To say that Zhou Huai’an is one of the few key targets in Chang’an City, except for Empress Cao, who took the initiative to surrender under the bad situation, the next one should be the Taiping Army’s general governor and an old friend who has always been in personal friendship. The prime minister Zhao Zhang stayed behind.
Because although he was the prime minister of Da Qi and Yuan Cong who followed Huang Chao to start his family, he was the one who was the most friendly to Zhou Huai'an from the beginning. Although this relationship is not without a certain utilitarian and speculative color, there are so many unprovoked or pure goodwill in this world.
What's more, he has always been quite self-aware, and he will only put all kinds of demands on the face; he is not lost in proportion and can maintain the right distance, so that people get along very comfortable; and even in the most tense period of the relationship between the two sides , He still stands on the position of leaning towards the Taiping Army, no matter what the motivation is, it is particularly rare.
It can be said that because there is Empress Cao faintly echoing inside, and he is responsible for the actual operation and escort in disguise, both the north and the south can obtain what they need or the benefits of mutual benefit in private from beginning to end. No interruption.
After all, to make deals and exchange information with the powerful factions of the northern rebels, they also need him to be such a high-level person with sufficient weight and power to ensure that the intermediary and guarantees are finally reached.
And his early history is also very interesting. Zhao Zhang was actually a member of Huang Chao's same year. At that time, he was one of many unsuccessful scholars in Chang'an. In the selection of body, language, book, and sentence, he was finally brushed down because of his lack of beauty.
Because of this, Huang Chao himself, who had the same fate, became acquainted with him, and he had the road to the rise of the future. Then, in the battles that moved around the world, he gradually gained the qualifications to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Huang family and the salt owl gang, Li Junru, who was born in account books and clerks, and Cui Miao, a member of the Zhedong Observatory, a member of the court of Fangzheng.
Therefore, compared to Yang Shigu, who is a bit persistent and unresolved in his philosophy, he is actually more like a realist who is self-interested but does not lose the bottom line. Most of the time he plays a role that is based on interests. Partners are more politically indispensable allies, or benchmarks.
Therefore, the other people in the Daqi court didn't care, if given the opportunity and ability, Zhou Huaian still hoped to be able to win him over. It was just that the city broke too suddenly, and the station of the Taiping Army was too far away from his mansion on the edge of the North Nei (Daming Palace), almost spanning the entire north and south of Chang'an City.
Therefore, the exploratory team sent only arrived in the Nannei (Xingqing Palace) area, and the way was blocked by the people and people running like a tide, and then there was no more. Because the officers and soldiers had crossed the long street and smashed towards Bei Nei and Huangcheng Da Nei.
Today’s Chang'an has already experienced more than a month of war and saw-saw, even if there are more daylilies, it should be cool; therefore, Zhou Huai’an has not much hope for his whereabouts and the probability of surviving, but he didn’t expect it now. You can also get related news from Anyifang.
As for Anyifang, newly occupied by the Taiping Army, it is one of Chang'an Waiguochengfang. Located at East Fourth Street, Zhuquemen Street, East Congbei Seventh Square, led by Wannian County. It is adjacent to Dongshi to the north, Qinrenfang to the west, Jinggongfang to the east, and Xuanpingfang to the south.
According to (Tang) Wei Shu's "Two Beijing New Records", the square is 350 steps (approximately 514.5 meters) long from north to south, and 650 steps (approximately 955.5 meters) wide from east to west. Among them, there is a gate on each side, and there is Shizi Street in the middle, and Chang'an Chengfang ranks third in the fifth class.
In Fangzhong, along the intersection of Zhongzhou Avenue, there is Fengcheng Garden transformed from the house of Situ Jianshi Zhongma Sui. To the north of Cross Street, there are places where religious sites such as Yuanfa Temple and Taizhen Temple (yes, where Yang Taizhen is a monk) gather.
In the southwest corner, there are former Zuowei general Zhang Yanshi’s residence, Jinwu general Yang Zhiyi’s residence, Zhongshu Shilang Tongzhongshumen Xia Pingzhangshi Li Jifu’s residence, Prince guest Lu Zhenbai’s residence, Hubu Shangshu Feng Ao’s residence, and Secretary Nong Qing Chang's residence, Raozhou Governor Wu Dan's residence, and other official households gathered.
This Daqi servant was found in Yuanfa Temple, a relatively unknown small jungle near the famous Taizhen Temple in Anyifang. It was just that when the Taiping Sergeant found his man, he was already seriously ill and described as lying in the monk's house, covered with moss and boils, so he couldn't even stand up and talk.
Therefore, he was transferred to the rear for treatment in the first time, but the other person accompanying him was brought to Zhou Huai'an not long after. It's just that Zhou Huaian looked at the other party who was wearing shabby robes and shaved his head, describing that he was so thin and alive that he was a penance monk.
"Liu Yunshi, why did you call this time?"
Because, this person is indeed the former headman, the left servant Liu Tang of the Ministry of Household Affairs, but the fat and belly raised in the rich and glorious, have been boiled and cleaned, and he still adds a lot of money to his head and face. Road new and old scars.
And when he heard this, Liu Tang was originally rich, but now he had an awkward smile on his frowning face:
"If it weren't, why would we see each other again..."
According to the causes and consequences in his remarks, Zhou Huaian slowly understood the whole story. It turned out that when the official army broke the city, they and the great ministers still wanted to do something to restore the situation.
And Zhao Zhang, who had never been on duty to recuperate in the Guangzhaifang home in the east of the imperial city, was one of the leaders among them; according to his prediction, at least among the homes of the noble priests of Qi Gongqing near the imperial city, it was still There are a lot of past trilogy, family members and others, if they can gather together, it is also a considerable force.
The result is good, but the reality is cruel. When Zhao Zhang personally brought the guards, guards, and door-to-door buckle requests, there were only a handful of people on the huge long street of the city. Others brought people out to respond; others either pretended to be deaf and dumb and kept behind closed doors, or fled early.
Therefore, Zhao Zhang swept through the cross street of Guangzhaifang, and finally only collected more than 300 people. Then when they came to Bei Nei Miyagi and asked to open the door to escort the old and weak women and children to avoid disaster, they were driven back again by the defenders who shot arrows in the darkness above the city.
Then, they rushed to the location of Jingzhao Mansion, wanting to join forces with the patrol division led by Meng Kai; they didn't get far before they saw the fire rising in Jingzhao Mansion, and then it intensified with the east side. As the shouts of killing came closer, the hearts of the people gathered around Zhao Zhang also dispersed.
Finally, in the sudden wave of street escapes, most of their relatives and family members were completely separated; only Liu Tang followed Zhao Zhang and the others, and came to the unclosed door. Take refuge temporarily in Anyifang.
However, in the turbulent state of hiding in Tibet, many treacherous things have happened one after another. Including betrayal and betrayal, impromptu rebellion and infighting; among them, some people want to flee alone with their belongings; some people can't stand the hardship of hiding, and sneak out and get caught and attract officers and soldiers.
In the end, even Zhao Zhang was injured and contracted a sudden illness while on the run, and only a few people, including Liu Tang, were left beside him. However, it was the remaining monks in the Guanghua Temple who finally reached out to them. Not only did they take Liu Tang's ordination as a concealment, but they also mixed up with the officers and soldiers who came in to search and rob for several times.
In this way, they rely on the melons and vegetables they planted in the temple and the accumulated soybeans and wheat. Amidst the daily turmoil of the attack and the constant plundering, they took care of Zhao Zhang, who was lingering and sick, while working hard and saving money And he has persisted in his body and abstinence until now.
And Liu Tang was also in the days and nights of fear and restlessness, followed by chanting and practicing Buddhist scriptures, as well as the rituals and work of day and night work, and gradually became calm and even indifferent. , It's like getting some kind of detachment from the world through practice.
It wasn't until the sound of fighting and fighting again that the unique drum horn sound of the Taiping Army reminded him of the vicinity of Guanghua Temple, which seemed to wake him up from a dream of indulging in the world of Dharma, and he could not help but walked out to see it for himself.
"Then next, what are Liu Yunshi's plans?"
After hearing all this, Zhou Huaian asked:
"Since I have found a place to live, I have recovered from the training and care of the good students... After experiencing these things, someone just wants to take a break and think about it..."
Liu Tang also sighed calmly:
"Naturally, if the chief governor has something to offer, Tang Zidang will do his best to serve. As a minister of Qi, he is also supported and valued by his servants. Although he can't go along with the difficulties, he can do his best. ..."
His remarks made Zhou Huai'an somehow able to take a high look. The so-called basic truth is that "the heart and nature of people can only be seen at the moment of critical survival"; at least in this deviation from the historical line, the Daqi Provisional Regime established by Huang Chao is not entirely undesirable and the cornerstone. The existence of pillars.
At least compared to his previous greed for money, keen on power, low-mindedness and low integrity. In times of crisis, being able to guard the benefactor Zhao Zhangdong to hide in Tibet, and stay in hiding and take care of him for more than a month; afterwards, he still thought about it constantly, which can be regarded as loyal and faithful. Thinking of this, Zhou Huai'an spoke again:
"Speaking of which, there is something that requires you to rush for a while..."
"But I would like to ask the general governor to order..."
Liu Tang hurriedly said:
"Now when our army is starting to clean up the city that has been retaken, it encounters many people who claim to be Daqi generals, officials, and their families..."
Zhou Huaian nodded and said:
"Among them, it is inevitable that there will be fish-eyes or opportunistic people. It just happens that you select a group of people familiar with the corresponding situation from the south side of the city to assist in the identification and rescue matters nearby..."
"Thank you for the great benevolence and righteousness of the governor, a certain family should live up to the trust.
However, Liu Tang was grateful and handed his hands: Then Zhou Huaian wanted to reopen and ask him something, but an emergency report came from the outside again:
"An emergency report from Huayin County in the east, the army that had just arrived in the southeast of Dugui Road, encountered the ambush of the Shatuo Army and broke the scene. The rest of the army has already retreated into the city and stood by for help..."
And in Dongshi, where the fighting just ended, there was still smoke from the ignited fires everywhere, and some peace soldiers were also working hard to extinguish the remaining fires; or using special hooks and forks to remove those that were ignited. The burnt, crisp or incomplete building components were tossed down one by one to the ground and splashed a puff of sparks and embers.
And Meng Kai, who was lucky enough to escape again, ignoring the injury of his body splitting and being re-bandaged again, rushed to the release pool in the northeast corner of Dongshi City; among the winding roads and corridors, there were crowds scattered among the crowds. The group of women who had just been released from those warehouses; cowering and waiting in line to receive the dry food in the hands of the Taiping soldiers, but most of them looked ashamed or disheveled so that people could not see the difference in their original appearance.
"Niang Guo? ... Niang Guo?"
Meng Kai couldn't help but screamed in anxious tone, and immediately attracted the attention of the guards nearby. However, Meng Kai didn't care about these many things. He just wanted to confirm the safety and whereabouts of the woman who helped him in the first place. (End of this chapter)