Dominate the Country

Time flies after the New Year. Chen Ming just blinked and watched the bad luck of the Haizhou families. The Lantern Festival has arrived.

The Lantern Festival in previous years was a very important festival in the Jiangnan region, especially in big cities like Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Nanjing. Eating Lanterns and playing with lanterns was a carnival for the whole people. The lanterns are ever-changing, and the lanterns are dazzling. "Bead Lanterns" made of five-color pearls, "Leather Lanterns" made of five-color dyes, "Horse Lanterns" made of five-color wax paper, and eye-catching boneless lanterns...

The people of the city will come out in droves, and the people outside the city will not know how many people will rush in.

Although the Lantern Festival in the Qing Dynasty was not as magnificent as that in the Southern Song Dynasty, it started on the 12th and went down on the 18th. Whether it was a big city or a small town, there were crowds of people and endless traffic.

This year, all of this is gone.

The Fu Han army withdrew from northern Zhejiang, and the eyes of the government and the rich were all on the movement of the Fu Han army. Who would have the energy to organize the Lantern Festival? Moreover, the millions of people who fled from Suzhou and Hangzhou were also a big problem that the Zhejiang government urgently needed to solve. They wanted to spend every copper coin in half, so where would they have the money and energy to organize the Lantern Festival?

When Nanjing fell, tens of thousands of bannermen fled frantically, but were defeated by the waiting Fu Han army halfway. Only tens of thousands of people fled to Suzhou in a miserable state. Another group of people entered Zhejiang, and were properly resettled in Hangzhou by the Zhejiang government. Before the Fu Han army marched southwards and wiped out Suzhou, tens of thousands of bannermen there fled to Zhejiang again. When they just sat down on the chairs and hadn't even taken a breath, the Fu Han army had already conquered Suzhou and pointed their swords at Hangzhou. Those people, along with tens of thousands of bannermen in Hangzhou, fled Hangzhou without hesitation before the Fu Han army arrived. They were taken care of by the Zhejiang government and escorted by officers and soldiers all the way from Hangzhou along the river to Ningbo. Fortunately, the Fu Han army did not continue to rush to Ningbo after conquering Shaoxing. Ningbo Prefecture was saved anyway.

Now the Fu Han army is returning from northern Zhejiang, and the first batch of troops is from Shaoxing. Cui Yingjie, Yin Jishan, Rong Bao and other stray dogs who hid in Ningbo Prefecture are all looking forward to the Fu Han army getting out quickly. Compared with a Lantern Festival, they hope to use "victory" to ease the anger of the Forbidden City in Beijing towards them.

After losing the important financial areas of Suzhou and Hangzhou, Emperor Qianlong, who was short of money and wanted to hit his head against the wall, must have hated them to death. If the situation could not improve, all three of them would be punished.

Now the Fu Han Army was going to the north - the whole of Jiangnan believed in the Fu Han Army's "Northern Expedition" because of a sacrificial text, and Chen Ming was surprised. He still had many supporting actions to do, such as mobilizing food, fodder, military supplies and troops to northern Jiangsu.

As loyal ministers of the Qing Dynasty, Cui Yingjie, Yin Jishan and Rong Bao were of course worried about the blow to the Qing Dynasty by Chen Ming's army going north, but they were also happy to see that the Fu Han Army soldiers were transferred north one after another, and even the Suzhou and Hangzhou land seemed to be given up. The strategic focus of the Fu Han Army in Jiangnan has always been along the Yangtze River. Then they can't "recapture" Hangzhou and Suzhou, although Chen Ming's army went south and scraped a layer of land from Suzhou and Hangzhou, destroying the paradise of Suzhou and Hangzhou. But a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and a broken boat still has three pounds of nails.

So, what about the Lantern Festival? In the face of military and national affairs, it is nothing.

Even the women in Chen Ming's backyard have not said in a coquettish way that they want to watch the lanterns these days. Chen Ming's real strategic intentions have never been revealed to these women in the backyard. Now the six women in the backyard, including Liu Wanyun, are all worried.

Before, Chen Ming's army was stationed in the north of the Yangtze River, letting the Qing army in the south of the Yangtze River counterattack the Nanjing-Zhenjiang-Jiangyin line. Liu Wanyun couldn't sleep well at night, fearing that the Qing soldiers would kill outside Nanjing when she woke up. Now the Fu Han army is mobilizing again and again, and the sound of the Northern Expedition can be heard even by them in the backyard. Liu Wanyun is also very clear about Chen Ming's temperament. During the really important war, Chen Ming will not take her (them) with him, which means that the previous days of fear are coming again.

"Madam, Shi is here." Liu Wanyun was thinking about something when the maid beside her suddenly lowered her voice and whispered in her ear.

The hesitant, nervous and uneasy expression on her face disappeared, and Liu Wanyun straightened her back, "Come in quickly." The clear voice was transmitted directly to Shi's ears outside the door through the outer room.

Shi walked into the room with a slightly uneasy look, followed by two maids, one of whom was holding a scroll in her hand. Liu Wanyun was already sitting on a chair in the outer hall waiting with a peaceful face.

Chen Ming rested here at Liu Wanyun's place that night. He looked a little relaxed. Nanjing has now assembled ten battalions with certain combat experience. In two days, the first army will set out from Nanjing and rush to Anqing. These are ten absolutely non-main force battalions.

Then in a few days, the second batch of troops will be organized to rush to Jiujiang, and the Qing army should not be suspicious. That group of troops would be composed of twelve battalion veterans disguised as non-main forces, with weapons and equipment stuffed in the cabin. After arriving in Jiujiang, they would cooperate with the Jiujiang troops, and then the Second Battalion of the Navy would come back to assist after sweeping the Hubei River. They would be the first group to enter Hubei. The big event that had been planned years ago was gradually put into practice, and Chen Ming's burden was much lighter.

After entering Liu Wanyun's room, Chen Ming was entertained by the extremely corrupt san, who ate, drank and slept with him. The next day, when Chen Ming, who was refreshed, walked briskly towards the front yamen, Liu Wanyun also washed and stood up with the help of her personal maid.

"Madam, didn't you promise Shi yesterday..."

"Humph, you want to buy me off with a painting, am I so shallow?" Liu Wanyun didn't even open her eyes, and said with disdain: "Besides, what kind of person is the Grand Commander? He is not the King Zhou of Shang who was obsessed with women. I have served the Grand Commander for more than a month or two. Has he ever discussed the military and political affairs of the front yamen with me? Do you believe that if I dare to ask a question, the Grand Commander will turn his face to me?"

Liu Wanyun was not as sure as she said, but she would never take risks because of a painting. As for the promise to Shi, humph, the Grand Commander hates people in the backyard asking about the front yamen, so why not say that. No matter how favored Shi is, she still dares to ask the Grand Commander..., give them the courage.

Two batches of women entered Chen Ming's backyard in succession a few years ago, and both sides were also clamoring, each sending five. But none of the ten women could surpass Liu Wanyun.

Liu Wanyun has never regarded a favored person like Shi as an opponent. If Shi wants to really stand out, she must first see whether Zheng agrees.

Now the time is still short. Wait for three to five months, a year or two, if Shi is still so favored, do you think Zheng will look good? All the people in Shi's family eat under the Zheng family.

Of the two batches of women, Liu Wanyun is of course more familiar with the first batch. Among the five people, the biggest shortcoming of Shi and Yao compared with Zhang, Zheng, and Lin is that their families are controlled. And compared with her father, the backers of Zhang, Lin, and Zheng are obviously more trusted by the Grand Commander.

Chen Ming didn't care about these little thoughts in the backyard at all. He was now concentrating on the deployment of the Qing army in Shandong.

Since the publication of the memorial, the news that the Fu Han army was going to the north in the spring had already spread to Beijing. Emperor Qianlong responded by dispatching 2,000 Eight Banners cavalry in Beijing to Shandong. The weather in the north is still very cold, and it will take at least until the end of the first month to mobilize a large number of troops. Moreover, although the weather in Shandong this winter is very cold, there is not much snow, and spring drought is inevitable.

In addition, Beijing is now crowded with candidates from all over the country, and the imperial examination in the 34th year of Qianlong's reign will still be carried out as scheduled. In the twelfth month of last year, Qianlong also pretended to allocate 10,000 taels of silver from the treasury to repair the Imperial Academy. As early as before the New Year, candidates from the northern provinces, as well as candidates from Huguang, Guangdong and Guangxi, Jiangxi and Zhejiang, and even Fujian, and candidates from the southwestern provinces had already gone to Beijing.

For these candidates, nothing is bigger than their exams. Now the situation in various places is unstable, wars and bandits are rampant, and encountering robbers on the road is not a fantasy, but there are still many candidates from all directions flocking to Beijing. According to the report from the Beijing Station, there are at least 5,000 candidates from all over the country, which is not much different from the previous exams.

And if the plan goes as planned this year, the first imperial examination of the Fu Han Army will also be launched. Regardless of background or qualifications, anyone who is willing to take the exam can take the exam. Just like in the Tang Dynasty, the candidates are selected by subject, but they are not Mingjing, Jinshi, Junshi, Mingfa, Mingzi, Mingsuan, etc., but they are also similar.

The imperial examination of the Fu Han Army is divided into four categories: politics, law, arithmetic, and engineering.

The former is of course an official in the ordinary sense, and the latter three are called specialized in their professions, belonging to technical officials. Of course, if they really have political minds, they can also jump out of the narrow road and step onto a broader stage. Chen Ming even wanted to put criminal investigation in the imperial examination. If there were a few Song Cis, it would be a great virtue to clear the world of injustice.

Unfortunately, the status of criminal investigation in China is too low. There are novels about Di Renjie, Bao Gong, and Shi Gong circulating among the Chinese people, but what about in reality? For example, the coroner, a low-class pariah, no matter how much practical benefit he has, is looked down upon by everyone in society. The political status of yamen runners and constables is also very low. It is impossible for Chen Ming to open a separate department for criminal investigation. Now he can only put some corners into the law.

On the 16th day of the first lunar month, a fleet of one or two hundred canal boats slowly left Nanjing Xiaguan Wharf. This is a fleet heading west to Anqing, carrying the ten non-main camps. Wang Zhizheng stood at the stern, watching the city of Nanjing slowly disappearing in front of him, and tears could not stop flowing down. In Suzhou, he did not find his family. Now that he had gone to Anqing with the team and had completely left Jiangnan, there was no hope for him to find his parents.

The uncontrollable sadness made him cry bitterly, and he knelt down at the stern, choking for a long time.

Tang Wencan, who was standing on the bow deck of the boat, was enjoying the scenery on the river and was full of confidence. He was the deputy commander of the Fu Han Army, and his rank was raised by one level. If there were no vacancies in the main battalion, Tang Wencan could have jumped to the main battalion with a lower ranking as a regular battalion officer.

He is not bad now.

The steady rise of his own status and the brighter prospects of the Fu Han Army made Tang Wencan look full of confidence. Even Hu Wenxian beside him put aside his worries at this time, and showed a little excitement on his face.

Hu Wenxian followed the troops to Anqing, while his family stayed in Nanjing, and the two sides were considered separated. In today's world, Hu Wenxian was obviously very uneasy about the separation of his parents and family, but people tend to move up, and Tang Wencan has a bright future. Hu Wenxian followed Tang Wencan all the way, which was obviously more promising than returning to the logistics unit as a clerk. After thinking again and again, Hu Wenxian still boarded the ship to Anqing. This was his own choice.

Just like Chen Jigong, who had transferred most of his property and craftsmen to Zhoushan, but still stayed in Songjiang, holding the thick information sent to him by Chen Ming, he had a headache. The second brother asked him to build a large Western-style sailing ship and sent him these things, but he really couldn't understand them. "Call Lao Matou over, and Lao Deng, Lao Sun, go and call..."