Forty-eight years of Qianlong

On the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, the imperial envoy of Jinan Prefecture went to the palace.Liu Yong, who was wearing a gray city cloth jacket, was sitting on the teacher's chair in the study, while his adopted son Liu Xipeng was opening an urgent letter from his hometown in Zhucheng.

The letter was secretly delivered to Chahe Villa in Zhucheng five days ago by someone from the Beihai Navy Intelligence Bureau. The envelope was written "Shi'an Gongdaoqi" and signed "Weiyang Moxue Jiao Litang".Litang is Jiao Xun's character.

The Liu family was angry and afraid of the messenger's unscrupulous door-to-door behavior, but they didn't dare to detain him and send him to the government, and they didn't dare to hide the letter from them, so they had to let them go home to worship their ancestors and return their butts. Liu Xipeng, who was not sitting still, hurriedly sent the letter to Jinan.This person is Liu Yong's adopted son. Because Liu Yong has no children, Liu Qi, a clan brother, adopted one.

You must know that the front of the Northern Navy has pushed into the front line of Wulong River, and there is a Sun River from Laiyang County; after crossing two mountains and walking more than 400 miles, it is Zhucheng.But they have big iron boats and gunboats, so if you really want to fight, you don’t have to worry about it. You land at the mouth of the Chaohe River in the south of the Jiaodong Peninsula, go straight north for more than 100 miles, and you will arrive after crossing Jiujian Mountain.

Why did Jiao Xun write to Liu Yong?

It is said that in the 44th year of Qianlong, 16-year-old Jiao Xun participated in the boy's test, and Liu Yong was Jiangsu Xuezheng at that time.After that, Jiao Xun successfully entered the official school, and was appreciated by Liu Yong because of his solid foundation in mathematics and excellent grades. He was also instructed by the other party to learn Confucian classics from "Mao Shi".From this point of view, Liu Yong and Jiao Xun also have the friendship of master and apprentice.

Jiao Xun actually had this idea very early on, but it was not until he returned to Beihai Town and learned that the Qing court sent Liu Yong an imperial mission to Shandong, that he decided to write a letter to his old teacher to persuade him.He told Zhao Xin about this idea. Although Zhao Xin didn't think so, he still agreed to let the people from the Intelligence Bureau be responsible for passing it on.

In Zhao Xin's view, although the Liu family of Chahe Villa is not a big landlord, they are also known as honest and frugal, and they have the ability to respond to everyone in Shandong, but they are tightly entangled in the big tree of Manqing. The vines on the tree are natural rivals with Beihai Town.

The Liu family in Zhucheng moved from Xuzhou to Shandong in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. They lived by farming for more than a hundred years and belonged to the lower class of society. The road to imperial examinations.

From the 54th year of Shunzhi to the 140th year of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty, the Liu family produced 32 Juren, 11 genuine Jinshi, and as many as 8 officials above the third rank in more than 26 years.Especially Liu Yong's father, Liu Tongxun, served as a scholar of the Dongge University in [-] years and was in charge of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War. Later, he became the foreman of the Minister of Military Affairs.At this point, the Liu family has finally become a well-known Han official family in China, comparable to the Zhang family in Tongcheng.

In addition, since the Han people moved out of Beijing in the sixth year of Shunzhi, there are only two Han ministers who have been rewarded by the emperor to live in Beijing; one is Zhang Tingyu's family in Huguo Temple, and the other is Liu's family in Lushi Hutong.Now as Liu Yong was promoted to a cabinet bachelor and led the army out of Shandong, the Liu family has reached another peak.

Jiao Xun wrote a letter to such a person, except to be able to respond to the other person in his heart, and it was useless; Zhao Xin even felt that whether he could respond to him was still a question. …

When Liu Xipeng, under Liu Yong's watchful eyes, took off the sealant on the envelope, took out the letter paper and glanced at it, his face suddenly changed, and he said softly: "My lord, most of the letters contain rebellious and arrogant words, and Jiao Litang's intentions are really sinister. !"

"read."

"This"

"Read!"

Compared with when Zhao Xin met at Chaoyin Temple in Dagukou a few years ago, Liu Yong's face has hardly changed, only the hair on the back of his head has become more gray, and his bronze-colored square face has sunken a lot.At this moment, he half-closed his eyes, staring sideways at the snowy scenery outside the window, a bit like an old stork looking for food on a snowy river beach, and he didn't know what he was thinking.

In fact, at this time, Liu Yong recalled in his mind the young scholar he met in Yangzhou more than ten years ago. He was special to those young people from poor families who were still studying hard.In his mind, Jiao Xun was a very talented young man, and he served his mother with utmost filial piety. How could such a person betray the imperial court and take refuge in that ignorant rebel Zhao Xin?

"Shi'an Gong's letter to Zhang: Fang Chi's ruler slips, and the current Han is damaged. Wen Gong's business in Shandong, thinking about the past, still sighs, but it is not wood and stone when he is weak. Now I understand the righteousness, and I hope the public will accept it.

Whoever owns the world is the world of China.However, when the Manchu Qing Dynasty stole Shenzhou land and sank, they took advantage of many difficulties and stole the Central Plains, poisoning all surnames and people with their families; .In the past, the kings ruled and subdued the four barbarians. The Spring and Autumn Period was righteous, and the first words were respectful;Today, a sage descended from the sky in Beihai, leading a group of heroes to expand the land for thousands of miles, to solve the upside down of the people's livelihood, to open up the people's wisdom, to revive the people's rights, and to restore China, overnight.Sincerely, the way of heaven is good, and it should be prophesied.

The public is well-versed in Shihan, and Botong's internal codes. When you know what can be exploited but not resisted, the current situation is also.The two generations of the father and son were clean and honest, and they lived in the Eastern Province for generations. They cultivated, read and passed down the family with their comprehensive knowledge and broad-minded talents.In the past, Mr. Liu Wenzheng kept his bow, restrained himself and kept himself, and was famous all over the world.Lord Shi'an is upright and upright, not a powerful person, and everyone in the world does not refuse to accept public goods, even Bao Xiaosu compares him.Today the situation is changing, the Northern Navy is in ruins, and the days of the Manchu Qing Dynasty are numbered. Although the Duke tried his best to save him, there was no way to save him.If anyone has the heart to love the world, what should he choose at this time?
Relying on the kindness of the public and Xun, so I dare to pour out my heart and soul, and I am not ashamed to say it. I am fortunate to have a clear order.The wax lasted for ten days, and the disciples spoke in fear. "

After Liu Xipeng finished reading, the study fell into a deathly silence, only the monotonous and boring "click" sound of the imperial clock was heard.After a while, Liu Yong said to himself lightly: "Jiao Litang, are you writing such a persuading letter to me to pierce a thorn in my heart, or to use this to drive a wedge between me and the emperor?" Friendship between monarch and minister? Ridiculous!"

Whether his voice was loud or not, the guards standing guard outside the door would definitely be able to hear him.After finishing speaking, he took the letter paper from Liu Xipeng, clenched it into a ball and threw it into the charcoal brazier in front of him.In the blink of an eye, the two pieces of letter paper were burnt to ashes by the flames, leaving nothing behind.

"You write a letter to Chahe for me, telling them that if the North Sea pirates dare to come again, they will be taken and sent to the official!"

Liu Xipeng was stunned for a moment, and was about to say more, when he saw Liu Yong staring at the door with those triangular eyes, he was startled, and then bowed and said: "Yes, father."...

"You go down first." Liu Yong sighed in his heart, this adopted son is really stupid!If his nephew Liu Wei was there, he would definitely understand what he meant.

"Yes."

After dismissing the adopted son, Liu Yong lit a bag of cigarettes and smoked sullenly.In fact, Zhao Xin guessed wrong. Although Liu Yong burned the letter immediately after reading it, his heart was already in a mess. Jiao Xun's letter completely disrupted his mood that had finally calmed down due to the Chinese New Year. up.

Yes, the deserted garden has changed hands, and there is no support around the trees.A large group of Manchu people can go to Gurkha, but they are 73. Should they also climb up the snow-covered plateau, climb over many mountains, and become a lonely ghost outside the region?
Of course, it is absolutely impossible for him to seek refuge in Beihai Town.Not to mention that his father and son were deeply favored by the three emperors of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. When Qianlong personally visited Liu’s house in Lushi Hutong, because the door was narrow, even the top of the sedan chair was exposed. Chenli has never existed before.

What's more, ever since he met Zhao Xin at Tuijiao Station and learned that his wife was the only descendant of the Shen family in the "Yizhulou Poetry" case, Liu Yong knew that he and Beihai Town could never let things go.In fact, this is also the reason why Qianlong assuredly sent him to sit in Shandong. Other Han officials would surrender, but Liu Yong was absolutely impossible.

In fact, there is more than one "Yizhulou Poetry" case. Yan Dayong's "Matamata Collection" case and Yin Baoshan's "Xiu Ting Cao" case were all caused by him.

The "Mata Mata Collection" case was fine, only Yan Dayong died, and the rest were to be exiled; but the "Yizhulou Poems" case killed many more people.Thanks to the fact that the Manchu Qing court was busy dealing with the Xu family's affairs from top to bottom at that time, and the momentum was large enough to achieve the purpose of rectifying the morals of the south of the Yangtze River and strictly enforcing the ban on books, the little scholar Yin Baoshan's family escaped death.

At the age of 39 and 57, Liu Yong served twice as a scholar in Jiangsu. Thanks to the merits of the literary prison, he finally became the governor of a province, and then returned to Beijing to enter the center of the Qing court.

Think about who are the scholars who have taken refuge in Beihai Town, seven of the eight are from the Yangzhou School, and the remaining one, Hong Liangji, is also from the Wu School.

Unlike Liu Tongxun, Liu Yong is a person who likes to figure out Qianlong's thoughts, and his judgment is quite accurate.When he was keenly aware that Qianlong wanted to use the literary inquisition to rectify the style of scholars, he spared no effort to expose the literary inquisition cases related to it;

Although Liu Tongxun spared no effort in the case of Hu Zhongzao's "Jian Grinding Poetry Notes", it was not a simple literary inquisition, but a struggle between the court and the court.In order to suppress the two parties of Ertai and Zhang Tingyu, Qianlong wiped out the dissidents in the court, and then started from "Jian Grin Sheng Poetry Notes" and extended to corruption and bribery.You must know that Hu Zhongzao is Ertai's disciple, and E Chang is Ertai's nephew.

So Zhao Xin and Cao Peng were right when they scolded him back then. You really don’t need to do too many immoral things.

Liu Yong himself is not afraid of death. He has studied Buddhism for many years and is proficient in Mahayana Buddhism, especially the Shurangama Sutra. The knowledge of Confucianism and Buddhism has been cultivated thoroughly. You can leave if you want.As for the three concubines whether to keep the festival or remarry, it's up to them. …

But what about the Liu family in Zhucheng?How about a hundred and ten people!His nephew, Liu Weizhi, was his favorite in the next generation, and because his father died early, he was raised by him since he was a child, and now he is a noble scholar of the Imperial Academy, so he also went to Gurkha?

Now Qianlong, who is in his 80s, is more and more in love with the inn. At this time, he still clings to the throne and does not let go.He was reluctant to part with the thousands of miles of land in his hands, and he couldn't let go of the Old Summer Palace built by exhausting the manpower and material resources of the world. He still insisted on sitting in the capital, struggling to the death, and even agreed to Zhao Xin's condition, exchanging Khalkha for Gurkha, seeking for the Manchus. A silver lining.

The question is, will Zhao Xin give this chance?Based on Liu Yong's understanding of Zhao Xin, this guy will send troops into Tibet sooner or later.Right now, including Fukang'an, all the discerning people in the court know that this is a plan to drive away tigers and wolves, but they still have to grit their teeth and swallow the bitter fruit.

Ever since the Northern Navy captured the entire territory of Khalkha, Liu Yong has already seen that Zhao Xin's wings have been formed, and as long as it takes a little time, he will send his troops into the pass, and his momentum is unstoppable.At present, the imperial court, not to mention the decline of talents, even if Fu Heng and Zhaohui are alive, they can't beat them at all.

Since arriving in Jinan at the beginning of August last year, Liu Yong knew that he did not have the two brushes of his father Liu Tongxun, so he simply handed over the task of leading the army to deploy the defense to Lavandorji and Fucha Mingliang.However, before he found out Beihai Town's intention to send troops to Shandong, he strictly ordered the two of them not to exchange fire without authorization as long as the opponent's soldiers did not cross the Dengzhou Prefecture.

Tens of thousands of Qing troops overwhelmed and entered Qingzhou Prefecture and Laizhou Prefecture to garrison.The problem is that Mingliang, who has experience in fighting the North Navy, knows that even if it is doubled, it will be difficult to withstand the artillery of the North Navy, let alone [-]. .

From a military point of view, the terrain of Shandong is relatively flat, and there are many channels for transportation; although the rivers in the Jiaodong area are densely covered, they freeze in winter.If the Beihai Navy continued to fight westward, the Qing army would have no danger to defend.

In the next four months, Liu Yong ordered all the prefectures in Shandong to organize and train the bravery of the township, promulgated the "Tuan Training Regulations", and forced the strong men to be sent to the Jinan prefecture for training. Talk to the big squires and ask them to donate food and salaries to the army.

Fortunately, after the Northern Navy took the four counties of Jiaodong with a swift and fierce offensive, it stopped at the east of Qingyang River and Sun River; while the Qing army stabilized the defense line at Mount Ai, Zawtooth Mountain, Wulong River, and Changshui River. , Taozhang River, and Dagu River, and large-scale construction work was carried out to set up fort checkpoints.

After hearing the news, Qianlong and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty finally let go of half of their worries. It seems that Beihai Town is short of people again.Okay, as long as we don't fight westward, we can take all the population of Terengganu.

However, Liu Yong didn't think so. Judging from the Beihai Navy's announcement on the safety of the people in the four counties, the establishment of a military control committee to take over the area, and the dispatch of a "work team" to the countryside, they must not leave this time!
For nine years, he couldn't understand or understand many things in Beihai Town.Not only him, but everyone in the court did not understand.How did Zhao Xin feed those millions of people?Why is Beihai Town able to achieve a shocking harvest of five hundred or even eight or nine hundred catties per mu of land under the rule of Beihai Town?How on earth were his strange artifacts made?Where did his subordinates such as Liu Sheng, Deng Fei, Chen Qingsong, and Hong Tao come from? …

If you want to say what kind of spells Zhao Xin knows, everyone in Neo Confucianism like Liu Yong will never believe it.But the spies have gone through all kinds of hardships, and the high-yield wheat seeds they got from Ningguta at the price of blood, why can't they reach such a high yield when they are planted in Shengjing?Moreover, the "Beihai Town Farm" would sprinkle some white powder into the ground during the wheat growth period. Although the spies tried their best to get some, after taking them back to the capital, they tasted astringent and salty, and there was nothing wrong with it. People can tell what it is.

Liu Yong is now sitting by the warm charcoal stove and thinking about one by one, his heart is shuddering one after another.

At this moment, he couldn't help thinking that if Beihai Town entered the customs and won the world, wouldn't the whole world be able to grow that kind of high-yield grain, and then no one would go hungry again!Even if there is a famine, the people can save themselves with the food they have saved.This is something that has never been done in all dynasties!

Not to mention anything else, just because there is no more famine, Zhao Xin can surpass all the emperors since Zulong, and his achievements can directly catch up with the three emperors and five emperors.Not to mention that he also laid down a large piece of territory in the north, and according to the secret report from Guangdong and Guangxi, Beihai Town also occupied several territories in Nanyang, and even supported the Ruan family in Guangnan as a condition. On paper got Tong Dang and Lang Son.

Liu Yong really couldn't understand, how should Zhao Xin manage such a large area?Isn't he afraid of dying?
You must know that under the rule of the imperial court, there are already tens of thousands of miles from north to south, from east to west, and it is extremely difficult to manage.The land in the Western Regions has been fought back and forth for more than 100 years, and the imperial court has distributed it and garrisoned it. It was finally consolidated.

From Fukang'an's entry into Tibet this time, it can be seen that the letters between him and the capital will take a month to be delivered. Even if there is something to do with him, the capital is beyond reach here, so we can only think about it afterwards.

Tangled ah!How should I contact Beihai Town to find a way out for the Liu family in Zhucheng?

Liu Yong began to screen the children of the clan one by one. He had to be careful in his thoughts and act safely, and he must not let outsiders notice.Right now, from the imperial court to the common people, there are countless eyes staring at him, at the Liu family in Zhucheng, at the Chahe Villa, if he is not careful, he will be in trouble!
He drank cup after cup of tea, smoked bag after bag of cigarettes, and sat from the afternoon until it was time to light the lamps.When Liu Xipeng came to invite him to the flower hall for dinner, he couldn't help being surprised to see the other party's appearance.Less than two hours later, the 73-year-old Liu Yong had a tired face and sunken eye sockets.

"Father, how about dinner? How about I bring it to you?"

Liu Yong hunched over, took a sip of tea, stroked his feverish forehead and said, "No, I'll go over there."

Liu Xipeng took off the washed and whitish cotton cloak from the hanger, put it on Liu Yong, and brought a hat for him to put on, and then left the study with Liu Yong.Standing on the porch, the dancing and slanting snowflakes were still endlessly falling from the sky, Liu Yong looked up at the gray and gloomy sky, and sighed insignificantly.

At night, light snow and dust flow like white smoke in the streets and alleys of Jinan City. The houses, restaurants, pavilions, government offices, and courtyards that are mainly gray on weekdays are immersed in the world of thousands of flowers dancing wildly. , the boundaries between heaven and earth were blurred and unclear, which also cast a shadow over the beginning of Qianlong's 58th year.