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

Chapter 248 The living must be killed, and the dead must be crushed to ashes!

Boluohan quickly stood up and followed Zhu Youtang closely towards the Yangxin Palace.

Along the way, Boluohan kept thinking in his mind, guessing Zhu Youtang's purpose.

Soon, Zhu Youtang's dragon chariot stopped outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Zhu Youtang walked into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, followed closely by Boluohan.

In the Yangxin Palace, Mona had already received the news in advance and was waiting there early.

"I have seen your majesty."

Seeing Zhu Youtang coming, Mona quickly saluted.

"Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zhu Youtang walked past Mona and sat on the dragon throne.

At this time, Boluohan also followed into the Yangxin Palace.

Mona was extremely happy when she received the order from Zhu Youtang to summon her.

At this moment, seeing Boluohan behind Zhu Youtang, he smiled even more.

"Brother, you are here too!"

Boluo rarely saw Mona and was very happy.

But when he saw his sister dressed in luxurious clothes and with hands full of jewels and jade, he remembered their different social status and hurriedly bowed to greet her.

"Your humble servant, I have met the Choros Consort."

Seeing her brother bowing to her, Mona was a little at a loss.

"What are you doing? Why are you being so polite to me?"

Mona didn't understand and felt a little flustered.

Boluohan acted very serious: "The Choros selected a concubine and made her a royal subject to me. The royal family is so important that etiquette cannot be neglected."

Mona was at a loss and looked at Zhu Youtang for help.

Zhu Youtang sat on the dragon chair, took a sip of hot tea, and then said with a smile: "We are all family here, there is no need to care about so many false formalities, just be at ease."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The emperor may not care about etiquette, but his subjects cannot.

Although Boluohan agreed, he was still very respectful in his words.

Zhu Youtang gave them both some time to reminisce and chat.

But soon, Zhu Youtang got to the point.

"Mona, I still have something to tell Boluohan, you should go back first."

"Oh... yes, Your Majesty."

After this separation, it would be unknown when they would meet again after Boluohan returned to the grassland.

It is not easy to see an old face from the grassland in this important place of the imperial palace.

But no matter how reluctant Mona was, she had to leave first.

When only Zhu Youtang and Boluohan were left in the room, Zhu Youtang dismissed his attendants and said, "I can give you an answer to the agreement I made with you in Xuanfu."

What was agreed upon in Xuanfu... wasn't it that the Ming Dynasty would support the Oirat Mongols, make them bigger and stronger, and return to the Northern Yuan grasslands?

Thinking of this, Bolohan became extremely excited, the muscles on his face were shaking uncontrollably, and he wanted to laugh out loud.

"From now on, I allow you to purchase weapons, armor, and firearms from the Ming Dynasty. You can purchase no more than 10,000 dan of grain each year, and you can pay tribute every year and be listed as a territory that the Ming Dynasty does not levy."

"But at the same time, you must disturb the peace of the grassland and prevent the Tatars from unifying the grassland!"

"For those small tribes that don't have descendants of the Golden Family, you can force them to submit to the Ming Dynasty."

"As for the descendants of the Golden Family, they will be hunted down and killed without leaving a single one alive!"

Zhu Youtang's idea was actually to continue the cooperation model between Emperor Yingzong and Yesen during the Zhengtong period.

The Oirat attacked the small tribes on the grassland, making it impossible for them to survive on the grassland and forcing them to submit to the Ming Dynasty.

Large tribes like the Tatars, which had descendants of the Golden Family, constantly consumed their strength and prevented them from unifying the grasslands.

During the Jingtai period, Yesen, who lost the support of Emperor Yingzong, soon died in the internal strife of the Oirat tribe. From then on, the Oirat tribe never recovered.

The Tatar tribe took the opportunity to rise up and unify the grasslands, causing the Ming Dynasty to completely lose control of the Northern Yuan grasslands.

Last year, the little Tatar prince invaded the Ming Dynasty and was completely wiped out by Zhu Youtang. The Tatar tribe was severely damaged, and the small tribes that depended on it were no longer so obedient.

The Beiyuan grassland returned to a state of chaos and remained quiet for a long time.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. With the powerful combination of Manduhai and Huoshai, the civil strife was quickly put down, and the Tatar tribe once again had the momentum to unify the grassland.

Zhu Youtang would never sit idly by and watch the Tatar tribe grow stronger again, and the Oirat tribe was a nail he had buried deep inside the grassland.

This is the continental balance of power that is both internal and external, and this tactic is still used by the Lighthouse Country in the Middle East today.

Boluohan was extremely excited. In the face of real benefits, he didn't mind being defeated.

Just like those other traitors, for them, talking about nation in the context of interests is a very ridiculous thing.

"Your Majesty, I bow to thank you for your grace!"

"After I return to the grassland, I will do my best to serve Your Majesty!"

"As long as I, Boluohan, am here, there will be no peace in the Beiyuan grassland!"

Zhu Youtang nodded with satisfaction, and discussed some details with Boluohan, pointing his spearhead directly at the Tatar Grand Master Huoshai.

At the end, Zhu Youtang looked at Boluohan and said meaningfully: "Boluohan, if you can get rid of the Tatars, this great threat to me."

"I can show you special mercy and allow you to inherit your grandfather's title of Grand Tutor and King Huai."

Prince Huai is a single-character prince, one level higher than his current Prince Shunning.

Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there have been only a few people who have inherited the title of single-character king with a different surname.

And his grandfather Yesen was one of them.

Now, this great honor is right in front of him, how can he not be excited?
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will repay Your Majesty with my life and soul..."

When Yesen was about to express his loyalty, suddenly Wang Zhi, the director of the Western Factory, came in from outside the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, looking exhausted.

At the same time, Ji Sheng, the third head of the Western Factory, also followed Wang Zhi.

"Your humble servant, I pay my respects to your majesty!"

After the two entered the door, they first greeted each other.

Zhu Youtang glanced at the two of them, then waved to Boluohan: "That's it, I have said everything I need to say."

"I will give you weapons if you want them, and I will give you money and food if you want them. You Wala... don't let me down."

Boluohan kowtowed and accepted the order: "Yes, Your Majesty! Wala will never let Your Majesty down!"

"I will take my leave first."

Boluohan knew that it was inconvenient for him to hear what was to come.

After paying her respects, Yu obediently left the Hall of Mental Cultivation and left the palace.

Next, he would take his clansmen to sell the hundreds of thousands of rat skins in their hands, and then take the silver to the Ministry of War to buy weapons and equipment for the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, the most important thing is to go to the imperial farm to buy food. After doing this, we will set off to return to the grasslands in Jiangzhou, and then take our people back to the Beiyuan grasslands!
After Boluohan left, Zhu Youtang nodded to Wang Zhi and Ji Sheng and said, "Stand up and talk."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After the two men stood up, Wang Zhi immediately bowed and reported the situation.

"Your Majesty, the West Factory has already investigated 372 people for the incident that happened forty years ago."

"Yang Hong's grave has also been found."

Zhu Youtang raised his eyebrows: "Oh? Where was Yang Hong's tomb finally moved to?"

Wang Zhi glanced at Ji Sheng beside him, and Ji Sheng stepped forward in time.

"Your Majesty, I have discovered Yang Hong's tomb in the Chi Castle of Wanquan Dusi, Northern Zhili."

"The cemetery is very low-key. There is no Shinto monument, no shrine, and not even a tombstone. It is just a bare little mound of earth."

"If Yang Hong's mother wasn't buried next to him, we probably wouldn't be able to find Yang Hong's grave until we die."

The Wanquandusi was located in Xuanfu and had jurisdiction over eleven guard posts including the Xuanfu Front, Left, and Right Guard posts.

It was considered the Yang family's base camp. It was reasonable that Yang Jun secretly stole Yang Hong's coffin from the official tomb in Xishan and buried it here in the seventh year of Jingtai.

Moreover, Yang Hong and his descendants were considered to be tolerant.

In the second year of Jingtai, after Yang Hong died in the capital, Yu Qian buried him with the ceremony of a duke, and even the epitaph was written by Yu Qian himself.

There are two steles in total, each more than two people tall. The tomb is luxurious and grand, fully demonstrating the character of a powerful official.

But after the relocation, the tomb not only had its specifications downgraded, from a national cemetery directly to an unnamed grave, but also no stele or tombstone was left.

The purpose was to avoid the reckoning after the restoration of Emperor Yingzong and to keep his body intact.

This is indeed the case. After Yingzong was restored to the throne, he immediately sent people to destroy Yang Hong's official tomb, but Yang Hong's body was never found.

Until today, Zhu Youtang finally found it!
"Run?! Yang Hong, you can run away on the first day, but not on the fifteenth!"

Zhu Youtang's face was fierce, and he immediately ordered: "Immediately destroy all the Yang family's ancestral tombs, dig out all the bones, and Yang Hong will open the coffins, kill the bodies, and grind the bones to scatter the ashes!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After Ji Sheng bowed and accepted the order, he retreated behind Wang Zhi.

Wang Zhi then continued to report: "In addition, the Western Factory has identified a total of 372 border generals who participated in the Tumu Incident in the 14th year of Zhengtong."

"These are only the number of those who survived. There are more than 800 border generals who have died for various reasons."

"The remaining border generals who participated in the mutiny were personally liquidated by Emperor Yingzong during the Tianshun period."

Zhu Youtang nodded and said: "Those who are alive must be killed, and those who are dead must also have their descendants killed."

"Anyone who participated in the Tumu Fort Incident will be executed along with his entire family!"

"For those who are already dead, open their coffins, mutilate their bodies, and leave them exposed in the wilderness!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Wang Zhi accepted the order and was not surprised by Zhu Youtang's order to kill everyone.

In fact, after Emperor Taizu founded the country, although the emperors of the Ming Dynasty killed many officials, there was still a bottom line, that is, not to bring disaster to their wives and children.

It is rare to issue an order to execute nine generations of a clan, exterminate three generations of a clan, or even execute the entire family.

But the consequence of doing so is that the descendants of these corrupt officials will be endless.

Although these officials died, they left behind descendants.

These descendants are then slightly promoted by the colleagues and accomplices of their corrupt official fathers and become new corrupt officials.

These officials were hostile to the imperial court because their fathers were executed by the Ming court.

If we let them hold official positions, can the political environment of the Ming Dynasty ever get any better?

The Ming Dynasty court did not have any political review process, and Zhu Youtang did not want to waste resources on doing those screenings.

Why not just take a one-size-fits-all approach and kill all the descendants of corrupt officials? Then this problem will never occur again.

Moreover, although the emperors of the Ming Dynasty all had bottom lines, the officials of the Ming Dynasty had no bottom lines.

After Yu Qian seized power, he issued an order to Ma Shun, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard of Emperor Yingzong, and Wang Zhen, the eunuch who held the seal of the Imperial Household Department: all members of the family, young and old, should be beheaded.

The Ming Emperor did not kill the entire families of these officials. However, after these officials came to power, they immediately wiped out the entire families of Ma Shun and Wang Zhen.

Because they deeply understand one thing: if you don't remove the roots of the grass, it will grow again when the spring breeze blows!
Moreover, Zhu Youtang’s philosophy has always been that the premise for not bringing misfortune to his wife and children is that they must not bring blessings to them.

Can corrupt officials not use the money they have embezzled for their wives and children?
impossible!
Since the wives and children of corrupt officials used the dirty silver they embezzled from the people, killing them would not be considered as killing innocent people.

Moreover, most of the money and profits earned by corrupt officials were for their own descendants.

If all the officials of the Ming Dynasty could reach a consensus that if they were caught for corruption, not only would they die, but their wives and children would also die with them.

The money they embezzled not only failed to help their children, but also killed their children.

Then the number of corrupt officials in the Ming Dynasty will definitely drop significantly.

Wang Zhi and Ji Sheng were about to leave when suddenly a young eunuch from the Imperial Household Department came to report.

"Your Majesty, Jinyiwei Commander Mou Bin and Jinyiwei Commander Qinglong request to see you."

"Let them in."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Shortly after the young eunuch left the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Mou Bin and Qinglong hurried into the Hall of Mental Cultivation to pay their respects.

"This is a humble post, Your Majesty."

"Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After Mou Bin and Qing Long exchanged greetings, Mou Bin spoke first: "Your Majesty, when Qing Long was killing the nine clans of the Yu family in Qiantang County, he accidentally discovered that the Yu family was secretly smuggling, and the amount involved was extremely huge."

"I suspect that the number of officials involved in this smuggling case is extremely large."

"This is a matter of great importance. I dare not hesitate, so I will let Qinglong and I go to the emperor to report the situation in Jiangnan to your majesty in person."

Zhu Youtang nodded expressionlessly: "Then tell me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After Mou Bin finished speaking, he took a step back, revealing the green dragon behind him.

When Qinglong saw Zhu Youtang, he felt a little nervous.

Qinglong immediately raised his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I am in Jiangnan and have discovered a major smuggling case involving the Yu family!"

Afterwards, Qinglong reported to Zhu Youtang everything he had seen and heard in Jiangnan.

This included demolishing the statues of Yu Qian and Yu Shen in Qiantang, capturing Yu Yunzhong in Nanjing Port, and confiscating the Yu family's ships and smuggled goods.

"Yu Yunzhong and other members of the Yu clan have been imprisoned in the Jinyiwei prison. Your Majesty, please deal with them!"

Originally Qinglong thought that this smuggling case involving high-ranking officials in Jiangnan would make Zhu Youtang very angry.

But Zhu Youtang just sneered: "Humph, I already know about the smuggling case in Jiangnan."

"Moreover, this matter was submitted to me by the Minister of War in Nanjing!"

As Zhu Youtang spoke, he took out a document from the stack of documents beside him and threw it to Qinglong.

(End of this chapter)