Chongming Island in this era is truly a magical place.
Who could have imagined that the sandbars that had been splitting and merging and collapsing in recent decades would actually come together at this moment and soon grow into a real big island?
And the change was so rapid that it caught us off guard.
In another time and space, probably in the early years of the Wanli period, people discovered that Changsha was getting bigger and bigger, and Sansha and Yaoliusha also grew again and became one with it.
At this time, no one mentioned the abolition of Chongming County.
By the 16th year of the Wanli reign, more than a dozen sandbanks including Nansha and Dongsha were gradually connected, and Chongming finally took on the appearance of an island.
So the magistrate of Chongming established a county government office in Changsha, which never collapsed for the next four hundred years.
Of course, in the second year of the Longqing reign, no one except Zhao Hao could have foreseen that such a miraculous change would occur.
This is the magic of nature.
~~
Yanshan Garden, Tingyu Pavilion.
The disciples listened attentively to the master's teachings.
"But this year, your situation will be very difficult." Zhao Hao said in a deep voice: "I guess the last magistrate did not dare to rebuild the county town. It was probably not because he was afraid of the Tide God, but because he was threatened by certain people."
"The reason is simple. Chongming Island has fertile land and natural salt fields. The only thing the people are worried about is Japanese pirates. As long as a city is built, even if it is an earthen city, the refugees can return on their own. This is contrary to the plot of those people to withdraw Chongming from the county and turn it into a lawless place."
"So you will face the same dilemma as your predecessor. If you build a city, you must be careful of the hidden arrows of ambitious people; if you don't build a city, the people will be lost, and Dayang will not be able to escape the censor's impeachment."
"Yes, Master, then what should I do?" Jin Xuezeng was almost in tears.
"Don't be afraid, as long as you hold on until next year, everything will turn around!" Zhao Hao made his third prediction:
"By then, the Xu family will be too busy to take care of themselves, and no one will dare to cause trouble. You can build a city if you want, and do whatever you want. No one will make trouble anymore."
"Really? That's great." Jin Xueceng breathed a sigh of relief. Although he didn't know where his master's confidence came from, he knew that the great prophecy could not be wrong, so he just had to listen to it.
"Master, what you mean is that we should not build the city this year and wait for the situation to change next year?" Yu Shensi asked softly.
"That's right." Teacher Zhao nodded and said, "But you can't just sit there doing nothing. Before the time comes, you need to do the preparations first."
"Master, please give me some instructions?" The two of them sat up straight.
"You must observe and analyze with a scientific attitude. First, you must recognize what the main and secondary contradictions are on the island. This will help you quickly find allies to unite with, as well as enemies to face. Then, unity can unite forces and divide and disintegrate the enemy, so that you can be sure of victory in the decisive battle!"
"The enemy must be the Xu family's Songjiang tycoons and the Sand Ship Gang." Jin Xuezeng muttered, "They want to turn Chongming into the second Shuangyu, and they must think that I, the county magistrate, am in the way."
"Don't jump to conclusions." Zhao Hao tapped the table and said to his disciples in a deep voice, "As far as I know, the Sand Boat Gang currently has more than 200 ships and more than 2,000 gang members. These people have been born and raised here for generations. Do all of them want to see Chongming withdraw from the county and disappear from the territory of the Ming Dynasty? I don't think so."
"Master is right." Hua Shuyang nodded and agreed:
"Once Chongming Island is withdrawn from the county, the imperial court will certainly order all the people to move inland. Those who remain on the island will become illegal traitors. It is not only legal for the imperial navy to kill them, but they can also gain merit. The lives of their entire families will be in the hands of others. But I guess many people in the Sand Ship Gang only think about the benefits and don't think of this. If the two junior brothers can cleverly make them realize this, I believe many people will wake up."
"Okay, thank you for the reminder, senior brother." Jin Xuezeng's eyes lit up and he immediately felt like he had found a handle.
"You should rely on General Wang. He is the King of Hell who is feared throughout the southeast. In addition, I will assign you more than a hundred guards. As long as you don't do anything reckless, there will be no problem in protecting your safety."
Then Zhao Hao said in a deep voice: "Keep a low profile for a while. Recently, retired soldiers from the Qi family army have come to Kunshan one after another. I will give you half of it then. In a few months, Zhu Jue will support us with a group of security personnel, and I will still give you half. By then, you will have strong soldiers and generals, and I believe they will listen to you calmly."
"Master, you are so good to us. I will listen to you all my life." McDonald's eyes were red with emotion. The master not only taught him, but also worried about his disciple's career and did his best.
"Wow, I knew that Master wouldn't ignore us..." The emotional Lieyangzi shed tears.
"Who should I care about if I don't care about you?" Zhao Hao stood up with a loud laugh, put his hands on the shoulders of the two disciples, and encouraged them:
“It’s true that Chongming is a mess, but that only represents the past. For you, your starting point is low, but there is still a lot of room for improvement, which is actually a good thing.”
"Yeah, just like Cai Guoxi said, it won't get any worse anyway." The second brother also smiled and agreed, "You can do whatever you want."
"Yes, there is a vast world with a lot to do! As long as we can get through this year, we can let go and do whatever we want!" Zhao Hao briefly described his plan to them, then patted their shoulders and said:
“Build cities, repair dikes, and thousands of acres of fertile fields will grow on the sea! Build ships, open ports, and thousands of ships will compete to cross the rivers and seas! In the future, Chongming will become the most dazzling pearl of the Ming Dynasty!”
"Yes, Master!" The two disciples were filled with passion at the grand blueprint drawn by their master.
A real man should be like this!
~~
Although there are still many seemingly insurmountable obstacles...for example, how could the court allow sea transportation?
But Zhao Hao told them firmly, "The opportunity to make history is right before our eyes, but opportunities only come to those who are prepared. So prepare yourself every day, disciples!"
Because in the third year of Longqing, which would be next year, the Yellow River would flood and the canal would be blocked, making water transport difficult.
Under the strong advocacy of Liang Menglong, the governor of Shandong, and with the support of Grand Secretary Gao Gong, the short-lived Longqing grain sea transportation will officially begin under heavy pressure.
Is there any better opportunity than this to break the Ming Dynasty’s fear of the ocean?
Unfortunately, with the resignation of Gao Gong, the pro-grave forces in the court launched a counterattack, and after Pan Jixun managed the Yellow River, sea transportation was stopped again.
It was not until the 12th year of Chongzhen that the sea transportation was resumed when the Secretary of the Central Secretariat Shen Tingyang requested to retry sea transportation to supply food and wages to Liaodong.
Unfortunately, by then, the empire was already dying, and nothing could be done...
~~
By the way, Shen Tingyang has another identity, that is, the young leader of the Chongming Sand Ship Gang.
The two hundred sand boats of the Sand Boat Gang were used to test the sea transportation for Emperor Chongzhen. In the following years, the sea transportation was also entrusted to the Sand Boat Gang.
Shen Tingyang and his Sand Ship Gang became the richest people in the world because of this.
They did not disappoint Emperor Chongzhen and fought for the Ming Dynasty until the last moment!
At that time, the fleet of Chongming men was about to engage the Qing army, but was suddenly defeated by a storm. Shen Tingyang's warship capsized in the sea off Chongming, and many soldiers drowned.
The Qing soldiers on the shore shouted, "Those who shave their heads will not die!"
Shen Tingyang sighed and said: "This is the will of heaven! I should die for my country. But I must die with honor."
He and his 700 men were captured.
The Qing court tried every means to persuade Shen Tingyang to surrender, but Shen Tingyang refused. The traitor Hong Chengchou was an old friend of Shen Tingyang and wanted to save his life, so he asked him to lie that he had become a monk, but was scolded by Tingyang and left!
At 5:00 pm on July 2, the first year of the Yongli reign, the 53-year-old Shen Tingyang, wearing a square scarf and a wide robe, was taken to Huaiqing Bridge on Sanshan Street in Suzhou for execution.
He straightened his clothes, bowed to the south, and shouted "I will die for my country, no regrets", and then died heroically.
None of his 700 Chongming men were willing to surrender, and all were buried alive in Suzhou.
ps. The second update is here.
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