Wanli Ming Emperor

Chapter 202: Death is death, is it okay for a country to die?

The sky was as dark as ink, thick and dripping.

Raindrops began to fall hastily from the sky, and the fighting outside the gate of Gao's mansion became more and more intense in the hazy rain.

The smell of rain, mixed with the scent of blood, rolled aimlessly into Gao's mansion.

Through the gate, you could see two groups outside fighting, and the white bricks were splattered with blood.

The sounds of "Xiu Xiu" and "Sharp Whistles" continued.

"kill!"

The sharp arrowheads flashed with a cold light, and several desperate men with white scarves wrapped around their wrists fell to the ground.

Swords, spears, and daggers collided with each other, making a continuous "pu pu pu" sound, accompanied by whistling, collisions, and curses. The two sides collided several times in the blink of an eye, and their formations were scattered and mixed together.

In just a moment, the bodies that were crisscrossed fell to the ground, and the blood soaked the ground. The blood was then carried away by the falling raindrops and seeped into the ground.

……

At the same time, in the alley outside the back door of Gao's mansion, a team of people wearing black armor, like a winding black snake, came from afar and moved quickly.

"Catch the thieves! Arrest the evildoers! Innocent people, disperse!" The two people in the front of the team in black armor kept shouting and clearing the way.

Ordinary people were so frightened that they fled in panic and returned home in a hurry. The houses in the alleys were closed tightly, and the servants guarding the mansions along the road closed their doors and looked out.

I was surprised to see the big red lanterns hung up as the year was coming to an end, swaying without wind, casting shadows.

The military column, dressed in black armor, turned a corner and ran into two factory guards who were on martial law at the corner.

The latter stood ready with a vigilant look, and someone immediately stepped forward holding a fire sign: "I am Liu Shangyi from the Five Cities Army, leading the troops to protect the emperor!"

The two factory guards breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this.

At this location and this node, the Five Cities Army should be the fastest to arrive.

As he was thinking about it, he walked forward to check the fire card.

There is certainly nothing wrong with the fire card.

The man took back the fire card, and his men also came closer.

Hmm? This armor... is this the standard of the Five Cities Army? Why doesn't it look like this?
Just about to take a closer look.

At this moment, a gloomy and resolute command was heard: "Kill him!"

Two puffs.

The white knife went in, the red knife came out, and the two factory guards fell to the ground immediately.

There was a whooshing sound.

The factory guard who was on martial law at a distant corner saw that the situation was not good and turned around to escape, but an arrow feather pierced through his chest and he fell to the ground.

Liu Shiyan handed the bow and arrow to his adjutant, strode over the two corpses, looked up at the sky, and behind him were dozens of elite soldiers following him like a shadow.

"Don't delay, keep going! Most of the factory guards accompanying the emperor have been lured out by the White Lotus thieves in the front street. Let's go straight to the back door!"

Suddenly, raindrops as big as beans fell on Liu Shiyan's hat, flowed down his shoulders to his slightly trembling arms, slid down from the pale fingers holding the fire card, and then melted into the puddle on the ground.

He was certainly not Liu Shangyi, the commander of the Five Cities Army. That was his son, who had been sent out of the capital.

But thanks to this, every procedure in his hands is truly authentic.

As the right commander-in-chief of the Five Military Commanderies, Liu Shiyan issued the fire card and the Five Cities Army was ordered to protect the emperor. Who could say that he was wrong?

If you are not in a hurry, you can still pass by giving these factory guards a little more time.

The raindrops only fell for a few breaths.

You could see electric snakes looming in the dark clouds, and in the blink of an eye, a curtain of rain covered Liu Shiyan's sight.

The dead branches and leaves were beaten on the cobblestone slabs until only broken limbs were left, and then they were ruthlessly twisted under the feet of the black snake with black armor, leaving traces of its rapid movement.

The group walked forward in silence and solemnity.

He walked out of the alley, stepped over the puddle with one foot, splashing mud everywhere, and approached Liu Shiyan. It turned out that someone had been waiting there for a long time.

The man took out a letter from his bosom: "Lord Chengyi! I have sent your relatives out of the capital safely. From now on, birds will fly in the sky and fish will leap in the sea!"

"This is a letter from the noble son to the Earl of Chengyi."

After saying that, he handed the letter to Liu Shiyan.

Liu Shiyan's face was stern, and he snorted coldly: "The stinking Jiuru speaks in a poor and sour manner, and even a thief can't change his sour and rotten taste!"

In the previous Yuan Dynasty, there were ten classes of rank, and Confucian scholars were ranked ninth, just above beggars. Now that there is discord between civil and military officials, they have become a sharp weapon in the words of the nobles, and are contemptuously called the Nine Stinky Confucian Scholars.

After making a sarcastic remark, he grabbed the letter without any hesitation.

Liu Shiyan quickly glanced over the secret key he had agreed upon with his son, and after confirming that it was correct, he suddenly crumpled it into a ball and stuffed it into his mouth.

He was dressed in black armor, which made a trembling sound when he moved, showing the demeanor of a man who had served in the army for many years.

Protector Zhao had been colluding with Liu Shiyan these days, so he naturally understood this man's temperament. In a nutshell, he had a hot temper and took his anger out on others.

It is time to restrain one's dislike for civilian officials and take one's anger out on friendly forces.

During the Jiajing period, Liu Shiyan forged the signatures of the Nanjing Ministry of War and Duke Wei, falsely claiming to have submitted a joint memorial. After the incident, he was put into seclusion by Emperor Shizong.

At that time, even Emperor Sejong was also angry, and then "he submitted several secret reports, but received no response, and became angry and tyrannical."

During the Longqing period, he was ordered by Emperor Muzong to return home for investigation for "plotting Duke Wei to succeed to the throne, privately manufacturing weapons, and gathering a crowd to kill people."

This time, Liu Shiyan not only took out his anger on Emperor Muzong, who "claimed falsely that the stars had changed and criticized the imperial carriage", but also on Emperor Taizu, believing that the Zhu family was untrustworthy and did not treat the nobles well. He privately spread articles, "painted a bad portrait of Taizu and slandered the emperor's imperial edict."

In short, Liu Shiyan is just a stubborn and tyrannical waste.

Zhao Hufa naturally didn't take the ridicule from this kind of trash to heart.

On the contrary, they were just using such stubborn people to disrupt the world and cut off the fate of the Ming Dynasty. If they were a gentle person, how could they dare to do such a treasonous thing? Like Shi Guangzu, who was beaten to death, he still shouted "Long live the emperor" to express his gratitude. How could such a person accomplish great things?
Therefore, Zhao Hufa swallowed his anger and bowed his hands: "I have brought your message. I will see you later, Lord Chengyi."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shiyan just sneered and said, "See you later. What a good see you later."

He was sneering at first, but as he laughed, he became louder and louder.

"Hahaha, I am a descendant of the Earl of Sincerity, and my family is hereditary and free from death. I cut off the emperor's head today, and maybe I can be free from death and spend my old age in peace!"

When Protector Zhao saw this, even though he knew it was a joke, he still couldn't help but secretly praise it in his heart.

Being so calm, decisive and composed in the face of great events is unusual; being arrogant to a certain extent is also a sign of great courage!
Protector Zhao bowed sincerely before turning around and leaving.

Now the city is in chaos, some people are willing to be the sharp blades, some people sit back and watch, and some people take advantage of the chaos to fish in troubled waters. This is the last chance to take advantage of the chaos to leave the capital - as for the believers of the rebellion at Qianmen, such a huge undertaking as assassinating the king and killing the emperor to cut off the destiny of the Ming Dynasty will always require sacrifices.

Liu Shiyan just glanced at him lightly, spat at the thief, then retracted his gaze and continued walking forward.

At this moment, the sky suddenly brightened.

The lightning swept across, illuminating the capital city in a pale light.

Then there was a loud "boom" and thunder, which suppressed all the strange noises.

Liu Shiyan and his group were silent, without any pause.

Taking advantage of the cover of the rain curtain, I ran headfirst in the rain.

There were continuous popping sounds, screams, chopping sounds, and shrieks, all of which were drowned out by the thunder and rain.

"God help me! This rain will delay the Emperor's spies and guards' rush to the rescue!"

Liu Shiyan glanced at the streets under the rain, and couldn't help but feel a little relieved for Tianji.

The Zhu emperor was so mean that even God couldn't stand it and wanted to let him vent his anger!
Since the second year of Wanli, Liu Shiyan was revived thanks to Shi Maohua's secret operation and was given the position of Right Commander-in-Chief of the Five Military Commanderies. He naturally boarded the Jin Party, which was an extremely stable pirate ship at that time - headed by Wang Chonggu in the cabinet, Shi Maohua, the Minister of War, Huo Ji, the Right Censor-in-Chief, Luo Fengxiang, the Minister of the Imperial Household, and Zhang Siwei, who was qualified to join the cabinet when he was revived. It is no exaggeration to say that he was at the peak of his career.

So, from then on.

Under the secret instructions of Shi Maohua and Huo Ji, Liu Shiyan controlled the Five Military Governor's Office, "bought soldiers and generals from it, and issued orders from it", and even "received fugitives and placed them in the army".

Although the emperor was trying to control the Beijing camp, the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissioners' Office had legal legitimacy no less than that of the emperor, so the matter was naturally very simple.

In return, Shi Maohua from the Ministry of War simply covered up Liu Shiyan's "misuse of customs passes and tickets and private manufacture of weapons."

Huo Ji of the Censorate quietly suppressed the impeachment of the censor for "raping and seizing property, wife and daughter, gathering a crowd to kill people, carving false seals, publishing rumors, falsely claiming star changes, and cursing dragon veins."

The rest of the trivial matters such as "forming cliques, occupying fields and withholding taxes" are not worth mentioning.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

I thought I could enjoy such a happy life until the end of my life.

However, there are unforeseen circumstances.

The emperor was mean and stubborn. He insisted on implementing some new policy and without knowing what was good for him, he investigated everything from grasslands to horse policy.

Not only did he refuse to give up after giving an explanation to Yuanma Temple Minister, he even instigated Wang Chonggu to turn against Shi Maohua, Luo Fengxiang and other members of the Jin Party!
The emperor is clearly taking the opportunity to target the Jin Party, the Ministry of War, and the Five Military Commanderies!

A blatant excuse to seize power!

The emperor wants to take action against Shi Maohua, so what should Liu Shiyan do while he is still on the pirate ship?
Huairou Earl Shi Guangzu was beaten to death in the county government office by the emperor for this minor mistake, as he occupied several thousand acres of land, enjoyed some lowly women, and even beat to death the women's ignorant men.

Then Liu Shiyan and Ma Zheng assisted the enemy, sold soldiers and generals, issued orders from within, slandered Zhu Chongba, resented Zhu Houcong and Zhu Zaigui, used customs passes and tickets without authorization, forged fire cards, carved fake seals, and took in fugitives. Shouldn't this mean the death of all nine clans? ?

Therefore, when someone suggested to strike first and assassinate the emperor at the banquet, Liu Shiyan agreed without hesitation!
Cancelling accounts, cancelling accounts. Is there any better way to cancel accounts than the emperor's death?
Especially with the examples of Daizong and Wuzong before them, once the emperor dies, people like Zhang Juzheng will probably be retaliated against. What old accounts can they bring to the new dynasty?
Unfortunately, he was still too hasty and failed to let the vassal take the blame - fortunately, he had forged a fire card in advance, just like he did during the Longqing period, and was ready to mobilize the Beijing troops at any time.

The emperor's counterattack was like a storm.

Overnight, Shi Maohua escaped and Luo Fengxiang was imprisoned. The next day, all the officials and doctors of the Ministry of War were suspended from their posts. The officials and eunuchs of the Ministry of Rites who presided over the state banquet were either taken away by the Northern Pacification Office or visited by the Censorate.

Within two days, the case was traced back to the Five Military Commandery, and Liu Shiyan was forced into a desperate situation.

Now that things have come to this, what else can he do?

When Liu Shiyan thought of this, his expression gradually became ferocious.

"Rather than being pressed to death on the chopping block like a wild dog, it is better to drag the emperor to be buried with you! A real man should be eaten in five tripods when alive and cooked in five tripods when dead. If he cannot leave his name in history, he will be infamous for eternity!"

All the wives and children have been sent away. No matter how bad the situation is, it is better than being killed and having your entire clan exterminated by the emperor, and still shouting "Long live the emperor!"

Now that all his worries are gone, it's time for him to unleash his fury!

If blood is shed within five steps, the whole world will be in mourning!
Liu Shiyan's pace couldn't help but quicken by three points.

The guards behind him included both desperate criminals who had been taken in over the years and family sons who had been raised in the mansion for generations. At this moment, they were all silent, with only the sound of their armor rustling.

Turn in like lightning.

Soon, everyone turned into a street, and Liu Shiyan finally slowed down at the entrance of the street - turning out from here is the back door of Gao's mansion.

The finishing touch!

The air was filled with the smell of blood, which seemed to come from the street in front. The shouts and sounds of killing were still going on, but they were drowned out by the rain and could not be heard clearly.

Liu Shiyan took off his hat, adjusted his armor, and looked at Gao's mansion across the alley wall with his eyes dim.

I don't know how many factory guards the emperor brought with him, and how many white lotus thieves the front gate led away. Will the emperor hide in the mansion trembling, or will he flee from the back door in a panic and be caught by him...

After all, it was a huge matter to assassinate the king. No matter how heroic Liu Shiyan spoke, there was an uncalmable storm in his heart.

"Everyone, gather yourself for a moment! Get ready to meet me!"

Liu Shiyan gave the order in a dry and low voice.

The soldiers were either excited, indifferent, or a little frightened, but no one backed down as long as they were tempted by the promise of settling their wives, children, and parents on fertile land.

Liu Shiyan lowered his head, took a deep breath, bit his tongue hard, and finally stopped his hands from shaking.

The rain water under my feet has already reached above my ankles.

The rain was like a pearl curtain and jade cover, shaking layer by layer and making a rustling sound.

The electricity spread like branches, raging wildly and flickering.

Liu Shiyan put his hand on the hilt of the knife, and kept convincing himself in his heart: "I have spent my whole life fighting bandits, being loyal to the emperor and patriotic, but I didn't expect to be forced to this point. It's not that I'm plotting treason, it's really the Zhu family's fault!"

Liu Shiyan naturally understood how huge a matter it was that the emperor was stabbed by a noble. It was precisely because he understood that he couldn't stop trembling all over!

But, now that things have come to this, what can we do?
Just as the guardian of the White Lotus Sect said, the emperors of the Zhu family are so cruel, isn't the world due to be in chaos, waiting for the emergence of a wise leader?
The Zhu family valued culture over military affairs, listened to the slander of the nine stinking Confucian scholars, made a fuss out of nothing and suppressed the nobles, causing a founding hero who had spent his whole life serving the people, suppressing bandits, and being loyal to the emperor and patriotic to be forced to rebel. Isn't this the cause and effect sown by the Zhu family themselves?

In the 30th year of the Jiajing reign, there was a mutiny in the Zhenwu Camp in Nanjing, and the Minister Huang Maoguan was brutally murdered. Zhang Ao, the Minister of War in Nanjing, was stunned and unable to respond, so he went into hiding.

Who stabilized the situation? It was Liu Shiyan, the deputy governor of Nanjing Zuofu, who personally went to the military camp to appease the soldiers!
Such a great achievement, but what is the result?

He had a dispute with Zhang Ao, but Emperor Shizong sided with the latter and ordered him to stay at home!
He had only been doing his best for less than a month, and now he was being abandoned! At that time, he really wanted the Zhenwu Camp to mutiniate again and attack the capital!

Afterwards, he submitted a memorial to the emperor in which he expressed his heartfelt words to him. However, Emperor Sejong actually believed the words of those stinking nine Confucian scholars, saying that he "spoke hundreds of words over and over again, praising his own achievements and his words were full of resentment and slander." He emphasized culture over military power to such an extent, and it was no wonder that all of Emperor Sejong's sons died young due to their weak bodies.

That's all. After Sejong's death, there were always people who remembered the achievements of the lineage of Earl Chengyi, and he was still able to rise again.

During this period, he put aside his past grudges, reorganized military affairs for Emperor Muzong, and suppressed bandits everywhere, making all kinds of contributions and hard work.

What was the result? Just because he showed off a little thing like riding in a car in the Forbidden City when he came to Beijing to report on his work, Emperor Muzong actually believed the slander and scolded him!
Later, they made a big fuss about his meddling in the succession of Duke Wei and dismissed him from office again.

Killing the donkey after it has done its job is truly the ultimate practice practiced by the emperors of the Zhu family!

He endured it both times. After all, he was far away in Nanjing and could only complain in private. He performed rituals to curse the emperors of the Zhu family, and then he felt better. After all, he still had fertile fields and beautiful maids to comfort him a little.

However, the emperor now really made Liu Shiyan unable to bear it anymore, and he exploded in one day!
In the second year of the Wanli reign, he was finally brought to the capital by the Minister of War Shi Maohua on the grounds that "he founded the country and supported his ancestors, and he has the merit of settling down crises and the ability to suppress bandits. Military affairs are intense now and he cannot be easily abandoned." He then occupied the high position of Right Commander-in-Chief of the Five Military Commanderies.

During the few years he was in office, he managed the Five Military Commandery diligently, cooperated closely with the Ministry of War, and commanded the various camps and guards meticulously.

Who among the officials in the Ministry of War did not call him a capable minister who could govern the country?
What did he get in return? In the overall situation, he was just an ant and was crushed by the emperor!

If the land is to be measured, then what about his family's invasion of Tashan, Guantang and Guantian that were reclaimed by 83 families including Lu Rui?
The household registration can be clarified, but what about the heroes he recruited, the adopted sons and daughters, and the skinny horses from Yangzhou and the nuns from Mount Tai that he bought into his business?
The emperor even held on to a small amount of money from the pasture and horse administration and got to the bottom of it!
The merits and sufferings of our ancestors were all for the benefit of future generations, right? How dare the emperor take it away so easily!
Isn't the throne a title passed down from our ancestors? Is it only your Zhu family that can enjoy it?
That would be fine, but what is even more chilling is that Zhu Yijun would call for the killing of these nobles whose ancestors had fought together with him just because of some trivial matters!

The lineage of the Marquis of Huairou, whose ancestors had followed Zhu Di in conquering the Oirat Mongols and had defended the capital city on behalf of Emperor Taizong, was passed down to Shi Guangzu, who was even more cautious, friendly to civil officials, and served the emperor. However, just because he occupied some land and killed a few untouchables, he was beaten to death in public by the emperor in the county government office!

There was also the Marquis of Huaining in Nanzhili, who had made great contributions to stabilizing the rebellion and was said to have an iron certificate of immunity from death, but he just got a small share of the salt tax and died in the same day.

How mean!

What's even more ridiculous is that for the sake of their family's finances, these people often die in a very miserable way.

Marquis Huaining committed suicide by taking poison and only told outsiders that he had died of illness; Shi Guangzu was beaten until he vomited blood and when his life was hanging by a thread, he actually kept shouting "Long live the emperor" and expressing his gratitude.

Now Liu Shiyan was charged with countless crimes and was about to be hunted down by the emperor. Liu Shiyan asked himself, is he going to die like Shi Guangzu, in a miserable and miserable way?
Why! ?

Just because you are the so-called Son of Heaven? Just because you claim to represent the people of the world? Just because you keep saying that you are in charge of the overall situation! ?
The overall situation, the overall situation, it’s so ridiculous!
Since dying is death, waiting is also death...

If you want to kill me, why not kill the whole situation?!
Thinking of this, Liu Shiyan took a deep breath, gripped the hilt tightly, pulled out the long sword with a grim smile, and decisively gave the order: "Charge in!"

(End of this chapter)