Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 73: Cunning Bandits Are Everywhere
Xiong Wencan, who was far away in Xiangyang, soon received a joint letter from the gentry in southern Henan, urging him to quickly dispatch troops to wipe out the beggars.

Although they are a group of retired officials who have lost their power, their students have extensive connections all over the world, and some even have direct access to the six ministries.

The current emperor is rash in his actions. Since he ascended the throne, he has replaced no less than ten cabinet ministers. He can dismiss people from office or kill people at will.

If the gentry passed on a few words through their connections and spoke ill of His Majesty in front of Him, even Xiong Wencan, the "Premier of Six Provinces", would be in trouble.

Fortunately, these gentry did not ask for much and even sent gifts through someone else. Xiong Wencan just casually said a few words to them, saying that the government troops were gathering and would soon be able to encircle and suppress the beggars.

However, Xiong Wencan did not take these mere beggar soldiers seriously.

The so-called beggars and the remnants of the bandits roaming around, as well as the pirates and bandits in the Taihu Lake area, are all just minor troubles.

When the rebels were at their most arrogant, they gathered millions of people and crossed several provinces. The Ming Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, but the generals turned the tide and defeated the rebels.

Millions of bandits were killed or escaped, and even the old bandit Gao Yingxiang was captured and brought to the capital to be executed by slow slicing.

Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai, Zhang Tianlin, Liu Guoneng and others, with a total of tens of thousands of troops, also surrendered obediently.

The rebels had all dispersed, but the Ming Dynasty remained. The Ming Dynasty seemed to be thriving, and Xiong Wencan, commanding over 100,000 troops, could not help but feel good about himself.

Of course, the premise of all this is that the emperor does not "micro-manage".

Every time he and other generals came up with a military strategy, it would be disrupted by His Majesty's urging for battle.

He still remembered the battle with Zhang Xianzhong and others at the beginning of the year, which almost exceeded the deadline set by the emperor to suppress the bandits. If Zhang Xianzhong had not stepped on the line to surrender, he would probably have been arrested and imprisoned by the emperor.

Your Majesty is still too impatient in doing things. He doesn't know that governing a country is like cooking a small fish, which must be done step by step steadily.

But the emperor doesn't agree. It's clear that it will take a year to suppress the bandits, but the emperor insists on giving you a deadline of four months. If you complete it, there will be no decent reward. If you fail to complete it, you will be dismissed from office, or you will be punished for meritorious service, or even killed directly.

At present, almost all generals have enjoyed the "treatment" of making meritorious contributions while serving their sentences.

If everyone is doing meritorious service while serving their sentence, then there is no guilt at all.

Fortunately, the large groups of bandits have been basically wiped out, and only some "cats and dogs" remain to be cleaned up, but it won't take much effort.

Xiong Wencan picked up the cake from the plate and put it into his mouth, eating five cents of silver worth in one bite.

He lay in a rattan chair and listened to his staff read out official documents, court reports, and military intelligence sent by officials from various departments. He didn't even have time to read them himself. "Keep reading."

"The entire family of the Xincai County Chief Clerk was hanged in their home by thieves... The Yuzhou Prefect was assassinated and died of poisoning three days later... The Luoyang County Magistrate was approached by thieves while handling a lawsuit and beheaded on the spot... The Suizhou Prefect was on patrol in a sedan chair when thieves attacked him with a thunderbolt and nearly killed him... A wealthy family in Shangshui County was slaughtered... Bandits attacked a government army grain transport... The streets of Kaifeng Prefecture are haunted, and everywhere there are words written in blood: 'Blood flows like a river, flowers fill the world'...' ...Someone even wrote in front of the Nanyang Palace..."

"Well, what to write?"

"If we can't save the world from the failure of the Emperor Zhu... then let the entire Ming Dynasty burn. It's said that the Ming Dynasty only has six years left. In the year Jiashen, when the capital falls, the Emperor will hang himself on an old crooked tree..."

"Treason!" Xiong Wencan suddenly sat up, his relaxed expression replaced by a ferocious rage. "Our Great Ming has been established for nearly three hundred years, and its fortune remains strong. The current emperor is blessed with great fortune and diligently governs. How can a mere thief be so presumptuous as to criticize him? Were these attacks and murders all committed by beggars?"

"Not entirely. According to official documents submitted by other counties and prefectures, some claim to be the Taiping Army, the Yellow Turban Army, the Tang Dynasty Warriors, the Qin Dynasty Warriors, the Human Federation Revolutionaries, Space Marines, and Celestial Dragons... Those bandits are all in groups of a dozen or so. They are fearless and unafraid of death, and even when captured and tortured, they would rather die than surrender."

"It's really bizarre that there have been so many bloody murders in just half a year." Another staff member couldn't help but sigh.

"Perhaps the bandits were defeated and dispersed, so they became bandits and committed crimes in various places." "Warn the prefectures and counties everywhere, and ask them to strictly guard the government offices and strictly check the entry and exit of the city gates. The bandits are treacherous and cunning, and they may disguise themselves as vendors or beggars and wander among you and me." Xiong Wencan picked up the teacup and took a sip.

"The remnants of the bandits are so stubborn and hard to deal with. Ten of them dared to storm the county government office and kill officials. Don't they fear death?" An aide was looking through the densely packed reports on the bandits. Not a single bandit betrayed his brothers before they died.

"Everyone is afraid of death. If Zhang Luo and his ilk weren't afraid of death, they wouldn't have surrendered."

"But this group of people is clearly different. I'm afraid they're connected to cults like the White Lotus and the Smell the Fragrance. Cults and Taoist sects are great at deceiving the ignorant, tricking them into believing they're invulnerable to swords and guns, and then tricking them into assassinating officials. If this continues, I'm afraid a cult might start a rebellion."

"We really have to be on guard. Although the main force of the bandits has been destroyed recently, remnants still exist. It's time to send troops to search the surrounding mountains, forests and valleys. Whenever the bandits are defeated and retreat, they always retreat to the mountains to recuperate."

"Well, I have heard that there are remnants of the rebels active in the Shangluo Mountains. I have ordered General Zuo to go and suppress them." Xiong Wencan said.

"Mr. Dong, please take a look. This is the list of people who have requested favors recently..." An aide took out a beautiful booklet.

"Yes." Xiong Wencan responded, took it and flipped through it carefully. Behind the name of each person being asked for a favor was the corresponding gift and the matter being asked for.

After looking for a while and not finding anyone important, he became bored and handed the case over to his staff to handle according to the usual procedures.

Some were routine "filial piety" gifts in official dealings, some were from middle and lower-level civil and military officials hoping to use their connections to get promoted or transferred, and some were from local gentry who wanted to fill vacancies for their sons and nephews in government offices and the official army.

There were quite a few familiar faces, and some even donated thousands of taels of silver over the years, but Xiong Wencan believed in "the highest bidder wins", and he would not return the money of the unlucky losers.

It's like having the best of both worlds.

Xiong Wencan suddenly seemed to remember something, "Well, I remember the note from the gentry in southern Henan mentioned a young man from Lijiazhai."

"It's true. The man's name is Li Mu. He was a refugee who was adopted by the local village chief," an aide quickly replied. "He's quite capable. Single-handedly, he organized over ten villagers from the village and pacified the bandits nearby. He then recruited refugees to reclaim the wasteland and reclaimed it. He even managed to rally a group of villagers to recapture the county town from the bandits."

"In that case, the boy is really a young hero, very good." Another staff member praised him repeatedly.

"However, some gentry say that he's colluding with the beggars, and while he has troops at his disposal, he's sitting on the city walls, not attacking the bandits. Others say he's reached a 'gentleman's agreement' with the bandits, all to protect the people of the county from disaster."

"Everything has its gains and losses. To be able to protect the peace of a county with a humble life is a testament to the achievements of a young man."

Xiong Wencan set the tone for Li Mu's achievements with just one sentence, and others also echoed in praising Li Mu, saying that now is the time to use people, so it would be better to promote him and bring him under their command so that he can also be a helper.

However, Xiong Wencan did not follow the topic and instead changed the subject, "Is there anyone on the list asking for favors for that young man?"

Upon hearing this, the staff member quickly flipped through the gift list and carefully searched, then looked up and shook his head, "There's nothing related."

If you don’t give gifts, your performance will be unsatisfactory.

Xiong Wencan frowned slightly, "Young people still need to hone their minds more. It would be premature to suddenly gain a high position."

Xiong Wencan paused and continued, "Send someone to the Governor-General to urge him to come up with a plan, whether to wipe out the beggars or recruit them. The people of southern Henan have come to me to urge me, I have to give them an answer..."

……

"The army that is encircling you has already gathered in Runing, but my Lord Futai considers you to be citizens of the Ming Dynasty and is giving you a chance to mend your ways. Quickly punish the treacherous people who have seized the land and return the many properties and businesses to their original owners. The Lord Futai will forgive you and allow you to serve as soldiers under his command and receive food. If you achieve military merit, you will receive titles for your wives and children. Even in the afterlife, you will be able to meet our ancestors with dignity."

(End of this chapter)