Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

There was no beef, but there was mutton. Soon the shop owner brought out a basin of mutton.

Mutton is a good thing. In this day and age, if you don’t have a lot of money, you can’t afford to eat it. The aroma made many customers in the store sniff.

Zhang Shikang invited a few old friends to eat meat, and he himself was not polite. He picked up a piece of stewed soft mutton and stuffed it into his mouth.

The spices were not cheap at that time, and in such a remote area, the mutton had a strong smell. Zhang Shikang felt like he was kissing a goat snake, but the meat was still very fragrant.

Those old guys were not vague at all. They didn't even brag and just started eating the meat with grunts.

"Don't just eat, come and drink!" A big man picked up the wine bowl and happily poured a bowl for Zhang Shikang.

Zhang Shikang didn't mind the man's greasy hands. He also picked up the bowl with his greasy hands and clinked it with those big men.

After drinking half a bowl of wine, Zhang Shikang laughed loudly, which immediately attracted the laughter of several big men. Zhang Shikang didn't care. He didn't like drinking much, so he just listened to their conversation.

"Old Yang, have you heard that the imperial court is going to reform the system again? It is said that this time, not only will the household registration restrictions be relaxed, but even the military system will be changed.

It seems that they are going to set up a Yongning Army inside the Great Wall. We in the border towns are called Huben Army, and even the name of the Beijing Camp has been changed to the Jinwei Army." One of the men said.

"Isn't this a good thing? If the household registration restrictions are changed, won't those unpromising children in our family be able to take part in the imperial examinations in the future?

But this military reform is quite beyond our expectations. Everyone knows that the garrison troops have been abolished for a long time, but if the garrisons are to be abolished, too many people will be affected." said another man.

"I just heard about it too, huh, so what?

Aren’t there more people who benefited passively from last year’s tax and land reforms?

What's the result? Just kill all those people!" said the man called Lao Yang.

"Let me tell you, the military marshal appointed by His Majesty is really capable. I used to say that His Majesty handed over the military power to a brat who was still wet behind the ears. It was really... Alas, I was wrong!"

When the news of the Jimao Incident spread here, they were all shocked, and then they were filled with mixed feelings of worry and excitement.

After that, he kept paying attention to the situation in the court. Later, there was unrest in Jiangnan, internal and external troubles arose again, and the entire Ming Dynasty became a mess.

Several people drank because of this matter and almost got into a fight because some people thought that doing so was too risky and if it failed, the Ming Dynasty would be doomed.

Others feel that although the risk is a bit risky, as long as it succeeds, it will be a great achievement that will last for thousands of years.

But a few people never thought that killing those bureaucrats and gentry was wrong. After the argument, they still ate, drank, and paid attention as usual.

"Hahaha! Not to mention you, Old You, every one of us, who hasn't made a mistake?

Although your majesty is dim...oh, but this appointment is truly wise!"

"You old marquis, you still haven't learned your lesson. How can you criticize His Majesty? Was the last punishment severe or lenient? Be careful, walls may have ears!" Old Yang reminded.

Freedom of speech in the Ming Dynasty was relatively open. People could discuss state policy and other matters in the fields, in the market and in taverns. However, one thing they were not allowed to do was to criticize the emperor.

The imperial power cannot be violated. Once discovered by the government, the person will lose his head.

The man called Lao Hou sighed when he heard this.

"Alas, it's still too late. If Your Majesty had become wise and enlightened a few years earlier..."

"It's not too late now! Our military marshal has not only trained the guards in the past two years, but also cleaned up the internal affairs.

You all know about the last time Jian Nu invaded, right? It was said that it was a tough battle, and they won!

Even we don’t have the ability to do this, so Dorgon will flee all the way north in panic!” Old Yang said again.

"What we are talking about is not the same thing. What we mean is that if the Marshal had come out a few years earlier, we... might not have to suffer the wind and sand here!" Old Hou showed a very bitter smile.

Then everyone sighed and fell silent.

"Why are you sighing, brothers? You all seem to have stories to tell. Can you tell me some?"

Zhang Shikang was finally full. He wiped his hands with a handkerchief and asked everyone with a smile.

He still likes listening to stories, especially in this town. Almost everyone has a story, whether it is happy or tragic, they all live tenaciously.

"What's so good about this story? Why don't you stay in the big house honestly, young man? Instead, why do you run to this remote place like this?" asked Old You.

Anyone who goes out with such a large group of servants must be either rich or noble, and he could also see that none of the servants around him had poor skills.

Experts don't even need to take action; you can tell they are all trained just by looking at their gestures.

"As for me, I've been bored staying in the big house for too long, so I asked my brothers for a job and went out to gain some experience." Zhang Shikang said with a smile as he poured wine for his brothers.

"You're right, you have quite a good eye. Where are you from, young man? What business are you in?" asked Old Yang.

This means that the father no longer takes care of the family and the eldest brother is in charge of the situation. However, most families will split up after the elders pass away.

In his case, there are few cases where the eldest brother takes charge of the family business and divides the family business among other brothers.

This shows that the brothers are very harmonious. As the saying goes, a harmonious family brings prosperity. Such a family should be very famous.

"I came from the capital, but as for what kind of business my brother is doing, it's hard to tell you casually." Zhang Shikang said nonsense.

"You bastard, what's wrong with doing business? What can they do to rob you?" Old Yang said again.

"That's not what I meant. It's mainly because my brother's business is so huge that I'm afraid it will scare you if I tell you about it."

"Tsk! Do you really think I'm from Xiamen University?

Let me tell you, when I was fighting the Tartars on the battlefield, you were still breastfeeding!" This made Lao Yang very angry. He was already in his forties, but he still didn't know how to write the word "fear".

But Zhang Shikang's eyes suddenly lit up. Fighting the Tartar alone? Is this guy a veteran?

"May I know your name, brother? Where did you serve in the army?" Zhang Shikang said with narrowed eyes.

"I dare not call you noble. I'm Yang Ming, and I used to be the deputy general in Shanhaiguan." After saying this, Yang Ming picked up the bowl and took a big gulp.

He didn't know Zhang Shikang's identity, but since he came from the capital and was doing big business, the only people he could think of were the group of nobles in the capital, so he didn't dare to be arrogant.

"Deputy General of Shanhaiguan??

What about the other brothers?

Could he also be from the military?" Zhang Shikang asked in surprise.

"The young man has a very sharp look in his eyes. He is You Shiwei, the former commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan." You Shiwei also introduced himself.

"Wang Shiqin, former commander-in-chief of the Shanhai Left Army." Another person introduced himself.

"It was originally planned to be Deputy General Zhang Fa."

"Wang Yongzuo, former deputy commander of Gushan."

Zhang Shikang's eyes widened.

Damn, did this blow up the general’s nest?

……