I have a cornucopia

Chapter 165: The prosperous age of the gentry in the Ming Dynasty

Suzhou.

Xuanmiao Temple Sanqing Hall.

This is also the meeting hall of the Suzhou Elderly Association.

The composition of this Elders Association is already very similar to that of the British Parliament. First of all, those who join the Elders Association must have hundreds of hectares of fertile land. Secondly, one must have a good reputation, which is not that high. It only needs to be Gongsheng or above, so they are all rural eunuchs. In fact, a large number of governors are at the level of Jiuqing.

There is also Mr. Ge.

After all, the British Parliament also requires a title of nobility plus a certain number of acres of land to qualify.

But after all, it is also a private charity organization. Although the subordinates of this charity organization have expanded to 5,000 standing troops, they not only have armors and muskets, but even 16 Hongyi cannons weighing 1,500 kilograms.

And it was purchased directly from Macau.

Of course, even this is still just a private charity organization, where local senior citizens come together to help the victims, donate doctors and medicines, and repair bridges and roads, so it is not easy to build a hall specifically for this purpose, so Just choose Xuanmiao Temple. In fact, this is the case for elders’ associations in various places. Originally, this was a routine practice for local gentry to discuss matters together. The earliest local gentry association in the Ming Dynasty, Foshan Jiahui Hall, was located in the Beidi Temple. Since there is this practice, elders from all over the country have sprung up. The Xiangxian Association all chose temples and Taoist temples.

At this moment, this ancient hall was already packed with seats. Elders from various counties and counties in Suzhou Prefecture, the main military officers of the regiment, including the local officials who were theoretically responsible for supervision, were all sitting or standing in the hall.

But there is no host seat.

In other words, it is presided over by the Sanqing enshrined in the main hall.

At this moment, Hou Xun was facing away from Sanqing, sitting on the left and right facing the front, and there were also participants who could only stand because there were not enough seats to make impassioned speeches...

"What exactly does Hou Ruogu want to do?"

Shen Tingyang, who was wearing armor, said.

In fact, many people here wear armor, which is required by the Elders Association.

These regiment training officers must wear armor when attending meetings.

Especially when there are outsiders attending the meeting.

Used to show strength.

If people don't know that the Suzhou gentry has powerful weapons in their hands, then the huge amount of silver spent this year is not a secret investment, so they are still required to wear armor even on hot days. And because they all bought it themselves, the styles are different. Shen Tingyang is wearing a breastplate purchased from the Portuguese and equipped with iron arms. It is still a bit hot in Jiangnan this season, so there is no inner part, just a silk lining.

In addition, there is a saber hanging on the waist, and a short revolver gun next to it.

Next to him is Chen Zilong.

There were several more of the same officers.

Although Chen Zilong is a member of the Songjiang team training, he also participates as a non-voting participant, including representatives of senior citizens' associations from neighboring prefectures such as Songjiang, Changzhou, and Jiaxing. These prefectures now have their own team training.

Three thousand in Songjiang, three thousand in Changzhou, one thousand in Jiaxing...

However, the latter ones were all built in a surprise attack. Those who were really strong and trained for a long time were the Suzhou regiment headed by Shen Tingyang. In fact, the core was the 3,000 regiments he recruited himself. The Suzhou elders would pick up ready-made ones and expand them for him. He is Chongming. Chongming belongs to Taicang Prefecture, and Taicang Prefecture belongs to Suzhou Prefecture. In the final analysis, Suzhou Prefecture is short of soldiers who can fight. After all, who is willing to be a soldier if they are engaged in textile making to make money?

But the Shen family has the Shachuan Gang, and there is no shortage of people who can fight hard, so they can just make use of it.

As long as the elderly know how to control the money bag.

Another person with similar strength to him is Chen Zilong's Songjiang team training.

"Is there anyone who considers the Son of Heaven to be a thief?"

Hou Xun was shouting.

He was enumerating Chongzhen's various crimes, but nothing else really mattered.

After all, the Donglin Party was still calling the Holy Lord Mingjun when Chongzhen first came to the throne. Moreover, if Chongzhen's crimes were truly counted, most of the elders sitting in the hall at this moment were involved. As the most important place for imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty, Suzhou's states and counties exported nearly a thousand Jinshi throughout the Ming Dynasty, even more than most provinces. Chongzhen's ministers and ministers also came from Suzhou in large numbers. They said that he was wrong in governing. A few accomplices can always be found below. If you include those who came to attend, it would be even more. These people attending were from Songjiang, Changzhou and even Jiahu. This area contributed at least one-third of the cabinet ministers and nine ministers to Chongzhen, and the impact would be wider.

But there is one crime that everyone unanimously cannot tolerate.

Didn't commit suicide!

Why don't you commit suicide?
The Supreme Emperor, how can you be humiliated by a thief? If you had committed suicide in the capital, you wouldn't have made the situation so embarrassing.

At that time, we happily established a new king, and then, with the sworn hatred of the king and father, we went to join forces with Dorgon to suppress the bandits, and killed the traitor Li Zicheng in one fell swoop, without having to bear any moral burden. But you are greedy for life and afraid of death, and you are a thief. As a result, Li Zicheng turned into the king of Qin in the Ming Dynasty, and we can only be blackmailed by him under the pressure of righteousness.

You coward!
What will we do if you don’t die?
“Since the time of the thief, Your Majesty’s justice has been lost.

At that time, we should follow the example of Duke Zhongsu and establish a prince to stabilize the country.

There is nothing wrong with the iron mountain strategy.

If Shi Daolin could have decisively dealt with it at that time, sent troops from the south of the Yangtze River to the north, preached to the four directions about the loyal and loyal king, and used the navy to welcome the new king to the south of Shanhaiguan to take the throne, how could there be today's chaos? However, Shi Daolin was hesitant and missed the good opportunity, and because of Yang Feng's selfish motives and greed for property with Huang Fei, they launched a sneak attack on Liaodong, which caused trouble between the two sides and angered Dorgon. He was originally invited to help me, but instead invaded the capital. "

He continued.

Well, the responsibility lies entirely with Yang Feng.

How could Dorgon have any evil intentions? He was invited by Wang Yongji and Wu Sangui to lead troops into the pass to help the Ming Dynasty suppress the bandits.

He didn't want to invade.

As a result, the Ming Dynasty here invited him to enter the customs to help annihilate Li Zicheng. Over there, Yang Feng led the Ming army into the rear of the house, burned, killed and looted. They also arrested the queen mother and emperor, and killed all the old, weak, women and children. When a fire breaks out, who can hold back his anger? Dorgon can bear it! That's why he changed from helping to invading in anger. It can be said that it was Yang Feng and Huang Fei who brazenly attacked Liaodong for their own gain, which led to the Qing army's invasion, capturing the prince and occupying the capital, and then the two sides more The fighting lasted for more than half a year, but the real enemy Li Zicheng was able to escape smoothly.

It’s all Yang Feng’s fault!
In fact, this is the generally accepted saying in Jiangnan at this time.

After all, Yang Feng's sneak attack on Liaodong and Dorgon's southward descent to Shanhaiguan happened at the same time. Wang Yongji and Wu Sangui had indeed invited Dorgon to go south to help the Ming Dynasty suppress the bandits. Dorgon also agreed. It was after Yang Feng's sneak attack on Shenyang. , Dorgon forced Wu Sangui and Jidong to shave their heads and change their clothes, so it makes sense to say that he was angered by Yang Feng and changed his mind from helping to invading.

So at this moment, the elders in the main hall are nodding their heads.

"He wants us to help Zuo Liangyu."

Chen Zilong said.

He also wore armor, but he bought it from Yang Feng.

It's actually half body armor.

"Isn't he still giving up?"

Shen Tingyang sneered.

Ever since Zuo Liangyu entered Nanjing, Hou Xun has been lobbying elders associations everywhere to support Zuo Liangyu, but even if Shui Tailiang secretly cooperates, it is useless. After all, we have been friends for decades, and who doesn't understand who? The exiled gentry in the north led by Hou Xun just wanted to borrow troops to fight back and regain their land and property.

They were going crazy thinking about this.

But this is none of Jiangnan's gentry's business. The regimental training regiments that everyone paid a lot of money to support were not meant to take back the land for them.

"The situation is different now. If Dorgon really leads an army of 200,000 to Nanjing, Mayao Cao's people will be completely defeated. But if he loses, Dorgon, who won Nanjing, will continue to come here. Hou Xun proposed a new countermeasure. Let's help Zuo Liangyu in exchange for Zuo Liangyu defending Nanjing. Dorgon's expedition of thousands of miles will not last long. As long as we reinforce Nanjing and the Jiangxi army moves north, it will be possible. We can force Dorgon to negotiate with us. Dorgon will return the prince, and we will support the prince's succession, and cede the north of the Huaihe River, and redeem Wuchang and Huguang with another three million taels. From now on, the two countries will follow the story of the Southern Song Dynasty and use the Huaihe River. As a boundary, we will give Dorgon two million shi of grain as annual coins."

Chen Zilong said. "Give me back the coins?"

Shen Tingyang said in astonishment.

His voice got louder and everyone around him looked at him.

Hou Xun also looked at him.

Shen Tingyang was obviously in a bad mood and pushed away the people in front of him and walked out. Then, when the elders were stunned, he pulled out a short blunderbuss and pointed it directly at Hou Xun.

"What are the five plums for?"

Qian Qianyi immediately stood up from among the senior citizens and shouted.

"You are the prefect, and there is a fugitive in front of you. Why don't you arrest him?"

Shen Tingyang looked at the Suzhou prefect who was present and said.

The prefect smiled awkwardly...

How could he, the magistrate, dare to arrest the guests invited by the Suzhou Elders Association, risking their lives?

"Wumei, don't mess around. Put down the gun quickly. Mr. Ruogu is also doing it for the overall good."

Qian Qianyi said quickly.

Then he motioned to Chen Zilong with his eyes, but the latter did not move. He then looked at the other officers in the hall, who also did not move. It was obvious that the word "Sui Coin" seriously stimulated their sensitive memories. But the regiment training officers who came with Shen Tingyang and others outside all looked inside, and some of them had short muskets ready. Because of the composition problem, the Suzhou regiment training officers were very loyal to Shen Tingyang. As for the elders, they were all confused because of the sudden incident. Qian Qianyi was the fastest to respond. Of course, it may also be that he belongs to Hou Xun's internal response.

He was anxious.

"The overall situation? His empty talk is the overall situation? He said that Zuo Liangyu will defend Nanjing, so Zuo Liangyu will defend Nanjing? He said that Dorgon will agree to the negotiation, but Dorgon will really agree? What if you don't agree? What's more, the situation upstream is unclear. Yang Feng is just missing, not dead. Dorgon's army is just rumored to be flowing down the river, and it's not like he has come to Nanjing. It's just a casual statement without any evidence. If we make one wrong move, our family will be wiped out. Such a person is obviously harboring evil intentions. Isn't it absurd that the princes don't take him down and punish him, but invite him as a distinguished guest? "

Shen Tingyang said.

"Wumei, this is a meeting of elders. Don't forget that you are not an elder."

Qian Qianyi shouted with anger.

Shen Tingyang looked at him speechlessly, and then looked at several other elders. These elders were obviously deep in thought, but it was obvious that it was impossible to expect these old guys to have the courage to make a decisive decision. He and Chen Zilong exchanged glances. , then took a step forward and without hesitation pulled the trigger on Hou Xun's chest.

The winding wheel rotates, constantly rubbing against the flint, causing sparks to ignite the gunpowder in the powder pool.

The muzzle flame suddenly spurted out.

Hou Xun looked at Shen Tingyang in shock, as if he didn't believe the scene before him, and at the same time he fell backwards under the impact of the bullet.

There was silence in the hall.

Not to mention Qian Qianyi, even the other elders were stupid.

They looked at Shen Tingyang dumbfounded.

The latter walked to the side of Hou Xun who had fallen, and looked at him who was still twitching. The bullet was a little missed and missed his heart. Shen Tingyang pulled out his saber and sent him away without any fuss. Then he turned around in the astonished eyes. Pass over...

"Everyone, this is a fugitive. According to the law, he must be killed without mercy."

He said.

"Wumei, you are too reckless!"

"Wumei and Ruogu are also elders after all!"

……

The elders said one after another.

Of course, it's just talk. In fact, they are already awake. It's just that these guys have been in intrigues all their lives. Especially on such a major matter, almost no one has the ability to make a prompt decision. In the end, they expect a group of guys to be pampered in a private garden. Being able to make a prompt decision is still unrealistic. Shen Tingyang just used his own way to help these old guys make decisions, although this method was a bit beyond their acceptance.

but……

What else could they do?

It is obvious that Chen Zilong supports Shen Tingyang.

Of course, the more important thing is that this guy has a gun in his hand!

"What are you doing again?"

At this time, a person came in from outside and looked at the scene unexpectedly.

The elders who were accusing Shen Tingyang turned to look at him.

"Shi Pei, Hou Ruogu was discussing matters here, but Wu Mei killed him. It is simply lawless."

Qian Qianyi said quickly.

Of course Qi Biaojia, the governor of Yingtian, understands what they are discussing, but as a governor he has long been unable to control these guys. Besides, his own family is also in the Shaoxing Elderly Association. Now officials from all over the country have a tacit understanding and respect the elders' association in various places. All illegal activities are pretending not to be seen. Speaking of what they are discussing here today, it can actually be said to be treason.

"Then there is no need to discuss it any further. Yang Feng is not dead. He has already taken control of Wuchang. Jianlu has not moved eastward. Dorgon is besieging Wuchang."

He said.

"Is this serious?"

Qian Qianyi said in shock.

"Really, Du Zhongjin was in Wuchang. He was sent out of the city by Yang Feng. On the way, he met a spy sent by Yuan Linhou to investigate the military situation and was taken to Jiujiang. This was an urgent report from Yuan Linhou.

Also, he had long known that Yang Feng was in Wuchang and informed Ma Yaocao with an urgent report. "

Qi Biaojia said.

Qian Qianyi broke into a cold sweat instantly.

Ma Shiying, this bitch, didn't tell this side on purpose.

Of course, this was his business, but at this time, the elders immediately changed their faces...

"Thankfully Wu Mei made a quick decision!"

"This bitch Hou Xun almost killed us!"

……

Then they all praised Shen Tingyang's prompt decision.

(End of this chapter)