Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 387 Gentleman
In the Hou family's house in Zidi Village, Jiading, a middle-aged man was sitting in the hall of the small building. He was holding a scroll in his hand, but his eyes kept looking towards the door, obviously absent-minded.

Two young men suddenly stepped into the door. When the middle-aged man saw the two people at the door, his expression relaxed. He immediately threw down his book and stood up to greet them.

There were three people in the hall. The middle-aged man was named Hou Qizeng, who was from the Zidi Hou family, a prominent family in Songjiading.
The two young men who had just stepped into the door were named Hou Xuanqi, the son of Hou Qizeng, and Gu Tiankui, the son-in-law of Hou Qizeng.

Hou Qi was not well-known in later generations, but his brother Hou Dong was very famous at that time.
After the Qing Dynasty conquered Jiangnan, they began to strictly order people in Jiangnan to shave their heads. When the order to shave their heads spread, the people in Jiading were in an uproar.

During the Hongguang reign, Hou Dongzeng, the left envoy of the imperial court, and Huang Chunyao, a Jinshi, led the people in an uprising. The gentry and common people in the city responded one after another and quickly occupied Jiading County.

After Hou Dongzeng and others started the uprising, the Qing government was furious and immediately dispatched a large army to suppress them.
Although Hou Dongzeng and his men tried their best to defend the city, they only lasted three days under the attack of the Qing army before the Qing army used gunpowder to blow down the city wall and entered the city.

After Jiading was captured, Hou Dongzeng had a chance to escape, but he refused to leave the city.
After the Qing army entered the city, Hou Dong told the rebels that they would live and die with the city. Then he dressed in his clothes and drowned himself with his two sons.
Another leader of the rebel army, Huang Chunyao, had originally fled to a temple outside the city, but when he heard that Hou Dong had drowned himself for his country, he also sighed and said, "I share the same responsibilities with Hou Gong, and I cannot live alone."

Huang Chunyao left a suicide note on the temple wall, then he also faced south and kowtowed, and then he and his brother Huang Yuanyao hanged themselves in the monks' quarters, one to the east and the other to the west, and died for their country.
After Hou Dongzeng and Huang Chunyao died for their country, the first of the three massacres in Jiading began.
In the Hou family hall, all three of them were wearing Taoist robes and looked like scholars, but their heads were all shaved, leaving only a few inches of hair as big as a coin at the back of their heads, with a thin long braid hanging down.

All three of them had braids on their heads, but Hou Qi and Zeng were used to it.
After the Qing Dynasty occupied Jiangnan, Duoduo ordered people to shave their heads. The Qing government had five types of hair: one inch was exempted from punishment, two inches was punished by beating, three inches was punished by exile, leaving the temples but not the ears, leaving the hair but not the head, and those with large hair were punished the same as those who left their hair.

The Qing court's order to shave the hair in Jiangnan was extremely cruel. There was a Jinshi in Jiangnan who stayed at home for three years to keep his hair long. However, he was arrested and killed by the Qing court because his hair was accidentally exposed when he went out to visit a friend.
Jiading is located in the heart of Jiangnan. After the Qing army issued the order to shave the hair, Hou Qi also hid at home for two years, during which time he did not leave the house, hoping to keep his hair and maintain his integrity.
After the Ming court defeated the Qing court in Fujian and Zhejiang, the Qing court's order to shave the hair in Jiangnan became more severe.

In order to identify Ming spies, the Qing court once again ordered all places to shave their heads
The Qing court considered those who shaved their heads to be obedient citizens, while those who kept their hair were all considered to be traitors and spies who had ulterior motives for the Ming court. Once discovered, they would be immediately hunted down and killed. Hou Qi was forced to shave his head and keep his braids.

Although it is October, the weather in Jiangnan is still very hot.
Hou Xuanqi and his companions returned from the county town. After half a day's journey, they were already thirsty. They entered the room, picked up the tea bowls on the table and gulped down the tea.
Hou Qi Zeng looked at the two people who were sweating profusely, but he didn't care about much and said directly

"What is the current situation in the city? Can you find some useful information?"

Hou Qizeng had an anxious look on his face. Not long ago, a large number of Qing troops from Zhejiang Province suddenly returned north through Hangzhou. Among them, there were more than a thousand real Tartars, and the total number of evacuated Qing troops was no less than 10,000.
Although the Qing army did not withdraw from Jiading, the movement of such a large army could not be concealed at all. Many scholars and civilians in Hangzhou witnessed the withdrawal of the Qing army.
Hou Qi has verified this from many sources and it is absolutely impossible to fake it. The Qing invaders are mobilizing troops on a large scale at this time, so something big must have happened.

Hangzhou is not too far from Jiading. After the news reached Jiading, rumors were rife in Jiading County.
Some people say that there was an uprising by the rebels in Jiangnan. The rebels captured cities and territories in Jiangnan and defeated the Qing invaders. Therefore, the Qing government had to transfer troops back from the front line to suppress the uprising.

Some people also said that they had just been to Jiangnan, and that Jiangnan was now peaceful and there was no unrest at all. The Qing army was mobilized this time because the northern soldiers could not stand the humidity and heat in the south, so they returned north to escape the summer heat.
Some people even secretly spread rumors that the Qing Emperor Shunzhi was getting older, and when the Regent Dorgon wanted to depose and enthrone the emperor in order to control the government, the Qing court in the capital had already started to fight among themselves, so the troops in Zhejiang Province were hurriedly transferred back.

Rumors abounded in the city, but Hou Qizeng was more willing to believe the first one.

In recent years, there have been frequent uprisings in various parts of Jiangnan. Although they all failed to gain momentum in the end, the Qing invaders actually sent a large number of troops back this time. Naturally, Hou Qi was more convinced by the idea that the Jiangnan uprising was a righteous uprising.
Although there were rumors in the palace at this time, there was no evidence to support them.
Hou Qi was also unable to determine what had happened in the Qing court, so he sent Hou Xuanhui and the other two to Jiading County to find out the news from the Xia family.
The Xia family now lives in Jiading City. They are relatives and old friends of the Hou family, and are also pro-Ming gentry who are loyal to the Ming court. Many news about the Hou family are now obtained from the Xia family.

Hou Xuanqi put down the tea bowl, his face was excited, and he said

"I went into the city to see Brother Pingnan, and I have already learned about the news from Jiangnan. The gentry in the city all said that Shi Gebu and Prince Ruichang have raised a large-scale righteous army in Nanzhili, and the righteous army has successively captured Luzhou, Hezhou, and Taiping Prefectures."

"Shi Gebuyi's 50,000-strong army is advancing like a hot knife through butter and is now approaching the city of Nanjing, so the Qing army had no choice but to transfer troops from the front line back to the north."

Hou Qi was shocked when he heard this, and immediately felt that something was wrong. Now in Jiangnan, the only person who could be called Shi Gebu was Shi Kefa.

But as early as four or five years ago, news came from Jiangnan that Shi Kefa had died defending the city. Shi Kefa had been killed for several years. How could he lead the army to attack Nanjing at this time?
Hou Qi interrupted the excited Hou Xuanqi and said directly

"Didn't Shi Gebu die for his country in Yangzhou?"

Upon hearing this, Hou Xuanyi sneered and said

"The news of Shi Gebu's murder came from the Qing invaders. The Qing invaders always like to whitewash the truth. How can these Tartars believe it?"

"This is absolutely correct. According to Brother Pingnan, someone in the city saw Shi Gebu wearing a scarlet robe in the south of the Yangtze River, commanding the rebels to attack the city."

"The Qing invaders spread rumors that Shi Gebu was killed, but it was just a lie to intimidate the scholars in Jiangnan."

"But these Qing captives don't think about the fact that Shi Gebu is such a wise minister. He must be blessed by the gods. How could he be so easily hurt by these bandits?"

Hou Qi had heard what Hou Xuanqi said, and he did not doubt it at all, so he spoke directly.

"Xuan Xi is right. This must be a rumor spread by the Qing invaders. These Tartars are truly sinister and vicious."

Hou Qi once cursed, but then he looked excited again and said

"What is the current situation of the war in Jiangnan? Has Shi Ge's army conquered Nanjing? When will they be able to march south to recover Jiading?"

Hou Xuanyi looked at the excitement on his father's face, but his expression froze. He hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"After Shi Ge's army surrounded the city, the rebel army fired cannons and arrows at the same time. The rebel soldiers even attacked the top of the city several times and almost broke into the city."

"However, the Qing reinforcements suddenly returned north, and Shi Ge's troops fought with the Qing outside Nanjing for several days. In the end, the Qing were too fierce and difficult to control, so the rebels had to retreat temporarily."

"According to what people in the city say, Shi Gebu and King Ruichang have now retreated to the mountains of Chao County to plan their next move."

Hou Qi was stunned when he heard this, and a look of disappointment appeared on his face. After a while, he spoke

"What a shame, what a shame! If Shi Ge's army could capture Nanjing, they could join forces with the imperial army of Zhejiang Province to attack from the north and south. Jiangnan could then return to the Ming Dynasty, and the people of Jiading could escape from the hands of the Qing invaders."

Gu Tiankui, who was standing aside, looked at Hou Qizeng, who looked depressed, and said

"Father-in-law, why should you be discouraged? Since Shi Ge's army can attack the city once, they can attack it two or three times."

"Shi Ge's army is now only temporarily retreating to Chaohu to accumulate strength. As long as the time is right, Shi Ge's army will be able to lead the army east again and recover the Southern Capital."

Gu Tiankui consoled her, and his expression brightened again. He said

“Although the southern capital suffered a minor setback, there is also good news from the north.”

"The city received news from the north a few days ago. It is said that the King of Han has raised a large army in Jin Province. The emperor and the king of the Qing Dynasty are fighting in the capital. The King of Han's army has occupied the entire Jin Province and has marched east from Jingxing to attack the heartland of the Qing Dynasty!"

The news from Jin Province was obviously more important than the news from Jiangnan. If the King of Han really occupied Jin Province and went east from Jingxing, Hebei would immediately be in chaos.
There are Ming troops in Fujian and Zhejiang in the south, and chaos in the north. If this situation really takes shape, the Qing Dynasty's rule in the Central Plains will collapse immediately.

But Hou Qi had heard the news from the north, but his expression was quite cold. "The news from afar is good, but the Qing invaders are getting more and more threatening. The situation in my family is urgent and I can't wait. The distant water from the north can't help the nearby fire."

Gu Tiankui looked at the cold expression on Hou Qizeng's face and froze for a moment, but Hou Qizeng didn't care at all and continued to ask

"Have you heard any news from the south? Is there any good news from Zhejiang and Fujian?"

Hou Xuanyi's face lit up again when he heard this, and he said

"There is indeed good news from the south, and it is great news"

"According to Brother Pingnan, the imperial court has launched a massive military offensive in Zhejiang and Fujian. The imperial army recently defeated the Qing invaders in Zhejiang Province. Now, local gentry rebel armies have risen up in response to the situation. The Qing invaders are on the verge of collapse in northern Zhejiang."

"It is said that the imperial army has conquered Shaoxing and killed 30,000 prisoners in one battle. This is truly an unprecedented victory in Jiangnan."

Hou Xuanxi wanted to say more, but Hou Qizeng's face flashed with ecstasy and he said directly

"Did the imperial court really send troops?"

"Yes, the imperial court has stopped fighting for two years. His Highness Gui Jianguo is so brave and heroic. This time the imperial court will definitely sweep the country and send troops to the north!"

"The Imperial Army of the Ming Dynasty is the strongest in the world. It has defeated the Qing invaders many times before. The Qing invaders are facing internal and external troubles and have made stupid moves. They have actually transferred the troops on the front line back to quell the rebellion. This is truly a godsend opportunity."

"After Shaoxing is Hangzhou, and after Hangzhou, the imperial army can reach Songjiang and Jiading."

Hou Qi had said this with a reproachful look on his face, and he began to speak.
"Xuan Xi has such important news, why did you tell it now? You really don't know the importance of it."

"No, my family has received the emperor's grace for a long time. How can we stay at home now? My family must unite with the righteous gentry in the county. As soon as the imperial army arrives, we can immediately..."

Hou Qizeng's face was full of excitement, and he kept walking back and forth in the hall.

Hou Qizeng had instinctive doubts about Shi Kefa and Prince Ruichang's attack on Jiangnan, but he had no doubts at all about the Guangdong court's attack on Zhejiang.

The Guangdong government defeated the Qing invaders one after another. When the news from the south reached Jiangnan, even though the Qing government tried its best to suppress it, the gentry in Jiangnan still secretly told each other about it, and they were all ecstatic.

In the eyes of Hou Qizeng and other pro-Ming gentry, the revival of the Ming Dynasty was inevitable after His Royal Highness Gui Jianguo ascended the throne.
His Royal Highness Gui Jianguo can defeat the Qing invaders in Fujian, Guangdong and the southwest, so he can naturally defeat the Qing invaders in Zhejiang Province and South Zhili. The recovery of Jiangnan is only a matter of time.
After returning from the southwest, His Royal Highness the Regent has been recuperating for two years. The court has accumulated two years of reserves. Now that we have sufficient soldiers and food, it is more reasonable to send troops to the north.
When Hou Qizeng thought of this, his face became more and more excited. Hou Xuanqi and Gu Tiankui looked at Hou Qizeng, whose face was flushed, and their faces were embarrassed, and they were a little at a loss.

Hou Qizeng said as he walked out the door. Seeing that Hou Qizeng was really going out to contact the gentry, Hou Xuanyi stopped Hou Qizeng and said:

"Father, wait a minute. Although the imperial court won a great victory in Zhejiang Province and captured Shaoxing, I have learned that the royal army in Zhejiang Province has already withdrawn."

Hou Qi heard this but didn't react. He subconsciously asked

"Retreat, where to retreat to?"

"I heard that the Qing invaders sent people to Guangzhou to negotiate peace, hoping to become a brother country with the imperial court."

"It is said that His Royal Highness the Regent has agreed to peace talks, so the troops of Zhejiang Province withdrew from Shaoxing and returned to southern Zhejiang."

Hou Qi was stunned for a while, then his face suddenly became furious and he shouted
"Rumors, they are all rumors, what brotherly country?"

"Your Majesty the Regent is so wise and brave. It is a righteous cause to defend against the barbarians. How can the Ming Dynasty be a brother country with these barbarians?"

"There must be a traitor in the court. Who is it that dared to persuade His Highness to negotiate peace?"

After the Qing Dynasty occupied Jiangnan, it soon began to deal with the gentry in Jiangnan. Those who took the initiative to surrender were naturally given official titles, but those who refused to cooperate or even dared to resist were severely punished by the Qing Dynasty.

There are two ways for the Qing government to deal with the gentry in Jiangnan who support the Ming Dynasty: one is to confiscate their property, and the other is to recover their property.

Confiscation was to count the property and land of the gentry who supported the Ming Dynasty and then confiscate them and turn them over to the government. The pursuit was to order the gentry in Jiangnan to pay the grain taxes that were previously in arrears according to the records in the county books.
Yes, all the grain taxes owed by the gentry in Jiangnan during the Ming Dynasty must now be paid in full to the Qing Dynasty, not a single cent less.
The Qing government's treatment of the Jiangnan gentry was, on the one hand, to plunder the wealth of the Jiangnan gentry again and enrich the treasury.

On the other hand, the Qing government wanted to establish the ruling order of the Qing court in Jiangnan through this kind of pulling and fighting.

According to the rules set by the Qing court, the most serious gentry would have their property confiscated, and the Hou family was the gentry family that was most likely to be included in the confiscation list.
Hou Dong once gathered troops to defend Jiading. In the eyes of the Ming court, he was a loyal and righteous minister, but in the eyes of the Qing court, he was an out-and-out traitor and must be severely punished.

In order to avoid the possibility of confiscation, the Hou family has frequently bribed officials in the government over the years, almost exhausting their wealth. They have even mortgaged nearly half of their land, but still have not been able to solve the problem.

Now the Hou family is in fear all day long, fearing that one day they will be included in the confiscation list and lose all their wealth.

The Qing government had large armies in various parts of Jiangnan to suppress the rebellion. Even if Hou Qizeng was furious, he was powerless to resist. Now, Hou Qizeng had placed all his hopes on the southern court.
The information that Hou Xuanqi and others gathered back was actually full of loopholes. Hou Xuanqi first said that Shi Kefa had led a large army in Jiangnan and had fought to the gates of Nanjing, so the Qing court hurriedly dispatched troops back north.

Later, it was said that the Ming army in Zhejiang Province had launched a large-scale northern expedition and had already conquered Shaoxing. These two pieces of news were totally unreasonable.

If Shi Kefa really had tens of thousands of soldiers in Jiangnan and caused chaos in Jiangnan, then the Ming court would never agree to peace talks.

If the Ming army really launched a large-scale northern expedition to capture Shaoxing, it would be even more impossible for the Qing army in Zhejiang Province to withdraw and return to Jiangnan at this time.

In fact, if you think about it a little, you will find that the information Hou Xuanqi has obtained is completely contradictory. It is not that Hou Qizeng cannot see these loopholes, but he simply does not want to believe that these are false news.
How could he believe this news? Should he believe that the imperial court had negotiated peace with the Qing court, and from now on the imperial court would be based in the south, while Jiading in Jiangnan would be under the rule of the Qing court forever? If so, what would the Hou family do? How could Hou Qizeng accept this situation?
The reason why Hou Qi had been frequently inquiring about the news in the south was that he hoped that His Royal Highness the Regent could soon lead a northern expedition to retake Jiangnan. As long as the imperial court could recover Jiangnan, all the difficulties the Hou family was facing would be solved overnight.

As long as the imperial court can fight back to Jiangnan, the Hou family will be able to regain their former glory. Even because Hou Dong once died defending the city, the Hou family can make further progress in the imperial court.

Even if the imperial court could not retake Jiangnan, as long as the imperial army could reach Suzhou, the Hou family could at least follow the imperial army and safely retreat to the south.
Although the Hou family would lose all their land, at least they no longer had to worry about being under the rule of the Qing court.

There was silence in the room. Hou Xuanqi and the other man looked at the angry Hou Qizeng and dared not say a word. After a long silence, there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside the door.
The old servant of the Hou family, Guan Ke, hurried into the room, but he didn't care about the faces of the people in the room at all, and said in a deep voice

"Master, Zhang the clerk from the household department is here again and wants you to come out of the house to see him immediately."

Hou Qizeng was shocked when he heard this, but he no longer cared about the Northern Expedition. Hou Xuanqi and the others also looked serious.
(End of this chapter)