Ming Dynasty: A mere unruly commoner is rebelling against the heaven?

Chapter 169 The safety of the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty rests on my shoulders!

Zhu Youtang never intended to let those border generals go.

It’s just that Annan had violated the border before, so Zhu Youtang had to free up his hands to deal with Annan.

Now is the time to re-investigate these border generals in the north.

Zhu Youtang turned and walked down the city wall, and as he walked he told Liu Jin: "Follow me back to the palace."

Liu Jin's heart tightened, and he quickly followed Zhu Youtang's footsteps: "Yes."

Zhu Youtang returned to the Forbidden City, although the Hall of Mental Cultivation had been completely built and completed.

But Zhu Youtang had developed a good habit, which was to keep the new house open for ventilation for a period of time before moving in.

So Zhu Youtang returned to Hongde Hall and sat on the dragon throne.

Liu Jin also followed Zhu Youtang into the Hongde Hall, bending over and standing respectfully by the side.

"Liu Jin, continue to have the East Factory officials investigate the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue."

"Focus on investigating the whereabouts of the military munitions of the Ministry of War, and the amount and movement of the food and salary distribution of the Ministry of Revenue."

"There is also the fish scale register of the military officers of the border garrisons. Please check for me the specific number of soldiers and generals and the number of garrisons in the border garrisons."

Liu Jin, who was originally in low spirits, suddenly became energetic when he heard these words.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Last time, Zhu Youtang asked the East Factory to investigate the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, but within a few days of the investigation, Annan invaded the Ming Dynasty.

Now that the armies of Annan County have set out, he wants to see if there is anything that can stop the East Factory from continuing to investigate the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War!

After Liu Jin left Hongde Hall, he immediately returned to Dongchang and personally led a group of Dongchang men to conduct another round of inspection of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War.

The officials of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, who had thought they had escaped, were frightened out of their wits when they saw the Eastern Depot conducting another round of inspections of the two ministries.

Liu Daxia and Xu Pu had not expected that Zhu Youtang was not going to let go of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue. They were so angry that their faces turned blue, but they could not lose their temper on the spot.

That night, another secret meeting took place at Xu Pu's home.

But the participants tonight were only Xu Pu, Liu Daxia and Yu Shen.

"Your Majesty is really cruel. He really wants to investigate the northern border town thoroughly!"

Liu Daxia frowned in annoyance. "Now, not only are they checking the firearms of the Ministry of War, they are also checking the number of soldiers and generals in the border towns and the number of garrisons. The East Factory is even checking the fish scale register!"

Xu Pu's face was also livid: "The East Factory is still checking the amount of food and wages that the Ministry of Revenue has allocated to the border towns over the years. Your Majesty has never thought of giving us a way out!"

The Ministry of War is responsible for the border troops drawing empty salaries.

The border troops are short of food and pay, and both the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War are responsible.

Any crime involving border towns is a serious crime, and Zhu Youtang had no intention of letting them go from the beginning!

After realizing this, Xu Pu and Liu Daxia felt that they were really wronged. They were almost dead, but they were still working hard for the murderer before they died.

How can it be a tragic word!
But they certainly won't sit there and wait for death. If Zhu Youtang wants to check the accounts, then they will burn down all the warehouses in the border town and leave no evidence!
"Yu Shen, inform Yang Tong immediately of this matter and have him prepare for His Majesty's review!"

Xu Pu turned and looked at Yu Shen.

Yu Shen was also panicked. If something happened in the Ministry of War, not only would the Minister of War Liu Daxia die, but he, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, would also not escape death.

"Yes, Prime Minister, I will let you know when I get back!"

"Can Yang Tong do it cleanly? We must not let His Majesty catch any clues!"

Xu Pu stared at Yu Shen with a sinister look in his eyes: "Not only Xuanfu, but also Datong, Liaodong, Suzhou Wei... none of these border towns can be let go!"

"Don't worry, Prime Minister Xu, General Yang Tong should know what to do."

"I have inspected Jinzhou for more than ten years and I know General Yang Tong very well. Their ancestors have been guarding the border town for generations since the Hongwu period."

"His uncle is the former Duke of Ying, Yang Hong. The Yang family is very powerful in the border town and has a strong influence in the border town."

Yu Shen looked flustered and kept wiping the sweat from his face.

He had previously been the governor of Jinzhou and had no roots in the capital. He was only recalled to the capital a few years ago.

Although his position as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War is not low-ranking, he is just a small character in front of important officials in the capital such as Xu Pu and Liu Daxia.

It was precisely because he was a small character that he was accepted by both the Border Town Smuggling Group and the Jiangnan Smuggling Group, becoming a bridge of communication between the two sides.

Liu Daxia nodded with satisfaction: "That's good. I hope he can do things more cleanly this time."

"I don't want to go to jail again because of him, got it?!"

"Know, know."

No matter how dissatisfied Yu Shen was, he could only endure it in front of Xu Pu and Liu Daxia and suppress all his anger in his heart.

After talking about the northern border town issue that he was most concerned about, Xu Pu mentioned the matter about Annan.

"Your Majesty actually quietly reinstated Wang Yue, who had fought in the frontiers and made many military achievements."

"Is there really a danger that Annan will be taken back by the Ming Dynasty?"

Liu Daxia shook his head, looking confident.

"Don't worry, there won't be any."

"I have already changed the old Annam documents beyond recognition. If the Ming army enters Annam, they will definitely get lost."

"Besides, Annan is full of snakes, insects, rats, ants, and poisonous miasma."

"Once the Ming army reaches Annan, their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced. Annan will be fine."

Xu Pu breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. If Annan is really taken back by the Ming Dynasty, our business in the West will be over."

After saying this, Xu Pu glanced at Yu Shen standing aside.

"Go back."

Xu Pu waved at him with a look of contempt.

Yu Shen gritted his teeth, bowed respectfully, and finally left Xu Pu's house.

After returning to his home, Yu Shen, as he did before, first invited his sister Yu, and then asked Yu to pass the message to Yang Qing.

Finally, Yang Qing left the city and brought the news to Yang Tong in Xuanfu.

The next night, when Yang Tong was in the military tent in Xuanfu and learned that Zhu Youtang was re-checking the accounts of the border towns, he was so angry that his face turned blue and he clenched his fists tightly.

"It's too much to bully others! It's just too much to bully others!"

Yang Tong punched the figurine on the target, which scared Yang Qing, Yang Kui and Zhou Hongyi in the tent.

"I have been stationed in border towns for many years. I have been to Liaodong, Datong, Suzhou, Xuanfu...Which border town have I not been to?"

"It is I who is guarding the border of Ming Dynasty. It is I who is protecting the safety of Ming Dynasty!"

"The safety of the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty rests on my shoulders! Not the emperor!"

"Now the emperor wants to investigate the accounts of my border town. Is there still the law?! Is there still law?!"

"Is this reasonable?!"

“This is too outrageous!”

Yang Tong was furious. He was both angry and afraid of the upcoming investigation by the East Factory.

The three people in the tent didn't dare to speak, for fear of angering Yang Tong.

After venting his anger, Yang Tong began to give orders.

"Zhou Hongyi!"

"I'm here!" Zhou Hongyi responded quickly.

"Immediately set fire to the granaries around Xuanfu, report to the higher authorities that there is enemy harassment, and Xuanfu will be fortified and the fields will be cleared."

"Yes, General Yang!"

"Yang Kui!"

Yang Kui's face straightened and he responded loudly: "I'm here!"

"Any news from Datong, Liaodong, and Suzhou Guard?"

"Your Excellency the General, news came from Suzhou Guard a few days ago."

"There was a delegation of about 2,000 Oirat envoys, carrying your Majesty's edict, saying that they were coming to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty on the orders of the Ming Emperor, and they entered the interior of the country from Suzhou Guard."

"Wala?!"

Hearing this name again, Yang Tong was stunned, and then burst into laughter.

"Interesting, interesting, really interesting."

Yang Tong put away his smile and gave another order: "Let these three guards set fire to the warehouses at the same time, for the same reason as above."

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief!"

After Yang Kui responded, he whispered, "But General, Liu Ning, the current headquarter officer of Datong, doesn't listen to our requests."

The former general of Datong Prefecture was killed in a battle with the little Tatar prince.

Later, Qiu Yue was appointed as the governor of military affairs in Datong Prefecture. Later, Qiu Yue and his entire clan were executed by Zhu Youtang.

The highest military power in Datong Prefecture fell to Liu Ning, who was then the deputy general of Datong.

Zhu Youtang then directly appointed Liu Ning as the commander-in-chief of Datong, allowing him to be in charge of Datong's military affairs with full legitimacy.

He was a rare frontier general who had no involvement with the Yang family.

"Don't listen to the instructions?"

Yang Tong sneered: "That's easy. If Liu Ning doesn't know what's best for him, let Datong Lieutenant General Guo Pan use the royal flag to lure Liu Ning out of Datong Prefecture and kill him!"

"To the outside world, we will say that he died fighting for his country."

"Then let Guo Pan take over Datong's military affairs."

Yang Kui's expression became serious and he nodded quickly.

"go a head."

Yang Tong waved his hand, and Zhou Hongyi and Yang Kui immediately left the king's tent and began to carry out Yang Tong's orders.

In the king's tent, Yang Qing looked worried: "Brother, isn't this a bit too much?"

"What should I do if I anger His Majesty?"

"Too much?!" Yang Tong still had a sneer on his face.

"Then the emperor ordered the East Factory to check the accounts of my border town, isn't that too much?!"

"This time, setting fire to the warehouse was just a warning. If Your Majesty knows what's good for you, you should just stop here."

"If you still hold on to it..."

"Humph! I will never surrender!"

When Yang Qing heard this, his heart sank, and the worry on his face became even more intense than before.

At the same time, Yang Kui quickly passed Yang Hong's order to the other three border towns.

Thanks to the Great Wall post road, news was transmitted extremely quickly among these four border towns.

But because the commander-in-chief of Datong was Liu Ning, Guo Pan had his men secretly set fire, but was caught on the spot by Liu Ning's troops and subsequently dealt with by military law.

Therefore, the fire of Datong could not be started.

However, the fire in Xuanfu, Liaodong and Suzhou was burning very fiercely.

With one fire, all the granaries near Xuanfu, Liaodong and Suzhou were burned to ashes, leaving nothing behind.

Afterwards, the three border towns submitted letters to the military at the same time.

When enemy troops harassed the border towns, Xuanfu, Liaodong and Suzhou fortified their cities, cleared the fields and burned down the granaries, preventing the enemy from gaining any advantage!

However, the book does not mention how many enemy troops there were, which grassland or tribe they were from, or what kind of damage the enemy caused to the border town.

In this way, the three military letters were delivered to the hands of Liu Daxia, the Minister of War.

Liu Daxia looked at the contents of the three military letters, breathed a sigh of relief, and then sent them to the cabinet.

(End of this chapter)