The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 425 The Way of Heaven
Lu Xiangsheng, also known by his courtesy name Jiandou and pseudonym Jiutai, was a native of Changzhou Prefecture in Southern Zhili Province and a renowned anti-Qing general in the late Ming Dynasty. Historically, Lu Xiangsheng died heroically in battle against the Qing army at Julu in the 1639th year of the Chongzhen reign ().

Because of the appearance of Emperor Wuding, the fate of this tragic hero has changed greatly. It can be said that it has completely deviated from the original historical trajectory. In this dimension, he did not die in battle, and his object of loyalty changed from Ming Dynasty to Qi Dynasty.

In the second year of Taichang, Shen Lian, Lin Yu and others caused chaos in the capital, killed the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and burned down the Jiaofangsi, causing the imperial examination that year to fail to proceed as scheduled. Rumors circulated that a lover of the Minister of Rites was burned to death in the fire at the Jiaofangsi, and the master was too troubled by love to supervise the examination, and the emperor did not care, so the imperial examination that year was directly cancelled.

This rumor sounds too ridiculous, but Lu Xiangsheng's scientific research journey was indeed wasted for three years because of it.

Three years later, in the first year of Wuding, Lu Xiangsheng took the exam again and successfully passed.

The chief examiner of the palace examination that year was Emperor Wuding, so in terms of teacher-student relationship, Liu Zhaosun was still Lu Xiangsheng's teacher.

When Liu Zhaosun was seriously ill, all internal and external affairs were handled by the Prime Minister. Yang Hao, a seasoned strategist with a keen eye for talent, knew from the first sight of Lu Xiangsheng that he was a man of extraordinary talent. He immediately promoted him to the position of Director of the Ministry of Revenue, cultivating him as a close confidant of Emperor Wuding.

According to Confucian ethics, although Lu Xiangsheng grew up in the Ming Dynasty, he eventually passed the imperial examination in the new dynasty and entered the officialdom of the Great Qi Dynasty. He also received the favor of the emperor and his father-in-law. Therefore, after serving as an official, he was not afraid of rumors and remained loyal to the Great Qi Dynasty.

The core of Confucian loyalty is to eat the emperor's food and die for the emperor.

During the Wei and Jin dynasties, Ji Kang was murdered by the Sima clan. Before his death, he entrusted his son Ji Shao to the care of his good friend Shan Tao. Ji Shao later served in the Jin dynasty as a minister of state. During the Eight Princes Rebellion, he shielded an arrow for Emperor Hui of Jin and died a heroic death. He became a role model for loyal officials in later generations, and the saying "Yan Zhenqing's bones, Ji Zhongshi's blood" exemplifies this.

Later, as bandits advanced eastward, the situation in Shandong became unstable. Lu Xiangsheng was exiled to Shandong, intending to replace Yuan Keli as Governor of Dengzhou and pacify the province. However, a sudden uprising in the capital, with Dengzhou and Laizhou also occupied by bandits, forced Lu Xiangsheng to follow the 14th Army to Linqing. He initially served as a magistrate in Qiu County, assisting with Linqing's civil affairs.

Looking back, Emperor Wuding and Lu Xiangsheng had little dealings with each other.

"I implore Your Majesty to withdraw the imperial edict and restore peace to Linqing. Linqing has just experienced war and cannot be allowed to fall into chaos again."

Emperor Wuding was not familiar with this historical celebrity, and his cold personality made his gaze towards Lu Xiangsheng even sharper.

"County Magistrate Lu, do you know why the capital fell in May of this year?"

Everyone in the hall looked at Lu Xiangsheng. Since the "Southern Hunt" in Linqing, the emperor seemed like a completely different person. Not only his appearance had changed, but even his words and deeds were obviously different from before.

The emperor acts ruthlessly and decisively, and his murderous intent grows stronger. If the author needs to help Pu Gang and others use a word to describe the current Emperor Wuding, it would be "evil".

The emperor had never spoken to his subjects like this before, and Lu Xiangsheng was the first time.

Zhang Dong glanced at the fair-skinned, thick-armed civil servant and felt that he had an indescribable aura. Zhang Mazi, also a veteran, could tell at a glance that the magistrate was a martial artist with extraordinary skills. He thought to himself:
"The emperor is so concerned about Lu and has spoken so much to him. It's clear that he is no ordinary person."

Lu Xiangsheng met the emperor's sharp gaze as if no one was around, and said without hesitation: "I have made this bold statement. If it is offensive, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Emperor Wuding nodded slightly, and Lu Xiangsheng immediately said:
"Your Majesty, the capital's defeat was due to favorable timing, location, and people, not the fault of the war. Even if reinforcements arrived in time, it would be too late to turn the tide and there would be no way to hold on."

Without any of the favorable conditions, such as time, place and people, failure was inevitable. Liu Zhaosun stared at Lu Xiangsheng and listened to him continue.

"Plague, drought, and locust plagues have ravaged the northern provinces. This is due to unfavorable weather conditions. Your Majesty's years of war have long exhausted the Ming Dynasty's national strength, but you still insist on excessive military spending. Northern Shaanxi has become a purgatory. Even if there were no Zhang Zicheng and Li Xianzhong, there would be Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong. The people are unwilling to starve to death, so they can only follow the rebels. These people are endless, and this is due to the loss of human support. As for the geographical advantage, Your Majesty has achieved feats in just three to five years that other emperors could not achieve in thirty years. Despite his glorious military achievements, the territory is too vast. The Qi armies in various places eventually lost contact with each other, guarding isolated cities and being defeated one by one..."

Emperor Wuding was somewhat disappointed. In his impression, Lu Xiangsheng was indeed a good fighter. He fought against the bandits and won every battle. He was called Lu Yanwang. However, he lacked strategy.

Everyone understands these principles. They are meaningless theories of kingly and hegemonic ways, and they are also what Liu Zhaosun liked to say when he just came to this world seven years ago.

"I risk my life to advise Your Majesty to follow the will of Heaven, recuperate, practice virtue and benevolence, and end the war with Jiangnan (Southern Ming). You must not continue to engage in excessive military activity and cause suffering to the people..."

But the Southern Ming were unwilling to stop fighting. They were weak when facing strong opponents and strong when facing weak ones, just like the iron-blooded Song Dynasty. How could Liu Zhaosun let them go when facing such an opponent?

The plague and war that lasted six months caused the loss of millions of people in the northern provinces. Vast tracts of farmland were abandoned across Henan and Shandong. Despite the dwindling population, rice prices persisted; not only did they not fall, but they skyrocketed. Merchants hoarded grain, colluding with county officials to inflate prices and force the people into loans. When they couldn't repay, they forced them to sell their children. Once the famine subsided, they would sell the children they'd bought cheaply for higher prices, profiting again.

Liu Zhaosun will not spare any of these corrupt officials. Emperor Wuding said with a grim expression:
"What a corrupt scholar! I've read the history of every dynasty, and I've seen frequent disasters. Every thirty years, there are records of people eating human flesh. During disaster years, fathers and sons eat each other. How is the situation different from today?"

Liu Zhaosun suddenly stopped talking here. He looked around and observed the reactions of his subordinates.

Several generals were silent. Li Sanguang stared thoughtfully at his empty left sleeve. Francis kept making the sign of the cross on his chest and whispered, "Archbishop, please forgive me."

"Since last year, floods, droughts, locust plagues, and strange phenomena from the sky (referring to the Wanggongchang explosion) have killed all my people. I stayed in the capital, hoping to share the national crisis with the people and perish with the bandits, but I am helpless."

Emperor Wu Ding looked at his transformed body, and until now he still couldn't believe that this was him:
"But Heaven will not abandon me! Empress Zhang is still alive, secretly protecting me. I am lucky enough to survive! Those who cannot kill me will make me stronger!"

"Millions of people died so that more could live. But right now, there are some people who don't want my people to live. They want to rob the people, they want to suck their blood out of their bones, they want to force everyone to sell their children."

Emperor Wu Ding spoke incessantly, his heart remaining calm.

Before mankind achieved the Industrial Revolution, no dynasty or regime, ancient or modern, Chinese or foreign, could avoid the Malthusian trap.

Of course, there are exceptions, such as Mite Clear.

"Zhixian Lu, do you know what the Way of Heaven is?"

Lu Xiangsheng was speechless for a moment.

Liu Zhaosun recalled how Manqing solved the problem of overpopulation during the Little Ice Age climate.

Their method seems to be slaughter.

Simple but effective.

The Ten Days of Yangzhou, the Three Massacres of Jiading, the Eighty-One Days of Jiangyin, the Massacre of Jinan, the Massacre of Datong (only five people survived), the Massacre of Hunyuan, the Massacre of Fenzhou, the Massacre of Taigu, the Massacre of Bizhou, the Massacre of Zezhou, the Massacre of Shuozhou, the Massacre of Nanjing, the Massacre of Suzhou, the Massacre of Wuxi, the Massacre of Kunshan...

This massacre began in 1616 AD and lasted for about half a century until the 1682st year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (). Even according to the most conservative estimates, the population of China decreased by at least five million over the decades...

"Disasters frequently struck the north and south, countless civilians perished. Where was Heaven's will? Empress Zhang was murdered by Zhu Youjian, and even after death, her tomb could not rest in peace, and was looted by Wu Sangui. Where was Heaven's will? Shen Lian was killed by Zhang Chun. Where was Heaven's will? When Li Sanguang's left arm was devoured by a Rakshasa ghost, where was Heaven's will? I provided relief to Shaanxi, saving refugees, but was eventually besieged by bandits in the capital, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians. I nearly perished, and my country was destroyed. Where was Heaven's will then?!"

Lu Xiangsheng was dumbfounded and speechless for a long time.

"Come, Magistrate Lu, I will show you the Way of Heaven!"

Liu Zhaosun pulled Lu Xiangsheng up and took him to the wall. He pointed at the map hanging on the wall and said loudly:
"Millions of canal workers have become bandits, and the Huaiyang region has become a living hell! Fathers and sons are cannibalizing each other, and human ethics have been completely lost. Unscrupulous merchants from north and south are exploiting the people, forcing them to sell their children. A maid can be bought for just two steamed buns! The Hongguang court in Jiangnan is obsessed with luxury and extravagance. This time, the four Jiangbei military governors are launching a northern expedition, and they have collected taxes for the entire Hongguang decade! Where is justice?"

Liu Zhaosun's voice trembled. All the experiences he had had during the past seven years came to mind:

"I have devoted my heart and soul to kindness, and have worked hard for seven years, exhausting all my energy, and in the end, this is the outcome!"

After a brief emotional fluctuation, Emperor Wuding quickly regained his composure. He turned back to look at Pu Gang and ordered:
"In three days, capture all the merchants involved. I will kill all these parasites at Aotouji. I will become the eternal tyrant and kill all the evil spirits in the world. Only then will the Great Qi Dynasty be forever stable and the people can live and work in peace."

Emperor Wu Ding looked around and said coldly:

"Slaughter your enemies, nip them in the bud, and eliminate all threats. This is the way of heaven."

(End of this chapter)