Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 204: Killing people according to the list, terror looms in the Chongzhen era

There was silence.

Zhu Yunfeng's long introduction directly stumped many Nanjing officials.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang gave him a cold look.

He is already in his thirties, but still acts like a child. Can the post-00s generation be more reliable?
Zhu Yunfeng himself was also embarrassed for a moment.

He watched short videos.

When I watched the video, I thought this introduction was very impressive.

The result is very embarrassing when put into reality.

This is very uncomfortable.

Seeing that there was only silence in the room, Ji He suddenly shouted, "Are you all deaf? Do you want to die in front of His Majesty Taizu?"

Of course, he wanted to ease Zhu Yunfeng's embarrassment. Although the two of them often bickered, they were best brothers and would definitely not lose face for their good brother.

However, this voice did break the silence, and Lu Daqi also said: "It was indeed His Majesty Taizu who came in person. This is the letter from General Sun, and there is also a lot of evidence."

After saying that, he took out a letter with the seal of Commander Sun Chuanting and handed it over.

Li Qiande also explained: "His Majesty Taizu came to the mortal world to save the world. Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng were defeated by His Majesty Taizu. After Taizu's death, he became an immortal and traveled through the long river of history. He found that in the battle of Tongguan, Li Zicheng defeated General Sun, who also died in battle. From then on, no one in the Ming Dynasty could stop him. This year, Li Zicheng will break through Beijing, causing the Jiashen Incident and the fall of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, he went against the long river of time and came to the end of the Ming Dynasty with the Supreme Dharma to save the Ming Dynasty from disaster. All of us have been to the Hongwu period, and we have immortal artifacts to prove it."

It’s the same rhetoric.

If this set of rhetoric were to be heard in later generations, young people would probably laugh.

If there really were ghosts and gods in the world, when the Japanese pirates invaded China, 30 million of our compatriots would have turned into evil spirits and torn the pirates to pieces long ago.

Therefore, there are no ghosts or gods in this world. If you want to take revenge, you can only rely on your own hands to become strong. When the world situation changes in the future, you can destroy every single person on the Japanese island!

But this set of rhetoric was very popular in ancient times.

The ancients were superstitious.

It’s just that they are not sure at the moment. If a miracle is shown, they will naturally be willing to believe it.

Zhu Yunfeng took out his tablet computer and showed them the video that Chen Shiqi and others had filmed along the way to the early years of Hongwu.

Old Zhu kept his hands behind his back and said nothing.

I'm not trying to show off, but this kind of thing, people around you can just explain it, there's no need for me to say anything.

If the other party believes it, then everything will be easy.

If the other party still doesn't believe it after seeing this, it's actually easy to deal with. Just wave your hand, let the soldiers kill them all, and then enter the city normally.

So Lao Zhu just waited quietly for a moment, which was already considered very patient.

Otherwise, if I return to my previous violent temper, believe it or not, it’s up to you. The worst that can happen is that the city of Nanjing will be flooded with blood. Except for those who betrayed the country and surrendered, even the loyal ministers who died for their country will die.

If it weren't for taking care of those who were willing to follow him, and if it weren't for the romance and idealism in Zhu Yunfeng and the others' bones, Old Zhu wouldn't care about these things.

In fact, this can be regarded as a point of collision between the ancient and the modern.

Young people in later generations all have a bit of romanticism and idealism.

For example, the historical stories about Ji Han, Yue Fei, Huo Qubing, Xin Qiji, Yashan, Wen Tianxiang, etc. are full of regrets and longings.

If given the opportunity, I believe many young people in later generations would definitely be willing to follow the prime minister to Qishan, willing to follow Yue Fei to fight the Jin people, willing to rebel and chop off the dog heads of Song Huizong and Song Gaozong and use them as urinals.

Although there is nothing particularly sad about the late Ming Dynasty, the history of the Southern Ming Dynasty can easily cause high blood pressure.

The country has been destroyed and the family has been ruined, yet they are still fighting among themselves.

But at the same time, there are also many remarkable and moving moments.

For example, during the Jiashen Rebellion, many officials committed suicide. When the Qing army marched south, many officials and civilians rose up to fight against the rule of the alien race. The Thirteen Families of Kuidong, the last stronghold of the Han people, vowed to never surrender to the Qing.

If the history of the Southern Ming Dynasty was not so exciting, many officials died for their country, such as Shi Kefa and Ma Shiying. They were all loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and were not afraid of death. But when the enemy came, they did not unite, but fought among themselves. I am afraid that the Southern Ming Dynasty would be as tragic as the Yashan Incident of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Therefore, although Zhu Yunfeng was also very angry with Nan Ming, it is undeniable that the anger mixed in there was still a lot of heartbreaking things.

Under such circumstances, he naturally hoped that those patriotic and loyal ministers could have a better ending.

Obviously, Lu Daqi and Li Qiande's words worked.

Zhu Yunfeng took out a tablet and showed them everything Chen Shiqi and others had experienced during the Hongwu period.

This included seeing the familiar Nanjing Imperial Palace, the somewhat strange yet familiar city of Nanjing, and various "immortal artifacts" that glowed, generated heat, emitted hot air, and moved.

Especially the appearance of cars and motorcycles left everyone present stunned and speechless.

After a long while, Han Zanzhou trembled and asked in an incredulous tone: "Could it be that it is really His Majesty Taizu?"

"I don't need to lie to you. To be honest, I'm a little impatient."

Old Zhu had been waiting there for a long time, his patience worn out bit by bit, and he said with some displeasure: "If you don't believe it, then don't believe it."

"Your Majesty, they believe it, they believe it."

Lu Daqi hurriedly gave a wink to several familiar people, including Nanjing Left Censor-in-Chief Jin Guangchen, Nanjing Ministry of Rites Doctor Zhou Biao, and Nanjing Ministry of Works Right Vice Minister Wu Yunchu.

"Come into the palace. I am tired."

Old Zhu did not pay attention to the strange looks from the crowd. He just said something calmly, and then returned to the boat again, surrounded by guards on both sides.

Everyone followed behind him and got on the boat.

Shi Kefa immediately ordered the guards to open the sluice gate of Sanshan Gate, and the fleet sailed through the sluice gate into the Inner Qinhuai River and headed towards the imperial palace.

After arriving on the boat, Lao Zhu returned to the cabin to rest. He knew that he needed to give everyone some time to accept the situation.

Zhu Yunfeng and Ji He also followed.

As soon as they left, Han Zanzhou, Shi Kefa, Zhao Zhilong and other talents quickly surrounded the officials from Sichuan and Huguang. Shi Kefa asked, "Brother Yanruo, what is going on?"

"I just told you what happened. His Majesty Taizu is a little unhappy. If you still don't believe it, you will die. Don't blame me for not advising you."

Lu Daqi shook his head.

He really saw the impatience in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes just now. To be honest, based on his understanding of Taizu's character, he was afraid that whenever Taizu said "If you don't believe it, then just don't believe it", someone would follow up and say they didn't believe it.

It is estimated that in the next second, Emperor Taizu would order the guards to open fire and kill all the officials in Nanjing City, including any soldiers who dared to resist.

Anyway, what Zhu wants is only the city of Nanjing. These people don't believe it, but Lu Daqi and the others do. Having a group of basic personnel is enough. What is the need for so many people with messy and complicated backgrounds?

But it is obvious that Lu Daqi's words are doubtful.

Zhao Zhilong glanced at the guards on the ship. Although they looked impressive, they didn't even have armor. They all carried strange objects on their backs. It was hard to tell whether they were elite soldiers or not. He couldn't help but said, "Even if they were really His Majesty Taizu, how could they kill people without even a knife?"

"hehe."

"If His Majesty Taizu wants you to die, why would he need to use a knife?"

"If you don't believe it, you can try it yourself."

A number of Sichuan and Huguang officials, including Lu Daqi, Chen Shiqi, Li Qiande, Wang Yangji, Ma Qian, Liu Xizuo, Liu Zhibo, Du Yinxi, and Yuan Jixian, all burst into laughter.

At this time, Jinyiwei Commander Mao Xiang walked out of the cabin and shouted, "Who is Zhao Zhilong?"

"I'm!"

Zhao Zhilong responded in confusion.

"Where's Xie Qiguang?"

"I'm."

Xie Qiangguang, the left vice minister of the Nanjing Ministry of War, also responded.

"Pan Shiliang?"

"exist."

Pan Shiliang, the right vice minister of the Nanjing Ministry of Justice, walked out confused.

"Li Youlong!"

"exist."

"Liu Yuyou!"

"exist."

"Liu Chang!"

"exist."

"Zhu Zhichen."

"exist."

"Liang Yungou."

"exist."

"Li Chuo." Every time Mao Xiang read out a name, an official would stand up, not knowing why.

In just a few moments, out of the more than 30 officials from Nanjing City who came to greet them, about ten were called, nearly one-third.

In addition, there were some people whose names were called out but were not present.

For example, Xu Yunjue, the prince of Wei, Tang Guozuo, the Marquis of Lingbi, Guo Zuoyong, the Earl of Cheng'an, Jiao Mengxiong, the Earl of Dongning, as well as some other officials who were not of high rank or did not come to welcome the emperor for other reasons.

"Come here, everyone. His Majesty said he has something to tell you."

Mao Xiang shouted.

These people were all very puzzled, except Lu Daqi and others who looked at each other with strange expressions on their faces. They turned their backs and looked into the distance.

The people who were named walked to the side, and Mao Xiang asked them to stand in a row along the side of the ship, as if waiting for Taizu to lecture them.

But after they stood in place, Mao Xiang waved his hand and said, "Execute."

"Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!"

Before all the Nanjing officials could react, more than a dozen guards around Mao Xiang raised their AKs and fired a volley of bullets.

In an instant, flesh and blood flew all over these people's bodies. They couldn't even scream as they were shot by 7.62 bullets and fell straight off the boat. The sound of "dong dong dong" of them falling into the water was endless.

"what!"

"This, this, this"

"Brother Yanruo!"

"Brother Ji Tong!"

"What's going on? What's going on?"

The remaining twenty or so senior officials from Nanjing almost jumped up from their places, screaming like quails, and their faces turned pale instantly.

Before Lu Daqi and others could speak, Mao Xiang said in a cold voice: "I am Mao Xiang, the commander of the Jinyiwei, and I am following the order of your majesty to kill the traitors. These people surrendered to the Jiannu Tartars after the fall of the Ming Dynasty. Some even led the Jiannu and killed the loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty. Their death is not a pity. Your Majesty Taizu said that now, after 270 years of his arrival, all traitors and Jiannu outside the Great Wall must be killed. Your Majesty will not be stingy with rewards for those who are loyal to the Ming Dynasty and die bravely for the country in the future. As for those who are greedy for life and afraid of death, this is their fate!"

After saying that, Mao Xiang turned and went into the cabin, leaving many Nanjing officials who had escaped death looking at each other in bewilderment.

Even Yuan Jixian was surprised and asked, "Brother Yanruo, I was wondering before, since all the officials from Huguang and Sichuan have come, but some are missing, could it be?"

Lu Daqi nodded and said, "Yes, those who can come here alive will be loyal ministers who will die for their country in the future. As for those who didn't come, they are naturally traitors. His Majesty Taizu has traveled through the long river of time, and he knows who is loyal and who is treacherous. He knows it very well."

As he spoke, he looked at Han Zanzhou and the others who were already frightened out of their wits and said, "Congratulations, you are loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty, and now you can follow His Majesty Taizu to conquer the world. I'm afraid your future prospects are limitless."

"Forehead"

Everyone was still looking at each other, some were thinking, some were frowning, and some were showing anger on their faces.

The reason why he was angry was that one of his good friends was killed.

For these people, although they were loyal officials who died for their country, some of them did not know what was good for them. They thought that these things were one-sided statements and they had no way of knowing whether they were true or false. How could they be dealt with so casually?

Moreover, even if it is true, that is a matter of the future. At least now they have not surrendered and betrayed the country. Killing people now with things that will happen in the future, isn't that a false crime?

Although people were angry, in the end no one dared to say anything.

After all, judging from the current situation, they were able to survive because they later died for their country.

But if they really don't know what's good for them and go looking for trouble with Lao Zhu, then given Lao Zhu's character, he probably wouldn't mind sending them to meet his friends.

So when faced with Old Zhu who would kill people at will, they could only keep silent.

However, after a while, when everyone calmed down, they felt that the other person might really be His Majesty Taizu.

Apart from the unanimous voice of Lu Daqi and others, as well as the scene of the Hongwu Dynasty displayed in the strange magic weapon, just looking at his temperament, he is indeed the well-known Ming Dynasty founder Zhu Yuanzhang.

After all, in the more than 200 years of Ming Dynasty history, the only two who treated officials like pigs and dogs and killed them on a large scale were Zhu Yuanzhang and his son Zhu Di.

As for those who were thoughtful, they were naturally thinking about following His Majesty Taizu, and the future seemed to be really bright.

It is a question worth pondering whether Emperor Taizu would take action against his meritorious officials again after he once again conquered the world and established his country.

The fleet continued to sail along the Inner Qinhuai River.

More than ten bodies suddenly fell from the boat, frightening the people on both sides of the strait and causing a commotion.

However, the ship still headed towards the palace.

After about two or three quarters of an hour, the fleet stopped at Chang'an Avenue and had reached the intersection of the Inner Qinhuai River and Tongzi River, which is the square outside the Meridian Gate.

The surrounding area is not simply empty, but there are the six ministries of Nanjing, the five prefectures of Nanjing, the garrison official residence, the censor's office, etc.

The main affairs of Nanjing were completed by a four-person team, namely the Nanjing garrison, the Nanjing garrison eunuch, the assistant garrison and the maintenance counselor.

For example, Zhao Zhilong, as a military meritorious official in Nanjing, was the garrison commander of Nanjing. Han Zanzhou, as the eunuch in charge of the garrison, was in charge of all the affairs in Nanjing. And Shi Kefa, as the counselor of the aircraft, was also a member of the four-member team.

The last person to serve as the co-defender was called Xu Hongji, who was actually the current Duke of Wei, and the father of Xu Yunjue.

This person was seriously ill and died this year, so he did not come.

Under such circumstances, the three people headed by Han Zanzhou, Zhao Zhilong and Shi Kefa were actually the backbone of Nanjing.

Now that Zhao Zhilong is dead, the focus naturally shifts to Han Zanzhou and Shi Kefa.

When the fleet arrived at Chang'an Street, everyone got off the ship and, under the leadership of Han Zanzhou and Shi Kefa, went straight into the Nanjing Imperial Palace.

The Nanjing Imperial Palace still retains its original appearance. After more than two hundred years, it has undergone many changes, but the overall appearance remains unchanged.

Old Zhu put his hands behind his back, looked around, slowly passed through the Meridian Gate, and arrived at the Fengtian Hall. He stepped step by step onto the dragon throne above the Fengtian Hall, which had not been sat on for many years.

"See your majesty, long live your majesty!"

When Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon throne, dozens of officials below knelt down and kowtowed to him.

Old Zhu just raised his hands calmly and said, "Stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Everyone stood up.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked down at his ministers and said calmly, "Where is Han Zanzhou and Shi Kefa?"

"The minister is here."

The two of them hurriedly stood up.

"Yunfeng."

"Ancestor."

"Give them the list."

"it is good."

Zhu Yunfeng took out the printed list he had with him and handed it to the two of them.

Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice, "Arrest these traitors according to the list. No matter if they are princes, nobles, or high-ranking officials, or those who have been dismissed and are idle at home, as long as they are on the list and in your jurisdiction in Jiangnan, arrest them, regardless of life or death. There are also some other lists. After the fall of my Ming Dynasty, some idle officials at home served in the Hongguang Dynasty established by Fu Wang Zhu Yousong in Nanjing, who was supported by Fengyang Governor Ma Shiying and others. They bravely resisted foreign enemies and are the backbone of my Ming Dynasty. They should be reinstated and reused."

"Your Majesty, I think we should discuss this a little bit?"

Zhang Zhengchen, the chief censor, could not help but bow and said, "Although His Majesty Taizu has traveled through time and knows what the future holds, isn't it a bit too hasty to kill someone before the incident even happens?"

"what's your name?"

Old Zhu asked with a frown.

Zhang Zhengchen shuddered, sweat pouring down his forehead, but he still answered, "My name is Zhang Zhengchen."

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunfeng.

Zhu Yunfeng opened his notebook and searched for his name in the information. After a moment, he said, "Zhang Zhengchen, courtesy name Yuhou, alias Ge'an, was born in Kuaiji, Zhejiang. He served successively as a censor in the Rites, Households, and Personnel departments. He impeached Zhou Yanru and Chen Xinjia, and wrote a letter to request the abolition of the Western Factory. The eunuchs were afraid of him and he was exiled to Junzhou. Later, he served as the Nanjing Dujian. When Prince Fu was enthroned, he served as the Dali Cheng, but was not tolerated by Ma Shiying, so he resigned and returned home. When Prince Lu was in power, he guarded Zheshan and recruited villagers from Zheshan to form the Zheshan Camp. After Shaoxing fell, he became a monk."

"Well"

Old Zhu pondered and nodded, then said: "For your loyalty, I will only give you this chance, don't say such nonsense again. Traitors are traitors. Qin Hui advocated resistance against the Jin Dynasty in his early years. It is easy to change the country but difficult to change one's nature. Why do I need these traitors? Even if they haven't rebelled now, it's because I'm here. But if I hadn't come, they would still be traitors and traitors, and this fact cannot be changed. Do you understand?"

"Yes"

Zhang Zhengchen felt as if his whole body was covered with goosebumps, as if he had walked through the gates of hell.

"Han Zanzhou, Shi Kefa, you guys go and do it."

Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly, "I will send Jiang Li with 500 men to accompany you. First, arrest those who should be arrested in the city. I don't need to teach you how to do it."

"Yes."

The two looked at each other and felt the overwhelming tyranny.

You are truly worthy of being His Majesty Taizu.

This feeling of oppression and the feeling that they could not question was as if they were facing not a 60-year-old man, but a tiger ready to eat people at any time.

Along the way, Lu Daqi and others introduced the various miraculous things that happened when Emperor Taizu came to the Ming Dynasty, and how he killed people today.

There was even a kill list of hundreds of people. The terrifying feeling of being an official during the Hongwu period seemed to have come to the Chongzhen era two hundred years later!
(End of this chapter)