Our Liangtai must help. Besides, most of the money from the salt tax has gone to our imperial camp's Liangtai." Because Zhao Gui was a child, and because of him I also worked in a small selling business before, and I am young and willing to eat and quick-witted, so I have performed very well during this period of time in Liangtai, and I am already a foreign official.

Ming's ex-officials are also called non-introduced officials. They are divided into upper, middle and lower classes, namely instructors, chief officials and miscellaneous officials.

Instructors are mainly Confucianism teachers, such as teaching, teaching, and learning, while chief officials generally refer to classics and history.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the status of miscellaneous officials was lowered, and they were confused with officials, and they became from never to no-flow.

However, Lu Jianguo had previously redefined some official systems, such as first-rank bachelors, governors and governors who were changed to local officials, sub-inspectors who became Taoist-level local officials, and so on.

Even the low-ranking officials and officials have also made an adjustment.

In general, officials and officials other than the ninth rank are directly listed as the ninth rank outsider. The instructors, prefectural and county officials, and some upper officials are all included in this nine rank outsider system, and there is a set of corresponding selection and promotion evaluation rules. , clarified the salaries and benefits of these exile officials.

It can be regarded as formally incorporating them into the system and improving their status.

Zhao Gui is now an exile from the ninth rank, the lowest exile official, or called Limu, but he has entered the formal system after all, so the treatment is not bad. The official monthly salary in January is only six taels of silver, and there are some Other income, not to mention, entering the ninth rank of outflow also means that they can be evaluated and promoted like officials.

If you do well, you will be born outside the stream, and you will have the same chance to be promoted into the stream after you reach the first rank of the stream.

Just like the history of the county canon, there is also a chance to be promoted to the master book or even the county magistrate.

But Zhao Gui didn't think about it for the time being, he is very grateful to His Highness Jian Guo now, so he is willing to work hard to repay this kindness of life.

"I heard that Jian Guo is in Yangzhou, and he is going to cross the river to fight Nanjing. If this battle is successful, Nanjing will be recovered, and the situation will be reversed. Jian Guo may proclaim himself emperor in Nanjing. At that time, not to mention restoring Beijing immediately, at least he can sail across the river. Zhi, stabilize Jiangnan first."

Zhao Fu was very excited when he said that, the people suffered the most in this war, and he very much hoped that the North and the South could be divided.

"I heard that Emperor Hongguang had been sent to Nanjing by the Qing people. The Tartar regent in Beijing offered to negotiate a peace, but Jian Guo refused."

Zhao Gui snorted coldly, "I didn't agree, so why did I agree? Tartars have no good intentions, and sending Hong Guang back at this time, isn't this a bad idea? Besides, our Highness played triumphant songs all the way during the Northern Expedition. , the momentum is strong, we are in the upper hand, why should we agree to negotiate a peace."

Zhao Fu said, "I think it's good to accept it. The strength of the Tartars is there. If you really fight hard, you won't be able to beat them. It's better to row the river first, so that the people can recuperate. If you continue to fight like this, People are going to die."

"I believe that Jian Guo is not willing to fight, nor does he want the people to suffer, but the Tartars invaded the Central Plains and occupied Beijing. Do we still have to call them brothers, or even call them ministers and pay tribute?"

"But I'm afraid that if we can't fight, the situation is good now, and the Tartars are forced to sue for peace. We didn't agree. If we lose, we will lose this chance."

They are all starving people destroyed by the war, and now they are all saved by the grace of the prison, and their family members have all gone to eastern Zhejiang. They also hope that Daming will win, but they are worried.

"I think the Tartars are nothing more than silvery wax spearheads. This time we have swept half of Shandong. Jian Guo has [-] Jinwu cavalry under Yanzhou City for nearly a month. Do you think the [-] Tartars in the city dare to go out of the city to fight? ?The governor of Shandong gathered more than half of Shandong’s soldiers and horses, but he only dared to hide in the city of Jinan. We don’t need to be too afraid of the Tartars, they are just like that.”

At the beginning, the Ming army was repeatedly defeated by the Tartars outside the pass. After fighting for more than 20 years, they gradually lost all outside the pass. Then they broke into Beijing. Thought the Qing army was invincible.

But now, Zhao Gui firmly believed that the Tartars were nothing more than that.

They had 3 horses, known as the elite, but they didn't get half a cent of the money under the supervision of the country. Tens of thousands of horses were lost, and a prince died. In the end, the general led two princes, holding 2 horses, but only dared to hide in the city. not out.

"Jian Guo is going to fight Nanjing, I think it will win!" Zhao Gui clenched his fists and said.

"I hope, I can't lose." Zhao Fu worried.

Today's life is hard-won, and finally stable, he doesn't want to lose it again.

At this time, the outside of Nantong City was crowded with people, those who were able to move to the imperial camp, and some refugees who followed them. They all thought of going south to the south of the Yangtze River, fleeing to Zhejiang, Fujian, or even Guangdong and Guangxi, to stay away from the flames of war.

The shacks of refugees were everywhere, and the refugees were shivering in the cold wind. Fortunately, the grain table had been giving porridge for relief, which saved their lives.

However, the number of refugees who boarded the ship every day was far less than the newly arrived refugees, and more and more refugees gathered. Zhao Gui couldn't imagine that if the Jianguo attacked Nanjing and was defeated, what kind of purgatory and apocalypse would become here!

If the Tartars win at that time and seize Jiangbei again, how can they let them go?
(End of this chapter)