Chapter 327 326 Zhenwu Camp

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

The reply is also very simple. Naturally, we must 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 gone through 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 relive 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 because there is a strange feeling 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”, 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 viral infection. How would the virus be explained at that time?

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 spent most of their time in the military camp. They were absolutely not allowed to enter and leave the military camp at will. They could go out, but they had to get the approval of their superiors.

However, when Wei Guangde and his party entered the city of Nanjing, what they saw was that the soldiers were wandering around the city at will, as if they completely ignored the military law 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 these 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 the river, not to mention that the plague in Jiangbei has not passed yet, and 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's strange that the soldiers aren't making a fuss about whether they should be paid 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 soldiers. 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, as if he had seen it when reading the Tangbao. In order to prevent the Japanese pirates from coming to Nanjing again, Zhang Ao, then the Minister of War of Nanjing, formed an army to prepare for the Japanese pirates' attack.

However, 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"

As a local snake in Nanjing, Xu Pengju knew what happened in and outside Nanjing. In addition, he was a local high-ranking official and knew much more than the common people. At this time, he talked to Wei Guangde about the cause and effect of the Zhenwu Camp's disturbance.

Zhenwu Camp was an anti-Japanese force recruited by Zhang Ao when he was the Minister of War of Nanjing. It was composed of local warriors and belonged to the Nanjing Jingying.

According to the old system, Nanjing soldiers with wives were given one stone of food and salary per month, and those without wives were given six dou. In the middle of spring and mid-autumn, each stone of rice was converted into 5 coins of silver.

Such treatment was naturally acceptable to the soldiers who had known the old rules for a long time. As for some unspoken rules in the officialdom, they were also accepted. At the beginning, they were at peace.

However, as the food and salary of the northern border troops were not continuous, the collection of taxes was urgent.

Fang Dun, the then Minister of War, asked to transfer a million military supplies from Nanjing to the north, and gave priority to the food and salary that should have been supplied to Nanjing to the border troops, resulting in a serious shortage of storage in Nanjing.

When Ma Kun succeeded as the Minister of Revenue in Nanjing, due to the shortage of reserves, he proposed to reduce the monthly military salary of the soldiers in the Zhenwu Camp in Nanjing from 5 coins to 4 coins. The soldiers of the Zhenwu Camp complained from then on.

In fact, the monthly military salary of 5 coins was less than half of what they actually received. For those with wives, it was not enough to make a living. Now one coin of silver was reduced, which completely aroused the dissatisfaction of the soldiers in the Zhenwu Camp.

Fortunately, the soldiers knew what was right and wrong. Although their military pay was deducted by 20%, they only complained privately and did not dare to act recklessly.

Not long after Wei Guangde went south last year, Jia Yingchun, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, fell seriously ill and was forced to resign and return home to recuperate. Ma Kun was appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Beijing to replace Jia Yingchun. His successor, Cai Kelian, was old and weak, and the army's food and wages were all maintained by Huang Maoguan, the Minister of the Supervisory and Storage.

Last year, there was a famine around Nanjing, and this year, there was an epidemic, with many deaths. Some soldiers who died of illness were not removed from the army.

In view of the shortage of food and wages, Huang Maoguan strictly checked the number of deaths of soldiers in the Nanjing army, and stopped paying the food and wages of the soldiers who died of illness, which completely angered the rest of the soldiers.

You must know that at this time, the price of grain in Nanjing was already eight cents per stone of rice, and the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue only paid wages at a discount of four cents per stone of rice.

At this time, many families of soldiers who died of illness were still waiting for this money to make a living and get through this difficult time. Now it has been stopped directly, which naturally made many soldiers feel sad.

"The payment of food and wages in the past few months has been delayed, which has made the soldiers 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 payment. Those soldiers are now unwilling to go to the barracks. They just hang out in groups on the streets all day long. I don’t know if the Ministry of War will stop until it reaches that point."

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

"As the Minister of the Supervisory and the Reserve, doesn’t Huang Maoguan know to find the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Revenue to argue? Now he is the one who makes the decision in the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue. If the soldiers below make a fuss about the pay and cause a mutiny, can he bear the responsibility?"

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

Looking at the mental state of those soldiers on the street today, Wei Guangde felt deeply worried.

Don't prepare for the Japanese, prepare for the Japanese, or you will end up becoming a Japanese pirate and burning, killing and looting.

"Who knows what they are thinking? I guess they are holding back the salary of the Zhenwu Camp, and it is possible that they have a thousand connections with the one in the capital."

Xu Pengju shook his head and said, "He wanted to cut the salary of the Zhenwu Camp at the beginning. After all, it is a newly formed unit, different from the old guards, and cannot be arbitrarily dismissed.

Cai Kelian occupies the position of Nanjing Ministry of Revenue Minister, in fact, he is waiting for the next successor to come, so that he can resign and return home, and he doesn't care about the affairs of the government at all.

However, Huang Maoguan did not make things difficult for Fang Youshan, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Look, the people from the Ministry of War only mentioned it but didn't make a fuss. They must have reached some kind of tacit understanding. Ma Kun, Huang Maoguan, and Fang Youshan must have been insiders and did it on purpose. "

"What if there is a mutiny? I saw the soldiers when I entered the city today. I'm afraid..."

Wei Guangde only mentioned it briefly, but he thought that this was the capital of Nanjing after all. Even if those soldiers were bold, they couldn't really make a fuss. There were many troops stationed around them, watching closely. If they really made a fuss, they would be suppressed in an instant.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde suddenly felt that he seemed to be overthinking.

"I think we have to be on guard against my dear son-in-law's reminder."

Speaking of this, Xu Pengju unconsciously stood up and walked back and forth in the room twice, and finally muttered, "I will immediately issue orders to the Right Guard, Huben Right Guard and Wude Guard, and let them be prepared to prevent Zhenwu Camp from really running out to cause trouble."

"It shouldn't be the case. I just said it casually before. Now I think I should be worrying too much. After all, there are many guards in Nanjing City and outside the city. Even if Zhenwu Camp is brave enough, it should not dare to cause trouble."

Wei Guangde hurriedly explained after hearing what Xu Pengju just said.

"You don't know, there are quite a few guard posts outside Nanjing, but most of them have become a place where the noble sons of various families mix their military exploits and earn 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 wipe out 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 were divided into three guard posts.

Then the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs knew the details and did not want 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 would want 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.