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Chapter 432 The Governor's Banquet

North of the Yellow River, at the camp of the army of Chenqiao Town, in the large tent of the Chinese army of Zhang Cheng, the deputy general of Xuan Town, the generals finally agreed to temporarily garrison the troops here, and contact the ferry tomorrow to let the army cross the Yellow River first, and then decide whether to go to Luoyang .

Zhang Cheng's army camped along the bank of the Yellow River, and the army camp stretched for several miles. With such momentum, Kaifeng Fucheng on the south bank of the river had already heard the news.

Sure enough, on the second day, Henan Governor Li Xianfeng sent someone to send an official document from the Ministry of War, again urging Zhang Cheng to quickly lead the army westward and go to Luoyang to guard the important place of the feudal vassal.

However, there are many troops and horses, so crossing the river is a big problem. Fortunately, Kaifeng is a prosperous city, so there are many ferry crossings in this section of the Yellow River in Kaifeng, and there are also many boats. The boatmen are afraid of being blackmailed and robbed when they see the army coming. And they hid to the south bank one after another.

In the end, the governor's office in Henan sent scribes and servants to organize boatmen to come to the north bank to help transport the army and horses and horses across the river. Many of them were large flat-bottomed boats, which were originally used to transfer goods and people from north to south. Dozens of people and horses can be transported at one time.

They were originally driven by the yamen, and although they behaved well, they seemed to lack motivation. How could Zhang Cheng make them waste their energy in transporting soldiers and war horses for him.

Fair trade, the army that is willing to spend money to make silver is naturally the most popular. Zhang Cheng did this, and the boatmen and boatmen were grateful to him. Of course, they cared more about getting the silver in their hands.

But how could Zhang Cheng be so generous? The money he used today will come from trying to get it back in various yamen in Henan, but today's move is really for him and for the Xuanzhen army. There was an applause.

Such a large-scale transshipment lasted for three full days before all the bandit suppressing troops that entered Zhongzhou from Xuanzhen North Road were transported to the north of Kaifeng City and set up a large company camp.

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On November 23, Zhang Cheng's Central Military Department also crossed the surging Yellow River. He rode his horse outside the west gate of Kaifeng Fucheng, looking at the tall and majestic Kaifeng city wall and gate tower in front of him, feeling a lot of emotion in his heart.

The army traveled all the way from Wu'an County, and only replenished the army rations once in Qishui County, but did not replenish them when passing through Fengqiu. Zhang Cheng wanted to keep the rations stored in Fengqiu City for later use.

He naturally thought that when he arrived in Kaifeng Prefecture, he could stay there for a longer period of time on the grounds that there was not enough food and grass in the army. This would not only cultivate the army, relieve the fatigue of the soldiers who had been marching continuously until now, but also open up the autumn wind in Kaifeng Prefecture and ask for money. , Ask for food.

Now that Kaifeng is right in front of him, Zhang Cheng can feel a little bit of anger in the world. The disaster situation here is slightly lighter than other prefectures in Henan. life and business order.

In front is Kaifeng Fucheng. The original residents in the city are hundreds of thousands. In addition, there are hungry people everywhere in Henan. The people inside and outside Kaifeng prefecture add up to nearly one million people.

With so many people living inside and outside a prefectural city, the daily needs are huge. Only on the Yellow River, the merchant ships and barges that transport goods never stop. Everyone has it.

Although he had seen the town of Xuanfu and even the city walls of the Ming capital before, Zhang Cheng was still shocked when he saw the city walls of Kaifeng from a distance.

Kaifeng Mansion is the administrative office of Henan Chengxuan Political and Envoy Division. It is also the largest metropolis in the Central Plains of Ming Dynasty, second only to the capital and Nanjing. It is a well-deserved international metropolis.

The circumference of Fucheng is estimated to be three to forty miles wide. The whole city is covered with bricks, and the city walls are very thick and strong. Especially the moats around the city are very eye-catching. Five feet.

All the gates of the city gates are built with city gate bridges. The suspension bridge is made of elm and locust wood, which looks like a bridge. When pulling the suspension bridge, it is easy to pull it up with iron cables, iron rings, and iron wheels.

If there are police outside the city, it can be pulled up quickly, and after the suspension bridge is pulled up, the material of elm and locust wood is very strong, and it can also be used as a door guard.

Zhang Cheng couldn't help but feel that such a strong city, if the defenders are a little bit strong, it is extremely difficult to break through. No wonder Li Zicheng, the thief in history, had to open the seal three times, but he couldn't overcome it. city.

It is precisely because of Kaifeng's large population that there are naturally many business opportunities. For example, there are Henan Chief Secretary, Kaifeng Fuzhi and government offices at all levels in the city. A large number of officials and their families are in the city.

In addition to these, there is a unique specialty in Kaifeng City, which is the Palace of the Princes.

Among the feudal vassals, King Zhou should be the most talented, and his fief is in Kaifeng Mansion. Up to now, there are more than 5000 descendants of King Zhou's clan.

Among them, there are as many as 48 who were named county kings. There are many palaces in Kaifeng. In addition to the Zhou Palace, there are Qujing Palace, Huating Palace, Yuanwu Palace, Ruijin Palace and so on.

Each prince and county king has dedicated civil and military officials and soldiers. The entire Kaifeng mansion can be said to be centered on the Zhou prince's mansion. The officials and soldiers who serve them, plus the common people and businessmen who revolve around them, The various groups that make up Kaifeng's population.

So it's no surprise that most of the businesses in the city serve the Zhou Palace and the officials and nobles. For hundreds of years, the businesses in the city have been monopolized by local officials and businessmen, and they have become a tool for everyone to make profits together.

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Zhang Cheng and the guards were placed in a government office in the west gate of Kaifeng Fucheng. More than [-] people lived in it, which was a bit ample, while Wei Zhice, Zhang Guodong, Zhang Guangda and other generals sat outside the city to direct the transfer and camp.

Kaifeng is the capital of Henan Province, where the government of Kaifeng is located. With Xiangfu County as its attached country, the provincial, prefecture, and county government offices are all gathered in one city.

The city is centered on the Bell Tower. The Chief Secretary's Office is located on Zhongxi Street, and the Commander's Office is located on Zhongdong Street.

Surrounding these government offices, there are continuous residences of various officials, with high walls and rich doors, and magnificent houses.

Wang Yinchang, who was stationed in Kaifeng, and Wang Shaoyu, who was in charge, went out to greet Zhang Cheng in person. They were very polite when they saw Zhang Cheng, and expressed their desire to keep Zhang Cheng stationed in Kaifeng to help defend the city. meaning.

After leading Zhang Cheng to the station, the two of them bid farewell and left. Before leaving, Wang Yinchang, the military equipment officer, said enthusiastically: "General Zhang will take a rest first, and in the evening, Lord Li, the governor, will hold a banquet for General Zhang." And the generals in Xuanzhen take the wind and wash away the dust."

Commander-in-Chief Wang Shaoyu also said politely: "General Zhang rests first, and the commander will send someone to pick him up before sunset, so there is no need to worry."

(End of this chapter)