I'm really not doing business

Chapter 967 The Jinshan Rebellion Creates Blood Feud; The Feudal King Commands the Army to Stabilize the Territory

The opening of the sea route in the Ming Dynasty was progressing steadily. The significance of the bell and drum towers in the main hall was to provide timekeeping. With the capital as the starting point, ships arriving at the port could calibrate their time, calculate their longitude, and determine their position at sea.

The places where the main government's bell and drum towers were built were all tributary regions where the culture of the Ming Dynasty was the main culture.

These tributary regions were not considered actual counties or prefectures of the Ming Dynasty, but rather secondary civilizations.

Mexico, Peru, Chile, and other places were secondary civilizations of Spain and Portugal.

The method Spain and Portugal used to destroy the ancient Inca Empire was through plague and disease. Smallpox repeatedly swept through the country, wiping out isolated tribes in unknown places, leaving only ripples in the long river of history.

The rise and fall of secondary civilizations are closely related to their parent civilization; they rise and fall together. When the parent civilization weakens, the secondary civilization will also weaken.

The world is no different. When the Ansar people, led by the English, rose to power, the secondary civilization of Spain and Portugal, which also originated from the West, began to decline and became stagnant. When China declined, the secondary civilization that was suzerain of China began to decline.

"Your Majesty, the gold from Jinshan has arrived." Feng Bao reported another piece of good news, presenting a memorial from Quan Tianpei, the Earl of Jinshan City.

In his memorial, Quan Tianpei detailed the development of Jinshan City, which had grown from a settlement of less than two thousand people to a place with more than four thousand people.

Over the years, the gold in Jinshan City has attracted many people from the Ming Dynasty.

In addition, the entire city of Jinshan had more than 40,000 slaves. These slaves were all natives, most of whom were captured by the Mexican governor and sold to Jinshan, and a small number were prisoners of war captured by the Ming people themselves.

The Ming Dynasty and the local indigenous people broke out into war—not a friction, not a conflict, but a full-blown war.

The war was triggered by the local natives raiding a camp built by the Ming people and brutally murdering 120 Ming people in the camp, including 12 children.

These twelve children thoroughly provoked Quan Tianpei and his Ming dynasty leaders, and a cruel revenge began.

Guns, gunpowder, bacteria, cavalry—Golden Mountain City used every means at its disposal to exact revenge. Blood feuds were settled, and without thunderous wrath, these things would continue to happen.

"Last time, Quan Tianpei was very optimistic about the tribes near Wanghua Jinshan." Zhu Yijun sighed after reading the memorial.

Prior to this attack, the Ming Dynasty and the local Yi people had made quite good and friendly progress.

Because the Ming Dynasty needed guides, it hired a considerable number of Yi people and even naturalized a tribe called Koman. The tribe's chief, named Park, was appointed as a local official by Jinshan City.

Through the Koman tribe, the Ming Dynasty employed many local Yi people as laborers to reclaim wasteland, build ditches and wells, cut timber, repair bridges and roads, and so on.

The barbarians were not slaves; they were locals hired by Jinshan City with grain and goods from the Ming Dynasty.

The relationship between Jinshan City and the Koman tribe has progressed from initial mutual distrust, simple exchanges, trade, and naturalization to a point where both sides have gone to great lengths.

The Comans, who were in the Bronze Age, obtained some ironware and horses from the Ming Dynasty, while the Ming Dynasty obtained some crop seeds from the local Yi people.

Happy times are always very short. Just as Quan Tianpei was planning to use Koman as a seed to gradually subdue the surrounding tribes, war broke out.

The tribe that attacked Daming Camp was called Tongka. Jinshan City launched several attacks and finally drove Tongka out of Jinshan City's territory.

The Tongka tribe possessed archers with extremely fast firing speeds. These archers were incredibly agile and elusive, and the Tongka warriors worked in close coordination. They moved through the forest, launching surprise attacks and posing a great threat to the Jinshan City's garrison.

The Jinshan soldiers are no ordinary soldiers. In terms of individual combat strength, they are stronger than the Tongka soldiers. In terms of teamwork, the well-trained Jinshan soldiers are even better.

After getting used to Tongka's tactics, Jinshan City immediately made adjustments, and applied an overall tactic of attacking with superior numbers, besieging points and attacking reinforcements, connecting points into lines, and connecting lines into areas.

The three-man squads of Jinshan soldiers were almost never ambushed by the enemy, and the Tongka tribe suffered repeated defeats and was soon driven out.

Quan Tianpei was very puzzled by the outbreak of war. Why would the Tongka tribe attack the camp during a period of friendly contact?

Like two people who have just met and are getting to know each other, they both have some feelings for each other. They know each other's intentions and are deeply in love. However, the strong trade demand has kept the contact between Jinshan City and Tongka Tribe very friendly. Suddenly, war broke out.

During the interrogation of prisoners in Jinshan City, the reason for the outbreak of war was finally understood.

Chief Parker of the Koman tribe told the chief of the Tongka tribe that the camp was a gold storage place of the Ming Dynasty. As long as the gold was seized, it could be exchanged for enough Ming goods. Whatever they wanted could be bought with gold. The cunning Ming people were planning to destroy the Tongka tribe!
The chief of the Tongka tribe, fearing the terrifying methods of these outsiders, launched an attack under the pretext of an oracle from the sun god. However, the camp was actually a farming camp and contained no gold at all.

Parker's purpose in sowing discord was very simple: Da Ming was in contact with the Tongka tribe, which made the Koman tribe very unhappy. Only the Koman tribe was allowed to contact Da Ming, so why would Da Ming need to contact the Tongka tribe?
It was obviously me who came first.

Parker was so audacious because he believed that even if a fight broke out, the truth would be buried in the flames of war. Past experience had taught him that hatred could blind everyone.

Parker's experience was actually correct, because hatred can easily blind one's eyes, and those Western red-haired devils wouldn't ask so many questions.

But Parker never expected that the Ming Dynasty was such a curious civilization. After capturing the prisoners of war, they interrogated them rigorously, and eventually, the Ming Dynasty learned the truth.

Quan Tianpei demanded Chief Parker from the Koman tribe. Chief Parker, in the name of the Sun God, listed the Han people of Jinshan City as enemies, and the war escalated further.

“Jinshan City’s territory is shrinking,” Feng Bao pointed out Quan Tianpei’s current predicament.

Farming is possible in Gold Mountain City and Gold Mountain Port, but the gold mines are far from Gold Mountain City, requiring a long journey. The war between Gold Mountain City and the Koman tribe has made this route extremely difficult.

Because of the friendly relations with the Koman tribe, the Ming Dynasty did not build many military camps for farming, and the fertile fields it had previously cultivated were all taken away by the Komans.

"This Koman tribe, this Park! How dare they play tricks on the people of the Great Ming!" Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial in front of him, his eyes flashing with malice. They instigated the Tongka tribe, betrayed Jinshan City, accepted the Ming emperor's investiture and then rebelled. They are traitors.

Zhu Yijun exhaled a breath of stale air and said, "The pioneers of the Ming Dynasty always harbored unrealistic fantasies about these barbarians, believing that they possessed the same morality as the people of the Ming Dynasty."

"Mu Changzuo, the Duke of Qian, trusted the Miao people too much and was almost invaded by the Dongyu. Guo Xingzhengmao, because of his indulgence of the Yi people, caused the shocking massacre of seven members of the Ming family. Marquis Deng Zilong of Shilong traded the sword I bestowed upon him to the Yi people in exchange for friendship, but all he got in return was endless attacks."

"Now it's Jinshan City's turn, and Quan Tianpei is the same, trusting Parker too easily."

"But this is not to blame my military merits for believing in morality, just as fish living in water feel that water is how it should be."

Even though Li Yashi pointed out early on that high morality was a disadvantage in overseas expansion, even though the Ministry of Rites repeatedly emphasized that barbarians were wolfish and beastly, fearing power but not virtue, and even though the distinction between Chinese and barbarians was deeply rooted in people's hearts, the pioneers of the Ming Dynasty always suffered losses time and time again.

“As long as the Ming people treat barbarians as human beings, such things will continue to happen.” Feng Bao said with a hint of helplessness. Quan Tianpei did not want such a violent conflict to occur and maintained the utmost restraint.

These barbarians, with their hair styled in two buns, bear some resemblance to the people of the Ming Dynasty.

The Tongka and Koman tribes, who lived during the Bronze Age, were not very populous due to a lack of land. The iron tools, intensive farming practices, and agricultural technology brought by the Ming Dynasty made it possible for them to coexist.

What could have been a win-win situation has turned out like this.

The Tongka and Koman tribes both belong to a clan called the Hopi tribe. Their distinctive feature is that they wear two hair buns above their ears, adorned with brightly colored feathers.

The reason why such things keep happening is actually very simple: the Ming people treated the barbarians as human beings. As long as they continue to view the barbarians in this way, these kinds of things will continue to happen.

“People can’t teach people, but events can. Once is enough. Suffering losses is like eating; the more you suffer, the more you will change.” Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, “Prince Lu, please don’t be so sentimental.”

Feng Bao said in a low voice, "His Highness Prince Lu is well aware of the nature of the foreigners. Over the years, the Prince Lu's mansion has executed no fewer than seven beauties from various countries."

Zhu Yiliu's nickname: Mischievous Demon King. His given name is sometimes wrong, but he doesn't have a nickname.

In the thirteenth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, the emperor made a southern tour, leaving Zhu Yiliu behind. Zhu Yiliu caused a huge mess, so much so that when the emperor made another southern tour in the seventeenth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, the officials preferred the nine-year-old crown prince to oversee the country rather than have Zhu Yiliu cause trouble.

Zhu Yiliu's mansion was filled with beauties from all over the world. Clearly, he was very knowledgeable about foreigners and never hesitated to use his power and punishment.

"The Earl of Jinshan inquired why the Prince of Lu had not yet taken up his fief." Zhu Yijun turned to the last page of the memorial, where Quan Tianpei expressed his hope to receive support from the Ming Dynasty's homeland.

It's not that Jinshan City is on the verge of collapse or about to fall, but rather that the harassment from the Koman tribe is causing Jinshan City endless trouble, yet there's nothing that can be done, because there are too few Ming people.

It was indeed quite difficult for the Ming Dynasty pioneers, numbering only four thousand, to wipe out the Koman tribe, which had a population of over seventy thousand.

Quan Tianpei sincerely welcomed the Prince of Lu to his fiefdom, hoping that the Prince of Lu could arrive as soon as possible. Quan Tianpei's reason was that without a fiefdom prince, there was no backbone, and there were many and great disagreements. There was a huge disagreement about whether to fight or not to fight the Koman tribe.

If the Prince of Lu arrives, then the Prince of Lu will have the final say, after all, he is a prince of the Ming Dynasty.

Having a leader is extremely important. After Emperor Chongzhen died at Wansui Mountain, the Southern Ming Dynasty lacked a leader, which led to everyone having their own plans and schemes, resulting in disunity and endless infighting.

Although Quan Tianpei was granted an official title by the emperor, he actually had some difficulty suppressing the divisions within Jinshan City. To be more specific, he did not have enough troops at his disposal.

When the Prince of Lu was to take up his fief, he was to bring three thousand guest soldiers with him. These three thousand guest soldiers would be rotated every six years. These three thousand guest soldiers were enough to suppress all dissenting opinions and work together as one.

This is one reason, and another reason is that Jinshan City needs the support of the Ming Dynasty. With a prince enfeoffed there, local support will be continuous.

Could the Ming emperor really stand by and watch his own brother be bullied in Jinshan City? The emperor was ruthless, but Empress Dowager Li certainly couldn't bear it.

With the Prince of Lu enfeoffed, there was no need to worry about the Ming Dynasty abandoning Jinshan City.

Quan Tianpei was studying when, outside Jiayuguan, in Shazhou in the Western Regions, there was a force called Guiyi Army. It was established during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and waited until the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song, a period of 185 years, but the imperial army never recovered Shazhou.

History is always so full of destiny. The vassal state established by the Guiyi Army was called Jinshan Kingdom. Back then, the Jinshan Kingdom established by the Guiyi Army was in the Western Regions. Today, the Jinshan City established by Quan Tianpei is in the far east, in North America, which is 20,000 miles away by water.

Quan Tianpei was very worried that Jinshan City would follow in the footsteps of Jinshan Kingdom, having waited for the Central Plains army for over 180 years, only to be met with sandstorms and bandits. The enfeoffment of the Prince of Lu meant that Jinshan City would definitely not become an insignificant grain of sand in the long river of history like Jinshan Kingdom, quietly sinking into the silt and forgotten by everyone.

Zhu Yijun looked at Feng Bao and asked, "Are the ships, soldiers, sailors, geomancers, astronomers, Confucian scholars, and craftsmen needed for the Prince of Lu's enfeoffment all prepared?"

"Your Majesty, everything is going smoothly," Feng Bao said with a smile. "Whether the Pan-Pacific Merchant Alliance can be established and stabilized depends on whether the Prince of Lu's enfeoffment goes smoothly."

A knife hanging over the heads of the governorates of Mexico, Chile, and Peru is more effective than a thousand grand pronouncements.

The wealthiest areas in the Ming Dynasty were the coastal and Jiangnan regions, and the main economic model in these areas was still foreign trade. With the establishment of the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance, cotton textile workshops, which had almost stagnated, were able to get back on the fast track of development.

The court had no shortage of scholar-officials from the Jiangnan and coastal areas, who had a decisive influence on national policy decisions.

At the beginning of the imperial court's opening of the sea route, this group of people were the most active in opposing it. They were involved in the public opinion surrounding the imperial court's competition with the people for profit and its gathering of sycophantic officials.

When the imperial court launched the opening of the seas in a grand manner, and policies such as ensuring the safety of maritime trade in the near seas and Southeast Asia, maintaining the business environment, guarding the governor's office, plantation economy, and global trading caravans were implemented, these people became the biggest supporters of the opening of the seas.

After the imperial court allocated the most lucrative, easiest, and most delicious piece of the pie—the triangular trade between coastal trade, Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Ming Dynasty—to these people, they immediately shut up and shouted "Long live the Holy Emperor!"
Zhu Yijun wanted to share this pie with some of the more remote inland areas, but these remote areas were not near the sea and had no shipping advantages. Land transport was too expensive, so it was destined that the coastal areas would get the lion's share of the pie, while the inland areas would only get a small share, with the inland areas getting a sip of the spoils.

Zhu Yijun wrote a very long letter to Quan Tianpei, explaining why the decision to allow the Prince of Lu to take up his fiefdom had been delayed. Zhu Yijun said he was reluctant to part with him, mainly because it was too far away, a full 40,000 li of waterway journey, which would be a life-or-death separation. He also told Quan Tianpei about the scale and timing of the Prince of Lu's enfeoffment, stating that the Prince of Lu would arrive the following year.

"Go down to the Prince of Zhanglu's residence and tell him that everything else can be managed by others, but the army cannot. We will conduct a military review together this afternoon." Zhu Yijun blew on the ink to dry the ink and issued an oral decree to Feng Bao.

When the Prince of Lu was enfeoffed in Jinshan City, he could leave everything else to his own devices, but he had to personally take charge of the army. Otherwise, he could be dethroned at any time by ambitious people. The danger came not only from the attacks of Western colonists and barbarians, but also from his own people.

Zhu Yijun had lived two lives and had long been embroiled in power struggles. He knew very well that his current absolute authority was largely based on the dominance of the Beijing Garrison. For example, if someone resisted the Anti-Corruption Bureau's anti-corruption efforts, Zhu Yijun would send out the Beijing Garrison to intimidate the entire country.

Prince Lu was very young, and he had witnessed too much of the wickedness and deceit of people alongside the emperor, but Zhu Yijun was still worried that he would easily hand over his greatest reliance, the army.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Feng Bao bowed and left the Imperial Study in Tonghe Palace. He did not send a eunuch to deliver the decree, but went to the Prince of Lu's residence in person.

Upon entering the Prince of Lu's residence, Feng Bao's forehead veins bulged and trembled. His Highness Prince Lu appeared rather muddle-headed, a stark contrast to His Majesty.

The winter solstice is approaching on September 18th, yet the maids of Prince Lu's mansion are still dressed in thin gauze. Upon entering the mansion, their bare arms and legs are dazzling. This is not because Prince Lu is being harsh on the maids; these maids are all in the warm pavilion of Prince Lu's mansion.

"Beauty! Where are you, beauty?" The blindfolded Prince Lu reached out and groped around, a somewhat repulsive smile on his lips, while the warm pavilion was filled with the laughter of beautiful women.

"Gotcha!" Prince Lu lunged forward, grabbed a man, and after a moment's groping, removed his blindfold. Prince Lu looked slightly embarrassed, but smiled and said, "So it's Feng Da Dang. Someone, bring some tea."

"Go down."

Zhu Yiliu waved his hand, dismissing all the beauties from all over the world.

Feng Bao rarely visits the Prince of Lu's residence, so his presence here must be due to an imperial decree from his elder brother, and a very important one at that.

"His Majesty's decree: Instruct the Prince of Lu that all matters may be entrusted to his ministers, except for military affairs, which must not be neglected and must be personally overseen to reassure the hearts of the people of the vassal state." After briefly recounting the original text of the imperial edict, Feng Bao began to explain in detail why the emperor had issued the decree.

Feng Bao bowed again and said, "Jinshan City is far overseas. If something happens, the water from the hinterland cannot quench the immediate thirst. His Majesty is doing this for the good of Prince Lu. Please understand His Majesty's good intentions."

Zhu Yiliu gestured for Feng Bao to sit down before shaking his head and saying, "I am not a teenager, I will not rebel. I will naturally keep in mind the earnest teachings of my elder brother."

“I have been observing politics with my elder brother since I was a child. Over the past eighteen years, I have come to understand that there are very few loyal, solitary, and upright ministers in this world.”

"Your Majesty has truly worked hard, constantly battling these cunning individuals. If it were me, I would have already issued an edict to kill them all! Not a single one would be spared!"

"Calling oneself an 'orphan' and "being a widow" was a response to the imperial edict, and Zhu Yiliu usually referred to himself as "I".

Feng Bao sighed and said, "Even if we kill them all, it's still the same people. His Majesty can't be like the Monkey King, with 18,000 extrajudicial clones on a single hair. If these officials are to act as the emperor and govern the people, then this is the only way."

“That’s true. It’s much harder to be a wise ruler than a foolish one.” Zhu Yiliu shook his head and said, “Feng Da Dang, there’s no need to report the dirty business in my Prince Lu’s mansion to His Majesty.”

“Your Highness Prince Lu, the weather is getting cold. Even with a heated room, you should still be careful not to catch a cold,” Feng Bao replied with a smile. His words were ambiguous, and he did not agree. He was the emperor’s lackey, not Prince Lu’s henchman. He would tell His Majesty what he knew.

There are indeed not many loyal ministers in the world, but Feng Bao considers himself to be one of them. He follows His Majesty and his name will be remembered for more than a thousand years. In the future, he will also be a representative of virtuous officials.

Zhu Yiliu asked about Jinshan City, and Feng Bao answered all his questions. After chatting for a quarter of an hour, Feng Bao got up to take his leave.

"Your Majesty, when I arrived at the Prince of Lu's residence, His Highness was harassing a beauty." After hearing the Prince of Lu's reply, Feng Baozhao recounted what the Prince of Lu had done.

"Sigh, he stays in the Prince Lu's mansion all day with nothing to do. Let him play, just make sure he doesn't catch a cold." Zhu Yijun waved his hand, not bothering to restrain him. Zhu Yiliu thought his elder brother was a donkey that had been grinding grain, while Zhu Yijun thought his younger brother was going crazy from having nothing to do.

Zhu Yiliu, in the Ming Dynasty, did not pursue beauties or do anything else. He went to Jinshan because he wanted freedom.

Zhu Yijun had finished processing the memorials from the morning. After lunch, he went to the Beida Camp to inspect the troops. He summoned Zhu Yiliu and, since he had nowhere to vent his energy, he decided to inspect the troops.

"I'm not coming, I'm not coming! If you don't want me to pounce on the beauties, just say so, why beat me up!" Zhu Yiliu lay on the ground, dizzy!
When Feng Bao returned to the palace, he obviously told the truth. This was not Feng Bao's fault, because Feng Bao was the emperor's chief advisor. Instead of issuing an edict to reprimand or admonish him, the emperor directly used the pretext of sparring to give Zhu Yiliu a severe beating.

Zhu Yiliu felt as if his whole body was about to fall apart.

"Starting tomorrow, you will accompany me to inspect the troops. Look at the state you are in now, hollowed out by wine and women. How can I feel at ease letting you go to Jinshan? You can pursue beauties, but you cannot abandon your martial arts skills." Zhu Yijun summoned Zhu Yiliu for training to test his abilities.

In a total of twenty rounds, Zhu Yiliu couldn't even last three rounds in each round before being defeated.

Zhu Yiliu thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll abstain from alcohol starting tomorrow?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun was so angry that he laughed. He said angrily, "Still trying to argue! Last March, you could last more than ten rounds against me, but now you can't even last three rounds. You haven't won a single one in twenty rounds!"

"How can I be at ease with your health?"

"Brother, is it possible that you've become stronger, instead of me becoming weaker?" Zhu Yiliu sprang to his feet and said, "I'm going to fight him! Luo Sigong, it's you!"

"Okay." Luo Sigong didn't waste any words. After warming up, he started fighting with Zhu Yiliu. In a total of twenty rounds, Zhu Yiliu won thirteen rounds, which was better than his previous results. Before, Zhu Yiliu could only draw with Luo Sigong.

"Your Majesty, I have tried, and Prince Lu has not neglected his martial arts training." Luo Sigong returned to His Majesty and bowed his head, saying that he had really tried his best, but Zhu Yiliu's talent was slightly stronger.

Zhu Yiliu flexed his wrists and looked at his elder brother, saying, "As expected, I'm not the pervert."

"Are you calling me a pervert?" Zhu Yijun frowned, understanding the implied meaning. Kid, daring to play dirty tricks?!
Zhu Yiliu nodded solemnly and said, "With your skills, Your Majesty, you could be a general in the army and lead the charge. You'd be more than capable of prying open the shells of those Japanese pirates."

Zhu Yiliu didn't have his older brother's perseverance, but he never slacked off too much. He couldn't beat His Majesty, but he could beat Luo Sigong. It was entirely because the emperor had become stronger, and by more than a little. He was now more than capable of being the vanguard and taking down the mountain city.

Chen Dazhuang, Zhao Ji, Wang Jingfang, and Xiong Tingbi were all formidable men, possessing superhuman strength, while His Majesty the Emperor relied entirely on hard work.

According to Qi Jiguang's military training methods, without talent, a person's physical fitness can only reach the level of a elite soldier at best, but His Majesty has broken through this limit through sheer hard work.

"You two are just ganging up on me." Zhu Yijun gestured for Zhu Yiliu and Luo Sigong to sit down and rest. After thinking for a moment, he realized that he had indeed become much stronger during this period. After hitting the target ten times with the Tiger Power Bow last time, he could maintain this level for a long time.

Qi Jiguang and his officers discussed the competition and determined His Majesty's true level. Qi Jiguang was quite certain that he and His Majesty were about the same age and equally strong.

Because His Majesty can lift a 290-jin stone lock, and when he was 28 years old, Qi Jiguang could only lift a 300-jin stone lock. Li Rusong was taller and could lift a 320-jin stone lock.

If there isn't a significant difference in strength and weight, then it comes down to technique.

“If Xiong Da comes back, he could certainly go toe-to-toe with His Majesty,” Zhu Yiliu said with a smile. “But he wouldn’t dare. Not everyone is as heartless as Luo Sigong.”

"Your Majesty, I understand why the people support the court's policies."

Zhu Yiliu was about to go overseas to take charge of affairs on his own, but he still had some questions about the state of affairs. Since the Wanli Reforms, the people had mostly sided with the court.

Logically speaking, local gentry, powerful figures, and influential figures should have more control over the local people, but in the past eighteen years of reform, the people have become more supportive of the imperial court's policies.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "Because there is no other choice, we can only hope that a wise ruler and court can change their miserable lives. The people can only hope that I am truly wise. The option of civil unrest, which results in a complete loss, is a last resort."

Zhu Yiliu asked a good question: Why should the local people support the imperial court instead of the local government?
Zhu Yijun believed it was because there was no other choice; there was a conflict between the central and local governments, and the interests of the court and the local governments were not entirely aligned.

When conflicts arise between the imperial court and local authorities, the people support the imperial court, which at the very least eliminates a group of powerful figures and creates some room for advancement.

"Befriend distant states while attacking nearby ones?" Qi Jiguang pondered for a moment and gave another answer.

The people's support stemmed from a simple strategy of maneuvering between the central government and local powerful figures. The distant imperial court and the emperor, far removed from the emperor's reach, could not directly harm the people's interests, but local gentry, influential figures, and powerful clans could.

"Or maybe they just want to watch the show and make things worse?" Feng Bao offered his opinion. He believed that the common people were just there to watch the excitement, and that the emperor would almost always win when the local officials fought.

Historically, when the imperial court and local authorities clashed, the imperial court never lost, except for Zhu Yunwen.

Once the local power base is eliminated, resources will need to be redistributed, and the poor and laborers will be able to get some scraps and a chance to catch their breath.

(End of this chapter)