Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 24 Hunchun
In the lofty mountains southeast of Ningguta, two men in their thirties, each carrying a child, walked with difficulty in the roaring wind and snow.

"Uncle Lu, are you tired? Let's go after a break." asked the child behind a man.

"Master, we can't rest. Let's go while the wind is small, or we won't be able to leave until the wind is strong." The man surnamed Lu replied in a low voice, but his feet didn't stop at all.

These two adults were Lu Shoushan and Pan Xiucheng who escaped from Ninggu Tower, and the two children they carried on their backs were the two children who attracted Qianlong's attention, the brothers Xu Shounan and Xu Funan.

"Uncle Pan, let me go down and go by myself." Xu Shounan, a little older, said quickly when he saw that Pan Xiucheng, who was carrying him, was out of breath from exhaustion.

"Shoushan, let's find a place to rest for a while." Pan Xiucheng ignored Xu Shounan, but asked Lu Shoushan who was walking in front.

"Let's find a leeward place after walking through the front of the mountain." Lu Shoushan said without looking back.

Although Pan Xiucheng was very tired, he didn't say anything anymore when he heard Lu Shoushan's words. Instead, he lifted Xu Shounan on his back and accelerated his pace.

These four people, two big and two small, have been heading east along the valley between the Hualan River and the Shangjian River since they escaped from Ninggu Tower 20 days ago. To the east is Suifenhe.

The original plan of the two was to go south after crossing the Shangjian River, but when they reached the vicinity of the Taketongka River, they found a patrolling team of flag soldiers, so they had to go east over the Great Ridge.As for where to go all the way east, Lu Shoushan didn't think clearly at this time.

As the servants who once received the great kindness of the Xu family, the purpose of Lu and Pan was to rescue the two remaining boys of the Xu family and leave this bloodline for the Xu family.

To this end, from three years ago, the two began to prepare quietly, and to please the flag soldiers who were watching over them, so that they kept letting go of their vigilance.

After more than an hour, Lu and Pan, carrying their children, finally crossed the mountain in front of them and came to a leeward rock.

Pan Xiucheng put down Xu Funan on his back and sat on the ground, panting.Lu Shoushan took out a water bag made of rabbit skin from his arms and handed it to him.

The water in the water bag is still slightly warm.Pan Xiucheng pulled off the stopper, raised his head and took a sip.

"Slow down, don't drink so much."

Pan Xiucheng took a sip of water, raised his sleeves and wiped his mouth, then handed the water bag to the youngest Xu Funan.

"Uncle Pan, I, I'm not thirsty, you drink it." Six-year-old Xu Funan is very sensible.

Pan Xiucheng smiled lightly when he heard the words, rubbed Xu Funan's head and comforted: "Drink, your Uncle Pan is not thirsty anymore."

When Xu Funan heard the words, he held the water bag in both hands, raised his head and took a few sips, and then handed it to his brother.

Pan Xiucheng looked at the two children, raised his head and asked Lu Shoushan: "Shoushan, the road to the south is blocked now. Where do you think we're going? It's not the way to escape like this."

"Ghost weather on a dog day." Looking at the falling snowflakes, Lu Shoushan cursed fiercely, then squatted down, leaned on a big rock, and put his hands into his sleeves.

The tattered clothes and shoes of the four were stuffed with uran grass, which was a little warmer.This bit of grass was stolen by Pan Xiucheng from the bannermen's house before fleeing.Many felons who were exiled to Ningguta sometimes did not even get the uran grass in winter, and even wailed bitterly in the cold wind of winter until they were finally frozen to death.

"Looking at the moment, it's impossible to go south, and it's even more impossible to go back. We have to go east and follow the river ahead."

"Ah, where is this journey going?"

Lu Shoushan didn't speak. He looked at the two skinny kids with big heads in front of him and said to Pan Xiucheng, "Take two whiskers."

When Pan Xiucheng heard the words, he immediately reached out to his arms, rubbed it for a long time, and pinched out two ginseng whiskers with his fingers.Then he cut off the two whiskers, divided them into four parts, and handed them to Lu Shoushan and the two children respectively.

Pan Xiucheng put the ginseng whiskers in his mouth, chewed it, and said to Lu Shoushan, "You said we were going to Hunchun City...?"

Lu Shoushan Road interrupted without waiting for the other party to finish: "No way. We have escaped for more than 20 days. The Hunchun side must have received the letter. If you go there now, you will definitely be caught by the bannermen."

"Then what do you say?"

"Last year, when we went to Hunchun to collect sorghum, I heard from the Kulkazi people who transported grain (Hezhe people) that if you go eastward along the Suifen River, you will reach the seaside. There is a fishing village there. The Kurkazis have no flag soldiers."

"Then how long do we have to go?"

"I think it will take more than half a month. When we get to the fishing village, we will be able to find a boat. After the spring of next year, we will go by sea and go to North Korea."

"North Korea?" Pan Xiucheng, who grew up in the south, had never even heard of this place.

"Yeah. Let's eat. Let's continue walking after eating. We have to find a place to stay before it gets dark." Lu Shoushan said to the three in front of him while chewing on the ginseng whiskers.

The two children nodded and chewed the ginseng whiskers in their mouths.

Pan Xiucheng was speechless and sighed deeply in his heart.

Hunchun City, in the office of the government office.

At this time, Yongde, the co-leader of Hunchun City, has received the documents sent by the fast horse from Ningguta, and is arranging manpower to strictly guard the road checkpoints and the South China Sea (in the Qing Dynasty, the ocean north of the present Korea Bay and south of Vladivostok was called the South China Sea) Everywhere along the coast.

"Tomohogo, you lead 80 armored soldiers to patrol westward along the banks of the Jammi River."

"As ordered."

"Teiying, you lead 80 armored soldiers to the north to patrol the banks of the Latte River."

"As ordered."

"The two of you will set off tomorrow with all your troops and return to camp within fifteen days."

The two leaders took the token from Yongde and went down separately.

"Fuck, I will find trouble for Lao Tzu in the cold weather!" Hunchun Association leader Yong De scolded, and he didn't know whether he was dissatisfied with the deputy capital of Ning Guta, or these fled banner slaves.

The life of the co-leader of Yongde is usually very easy. Except for the regular food and military equipment and inspections of mountains, forests and islands throughout the year, there are no major events.Since he became this co-leader, Hunchun has not had any major incidents.

In the 49th year of Kangxi (1710), Li Wanzhi, a border resident of Weiyuan County, Pyongan Province, North Korea, and others illegally crossed the border, killed five border residents, and robbed ginseng goods.This incident aroused Kangxi's fury, so he specially appointed Mu Kedeng, the general manager of Tasang Ula, Jilin, as an imperial envoy to Phoenix City to deal with the incident, and at the same time ordered him to inspect the entire border between China and North Korea.Then the court arrested five people including Li Wancheng and Li Wanzhi, and sent them to the Qing court for beheading. Their wives and children were fined as slaves, and their family property was completely confiscated.The observation envoys, Jiedu envoys, prefects, Qian envoys, and Wanhu of Joseon Pyongan Road were all dismissed.

Mukden inspected the national border together with the representatives sent by the Korean state, and erected a demarcation monument on Changbai Mountain, determined that the Yalu River and the Tumen River were the borders of the two countries, and stepped up the ban on Changbai Mountain.

Therefore, since the 53rd year of Kangxi, in order to protect the "Land of Longxing" from intrusion and manage the local banner people, the Qing court set up a government office on the north bank of the Hunchun River, and set up the three banners of Xianghuang, Zhengbai, and Zhenghuang to manage the area around Hunchun. The flag affairs and the frontier defense affairs of the [-] islands in the South China Sea belong to the deputy capital of Ningguta.

At that time, Hunchun set up an organization of one co-leader, three each from Zuoling and Xiaoqi school, and two defenders. The 150 Hezhe soldiers (the so-called Yuskin Tartars) who were hunting otters were called Hunchun soldiers.Later, because the Hezhen people were located in a remote place and refused to accept Wanghua, the training effect was not good, so 40 Manchurian Eight Banners soldiers were transferred from Ningguta, a total of 190 people, including 19 leaders and 171 armored soldiers.

In the 17th year of Qianlong, due to the addition of Karen (outpost) in Hunchun and the lack of garrison troops, the Hezhe soldiers were dispatched from the garrison troops with three surnames (place names, now Yilan, Heilongjiang).

Over the next few years, the number of flag soldiers stationed increased or decreased.Up to the 48th year of Qianlong, there were thirteen Karen seats in Hunchun City, with a total of 450 garrison soldiers, including 27 leaders and 363 armored soldiers.

There are four city gates in the city of Hunchun.After continuous renovation and expansion in the Yong and Qian dynasties, there are 3 office rooms, 1 archive room, 1 silver storehouse building, 2 Sanqidui dial rooms, 2 guard warehouses and ovaries, and the gate of the government office. There are 2 rooms, 1 second door room, 10 warehouse rooms, 3 classroom rooms, and 1 official school room.

Yongde came out of the office and returned to the residence in the backyard of the ya office. After sitting down, he said to Goshiha who was beside him: "I asked you to check the slaves of the bannermen in the city. What's the result?"

In February of this year, a family slave escaped from the house of a flag soldier in Xianghuang Banner. Although he was finally arrested, Yongde lied in the report sent to Ningguta that the slave had escaped. Desperate, he turned himself in again.The deputy capital yamen did not pursue it.But since then, Yongde has let his personal soldiers lead the team every month to inspect various houses in the city to check whether any slaves have escaped.

Nagoshiha replied: "My lord, all inspections have been completed yesterday. There are slaves from all households in the city, and no one has escaped."

"Yeah." Yongde nodded with satisfaction, and then instructed the secretary waiting by the side: "Then you can help me write a report to the deputy capital's yamen."

The book office nodded and obeyed, and was about to leave when Yongde stopped him again.

"Is the deer tail prepared for the emperor this year properly arranged?"

"The servants have been inspected, and they are all ready. This year's deer tail is slightly better than in previous years." This book office is actually a prisoner sent to Ningguta.In the first few years, Yongde just lacked a pen and ink to serve, so he called it under his own name.

"Okay. Then you will write two more submissions, as in previous years."

"The slaves know, one is for the general's yamen, and the other is for the general yamen of Ningguta, and tell them the preparation of the tribute Luwei and the date of delivery. Does the master have any other instructions?"

Yongde waved his hand and let Shuban and Goshha go down.

At this time, the servants in the family brought tea, and Yongde sipped hot tea while scolding in a low voice: "God-killed fugitive slave! The emperor Shengming spared you to wait until you died, but did not want to repent. If I am caught, I must I'll tie you up and freeze on the teaching ground for one night. I see who dares to escape again!"

(End of this chapter)