Chapter 63 Cave Worry

Just as Yu Huai and others were on their way to the south of Renjianguan, the war situation in eastern Zhejiang also showed a trend of intensification. The incident dates back to November last year. Ever since the King of Lu built an altar at the foot of Guanshan in Xiaoshan County to worship his general, Fang Guoan, the Marquis of the East of the town, was granted the title of Jing Guogong, and his morale was boosted for a while. The ruling and opposition parties are all gearing up to take advantage of the momentum to cross the river and capture Hangzhou in one fell swoop.Fang Guoan himself is even more eager to try, planning to do something.Therefore, in December, when four defected Confucian students came to the camp and expressed their willingness to lead them a sneak attack from the small road in the West Lake Mountain behind Hangzhou City, Fang Guoan was very happy, convinced, and immediately led the main force Set off.Unexpectedly, they were ambushed by the Qing army at the foot of Baita Ridge in Wuyun Mountain, and more than 3,000 people were annihilated in one fell swoop, and more than 500 soldiers became prisoners. It can be said that the loss was heavy.Then, Zhang Cunren, the governor of Zhejiang Province in the Qing Dynasty, seized the opportunity and attacked Yuqian and Changhua in one fell swoop. The regime could no longer pose a threat to Hangzhou from the west.After this battle, Fang Guoan's vitality was seriously injured, so he had to stand on the Qitiaosha line in the middle of the Qiantang River, and dared not take any major actions.

The war on the southern front fell into a stalemate, but the two fronts in the north and east ignited the flames of war.First of all, after the Spring Festival, Changxing Bo Wu Risheng and Chief Military Officer Zhou Rui, who were once defeated, regrouped in Taihu Lake.Then Ru Wenlue, another commander-in-chief, also moved to Mahu, and finally died with all his strength because of the lack of reinforcements.In mid-February, Xu Qirui, the commander of Jinyiwei, led his troops across the river and fought fiercely with the Qing soldiers. After severely injuring the enemy, he was captured by mistake and died heroically.Of course, the scale of these battles was not large. The reason was that after the news of Fang Guoan’s disastrous defeat on the southern front spread, many generals of the Ming army became frightened by the cunning and good fighting of the Qing soldiers. Move out easily.Zhang Cunren discovered this situation, and without waiting for Boluo's reinforcements to arrive, he built a warship on the west bank, drilled the navy, and put on a posture of turning defense into offense and sending troops across the river at any time.As a result, the air of fear and anxiety permeated the camp of the Ming army day by day...

In the face of this decline, in order to revive morale, the supervisor Zhang Guowei obtained the consent of Lu Jianguo, called Wang Zhiren, who had been promoted to the Duke of Xingguo, and Yixingbo Zheng Zunqian, who was stationed in Xiaowei, to discuss urgently, and decided to dispatch the main navy to make a big move Attack, in order to severely injure the enemy, and severely hit Zhang Cunren's arrogance.In order to let the soldiers understand that the enemy is not terrible, Zhang Guowei also strictly ordered all the soldiers and horses to stand firm and guard against the enemy's surprise attack; on the other hand, he asked them to send representatives to gather at Xixing Ferry to watch the battle and see with their own eyes how Wang and Zheng were doing. Team up to defeat the enemy.

Now, representatives from all walks of life have arrived at Xixing Ferry one after another according to the secret notification of Governor Xingyuan.The king of Lu also sent Zhang Dai, the head of the staff, as a representative of the court to watch the battle.Speaking of Zhang Dai, since the autumn of the 15th year of Chongzhen, he went to Nanjing to participate in the provincial examination, had a rather happy relationship with the members of the Fushe community, and even appeared on their behalf to borrow the new play "Swallow Notes" from Ruan Dacheng. Back home in Shaoxing, did not go out again.However, right now he has become a celebrity deeply trusted by Lu Jianguo.This is not only because his family is a prominent family in Shaoxing City, but also because his late father Zhang Rulin once served as the long history of Lu Wangfu in Shandong, and the two sides have a close friendship. With special attention and gift, he did not hesitate to condescend to honor him, and went to Zhang's mansion to have a banquet to reminisce about the old days, and even appointed Zhang Dai, who had not yet achieved fame, as a sixth-rank official.However, Zhang Dai himself didn't pay much attention to this, and he didn't feel complacent.In September last year, he even resigned his official position and went to live in seclusion in the Shanxi Mountains.Not long ago, the king of Lu entrusted Fang Guoan to write to urge him again and again, and he had no choice but to return to the court again.This time, because King Lu also wanted to know the real battle situation and results on the front line, he felt that Zhang Dai was the most loyal and reliable, so he sent him here specially.

In view of the importance of the current battle, Zhang Guowei temporarily moved Governor Xingyuan to Mucheng by the Qiantang River as early as the day before so that he could command nearby.Therefore, representatives of all parties were also arranged to watch the battle there.The so-called wooden city is actually a temporary military camp built with wooden piles, bamboo and plates.However, it is more exquisite and firm than ordinary barracks.On the side facing the river, stands a high wall made of rows of giant wooden piles. The top is also like an ordinary city wall, with parapets and walkways, which can be used to set up cannons and observe the enemy's situation from a height.Right now, the battle has not yet started, so neither Zhang Guowei and his staff, nor the representatives of the parties watching the battle have yet climbed to the top of the wall, but gathered in Mucheng and waited.This kind of conversation made Zhang Dai, who is active by nature, feel quite depressed.He saw that Zhang Guowei was still listening to various reports about the enemy's situation in the big tent of the Chinese army, while making the final arrangements. He was very busy, so he quietly retreated, looking around in the wooden city.However, although there are many people running around in Mucheng, none of the faces Zhang Dai is familiar with.As a result, after a boring circle, he simply slipped out of the city and walked towards the river.

Before entering Mucheng, Zhang Dai discovered that the area around Xixing Ferry, the base camp of Wang Zhiren's navy, was really unusual in scale and atmosphere.At a glance, the towering masts, waving flags, and intertwined cables, under the rising sun, seem to unfold a dense and colorful forest.Under the "forest", there are countless warships lined up like beasts. Among them are 400 giant battleships and patrol boats that are more than nine feet long and one foot wide, and there are also smaller ones. Various types of warships.In addition, there are boats for different needs, such as sand patrol boats, sentry boats, pontoon boats and other boats that cannot be named.They are all connected by the riverside to form water villages with well-organized lineups one after another in the way that the big boats live outside and the small boats live inside.Coupled with countless minion-like sickle hooks, hooks and swords and spears, the iron cannon erected on the bow of the ship, and the soldiers busy preparing for battle on the ship, on the riverside that winds for ten or twenty miles, It constitutes a majestic and vigorous landscape, which looks so mighty, so majestic, and so mysterious!Even at this moment, when Zhang Dai walked towards it again, he was still involuntarily attracted by the extraordinary momentum in front of him, so that he looked at it for a long time, and a heroic, nervous, and sad poetic feeling stirred up from the bottom of his heart. "Oh, how wonderful! How rare! How different!" he exclaimed, shaking his head softly.

However, after a while, he withdrew his gaze and turned his head away.Because he heard, from the distance on the left, there was a sound of swift horseshoes—it was two horses and horses, coming along the river beach side by side.At first, due to the distance, Zhang Dai could only tell that one of them was an official from the undulating black gauze cap and round-necked robe.After a while, the two horses approached, so he vaguely felt that the official looked familiar. "Well, who is that?" He wondered suspiciously, staring at the approaching men and horses. At last, his heart suddenly moved, and he blurted out:

"Hey, too aggressive!" The person who came was indeed Huang Zongxi.However, probably he was so absorbed in his journey that he didn't hear it.It wasn't until Zhang Dai yelled twice that he looked this way suspiciously, and then used a hasty movement to forcefully stop the horse. "Brother Zongzi, why are you here?" He opened his eyes wide and asked in surprise while steering the horse that was still spinning. "Why are you here? Then why are you here, brother?" Zhang Dai asked loudly with a smile.He couldn't help being delighted by the unexpected encounter with an acquaintance and a friend who smelled the same.

"My brother was ordered to come to watch the battle..." "Then, is it true that brother Xu is only ordered to come to watch the battle, and younger brother is not allowed to come to watch the battle under order?" "Ah, so brother is also..." Huang Zongxi said while jumping off the horse, "But, didn't you mean to watch the battle in Mucheng? Why brother..." Zhang Dai waved his hand: "It's early! It's still uncertain when the battle will start. So I'm going out for a walk." "Then brother has signed up?" "Reported. I also met Mr. Zhang Ge. But they are very busy right now!"

"My brother hasn't reported yet!" Huang Zongxi said, and wanted to turn around and get on the horse. But Zhang Dai stopped him: "Why are you in a hurry! There are still many people who haven't arrived! Besides, it's very chaotic inside, and no one cares about you when you go in. Why don't you take a break here and take a look at the scenery—look, these people under Wang Zhiren's hands Warships, these water fortresses, are indeed strong soldiers, extraordinary and comparable!" Huang Zongxi glanced at Shuizhai, "No, I'd better go report first!" Then he turned around.

Zhang Dai blinked, feeling a little sorry.Suddenly, he changed his mind, and quickly said: "But, Fang Mizhi has a letter recently, don't you want to know, Brother Fei?" The question worked.Huang Zongxi was stunned for a moment, put his foot on the horse's stirrup down again, and asked suspiciously: "What did you say, brother? Fang Mizhi has a letter?" Zhang Dai nodded: "This letter has been here for several days, and among them, I also asked brother..." "Ah, what about the letter?" "I didn't know that my brother was coming too, so I didn't bring it with me." "Then—how is Mizhi now? What did he say in the letter?" After questioning like this, seeing Zhang Dai holding him back, looking hesitant to speak, Huang Zongxi threw the rein on the horse's back and called back. "Huang An, look at the horse!" Then he followed Zhang Dai, walking forward, and asked, "Well, what did Mi Zhi say?" Their mutual friend Fang Yizhi fled in haste in August of the year before last because the Hongguang court wanted to investigate his so-called injustice when the peasant army captured Beijing.Since then, he has lost contact with his friends and has become completely unknown.Although everyone missed him very much, they suffered from not knowing his whereabouts, and there was no way to even inquire about him.Therefore, now that he suddenly heard that he had sent a letter to Zhang Dai, Huang Zongxi was naturally so concerned that he couldn't even go to Mucheng to register for registration for the time being.Zhang Dai naturally knew this very well. Therefore, in order to let the other party accompany him for a while, he deliberately walked into the embankment. He didn't stop until he was about to reach the bottom of the slope, and said mysteriously: "Well, brother, do you know? Fang Mizhi has already arrived in the east of Guangdong, and is living in the Nanhai county government!" Huang Zongxi was taken aback for a moment: "What? Mizhi arrived in eastern Guangdong?" "Hey, brother, listen to me!" Zhang Dai made a comforting gesture, "Mizhi said in the letter that since he escaped from Liudu the year before last, he first came to southern Zhejiang and lived in Tiantai and Yandang Mountain for a while. Then he moved to Fujian and met Chen Baishi who was also fleeing from disaster at the foot of Taimu Mountain. After staying for a few days, he went south from Funing alone and arrived in Guangzhou in winter. I was recognized by a young friend surnamed Yao. At that time, you were the magistrate of Nanhai County, so you took Mizhi back to live in Yazhong, and treated him very politely. Now Mizhi has settled down there!" After a pause, seeing Huang Zongxi's eyes wide open, mouth open, dazed, Zhang Dai smiled again, and added: "Mizhi also said in the letter that his case has been prosecuted by the King of Tang, and the official has been reinstated." It's gone!" "Ah," Huang Zongxi came back to his senses and asked quickly, "So, Mizhi is planning to take up the post?" Zhang Dai shook his head: "Many people have tried to persuade him like this, but Fang Mizhi said that he didn't think so at all—hey, it's also thanks to him not going. Otherwise, Fujian and our eastern Zhejiang have become like this, and in the future Each is their master, yet they don't know how to meet each other!" He said this because in October last year, the Longwu Regime of King Tang of Fujian sent a military officer to Liu Zhongzao to bring an edict to eastern Zhejiang, requesting that the King of Lu be under their jurisdiction, but received a cold reception. It was flatly rejected, which further deteriorated the relationship between the two parties.Although under the repeated persuasion of Zhang Guowei and other ministers, the King of Lu reluctantly sent Ke Xiaqing and Cao Weicai, the censors of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, as envoys in December last year. With the government unchanged and the promise to pass on the throne to the King of Lu in the future, the hostility has been somewhat resolved.However, within the Zhedong regime, there are still great differences of opinion.The relationship between Zhejiang and Fujian is still very cold, and there is always a crisis of deterioration.If Fang Yizhi really defected to Fujian and served the Longwu regime, he might turn against his friends in eastern Zhejiang. However, Huang Zongxi obviously didn't have the heart to discuss this issue right now, "So, is there any more?" He asked, and turned around to leave. "Oh, of course there are!" Zhang Dai said quickly.Since he didn't expect to take out such a treasure as Fang Yizhi, he still couldn't keep the other party, so he couldn't help being a little busy, so he said casually: "Well, brother thinks, brother thinks that we should make trouble with Fujian like this, right? Shouldn't it?" For Zhang Dai, this question was nothing more than randomly finding a topic to trip him up.However, Huang Zongxi's expression suddenly changed, and his footsteps also stopped.However, he didn't speak immediately. After pondering for a while, he raised his head, stared at Zhang Dai, and asked, "So, brother, do you think you should or shouldn't?" "This... this..." Due to lack of preparation, Zhang Dai became hesitant. Huang Zongxi snorted and said coldly: "When the enemy is at hand, cooperation will benefit both, and separation will hurt both. The truth of this, even a fool can understand it. What's more, the country's affairs have deteriorated to such an extent that Zhejiang and Fujian are still the same. Don't want to join forces to fight against the enemy, but keep fighting for fame, get into a fire and fire, and guard each other like thieves, tell me, what is this?" "So……" "Hey, just listen to my brother!" Huang Zongxi waved his hand eagerly. At the same time, his eyes became brighter and his tone became firmer. For us in Zhejiang and Fujian, we are fighting hand in hand to fight the Tartars back outside the pass as soon as possible, saving the world from death and mourning, and relieving the people from hanging upside down. Everything else is secondary! If not, then let me ask, is it just one person's name? Compared with the rise and fall of the world, is the life and death of the people more important? Ah? Also—the reason why I have been defeated for three hundred years is that the monarchy is too heavy, and the responsibilities of the ministers are unclear; Abandon civil servants; select scholars through imperial examinations, blocking the way of virtuous people; legislate for one surname, but not for the world; use schools as a place to nurture scholars, not as a place to educate talents. All these large numbers are the source of disaster. The abyss of subjugation, but it is urgent to change the course and abandon the old and make a new one. Only when we have established a dynasty in eastern Zhejiang until now, not only did we not learn from Chongzhen and Hongguang, but we were blind and blind. What is the hope for this rejuvenation industry? Taking 10,000 steps back, even if you are lucky enough to succeed, you will only be able to survive. How can the common people enjoy it? What prosperity can we expect in our generation?" After gritting his teeth and expressing the accumulated anger in his heart, Huang Zongxi put his hands on his hips and walked up and down under the embankment angrily.He didn't look at Zhang Dai, but he didn't intend to leave either. It seemed that he really forgot about going to Mucheng to report. Zhang Dai was dumbfounded.To tell the truth, until just now, he had hemmed and hawed with Huang Zongxi, the purpose was just to tease the other party to continue talking, to pass the time, but he did not expect that it would lead to such a heated discussion from the other party.He stared intently at his friend who was talking nonsense, and was gradually aroused to think in his heart.As soon as Huang Zongxi finished speaking, he waved the folding fan in his hand and said loudly: "It's painful to say! Therefore, after watching this battle and returning to my command, I decided to send out into the mountains again, and let it go from now on!" "what?" "Tell me the truth!" Zhang Dai looked around and found that the river embankment was empty, only the green grass on the slope was shining brightly under the sun, but there was no one, so he went to Huang Zongxi and said in a low voice: This time, Fang Guoan urged me to go out of the mountain. I remember that it was the 11th day of the first lunar month, when I went to the Hanshui shop at the foot of Tangyuan Ridge, my back developed gangrene, so I had to stay for a while. Unexpectedly, as soon as I closed my eyes, a person came in Who do you think? It turned out to be Qi Shipei! In fact, he was already dead. He was drowned in Shaoxing when the Tatars called him to Hangzhou last June. I knew this at the time—as soon as he sat down, he He asked me why I came out of the mountain. I said that I wanted to assist Lu Jianguo. But he shook his head and said, "This is the end of the world, and it is impossible to do anything!" Then he pulled my brother out of his seat, saying that he wanted to let him watch the sky. Seeing the big stars and small stars in the southwest direction, falling like rain, and cracking with sound. Qi Shipei said: "The number of days is so many, what can I do!" He also advised me to return to the mountain immediately. Road! After finishing speaking, I drifted away. I heard the dogs on the street barking fiercely, and I woke up suddenly, only then did I realize that it was a dream! Only the dogs on the street were still barking non-stop—well, Brother said, is it strange or not?" Zhang Dai said vividly.Huang Zongxi obviously didn't expect the other party to have such an ominous strange dream, and his conclusion was more pessimistic and negative than his own, so he blinked his eyes for a while, not knowing how to answer. "Hey, there's more!" Zhang Dai made a gesture, and was about to continue, when suddenly, Huang An anxiously shouted from the river embankment: "Master, it's bad! It's time to start a war! It's time to start a war!" The two friends couldn't help being startled, and sure enough, they heard the sound of war drums on the other side of the embankment: "Boom, boom, boom! Boom, boom!"Huang Zongxi said "No!", first jumped up and ran to the embankment.Zhang Dai was still in a daze at first, but then came back to his senses, quickly lifted the hem of the official robe with both hands, and followed behind in a panic.