The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 658 This Guard Isn’t Too Cold

Guazhou, Yaowang Temple.

The temple, which was once bustling with incense and pilgrims, was completely razed to the ground by the Qi army tonight.

Half an hour ago, the artillery of the Fifth Corps arrived hastily and carried out a carpet bombardment on Yaowang Temple and its surroundings.

As long as the cabinet boss Luo Wenjian is still a human being, no matter where she hides in the Medicine King Temple, the Qi army's artillery fire can blow the witch into ashes.

The Imperial Guards suffered heavy casualties in this battle, and their commander, Lin Yudu, was seriously injured and died.

Another of the Five Tigers of Kaiyuan is about to be lost.

Pu Gang received a report from the Imperial Guard yesterday, so he led the main force of the Fifth Corps south from Yangzhou. When he saw Lin Yu, the big man was already on his deathbed.

"God damn Luo Sect, God damn Luo Wenjian! I left Guazhou for a few days, and she turned Guazhou into hell!"

Pu Gang was furious and said, "I'm going to send her to hell! The monk can escape, but the temple cannot. If she runs away, kill her apprentice. Kill her!"

He stared at the dead Lin Yu and the corpses of the Qi army on the ground, and the anger that had been accumulating for many days suddenly erupted.

"kill!"

The ruins were surrounded by soldiers of the Fifth Corps.

Li Zicheng knelt on the ground and shouted to Lin Yu:

"Officer Lin, you can't die. You are General Qi Fu, you can't die..."

The captured Luojiao believers were lined up and escorted to the ruins by the pacification soldiers.

Then the executioner used his knife to chop off the heads one by one like chopping wood.

A mountain-like Jingguan was piled up around the temple, and many believers showed extreme fear before their death.

Pu Gang stood beside the ruins, waving the banner in his hand and shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Kill! Kill all of these Luo Cult members who killed thousands of people! Pay for Lin Yu's life! Avenge the people of Guazhou. Kill!"

Instructor Xing Zhongyi whispered:
"Lao Pu, you've killed dozens of them. That's enough. Stop killing!"

Pu Gang pushed his partner away, swung his sword, and said angrily with red eyes:

"The killing of prisoners must not be reported to the court! I will kill anyone who dares to stop me from avenging Lin Yu! Keep on chopping off heads!"

Xing Zhongyi also said angrily: "Pu Gang, if something happens, you will bear it yourself!"

Pu Gang rushed forward and struck a Luojiao guardian who was kneeling on the ground with his sword:
"I'll just take on one more! Kill him!"

Jiang Liuer and Songxia stood silently beside Lin Yu.

Li Zicheng burst into tears.

Wu Xiao, who had just arrived from Shaanxi, sat slumped on the rubble with a blank expression, staring at his old partner with dull eyes.

He was indifferent to the tragic scenes around him where knives were hurled and blood flowed like a river.

Li Zicheng looked like a wounded beast.

Over the years, he has relied on Lin Yu and Wu Xiao's continuous support and has long regarded them as his own family.

Now, Lin Yu is dead.

Wu Xiao patted Li Zicheng on the shoulder:

"Lin Yu once said that he wanted me to help you more in the future if you have any trouble."

Li Zicheng suddenly stopped crying and looked back at Wu Xiao.

"General Wu, Captain Lin won't die, right? He's immortal, he's the Great Qi Fu General! Bullets and arrows avoid him."

Wu Xiao was silent for a moment, then noticed that Li Zicheng was still injured and asked with concern:

"Is your injury okay?"

Li Zicheng continued to talk to himself: "Lin Yu will not die."

Wu Xiao replied:

"Lin Yu is dead. Over the years, he has made many military achievements and received help from noble people. All his salaries and rewards were divided into three parts. One part was handed over to the Lin family, one part was handed over to the national treasury, and the other part was left to me for you. I thought..."

Wu Xiao closed his eyes, not wanting others to see him crying. His voice trembled, he gritted his teeth, and continued:

"You are 25 years old this year, it's time for you to get married and start a family. Lin Yu asked me to keep the money for you until you get married and use it." Wu Xiao's shoulders trembled slightly.

"You know, my ancestors were all wealthy people in Sanyuan. Keeping your money with me is safer than in a money shop or the Chamber of Commerce."

Money shops may be raided by the Suoyi Guards at any time, and they will collect your money. The empire cannot always allow the existence of private ownership. The implementation of the "Land System of the Qi Dynasty" in Jiangnan is only a matter of time.

"I'll keep Lin Yu's money for safekeeping. If he dies and you continue to live, you'll be even more powerful than him..."

Wu Xiao's voice choked with sobs and he could not continue. Li Zicheng began to talk to himself again:
"Lin Yu is not dead. He will not die. He is a lucky general."

Jiang Liu'er was silent beside him, holding a Luojiao member's leg in his mouth and chewing it attentively.

Wu Xiao suddenly jumped up, picked up Li Zicheng with one hand, and shouted:

"Lin Yu is dead!"

"died!"

Seeing that Wu Xiao was obviously out of control, Jiang Liuer was about to come forward to persuade him, but was stopped by Xing Zhongyi.

"Lin Yu's story is over, everything is over! He's dead! He's not a god, not immortal, and not a lucky general. He's my brother, Lin Zhenyu's father, and Fujiwara Chiyoko's husband. He's dead! I'll never see him again! Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"clear."

Li Zicheng nodded with tears in his eyes.

"Okay, the weather is hot now, we need to bury your master quickly."

"clear."

"His family is far away in Nanjing. You are his apprentice, half-son, so you come to keep vigil."

"clear."

Wu Xiao angrily said, "Hurry up and prepare to bury your master. Find a good coffin. Don't keep explaining it."

Li Zicheng nodded to Wu Xiao:
"clear."

~~~~~~
Liu Zhaosun couldn't sleep all night. Before dawn the next day, he summoned all the ministers to the Huangji Hall to ask about Lin Yu.

The retired emperor has many eyes and ears, yet he still doesn't know, so how can the officials know about the situation in Yangzhou?

Before the retired emperor had time to continue inquiring about the life or death of his old subordinate, chaos broke out in Fujian again.

He had no choice but to turn his attention to Fujian. It was said that dozens of people had been killed or injured in Fuzhou, Zhangzhou and other places.

"A rebellion in Fujian?"

Lu Xiangsheng brought several officials from the southern part of Fuzhou Prefecture and waited. In front of everyone, he introduced the true situation of the Fuzhou incident in detail to the emperor.

"On the sixth day of last month..."

After hearing this, Liu Zhaosun slammed the table and stood up, saying angrily:

"So many people have died, and you still don't know how to report it to me?"

Lu Xiangsheng explained:

"Your Majesty, Fujian is not a peaceful place. There are many Zheng Sen rebels."

Lu Xiangsheng advocated the restoration of the baojia system in Fujian.

"The baojia system? How is it different from the mainland?"

Liu Zhaosun asked curiously.

During the Ming Dynasty, "miners and pirates" often gathered in Fujian to fight against the government.

In July of the 15th year of the Jiajing reign, Bai Gui, the imperial censor of Fujian, requested the implementation of the baojia system among residents in the mining areas of northern Fujian and southern Zhejiang.

In the middle of the Jiajing reign, Yu Dayou, the commander in charge of defending Ting and Zhang Prefectures, suggested to Zhu Wan, the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian coastal defense, that the Baojia system be implemented in Zhangzhou Prefecture due to the Japanese invasion.

"A capable official from the prefectural government who is stationed in Zhangzhou to patrol the coastal areas shall be ordered to go door to door to report the number of people in the villages. Ten families form a Jia, and a Jia has a Jia leader. Ten Jias form a Township, and each Township has a Township leader. If one family commits a crime, the whole Jia will be punished as well. If one Jia commits a crime, the whole Township will be punished as well. If a Jia is in trouble, the whole Township will help it. If a Township is in trouble, the neighboring Township will help it. But no other official or servant may be sent to investigate or harass people."

Zhu Yuanzhang and his descendants deliberately turned the entire country into a big cage, forcing the common people to stay inside obediently, to be enslaved by the Zhu family for generations, and to serve as perfect consumables.

Liu Zhaosun would certainly not do the bad things that Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty did.

(End of this chapter)