Chapter 164, Tiger Hill Conference

The fifteenth day of the first month of the seventh year of Chongzhen, Suzhou, Tiger Hill

The history of Suzhou City can be traced back to the 'Spring' and Autumn era, as early as when Wu and Yue fought for hegemony, it was already the capital of Wu State. 800（。 ww。 Tang man Li Taibai has a poem that says: "When Gusu was on Wuqi, King Wu was drunk in the palace." Therefore, there are many historical attractions in Suzhou: Tiger Hill, Pan'men, Shihu, Lingyan, Tianping, Yushan...... There are also 'fine' beautiful gardens built in the past dynasties, such as the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Lingering Garden, the Cang'lang Pavilion, the Lion Forest, etc., which are all places that people and inkmen in the world yearn for.

And the Tiger Hill outside Suzhou City, is the first scenic spot in Wuzhong, after the death of King Wu Lu in the 'spring' autumn, he was buried in Tiger Hill. After Qin Shi Huang swept away the six countries and unified the four seas, he once climbed the Tiger Hill to enjoy the victory. When the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi was appointed to assassinate the history of Suzhou, he dug the mountain to divert water, and built a seven-mile embankment in Tiger Hill, and later dynasties also built more on this place, making the scenery of Tiger Hill more beautiful, so that later generations of literati thought that it was a pity to go to Suzhou and not visit Tiger Hill.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the scholars of the Fushe led by Zhang Pu had held literary events in Tiger Hill many times to discuss the current affairs of the world, just like the election speeches of later generations, making the reputation of the Tiger Hill Conference enjoy ↗79 for a time, and M is famous all over the world. Seeing this, the predecessors of the Donglin Party did not want to let the small characters of the Fushe specialize in the front, and held various 'color' literary meetings, poetry meetings, wine parties, and tea parties in Tiger Hill, and 'chanted' poems together to comment on the government and politics.

As a result, Suzhou Tiger Hill at the end of the Ming Dynasty, just like the capital square of many countries in later generations, became one of the famous political symbols.

At this moment, under the convening of Mr. Qian Qianyi, the leader of Donglin, Mr. Qian Muzhai, another Tiger Hill Conference was held during the Lantern Festival. On the official road from Suzhou Lu 'Gate' out of the city to Tiger Hill, there was an endless stream of scholars and scribes in Confucian robes. However, at this time, the demeanor of these participants has long lost the calm and unhurried demeanor of scholars, let alone the leisure and elegance of appreciating the snow and plum blossoms, but is full of some indescribable anxiety and fear.

On Shantang Street, which is only seven miles away from Tiger Hill, Suzhou's most prosperous commercial port, the shops and restaurants that were lined up are also closed. There are no pedestrians and vendors on the streets, and there is no 'flower' lantern that is indispensable for the Lantern Festival.

Although the iron hooves of the "Great Qing Dynasty" have not yet stepped here, the refugees who have fled from Nanjing, Zhenjiang and other places have already spread to the ears of the people of Suzhou through their mouths the terrorist policy of the Qing court that is ready to degrade the people of Jiangnan as slaves.

The local gentry in Suzhou were horrified to see that the situation had changed like a world-shattering situation, and they were all thinking hard about how to protect themselves, but they had nothing to do for a while. Finally, under the leadership of Qian Qianyi, a local celebrity and leader of Donglin, the Tiger Hill Cultural Conference was held again to discuss ways to deal with the crisis.

As a result, the Tiger Hill, which has been deserted outside Suzhou for a long time, is once again covered with crowns, and there is an endless stream of warm sedan chairs. Behind most of the sedan chairs, there are still a group of domestic slaves, some holding charcoal stoves, some playing umbrellas, some carrying food boxes, some holding tea sets, and some even carrying vermilion lacquer toilets......

Like the previous Tiger Hill Cultural Conferences held by Jiangnan scholars, this conference was still held in the Thousand People Stone of Tiger Hill. This thousand people stone is a whole piece of naturally formed dark purple 'color' large plate stone, about two acres square, inclined from south to north, flat as a stone, majestic, there are two rocks protruding, the top surface is flat, the four walls are such as cutting, can sit a thousand people, it is rare. Legend has it that after the completion of the mausoleum of King Wu in the autumn of 'spring', more than 1,000 tomb repairers were gathered here, set up a crane dance to help the fun, secretly gave the wine, the craftsmen spit blood in their mouths, died of poison, dyed the boulder red, so the stone 'color' was dark purple on weekdays, and when it rained, it was as red as blood. Later, in the Jin Dynasty, there was a high monk Zhu Daosheng who gathered here to preach Buddhism, and the rumor actually said that the stubborn stone nodded.

The Thousand People Stone is located halfway up the mountain, which is the center of Tiger Hill. At this time, the Thousand People Stone was full of Confucian scholars of different ages, and it seemed a little small. In the center of the Thousand Stones, the organizers set up a platform with wooden planks, and in the center of the platform are placed two chairs, which are also covered with brocade. On one of the chairs, naturally sat the convener of the Tiger Hill Conference, Qian Qianyi, the world-famous leader of Donglin, and saw this old man with a clear face, although he had cloth shoes and white socks, and his clothes were simple, but his hair was not 'messy' at all, and his eyes were even brighter, which made people dare not 'force' to look.

On the chair next to him, there was a middle-aged man with a 'fat' figure, who was Qian Qianyi's disciple Qu Shiyun, who saw that he had a beard and a halberd, a burly body, and looked very similar to a military general who led troops to kill the battlefield, and it was difficult for people to think that he was actually a literati with the power of a 'chicken' without the power of a 'chicken'.

Because Qian Qianyi's age is not small, and his health is not very good, as the so-called "the master has something, the disciple obeys his work", so at the Tiger Hill Conference jointly held by the Suzhou Donglin Party and the members of the Fushe Society, Qian Qianyi was just a name, and all kinds of specific affairs were basically Qu Shiyun, who was a disciple in Zhangluo.

Although the current situation is critical, and the Tartar soldiers are not far away, as a 'disciple' of the saint, he still can't give up the courtesy, only to see Qu Shiyun Seeing that everyone was almost here, he got up and shouted: "...... When the auspicious time arrived, several small servants on both sides shouted together: "...... Please God."

Immediately afterwards, there were a few young scholars, carrying a wide offering table, and the "rostrum" in the center of the stone of thousands of people was set up, and a golden copper incense burner was prefixed on the offering table, and the incense sticks were 'inserted' in the furnace, filled with fine sand and soil that had been sifted by the 'fine' heart.

At the same time, more than ten Confucian teenagers lined up in a line, each with their hands hanging in front of their chests, holding a wooden tablet respectively, on which Gu Xiancheng, Li Sancai, Ye Xianggao, Zou Yuanbiao, Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou, Wei Dazhong, Yuan Huazhong, Gu Dazhang, Gao Panlong, Huang Zunsu and other Donglin seniors were written in turn. The young men solemnly held the tablets and placed them neatly on the offering table one by one, and then turned and left.

Then, accompanied by Qu Shiyun's "...... "On the Tiger Hill, there was a burst of joy to welcome the gods. Qian Qianyi and Qu Shiyun each washed their hands with a silver basin, poured incense to pay tribute, and everyone in the audience knelt together, bowing to the sages of Donglin on the tablet.

And then next. Accompanied by another "...... Happy to stop the ceremony", everyone got up and sat down. Naturally, the first thing to do was to greet him, and all the gentlemen complimented Mr. Qian Muzhai for his unique demeanor in the world, and his bearing did not diminish that year, and Qian Qianyi also gave a thankful salute one by one.

It wasn't too early until Qu Shiyun looked up at the sun', and he didn't dare to delay any longer, urging Qian Qianyi to get to the point. Qian Qianyi stood up slowly, stroked his beard, raised his arms and made a gesture, and the audience gradually quieted down. Begin to listen.

I saw Qian Qianyi arching his hand downward: "...... I remember that in the thirty-second year of Wanli, Mr. Jingyang advocated the repair of Donglin Academy and Daonan Temple, and his younger brother Gu Yuncheng, as well as Gao Panlong, An Xifan, Liu Yuanzhen, Ye Maocai, Qian Yiyi, Xue Fujiao and other eight gentlemen of Donglin gathered to discuss morality, flaunt integrity, satirize the government and politics, and denounce the evils of the times. Scholars and scholars from all over the country responded when they heard the news, and the court officials responded from afar, and the world looked sideways. When Wei Zhongxian was not yet in power, he wanted to use the reputation of my generation of righteous men and gentlemen to win the hearts of the people of the court, so he used both grace and power to win over Donglin. Donglin refused to join him, so that the dog thief held a grudge and waited for an opportunity to take revenge. After he was appointed to Dongchang, he fabricated charges, repeatedly set up prisons, and wantonly hunted and killed. The names of the Donglin Party members were also displayed throughout the country, and those who were on the list were cut to the people's posts by the living, and the dead were posthumously seized by the officials. For a time, the world was silent, the gentleman choked his wrist, Donglin's vitality was greatly injured, the talent withered, and it was dormant for several years. Alas! These past events have been decades old, but when I think about it, it is still as vivid as yesterday. ”

After reviewing the glorious history of the Donglin Party, Qian Qianyi lowered his head and sighed, reminiscing about the past, as if he was overwhelmed with emotion, and then raised his head and continued: "...... Then in the early years of Chongzhen, the Donglin gentleman finally came to run, and he abolished the eunuch party's 'traitor' thief, and expelled all the crumbs of this generation from the imperial court. And we, whether in the government or in the opposition, are also full of joy, thinking that the world is about to be ruled from now on. Unexpectedly, it was a dream after all! Alas, God did not bless me Donglin, first made the remnants of the eunuch party resurrect again, but the righteous men and gentlemen of Donglin were expelled from the court. After that, there were many earth-shaking changes, and the whole big tomorrow fell apart, and to this day, it is not clear who is right and who is wrong. In short, at present, not only are the Donglin Party members dead and wounded, but only a few old people such as me are left, like lonely ghosts, and they are no longer able to turn the tide. Even this place where Jiangnan Wenhua gathers is in danger! Those old friends of Donglin really don't know what they will think if they know about it. ”

has been nagging so far, Qian Qianyi finally entered today's topic, "...... Now the Tartars are rampant in the south of the Yangtze River, perverse, and there are Zhou 'jade' rope (Zhou Yanru) and other 'traitor' thieves who are acting as tigers, and their hearts can be punished! What he did was outrageous. We are all in the midst of a catastrophe, and I would like to ask you to speak freely, brainstorm and discuss a countermeasure. I only hope that one day when Jiangnan will be clarified, and the old decay can also live in the Fushui Villa......"

Seeing Qian Qianyi, the leader of Donglin, behaving so humbly, all the gentlemen of Jiangnan suddenly looked high-spirited, "...... My generation is in Confucianism, self-restraint, self-initiation, reading the books of sages, sacrificing my life for the country, and asking for my life for the people, it is my duty! Is there any excuse? ”

But the question is, in the face of the iron horses and swords and guns of the "Qing Dynasty King", what can these pretentious scholars come up with?

When it comes to messing around, moving 'messing' right and wrong, and even intimidating the Ming Dynasty government with a broken boot array, they may all be good hands. But the uncle of the Eight Banners didn't reason with you at all, and directly slashed it with a knife, and wanted to rob your pastoral mansion, gold and silver treasures, what's the use of you just being able to talk again?

Indeed, they Jiangnan Donglin Party members were powerful before, and they had huge influence in the government and the opposition under the Great Tomorrow, and they could even control the Ming Emperor for their own use. But now that even the imperial court is gone, and the Ming Dynasty seems to be about to finish, what is the use of these connections between them?

Of course, they could also go to Nanjing to persuade the barbarian emperor to "'get lost' and know how to return" and return to the "right path" of treating the gentry well. But I heard that many crazy students have tried this before, but the result is either their heads cut off on the spot, or they are sent into slavery!

In short, this cadre of scholars discussed and discussed in Tiger Hill, and finally found that the only slightly feasible way to 'sex' at the moment was to mobilize their tenants to organize volunteers in various prefectures and counties in Jiangnan that had not yet fallen, and resist those brutal northern captives who wanted to reduce Jiangnan people to slaves.

As a result, the Suzhou gentry prepared to set up a "resistance alliance" in Tiger Hill to lead the overall situation of Jiangnan's resistance to the Qing Dynasty and self-help. After some discussion, it was decided to name it "Zhengqi Alliance". Originally, everyone planned to nominate the world-famous Qian Qianyi as the leader of the alliance, but Qian Qianyi immediately said that he was old and frail, and his 'spirit' strength was not enough, and he was afraid that it would be difficult to take on such a big responsibility, and proposed that his student Qu Shiyun be the leader of the alliance.

Qian Qianyi's proposal was immediately approved collectively. Qu Shiyun resigned slightly, and officially assumed the position of the leader of the "Righteous Qi League", presided over the "Jiangnan Salvation Conference", and then elected five deputy leaders and more than 20 veterans...... After discussing this for a full hour, the organizational structure of the entire "Righteous Qi Alliance" was finally preliminarily determined, but the specific soldiers, horses, and ordnance came from have not yet been settled......

On the other side, just as everyone was pointing out the country on the Thousand People Stone, outside the mountain 'gate' leading to Tiger Hill, an uninvited guest ......;