Chapter 25 Erlang Mountain

Although the Jin Yiwei's power has been greatly damaged, they can no longer control the lives of people like Li Chuang and have lost their extremely deterrent violence, but they should still have extremely strong capabilities in terms of intelligence. Chongzhen was deceived and Jinyiwei and Dongchang were crippled for one reason. The other reason was that they lost Chongzhen's favor and could not stand up. Maybe Chongzhen also regretted it, but by the time he regretted it, it was already too late. The civil servants will not miss such a good opportunity to bribe and control. Even Chongzhen himself may not know how many people in these two organizations are still loyal to Chongzhen.

And he has no money.

Institutions like Jinyiwei and Dongchang require a large amount of gold and silver support to rebuild. But how much money can Chongzhen afford now?

Speaking of the sudden death of the emperor in the late Ming Dynasty, there are actually clues. Perhaps these two institutions had gradually escaped the emperor's control after Wanli.

It was inevitable that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty would be unable to recover due to leaks all over his body.

No more gossip.

According to Liu Yun, Hao Yaoqi did not dare to speak out in order to monopolize the military salary. If he intercepted and killed, at most 5,000 people. This is similar to what Ying Yi expected. Ying Yi had similar speculations earlier. He thought that Hao Yaoqi might have the intention of taking away two million taels of silver.

Now it has been indirectly confirmed by Liu Yun.

Hao Yaoqi, the thief, wanted to steal two million taels of silver, so he would definitely not dare to leak the news. If the intruder knew about it, Hao Yaoqi would probably not be responsible. The thieves are now carrying millions and all kinds of shortages. Silver is most needed.

Don't say that thieves can't buy things - the big businessmen of this period had no bottom line in their integrity and could surpass people's imagination. Whether they are merchants from Suzhou, Hangzhou, Jiangnan, or merchants from Shanxi in the north, they are all the same. Shanxi merchants sell their country for pleasure. They sell whatever the Tatars want, including grain, weapons, technology, maps, and intelligence. There is nothing they dare not sell.

Needless to say, the merchants and salt merchants in Jiangnan are blood-sucking insects lying on the corpses of the people and drinking blood. Maritime merchants are not much different. The Ming Dynasty was so poor and the coast was so chaotic, so they made great efforts.

These businessmen colluded with civil servants in front of them, and colluded with the thieves Tatars behind the scenes. They worked hard to dig up the roots of this country. In the end, they all became slaves.

As long as a burglar has money, he can buy anything. People even bring them to their doorsteps for sale.

Therefore, there is a reason why Hao Yaoqi had the desire to be monopolistic. Don’t worry about money not being spent.

If he wants to monopolize it, he can't make a big splash.

Five thousand people was also the bottom line of Ying Yi's guess.

"Five thousand people, that's a lot." Ying Yi had a heavy look on his face.

He was actually not afraid of the five thousand thieves, but he hoped that the imperial guards escorting the military pay would adopt his strategy. This is Ying Yi's purpose.

Liu Yun also looked worried. He knew Ying Yi. After he came to Ye County, he knew a lot of news. Zheng Yunzhi did not hide anything. So he knew Ying Yihengyong. But Ying Yi could kill dozens of people, but what about five thousand?

This is not on the same scale.

Therefore, he was deeply convinced of Ying Yi's heaviness.

This is what Ying Yi wants to see.

The group of people moved quickly and silently in the middle of the night. Except for the occasional sound of horses neighing, the soldiers made no noise. Ying Yi was also very satisfied. It seemed that Zheng Yunzhi had not failed in their training. Compared with the many thieves-like armies in the world today, they are vastly superior.

It can be said that Zheng Yunzhi was a civil servant and did not have the right to lead troops with the permission of the court, so it was a shame. Otherwise, I'm afraid it will be regarded as a Ding Biao camp. Precisely because he was a civil servant and did not have the right to lead troops, the five hundred households had to borrow the shell of the Luyang Pass Thousand Households.

All the way to Wuyang territory, under the guidance of Liu Yun, the group of carriages and horses left the official road and entered the wilderness path. Before dawn, Erlang Mountain arrived.

There are naturally many legends about Erlang Mountain. Regarding Erlang Zhenjun at Guanjiangkou, I won’t talk nonsense here. In an abandoned temple, Ying Yi met Qianhu Guan, a member of the Imperial Guard who was escorting the military pay.

He is a middle-aged man with a weathered complexion and a tired look, and his temples are already gray.

It seemed that escorting the two million taels of silver put a lot of pressure on him.

Speaking of which, Ying Yi still admires them. The collapse of the Ming Dynasty is imminent, and it is not easy for these people to still perform their duties. If it were someone else, he might not have thought about it, and he would have robbed himself halfway.

Of course - one of the eunuchs who followed him should also have contributed.

This military pay was probably a life-saving straw for the Ming Dynasty or Emperor Chongzhen to suppress thieves in the Central Plains. Naturally, they valued it very much. The escort team must be carefully selected, and eunuchs are sent to supervise it.

With just one glance, Ying Yi got an overview of the situation.

"Ying Yi, a hundred households in Xiaye County, came to escort the military pay under the order of the county Zheng Yunzhi!"

Ying Yi cupped his fists.

Liu Yun arrived at Qianhu early and whispered a few words, and Qianhu showed a smile: "Thank you for your work, Ying Baihu. Ying Baihu must be exhausted after traveling all night. Why not rest for an hour first. After an hour, come back here to discuss matters." "

Ying Yi nodded: "I'll take my leave."

After Ying Yi left, the Qianhu officials retreated, and there were only three people left in the temple. himself, Liu Yun, and the eunuchs.

He sat down tiredly, pressed his eyebrows, and waved his hand: "Wang Zhongguan, please sit down too. After so many days of exhaustion, it is finally coming to an end."

The eunuch was also very tired. He sat down and said in a high voice, ignoring the dust on the floor, "General Liu, please tell us how the situation is in Ye County?"

Liu Yun did not dare to neglect, and said hurriedly: "Ye County is still stable. The county magistrate Zheng Yunzhi has made preparations. The people in the city have already moved away, and the big families have also fled, which is perfect for stationing troops. There are five hundred-household establishments in Ye County, less than 100 households. Six hundred people, this time there are two hundred and twenty-four people from two hundred households, led by Ying Yi, the official of the hundred households."

"My subordinates have confirmed that the news about military pay was leaked. Just two days ago, the county magistrate Zheng Yunzhi killed a bandit hiding in Ye County and captured the leader alive. After some interrogation, my subordinates confirmed it. With The news from the bandits is consistent, it is Hao Yaoqi who is under the bandits."

"Are you sure it's just Hao Yaoqi?" Qian Huguan looked solemn.

"It can be confirmed." Liu Yun said: "Master Qianhu, don't you know the interrogation methods of your subordinates?"

Wang Zhongguan laughed and said in a soft voice. If he heard it suddenly, he would get goosebumps all over his body, "There is no need to doubt the methods of our Dongchang and your Jinyiwei."

Qian Huguan nodded: "In that case, it seems that it can indeed be confirmed. It is only one day's journey from Ye County, and we must arrive today."

Speaking of this, he said bitterly: "The dog thief leaked the news. If I know who it is, I will peel off his skin and light the sky lantern, and kill his whole family!"

Wang Zhongguan's expression darkened when he heard this: "Only the princes, the princes and the cabinet, the chief officials of the Six Southern Ministries, and a few people in charge know the news about the military pay. The person who spread the news must be among them. What a shame, pigs and dogs. Not as good as that!”

Several people looked a little gloomy.

The dynasty was coming to an end, they could not see the future, and they were extremely depressed.