The days of digging the ditch lasted for half a month, and the originally silted river became deeper and wider day by day. The houses built haphazardly on the shore were demolished one by one, and the garbage and sundries that were cleaned emitted a foul smell. Many people who lived here were amazed, and it was hard to imagine that their ancestors lived in such a horrible place.
The garbage was burned, and the silt was transported out of the city, and their homes became much cleaner. Although the work was very tiring, the people who lived here were enthusiastic. But a winter rain came, and the whole project was temporarily suspended. The water on the ground converged into the ditch, and slowly flowed downstream.
"Alas, when it rained in the past, the water in this stinky ditch could overflow into the house. Dead mice, dirty garbage, all floated in. People could only stand on the brick bed and wait for the water to recede. If they were unlucky, the wall would be soaked, and the house would collapse. Every year, a few lives were lost. "The host in the temple stood on the bank of the ditch, and sighed at the rushing water.
Liu and Zhang also looked. They didn't have any feelings about this stinky ditch in the past, but they found that the project they were busy with for half a month actually worked, and they were a little surprised. The problem that couldn't be solved for decades seemed to be not difficult to do. It didn't cost much money, and it didn't take much labor, but why had it been delayed for so many years?
The host said again, "I vaguely remember when I was young, the water in this ditch was very clear, and every summer, children would go down to play in the water. I didn't expect that in this old age, this old monk could actually see it restored to its original state. "
The newly launched Beijing Daily was very busy recently, focusing on the changes after the 'Revolutionary Army' administration. Even this stinky ditch was not spared. Recently, a special topic was published, and from time to time, 'reporters' came to interview.
More than a dozen special reports had been written, and the suffering of the people in the former Ming Dynasty and the incompetence of the Ming Dynasty were written in detail, and the effect of the dredging project was written recently. There were people who specialized in reading the newspaper everywhere, and the people also recognized it. Even Liu and Zhang understood the meaning of 'organization' and 'discipline' through this incident.
"The newspaper said that Daming is unorganized and undisciplined, so he can't do anything. This' Revolutionary Army 'can organize people and use discipline to prove that they are stronger. "Liu Fucheng muttered, and he didn't feel good. "Bunch of bumpkins …!"
Even if he wanted to retort, there was no way he could. If he had to admit it, he would feel unhappy.
"It's alright, it's alright. This' Revolutionary Army 'only has these moves back and forth. When we learn them, we will naturally be able to counter them. Actually, the 'organizational discipline' mentioned in the newspaper is very common. Brother Liu, you should learn it when you have the chance. "Zhang Rushen didn't mind. He was a businessman, so he felt that this was nothing more than a trick to win people's hearts.
Liu Fucheng was different. He had been in the bureaucracy for a long time. Although he was a rascal, he was very sensitive to power struggles. He was very clear that there were some things that could not be learned. Just like Daming and the other officials — they were incompetent in governing the country and had no way to defend against the enemy, but they were good at holding back. They were extremely quick-witted when they were taking advantage of others. Their thoughts were coquettish, and their actions were swift. However, when they encountered trouble, they would run out of ideas. Organization and discipline? No such thing!
Since they couldn't clean up the river for the time being, they could only repair the streets and sewers. Good drainage pipes also needed to be repaired. Otherwise, if it rained heavily, it would be easy to cause waterlogging. These projects needed some sand and stones, so the two fake monks, Liu and Zhang, were temporarily not needed. The construction site allowed them to rest for a few days. They finally had time to boil some hot water and wash the dirt off their bodies.
Liu Fucheng had never washed his own clothes in his entire life. This was the first time he had done this. He casually scrubbed the clothes a few times and took them to the courtyard of the small temple to dry. Suddenly, he heard someone outside the temple using a different tone to sell charcoal. The tone was quite sharp, and it secretly carried some kind of spiritual power vibration. It was specially made for communication.
After lying dormant for a few days, Liu Fucheng was startled by the voice, but he immediately realized that the situation in front of him seemed to have taken a turn for the better. He hurriedly ran to the side of the temple wall and looked outside. He saw a guy wearing a bamboo hat pushing a cart of charcoal along the street. However, the price he was selling was not cheap, so not many people were willing to buy it.
"Charcoal seller, come here for a moment." Liu Fucheng looked at the back of the charcoal seller and felt that he looked familiar, so he immediately called out to him. When the other party heard him, he turned his head. The two of them looked at each other and recognized each other.
Yang Jian!
The person wearing the bamboo hat and selling charcoal in the city was actually Yang Jian. He instantly recognized Liu Fucheng, and his face lit up with joy. He pushed the charcoal cart and entered through the temple's entrance. Liu Fucheng opened the temple door and looked left and right. After making sure that no one was paying attention, he invited Yang Jian in.
"Mister Liu, I knew that nothing would happen to you." Yang Jian took off his bamboo hat and couldn't stop smiling. "My hard work these past few days has not been in vain."
Liu Fucheng pulled Yang Jian into the side room of the temple and asked with a cold face, "Why did you come to the capital? Aren't you afraid that your Junior Brother will want your life? "
Zhang Rushen heard the commotion and hurriedly ran over. He also recognized the popular person beside Hwang Tae-gil. He immediately laughed and cupped his hands. "Oh, so it's Lord Yang. The hard days are definitely over. Good news. Good news! "
"I had no choice but to come." Yang Jian smiled bitterly for a while. He first asked, "Is this place safe?"
"It's alright." Zhang Rushen nodded. "This place is mostly inhabited by poor people and traveling merchants. Recently, there are many people coming from outside the city. There are especially many unfamiliar faces. It won't be out of place for us to mix in. But the 'Revolutionary Army' is very strict. It's better to be careful. "
"That's good." Yang Jian continued. "The 'Revolutionary Army' captured the capital. This news spread to Shenyang in just a few days. The Great Khan was extremely shocked and angry. Du Song, who was stationed at Shanhai Pass, defected to the 'Revolutionary Army' and sealed the original road to the pass. But the Great Khan won't just watch the 'Revolutionary Army' continue to grow. He will definitely start a war in the near future. "
There are only two ways for the Kennu to take over the Han's territory. One is to follow the Liaoxi corridor and attack from Shanhai Pass. The other is to take a detour from Mongolia and attack the capital from Xifengkou, Zunhua and other places. But now that Liaoning South has not been occupied by the Kennu, and Jinzhou is the 'Revolutionary Army's' industrial center, Nurhachi has another choice.
"I came from Mongolia and entered the city ten days ago. This time I came to investigate the 'Revolutionary Army' and also to contact our spies. "Yang Jian said with a sigh." After half a year, this Zhou brat is even stronger than when he was in Tianjin. This capital region has only been occupied by him for a little more than a month, but it's already impregnable. I took the risk to wander around, but I couldn't find any friends. "
That's right. Those who could be used by Yang Jian have either been captured and used to write materials or have already been killed. Even those who still have freedom have no real power and are undergoing training and reform. The common people have received benefits and don't want to make a fuss. Everyone has to live.
In contrast, in history, because Li Zicheng was not strong enough, he couldn't completely wipe out the remnants of the Qing Dynasty when he seized the capital. There were even a large number of generals of the Ming Army who held military power. When he was defeated, those fence-sitters immediately attacked him. Zhou Qingfeng learned this lesson and had no trust in those Ming Dynasty officials at all. He was merciless in suppressing them.
Yang Jian thought that the 'Revolutionary Army's' newly occupied territory must be full of loopholes, but when he arrived here, he found that the regime was directly inserted into the grassroots, there was no loophole for him to take advantage of. Fortunately, the 'Revolutionary Army' did not prohibit the communication between people inside and outside the city. He took the risk of pretending to be a peddler selling charcoal and peddling on the street. Only then did he draw out the two lucky ones, Liu Fucheng and Zhang Rushen.
Liu and Zhang also sighed about this. They talked about many ruthless actions of the 'Revolutionary Army' to clean up the society recently. All the entangled forces were violently cleaned up. Listening to the familiar names being beheaded, a few of the lost people almost hugged their heads and cried. The soil they originally relied on for survival no longer existed.
"Are there any friends in the city that can be contacted now?" Yang Jian asked.
Liu and Zhang both shook their heads. Their ways of getting to know each other were blocked. Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to stay in this small temple so obediently.
"Is there anyone in the 'Revolutionary Army' that can be roped in?" Yang Jian asked again.
Liu and Zhang both shook their heads again. The 'Revolutionary Army' was extremely strict with the population control. The newly established Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of Public Security were not to be trifled with. The people at the grassroots were also gradually becoming loyal. There was no possibility for them to contact each other at will.
This made Yang Jian curious. He asked, "What have the two of you been doing for the past month?"
Doing what? Digging a stinking ditch, of course.
Zhang Rushen was too embarrassed to say it. He just said lightly and perfunctorily, "We're just living an ordinary life."
Yang Jian felt that staying in a temple was indeed a little too dull. Presumably, he still had to follow some rules and regulations, and the food he ate was also simple and plain. But it was definitely better than pushing a charcoal cart along the street every day and wandering around without a fixed place. He comforted, "Both of you are great talents. I, Dajin, value both of you very much. The current situation is difficult. You need to be more patient. "
Liu Fucheng didn't want to listen to this nonsense. He directly asked, "When will Nurhachi attack the capital?"
How could Yang Jian know such a military and national event? He just chuckled a few times and said, "The Khan will definitely start the war. It's better to start it early than late. It's better to fight a big war than a small one. Otherwise, if the 'Revolutionary Army' continues to expand, there will be no way for us to survive. But the specific strategy has not been decided yet. I'm afraid I'm afraid that they will not directly attack the capital. They will first attack Liaonan. "
"Let's fight Liaonan," Liu Fucheng and Zhang Rushen shouted at the same time.
To attack Liaonan meant to attack Jinzhou.
The 'Revolutionary Army' was moving its ruling center and industrial center to Tianjin and Tangshan where resources and population were more convenient. But Liaonan was the place where the 'Revolutionary Army' made its fortune. 80% of the steel and machinery industry was in Jinzhou. It was difficult for these factories to move.
Now that the capital was taken by Zhou Qingfeng, Kennu was completely blocked in the Liaodong area. Shanhai Pass and Haigai were like a pair of iron pincers, firmly clamping down on Kennu. The best way for Nurhachi to break this blockade was to attack Liaonan first. That was where the 'Revolutionary Army' must save.
"The Khan has trained 300,000 soldiers. 100,000 vanguards have been dispatched to Liaonan. Among them, there are more than 20,000 firearms soldiers. They also use guns and cannons like Little Zhou. " Yang Jian said proudly, "Now that the Khan has become the Pope of the Brainwashing Sect, his ability to command and govern the people has greatly increased. If necessary, he can gather another 200,000 troops. "
Three hundred thousand plus two hundred thousand, that would be an army of five hundred thousand.
Liu Fucheng and Zhang Rushen were stunned. They couldn't understand how the Northern Barbarians could gather so many troops.
Liu Fucheng knew a little and asked, "The firearms I sent you were not 20,000. Where did you get so many guns and cannons?"
"There was a country called the Netherlands that sent us goods from Dong Ying. Speaking of which, Little Zhou reaped what he sowed. He randomly sold maps in Tianjin and it actually spread to Dong Ying. The Dutch of Taixi treated it like a treasure. They actually found a new route and sent us a large number of firearms produced in Dong Ying. The Dutch even trained our troops. "
Seeing that Yang Jian did not seem to be lying, Liu Fucheng and Zhang Rushen were very happy. Yang Jian continued to tell the two of them some happy news. When it was dark, he took the opportunity to say, "This place of yours is rather quiet. Why don't I stay here too? We can chat through the night. How about that?"
Liu Fucheng and Zhang Rushen were very happy and were willing to let Yang Jian stay. The three of them chatted happily through the night. After chatting through the night until dawn, the winter rain stopped and the water level in the river dropped. Outside the temple, there was a knock from the neighborhood committee. "You wild monks, don't think of slacking off. Come out and work."
Liu and Zhang were already used to the sound of knocking on the door, so they hurriedly went out upon hearing it. However, Yang Jian, who had stayed up all night, was sleepy and wanted to sleep. He asked in surprise, "What are you going to do?"
"Uh … this? Go to work, or we will be investigated. " Liu Fucheng and Zhang Rushen, who had been excited all night, suddenly felt that they were too embarrassed and did not look like they were going to do something big. They did not want to expose this secret. But they had no choice. They could not escape.
"Brother Yang, since you want to hide in the temple, come with us." Liu Fucheng said. They were all in the same group. Why should they let you do nothing?
Yang Jian was new here and did not know the situation. He thought it was just a job. So, after a night of talking, he muddleheadedly joined the fake monk's labor team. When he arrived at the smelly ditch, Zhang Rushen shoved a shovel into his hand. Liu Fucheng and Zhang Rushen looked at him with a basket.
Liu Fucheng curled his lips at the smelly ditch. "Brother Yang, you are young and strong. The digging job is yours."
"What?" Yang Jian's excitement and sleepiness from the entire night instantly vanished when he arrived at the stinking muddy ditch. He looked at the shovel in his hand, looked at the busy construction site, and then looked at Liu Fucheng and Zhang Rushen. He gritted his teeth and scolded, "Why didn't you tell me yesterday? Is this your ordinary life? I might as well sell charcoal on the street. "
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