Chapter 18 The Great Earthquake in the Capital City

The capital city in July of the 18th year of Kangxi was not as hot as in the 21st century because it was during the Little Ice Age and the global temperature was extremely cold.

The late Ming and early Qing dynasties happened to be the coldest period of the Little Ice Age, with constant natural disasters, droughts in the summer, severe cold in the winter, reduced food production, and a sharp decline in population. Therefore, some scholars in later generations believed that the demise of the Ming Dynasty was also related to the climate, which happened to make the Qing Dynasty

Got a big deal.

As early as a few months ago, Zheng Kezang used his brilliance points to purchase historical data from 1679 and discovered that the Qing court would be hit by a major earthquake at the end of the seventh lunar month. He had an idea and asked his father-in-law Chen Yonghua to discuss a plan for the Qing Dynasty.

The rumor campaign suppressed Kang Mazi's arrogance.

[The entrance to a roast duck restaurant in Beijing]

"Xizi, have you heard? There are rumors recently that God is not happy with the emperor and will send a punishment from heaven. At the end of the month, the capital will be turned upside down." A man with triangular eyes in a robe and mandarin jacket with a money rat tail braid said to his companions

said suddenly.

"Alin, I've heard about it too. This matter has been spreading like wildfire recently, which has made our Holy Father very angry. Now the Eight Banners Infantry Battalion is arresting people everywhere, saying that the gang of pirates in the southeast are spreading rumors. I think that's the case.

." The man on the other side, Xizi, replied.

"Your Majesty is wise, with the Heavenly Soldiers of the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty, we can suppress the earth dragon even if it turns over." A Lin laughed heartily, full of pride for the Eight Banners. Others thought he was a disciple of the Eight Banners.

"Yes, what do we slaves like us have to worry about? If the earth dragon really turns around, those people outside the capital will be extremely happy." Xizi said with emotion.

When the Qing army occupied the capital, they forcibly ordered all the aborigines in the capital to be expelled from the city, and all the good places were occupied by the Eight Banners.

This is where Kang Mazi took temporary refuge.

Of course, it was not just the capital. The Qing army's behavior in occupying land in other places was even more cruel. The capital was considered civilized and did not go on a mass killing spree.

"A hundred thousand taels of silver will be distributed to provide relief to the victims. Officials of all sizes in the imperial court are ordered not to withhold food and salary for disaster relief. Otherwise, those who are greedy for one piece of money will be killed, and those who are greedy for hundreds of dollars will implicate the nine ethnic groups. In addition, officials, gentry, and rich people are called on to jointly donate for relief." Kangxi issued an edict.

road.

"According to the decree." Mi Sihan, the Minister of Household Affairs, replied.

At the same time, Kangxi picked up a writing brush and wrote on the edict: Since I became emperor, I have been working hard, hoping to unite the heavens and the people, but at this time, there was a sudden earthquake, all because of my bad deeds.

, There is no political coordination, and the ministers and ministers are unable to abide by their common duties, resulting in disharmony between yin and yang... These are words that offend oneself, words that are also words to show off to the public, and words that are even more shocking. I am frightened, so I say this.

[Xicheng Jingshan]

"Reporting to the Emperor, academic scholar Lu Dehong was crushed and injured, cabinet bachelor Wang Guozheng was in charge, Zhang Chunfang's right concubine Zhuang Jiansheng, a student of the Hanlin Academy, was crushed to death, and the former Prime Minister Wang Guangyu's family of forty-three were also killed.

Died in the earthquake." Nalan Mingzhu, a scholar at Wuyingdian Palace, knelt on the ground and reported the casualties of the ministers to Kangxi with a look of grief on his face.

[Dongning Fu Shijing Street]

Just when the two were about to get up and go home, there was a sudden bang, like thunder, and the capital was earthquake. The roast duck house collapsed instantly. The two of them were overwhelmed by the flying sand and rocks, and they didn't know whether they could survive.

This rumor spread widely in Dongning Prefecture, and some common people believed it. However, some knowledgeable officials scorned it, saying that Zheng Kezang was playing with fire.

If nothing happens to the Tatar capital, the prestige of the prison country will plummet.

In this way, a major earthquake struck the capital area. The epicenter was in the Sanhe and Pinggu areas. According to later research, the magnitude of the earthquake reached eight. In addition to the capital area, the earthquake affected the surrounding Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi,

There are more than 200 prefectures and counties in six provinces, Liaoning, Shandong, and Henan. There are no accurate statistics on the loss of life and property caused by the earthquake due to the limitations of the technical level and social conditions at the time.

Unlike Kangxi, who had a headache, the situation on Zheng Kezang's side was excellent.

However, the development of the matter was beyond everyone's imagination. It was already August when the news of the earthquake in the capital reached Yizhou Island, and the effect it had on Dongning Mansion was no less than that of a real earthquake.

"Find their bodies as much as possible and give them a decent burial." The haggard Kangxi replied feebly. Kangxi had been tortured these past few days. Finally, the three feudal lords were basically pacified. Suddenly there was a big earthquake. The most annoying thing was that there was an earthquake a while ago.

There were rumors that he offended God and sent him punishment. Kangxi thought to himself: Is this really the punishment God gave me? It must be a coincidence that Zi Buyu has strange power and chaos.

There are countless conversations like theirs in Dongning Prefecture, and people in the streets and alleys rush to tell each other.

It was summer at this time, and even during the Little Ice Age, the weather was hot. The dead bodies everywhere rotted quickly, so that the stench filled the streets and the stench filled the sky. The scene was horrible to watch.

Since July, under the instruction of Zheng Kezang, a rumor with a Taoist flavor has been rampant: the Taoist ancestor of the Sanqing Dynasty told His Highness Jian Guo in a dream that slave creation was unethical and cruel, so he sent down a divine punishment in the capital, and at the end of the month, the earth dragon

Turn over.

No matter what, let's first issue a criminal edict to silence the world's people, and then use disaster relief operations to restore people's hearts and turn bad things into good things.

Now the people of Dongning Prefecture have regarded him as Emperor Guangwu of the Ming Dynasty, the great mage Liu Xiu, who could summon meteorites.

"Alin, look at the huge wind and sand in the northwest. Let's go home quickly. This roast duck is inedible." For some unknown reason, the sudden flying sand greatly dampened the interest of the two wrapping slaves. However, this was just

start.

In the next two days, aftershocks continued in the Tarking area. The city walls in Tongzhou, Liangxiang and other places all collapsed, and the cracked ground turned into smelly ditches, with yellow-black water and black gas emerging.

"Really, I heard that the government has posted announcements, and even the Tatar emperor has issued an edict and confessed his mistake to the Taoist ancestor of the Sanqing Dynasty." Another old man affirmed.

This news spread like crazy, and Zheng Kezang was in the limelight for a while. People everywhere said that His Highness Jian Guo had appeared. As a result, some people who originally believed in Buddhism began to consider converting to Taoism.

"Old Wang, have you heard? There was a big earthquake in the capital of the Tatars. Many Tatars died. The Taoist ancestor of the Sanqing Dynasty appeared. His Highness Jian Guo's dream was true." An old man said excitedly, waving his cane.

.

"Xizi, don't talk about these unlucky things. Come and try this authentic roast duck. It's a time-honored brand that was established during the Yongle period of the former Ming Dynasty. It's a first-class delicacy. You can't get it anywhere else. Only a gourmet like me."

Only then did I know." Following the words, the two of them happily shared the roast duck, and everything seemed to be going well.

Even when they went to the court for discussion, the old men under Zheng Jing looked at Zheng Kezang with a little respect. They obviously took him seriously and no longer regarded him as a young boy.

"Qinshe, your hands are beautiful!" Chen Yonghua praised happily.

Zheng Kezang waved his hand and said nonchalantly: "Father-in-law, it's not enough to use a little trick. Today I want to take my father-in-law to see a novel thing - cement."

"What is cement?"
Chapter completed!