City of Light (1)

Li Fenli staggered on Wanshou Street, his eyes showing a blank look. He couldn't believe that the garbage dump-like city in front of him was Quanzhou, where he once lived.

However, he went with his employer, Mr. D'Ankona, to Basra and looked at the mosque there. When I returned, I found that my hometown, the legendary city of wealth where "gold grows on the ground and precious stones grow on the trees", and the port, where tens of thousands of ships enter and leave every day, has become so depressed.

Is this my Quanzhou? Li Fen rubbed her blue-gray eyes with force. The beautiful thorn tree not far away was familiar to him. It was the residence of the city's officials, and the residence of the most respected scholar and merchant, Mr. Bai, was hidden behind the thick shade of the paulownia tree. It's just that the White Mansion, which was once the envy of everyone in the city, has become a pile of rubble. Because the great Confucian Bai Fuzi insisted on holding on to the city to defend the country, he was pacified by the former Great Song Dynasty and Fujian, and now the great general Pu Shougeng of the Great Yuan Zhaoyong copied the house, and by the way, more than 100 merchant ships under the name of the Bai family also became the private property of the Pu brothers.

All sins are carried out in the name of the Mandate of Heaven. The ancient city of Quanzhou, known as "Sanzhou Road in the shadow of Cangguan, the sound of the rising tide of all nations", has rapidly moved from prosperity to depression in just three years.

Xiang Street, Ci Street, Silk Street and Flower Street, which represent the wealth and prosperity of Quanzhou, are still there, but there will no longer be such a dense crowd on the street. The people who believe in different gods, when they meet, will no longer greet each other like brothers, and in stiff and strange Chinese, ask "Have you eaten, you!" ”。 Before the arrival of the Tatars, Pu Shougeng suppressed the Han resistance in the city with an iron fist, and the property safety of Christians, Muslims and Jews in exchange for surrender has since drawn an invisible gap between the various ethnic groups in the city.

"We have entertained you outsiders with the best wine, and we have made you the nobility of the nation. But at the last moment, you people with colored eyes dealt us a fatal blow. Li Finley knew what the Han people in the city would think, and as a mixed-race descendant of Jews and locals, he knew better than anyone else how the indigenous people of the land thought. The Chinese call all visitors, Franks, Venetians, Persians and Arabs, Semu because their eyes are completely different colors from the locals. But this title does not carry any discriminatory meaning, and the tolerant Chinese even acquiesce to the relatively strange customs of the Semu people. The Semu people could do business, intermarry with the locals, become officials, and enjoy the same laws and official selection system as the locals.

The friendship of the Han people was cut into two sections at the moment when Pu Shougeng raised the butcher's knife. The Pu brothers, who dared to sell anything, received the commendation and huge wealth of the Northern Yuan, and obtained the management of the Quanzhou City Bosi for 30 years. But they have deprived the Semu of their most important thing as a businessman, their credibility.

The Han people no longer believed in the Semu people, although their status in the laws of the Great Yuan was two ranks higher than those Han (southern Han Chinese). But wherever he went, Li Finley could feel the hostility in the gazes around him. The quiet increase in the prices of everyday necessities, the abnormal backlog of spices, ivory, and stained glass products, and the sudden flying stones on the side of the street all reminded Li Finley that, as a member of the Semu people, he was no longer popular in the country. His identity has changed from his original friend to an invader like the Mongols.

Once hatred is formed in the hearts of people, how much blood does it take to wash it away? Li Finley didn't dare to think about it. According to his knowledge, neither the Torah, nor the Bible (the Judaism of Quanzhou during the Song Dynasty) nor the Qur'an of Muslims can be used to punish the perfidious.

At this moment, the Song army had already killed Xinghua and gradually approached Quanzhou. Walking in Quanzhou City, you can faintly hear the roar in the distance. According to well-informed sources, it was a new weapon of the Song army, an iron pipe invented by alchemists. Every time this iron pipe that seemed to have been enchanted roared, it could shoot five or six pounds of iron projectiles four miles away. And as long as those iron projectiles fall to the ground, they will explode, and the iron beads, iron nails, and arsenic inside can make all the surrounding life wither instantly.

In order to deal with this ferocious and strange weapon, the managers of Quanzhou, the Pu brothers, recruited all the "well-informed and far-traveled people" in the city in the yamen of the state capital to discuss countermeasures. As one of the draftees, Finley had no interest in such inefficient summonses. Had it not been for the shipment of spices that had been brought from Ceylon with great difficulty, he would have sailed away from the city.

Quanzhou, only 15 days from the Song Dynasty's Xinggong Yashan, only two days from Fuzhou, which was controlled by another large army of the Song Dynasty, and only 40 days from Zhigukou (Tanggu area) near the capital of the Yuan Dynasty. Such a strategic and wealth important place, if the Song Dynasty had the opportunity to regain it, would definitely not give up easily. And the left-wing army in the hands of the Pu brothers (the original name of the new annex army controlled by the Pu brothers) may not be willing to die for these two discredited profiteers.

Most of the attendees had the same thoughts as Finley Lee. In their eyes, it is better to talk about how to help the Left Army defend the city than to talk about how to dispose of the goods in their hands more quickly. After the Pu brothers gained absolute control of the city, they added many taxes that were not originally available in the Great Song Dynasty. The tax rate has also been nearly doubled. There were rumors in the market that all the extra money received went into the private pockets of the Pu brothers, and it became their investment in buying knighthoods from Dayuan Khan. Of course, everyone is dissatisfied with this kind of goods. Coupled with the differences in religion between them, the hall quickly became a mess.

"Silence, silence!" Pu Shougeng slapped the startling wood a few times, trying to suppress the noise underneath. Seeing that the adults were angry, the officers on both sides struck the ground with water and fire sticks, shouting the familiar Tang Wei.

"Might-Might-Force---" It was like a government trial case, and it was like a meeting of businessmen gathering together, and it opened with a voice of prestige.

"Ladies and gentlemen, all fathers and elders go on a blind date!" Pu Shoucheng arched his hand, and greeted the businessmen who came to the ** nondescriptly, "Quanzhou City is in danger, the Song people have already fought Xinghua, please come here today to ......"

"Surrender, the Song people won't slaughter the city!" Someone shouted from below, interrupting Pu Shoucheng's words. His suggestion was immediately echoed by the majority. Several Christian and Jewish leaders sang and sang to each other, and went out of the crowd to persuade the Princes to accept the proposals.

Pu Shougeng's horse face was immediately covered with a layer of frost. Surrender, nicely said. Before the last Yuan army came over, these people responded so positively to the offer to surrender. The problem is that they have surrendered and can still trade by sea, but the Pu family must be responsible for the last massacre.

Think beautifully, let Lao Tzu be sacrificed, and then you can eat my flesh and drink my blood! Pu Shougeng snorted lightly with his nose, and the servants on both sides immediately suppressed the noise of the proposer with a burst of prestige.

Several sect leaders looked at Pu Shougeng's face and slowly retreated into the crowd. The Pu brothers are all notoriously vicious, and before the arrival of the Mongols last time, he also convened everyone in this way. That night, all those who insisted on resisting were murdered. This time he played the trick of gathering people, so everyone should be careful. Don't be careless, the family property was taken away by the Pu brothers with an excuse.

"It is impossible to open the city to surrender, and Wen Tianxiang's broken army hates those of us who surrendered to Dayuan. The last time they conquered Fuzhou, Wang Jiweng, Wang Shiqiang and others were beheaded, and all their family wealth was confiscated. Even if we don't resist, we won't be able to survive. You must know that the year before last, the left-wing army killed the Han people surnamed Zhao, Bai and Chen in the city, and divided their warehouses and fleets afterwards, and all of you also benefited! "Pu Shougeng's words, three points are like persuasion, and seven points are like coercion. Their brother's purpose today is to tie more than 30,000 people of different sects in the city to a warship. In order to achieve this goal, telling a few big lies and finding a few troublesome sacrificial flags are all necessary means and cannot be considered against the will of Allah.

Hearing these words, there was another buzz in the crowd. On that day, the Pu brothers massacred the Han magnates and the royal family surnamed Zhao in the city, and many people chose to stand by and even sect members, pushing out the gates of those who had fled into the church. Afterwards, in order to appease people's hearts, the Pu brothers took out a small part of the plundered property and divided it privately by the chambers of commerce of various factions. Now, in case the Song army captures Quanzhou, when it comes to the crimes of the day, I am afraid that few people can prove their innocence.

"Is it really God, to punish your people?" A Christian muttered a cross on his chest.

"Lord Almighty!"

"Allah willing!" The atmosphere of fear spread among the crowd, thinking about the desperate eyes of those royal families surnamed Zhao who were driven out of the church, some people faintly felt a little guilty in their hearts.

The sin that has been committed will be paid for in the end. God is watching all beings in the sky. Li Finley hid in the crowd, listening to everyone's discussions, and a voice was very clear in his ears.

Through these discussions, he finally understood what had happened in Quanzhou in the past few years when he was away. The Tatars marched south and reached their doorstep. The major tycoons and businessmen in Quanzhou hesitated between surrender and resistance. At this time, the Great Song Dynasty requested to take refuge in the port. As an official of the Great Song Dynasty, Pu Shougeng, the pacification envoy of Fujian, not only refused the emperor's request, but also took advantage of the conflict of interests between the Han merchants and the Semu merchants in the port, and successfully launched the action of "killing the surname Zhao and expelling the rich Han merchants". With the support of the Left Wing Army, several Han merchants who tried to organize the defense of the city were all exterminated. More than 3,000 Han people surnamed Zhao in the city were beheaded, and their heads were sent to the Northern Yuan military camp as a meeting gift.

"The city looks bustling, the lights are everywhere, but there is darkness in the depths of the human soul. In the face of foreign enemies, they do not know how to resist, but they are bent on framing their brothers! Li Finley's heart suddenly swelled up with these words, which his previous employer had said when he persuaded him not to return to Quanzhou. Jacob, who came from Ancona on the other side of the ocean, saw through all the glitz and glitz of Quanzhou in a short period of time.

"Ladies and gentlemen, fathers and elders!" Pu Shoucheng slapped the table hard, and suddenly realized that his voice was so weak at the moment.

"My lord, you say, what do you say, let's all follow!" An empathetic Arab businessman took the lead. The eldest of the Pu family, he has always been known for his wisdom. colluding with Da Yuan and calculating Zhao Song are all his masterminds. Since everyone can't come up with a specific way, it is better to listen to how Master Pu arranges, so as not to say the wrong thing and be arrested by soldiers knocking on the door in the middle of the night.

In the expectant eyes of everyone, a few bitter smiles appeared on Pu Shoucheng's face. Now, he no longer dares to claim to be far-sighted and wise. It was his wrong choice half a year ago that caused today's embarrassing ending.

When Wen Tianxiang had just risen in Shaowu, Pu Shoucheng was still planning to raise a thief security officer. For the Pu family, with the situation at that time, this was a very correct choice. The so-called mandate of heaven and the so-called loyalty are just transactions in Pu Shoucheng's eyes. It's just that according to the strength of the other party, the price offered is also different.

Wen Tianxiang's little bit of people can't set off big waves, and if something happens, there is also a fool like Wang Jiweng in front of him to block the disaster. On the contrary, as long as the "banditry" in Fujian is not eliminated for a day, the Dayuan court needs the left wing army of the Pu family for a day. The status of the Pu family's "King of Southern Fujian" is also more solid.

But who would have expected that the Broken Army would explode in an instant. For more than half a year, he broke through Fuzhou and attacked the south of the sword. Now the soldiers are directly under the city of Quanzhou. The left wing army under his command went up to a team and died a team. In just a few days, 5,000 households and 10,000 households have been killed in the battle. Up to now, no general dared to lead the team to the rescue of the Xinghua Army.

He needed a large sum of money to buy weapons, recruit outcasts, and organize people to defend the city. At the same time, a large bounty is needed to boost the morale of those on the verge of collapse. The way south is not broken, and he still needs to raise enough money to bribe Suodu and ask him to lead the authentic Mongol army to the rescue.

And these money, naturally, cannot be paid by the Pu family. All the businesses present have to share a few points evenly.

Kublai Khan gave him the position of the city to promote the division, so no matter where they were withdrawn, these maritime merchants must be tied to the fleet of the Pu family, so that in the eyes of Kublai Khan, the Pu family has use value.

Pu Shoucheng's gaze swept over the faces of the merchants below, and he silently calculated in his heart who had to stay, who could abandon it, whose property could take the opportunity to take it, and then throw the fault to the Broken Army.

The merchants below shrank like lambs in captivity by the wolf's den, feeling the coldness in Pu Shoucheng's eyes. Several people whispered and discussed what to do to satisfy the greedy brothers.

"My lord, our Chamber of Commerce is willing to give the best cardamom from Sankanta to your lordship and reward the soldiers who have made meritorious contributions to defending the city!" A Frankish merchant walked out and replied on his own initiative. The canta is a common unit of measurement used by Mediterranean merchants, and one canta cardamom is almost a hundred catties. Three hundred catties of cardamom, in exchange for the big yuan banknotes, can be sold for a good mansion.

"So, thank you, Lord Anthony! When the thief retreats, I will ask the emperor to give you a reward and reduce your taxes! Pu Shougeng wanted this result, got up, and personally thanked the lead donor.

Someone takes the lead, and naturally someone responds. Merchants stepped forward one after another to report the "donations" they could take. Some businessmen, while donating, also put forward the proposal of sending clippers to Zhangzhou to ask for help. Pu Shoucheng shook the brush and recorded the number of donations and suggestions of the people one by one.

Victory is also wealthy, defeat is also wealth. This is the secret of the success of the mall. With enough money, they could even consider setting sail and relocating their family business back to Basra and to the holy land of the Arabs.

Even if you can't stay in Basra, you can buy camels to cross the desert. Go to the other side of the continent and enjoy the Mediterranean scenery. Da Song is not their home, just a fortune store. In this warehouse, everything can be clearly priced, including personality and loyalty.

With his head down, Finley quietly exited the lobby. His boat was parked on the Jinjiang River in the south of the city, and he donated all the unsold spices on the ship to the Pu family. As a deal, Pu Shoucheng signed his way to the sea.

Finley decided to leave and go as far as possible. The city has completely lost its appeal to him. Not far away, the sound of Han artillery, will surely remind the people here to reflect on everything they have done. And all this has its cause, and it must have its effect.

Alcoholic's note: The City of Light is a very controversial title. In the book, in the tone of an Italian merchant, Quanzhou before the turn of the Song and Yuan dynasties is skilled. Academics mostly think that this is a fake book. Finley Lee is a half-race translator in the book.

This book was first published from 17k, the first time to see the genuine content!

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