Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 206 Meeting, Arrest
In early February of the 17th year of Chongzhen, Fengyang Governor Ma Shiying was ordered to come to Nanjing to meet with Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang.

In addition, a group of famous officials who later fought against the Qing Dynasty were reinstated.

For example, Liu Zongzhou, Huang Daozhou, Zhu Datian, Liu Tongsheng, Zhang Huangyan, Huang Gongfu, Yang Tinglin, Wang Siren and other loyal ministers who later died for their country in the Southern Ming Dynasty.

At the same time, some civil and military officials who were serving in various places but had relatively low positions but later performed well, such as Qian Sule, Chen Zilong, Zhang Mingzhen, Wan Yuanji, Xia Yunyi and other civil and military officials, were also summoned.

It was not limited to Nanjing, but included the entire Jiangnan region. Some people resigned from their official positions to teach in their hometowns, and some served as local officials. They were summoned to Nanjing one after another.

After arriving in Nanjing, Zhu Yuanzhang asked Zhu Yunfeng to read out their life stories. Amid their shock, he gave them encouragement and motivation, promoted their official positions, and gave them new appointments.

Many people felt that they arrived in Nanjing City in a daze, met Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang in a daze, and were promoted in a daze. They didn’t know what happened.

It was not until he left the Qianqing Palace afterwards that he slowly came to his senses - His Majesty Taizu really had come to the end of the Ming Dynasty to save the country from disaster.

What happened at the same time was that Ma Shiying's military power was seized by Zhu Yuanzhang and was led by Fu Youde who came from Hubei. The entire southern army was controlled by the Nanjing Five Military Commandery overnight and began to arrest people everywhere.

The situation was the same as that of Tang He in Sichuan, but the difference was that the power of the landlords, evil gentry and corrupt officials in Sichuan was much weaker. After all, the largest landlord in Sichuan was the King of Shu, Zhu Zhishu.

In contrast, in the Jiangnan region, especially the Zhejiang and Jiangsu regions in later generations, there was no fiefdom, which led to the fields in these places being controlled by large landowners. Behind these large landowners were officials in the court. For example, during the Jiajing period, Yan Song and Xu Jie owned hundreds of thousands of acres of land in Jiangnan.

Therefore, to touch these landlords is actually to touch the power of the official and gentry class behind them.

At first, due to the turbulent situation in the world, the great changes in Nanjing did not attract much attention. Because there were so many great changes in various places, wasn't Li Zicheng about to attack Nanjing?
But soon something was wrong.

Government offices across Jiangnan suddenly received official documents from Nanjing, requesting that they be posted everywhere to spread the news quickly.

The highest-ranking local officials were still governors and inspectors. The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were mainly governed by the Governor of Fengyang, the Governor of Yingtian, the Governor of Zhejiang, the Governor of Fujian, the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, the Governor of Huguang and the Governor of Jiangxi.

The governor of Huguang had already submitted to Zhu Yuanzhang. After Zhu Yuanzhang arrived in Nanjing, he summoned the governor of Fengyang Lu Zhenfei, the inspector of Zhejiang Zuo Guangxian, the governor of Jiangxi Kuang Zhao and others to Nanjing for a meeting.

The Yingtian Governor Zhang Guowei was not there. He had gone to Beijing to report on his work. Historically, Beijing fell just ten days after he left.

During this period, Zhu Yuanzhang met with a large number of officials and released the King of Tang, Zhu Youjian, who was imprisoned in Fengyang. He then opened a new court in Nanjing, appointed officials, and ordered them to investigate corrupt and traitorous officials and confiscate land.

In a short time, the disturbance spread rapidly throughout the South.

After meeting Zhu Yuanzhang, these local governors quickly declared their loyalty to him and, in accordance with Zhu Yuanzhang's instructions, distributed leaflets to various parts of their jurisdiction.

The source of the leaflets was the typewriter that Zhu Yunfeng brought with him.

Their county is a major producer of typing and copying machines. They not only have small and easy-to-carry machines, but also all the supporting facilities for typing and copying.

Including batteries, chargers, etc.

Power generation is also simple. There are solar generators and diesel generators, which can easily provide typing and copying power.

Zhu Yunfeng and Ji He had to work like slaves again.

One was responsible for printing, and the other was responsible for stamping Zhu's imperial seal. Hundreds of thousands of leaflets could be produced in a day, and the brothers' hands were numb from exhaustion.

But there is nothing we can do.

Not to mention Zhu's imperial seal, is that something that ordinary people can touch? Even the eunuchs guarding Nanjing were not qualified to touch it.

Just to mention these machines, people in the Ming Dynasty couldn't operate them and didn't know how to use them at all.

So we can only let them suffer a little more.

On February 16, the 17th year of Chongzhen, the newly appointed Zhejiang Governor Zuo Guangxian returned to Hangzhou with a large cart of leaflets.

After arriving at the government office, Zuo Guangxian convened a meeting in the governor's office in Hangzhou and summoned the prefects and county magistrates under the jurisdiction of Zhejiang to Hangzhou for the meeting.

In name, it was because the imperial court had issued an edict to transfer Huang Mingjun to Nanjing and promote himself from Zhejiang Provincial Governor to Governor, so some officials had to be summoned to discuss the matter.

In fact, they were indeed called to Nanjing by Han Zanzhou in the name of the imperial edict, but Huang Mingjun later surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and was arrested after arriving in Nanjing.

Zuo Guangxian died fighting against the Qing Dynasty and was promoted by Zhu Yuanzhang to Governor of Zhejiang.

Now that the new official has taken office, he naturally has to do something.

of course.

Not all officers were called, but some.

Those traitors who later surrendered to the Qing Dynasty certainly could not be called upon, because the purpose of this meeting was to deal with them.

On February 23, more than forty officials gathered at the Zhejiang Governor's Office.

Among them were Zhejiang Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Zang Erquan, Zhejiang Provincial Administration Right Counselor Hou Dongzeng, the newly appointed Shaoxin Prefect Chen Zilong, Hangzhou Prefect Zhang Yinli, Yanzhou Prefect Hu Chongde, Jinhua Prefect Wang Xiong and some co-prefects and county magistrates.

Naturally, there are more than just these officials in the entire Zhejiang government. From the governor to the provincial governor, the provincial judge, as well as the various guards, soldiers, and patrol officers, there are about thirty or forty people.

If we add the local prefects, associate prefects, and county magistrates, there would be hundreds of people in total.

But at a time of national turmoil, officials were frequently transferred. Many official posts were vacant, and some officials went to report on their work.

For example, Fang Yuegong, the prefect of Songjiang, was transferred to Beijing by Chongzhen to serve as the Left Vice-Censor-in-Chief of the Beijing Censorate because of his outstanding political achievements, and the new prefect had not yet arrived.

In addition to this, of course, many local officials surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and were the targets that Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to purge, and were also the people that Zuo Guangxian wanted to arrest. It was naturally impossible to ask them to come to a meeting to arrest him.

At this moment, many officials gathered together and were very surprised.

They didn't understand why the governor and the inspector suddenly called them over.

The hall was clearly divided, with high-ranking officials from Zhejiang, such as the provincial governor, the provincial judge, etc., sitting in the main seat at the top, and on both sides of Zuo Guangxian.

The prefects and the associate prefects stood in the center of the hall, while near the door stood the county magistrates. It was like a court meeting, with a strict hierarchy from top to bottom.

After everyone was gathered, Zuo Guangxian spoke: "Everyone, we have gathered you here today because we have something important to discuss. Please listen carefully, don't have any questions, and just follow my instructions."

Everyone was very curious, but they could only wait patiently.

Zuo Guangxian bowed his hands towards Nanjing in the northwest and said, "His Majesty Taizu has come to Nanjing to save the world. I will go to Nanjing to meet him. Zhejiang will be subject to the orders of His Majesty Taizu."

"what?"

"Your Majesty?" "Governor, how is this possible?"

The people below all showed stunned expressions, their faces full of disbelief.

“This is true.”

Hou Dongzeng had been received by Old Zhu before, and he knew the situation. He also said: "After his death, His Majesty Taizu became an immortal god with great magical power. He traveled through the long river of time and saw that the Ming Dynasty was about to perish in the future. Therefore, he used up all his magical power, gave up the opportunity of immortality, and came down to earth to save the world. Taizu brought many immortal tools with him, which can allow us to travel back to the Hongwu Dynasty to see what was going on. The magic circle was set up in Changsha. Sun Chuanting, the Grand Tutor, Lü Daqi, the Governor of Huguang, the Governor of Sichuan, and dozens of Huguang and Sichuan officials have all been to the Hongwu Dynasty. It has been confirmed that it is true."

"Is there such a strange thing?"

Everyone was amazed.

Zuo Guangxian then said, "Yes, His Majesty the Great Ancestor is here. If you all work hard in the future, you will have the opportunity to go to Nanjing and meet His Majesty in person."

Hu Chongde, the prefect of Yanzhou, wondered, "Governor, where did the previous inspector Huang go?"

"Huang Mingjun later betrayed his country and was executed."

Zuo Guangxian said calmly: "Lord Zang, Lord Hou, and Lord Chen already know about this matter. They have also been to Nanjing to meet with His Majesty."

"This"

Everyone was shocked. There was too much information to digest in time.

After a while, Zhang Yinli, the prefect of Hangzhou, asked cautiously, "I just wonder what instructions His Majesty Taizu has for you this time?"

"Two things."

Zuo Guangxian pointed his finger and said, "The first thing to do is to investigate those who betrayed their country for personal gain. I believe you have also seen that not all officials above the rank of county magistrate in Jiangsu and Zhejiang are here, only a small number. Where did the majority of them go?"

"His Majesty Taizu traveled through the long river of time and saw the future. In April this year, Li Zicheng broke through Beijing and the Ming Dynasty fell. Wu Sangui opened Shanhaiguan and let the Jiannu enter the pass."

Chen Zilong also said: "Li Zicheng could not resist, and the Jiannu marched straight in. Han Zanzhou, Ma Shiying and others established Prince Fu as emperor in Nanjing. The Jiannu soon attacked Nanjing the next year, Yingtian, Jiangsu and Zhejiang fell, and many officials surrendered to the Jiannu."

"You are able to stand here because you are all officials who died for your country or did not surrender to the Qing army."

Zuo Guangxian took out the sorted information and said: "Zang Erquan returned to his hometown after the fall of his country and died of illness. Hou Dongzeng, who spent all his family wealth, gathered thousands of righteous soldiers and occupied Jiading City to resist the Jiannu. When the city fell, he jumped into the water with his two sons and was killed by the Jiannu before he died. Chen Zilong drowned himself. Zhang Yinli resigned from his post and retired. Hu Chongde hanged himself for his country. Wang Xiong died in the Xudu Rebellion. Kunshan County Magistrate Yang Yongyan killed the surrendered Kunshan County Magistrate Yan Maocai and led the Kunshan army and civilians to fight to the death for his country. Shanghai County Magistrate Peng Changyi, on the day Nanjing City fell, closed his door and hanged himself for his country."

The life stories of more than 30 officials were told. Everyone stared with eyes wide open, not expecting that their future would end up like this.

But at the same time, when their names were read out and their lives were told, everyone felt a sense of pride.

He died for his country.

He has lived up to the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty and has not failed the fundamental principles of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness.

"Everyone."

After Zuo Guangxian finished reading the life story of the person, he continued, "You are all admirable for your integrity. But at the same time, we must also know that countless so-called colleagues and scholars have surrendered to the foreign races and become the running dogs of the foreign races to trample on our Han people. Therefore, this time we summoned you, firstly to purge these traitors and villains. After you go back this time, you should quietly arrest the traitors in your jurisdiction and send them to Hangzhou. Secondly, after you have captured them, you should widely distribute leaflets to make the news of His Majesty Taizu's visit public."

After saying this, he waved his hand, signaling Chen Zilong beside him to distribute the arrest list and advertising leaflets to everyone.

This arrest list is really too long.

There are about a hundred people, so it is impossible to read it aloud, so everyone can only read it by themselves.

Zhang Yinli took the list and took a look at it, and suddenly his eyes went dark.

He felt something was not right when he saw that his deputy, Fan Mingke, the Tongzhi of Hangzhou, did not come. When he looked at his life again, he could only feel regretful.

On the surface, Fan Mingke seemed quite upright and honest, and he had always been a good partner to him. However, when he later served as the inspector of Liu Zeqing's army during the Hongguang regime, he surrendered to the Jiannu together with Liu Zeqing.

It can only be said that you know people, faces but not hearts.

In addition, there were also Ningbo prefect Zhu Zhikui, prosecutor Li Fayuan, Taizhou prefect Min Jijin, Tongpan Yang Tiyuan and other officials and gentry on the surrender list.

Among the officials present, some who were on good terms with those on the list could not help but express their regrets.

"Alas, I didn't expect Brother Lu Yuan to do the same."

"Who says it's not true? Brother Xiangzhi has always been upright and always said he would be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. How could he know..."

"I can only say that some people's patriotism is just lip service. When the time comes and a knife is placed on their neck, I'm afraid they will be afraid."

"Tell me, who is not afraid of death? I am afraid of death too, but I jumped into the water. There are many people present who are more tragic than me. The councillor even brought his whole family to the national crisis. At this time of national crisis, can I not help the universe and jump into the water?"

"Hahahahaha, that's true. The worst that can happen is death."

When someone said this, everyone burst into laughter. The atmosphere, which was originally filled with regret or sadness over a friend's self-degradation, became a lot more relaxed.

After all, they are now the future officials who have been personally certified by Emperor Taizu as martyrs for their country.

In ancient times, people paid great attention to character and integrity.

At this point, their character and integrity far surpass others.

When the news spreads in the future, their reputation will naturally spread as well. Although they cannot be said to have risen to the top and reached the ears of officials, they will at least be promoted to a higher position and can hold their heads proudly to the sky.

"All right."

Zuo Guangxian waved his hand to quiet everyone down, and then said, "You must do these two things well. Please understand that your martyrdom in the future is not a golden ticket to avoid death, but an honor. I believe that there must be some dishonest behavior among you, but His Majesty Taizu will not pursue you now for the sake of this honor. But if these two things are not done well, and the traitors who betrayed the country for fame are let go, or the news of Taizu's visit is not spread, and the job is messed up, His Majesty Taizu will not forgive you easily, so I hope that you will do your best to do the job well, no matter what means you use, arrest the people who should be arrested in the jurisdiction, and release the news that should be released. Do you understand?"

"I understand!"

Everyone was suddenly startled and nodded in agreement.

Although they later died for their country, dying for their country is one thing, doing their job is another, one thing is one thing.

It would be a great shame if I were sentenced to death by Emperor Taizu just because I failed to do my job well.

After all, dying for one's country can only demonstrate one's integrity and character, but failing to do one's job means one's lack of ability.

Therefore, everyone put in all their efforts and quickly began to think of ways to catch people.

(End of this chapter)