Chapter 9 Volunteering
Located on the north bank of the Yaojiang River, this half of the county seat is different from Nancheng, which is a commercial area, and has always been quite peaceful and leisurely because it is the location of the county government and government offices.However, just like outside the city gate, the whole atmosphere has changed greatly.At a glance, the gates of every house are open, and residents with nervous expressions come in and out, some are busy moving bricks and stones, busy building stone walls at the entrance of the alley; In front of the well platform, wooden buckets are used to store fire fighting water.Carts laden with logs and drums rumbled through the streets, and soldiers in livery scurried back and forth.The sound of shouting, arguing, and barking of dogs rang out, and there was a scene of intense and busy preparations everywhere.
When the Huang brothers came to the county government office, which had become the temporary command post of the rebel army, and handed in the name card, Sun Jiaji, the leader of this incident, quickly came out to welcome them.
"Aha, Taichong, Zewang, I knew that Xian Kunzhong would definitely come. Now it really is!" He arched his hands excitedly and said, Huang Zongxi's familiar smile appeared on his long and narrow face.
Because they are from the same hometown, the Sun and Huang families have known each other for a long time and have contacts on weekdays.However, in Huang Zongxi's impression, he just felt that the other party was born in a high-ranking official's family, and he entered the officialdom at a very early age, but he was quite modest and decent in his dealings with others, and he was also knowledgeable, that's all.Therefore, it was out of Huang Zongxi's surprise that Sun Jiaji dared to take the lead in the uprising in eastern Zhejiang this time - at this moment, he found that although the other party's eyebrows were full of vigor and heroism, he was obviously thinner and haggard compared to the last time they met .
"Brother Taichong..." Seeing the guest in a daze, Sun Jiaji clasped his hands again and said.
"Ah!" Huang Zongxi suddenly came back to his senses, and hastily returned the salute, "I've been in a remote village, and I haven't seen him for a long time. I didn't expect my dear brother to do such a feat! It's really admirable!"
"How dare you!" Sun Jiaji immediately shook his hand, "My brother was too arrogant and took the risk—oh, let's serve tea first, and then talk with brother in detail. Please!"
After saying this, he took the lead to lead the way and led Huang Zongxi to walk inward.
Huang Zongxi had been to this county government before.At that time, it was a "Taiping" era, the hall was quiet and solemn, and there were only a few people.Now it is probably because the work is initially determined and there are still many things to deal with, so there are suddenly a lot of people doing things.Even so, everyone still seemed to have their own jobs, tense but not busy, and no one spoke loudly. "Well, Sun Shuofu is really extraordinary. Just looking at this calm and calm demeanor, it is beyond the reach of ordinary irritable people!" Huang Zongxi walked forward while thinking silently, compared with him who was seven or eight years older than himself This friend couldn't help feeling a little more impressed.
"I think the two brothers already know about the matter here?" The three guests and the host came to the signing room, saluted again and sat down, Sun Jiaji said with a smile while offering tea to the guests.See what he means, if the guests don't ask any more questions, he doesn't intend to spend more time talking about it.
But the Huang brothers said they were not completely clear.Therefore, Sun Jiaji briefly introduced the process of the uprising.It turned out that shortly after the fall of Hangzhou, the magistrate of Yuyao also abandoned his post and fled, and the power fell into the hands of an instructor named Wang Yuanru.This person immediately contacted Hangzhou to surrender, and supervised and led civilians to rush to repair roads day and night, preparing to meet the Qing army.The peasants were unbearable to be enslaved, they clamored and beat him up.Sun Jiaji and Xiong Rulin knew that the people's support was available, so they led a group of strong men to attack the county government office on the night of the ninth day of the sixth lunar month. "At that time, my younger brother also took the risk, fearing that the trouble would be bad, and chaos would arise, causing the people to suffer first, and then my younger brother would become a sinner in the village!" Sun Jiaji said with a sigh, ending the introduction.
"There's nothing to worry about at this level," Huang Zongxi waved his hand resolutely. "In the end, it's not just about saving one's wealth and life, and even disregarding the righteousness of defending the Hua and barbarians, and letting the Tartars slaughter and trample on them!"
"Besides," Huang Zonghui also interjected excitedly, "I just came all the way, but I saw that the soldiers from the four townships were very enthusiastic, and the residents in the city were also preparing for the battle together. It shows that my brother's move has won the hearts of the people!"
Sun Jiaji shook his head, and said solemnly: "Is this my ability alone? It is because of the three hundred years of grace of the Ming Dynasty, which is in the hearts of the people!" Xiong Yuyin helped a lot in the bureau. It was just a coincidence that he went to Taizhou to meet King Lu. Otherwise, I just invite him to meet the two of you—stay for a few days!"
Xiong Yuyin was Xiong Rulin who was involved in the incident with Sun Jiaji, and everyone knew him in the past. "Ah, brother, you mean, go... to meet King Lu?" Huang Zongxi asked suspiciously, he didn't expect things to go so fast.
Sun Jiaji nodded: "Now all the prefectures in eastern Zhejiang have raised their troops to respond. Only a king who is a relative of the clan can justifiably order the Quartet. It just so happens that Lu Fan is temporarily residing in Taizhou, which is just a coincidence! It was agreed that Lu Fan would be welcome to Shaoxing to exercise the power of supervising the country. Therefore, brother and others have come at a good time, and we will go together at that time!"
Hearing that the establishment of a new regime has been started, and that the new master is a descendant of the royal family surnamed Zhu as usual, Huang Zongxi was surprised, and instinctively felt disgust and disgust in his heart.He was impulsive and wanted to express his thoughts, but when the words came to his lips, they suddenly became:
"Then, when will Wang Jia arrive?"
"Taizhou has not been convinced yet. In short, it will not be within a few days. If it is delayed, it will inevitably change. This level, Xiong Yuyin will not know."
"But," Huang Zongxi hesitated for a while, and finally raised his eyes decisively, "Once the new ruler is established, his name and status will be fixed, and it will be difficult to change!"
Sun Jiaji was slightly taken aback: "Brother means——"
"Last year, I would like to know about the matter of staying in the capital to welcome Li. If it weren't for the gentlemen in Donglin who were not firm in their determination, bent on the opinions of small people, and mistakenly established a mediocre and greedy Fufan. With the people and material resources in the south of the Yangtze River, how could they be one year old? and die!"
"So, in my brother's opinion?" Since what Huang Zongxi pointed out was indeed an extremely painful lesson, Sun Jiaji couldn't help but concentrate.
Huang Zongxi didn't answer immediately. Undoubtedly, deep down in his heart, he had already decided that the previous regime where the monarchy was supreme and the interests of the emperor and his family replaced the interests of the common people was one of the crimes that led to chaos in the world and the misery of the people. Source, if not fundamentally changed, there will be no governance at all.However, if he was asked to clearly explain how to change, what the so-called new pattern should look like, he couldn't help being a little at a loss.So, at the end of the silence, he had no choice but to take a step back and say:
"Establishing a virtuous ruler is the most important thing. If you are in a hurry and it is difficult to see clearly, you might as well postpone it. In addition, the reason why there were many abuses in the previous government was because the monarchy was too heavy. To prevent maladministration, the monarchy must have System. For example, the former prime minister's design, the intention is also here. If it can be restored, it may be a law."
Sun Jiaji twitched his beard, pondered and said: "The establishment of the prime minister was abolished by the Emperor Taizu's express decree, and it was restored suddenly. I'm afraid it will be shocking and difficult to implement. But why not proclaim the emperor for a while... Well, this waits After discussing with the princes of the alliance, let's decide according to the camera!"
After saying this, he seemed to want to continue talking, but two of his subordinates came in and interrupted the conversation by saying that they had something important to report.
Of those two people, one came to ask for instructions on how to accommodate the increasing number of people who joined the army; the other came to ask for money because the purchase of military uniforms and weapons was too expensive to cope with.Neither of these two matters could be dismissed in a few words, so the two guests sat down for a long time.However, Huang Zongxi was somewhat disappointed with what the master said just now, so he remained silent.On the contrary, Huang Zonghui probably felt that everything in front of him was very fresh. He watched Sun Jiaji's every move with interest, and after the other party sent those two people away, he asked anxiously:
"Hey, I heard that my brother's act of righteousness has attracted many people from all over the world. I just don't know if there are any famous people?"
Sun Jiaji's lips were almost parched.He picked up the teacup first, put it to his mouth and drank a couple of sips, then wiped his beard, and replied: "Well-known people, how many—" He counted out a series of names with his fingers.These include Zhang Guowei, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, Qian Sule, a member of the Criminal Ministry, Yu Ying, deputy envoy of Shaoningtai Daoist Police, Guoan, Wang Zhiren, etc.Huang Zonghui listened with wide eyes and kept nodding his head.Whenever he heard a name he knew, he clicked more vigorously and exclaimed "Oh, oh".Although Huang Zongxi didn't make a sound, he was also silently calculating in his heart.He found that although these people were not all from the Donglin faction, they were not the remnants of the eunuch party. "Well, from this point of view, in the future, if all the gentlemen work together to protect and spread the law, there may still be some hope for the new dynasty!" He thought, and his mood became a little brighter, so he raised his head and asked:
"There must be generals, commanders, and soldiers. I don't know if the recruiting will go well?"
Sun Jiaji glanced at him, did not answer immediately, but frowned, and after a long while, said sullenly: "The news of my righteousness in eastern Zhejiang has spread far and near, and there will be a big battle in the near future. Only this guard Most of the soldiers are old, weak and unusable. Although Fang and Wang are said to have 100,000 soldiers, at best they are no more than 50,000 to 60,000. It is not enough to build a division of tigers and wolves. As a last resort, my brother came up with this strategy of recruiting troops It's so hard for the little people to live in fear of death. Brother, don't look at the crowds outside the city gate. In fact, there are more people watching the excitement, and fewer people actually join the army. After a few days, only two thousand people were recruited——ah , all in all, it’s hard!”
Huang Zongxi nodded: "My brother has a concern here. Within three days of safekeeping, one hundred thousand soldiers can be placed under his command!"
"Oh?" Sun Jiaji looked at him dubiously.
"Brother, listen to me—" Huang Zongxi made a gesture, and began to tell how he was entrusted by the villagers today to inquire about the news, how he heard the discussion about the Qing army's forced hair shaving outside the city gate, and how people He was surprised, frightened and angry, and vowed to fight the Tartars to the death, etc., and said it in detail.In the end, he clenched his fists and said with confidence: "The people's hearts were already deeply resentful of the tyranny, but because the disaster was not deep, it is inevitable that there is still hope. Now that the order to shave their hair is issued, it is like throwing a raging fire on dry wood. Now we only need to give it a whirl, so why worry about the common people and follow them if they don’t win food!”
After Sun Jiaji listened intently, he didn't immediately make a statement.He pursed his lips tightly and stroked his beard one by one. Gradually, his slightly squinted eyes began to shine brightly, and his face became brighter.Finally, he slapped the armrest of the chair and said decisively: "That's a very good idea! It's not too late. I'll let them send messengers to the four villages to announce the matter, so that everyone will know about the idea of shaving hair." It's ugly, Jianlu is hateful!" He said, standing up.
"...Well, what did the little brother plan to say just now?" When he approached the door and called out "Come here", he turned around again, looked at Huang Zongxi, and said thoughtfully, "Oh, yes Now, since brother has decided to go out of the mountains and go to the national disaster together, he must not be without position and power. I have just thought about it, and if I plan to recommend it to the prison country, at least I should be given a real job. I just don’t know what kind of job you want?"
Until now, due to repeated failures in the imperial examinations, Huang Zongxi had never held any official position. Suddenly hearing the other party's serious question, he couldn't help but blush unexpectedly.
However, Huang Zonghui's face was overjoyed immediately, he stammered and interjected: "It would be the best if it can be like this. I just don't know..." Suddenly seeing his brother's stern look, he swallowed again.
"My brother's intention," Huang Zongxi raised his head and said calmly, "is to imitate the story of Li Mi back then, to serve his family and country as a commoner."
The Li Mi he was talking about was a strange scholar in the Tang Dynasty, who had developed wisdom early and was appreciated by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.After the Anshi Rebellion broke out, Li Mi defected to Emperor Suzong of Tang Dynasty, made suggestions and made great achievements, but he refused to be an official. He insisted on associating with the emperor as a friend and guest, and finally retired.His deeds are passed down as good stories in history books.But after all, that was an ancient event several dynasties ago, and it cannot be compared with the current situation at all.Therefore, Sun Jiaji's eyes flickered in his eyelids, and he clearly felt that Huang Zongxi's thoughts were too weird.
"This is impossible!" He shook his head and said decisively, "If you don't have an official position, there are many things that brother can't participate in. In fact, with my brother's great talent, he should have stood up in the class long ago and shared the country's worries Why don't you wait until today—" At this point, someone outside the door heard the sound, so he waved his hand, "Hey, I don't need to bother with this matter, I just wait for my brother to deal with it!"
"However, in my brother's opinion, it is better to serve as a commoner!" Huang Zongxi insisted, and stood up.
Sun Jiaji had already turned his head away, but when he heard this, he couldn't help being startled, then he turned back, looked at Huang Zongxi suspiciously, and finally nodded: "If that's the case, let's think about it in the long run."
After expressing this, he paused for a while, and added: "Oh, I almost forgot that my decision to act righteously is really because of Mr. Niantai's strict supervision and supervision. I heard that Mr. Niantai has been on hunger strike for many days. , his life is in danger. Although he has done righteousness now, Weidi and Xiong Yuyin are both involved due to all kinds of things, and they can't get away to report to Mr. Niantai for a while. I don't know if brother can do it for me, and I will go to Shaoxing, so as not to worry about his old man."
Mr. Niantai is Huang Zongxi's teacher Liu Zongzhou.After learning that King Lu had surrendered in Xiancheng, Hangzhou, Liu Zongzhou began a hunger strike, intending to die for his country.Huang Zongxi knew about this, and even went to Shaoxing to visit him despite the chaos.At that time, after hard persuasion, Liu Zongzhou had already changed his mind a little.After Huang Zongxi returned to Huangzhupu, he kept his teacher's safety in mind, but suffered from no news.Now when he suddenly heard Sun Jiaji mentioning this matter, he couldn't help but feel a shudder in his heart, and his eyes widened accordingly:
"What? Brother, you mean the teacher? What's wrong with him, his old man?"
Sun Jiaji smiled wryly, and said: "A few days ago when Xiong Yuyin visited Mr. Niantai in Shaoxing, Mr. Xiong once said: 'If you want me to eat, you must wait until you rebel against the Qing Dynasty.' Xiong Yuyin immediately agreed. But after returning, because I didn't get the chance, so I dragged on for several days. I don't know how Mr. Niantai is doing now, it's really worrying!"
Huang Zongxi let out an "ah" and jumped up immediately: "Since this is the case, I will go to Shaoxing now, and report to my teacher about my brother waiting here!"
After finishing speaking, without waiting for the other party to answer, he hurriedly bowed and strode out.On the other hand, Huang Zonghui didn't seem to be able to react, and stood still at a loss.It wasn't until his elder brother had stepped over the threshold that he said "ah", and hurriedly bowed his hands to the master, and followed in a panic.
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