The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 711: One Emperor and One Courtier
"Zhang Dong is the commander of the Suoyi Guards, in charge of intelligence and reconnaissance, yet he doesn't even know where the retired emperor is!"

"There are rumors that my father was murdered by Tokugawa Iemitsu. The people of Great Qi, north and south, are in turmoil, and we are being criticized by thousands. The common people regard me as an unworthy descendant, saying that I stayed in Nanjing to enjoy peace while my father died in battle in Japan... Zhangdong, when the retired emperor disappeared, why didn't you send someone to look for him?"

"The Sixth Corps is still fighting in Jiuzhou. Have you contacted General Zhao?"

Zhang Dong was silent.

He also wanted to send people to search for the emperor, but Mount Fuji was still erupting at that time, and there was boiling magma everywhere.

Edo Castle was flooded, and when the volcano subsided a little, Honshu Island sank into the sea.

The Suoyi Guards are mortals, so they can't dive hundreds of meters into the sea to look for the emperor, right?
It has long been an open secret that the retired emperor went to Japan in the name of an eastern expedition to seek the art of immortality.

Moreover, given the character of the retired emperor, he was determined to seek immortality and act on his own, and no one could stop him.

Not long ago, Emperor Guangde had a correspondence with his father.

However, at this time, Liu Kan pretended to be ignorant, as if he had no idea that the emperor was cultivating immortality.

As for Zhao Lujiao and the Sixth Corps, those people continued to stay in Kyushu and only slaughtered the Japanese people.

Although the Suoyi Guards were cruel and ruthless, they were not crazy.

Liu Xingzuo, Pei Dahu and others standing nearby kept winking at each other, signaling Zhang Dong to explain for them.

However, Zhang Mazi still said nothing.

Liu Kan returned to the throne and angrily shouted, "Zhang Dong, you disregarded the safety of the retired emperor and withdrew the Suoyi Guards from Japan so early, abandoning your king and father in a barbaric land and your comrades on the battlefield. What are your intentions?"

Zhang Dong lowered his head, remained silent for a long time, and whispered:

"I am guilty, please punish me, Emperor."

Liu Kan was murderous: "He is disloyal to his king and father, and unjust to his colleagues. Come, drag this disloyal and unjust traitor out and behead him!"

In the Fengtian Hall, the situation suddenly changed.

The rain is coming and the wind is all over the building.

Pei Dahu gritted his teeth, knelt on the ground, and pleaded with Emperor Guangde:

"Your Majesty! The whereabouts of the retired emperor are erratic. Even I and Eunuch Dongfang do not know where he is. Now that the matter has not been clarified, it would be inappropriate to hastily punish him. Commander Zhang has followed the retired emperor since the Battle of Sarhu in the former Ming Dynasty. In recent years, he has fought in many battles and made great contributions. I guarantee with my life that Zhang Dong has no second thoughts. The retired emperor has said that Zhang Dong can be of great use. I hope Your Majesty will treat him well..."

As he spoke, he looked towards Dongfang Zhu.

Dongfang Zhu knew that Liu Kan had murderous intentions, so he didn't dare to say anything and pretended not to see Pei Dahu.

Pei Dahu slammed his head to the ground and continued:
"If Your Majesty insists on killing him, please kill me as well. As the commander of the Imperial Guard, I failed to protect the king and father, and my guilt is no less than Zhang Dong's."

Pei Dahu once protected Empress Zhang Yan and Empress Dowager Cisi, and was highly respected by Emperor Guangde.

Liu Kan quickly stepped forward to help Pei Dahu up, and said earnestly:
"Why do you say that, General Pei? I believe you."

Seeing that Liu Kan's anger had subsided a little, the ministers followed suit and pleaded for Zhang Dong.

Liu Xingzuo advised, "Your Majesty, the soldiers of the Eastern Expedition have fought bloody battles for nearly two years and have just returned. It is time to reward them as soon as possible. I have already dispatched capable personnel to Kyushu, Japan, to continue the search. I estimate that we will soon receive news."

Liu Kan did not respond.

The civil servants followed up with a few bland words of advice.

Only the chief minister of the cabinet, Lu Xiangsheng, swore to heaven that Zhang Dong had performed his duties conscientiously during the eastern expedition to Japan and had made no mistakes.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see clearly that Emperor Guangde's intention to eliminate the forces of the previous dynasty and reform the system of Da Qi could not be more obvious.

Zhang Dong, the leader of the Suoyi Guard, represents more than just himself.

In a sense, Zhang Dong is the shadow of the emperor.

He is not only the master of the empire's intelligence and the promoter of the terrorist rule, but also the concrete embodiment of the empire's polar rule.

Over the years, under Zhang Dong's instructions, the number of enemies who were interrogated, executed, and monitored was at least 100,000, if not 80,000.

These enemies not only came from the Later Jin, Ming, Korea, Japan..., but many also came from within the Great Qi.

Although most of these enemies deserved their punishment, whether it was slow slicing or beheading, it was considered a benevolence for them. However, among 100,000 enemies, there were always one or two who were wronged, and there were always a few who became victims of the empire's lack of rule.

From this perspective, it is not an exaggeration to say that Zhang Dong is the executioner.

Compared with his father, Liu Kan was more unruly, more eccentric and disorderly, and more brutal and bloody.

The child lost his mother shortly after birth and experienced many assassination attempts in his childhood, almost losing his life.

His father, the Emperor, had spent his limited life on war and aggression, caring little for the Crown Prince—at least that was how Liu Kan saw it. His tragic experiences and his indifferent family created a huge difference between Liu Kan and his father. While the retired Emperor was still alive, Emperor Guangde acted like his father liked him, acting docile and harmless, suppressing his inner thoughts.

The emperor emeritus disappeared, and Liu Kan took control of the power. The ideas that had been suppressed for many years popped up one after another like mushrooms after a rain, and no one could stop them.

"You keep talking about the Retired Emperor, and you can't stop talking about the Lord. If you miss the Retired Emperor so much, why didn't you try hard to find him when you were in Japan?"

"I am guilty!"

Emperor Guangde looked around and saw that all the civil and military officials were kneeling down.

Seeing the situation like this, he had to suppress his anger and changed the subject:
"Since so many people have pleaded for Commander Zhang, I will pardon you this time."

Liu Xingzuo pulled Zhang Dong and kowtowed to express his gratitude, but then he heard Emperor Guangde continue:
"You can escape the death penalty, but you can't escape the punishment of life. Push him down and give him thirty military sticks! Expel him from Nanjing!"

Zhang Dong was dragged away and immediately sent to the main hall door to be beaten with a military stick.

There was silence in the main hall.

The ministers listened to the sound of Zhang Dong beating with a stick. Those with discerning eyes could see that the young emperor wanted to eliminate the influence that the retired emperor had previously exerted.

As everyone knows, Emperor Guangde was very dissatisfied with the policies of the retired emperor, and there was even a long-standing gap between father and son because of this.

Now, a new emperor appoints new ministers, and the young emperor obviously wants to kick out his father's old ministers, regardless of whether they are loyal or not.

Only in this way can I not always live in the shadow of my father.

Only in this way could Emperor Guangde implement his long-planned strategy for governing the country, which was clearly not a polarization system.

Liu Kan was certainly no fool. Before taking these actions, he had replaced the generals in charge of Nanjing's defense with his own confidants.

In short, Emperor Guangde's confidants include the following people:
Kang Jingxiu, nephew of Kang Yingqian; Kang Guangxu, son of Kang Yingqian; Mao Chengdou, son of Mao Wenlong; Mao Yan, nephew of Man Gui; Shen Mo, nephew of Shen Lian; Wang Jin, son of Wang Erhu; Yuan Shu, son of Yuan Keli; Qi Ming, son of Qi Jin; Sun Shirui, son of Sun Chuanting...

The oldest of this group of officials was only 35 years old, and the youngest, Qi Ming, the son of Qi Jin, was only 16 years old. Many of them grew up with Emperor Guangde, and the relationship between the monarch and his subjects was naturally not comparable to that of the old ministers of the previous dynasty.

Relying on these young and vigorous factions, Emperor Guangde had successfully taken over Daqi's civil administration and the Chamber of Commerce over the past two weeks. Each military corps had also dispatched new instructors and combat representatives. At least on the surface, Emperor Guangde, not yet thirty, had already taken control of the overall situation.

Next comes the cleanup operation.

Zhang Dong is just the beginning. Judging from Emperor Guangde's attitude, he wants to drive all forces related to his father out of the core of power to prevent them from becoming obstacles when he implements his new policies.

Confucius said: "When the father is alive, observe his aspirations; when the father is dead, observe his conduct. If a man does not change from his father's ways for three years, he can be called filial.

Liu Kan not only wanted to change his father's ways, but also wanted to change them drastically.

The young emperor read many books of sages and studied Confucianism with the most famous scholars in the empire.

However, deep down, he is different from his father. He is bloody and cruel and will do anything to achieve his goals.

Not to mention that there was no change in his ways for three years, only two months after the emperor disappeared, Emperor Guangde began to deny the "Land System of the Qi Dynasty" and the extreme circle rule.

Liu Zhaosun would never have dreamed that the emperor he had cultivated with great care after hiring famous teachers and spending huge sums of money would turn out to be such an emperor.

After being dissuaded by everyone, Emperor Guangde immediately announced that Liu Xingzuo would replace Zhang Dong and become the supreme commander of the Suoyi Guard.

Liu Xingzuo knew that the emperor was trying to bribe him. Of course, it was more likely that he was treating him as a bridge to be dismantled after crossing the river.

Liu Xingzuo forced a smile on the surface, but he was already sad inside.

Emperor Guangde continued to announce his personnel appointments.

He looked at Pei Dahu with a friendly expression: "How old is General Pei this year? He seems to be fifty."

Pei Dahu remained silent and nodded to Emperor Guangde.

"At fifty, one knows the will of heaven. When the Wanggongchang explosion occurred, the Qi army was defeated. Without your protection, the Empress Dowager Cisheng would not have been able to return to Liaodong safely... You have worked hard for the Great Qi for so many years and have made many contributions. My father often mentioned you to me. Now that you are old, it is time for you to enjoy your retirement."

Pei Dahu's face was full of vicissitudes of life. The scar on his left side was shaking slightly, like a scratch on the bark. His body, like a candle, swayed in the wind.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!"

Wu Xiao died in Japan, so Emperor Guangde announced that Jiang Liuer would replace Pei Dahu and become the new commander of the Imperial Guard.

All the Imperial Guards and the Straw Cloth Guards who participated in this Eastern Expedition will be rewarded.

As for Pei Dahu, he was allowed to retire and return home. Of course, the young emperor rewarded him with a considerable amount of gold and silver.

·······
Emperor Guangde's drastic appointment and dismissal actions caused panic among everyone.

However, no matter what, Emperor Guangde Liu Kan took control of the Imperial Guard and the Suoyi Guard in the shortest time and at the lowest cost, controlled intelligence and power, and laid the foundation for the empire's subsequent political and economic reforms.

(End of this chapter)