Zhou Qingfeng and Nurhachi were preparing for war, but Ming Ting, who was in the middle of the whirlpool, seemed to be unaffected. The high-walled courtyard was still a place of debauchery. Courtesans and dancers were singing softly, and the host and guests were chatting happily with each other. The officials were all like ostriches. They didn't care about the changes in the situation outside the city, and they didn't care about the loneliness of the refugees.
Liu Fucheng hid in his house in the capital city, lying on a rocking chair and listening to the music, his hands tapping to the beat. The petite maid took out some tropical fruits that had been scalded in hot water and stuffed them into his mouth. He laughed happily and shook his head.
After being notified, a middle-aged man dressed in silk walked in from outside the courtyard. He cupped his hands and said happily, "Brother Liu, you're living a good life. I'm here to disturb you again."
"Oh … Mr. Zhang is here. Sit down, sit down. "Liu Fucheng greeted him a few times, but he didn't get up. He was still lying down and talking lazily, "Mr. Zhang, you're from Datong this time, right? Come and try the Indian berries, they're really different from the ones in our Central Plains. "
The middle-aged man didn't stand on ceremony. After sitting down, he naturally pinched a few berries and threw them into his mouth. After tasting them, he smiled and said, "This is brought by the Grand Marshal of the Revolutionary Army, right? I can't believe he actually went so far to India for a stroll. "
"Hehe … That guy doesn't wake up early without benefits." Liu Fucheng said leisurely, "His newspaper said that although India is far away, it's the foundation of the country. We can harvest millions of dans of grain every year, and we can still eat these fresh fruits in the winter. This small box of berries costs two taels of silver. It's expensive. "
The middle-aged man smiled slightly, "Millions of dans isn't much. Is it worth the effort?"
"What if we have millions of dans in a few years?" Liu Fucheng continued to smile, "In the past, the price of grain would soar to five or six taels, seven or eight taels in winter. Now, the price of grain in the north is only two or three taels, which has never happened in a hundred years. Those who store grain in the city are cursing, but the common people are benefiting. But Mr. Zhang has also profited. You Jin merchants must be very happy to resell the grain. You must have earned quite a lot from this trip, right? "
Liu Fucheng laughed heartily, and so did the middle-aged man. However, after laughing, the middle-aged man said, "Actually, I still have some doubts and would like to ask Brother Liu."
"Go ahead …"
"Is it really impossible to befriend the Revolutionary Army?"
"Make friends? Forget it. Grand Marshal Zhou is not like the high officials and nobles in the capital. He is very narrow-minded and holds grudges. He is not easy to talk to. Furthermore, he was rich and powerful. What he wanted was the world. What right do you have to befriend him? "
Liu Fucheng's words were filled with mockery. The middle-aged man's face tightened as he laughed. However, the middle-aged man's face was dry. He was unwilling to give up and asked again, "What if we gather a sum of money?"
"Last autumn, when the 'Revolutionary Army' swept through Shandong, everyone in the world thought that no matter how ruthless and arrogant Grand Marshal Zhou was, he would at least give Duke Yan some face. But how did he do it? He said he wanted your life, and he even wanted to ruin your reputation. So what if a scholar scolds you? He doesn't care about you at all. He doesn't even want you to be an official. A useless scholar is a useless scholar!
The newspapers in Tianjin reported the Kong family's scandals for a month, and the people immediately followed suit and scolded. Scholars always felt that what they said was reasonable, but who would dare to speak for the Kong family now? The 'Revolutionary Army' has a good reputation. When people scolded them, they hit the nail on the head, but the people felt that they were honest and believed what they said.
So, don't think too highly of yourself. With your little money, Grand Marshal Zhou doesn't care about it at all. Even if he does, why do you need to give it to him? It's better to rob him directly. So, stop dreaming. I guess you are all on the list of the 'Revolutionary Army's' Security Department, just like me. "
Liu Fucheng's straightforward words finally made the middle-aged man lose face. He couldn't help but say, "In that case, Brother Liu, aren't you afraid?"
"Of course I am. But it's useless to be afraid. " Liu Fucheng swayed the rocking chair back and forth and said faintly, "So, I don't dare to provoke that Grand Marshal now. Who knows if he will directly kill me when he loses his temper? Right now, I'm eating and drinking. I'm enjoying myself. "
"You …." The middle-aged man was angry, but he could only ask patiently, "Brother Liu, don't tease me. I'm already angry now. You know how many people behind me need to eat. If Grand Marshal Zhou knows that I sold food to a Female Zhenren, I'm afraid he will kill my whole family. I beg you to show me the way. "
The middle-aged man was about to kneel down, but Liu Fucheng still said in a calm tone, "Grand Marshal Zhou doesn't 'if he knows'. He definitely knows what you did. That Grand Marshal is ruthless and won't tolerate sand in his eyes. I gave him a disciple who is like his own daughter, but after he accepted it, he still came to deal with me. He didn't make any exceptions. "
At this point, Liu Fucheng also let out a long sigh, "You might as well go to Cultivator Guo Buyi. He really has a good relationship with Grand Marshal Zhou. Maybe his face will be bigger."
The middle-aged man cried, "We can't even find the door to Cultivator Guo's private residence. It's not something we can see. Brother, I recently heard that the 'Revolutionary Army' passed a message last year saying that they won't attack the capital within a year and will attack after a year. Aren't you afraid these days? "
"I already said, it's useless to be afraid. Even the emperor hides in the palace, living one day at a time. Why should we worry about it? "Liu Fucheng seemed to really not care about anything. In any case, he didn't say a word of truth. He fooled the middle-aged man and left while he continued to lean on the rocking chair and continue to be free and unfettered.
The serving maid smiled and said, "Master, you're so bad. You scared Mister Zhang to tears. "
"I'm not scaring him." Liu Fucheng said in a deep voice, "I can't even protect myself, how would I have time to take care of these Jin merchants? When they earn money, they don't give me a share. I don't care about his life or death. "
"Then Master, you really don't care?" The maid opened her eyes wide and asked.
"You little hussy, you're actually trying to get information from me." Liu Fucheng smiled and said, "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask. If you serve Master well, I'll naturally take care of you. Come … blow the trumpet for me. If you blow it well, I might take you as my concubine tonight. "
When the maid heard this, she immediately became excited. After a while, she took off Liu Fucheng's pants. But before he could take off his pants and blow the trumpet, a servant ran in in panic and shouted, "Master, Master, something bad has happened."
The servant rushed in and the maid quickly covered her face. Liu Fucheng angrily pulled up his pants and scolded, "You unruly servant, how can you be so flustered? How dare you barge into the backyard of the master's house. If you don't tell me what's going on, I won't forgive you today. "
Compared to Liu Fucheng's exasperation, the servant was even more panicked and shouted, "Master, the Revolutionary Army is coming."
"What?" Liu Fucheng was so shocked that he loosened his hand that was pulling up his pants. "Didn't Zhou Qingfeng say that he wouldn't come within a year? He still let that old man Sun Chengzong pass the message. It hasn't even been half a year, how can he go back on his word? "The servant ran in from outside, panting from exhaustion. This time, it was Liu Fucheng who was so anxious to ask that he almost lifted him up.
"There's news from Tianjin that two brigades of the Revolutionary Army have been transferred back by ship. It's said that they were originally stationed in Korea, but now they've been replaced by some militia reserve. There's also a brigade in Lushun that arrived in Tianjin a few days ago. Tientsin now had five brigades and twenty-five thousand elite guards.
This is a rare big transfer in recent years. It must be known that the Revolutionary Army didn't use so many people to take Shandong last year. In the past, the Imperial Guard's transfer would be clearly stated in the newspaper, but this time it's not mentioned at all. Now there's a rumor in the streets that Grand Marshal Zhou has been hiding for a long time and has been accumulating power. He's going to make a move. "
It was difficult to hide a large-scale military transfer from the people who had the intention. Behind the five brigades, there were many times more militia assembled to cooperate in the battle. Zhou Qingfeng was determined to take down the capital and control the entire North China Plain. The Revolutionary Army mobilized more than 100,000 people, which was quite a big move.
"This is bad, this is bad, this kid is cheating again and doesn't follow the rules." Liu Fucheng suddenly slapped himself in the face, "Why am I so stupid? I know there's nothing too deceitful in war, but I actually believed him. I always felt that he kept his word, but how could I forget that kid is a real villain? His words can't be taken seriously. "
When Mister Zhang from the Jin merchants came, Liu Fucheng appeared calm and collected. After that, he even had the intention to ask the maidservant to blow the trumpet. But now that things were out of his expectation, it was his turn to be anxious.
"Master, what do we do now? If the Revolutionary Army really attacks, we can't defend the capital. "The servant was in a panic as if he had lost his parents. Even the maid who covered her face didn't know what was going on, but when she saw her master lose his composure, she subconsciously felt that there was big trouble.
"When did you get the news?" Liu Fucheng asked the key question.
"Two days ago." The servant said.
"Trouble. The Revolutionary Army's troops have always moved fast. They have fire wheels that emit smoke to transport the troops, so they can come here in a day via the canal. If that Zhou Qingfeng really wants to use the troops, even if they rest in Tianjin for a day, they should be here by today …. "
Liu Fucheng didn't dare to think about the worst situation. He quickly put on his pants and hurried out to inquire about the news. But before he could think about who to ask, there was a panicked crowd on the street. He heard someone shouting loudly, "The Revolutionary Army is advancing north, and Tongzhou surrendered without a fight."
Liu Fucheng almost fainted from the shock of the news. His life was in the capital. He had made full preparations and thought that he could still be free in the capital for half a year. Who knew that Zhou Qingfeng would not move like a mountain, but move like thunder. The Revolutionary Army stayed in Tianjin for more than a year to focus on construction, and everyone almost forgot its ferocious face.
"They came so fast. Is Tongzhou finished?"
Even if they knew that Tongzhou was unreliable, they couldn't even hold on for half a day. It was a waste of millions of taels of silver that the imperial court had spent so much effort to raise. Although Liu Fucheng made a lot of money from it, he didn't expect that the tens of thousands of soldiers gathered in Tongzhou were so useless. "Even if there were tens of thousands of pigs, they can't be caught in half a day."
What should he do now?
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