Chapter 322 Shock!
Zeng Guangtai, the prefect of Jiujiang, was inspecting the city defense.
Zeng Guangtai was a man who promoted his career and carefully worked his way up to the position of prefect.
After receiving Zhang Juzheng's letter, Zeng Guangtai began to rectify Jiujiang's military affairs, and finally created a group of troops capable of defending.
Zeng Guangtai climbed to the outer city wall of Jiujiang, and craftsmen were installing Folan cannons.
"Master Futai!"
Zeng Guangtai waved his hand, called the craftsman responsible for installation to the side and asked:
"Can these cannons be used?"
"Sir Futai, don't worry, we tested three guns yesterday, and only one fired." Question, these cannons are still usable!"
Zeng Guangtai felt that it was a bit outrageous. These cannons were cast by Wang Yangming, the governor of Southern Jiangxi during the Ningwang Rebellion 40 years ago.
After taking it out forty years later, a batch of usable Franco cannons could still be picked out.
However, no soldiers were willing to use the blunderbuss issued by the Ministry of War last month.
Ten muskets were tested and five of them had problems.
Three duds, two exploded, and the most serious one almost blinded the soldier who was testing it.
The soldiers naturally refused to use such bird cannons. Zeng Guangtai even felt that these bird cannons were more lethal to his own side than to the enemy.
The artillery from forty years ago can be used, but the newly made blunderbuss cannot be used. Zeng Guangtai does not know what changes have taken place in the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty in the past forty years.
The city wall under Zeng Guangtai's feet was built by Chen Youliang two hundred years ago.
Relying on the city wall built by Emperor Taizu's lifelong enemy two hundred years ago, and relying on the cannon cast by Wang Yangming forty years ago to resist Su Ze, Zeng Guangtai felt a sense of disobedience.
Forget it, as long as Jiujiang City can be defended.
Zeng Guangtai continued to patrol along the city wall. In addition to checking the installation progress of the Folan cannon, he also called a meeting of the Jiujiang Navy, which had retreated into the water wall, to discuss strategies to defend against the enemy.
After the discussion, Zeng Guangtai's nose almost became angry. The Jiujiang Navy only agreed to send small boats to patrol along the water wall during the day and refused to perform night patrols.
But Zeng Guangtai had nothing to do with the Jiujiang Navy Commander. Who could let him be a hereditary military attache with a higher rank than himself?
It was a matter of peacetime for civilian officials to suppress military attachés. Now that wars are raging, Zeng Guangtai can only coax him.
The navy refused to send boats to patrol at night, so it could only let the Jiujiang Guard's army patrol the city wall more at night. By the time Zeng Guangtai dragged his tired body back to Jiujiang City, it was already a bright moon in the sky.
Zeng Guangtai raised his head. The moon on September 10th was already gibbous. Looking at the night sky with few stars and a few black magpies flying south, Zeng Guangtai also felt a little desolate.
If you can drive away the traitors, then resign and return home.
As soon as this thought came to mind, Zeng Guangtai heard a loud bang, and even the ground shook.
This is? The ground is shaking?
Zeng Guangtai's face turned pale, but his entourage shouted in horror: "Exterior wall!"
Zeng Guangtai turned around and saw only the flames shooting into the sky from the direction of the Jiujiang outer wall that he had just returned. He then recalled that the huge movement just now came from the direction of the outer wall. !
Zeng Guangtai looked again and saw that none of the surrounding houses had collapsed. This was not an earthquake!
What is it if it's not an earthquake? Zeng Guangtai forced himself to calm down and said to his entourage: "Go to the outer wall!"
Zeng Guangtai and his entourage walked toward the outer wall and heard various fleeing soldiers shouting:
"The outer wall has collapsed!"
"The thieves have entered the city. !"
"The thieves are good at thunder! Run away!"
"Su Ze is the reincarnation of Luo Ancestor! Surrender quickly!"
Zeng Guangtai no longer cared about the Luo Jiao believers hiding in the army, but as soon as he walked out of the inner city wall, I saw the naval dock between the inner city and the outer city blazing into the sky!
Looking at the thick smoke billowing in the direction of the outer city, Zeng Guangtai sat on the ground in despair. It was over. The defense of the outer city that he had carefully arranged collapsed. Jiujiang's military strength and morale were simply unable to resist Su Ze's army.
On September 11, Lin Liangjun captured Jiujiang, an important town on the Yangtze River.
Jiujiang Guards and Jiujiang Navy surrendered. Zeng Guangtai, the prefect of Jiujiang, was about to commit suicide but was saved by his men and tied up and sent to Lin Liangjun's tent.
As soon as they arrived in Jiujiang, Lin Liangjun's first thing was not to enter the city, but to lead his soldiers to inspect the Folan cannon on the outer wall.
Lin Liangjun was extremely happy to find thirty cannons that could fire from the wall. He quickly had people carefully remove the cannons.
It can only be said that the defenders in Jiujiang are really too tight. The Folang machine gun is not originally used to defend the city. This thing is best used for offense.
It was only the Jiujiang Navy's cowardice and refusal to even leave the city for night patrols that allowed Lin Liangjun to take such a huge advantage.
Lin Liangjun planned to install these artillery pieces on small boats. With thirty gunboats, Lin Liangjun was more confident in blocking the Yangtze River!
"Hu Gong! You have really done a great job this time! I have already sent a summary of the military intelligence to the Governor's Mansion! You are the first to do this!"
Eunuch Hu looked at the collapsed city wall, but there was no happy expression on his face. .
Who would have thought that ordinary glycerin, mixed with strong acid, could turn into such a terrifying weapon.
Seeing that Eunuch Hu's face was a little ugly, Lin Liangjun was no longer that little kid. He immediately said:
"Mr. Hu, if your new medicine hadn't broken through the city wall, I don't know how many people would have died in this attack on Jiujiang."
Eunuch Hu's face looked better now, and he said:
"If this thing can be more stable, it can be used to open mountains, mines, build dams and rivers, and it can also benefit the country and the people."
Lin Liangjun immediately said: "Yes, yes . Ah!"
in Nanjing city.
At dawn, the newsboys begin their day's work.
In a workshop near Nanjing's city wall, with black cloth taped to the windows, Xiong Wu was checking a newly printed newspaper.
"Warning World News" was originally sold at night. After Xiong Wu sneaked into Nanjing, it was still too slow to transport the printed newspapers from Suzhou. Xiong Wu simply built an underground printing shop in Nanjing and printed the newspapers directly in Nanjing.
In this way, Suzhou Prefecture only needs to send a person riding a fast horse in the middle of the night to deliver the typeset sample to the outside of Nanjing. Xiong Wu can get the sample through the underground passage under the printing shop, and then type and print it immediately.
In this way, the "Jingshi News" in Nanjing City can be published only half an hour later than the newspaper in Suzhou City. In addition to printing newspapers, they also need to be sold immediately.
Today, there are more than 20 newsboy organizations, large and small, in Nanjing.
How to sell newspapers, how to establish a newsboy organization, and how to compete for territory with other gray forces on the street, most of this was brought out by Xiong Wu himself.
Newspapers also supported the orphans in these cities, and Xiong Wu designated them their own streets and activity areas.
There was still an hour before dawn, Xiong Wu said to more than 20 newsboy leaders:
"Today's newspapers are free!"
"But how much newspapers do you send out, how much will we pay!"
The leader of the newsboys' eyes lit up, there is such a good thing?
Xiong Wu said: "But the content of today's newspaper is sensitive. If the newspapers are sold out today, you will take people to hide in the city. Be careful of the government's arrest!" The newsboys nodded one after another. Avoiding the government is also their specialty, and the government also wants
to They are searching for these newsboys, and even want to arrest them for labor service or arrest. Therefore, each newsboy has his own stronghold in the city and hides when the wind is tight.
"Let's go!"
The newspaper, which had just been printed and was full of the scent of ink, was loaded onto a cart, covered with a tarpaulin and quickly transported out of the alley.
Then the newspapers were distributed to each newsboy, who began to distribute newspapers on familiar streets.
Most of the newsboys in Nanjing have their own street. Which house does what, which house likes to read newspapers, which house has new people moved in, and which house has moved away. These newsboys usually read them. In their eyes, they can be said to know the situation on this street very well.
Even some residents with good credit have reached long-term agreements with newsboys, who will deliver newspapers directly to their homes.
Since today's newspapers are free, newsboys put newspapers into the homes of literate people.
In the small courtyard where Tan Lun rented, Gao Hanwen rubbed his eyes and walked out of the room. He didn't sleep all night yesterday and finally composed the music. If he turns it in today, he should be able to get the retouching fee.
Gao Hanwen experienced ups and downs. He could no longer tell whether he felt more comfortable working as a scholar in the Hanlin Academy, or whether he felt more comfortable working as a magistrate in Hangzhou, or whether he felt more secure when he established himself in this small courtyard.
Just when Gao Hanwen was thinking wildly, he suddenly heard a whistle, and then a stack of things was thrown in from outside the wall.
Delivery of newspapers?
Tan Lun subscribes to every issue of the newspaper and has reached a long-term agreement with the newsboy in this alley. Gao Hanwen no longer needs to go out to buy newspapers.
I didn't expect these newsboys to deliver them so early. In the past, Gao Hanwen would collect newspapers when he went out to buy breakfast. It was already broad daylight.
After picking up the newspaper on the ground, Gao Hanwen didn't feel sleepy. He took the newspaper back to the room and started reading under the whale oil lamp.
Just after reading the news on the front page, Gao Hanwen immediately jumped up and rushed directly to Tan Lun's room with the newspaper.
"Brother Zili! Something big happened to Brother Zili!"
Tan Lun, who was sleepy-eyed, turned pale after reading the title and the content.
I only saw the news headline "Shocked!" Tan Lun, the former governor of Zhejiang Province, remonstrated with death, but the imperial court sent Tiqi thousands of miles away to arrest him.
This article listed in detail the contents of the memorial written by Tan Lun, and also attached the results of the treatment from the capital. The Jin Yiwei went south to arrest Tan Lun and entered the capital, and Zhejiang released all the officials to arrest and interrogate him!
Gao Hanwen still didn't believe it and said, "Brother Zili, isn't this a plot by the Su thieves to alienate each other?"
Tan Lun calmed down and said, "No, the front page of "Jingshi Bao" is all real news. , Su Ze will not ruin the credibility of this newspaper for us people."
Gao Hanwen thought for a while and nodded.
It is true that since the publication of "Jing Shi Bao", there has never been any fake news published on the front page. Now the entire South Zhili is reading news from "Jing Shi Bao". The trust established through repeated publications cannot be used to alienate Tan Lun. These were released to the officials.
Tan Lun stood up and said: "My memorial is the title book, and the six subjects and thirteen sections are copied to the meeting. This news should be from the capital. There must be some officials who complain about our injustice, so the content of the memorial will be copied." Release the results of the processing with the imperial court."
Tan Lun added: "There is a fast ship between Dengzhou and Shanghai, and the "Jingshi News" has published news about the capital before, which is half a month faster than the imperial court's channels." Gao
Hanwen He collapsed on the ground and said, "Does that mean the news is true?"
Tan Lun nodded, and Gao Hanwen said desperately, "What should I do?"
Tan Lun said without hesitation, "Let's go to Suzhou Mansion."
Gao Hanwen said He asked desperately: "Can you escape?"
Tan Lun said: "Of course you can! The imperial documents and the imperial guards are still on the way. What can they do to arrest us in Nanjing?"
Gao Hanwen's eyes lit up, yes, he was arrested. The official document is still on the way. How could Nanjing arrest someone based on information in a newspaper about a thief?
Back in the study, Tan Lun looked at what he had written during this period, including his analysis of the Fujian-Zhejiang coalition, his evaluation of Su Ze's governance, the direction of the people's hearts and customs in the southeastern region, and the Zhejiang that Tan Lun drew from his memory. Military map, Zhejiang New Army's combat formations and tactics.
He originally wanted to give these to the court, or directly give them to Zhang Juzheng and Zhao Zhenji.
But now it seems that all this was a joke. Tan Lun took out the brazier and burned all the manuscripts he had written.
The two immediately packed their things, and sure enough, no one stopped them from leaving the city.
Gao Hanwen drove and Tan Lun identified the direction, heading towards Suzhou Prefecture.
Most of the officials released from Zhejiang believed the article in "Jingshi Bao" and immediately left Nanjing.
But there are also a few who don't believe it. They still feel that the imperial court will not forget these heroes and are determined to stay in Nanjing.
The various yamen in Nanjing are also in trouble. The official documents from the imperial court have not yet arrived, so they can't arrest people based on the newspapers of the rebel army, right?
But the newspaper was full of truth, even the contents of Tan Lun's memorial were published, so the court's opinions on how to deal with it didn't seem to be fake, right?
There was an urgent meeting of the Six Ministries in Nanjing. Although Zhao Zhenji, the Minister of Household Affairs of the Nanzhili Civil Affairs Bureau, knew best that this report was absolutely true and the court order in the newspaper was accurate, he said the same thing throughout the meeting. Not sent.
Until the officials came to report that Tan Lun and Gao Hanwen had left Nanjing, the Sixth Department still did not come up with any results.
By the time the discussion got dark, a result was finally reached. The Zhejiang released officials who had not yet left Nanjing were first controlled. Then, if the content in the newspaper was true, they could at least have an explanation.
Tan Lun and Gao Hanwen's journey to Suzhou was also very smooth.
The identity of their officials was still there, and they spent some money to manage it, and passed the Ming army's checkpoint smoothly.
Even later, both of them discovered that these checkpoints were in name only. They didn't need to reveal their identities, they could just get through with money.
Tan Lun finally understood why Suzhou's newspapers could be published simultaneously with Nanjing's newspapers, and why Suzhou's popular goods could appear on Nanjing's shelves within three days. This was completely unimpeded!
(End of chapter)