The Prosperous Era of Longwan

It was almost the first month of the year, and the reply from the court came belatedly.

The reply was also very simple. Naturally, we would go all out to encircle and suppress the Japanese pirates and not give them any chance.

The imperial court's reply did not exceed the expectations of Hangzhou officials.

After receiving the reply, Wei Guangde's mission was considered complete, and he also ordered his entourage to pack their bags and prepare to return.

They came by taking the Grand Canal, but it was only January now and the canal had not resumed sailing. Naturally, they could not wait until March before setting off, so they could only take the land route.

Since they chose to return to Beijing by land, starting from Hangzhou, Wei Guangde and his party naturally chose Nanjing as their first stop. From there they crossed the Yangtze River and headed north along the official road next to the canal.

He had walked this road before when he came to Beijing to take the exam. His current identity was different from the past, but it was just a good time to review it.

It was already February of the 39th year of Jiajing, and Wei Guangde and his party set off towards Nanjing in a light carriage.

However, when the group approached Nanjing City, they unexpectedly learned a piece of news, which made Wei Guangde and others hesitate and did not dare to move forward.

At the beginning of the year, a plague swept across the southeast, and even important cities such as Nanjing were severely affected.

Human history has encountered countless plagues, some of which were particularly serious and had a huge impact on future generations: plague, smallpox, influenza, cholera, malaria, etc.

From a modern point of view, plague is an infectious disease caused by some strong pathogenic substances, such as bacteria and viruses. However, after repeated studies in ancient times, many doctors proposed that "warm epidemic is a disease that is neither wind, cold, heat, or dampness". , it’s due to the feeling of a strange aura between heaven and earth.”

It is believed that hostility is material and can be subdued with drugs.

Although violent qi is “intangible and has no form to be seen, and it is soundless and odorless, how can it be seen or heard?” However, it is an objectively existing substance, and it is further pointed out that “things can be used as medicine to control qi.”

Violent Qi invades the body through the mouth and nose. It is believed that "evil enters through the mouth and nose", and the way to infect the violent Qi is, "There is a way to receive it and it is contagious. Although the symptoms are different, the disease is the same."

Naturally, Wei Guangde would not explain too much. For a non-medical student like him, the plague was still very profound. It could not be said that it was caused by a viral infection. How would he explain the virus then?

Facing the plague, Wei Guangde and his party simply stopped at the post station and did not dare to continue going north.

This stay lasted half a month. It was not until news came from Nanjing that the plague was over that we set off again. When we entered Nanjing, it was already approaching late February of the 39th year of Jiajing.

Entering Nanjing City, Wei Guangde clearly felt that something was wrong in the atmosphere. It was different from the depression after the great disaster. Pedestrians walked on the road like wind, as if they were trying to minimize their time outside. Soldiers wearing Ming army mandarin duck war jackets could be seen everywhere on the street. Groups roam the streets.

There are strict regulations for soldiers in the Ming army. It is like that soldiers in later generations spend most of their time in the military camp. They are absolutely not allowed to enter and leave the military camp at will. They can go out, but they must obtain the approval of their superiors.

However, when Wei Guangde and his party entered the city of Nanjing, what they saw was that soldiers were wandering around the city at will, as if they completely ignored the military laws of the Ming Dynasty.

In the past, when such a situation happened, the patrol censor would have brought soldiers from the city defense battalion to arrest all the undisciplined soldiers, but today in Nanjing City, Wei Guangde did not see such a situation.

After settling the entourage, Wei Guangde took Zhang Ji and his servants directly to the Duke of Wei's Mansion. It would be rude not to go to his father-in-law Xu Pengju, Duke of Wei, to salute him when he arrived in Nanjing.

Because he was just passing by, Wei Guangde did not send anyone to report to Nanjing City at first, so when Wei Guangde called to open the gate of Wei Guogong's mansion, the concierge was still surprised.

Of course Wei Guogong knew that Wei Guangde had gone to Su and Hangzhou, but he did not expect that Wei Guangde would come to Nanjing at this time. After all, there was a plague in the city that even the powerful people like them were avoiding.

Wei Guogong Xu Pengju received Wei Guangde in the main hall. Wei Guangde saluted and sat down and started chatting. After knowing Wei Guangde's intention and hearing that Wei Guangde planned to cross the Yangtze River and return to the capital at this time, he immediately shook his head and said: "Xianxiang, if you want to go north, I suggest you wait a little longer. This season , even if you get to the Yellow River, it will be difficult to cross it, not to mention that the plague in the north of the Yangtze River has not passed yet, so it is not convenient for you to hit the road at this time."

Wei Guangde and his party left the inn and entered Nanjing City. It was because they heard that the plague in Nanjing City had passed and there had been no deaths in recent days that they dared to enter the city. Now that they heard that the epidemic in Jiangbei was not over yet, they naturally chose to follow the good news and planned to go back. He asked Zhang Ji to go over and give support and let the entourage have a good rest in Nanjing for a few days.

Fortunately, it is much more convenient to stay in Nanjing than to stay at a post station in the countryside.

"By the way, father-in-law, this time I came to the city, why are there soldiers wandering all over the streets, as if there is no discipline at all? Are they all soldiers sent out to patrol?"

Wei Guangde remembered what he saw when he entered the city and asked aloud.

"The people in Zhenwu Camp are making a fuss about their pay, and so is the Ministry of War. It would be strange if the soldiers don't make a fuss about whether they should pay or not."

Xu Pengju shook his head and laughed. As a garrison in Nanjing, of course he was concerned about the trouble caused by the Ministry of War. After all, if the soldiers really started to cause trouble, he, the leader of the soldiers, would not be able to escape.

But he really didn't want to get involved in this matter.

"It's not like the Nanjing Ministry of War can't even pay this amount of troops. The Zhenwu Camp is an important force in Nanjing City. It seems that it was a newly formed army to prepare for Japan because of that incident."

Wei Guangde had a vague impression. He seemed to have seen it when he read the Tang News. In order to prevent Japanese pirates from coming to Nanjing again, the then Nanjing Ministry of War Shangshu Zhang Hao organized a group to prepare for Japanese pirates to attack.

It's just that after that incident, the Japanese pirates never set foot in Nanjing again, so such an army naturally became a decoration.

"It's a long story."

Xu Pengju, as a local leader in Nanjing, how could he not know what was happening outside Nanjing. In addition, he was a high-ranking local official and knew much more than ordinary people in the city. At this time, he had a talk with Wei Guangde and talked about this. The causes and consequences of the pay riot in Zhenwu Camp.

The Zhenwu Camp was a Japanese-defense force recruited by Zhang Hao when he was the Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing. It was composed of local athletes and belonged to the Nanjing Jingying.

According to the old system, Nanjing sergeants with wives were paid one stone per month, and those without wives were paid six dou. In February of mid-spring and mid-autumn, every stone and meter was given 5 coins of silver.

This kind of treatment is naturally acceptable to the soldiers who have long known the old rules. As for some unspoken rules of the officialdom, they are also accepted, and they can be considered peaceful at first.

However, with the shortage of food and pay for the northern frontier army, there was an urgent need to recruit troops.

Fang Rui, the Minister of War at that time, demolished the east wall to repair the west wall, and asked for millions of military supplies to be transferred from Nanjing to the north. He prioritized the transfer of grain and wages that should have been supplied to Nanjing to the frontier army, resulting in a serious shortage of warehousing in Nanjing.

When Ma Kun took over as the Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing, he proposed to reduce the monthly military salary of Nanjing Zhenwu Camp soldiers from 5 silver coins to 4 coins due to insufficient reserves. The soldiers in Zhenwu Camp began to complain.

In fact, less than half of the monthly military salary of 5 taels of silver is actually received. For those with wives, it is not enough to make ends meet. Now that another 1 tael of silver has to be reduced, it can be regarded as completely stimulating the dissatisfaction of the soldiers of Zhenwu Camp. .

Fortunately, all the sergeants knew what was going on. Although their military pay was deducted by 20%, they were only annoyed privately and did not dare to act arrogantly.

Shortly after Wei Guangde went south last year, Jia Yingchun, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, fell seriously ill and was forced to resign and return to his hometown to recuperate. Ma Kun was appointed as the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs in Beijing to replace Jia Yingchun. His successor, Cai Kelian, was old, weak and sick, and all the army's food and salary depended on the governor. The minister, Huang Maoguan, maintained it.

There was a famine around Nanjing last year, and a plague broke out this year, resulting in many deaths. Some of the sergeants who died of illness were not dismissed from the army.

In view of the shortage of rations and wages, Huang Maoguan strictly checked the number of soldiers who died of illness in Nanjing. The rations and wages of the sergeants who died of illness were immediately suspended, which completely angered the other soldiers.

You should know that at this time, the price of food in Nanjing city was already 8 qian per stone meter, but the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs only paid 4 qian per stone meter.

At this time, the families of many sergeants who died of illness were still waiting for this money to survive this crisis, but now they have stopped, which naturally makes many soldiers feel sad.

"In the past few months, the reissue of rations and pay has been frequently delayed, which has made the sergeants below dissatisfied. The military pay that should have been paid in early February has been delayed for more than half a month and there is no sign of repayment. Those sergeants are now even in the military camp. I don’t want to go, so I hang out in groups in the market all day long, and I don’t know if the Ministry of War is going to make such a fuss that it will stop.”

Speaking of the latter, Xu Pengju also sighed with some worry.

"As the Vice-President of the Imperial Palace, Huang Maoguan doesn't know how to argue with Wai Lang, the Secretary of the Treasury. Now he is in charge of the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs. If the soldiers below are arguing about pay and triggering a mutiny, can he bear this responsibility?"

Knowing the whole story, Wei Guangde couldn't help but worry.

Looking at the mental state of the soldiers in the market today, Wei Guangde felt deeply worried.

Don't be prepared for Japanese pirates, be prepared for Japanese pirates. In the end, you will transform into Japanese pirates and burn, kill and loot.

"Who knows what they are thinking. I guess they are suppressing the salary of Zhenwu camp soldiers. Maybe they are inextricably linked to the one in the capital."

Xu Pengju shook his head and said, "At the beginning, he wanted to reduce the salary of Zhenwu Camp. After all, it is a newly formed army. Unlike the old guard, it cannot be disbanded at will.

Cai Kelian occupies the position of Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing. In fact, he is waiting for the next successor to come, so that he can resign and return to his hometown without caring about the affairs in the yamen.

However, judging from the fact that Huang Maoguan did not embarrass Fang Youshan, the Tibetan official, the people from the Ministry of War only mentioned it but did not make a fuss. There should be some kind of tacit understanding internally. Ma Kun, Huang Maoguan, and Fang Youshan should all be insiders. Do it on purpose. "

"What if there really is a mutiny? I went into the city today and saw the appearance of those soldiers, I'm afraid..."

Wei Guangde only mentioned it briefly, but when he thought that this was the capital of Nanjing after all, no matter how courageous the soldiers were, how could they still turn the world upside down? There were also many troops stationed around and watching, and it was really going to cause a big fuss. will be suppressed.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde suddenly felt that he seemed to be worrying too much.

"I feel that I have to guard against this reminder from my virtuous son-in-law."

Having said this, Xu Pengju stood up unconsciously and walked back and forth in the room twice, and finally uttered in his mouth, "I immediately gave orders to the left guard, Huben right guard and Wu Dewei to prepare and take precautions." Zhenwu Ying really came out to cause trouble."

"Probably not. I just said it casually before, but now that I think about it, I must have been overly worried. After all, there are many guard posts above and below the city of Nanjing. Even if Zhenwu Camp eats the courage of a bear's heart and a leopard's guts, it shouldn't be Just dare to make trouble."

Wei Guangde heard what Xu Pengju just said and hurriedly explained.

"You don't know, there are many guard posts outside the city of Nanjing, but most of them have become places where the noble sons of various families mix their military exploits and make money. They are not as good as the surrounding guard posts, which can at least bring out a group of people. Many of those health clinics can’t even be built on empty shelves.”

Xu Pengju shook his head and explained to Wei Guangde, "A few years ago, dozens of Japanese pirates dared to run to Nanjing City to show off their power. If there were really people in the guardhouse, even if there were only a few thousand people, they could swarm up and kill those dozens of Japanese pirates. But there’s no one.”

When Wei Guangde heard this, his eyes widened unconsciously and he looked at Xu Pengju in disbelief.

He said in his heart that the soldiers in Nanjing City are so bad. You, the Nanjing garrison, are really incompetent.

"Then those three guardhouses before"

Immediately, Wei Guangde remembered the names of the three guard posts that Xu Peng reported earlier. Are they the only remaining guard posts in Nanjing that are still capable of fighting?

"That's the territory of my Xu family. Everyone in the camp is either named Xu or is a general of my Xu family. They can finally bring in some people so that they won't be completely empty."

When Xu Pengju said this, his face suddenly turned red.

No wonder.

Wei Guangde was speechless for a while. The guard posts left behind in Nanjing were really divided up by the nobles who stayed behind. One family divided one or two guard posts to make profits. The Xu family was the largest in Nanjing, so they divided them into three guard posts.

Then the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs knew the details and was unwilling to provoke the guards controlled by these nobles, so they simply thought of recruiting new troops and wanted to get some wool from them. No wonder those people were so bold that they did not return to the military camp. Just wandering around the streets of Nanjing.

Indeed, the treatment is unfair.

Other soldiers in Nanjing City can receive military pay, but Zhenwuying is like a stepmother. Not only can they not receive their money on time, but they are also at risk of having their military pay reduced. No one can bear this.

"Zhenwu Camp, in fact, it is really true. In name, it is run by the Ministry of War. In fact, it is supported by the Ministry of Household Affairs, so they obey the Ministry of Household Affairs. The Ministry of War is not willing to get involved at all. When it was first established, there were some noble children. In the camp, since the Ministry of Household Affairs withheld military pay, those people couldn't get any money, so they were all transferred away.

Why stay here? The soldiers below are clamoring for pay every day. They can't get any money themselves. Who is willing to wade into this muddy water? They all have connections. It's easy to get transfer orders from the Ministry of War and transfer to other guards to earn money. The money is gone.

So until now, Zhenwu Camp is actually managed by the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Ministry of War does not interfere, haha."

Finally, Xu Pengju told Wei Guangde the truth. The Nanjing nobles had no money to take in Zhenwu Camp, so no one was willing to intervene.