Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 323 Debt Collection Brothers

"Let them go?"

On the 24th of the winter lunar month, the tenth day after the Ming army entered Annan, when Fu Rang had just received Mu Chun's handwritten letter, he couldn't help but look to the south of him.

To his south, the Jingbei City was rising in flames, its walls were in ruins, and its gates were blown open.

Not far away, tens of thousands of civilians were covering the lower half of their faces with coarse cloths and throwing the corpses of Vietnamese soldiers into the Beijiang River.

Obviously, Muchun's messenger arrived late.

"The Duke said that if the North of Beijing has been defeated, then there is no need to abide by it."

Baihuguan also complained endlessly. He had already rushed over, but he didn't expect that the Eastern Route Army's offensive was so fast that even the northern part of Beijing was defeated.

"Old Fu!"

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves and shouts sounded, and Lin Su, who was familiar to him, got off his horse.

Lin Su, who didn't know what was going on here, trotted over and bowed to Fu Rang: "The Vietnamese troops in Duobang City have withdrawn, and the Jinyiwei and Xichang brothers from Shenglong City also sent people to deliver a message saying that it was Hu Hancang has already withdrawn to Xinghua with a thousand guards from Shenglong and five thousand people from Duobang City."

"Escaped to Xinghua?" Fu Rang frowned, and then said to the Baihu officer of the West Route Army:

"You have a night's rest and bring this news to Duke Qian tomorrow morning and ask him to lead his army to join me in Sheng Long City."

Fu Rang changed the original meeting place from Duobang City to Shenglong City, which caught Baihuguan a little off guard, but he still bowed and responded after reacting: "Yes!"

Baihuguan was taken away by someone sent by Zhang Fu. Fu Rang also took the message from Lin Su, read it clearly at a glance and then closed it.

"We have to hurry up. If those powerful soldiers know that Hu Hancang has abandoned the defense of Shenglong, I am afraid they will enter Shenglong before us."

"You lead two thousand cavalry to take over Shenglong." Fu Rang heard this without thinking, and at the same time said to Zhang Fu beside him:

"Leave 4,000 people to garrison North Beijing and Dobang respectively. We will lead the remaining 8,000 people to attack Thang Long City!"

"General, take your orders." Zhang Fu bowed in return. Lin Su also took the opportunity to take the troop dispatch card and dispatched two thousand cavalry from the Eastern Route Army to go straight to Shenglong City.

After Lin Su went south, Zhang Fu also began to gather troops and horses to station and take over the counties north of Beijing. At the same time, he and Fu Rang led their troops south.

Thirty miles is not a long distance, and the only thing that holds them back is crossing the Red River.

Therefore, the Eastern Route Army delayed crossing the river for a full day before bringing all more than 8,000 people across the Red River and arrived at Thang Long City, which was taken over by Lin Su.

Shenglong was founded in the early Tang Dynasty as Songping County under the jurisdiction of the Jiaozhou General Administration of the Tang Dynasty. It was the political, economic and cultural center of northern Jiaozhou at that time.

After independence from the Tang Dynasty at the end of the Tang Dynasty, three dynasties successively established this place as their capital, and it now has a history of nearly 800 years.

As the former capital of Dai Viet, Thang Long City is not as prosperous as Nanjing City, but it is second to none in the Indochina Peninsula.

Therefore, when Fu Rang and Zhang Fu arrived outside Shenglong City, what they saw in front of them was a city with a circumference of several kilometers and an exotic feel.

Because it was born out of the Central Plains, many of the design concepts of Thang Long City coincide with those of the Central Plains. The entire city is divided into multiple parts such as the Forbidden City, the Imperial City, the Capital City, the Inner City, and the Outer City, which are no different from those in the Central Plains.

"The army is entering the city."

Fu Rang gave an explanation and waited for the Ming army to take the lead in entering the city and completely take over Shenglong City.

After confirming that it was safe, Fu Rang and Zhang Fu entered Shenglong City under the protection of many soldiers.

The flat rice fields outside Thang Long City are densely covered, and there is still rice even in the winter months.

After entering Thang Long City, its outer city is not as wide as Nanjing City, but a living area composed of houses and streets.

Along the imperial road made of bricks and stones to the capital, Fu Rang and others could see trading houses such as Leather Store, Copper Store, Cotton Store, Sugar Store, Hemp Store, Peach Store, and Sail Store.

Although the war broke out, after the Ming army took over Thang Long City, these merchants dared to open their doors for business.

Fu Rang entered the inner city without staying too long, and went straight to the imperial city.

It must be said that although Annan is located in the Indochina Peninsula, the kings who lived here enjoyed it very much.

Within the imperial city, the gardens and gardens are beautiful, with magnificent pavilions and towers, and towering pagodas and temples can be seen from time to time.

They met Lin Su, who had been waiting for a long time, on the royal road inside the imperial city. A group of soldiers stood beside Lin Su, holding many documents in his hands.

Seeing this, Fu Rang rode forward, then dismounted, stepped forward and asked, "How is it?"

"Hu Hancang left in a hurry and didn't take many things with him, including many of Annan's "National Registers"."

Lin Su explained, and took out a book and handed it to Fu Rang and Zhang Fu for them to read.

"There are 170,000 people resident in Shenglong City, but many dignitaries and their families have fled to Xinghua with Hu Jiyou. How many people are left will not be known until the subordinate officials in Qinzhou take over Annan. "

"However, according to Annan's "National Register", Annan has at least 600,000 households, 3 million people, more than 14.6 million acres of cultivated land, and 32,000 cattle..."

Lin Su reported everything, but Fu Rang only noticed the population and cultivated land.

After hearing this, he sighed: "I read the history books before. In the Tang Dynasty, Annan had only a few hundred thousand people and more than a million acres. Now, more than 400 years later, it has developed like this. It is really shocking."

Fu Rang was indeed shocked, but he was surprised that Annan was so wealthy.

You must know that the total cultivated land in Guangdong and Guangxi is only more than 17 million acres, and the total can exceed Annan.

I am afraid that only sixty-seven out of ten people will survive this Annan war. If they cannot immigrate to settle the land in time, it will be inevitable to abandon large areas of land.

Fu Rang took a clear look at the North Vietnam Plain on his way south. As long as there are people, tens of millions of acres of farmland can be reclaimed here. The conditions are much better than those in Guangdong and Guangxi.

After seeing this, he understood what Zhu Gaoxu was thinking.

If local issues in Annan are not dealt with quickly, then even if immigrants immigrate to the border to enrich Annan, they will soon be assimilated by Annan.

On the contrary, if the Annan local problem is solved, the 300,000 coastal men can completely achieve the assimilation effect of 600,000, because the women will all follow their husbands' families.

Thinking of this, Fu Rang began to consider whether to attack Shenglong.

After just thinking about it, he gave up the idea, because Shenglong City was a benchmark. If Shenglong City suffered from war, then other places would follow Jian Ding and others out of fear and rise up.

"Is there any news from the east?"

Fu Rang asked Lin Su. Lin Su nodded when he saw this and said, "There are news coming from the east and south."

"Jian Ding and others in the east have recruited bandit armies from many prefectures and counties. Now they have occupied twenty-four counties and have more than 10,000 troops."

"There is good news in the south. Yang Zhan captured Jianxing and went all the way north to recover a large number of prefectures and counties. Zheng He also led his troops all the way south to prepare to recover the Fifth South Road."

"A rough calculation shows that out of the 168 counties in Annan Prefecture, at least 69 are in our hands. There are still many cities left in our plan. We estimate that we can capture them within half a month."

After Lin Su finished speaking, Zhang Fu on the side also said after reading the booklet:

"Hu Jiya ran to Xinghua in the west and firmly controlled twelve counties, while the remaining twenty-four counties were in the hands of Jian Ding."

"It looks like we will have one hundred and thirty-two cities in our hands in half a month."

After Zhang Fucai finished speaking, Fu Rang shook his head and said: "Having more cities does not necessarily mean we are strong. Don't forget that we are outsiders."

"Besides, Jian Ding and Hu Jiya will not stand still. I estimate that we will have at most 120 counties in our hands in the end."

Fu Rang's words reminded the two of them that they were always outsiders, and the cost of managing Annan would be much higher than the local forces in Annan.

These counties will greatly restrict their energy. For example, as they move southward, their troops will become smaller and smaller as they advance further.

So far, only 10,000 of the 30,000-strong army have successfully reached Thang Long City, and the remaining 20,000 have been tied up in local governance north of the Red River.

Because of this, Fu Rang did not rush to attack Hu Jiya in Xinghua. After all, he did not know whether Jian Ding's group of people would attack the weak points of the Ming army after he led his troops out of Shenglong to attack Hu Jiya.

Only when they join forces with Yang Zhan and Muchun can they make the final decision against the local forces such as Jian Ding and Hu Jiya.

Thinking of this, Fu Rang also began to focus on stabilizing the rear, and he also briefly sent news about Annan's situation to the capital through flying pigeons.

When the news reached the capital, it was already the 30th day of the winter lunar month.

"We defeated Shenglong in ten days. Although Fu Rang's ability is not as good as Ying Guogong's, he is enough to guard one side, but Muchun is still experienced."

In the cold winter, when the cold wind blows through the streets, basket after basket of coal is added to the fire tunnel in Wuying Hall.

Zhu Di took the contents of the note copied by the eunuchs on the memorial. Sitting in front of him were Yu Xin, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and Zhu Gaoxu, who had returned to the outer court for more than half a month.

"The situation in Annan is indeed complicated. Jian Ding and other local powerful people supporting the descendants of the Chen family are a bit beyond my expectation."

Facing Zhu Di's words, Zhu Gaoxu also made some comments, but was a little surprised in his heart.

Jian Ding remembered the uprising of this group of local powerful people, but he remembered that this group of people decided to rebel only after the main force of the Ming army retreated and decided not to support the Chen family.

Now it seems that maybe the policy I asked Muchun and others to implement made them smell something different, so they came forward in advance.

But it doesn’t matter. In the face of hard power, all powerful and wealthy people are just paper tigers.

"The migration to Annan can be put on the schedule, but the first thing to do is to mobilize the subordinate officials waiting in Qinzhou."

Zhu Di put down the memorial and spoke based on his own thoughts: "Many places in northern Vietnam have been wiped out due to the war. Only by quickly relocating people to settle there can the land not be abandoned."

As he spoke, he turned his attention to Zhu Gaoxu. Zhu Gaoxu responded: "The horse ships heading to the West have begun to transport people. Three thousand tax officials have been conducting inspections in Fujian for more than half a year. There are enough people involved. There are thirty thousand.”

"These 30,000 people can be directly assigned to the Annan Army and set up as 30 thousand-household stations to enrich the towns of Haiyang and Taiyuan."

"In addition, publicity to the people in Fujian and Guangdong provinces has been in progress for a long time. I believe that as soon as the court opens its mouth, a large number of people will take the initiative to migrate to Annan."

Zhu Gaoxu was talking about the various backup plans he had been preparing since the beginning of the year, and at the same time his eyes were on the face of Yu Xin, who was sitting opposite him.

"To accomplish these things, money and food are still indispensable."

"The gold, silver and copper coins seized in Annan are worth no less than 500,000 guan, and the grain is 860,000 dan, which is enough for more than half a year."

"However, the war may not subside after more than half a year, and taxes may not be fully collected, so I am afraid that food will have to be transported from Guangdong to Annan to maintain the army to counter the rebellion."

Yu Xin only listened to half of it before he knew what His Highness wanted to say, so he bowed and said:

"The taxes on the military villages and civilian fields in Guangdong have been paid, which can be used by the court to mobilize 750,000 shi."

"Seven hundred and fifty thousand stones..." Zhu Gaoxu calculated a little, and then nodded: "That's enough."

"Okay." Zhu Di stood up and walked over. Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu and Yu Xin also stood up one after another.

Zhu Di walked to Long An, holding Long An with one hand and supporting his waist with the other.

"Annan's matter is to be suppressed slowly. Hu Jiya of Xinghua doesn't need to worry about him for the time being. What he needs to do now is to find out the Chen Dynasty clan and deal with it. In addition, he will expose the identity of Chen Jiquan who is supported by Jian Ding and his group. .”

"Zheng He also sent me a letter. The people in Annan are not very welcoming to the army."

"This is true in the south, not to mention the north."

"I know that the Ministry of Revenue is rich, so I am planning to set up 22 health centers in Annan."

Maybe it was because he had enough money, or maybe he learned more Annan intelligence through integration. In short, Zhu Di's hand this time was far greater than in history. If Zhu Gaoxu remembered correctly, Zhu Di only set up 11 guards in history, and the number of soldiers he could draw was no more than 20,000.

Because of this, once Jiaozhi loses its famous generals to guard it, it will be impossible to encircle and suppress the rebels alone.

Today's Ming Dynasty has given birth to and retained many famous generals, but no matter how many famous generals there are, it is not enough without enough soldiers and horses.

If there are really twenty-two guards in Cochin, then the Cochin Dusi will indeed have a lot more troops.

"Father is wise." After thinking about it, Zhu Gaoxu expressed his support.

Seeing this, Yu Xin couldn't resist the Tian family father and son, so he could only salute in return: "May I ask Your Majesty, how should the farmland and salary of these twenty-two guards be distributed?"

"Each garrison farmed fifty acres of the garrison, half of the income was kept for himself, half was handed over to the guard's reserve warehouse, and twelve shi of military pay was given as salary."

Zhu Di restructured the guard post left by Lao Zhu and retained the original twelve-stone army salary.

In this way, the life of the Jiaozhi army would not be too bad, and they would have the motivation to suppress the rebellion.

Zhu Gaoxu did not object after hearing this, but nodded to Yu Xin.

Yu Xin could only sigh when he saw this, and Zuo Yi took the job.

"Now that we've finished discussing the south, I have to talk about the north."

After laying the groundwork, Zhu Di finally talked about what he cared about.

His eyes flickered on Zhu Gaoxu and Yu Xin, and then he said: "The original number of 36,000 people will not be changed. You, the food and grass people, help me figure it out clearly."

"For this northern expedition, I plan to set off in March (Beijing), and then arrive at Quanning Guards in May to personally conquer the Ulliangha Guards."

After saying this, he looked at the two of them and saw that they had no objections. Zhu Di nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, you guys can retreat."

After getting what he wanted, Zhu Di became happy. He was so happy that he said to Zhu Gaoxu: "I'll give you a moment and send Zhan He here. I haven't seen him for two days."

"Yes..." Zhu Gaoxu was helpless, feeling that he had given birth to this son not for himself, but for Zhu Di.

After bowing and exiting Wuying Hall, Zhu Gaoxu and Yu Xin walked across the Sanlong Bridge one after another.

Before getting on the golden wheel, Zhu Gaoxu stopped and asked Yu Xin: "When will this year's "Yellow Album" and "Fish Scale Album" be ready?"

"Your Highness, it will be roughly the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month." Yu Xin responded calmly.

"Okay." After responding, Zhu Gaoxu got on the golden chariot, and Yu Xin watched as his golden chariot gradually walked away under the escort.

Looking at the golden chariot walking away, Yu Xin looked back at Wuyingdian and couldn't help but sigh: "These two are not easy to serve."

As soon as he finished speaking, he prepared to walk out of the palace and return to his household department to sort out the matter.

Not long after, Zhu Gaoxu, who was separated from him, took the lead to return to Chunhe Hall and saw Guo Yan holding a small figure.

"His Royal Highness is back."

When Guo Yan heard the familiar footsteps, she immediately looked up with a smile on her face and saw Zhu Gaoxu walking towards her.

Zhu Gaoxu walked up to her with a smile, looked down at Zhu Zhanhe who had grown a little longer, and said with a smile: "This kid can eat it, but you still have to help him control it."

"If you don't feed him, he will cry and cry. I can't do anything about it." Guo Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"That's true. When he cries, the whole East Palace can hear him, and his voice is quite loud."

Zhu Gaoxu took Zhu Zhanhe from Guo Yan, hugged him and spun him around, almost letting go of him in the middle, which frightened Guo Yan and he quickly stepped forward.

"Haha, it's okay, it's okay..."

Zhu Gaoxu himself broke into a cold sweat, but after regaining his composure, he still smiled heartily, and at the same time stretched out his hand to pinch Zhu Zhanhe's face.

Zhu Zhanhe was not frightened by his cheap dad. Instead, he smiled with his eyes wide open, as if he found the experience just now exciting and interesting.

"It's better for me, my concubine, to hold you."

Guo Yan was frightened by the father and son, and quickly took Zhu Zhanhe from Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhu Gaoxu also handed the child to her honestly, and at the same time remembered Zhu Di's desire to hold the child.

"By the way, dad asked someone to send Zhan He to Wuying Hall to meet him. Maybe he wants to hug his grandson. You can let the female officials take him there."

"Okay." Guo Yan hugged Zhu Zhanhe and looked at him.

She was relieved that Zhu Di wanted to hold the child. Zhu Di was quite experienced in holding children, unlike Zhu Gaoxu who always had problems.

"Second brother! Second brother!"

The couple had just discussed the matter of their children going to Wuying Hall when they heard the noise coming from outside the hall.

"This guy is here again."

Zhu Gaoxu had a slight headache. When Guo Yan saw this, he looked at him playfully and smiled: "Your Highness, you can deal with it by yourself. I have to go make arrangements for the visit first."

As soon as she finished speaking, she hugged Zhu Zhanhe and left the Chunhe Palace. When she left the palace, she also met Zhu Gaosui who came to see Zhu Gaoxu.

"Second sister-in-law."

"Your second brother is inside, go find him."

"Eh!"

Zhu Gaojiu heard clearly the voices of his uncle and sister-in-law at the palace door. He reluctantly walked back to his seat and sat down, and then saw Zhu Gaosui walking in carelessly.

"What are you here for?"

Zhu Gaojiu picked up the tea cup and took a sip, while Zhu Gaojiu sat directly on the chair without etiquette, leaned on the chair and said: "I am about to abdicate, and I want to come to you to ask for something good."

"The salary from the palace is so large, and dad has given you so many golden beans. Why did you come to me?" Zhu Gaoxu put down the teacup and gave Zhu Gaosui a vaccination:

"I'm telling you, I am the poorest in the inner and outer court, and I am the poorest in the east palace. You can think about it later."

"Second brother, please stop fooling me." Zhu Gaosui acted like a rogue: "No one in the capital knows that the East Palace is very frugal and can't even spend money."

"You and your second sister-in-law don't spend much money anyway, so you might as well bring me Changsha flowers."

After entering and walking out of the large teaching center, Zhu Gaosui finally understood one thing.

As long as I don't break the law and don't want to threaten my second brother's position, my life is still very nourishing, and they are willing to give me whatever I want.

"Stop it." Zhu Gaoxu had a headache after hearing this. He was frugal because he was used to eating delicacies from the mountains and seas and wanted to eat something simple, but this did not mean that he really didn't spend money.

Let's not mention the West Factory, just talk about the Jurchen Eight Guards, the Bohai Han soldiers, the generals and officers, marrying wives, having children, and buying houses. These days, Zhu Gaoxu has to ask someone to give him a gift list to take care of his old brother.

Although Dong Gong has a lot of money, he can't hold back the Bohai brothers who have more money. Dong Gong just gives out hundreds of gifts a year.

"I'll give you a gift of two thousand guan to celebrate your move to the feudal clan. No more can be given."

After all, they are brothers, and Zhu Gaoxu doesn't want to act too shabby.

"Thank you, second brother, thank you, prince. I'll kowtow to you first, second brother!"

After Zhu Gaosui came out of the teaching hall, he was so shameless that he kowtowed to Zhu Gaoxu in public, which even made Zhu Gaoxu stunned.

Fortunately, he responded quickly and immediately waved his hand: "If you have nothing else to do, go back and accompany your siblings. I have to deal with the memorial."

"Brother, please retire!" Zhu Gaosui did not linger even after receiving the benefits, and walked out of Chunhe Hall happily.

As soon as he left, Zhu Gaoxu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He finally picked up the memorial and dealt with it a few times, but then he heard a salute outside: "His Royal Highness, the King of Han, asks for an audience..."

"Xuan!" Zhu Gaoxu was really convinced. Either the two brothers didn't come, and when they came, they followed each other. That's not how they fight in the autumn wind.

Before he could finish his thoughts, he saw a head sticking out of the palace door, looking left and right, as if he was a thief.

"Brother, what are you doing?"

Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zhu Gaochi in confusion. Seeing that there was no one else inside, Zhu Gaochi dusted off his sleeves, walked to the side hall of Chunhe Hall and bowed to Zhu Gaoxu: "Second brother, third child didn't come to your place, right?"

"Just left." Zhu Gaoxu leaned on the chair helplessly. Zhu Gaochi became anxious upon hearing this and asked quickly: "I heard that he was messing around with relatives one by one in the capital and asked for money. Didn't he ask for it from you?"

"I just gave you a gift note." Zhu Gaojiu had no choice but to cover his forehead with his hands. He didn't expect that Zhu Gaojiu would be so shameless.

"How much did you give?!" Zhu Gaochi looked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Two thousand strings." Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zhu Gaochi in surprise, wondering why he asked this question.

"Two thousand strings?!" Zhu Gaochi shouted out loudly, and then said with a cry:

"Second brother, second child, you gave him so much, how much should I give him as the boss?"

"Why don't you give me two hundred more strings?" Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zhu Gaochi, wondering what trick he was playing.

"Two thousand two hundred strings?"

Zhu Gaochi said the amount, and then spread his hands: "Even if you chop me into meat and sell me as bear paws, you won't be able to sell me for this price."

"Your sister-in-law is in charge of all the money in the house, and I can't touch it at all..." He said as he sat on the chair, and then seemed to think of something:

"How about this? You lend me this money and I will pay you back after I become a vassal."

"Huh?" Zhu Gaoxu understood that all the co-authors came to him to ask for money.

"Dad has a lot of private money, so you go to him and ask for it."

"How can Dad compare with you?" Zhu Gaochi raised his voice when he heard this, and then whispered: "I heard that the Ministry of Revenue has opened several new coin-making furnaces, and every time a furnace is produced, I will send you a box here. you……"

"Who did you listen to?" Zhu Gaoxu stood up, but Zhu Gaochi spread his hands and said, "This is the rumor in the capital."

"Fucking fart!"

Zhu Gaoxu cursed, and then said to the eunuch beside him: "Let Yishiha find someone to find out who is slandering me."

"My slave, take your orders..." The eunuch bowed in agreement and left the palace to deliver the message.

Watching him leave, Zhu Gaoxu said: "Donggong doesn't have much money left. Of these 2,200 coins, I will give you 1,500 coins."

"Okay, okay..." Zhu Gaochi nodded frequently: "It has to be you. A friend in need is a friend indeed."

"Now that the matter is settled, I'll go back and take a nap first, and you can deal with the memorial first."

As Zhu Gaochi spoke, he glanced at the pile of memorials and clicked his tongue a few times, which made Zhu Gaoxu very defensive.

Seeing him walking out of Chunhe Hall briskly, Zhu Gaoxu glanced at the pile of memorials and felt a little unbalanced in his heart.

"Why am I so tired?"

　"Records of Taizong of the Ming Dynasty": "At the end of winter, Yuancheng burned the two cities of Xuanguang and Beijing and fled, and nine out of ten people in the two cities died."

　　"Record of the Southern Expedition": "At the end of the month, the thieves burned down Xuanguang, and Xuanguang was completely destroyed. I also heard that the thieves in the north of Beijing drove the people to defend the city, and attacked for three days. .”

　　

　

(End of this chapter)