Chapter 67 Search for insiders

The regime of the King of Lu in eastern Zhejiang was busy marching northward, but Hong Chengchou, who was in charge of Nanjing, was just the opposite. What he was currently focusing on was whether the reinforcements from the Qing Dynasty led by General Bo Luo, who conquered the south, could quickly break through the Qiantang natural moat after they arrived in Hangzhou, and then In one fell swoop, the Lu Wang regime was defeated. Speaking of which, Hong Chengchou really had to pay attention to this matter, because it has been more than eleven months since the army and people in eastern Zhejiang revolted against the Qing Dynasty in June last year.During this period of nearly a year, the Qing army was always blocked north of Hangzhou and could no longer advance south.On the contrary, the remnants of the Ming Dynasty made a comeback in Fujian in the east, Anhui, Jiangxi and Huguang in the west.Relying on the support of the people, they did everything possible to become an enemy of the Qing army, and they were becoming increasingly powerful.Obviously, if these forces do not deal a devastating blow as soon as possible while these forces are still harboring selfish interests and do not buy into each other, things will become extremely difficult once they come to their senses and really join hands.And if you want to deal a fatal blow to your opponent, then the Lu Wang regime in eastern Zhejiang is undoubtedly the most critical breakthrough.Because the eastern Zhejiang region is at the throat of this anti-clearance chain, and is closely connected with Fujian in the east.As long as eastern Zhejiang is captured, they can quickly march into Fujian.At present, Tang Wang Zhu Yujian, who openly proclaimed himself emperor in Fuzhou, has implicitly become the highest symbol of the remnants of the Ming Dynasty. Once he is eradicated, he will deal a heavy psychological blow to the rebels everywhere and turn him into a headless snake.Then, in the future, they can be defeated individually, and things will be much easier to handle.

If it is said that Hong Chengchou is concerned about the war situation in eastern Zhejiang, this is the most direct reason, then there is a deeper reason, that is, he has been appointed by Dorgon to serve as the governor of Jiangnan for nine months. up.During this period, apart from finally capturing the stubbornly resisting city of Jiangyin in August, and putting down the rebellion in Huizhou in October, no greater military achievements were achieved.On the contrary, in the first month of this year, a hidden anti-Qing force headed by the former king of Ruichang Zhu Yili of the Ming Dynasty unexpectedly emerged. More than 20,000 people were gathered in the suburbs of the city and four villages, and they attacked in three ways, trying to cooperate with the inside and outside, and occupy Nanjing in one fell swoop. amazing events.Fortunately, Hong Chengchou discovered it in time, mobilized troops urgently, made preparations, and killed the killer, so he suppressed it anyway, but he was already in a cold sweat from fright.Therefore, if the situation continues to drag on like this, then it is still a trivial matter to be accused of being incompetent. The most worrying thing is that it will arouse the suspicion of the court, thinking that he, Hong, has a lingering affection for the Ming Dynasty and is soft-hearted against the Qing forces. , and even suspect that he has two ends, two ambitions, and other plans.That would be extremely unfair!In fact, this is not impossible, although the regent Dorgon is very trustworthy to him now, but once he becomes suspicious, catastrophe will happen in a blink of an eye.Because after all, he was a demoted official in the former Ming Dynasty, and had a notorious "bad record" of being an enemy of the Qing Dynasty.What's more, because of his current high position and power, there are many Manchu and Han officials in the court who are looking sideways... So, can this time the army attack defeat the hateful King Lu's regime in one fell swoop, so as to show his ability and fight against What about the loyalty of the Qing Dynasty?Hong Chengchou had no idea.Therefore, in the past few days, he had to pay close attention to the movements on the front line, and ordered his subordinates to report to him as soon as there were any newspapers and news from Hangzhou.

Today, Hong Chengchou has such a report in his hand.However, it is not about the situation of the Qing army's advance, but about the movements of his opponent, Eastern Zhejiang.It is said that the King of Lu regime panicked when they learned that the Qing Dynasty had sent a large army to reinforce Hangzhou. Recently, Zhang Guowei was hurriedly appointed as the commander-in-chief, intending to take the initiative to send troops across the river to preemptively strike.However, the armies and horses from all walks of life are not of one mind.For example, Fang Guoan, although he was making preparations on the surface, was actually just dealing with it perfunctorily.In the past half a month, Zhang Guowei sent troops several times to carry out tentative attacks on Hangzhou, but all of them returned in vain because Fang Guoan stood still.In addition, the report also said that not long ago, the Tang Dynasty in Fujian sent Lu Qingyuan, the censor of the capital, as an envoy, with a salary of 100,000 yuan, to the east of Zhejiang, expressing his intention to abandon the past and sincerely repair the relationship.After Fang Guoan learned about it, he sent troops to intercept him halfway, forcibly took away his salary, and imprisoned Lu Qingyuan.Zhang Guowei was shocked by this incident and was extremely angry, but there was nothing he could do...

Hong Chengchou took the pond newspaper and pondered over the news for a long time.He naturally knew how important Fang Guoan's 50,000 regular army was currently occupying in the King Lu's regime.If this person is really avoiding war passively, domineering, and lawless as mentioned in the Tang newspaper, and the King Lu regime has nothing to do with him and can only let him go, then the opponent has indeed shown his defeat, at least their so-called "" "Western Expedition" is just a desperate gamble of some people, and it seems that it will not achieve anything.Once Boluo's army arrives and joins hands with Zhang Cunren in Hangzhou to launch a powerful offensive, it should be said that the pacification of eastern Zhejiang is quite successful.So, Hong Chengchou relaxed a little, put the report back on the case, and picked up the next one casually.

This one is a secret document sent by Jiangning Mansion, the content is about the interrogation of "rebels" in custody.It immediately attracted Hong Chengchou's attention.Since the incident of Ruichang King Zhu Yile's attack on Nanjing, in the past few months, through all-out search and pursuit of villages and towns near and far, a large number of unsuccessful people who participated in the rebellion have been arrested and executed one after another.But the leading culprits still escaped.For this reason, Hong Chengchou has always been worried, always worried that they will make a comeback.He estimated that the other party must have hidden accomplices in the city, and they have not been thoroughly investigated, so he ordered Jiangning Mansion to interrogate the remaining batch of key criminals strictly, and try to find clues.Now, this confidential document from Jiangning Mansion is to report the latest situation of the interrogation.It is said that after repeatedly tortured and interrogated the hundreds of criminals one by one, and lured them for profit, finally two criminals confessed one after another: a monk had visited the rebel stronghold outside Cangbo Gate several times have been.This man, named "Fa Ming", was born thin and small, but he behaved lively and spoke elegantly.Because they came and left in a hurry every time, and only contacted Zhu Junzhao, one of the escaped bandit leaders, the other two prisoners really couldn't provide more information.

After talking about the above situation, the confidential document ended with the following line: "Shen Shizhu?" Hong Chengchou felt that this name was quite unfamiliar.He stroked his beard and tried his best to think about it again, but he still had no memory. "Well, since this person is a member of the Fushe, then I heard that Huang Shu had a lot of contacts with that group of people back then, maybe he would know him?" Thinking this way, Hong Chengchou looked up, only to find the Chinese military officer appearing At the door, he seemed hesitant to speak. "What's the matter?" he asked casually.

"My lord, Mr. Huang Zhonglin asked to see me, and said that I have something to meet with Mr. Chen." Huang Zhonglin—that is, Huang Shu.Hong Chengchou couldn't help being startled, and thought: "Oh, I was just looking for him, but he came by himself!" Then he put down the secret document in his hand, and said: "Well, please come in!" A moment later, with the sound of official boots in the corridor, Huang Shu appeared.As soon as he entered the door, he lowered his head, crossed his hands, and made a salute. "Oh, sir, please sit down, please!" Hong Chengchou stood up as usual and said in return.

Huang Shu raised his head, a look of hesitation flashed across his face, but he finally thanked him and sat down on a rosewood armchair at the bottom. "I don't know, sir, what can I tell you?" After seeing Huang Shu take the tea served by the servant, he lowered his head and remained silent. Hong Chengchou, who had already sat opposite him, couldn't help asking. "Oh, don't dare!" Huang Shu quickly put the teacup on the side table beside him, clasped his hands again, and said, "The reason why the student asked to see you rashly is...uh, because he wanted to say goodbye to the lord."

Hong Chengchou blinked his eyes, but he didn't understand: "What? Sir, you mean - leave?" "Yes." Huang Shu bowed his head apologetically.After a while, seeing that Hong Chengchou was silent, he explained: "Since the student returned to Chengcheng, he has been deeply loved by adults. He has been sent to the army to serve in the front, and he has stayed behind the scenes. Such a great virtue, I am grateful." Already. It’s just that the students feel that the quality of the oak oak is difficult to repost, and they are afraid that they will disappoint the high expectations of adults. After thinking about it again and again, it is better to say goodbye by yourself than to sit on the table and snicker for your peers, which is also a way to save face!” Said Finished, arched his hands again.

Only then did Hong Chengchou let out an "oh", and he heard it clearly.Yes, since the pacification of Huizhou, considering Huang Shu's achievements, he once planned to recommend him to the court as the magistrate, but later he was worried that the people of Huizhou would not accept it, so he gave up.As a result, until now, he still had to wrong the other party to temporarily stay in the governor's office as an aide.Originally, with the development of the military, the territory occupied by the Qing Dynasty continued to expand, and officials were urgently dispatched to manage it.Officials from Manchuria are extremely limited, far from meeting the needs, so a large number of Han officials who surrendered must be employed.Therefore, after Hong Chengchou came to Jiangnan, after careful screening and repeated selection, he once drew up a list of 149 people, and at the end of last year, together with the plan set up by Jiangnan provincial officials, reported it to the imperial court and asked for their employment.But for some reason, there has been no approval so far.It wasn't until a few days ago that he learned from an official from Beijing that the Manchu ministers headed by Heshuo Prince Zheng Jierhalang were quite disapproving of the appointment of a large number of Han people, thinking that it would endanger the status and power of the Manchus. , has been persuading the regent to be cautious.This Jierhalang is the uncle of the current Emperor Shunzhi and the assistant prince. His status is second only to the regent Dorgon, and he is very powerful in the court.Although it is still unknown whether the regent will adopt his proposal, Hong Chengchou has to be vigilant, because he himself is a Han official who surrendered, and he is currently a high-ranking official. look sideways.So, even though he had already drawn up another list, including Huang Shu, he had no choice but to suppress it for the time being out of prudent considerations.However, he did not expect that Huang Shu could not wait any longer, and even proposed to "say goodbye". "That's right. Today, there are a lot of vacancies in various places, and people are urgently needed to fill them up. At the same time, many talents are stranded here without being appointed. If things go on like this, not only will there be countless troubles in the localities, but it will also lead to setbacks." Talented people show their sincerity and dedication to service!" With such a wry smile secretly, he eased his expression and asked earnestly:

"Sir, do you mean what you say? The students also know that the shogunate is not enough for the shogunate with his great talent. The only thing to do is to be appointed by the imperial court, and it is not something that can be done overnight. At present, the students have already done this. If the matter is planned, it will be reported, and it will be reported within a few days. If Xiongtai has no choice but to leave, why not wait for a while and wait for the result to be discussed?" Huang Shu smiled lightly, and said: "Although Huang is dull, how can adults not know about his deep attention? Only because of this, students don't want to embarrass adults because of their own reasons!" "Oh, how do you say that?" "I remember that at the beginning of my lord's ascension, he announced to the four directions, declaring the imperial court to seek talents and virtues. At that time, many old officials heard about it, and they all cheered with their foreheads and hands, vying to be called. The post road hall was full for a while. But after more than half a year, there was no news at all. Recently, I found out that this was not an intentional delay by adults. It was actually because some people in the court had doubts about our Han people and did not want to use it. Therefore, many people feel disheartened. Everyone quits their ambitions. The students are leaving today, and they are nothing more than knowing the difficulties and obeying their orders!" When Huang Shu said these words, although his tone was a bit sour, Hong Chengchou couldn't help being startled because he directly pointed out the inside story of the matter.However, out of the instinct to maintain the prestige of the imperial court, he still let out an "oh" and asked in pretended surprise: "The imperial court doesn't want to use more Han officials? Sir, where did the news come from? I'm afraid they are also second- or third-timers. They are extremely poor and boring, so they made such wild guesses! As far as the students know, the truth is definitely not the case. Today The king and the regent are as modest as they are, and they are respectful and virtuous, and there is no distinction between Manchu and Han. Therefore, the delay to this day is actually due to the large number of people, and it takes a long time to screen and investigate. There is no other reason!" After categorically denying the rumor, in order to appease To win over the other party, he went on to say: "What's more, Jiangnan has not yet settled down, and everything is different. Students have to rely on the teacher for a lot. For example, there is a matter right now. I would like to ask the teacher to explain it to me!" After speaking, he stood up, took the secret report from Jiangning Mansion from the official case, and handed it to Huang Shu. At first, Huang Shu didn't know what was going on, just stood up as usual, and took it with both hands.However, before he finished reading the confidential document, he couldn't help crying out: "Ah, how, how could it be him!" "Then, sir must recognize this person?" Hong Chengchou asked with concern. Huang Shu only gave a vague "um", but didn't speak.He looked through the confidential document nervously, and then he seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief, and said cautiously: "The student recognizes it. However, that was as early as when Hongguang was arguing—why, so he is in the city?" Hong Chengchou shook his head: "To this day, I'm afraid he has escaped! Well, what kind of person is this Shen?" "This... although the student recognizes this person, he has only met him a few times and has no close acquaintance. Therefore, he doesn't know much. I just heard that although he is less than five feet tall, he is good at talking big. He is full of military books on weekdays. It's a joke among friends. Besides, well, the students don't know anything else..." "Well," Hong Chengchou took two steps in thought, then turned around and asked again, "As far as Mr. knows, how many people like this Shen Shizhu—and last year's Wu Yingji—are there in this Fushe? " "My lord means..." "It's been a long time since this man surnamed Shen has been in and out of here. Will he have other accomplices among the Fushe people in the city?" "This... As far as the students know, the Fushe is nothing more than a group of scholars seeking fame and advancement, regardless of how famous he was back then. There is a mixture of good and bad, and even at that time, everyone had their own interests and mutual benefit. Criticism and endless fights. Up to now, they have seen the lands and rivers change masters, and their destiny is in the Qing Dynasty. They have already parted ways and scattered like birds and beasts. Some of them are rebellious, such as Wu Yingji and Shen Shizhu, but most of them are not. Like Chen Baishi and Gong Xiaosheng, he has already shaved his hair and changed his obedience, and submitted to our court. Although the students dare not say that this man surnamed Shen will have no accomplices in the city, but considering the current situation of Fushe, I am afraid that he will not be able to accomplish anything. climate." Hong Chengchou glanced at his staff, somewhat surprised that Huang Shu didn't answer his question directly.However, he didn't know that Huang Shu not only knew Shen Shizhu, but also met, talked with Shen Shizhu at Liu Jingting's place not long ago, and had a drink with him; Shu even took advantage of his position to issue customs clearance for Shen Shizhu's close friends Liu Jingting, Yu Huai and others!At present, although this daring guy is trying to deal with him calmly, he is actually very nervous and frightened, and he only thinks about how to cover up and get away.Therefore, although he was puzzled, Hong Chengchou still only interpreted the evasion of his staff as a subtle suggestion to himself, so he made a gesture and said: "Students also know that after the rebellion was pacified in the first month, the gentry and common people in the city were still in a state of uneasiness. It would be frightening and inappropriate to copy the ropes again. However, although the rebellion was peaceful, the leader of the bandit was still at large. If the city is not brought to justice in time If the treachery is eliminated, once something happens, it will become a curse. At that time, it will be too late to regret!" "Ah, could it be, could it be that the bandits will make a comeback?" "Only relying on the end of its strong crossbow is nothing to worry about. However, our division is now devoting all its strength to attack the east of Zhejiang. Once the nest is destroyed, the remnants of the enemy will cross the river and flee north if they don't rush east to Fujian. If it is the same as here In addition, if bandits and thieves join forces, it will inevitably come back to life, so we must guard against it!" After listening to Hong Chengchou's worried analysis, Huang Shu stopped talking.He lowered his head, as if weighing something.Suddenly, he raised his eyes and said resolutely: "Your Excellency, you are far-sighted, and you are right! Since this is the case, Huang is willing to do his best to contact the trustworthy old acquaintances of Sanwu Fushe, and secretly investigate and visit in the city. Be sure to find out. A person who should have secretly communicated with Shen Shizhu came back to his life!" This is naturally what Hong Chengchou wants.So, he immediately cheered up, and asked with a smile: "Mr. Hong can rest easy if you can volunteer! But, will you never give up, sir?" Huang Shu nodded solemnly: "No matter where or where he goes, he will be loyal to the Qing Dynasty! Just now I heard from the adults that the pacification of Zhejiang and Fujian is just around the corner. Then, wait for the good news ahead to arrive, and then make plans. Not too late." Hong Chengchou stroked his beard and laughed: "After Zhejiang and Fujian are pacified, a large number of officials will have to be appointed to take care of them. By then, sir, I'm afraid it will be even more difficult to leave!"