Ming Zuo

Chapter 601 Pressure
The big fanfare from Shandong made Li Kangxian, Wang Yingxiong, and Lin Qian extremely nervous, thinking that something big had happened.

When Wang Zesheng opened his mouth, it was only about merchants, and the three of them couldn't help being angry.

"Mr. Wang, my Ming Dynasty has its own laws, and it is your merchants who behaved wrongly that caused the punishment. Or it may be your merchants' misbehavior that aroused the anger of the people. The reason for this cannot be judged."

Li Kang didn't want to talk about it.

All of them are dignified ministers of the Ministry of Rites and important ministers of the country, but they want to discuss lowly merchants with traitors here, so they don't have to lose their status.

Opposite him, Wang Zesheng's expression was as cold as ice.

"So, the court intends to breach the contract?"

"Hmph, don't you understand Zongbo's words? The court has its own rules and regulations on this matter, how can you let me talk about it?"

Lin Chian reprimanded him, but he almost blew Wang Zesheng and others away.

This person is an honest official, but he is also a well-known muddled official in history.

Wang Zesheng looked over with a smile and asked, "Master Lin, do you know who Zheng Zhilong is?"

Lin Qian was stunned, he didn't expect him to take the topic so far.

It turned out that after Zheng Zhilong returned to surrender, Lin Qiang's subordinates wrote a memorial "The Righteous Zheng Zhilong Accepts Zheng Yiguan's Merit" in order to claim credit for him.

Lin Qian didn't know that Zheng Zhilong was Zheng Yiguan, so he made an official reply and awarded Zheng Zhilong an official rank.

This has now happened.

The court didn't know, and Lin Qian didn't even know.

But Shandong knows.

In the eyes of the imperial court in Shandong, it is no different from a sieve.

Such anecdotes are well known within the Shandong government, and they are all regarded as jokes.

Therefore, Wang Zesheng said it casually, but it was just to ridicule Lin Qiang's stupidity.

Later, this matter was also known by Chongzhen.

When Lin Qian was giving a lecture to Chongzhen, Chongzhen asked casually: "I wonder if Zheng Zhilong and Zheng Yiguan are one person? Or are they two people?"

Lin Qian knew that his feelings were wrong, and after going back to investigate, he blamed himself and was frightened. He felt that he had committed the crime of deceiving the emperor, so he simply swallowed gold and committed suicide.

After teasing Lin Qian for a while, Wang Zesheng's face turned cold and his tone became tough.

"The agreement is implemented, the world is the evidence, and it cannot be desecrated. In view of your words and deeds, we have the right to believe that you deliberately violated the agreement. In view of this, we will take any necessary measures to protect our interests. Here , On behalf of Shandong, I officially inform you. The punitive measures we will take include but are not limited to cutting off the canal, and are not limited to force. If you cannot give us a satisfactory answer before noon tomorrow, our measures It will take effect immediately."

canal!

Canal again!

Hearing that Shandong was going to cut off the canal again, Li Kangxian, Wang Yingxiong, and Lin Qian were going to be paralyzed.

Can we change the game?
But there is no way, who is to say that this method is effective?
As long as the center of Ming Dynasty is still in the capital, the canal will be the hemp muscle of Ming Dynasty.

One pinch one accurate.

Moreover, Wang Zesheng revealed that Shandong's countermeasures are not limited to cutting off the canal, and even include armed attacks.

Can Zhili stop Shandong's soldiers?
Obviously, impossible.

Li Kangxian no longer had the airs he had before, his expression was trembling, and he was restless.

"My lord... your envoy is safe and don't be impatient, why...hehe...why?"

Such is the case with weakness.

Without a hole card, you can't stand up at the negotiating table.

Seeing that he showed signs of softening, Wang Zesheng should chase the poor with his remaining courage.

"The rioters against us in Shandong this time must be severely punished to serve as an example. The imperial court must ensure the safety of our merchants and industries in Shandong in the future, and there will be no more violations of the agreement."

After speaking, he smiled proudly and pushed a piece of paper over.

It is densely packed with names of people.

"I'm not afraid to tell you that Shandong is in full control of the rioters this time. If the imperial court does not punish them, Shandong will take action. Any consequences and criticisms caused by that time will be borne by the imperial court."

Hearing his murderous and ruthless words, Li Kangxian and the three of them were completely paralyzed.

This is the first time they have seen such a style of behavior, and the aggressiveness is even more domineering than that of Ye Xian who attacked the capital city back then.

"This...this...this..."

Wang Yingxiong was sweating profusely, trembling with fear.

He is known for his tough personality, with the spicyness that Sichuanese have had since ancient times.

In matters of state like this, however, personal character plays absolutely no role.

The strength shown by Shandong is backed by strong strength.

Not only did they say it, but they also did it.

This is the correct performance of strength.

With Wang Yingxiong's true heart, it is absolutely impossible to accept such persecution.

The big deal is to die.

He is not afraid of death.

However, this is not his personal matter, but a state matter.

A person's life and death matter is small, but the king's kingdom matter is big.

As a result, a stubborn and important minister unexpectedly acted in a state of indecisiveness, feeling ashamed.

Wang Zesheng is like a newborn tiger, with unstoppable fierceness.

"Zhang Pu and Zhang Ximing from Taicang have repeatedly written articles attacking our Shandong province. His intentions are to be punished. The court must also give an account of this matter, otherwise our Shandong province will definitely not give up."

Shandong decided to attack Zhang Pu.

Not only will there be a verbal debate, but there will also be physical blows.

Of course, with Zuo Menggeng around, it's natural that there will be a lot of losses.

Zuo Menggeng knew that to deal with Zhang Pu, Shandong could not do it himself.

Shandong can have an ideological confrontation with him, but it must not cross the line.

Otherwise, even if Zhang Pu is killed, it will add a halo to him and promote him to the altar.

Shandong does not need to take action, but it can use the hand of the court.

The meaning behind this is...

Once the imperial court couldn't bear the pressure from Shandong, it really punished Zhang Pu.Regardless of the effect, I am afraid that the traditional scholar-bureaucrat class will immediately alienate the imperial court.

After all, the scholar-official class stood with the imperial court, and they waved their flags and shouted to fight for the imperial court.

As a result, the imperial court took action against them, how could it not be chilling?

Zuo Menggeng wasn't sure if the Ming Dynasty could perceive the insidiousness in it, or have a premonition of the harm in it.

All he knew was that the current imperial court had a motive to punish Zhang Pu.

First of all, Zhang Pu jumped too much.

As a rural scholar, he has repeatedly interfered in government affairs, and even influenced the election and decision-making of elders.

Based on this alone, Chongzhen could not tolerate him.

Secondly, Zhang Pu is Zhou Yanru's behind-the-scenes staff.

Now Zhou Yanru has been dismissed from office and lost all his power.

The one who controls the court is Wen Tiren, who is also Zhou Yanru's sworn enemy.

How could Wen Tiren miss the opportunity to cut off Zhou Yanru's followers?
It can be said that Zuo Menggeng asked the Ming Dynasty to punish Zhang Pu at this time, but it was just an excuse.

Even if the insightful people in the court sensed the danger, it would be strange to see that Chongzhen, who was so powerful, and Wen Tiren, who was eager to fight, did not take the opportunity to act.

"The above are all my demands in Shandong. If you don't give us a satisfactory answer before noon tomorrow, you will bear all the consequences."

Wang Zesheng's words are sharp, like knives and swords, which is equivalent to giving an ultimatum.

(End of this chapter)