Chongzhen took 800 Yiding all the way to Caowan Town, which was only separated by a river from Shanyang City, the city of Huai'an Prefecture.

Fu Shan and the other four scholars who fled south can also be regarded as seeing Chongzhen's ruthlessness.

The saint is really ruthless, not only can he ride a horse for several hours without stopping like Yiding, but he can also eat the same feast, tempeh, vinegar steamed cakes and hard salt cubes as Yiding.

Such a thing, they all find it difficult to swallow.

But the saint, the crown prince, and the king are willing to accept it, and they can't accept it.

"Hu Guozhu." Chongzhen gently reined in the horse and beckoned Hu Guozhu to step forward and speak.

Hu Guozhu lightly urged the war horse to take two steps forward, and arched on horseback: "Holy one? ”

Today's Hu Guozhu has completely become Chongzhen's loyal lackey, at least on the surface.

Chongzhen said: "You take 800 Yiding to temporarily camp outside Caowan Town, and you are not allowed to cross the Yellow River without an edict, and you are not allowed to lead the army into Caowan Town without authorization." ”

"Commandment." Hu Guozhu solemnly agreed.

Chongzhen said again: "Wu Jiaotan, you pick twenty Yiding to change into old cloth clothes, and cross the river with me." ”

Wu Dangtan scratched his head and said, "Holy Lord, the ministers only carry armor and battle jackets, and no cloth clothes, how can this be good?" ”

Fu Shan volunteered: "Holy Lord, the grass people are willing to go to the market to buy cloth clothes. ”

Sun Fanzhi and the three of them did not make the slightest contribution to the country and the monarch because they had eaten several military rations in vain, so they said in unison: "The grass people and others will go together." ”

"Okay, then you'll have to do it." Chongzhen readily agreed.

The four great scholars received 2 taels of silver and went straight to Caowan Town.

Chongzhen is also picky enough, and he only gives 2 taels of silver when he sends Qin to do things, and he is not afraid of people's jokes.

At this time, order had already been restored to Caowan Town, but traces of the war could still be seen everywhere, such as the ruins of burned houses and the large number of displaced people begging along the streets.

The four scholars entered Caowan Town and went straight to the food shop.

"Shopkeeper, here are eight steamed cakes!" Fu Shan sat down and greeted.

The steamed cake in the Ming Dynasty was steamed bread, that is, the dough was fermented and then steamed, and there was no filling.

"Okay." The shopkeeper opened the cage drawer, took out eight hot steamed cakes from the inside, and served four large bowls of soup to Fu Shan and the four of them for free.

The four of them devoured eight steamed cakes, and they were still unsatisfied.

After eating the feast, dry vinegar cloth and tempeh for three days, I suddenly felt that steamed cakes were also delicious in the world.

"It's gone." Fu Shan settled the account, spread his hands and said, "There are only a few big money left, which is only enough to buy eight steamed cakes." ”

As for the 2 taels of silver given by Chongzhen, it was used to buy clothes, who dared to move? Do you think your life is too long?

"That's it, I'll treat you to a good meal when you get to Yangzhou." Fu Shan said, "I have a friend in Yangzhou, who seems to be selling salt at home, and it is said that he has a lot of money. ”

"Brother Fu, it's decided." Sun Fanzhi and the three of them said in unison.

"A gentleman's word, the horse is difficult to chase." Fu Shan agreed, and then looked for a clothes shop along the main street.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my brother has a word, don't vomit or be unhappy." Ji Yunhong, a member of Qu Zhou, couldn't hold back and said, "Today, if you eat dregs and can be willing to eat like food, can you be called a saint of heaven?" ”

"True Saint Son of Heaven." Fu Shan and the three of them all thought so.

and said in unison: "This time Daming Zhongxing is hopeful." ”

Well, the scholars who have not yet set foot in officialdom are so simple.

In their opinion, officials who can be honest and self-disciplined are all good officials, and officials who eat like dog food every day are great Qing officials, as for the emperor who eats dog food, he has never heard of it, such an emperor cannot be regarded as a holy son of heaven, and which emperor dares to call it a holy son of heaven?

The four scholars quickly bought dozens of old cloth clothes and came back.

Chongzhen and his entourage of more than 20 people immediately changed their clothes and crossed the Yellow River.

When I went ashore from the canal wharf, I almost couldn't get ashore.

Because the inside and outside of the wharf were densely packed with merchant ships, because there were too many merchant ships, they even lined up on the canal.

The ferryman smiled bitterly: "Guest officer, I'm really sorry, I'm afraid I can't send you to the dock, so I can only find a nearby place to put you ashore, I'm really sorry." ”

"It doesn't matter." Chongzhen waved his hand and asked, "Boatman, why are there so many merchant ships on the dock?" ”

"Hey, it's not all Hecao Yamen." The captain didn't have a good air, "Hecao Yamen first let out a rumor and said that he would buy a large amount of grain at a price of one or two or five yuan per stone, but when the grain merchants from the Jiangnan provinces really transported the grain to Huai'an Mansion, they changed their words and said that they would not accept grain, what do you call it?" ”

"Why doesn't the Hecao Yamen collect grain?" Chongzhen frowned and asked.

"Who knows." The captain spread his hands and said, "The little old man also wants to know." ”

While speaking, the ferry had already docked, and the captain put down the sampan to send Chongzhen and the others ashore.

After going ashore, Chongzhen did not rush into the city, but found a high ground to watch.

As a result, as soon as the group reached the high place, they saw a sudden uproar outside the east gate of Shanyang.

I saw thousands of bare-chested, dark-skinned boatmen gathering outside the city gate with their pulp and penny, as if they wanted to ask the Hecao Yamen for an explanation, but they quarreled as they spoke.

Wu Xiangtan immediately became vigilant and asked Yi Ding to surround Chongzhen's father and son.

"It's okay, these grain merchants are just asking for explanations, and they won't rebel." Chongzhen's eyes were still poisonous, and he could see that the boatmen who made trouble were actually instructed by the grain merchants.

Of course, even if the grain merchants really wanted to rebel, Chongzhen was not afraid at all.

With just one command, the eight hundred Yiding in Caowan Town can arrive quickly, and the thousands of boatmen in this mere are afraid that it is not enough for the eight hundred Yiding to charge.

"Father, these grain merchants are really daring!"

Zhu Cijiong said in a deep voice: "It's better to transfer Yiding to arrest them all, and the grain they sold is just confiscated for grain, so won't the problem of grain be solved?" ”

Hearing this, Fu Shan and the other four all cast stunned glances at Zhu Cijiong.

The faces of the vultures and the twenty or so Yiding showed a hideous expression, because they also thought so.

Chongzhen's face fell instantly, but his eyes looked at Zhu Cihong and asked, "Hong'er, do you think so too?" ”

"Erchen thinks this is inappropriate." Zhu Cihong frowned and said, "These boatmen just gathered and made noise, and they didn't even make a fuss with the transportation army of the Hecao Yamen, so it was inappropriate to arrest people rashly and confiscate food." ”

"There's something wrong." Zhu Cijiong has become bold after getting along with Chongzhen day and night these days, so he dares to say anything, "Emperor Taizu Gao had no money to repair the city wall of Nanjing City, and in the end, he only repaired Nanjing City by confiscating Shen Wansan's family property, and there were only a few hundred grain merchants, so what did it matter if he killed them?" ”

In Zhu Cijiong's eyes, these grain merchants are no different from fat pigs.

Hearing this, the eyes of Fu Shan and the other four scholars had changed from stunned to shocked.

Their identities are both scholars and merchants, so they are extremely frightened by Zhu Cijiong's point of view, His Royal Highness King Ding actually thinks like this, so what about the saint?

The four of them looked at Chongzhen again.

"Shut up!" Chongzhen reprimanded Zhu Cijiong sharply.

"Boy, you're dangerous! Very dangerous! ”

"Why?" Zhu Cijiong said with a blank face, "Where is Erchen's idea dangerous?" ”

"Jiong'er, Hong'er, you must remember that power is not boundless." Chongzhen taught his two sons in front of Fu Shan and others, and these contents could be taught in person.

"The more superior the person, the more you must know how to be in awe."

"Fear the way of heaven, fear the rules, and use the power in your hands carefully."

"A king who does not abide by the rules, a court that abuses its power, is unpopular, and is destined to suffer from the backlash of the Heavenly Dao, isn't the lesson of so many tyrants throughout the ages enough to tell the story?"

"Jiong'er, you just said that Emperor Taizu Gao confiscated the Shen family's property and built a city wall."

"But what you don't know is how much harm Emperor Taizu Gao's move has caused to the Ming Dynasty."

"Since ancient times, there is no agriculture, no stability, no business, no wealth, Taizu's move directly led to my Ming Dynasty hundreds of years of commercial adjustment, lack of national use, my Ming Dynasty's tax plus three salaries is less than one-fifth of the Southern Song Dynasty, do you dare to think?"

"Ahh Zhu Cijiong was stupid when he heard this, and his father actually said that Emperor Taizu Gao was wrong?

Fu Shan and the other four were both shocked and relieved, shocked that the saint dared to say that Emperor Taizu Gao was not, and relieved that at least the saint still obeyed the rules.

Chongzhen continued in a serious tone: "Hong'er and Jiong'er, you two must remember that you must talk about politics and abide by the rules, even if you have the ability to break through the rules, you must never abuse your power!" ”

Zhu Cijiong said with a bitter face: "Father, wouldn't you have to follow the rules in everything if you say this?" ”

"That's not quite true." "When you can get the support of the majority, you can break through the rules." ”

After speaking, he pointed to the boatmen gathered in front of him and said: "For example, these boatmen, you must deal with them according to the rules, and if you dare to make trouble, let the Hecao Yamen arrest them, only if they really rebel, you and my father and son can send troops to suppress them, and then they can confiscate their grain, otherwise even the emperor cannot plunder the grain on their ships without authorization." ”

"Erchen understood." Zhu Cijiong seems to understand, and only he knows whether he really understands it or not.

While the father and son were talking, the commotion outside the east gate of Shanyang had been quelled, and the gathered boatmen had dispersed and returned to the ship, but some people were also invited into the city.

Chongzhen immediately said, "Let's go, it's time for us to enter the city." ”

The group came to the gate of the city, but was stopped by the transport army.

"Shanyang City is under martial law today." Yunjun said with a dark face, "Idle people are forbidden to enter and exit!" ”

Li Ruolian, the commander of the accompanying Jinyi Guard, stepped forward and showed his Jinyi Guard's waist card.

Seeing the brocade guard waist card in Li Ruolian's hand, the face of the commander of the Yunjun army at the door turned white with fright, and he quickly signaled the Yunjun behind him to remove the antlers and let Chongzhen and his party enter the city.