The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 626: Being old and seeking the country
While the retired emperor devoted himself to studying the Longsha prophecy in the hope of acquiring the secret of immortality, his son, the seventeen-year-old Emperor Guangde Liu Kan, was overwhelmed by the implementation of the new law.

Although the preliminary preparations for the new policy were quite sufficient, the pressure encountered when the land measurement actually began was far beyond Liu Kan's imagination.

More than 300 inspectors sent to 12 prefectures and counties encountered varying degrees of resistance.

As of the end of February, the new policy was progressing slowly, and for various reasons, the land survey had almost come to a standstill.

Among the inspectors, some took the initiative to resign, some were impeached for accepting bribes, some were lingering in brothels and singing girls, and some were beaten up for scams...
Successful reforms are always similar, but failed reforms have their own tragedies.

What shocked the young emperor the most was that the two inspectors sent to Wuxian and Jiading disappeared without a trace, and no one found either their bodies or their lives.

The little emperor took on a burden that was not appropriate for his age.

When you are living a peaceful life, there must be someone carrying the burden for you. This principle also applies to the Da Qi Dynasty more than 300 years ago.

The sixth day of the third month in the second year of Guangde.

early morning.

Liu Kan summoned civil and military officials to discuss countermeasures.

He first briefly reviewed the great achievements of his father.

"Emperor Wuding is a man of great military and literary skill, unrivaled in history and wisdom. The achievements of Yao, Shun, Tang, and Wu, the Han Emperor Wu, the magnanimity of Emperor Guangwu, the bravery of Emperor Taizong of Tang, the determination to suppress usurpation, the benevolence and forgiveness of Emperor Renzong of Song... none of them can compare to the Retired Emperor. Now, my father has stopped caring about trivial matters, and has long admired the mysterious cultivation. My father has temporarily entrusted the important matters to me. I am young at the time of my accession to the throne, and my virtue is shallow. I still need the assistance of my beloved ministers!"

Liu Kan looked at his ministers with sharp eyes.

He had been dissatisfied with his father's manipulation of power, but now that his father was seeking immortality and had decentralized power—at least making the military and civil affairs obey him—he realized how difficult it was to govern a large country.

Just like the implementation of this new policy, it is difficult and all the efforts will be wasted if we are not careful.

Seeing that none of the ministers spoke, Liu Kan continued:
"Taicang Magistrate Wu Shanyan sent a memorial the other day. Have you all read it?"

Qi inherited Ming's system.

As long as the memorials sent by the heads of provinces and prefectures to the capital did not involve military secrets, they would generally be published simultaneously in the court gazette, which was similar to the public announcement system of later generations.

Autumn of the 46th year of the Wanli reign.

Months before the Battle of Sarhu, the imperial court published a detailed report on General Yang Hao's military strategy, including the time and location of the deployment, directly informing the entire nation (although the Ming army's strength was exaggerated by more than five times). This was actually a standard Ming practice. Later generations, unaware of the details, simply attributed it to Yang Hao, which is somewhat biased.

Minister of Justice Wang Yingxiong stepped forward and said:
"Your Majesty, I have reviewed Wu Shanyan's memorial. The list of charges, including the claim that 'Zhang Yunxiu's crimes at the age of eighty-three warrant death,' is sheer nonsense! Absurd! I request that the Suoyi Guards be immediately dispatched to Taicang Prefecture to apprehend Wu Shanyan and hand him over to the Three Judicial Departments for interrogation. Their accomplices must be brought to justice!"

Zhang Yunxiu had only been in Taicang for a little over a month when local prefecture and county officials sent impeachment memorials against him to Nanjing like snowflakes.

In these memorials, the crimes committed by Zhang Yunxiu and his colleagues are too numerous to list.

Compared with this, Yuan Yingtai's slander of the retired emperor for "thirteen crimes punishable by death" is nothing.

From "bullying the people" and "embezzlement and bribery" to "raping women" and "plundering by trickery" and what else, "using the name of reform to plunder"...

In order to protect Zhang Yunxiu, Emperor Guangde kept the impeachment memorial in his possession and pretended not to have seen it.

However, the impeachment became more and more intense, and there was a trend of spreading from Taicang and Suzhou to other prefectures and counties. The charges against Zhang Jinglie were eventually upgraded to:

"Colluded with Japanese pirates and intended to rebel."

What’s even more terrible is that every piece of evidence is not groundless, and there are witnesses and physical evidence.

This is difficult to handle.

The emperor can keep memorials in his palace, but he cannot ignore public opinion. Otherwise, if he delays, the situation will only get worse.

Liu Kan took out a memorial from the imperial desk, shook it in front of the ministers, and handed it to the young eunuch Fang Xining.

Songjiang prefect Gong Linghai submitted a memorial five days ago, saying that the anti-Japanese pirate army on Chongming Island seized a stranded Japanese pirate ship on the sea, captured one Japanese pirate from Kyushu and two Japanese pirates from Osaka, and found a secret letter on the prisoners.

It is said that it was written by the Tokugawa shogunate to Zhang Jinglie. The two sides agreed on a date to capture Nanjing, take the head of Emperor Guangde, and reward Zhang Yunxiu with ten boxes of jeweled Japanese swords, and eight Japanese beauties.

An excerpt from a letter written by Tokugawa Iemitsu to Zhang Juzheng's son is as follows:
"...Since ancient times, people have lived in the world for less than a hundred years. How can you stay here in depression for so long? Moreover, I have a hatred with the Tartar Qi, who killed my father and destroyed my country! I have slept on firewood and tasted gall for twenty years, led a million soldiers, and have no plans. Now I want to pass through Korea, cross the mountains and seas, and go straight to Qi. I want to make their five hundred states adopt our customs and implement the king's rule for hundreds of millions of years. This is my long-cherished wish.

I heard that the governor has already won over the young man (referring to Liu Kan), and when he comes to Taicang, I will take advantage of the opportunity to land with a small army in Songjiang and directly capture the leader of the little bandits. I will then attack Liaodong, sweep away the holes and plunder the court, drive out the Tartars and restore China! ..."

In front of all the ministers, Fang Xining read aloud the "secret letter" seized in Songjiang Prefecture.

The officials were in an uproar.

The eunuch's rhythmic voice was heard from far away. Even Lin Yu, who was standing at the door of the hall, turned his head frequently. The giant was deeply shocked by the shogun's arrogant plan...
What embarrassed Liu Kan was that the prefect of Songjiang published this memorial in the official gazette, titled "All the people are capturing the Japanese pirates and spies." As a result, the whole world knew that Zhang Yunxiu was in collusion with the Japanese.

No matter what the truth is, no one can bear the accusation of collaborating with Japan.

Everyone in the hall knew very well that the officials from various prefectures in Jiangsu were trying to force Zhang Jinglie to death.

To be fair, this kind of frame-up is too despicable and cannot stand up to scrutiny. Anyone who has read the scene in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" where Jiang Gan steals the book will understand what is going on.

However, sometimes, the strategy has to be simple and crude!
As long as the memorial can successfully evoke the tragic memories of the Japanese pirates among the people of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and as long as it can transform fear into anger, the purpose of the memorial will be achieved.

As for whether Zhang Yunxiu really had the possibility of colluding with Tokugawa Iemitsu, and how the Japanese pirates sent ten boxes of gold, silver, jewelry and eight Japanese beauties to Zhang Jinglie thousands of miles away, the angry people would not consider it.

This is called creating momentum, which can also be called leveraging strength.

Everyone was worried about Zhang Juzheng's youngest son.

The scattered Japanese pirates along the coast were like a thorn in the side of his throat, and the retired emperor wished he could wipe them out in one fell swoop.

The Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu was the evil dragon mentioned by the retired emperor. If he was killed, the retired emperor would be able to ascend to heaven.

At this critical juncture, with such a thing happening, it would be difficult for Zhang Yunxiu to continue his political strategy. It is hard to say whether he can even save his life, let alone any new policies.

Zhang Pu stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Taicang mob, influenced by Suzhou Prefecture, has gone on strike. The boatmen on the South Grand Canal are no longer pulling, blocking the canal and making it impassable. Furthermore, thugs are harassing the governor's headquarters. If this situation is not resolved, it will inevitably lead to riots like those in Suzhou. I suggest that a large army be dispatched immediately to suppress the rebellion and execute all those responsible." Qian Qianyi grinned, "It's just scholarly arrogance."

After saying this, he bowed to Emperor Guangde and said loudly:

"Your Majesty, although I don't know much about the military, the shortage of garrison troops in various places is well known. My Great Qi has 120,000 to 130,000 soldiers stationed in various places north and south, and we also have to guard against bandits and pirates... If we rashly redeploy the garrison troops to suppress Suzhou and Hangzhou, if we are defeated or the situation drags on for too long, other prefectures and counties will immediately erupt in rebellion, such as Linchuan in Jiangxi and Changsha in Hunan. What will we do then?"

Liu Kan had already considered the question raised by Qian Qianyi, which was also the reason why Emperor Guangde was reluctant to send reinforcements to Taicang.

"I know what the Grand Secretary said, but the situation in Taicang is extremely precarious. What should we do? Can we withdraw the surrendered troops..."

Qian Qianyi frowned and said, "No. Although the Ming army in Jiangnan is large, they are closely connected with the wealthy and powerful families. If there is any change, these people will immediately turn against us. If that happens, the soldiers and the people will be forced to rebel, and the people of Wu will all rebel. Jiangnan will be in chaos."

Liu Kan sighed and asked, "What should we do then?"

Qian Qianyi confidently said, "The current situation compels us to prioritize propaganda and supplement it with suppression. Your Majesty, please immediately dispatch training officers from each military corps to Taicang to explain the pros and cons. The people will seek the benefits and avoid the harm. If they know that the court's policies are truly for their own benefit, they will not be fooled by those treacherous tyrants, and the so-called civil unrest will collapse on its own."

"If a large army were to invade, it would only backfire. As the "Guoyu" says, 'To show one's virtue is not to observe the troops.' Soldiers should be restrained and move from time to time; when they move, they are formidable; when they observe, they are playful; when they play, they are not alarming. (Note 1) We can feign the deployment of troops and generals to prevent the powerful from learning our true intentions. This spring, when the new recruits in Huguang are trained and the new policies are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the power lies with us, not the enemy, then it will not be too late to eliminate the powerful."

Liu Kan nodded approvingly.

"This is truly the wise words of an old man planning for the country. I have learned from it today."

"His Majesty!"

Zhang Pu took out a memorial from his pocket and said loudly:
"Your Majesty, what Grand Secretary Qian said is truly misleading the country and the people! Your Majesty, please read this."

"This is the official report sent back yesterday by my friend in Suzhou. It is an epitaph that records in detail the process of the Suzhou uprising."

Liu Kan was a little displeased, and waved his hand towards Xi Ning, saying, "Bring it here, let me see."

The Wumin riot that occurred in Suzhou at the end of February had an extremely adverse impact on the new policy.

Later, when casualties were counted, the civilian casualties reached nearly 1,000, and ten inspectors sent to Suzhou were killed. The imperial court later dispatched 3,000 troops from the First Corps of Nanzhili to suppress the uprising.

After this incident, Nanjing reached a compromise with Suzhou Prefecture, and the land measurement and commercial tax reform were temporarily postponed in Suzhou Prefecture.
"Taicang must not be tolerated, otherwise it will be like Suzhou. Although I am from the south, for the sake of the Great Qi, I must say that southerners cannot be trusted!"

~~~~
The epitaph details how the "common people" of Suzhou clashed with officials, and how seven righteous men bravely died in order to oppose the harsh rule (new laws).

After Liu Kan finished reading, his face turned pale.

"This is outrageous! You're confusing right and wrong. What a jerk! Who wrote this?"

Zhang Pu whispered, "Your Majesty, it's a student from Suzhou named Qian Pu."

Qian Qianyi took the court report, read it word by word, and translated it into vernacular Chinese as follows:
The seven people in the tomb died in righteous indignation, resisting the oppressive rule of corrupt officials. Even now, the county's prominent officials have petitioned the court to bury them with honor and to erect stone tablets before their tombs to commemorate their deeds. What a grand and solemn occasion! These seven men died just eleven months after the tombs were built. During those eleven months, countless young men of wealth and status, ambitious and self-satisfied, died of illness, and were buried without worthy of praise. How could this be so?

I still remember that day when Inspector Zheng, a tyrant and tyrant, used a forged imperial edict to intimidate the people of Suzhou (Zheng Zhidong, impeached for embezzling one million taels of silver, died for his country in the Suzhou Rebellion). He ordered the Suzhou Weaving Bureau to stop weaving, the Bank of China to stop collecting taxes, and the gentry and weavers to collect three million taels of silver as a fine. That day, Suzhou erupted in cries of grief. Officers in black uniforms, muskets drawn, advanced, angrily demanding, "You have embezzled state taxes for over a hundred years, why haven't you paid yet?" The people, unable to tolerate this, knocked the officers to the ground and beat them to death. Wang Dehua, then the Grand Chancellor and Governor of Suzhou, was an accomplice of Zheng and had orchestrated the extortion of the Suzhou people. The people, resentful of him, took advantage of his harsh words and chased him, shouting. The Grand Chancellor managed to escape by hiding in a toilet. Soon after, he mobilized the First Corps to ask the court for instructions on the charge that the Suzhou people had started a riot. He investigated the matter and killed seven people:

Yan Weipei, Yang Runian, Niu Jie, Shen Chen, Zhou Wuyuan, Jin Longchen, and Bu Haiwen.

As the seven men faced their execution, they remained composed and cheerful, laughing and drinking, calling out the chancellor's name and cursing him, laughing and chatting as they died. Their severed heads were placed atop the city walls, their expressions unchanging. Tang Zhengang, a Suzhou tea merchant and a righteous man, donated three hundred taels of silver to bury the seven men.

Alas! When Censor Zheng wreaked havoc, how many men in such a vast state could stand firm and unyielding? Yet these seven men, born into the common people, had never been taught the finer arts of poetry and literature, and two of them were disabled, were so inspired by the greater good that they braved death. Why? In recent times, many corrupt officials have falsely claimed the emperor's name, levying heavy taxes and extorting money in the name of reform. The treacherous and cunning Censor Zheng and his cronies rose to power and rampaged across Jiangnan, drawing widespread scrutiny. Yet, only the people of Suzhou rose up in resistance, slaying the treacherous and corrupt, and ultimately putting an end to their tyranny. Censor Zheng and his cronies, overawed by the righteous people, were ultimately thwarted in their plot to usurp the throne. Later, surrounded by the people, Censor Zheng hanged himself in his residence out of fear of his punishment. It's undeniable that this was karma, and it's also the work of these seven men. Today, we built a tomb for the seven heroes and erected a monument with their names on the levee. No one with lofty ideals would pass by without kneeling and shedding tears...
~~~~
Lu Xiangsheng is thirty-two years old this year. At such a young age, he has already been promoted to a cabinet minister, and has become a general and a prime minister. This is extremely rare in all dynasties.

His current status is second only to Qiao Yiqi. He is decisive and thoughtful. He has both the ruthlessness of Sun Chuanting and the political tactics of Kang Yingqian. He is a core figure in the third generation cabinet of Da Qi.

Because his temperament was compatible with that of the young Liu Kan, he was particularly valued by Emperor Guangde.

Liu Kandiao looked up at Lu Xiangsheng and angrily said, "I will bring back the literary inquisitions of my father and execute a whole bunch of people! Starting with Qian Pu, the author of 'The Epitaph of Seven Men'."

Lu Xiangsheng silently unfolded the brilliantly written court report, read it again, and said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, as Grand Secretary Qian said, the time is not yet ripe. The Qian family is a prominent family in Suzhou, so we cannot touch them yet..."

"Can't move?! He's blatantly conflating right and wrong, comparing Zheng Zhidong to a cruel official, blaming others with indirect criticism, humiliating me and my father, and mocking the rulers and ministers of Great Qi. Why keep him around?"

Liu Kan slammed the table and stood up, and with a loud noise, he pushed all the memorials on the imperial desk to the ground.

"Your Majesty, calm down."

Fang Xining came up and picked up the scattered memorials on the ground and put them back on the imperial desk.

Liu Kan regained his composure slightly and waved his hand, saying, "Grand Secretary and Minister Lu, please stay! The rest of you, withdraw!"

The young eunuch immediately put down his work and followed several palace maids out of the hall.

After everyone left, Liu Kan looked at the two of them and said anxiously, "My father gave me the power of life and death, but how could things turn out like this!"

Lu Xiangsheng consoled him, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Let's proceed step by step. Just as the Grand Secretary suggested, send the instructor first."

Liu Kan pondered for a moment and asked, "What about Zhang Jinglie's collusion with the Japanese pirates? Should he be summoned back to the capital?"

Qian Qianyi said earnestly, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible. Zhang Jinglie is a minister of state. The Taicang Reform is imperative. We cannot retreat at this moment. If we retreat, he will end up like his father, Zhang Juzheng, and die without a burial place."

"Your Majesty, please ignore those impeachment memorials. Issue an edict commending Zhang Jinglie for his contributions to the implementation of the new law, and do not mention anything else. Lord Lu and I will write another letter to Zhang Jinglie, telling him to work peacefully in Taicang. We will refute those memorials impeaching him for colluding with the Japanese pirates. As long as the outside world knows that Your Majesty still supports Zhang Yunxiu, those who secretly want to overthrow Zhang Jinglie will not be able to use his power. Without this power, their conspiracy will not succeed, and Taicang will not be in chaos."

Lu Xiangsheng looked at Qian Qianyi with admiration, and also felt that this man was mature and capable of planning for the country.

"I am just worried that Your Majesty is young and needs to be careful about his reputation. I am afraid..."

Qian Qianyi hesitated to speak.

Liu Kan clapped his hands and laughed. "I'm not Zhu Youjian of the former Ming Dynasty. My father often taught me: a little fame is of no use to the country! Zhang Yunxiu is a good man. He went through fire and water for the Great Qi. Of course I must support him!"

Note:
1. "Ji Gong's Advice on the Expedition to the Quanrong" (Guoyu)

(End of this chapter)