The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 348 Total Collapse
September of the second year of Tianqi.

The Duke of Huguo devoted his limited energy to commanding the suppression of the rebellion in Shaanxi. He hoped to solve once and for all the civil unrest that had plagued the Ming Dynasty for over two hundred years.

In comparison, the conflict on Sakhalin Island thousands of miles away seemed less tense and urgent. However, Liu Zhaosun was well aware of the Russians' desire for territory.

If the Russians were left alone, their next target would be Liaodong. Therefore, the Protector of the Country asked Ma Shiying to select elite soldiers and generals in Liaodong, striving to completely destroy the enemy and teach the Cossack bandits a lesson.

The new policy reforms originally scheduled to begin in the autumn (abolishing officials in charge of the grain transport system in the north and south, abolishing the six ministries in Nanjing, etc.) had to be postponed due to the sudden deterioration of the situation in Shaanxi.

The wish of the Duke of Huguo to become the second Zhang Juzheng cannot be realized in the short term.

Compared to the early Longqing and Wanli periods, the current situation in the Ming Dynasty was undoubtedly more difficult. Liu Zhaosun had no hope for the integrity of civil officials.

The actions of officials in Shaanxi, Shandong and other places in recent days have refreshed the time traveler's three views.

Between August and September, reports of requests for help from various prefectures and counties were transmitted to the capital like snowflakes, and finally gathered in front of the desk of the Duke of Protectorate.

While they were asking the court for money and food, they also did not forget to blame each other, accusing each other of taking advantage of their neighbors and allowing bandits into their jurisdiction.

~～~～

The bandits moved like the wind, sweeping across eastern Shaanxi. Before Man Gui led the cavalry to reinforce Henan, the bandits' cavalry swept through counties and prefectures in western Henan, northwestern Shanxi and other places like a storm.

Every time they captured a city, the bandits would not stop, but would sweep away all the people in the city and then move on to the next target like locusts.

Many refugees were initially forced to join the armed march.

Later he found out that by joining the robbery, he could earn a living and save the lives of his entire family.

So, as they continued to capture cities, burn, kill and loot, many people's ideas began to change after they tasted the sweetness.

In this era, regional barriers are widespread. Not to mention different states and counties, even two villages half a mile apart can engage in life-and-death fights over disputes over water sources or fields.

For most farmers, walking a hundred miles or so and entering a county is like entering another world.

Therefore, the guilt for burning, killing and looting would not be so severe.

People went from being victims to perpetrators of violence, and eventually became the backbone of the bandits.

After several rounds of burning, killing and looting, humanity was completely gone, and only animal nature remained.

~~~~
The first day of September.

Liu Zhaosun took the stack of information handed to him by Shen Lian and began to read it roughly in the bright candlelight.

Shen Lian explained:
"Lord Protector of the State, these are the details of bribes received by the Imperial Censors over the years from various provinces, prefectures, states, and counties."

"Where did you get it from?"

"A eunuch named Zheng from the Imperial Household Department gave this to a subordinate. He said he has a lot of evidence against the censor."

Liu Zhaosun smiled and nodded.

The Imperial Household Department and the Censors have always been at odds with each other.

The censors often found various reasons to attack the eunuchs, often impeaching the eunuchs for bad behavior or meddling in government affairs. During the Ming Dynasty, the downfall of several famous eunuchs, such as Wang Zhen, Wang Zhi, Feng Bao, and Wei Zhongxian, was directly related to the censors.

Similarly, the hatred that eunuchs held for censors was far greater than that for other civil officials. This was one of the reasons why Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou, and other censors were killed by Wei Zhongxian in history.

He had heard the rumors about the censors' extortion a long time ago, but he didn't expect that these three censors would dare to ask for money from the Liaodong Governor.

Liu Zhaosun turned a page and pointed at a few names.
"Zhang Fengyi, He Tingshu, Pan Yunyi. They all sound familiar."

Shen Lian added:
"These three censors impeached the Liaodong Governor Xiong Tingbi in the 46th year of the Wanli reign and extorted 500 taels from him, but failed. Then, in the 2nd year of the Taichang reign, they impeached the Liaodong Governor Wang Zaijin and extorted 3,000 taels from him. Furthermore, the governors of Tianjin and Denglai were also extorted by them."

Liu Zhaosun sneered:
"You're so brave."

Shen Lian continued:
"Duke Protector of the Country, the three are now in the capital. I sent someone to infiltrate Zhang Fengyi's residence and found a million taels of silver hidden in the Zhang family's cellar, as well as antique calligraphy and paintings."

Liu Zhaosun became more and more angry as he listened:
"Assholes! They all claim to be honest, clean-handed, and the conscience of the Ming Dynasty. They bite everyone they see, no matter if it's just to make money. These mad dogs should have been killed long ago." Shen Lian probed:
"Catch him in the imperial prison and give him a trial?"

Liu Zhaosun nodded in agreement:

"Catch all three of them. No matter what means we use, we must make them bite more people out and catch these mad dogs in one fell swoop. Even if they can't be sentenced to death, they must be exiled far away."

The Protector of the Country paused for a moment and said angrily:
"Send him to Ningguta, or Lingao County!"

Shen Lian quickly wrote down the two place names.

"Remember," the Protector added:
"Only deal with the censors. Don't pursue the other officials for now."

"Yes, my lord."

Shen Lian took the order and left.

Before he could retreat, Zhang Dong suddenly rushed in.

"Lord Protector of the Country, bad news! The bandits have crossed the Yellow River! Civil unrest is breaking out in all the prefectures and counties of Datong. Henan is also starting to stir."

Liu Zhaosun said:

"These useless people in Shanxi and Henan are even more hateful than the officials in Shaanxi. They're all so self-righteous that they refused to sell food to the Qin people and refused to send troops to help suppress the rebellion. Now their retribution has come. The Central Plains is about to fall into chaos!"

~~~~
Shortly after the Shaanxi uprising, a small group of bandits crossed the Yellow River and entered Shanxi.

Initially, the bandits came and went swiftly, but later, local officials in Shanxi, under the pretext of "preventing theft," ordered a closure of grain sales and prohibited the transport of grain into the famine-stricken areas where the bandits were active. Consequently, the Shaanxi bandits had no choice but to force their way across the river to find food and enter Shanxi.

In August of the second year of the Tianqi reign, just as the Western Expedition Army was heading into Qin, bandits began to enter Shanxi on a large scale.

Starting from the second day of August, the old Hui people Ma Shouyi, Bajingang, Wang Zishun, Zuandishu and other troops crossed the Yellow River and captured Pu County.

The bandits were divided into two routes. The eastern route followed the line of Zhaocheng, Hongdong, Fenzhou, and Huozhou; the thin line followed the line of Shilou, Yonghe, Jizhou, and Xixian.

On August 1, relying on the internal support of Wang Saner, a starving man, the Eight Vajras occupied Hequ, an important town in northwestern Shanxi, and controlled the Yellow River ferry (see note ).

After the bandits poured into Shanxi, officials from Taiyuan, Datong, Pingyang and other prefectures and counties sent troops to block and suppress them, while at the same time submitting memorials to impeach Shaanxi officials for "taking advantage of their neighbors" and deliberately letting the bandits into Shanxi.

Officials from the two provinces quarreled with each other.

Zheng Zongzhou, the Minister of the Imperial Household, submitted a memorial to the Duke of Huguo, explaining the desperate situation Shanxi was currently facing, which seemed not much better than that of Shaanxi.

"Since the 2th year of the Wanli reign, Jin has suffered disasters every year, and last year was particularly severe. The people along the Yellow River are in a hurry to get by, and transportation is difficult... The officials are only concerned with assessing achievements, urging both the old and the new, selling off their children and wives, gouging out the young and ripping out the marrow, leaving the people skin and bones. Today, no spring rain has fallen (meaning the court has not provided any relief), the wind and haze are changing day by day, the seasons are out of whack, and people are in turmoil, feeling uncertain about their future. The weak are in ditches, the strong are glaring and unable to speak. Executions and rebellions are everywhere, and this is inevitable." (Note )

Liu Zhaosun put the memorial down and murmured:

"Now that things have come to this, what's the point of saying this?"

~～～～

The Western Expedition Army was blocked on the east side of Hequ County.

Refugees from several surrounding counties and prefectures rose up in rebellion, blocking the Kaiyuan army's retreat. For a time, Deng Changxiong was at a loss as to where to go.

The army temporarily camped on the east bank of the Yellow River. Deng Changxiong decided to burn his boats and attack Niangniangtan and enter Shaanxi.

Niangniangtan is a small island in the middle of the Yellow River near Hequ County. During the early Western Han Dynasty, Empress Lü was in power. She sent Bo Ji and her son Liu Heng to this small island in the middle of the river, effectively placing them under house arrest.

Later, the Lü family was destroyed and Liu Heng became the emperor, known as Emperor Wen of Han. This place was called Niangniangtan in memory of him.

The Kaiyuan army’s first major defeat may occur at Niangniangtan.

Note:
(1) "The Record of the Beginning and End of the Huailing Bandits" and "The Chronicle of Hequ County" in the seventh year of Shunzhi: The rebel Wang Kegui led the bandits into the city, and the city fell.

(2) Chronicle of the Chongzhen Emperor, Volume
(End of this chapter)