Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 147 Local Celebrities
At Dongguan County Government Office, Zhang Jiayu rode his horse to the gate of the government office, handed the reins to the servant beside him, and was about to go inside the government office.

Just as Zhang Jiayu got off his horse, a county official hurried out of the county government gate.
When the county official saw Zhang Jiayu, he was stunned for a moment, then immediately ran towards Zhang Jiayu with a nervous look on his face.

"Mr. Zhang, we finally found you. The county magistrate has sent several groups of people to look for you."

Zhang Jiayu looked at the sweaty county official in front of him and said
"What does the county lord want to see me for?"

"I don't know what happened specifically, but I know that this morning a military envoy who claimed to be from Guangzhou rushed into the city, and then the county lord hurriedly sent us to invite Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Jiayu frowned slightly. Seeing that the county official didn't know the specific situation, he walked directly into the county government office.

Zhang Jiayu entered the back hall of the county government office and immediately found several figures sitting in the hall.

On the left side of the hall sat the county magistrate Zheng Lin, the commander of the Nanhai Guard An Hongyou, and the scholar Han Ruhuang, while on the right sat a soldier in military uniform who looked tired. He should be the military envoy from Guangzhou.

When County Magistrate Zheng Lin saw Zhang Jiayu stepping in, he immediately stood up to greet him and said

"Mr. Zhang, you are finally here!"

"What is the matter that makes the county magistrate so anxious to come and invite Zhang?"

Zhang Jiayu frowned when he saw Zheng Lin looking at him in a state of panic. Then he looked at An Hongyou and Han Ruhuang, who were also standing in the hall in panic.
"This is the Imperial Guards' envoy, Zheng Junshi. He rushed into the city this morning and said that the court had moved the capital to Guangzhou a few days ago, but the Qing invaders found out about his whereabouts and sent people to attack His Royal Highness the Regent."

"Now, His Royal Highness the Regent, along with Elder Lu, Elder Su, and other ministers in the court, are all trapped in Guangzhou by the Qing invaders."

"What did you say"

Zheng Lin's face was filled with panic, and Zhang Jiayu's face also changed drastically when he heard what Zheng Lin said. He immediately looked at the tired-looking military envoy on the right.

Zhang Jiayu ignored Zheng Lin and asked Zheng Qi about the situation in Guangzhou. After listening to what Zheng Qi said about the situation in Guangzhou, Zhang Jiayu looked anxious and said

"Your Highness is confused"

"Since the Imperial Army has already defeated the Qing army's vanguard, they should evacuate as soon as possible before the Qing army's rear arrives. Your Highness, how can you put yourself in danger just for this isolated city!"

Zheng Qi, who originally looked tired, became furious after hearing what Zhang Jiayu said. He immediately stood up and shouted angrily:
"What nonsense are you talking about, you big turban?"

"Before we left the city, His Highness told us personally that behind Guangzhou City are hundreds of thousands of Ming people. The Tartars are brutal and cruel. Once the Qing invaders enter and seize the city, the people in the city will be slaughtered by the Tartars immediately."

"Your Highness is concerned about the people in the city, so he and a group of ministers are alone to defend the city. We, the imperial guards, are also fighting desperately to break through and send messages to all parties, in order to defeat the Tartars and protect the hundreds of thousands of people in the city."

"You, the turban, are not thinking about how to rescue the court, but are talking about abandoning the city and evacuating."

"Your Highness, don't you know it's safe to abandon the city? Don't we, the imperial guards, know it's safe to abandon the city? And you come here to make fun of me. Where do you, these turbans, put the hundreds of thousands of people in Guangzhou?" Zheng Qi's face was filled with anger, and he shouted angrily.
Everyone in the field was stunned when they saw Zheng Qi suddenly furious. Zheng Lin was the first to react and quickly came out to smooth things over.

"Don't be angry, military commander. Mr. Zhang is not..."

But Zheng Lin was interrupted by Zhang Jiayu just before he finished speaking.

Zhang Jiayu's face became solemn, and then he bowed to Zheng Qi and said in a deep voice:
"The military envoy is right. I was in a panic and said something wrong. I appreciate your advice, Zhang."

Zheng Qi saw the man in the robe bowing to him, and his face was slightly surprised. Then he turned sideways and avoided Zhang Jiayu's greeting. "I came here to ask for help for His Highness. This place is marked as the Nanhaiwei garrison. How many soldiers do you have here?"

When Zheng Qi saw Zhang Jiayu apologize, his expression eased, and then he looked at Zhang Jiayu in front of him.
Although Zheng Lin was the magistrate of Dongguan, judging from the expressions of the people in the room, Zhang Jiayu was obviously the one who could really make the decisions in the county government.

In fact, it was just as Zheng Qi thought. Now the person who could really make the decision in the hall was indeed Zhang Jiayu.
During the Longwu Dynasty, Zhang Jiayu was already a military official in the imperial court. Later, he was promoted by the Longwu Emperor to be the Right Censor-in-Chief. He supervised the army of Zheng Cai and followed Zheng Cai to attack Gan Province from Shanguan, Fujian Province.

However, Zheng Cai had just left Shanguan and saw traces of the Qing army in Gan Province, so he immediately led his troops to flee back to Fujian Province. The plan of Emperor Longwu to conquer Gan Province ended before it even began.

Zhang Jiayu was unwilling to give up, so he requested to recruit soldiers on the Fujian-Jiangxi border to continue the expedition. However, before Zhang Jiayu had time to recruit soldiers, he heard that Emperor Longwu had died in Tingzhou. Zhang Jiayu had to flee back to his hometown alone.
Soon after Zhang Jiayu returned home, he received a letter from his good friend Chen Bangyan, in which he learned that Chen Bangyan had not only been promoted to the governor of Guangzhou, but also that Zhaoqing had re-elected a regent and established a new dynasty.

After Chen Bangyan was appointed as the prefect of Guangzhou, he ordered the counties and garrisons near Guangzhou to repair their military equipment and transport military equipment to Guangzhou.

Chen Bangyan's letter to Zhang Jiayu was delivered to the Dongguan County Office along with these official documents.
The Zhang family was a big family in Dongguan. During the Longwu Dynasty, Zhang Jiayu was promoted to the position of Right Censor-in-Chief. Now, Chen Bangyan, the prefect of Guangzhou, has sent a letter inviting him to join the army.

Although Zhang Jiayu had not yet held an official position, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Zhang Jiayu would definitely serve in the new dynasty.
Zheng Lin was an ordinary seventh-rank county magistrate. Not to mention Zhang Jiayu's status as a local official and former Right Censor-in-Chief, Zheng Lin would not dare to offend Zhang Jiayu just because of his relationship with Chen Bangyan.
Zhang Jiayu did not leave for the court immediately after receiving the letter because Chen Bangyan asked him to help sort out the situation in Dongguan and Nanhaiwei and escort Nanhaiwei's military equipment to Guangzhou.
Therefore, although Zhang Jiayu has no official status, with Chen Bangyan's endorsement, he is actually in charge of all matters in Dongguan and Nanhaiwei.

Zhang Jiayu heard what Qi said, but did not respond immediately. He glanced at the field, frowned, and looked at Zheng Lin opposite him.

"Why don't you invite Mr. Li?"

The Mr. Li mentioned by Zhang Jiayu was named Li Juesi. He was the Minister of the Ministry of Justice during the Chongzhen period. He was the highest-ranking local official in Dongguan County.
Zheng Lin saw Zhang Jiayu coming and immediately said

"Why not? When I sent people to look for Mr. Zhang, I also sent people to Mr. Li's house."

"But after listening to the report from the county official, Lord Li was shocked by the urgent news and suddenly suffered a heart attack. He felt unwell and couldn't get out of bed. The county official had no choice but to return alone," Zheng Lin said hesitantly.

Zhang Jiayu was stunned at first, but then he reacted and suddenly said angrily

"Your Highness the Regent is currently guarding the city alone. Lord Li was the Minister of the previous dynasty, an important official in the court and the public, and has received great favors from the previous emperor. How can he shrink back to this place now?"

Although Zheng Lin's words were cryptic, no one in the room could understand what he meant.

Li Juesi was the Shangshu during the Chongzhen Dynasty, and the most prestigious person in Dongguan County at that time. If Li Juesi showed up at this time, he would definitely be elected as the leader and lead the army to Guangzhou for rescue.
What sudden heart attack? Li Juesi was obviously afraid of being forced to rescue others, so he simply claimed to be sick and closed the door to see no one.

In the previous life, after the Qing army broke through Guangdong Province, Li Chengdong led his army to chase into Guangxi Province. In order to buy time for the Guangxi court, Zhang Jiayu and others resolutely raised the flag in Guangdong Province to resist the Qing Dynasty, hoping to force Li Chengdong's army back to Guangdong Province.
Zhang Jiayu spent all his family's wealth to raise an army, but it was still not enough

Zhang Jiayu sat in front of Li Juesi's house for three days, begging Li Juesi to help him recruit soldiers, but Li Juesi remained indifferent. Finally, Zhang Jiayu had no choice but to use his soldiers to rob Li's money and recruit soldiers to fight against the Qing Dynasty.

But even at this time, Zhang Jiayu and others had never harmed anyone from the Li family.

But Li Juesi was resentful of Zhang Jiayu for taking his money by force, so he left the city and surrendered to the Qing army as soon as they arrived.
Later, with the help of the Qing army, they massacred thousands of Zhang family members and completely destroyed the Zhang family cemetery.

When Zhang Jiayu led his troops back to the clan, the Zhang family had been razed to the ground. Zhang Jiayu cried all night in front of the ruins of the Zhang family, and then led his troops away to continue the resistance against the Qing Dynasty.
Li Juesi's loyalty was finally rewarded.

Not only did the Li family's assets remain prosperous in the Qing Dynasty, but Li himself was also included in the Biographies of Famous Officials in the History of the Ming Dynasty, becoming a famous official of the Ming Dynasty.

At this time, of course, no one knew what kind of person Li Juesi was. When the people in the field heard what Zheng Lin said, they first looked contemptuous, but then their hearts were slightly moved, and their faces showed different expressions.
(End of this chapter)