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

Chapter 247 The Liu family deserved to die, they deserved it!
The southern smuggling group is not a monolithic entity, and everyone has his own plans.

For example, in Zhang Peng’s mind, the Japanese pirates he raised were naturally more important than the interests of the entire smuggling group.

Of course, what Zhang Peng meant by "supporting" was not to provide financial support to these Japanese pirates. He could not afford to support so many people.

As the Minister of War in Nanjing, Zhang Peng was well-informed about the suppression of bandits, the suppression of Japanese pirates, and the transportation of goods by the imperial court.

It can leak the news in advance and make the operation to suppress the Japanese fail.

It can also reveal some information about the imperial court's cargo, allowing these Japanese pirates to rob tribute sent to the imperial court without any effort and to support themselves.

There are too many tricks involved to list.

In a word, Zhang Peng, like Yang Tong, used the court's money to support his own soldiers!
These Japanese pirates were private troops protected by him and obeyed his orders. He treated them like treasures. How could he possibly let them work for the interests of the entire southern smuggling group?

If the Japanese pirates were killed, it would be Zhang Peng's loss alone!

We share the good times, but I have to bear the bad times alone. Isn't that inappropriate?

Moreover, this matter has become too serious and will be heard by the emperor. What if it forces the emperor to issue a death order to eliminate the Japanese pirates along the coast?
Should we eliminate these Japanese pirates or not?
If I don't get rid of him, I won't be able to explain to His Majesty.

If I get rid of it, I won’t be able to explain myself.

Do we have to use the corpses of civilians to pretend to be Japanese pirates?

The Japanese are short and stocky, not even as tall as a horse, so that doesn't look like it!

So from the very beginning, Zhang Peng made up his mind not to mobilize troops.

This matter should be made small and resolved.

When necessary, you can temporarily give up some of your interests and sacrifice your limbs to save your life!

Zhang Peng's face was righteous, but with a hint of anger: "Minister Zhang Sheng, what you said is so rude!"

"I stand with you all, and we are like brothers. How could I be reluctant to let you go?"

"Don't you think that I, Zhang, am a petty person who cares about everything and values ​​his life?!"

"If you don't trust me, why are you still discussing this with me? Just go and solve this matter yourselves!"

Zhang Peng took the initiative and turned the tables, accusing others of wrongdoing and seizing the initiative in the discourse.

Zhang Sheng curled his lips, took a deep breath, and did not poke Zhang Peng's lungs again.

Now is the time to hire people, and it will not be good for them to offend Zhang Peng.

So what if I know that Zhang Peng is full of lies?
Zhang Peng is determined not to attack the Japanese pirates, what can you do?
Zhang Sheng calmed down and said with a smile, "Minister Zhang Peng, you are too kind."

"Everyone in Jiangnan doesn't know that Shangshu Zhang Peng is selfless and has the people in his heart. Just like Yu Shaobao, he benefits the people of the area."

"But the current situation is like fire and water. I wonder what ingenious plan Minister Zhang Peng has?"

Zhang Peng has already thought of a solution in his mind: "This is not difficult. The Yu family's smuggling is the Yu family's business. What does it have to do with us?"

"As long as Yu Yunzhong can shut up, all problems will be solved."

Zhang Sheng couldn't help but interrupt, "But the problem now is that we can't make Yu Yunzhong shut up!"

"The Yu family was escorted by the Imperial Guards all the way. When they arrived in the capital, they were definitely thrown into the Imperial Guards' prison."

"During this period, our people had no chance to contact them at all."

"And now in the capital, His Majesty is purging officials from the south. We have suffered heavy losses, and only one in ten of the three judicial departments is left."

"How easy is it to make Yu Yunzhong shut up? It's almost as difficult as climbing to heaven!"

Zhang Peng nodded and said confidently, "Since it's difficult, why don't we change our thinking and make Yu Yunzhong's words less credible?"

Zhang Peng's words aroused the interest of everyone present, and they all listened attentively.

Zhang Sheng also adjusted his sitting posture and stretched his neck.

"Yu Yunzhong has been arrested, so the smuggling incident must be exposed. So we might as well take the initiative to report to the court, saying that we first discovered Yu Yunzhong's smuggling and seized Yu's ship."

"It's just that when enforcing the law, Duoduo offended the Yu family, which caused Yu Yunzhong to have a revengeful mentality..."

Zhang Sheng was disappointed when he heard this: "That's it?"

"Yu Yunzhong was arrested by the Jinyiwei just now, and we reported to the court that Yu Yunzhong was smuggling. How could it be such a coincidence?"

"Your Majesty will definitely not believe this kind of talk!"

"Yes!" Zhang Peng nodded, with a weird smile on his face.

"His Majesty will definitely not believe this, but what if we continue to give him a big gift?"

"What kind of gift?"

The officials in the room looked at Zhang Peng's smile and felt inexplicably nervous.

"A few days ago, Your Majesty obtained Zheng He's navigation map from Liu Daxia and executed all nine generations of Liu Daxia's clan."

"I think, since His Majesty is certain that Liu Daxia did not burn the navigation chart, then he must have guessed that the Liu family of Ganzhou is also smuggling."

"Then why don't we report the Liu family's smuggling to the court and kill all nine members of the Liu family, so that they don't have to go to the capital to complain to His Majesty like Yu Yunzhong did."

"Then seize the Liu family's ship and cargo and put them together with the Yu family's."

"In this way, can we prove the authenticity of our investigation into the smuggling case?"

"hiss……"

As Zhang Peng finished speaking, there was a sound of inhalation in the venue, and all the officials present took a deep breath.

Zhang Peng's move sounds reasonable, but it is too cruel.

No matter how you put it, Liu Daxia was the backbone of their southern smuggling group.

"Would it be too much to do this? It would easily discourage other officials..."

Deng Shouzheng, the commander of the Nanjing Five Cities Army, asked carefully.

Zhang Peng put away the smile on his face and sighed: "It is His Majesty's will to execute the nine clans. How have we done anything wrong?"

"Besides, Liu Daxia couldn't keep the secret and handed over the navigation chart. Then the Liu family deserved to die!"

"They are all going to die anyway, so why not let their deaths be meaningful and make some contribution to us..."

"Is there any problem with this arrangement?"

Zhang Sheng and the others looked at each other, exchanged glances, and nodded in unison.

"No problem. Minister Zhang Peng is very resourceful and intelligent. With this good plan, we will be able to turn danger into safety."

"Then let's do it according to what Minister Zhang Peng said!"

After some conversation, the officials in Nanjing quickly determined the next plan.

Deng Shouzheng, the commander of the Beicheng Bingmasi, personally led two hundred soldiers from the Bingmasi and set out from Nanjing, traveling by water to Ruichang County, Jiujiang Prefecture, Ganzhou.

It is the birthplace of Liu Daxia and also where the Liu Daxia people live.

Liu Daxia's ancestral home is in Luzhou and his household registration is in Huguang, but he is a native of Ganzhou.

Deng Shouzheng led his men to Ruichang County, Jiujiang Prefecture, and rushed straight to the Liu family.

After breaking down the door, hundreds of soldiers rushed into the Liu family's house, killing anyone they saw, beheading everyone, even the maids and servants were not spared, and all of them died under the sword.

All of Liu Daxia's clansmen in Ruichang County were slaughtered by the smuggling gang's own people.

Then they drove the Liu family's boat from Ruichang Port, headed north along the Yangtze River, and directly arrived at Nanjing Port.

Also on board were hundreds of boxes of exquisite porcelain and silver that almost filled the cabin.

Although Ganzhou is not on the coast, its inland waterways are extremely developed, with various canals extending in all directions and extremely convenient transportation, earning it the reputation of a thoroughfare with nine bends.

Therefore, for decades, the Liu family, with the support of Ruichang Port and Jingdezhen and the convenience of navigation charts, has continuously smuggled Jingdezhen's exquisite porcelain to the West. The amount of profit made from this is more than ten thousand taels.

And when the Jinyiwei Zhuque and a group of Jinyiwei arrived at the Liu family in Ruichang.

All I saw in the Liu family’s compound was a sea of ​​blood and corpses, with the ground in a mess.

There were 127 people in the Liu family, and not a single one was alive!

Zhuque's expression was solemn, and his brows were tightly furrowed beneath the half mask.

Soon, Zhuque found out the reason why the Liu family was exterminated prematurely.

Zhuque did not dare to act on his own. After recording what happened in Ganzhou in detail, he sent someone to send it to the capital as quickly as possible.

……

Forbidden City.

Fengtian Temple.

The traces of burning on the roofs of the three main halls of Fengtian have been repaired by the Ministry of Works.

At this moment, the roofs of the three main halls of Fengtian were finally no longer dark, but had regained their original color of golden, magnificent, elegant, majestic and magnificent.

Today, Zhu Youtang will formally meet with the current leader of the Oirat tribe, Bolohan, in the Fengtian Hall.

Zhu Youtang was wearing a dragon robe and sitting high on the dragon throne.

Officials from the Honglu Temple stood in the Fengtian Hall, attending on both sides.

The Jiaofangsi played ritual music and the eunuchs announced the imperial edict.

The father-in-law of the emperor, Gu You, the Shaoqing of the Honglu Temple, dressed in court robes, led Boluohan, who was also wearing Oirat dress, into the Fengtian Hall.

"I, the humble servant of the Oirat tribe, Borokhan, pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Long live the emperor!"

Boluohan knelt down in front of Zhu Youtang and respectfully performed the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows.

Only after the ceremony was completed did Zhu Youtang say, "Stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After Boluhan stood up, he continued with his hands clasped, "Your Majesty, in order to congratulate Your Majesty on succeeding the throne, the Oirat has returned to the Ming Dynasty."

"I have brought gifts to wish Your Majesty good health. The Oirat tribe is willing to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty for generations and be its vassal forever."

After Boluohan finished speaking, Gu You, the Junior Secretary of the Honglu Temple, unfolded the petition book in his hand and read out the questions one by one.

"Bolohan of the Oirat tribe paid tribute of 4,176 Mongolian horses, a pair of Ferghana horses, 200 sable skins, 130,000 blue mouse skins, and 16,000 silver mouse skins."

Zhu Youtang was still smiling when he heard that more than 4,000 horses were delivered.

When I heard about the hundreds of thousands of rat skins, I was speechless.

Fur is good, but what is the use of so many rat skins?

"The horses will be sent to the Imperial Horse Bureau, the mink skins will be sent to the Weaving Bureau, and 10,000 each of the silver mouse skins and blue mouse skins will be kept and sent to the Imperial Treasury."

"As for the rest, you Wala can sell them in the capital."

As soon as Zhu Youtang finished speaking, Boluohan happily bowed his hands in thanks.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The expression is very natural and the movements are very smooth.

It seems that before Bolohan came, he must have already calculated that Zhu Youtang would not look down on these rat skins and would most likely let them sell them on their own.

These rat skins are of little value on the grassland, but in the capital, it is a luxury to be able to wear a leather coat made of rat skin in winter.

The wealthy merchants in the capital would surely flock to these furs and pay a good price for them.

The real tribute from Boluohan was the several thousand horses and two hundred sable skins.

These hundreds of thousands of rat skins are the main goods they sell in the capital.

"I am very pleased that you, the Wala, are so sincere, so I will give you a gift in return."

"Ten thousand boxes of tea, five thousand boxes of porcelain, three thousand boxes of silk, and thirty thousand taels of banknotes."

Zhu Youtang thought about it and decided to give return gifts according to the tribute shares paid by Emperor Yingzong and Oirat Yesen during the Zhengtong period.

In fact, Zhu Youtang's return gift was not as much as Bolohan's attack.

A Mongolian horse could be sold for forty or fifty taels in the Ming Dynasty.

More than 4,000 Mongolian horses were equivalent to more than 200,000 taels of silver.

And the most important point is that there is no demand for it!
The Ming Dynasty did not have suitable pastures, and the number of war horses it could provide each year was pitifully small, which greatly restricted the development of the Ming Dynasty's cavalry.

Such Mongolian horses that can be sent to the battlefield at any time are impossible to buy even if you have money in the Ming Dynasty!

In the Ming Dynasty, a box of tea cost only three or four taels. Porcelain and silk were more expensive, but only a little over ten taels.

All in all, it was only about 130,000 or 140,000 taels of silver, so Zhu Youtang still made a profit.

When Boluohan heard the amount of Zhu Youtang's return gift, he trembled with excitement and immediately knelt down and kowtowed to express his gratitude.

"Thank you very much for your grace, Your Majesty. Thank you very much for your grace, Your Majesty!"

"The Ming Dynasty is rich in resources and is well-off. The Ming Dynasty's prestige is known to all!"

No wonder Bolohan was so excited, tea, porcelain and silk were cheap in the Ming Dynasty.

But if it leaves the Ming Dynasty and reaches the grassland, its value will more than increase tenfold!

This was a tribute trade in which both buyers and sellers were satisfied and felt they had gotten a great deal.

Zhu Youtang looked at Boluohan and smiled, "This time when I was inspecting the nine borders, the Oirat tribe came to my rescue in time, which made me see the loyalty and sincerity of the Oirat tribe."

"So I allow you to inherit the title of your late grandfather Choros Mahamu and be crowned the King of Shunning of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Youtang's words made Boluohan's expression freeze, and then he became overjoyed and kowtowed to Zhu Youtang repeatedly.

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty! Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!!!"

"Your Majesty's kindness, I will never be able to repay it in this lifetime!"

Before this, Boluohan had never thought that Zhu Youtang would actually allow him to reinstate the title of King Shunning of the Ming Dynasty.

This time, Zhu Youtang gave him a surprise!

Zhu Youtang looked at Gu You who was standing aside and said, "My dear Gu, have you taken note of this?"

Gu You bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have made a note of this."

Although Gu You was named Guo Zhang, he did not obtain any title and was very cautious.

Compared with the previous Zhou brothers and Wang brothers, they are much more low-key.

Zhu Youtang nodded and stood up: "Okay, Boluohan, you get up first."

"During this period, Choros was very lonely in the palace and kept asking to see her brother."

"Come with me and meet the Choros's concubine."

After saying this, Zhu Youtang stepped down from the dragon throne and prepared to ride the dragon chariot back to the Yangxin Palace.

Looking at Zhu Youtang's back, Boluohan was puzzled. Did Zhu Youtang really invite him to go with him just to meet his sister Mona?
Gu You, who was beside Boluohan, remained in a bowing posture with no expression on his face.

(End of this chapter)