Chapter 1701 Arrival in Suzhou
“Welcome, Mr. Zhu, since I received the order from the Governor, I have been looking forward to the stars and the moon, and finally Mr. Zhu is here. You are here, and I am raising my voice. The heart of the eyes can finally be put into the stomach "
Suzhou magistrate Shang Wei led a group of staff to the Changting Pavilion ten miles west of the city early. After seeing Zhu Ping'an and his entourage appearing, he led the crowd to greet them from a distance. Warmly welcome Zhu Pingan and his entourage to Suzhou.
Zhifu Shang is about fifty years old, tall and thin, from Hunan, with a thick Hunan accent.
"The lower official pays homage to the magistrate Shang." Zhu Ping'an quickly stepped forward and bowed his hands in greeting.
"Quickly excuse me, Mr. Zhu, you are exhausted from the long journey and the fatigue of carriage and horses. All these red tapes will be dispensed with." Magistrate Shang stepped forward and held up Zhu Pingan's arm to prevent Zhu Pingan from saluting, and said with a smile. , "Let's go to the camp and have a meal first. I have ordered Everyone has packed up, and the tents, mattresses, etc. are all new. You can move in directly. Hot water and food are also ready. Everything will be done after you have eaten and drank."
"Thank you, Magistrate Shang. Compassionate." Upon hearing this, Zhu Pingan expressed his gratitude to Magistrate Shang.
Suzhou, which is worthy of being the most prosperous place in the Ming Dynasty, even prepared brand new tents and mattresses for the entire army, which is really a generous move.
"Where are you? You guys came to Suzhou to garrison and protect our safety. We should be the ones thanking you." Magistrate Shang said with a smile, "When we get to the camp later, we'll see what's missing. We'll do it tomorrow. We can make up for it. All the food and wages your army will need in the future will be given to us, and we will ensure that the soldiers will not go hungry."
"Thank you, Magistrate Shang."
Unexpectedly, Suzhou Prefecture was so generous and even included food and salary. Zhu Pingan was overjoyed when he heard this and thanked Magistrate Shang repeatedly.
"Master Zhu, you are too polite. You protect our safety, and these food and wages are what we should bear."
Shang Zhifu said with a smile.
“We have set up your army’s camp at Fengqiao Ferry, nine miles outside Xichang Gate, which is more than a mile in front of Fengqiao Ferry, covering an area of 100 acres.” Magistrate Shang led the way. , said while saying.
One mile is very close and we will arrive soon.
During this one-mile journey, Zhu Ping'an also saw the prosperity of Suzhou, which was still nine or ten miles outside the city.
There was a lot of traffic along the way, there were merchant ships and cargo ships in the river, and all kinds of goods continued to flow on both sides of the waterway. According to Prefect Shang, this was still affected by the Japanese invasion, and the number of merchants dropped by about 30%.
“This is the legendary Maple Bridge.”
Outside the camp, Zhu Ping’an looked at the Maple Bridge about forty meters long and five or six meters wide in front of him, and thought of the legend passed down through the ages. "Night Mooring at Maple Bridge", I couldn't help but sigh.
“Yes, this is the maple bridge where ‘the moon sets, the crows cry and the sky is filled with frost, and the river maples and fishing fires confront the sorrowful sleep’. Its old name is ‘Fengqiao’, because in ancient times, water bandits often invaded Suzhou from the river, and every night The government wanted to seal the bridge for safety, so it was named Fengqiao. Later, it was rumored to be Fengqiao. ”
Magistrate Shang nodded and briefly told the origin of Maple Bridge.
The Zhejiang Army Camp is just east of Fengqiao, next to Fengqiao, covering an area of about one hundred acres, along the river and backed by a hill.
It’s a nice campsite.
Located in the suburban area nine miles outside Suzhou City, it guards the land and water transportation route leading to Changmen, the west gate of Suzhou, and protects the west side of Suzhou.
It can not only guard the security of the west side of Suzhou, but also can enter Suzhou City for defense when necessary. It can also ensure the Zhejiang Army's military aircraft and training space.
Zhu Pingan was very satisfied with this.
The camp is surrounded by a fence, with brand-new battalion commanders standing neatly inside the camp, and the smell of food wafts out.
"Master Zhu, please invite all the officers and men to enter the camp to have a meal. Eat your stomach first." Magistrate Shang and others invited Zhu Ping'an and others to enter the camp.
Zhu Pingan led a group of soldiers to thank them and entered the camp. Tables and chairs had been set up. After Zhu Pingan and others sat down, the food was served. There were fish and meat, chicken and duck, ten vegetables and one soup. The food was abundant and delicious. The Zhejiang Army soldiers who were tired and hungry all the way devoured it and were very satisfied.
"Haha, Mr. Zhu, speaking of it, we still have the same friendship." During the dinner, after thirty years of tea, Zhifu Shang said to Zhu Ping'an with a gentle smile, "Eleven years ago, After I became a Jinshi, I worked as an editor at the Hanlin Academy for two years, and then as a censor. Four years ago I was assigned to Suzhou as the prefect.”
"Oh, it turns out it's senior. It's rude to be born late." Zhu Ping'an suddenly realized and hurriedly stood up to greet him again.
"Haha, sit down, didn't I just say that we won't do these false etiquettes, the most important thing now is to eat and drink enough." As soon as Zhu Pingan got up, Shang Zhifu pulled Zhu Pingan and smiled. He waved his hand and said, "I say this not to put on airs as a senior, but to say that our relationship is different and we don't need to be so unfamiliar. I am in charge of the government in Suzhou, and you are stationed in Suzhou to protect the safety of Suzhou. We must cooperate sincerely and closely."
"This is natural. I am stationed in Suzhou, and we are in the same boat as the prefect. Sincere cooperation and close cooperation." Zhu Ping'an naturally nodded in agreement, which was also what he wanted.
"With these words from Mr. Zhu, I feel relieved." Magistrate Shang nodded with satisfaction, then patted his heart and said, "I heard that Governor Zhang wants to transfer you to lead the Zhejiang army to garrison in Suzhou. News, I feel relieved."
"Why did Magistrate Shang say this?" Zhu Ping'an asked.
"Zihou, how about visiting Suzhou?" Magistrate Shang asked without answering.
" Along the way, ten miles outside the city, there are also busy cars and sails. The prosperity is far beyond other places. It is worthy of being 'there is heaven above, and there are Suzhou and Hangzhou below'. Suzhou is worthy of being the world's first-class wealth and glamour. Land. "
Zhu Ping'an replied.
"Yes, Suzhou is the most prosperous city in the world. It is prosperous but not prosperous. Hanchuankou is prosperous but not prosperous. Guanglingfu is prosperous but not prosperous. It is the most prosperous city in the world, except for Wu Xiayou, the capital. I, the Ming Dynasty, rely heavily on taxes Southeast, and the taxation in the southeast relies heavily on Suzhou Prefecture and Songjiang Prefecture. It is known as "Susong Prefecture taxed half the world". The food for sacrifices is exchanged for silver, the four departments of the Ministry of Industry are exchanged for silver, and all kinds of materials are exchanged for silver, and the Ministry of Rites is exchanged for livestock and medicinal materials. It is no exaggeration to say that our Suzhou Prefecture is responsible for the Ming Dynasty. One-tenth of the tax. "
"Now, the Japanese pirates occupy Tuolin and other places in Songjiang Prefecture, looting everywhere, and Songjiang Prefecture is almost destroyed."
"The bold Japanese pirates are not satisfied with Songjiang Prefecture, but also covet our prosperous Suzhou. During this period of time, the Japanese pirates have come upstream from the Yangtze River estuary several times and invaded the southern area of our Suzhou. They burned, killed, plundered, raped women, and robbed women and children. I wanted to kill the thieves. Although I have studied military books, I am not good at military affairs. I am not very good at commanding troops, marching formations, and offensive and defensive strategies. Now I am exhausted. Well, the Songjiang Mansion is destroyed, and the Suzhou Mansion cannot be destroyed again, otherwise our Ming Dynasty's finances will be in danger."
At the end, Magistrate Shang couldn't help but sigh, and then looked at Zhu Ping'an. His eyes lit up and he said: "Master Zhu knows military affairs and has achievements in defending the city and destroying Japanese invaders. He led two thousand Zhejiang troops to garrison Suzhou, which solved my urgent need." (End of Chapter)
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