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

Chapter 284 Your Majesty must and can only ask for peace from us!
Because Xuanfu is very close to the capital.

Therefore, when the Xuanfu soldiers went to the battle, each of them only carried three days' worth of dry food with them. They did not bring any logistics troops with them and set out with such light equipment.

When they catch up with the large army led by Gao Shun, or arrive at the banks of the Grand Canal, they will receive the supplies arranged in advance by Zhu Youtang.

In addition to the army of Xuanfu which began to move south, Datong, which was adjacent to Xuanfu, also sent a large army to move south together.

Like Xuanfu, because it was not too far from the capital, the army sent by Datong also did not bring any logistics troops. They just set off with three days of food per person.

The orders and goals they received were the same as those of Xuanfu, which was to pursue the large force led by Gao Shun to the south with all their strength.

The troops under Gao Shun's command will only grow larger and larger.

Before he arrived in Jiangnan, the troops he led were estimated to have numbered over 100,000.

In addition to Xuanfu and Datong, two important cities close to the capital.

As time went on, the other seven important border towns also received Zhu Youtang's orders one after another.

The generals of the seven border towns, like Wang Chun, sent out their own 10,000 troops at the fastest speed.

But they were too far away from the Grand Canal and had to carry logistical supplies to supply their army as they headed south of the Yangtze River.

Therefore, their speed in rushing to Jiangnan would be much slower in comparison.

In front, there were 100,000 black cavalrymen heading south of the Yangtze River, and behind them, there were 90,000 border troops rushing to the south of the Yangtze River.

In just a few days, Zhu Youtang mobilized an army of 190,000 to go to Jiangnan to quell the rebellion.

And these do not include the Western Factory guards mobilized by Zhu Youtang and the grain transport soldiers who transported food and fodder.

After these nearly 200,000 troops arrived in the south of the Yangtze River.

The bloody storm in the south of the Yangtze River is inevitable!
……

Southern Zhili.

Xuzhou Prefecture.

Since that night, the four major families either coerced, bribed, deceived, or instigated the ordinary people of Pei County to attack the government office of Pei County.

After beating the magistrate of Pei County to death on the spot and successfully driving Wang Yan and others out of Xuzhou, everyone in the four major families had a hint of joy on their faces during this period.

Things were going very smoothly. The people of Pei County rebelled and attacked the government office. The magistrate of Pei County was beaten to death by the peasants, and the imperial envoy who came to survey the land was scared away by the peasants.

What a wonderful ending, what a nice saying...

The patriarchs of the four major families, Sun, Wang, Zhou, and Li, gathered together to entertain the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue from Nanjing and express their heartfelt gratitude to him.

"Minister Tang, you have made an invaluable contribution to the fact that Pei County was able to resolve such a disaster today!"

In the Sun family compound, the head of the Sun family raised his glass with a smile on his face and toasted Minister Tang Fang who was sitting at the table.

Tang Fang raised his glass with a smile and drank it all in one gulp.

"Easy to say, easy to say."

"The operation in Pei County was able to go so smoothly, thanks to your four major families' strong support for our plan in Nanjing."

Tang Fang was in a good mood and didn't mind having a few more drinks.

"Minister Tang, I toast to you with this glass of wine. It's you who saved our four major families from the dire straits!"

The head of the Zhou family also raised his glass and toasted Tang Fang.

Tang Fang accepted all the offers and drank another glass of rice wine.

"Patriarch Zhou, you are too polite. This plan can save you as well as us. Our interests are aligned, and we can advance and retreat together. This is the best of both worlds."

The head of the Li family also stood up and offered a glass of wine, then asked with some concern: "Minister Tang, the imminent crisis in Pei County has indeed been resolved."

"But we made such a big fuss this time, killing the county magistrate and driving the imperial envoy out of Nanzhili..."

"Although it was all done by those stupid and unruly people, as long as the court takes the time to investigate, it will definitely lead to our four major families..."

"If His Majesty pursues this matter again, what should we do?"

The words of Patriarch Li hit the nail on the head of the other three families.

The banquet suddenly became quiet. The patriarchs of the four major families put down their wine glasses and looked at Tang Fang at the same time.

There was worry and confusion in their eyes, and they all wanted to hear what solution Tang Fang would come up with.

After hearing this, Tang Fang did not show any embarrassment on his face. Instead, he grinned and poured himself another drink.

"Haha, what did I think it was?"

"If the four clan leaders are worried that the imperial court will vent its anger on you, then you can put your worries at ease."

"Believe me, you won't have any trouble after this."

Tang Fang's words made the four major families feel a little better, but it still did not dispel their doubts.

They did not rush to express their opinions. After looking at each other, they continued to look at Tang Fang, waiting for his next words.

Tang Fang was not angry. After a slight smile, he suddenly asked, "Four clan leaders, do you remember what I told you before, that not only your four clans will revolt, but all the gentry in Jiangnan will rise up to resist tyranny?"

The head of the Zhou family was the most anxious and said quickly: "Yes, you did say that."

"To be honest, it was what you said that made us determined to do what you ordered."

Tang Fang nodded, revealed a mysterious smile, and lowered his voice and said: "As far as I know, Suzhou Prefecture, Hangzhou Prefecture, Nanchang Prefecture, Shaoxing Prefecture, Jinhua Prefecture, Anqing Prefecture, Huai'an Prefecture..."

"There have been civil uprisings in a total of twenty-one prefectures. The total number has exceeded fifty, and the number of civil uprisings is still increasing."

"In other words, this is no longer just an ordinary civil uprising, it is an uprising!"

"The whole Jiangnan is in chaos!"

"what?!"

The patriarchs of the four major families widened their eyes in shock. Besides being surprised, they also felt a little excited and relieved.

"Is Jiangnan really in chaos? This... This is really great, Minister Tang, you really didn't lie to us!"

The head of the Sun family was stunned at first, and then burst into laughter.

"Then there is still a holiday?"

Tang Fang snorted coldly: "Now, your majesty's headache should be how to appease the people of Jiangnan. Your majesty will not embarrass you."

"Perhaps, His Majesty will ask you to come forward and appease the people of Xuzhou Prefecture!"

"Ah? Can this still happen?"

The head of the Zhou family widened his eyes in astonishment and looked at Tang Fang.

"But these things were caused by us... Will His Majesty still ask us to appease the people?"

Although the patriarchs of these four major families have very strong influence in the countryside, this is all because of the prestige accumulated by their ancestors in the local area from generation to generation.

They themselves are neither smart nor politically conscious.

To put it simply, they just don't have much vision. They really can't understand why they are the ones behind all this chaos.

But in the end, His Majesty will not only not blame them, but will politely ask them to come forward and quell the riots.

Tang Fang chuckled, as if mocking their ignorance, then put away his smile and explained seriously to the patriarchs of the four major families.

"The most important thing in governing a country is stability."

"In the face of stability, everything else is unimportant."

"If it's just one place that's in chaos, Your Majesty can certainly use the simplest method and send troops to quell the riot. It's certainly very easy to quell the riot in one place by using force."

"But the problem is that the whole Jiangnan region is in chaos now."

"With such a large area of ​​land and so many people... guess whether His Majesty will send troops directly to quell the rebellion?"

Tang Fang's gaze swept over the people from the four major families one by one. The four clan leaders looked at each other in confusion.

After they thought about it, they shook their heads hesitantly: "Maybe... no?"

"There are so many places in Jiangnan where civil unrest has broken out. Your Majesty, if you want to quell the rebellion, you can't attack the entire Jiangnan area, right?"

"That's right!"

Tang Fang tapped the table and said loudly: "The people who participated in the civil uprising this time are spread across all prefectures and counties in Jiangnan, involving tens of millions of people in Jiangnan."

"No matter how strong His Majesty is, he can't kill all the people in Jiangnan, right?!"

When Tang Fang said this, a sinister smile appeared on his face: "If Your Majesty insists on sending troops south to quell the rebellion, then all the people in Jiangnan will resist to the end."

"By then, the unrest in Jiangnan will surely affect other provinces, including Huguang, Minzhou, Dianzhou, Guizhou, and the three southwestern provinces..."

"The entire Ming Dynasty will be in chaos. It's hard to say whether His Majesty can still sit firmly on his throne!"

A single move would affect the entire body, so we must launch a civil war on a large scale and attack Jiangnan.

The officials in Jiangnan were already prepared to lead the entire southern part of the Ming Dynasty into chaos.

The throne is occupied by your Zhu family, so why can't these people sit on it? !
Princes, generals and prime ministers, would you rather have the seed? !

When the patriarchs of the four major families heard this, they were extremely excited, and most of the worries in their hearts disappeared at once.

There was a strong sense of joy in everyone's eyes, and when they looked at Tang Fang, there was no doubt at all, only endless respect.

Tang Fang noticed the changes in the eyes of the patriarchs of the four major families. The changes in their expressions made Tang Fang feel very satisfied.

He nodded, smiling, and continued, "So, for the sake of stability in Jiangnan, His Majesty must and can only send people to persuade you landlords and gentry."

"Use your influence in the countryside to quell this unrest without fighting."

"In other words, if His Majesty wants stability in Jiangnan, in the South, and in the whole country, he can only ask for peace from us..."

After Tang Fang finished speaking, his eyebrows were beaming with joy, and he felt quite proud.

They were pushed into a desperate situation step by step by Zhu Youtang. During that period, every official in Nanjing lived a suffocating life.

It was as if an invisible giant hand was strangling their necks, tightening little by little until they suffocated to death.

But now, only after they decided to take the step of no return did they break free from the restraints of that big hand.

At the same time, they also discovered that resisting the imperial court's orders in Jiangnan was not as difficult as they had imagined.

It is true that once the thought of rebellion arises, I suddenly feel that the world is so vast!
Tang Fang's analysis was well-reasoned and the patriarchs of the four major families believed it without a doubt. The last bit of worry in their hearts was dispelled and they all raised their glasses to toast Tang Fang.

"Minister Tang, listening to your words is worth ten years of reading!"

"We have benefited a lot from your words. Let us toast you again!"

The patriarchs of the four major families and Tang Fang raised their glasses and drank them all. They were all very happy and naturally drank heartily.

After drinking a cup, the head of the Wang family began to imagine that Zhu Youtang would send someone to negotiate peace with them in the future.

"Then Minister Tang, if His Majesty really sends someone to look for us later, then...should we negotiate with His Majesty?"

"Of course! Why not?"

"We started the rebellion mainly because Your Majesty kept pressing us step by step and left us no chance to survive."

"If Your Majesty is willing to step back and stop interfering in Jiangnan's affairs, there is no need for us to do anything too extreme."

"If you are good and I am good, then everyone is really good."

The Nanjing officialdom, represented by Tang Fang, saw this very clearly.

Now the Ming Dynasty's rule is still very stable.

It is easy to create chaos, but if we really want to change the dynasty, we don’t know how many people will die.

They can only represent the interest groups in Jiangnan, while the interest groups in the Ming Dynasty are numerous and their relationships are complex.

Not every interest group wants a new person to become emperor.

The patriarchs of the four major families were not surprised by this result.

They also don't want things to escalate and eventually get out of their control.

After all, if chaos really breaks out, no one can guarantee that they can stay safe in the troubled times.

They cherish their bodies when doing great things, forget their lives when seeing small profits, and quit when they see good things. This is the true nature of the landlord gentry class like them.

What they really care about is the conditions for peace talks.

"Then...how should we propose the conditions for the peace talks?"

The head of the Wang family looked at the heads of the other three families with a shy smile on his face.

Negotiating terms with the Emperor, just thinking about it is exciting enough!
The other three family heads also nodded and looked at Tang Fang expectantly.

They have already boarded the pirate ship of the Nanjing officials, so naturally they have to advance and retreat with them.

When this matter was mentioned, Tang Fang immediately put away the smile on his face and said seriously: "Remember, you must hold on to two things and don't let go!"

"First, your majesty must not be allowed to continue surveying the land. You should know how important this matter is, even if I don't tell you."

"Yes, yes, we understand!"

The patriarchs of the four major families, Sun, Wang, Zhou, and Li, nodded repeatedly, agreeing in their hearts as much as they could!

The reason why they took the risk and agreed to organize a popular uprising, wasn't it because the land survey issue touched upon their vital points?
Therefore, this matter is also their core demand, and they will never give in.

"And the second thing..."

Tang Fang glanced at the four people in front of him, his eyes couldn't be more serious.

"Your Majesty is absolutely not allowed to go to sea. You must firmly maintain the Ming Dynasty's maritime ban policy. Not even a single sail can go to sea!"

"The two shipyards in Jiangnan and Fuqing must also be closed immediately!"

(End of this chapter)