Chapter 65 military emergency

This water battle on the Qiantang River ended in an unprecedented defeat for the Qing army.Wang and Zheng's coalition forces not only completely destroyed the new warship that Zhang Cunren painstakingly built, but a few days later, when Zheng Zunqian sent people to clean up the battlefield, there were as many as 800 pieces of Qing soldiers' armor salvaged from the river alone.As the news spread, the military spirit of King Lu's regime was immediately boosted, and the atmosphere of panic was swept away.Not only that, but some people even suggested that they should take advantage of this opportunity to cross the river and march westward. It would be best if they could recover Hangzhou quickly. Expand the territory to Jiangbei and even wider areas.

Such a proposition, when the news of the great victory spread, was only used as a vent of excitement, and it was spread among the people by word of mouth.Later, as some prominent ministers joined the discussion, things became serious.For a while, it was even rumored that Lu Jianguo had ordered Zhang Guowei to call a meeting of ministers.As a result, the saying that he was ready to make a single heart and let go of his hands and feet spread like wildfire in the ruling and opposition parties, and spread with enthusiasm. Faced with this situation, the ones who feel the most excitement are the rebels composed of local militias.Because before that, just as Huang Zongxi had worried, in order to get rid of the plight of lack of food and pay, they had been strongly eager to fight across Jiangbei, but they suffered from their own weak strength and could not act alone.During the period, he also made suggestions to Lu Jianguo more than once, but all of them fell into the sea and there was no follow-up.Everyone had no choice but to continue to endure hardships, but the situation became more and more bleak and pitiful.Up to now, among other things, just the strength of each battalion, the most can barely maintain one or two hundred troops, and the few have only dozens of people left.As a result, the dignified "supervisors" like Sun Jiaji, Xiong Rulin, Yu Ying, and Zhang Zhengchen could command and mobilize at most only a thousand or a few hundred remnants of soldiers, which can be said to have reached the point of being defeated.So when I suddenly heard that the imperial court finally decided to go west, everyone's surprise and joy can be imagined.Although the order from the imperial court has not yet been officially issued, they have already rushed to tell each other, gearing up, and can't wait to prepare by themselves.

This is the case for all the rebels, except for the Yuyao rebels stationed in the Dragon King Hall.It's not that its soldiers are not active, on the contrary, they, like the rebels, wish to raise troops immediately and fight across Jiangbei.But when he got to the coach Sun Jiaji, he thought that Fang Guoan had suffered a disastrous defeat on the Western Front not long ago, and his vitality had not yet recovered.Now it is too risky to decide to go out with only one victory on the Eastern Front, and there is no certainty of success; it is better to take advantage of the opportunity when the Qing army has suffered a severe setback and dare not act rashly in a short period of time, and step up training soldiers , Renovate ordnance, expand soldiers and horses.It won't be too late to make plans after the summer grain is laid down.Since the leader of an army thinks this way, the battalions will naturally become like snakes without a head, unable to move.

The generals of the Yuyao Army were naturally quite anxious about this.Among them, Huang Zongxi was the most annoyed.Because to be honest, in the past six months, he has indeed become more and more disappointed with the various decisions and measures of the King Lu regime, and even doubts whether it can be sustained; big change.The glorious record of Wang and Zheng's coalition forces defeating the Qing army made him once again convinced that the Qing army was not as powerful and invincible as people exaggerated.At least as far as water warfare is concerned, the southern soldiers and civilians who are accustomed to sailing are obviously better than them.More importantly, he also saw with his own eyes: King Lu's army actually has the strength to fight big battles and win battles. As long as the court makes up its mind, it is entirely possible to change the current situation of being trapped in a corner and expand its territory to eastern Zhejiang. Go somewhere bigger than that.Therefore, in the past few days, Huang Zongxi, like many people, has been ambitiously participating in the discussion of taking advantage of the victory and advancing westward, and has become an enthusiastic advocate of this idea.Now, seeing that all the militias have already started to take action and are actively preparing for it, but because of Sun Jiaji's opposition, the Yuyao army has been in a state of slackening all the time, Huang Zongxi really felt unbearable.

Speaking of Sun Jiaji, it may be because of the different purposes and ways of dealing with the world. In the past six months, Huang Zongxi felt that it was becoming more and more difficult to get along with this immediate boss, and their views and opinions were often very different.Among other things, just take the time in August last year, when Fang Guoan, Wang Zhiren and others clamored for the distribution of land and pay. As a result, his own food and pay were cut off, and the soldiers dispersed.This matter made Huang Zongxi extremely dissatisfied.Whether in public or private gatherings, he has never been less critical.Sun Jiaji must have heard about this situation, so he gradually alienated Huang Zongxi, and stopped discussing many things with him.Although they met each other on weekdays and were polite to each other, they didn't have much to talk about other than business.Huang Zongxi naturally felt this, but out of a strong mentality, he didn't intend to take the initiative to eliminate the barrier between them. "Anyway, it's not my fault. Do whatever you like!" He thought coldly more than once.However, at this juncture, things are clear: if Sun Jiaji is allowed to insist on procrastinating, once the order to dispatch the army is issued, the Yuyao army will be in a hurry because of lack of preparation, and if they rush into the battle, they will suffer a big loss.Therefore, in addition to being anxious and helpless, Huang Zongxi finally felt that he had to argue fiercely with the other party in person.

"Hmph, this is a public matter. It is about the life and death of the rebels and the great cause of resisting the Qing Dynasty! I told him that it was to show my loyalty and fulfill my duty, not to admit my mistake and beg for mercy. Why bother to look forward and backward!" With such a decision, he ignored the outside of the camp. It was already dusk, and the sky was about to get dark, so he immediately took Huang An with him, hurriedly left the Shizhong camp where he was stationed every day, and rushed to Sun Jiaji's camp. In early summer, according to the habit of previous years, the rainy weather should have arrived. However, perhaps because of the delay of the season, and the Qiantang River Estuary area, the rainfall has always been relatively low, so the weather has been fine for the past few days.Even so, judging from the brocade-like arrangement of fiery clouds in the sky, the last twilight that has not yet faded, it is hard to guarantee that there will be no rain tomorrow. "Well, if there is a long-term rain, I'm afraid there will be a lot of troubles and delays in training soldiers and repairing ordnance!" Thinking of this, Huang Zongxi couldn't help but increase the anxiety in his heart, and moved his legs. faster.

Although Daying is not too far from Shizhong Camp, it is still more than five miles away.When the master and servant arrived, it was already completely dark.The shacks scattered on a sloping field were also lit up with dots of lights.And from the back of the shack, from the mysterious and empty distance where some vague shadows loomed, came the deep sound of the river tide lapping on the bank.After showing his number plate to the guards on the gate and explaining his purpose of coming, Huang Zongxi followed the rules and stood where he was, waiting for the pass. "Well, I don't know if he is willing to meet me? I don't know if he will listen to my request? If he refuses to meet me, then I won't work under his command anymore. I might as well go to the hospital tomorrow. Vote for Zheng Zunqian, or Zhang Zhengchen! Of course, doing so would mean cutting off friendship, but what if you don’t? Unless…” He was thinking anxiously, and at the same time, he felt a sense of humiliation as a subordinate.In order to get rid of the trouble, he began to walk around aimlessly, and deliberately ignored Huang An who was staring at him with blinking eyes in the darkness nearby...

"Master Huang, Master Supervisor is here!" A resonant voice sounded. Huang Zongxi's heart tightened suddenly, and he relaxed again when he heard what was going on, "Well, since he is willing to see me, then..." He nodded quickly and walked quickly to the camp. Sun Jiaji was waiting for him in the big tent of the Chinese army. Huang Zongxi was overwhelmed by his calm and calm demeanor when he killed officials in Yuyao in June last year.However, for some reason, within a year, he completely changed. Not only did he become dark and thin, but his temper became more and more irritable and surly.He was only in his early forties, and a patch of gray hair had already appeared on his temples, and his back became slightly arched, unable to straighten up.In the past, Huang Zongxi always thought that it was due to complicated affairs and being too busy.But now, when he paid his respects to the other party as usual, and raised his head again, he found that Sun Jiaji's sunken eye sockets and thin cheeks looked so decadent and strange in the dancing candle shadows, so that he suddenly thought: The other party may be suffering from an illness, and these days, he is actually holding on to preside over military affairs... It was this kind of suspicion that made his heart skip a beat, and he couldn't help but froze.

"Well, I don't know if Mr. Huang is here, what advice do you have?" Sun Jiaji's voice came from the tiger-skin chair in the middle, his tone was calm. Huang Zongxi blinked and woke up.He was impulsive, intending to bring out some fierce words and dishes that he had prepared in advance.However, when his eyes fell on the other's thin face again, he couldn't help hesitating again, lowering his eyes eagerly, not knowing how to speak properly. "Come on, come on, since you have something to say, just say it!" Sun Jiaji urged, obviously sneering. "This...of course...yes..." Huang Zongxi stammered, feeling a little embarrassed at the same time.Although he didn't want it to be.

"Hmph, why don't you dare to say it?" Sun Jiaji's sunken eyes flashed with contempt, "Okay, then let me say it for you-yes, I, Sun, shouldn't agree to Fang Guoan and Wang Zhiren They divide the land and pay, and make themselves worse than beggars! You shouldn’t just give in and hand over the country to these warriors! You shouldn’t oppose sending troops to the west and cut off the way for the rebels to eat! What you want to say is nothing more That's all, what else?" After a pause, he probably saw Huang Zongxi lowering his head and silently expressing his acquiescence, so Sun Jiaji stood up "suddenly" and said excitedly: "But, have you thought about it? Our opponent is the long-conquered Tatar Zibing! If we want to start a war with them, can we just rely on our improvised volunteer soldiers? This is a palm-sized area in the east of Zhejiang, and the combined food and salaries of the two governments are only five or six hundred thousand. How can we feed them enough? One hundred thousand soldiers? You can’t tie everyone up in a pile and drag them half-dead, and you have to feed the soldiers first. No matter what, you have to rely on them to fight big and tough battles! I’m not the only one who said this today I said it, but you are still not convinced! What are you not convinced? A few days ago I specially asked you to go to Xixing to watch the battle, just to let you see it with your own eyes. Have you seen it? If this is the case, you still have to..." Sun Jiaji wanted to continue talking, but his body was obviously very weak, and he was too tired to hold on to the excitement at this moment, so he only made a gesture, and sat back on the tiger skin chair, panting for breath.

Huang Zongxi watched silently, he did not agree with what the other party said just now.He wanted to retort: ​​Fang Guoan suffered a big defeat on the Eastern Front, and the Shaoxing Rebel Army under Zheng Zunqian also contributed a lot to the water battle on the Qiantang River.However, seeing Sun Jiaji panting, he had no choice but to remain silent. But Sun Jiaji still had more ideas.Obviously, the grievance and indignation of being misunderstood and criticized by his subordinates had been accumulated in his heart for a long time, so when his panting calmed down a bit, he straightened up again, struggling to continue: "Also, it's a crisis of life and death right now, not a peaceful situation. The Tartar soldiers are on the other side, and they will attack at any moment. The first priority is to block them. At this time, it is possible to fight without relying on warriors. Who do you rely on? But if they are willing to work hard, you have to try to coax them, and you have to be patient! Do you think I am willing to do this? I have to! Yes, these people are very arrogant, unreasonable, and even lawless! But Da Ming Our country is currently supported by them, so what can we do?" If Huang Zongxi didn't agree with Sun Jiaji's talk about the distribution of land and wages just now, but he could still keep silent, then at this moment, the other party thinks that those warriors have the right to dominate the overall situation and do whatever they want because they can fight. hurt him.Because the reason why he finally decided to join the rebel army after hesitating several times was that he was worried that China's prosperous and prosperous civilization would be destroyed by this catastrophe of national subjugation.To avoid such a terrible ending, he decided that it is necessary to vigorously eradicate the long-standing bad governance of the previous dynasty, including the disgusting long-standing evil of the military supporters.Now Sun Jiaji blatantly advocates that the warriors can only be tolerated, which he absolutely cannot agree to.Therefore, as soon as Sun Jiaji finished speaking, he couldn't help opening his eyes wide, and retorted: "Those who valued martial arts in ancient times all regarded gentlemen as generals. For example, when Tang defeated Jie, Yi Yin was the general; when Wu defeated Zhou, Taigong was the general. Jin built six armies, and the generals were all among the six ministers. So it is so , all because poetry, books, rites and music, principles and famous teachings are the foundation of our country, and they have always been known and practiced by gentlemen. Respecting gentlemen means emphasizing the foundation. If the foundation is solid, the army will prosper and the country will be strong, and long-term stability can be achieved. Period. But warriors have no literature, do not know the great meaning of poetry, books, rituals and music, and often only pay attention to their own interests and losses, and they can entrust the world to him? Today, the country is ruined, the family is destroyed, and the world is broken. This The responsibility of expelling the Tartars and rebuilding the universe must be the responsibility of a gentleman and a benevolent person. An adult does not take it upon himself, but wants to entrust it to a warrior, rely on him in everything, and tolerate him in every way. Raising wolves and tigers is not only futile, but also harmful to the country and the people!" Undoubtedly, these words were said so violently that Sun Jiaji choked for a moment, but then his face changed suddenly and he said, "Okay, okay, okay, since what we are doing now is harming the country and the people, then your Excellency must Are you capable of subduing these warriors? Then please speak out quickly, so that the governor can learn from him!" Huang Zongxi did not answer immediately.Because the other party's irritation reminded him: an atmosphere conducive to communication should be created.So, after the sharpness of the words just now subsided a little, he calmed down and said: "How can the students be so clever? In fact, the students also know that the reason why the adults, the king, and others tolerated repeatedly is that there is a last resort. However, what the students don't understand is that the court blindly favors Fang and the king's so-called "right soldiers" ', and reject our righteous soldiers everywhere. It should be known that the volunteers are the soldiers recruited and trained by the benevolent gentlemen of our generation. The people, including scholars, farmers, businessmen, and businesses, have their own businesses. The call of a gentleman, he resolutely obeys, purely because he can't bear to sit and watch the Jianlu go rampant, the Huayi lose his guard, and the famous religion is extinct. Looking at his original heart, if he didn't have the bloody nature of taking the world as his own responsibility, how could he be like this? The students thought, Compared with those like Fang and Wang who rely on military power to run rampant and eat soldiers and get fat, our rebel army is more trustworthy and more reliable! The imperial court does not hesitate to protect it, but regards it as a burden, robs it of food and wages, frustrates its ambition, and lets it go Collapsing. It's disheartening to be so confused and upside-down!" These words undoubtedly hit Sun Jiaji's hidden pain.He was silent for a while, and finally snorted, and said: "I don't know that the rebels are reliable soldiers? It's just that they are temporary recruits after all, and they haven't fought many battles. Although they have plenty of courage, their strength is still too weak. , will never be an opponent of the Tartars. Moreover, food and wages are so scarce at the moment, so, alas..." Huang Zongxi shook his head: "There have been many armies in ancient times! Only those who know the righteousness can achieve success and last long. Otherwise, even if they are strong for a while, they will be just mobs and cannot be relied on! You are worried about Jianlu He is tough and hard to beat, but according to the students, although he is menacing, he is still a tiger and wolf, and he does not know what civilization, poetry, rituals and music are. What he relies on is nothing more than force. Even if he can succeed for a while, he can't. Sit firmly in the world! As long as..." Sun Jiaji smiled wryly, interrupted him, and said, "That's not necessarily true! Didn't you hear that a few days ago, the Tartars wrote essays in various prefectures and counties, and they also imitated my court, held public provincial examinations, and opened courses to select scholars? Did you hear what you heard? All the questions are taken from the 'Four Books' and 'Five Classics'. There are so many scholars who show their faces and compete for the test, which can be described as a great shame for famous teachers and a great shame for scholars!" After a pause, he sighed deeply again, and said, "Oh, people like Tartars, tigers, wolves, pigs and dogs naturally don't know the great use of this. But Hong Hengjiu, Feng Zhuo'an and others understand this very well. If they go on like this, the hearts of the people are really worrying!" This time, it was Huang Zongxi's turn to stop talking.Because the other party’s worried words really raised a question that he had never thought of: If in the end, if the Qing Dynasty really accepted China’s set of civilized education, would it really be able to stabilize the world?However, this doubt only flashed for a moment, and he soon became clear and firm again: "Hmph, what Hong Hengjiu and Feng Zhuo'an can teach Jianlu is nothing more than a set of established laws and regulations of less than three generations. But that set of established laws and regulations are all set up for the self-interest of one family and one surname, which completely misses the standard of three generations of saints. The original intention is that the depth of its abuses and the tragedy of its disasters are already clearly visible. Even if the Jiankui can follow it, how can they use this to secure the world and bring about peace? Not to mention the long-term stability and the establishment of a foundation that will last forever. I'm afraid that in the end, the people will still suffer, the world will be full of resentment, the family will be destroyed, and the country will be destroyed, just repeat the same mistakes as our dynasty!" He looked at his boss, opened his eyes wide again, and said loudly: "To this day, save the world, secure the country, and restore the virtues of the three generations of saints, so that the common people can get their own selfishness and their own interests. There is no one else except me, a benevolent gentleman! Even if the time is not with me, and the sky does not protect people, but I can only fight hard, even if my heart is smashed and my body is smashed to pieces, I will leave a period of majesty in the world. A whole body of guts!" This oath from the heart is so bold, full of confidence and sincerity.Even though Sun Jiaji was astonished, he was obviously touched.He didn't ask any more questions. After being silent for a while, he finally nodded and said, "Well, these days, you have been coaxing and sending troops, but I didn't agree. I am well aware of the situation in the court, and the strength of our soldiers is not enough to do it." This is a great plan! However, now it seems that it is impossible not to send troops!" When he said this, his voice was not high, and his expression was so flat that for a moment, Huang Zongxi didn't react.However, there was a sudden "buzz" in his mind, and he stood up from the stool in surprise, and asked in disbelief, "What? Your lord has decided to send troops?" Sun Jiaji smiled wryly and shook his head: "It's not that the students are determined to do this, but that reinforcements from the Tartars have arrived!" "What? Tartar reinforcements...arrived?" "Yesterday, the imperial court received information from Jiangbei, saying that the Tartar imperial court sent soldiers, led by a man named Bo—bo or something, um, Baylor named Boluo, who was on his way south to help Hangzhou. When a meeting of ministers was called, most people advocated that instead of continuing to guard Jiangdong, allowing him to calmly meet with Zhang Cunren and attack with all his strength, it is better to preemptively attack across the river and spread the word to Taihu, Changzhou, and even Liudu. It is the best policy for the rebels to block each other and disrupt his position. The supervisor has already recognized it, and has ordered Mr. Zhang Ge to take charge of this matter, and Jiang Fang has transferred Yu Da Sima to take over!" Huang Zongxi opened his eyes wide and listened, only then did he suddenly understand.All of a sudden, the doubts and awkwardness in his heart disappeared, and he became both excited and nervous, stammering and asking: "So, then..." This time, Sun Jiaji did not answer immediately.He left the tiger-skin chair, put his hands on his hips, and walked back and forth in the big tent for a while with his head lowered. Then he stood still, turned his face and said, "If you want to fight across the river, you must have soldiers and pay. Both of these things are big problems for my Yuyao army—how about this, when you come over to check it out tomorrow morning, carefully calculate the total together, and see if you can come up with a solution!"