Dominate the Country

[Chapter 334 has been posted, it’s below, the timing is wrong]

The Fuhan Army marched south from Henan, with one unit going to Hanzhong and another unit going to Wuchang. However, Chen Ming's banner was moving unswervingly towards Yichang.

The morale of the Yichang defenders was low, and some of them, whether they were Qing soldiers or civilian warriors, abandoned their weapons and fled. Even the officer Lian Zong took the lead in escaping.

Regardless of officials or soldiers, no one is optimistic about Yichang's future. Yichang is really in bad shape.

Even Fan Shishou and Zhu Gui still insist on staying in Yichang!

In recent years, the Fuhan Army has brought disaster to Hubei twice, but the first time it did not cause any direct damage to Yichang. On the contrary, many people came to Yichang from the rich Jingzhou and Wuhan, which provided Yichang with a platform for development. Great opportunity. But such a good thing cannot be done in two ways, and Yichang is destined to be doomed this time.

The mood in Yichang City is not tense at all now. Anyway, they all know that the officers and soldiers cannot defend the city, and the Fu Han Army's secret camp has repeatedly posted notices to calm the people in Yichang City, distributed leaflets, and spread the Fu Han Army's message of not disturbing the people and not looting, etc., so that People can live with peace of mind. In this way, although many people in Yichang city still fled to the countryside, the proportion was not high.

In the past few months, the Fuhan Army had swept through most of Hubei. The army stopped in Zhijiang, but it did not cut off the communication between Zhijiang and Yichang. Not only were there many people from Zhijiang in Yichang, but many people from Yichang also passed through Zhijiang. Jiang came to the area controlled by the Fuhan Army and circled around. Some newspapers even circulated privately in Yichang.

Today, a mansion in Yichang City is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and the place that catches the eye is filled with a fiery red and festive color. It was a happy day when the youngest son of Master Zhou Wenjue, the prefect of Yichang, was one month old.

Zhou Fuzun was just thirty-eight years old, and ranked 40th in the Gengchen Division in the 25th year of Qianlong's reign. If the world was peaceful, the future of this Fuzun would be boundless, and he would have at least twenty years of good life. The youngest son's full-moon banquet will become a scene where all the powerful and wealthy families in Yichang Mansion gather. It is a gratifying and beautiful event. Zhou Wenjue had a son and money. But now and then, Zhou Wenjue's youngest son's full moon banquet could not be said to be crowded, but the atmosphere was completely different.

It's not like a lively full moon banquet, but like a mourning event.

Having a son in middle age, Zhou Wenjue was still very happy even though he had an eldest son and a second son who were already married. Of course, he didn't show it on his face, and he generously gave the leadership of the full moon banquet to Zhu Gui. Fan Shishou also attended the ceremony in person, toasted Zhou Wenjue with a glass of wine, and then left. This is the governor's airs!

The Zhou family held a feast. Li Jiyan, Zhou Yiqian, Lin Zhixiang, Fan Shou and other Yichang civil and military officials all came to visit or brought generous gifts. Wang Jigui, Liu Yucheng and other Shi Nan officials also sent congratulatory gifts, among which Shi Nantong judge Qin Tianxing was personally present. If you don't look at the atmosphere and only look at the guests coming and going, you really can't tell that Yichang is about to be in disaster. Officials, big and small, and wealthy businessmen in the city gathered at the government office. Various rituals and rituals were lined up outside the door, making the housekeepers and servants of the Zhou family dizzy with their work.

Officials crowded in the main hall or front hall, greeting each other and chatting. Wealthy businessmen were wandering around, praising Li Fuzun for how diligent and honest he was, while taking advantage of this rare opportunity to privately communicate about today's 'national conditions and business affairs'.

The news delivered in Yichang was not satisfactory at all. The Fuhan Army had arrived in Jingzhou and was about to rush to Yichang. Will these large merchants who have not left be Chen Han's obedient citizens in the future? The Qing Dynasty still occupies most of the world, especially Jiangnan. The officers and soldiers are not strong enough to defeat the Han army. The victory in Fujian will be smoother. Now that the siege of Fuzhou has been solved, many people still have no confidence in Chen Han. , but they couldn't leave for various reasons, so they were naturally worried.

The long gift lists put a constant smile on Zhou Wenjue's face. He gets both people and wealth, this is what he calls getting both people and wealth! Although he knew that most of the businessmen who sent generous gifts were not good birds. The gentry, country gentry and country officials who were loyal to the Qing Dynasty had already transferred their property and people to Sichuan. Zhou Wenjue is very clear about the psychological intentions of these big businessmen at the moment.

The banquet continued until the lanterns were lit, and after everyone drank and drank, the other purpose of this banquet, which can be said to be the real intention of today's banquet, officially entered the theme.

Zhou Wenjue and Li Jiyan looked at each other. The latter nodded slightly, stood up and muttered a few words to Zhu Gui, who was sitting upright as the guest of honor. Zhu Gui stood up slowly and said:

"My dear colleagues, Wuchang was defeated and the leader of Taiwan died. Fan Futai and I were ordered to guard Huguang. However, Jingzhou was defeated again and Northern Hubei was also lost. I dare not speak bravely. The bandits are raging, and the land of Jingchu is in ruins. Xiaoxiao took advantage of it, and his eyes were full of desolation, which was pitiful and hateful." Zhu Gui burst into tears as he spoke. Zhou Wenjue and Li Jiyan nearby tried to persuade him.

Zhu Gui stopped crying and said again: "Now the Chen thieves have arrived, crossing the rivers and rivers, and Yichang is in danger. This is the door of Sichuan, the head of the Three Gorges. If there is any mistake, the court will be shocked. The emperor then issued a decree and ordered Fan Futai and his subordinates recruited loyal and courageous people and put down thieves, and they have achieved great success so far. "In the Qing Dynasty, the governors of various provinces also held the title of censor of the right capital, so the governor was also called Zhongcheng. But the title of Imperial Envoy of the Right Capital on Fan Shishou's head had been lost as early as his first escape from Wuchang.

On the 'big day', a lot of content turned to the current national affairs. The scene quickly became quiet. Many officials and gentry pricked up their ears and listened carefully. Is this the main business of their attendance at the meeting today?

"However, our treasury in Yichang is empty. We only have 3,000 people to organize and train the Xiangyong. I have been ordered to assist Mr. Taitai in supervising the Xiangyong. I am deeply aware of the lack of troops and weak strength. I want to purchase more ordnance and prepare a new camp. , so as to relieve the country's worries. I hope you, the elders and wise men in society, will give you a lot of help."

Zhou Wenjue also stood up at this time, looking around at the officials and gentry present with a very serious expression. A pressing sense of urgency swept through everyone present like a huge storm. Many people trembled and thought to themselves: I need money again; while some people breathed a sigh of relief, but it was easy to get money. As long as they are not allowed to stay in Yichang and serve as spies for the imperial court, everything will be fine.

Qin Tianxing grinned and smiled silently. Thinking about the Xiangyong that Li Jiyan talked about, so much money was only compiled into 3,000 people. I really don't know how much money was swallowed up by these bastards. If that money is handed over to Shi Nan, at least five thousand native soldiers can be drawn from Shi Nan, Xiangxi, and Northeast Guizhou, and they will never be as useless as Yichang Xiangyong.

If he asked for more money, he would be rewarded by Shi Nantong, the judge. Qin Tianxing took a sip from his wine glass, as if he were watching a show. Those who had the same expression as him were some officials in Yichang Prefecture. A few people who didn't want to care had their eyes slightly closed, pretending to be drunk...

As for the big businessmen below, look at me and I look at you, especially those wealthy and wealthy people who are well-known to everyone...

"If you can solve this dilemma, Mr. Zhou and Mr. Zhentai will definitely report it to the imperial court. The imperial court will certainly not hesitate to reward..."

This is an exchange. You take the money now, and when the court comes back to kill you, they will let you go. As long as he doesn't act too active and enthusiastic under Chen Ni.

The atmosphere was a little cold, but it soon became heated. Soon a rich man stood up and said, "It is our good duty to serve the imperial court and help pay and raise the army. We dare not seek fame and reputation in order to covet the imperial reward. I am willing to donate three thousand taels of silver. I will share the worries of the master of the palace and the master of Zhetai." !" He spoke with generosity. The donation of money is not too small. A follower behind Zhu Gui whispered something into his ear. Zhu Gui nodded slightly, with a trace of satisfaction on his lips.

"I would like to donate two thousand taels..."

"...I would like to pay one thousand five hundred taels..."

Then several people paid out money one after another, making Zhou Wenjue and Zhu Gui's faces look much better.

"How can we just sit back and watch to protect our family and the people? I don't have much money, so I just donated a thousand shi of rice!" Another man stood up and opened his mouth to give a thousand shi of rice. The quantity is really large. Even in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the land of plenty, one thousand kilo of rice can be worth one or two thousand taels of silver. But is Zhu Gui short of food now? Do they want food now?

Not only Zhu Gui, but also Zhou Wenjue stared at that person with sharp eyes like an eagle. His voice was cold and he said, "Write it down for me."

It's a pity that Zhou Wenjue's style did not have any effect. With this first person, there will be more followers. Just a word from you, a word from me, and all kinds of miscellaneous donations poured out like water. But most people seemed to have telepathy. Regardless of money, food, cloth, or silk, each family's donation was around a thousand taels of silver, or even higher. Zhou Wenjue, who was full of guests, remembered that they only had two to thirty thousand taels of silver, but nearly ten thousand kilograms of rice and food, as well as cotton, medicinal materials and other miscellaneous items. It would be nice if the latter could be exchanged for silver, but two to thirty thousand taels of silver was still a long way from Zhu Gui and Fan Shishou's 'expectations'.

When the last person left, only Zhu Gui, Zhou Wenjue, Li Jiyan and others were left in the banquet hall. Zhu Gui's face was as cold as ice. After a while, they looked at each other. Zhou Wenjue, Li Jiyan and others' hearts skipped a beat. Zhu Gui, a 'good man', had murderous intent in his eyes——

A group of servants worked hard to clean up the leftovers. These leftovers improved the lives of the servants of Zhou Wenjue's family. Those outsiders who carried tables and chairs back and forth did not even have a meal. Gotta eat. However, Zhou Wenjue was also generous. After the courtyard and hall were all cleaned up, he asked the housekeeper to gather everyone together and seal a red envelope for everyone. No matter whether it is a companion or something else, it is always white. The housekeeper distributed them one by one and won a bunch of good words...

"Master, I've handed it over." After handing out the red envelope, the housekeeper came to the study room where the light was still on. Zhou Wenjue was holding a book and reading under the light. The butler glanced at it, and saw that it was still the same page as before. For such a long time, his master had not turned a page.

"Is there anything wrong?" Zhou Wenjue suddenly found that his voice was so hoarse.

"Don't worry, sir, that's right." This is something that will make you lose your head, and the housekeeper is very careful. If something goes wrong, the Zhou family will be ruined, and so will he.

Zhou Wenjue felt as if a thousand pounds of weight had been lifted off his body, and he felt that his back was so sore. It turned out that he hadn't moved since he sat down. It’s no wonder that Zhou Wenjue hasn’t read a page of the book for so long. With such a big thing weighing on his heart, how many people in the world still have the energy to read?

"Go to sleep. Take a shower and go to sleep." Get up early tomorrow morning and it will be a new day. In less than two days, Yichang will turn a new page. As for the Fuhan Army, a prefect who surrendered voluntarily, isn't this a 'new page'!