Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 246 The maritime merchants of the Great Song Dynasty eagerly awaited the Age of Exploration brought by Zhao Shuo!

"Chop down the second son of the Zhang family!"

"Slaughter the entire Zhang family!"

"They've rebelled! They've rebelled against the damned Song Dynasty!"
"We've rebelled against the Southern Zhao Emperor, we're surrendering to the Northern Zhao Emperor!"

"Your Majesty the Zhao Emperor of the North, please allocate some of the Zhang family's land to us!"

……

Seeing that they had a leader, the militia in this small squad were filled with hatred for the Zhang family and for the imperial court at the same time, and they swarmed toward the direction of the second young master of the Zhang family!

The Zhang family is utterly despicable, and the Song Dynasty court is no less so.

By now, the tax revenue of the Song Dynasty had reached more than five times that of the Northern Song Dynasty. In addition to the summer and autumn taxes and the tax on the individual and grain, more than seventy other tax items were added, including the tax on the management system, the tax on the total management system, the tax on the monthly tax, the tax on the registered tax, the tax on the land deed, the tax on the weighing, the tax on the valuation, the tax on the exemption from travel, the tax on the reversal of the tax, the tax on the vinegar tax, the tax on the sale of paper, the tax on the head of the household's application, the tax on the guarantor's certificate, and so on.

Even ordinary people who went to court were fined if they lost two lawsuits. If they won, they had to pay a "celebration fee" to the government. In short, regardless of victory or defeat, they had to pay money to the government.

These taxes alone are one thing.

The imperial court squeezed the marrow from the people, but due to enormous corruption and waste, it still couldn't cover its expenses. Having exhausted all other tax avenues, they resorted to "advance taxation."

Did you pay your taxes this year? Have you paid them for next year?

What about the year after next?

When Zhao Shuo issued the "Decree to Destroy the Song Dynasty," the Southern Song court in the Jiangnan region had already generally "borrowed" three years' worth of taxes in advance.

The Pingjiang (Suzhou) region was prosperous, and the advance loan lasted for six years.

In order to raise an army to support the emperor, Wu Qian wrote a letter of approval to "borrow for another year", bringing the total "borrowing" period to seven years!

What kind of family can afford to pay seven years' worth of taxes upfront?

Even the most prosperous regions cannot withstand such turmoil!
The people were already filled with anger towards the Southern Song Dynasty!

Die!

Die!

Go to hell!

Zhang's second son is going to die!

The entire Zhang family is going to die!

The Song Dynasty is doomed!

These tenants had undergone months of military training and knew how to use their knives and guns. Now they knew even better who to slash with and who to stab with their guns!

Before long, the second young master of the Zhang family and his dozen or so servants were hacked to pieces.

It must be said that Zhao Yun's "Edict for the Serving of the King" was a terrible move.

If you don't have the people's support, what's the point of your general mobilization?

At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Fang La Rebellion broke out in the south, while the Xuanhe Uprising, led by Zhang Wanxian, Zhang Di, Gao Tuoshan, and others, united starving peasants and soldiers in the north. However, the Jin Dynasty was even more inhumane than the Song Dynasty, and only with a single imperial edict to defend the capital did hundreds of thousands of troops respond and rush to the aid of Bianliang (Kaifeng).

The late Southern Song Dynasty in history.

Although the Yai Shan Massacre resulted in the deaths of 100,000 soldiers and civilians, the people's hearts were no longer with the Southern Song Dynasty, but with the nation fighting for China.

A striking fact is that when the Mongol army captured Xiangyang and the imperial court issued an edict to rescue Lin'an, only a handful of officials, including Wen Tianxiang and Zhang Shijie, came to the aid of the emperor.

There's no other reason than that. Although the Mongol army was even more inhumane than the Southern Song Dynasty, the difference wasn't that significant.

As for relying on the scholar-officials?

There are far more people who would rather die than make money than make money!

Today, Zhao Shuo is neither a foreigner nor a foreigner. He conquered the Southern Song Dynasty using the Han Chinese Eight Banners and promised to distribute land to the people.

Who would still be willing to contribute to the Southern Song Dynasty?
Loyal to the Emperor?

Which king is Qin?

The common people are more eager to see that Zhao official from the north!
"We've rebelled! We've rebelled!"

"I'll surrender to the Zhao emperor in the north!"

"A white cloth tied around the left arm! A white cloth tied around the left arm means you're one of us!"

"The Emperor Zhao from the North has arrived! Time to distribute the land!"

"Smash Pingjiang and make a fortune!"

……

For a time, shouts and cheers rose and fell throughout the entire camp.

At the fourth watch of the night, Li Shiyong and Huang Qiong broke through the central army camp, killed Wu Zhong, and captured Wu Qian, the top scholar of the Song Dynasty, alive.

Just as dawn was breaking, the great chaos had subsided.

After the battle, a headcount revealed that out of 100,000 troops, there were still more than 84,000 remaining.

The army consisted of over 3,700 regular troops, 16,000 local militia, and approximately 65,000 civilian troops.

This is far more than Li Shiyong and others had imagined.

Of course, they understood that the mutiny went so smoothly not because they were so capable, but because they took advantage of the people's hatred towards the Song Dynasty court and landlords, as well as the power of King Zhao Shuo.

We must strike while the iron is hot!

The army set off immediately and arrived at the city of Pingjiang around noon that day.

Li Shiyong, along with Huang Qiong, Wu Yi, and Liu Qi, personally carried out the brutal execution of the top scholar Wu Qiansheng in full view of everyone, demonstrating their complete break with the Song Dynasty court and their irreconcilable enmity.

Seeing this, Song generals such as Song Laozhong, who were defending the city, were both afraid that Li Shiyong would lead a large army to attack the city and coveted the gold and silver in Pingjiang City. So, at dusk that day, they took the initiative to open the gates of Pingjiang City.

That night, fires blazed throughout Pingjiang City, and shouts of battle filled the air.

At this time, Pingjiang City was not only one of the most prosperous places in the world, but also far from the political center, making it a residence for many retired officials, celebrities, and hermits.

Kill kill kill!

Kill, kill, kill!
In a short time, countless officials, scholars, celebrities, and hermits had their entire male families slaughtered, leaving no one alive.

Their wives and daughters will also be the source of amusement for those rioting soldiers and mobs.

They deserve it!

This is what they owe to those ordinary people who have been exploited to the bone and have no way to seek justice!

The cycle of heaven and earth brings unsatisfactory retribution!
Three days after the chaos in Pingjiang City, although it cannot be described as "the imperial treasury burned to ashes and the streets trampled with the bones of officials," it is not far off.

Only then did Li Shiyong and others begin to restore order.

According to their original plan, they should have left the city at this time to collect various ships in case they couldn't defeat the Song army suppressing the rebellion and went to Taihu Lake to hide.

After all, this place is too close to Lin'an, only about 500 li away.

However, they were shocked to find that the world had changed.

Upon learning of the Pingjiang mutiny, the tenants and slaves who had been oppressed for so long could no longer contain themselves and rose up in rebellion. They killed officials, government officials, and wealthy households, burned land deeds and indentures, and even dug up the ancestral graves of the wealthy families, scattering their bones to ashes!

This great chaos is spreading like a plague from Pingjiang to all directions, and even beyond Pingjiang Prefecture.

After discussing it, Li Shiyong and his three companions quickly sent people to contact various rebel leaders within Pingjiang Prefecture.

A rough estimate suggests that the rebel army in Pingjiang Prefecture alone numbered over 100,000. Adding them in, wouldn't that bring the total to over 200,000?

Then why bother running?
Indeed, these rebels were mainly tenant farmers, and their fighting ability was highly questionable. But if they were no good at fighting, couldn't they at least be good at defending the city?
Pingjiang City was one of the most fortified cities of its time, consisting of a main city and an inner city. The main city had a circumference of thirty-five li, and the moat outside the city was forty zhang wide. There were five city gates: Changmen, Panmen, Fengmen, Loumen, and Qimen, and each of these gates had both land and water access.

The inner city is located in the center of the city and is the seat of the Pingjiang Prefecture government. It is also surrounded by city walls, with a circumference of twelve li.

Two hundred thousand troops couldn't even hold Pingjiang City?
Pingjiang was one of the wealthiest regions in the Song Dynasty, and it was not short of military provisions. The Song court was welcome to send troops to suppress it!

Of course, at this time, the Pingjiang rebels were not under each other's command and were divided into more than a dozen large forces, with very large internal conflicts that were difficult to resolve.

The only thing that could unite them was the name of the Zhao family in the north.

Li Shiyong hung a couplet in the council hall where the leaders were gathered.

First line: Acting on behalf of Heaven. Second line: Awaiting amnesty. Horizontal scroll: Long live the Zhao Emperor of the North.

This couplet is obviously poorly written, but these leaders are mostly uncultured men. If it weren't written so clearly, would these roughnecks understand it? How could they then rally everyone to defend Pingjiang?

Not only that, Li Shiyong quickly sent someone disguised to deliver a letter to Zhao Shuo, who was still in Xiangyang, asking him to send a great general to Pingjiang to take charge.

With so many forces and troops in Pingjiang, there's no need to worry about the Song state suppressing the rebellion. However, Zhao Shuo's envoy arrived late, and internal strife is likely to break out.

Moreover, among these dozen or so rebel leaders, there are probably some from the Black Ice Guard. It's just that they are of low rank and, without orders from above, are unwilling to reveal their identities. Li Shiyong's position as the top leader is not secure.

Only when Zhao Shuo's official envoy arrived and acknowledged the achievements of Li Shiyong and others could their enormous gains from instigating this great chaos be truly realized.

……

……

Meanwhile, on Fujian Road, in Fuzhou City.

"Our Great Song Dynasty has stood for over two hundred years, and the court has treated you all well. Now, Zhao Shuo's army of 300,000 men is advancing menacingly towards Lin'an. This is precisely the time when you all need to share the burden of our sovereign. I urge you all to do your utmost to serve the court!"

Wu Yuan, the Fujian Pacification Commissioner and Prefect of Fuzhou, looked intently at the fifty or sixty large merchants.

Wu Yuan was Wu Qian's older brother.

Although Wu Yuan is still unaware of his brother's tragic death in Pingjiang, he is certainly not in a good mood right now.

Unfortunately, Fujian is predominantly mountainous and hilly with little plain area, earning it the reputation of being "eight parts mountains, one part water, and one part farmland," meaning that farmland is scarce.

Zhao Shuo's plan to invade Fujian and redistribute land had little impact on the officials and scholars. Why would they risk their lives against Zhao Shuo?

These officials and scholars all had powerful backers, so Wu Yuan didn't dare to push them too far.

Relying on Fujian's own troops to defend the emperor is even more unreliable.

The Song Dynasty implemented a policy of "strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches," with the nation's strongest armies mainly concentrated in the capital and border regions.

During the Southern Song Dynasty, these activities were concentrated in Lin'an, Lianghuai, Sichuan, and the Jinghu region.

Fujian was neither the capital nor a border region, so its military strength was pitifully weak.

Ten years ago, the Song Dynasty forcibly implemented a "salt distribution based on population" policy, charging several times the price of already expensive government-issued salt.

Even so, the salt they sold was mixed with ash and dirt, making it inedible.

Fujian's land is barren, and apart from those involved in maritime trade, everyone was impoverished. How could they afford such expensive salt? This directly led to the rampant smuggling of salt in Fujian.

In order to ensure revenue, the imperial court also cracked down hard, and more than 3,000 salt smugglers were executed in Fujian.

Finally, five years ago, a salt smuggler named Yan Mengbiao from Fujian gathered hundreds of desperate salt smugglers and launched an armed uprising at Tanfeishiji in southern Ninghua. In less than a year, the force grew to more than 50,000 men. They not only captured more than a dozen counties in Fujian, but also marched into Jiangxi and captured Yihuang, Chongren, Jinxi and other counties.

The local forces of Fujian and Jiangxi were simply unable to suppress the uprising. In the end, the Southern Song court had no choice but to send Wang Zuzhong, the general of Huaixi, with 3,500 elite Huaixi soldiers to Fujian to reinforce the rebellion, which finally brought the peasant uprising, which had lasted for more than two years, to an end.

The Song Dynasty's salt policy remains unchanged. Does Wu Yuan dare to send a single soldier out of Fujian? Isn't he afraid of another Yan Mengbiao?

Besides, even if we could send Fujian troops to defend the emperor, what use would those weak soldiers be? Even if they came out in full force, they wouldn't be as strong as three thousand five hundred elite troops from Huaixi.

Having no other option, Wu Yuan turned his attention to these large sea merchants.

What kind of audacity would a merchant have to disobey the orders of this Fujian Pacification Commissioner?

Moreover, these maritime merchants owned countless large ships and engaged in maritime trade. After setting sail, they had to fight against towering waves, wage war against local natives, and even fight against merchants who temporarily acted as pirates. Those sailors were quite capable in combat.

If these maritime merchants were willing to work diligently for the emperor, wouldn't Fujian be able to produce a fighting force?
"Rest assured, Your Excellency, the Wang family will absolutely not stand idly by when the court is in peril!"

"Our Feng family is willing to do everything in our power!"

"All the sons of the Chu family are willing to die for the imperial court!"

……

As soon as Wu Yuan finished speaking, the merchants began to speak passionately, showing themselves to be a group of loyal and filial sons of the Song Dynasty.

One of the Arabs shouted the loudest, saying, "Our Pu family is willing to provide twenty large ships, one hundred and fifty medium-sized ships, and eight thousand soldiers to serve the imperial court!"

"so much?"

Overjoyed, Wu Qian approached the Arab man and said, "You are... Pu... Pu, the head of the Pu family in Quanzhou..."

"Pu Kaizong!"

The Arab man spoke with great passion: "I have received great favor from the imperial court. As an Arab, I hold the official position of Registrar of Anxi. How dare I not do my best for the court? To be honest, our Pu family does not have so many ships or so many soldiers. However, for this mission to defend the emperor, I not only contacted my clansmen in various parts of Fujian, but also many clansmen in Guangzhou, which is how we managed to gather such a large number of soldiers and ships."

"Not only that, I also intend to personally lead the army, with my two young sons, Pu Shoucheng and Pu Shougeng, as my deputies, to protect the Song Dynasty and fight Zhao Shuo to the bitter end!"

Pu Kaizong was certainly not that loyal to the Song Dynasty.

Historical records indicate that his son, Pu Shougeng, not only surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty but also massacred the entire Song imperial family in Quanzhou.

However, wasn't Zhao He being too harsh on the True God Cult? He was following the example of Goryeo in treating all the countries that were affiliated with the True God Cult.

The followers of the True God Cult, including the Pu family of Quanzhou, hated Zhao Shuo to the core, yet were powerless to do anything about it.

The countries of the True God religion were attacked by 150,000 Mongol troops and were in a very difficult situation.

They have already prepared to disperse their forces for the future.

Some were preparing to retreat to European countries and requested to be taken in.

Another possible escape route was the Southern Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty has a vast territory, countless fortified cities, and more than 80 million people. Zhao Shuo shouldn't be able to conquer it, right?
Therefore, they wanted the people of the True God Sect in the State of Song to do their utmost to protect the safety of the State of Song and to seize the high position of the State of Song during this great war.

Who knows, one day, a cuckoo might take over the nest!
Wu Yuan, unaware of Pu Shougeng's thoughts, was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Excellent! With such a loyal minister as you, how can our Great Song Dynasty not protect its empire?"

Then, looking at the other merchants, he said, "If even a foreigner is so loyal to our Great Song, how much more so are you? You must all take Pu Kaizong as an example, do your utmost, and send troops to defend the emperor!"

"Yes!"

All the merchants bowed and loudly agreed.

However, when the fleets of merchants gathered at Quanzhou Citong Port seven days later, ready to set off to support the emperor, Wu Yuan was dumbfounded.

Looking around, apart from the fleet of the Pu family of Quanzhou, there were only less than a hundred ships of various sizes, with a total force estimated to be no more than two thousand!

"Hey! I have to say, your Zhang family has really gone too far."

On the port, Wang Siguang, a member of the Wang family from Quanzhou, looked at Zhang Youming, a member of the Zhang family, and said, "Although the Zhang family has fewer ships than the Pu family, they are not far behind. Sending you here with only two ships and a hundred or so people is too disrespectful to the imperial court."

"The way you're saying that makes it sound like your Wang family contributed the most?"

Zhang Youming sneered, "Has the Song Dynasty treated us merchants badly? Salt and iron are one thing, but wine, tea, spices, alum—all these commodities that can make a lot of money—aren't they all controlled by the court, and we merchants aren't allowed to participate? Besides, there's a tax checkpoint every thirty li, plus the tax officials' extortion and bribery, how can we survive by honestly doing business? Not to mention the currency devaluation, the biggest victims are us merchants."

Wang Siguang nodded and said, "That's true. Banqiao Town in Shandong has become prosperous again and has taken away a lot of our business. King Zhao Shuo really treats merchants well. Except for military supplies, he allows merchants to trade freely."

"The key is taxation!" Chu Tianhe, a member of the Chu family, chimed in from the side. "King Zhao Shuo's vast empire only requires one tax payment. What a great act of benevolence! If King Zhao Shuo's army doesn't attack, how can we compete with the northern merchants?"

Wang Siguang said, "Have you heard? King Zhao Shuo's ships are now capable of whaling!"

"We can even go to Southeast Asia to dig for bird droppings! Ship after ship will bring back money!" Chu Tianhe's eyes practically sparkled as he said, "How could we possibly acquire this shipbuilding technology if we didn't become subjects of King Zhao Shuo?"

Wang Siguang said, "If we also had this technology, we could roam freely across the world and our profits would probably be more than five times what we make today!"

"So, we'll just deal with that pacification envoy and then slip away when we get the chance!"

Looking out to sea, Zhang Youming was filled with pride and said, "Under the rule of King Zhao Shuo, our merchant ships will probably be able to cover the entire world!"

(End of this chapter)