Chapter 252: Sticky Rod, Blood Dropper [Subscribe]

Chen Ming was fighting the final battle in Suzhou, while Nanjing, as the center of the Jiangnan control area of ​​the Fu Han Army, had not been affected by the wars burning on both sides of the Yangtze River.

The shops, restaurants, teahouses and hotels here were still open, and small vendors could still run around in Nanjing. The Fu Han Army's rule over Nanjing was divided into two parts. Nanjing seemed to be catching the big and letting the small go, while the whole city - the Ming Palace, was full of soldiers with live ammunition, with strict armaments, and no strangers were allowed to enter.

When the first beam of sunlight came in, the morning mist slowly dissipated, and the sound of birds flapping wings came from Xuanwu Lake in the distance. The calm lake surface looked so calm against the morning glow, as if everything had just woken up.

Nanjing in the 18th century had a slow pace that was completely different from that of China's big cities in the 21st century. I don't know if it was because of the panic about the future, or because it was its own nature, the merchants and citizens who stayed in this city were so quiet and indifferent. It was as quiet as a mirror, and more like the hearts of the people in this ancient city at this moment.

Chen Ming liked to get up early when he was in Nanjing. He liked Xuanwu Lake. It must be said that Gao Jin had very good taste. The sunrise in the morning also reflected the other side of this ancient city. It was simple and elegant, and the rings of history made people intoxicated.

…

In the streets and alleys, the Fu Han Army's boy soldiers were organized in squads and platoons. There was no time rule or action rule. Then they shuttled back and forth.

Compared with the fierce Fu Han Army soldiers, these boy soldiers undoubtedly brought much less pressure to the citizens of Nanjing. Although they also held knives and guns, adults always had a sense of superiority when looking at children, so the Fu Han Army's boy scouts performed the duties of patrolmen very well. With these deterrent forces that were not strong, but always deterrent, the city of Nanjing was very peaceful these days.

Although there were fights and even fatalities in Nanjing from time to time, the latter were mostly headless lawsuits. Many people's corpses, Fu Han Army portraits were posted at the city gate, and no one came to claim them. But once there is a victim, this matter will become a trouble for the Fu Han Army.

There is a very special department in the Fu Han Army - the Public Security Department. The people in it are either the original scouts, or the local constables and coroners forcibly taken away by the Fu Han Army during the sweep along the river. The latter are experts in handling cases and investigating cases, and the only role of this Public Security Department is to act as a police station when the Fu Han Army occupies a certain place for a long time.

These days, the appearance of Nanjing has been much more prosperous than the initial time. In addition to a large number of sulfur and saltpeter, many ships that rushed to Nanjing from Wusongkou also brought various goods, which complemented each other and provided Nanjing with many necessities of life. Moreover, merchants in Nanjing have found that the Fu Han Army has very few miscellaneous taxes, which is conducive to the development of business, but the Fu Han Army's means and strength of crackdown on the behavior of hoarding goods and raising prices are not ordinary sharp.

Whether it is salt, grain, cloth or other things, if the Fu Han Army has such goods in their hands, they will release them in large quantities, and those merchants who hoard goods and raise prices will never be able to make a comeback. And if they encounter materials that are also in short supply in their hands, such as medicinal materials, they will directly use knives.

Once, twice, three times..., all the merchants who are still open in Nanjing City have learned their lesson. One by one, they studied the "Urban Management Regulations" issued by the Fu Han Army hard, and found a very glaring term-fighting speculation. What is speculation? The popular meaning of these four words is hoarding goods and raising prices, manipulating prices. The monkeys who were killed in conjunction with this crime are all guilty of speculation. There is a special page in the "Urban Management Regulations" called the "Price Management Regulations". The formulation of this regulation aims to strengthen price management, ensure the basic stability of market prices, stabilize people's lives, and ensure economic development. These are all written explanations from the Fu Han Army, which is actually "kill the rich and help the poor"!

When there are more goods, the price will fall, and when there are fewer goods, the price will rise. This is the practice of the mall, but when it comes to the Fu Han Army, there are even regulations on the price increase of goods. The highest price cannot exceed twice the original price. Although twice is already a very lucrative profit, when the price of something can rise to twice the original price, it can rise to three or five times. The Fu Han Army's requirements in this regard have seriously dissatisfied the big merchants in Nanjing City.

But it's useless.

Although these big businesses are still open in Nanjing City, their big owners are definitely not in Nanjing City. These people will not sit on the side of the Fu Han Army. In this case, does Chen Ming need to take their feelings into consideration?

Chinese businessmen are not Western businessmen. The strength of these people is far less than their financial strength. Even if some of the literati and gentry will have a deep connection with it, the Fu Han Army itself is not "loved" by the literati and gentry, so it doesn't matter if there is more hatred.

Liu Chengshan is fifteen years old. This little guy who led the boy soldiers to raid the Mu family in Yanchakou, Yunxi, is now a scout officer and a student in the intermediate class of the teaching brigade's camp school. When he graduates in two years, as long as the seventeen-year-old Liu Chengshan passes the exam, he can become a corporal in the regular army of the Fu Han Army; if he has excellent grades and ranks in the top five in the class, he can become a sergeant; in the entire class, only the first in the class can become a sergeant. The advanced class teaching of the camp school is aimed at all the regular army's team officers and battalion officers, which is different from the junior and intermediate classes.

The Boy Scouts also have vacations, and no one has military pay, but what about the Boy Scouts? Most of them are orphans and young, so they don't think about saving money to get a wife. It’s not that there aren’t such people, it’s that there are very few.

At least Liu Chengshan is not among them. His ideals are very lofty. He will at least become a sergeant in two years, and then become a general step by step. When the Manchu Qing Dynasty is overthrown, he will be able to honor his ancestors. What kind of person will he marry then? Does your wife know how to do it? Do you still need to save money yourself? The money in Liu Chengshan's hands was always used for food and drink. Because of this, he had a high prestige in the minds of the boy soldiers in their squadron. Because Liu Chengshan always brings his subordinates with him when he eats and drinks, maybe who they are.

The city of Nanjing is undoubtedly a very large and prosperous place, and the food here has all kinds of flavors from the north and the south, as well as the east and west. For the boy soldiers who couldn't even eat enough a year ago, it was a huge temptation.

The Confucius Temple by the Qinhuai River is Liu Chengshan's favorite place to visit. The boy soldiers do not care about the Qinhuai River. Women are more attractive to little guys like them who have just grown hair, and delicious food is not more attractive. What's more, the Fuhan Army's system does not shy away from women. If women are not avoided in the army, they will lose their mystery and their greatest allure to the boy soldiers.

"Liu Tou, what are we going to eat today?"

"Would you like to drink sweet-scented osmanthus porridge?" Children like to eat sweets, and this boy soldier is one of them now. As I spoke, I seemed to be reminded of the taste of sweet-scented osmanthus porridge, which made my mouth water.

"I won't drink sweet-scented osmanthus porridge anymore. The rice cake is just the same. Let's eat duck today. Buy two salted ducks and go to Lao Ma's noodle shop to eat beef noodles and beef pot stickers." Obviously Liu Chengshan is a carnivore. The several boy soldiers behind him are all meat tigers. Even the boy soldier who loved sweet-scented osmanthus porridge was instantly salivating. Salted duck, beef...

In Lao Ma's noodle shop. A group of six boy soldiers sat around a table. There were ducks, sliced ​​braised beef, pot stickers, and fragrant and delicious beef noodles on the table. The owner of the noodle shop prepared everything for Liu Chengshan and his group as quickly as possible. The group of people looked as if no one else was watching. They came to eat and drink, and the diners next to them didn't have any objections to their "eat later, first" policy.

The people of Nanjing were not afraid of this group of child soldiers, but they were still timid. After all, they were holding knives.

"Sir, this is a day off for the rebel army to give their child soldiers a break. These child soldiers can rest for two days a month, on the fifteenth day of the month and at the end of the month." Liu Chengshan, who was eating duck, didn't know that Qinhuai was diagonally opposite Lao Ma's Noodle House. On the river flower boat, two pairs of eyes were staring at them fiercely. One of them was surprisingly Zhou Mazi, a local snake on the Qinhuai River. He disappeared after the Fuhan army captured Nanjing.

"Chen Thief is really interested in these dolls. This just gives us an opportunity to take advantage of. You have to plan this matter well, don't rush for success, and take a long-term view to catch the big fish. If things can be done, we can catch Chen Thief If you steal all the techniques for forging cannons and making guns, you will be the hero of my Qing Dynasty."

"Don't worry, sir. I've already found a candidate, and there will be no flaws."

"That's good." The adult picked up the teacup and took a sip, his eyes fixed on the smiling Liu Chengshan and his party.

"If you, sir, are tired of looking at me, I'll arrange some manpower to kill these six brats... It's over." Zhou Mazi made a beheading gesture.

"Don't scare the snake." The master glanced at Zhou Mazi, and his voice suddenly became much louder. Zhou Mazi was agitated and his waist suddenly lowered again.

After a while, the 'adult' voice sounded again: "You said... these child soldiers are very loyal to Chen Ni? Have you ever had contact with these thieves?"

"I don't dare to hide it from you. I did send people to contact these thieves. All four attempts failed. The thieves immediately started howling. Only one of the four I sent came back."

"The three brothers who missed were all chopped up by the thieves. Especially the first time, the younger brother was watching from the teahouse nearby. As a result, the brother who was sent was chopped to pieces with knives by three thieves at the door of the teahouse. The gourd is bleeding all over the floor..." There was a hint of crying in his voice, and his eyes were red. I don’t know if Zhou Mazi really has feelings for his subordinates, or if he has superb acting skills.

The atmosphere in the flower boat fell silent for a moment, and the 'sir' sighed and said: "The country is in turmoil, and these are all righteous people who died for the imperial court. Please sort out the names and birthplaces of the sacrificed people, and I will bring them back Suzhou, report to Beijing. The imperial court will not let Zhongliang bleed in vain. When the army defeats Chen Ni and restores Jiangnan, these people will be rewarded by the imperial court and patronized by future generations."

"Bang, bang, bang..." Zhou Mazi knelt in the cabin and kowtowed three times to the 'adult'. "With these words from your lord, my brothers will die with no regrets. Zhou Mazi expresses his gratitude to your lord and the imperial court on behalf of his deceased brothers."

"Get up, get up quickly..." The adult was very satisfied with Zhou Mazi's reaction.

"Sir, listen to what I have to say. The villain is originally a scoundrel in the market, but he can actually be favored by the adults and contribute to the court. Zhou Mazi will go through fire and water, and he will not give up. Don't worry, I dare you!"

There were even more smiles on the adults' faces. "Don't worry, I've always been very confident about you."

He stood up and pulled up Zhou Mazi: "The strong wind knows the strong grass, and the chaos of the country reveals the loyal ministers. You are the loyal and good officials of my Qing Dynasty. I see your hard work and hard work, and I will remember it in my heart. The court will never forget it. I will not forget you even if I forget you.

The court has only given you an eighth-rank official position, which is a little low, but this is just a beginning. After all, you are a commoner, not even a scholar, and it is already rare to be promoted to the eighth rank. "

"Sir, you always know me, Zhou Mazi. I, Zhou Mazi, can recognize one, two, three, four, and five of the Four Books and Five Classics, but they are not me, Zhou Mazi..."

"Hehe, you still have to read a few more books and recognize more words in the future. You must open and read some secrets yourself. This eighth rank is just your first step into the officialdom. You must look up and look forward. A bright future is waiting for you. ”

When the Fu Han Army's secret camps were flourishing and their reputation was great, the Qing Dynasty also used its own magic weapon - the Sticking Rod Office. This was the blood-dripping device that was widely circulated among the people in later generations, and no one could tell whether it was true or false.

Emperor Qianlong was not stupid at all. Since the Fu Han Army dared to attack and kill officials in broad daylight in the local area, why didn't they do the same in Beijing? Did the Fu Han Army not dare? Anyone who still holds such a ridiculous idea is a pure pig brain. The only explanation is that the Fu Han Army did not want to make Beijing nervous, and they could get more and greater benefits while Beijing remained the same. The first task that Emperor Qianlong gave to the Sticking Rod Office was to clean up Beijing, to clean up the anti-thief dens in Beijing without causing panic, and then to go to the local areas to assist the local government in clearing out the rebels and rebels.

You don't have to Although the Sticking Rod Office in the 33rd year of Qianlong's reign was somewhat similar to the Blood Dropper during the Yongzheng Dynasty, once this brand was revealed, it had a huge influence.

Zhou Mazi in front of him was one of the people who knelt and licked and worshiped cleanly. This former local snake on the Qinhuai River has now turned into one of the hidden enemies of the Fu Han Army.

The flower boat docked at the dock next to the Confucius Temple. The "adult" was wearing an ordinary green long gown and quickly disappeared among the crowd. This man came to a residential building inside Guanyin Gate after many twists and turns.

This is a foothold of the Sticking Rod Office in Nanjing City. There must be more than one person like Zhou Mazi in the whole city of Nanjing. Zhou Mazi could only passively wait for the appearance of the Sticking Rod Office. He didn't know the specific foothold of the Sticking Rod Office in Nanjing City.

"Zhou Mazi's people are also ready. This time, the three forces are launched together, and I don't believe that they can't infiltrate. "The most important task of the establishment of the Sticking Rod Department is to figure out the method of casting cannons and making guns of the Fu Han Army. As for clearing the secret camps in various places, that is the ultimate goal of the Sticking Rod Department.

When they arrived in Nanjing City, the people of the Sticking Rod Department easily settled down in the city. They sent the prepared personnel into the inner city in various identities such as little beggars, orphans, and deaf-mutes, but they were like throwing meat buns at dogs, and they went but never came back. The Fu Han Army also used the people they sent in as bait to fish for the Sticking Rod Department, causing the first batch of people who arrived in Nanjing by the Sticking Rod Department to be almost wiped out.

The contest between the two sides in the dark was not as exciting as the battle between thousands of horses and troops, but the danger and mystery in it were still frightening to ordinary people.