Chapter 82: Local Heroes
For the first time, the peace-loving people of Changzhou saw the horror of war.
Under the miserable sky, hundreds of heads hung at the entrance of the downtown of Changzhou. These people are the upper class of Changzhou, and in the past, dozens of people had to serve the lord for a meal, but now they only need a rope tied to pigtails and hung on a wooden pole.
On both sides, there are also white and black letters hanging, on which the book reads:
Manchuria is dressed in Manchuria, full of spring breeze and full of shame. The eyes are full of rivers and mountains, full of blood, full of anger and hatred.
A notice on removing braids was posted at the entrance of the downtown area, and a poem by Gu Yanwu was written: Once you hold scissors, cut off half of my bald head. The Chinese are ruined, and it is better to live than to die. Those who cut off the rattail braid and regrow their hair are not to blame for the past.
There was an endless stream of officials who came by boat in Suzhou, and the Ming officials who fled from the north were all registered to verify their identities. Many of them were sent to Changzhou this time to be appointed to Changzhou officials. Although these people failed to resist the Qing soldiers, they actually did not have much responsibility, they had no soldiers and no food in their hands, and they chose to flee south instead of surrendering, which shows that they are still a bit of integrity.
The soldiers and horses from all over Zhejiang also went to the front line in Changzhou to a greater or lesser extent, and Hou Xuanyan specially transferred Zhu Dadian to Changzhou to cooperate with Yan Yingyuan to do a good job in the first line of defense in the Southern Ming Dynasty.
After Suzhou's commercial tax was reopened, Gu Youde, the richest man, took the lead in supporting it. Although the others are unwilling, but with Gu Youde in front, no one dares to be the first bird again. In just a few days, Suzhou's treasury has been enriched with a lot of money. Xia Yunyi and others were busy rehousing displaced people and resuming production, and they also improved.
Gu Youde was so open-minded this time, Hou Xuanyan reciprocated by promoting Gu Shouzheng to the prefect of Changzhou. Now that it is the autumn of troubled times, it is natural to promote people without sticking to one pattern, otherwise it will be very difficult to go to the imperial examination and become the prefect by Gu Shouzheng.
As the saying goes, seven points are used for being very smart, and the remaining three points are left for children and grandchildren. Gu Youde, an old fox, is shrewd, but he seems to have used up all the wisdom of his descendants. One of the three sons is too vulgar, short-sighted, and can only see small profits. The second son is too good and has good conduct, but he has no power to scheming. The third son is muddy, and he is hanging.
He also saw clearly that no one could carry forward his family business, and if the second child was upright and had the help of nobles, he might be able to develop in officialdom. Otherwise, if you are angry with that book, there will be no bones left that have been dissolved by cannibalistic officialdom.
Gu Shouzheng was full of enthusiasm and rushed to Changzhou excitedly, and before he arrived at Yamen, he saw more than 100 heads in the downtown area. He looked at the "Nine Man" poems on both sides, and just wanted to applaud, but saw that there were still many young children in the head.
Gu Shouzheng was silent, came to the yamen, and saw Hou Xuanyan who was arranging defense.
Hou Xuanyan saw that he was coming, and welcomed him to the house with a smile.
"Why is the second uncle sullen?"
"Wen Yuan, I look at the heads of people on the street, and children of a few years old. What can they understand, it's good for their parents to kill adults if they join the enemy, such a young child..."
Hou Xuanyan turned around and said, "They enjoy the privileged life brought by their father's defection to the enemy, so they have to bear such a crime. If it weren't for me, Hou Xuanyan, these people would have grown up, and since they were children, they would have watched their parents kneel at the feet of the Manchurians, in exchange for brocade clothes and jade food. They will also become the next batch of traitors in Changzhou, acting for the tiger and oppressing their compatriots. Have you seen a few descendants of Baoyi Aha who can recognize their ancestors and return to their ancestors and fight for the Han people?
When these little cubs grow up, the descendants of the Han people who are unwilling to kneel at the feet of foreign races can only exploit and oppress them, their children and grandchildren do coolies for them, and their daughters give them joyful slaves. It is a good thing that the second uncle is kind-hearted, but he can't be a woman's kindness, you know, now it is not only the Ming Dynasty that is going to die, but also the blood of our Han people. ”
Gu Shouzheng's face turned red, his face was ashamed, and he lowered his head and said, "You're right..."
Hou Xuanyan laughed and said: "You came all the way from Suzhou, and you should have set up a banquet for you to wash the wind and dust, but now that everything is busy, please return to your position as soon as possible." ”
The officials from Suzhou all said yes, and the situation they thought was desperate suddenly took a turn, and everyone was holding back their strength and wanted to reorganize the mountains and rivers.
----------
In Kunshan County, in a quiet house, the sound of silk and bamboo orchestral music started. The music in the pavilion is like playing a dulcimer, and the melody is endless
A barefoot beauty, with a slender waist, tiptoe on tiptoe, twisted her willow waist, and danced.
I saw her thin skirt as thin as cicada wings staggered, slender jade legs bouncing on tiptoe, soft leg lines full of elasticity, petite figure kept flying in the pavilion, and her full chest swayed like waves.
The vocal music stopped with the beauties, and a cheer broke out in the pavilion, and a thin boy with soft eyes applauded, raised his glass and said, "Good, good!" Yun'er deserves to be the first-class chicken in our Kunshan County Gool, come on, come on, my son appreciates the wine! ”
Although the beauty was humiliated by his words, she didn't dare to show her sorrow, just because this person was the head snake of Kunshan and the young head of the Ye family.
Ye Fangli was born with a pair of peach blossom eyes, and his brother was a jinshi and went to Tai'an Mansion in Shandong to make the Laiwu order. He is the only one left in the Ye family, in charge of the family industry. In his opinion, being a soil emperor in Kunshan is much more comfortable than being a small county magistrate.
The beauty called Yun'er couldn't shirk it, so she stepped forward to take the wine cup, but was hugged into Ye Fangli's arms, splashing her head and face full of wine, and even her hair was wet.
Ye Fangli pinched her cherry mouth with his hand, picked up the wine jug and poured it in. Yun'er was uncomfortably tight, but she didn't dare to swallow, and after Ye Fangli finished pouring, she sipped the wine in her mouth with her lips.
At this time, a subordinate came in, saw this fragrant scene, and secretly swallowed saliva.
Ye Fangli pushed her and teased: "What, you want to taste it too?" ”
Jia Ding laughed and said: "The little ones don't dare, how can the little ones have this blessing." ”
Ye Fangli kicked with his foot and said with a cruel smile: "I said you have it, you have it." You guys are doing it in this pavilion, and my son wants to see a scene. ”
Yun'er was shy and forbearing, knowing that this Ye Gongzi was tyrannical and had deep roots in Kunshan, and it was not at all something that she could disobey as a happy woman. She lightly relieved Luo Xiang, closed her eyes with tears, and the family was very excited when she saw it, and she stepped forward with an ugly look, and was about to do things like clouds and rain.
At this time, Ye Fangli looked at it with relish, opened his mouth and asked, "What are you looking for me?" Don't stop, talk as you go. ”
The housekeeper licked his lips and said, "Back to Gongzi, a group of tax collectors came to Suzhou, looking through the account books in our stores, saying that they wanted to recollect commercial taxes. ”
Ye Fangli's face changed, and he kicked the family who was shaking his bare ass to the ground.
"Collecting business taxes? I put a few untouchables on me, and I made them. ”
Jia Ding knelt on the ground and said, "Young master, that's the person from Hou Xuanyan in Suzhou, I heard that he is in the limelight now, and even Gu Youde listened to his words and paid taxes obediently." ”
"In Kunshan, if I say no, I can't do it, what is Hou Xuan's calculation? This place in Kunshan, surnamed Ye! ”