After investigation, the vast majority of the elite soldiers who were ambushed in the valley of Mount Tai were the soldiers who returned to the field cut by the imperial court, and when Tang Huaishan led the grain transport troops into the valley, one or two thousand people were killed or injured due to stubborn resistance, and nearly 7,000 people were captured, and some of them absconded through the secret passages in the mountains and have been thrown in the search so far.

A rough estimate puts the total at about 10,000.

According to one of the captured "generals", the soldiers were led by a pair of brothers surnamed Shang. They had an edict in their hands to recruit them in the name of "forming a pro-army directly under the Holy Lord" and send them to that valley in batches for training.

This army, which calls itself the "Black Heron Army", has been in existence for more than five years. All those who were drafted into the Black Heron Army signed a military deed that looked like a military order. The agreement was to serve for ten years, and after ten years, he would be terminated and returned to freedom.

Only the Shang brothers, who served as the chief general and deputy general, and their personal soldiers had the opportunity to enter and leave the valley, and the "generals" and the brothers under their command had never gone out since entering the valley. The intricate tunnels on Mount Tai were dug out by them with a spade and a pickaxe.

In order to prevent anyone from escaping or gaining insight into the route of the tunnel, access to the tunnel is blindfolded. Without waiting for the secret passage to be completely opened, all the people were withdrawn, and the finishing work was completed by the personal soldiers of the "main and deputy generals".

Armor, weapons, and military supplies were regularly sent into the valley.

The armor and weapons seized from the valley were all well-made, branded with very regular fan marks, and the silver was also all official silver, so it is no wonder that those soldiers who returned to the field never questioned the authenticity of the edict.

It is said that the "Black Heron Army" is very rich in silver, and ordinary soldiers are 500 taels a year. The number of general-level characters is as high as one or two thousand taels. It can be stored in the military account, and can be received with the "salary card" in the future, or it can be withdrawn once every six months, and sent home by a special person to support his wife and children.

The "food card" used by the Daliang Guozheng brand army is divided into a number of grades, the primary class is a wooden card, and one represents a bucket of rice or a hundred dollars. Accumulate enough 10 convertible iron medals to represent a stone of rice or a string of money. And so on, ten iron medals can be exchanged for one bronze medal, and ten bronze medals can be exchanged for one silver medal. Ten silver medals can be exchanged for one gold medal.

The "food cards" found in antiquity are not equal. They are all silver-plated iron plaques, with the logo of the "Black Heron Army" engraved on one side and the number "five hundred taels" or "one thousand taels" cast on the other, and almost everyone will hold the captured soldiers. Ranging from one to ten.

I learned that I was not joining the Holy Lord's direct pro-army. There are those who howl and cry. Some fainted on the spot, and some scolded.

Tang Huaishan sent people to arrest some soldiers and interrogate their families, but they only knew that their sons had been reactivated by the imperial court. Ignorant of anything else. They did receive a salary from their son or husband at most, no more than ten taels, and one hundred and two thousand taels was undoubtedly an astronomical amount for them.

It is precisely because there is not so much silver that they do not think so much, but spend it steadily.

In other words, on the issue of salary, these returning soldiers and their families were deceived by the Shang brothers.

The grain transport troops rushed into the row of thatched huts symbolizing the big tent of the main general, but the houses were long since empty, and the "military registration" of those soldiers and generals was also burned down, and the "main general" and "deputy general" were nowhere to be found. Portraits of captured generals have been drawn and distributed to government offices at all levels, and they have been arrested on a large scale in Shandong and surrounding neighboring provinces.

The origin of the Shang brothers is still under detailed investigation.

The major temples in Mount Tai were seized last night, and many people absconded by taking advantage of the chaos, and the rest of the people were also verifying their identities one by one. Under the leadership of the governor, the garrisons of Shandong are searching up and down Mount Tai inch by inch, not letting go of any suspicious person or suspicious place.

Xiao Zhengqian is a person with high efficiency, and this morning's work, he quickly cut through the mess and dealt with the affairs of Mount Tai for eight ~ nine and not far from ten.

Although the personal safety of the emperor and queen was not endangered, the rebels could be found in the sacred place of worship, and the monks who participated in the sacrifice to the sky were mixed with people with skills and unknown origins, and many poison-feeding weapons were found from the "holy weapons" used in the sacrifice, which really made people feel chilled and afraid.

Naturally, the relevant officials are inevitably guilty of "dereliction of duty", and depending on the size of their responsibility, they may be demoted or their salaries deducted. Master Jian, who received the post of Sacrifice to Tianqin this time, and Xiao Zheng, who was responsible for supervising the construction of the altar of the sacrificial hall, will also be punished accordingly.

On the whole, the punishment was lenient, and there was no official turmoil and a large-scale replacement of local officials. After a day and a night of tensioning their heartstrings, many people praised the Holy God for his generosity and wisdom.

The king of Ji'an, who reported the rebels, and the grain movement of the rebellion made great contributions, and a wealth and future were indispensable.

However, it is necessary to wait for everything to come to light and the saint returns to Beijing, and then further implement rewards and punishments.

At the same time, a clear decree was made to postpone the date of the sacrifice to May 18. He ordered Prince Yong and Master Jian to investigate the case, and they were limited to find out the origin of Taishan's rebellion before the 18th, and rearrange the relevant matters of the ceremony of sacrificing to the sky.

Master Jian knew that the Holy Lord was giving him the opportunity to make meritorious contributions, so he was grateful and didn't dare not do his best.

After handling government affairs, not only Xiao Zhengqian was physically and mentally relaxed, but people from all walks of life in Shandong and the ministers who accompanied him also put down the big stone that was pressing on their hearts. There was a small banquet at noon, and they rushed to Maoyingxuan in the evening to participate in the formal banquet of catching the wind and washing the dust.

Monarchs and ministers gathered together, drinking and eating, singing and dancing, talking and laughing, and serving their joy. Even the king of Ji'an temporarily put away his unwillingness and shame, and despite his own ill body, he accompanied the saint to drink half-drunk.

Thinking that he was leaving the palace, his style of acting was also let go, and when he heard that Queen He was going to Pear Flower Garden tomorrow to take a look at the girls who were adopted by Fang Yiyun, Xiao Zhengqian looked very interested, and immediately decided to accompany her.

Fang Zhifu knew that his wife and daughter had offended the queen's mother and daughter, and the queen suddenly proposed to visit the Pear Flower Garden, and she had been trembling, and she heard that the emperor and queen were going to travel together, but she was relieved, and took the opportunity to suggest that the emperor and queen go to Daming Lake for a visit, and then go to the Temple of Literature to worship the "master", and meet the literati students of Jinan Mansion.

Xiao Zhengqian also readily agreed.

The news of the emperor and queen traveling together soon spread among the people, and people from all walks of life in Jinan Mansion were in an uproar, and the people were especially excited.

When the holy car entered the city, there were not many people who could feast their eyes up close. Now that I have the opportunity to see the dragon's face, how can I miss it? So those who have a heart go to Daming Lake and Xuewen Temple early to wander around, trying to occupy the best viewing position.

The Xuewen Temple is just gone, with a few doors on the four walls, and the officers and soldiers are clean as soon as they are encircled. Daming Lake is not completely under martial law, if all the boats and yachts on the lake are expelled, there will be no scenery to see, and the two bigwigs can't stand on the shore and look at the lotus leaves in the middle of the lake, right?

inevitably swept away the interest of the emperor and queen, and could only relax the policy appropriately, which also gave some people the opportunity to see the needle.

Huang Zun's floating restaurant came to a female nun dressed in a wide monk's robe......

――(To be continued......)