Great time travel

Chapter 164: Tiger Hill Conference

The fifteenth day of the first month of the seventh year of Chongzhen, Suzhou, Tiger Hill
The history of Suzhou City can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period at the earliest. As early as when Wu and Yue were fighting for hegemony, it was already the capital of Wu State.Li Taibai of the Tang Dynasty wrote in a poem: "When Wu Qi lived on the stage of Gusu, Xishi was drunk in the palace of Wu Wang".Therefore, there are many historical sites in Suzhou: Huqiu, Panmen, Shihu, Lingyan, Tianping, Yushan... There are also exquisite gardens built in the past dynasties - such as Humble Administrator's Garden, Lingering Garden, Canglang Pavilion, Lion Grove, etc. Every place is a place where literati from all over the world linger and yearn for.

And Huqiu outside Suzhou City is the No. 1 victory in Wuzhong. After the death of King Helu of Wu in the Spring and Autumn Period, he was buried in Huqiu.After Qin Shihuang wiped out the six kingdoms and unified the whole world, he visited Tiger Hill for sightseeing.When Bai Juyi, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, was the governor of Suzhou, he dug mountains to divert water, and built seven mile dikes on Tiger Hill. Later dynasties also built a lot of buildings on this place, making the scenery of Tiger Hill more beautiful, so that later generations of scholars believed that visiting Suzhou and not visiting Tiger Hill, It is a pity.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Fushe scholars headed by Zhang Pu held several grand literary gatherings in Huqiu to discuss the current affairs of the world, just like the election speeches of later generations, which made the Huqiu meeting famous all over the world for a while.Seeing this, the senior figures of the Donglin Party did not want to let the juniors of Fushe focus on the front. They held various literary meetings, poetry meetings, receptions, and tea parties in Huqiu to recite poems, compose Fu, and comment on the government.

Therefore, Suzhou Huqiu in the late Ming Dynasty became one of the famous political symbolic places just like the capital squares of many countries in later generations.

At this moment, under the convening of Mr. Qian Qianyi and Qian Muzhai, the leader of Donglin, another Huqiu meeting was held on the Lantern Festival.On the official road from Lumen of Suzhou to Huqiu, there was an endless stream of scholars and literati in Confucian robes.However, at this time, the demeanor of these participants has long since lost the leisurely demeanor of a scholar, let alone the leisurely elegance of admiring the snow and plum blossoms, but is full of some indescribable anxiety and fear.

And on Shantang Street, which is only seven miles away from Tiger Hill, this is the most prosperous commercial port in Suzhou, and there are rows of shops and restaurants, but all of them are closed behind closed doors.There are no pedestrians and vendors on the street at all, let alone any lanterns that are indispensable for the Lantern Festival.

——Although the iron hooves of the "Master of the Great Qing Dynasty" have not stepped here yet, the refugees who have fled from Nanjing, Zhenjiang and other places have already passed through their mouths, telling the Qing court to demote the people in the south of the Yangtze River The horrible policy of slavery has spread to the ears of Suzhou people.

The big gentry in Suzhou were not without horror to see the upheaval of the current situation, and they all thought hard about self-protection strategies, but they couldn't do anything for a while.Finally, under the leadership of Qian Qianyi, a local celebrity and Donglin leader, the Huqiu Wenhui was held again to discuss ways to deal with the crisis.

As a result, Huqiu, which had been deserted for a long time outside the city of Suzhou, was once again crowded with warm sedan chairs.Behind most of the sedan chairs, there are still a group of domestic slaves, some with charcoal stoves, some with umbrellas, some with food boxes, some with tea sets, and some even with red lacquer toilets...

Like the previous Huqiu Wenhui held by scholars in the south of the Yangtze River, this meeting is still held at the Thousand People Stone in Huqiu.The Thousand Persons Stone is a whole piece of naturally formed dark purple large rock, about two acres square, sloping from south to north, as flat as a stone, majestic, with two rocks protruding from the middle, with a flat top and four walls like cuts. It can seat thousands of people, which is really rare.According to legend, after the completion of the Mausoleum of King Helu of Wu in the Spring and Autumn Period, more than a thousand tomb builders were gathered here, and there was a crane dance to add to the fun, and poisoned wine was given secretly. The craftsmen vomited blood and died of poisoned hair. It is dark purple, and when it rains, it turns red like blood.Later, in the Jin Dynasty, another eminent monk, Zhu Daosheng, gathered here to give a lecture on Buddhism.

Qianrenshi is located halfway up the mountain, which is the center of Tiger Hill.At this time, the stone of thousands of people is full of scholars in Confucian uniforms of different ages, and it seems a bit cramped.In the center of the Stone of Thousand People, the organizer built a platform with wooden boards, and there were two chairs in the center of the platform, and the chairs were covered with brocade.On one of the chairs, of course, the convener of this Huqiu meeting, Qian Qianyi, the world-renowned leader of Donglin, was sitting. I saw this old man with a clear face. Although he had cloth shoes and white socks and simple clothes, his beard and hair It is not chaotic, and a pair of eyes are even more piercing, making people dare not look directly at them.

On the chair next to him sat a fat middle-aged man who was Qian Qianyi's disciple Qu Shixu. He had a long beard and a burly body, and he looked very much like a man leading troops to fight on the battlefield. As a general, it's hard to think that he is actually a literati with no power to restrain a chicken.

Because Qian Qianyi is not young and his health is not very good. As the saying goes, "the master has something to do, the disciple will do his job." Therefore, at the Huqiu meeting jointly held by members of the Suzhou Donglin Party and the Fushe, Qian Qianyi just To put it simply, all kinds of specific affairs are basically done by Qu Shixu, a disciple.

Although the current situation is critical and the Targa's soldiers are not far away, as a saint's disciple, he still cannot be dismissed. Seeing that everyone is almost here, Qu Shixu got up and shouted: "...the auspicious time has arrived ~~~~" On both sides, there were several servants yelling together: "...please God~~~~"

Immediately afterwards, a few young and strong scholars lifted a large altar and placed it on the "rostrum" in the center of the Thousand Persons Stone. The incense sticks are filled with carefully sifted fine sand.

At the same time, more than a dozen youths in Confucian uniforms lined up, each holding a wooden tablet with their hands hanging on their chests, on which were written Gu Xiancheng, Li Sancai, Ye Xianggao, Zou Yuanbiao, Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou , Wei Dazhong, Yuan Huazhong, Gu Dazhang, Gao Panlong, Huang Zunsu and other Donglin seniors' official titles.The teenagers held these tablets with solemn expressions, placed them neatly on the altar, and then turned and left.

Then, with Qu Shixuan's "... Shangxiang~~~~" there was a burst of joy to welcome the gods on the Tiger Hill.Qian Qianyi and Qu Shixu washed their hands with silver basins and held incense to pay homage to them. Everyone in the audience knelt together and kowtowed to the sages of Donglin on the tablets.

Next.Accompanied by another sound of "...Lezhi~~~~Licheng~~~~", everyone got up and took their seats.Naturally, there was a burst of pleasantries first, and all the gentlemen praised Mr. Qian Muzhai for his unrivaled demeanor in the world, and his demeanor remained the same as before.

Until Qu Shixu looked up to see that it was getting late, he didn't dare to delay any longer, and urged Qian Qianyi to get to the point.Only then did Qian Qianyi stand up slowly, stroked his beard, raised his arm and made a gesture, and everyone in the audience gradually became quiet.Start listening carefully.

I saw Qian Qianyi cupped his hands and said: "... I remember that in the 32nd year of Wanli, Mr. Jingyang advocated the construction of Donglin Academy and Daonan Temple, together with his younger brother Gu Yuncheng, Gao Panlong, An Xifan, Liu Yuanzhen, Ye Maocai, Qian Yiben, Xue Fujiao and other Donglin Eight Gentlemen gathered together to discuss morality, flaunt integrity, satirize the government, and denounce the current disadvantages. Scholars from all over the world responded after hearing the news, court officials echoed it from a distance, and the world looked at him. When Wei Zhongxian was not yet a big man, I wanted to use my reputation as an upright gentleman to win the hearts of the ruling and the wild, so I used both kindness and power to win over Donglin. Donglin refused to join forces with him, so that this bastard harbored a grudge and waited for an opportunity to retaliate. Wanton hunting and killing. The names of Donglin party members are listed all over the country. Anyone who is famous on the list will be demoted to the people, and the dead will pursue the official title. For a while, the world is silent, the gentleman is choked, Donglin's vitality is severely injured, and the talents are withered. It has been dormant for several years. Alas! It has been decades since these past events, but thinking about it until now, it is still as if it was yesterday, and it is vivid in my mind."

After reviewing the glorious history of the Donglin party members, Qian Qianyi sighed with his head down, recalling the present and the past, seemingly overwhelmed with emotion, then raised his head and continued: "...Then in the early years of Chongzhen, the Donglin gentleman finally had his turn. Dismiss the eunuchs and traitors, and expel all the scumbags from the imperial court. At one time, the capital was full of power. And we, whether in the court or in the opposition, were full of joy, thinking that the world would soon be governed. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a dream Alas, God does not bless my Donglin. First, the remnants of the eunuchs were revived again, but the gentleman in Donglin was expelled from the court. After that, many earth-shaking changes happened, and the whole world fell apart. It is clear who is right and who is wrong. In short, not only the Donglin Party members have been killed and injured, only a few old people like me are left, like lonely ghosts, who are powerless to turn the tide. Even the Jiangnan Wen The place where Huahui gathers is also in danger! If those old friends of Donglin know about it, I really don't know what they will think."

After nagging until here, Qian Qianyi finally got into today's topic, "...Now the Tartars are rampant in the south of the Yangtze River. What you have done is simply outrageous. We are all facing a catastrophe, so please speak freely, brainstorm, and discuss a countermeasure. I only hope that Jiangnan will clarify someday, and the old man can spend his life in Fushui Mountain Villa..."

Seeing Qian Qianyi, the leader of Donglin, behaved so humbly, all the gentlemen in the south of the Yangtze River immediately looked high-spirited, "... I was born in Confucianism, and I started by myself, read the books of sages and sages, and served the country. Giving up your life and asking for your life for the people is your duty! Is there any reason to refuse?"

But the question is, facing the iron cavalry and swords and guns of the "Master of the Qing Dynasty", what can these pretentious scholars come up with?

They may be good hands when it comes to messing around, telling stories, and even threatening the Ming government with broken boots.But the Eight Banners master didn't reason with you at all, he just hacked at you with a knife, and wanted to rob you of your pastoral mansion, gold and silver treasures, so what's the use of you being able to speak again?
Indeed, the Jiangnan Donglin party members had great power before, and they had huge influence in the ruling and opposition parties under the Ming Dynasty, and they could even control the Emperor of Ming Dynasty for their own use.But now that even the imperial court is gone, and the Ming Dynasty seems to be coming to an end, what's the use of their connections?
Of course, they could also use their sharp tongues to go to Nanjing to persuade the barbarian emperor to "turn back when he lost his way" and to return to the "right way" of being kind to the gentlemen.But I heard that many crazy students have tried this before, and the result was that their heads were beheaded on the spot, or they were made slaves!
In short, these scholars discussed and discussed in Huqiu, and finally found that the only slightly feasible way at present is to mobilize their family members and tenants to organize volunteer soldiers in the prefectures and counties in the south of the Yangtze River that have not yet fallen to resist those who want to take the people from the south of the Yangtze River The brutal northern captives who were reduced to slaves—although such a mob would definitely not be able to fight in the wild, but if they defended the city and waited for changes, there might be some turning points.

Therefore, the Suzhou gentry prepared to form a "resistor alliance" in Huqiu to lead the overall situation of resisting the Qing Dynasty and self-saving in Jiangnan.After some discussion, it is planned to name it "Zhengqi League".Originally, everyone planned to elect Qian Qianyi, who is well-known all over the world, as the leader of the alliance, but Qian Qianyi immediately expressed that he was old and weak, and he might not be able to take on such a big task. He suggested that his student Qu Shixu be the leader of the alliance.

Qian Qianyi's proposal was immediately approved collectively.After a little resignation, Qu Shiqi formally assumed the position of leader of the "Righteous Qi League" and presided over the "Jiangnan National Salvation Conference". Then he elected five deputy leaders and more than [-] veterans... After discussing for a full hour, Finally, the organizational structure of the entire "Righteous Qi League" has been preliminarily determined, but where the specific soldiers, horses and ordnance will come from has not yet been determined...

On the other side, when everyone was pointing the country on the Stone of Thousand People, an unexpected guest came outside the mountain gate leading to Tiger Hill...