Daming: Stealing Chen Yuanyuan at the beginning

Chapter 31 Forbidden land, a sharp knife
After Zhang Qian traveled to the Western Regions, opium was introduced into China.Chinese people use it to treat diseases. Many medical books have recorded many miraculous effects of opium, but doctors of all dynasties have also pointed out that opium is strong in nature, and there are strict restrictions on its use as medicine.

In addition, opium was expensive, and generally only high-ranking officials could afford it.Therefore, from the Western Han Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, there are no records of Chinese people taking opium and becoming addicted to it.

Tobacco is different. It was introduced into China from Luzon Island in the Philippines during the Ming Dynasty, so it is called "Luzon Tobacco".

For a long time, tobacco was planted in the south, but the literati in the south didn't like smoking, and Chongzhen had also issued a smoking ban, and domestic smokers were not common.

On the contrary, the slaves outside the customs, perhaps because of the cold climate, or perhaps because of the lack of recreational activities in the bitter cold frontier, tobacco smoking was very popular, especially among the nobles.

In some more rigorous film and television dramas, there are often scenes of slaves and nobles smoking, which has historical basis.Xiaozhuang likes to smoke hookah, while Dorgon marches and fights with a smoking pot pinned to his waist.

After the Manchu Qing ruled the Central Plains, because the dignitaries generally smoked, it affected ordinary people, and the habit of smoking spread from top to bottom throughout the country.

Li Cunming was [-]% sure that the two pieces of opium cream would definitely fall into the hands of Jiannu's high-level figures, and they would arouse their great interest. This was doomed by Jiannu's habit of smoking.

There is another person who will play a role in fueling the flames, and that is the deputy envoy Chen Hongfan.In history, Chen Hongfan was known as "Living Qin Hui". He had already surrendered to the Manchu Qing and acted as a spy and lobbyist for the Manchu Qing in the south of the Yangtze River.

Li Cunming summoned Yan Ermei alone in the study, and explained to Yan Ermei the various consequences of smoking opium in detail, saying: "Military officer, I want to plant opium to make opium, and send it to the high-level Jiannu people through special channels to enjoy and destroy their bodies. And will. But I am worried that this kind of trend will spread and become poisonous, what do you think should be done?"

Yan Ermei paced back and forth, frowned and said nothing, apparently also felt that this matter was unusual, and was engaged in a fierce ideological struggle.

After pondering for a long time, Yan Ermei finally said: "After listening to His Majesty's narration, I feel terrified and trembling. The ancestors said that the medicine is three-point poisonous, and this statement is true! If the people of the country are infected with the habit of smoking opium, the country will not be as good as time goes by." country!"

"Since the military adviser said so, I will give up this idea."

"No!" Yan Ermei shook her head and waved her hands, her attitude was firm, "War is always cruel. Cruelty to the enemy is kindness to our soldiers. Using opium to destroy the fighting power and willpower of Jiannu has won the essence of Sun Tzu's Art of War .This plan is feasible, but we must be cautious!"

"I heard the meaning of the military division's words, and it seems that I already have a countermeasure. So be it, I will leave this matter to the military division."

Yan Ermei led the order to leave and walked to the door, but was stopped by Li Cunming.

Li Cunming walked up to Yan Ermei, took his arm, and said very seriously: "Military Master, this matter must be done carefully and strictly, otherwise you and I will become national sinners!"

Yan Ermei looked into Li Cunming's eyes, nodded heavily and said: "I understand that I am not afraid of heaven and earth, but I am afraid of being charged with harming the country and the people! The emperor can not only glare like a diamond, but also lower his eyebrows as a bodhisattva. He is really a holy master of a generation!"

Yan Ermei is a vigorous and resolute person. After several days of consideration and planning, he first ordered people to tear down the east wall of the mansion's back garden, expand it to more than double, build a high wall again, and circle a forbidden area.

This forbidden area covers about ten acres, surrounded by tall and solid walls, leaving only a small narrow gate to communicate with the back garden of the government office, and a hundred brocade guards are assigned to guard it closely, ordering that outsiders who come within three feet of this place, Those who don't know how to retreat after the warning will be killed.

Now the government office is the emperor's palace, and it is heavily guarded.A forbidden area is circled in the palace, and it is locked and locked, outsiders are not allowed to enter, and birds are not allowed to enter.

Anyone who is eligible to enter the forbidden area, whether an official or a craftsman, must be searched and even his hair must be groped.

Yan Ermei went to check the archives of the government office in person, carefully selected [-] criminals who had committed the crime of exterminating the nine ethnic groups, and gathered them together to give lectures.

"You are all heinous people, and it is no problem to be executed after the autumn. Not only that, but you have also dragged down your relatives and family members, and some have involved hundreds of people, the old and the young, all because of your sins. suffer for no reason."

"Think about it, there are babies waiting to be fed, parents with white hair, and relatives and friends with deep affection. Are they going to die because of you? Are you happy? , how can we meet each other?"

What he said made the prisoners burst into tears and began to cry.

"I have a method here, which can not only save you from being killed by swords and axes, but also release your relatives. I wonder if you are willing?"

The prisoners hurriedly said: "If we can save our relatives from prison, we are willing to do anything!"

"It's very simple. I work as a handyman in the government office, and I get three taels of silver every month. But I need something from you..."

"what?"

"Tongue, I must cut off your tongue!"

Yan Ermei is indeed vicious and vicious. The prisoners he selected are all illiterate. After cutting out their tongues and making them dumb, coupled with strict supervision, they will not be afraid of leaking secrets.

Planting poppies to boil opium must be done as a top secret, and the spread of opium must be strictly guarded against.

You don’t have to worry about tobacco. First, after the European navigators discovered the American continent, the global smoking trend became irreversible. Second, tobacco is much less harmful. Even in a modern civilized society, there are still many smokers. people?
It's just that there is a shortage of food nowadays, and it is still a big problem for people to eat enough. Moreover, tobacco is a crop that does great damage to arable land and requires intensive cultivation. Currently, it does not have the conditions for large-scale planting.

Li Cunming sent people to reclaim a few acres of land by the Yellow River outside the east gate, planted some tobacco, and didn't bother to take care of it, letting them fend for themselves.

……

This afternoon, Li Cunming was inspecting the city wall of Xuzhou City.

The city wall is a brick-covered soil structure. The inner and outer sides of the city wall are built with large green bricks and glutinous rice juice mixed with lime, and the middle is rammed with soil and broken bricks. This kind of city wall is very strong.

The enemy defense facilities on the city wall are complete and complete. There are battlements more than one meter above the city wall, also called crenels, which are fortifications.When counterattacking the enemy, it can be used to look out or shoot arrows, and it can also cover the defenders.

There are also special horse-faced buildings, which are also a kind of fortification, commonly known as piers, which are mainly used to strengthen the defense on both sides of the city gate, and there are one at a certain distance.The horse face protrudes outward and is higher than the main wall of the city wall. When encountering a siege, it will assist each other with the main city wall to form crossfire and kill the attacking enemies with bows and arrows from the flanks, eliminating the dead corner of defense under the city wall.

There is also Wengcheng, which is not available in Ningling County.

The four city gates are also very tall and wide. The locals have a nursery rhyme to describe the height of the city gates: "How tall is the city gate? It's 36 feet high. Ride a white horse, carry a big knife, and walk under the gate."

Li Cunming was full of emotion and thought to himself: "Okay, I always felt aggrieved when I was in Ningling County, and I only let out a breath of sulk when I arrived in Xuzhou."

Suddenly Gong Yonggu came to report that Yan Yingyuan, Chen Mingyu and Feng Houdun had come.

Li Cunming cheered with joy, and ran down the city wall in a hurry to meet the three gentlemen, without caring about the king's demeanor at all.

"I look forward to the stars and the moon, and finally the three sages are here!" Li Cunming laughed loudly as soon as they met.

After laughing, he bowed solemnly and said: "I am very pleased to see the three sages, please accept my worship!"

Feng Houdun was taught from the Seventh Rank, Yan Yingyuan and Chen Mingyu are not in the history of classics, how can they accept the emperor's bow?
The three of them were sweating profusely, knelt down and said "long live", trembling as if they were facing an abyss.

Li Cunming personally helped them up one by one, and said with a smile: "You three sages don't need to be surprised, I have admired you for a long time!"

This sentence came from the heart, not Li Cunming's hypocrisy.

After the Qing army went south, it issued an order to shave its hair, which aroused fierce resistance from the people of Jiangyin.The Qing army besieged the city in anger, but the small Jiangyin county, facing more than 20 Qing troops, under the leadership of Yan Yingyuan and the other three, managed to hold on for more than [-] days!

After the city was broken, the three of Yan Yingyuan committed suicide and became benevolent, composing a heroic epic against the Qing Dynasty!

Yan Yingyuan was touched and said: "The three ministers are just insignificant officials, and they are so frightened by the favor of the Holy Majesty. They can only repay His Majesty's grace with a straw title ring!"

Li Cunming said with a smile: "You don't need to underestimate yourself, I have sharp eyes, I can see that you are very capable, you are a hero! I am looking forward to your coming these days, because I have a big task for you to do."

"Your Majesty, please order, I will wait for death!"

Li Cunming said: "Now that Li Zicheng has fled to Xi'an, the Qing Dynasty has no time to go south. The gentry in Shandong and Henan have risen to overthrow the local officials sent by the puppet Shun. Many places are in a state of anarchy and disorganization."

"After careful consideration, I feel that it is unrealistic to completely recover Shandong and Henan, and the troops in my hands are not strong enough. But I don't want to miss this opportunity in vain, and I want to send the three of you to Liaocheng to defend Liaocheng for me, just like my hands A sharp knife protruding from the inside was inserted deep into the hinterland of the Central Plains!"

(End of this chapter)