PS: It's the end of the month soon, let's see if there is a monthly pass?

When the fleet entered the mouth of the Pearl River, Wang Dehua cheered himself up and tried to order someone to help him out of the cabin who was seasick and vomiting all the way, so as to see what the scene in Guangdong was.

After boarding the ship from Nigu, I was amazed that the fleet was able to sail all the way around the clock, without having to look for islands, but with the help of a small instrument in the hands of the boatswain's boatswain, he measured a few stars in the air, and said a few words of prayer in his mouth.

It is no wonder that Lu Xiangsheng said that it only takes more than a month to bring reinforcements to Beijing.

Thinking that Governor Li can offer hundreds of thousands of silver and grain to the inner government every year, he is also respectful to the emperor on weekdays, and he will definitely not be like those Qiu Batou who lead the troops.

The distance from Tianjin Port to Guangzhou Port is 1,800 kilometers, which is more than 980 nautical miles, and according to the speed of the fleet of 18 nautical miles per hour, these numbers came out of the mouth of the ship boss, and Wang Dehua was ecstatic to hear it. In this way, at this rate, it will only take five days to arrive in Guangzhou and meet Master Li there!

However, a side effect of the speed of sailing at sea was that the prince had not had time to rejoice before he came to attack him.

Vomiting and seasickness soon spread among the prince and those around him. Not only did the prince vomit as if he had fallen into the sea and turned over the river, but the accompanying eunuchs, the officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp who guarded the camp, and the Jinyi Banner School were all vomited out of one Buddha ascending to heaven and two Buddhas becoming Nirvana.

As soon as the ship left the Bohai Bay and entered the Yellow Sea, someone vomited bile on the side of the ship.

Those majestic and well-dressed officers and soldiers of the Beijing battalion were lying on the side of the ship. Spit into the sea. It was the food that started to vomit. Later, he vomited clear water. At the end of the day, I couldn't spit out the water, only retching, and convulsions from the stomach and intestines, as if someone was constantly pulling with his hands in the stomach. made these soldiers who usually have their eyes above the top almost want to vomit out bitter bile water. The boat fell with the waves. Every time it goes up and down. It's as if someone is grabbing their internal organs. I'll go up in a moment. Drag it down for a while. It's hard to get hurt.

Under the persuasion of the sailors and escorts on the ship, everyone tried their best to eat bowls of white sugar porridge to make their stomachs more comfortable.

"This mission is really not easy to play!"

Almost everyone muttered to themselves in their hearts.

Finally, the boat entered the mouth of the Pearl River, and according to the map, the destination Guangzhou was in front of me.

Look at the archway on the pier with pines and cypresses and various colored silks. And the soldiers who maintain order. All the accompanying officers and soldiers tried to puff up their chests, and the climax of this mission was coming!

According to the practice of the Ming officialdom, to welcome the decree, there must be some filial piety. Nanzhong has always had the reputation of wealth. This time, Li Shouhan was transferred to the north to Qinwang. These officers and soldiers of the Beijing battalion are all preparing to exchange the money box at home for a king-size one.

However, to everyone's disappointment, there was no Li Shouhan himself among the few people kneeling on the red felt mat on the pier.

"Master Jiang. Who are these people? ”

Under the greeting of Jiang Yihong, the political envoy of Guangdong, Wang Dehua's face looked a little better.

"Father-in-law, this is Li Huayu, the eldest son of General Li. I rushed back from Nanzhong to greet my father-in-law. Jiang Yihong introduced Wang Dehua, who was an angel of the message, one by one.

The leader was Li Huayu, who rushed back from Hue overnight. Not long ago, he took the southbound tour group as a tour guide, his complexion was fair, his figure was medium, although he was still young, but his body skeleton had grown into a full-fledged body, and the well-tailored brocade robe set off his figure very much, he did not wear a crown, but just strangled his forehead with a wipe, and several gems inlaid on it dazzled people's eyes.

Behind Li Huayu, the three people wearing an eight-petal hat and an iron-tipped helmet, a steel cuirass exposed in the brocade robe, and a big red cloak on their backs attracted Wang Dehua's attention.

"I wonder who these generals are?"

His eyes lit up, and he opened his mouth to ask Li Huayu.

"These are the three brigade commanders of my South Central Army stationed near Guangzhou, and they are here to greet the angels!"

Liao Dongzhi, Wu Liuqi, and Wu Biao intervened together to salute Wang Dehua, which made him a little unhappy.

The "Etiquette Formula" in the "Daming Huidian" stipulates in detail the etiquette of the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty: where hundreds of officials interact, they are distinguished by their rank and inferiority. The grade is similar, and when they meet, the east and west are opposed, and those with a slightly higher rank live in the east, and those with a slightly lower rank live in the west. The difference in rank is two or three grades, and when we meet, those with high rank are at the top, and those with low rank are at the bottom. There is a four-level difference in rank, and when they meet, those with low rank bow down, and the Venerable sits and receives salutes, and when there is something, he kneels to make a statement. In this way, the first-rank official and the second-rank official meet each other, the second-rank official lives in the west and salutes, and the first-rank official retreats in the east. Meet with the third and fourth officials, the third and fourth officials bow down, and the first officials answer the salute in the middle. Meet with the officials below the fifth grade, and the first-grade officials sit and receive their bowing salutes. The rank of subordinate officials is lower than that of superiors, and they must kneel when they are in business. Officials who are close to each other do not have to kneel and bow according to their rank. Although the rank of colleagues is high, there is no need to be formal. Officials of all sizes are not allowed to kneel and bow when they meet in the inner government. Officials are not allowed to resist in and out of the streets, and officials with a difference in rank need to avoid horses and sedan chairs, and if they are three in a difference, they need to kneel. But later, especially after Ming Wuzong, this set of etiquette also changed slightly. For example, the secretaries of all temples are all third-grade officials, but they have to avoid Shangshu and Shilang. The six servants and the three officials have to avoid the secretary of the department. The official position of the prince is above the first rank, and if he meets the head of the cabinet on the road, he must also avoid it.

The greatest ritual of the Ming Dynasty to the emperor was to bow and buckle the head five times, bow to the hand (this is called worship) five times, kowtow to the ground (this is called buckle) three times, and then get up and stand with his hands - used for the most formal occasions (officials enter Beijing once every three years to see the court, and the tributes bow during the palace test and the preach). It is common to bow three or four times, and then get up and stand. Kneel when receiving the decree. When officials participate in sacrifices or express gratitude to people, they usually go to the fourth prostration.

As one of Chongzhen's most favored eunuchs, the following departments are still below. When the officers and generals below the general army saw him, which one didn't kowtow to the salute of the superiors? Don't you want to be treated like this by the generals when you first arrive in the Nanzhong Military Defense Zone?!

"Our family went south this time and read out His Majesty's decree to Ling Zun, in addition to rewarding Lord Li for expelling Yingyi and sweeping away the rebellion of Liangguang, but also to reward meritorious soldiers. I don't know what kind of officials these three brigade commanders are? ”

"Back to the angels, these three brigade commanders are just messengers, leading officers, and they have never had official ranks."

"Huh! How does this make! How can you let a hero be in the wilderness? And so it goes. It's not to chill the soldiers. Do you think the court has mistreated the soldiers? We're here this time. brought hundreds of confession documents, and below the deputy general, all of them were appointed and exempted by Lord Li himself, and he only needed to file with the Ministry of Officials and the Ministry of War. ”

In addition to recognizing the rank of Li Shouhan as a general of the Central Army in the south. The Chongzhen monarchs and ministers also reluctantly made a huge concession.

"Liangguang is now at a critical juncture to sweep away the rebellion. In order to prevent officials from fighting ineffectively, they shirk and evade. The emperor has a will, officials below the prefect of the Liangguang region, and generals below the general. The power to appoint, dismiss, reward, punish, and promote was also handed over to Lord Li until the end of the war. ”

Wang Dehua said a word, and Li Huayu thanked the emperor for his kindness. Jiang Yihong, who was always smiling and standing beside Hua Yu, was terrified when he heard it.

A large number of local officials in the Liangguang region have long since disappeared because of thieves and thieves or because they were timid to avoid war, and most of the grassroots government affairs in various places are now carried out and run by the village and town mayors and work teams of Master Li. Now the imperial court has handed over the power of appointment, dismissal, reward and punishment below the prefect to Lord Li, which is undoubtedly giving up hundreds of prefectures and counties in Liangguang.

However, it would be a big mistake to think that the imperial court had softened the compromise with the Nanzhong Army led by Li Shouhan.

Wang Dehua's next move made Li Huayu and others suddenly vigilant.

"I don't know what the three generals are called? What is the name of the department? ”

"Liao Dongzhi, the commander of the third brigade of the second town."

"Wu Liuqi, commander of the Guangzhou garrison and commander of the garrison brigade!"

"Chaomei Garrison Brigade Commander Wu Biao!"

The three of them saluted the prince again, and loudly declared their official names.

With a professional smile on his face, the prince couldn't stop admiring in his mouth, Lord Li is so elite, how fortunate I am! This is all caused by the blessing of the two ancestors, and the ancestors are blessed by the spirit of heaven.

As he spoke, a few little eunuchs held a wooden plate, on which were placed a few confessional documents and waist cards and other things.

"The three of them are all loyal and brave people, and our family is about to make friends with the three of them. However, he came in a hurry and did not have any gifts, so he had to be cheeky and arrogant, and issued three confessions for Lord Li, and in the future, he would ask Lord Li for his guilt in person. ”

On the three documents, I don't know when the names of Liao Dongzhi and others were filled in, and the official position is a deputy general!

Faced with the temptation of wearing a big red silk lion complement official uniform and tying a second-grade rhino horn belt around his waist in the future, the performance of the three brigade commanders was different.

Liao Dongzhi is still smiling, but there is a look in his smile that puts people thousands of miles away; Wu Liuqi had no expression on his face, as if this matter had nothing to do with him. Only his little brother Wu Biao, his eyes stared at the golden waist card of the confession document and the Shuangyun Dragon and Shuanghu talismans, swallowing his saliva hard, and the muscles on his face could not help but rise and fall.

Regarding the performance of these people, naturally Wang Dehua, Li Huayu, Jiang Yihong and others all saw it, and the atmosphere became quite weird and embarrassing for a while. Jiang Yihong, who was old in officialdom, had to come out to play a round, so as not to change the flavor of the scene of welcoming Qincha.

Although a colorful shed was erected on the wharf, and the colorful shed made of bamboo and wood was covered with thick cotton cloth, several huge charcoal braziers in the colorful shed burned vigorously, driving away the wet and cold air. A beautiful mahogany table and chairs, covered with embroidered gold thread cushion seat covers, all kinds of tea and snacks are sent up, although the preparation is very thorough, you can also enjoy the scenery on both sides of the Pearl River, see the little sail shadow on the river, but after all, it is comfortable, but it is not far from the mansion set up for the angels. After a little dim sum and tea to let the entire propaganda group rest for a while, Jiang Yihong asked Wang Dehua, Wang Gonggong and others to get on the bus and go into the city to settle down.

All the way into the provincial capital of Guangzhou, along the way to see the kind of vitality and high-spirited spirit of the people in the market, the prosperity and cleanliness of the market, so that this group of people from the feet of the Son of Heaven is even more surprised. What is particularly different from all over the Ming Dynasty, including the capital, is the cleanliness here. And orderly.

The wide, well-groomed pavement, all paved with burnt ash, the clattering sound of the horses' hooves, and the rumbling sound of the wagon's wheels rolling over, were the best part in that they were flat, without the undulating feeling of the dirt roads.

There is a relatively narrow road on each side of the road, and the pedestrians on the road walk there with their own light furs, some of them have purchased various items, and they are often followed by porters of short stature and different colors of clothing, carrying their harvest with flat poles.

And it's just above the road. Large and small shop signs, flags, banners, plaques. Varied. There are many kinds of large and small businesses, restaurants and hotels. Those who specialize in retail, the guys who stand in front of their shops try to greet customers in the official language, and the buyers and sellers who do a large wholesale business. It was at the door of the shop to say goodbye to the ministers. Congratulations to each other and voices of fortune come and go.

See this scene of prosperity and tranquility. The large and small officials, soldiers, eunuchs, and Jinyi guards who came with Wang Dehua were all happy in their hearts. This time, it's sure to be rich!

Surrounded by a large group of small eunuchs, Jinyi Banner School, and Beijing camp soldiers. Wang Dehua proudly entered the yamen of the governor of Liangguang. Seeing that in the courtyard of the Governor's Palace, the dragon card and incense cases were all ready, and all the officials above the fifth grade near Guangzhou were all in the courtyard according to the relationship between the subordinate and the subordinate in the territory, seeing this scene, Wang Dehua nodded with satisfaction.

After some red tape, Li Huayu and the officials of the Nanzhong Army knelt down to receive the holy decree, and the content of the holy decree was nothing more than what Wang Dehua said on the dock, and the imperial court handed over to Li Shouhan the power of evaluation, punishment, reward, punishment, appointment and dismissal of military attachés and generals below the military staff and civil prefects in the Liangguang region. At the same time, Li Shouhan was ordered to sort out and report the list of meritorious soldiers in the matter of resisting Yingyi and quelling the chaos in Liangguang for the imperial court to reward him. In addition, 400 sets of blank confessional documents were given to the Shouhan, and officials below the rank of deputy general could be appointed on their own.

Hearing this holy decree, the civil and military officials present all made their own small calculations.

The imperial court completely handed over Liangguang to the Li family, and recognized the Li family's actual control over the territory of Guangdong and Guangxi. Originally, there were already dozens of prefectures, counties, and prefects in various places who quietly expressed their loyalty to the Li family after going to Nanzhong and his party, and the task force of the Nanzhong Army took the opportunity of suppressing thieves and quelling the chaos to expand its power to various places, but due to the imperial court system, it could not formally occupy the political power and give orders, so it could only be carried out in the name of the task force and government affairs. And now, this will legitimizes everything the Li family has done. Many officials have already made up their minds, since the Li family has become a wing, then they will be promoted to make a fortune under their wings.

However, there are also people who have always regarded the Li family as Fanbang Yidi, and they have made up their minds, and once they receive the holy decree, they will resign from the official when they return home, and go back to Nanzhili's hometown, and they will study behind closed doors from then on! Lest I see a group of people in the Nanzhong Army every day who don't know the way of the saints, but only how to chase fame and fortune.

However, this grace of the imperial court was not given in vain, and there was another will, which was to ask Li Shouhan to quickly lead the elite north to King Qin to repel the Jiannu in the Gyeonggi region, and make new contributions to the imperial court.

Jiang Yihong knelt on the ground and listened, the more he listened, the more shocked his heart became, the emperor's reward was so generous that he didn't expect. Liangguang has now completely become the territory of the Nanzhong Army, so how should he, the political envoy, deal with himself? His mind was racing, and Jiang Yihong only felt that all kinds of thoughts in his mind were extremely chaotic and complicated, and his heart was panicked and sour for a while.

Go? Stay in Liangguang? Or do you ask the imperial court to transfer yourself to the north for another placement? Ask yourself, staying in Liangguang, the people's livelihood is rich, and the society is stable, which is not similar to the situation in which the world north of Wuling was in turmoil and thieves and thieves swarmed in the letter of the same year. Moreover, Master Li's governance philosophy is quite in line with his own, although compared with what the ancients said, there are many unbelievable points, but the implementation is very reasonable.

"Minister, Li Huayu, I would like to thank you on behalf of my father."

As the eldest son, Li Huayu received the two emperor's decrees for his father Li Shouhan, and ordered all kinds of issued things to be taken over and kept by Haosheng.

Accompanying Guangdong officials to travel to Nanzhong, Huayu also boasted that he had grown a lot and was much familiar with officialdom etiquette.

"It's hard to come all the way on the public sea. Hua Yu apologized to his father-in-law on behalf of his father-in-law, and asked his father-in-law to settle down for a few days. ”

Listen, listen, people just want to bribe you in person, and they also want to play a dignified banner, not that I want to bribe the angels of the court, but that these tens of millions of soldiers and civilians want to show some respect to the court. If you don't accept it, won't it chill the hearts of these court children?

At the moment, some people took out a few plates of jewelry and gave them as gifts, which were nothing more than the tusks in the mouth of an elephant, the horn of a rhinoceros head, and the red and green gems of South China Sea pearls. In addition, dozens of rice tickets with a denomination of 1,000 stones were used as cushions to press under the jewelry. The civil and military officials who came with Wang Dehua, the eunuchs of Jinyiwei, and the soldiers of the Beijing camp were also given a Cheng Yi according to different grades and status.

"How does this work? It's called Xian Qiaozi to break the bill. In addition to announcing the decree this time, our family is also the supervisor of the Qinwang Army in the north, and Ling Zun Shao has to kill the enemy side by side, this, our family has to accept it with shame, and it will not be like this in the future! ”

Wang Dehua took the gift and asked Zhengjiao, that is, why is Li Shouhan not in Guangzhou?

"It's really unfortunate that my father-in-law came, my father rushed back to Nanzhong to deal with some urgent matters!" (To be continued......)