The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 628 The Fury of Thunder

"Until the land is cleared, he won't leave Lou City? Until he consumes the four major families to death! He's so arrogant, it scares me!"

"Master, Zhang Yunxiu is already a discarded son of the imperial court. It's hard to say whether he can leave Taicang alive! And he's so arrogant! After the Suzhou incident, the young emperor should know who to mess with and who not to mess with! Taicang is a place where your family has been here for generations. How can they get away with running wild?"

Taicang Palace, sixteen courtyards.

In the living room near the east wing, stood the master and his servant.

Wang Heng, dressed in brocade and looking noble, was holding a newly torn official document in his hand. The document was stamped with the seal of the Jinglüe Mansion and was said to be a notice from Zhang Jinglüe to the people of Taicang.

Wang Heng stroked the jade ring on his finger, suddenly crumpled the document in his palm and threw it to the ground.

"Zhang Juzheng's youngest son is truly clueless about his own safety. He doesn't know how to advance or retreat, and won't stop until blood is shed!"

"Master, calm down. The Zhang family is full of this kind of people. Just like his father, they still stubbornly talk even when facing death... They killed hundreds of Tang Zhentie's brothers and caused the master to spend tens of thousands of taels of silver. The brothers can't swallow this anger!"

The servant was halfway through his speech when he brought up the arson incident again:
"Master, it's a dark and windy night. Set them on fire and burn them to death!"

Wang Heng raised his arm and said seriously:

"Don't worry, just play with them."

The servant said anxiously, "Old Shen, the lumber seller, said the Tartars are training a new army in Ezhou and have recruited tens of thousands of soldiers. Once they're done, our situation will be very difficult. We have no time to lose. Since we've already fallen out with the court, we must kill all the inspectors and go to Japan."

Wang Heng's eyes narrowed into a line:

"Old Zhou, I asked you to prepare last year. Are the ships ready? How many ships can Zheng Sen send to pick us up?"

Old Zhou stroked his beard and smiled: "Master, everything has been prepared long ago. It's all in Songjiang Prefecture. On the first day of April, when the southeast wind picks up, we will go to Jiuzhou with Master Ma from Songjiang. Master Zheng has prepared more than a hundred blessed boats to move everything."

"If you can't move it, burn it. Don't leave a single brick or tile for Liu Zhaosun."

Wang Heng looked around at the valuable furniture in the living room and sighed slightly, "The Taicang old house has existed for three hundred years. I never thought it would be destroyed in my hands. Old Zhou, remember to burn down this compound as well!"

Old Zhou nodded solemnly, and said with regret:
"It's a pity that there are still hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land that can't be transported or taken away, leaving it to those peasants. What a sin!"

Wang Heng shook his hand, signaling that we should stop talking about these sad things, and then asked:

"How much silver do you charge us for one ship?"

The servant held up three fingers and said tremblingly, "Three hundred taels."

"Three hundred taels?"

"Yes, sir, Zheng Sen's accountant asked for three hundred and fifty taels, and he bargained till he got that figure."

Snapped!
Wang Heng swung the teacup and smashed it hard on the ground:
"Damn it! A Fuzhou ship only costs three thousand taels to build, and a trip to transport cargo costs three hundred taels. One hundred ships cost thirty thousand taels! Pirates are pirates!"

Master Wang smashed the teacup, but still not satisfied, he picked up the teapot and smashed it on the ground. The maid next to him screamed and ran away.

"How could the Zheng family sell their southern goods these years without the Wang family's support? They're asking for 30,000 taels right out of the gate. Why don't they just rob them?"

"Master, Zheng Sen was defeated by Wu Aheng last year and lost thousands of ships. How could he dare to come out to rob? He hid in Japan. Some time ago, he ran to Dengzhou to rob. He didn't get much and was beaten to a pulp by the Qi army. The losses were not small. He must want to get it back from us..."

Wang Heng was furious and pointed at Lao Zhou and cursed:

"Shut up! No one will think you're dumb if you don't speak!"

Old Zhou couldn't help but pointed at the document on the ground and said:
"Master, you haven't finished reading what Zhang Yunxiu wrote. There's more to come."

"What else?" Wang Heng asked angrily.

"Written to the people of Taicang,"

Lao Zhoubian said as he unfolded the document that had been crumpled into a ball.

"Those who cooperate with the government and actively expose and report the crimes of the gentry and wealthy will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver. If they keep their information secret, they will be given priority for land distribution after the land survey is completed..."

Wang Heng raised a contemptuous smile.

"You're hoping to overthrow the Wang family of Taicang by motivating the peasants? That's just wishful thinking."

"Zhang Yunxiu also said, 'Master, you are the ringleader of this conspiracy by inciting the local gentry to oppose the new law and colluding with the thugs. Within three days, he will chop off your head and let the people of the city watch.'"

Wang Heng laughed out loud as if he had heard a very good joke.

"Zhang Yunxiu wants to chop off my head within three days? With his remaining army of less than two hundred men? What does he want to do? What can he do?"

Old Zhou echoed, "Master, you're right. Zhang Yunxiu is desperate now, and he wants to kill you."

Wang Heng muttered to himself, "He said he would kill me in three days?"

"Master, why worry? Gao Jianli even wanted to assassinate Ying Zheng back then!"

The master and servant laughed out loud.

"He has no evidence of the Wang family's tax arrears, so what right does he have to attack the Taicang Wang family? I'm not afraid of a hard-line attack! The Taicang Wang family is as strong as a rock, easy to defend and difficult to attack. It would take at least seven or eight days for three to five hundred people to attack. He's just here to die! Before we leave Taqi, we need to give Liu Zhaosun a surprise."

"Master, what do you mean by that? Strike first and then kill the goose that lays the golden eggs for this old man?"

Wang Heng quickly shook his head and said, "Killing the chicken to get the eggs is too cruel. I have read the books of sages after all. How can I do such a thing that is against heaven and morality?"

The so-called killing the chicken to get the eggs means first castrating the person and then circumcising him... Over the years, countless Taicang tenants have been killed by "killing the chicken to get the eggs" because they offended Wang Hengxia.

"No need to kill the chicken, no need to collect the eggs. Let's play with him first. Hasn't he always been thinking about the Wang family's 200,000 acres of fertile land? Let him come here and discuss the measurement of the acres at the banquet. Tomorrow, I will be Xiang Yu and hold a Hongmen Banquet!"

Old Zhou said worriedly, "Master, in the end, King Xiang..."

Wang Heng slapped the servant in the face and said angrily:

"Stop talking nonsense. I'm going to kill Liu Bang this time. Hurry up and make arrangements and find some good men. If you make a big mistake, I'll kill you and sell you to the Qinhuai River as a male prostitute!"

Old Zhou has a full beard and skin as rough as the bark of the willow trees by the Qinhuai River. He is obviously not suitable for special occupations.

This is the master joking with himself.

"Master, what if Mr. Zhang doesn't dare to come tomorrow?"

Wang Heng chuckled, "Don't dare to come? That's even better. From now on, what the General says will be worthless. No one will listen to him! He can't stay in Taicang any longer!"

~~~~~
Nanjing, Forbidden City.

The first ray of sunlight in the morning shines on the stone lions at the gate of Wenhua Hall.

Everything wakes up.

The morning bell echoed for a long time over the Stone City.

At the end of the secret room, Dongfang Zhu and his famous generals were waiting quietly.

"Before sunrise, Your Majesty practiced for an hour. Master Zhang said that our emperor is about to attain enlightenment."

Dongfang Zhu lowered his voice and patiently explained to the general.

Zhao Lujiao, with a frosted face, was puzzled:

"Father-in-law, what is enlightenment?"

The father-in-law showed an expression that the secret could not be revealed, and told the truth mysteriously:
"Even if he becomes an immortal, the Emperor's life span will be as long as the heavens, and he will forever protect his subjects."

Zhao Lujiao nodded blankly.

~~~~
"Your Majesty, what level of cultivation has you reached?"

In the main hall of Wenhua Palace, the retired emperor held his breath and concentrated his mind, his body empty, as if he were a god.

"There is only light around me. Time and space no longer exist... I do not feel the joy of enlightenment. Instead, I am surrounded by a kind of desolate sorrow, a sorrow that exceeds the limit of my endurance."

"General Zhao is back?" Zhao Lujiao stared blankly at the half-human, half-immortal emperor in front of him, hesitating on how to salute. He clasped his hands together and was about to kneel down.

"no."

In early February, the Eighth Corps stationed in Shandong defeated the group of Japanese pirates who invaded Dengzhou in one fell swoop, killing more than 300 people.

Unfortunately, Wu Aheng's navy failed to provide timely assistance, and most of the Japanese pirates managed to escape.

The palace maid came forward to offer tea. Zhao Lujiao reached out to take the teacup and drank it in one gulp.

The Emperor held the whisk in his hand and said with a smile:

"This is the immortal tea presented by Master Li of Wudang Mountain. It's produced in Taizipo. It's infused with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon. Try it. How is it different from the tea you drank in Dengzhou?"

The teacup in front of Zhao Lujiao was empty. The palace maid smiled awkwardly and brought another cup.

Zhao Lujiao only took a sip this time, but couldn't taste any difference.

There was only half a cup of Taoist tea left and they wanted to drink more. Dongfang Zhu gave a signal and the palace maid left.

The Emperor put down his whisk and said to his old subordinates:

"I will temporarily hand over the affairs of state to Emperor Guangde, and let him take charge. When I have some free time, I will study the art of longevity with the Taoist priests."

Zhao Lujiao uttered an "oh," not knowing how to respond. After thinking for a moment, he put down his teacup and said with a stiff upper lip.

"Your Majesty will be blessed with great fortune and live a long life."

"No, I don't want to live a hundred years, I want to live five hundred. I want to see the iron hoofs trample across the vast mountains and rivers, and I wish the world of fireworks to be peaceful and happy."

"I have found the secret of immortality."

Zhao Lujiao was speechless.

"I have read through ancient books and know that the new Shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, was transformed from an evil dragon. Killing him will not only avenge Yuan Chonghuan, but also help me become an immortal."

Dongfang Zhu mentioned the Longsha prophecy. Although Zhao Lujiao was a military general, he had also heard of this legend.

I didn't expect the legend to be true.

If that is the case, why transfer himself back to the south instead of preparing for an eastern expedition to Japan?

The Emperor said succinctly:
"A major incident has occurred in Jiangnan, and Emperor Guangde is unable to suppress it. I have summoned you back. The eastern expedition to Japan will be put on hold for now."

Zhao Lujiao said nervously:

"Your Majesty, what's happening in Taicang Prefecture?"

The Emperor nodded to Zhang Dong, and Zhang Mazi said quickly:

"Zhang Yunxiu had a very difficult time implementing the new law in Taicang. He even killed dozens of people sent to Taicang by local nobles."

Zhao Lujiao looked serious. He had never had a good impression of the wealthy families in Jiangnan.

"Qingzhangmu means demanding land, grain, and people from the wealthy and powerful. These three things are the lifeblood of the wealthy, so they're determined to fight Da Qi to the death."

Liu Zhaosun has the air of an immortal.

"General Zhao, do you know who Zhang Yunxiu is?"

Zhao Lujiao didn't know much about the Suzhou and Hangzhou governor who had recently been promoted by Emperor Guangde.

"He is Zhang Juzheng's fifth son,"

"It turns out to be the descendant of Zhang Taiyue!"

Like many people, Zhao Lujiao had great respect for Zhang Juzheng, the prime minister who saved the country.

"Yes, he is now the God of Wealth of your Eighth Corps."

Zhao Lujiao was dumbfounded.

Liu Zhaosun asked, "How many troops did the Eighth Corps expand this spring?"

Liu Xingzuo blurted out, "Your Majesty, by March, the Eighth Corps will recruit 1,000 new soldiers."

"Only a thousand people? Apart from the artillery regiment, you are at the bottom of the list."

Zhao Lujiao's face flushed red.

Shandong has experienced wars for a long time. After the White Lotus Rebellion, the Ming army caused trouble. After the Ming army caused trouble, Zheng Sen caused trouble.

The rebellion has been going on intermittently for more than ten years.

After years of war, even the prosperous areas along the canal, such as Jining and Linqing, saw a sharp decline in population and their streets and markets withered.

The court's food and wages will not be distributed to the various corps until the second half of the year. The situation of other corps is slightly better. The Eighth Corps is stationed in Wendeng, and it is good enough to guarantee food rations for the veterans.

Expanding the military is really difficult.

Liu Zhaosun patted Zhao Lujiao on the shoulder and said earnestly:

"Zhang Jinglie is in Taicang and Suzhou, risking his life to find food and wages for you. Only with land, food, and silver can the navy expand and have more ships. Therefore, I say that he is your God of Wealth."

Now, the God of Wealth is about to die.

Zhao Lujiao was well aware that the Qi army had fought a bloody battle with Zheng Sen in southern Liaoning the previous year, and although the navy had won a bitter victory, it had lost nearly half its fleet. The failure to completely annihilate the Japanese pirates in the Battle of Dengzhou was also due to insufficient naval strength.

"Last month, Suzhou rebelled. Emperor Guangde mishandled the situation and sent the First Corps to fight, but he still hasn't completely dealt with those rats and parasites. Now Nanjing has no troops available, so they can only send the instructor to reason with them. But reason without fists won't work. I'm a little disappointed..."

"I'm pulling the Eighth Corps south to send you to Taicang to clean up my son's mess."

Zhao Lujiao clenched his fists, patted his chest and said:
"I will definitely rescue Zhang Jinglie. I will go to Taicang right now!"

As he spoke, he stood up.

"Don't worry, I have something else to ask of you."

The retired emperor took down the Tao Te Ching and flipped through it under the bright whale oil lamp, and saw that governing a big country is like cooking a small fish.

"Is the Taicang Wang family involved in this matter?"

Zhang Dong recalled for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty, several wealthy families in Taicang were involved. Wang Heng was their leader, and he was the one who killed all our people."

Zhang Dong didn't have a good impression of Wang Xijue's son.

Back then, Wang Heng was drawing autopsies in Suoyiwei. Zhang Dong and he had very different personalities and were like water and fire.

"What a pity that Wang Xijue, a famous prime minister, gave birth to such a son," the emperor sighed.

Zhang Mazi looked at the emperor cautiously. According to his understanding, whenever Liu Zhaosun began to sigh, someone would die.

"Back then, Wang Heng disliked the customs of Liaodong and repeatedly resigned, saying he wanted to return to Songjiang Prefecture to eat sea bass (Note 1). I gave him the opportunity to retire to the countryside and become a hermit. He could have continued painting and become a great talent like Wen Zhengming and Dong Qichang. I didn't expect this fellow to commit such a disaster in Taicang, reaching out to the sky, meddling in matters that were not his business, and even killing my people."

"Zhang Dong."

Liu Zhaosun had a bright gaze and looked like a god.

"His Majesty."

Zhang Dong looked up at the emperor who was a head taller than him.

"I admire the skill of Painter Wang. You and Liu Xingzuo, take all the men of the Suoyi Guard and follow General Zhao to Taicang to kill those who need to be killed. Capture Painter Wang alive. Cut off his hand, tan it, and send it back to Nanjing. I want to keep it as a souvenir."

Note:
1. Shishuo Xinyu (A New Account of Tales of the World) Annotations: Zhang Jiying was appointed an official in the Eastern Division of the King of Qi. While in Luoyang, he saw the autumn wind rising and thought of the wild rice soup and sea bass sashimi of Wu. He said, "Life is about being content. Why should I travel thousands of miles to seek fame and honor?" He then ordered his carriage to return. Soon after, the King of Qi was defeated, and people at the time all said he had seen an opportunity.

(End of this chapter)