The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 720 The Fallen Empire

"The empire that the Emperor fought so hard for is about to be destroyed by you!"

Pu Gang struggled to stand up, not caring about the ropes on his body, and rushed towards the Guangde Emperor's dragon throne.

Jiang Liuer and others hurriedly grabbed him.

Liu Kan stood up from the dragon throne calmly, motioning Jiang Liu'er to leave, his expression indifferent:

"My father has passed away, and the imperial court has completed its disarmament. This autumn, I will lead all my subjects in holding a funeral for the retired emperor! This is the end."

"The Emperor is gone! His land tax system, military system, and legal system all need to change! This is the will of heaven, the trend of the times, and it can't be stopped by one or two people!"

"Even if you all die, I will change."

Pu Gang broke free from his restraints and kicked Emperor Guangde.

The chief steward Li Juying standing nearby screamed:

"Stop him! Protect the emperor! Protect the emperor!"

Liu Kan pushed Eunuch Li away and said calmly:
"Kick me, I won't die!"

The emperor stared at Pu Gang's angry face and said calmly:
"I was only 20 years old when I inherited the throne. My father was regent for six years. During those six years, I witnessed war and a war of attrition, both internally and externally. I was constantly thinking about how to save the Great Qi."

"The system established by my father is riddled with flaws. The Suoyi Guards are killing people without mercy. The people are like puppets, and the military is too powerful to be controlled. If I don't change it, the Great Qi will perish in the second generation, and you will all be buried without a burial place."

Pu Gang glared at him and roared with all his strength:

"The Emperor is not dead! He just disappeared! When he comes back from Japan, we'll see how he'll deal with you, a bunch of you..."

Because of extreme anger, the commander of the Eighth Corps' face turned red, as if someone was strangling his throat, and he couldn't speak for a long time.

Liu Kan stepped forward, patted Pu Gang on the back, and sighed:

"My father had little education since childhood, relying on Empress Dowager Cisheng to teach him how to read and write. Later, he conquered the world by force, and from the very beginning of the Great Qi Dynasty, he valued military power over literature. Although this changed somewhat later, he still had a deep-seated suspicion of scholars."

"this is not right."

Emperor Guangde looked back at the civil officials who supported him:

"If you conquer the world on horseback, how can you rule it on horseback?

For example, the imperial examination was first implemented in the third year of Taichu (1648), but was stopped in the fourth year (1649).

The "Great Qi Code" clearly stipulates: "Civil officials are not allowed to be granted the title of duke or marquis."

At the beginning of the Qi Dynasty, the left and right governors of the Grand Military Governor's Office were both first-rank officials, and the deputy governor was also second-rank officials, while the six ministers of the Ministry of Personnel were third-rank officials. During the Taichu era, civil officials not only held lower ranks than military officials but were also easily embroiled in turmoil. Many were inexplicably exiled to Sakhalin by the retired emperor, such as the unfortunate Jiangnan scholar Zhang Dai.

"From now on, I will treat scholars with courtesy and raise the rank of civil officials to reverse the tendency of our dynasty to prioritize military power over civil service."

"I will promote the six ministers to the first rank. I will open up the imperial examinations, issue an imperial decree to recommend those who are excellent in literature, and grant them official positions."

Wu Shen, Hong Chengchou, Fang Zongji (the eighth-generation grandson of Fang Xiaoru), and others wept bitterly and kowtowed in gratitude:

"Your Majesty has been kind to the scholars of the world. I am filled with joy as the sun rises and the spring comes."

Later history proved that the status of civil servants in the Great Qi Dynasty was improved and they spoke more boldly. They no longer had to be blamed for everything as they had been during the reign of the retired emperor.

Because of this, Liu Kan received the heartfelt support of the literati, which was the important reason why many civil officials were willing to die for Emperor Guangde when Empress Liu (Liu Yufei) attacked Qi. Liu Kan pointed forward, like a god descending to the earth, and said to the general in front of him in an unquestionable tone:

"General Pu, I know you are loyal to the Great Qi and the Emperor."

"In the first year of Wuding, when I was still an infant, the Wanggongchang explosion occurred, and my father's whereabouts were unknown. The Great Qi army was in a dangerous battle, and soldiers died or fled. You led a lone army to hold Linqing, and persisted in Shandong for a whole year. The Great Qi was able to survive, and my father and mother were able to survive, all thanks to you. I traveled from Dengzhou to Liaohai and headed for Liaodong. You led the troops to personally escort me to Wendeng County, and only then did my mother and I find safety."

Pu Gang shook his head and sighed, "It's all in the past. Why is Your Majesty still mentioning him?"

Emperor Guangde said solemnly, "Of course I have to mention it. I am also a sentimental person. I remember all the kindness others have shown me. No matter what you do, I will not kill you."

"However, the dead cannot be resurrected. Metabolism and the laws of nature cannot be violated. The Emperor is no longer with us, and his funeral will be held soon. Father's life's achievements can finally be put to rest."

When Emperor Guangde said this, he took out a book from his bosom, which was "On Deep Concern" written by Fang Zongji.

"Mr. Fang is a descendant of Fang Xiaoru, a loyal minister during the reign of Emperor Jianwen of the Ming Dynasty. He is a man of profound learning, well-versed in both ancient and modern knowledge, and possesses the talent to govern the world. He told me that timely changes can also be considered as adhering to the 'ancestral law.' Therefore, I can change any regulations previously established by the Emperor."

Fang Zongji kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kind praise. Carrying out lenient policies, pardoning the guilty, and redressing injustices are the most urgent matters at this moment."

"Pardon the soldiers who were tattooed and exiled for crimes during the Taichu era. Reappoint some officials who were exiled for crimes. Some of them were punished for excessively harsh laws, while others were deliberately framed by corrupt officials. I hope Your Majesty will take this into consideration."

Emperor Guangde had long been dissatisfied with the harsh laws against civil officials during the reign of Liu Zhaosun. As early as when he was still the crown prince, he decided to correct and redress those unjust, false and wrong cases.

"I advise to reduce taxes."

The speaker was Sun Qifeng, also known by his courtesy name Qitai and pseudonym Zhongyuan, a leading Neo-Confucian scholar in the late Ming and early Qi dynasties. In his later years, he lectured in Xiafeng Village, Huixian County, for over ten years, attracting numerous followers. He was known as Mr. Xiafeng.

In the third year of the Tianqi reign, after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, the Qi court summoned him many times but he refused to serve, and people called him Sun Zhengjun.

He is as famous as Li Yong and Huang Zongxi, and they are collectively known as the three great Confucian scholars of the late Ming and early Qi dynasties.

After Emperor Guangde came to power, he sent people to kidnap Sun Zhengjun from his hometown of Baoding and bring him to Nanjing. The great scholar who had originally sought death and was ready to be buried alive with the former Ming Dynasty was deeply moved after several conversations with Emperor Guangde and decided to serve the new dynasty and embark on the road of reform.

"In our dynasty, the land tax in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is heavy, especially in Jiangsu and Songjiang. Furthermore, the frequent wars in recent years have made the local people unable to bear the hardship and have forced them to flee and default on their debts. Your Majesty, in compliance with the mandate of Heaven and with your achievements in civil and military administration, should reduce taxes and levies. I suggest that the wealthy people of Jiangnan pay half the rent and taxes next year. Your Majesty is open-minded and does not compete with the people for profit. Allow the various garrison mines to be traded to improve mining efficiency..."

"You, you want to turn Da Qi into the former Ming Dynasty, you bunch of prodigal sons!"

Pu Gang vomited blood and fell to the ground.

~~~~~~
The trial of Pu Gang and other rebel generals continued until the next day.

Finally, Emperor Guangde sentenced Pu Gang and 18 others to death by hanging for 18 crimes including "treason", "great disrespect" and "committing murder in the capital".

Upon seeing this, Kang Jingxiu, Wu Shen and other ministers immediately pleaded for Pu Gang. They begged Emperor Guangde to spare his life this time because of his hard work and great military achievements for the Great Qi.

Emperor Guangde knew very well that if Pu Gang was really killed, the soldiers of the Eighth Corps would probably rebel immediately, and it would be difficult to guarantee that the other corps would continue to be loyal to Da Qi.

So he had no choice but to go with the flow and said that for the sake of his ministers, he could spare Pu Gang's life this time.

As for the Mongol general Anlar, he was not so lucky. He was beheaded in public for withholding soldiers' wages.

Pu Gang was exiled to Sakhalin Island and was never allowed to return to the interior.

The Eighth Corps was directly disbanded and dispersed and reorganized into the other seven corps.

(End of this chapter)