The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 744 Conspiracy
"On his way to his new post, Officer Lin encountered several bandits who were blocking the road and robbing people. He arrested them all."

"With the arrival of the Linying officer, Yunyang will be at peace!"

The short old Pan was wearing the uniform of the Fourth Corps, holding a wooden trumpet, and speaking in the harsh and unpleasant Da Qi official language at the top of his voice.

"These bandits, not only robbed homes, but they even dared to openly rob on the post road. It's only been a short time since the death of the retired emperor, and the public security has fallen to this point..."

"With the arrival of the Linying officer, Yunyang will be at peace!"

Lao Pan didn't look at Shu Fujia and Ji Xiaobai's expressions, but clapped his hands to himself.

A group of Ryukyu soldiers looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what Lao Pan was saying.

The soldiers of the Fourth Corps on the opposite city wall looked at this group of strange Ryukyu soldiers with ill intentions.

Seeing this, Lao Pan roared, "Execution!"

Ji Xiaobai shuddered and almost fell into the moat.

Fortunately, the Ryukyu soldiers understood this sentence and pushed the thieves out of the formation without saying a word. They lined up in a row and knelt by the moat.

"shot!"

At the command of flag captain Cui Qi, muskets rang out and thick white smoke rose from the river.

When the white smoke cleared, more than a dozen bandit corpses lay on the ground.

Ji Xiaobai and Shu Fujia glanced at each other and said in a low voice:
"The domineering attitude is revealed."

Ji Xiaolan gasped, stroking his beard with his hand. "He killed someone right after arriving, and you still say he's not from the imperial court!"

Shu Fujia said, "A person who kills people doesn't necessarily mean he's a troublemaker, and a person who kills people doesn't necessarily mean he's coming for us. Let Marshal Qin meet him first."

Ji Xiaobai agreed, "Yes, no rush, just play with him."

While the two were whispering, Lin Zhenyu walked to the front of the princess's carriage and said through the door, "

"Princess, according to the law, you cannot follow me into the city. Please wait outside the city. Once I have completed the transaction with Officer Qin, I will escort Your Highness to the station."

"Thank you for your hard work, General Lin."

Liu Yufei agreed in the carriage and stopped talking. The guard Zhao Xianxun held a weapon and kept a vigilant watch on all sides.

Lin Zhenyu noticed that the guard's knife wound had almost healed, and thought that Wu Zi's medical skills were indeed extraordinary.

In fact, he had no idea that the samurai women in Osaka were not only good at calligraphy and literature, but also had essential skills in acupuncture, moxibustion and herbal medicine.

"Thieves must be killed at all times. Not killing them will not quell public anger!"

Ji Xiaobai shouted, "Back in the early days of Yunyang, people left their doors unlocked at night and didn't steal anything on the road. The people were simple and honest. I don't know when it started, but farmers stopped farming, merchants stopped doing business, and even retired soldiers became idle. That's when the number of thieves increased dramatically."

Shu Fujia stepped forward and said, "From the moment Captain Lin disembarked, he wiped out so many bandits in the area. His contribution is truly remarkable. The Emperor has a keen eye for talent... Marshal Qin would surely be delighted to learn of this! Let's not waste any more time on small talk. Marshal Qin is hosting a reception at Chunxue Tower today!"

Lin Zhenyu bowed in return, urged his horse, followed the two men, crossed the suspension bridge, and slowly entered Yunyang City.

Yunyang City was built in the eighth year of Tianshun (1464).

In the 1476th year of the Chenghua reign (), refugees from Jingxiang and other provinces caused a major rebellion, leading to the establishment of Yunyang Prefecture in Yunyang. The city walls were winding, with a circumference of over zhang (approximately feet) and a height of feet (approximately feet) at the base and battlements. Four major gates were located in the east, named Xuanhe (in the east), Yingxun (in the south), Pingli (in the west), and Gongchen (in the north). Smaller gates were located in the west and south: Xiaonanmen (small south gate) and Xiaoximen (small west gate).

In the autumn of the 1566th year of the Jiajing reign (), the Han River overflowed and the southeast corner of the city collapsed. The governor Liu Bingren rebuilt it. At that time, the city was feet high and feet thick. It had shops, gatehouses, city towers and one corner tower.

In the first year of the Wuding reign (1628), Governor Zhang Shangwei and Magistrate Zhang Weiwei of Yunxian, Yunxi, Junxian, Zhushan, and Fangxian counties repaired Yunyang City in sections. In the eighth year of the Taichu reign, Prefect Wang Zhengchang, Yunxian County Magistrate Ye Zhi, and other counties donated money for the repairs and built four more shelters.

In the seventh year of Guangde (1658), prefect Hou Tingyue and county magistrate Liang Guangzhao renovated it and it reached its current size.

The ancient city of Yunyang, stretching from the Great South Gate to Fulong Pass, was 730 zhang long and 3 zhang wide. Ten Shifozui artillery batteries were built, along with 90 forts on the city walls and 300 outside, forming a solid defense. It became a frontier fortress against invasions by the Tusi (local chieftains) in the southwest and a stronghold guarding the borders of the Great Qi Dynasty.

Lin Zhenyu and his party entered the city from Yingxun Gate, passed through North-South Street, and arrived at the prefectural yamen. Yunyang prefect Hou Tingyue and county magistrate Liang Guangzhao had received the news long ago and were already waiting at the yamen gate.

Lin Zhenyu saluted the two civil officials in turn. Hou Tingyue stepped forward, his beard trembling exaggeratedly. He grabbed Lin Zhenyu's arm, looked him up and down, and said in amazement:
"Oh my, so this is General Lin, the son of the Marquis of Zhennan, the bravest of the three armies who repelled the Red-haired Barbarians! It's a pity that I, a mere scholar, have never been able to personally experience the battlefield and witness General Lin's brilliance. General Lin's arrival in Yunyang is a blessing for the people of our prefecture!"

"What the prefect said is quite true. Our dynasty values military prowess, but recently, military generals have been declining. Rebellious officials have rebelled under the pretext of clearing the imperial court, ruining the reputation of military men. General Lin is the descendant of a loyal and righteous man, and he possesses unparalleled courage. With General Lin here, how dare those scoundrels act recklessly? This is not only a blessing for Yunyang Prefecture, but for the entire Huguang region!"

County Magistrate Liang Guangzhao looked around and saw that Shu Fujia and Ji Xiaobai had already returned to the military camp to report. Without them, the two civil officials seemed to be grasping at straws, praising Lin Zhenyu as the reincarnation of Wei Qing and the resurrection of Sun Wu. It seemed that even if Xu Da and Qi Jiguang were here, they would only be fit to carry General Lin's shoes.

"Prefect Hou and County Magistrate Liang are too kind. I only defeated a few red-haired barbarians in Ryukyu. How can I be compared with Master Qi..."

"Officer Lin, you are too modest. I see that you don't have many personal soldiers. There are many empty rooms in the schools and workshops in Yunyang Prefecture. Why not set up your camp there? If there is any trouble in the city, you will have someone to take care of it."

Lin Zhenyu was a young man after all. He said this, and after hearing a few words of flattery from the civil servants, he felt a little flattered. He was about to agree to the prefect, but seeing this, Lao Pan hurriedly tugged at his sleeves and whispered:

"Commander Lin, the soldiers have worked hard all the way. Why don't we arrange for them to rest first? People can go without food, but the horses also need some fodder..."

He pulled Lin Zhenyu aside and said angrily, "These two civil officials are full of evil intentions. There's no reason for them to set up barracks in the city. They've been suppressed by Qin Jianxun's group of warriors on a daily basis, and they've been resentful for a long time. They finally waited for you to come, and they want you to be the first to stand up to Qin Jianxun. Civil officials and military generals have always been at odds with each other. You're new here, so don't get involved in it."

~~~~~
While Lin Zhenyu was chatting and greeting the two civilian officials, the training officer Shu Fujia and the Fourth Corps officer Ji Xiaobai had already returned to the barracks to report.

"Did you see clearly? Did he really bring the Princess and Prime Minister Lu with him?"

Instructor Shu said firmly, "It's really them. I sent a personal soldier who had been to Nanjing to check, and the person sitting in the carriage was indeed the eldest princess."

Qin Jianxun frowned: "Logically speaking, the Princess and Lu Xiangsheng should have been... "

Ji Xiaobai interrupted, "Who says it's not true? Two hot potatoes have been thrown into the hands of our Fourth Corps. It's not right to kill them, nor is it right to keep them. What does Emperor Guangde want to do?"

Qin Jianxun sighed, "Alas, it's nothing more than moving them to another place to continue their imprisonment. But Lin Yu's son...it's more difficult to deal with."

The instructor dismissed everyone.

"Old Qin, I think we should kill that kid named Lin. Liu Kan's move is a conspiracy. He's waiting for us to rebel so he can strangle us like he did to the Sixth Corps. It's better to rebel sooner rather than later! Rebel now!"

Ji Xiaobai advised, "The new emperor executed his old ministers as soon as he came to power. First, Zhang Dong, then Pu Gang, and then the Princess and Lu Xiangsheng. Now that he has no worries, he's going to deal with the Fourth Corps. Old Qin, you followed the retired emperor through many battles and made such great contributions, but in the end, this is the end! You can't even save your life and property. Liu Kan is so cruel and ruthless that he's determined to kill them all."

"Lin Zhenyu is no pushover either. He kills people as soon as he enters the city, clearly out to get us. He's relying on the emperor's support, hoping to usurp our throne and wipe us all out... Old Qin, there's no time to lose, let's rebel! Kill Lin Zhenyu, make the princess the legitimate ruler, and our Fourth Corps will purge the emperor's court!"

······
Qin Jianxun said helplessly: "Lin Zhenyu is a battalion commander sent by the court. It is reasonable for me to go out of the city to welcome him today. The reason I sent you was to test the court's attitude. I didn't expect that Deng Changxiong and Wu Aheng would actually defect to Emperor Guangde..."

"Rebellion! Fucking rebellion!"

The two confidants looked at the commander eagerly, waiting for Qin Jianxun's order.

"Fight? How? We don't have as many soldiers as them, we don't have as many artillery pieces as them, we don't even have a single airship, let alone a single ship... Do you know how Deng Changxiong defeated the Sixth Corps during the pacification of Liaodong? They dropped bombs and set the whole sky ablaze, leaving no one alive. Now, if we ask those soldiers to use their flesh and blood to block the incendiary bombs, how can they possibly withstand them?"

Qin Jianxun found himself in a strange situation. Whether he rebelled or not, he would die.

"It would be great if the emperor were still alive."

Qin Jianxun muttered to himself:
"Let's meet Lin Yu's son. I hope he doesn't become Liu Kan's lackey."

(End of this chapter)