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

Chapter 309: The Destruction of Jiangnan! (Part )

The news of the successive suicides of the two ministers, Zhang Peng and Zhang Sheng, deeply shocked other officials and dignitaries in Nanjing.

The threat of death follows them like a shadow, weighing heavily on them.

After the two most important officials in Nanjing chose to commit suicide one after another, the entire city of Nanjing, and even the entire Jiangnan region, had lost the courage to resist.

The officials and dignitaries in Nanjing were either killed or fled, and the order in the city had collapsed.

At this desperate moment, something even more desperate finally happened.

An army of 50,000 led by Gao Shun himself arrived at the city of Nanjing!
It is worth mentioning that within these few days, tens of thousands of troops from the nine important border towns supporting Jiangnan have all joined Gao Shun.

In other words, at this moment Gao Shun can command an army of nearly 200,000 in Jiangnan!

An army of two hundred thousand strong launched a campaign to kill landlords and divide the land in the three places in the south of the Yangtze River at the same time. The progress was astonishing.

The entire Yingtian Prefecture fell in an instant.

Gao Shun led an army of 50,000 to Nanjing.

The other troops were dispersed to other places in Jiangnan and fought on multiple fronts.

"All troops, attack the city!"

Gao Shun stood in front of Nanjing City and issued an order to attack the city.

In an instant, thousands of horses roared and the army charged forward.

The battle started quickly and ended even faster.

Gao Shun's army basically encountered no decent resistance and captured the city of Nanjing without any effort.

The difficulty of capturing Nanjing City is much lower than that of capturing Xuzhou City and Yangzhou City.

After taking over the military and political affairs of Nanjing City, what followed was an unprecedented purge.

All the high-ranking officials in Nanjing city were arrested by the Western Factory's men.

Now is not the time to let them die.

But the wealthy businessmen, landlords, gentry and aristocratic families were not treated so well.

All those who were rich and powerful were killed.

In the city of Nanjing, cries and pleas for mercy echoed everywhere.

Those who used to be envied by everyone for their luxurious living now cried and wailed like dogs that had lost their homes.

The lord who used to ride on the people and act tyrannically.

At this moment, I am as humble as a stray dog ​​on the street, and anyone can kick me.

The people in Nanjing are indeed people who have seen the world.

When the imperial army was carrying out massacres and purges in other towns in the south of the Yangtze River, the people there closed their doors and windows tightly and did not even dare to take a peek.

But the effect of this purge is completely different.

I don’t know if the people of Nanjing all knew that the imperial army only killed landlords and nobles and did not touch the common people at all.

Therefore, the people were not afraid at all of the bloody blades in the hands of the imperial army.

Not only did they not hide in their own homes, but they also took the initiative to go to the streets to watch the miserable appearance of the landlords in Nanjing being massacred.

“No! Please let me go…Ah!!!”

There was a shrill cry, and a landlord who owned ten shops and ten thousand acres of land was beheaded in his own luxurious garden.

After seeing this scene, the people gathered at the garden gate excitedly raised their arms and cheered loudly!
"Well done! Well done!"

"Kill more landlords! Kill more landlords! It would be best if we kill all these evil landlords!"

"Retribution! This is all retribution! Bodhisattva bless you, Master Han is finally dead!"

"..."

Screams and cheers rang out alternately in every corner of Nanjing city.

Landlords, gentry, wealthy businessmen and officials all cried bitterly and waited for death in despair.

The ordinary people watched with joy as the people who had once bullied them were slaughtered at will like pigs and dogs.

But more and more people came to Nanjing to watch the fun, so many that the streets and alleys of the city were blocked.

This seriously hindered the progress of the Xianzhen Camp army in cleansing the Nanjing dignitaries.

So, a deputy general found Gao Shun.

"General Gao Shun, there are too many people in the city who are watching the excitement, which has seriously hindered our speed in dealing with the landlords."

"Look, should we first disperse the people in the city?"

Gao Shun listened quietly to the cheers of the people outside the window. After a while, he asked, "Why do you want to disperse the people?"

"Look! Let them see!"

"If they don't read it, how can we publicize the court's policies?"

"We should not only allow them to watch, but also let them watch comfortably and enjoyably!"

Gao Shun immediately issued an order: "Pass the order down, have the soldiers set up a scaffold in the square, and arrest all the landlords and nobles and put them on the scaffold."

"First hold a collective trial, then publicly execute them, so that the people can see how these landlords die!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Under Gao Shun's order, the troops in the Xianzhen Camp changed from killing to capturing.

All the remaining landlords and nobles in the city who had not yet been executed were tied up and escorted to the execution platform in the city square.

Along the way, the crowds of onlookers on the road spontaneously made way for these landlords to clear a path to death.

Looking at the miserable appearance of the landlords, the excitement in the hearts of the people was beyond words.

"Kill! Kill! Kill all the landlords!"

"You, sir, have to help us! You can't let any of these landlords go!"

"Kill the landlords and divide the land! Kill the landlords and divide the land!"

"..."

Amid chaotic shouting, one landlord after another was taken to the execution platform and knelt down in front of tens of thousands of people below the platform.

"The landlord Hu Bangyan oppresses the people and exploits the people in his village!"

"The landlord Hu Bangyan is sentenced to death, to be executed immediately!"

"Resolutely suppress the landlords!"

A soldier from the Xianzhen Camp stood on the execution platform and shouted the verdict at the top of his voice.

As he finished speaking, the onlookers spontaneously raised their right hands and repeated his last words.

"Resolutely suppress the landlords!"

"Long live the Ming Dynasty, long live Your Majesty!"

"Long live the Ming Dynasty, long live Your Majesty!"

Amidst the shouts of "Long live the enemy", the soldiers of the Xianzhen Camp on the execution platform raised their butcher knives high and chopped down fiercely.

With a burst of blood splattering, a head rolled to the ground.

Suddenly, there was a burst of enthusiastic cheers from the crowd!
"Good! Good! Kill one more! Kill one more!"

After Hu Bangyan was executed, another landlord was brought before the crowd by the soldiers from the Xianzhen Camp.

"Landlord Xie Guanyu oppresses the people and exploits the people in his hometown!"

"The landlord Xie Guanyu is sentenced to death, to be executed immediately!" "Kill the landlord! Firmly support the court!"

"Resolutely kill the landlords! Resolutely support the court!"

The so-called interrogation and execution was actually just execution. The so-called interrogation did not even go through the procedures.

The charges against all landlords were the same, and the sentences against all landlords were the same.

Only the death penalty!

It was not until this time that the landlords and nobles in Nanjing City understood why Zhang Peng and Zhang Sheng chose to commit suicide and kill their entire families.

It is much more dignified to do it yourself than to wait to be publicly executed by the imperial army.

Nanjing in the south of the Yangtze River has always been a prosperous place.

There are countless landlords and nobles here.

This public execution lasted for three days before it finally came to an end.

After this, comes the much-anticipated land division phase.

Some soldiers were dividing the land, while others were compiling statistics.

Finally, all the sorted data were reported to Gao Shun.

"General Gao Shun, in this public execution, we have executed a total of 1,486 landlords."

"Among the Nanjing officials arrested, there are six first-rank officials, thirty-three second-rank officials, one hundred and seven third-rank officials, and nine hundred and twenty-five officials below the third rank."

"Among them, the mastermind of the Jiangnan rebellion, Nanjing Minister of War Zhang Peng, and Nanjing Minister of Revenue Zhang Sheng, both committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

"From what we have found so far, there are more than 30 high-ranking officials in the imperial court who have chosen to commit suicide."

"In addition, more than a hundred officials fled to the sea by boat."

"And the number of landlords and wealthy businessmen who fled to the sea was more than 300."

Gao Shun, who was sitting in the main seat, just nodded after hearing this: "I understand. Continue to check the property of these officials and landlords, distribute the land, and hand over the silver to Your Majesty."

"Yes, my lord!"

Then Gao Shun asked again: "What's the situation with Xu Chang and Wang Zhi?"

"General, General Xu Chang has sent a message that they have entered Ganzhou. They are currently in Jiujiang Prefecture and Raozhou Prefecture. They will be able to capture Nanchang Prefecture within three days."

"The progress on Wang Dugong's side is also going smoothly. At this moment, Wang Dugong's subordinates have already taken over Hangzhou Prefecture and are on their way to Ningbo Prefecture and Shaoxing Prefecture."

Xu Chang and Wang Zhi made good progress, which made Gao Shun very satisfied.

At the same time, he also reminded: "Let Minister Wang Yan and Imperial Censor Yang Jizong speed up and measure the land of Yangzhou Prefecture and Fengyang Prefecture as soon as possible."

"There are still large tracts of land waiting for them to measure."

"Yes, my lord!"

As soon as Gao Shun finished speaking, an officer from the Xianzhen Camp quickly responded.

Wang Yan and Yang Jizong are really busy in the rear now.

Ever since Xu Chang captured Yangzhou, their land surveying working group has been surveying the land in Yangzhou.

This time, they surveyed the land at an incredibly fast speed.

Wherever they went, both the local people and the local officials opened the door wide for them.

These people and officials not only did not stop or resist, but also warmly welcomed and diligently helped Wang Yan, Yang Jizon and others to measure their land.

Wang Yan and Yang Jizong's work efficiency has more than doubled compared to before.

But it was obvious that no matter how fast they surveyed the land, they could not catch up with Gao Shun and his men in recovering Jiangnan.

Now, the pressure has fallen on Wang Yan, Yang Jizong and others.

Finally, an officer asked Gao Shun: "General Gao Shun, where is our next target?"

Gao Shun's eyes swept across the map of Jiangnan in front of him, and then he tapped a place name heavily with his finger.

"Suzhou Prefecture!"

……

Suzhou Prefecture.

At this moment, people in Suzhou were in panic and the streets were sparsely populated.

Even ordinary people hid in their homes before the imperial army arrived in Suzhou, waiting for the imperial army to make decisions for them.

The landlords and gentry in Suzhou were trying every possible means to escape from the south of the Yangtze River.

The Suzhou wharf is still crowded with people even in the late night.

A large number of landowners and nobles were trying desperately to squeeze onto a ship docked at the pier.

At this moment, the ship was seriously overloaded, and the sea water had already far exceeded the highest waterline, but there were still a large number of landlords who were trying their best to squeeze onto the ship.

At the same time, the sound of heavy objects falling into the water continued to be heard on the sea.

Some were so overloaded that the crew had to throw some cargo overboard to reduce weight.

Some were because the landlords and nobles accidentally fell into the water in the crowd.

Yingtian Governor Zhang Wenshao, with his family members, stood on the dock, looking at the crowded ships with a hesitant look on his face.

A wealthy businessman next to him kept urging him, "Master Zhang, the situation is urgent. This is the only way to deal with it. Please bear with me."

"My Lord, please get on board quickly. The imperial army is really coming!"

"I heard from others that the people in Nanjing had gone crazy with killing. It took the imperial army three full days to kill all the landlords and officials in Nanjing."

"Just bear with it on the boat. We will reach the South Seas in ten days at most. Then we will be free!"

Looking at the shaky ship that seemed about to sink, after hesitating for a long time, Zhang Wenshao finally refused.

"Forget it, Shopkeeper Zhao. I won't go up there."

"Not going?" Shopkeeper Zhao raised his eyebrows, looking surprised.

But then, Manager Zhao immediately said, "Even if you don't want to go, the 10,000 taels of silver per person for the boat ticket will not be refunded!"

Zhang Wenshao waved his hand and turned away: "That's fine."

Watching Zhang Wenshao's back as he returned to Suzhou City, Shopkeeper Zhao kindly advised him, "Master Zhang, do you really want to stay?"

"If you stay, you will definitely die!"

Zhang Wenshao said nothing and just kept walking forward.

His wife and son quickly followed and complained, "Master, why don't you leave again? It's too dangerous to stay!"

"Yes, Dad, let's go quickly, the imperial soldiers will really kill us!"

"Dad, do you have any way to keep us alive?"

Hearing this, a mysterious smile suddenly appeared on the corner of Zhang Wenshao's mouth.

"This officer has a backup plan."

"Remember those skinny horses I sent to the palace? Now, they are all staying with your Majesty."

"One of them is called Chen Yuanyuan. She has now been named Ningpin by His Majesty, and is pregnant with His Majesty's heir."

"This is enough to prove that your majesty values ​​them."

"Tell me, if I ask them to go and persuade His Majesty to let us go, is that feasible?"

(End of this chapter)