***
In the signing room, He Tengjiao was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. Qin Mu said that he had abandoned land and lost territory, and he had no way to refute this. Fortunately, Qin Mu still followed some court rules and did not put him, who was also a governor, directly into prison.
After a round of intimidation, Qin Mu also allocated two rooms in the dormitory on the east side of the yamen for He Tengjiao and his family to temporarily live in. What both parties had to do next was to compete in the impeachment memorial.
Qin Mu wanted to impeach He Tengjiao for abandoning the city and losing the land to the court. He Tengjiao wanted to impeach Qin Mu for crossing the border to seize power, holding his own troops... and so on.
The problem is that He Tengjiao’s impeachment letter could not leave Changsha City at all.
Qin Mu's impeachment letter was not sent to the capital either. There was no need to do so. Judging from the current situation, by the time the impeachment letter was sent to the capital, Li Zicheng's army would have almost arrived. Chongzhen's butt was already being roasted by the fire, so how could he still care about the affairs of Huguang
Therefore, his impeachment letter was sent to Lu Daqi, the governor-general of four provinces, and let Lu Daqi worry about it.
As for the military and political affairs of Huguang, well, Qin Mu was still very reasonable. He did not completely sideline He Tengjiao and there were still some things for him to do.
For example, Qin Mu used work-for-relief to recruit homeless refugees to build water conservancy projects in Huguang, and this matter was handed over to He Tengjiao to preside over.
Winter is here, and it is not a comfortable thing to stay in the fields, but there is no other way. He Tengjiao is the governor of Huguang. If you don’t do these things, who will? Of course, the main reason is that there is nothing else for you to do.
Qin Mu actually had some considerations when sending He Tengjiao to build water conservancy projects. First, he wanted him to stand out in the governor's office, and second, he also wanted to test He Tengjiao's abilities.
At this time, it is better to have one more friend than one more enemy. If He Tengjiao is capable and can be won over, Qin Mu is still happy to do so.
That morning, Qin Mu was doing a cross-country long-distance running training with soldiers outside the city. Yan Gaofei rode his horse and caught up with him and reported: "Sir, the war has started in Yuezhou. Jin Shenghuan's 60,000 troops launched a fierce attack on Yuezhou. At the same time, he divided his troops to attack the surrounding Sanhe, Hengpu, Guozhen, Xitang and other places."
Qin Mu unloaded the burden on his back and handed it over to Li Shi. He was very disappointed with Lu Daqi. Lu Daqi had already rushed to Wuchang to dissuade Zuo Liangyu, but the war still happened.
"What is the current battle situation? Where are Su Jin's cavalry?"
"Your Excellency, General Ma said that Yuezhou City currently has sufficient food, fodder and weapons, and the morale is high. Please rest assured, Your Excellency, he plans to withdraw his troops in the city first, using the strong city to weaken the enemy's spirit, and then counterattack in one fell swoop. General Su Jin's cavalry has already arrived in the Sanhe area, and is preparing to defeat Jin Shenghuan's troops sent to attack the periphery. In addition, General Ling Zhan has led an army of 10,000 to the south to Huarong County, preparing to rob Jin Shenghuan's food supply from the rear."
"Well, you must always pay attention to the battle situation in Yuezhou and report it at any time."
"yes."
"Where is Meng Ke? Is there any news about Meng Ke?"
"Your Excellency, there is no news from General Meng today. According to the itinerary, General Meng's 20,000 troops should have arrived at Linjiang Prefecture by now."
Qin Mu thought about it and said nothing more, but when the news of the battle in Yuezhou came, he had no intention of training with the soldiers anymore. He immediately took Li Shi, Niu Wanshan and other personal guards back to the governor's office.
On the way, Xu Yongshun suddenly said, "Brother, I have nothing to do in Changsha anyway, so why don't you let me serve in General Su's army?"
"No." Qin Mu refused flatly.
"Why not? Big brother, just let me go. This knife of mine has never tasted blood."
"People will die in war. If anything goes wrong with you, Duke Dingguo will definitely fight me to the death. This matter is not negotiable. If you want to go to the battlefield, let's talk about it later."
Xu Yongshun opened his mouth halfway, then closed it again as if thinking of something. Perhaps he had also figured out that the purpose of his coming here was not to fight, but to have other requests.
Although the war had begun in Yuezhou, the people of Changsha believed that the Qin army could win, so they were not too panicked. The streets were still bustling with people and hawking. Seeing this, Qin Mu was very pleased and relaxed. If the people could trust him, why couldn't he trust Ma Yongzhen and the others
The territory is large, and it will be impossible for me to go to the front line to command battles every time in the future. I can only learn to trust the generals under me. Especially at such times, I need to show confidence and calmness.
When passing by Yuedong Street, Qin Mu heard the sound of reading from inside, so he simply dismounted and went in to take a look. Because Yuelu Academy had not been rebuilt yet, Guo Jintai and his students could only have classes in this courtyard first.
It has been a hundred years since Wang Shouren came to Yuelu Academy to give lectures during the Zhengde period, laying the foundation for the dominant position of the School of Mind in Huguang.
During the nearly ten years that Wu Youdao served as the president of Yuelu Academy, he had been committed to eliminating the influence of the School of Mind. However, since Wu Youdao could not be compared with masters like Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming, his academic influence was limited. Therefore, despite his efforts for nearly ten years, there were still many scholars in Huguang who were inclined to the School of Mind, and Neo-Confucianism and the School of Mind formed a pattern of equal influence in Huguang.
Now Qin Mu has announced that the rebuilt Yuelu Academy will no longer teach Neo-Confucianism. This has naturally aroused dissatisfaction among scholars who believe in Neo-Confucianism, but at the same time has received enthusiastic support from scholars who believe in the School of Mind.
After Guo Jintai took the post of the headmaster, he invited many famous scholars of the School of Mind to give lectures. People who were inclined to the School of Mind heard the news and came to listen to his lectures in an endless stream.
When Qin Mu entered the large courtyard used for temporary lectures, there were already more than 200 students sitting around in the courtyard, listening attentively to a lecture by a psychology professor who came from Nanchang. During the lecture, someone asked questions from time to time. The teaching between teachers and students was not restricted to a certain format, but mostly adopted the question-and-answer method.
This question-and-answer teaching method is relatively free, and it also allows more interaction between teachers and students, making the course more interesting. Qin Mu looked at the door, but did not go in because he was afraid of disturbing the teachers and students inside.
At this time, Niu Wanshan came forward and whispered something to Qin Mu. Qin Mu remained expressionless, but immediately turned around and went out, running towards the east gate with a group of guards.
Twenty miles outside the city, a carriage was seen approaching slowly, escorted by a dozen men. Qin Mu slowed down his horse and asked from a distance, "May I ask if you are the governor of Bozhou, Song?"
The strong men escorting the carriage were all from bachelor families. The leader was Yu Laosi, who had helped capture the East Gate of Changsha. Not long after the Scouting Camp was established, Yu Laosi was sent by Qin Mu to Bozhou to pick up someone. When he saw Qin Mu personally coming out of the city to greet him, he quickly replied, "My lord, the one in the carriage is Prefect Song."
The curtain of the car was opened, and a man in his fifties was sitting inside. He was dressed in casual clothes and looked a little haggard, but he stood straight with an air of righteousness. When he saw Qin Mu, he snorted coldly.
Qin Mu dismounted from his horse and walked towards him. He bowed respectfully and said, "Song Zhizhou, please accept my greetings. Song Zhizhou is well-educated and knowledgeable. He is a rare talent. Bozhou is a war-torn place and it is not suitable for him to stay for long. If Qin Mu's actions have offended him, I hope Song Zhizhou will not blame me. Qin Mu apologizes to Song Zhizhou here."
The person in the car was none other than Song Yingxing, the prefect of Bozhou.
Song Yingxing, courtesy name Changgeng, was a Han Chinese from Fengxin, Jiangxi. He was elected in his hometown in the 43rd year of the Wanli reign. After repeated failures, he was selected as a teacher in Fenyi, Jiangxi in the 7th year of the Chongzhen reign. In the 11th year, he was appointed as a magistrate in Tingzhou, Fujian. In the 14th year, he was appointed as the magistrate of Bozhou, Anhui.
The prefect was a fifth-rank official, which sounded good, but was not actually the case. Apart from his good reputation, he actually did things almost like a beggar. Bozhou was located near the Zhongdu Fengyang, where various rebel forces and government troops had fought repeatedly, and it had suffered severe damage over the years.
When Song Yingxing took office, the area around Bozhou had already become a barren land for thousands of miles. The people had either fled or joined the bandits, and there were only a few left.
The city had been devastated by war, and there was no place to hold court. Almost all the officials had fled, and he, the prefect, was almost left alone.
Song Yingxing had worked hard in Bozhou for two years, but as the situation in the country became worse and worse, the court could no longer take care of Bozhou. There was no money, no food, and no people. What could Song Yingxing do
But no matter what, he is the prefect, and Qin Mu sent people to forcibly kidnap him. This is a bit... cough cough.
Song Yingxing had certainly heard of Qin Mu's great name, or rather his bad reputation. He never expected that when they met, Qin Mu would lower his attitude so much and apologize respectfully.
Even Li Shi, Niu Wanshan and others could not help but feel surprised. After following Qin Mu for so long, this was the first time they saw Qin Mu being so respectful to someone.
*****************************
ps: It’s the end of the month, and everyone is busy celebrating the New Year, but don’t forget to vote for the monthly tickets you have. Don’t waste them. Vote to support Ming Yang Tian Xia.
.(To be continued..)
...