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Volume 2: Different Chiefs Chapter 771: Human Heart

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    March 17, the seventeenth year of Chongzhen.  At dawn, the clouds gathered around and it rained continuously.  It's foggy and slightly snowy.  Looking at the smoke and flames covering the sky in the surrounding suburbs, it is the bandits who are burning and plundering the cities, villages and towns in the capital.  Rumors abound in the capital every day, saying that thieves are coming, but they can't agree on how far away they are.  Some people say that the thief is only a hundred miles away from Beijing, others say that it is only dozens of miles away.  In the middle of the capital, the horses were sent out to explore, but most of them were plundered by thieves and taken into the camp. Few of the horses were returned. Even if some came back, there were many opinions and different opinions.  The majestic capital city stands in the rain and snow, looking quite melancholy. On the majestic city wall, ant-like crowds are busy.  This great city has become extremely thick and solid after years of continuous expansion and reinforcement since Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty officially established Beijing as the capital in the 19th year of Yongle.  The huge city is divided into palace city, imperial city, inner city and outer city.  There are eight gates in the inner palace city on Saturday.  The imperial city is eighteen miles in circumference and has six gates.  The inner city spans fifteen miles and has nine gates.  The outer city encompasses the south of the capital city and embraces the east and west turrets. It is eighteen miles apart and has seven gates.  The inner and outer city walls together reach sixty or seventy miles.  Such a majestic and huge city was only available in the Ming Dynasty at this time. Looking at all the countries in the world, east and west, there was no such city.  Amidst the misty drizzle and dancing snowflakes, Fu Yingchong, the commander-in-chief of the Beijing Camp, climbed up the Yongdingmen city wall with heavy steps. Behind him were four soldiers, each wearing heavy armor, all made of fine iron.  The beetle leaves clang.  These soldiers are not simple. They are elite heroes recruited from Xuanfu Town by Fu Yingchong through Chen Jiugao's relationship. All of them have the skills of first-class swordsmen.  They were well-proportioned and extremely strong. The thirty or forty kilograms of iron armor draped on their bodies seemed effortless, and their steps were as light as a civet cat when they walked.  As the hero of the Jinzhou War and the beloved general in the emperor's heart, Fu Yingchong, as the commander-in-chief, naturally had to shoulder the heavy responsibility as the bandits were about to attack.  Therefore, what he was defending was the Yongding Gate, the largest gate in the outer city and the main thoroughfare leading into and out of the capital from the southern part of the capital.  This is the main gate of the outer city wall of the capital, located on the central axis, between Zuo'anmen and You'anmen.  Two years have passed, and Fu Yingchong is still as tall and thin, but his shrewd face is full of confusion.  His own family knew his own affairs, and he knew that he would be a good person by exploring connections, making money and doing business, but then he was allowed to lead troops to fight The Battle of Jinzhou in the 14th year of Chongzhen relied on the military merits of the Jingbian Army. His subordinates  They look mighty and majestic, but they are actually just the same.  Not to mention that the Beijing camp suffered heavy losses after the plague. Fu Yingchong had no idea whether the newly recruited disciples were soldiers or thieves.  In these years, he has been busy making friends and making money. In fact, he rarely puts his mind on military affairs. He can just muddle through many things.  Only when Hong Chengchou was taking care of things, he would be more active. After Hong Chengchou became seriously ill, he would slack off.  ¡°Alas, Fu Yingchong sighed heavily. He regretted a little. He should have listened to Chen Jiugao and dropped everything to go to Xuanfu Town.  With my current wealth, it would be a good idea to open a few shops there, or follow Chen Jiugao's example and open a bodyguard agency, and I could still live a leisurely life.  It¡¯s just that I couldn¡¯t bear to part with the foundation of the capital, and I also had a lucky mentality. I didn¡¯t expect that the thieves were so powerful that they would hit the capital so soon.  I hope the capital can be defended. As long as it lasts for a few months, Marquis Yongning will not ignore it.  With complicated thoughts, Fu Yingchong climbed up to the Yongdingmen city wall. Many sergeants here were busy adding guards and setting up Hongyi cannons. Among them were the four-wheel millstone cannons from the Qing Dynasty captured during the Jinzhou War.  The Ming army won a complete victory in the Battle of Jinzhou and captured hundreds of Han Eight Banners Hongyi heavy artillery. After the court asked Wang Dou about his intentions, dozens of Hongyi heavy artillery were left to guard the cities in Liaodong.  Part of it was transported to Ji Town, and the rest was transported back to the capital and belonged to Fu Yingchong's Shenji Camp, which included these four-wheeled millstone cannons.  Yongding Gate was built in the 32nd year of Jiajing reign in the Ming Dynasty. It means "eternal stability". It has a tower and an arrow tower. The city wall is high and thick, and there is a deep moat below.  Although the city was strong, Fu Yingchong felt more and more uneasy as he looked along. There were only a few busy sergeants, and most of them were lazy and lazy.  Many people gathered together, laughing as usual, looking at the people working as if they were fools.  The guerrillas from all over the country looked on lazily. Some even gathered in the grass factory to warm themselves by the fire, playing horses and cranes slowly, not bothering to pay attention to defense at all.  Occasionally, he shouted twice, but all he said was "loyal to the country, and must serve the emperor wholeheartedly" and other clich¨¦s, which did not stir up any disturbance among the sergeants outside.  In the mist, snow and rain, watching Fu Yingchong and his party coming over, the sergeants at the top of the city had different expressions.  They either looked indifferent or greeted each other with a smile.  Most of the people in the Beijing camp were the sons of nobles and military officers. Although Fu Yingchong was the commander-in-chief, few of his subordinates had any respect for him.  Especially those squad soldiers who were urged to work, all expressed their gratitude.Numbly, when Fu Yingchong passed by, they just pretended not to see him.  Some people glanced at me, full of coldness and hatred.  Some of them saw the four soldiers behind Fu Yingchong, who were wearing fine armor, and their eyes were filled with jealousy.  Without exception, these squad soldiers are all in rags and their uniforms are in tatters.  Most of them only wore mandarin duck war coats, without fur hats and robes, etc. The spring was cold and they were just shivering in the rain and snow. They were more like servants than sergeants.  Fu Yingchong sighed inwardly. The Ban army had a lot of hard labor. Sometimes he sympathized with it, but there was nothing he could do. After all, he was also one of the beneficiaries.  As the commander-in-chief of the Beijing camp, he often privately served the camp troops, driving them to work hard, and often made them work without being paid.  Although I felt unhappy, I still had to say something about the situation. Fu Yingchong showed his two huge tiger teeth and encouraged him with a few words. There were only sparse echoes on the city wall.  Some of the camp officers who were close to him naturally wanted to help Fu Yingchong support the situation. They shouted: "Master Fu, please listen carefully to what he says." While beating the sergeant with a whip.  "However, they mostly beat people who worked honestly, but they did not dare to beat those who were ruffians and those who behaved suspiciously.  Fu Yingchong felt even worse. Just as he was about to say something, cheers suddenly came from someone shouting: "Long live the Lord has sent some money to reward the army."  The generals of each battalion brought the money and distributed it to the defenders.  Soldiers, the soldiers guarding the gate each have one hundred yellow coins, and the soldiers guarding the wall only have twenty coins each.  Holding the copper coins, many people had sneers on their faces. Some even flicked the money with their fingers and said jokingly: "The emperor wants his life and ordered us to defend the city. This money can only buy five or six sesame cakes." The person next to him said with a smile:  "It's good to have five or six sesame seed cakes. Mr. Chen, when you buy lunch later, remember to bring three sesame seed cakes up for your brothers." The people nearby laughed loudly. There were no cooking utensils on the city wall.  Go to the market to buy food by yourself.  Fu Yingchong was a little embarrassed. He knew that the emperor had no money, and the internal funds were all gone. After searching the treasury, this was all that was left.  Of course, the city defenders wouldn't care. They were resentful, and Fu Yingchong couldn't say anything.  He walked away while inspecting the city defenses, and saw a group of people gathered over there. A man with a gloomy face was talking about something, and his eyebrows were full of excitement.  Next to them squatted a few squad soldiers in shabby military uniforms. They kept nodding, and they all looked yearning and full of expectation.  " Do you know? The rebel army has always been generous. Just during the Lantern Festival, do you know how much Chen San and others got?" With the expectant expressions of the others, he stretched out his finger: "This is the number." Several squad soldiers next to him drank it.  A breath of cold air: "Thirty taels?" The man said proudly: "So, where should we go? I think everyone knows it, right?" He raised his head suddenly, and saw Fu Yingchong, whose face was ashen. It was obvious that he had listened to what he said.  went.  He was not afraid either. His eyes followed him with a provocative look. He even hummed a song: "Eat his mother, eat his mother. If you don't eat enough, there will be King Chuang. Open the door to welcome King Chuang, King Chuang  I won¡¯t pay for my food when I come.¡± There was a Qian Zong not far away from him. The soldier said treacherous words, but he just listened with an expressionless face.  The soldier hummed the song, and the soldiers beside him laughed. The "Chen Sanye" who was playing the money burst out laughing when he heard it.  The soldiers around this soldier also looked brightly, with resentment in their eyes.  Fu Yingchong gritted his teeth. He didn't know what to do. At this moment, there was a roar of a dragon, and a cold light flashed, but a cold-faced armored soldier behind Fu Yingchong drew his blade. The long knife in his hand slashed across the  Soldier's neck.  The soldier was stunned. He touched the blood marks on his neck in disbelief, and then blood spurted out. With a "boom", his head fell to the ground and his body slowly fell.  A smell of blood spread.  Everyone in the city was shocked, and the "Chen Sanye" who was playing the money stood up with a look of shock on his face.  Before he could speak, another armored soldier came out from behind Fu Yingchong. He took a few steps forward, and pierced the open mouth of "San Ye Chen" with the long knife in his hand, as if it had pierced a piece of paper.  Like, it pierced his body and his heart all at once.  "Chen Sanye"'s body was shaking violently, and soon, his body slowly fell softly, his expression full of pain, confusion and shock.  There was silence on the top of the city. The officers opened their mouths and hesitated, but no one spoke.  With the sound of footsteps, he stepped heavily, and the armor leaves on his body clanked. The cold-faced armor soldier pointed his long knife at an angle, and a few drops of blood slipped from the blade. He pushed forward step by step.  Several squad soldiers around the soldier looked scared, and some of themHe knelt down and begged for mercy, but there was one person who was squeezing his neck and said: "Why, you want to kill someone? You rich and powerful people are eating delicacies from the mountains and seas, big fish and meat, but you don't even make up for the monthly salt, grain, and silver. A certain Zhang Shouyin committed suicide  When we arrive in the capital, we will build a city tower today, build a city wall tomorrow, and build a house for a noble family the next day. However, we are in arrears even with the rations to survive A certain person even wants to pull a piece of cloth for his lover but can't save enough money This life is worse than death.  Come on, kill me, I¡¯ll be dead soon!¡± His tearful howl made many people feel the same way, especially those in the squad.  One person muttered: "It's just that you don't treat us as human beings on weekdays, but now that the bandits are here, they think of us." The cold-faced armored soldier paused and looked carefully at the squad soldier who was holding his neck and howling.  , looking at him with a haggard look and wrinkles on his face, he may only be in his thirties, but his hair is gray everywhere, and he is full of weather, frost, snow and rain, but his expression is stubborn and full of uneasiness.  He returned the knife to its sheath and sneered: "You are living a miserable life, so you think you will have a good life when the bandits come to you? I won't kill you, it just depends on how you will die if you fall into the hands of the bandits."  Everyone was silent, and many people were still watching numbly. Fu Yingchong opened his mouth, and suddenly felt extremely regretful. He regretted that he should not have been busy making friends and making money all day long, while neglecting his soldiers.  He looked at the officers around him. Some just pretended not to have seen or heard what was going on. Some looked embarrassed, some had evasive eyes, some were indifferent, and some sneered.  He even felt that his enthusiasm was waning, but if he really wanted to pursue the case, there were few officers and soldiers in the city who shouldn't be killed.  They mounted their horses and walked along the city wall. Fu Yingchong looked outside the Yongding Gate. There were some camps set up near the city walls. Because the bandits were coming from the north, they might attack from the east and south after arriving in the capital.  The main camp, trains, cannons, and caltrops and antlers were deployed along Yongding Gate, Guangqu Gate, and Chaoyang Gate.  However, after what happened just now, Fu Yingchong was not sure whether these troops outside the city could stop them at all.  At this time, they were walking west, past You'anmen. Fu Yingchong looked inside the city. The area in the southwest corner of the outer city was called Yange. From You'anmen to Guang'anmen, there were many Huihui people living there.  Fu Yingchong heard the news that the group was trying to open the door indiscriminately.  He sighed in his heart, not to mention what happened just now, who in the capital wouldn¡¯t say this?  From ordinary soldiers and civilians, to court ministers, to eminent eunuchs, who doesn't have this intention?  Who knows what they are really thinking in their hearts?  After arriving at You'an Gate, he frowned just like the situation at Yongding Gate. Then he rode towards Guang'an Gate, only to see a general taking the order arrow from the eunuch guarding the gate, and then the city gate opened.  , many refugees entered, but no one dared to question them. The ministers and ministers who were guarding beside them just sat and watched.  Fu Yingchong sighed again in his heart. The bandits were approaching and there were many refugees. Many people wanted to take refuge in the city, but who knew how many of them were civilians and how many were thieves?  If you really want to protect the city guard, no one should be allowed in.  Fu Yingchong knew that your Majesty only trusted the eunuchs now. The internal officials made the decision for all city guards, including the admiral city guard, Li Guozhen, the uncle of Xiangcheng, and Wang Chengen, the admiral in charge of inner and outer city defense. They often lived on the tower of Yongding Gate. Fu Yingchong knew this.  very clear.  Do you know if these eunuchs also want to change their masters?  He drew his horse and walked back, passing by You'anmen and Yongdingmen, and then went east. Over there were Zuo'anmen and Guangqumen.  Zuo'anmen is located in Dongyuan, which is considered a remote "village gate". There are open fields everywhere, growing vegetables and grains, and reeds everywhere. There is no sign of a city at all.  This is a low-lying, flood-prone area with a lot of water and grass. It has never been the enemy's main attack direction, so city defense is easy to say.  Finally, Fu Yingchong arrived at Guangqumen. In the second year of Chongzhen, Huang Taiji led the Eight Banners Tatars to attack here. This time it was also a key location for city defense.  But as soon as Fu Yingchong arrived, he heard a lot of whispers: "The emperor is hunting in the south, and dozens of internal officials are riding out of Deshengmen." Seeing them passing around with noses and eyes, Fu Yingchong sighed again. At this time  A soldier beside him said: "Master Fu, the morale of the army is not stable, and we need to reward the soldiers to calm their minds." Fu Yingchong was a little reluctant to give up, but thinking that this was not the time to be stingy, he gritted his teeth and said: "That's it, I, Fu Daya, will fight for it."  Then go to the mansion to get 30,000 silver yuan, and reward the soldiers generously." They went down to the city from Guangqumen, and then prepared to enter the inner city through Chongwen Gate and go to their mansion to get the silver.  Just when I was passing through a low alley on Chongwenmen Street, I saw the residents here whispering. They were men and women, old and young, and the majority of them were women. They formed a circle, and one of them in particular was listening.  A man who looks like a businessman speaks.  "Do you know? The emperor ran away, and dozens of eunuchs walked out of Deshengmen"   "Ah, the emperor has run away, so why should we defend the city?" "Yes, don't defend it, otherwise the rebels will attack the city and there will inevitably be casualties. My bestie can defend the city at Yongding Gate" "  Ah, Bagu, hurry up and tell your sweetheart to come down. The rebel army is going north. The main attack must be Yongding Gate and Guangqumen. These swords and arrows have no eyes" "Yes, Bagu, you have had such a hard time these years.  "It's hard to find a man who is really good to you by yourself, but you can't just disappear like this." The neighbor's words made the woman named "Bagu" even more anxious. She made an appointment.  In his thirties, he looked haggard, his clothes were full of patches, but he was washed very clean, his hair was combed meticulously, and he had a rather stubborn look on his face.  There was a girl standing timidly next to her. She was about fifteen or sixteen years old. She was pretty, but her face was pretty, and her clothes were also patched.  This woman's name was Yang Bagu, who was born as a farmer. She asked the merchant expectantly: "Shopkeeper Tian, ??are the rebels really what you said? They don't kill people, don't love money, don't rob, and let everyone be safe?"  Looking forward to it, shopkeeper Na Tian smiled and spoke with a strong Shaanxi accent: "Of course, this song has spread all over the world. Otherwise, why would the Dashun Army invade Shandong with such overwhelming force and then attack the capital?  " Yang Bagu asked again: "After King Dashun made the decision, can we also be exempted from the service fee? " Shopkeeper Tian smiled and said: "Of course, if you don't do the job, you won't pay the food. It is clearly stated in the song. " The villagers were very happy.  : "Great, this is really a way to save the people from hanging upside down." "I really hope that the rebels will come and then establish a new dynasty and live a good life." Yang Bagu's eyes shined brightly.  Her daughter Niannu pulled her sleeves, her expression full of expectation, imagining the kind of heavenly good days.  Yang Bagu's family belonged to a garden household, and there was a saying in the Ming Dynasty that they were assigned households to serve as errands. As the imperial capital, the capital had many yamen, and even more services. In addition to ordinary civilian households, military households, craftsmen households, and kitchen households, there were also a large number of miscellaneous households.  The service households, such as mausoleum households, garden households, sea households, banner households, treasury servants, etc., are trivial and incalculable.  Among all kinds of service households, except for officials, examiners, supervisors, and students who enjoy privileges and exemptions, the rest have to bear miscellaneous errands.  After the late Ming Dynasty, most of the handymen were paid at the cash register, and then the government hired people to fill them.  These people have a structure, such as treasury, yamen, Doujie, etc., a certain amount of money for food and work, various gray incomes, etc.  The rest of them have no connections and cannot get into the "editors". Those who don't have a quota have to pay the money honestly.  Just like Yang Bagu, her former husband was a tenant, and he was counted as a ding. He paid 4 taels of silver every year. In fact, he paid double the amount.  After her husband died, Yang Bagu still couldn't avoid this kind of corvee money.  "And because of the difficult national affairs and the fact that there was no man in Gu Gu Yang's family, the labor money was collected more and more, and now it has reached 10 taels a year.  This made Yang Bagu feel indignant and oppressed, and she desperately wanted to change this fate.  Usually she is powerless, and if she resists, she will suffer a bloody blow. Now she finally has hope to live a new life.  At this moment, she was so looking forward to the arrival of the Shun Army to save the people from hanging upside down and no longer live under the tyranny of the Ming Dynasty.  At this time, when they saw Fu Yingchong and others coming over, they all looked at them with indifference and hatred.  "Look, the scoundrels are here." "Their good days are coming to an end" They whispered, although their voices were low, how could Fu Yingchong not hear them? He was no longer able to argue with these people, he only felt all kinds of dissatisfaction in the capital.  They gather together and finally merge into one voice, which means changing the master and changing the dynasty.  He even saw the patrolmen coming and going. They had already passed by a few times. It was impossible that no one heard these treacherous words, but they pretended not to hear them.  Fu Yingchong rode over directly. The cold-faced armored soldier glanced at Yang Bagu and the others. His eyes were cold, but there was a trace of undetectable pity in them.  Seeing Fu Yingchong and others passing by without saying a word, shopkeeper Na Tian had a proud look in his eyes.  He smiled and said: "It is evident that people's hearts are righteous." (To be continued.)
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