Section 76 General (1)

Wu Mu looked at the copy of the official document of the government that had just been sent. This was just delivered from the post inspection station located at the Guanrongpu Post Station.

Although the whole territory of Lingao has been controlled by them for a long time, for the policy of "Mingpi Aoxin", the post road has always been smooth. After Shan Daoqian arrived at the transportation department, he not only repaired the post road, but also accepted the post stations along the road by the way, repaired the crumbling houses, and the impoverished post men also had a guaranteed life. Therefore, the fast horses of the post soldiers with various official documents of the officials are still galloping unimpeded on this post road. This is a great opportunity for the General Administration of Political Security to peek into the movements of the government on the whole island. Zhao Manxiong set up a postal inspection office in the Guanrongpu Post Station, which was closest to Lingao, and all the official documents that passed through Lingao were first opened and copied, and then resealed and delivered.

Of course, the official documents of the Ming Dynasty also have sealed fire paint and the like, and important documents have to be nailed and sealed, but this is not a problem for the traverser, whether it is to use a special letter to take the tweezers to roll the letter, or to use a steam blowtorch to dissolve the paste, or even to forge the seal of the government, there are people who can do it, even if no one can do it, the information can always be checked.

Not only can they see the official documents given to Lingao County at any time, but all the official documents of the various government offices passing by must also be copied and sent to the General Administration of Political Security. A copy is now also sent to the Foreign Intelligence Service.

As usual, these official documents are read by Wu Mu. Although most of the Kumon were written in the vernacular of the time, there were many Kumon terms, and the ancient vernacular and Mandarin were different after all. It is difficult for modern people to fully understand, so he has a special team of consultants from the county government office around him to explain the meaning of the official document for him.

Most of the official documents are of little value, and most of them are documents related to the daily administration of each county, and more than ninety percent of them are related to taxation and the handling of criminal cases. This may be a very first-hand account for those who are interested in studying the history of the Ming Dynasty, but it is not interesting for Wumu.

The exchange of official documents between the Lingao County Government and the Qiongzhou Mansion was the focus of their surveillance, especially whether Wu Mingjin and his subordinates had privately reported the actual situation in Lingao to the Qiongzhou Prefecture. Therefore, whether it is an official document or a private message, it is subject to the strictest inspection.

Recently, the situation has been tense, and there are more and more official documents passing by. Wumu was very surprised to find that the official documents sent to Danzhou, Changhua and other places continued to be passed down from station to station through Lingao. It seems that he doesn't care about whether the official document can pass through the "bandit zone".

The General Administration of Political Security and the Intelligence Bureau easily knew from the official documents that the Ming army did not send troops from Danzhou -- the official documents only ordered the local food to be prepared and sent to Lingao, and did not give instructions for the Danzhou garrison to assemble and prepare for the battle, nor did they take care of the garrison to immediately steam and wash the firearms for later use.

He opened a few letters, and there was nothing special. His eyes widened as he opened another one.

This is an official letter calling Wu Mingjin to immediately return to the provincial capital to report on his work.

A copy of the letter was immediately in Xiong Buyou's hands. Then it went to the hands of the Executive Committee, and ten minutes later, the field army headquarters of Ma Yuan also received the news.

"Of course, you can't let Wu Mingjin go to the provincial capital." Xiong Buyou expressed his attitude simply and clearly, "First, when he arrives in the provincial capital, he is likely to say it all. Even if he doesn't say it all, he has a lot of first-hand information, and it's not good to reveal some of it. Second, it is useful for this person to remain in our hands. If we go to the provincial capital, we will no longer be able to use him, whether we live or die. ”

"Of course, it's easy not to allow him to go, but if he continues the Lingao mode in the future, I'm afraid he will not be able to be an official anymore if he openly disobeys the county order." Wude was worried about this.

"It's okay, just ask him to send an urgent letter." Xiong Buyou said, "Isn't He Ming sending a small force to harass Chengmai and Qiongshan? Let's add a few more ingredients. It is said that the thief is besieging the county seat, and he is trying his best to defend it, and he can't get out of the city. ”

"Will it work?"

"You can do it by looking for Master Wang."

In the county office, Wu Mingjin and others are in a very depressed situation. The news that the officials and soldiers were coming to suppress the thieves also knew about it in the yamen. Although the officials of the county government have either changed or no longer dare to contact him privately, the internal government is his family, and he can always know the outside news from their mouths.

The news started out as a slap, but then it grew stronger. The news from everywhere showed that the Governor's army was imminent. The servants told him that the Australians were mobilizing their forces, that the roads were full of troops and artillery, and that ships in the harbor were moving. And it is rumored that Australia has sent a new troop to prepare for a decisive battle with the Ming Dynasty.

Wu Mingjin's heart is both contradictory and painful. He knew that he didn't commit suicide at the beginning, and he didn't flee to Fucheng alone. Now there is no way out. can only "share the fate" with the Australians. The Australians won, and their own unclear county order can probably continue - but it may not be the Lingao county order of the Ming Dynasty. Thinking of this, a burst of sadness for the homeland couldn't help but come to my heart. However, in case the Ming Ming wins, the Australians pull the anchor and sail away, they can't go with them, leaving the graves of their ancestors and going to be Australians can only stay and wait for death

Thinking of this, he could barely sleep at night. He knew very well that once the Ming Dynasty regained Lingao, he would never think that he was a loyal minister who was "trapped in a lonely city", not only his life was not guaranteed, his reputation was lost, and even his family would be implicated. His wife and children are all in Lingao, and I am afraid that the jade will be burned at that time.

In such an extremely contradictory and complex mentality, Wu Mingjin spent more than ten days, Xiong Buyou knew from the inner line installed in the inner government that he was suffering in his heart, and was very worried that he would suddenly commit suicide, according to the meaning of the executive committee: Wu Mingjin is a key person to protect, so he ordered the inner line of the servants placed next to him to watch the county order to prevent him from committing suicide. In addition, He Guotuan was ordered to strengthen the guard at the inner government and the county gate to prevent him from escaping or sending people to deliver letters privately.

Xiong Buyou decided that this matter still had to be discussed with Wang Zhaomin - after all, the seal of the county order was still in Wu Mingjin's hands. It is inconvenient for you to take it by force. Although Master Wang has now lost power, he has become a senior adviser to the Government Council, and he is not dissatisfied with such a day, he has no merit and fame, and he does not eat the Ming Dynasty's money, and now he is holding the county order and the double allowance given by the Australians, raising a concubine, and living a comfortable life. In my heart, I only looked forward to this kind of day, and the wife was peaceful until Master Wu left office.

The news that the Ming army was about to enter and suppress Wang Zhaomin knew earlier. But he doesn't think the Australians will be defeated. Unlike Wu Mingjin, he often deals with Australians, has been to many places, and knows that Australians are extremely strong. The encirclement and suppression of the Ming army inevitably ended in failure.

The biggest adverse consequence of this encirclement and suppression is that the position of his own host's Lingao County Commander may not be guaranteed. However, this has little to do with his own vital interests - he, Wang Zhaomin, can find a new owner and continue to be a master.

Xiong Buyou consulted with him and showed him the official documents. Wang Zhaomin agreed with the judgment that Wu Mingjin could not be allowed to report on his work in the province, and he also had a positive attitude towards the practice of sending people to report on his work.

"There is no need to let Master Wu know about this matter - he is disturbed and uneasy now, and bothering him again will only make Master Wu more embarrassed." Wang Zhaomin adheres to the master's consistent style, and acts boldly, "The seal is in the signing room, and the signing and sealing were originally my messengers, and I will do it." ”

"Good. Then it depends on Master Wang's brilliant pen. ”

Although he did not know anything about the situation in Guangdong, judging from the fact that Wu Mingjin was asked to return to the province, the Guangdong officialdom was not very clear about the situation in Lingao, and he was almost ignorant of the situation of the Australians.

However, the Australians could not hide this matter from anyone in the three years before and after Lingao -- Wu Mingjin had sent a lot of urgent documents to Fucheng, and the Guangdong side would definitely check the original Tangbao documents now.

It is difficult to explain why the local county yamen has no response measures in the three years of Lingao, especially now when the word "suppression" is at the head, any justification will be picky, and only when public opinion becomes "fu", then it doesn't matter what contradictory words are said.

After thinking about it again and again, since it is difficult to make a lie, it is better not to be round at all, and only put on a book of 100,000 urgent, saying that Lingao is currently besieged by thieves, and the thieves are erecting cannons outside the city to build ladders, preparing to storm the county seat. The county order is urging the military and civilians of the whole city to defend the city.

After I finished writing, I circled and painted it again before I was satisfied. At the moment, he transcribed the seal and handed it to Xiong Buyou for a look.

"It's just that the messenger has to go through a lot of trouble." Master Wang said, "Although the official document only needs to be submitted to the prefecture, but in case the prefect or Tang Shen will see the situation of the county, it must be able to speak well and not be afraid of death." ”

"It's okay to do this, I have my own choice."

Xiong Buyou took the paperwork and did not go back to his office, but went directly to the office of the General Administration of Political Security, and studied the letter repeatedly with Wu Mu, Li Yan and others, and thought that there was no problem, so he called a locally-born indigenous intelligence officer who studied in the first department of the intelligence training center and asked him to send the letter to Fucheng.

Li Yan explained to him how to answer in case of questioning. And tell him about the dangers he may encounter, and tell him to be careful.

The news that the thieves broke through the Lingao guard, attacked Chengmai, and surrounded the county seat of Lingao, and finally reached the yamen of the Guangdong governor of Zhaoqing through the urgent Tang newspaper in Hainan. In order to supervise He Rubin's combat operations, Wang Zunde ordered Zhao Ruyi to guard the province in Hainan as the supervising army. Then, he appointed Lu Yizhong as an alternate Taoist in his army.

In this way, He Rubin has two "supervisors" before he is dispatched. Zhao Ruyi didn't say that it was inconvenient for others to leave their posts in Qiongshan County, but this Lu Yizhong was a close confidant in the governor's shogunate, and he originally came here to urge the war, and he inevitably pointed fingers in the army and asked him to "send troops quickly".

Lu Yizhong coerced the shops that had trade relations with the Australians in the city of Guangzhou, bluffed and threatened, and finally raised 40,000 or 50,000 silver, and even the Gao family had to come up with a few thousand taels of silver to send it away. Although this figure could not satisfy Wang Zunde, it finally saved a little trust.

On the one hand, Wang Zunde sternly urged the army to go to war, and on the other hand, he stepped up the mobilization of grain, grass, gunpowder, and armor, and prepared to ship from Guangzhou to Qiongshan for storage and later use.

The summer is scorching, but the sea is cool and breezy, although it is still an inland river of the Pearl River, but the river is wide, and the wind and waves on the river are as big as the sea. The waves undulated and rushed towards the shore, crashing against the sand and reefs.

Because of the order of Wang Zunde, the governor of Liangguang, the entry and exit of ships at the mouth of the Pearl River were prohibited. Moreover, the merchant ships knew that the government was sealing the big ships at the mouth of the Pearl River recently, and they did not dare to appear here. So there were only a few fishing boats and warships cruising on the river.

In the river bay in front of Humen Village, there are many ships concentrated, and the masts are like forests. There are not only the ships of the Guangdong naval division, but also all kinds of civilian ships that have been temporarily nailed, and some large ships are full of grain and armor and ordnance, and are full of white sails, and they are heading west to Hainan Island.

In the open space in front of Humen Village, many military tents have been set up in dense trees. The flag covers the field, and the swords and guns are like a forest. The drums and horns correspond to each other. The military appearance is very majestic.

Flags flutter on the Yaniang shoe fort opposite Humen Village, which is one of the main forts on the outskirts of Guangzhou. There are earthen villages, arrow towers, and pillboxes built around it, and there are many Ming troops stationed there, and the flags flutter in the wind.

He Rubin led a group of generals, staff and personal soldiers from the Lima River, looking at the army gathered from the whole province. Since the expulsion of Penghu Hongmaofan in the last years of the Apocalypse, Guangdong Province has never gathered such a large army. In order to support this army, in addition to using the grain stored in the official warehouses on Hainan Island over the years, it is also necessary to transport a large amount of additional grain. Because he knew that the thieves had sharp firearms, and were prepared to besiege the city for a long time, many newly cast cannons and firearms were transported from Foshan. There was also a lot of gunpowder. In the leeward and sunny place behind Yaniang Shoe Mountain, a new gunpowder factory was set up, and a steady stream of saltpeter, sulfur and willow charcoal were transported from all over the province to be made into gunpowder.

"The soldiers are good and the food is sufficient, and if you go to Zhentai, you will be able to reap the full success in one battle." There are staff members who flatter him.

"According to the Tang newspaper: The morale of the thieves has not declined, not only has no intention of retreating, but they have broken our guard, surrounding my Lingao and Chengmai counties, it seems that there must be a vicious battle to decide the victory. The military is dangerous, and there can be no negligence. "He Rubin was very surprised by the sudden activity of the thief, since the thief had been living a peaceful life in Lingao for nearly three years, and now Weishenme was suddenly attacking everywhere? Is it really as Lu Yizhong said, just to retaliate against the government's seizure of the Australian Commercial Pavilion?

He vaguely felt that this matter was not so simple.

A middle-aged civil servant stood on horseback. He was sent by Wang Zunde to serve as Lu Yizhong, who was the former praise of He Rubinjun. Although he got the title of praise for military affairs, everyone knows that this is the prison army sent by Wang Zunde.

Zhao Ruyi, the official superintendent of the Hainan Branch, is still in Qiongshan County, and he will not go to Guangzhou to point fingers. Lu Yizhong was not so easy to dismiss, and soon after he arrived in the army, he kept urging He Rubin to cross the sea to Hainan as soon as possible.

After listening to He Rubin's words, Lu Yizhong hurriedly continued: "What Lord Zhentai said is extremely true. The thief knows that the end is coming, and the so-called poor rat is devouring, and our division can only shock this kind of small night if he crosses the sea quickly. ”

Everyone knows that this Lu Zan painting is urging the soldiers again. In fact, it is claimed that there are 50,000, but in fact, the 20,000 army has only gathered more than 10,000 people. This is already the mobilization of troops in the province, so the speed is much faster. According to the practice of the Ming and Qing dynasties, so many troops could not be mobilized and assembled on the road at once, because it was difficult for the localities to provide food and lodging for so many men and horses at one time, so the troops everywhere set off day by day in units of two or three hundred people. Since it is a war and not a vacation, soldiers and officers naturally walk as slowly as they can't walk twenty miles a day. It is normal for tens of thousands of horses to spend three or four months assembling.

At this rate, it will take half a month for the entire army to be assembled. Moreover, the troops were improvised patchwork, and although they were nominally under He Rubin's moderation, he was not all familiar with the generals under his command who were scattered throughout the province.

Unfamiliarity with soldiers is a taboo in warfare. He Rubin originally wanted to assemble the whole army in Guangzhou, take advantage of the rainy season in Hainan and the subsequent typhoon weather to first conduct a local review and training for a month or two, and wait until the beginning of autumn before sending troops. However, Lu Yizhong's constant urging made him have to cross the sea first with food, armor and his town-standard middle battalion.

"The wind and waves are so strong today" He Rubin looked at the fleet that was sailing away. I can't help but worry about the safety of the fleet. A few days ago, several ships carrying grain and armor to Hainan capsized, and a large number of materials were lost.

"Don't worry, my lord, these sailors are all accustomed to ships, and they use nailed local ships, and they can go down to the Western Ocean, and there will be no problem in going to Qiongshan." The staff comforted him.

Back in the camp, He Rubin discussed with his staff about the strategy of entering the army. The Governor was anxious for him to cross the sea to fight, and in addition to his eagerness to succeed, there was also the question of his labor's salary. The 20,000 troops have been assembled, and the Guangdong treasury has already spent more than 100,000 pieces of silver, and the cost of food, ships, and firearms has not been counted. When you get to Lingao, you can grow around the thief for a few months, and the cost will be even greater.

To do this, he had to make a gesture to let his most reliable troops cross the sea first.

Seeing the first batch of sea-crossing troops leave, He Rubin seemed to breathe a sigh of relief -- he was finally able to have a room for blame for the governor. But there was a great deal of anxiety in my heart. He knew very little about the situation of the thieves, and originally wanted to wait for the arrival of the Lingao county order to inquire in person, but he didn't expect the thieves to suddenly besiege the county seat, and the county order could only be trapped and could not rush to the provincial capital.