When Lin Qirong and other generals successfully repelled the Qing army of Hechun, the battle on the Suzhou battlefield on the other side also entered a white-hot situation.

That night, the Western King Xiao Yungui took Hong Yuner and Tang Erniu to Suzhou. Because of the many cannons, guns, red medicine and leads she brought, Xiao Yungui changed to the water route after he arrived in the Suzhou River. It took more than a day to return to the Taiping Army camp in Wenchang Pavilion outside Suzhou.

Wenchang Pavilion in Suzhou is located on the mound on the west bank of the Grand Canal on the south bank of Xingxian Bridge, Hushuguan Town, Suzhou. Wenchang Pavilion was built in the 23rd year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty and surrounded by small rivers. The Wenchang Pavilion in the Ming Dynasty was destroyed when the Qing army advanced south in the late Ming Dynasty. The existing building was rebuilt by the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. It was overlooked from a high point. The situation was dangerous. After the Taiping Army in the West Hall sent troops to siege Suzhou, Zuo Zongtang could see the dangerous terrain of Hushuguan and Wenchang Pavilion at a glance. He divided his troops to garrison Hushuguan and Wenchang Pavilion, and built Wenchang Pavilion as a general camp, as a camp to guard the canal and the place for the storage of grain and grass. A brick wall of more than 3 meters high and about 1 meter thick was built around Wenchang Pavilion, with several trenches and earthen walls as barriers to ensure the safety of all money, grain and medicine in the general camp.

Speaking of Suzhou, we have to mention Hushu Pass. This Hushu Pass is located in the northwest of Suzhou City, the northeast foot of Nanyang Mountain, and more than 20 miles southeast from the center of Suzhou City. It is located on both sides of the Grand Canal of Beijing and Hangzhou, bordering the canal, connecting to Guabu, connecting to the river in the middle, and connecting to Wuhui Jujian, entering the sea. It is known as the thoroughfare of the fourteen provinces. Cotton, wheat, grains, sea goods from Fujian and Guangxi in the north, silk from Suzhou, Hangzhou, Jiahu, and other handicraft products must be communicated through here. Therefore, merchants in the town gathered together and trade flourished. Every day, all merchants from all directions sold here, and those who traveled to the gate must buy it.

During the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty, the tax was established in Hushu, and since then it became one of the most famous cash passes in the Ming Dynasty. The annual commercial tax revenue was very considerable. Until the Qing Dynasty, Jishuguan was still a prosperous town in the country, and was known as "the abyss of business and tourism, and the great majestic of Zeliang". The establishment of the Hushuguan was actually started as early as the beginning of Hongwu. In the fourth year of Xuande, the Ming Dynasty had paid the tax on commercial goods in the center of the commercial transportation. More than a dozen cash passes were set up on the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal to collect silver. By the first year of Jingtai, merchants were active in the Ming Dynasty. Taxes were collected nationwide, which was considered to be synchronized with economic growth, which was both lamentable and understandable. Although there were clear tax rules and specific regulations, the officials often interpreted the endings that vary from person to person. Integrity, Ming and Qing dynasties and corruption can incubate a series of completely different movies of cash passes.

The so-called "currency" refers to the clear banknote, the Qing Dynasty treasure banknote and the Ministry of Revenue official bill. The folk collectively called "currency bills" are actually paper money. The banknotes are based on the load capacity of the ships, the cargo and distance of the cargo and distance, and the banknotes are collected by silver. According to the Qing Dynasty's banknote collection regulations: "Each banknote is discounted by three cents of silver, and each 7 cents of silver is discounted by one cent." There are rumors in Hushu, seven bronze medals are discounted by one cent. There are regulations for banknote ships, river boats, hall boats, and navigation boats in passing ships from five feet (wood ruler) to one four feet. For example, five feet: collect ten cents of banknotes; six feet: collect twenty cents of banknotes; one zhang: eighty cents of banknotes; one zhang: four cents of banknotes: two hundred cents of banknotes. There are also other regulations for long ships, river boats, black boats, and Gan boats.

But the specific implementation is not so simple. The clean officials followed the rules; the plague officials shouted everywhere, and the people were lamenting that passing the Hushu Pass was like a gate of ghosts. Hushu Pass went from the first chief of the Queguan to the seventeenth year of Chongzhen in the late Ming Dynasty. In 194, a total of 146 officials and 148 officials were appointed. After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, in the second year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty, Cheng Liangru, the official sent by the Hongguang court, surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, and to the sixth year of Daoguang, a total of 116 officials and 211 people. The above statistics are from the 1450 years of Jianguan to the recorded 1826, and in just 376 years, there were 359 officials, with an average term of office of only more than one year, and the frequent replacement was rare.

It is not difficult to see from this that the two dynasties of the Ming and Qing dynasties attached importance to the financial resources that can be collected here. To be fair, exploitation is the side of the problem. On the other hand, the establishment of the Hushu Chaoguan undoubtedly had a favorable side to the development and governance of waterway traffic at that time, dredging waterways, building embankments and docks, promoting commodity circulation, and rectifying safety in one area. However, with the increasing success of the Qing Dynasty, more and more corrupt officials, and the accumulated problems of the need to be investigated and kept deeper, Hushuguan became a gate of hell.

Since the Taiping Army captured Hushu Pass, it has cancelled miscellaneous taxes for passing the customs, and business travelers only imposed tariffs once, which made the business travelers and travelers enter and exit very happy.

In contrast, Xu Naizhao, the governor of Jiangsu in the Qing Dynasty, did not win the hearts of the people. Tens of thousands of Taiping Army in the West Palace came in full force. Jiangsu Governor Xu Naizhao and Zhang Guoliang's Qing army retreated to Suzhou early. When he arrived in Suzhou, Zhang Guoliang ordered the general of Daming Town Ma Dezhao to "order the people to wear clothes first, then move, and then set fire to the fire of the three orders", preparing to burn the houses outside the city to white land, in case the Taiping Army uses these houses to approach the city wall to attack the city.

Ma Dezhao ordered arson. In an instant, Nanhao Street outside Changmen, known as the "first and second-class romantic and wealthy place in the world", was from Shantang to Huqiu, Zhongshi Street to Jiejiaqiao, Wujifang and other markets were turned into ashes, and some scattered soldiers of the Qing army took the opportunity to loot. All the people in Suzhou were forced to move to the city. For a time, the people of the people complained.

After a fierce battle of the next day, the Taiping Army easily wiped out the Qing army outside and surrounded the six gates of Suzhou Lou, Wei, Qi, Pan, Xu, and Chang. After more than ten days, the Taiping Army set out to attack Suzhou continuously. Xu Naizhao, Zhang Guoliang, Ma Dezhao and others used twelve points of their strength to barely block the Taiping Army's offensive.

Early that morning, Zhang Guoliang stood on the top of the city wall with a tired look on his face. Looking at the city tower that was blown up by the Taiping Army artillery fire yesterday for a long time, he found that the flag of the Western King appeared again in the Taiping Army's formation this morning, which means that the Western King Xiao Chaogui has returned to Suzhou to supervise the battle. Zhang Guoliang felt sad. He also knew that if reinforcements did not come again, it was only a matter of time before Suzhou fell. No matter how brave and good Zhang Guoliang was, he could not resist the brigade of the Western King of Taiping Army. Thinking of this, Zhang Guoliang smiled bitterly. Looking back on his energetic entry into Suzhou City that day, he also said that he could defend this lonely city. After more than ten days, Zhang Guoliang felt how ridiculous he was at that time.

On the same day, when Zhang Guoliang was passing Nanchang to attack Tianjia Town, he suddenly received an urgent order from the court of the imperial court, ordering him to rush to Suzhou to guard and intercept Changmao to advance eastward. On the second day of setting out for Suzhou, he came to report that the Taiping army had tens of thousands of people. More than a thousand warships went down the river and had already broken Zhenjiang, Guazhou, and rushed to Jintan and Wuxi. Zhang Guoliang was shocked and sweated in a cold sweat. He could not have expected Changmao to use troops so quickly. Once Wuxi was lost, Suzhou would be in danger. While advancing to Suzhou, he received a letter from the imperial envoy Xiang Rong, who ordered him to rush to Suzhou to support Suzhou. Xiang Rong himself led his troops to guard Hangzhou, thinking that it was a striking force.

Zhang Guoliang knew that if Wuxi was lost, Suzhou would be dangerous. At that time, Hangzhou and Shanghai would be exposed to the long-haired military front, making it more difficult for the entire Jiangnan to be conservative. So he came day and night, and arrived at Suzhou City a little later, and saw Suzhou City from afar. Zhang Guoliang felt a little more peaceful.

When he entered Suzhou City, he arranged for his soldiers to rest. Governor Xu Naizhao heard the news and rushed to meet him. When he saw Zhang Guoliang, the first sentence he said was: "With Zhang Dianchen helping him guard, Suzhou will be free of worries."

Zhang Guoliang was proud of himself, bowed a little, and frowned and said, "The Lord Futai is so praiseful, and the lower-ranking officials are not three heads and six arms. It is better to combine the people's efforts to defend the city. Sir, where has the hair grown?"

Xu Naizhao knew Zhang Guoliang's arrogant temper, and he didn't care about it and smiled slightly, saying, "I guess it will come in the next two days. If you arrive one day later and fight against Changmao Field outside the city, it will be very dangerous."

Zhang Guoliang snorted and said, "Wars in the wild, others dare not say that I, Lao Zhang, will not be vague when I face the hairy thief. I am lucky to be long-haired. I didn't meet me, Lao Zhang, in the wild. Lord Futai, let's go to the city to patrol." Xu Naizhao didn't think it was offended, so he smiled and went to the city to patrol with Zhang Guoliang.

After looking at the houses outside Suzhou City, Zhang Guoliang pointed to the houses and said, "Any houses close to the city walls must be burned immediately to prevent the long hair from using this as a nest, entrenching the city, or digging the ground to attack the city."

Xu Naizhao hesitated slightly and said, "Nanhao Street outside Changmen, from Shantang to Huqiu, from Zhongshi Street to Jiejiaqiao, from Wujifang and other markets are prosperous places in Suzhou. It is a pity to destroy it. Besides, these houses are destroyed. How can these people live in the future?"

Zhang Guoliang thought that it was right to be prosperous, and said with a smile on his face: "Master Futai, if Suzhou City is lost and it will become a place of thieves in the prosperous land, what is the use of leaving it? As for how to resettle the people, I will find a way to help Futai. The first memorial is to ask the court to allocate some money to rebuild houses for these people to live in again."

Xu Naizhao was slightly angry. These arrogant generals only knew how to fight and kill, and never cared about local people's livelihood. He said now: "There is constant war in Jiangnan, and it is thankful that the court can exempt some taxes. How dare you ask the court for money? Forget it, I will just bear this infamy."

Zhang Guoliang laughed and said, "Mr. Futai is joking. Isn't the rich people in Suzhou City panic? May Futai be so happy that these houses will still be burned clean, otherwise the city will be broken and none of them will be able to escape. Let them pay some money to these people, and will there be a bankruptcy for rebuilding the house at that time?"

Xu Naizhao said with a bitter face: "I have recruited thousands of brave camps in the previous season and donated more to the rich families in the city. I am afraid no one is willing to donate any more money."

Zhang Guoliang laughed and pulled Xu Naizhao aside and whispered: "You can tell these wealthy families that it is my Zhang Guoliang's army that has come and we have to urge them to accept them again. I am not afraid of those rich businessmen who blame them. The Futai Nationality can give me the charge."

Xu Naizhao was stunned. Although he was smiling, his eyes were not teasing at all. Instead, he was very sincere and whispered: "The ministers of the palace cannot be trusted. This court is already suspicious of us Han governors and generals. If we offend these wealthy businessmen and are reported by others, it will be a great crime."

Zhang Guoliang winked and whispered in a low voice: "I, Lao Zhang, are not afraid. The court still needs Lao Zhang, I will wipe out Changmao, haha." Xu Naizhao widened his eyes and was stunned for a while but couldn't speak.

So, the Qing army donated to the rich households in the city like a wolf and tiger, and looted the houses outside the city. The rich businessmen in and outside the city all resented, but the rich businessmen just kept their anger in their hearts. After all, as long as the official army could defend Suzhou, most of their money could be saved. If they were to be furious, they would be afraid that they would lose their lives.

After looting the outside of the city, the Qing army always set fire to the vacant houses outside the city without hesitation. For a moment, the surroundings of Suzhou City were filled with thick smoke. Most of the people outside the city were frightened by the Qing army's words, such as killing people without blinking, killing people who believe in Buddhism and Taoism. These vicious words were indeed useful. Long before Zhang Guoliang entered the city, most of the people outside the city fled into the city. The next day, the Qing army recruited tens of thousands of civilians, dug a deep trench outside the city, pouring water inside, and guarding against the tactics of Taiping Army's siege. (To be continued, please search for Piaotianwen, the novel is better and faster!
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