Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

The next day, Zhu Ming and his family went to Huangting Temple in the eastern suburbs to offer incense.

By the way, I went to visit the Zhang family in Juancheng.

The eunuch's car drove slowly eastward, and the people in the city watched curiously.

Puzhou City was first built in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It was only repaired from time to time and never expanded. The scale is not very large. Official buildings such as state offices, county offices, schools, and state schools account for one-sixth of the city's area.

More people lived outside the city.

In the Song Dynasty, cities implemented the Xiangfang system, that is, the whole city was divided into several areas (xiangs), which were further subdivided into several blocks (fangs).

The squares in the Song Dynasty were different from those in the Tang Dynasty. All the isolation buildings were demolished, leaving only squares in each block. "XX square" is written on the forehead to determine the neighborhood information, and later gradually evolved into an archway.

Ju Ming looked at the people on both sides of the street and suddenly thought of the bustling Tokyo.

Of course, this place cannot be compared with Tokyo, but the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty were equally miserable. Puzhou was directly massacred, and all the people in the city were killed.

At that time, there were only more than a thousand remnants of the Western Army in the small city of Puzhou, but they were able to hold the main force of the Jin Army for thirty-three days.

Guard general Yao Duan led five hundred Western troops out of the city to attack at night, and went straight to Wanyan Zonghan's Chinese army tent.

Wanyan Zonghan wore a single coat and bare feet and ran for his life in terror on a late autumn night. After gathering the army, the birdman was so angry that he ordered an all-out attack on Puzhou and threatened to massacre the city to vent his anger.

Yang Cuizhong, the governor of the state, led the people in the city to hold on. The city was broken, there were street battles, and they retreated to the bell tower. Yang Cuizhong was captured and died for his country.

Yao Duan led his remnant troops to successfully break through the encirclement, but was later killed in the Battle of Zhegao.

Ju Ming looked at the vivid faces in Puzhou City and felt very conflicted about whether Jingkang would rebel again.

This is not the first time that this thought has occurred. I have had it several times in Tokyo.

The rebellion after Jingkang will be very smooth and the difficulty of the rebellion will be greatly reduced.

But the people in Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan and other places will fall into hell, and the economy and people's livelihood in the entire north will suffer great damage.

While lost in thought, Ju Ming had already ridden out of the city.

After continuing for two miles, the civil servant responsible for guiding the way said: "Prefect, in front of us is Huang Tingguan."

But Ju Ming did not go to Huang Tingguan: "I heard that the Zhang family in Juancheng is nearby."

The civil servant replied: "The ancestral home of the Zhang family still has two miles of land."

"You come to lead the way. Let's go to Zhang's house first." Ju Ming said with a smile.

The civil servant was startled and then shouted: "Go to Zhangzhuang!"

"Dang-dang-dang-dang!"

The gong rang six times in succession, and the soap officials held up signs to guide the way.

The civil servant added: "Prefect, if you want to visit the Zhang family, you must send someone to notify you in advance, so that the Zhang family can be prepared."

Ju Ming nodded: "Okay."

An official rode on horseback to report the news. When everyone arrived at the Zhang family's ancestral home, dozens of people from the Zhang family had gathered to greet them.

Zhang Zuchun stood in front with a cane. When he saw the prefect dismounting from his horse, he immediately stepped forward to salute: "Zhang Zuchun of Juancheng, bring the Zhang clan to pay homage to the prefect!"

"There is no need to be polite, old man." Zhu Ming helped him up and patted the sword on his waist. "I have been in Puzhou for nearly ten days, but I have not visited Mr. Guiya's descendants. It is already very rude. I have admired Mr. Guiya for a long time. , and even practiced swordsmanship hard, and I have long wanted to visit Juancheng."

Zhang Zuchun was very happy that his ancestor was worshiped and said quickly: "Prefect, please come to the house for a banquet."

The Zhang family in Juancheng is a descendant of Zhang Yong, a famous official in the early Song Dynasty.

Zhang Yong was a man of both civil and military talents. His literary ability created a new academic trend and his military ability put down the rebellion in Shu. He can drink for three fights without getting drunk, and his swordsmanship is unparalleled in the world. He is good friends with Chen Tuan and Kou Zhun, and he is also the "father of Jiaozi".

Before the age of nineteen, Zhang Yong was just a knight-errant, traveling between Shandong and Hebei with a sword. Suddenly I wanted to study. I left home to study for seventeen years and finally got a spot on the gold medal list.

Ju Ming was introduced to the house, and the meal was just started, and he drank tea and ate some snacks first.

Zhang Zuchun began to introduce the clan members, especially a few young people, and said: "The descendants are ashamed of their ancestors and have not been a Jinshi for forty years. The Zhang family now has a talented man named Zhang Lu, but unfortunately he is not in his hometown and went to study at the Imperial University in Tokyo. "

Ju Ming smiled and said: "I have been a scholar for one year. Which school did Zhang Lu study?"

Zhang Zuchun said: "The imperial residence is of the highest quality."

Ju Ming said, "I missed it. I'm in charge of students outside the home."

"It's a pity that he has never been a student of the prefect," Zhang Zuchun said. "When he returns to his hometown during the Chinese New Year, he will definitely visit the prefect and ask for his advice."

"I came to the government office to look for me," Zhu Ming took the opportunity to say, "Can you recommend one of the Zhang family members to be my personal attendant temporarily?"

Zhang Zuchun said: "It is a rare blessing to be able to follow the prefect. Zhang Boring, come here!"

Zhang Bor is in his twenties. He is extremely intelligent, has learned how to bow and horse, is good at swordsmanship, and likes to drink. He looks like a young version of Zhang Yong. Unfortunately, when it comes to studying, I am so far behind my ancestors that I failed to pass the state examination twice.

Don't even think about becoming a Jinshi in this life, just follow Ju Ming to practice.

"Boi pays homage to the prefect!" Zhang Yi bowed respectfully.

Ju Ming looked at this man and nodded in approval: "He is handsome in appearance, powerful in martial arts, and he has both civil and military skills at first glance."

Being an official is so convenient and you can easily recruit talents.

Of course, the real purpose of Ju Ming choosing a son of the Zhang family to be his personal attendant was to facilitate things.

Zhang Zuchun said: "Let's dance the sword for the prefect to cheer up."

"You're showing off your embarrassment!" Zhang Bor clasped his fists.

This man has two swords, one is a two-handed long sword and the other is a one-handed short sword.

The 1.8 meter tall Shandong man drew his sword out of its sheath, slashed and slashed the thorns, and scolded Baji.

"Good swordsmanship!" Li Bao clapped his hands and praised.

Ju Ming said: "It's hard for one person to show his strength when dancing with a sword. Go and fight with him."

Li Bao jumped out with his gun: "I'm coming!"

The two immediately started fighting each other, shooting and sword fighting, and the fight was indistinguishable.

Li Bao learned his spear skills from the army. Not only him, but many good people and bandits in Shandong also learned their martial arts from the army.

Zhang Bor's swordsmanship is passed down from ancestors, and it is said that it came from the ancestor Chen Tuan. I don’t know whether this is true or not, but Zhang Yong did learn Taoism from Chen Tuan when he was a hero.

"Come on, don't hurt your harmony."

The two fought for a while, but Ju Ming stopped at the right time and asked them to come back for tea.

Li Bao was very ashamed. He used a spear as a weapon, so he should be able to defeat Zhang Bor quickly. After a long fight, they were evenly matched.

Ju Ming asked: "Can I visit the Zhang Family Library?"

Zhang Zuchun said: "Prefect please."

Zhang Yong had no property left at that time. When he was a hero, he "bankrupted himself to serve the guests". He entertained heroes all day long and was exhausted. All the money accumulated over the years of being an official was used to buy books and wine, leaving only thousands of books for future generations.

Even this ancestral home was built by his eldest son - all four sons are officials.

Today, the Zhang family is divided into three, and one family lives in Tokyo, which has long since been ruined. The family lives in Fujian and rarely has contact with the main clan. The family lived in Juancheng and became completely landlords. They had not had a Jinshi for decades and were reduced to an ordinary local wealthy family.

Ju Ming was wandering around the library and discovered an interesting phenomenon. The Zhang family actually collected hundreds of Taoist scriptures.

In addition, there are books on the art of war and martial arts.

Ju Ming pulled out a book of mace manuals, which opened with eight words: maces have no single use, and dharma can be used in two ways.

After reading the general outline carefully, Ju Ming found that he had practiced wrongly, and that the double mace was the complete version of horse fighting. If you only use one mace, you won't be able to use many moves, and you won't be able to unleash the true power of the mace.

"Can I borrow this book?" Zhu Ming asked.

Zhang Zuchun said: "The governor can take it."

While flipping through martial arts secret books, Zhu Ming said casually: "I heard that the Zhang family has dozens of acres of land that was taken over by Huang Tingguan?"

Zhang Zuchun became angry when he mentioned this and said angrily: "That group of Taoist priests were completely unreasonable. Relying on Wang Laozhi's arrogance, they actually brought many thieves into the Taoist temple. Those thieves put on Taoist robes and occupied the land around Huangting Temple. Those who refused to follow They are often beaten, and some farmers even disappear.”

"The Zhang family has so many people that they don't dare to resist?" Zhu Ming asked.

Zhang Zuchun said: "The dozens of acres of land occupied by Taoist priests, not far from Huangting Temple, are not owned by the main sect. Moreover, it is not Shangtian, so just take it. If you mess with those Taoist priests, you will have no peace of mind. They have With Wang Laozhi’s support and many thieves, it will be difficult to end the trouble.”

Ju Ming handed the martial arts secret book to Bai Sheng and said with a smile: "How about I help the Zhang family take back the land?"

Zhang Zuchun said in a low voice: "Taoist priests are arrogant and domineering, and they have done nothing to eradicate evil! But Huangtingguan was expanded according to the emperor's order, and if it is not eradicated cleanly, there will be endless troubles."

Zhu Ming said: "The officials only allowed the expansion of Huangting Temple, but they did not allow the Taoist priests to collude with thieves, nor did they allow the Taoist priests to seize the land of good people. As the local governor, I am responsible for cutting off the thieves. It's just that the archers in the prefecture and county were disobedient, and the Xiang army also I don’t have the right to transfer, so I have to ask the Zhang family to borrow some strong men."

Zhang Zuchun was hesitant and couldn't make up his mind for a while.

The dozens of acres of land that were occupied were only owned by branches of the Zhang family, not the main property of the Zhang family. And there are not many of them, so why bother with Taoist priests and bandits?

If it is not handled cleanly, it may offend Wang Laozhi and may also attract revenge from the thieves.

Zhu Ming wants to attack Huang Tingguan now. Zhang Zuchun supports it in his heart, but it would be bad if someone from the Zhang family is involved.

Zhu Ming looked at the collection of books in the building and said with emotion: "I remember Mr. Guiya who used his sword to travel across Hebei and Shandong (the concept of Shandong existed in the Song Dynasty). He went bankrupt and entertained heroes. When he was angry, he drew his sword and killed people. Now, although he has such a big industry, Zhang But the descendants of our family dare not resist even a few thieves. How can the blood of our ancestors remain?"

Zhang Zuchun felt extremely ashamed when he heard this, but his butt determines his head. He had to consider the whole family, and he really didn't dare to offend a thief in Taoist robes.

"Forget it," Zhu Ming said, "I'll pay my respects in front of Mr. Guiya's tomb, and then go back to the state office to have a drink. The Zhang family is not anxious if their land is occupied, so why should I, the governor of the state, be anxious? There is no one in the Zhang family. A man."

Zhang Boring's face turned red. Young people are always angry. How could they admit that they had no eggs? He held his sword and roared: "The Zhang family has a good man here! There is no need for the governor to provoke each other. I will kill them alone tonight and I will kill those thieves to pieces!"

Zhu Ming nodded with satisfaction: "It turns out that there is still one man left in the Zhang family. I will write to my friends in Tokyo. Let's just say that Zhang Guaiya's bloodline has been passed down to this day, and the blood is still there. Unfortunately, there are not many left, and he is bullied by thieves in the countryside. . Wow, how sad it is."

Zhang Zuchun still wanted to be embarrassed, at least not to disgrace his ancestors, so he immediately raised his hands and said, "Please wait a moment, Grand Chief. I can't make the decision alone. I have to summon all the branches of the house to discuss the matter."

The weaker the Zhang family becomes, the more relieved Ju Ming becomes.

A local wealthy family that can be bullied by thieves is a perfect breakthrough point.