The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 198 Threatening with the Duke of Yansheng?
Li Xianmu's accusation of the Duke Yansheng's shameless act will surely spread throughout the world and stir up a series of turbulent storms in the Ming Dynasty.

Before this, there had never been a high-ranking official of the second rank, let alone a member of a Confucian family, who openly disrespected the Duke Yansheng.

Li Xianmu had no time to worry about the future storms; he was only focused on pursuing and killing the White Lotus Cult members with the Marquis of Shouchun.

The White Lotus Sect had been preaching in Shandong for a century, and it was not an easy opponent. Even though the government troops could win every time with their advantages, they could never catch the high-ranking members of the White Lotus Sect, which had a strong mass base. Before long, the crowds would surge again.

Despite the victory, the battle lines could not be advanced, and the elite troops on their side continued to suffer losses. The daily consumption of food and other supplies was astronomical, causing the Marquis of Shouchun a great headache.

Li Xianmu keenly realized that the imperial court was troubled by the hearts of the people. Even if he was unwilling to admit it, in Shandong, the White Lotus sect had more popular support among ordinary people than the imperial court.

“Power has no blind spots; if the government doesn’t seize them, non-official groups and organizations will.”

Li Xianmu realized that this was exactly the case in Shandong today.

In the past, the presence of powerful clans as a tether to the imperial court was not obvious, but now that the imperial court's grassroots rule in Shandong has collapsed, the White Lotus Sect has established a grassroots organization with the sect at its core.

As a result, the White Lotus sect was able to draw on the strength of the people, and the imperial court was plunged into a vast sea of ​​popular support.

Therefore, Li Xianmu decisively began to gather the displaced people, re-establish household registration, and bring all the people of the prefecture and county under his control.

Only by combining political, economic, and military means could the White Lotus Rebellion's resurgence be severed, and the government troops began to win victory after victory, achieving significant results.

In this way, the imperial court fought three major battles and nine minor battles against the various rebel armies that had sprung up in Shandong. Finally, it dispersed and wiped out most of the rebel armies, which were mostly just a spur-of-the-moment decision. More than 20 bandit leaders, both big and small, were captured and escorted to the capital.

In the end, only the White Lotus Sect, with the highest combat power, the most rigorous organization, and the most resolute will to resist, remained.

At the same time, it was also the one that Li Xianmu, the Marquis of Shouchun, and others feared most during this great upheaval in Shandong.

In two of the three major battles, they fought against the White Lotus Sect, defeating their hundreds of thousands of troops. Now, they are exhausted and besieged between Tashan and Gaopingshan in Jining, Shandong, relying on natural defenses to resist the imperial army.

But everyone knew that the White Lotus Sect, lacking food and clothing, would absolutely not survive the winter while entrenched on the mountain, and coming down the mountain was impossible.

Shandong is gradually returning to normal order, no longer as chaotic as when Li Xianmu first inspected Shandong. The area below Tashan and Gaopingshan is under a scorched-earth policy, and the White Lotus Sect is not receiving any supplies. They are also harassed by government troops from time to time. By the time the imperial troops bring in cannons, catapults and other equipment for attacking the city, their days are numbered before winter.

For the White Lotus Sect, the situation had reached an extremely critical point, a matter of life and death.

Li Xianmu and the Marquis of Shouchun, among others, proceeded cautiously, giving the bandits no chance whatsoever, and mobilized cannons from the capital and various garrisons.

Since the White Lotus Sect couldn't be subdued, the imperial court decided to bombard the mountain and smash all the strongholds built on it to pieces!

Tashan Village.

The White Lotus Sect leaders were all dejected, their eyes gradually filled with despair.

"Master, the government troops are too powerful. Our brothers can't break through and will only die in vain. What should we do?"

"Yes, Master, with winter approaching, the mountain is already cold and desolate. The brothers don't have warm clothes, and I'm afraid a few of them could freeze to death from the cold. The food is also running out, and we really can't hold on any longer."

"If the situation is hopeless, I will lead my brothers and soldiers to fight to the death, rather than wait here to die in vain."

Li Xianmu had stated from the beginning that other rebel armies would only execute the ringleaders as long as they did not commit serious crimes, while the White Lotus Sect would be spared.

This ruthless attitude boosted the fighting spirit of the White Lotus Sect, and it was also remarkably effective in cutting off their power supply.

The leader of the White Lotus Sect also looked exhausted. He sighed and said, "A few months ago, we started an uprising in Shandong. Within ten days, we had gathered an army of 100,000. We were so full of vigor and high spirits in Shandong. We marched north to the capital and south to Jiangnan. We felt like we had the world in our hands."

But unexpectedly, after Li Xianmu entered Shandong, the situation suddenly deteriorated. In just a short time, this place was about to become our burial ground?

I don't know!

The Ming court has lost the hearts of the people in Shandong. The Eternal Mother and the Holy King have clearly favored me, so why cruelly take them back? Isn't now the right time to establish a new earthly state?

These words made everyone in the hall even more depressed.

Beside the leader of the White Lotus Sect sat a beautiful woman, who appeared to be in her early twenties. She wore the distinctive attire of a White Lotus Sect saintess. Seeing her teacher and the others looking dejected, she immediately spoke up, "Teacher, fellow practitioners, there is still a chance of survival. You should know that we still hold the Duke Yansheng of the Ming Dynasty in our hands."

He is a descendant of a sage, a figure of great prestige among scholars. We, the White Lotus Sect, naturally do not care, but the Ming court dares not ignore him. Those Confucian scholars are the most hypocritical. If we threaten him with the Duke of Yansheng, we can surely find a way to survive.

There are still countless believers in Shandong, whom the imperial court cannot kill off completely. As long as we can leave Tashan, we can disperse and hide deep in Shandong, waiting for the day we can rise up again! The organizational nature of the White Lotus Sect is indeed impossible to eradicate. This sect is like an open-source program that anyone can use.

Today, the leader of the White Lotus Cult and the White Lotus Saintess, along with a group of others, are trapped on Tashan Mountain. However, in the folk communities of Shandong, there may still be a dozen or twenty White Lotus Cult leaders. They may be called "Wenxiang Cult" or "Qingyang Cult," but in reality, they are all members of the White Lotus Cult.

As the White Lotus Saintess spoke, a glimmer of hope ignited in everyone's eyes. "Saintess, is that Duke Yansheng really that useful?"

"Fellow practitioners, you still know too little about Confucian scholars." The White Lotus Saintess lightly brushed a stray hair from her brow and affirmed, "These Confucian scholars are the most hypocritical. Even if they look down on the Duke Yansheng in their hearts, they still have to show him respect on the surface. After all, the Duke Yansheng is a descendant of their ancestor Confucius. They have made Confucius a saint with merits for all ages, so they have to treat Confucius's descendants well."

The White Lotus Sect Leader hesitated and said, "But I've heard that the Shandong Governor, Li Xianmu, is very disdainful of the Duke Yansheng. He even openly criticized the Duke Yansheng in Qufu for not dying for his country, saying that he was afraid of death."

"Would he dare to let something happen to the Duke Yansheng?" The White Lotus Saintess chuckled confidently. "Whether the Duke Yansheng died for his country or not, even if he criticizes him, would he dare to kill the Duke Yansheng himself?"

If the Duke Yansheng were to die because of him, all the scholars in the land would not forgive him. Even if the emperor favored him greatly, he would have to consider the opinions of the scholars and punish him.

Li Xianmu has already made great contributions during his inspection tour of Shandong and will definitely be promoted after returning to the capital. However, if the Duke of Yansheng dies, he will not only not be promoted, but will also be punished.

He's so smart, he couldn't possibly not have thought of this, so he must have been coerced by us.

Unless he is truly loyal enough to be willing to sacrifice his own interests and reputation for the Ming Dynasty.

But is it possible?

We are no longer a threat. He has captured so many outlaws and rebel leaders, so whether he kills us or not will not make much difference.

If he chooses to protect the Duke Yansheng, he will receive praise from all under heaven and gain immense merit. Why wouldn't he do it?

The White Lotus Saintess's analysis was well-reasoned and based on evidence, taking into account not only the current reality but also human nature and power struggles, making it a highlight of her life.

The leader of the White Lotus Cult and a group of high-ranking members were almost instantly convinced by her.

"Follow the Holy Maiden's words, send someone down the mountain to negotiate with Li Xianmu. If he is willing to spare our lives, he will release the Duke Yansheng; otherwise, we will perish together!"

The White Lotus Sect envoys quickly descended the mountain and entered the Ming army camp, where they recounted the White Lotus Sect's demands to Li Xianmu and other high-ranking Ming officials.

The military tent was silent. The White Lotus Sect envoy was led out of the tent and waited outside.

After a long silence, Li Xianmu leisurely asked, "What does Your Excellency think?"

The Marquis of Shouchun thought exactly the same thing as the White Lotus Sect's Holy Maiden. He hesitated and said, "The White Lotus Sect's main force has been cut off, leaving only these remnants. They can't turn the tide. The Duke of Yansheng is related to the cultural heritage of our dynasty. If he fails, he will be blamed. I think it's acceptable to agree to the White Lotus Sect's demands."

After the Marquis of Shouchun, Li Xianmu asked the other people in the tent, and everyone thought the same as the White Lotus Sect's Holy Maiden, believing that exchanging for the Duke of Yansheng was feasible, and that the White Lotus Sect could no longer cause any trouble.

In fact, there was no other answer when Li Xianmu asked this question. Just as the White Lotus Saintess had imagined, almost no one among the officials of the Ming Dynasty dared to take responsibility for the death of the Duke Yansheng. Replacing the Duke Yansheng was almost the only way.

Everyone turned their attention to Li Xianmu.

But Li Xianmu remained silent, seemingly lost in thought. Someone tentatively asked, "Governor?"

The supreme military and political commander in Shandong this time was Li Xianmu, the governor of Shandong, and all orders had to be issued by him.

Although everyone in the tent seemed to be speaking in unison, Li Xianmu could have easily vetoed it. Everyone had assumed that Li Xianmu wouldn't veto it, but now, looking at his expression, a sense of unease arose in their hearts.

Back in Qufu, they and the whole world knew that Li Xianmu was very dissatisfied with the Duke Yansheng. But no matter how dissatisfied he was, he couldn't act recklessly at this time!

Do we really want to have the blood of the Duke Yansheng on our hands?
No way?
Those close to Li Xianmu grew increasingly uneasy and finally couldn't help but say, "Governor, why don't we go to the capital and submit a memorial to the Emperor to ask for his opinion?"

It was said that they were asking for the Emperor's opinion, but who didn't know that no matter what the Emperor thought, he could only have one opinion—to bring back the Duke Yansheng!

"No!"

Li Xianmu, who had been silent until now, almost immediately rejected the idea, saying, "His Majesty sent me to Shandong to handle important matters. If I were to shirk my responsibilities to His Majesty in everything, wouldn't that be dereliction of duty?"

He thought to himself: Especially with something like this, if I tell the Emperor, wouldn't that make him take the blame?

(End of this chapter)