Daming: After self-explosive time travel, Lao Zhu's mentality collapsed

Inside the Daming Palace, a heavy atmosphere enveloped the entire Forbidden City.

Since the war in Shandong broke out, everyone in the capital, whether it was the court officials or the common people, held their breath and watched how the situation developed.

Your Majesty has demonstrated unprecedented determination and iron-fisted measures in the crackdown in Shandong.

In the imperial study, Chu Ze sat on the dragon throne, with urgent reports from all over Shandong piled in front of him.

He opened the letters one by one and read them carefully. Every line of words outlined the situation in Shandong in his mind.

"The gentry resisted stubbornly, and the family soldiers defended the manor to the death."

"Lu Bing personally led the army in a surprise attack and broke through three strongholds in a row."

"The outer perimeter of Jinan City has been surrounded by the Imperial Guards, and the wealthy families are having trouble holding on."

He put down the last urgent message and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"These gentry are really stubborn and unrepentant."

"Knowing that he is powerless, he still tries to fight back."

"It seems that unless I teach them a heart-wrenching lesson, they will never understand that no one can stop me from doing what I want to do!"

Chu Ze tapped the table lightly, and after pondering for a moment, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

"Someone is coming."

Eunuch Wang walked in immediately, his expression showing some respect and caution.

"What's your majesty's order?"

Chu Ze said slowly: "Pass on my order and summon the Minister of War and the Prime Minister to come to see me immediately."

"Also, please present the latest intelligence on the war in Shandong."

Eunuch Wang nodded quickly and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"I will go and pass on the order right away."

Soon, the Minister of War and the Prime Minister of the Cabinet walked quickly into the imperial study. They looked solemn and bowed to Chu Ze.

"I will see you, Your Majesty."

Chu Ze raised his hand slightly, indicating that they didn't need to be polite, and then handed over the urgent report in his hand.

"Look at these reports."

"The local gentry in Shandong dared to mobilize thousands of soldiers to fight against the imperial court, and local county officials even got involved."

"As the Minister of War and the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, what do you think of this?"

The Minister of War took the urgent report, read it carefully, and then his face changed drastically.

"Your Majesty, the powerful gentry in Shandong are so rampant that they have indeed seriously threatened the prestige of the imperial court."

"These private troops are large in size and even have the weapons of a regular army."

"If it is not completely eradicated, it may lead to greater unrest."

The cabinet chief also nodded in agreement: "Your Majesty is wise, this crackdown is just in time."

"However, I am worried that if the war in Shandong drags on for too long, it will surely lead to other local families following suit."

"If the local noble families form an alliance, it will pose an immeasurable threat to the imperial court."

Chu Ze sneered when he heard this, and a sharp look flashed in his eyes.

"Imitate?"

"Are these noble families worthy?"

"I want to use this crackdown to completely deter all local forces with evil intentions."

"I want to let them know that anyone who dares to go against the imperial court will be crushed into ashes!"

He stood up suddenly, his eyes sharp as a knife, scanning the two important officials in front of him.

"Order the Ministry of War to immediately dispatch 20,000 elite cavalry to Shandong to reinforce Lu Bing."

"All resistance forces must be completely quelled in the shortest possible time."

"Leave no one behind!"

The Minister of War quickly bowed and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"I will make arrangements now!"

Chu Ze nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to the Prime Minister of the Cabinet.

"Also, the cabinet must quickly formulate subsequent appeasement policies."

"After Shandong is pacified, we must quickly restore local order and appease the people."

"At the same time, we must conduct a thorough investigation of all the families that participated in the rebellion. No matter how deep their backgrounds are or how strong their foundations are, we must investigate them thoroughly!"

"I want them to have no chance to make a comeback!"

The cabinet chief's face turned stern, and he quickly clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty is absolutely right."

"I will fully cooperate with the Ministry of War to ensure that the post-war pacification measures are implemented quickly."

Chu Ze nodded and then waved.

"Go down, execute immediately."

"I want to see the result!" The two men bowed and retreated quickly.

Silence returned to the imperial study again. Chu Ze slowly sat back on the dragon throne, with a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

"The Shandong issue must not be delayed."

"This is not only a suppression of local gentry, but also a deterrent to all the aristocratic families in the entire Ming Dynasty!"

"Anyone who dares to be an enemy of the imperial court will pay a heavy price!"

……

At the same time, the situation on the Shandong battlefield became increasingly tense.

In Wang Qinghe's manor, blood flowed like a river and corpses were everywhere.

The Jinyiwei's surprise attack was like thunder, completely destroying the defense line of the landlords' soldiers.

Lu Bing stood in front of the manor gate, holding a long knife, with endless coldness in his eyes.

"All family soldiers, lay down your weapons!"

"If you lay down your weapons, I will spare your life!"

"Otherwise, we will kill you without mercy!"

His voice was cold and full of authority, echoing throughout the manor.

Some wealthy families' soldiers looked at each other with fear and despair in their eyes.

They thought that with the manor's strong defenses and thousands of elite soldiers, they could at least hold out for a while.

However, the Jinyiwei's attack was like a violent storm, and they were defeated in an instant.

A family soldier gritted his teeth, suddenly threw the long sword in his hand to the ground, and said in a trembling voice: "I... I surrender!"

Once the first person surrendered, there followed the second and the third.

Soon, hundreds of family soldiers put down their weapons and knelt on the ground trembling.

Lu Bing looked at them coldly and then waved his hand.

"Take away all those who surrender and keep them under strict guard."

"Anyone who dares to act recklessly will be killed without mercy!"

The Jinyiwei soldiers stepped forward and took away the surrendered soldiers one by one.

At this time, Lu Bing's eyes fell on a luxurious attic not far away.

That was where Wang Qinghe was hiding.

"Wang Qinghe, come out!"

"Your family soldiers have surrendered."

"Now, you are the only one left."

"Come out and surrender, maybe His Majesty will spare your life!"

His voice was cold and murderous, echoing in the manor like a death knell.

In the attic, Wang Qinghe's face was pale and cold sweat was pouring down his forehead.

He tightly grasped the sword in his hand, his eyes filled with endless despair and madness.

"surrender?"

"No!"

"I, Wang Qinghe, have traveled all over Shandong my whole life and have never bowed my head to anyone!"

"I will never bow to the court!"

He bit his tongue hard, spurting out a mouthful of blood, then he roared, wielded his sword and rushed out of the attic.

However, just as he took a few steps, he was blocked by a long sword flashing with cold light.

"You lose, Wang Qinghe."

Lu Bing looked at him coldly, his eyes full of disdain and sarcasm.

"Your Majesty has already seen through your tricks."

"Today, no matter how hard you struggle, you cannot change your fate of defeat!"

Wang Qinghe's eyes turned cold and he suddenly raised his sword and stabbed at Lu Bing.

"I, Wang Qinghe, would rather die than surrender!"

However, before his sword could be thrust out, it was chopped away by Lu Bing's sword.

"puff!"

Blood splattered, and Wang Qinghe fell to the ground, with the sword falling out of his hand.

He covered his chest, blood kept flowing out of his mouth, and his eyes were filled with unwillingness and despair.

“Why…why is it like this?”

“Is the imperial court really so powerful?”

Lu Bing looked down at him with no mercy in his eyes. (End of this chapter)