The invasion of the abyss begins with the Laughing at the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 54 Liaodong Military Governorate

At the same time, Liaoyang, Liaodong Jinglüe Prefecture.

"Sir, five days ago, there was a rebellion in Yongning City. In just one day, they occupied the entire Yongning City, and the soldier Shi Guangxian was killed in the battle."

"The five thousand-household units under the Yongning Guard were completely wiped out and wiped out by the rebels."

Early in the morning, news of the fall of Yongning City was received. As the advisor of Xiong Tingbi, the governor of Liaodong, Master Li hurried into the study and said anxiously.

The relationship between a legal advisor and his employer is one in which both prosper and suffer together. Legal advisor Li, who was a juren, had known Xiong Tingbi for more than ten years and had always been his military advisor, offering him advice and suggestions.

Throughout the dynasties, rebellion was always a major event. All relevant personnel would be implicated afterwards, especially the chief officials at all levels such as prefectures, cities, and counties. No one could escape.

Xiong Tingbi was the governor of Liaodong, and Yongning City was under the jurisdiction of the Governor's Office. Shen Yuanliang's rebellion had an immeasurable impact on him, and he might even be dismissed from his post.

"Master, who is rebelling at this critical moment? What a great time to choose!"

Putting down the book in his hand, an old man in his fifties with a frosted face, Xiong Tingbi, the governor of Liaodong, asked in surprise behind the mahogany table.

After the Battle of Sarhu, the imperial court lost almost all of its combat troops, leaving Xiong Tingbi with no one to use. He had to build a city to protect himself and guard against Nurhaci in the east.

Fortunately, after the Later Jin army captured Tieling and Kaiyuan, they headed north to Hetuala, giving Xiong Tingbi and others a chance to catch their breath.

"Shen Yuanliang, his father Shen Zhong, was a captain under the former Liaodong governor Yang Hao. He killed twelve people in the Battle of Sarhu and died of exhaustion."

"Some time ago, Shen Yuanliang single-handedly killed the famous local tyrant in southern Liaoning, Mr. Wang of the Wang family."

Master Li, with his gray beard twirling, a melon-shaped hat on his head, and a round-necked robe, looked a little heavy-hearted and felt very uneasy.

Master Li knew about the Wang family's reputation even though he was in Liaoyang. The famous Wang Shan, a lay disciple of Shaolin Temple, was the overlord of the entire southern Liaoning region.

It is really frightening and unbelievable that such a cunning and treacherous character was actually killed by Shen Yuanliang, a young and inexperienced person.

"Why would a loyal and righteous descendant rebel?"

Tap- ing lightly on the table, Xiong Tingbi squinted his eyes, frowned, and asked in confusion.

I thought it was some bandit who occupied the mountain and became a king, or some wealthy family who participated in the rebellion, but I didn't expect it to be the descendant of the soldiers who died in the Battle of Sarhu.

As for the fact that Shen Yuanliang killed Wang Shan, Xiong Tingbi didn't take it seriously. He was just a powerful man, only slightly stronger than an ant.

"It may be that someone is coveting Shen Yuanliang's monopoly of the Wang family's property!"

Holding an old hand warmer in his arms, Master Li, who came from a scholar family, perhaps felt embarrassed as he spoke hesitantly.

A gentleman is concerned with righteousness, while a villain is concerned with profit. Master Li, who calls himself a gentleman, is ashamed to talk about profit, especially the blatant and undisguised plundering.

"boom!"

Xiong Tingbi grabbed the teacup and threw it on the ground. Still feeling a little unsatisfied, his eyes were almost blazing with fire, and he paced back and forth in the study room anxiously.

Xiong Tingbi, who had been in the officialdom for twenty to thirty years, knew the character of the officials in the court. It must be that Shi Guangxian, the military commander of Yongning City, coveted the Wang family's property in Shen Yuanliang's hands, which led to a series of disasters.

At this time, the power of the imperial court outside the Great Wall was further weakened, and the offensive of the Later Jin and Jiannu was fierce. Even the capable and experienced Xiong Tingbi felt constrained. Now that the backyard was on fire, how could he not be angry?
"Sir, you must quickly submit a letter of apology and at the same time wipe out the rebels in Yongning City. Don't let the censors in the court find an excuse to attack you." The situation was very urgent. Master Li stepped forward and grabbed Xiong Tingbi's sleeve, saying anxiously.

Since Xiong Tingbi was appointed by Emperor Shenzong as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and the Governor of Liaodong, he has been impeached frequently.

Yao Chongwen, the Shaoqing of the Taichang Temple, the censors Feng Sanyuan and Gu Xu, and many officials from the Ministry of Rites, such as Yang Lian, Zhang Xiu De, and Wei Ying Jia, were always keeping an eye on the Liaodong Military Governor's Office, trying to find fault with Xiong Tingbi and bring him down.

"Now that we have no soldiers available, we can have Fuzhou Guard and Jinzhou Guard go in and suppress the rebels in Yongning City."

"The most urgent task now is to speed up the construction of castles, supervise the manufacture of military equipment, and deploy troops to guard important checkpoints to prevent the Later Jin Jiannu from taking advantage of the situation and invading."

Looking at the scattered green outside the window, Xiong Tingbi, the governor of Liaodong, sighed and said helplessly.

Compared with the threat posed by the Later Jin and Jiannu, Shen Yuanliang's rebellion was just a minor issue for the Ming court, and could be easily eliminated with just the Jinzhou Guard and Fuzhou Guard.

"In just 30 years, the Later Jin Jiannu grew from a small tribe into a serious threat to the country. It seemed that another 'Jin Kingdom' was rising."

Speaking of the Later Jin Dynasty, Master Li was also helpless. A long sigh echoed in the quiet study. The two looked at each other in silence, but their mood was very heavy.

With a fierce tiger in front and “their own people” holding them back from behind, what can Xiong Tingbi and Master Li do?

Three days later, in the Forbidden City, Wenyuan Pavilion, in the capital, thousands of miles away.

"Eight hundred miles is urgent, eight hundred miles is urgent."

The messengers from outside the Great Wall rode at full speed all the way, changing horses but not men, braving the biting cold wind and heavy snow, and galloping from Liaoyang to the capital.

The sound of horse hooves broke the tranquility of the Forbidden City, like a small stone causing ripples and disappearing in an instant, as if it had never happened.

"Master Prime Minister, this is a memorial from Xiong Tingbi, the governor of Liaodong. Shen Yuanliang of Jingbian Fort in Yongning City in southern Liaoning has gathered people to rebel and has now occupied the entire Yongning City. The Yongning Guard has been abolished."

"Rebellion is a serious crime. As the governor of Liaodong, Xiong Tingbi should bear full responsibility and should be immediately escorted back to Beijing for trial."

Yao Chongwen, Shaoqing of the Taichang Temple, wearing a red official uniform with a mandarin duck patch embroidered on it, came before the Prime Minister Fang Congzhe and made accusations at the top of his voice.

Last year, Yao Chongwen, who came from the Zhejiang Party, was promoted to the position of Right Censor of the Ministry of Personnel and inspected the Liaodong border. He took the opportunity to demand a bribe from Xiong Tingbi, but Xiong Tingbi ignored him, and the two sides thus developed a grudge.

At this moment, Shen Yuanliang gathered a group of people to rebel and occupied Yongning City. This matter was a big deal to the court, but it was also a small deal. But for Yao Chongwen, it was a great opportunity to overthrow Xiong Tingbi.

"Order the Liaodong Governor Xiong Tingbi to quell the rebellion as soon as possible."

"The primary task is to resist the Later Jin and Jian Nu, and not allow the Later Jin to grow stronger again."

Fang Congzhe, the chief minister who also came from the Zhejiang Party, did not adopt Yao Chongwen's suggestion this time, but chose to protect Xiong Tingbi.

In the Battle of Sarhu, the imperial court was defeated, and Emperor Shenzong in the Forbidden City fell ill amid internal and external difficulties. As his time was running out, the struggle in the court became increasingly fierce.

Xiong Tingbi belonged neither to the Donglin Party nor to the Zhejiang Party, but was a middle-of-the-road figure. At this critical moment, it was not advisable for him to create trouble, lest he be caught by others.

(End of this chapter)