Go back to the Ming Dynasty to be a thousand households

Chapter 321 The Arrival of the Governor of Datong Town

The seventh day of September in the 27th year of Wanli.

The joy of good harvests in Shanxi Town is slowly dissipating, but in Wuzhaibao, the livestock farms and orchards in various places soon ushered in another wave of harvest, and at the same time, the factories in various places are also busier.

In this lively and busy scene, civil servants and military generals from all over the world who came to Wuzhai Fort to meet the new governor also came to the fort one after another.

As early as after Huang Laifu returned to Wuzhai Fort, he recruited officials from the two towns who were judges, Tongzhi, military equipment, and governors, and who were guerrillas, generals, deputy generals, and generals among military commanders to come to Wuzhai Fort to discuss government affairs. .

After entering September, these civil servants and generals came to Wuzhai Fort one after another.

Among the officials from various places who came to Wuzhaibao, the civil officials of Shanxi Township include: Governor Yang Fanglue of Shanxi Township, Liu Tangsheng, Daobing Bei of Ningwu, Yang Shenghong, Daobing Bei of Kelan, Guo Guocao, Daobing Bei of Jining, and Guo Guocao, Daobing Bei of Yanping Huang Zongliang, and Zhang Wenbao, head of grain management at the household department of Shanxi Township.

There are also Tongzhi, Tongpan and others from some important state capitals in the town.

This is the civil servant of Shanxi Township, and there are also military generals in the town: General Liu Quanli of Ningwuguan, General Zhu Zhaoqiang of Hequ County, General Xu Zhen of Liminbao, General Chen Jianxiong of Piantouguan, Guerrilla Tian Dafu of Shenchibao , General Sun Ruijun of Beiloukou, General Li Maoxiong of Daizhou and others.

This is Shanxi Town, in addition to the civilian and military generals of Datong Town.

Datong Town is a big town with nine borders. There are 64 castles, 89 enemy towers and 780 piers in the territory.At the beginning of Wanli, there were a total of more than 13 officers and soldiers with fixed quotas for horses and more than [-] horses, mules and donkeys.It is an important place to defend against the Mongols in Nine Frontiers.

Like Shanxi Town, Datong Town also has one governor, four soldiers, one household officer, one guard commander, one deputy commander, nine generals, five guerrillas, In addition, there are dozens of castle defenses.

After receiving Huang Laifu's official order, all military officers in Datong Town who are qualified to come to Jin Town, also under the leadership of Governor Wei Yunzhen, set off after meeting in Datong Town, and sailed up the Sanggan River by boat.

After arriving at Wuguan in Zhenning, Shanxi, we passed through the concrete roads of the two places, and on the seventh day of September, we entered the land of Wuzhai Fort.

……

At noon, on the cement road from Ningwuguan to Wuzhaibao, a group of horses and horses with flags and ceremonial guards are marching, and there are many entourages and soldiers accompanying them. Judging by their banners, it is precisely this time that they came from Datong Town. The civilian and military generals who came.

Among the pedestrians, all the civil servants sit on the bridge, and the military generals ride horses. Every guerrilla general respectfully accompanies their respective military officers on the bridge, waiting for the orders of the civil servants inside the carriages and horses at any time.

Different from Shanxi Town, Datong Town has strict civil and military boundaries. Under the suppression of civil officials, the military generals have long taken it for granted that the superiority of the civilized and the inferiority of the military, and they dare not cross it at all.

At this time, the roads in various parts of Daming were very difficult, mostly dirt roads and gravel roads with potholes, not as smooth as the national roads and expressways in later generations. After traveling all the way for thousands of miles, everyone was full of travel and dust, and extremely tired.

But as soon as they stepped on the concrete road from Ningwuguan to Wuzhaibao, the crowd couldn't help but cheer up, and the voices of admiration kept coming from all the carriages and horses.

Everyone is used to the kind of bumpy and difficult dirt road in Datong Town. Where have you seen such a smooth and tidy concrete road?

The road surface is hard and flat, with good greenery on both sides. There is no dust or pits on it. It is very easy to walk. Once the horses and horses step on this kind of road, the feeling of being stable and not bumpy at all makes everyone very comfortable. .

Of course, they are not the only ones who feel this way. When looking at the pedestrians on the side road, they all have such expressions.The road surface is easy to walk, of course it brings convenience in circulation, and the prosperity of commerce, everyone can clearly feel that the traffic on this cement road is much more prosperous than other places.

All kinds of whispers came from all over the convoy, reaching the ears of Wei Yunzhen, the governor of Datong Town. At this time, he was squinting his eyes, as if sleeping very fast, sitting in a carriage resting his mind, when he heard the faint voice of discussion , and involuntarily cast his gaze outside the carriage.

Sitting next to him, Lin Daoji, who was patrolling the northern Hebei branch of Datong Township, also looked out. After watching for a while, he sneered and said, "This Shanxi Township is so big. It's hard to build such a cement road. Is it expensive?"

Wei Yunzhen said indifferently: "Didn't the mansion report say that Shanxi Town only spent 3 taels of silver to build a hundred-mile road from Ningwuguan to Kelanzhou?"

Lin Daoji took a breath, and there was jealousy in his voice that could not be concealed: "The road of a hundred miles costs more than 3 taels of silver. I heard that the new Governor Huang Laifu intends to continue building cement roads in Shanxi Town. Where did he get so much money?" silver?"

Wei Yunzhen said indifferently: "Then Huang Laifu is known as the God of Wealth. During the war of the Eastern Expedition, he raised as much as 400 million taels of bonds, just tens of thousands of taels. Isn't it a problem for him?"

Lin Daoji snorted, and said: "I heard that Huang Laifu was just a thousand households ten years ago. He started farming and became famous for his big farm in Wuzhaibao. However, I think that he can have what he is today, I'm afraid it's all because of his intentions." What you have done is to bully and humiliate the merchants with power, and to extract heavy taxes to get the result! I can only hate the emperor for favoring and trusting such good-looking people."

Huang Laifu set up a toll bureau on the ground from Ningwuguan to Wuzhaibao. All passing vehicles have to pay taxes. These civil servants and generals who came from Datong Town entered the cement road of Ningwuguan. , Each horse was charged varying tolls and road maintenance fees, which made many people dissatisfied.

Especially Lin Daoji was even more dissatisfied!

Thinking of the series of things that Huang Laifu did before, such as imposing heavy taxes on businessmen, encouraging Emperor Wanli to open mines and ask for taxes, etc., Lin Daoji uttered even more vicious words.

Wei Yunzhen sighed: "That's not the case. Huang Laifu is still capable. Even the old man admires his farming output in Wuzhaibao. It's a pity that he has made great achievements in farming and military service. He was originally an important general in the country. , It's a pity that he doesn't follow the righteous way, violates the law of the ancestors, and induces all people in the world to open mines for profit, this is a crooked path!"

Wei Yunzhen was originally a Jinshi. In the 21st year of Wanli, he served as the governor of Datong Town as the censor of the capital of Youqian.During the few years in Datong Town, he was a capable official by reducing leather fees, emphasizing war readiness, reducing labor costs, recruiting people and returning to work.

However, he was born in a family of big landlords in Henan, and he pursued the farming, studying and governing the country of the small-scale peasant economy. , Big business, big mining and other ideas are incompatible.I think Huang Laifu's actions are tempting and seducing people, which will seriously lead to a decline in the world.

When Emperor Wanli decided to open mines and ask for taxation, Wei Yunzhen immediately discussed the harm of tax supervisors, and later dismissed Datong Town tax supervisors Zhang Zhong, Sun Chao and others. At that time, his father was over ninety, and Wei Yunzhen had two Ten times I went to the shuffle and asked to go home to take care of my old father.

However, at that time, the cabinet deliberated that Wei Yunzhen was a powerful local official, and the local tax envoy could not be controlled without Yunzhen, so he was retained as the governor of Datong Town.

Lin Daoji, as the military equipment of the Datong Town branch patrolling the North Hebei Road, manages 23 castles and shepherds on the North, North, North and West Roads. However, he has been stationed in Datong Town, and he is Wei Yunzhen's confidant, and it is very likely that Wei Yunzhen went there. The next governor of Datong Town.

At this time, he sighed: "Indeed, nowadays, various places are competing to open mines first, the people's livelihood is difficult, and the country's situation is in danger! It's just a villain who succeeds, what can I do for me!"

In a blink of an eye, he said in a low voice again: "Duke Wei, we can only take it easy on the matter of opening mines and asking for taxes in the middle of the court, but now that Huang Laifu is the governor of the two towns as a military man, even if Duke Wei is a great talent, If you want to be under its restraint, the military will bring harm to the country, this is the major event at hand, I wonder how Duke Wei can deal with it?"

After Huang Laifu, governor of the two towns of Datong, Shanxi, paid for the military affairs, the generals of the two towns seemed to turn over, and they were not as respectful to the civil servants above them as before, which made many civil servants feel very uncomfortable.

Especially in the future, Huang Laifu will be in charge of the money and food matters in the town, and the chances of them getting involved will be greatly reduced, which makes them unbearable.

In addition to shouting in public opinion, they have also continued to collude in private in an attempt to deal with the situation in the future.

This Lin Daoji was the vanguard of civil officials in Datong Town against Huang Laifu. He not only contacted many civil officials in Datong Town, but even contacted some civil officials in Shanxi Town, intending to fight against the enemy together.

But right now, Wei Yunzhen, the governor of Datong Town, has an unclear attitude, so now, taking this opportunity, Lin Daoji wants to probe Wei Yunzhen's tone.

Wei Yunzhen naturally understood Lin Daoji's thoughts, but he didn't take it seriously on this issue.

He stroked his beard and said slowly: "Serving the country, regardless of civil or military! This Huang Laifu has the trust of the emperor. Let him be the governor of the two towns. Naturally, his loyalty and filial piety cannot be doubted. As long as he can make the soldiers and civilians of the two towns rich, the old man will What's the point of being restrained by it?"

"It's really a pity that Huang Laifu, as an important general of the country, doesn't follow the righteous path. After seeing him, the old man will definitely warn him."

Not to mention the butterfly effect brought about by Huang Laifu's mining and other incidents, that is, the wind of large farms in Wuzhaibao has now blown to the Datong town area, and many big landlords have dismissed their tenant farmers and started farming on a large scale.

Most of the tenant farmers who lost their fields became refugees and gathered in the town area, only a small number went outside the Great Wall, which increased social instability and made Wei Yunzhen very worried.

In the final analysis, this was all brought by Huang Laifu, so Wei Yunzhen decided to tell Huang Laifu about these things.

As for the fact that the warriors are above him, Wei Yunzhen is different from other civil servants, he thinks it's nothing, as long as Huang Laifu is really capable and can benefit the country and the people, he doesn't mind.

Hearing what Wei Yunzhen said, Lin Daoji was disappointed, and secretly scolded the old man Wei for being angry.

On the surface, he was obedient, but in his heart he had made up his mind. No matter what he said, he would contact all the officials in the future, and he would disobey that Huang Laifu. He didn't believe that Huang Laifu was a rough warrior. Town affairs can be carried out smoothly.

……

The two were whispering in the carriage. At this time, not far from the governor's carriage, Ma Jin, the commander-in-chief of Datong Town, was riding on horseback. Beside him was his nephew Ma Chengxun, his general.

Ma Jin is the elder brother of Ma Gui. At this time, the Ma family, like the Li family, was a family of military generals in the Ming Dynasty, and there were all well-known generals. At that time, people called the Ma family and the Li family together as "Dong Li Xi Ma". People also praised them: "If you have a general in the goal, you deserve it."

A few years ago, Ma Jin was promoted to the commander-in-chief of Datong Town due to his merits and seniority. Because of his brother Ma Gui and Huang Laifu's friendship, they fought side by side in the two expeditions, which can be described as a friendship tempered in the flames of war.

Therefore, the news that Governor Huang Laifu became his immediate boss in the two towns of Datong, Shanxi Province, became his immediate boss.Ma Jin wrote to Ma Gui to hear his opinion.

At this time, Ma Gui, with the title of the governor and acquaintance, is still serving as the commander-in-chief of Yansui Town, but he is busy with his retirement. He wrote back to let Ma Jin closely unite with Huang Laifu, which is always beneficial .

According to his own friendship with Huang Laifu, Ma Gui thinks that Huang Laifu is a person who misses the past and treats his subordinates and friends very kindly.However, he is quite arrogant, and those who are upset with him rarely have good results.

His elder brother had better follow Huang Laifu's orders, otherwise he might suffer a lot. If there was a day in the future, because Huang Laifu was his elder brother's immediate boss, he would not be able to say anything.

Besides, Huang Laifu is the governor of the two towns as a warrior. Isn't this good news for the generals in the town?

Not to mention the possible changes in the status of the generals in the future.Even with Huang Laifu's generosity, the distribution of rations and equipment for military commanders in various forts will be more relaxed in the future. Over the years, the rations and salaries of military personnel everywhere have been deducted by civil officials, which is a common and serious matter.Ma Gui also suffered a lot on this point.

Ma Jin still attaches great importance to the opinions of his younger brother Magui. Although Huang Laifu has been in the high position of the governor in less than [-] years, and he is approaching his sixtieth year, he is a general soldier. He is not without envy or envy towards Huang Laifu. .

However, Huang Laifu's appointment as governor is always good news for the military officers of the two towns. Ma Jin also decided to follow Huang Laifu closely. Of course, he also has his own reservations and requirements. He wants to follow Huang Laifu himself. It's okay to be around, at least you have to guarantee that your own food and salary will be paid in full every year in the future, right?

……

In everyone's mind, the chariots and horses were going forward all the way, and the scenery along the way surprised everyone, especially the prosperous factories, mines and workshops in Shenchibao area, and the concentration of workers and merchants. It turned out to be just a poor military fort in Northwest Shanxi.

Of course, what everyone saw was the busy industry here, and they collectively ignored the local industrial pollution. In fact, even if anyone noticed this kind of industrial pollution, it would be hundreds of years later up.

Wei Yunzhen also stroked his beard and meditated. He admitted that because of the factories and mines, the local area became richer and solved the problem of food for some people. However, he insisted that the factories and mines were the source of disasters, which made people chasing profit and morals.

In particular, such large-scale factories and mines are more likely to be instigated by some people with ulterior motives to cause riots and cause local civil unrest because they gather young and middle-aged people.

At present, his vision is limited, and he still can't see the local environmental pollution problem, otherwise he will add this crime.

The closer you get to Wuzhai Fort, the more prosperous you can see on the roadside. There are more and more brick houses built, and the faces of passers-by on the road are getting more and more ruddy.Even those in the group who have prejudice against Huang Laifu have to admit that Huang Laifu has the ability to govern the place.

When the carriages and horses entered a cement intersection, a majestic stone archway appeared beside the road, with a few large characters written on it: "Welcome to Wuzhaibao!"

From here, it can be regarded as entering the territory of Wuzhai Fort.

The words on this stone archway also made Wei Yunzhen and others think about it for a long time.

Next to the archway, a group of several hundred Wuzhaibao cavalry stood proudly in the middle of the intersection, with dozens of flags fluttering and the sound of hunting.On each flag, there is a wheat stalk and a horse pushing a buying machine, which is the symbol of Huang Laifu's standard camp Laifu Camp.

Huang Laifu started his career as a farmer. To commemorate this, he turned his family camp flags into wheat ears and harvesting machines.This distinctive flag has also become a well-known topic of discussion.

At this time, these knights were all armored and helmeted, with scarlet cloaks on their bodies, gunfire guns on their backs, sabers or lances at their hips, and strong horses covered with armor leaves. The vigor acquired after the Southern and Northern Wars, although it is hundreds of horses, but that kind of momentum makes the hearts of all those who see it sway.

Although the servants in the train had already reported, and the soldiers from Wuzhai Fort greeted them in front, Wei Yunzhen and Ma Jin were still secretly shocked.This kind of military might has never been seen by the sergeants of Datong Town.

Ma Jin rode his horse to the side of Wei Yunzhen's car, and said respectfully: "Master Wei, the soldiers and horses from Wuzhai Fort have already greeted you in front, do you want to get out of the car and see you?"

Wei Yunzhen said: "That's natural, I can't mess with etiquette."

He and the somewhat reluctant Lin Daoji got off the carriage together. At this time, the civilian and military generals in the motorcade also came to the two of them. Under the leadership of Wei Yunzhen, they gathered in front of the carriage and waited for the welcoming general of Wuzhaibao to pay their respects. .

At this time, the person who came to greet him was Yang Xiaolu. He stood in front of the horse with his sword in his hand. Seeing that everyone had arrived, he strode up to everyone. Looking at Wei Yunzhen's official uniform and official prestige, he knew that he was the governor of Datong Town. At that moment, he cupped his fists to Wei Yunzhen and saluted: "Your Excellency, the commandant Yang Xiaolu, was ordered to meet Governor Wei here. Lord Wei is exhausted. It's been a hard journey all the way!"

Seeing that Yang Xiaolu just clasped his fists casually, and did not bow down, not even kneel down on one knee, Wei Yunzhen's eyes flashed, but she still stroked her beard and smiled and said, "Your Excellency has summoned you, this is still official business, and we will talk about it." What a pain in the ass, but Lao Yang Guerrilla will welcome you!"

Lin Daoji, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but said: "Yang Gueran, why can't you give a full salute to the Shangguan?"

Yang Xiaolu didn't even look at him, he raised his head to look at the sky and said: "Please forgive me for not being able to fully salute because of the armor on his body!"

Wei Yunzhen said lightly: "That's all!"

Lin Daoji's anger went straight to his head, but thinking that this is another family's land, he said that beating a dog is in front of the owner, so he had to endure it, and muttered in a low voice: "Domineering martial artist!"

Although Ma Jin was the commander-in-chief of Datong Town, he had to stand behind Wei Yunzhen and Lin Daoji. He saw this situation, but secretly envied him in his heart. He had heard for a long time that the warriors in Shanxi Town had a prosperous life, and it was as expected.Even the generals behind him, seeing this situation in their eyes, have their own thoughts.

……

Soon, everyone continued on the road, and the Laifuying knights were divided into three, some led the way, some stayed behind, and some followed Yang Xiaolu on both sides of Wei Yunzhen's chariot and horse.

During the march, these Laifuying knights walked neatly, and their iron hooves knocked on the concrete road, making rhythmic roars.

Not to mention Wei Yunzhen, Lin Daoji and other civil officials looked and looked at these Wuzhaibao troops proudly riding their horses with their chests and bellies raised.Lin Daoji, in particular, was filled with panic and fear. He and many civil officials in Datong Town felt a force that he could not control, which seemed to make them breathless.

Even the generals of Datong Town, headed by Ma Jin, are all envious of these knights.Datong Town has never seen such iron cavalry, and even Ma Jin and the servants under the governor's mark are far from comparable to it. No wonder the Wuzhaibao army is known as the strongest army in Ming Dynasty.

In particular, the shiny tunnel-fired guns carried by these knights made Ma Jin look at them again and again. The prestige of Wuzhai Fort's self-generated guns had already spread to Datong Town. They were sharp and could be fired without a matchlock.

Not to mention ordinary generals, even Ma Jin, who is the commander-in-chief of Datong Town, is also eager to have such an army of firearms.

Ma Jin also collected some information about Huang Laifu, knowing that Yang Xiaolu in front of him is the confidant of the new governor. Although he is just a guerrilla, and he is the commander-in-chief of a town, he still has a smile on his face and deliberately talks to Yang Xiaolu. Donkey chatting.

Under his deliberate friendship, Yang Xiaolu was also full of affection for Ma Jin, and the two rode horses and rode side by side, chatting enthusiastically.

"...It's no wonder that Ma Junmen made an inquiry. The Wuzhai Fort Tunnel Fire Gun is a sharp weapon developed by the Governor's Mansion not long ago. It is famous for attacking the northern captives in the north and conquering Japanese slaves in the east. The soldiers of all battalions are rushing to fight After all, the governor’s battalion is only equipped now, even if the remaining two battalions are direct descendants, they can only equip half of them..."

"Of course, I heard that General Ma Gui is on good terms with the governor. Ma Junmen is the elder brother of old General Ma and the commander-in-chief of a town. Now the governor is in charge of the military affairs of the two towns and treats them equally. If Ma Junmen can win If the governor is happy, maybe he will squeeze out hundreds of guns to increase the force of the Datong town army!"

Hearing this, Ma Jin was overjoyed.

……

Under the leadership and protection of Yang Xiaolu's army, the civil servants and generals of Datong Town entered the territory of Wuzhai Fort.The situation along the way made everyone amazed, even Wei Yunzhen stroked his beard and expressed emotion from time to time, only Lin Daoji was envious and jealous, and at the same time felt inexplicably flustered.

The endless wheat fields stretch as far as the eye can see, and the scene of a good harvest can be vaguely seen. The countless irrigation wells in the field, especially the hundreds of large water trucks densely packed by the river, are full of a strong sense of shock at first glance.

There are also castle-like farms dotted all over the place, new tile-roofed houses are everywhere along the roadside, and refugees and beggars are hardly seen everywhere.

If there is only one cement road from Ningwuguan to Wuzhaibao.After entering the territory of Wuzhai Fort, the concrete road leads in all directions.There is an endless stream of pedestrians, carriages and horses, busy and full of vitality.Everyone is in a hurry, and their eyes are full of expectations for the future.

And the closer to the castle, there are more and more factories and shops, especially some woolen factories, all of which are extremely huge, and there may be thousands of people in them.It was noon at this time, and there were a lot of workers going to work, with black heads and various accents.

The current Wuzhai Fort has become the first choice for migrant workers in the nearby Junbao County. Every year, a large number of civilian husbands are full of hope and come here and Shenchi Fort to find their dreams.

This kind of power of big agriculture, big commerce, and big industry made some people in the group look excited, while others were terrified.

Accustomed to the slowness of the small-scale peasant economy and the lack of contact with old age and death, this scene full of vitality and strength also makes many people unable to accept it and feel scared!
(End of this chapter)