Chapter 145 Riots and iron-blooded rule of Jiangnan (two-in-one)
Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but wonder whether the Ming Dynasty was really too kind to these gentry in the past, because in Zhu Houzhao's impression, this phenomenon of eliminating a large number of gentry from their official positions also happened in the Qing Dynasty in history, but these gentry seemed to be They were very polite and accepted it obediently, and did not force their master to restore their fame and official status like now.
Among them, one of Xu Qianxue didn't even have any complaints against Kangxi at that time. He even became Kangxi's sycophant obediently later on. He was so loyal that he would be forgiven by Kangxi even if he was accused of being a huge corrupt person.
Zhu Houzhao looked at Ma Wensheng and Wang Shu. These civil servants were always worried that doing so would force the gentry to disagree with them. However, Zhu Houzhao also thought in his heart that maybe if he was a little harsher, these gentry would not be at odds with him. With one heart, they are more loyal to themselves, when they fully understand that it is better to be a dog than a human.
But from the bottom of his heart, Zhu Houzhao himself did not want these gentry to be dogs in the future. He knew that this was called servility, and he did not want to think that servility would still exist in the Ming Dynasty. It can be said that the whole of China will still exist in the future, but now, it seems that servility will not be cultivated. no.
Zhu Houzhao looked at the numb people who were watching the excitement far away from the city gate, and thought, maybe only after the people all over the world have a sense of citizenship, he, as a ruler, will not have to cultivate servile people. .
But no matter what, Zhu Houzhao still didn't want these gentry to truly become slaves. He just hoped that they would abide by the rules and understand that they also had obligations and responsibilities.
For example, just like Ma Wensheng, Wang Shu, Wang Yangming and others around me, it would be better if the world is a public service. After all, it is only a tax of 30 to 1. One less concubine and one less garden to build will cost several years. Taxes have been saved, and it doesn't hurt your muscles and bones. What's more, I haven't had to work as an official and a gentleman like Yongzheng.
"People's hearts are not as old as they used to be. These gentry are no longer the same group of gentry who took it as their duty to serve the country with integrity. They have been deteriorating since Shaobao. The old ministers often lament them. Now it is indeed time to teach them a lesson!"
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Wang Shu, who became a Jinshi in the 13th year of Zhengtong and experienced the four emperors of Zhengtong, Jingtai, Tianshun, Chenghua and Hongzhi, couldn't help but sigh.
Wang Shu was a civil servant, so naturally he would not take the initiative to admit that the Tumubao incident was beneficial to the civil service group and made the civil service group grow bigger and become increasingly arrogant. He only lamented that after Yu Qian was executed by Ming Yingzong, the gentry in the world began to gradually turn bad, but it took about the same amount of time.
……
Just when Zhu Houzhao and Ma Wensheng agreed with Wang Shu, the Jin Yiwei had already begun to dispatch.
The Jin Yiwei at the front all held glass shields, which were tempered glass produced by the Royal Industrial Company, and also had special steel rods. As soon as these Jin Yiwei holding glass shields appeared, they formed a row and destroyed a group of people under the Hongwumen city wall. The platoon of gentry squeezed out, trapping only the thirty-eight gentry who led the agitation.
When these thirty-eight gentry saw that they were actually trapped inside, they became a little panicked and hurriedly wanted to walk away and join the other gentry. But at this time, two groups of Jin Yiwei who were following behind rushed over and directly captured them. He shouted to these thirty-eight gentry: "Let's go!"
Seeing this, the gentry outside the glass shield rushed over to save these people, and even rolled up their sleeves to fight, but they were all knocked back by the hard glass shield, and some gentry were directly hit with bruises and bruises!
At the same time, two groups of Jinyiwei rushed over from outside, both wearing gas masks filled with charcoal powder and cotton. As soon as they rushed over, the Jinyiwei threw Molotov cocktails into the dense group of gentry. .
These incendiary bottles contain chili powder, mustard powder and sulfur, so when they burn, they emit various choking smells.
These gentry were choked by various smells, with tears and runny noses running down their faces. Some could not even open their eyes, and some only coughed violently. As a result, they became even more confused, and countless people were trampled on.
Along the way, the Jin Yiwei came over directly holding iron bars. One of the Jin Yiwei's military sticks shouted loudly: "Hit!"
Immediately, these royal guards directly greeted these gentry. These gentry were completely powerless to fight back, and they could only run away wildly. The scene was very chaotic!
The Jin Yiwei holding a glass shield also began to put on gas masks and move forward step by step to clear the area outside Hongwu Gate.
During this process, some gentry who ran around would naturally receive a severe beating and run in other directions, and some would be directly trampled to death due to stampede accidents.
In less than an hour, all the gentry who gathered outside Hongwu Gate to threaten the emperor and the court were dispersed without causing any major accidents. As for those who were killed and injured, they just died from a stampede. The court cannot be blamed, and the Jinyi Guards arrived. No one was killed from beginning to end.
However, the thirty-eight gentry who led the instigation could not be let go easily, and they were to be killed to scare the monkeys.
Soon, the thirty-eight gentry were taken to the governor's office, and Wang Yangming also received instructions from Zhu Houzhao to hand over the thirty-eight gentry for treason.
The cabinet immediately voted for execution, and the Supervisor of Ceremonies also approved. Soon, these thirty-eight gentry were escorted outside Hongwu Gate and chopped to the ground with a knife.
Tan Qingshan was also among the thirty-eight people. At this time, he felt filled with regret. He glanced at the Hongwu Sect behind him and cried: "I feel bitter in my heart! I don't want to die!"
Click!
As soon as Tan Qingshan finished speaking, he cut off his head with a knife!
Immediately afterwards, thirty-seven other heads were also chopped off.
However, after the thirty-eight gentry were beheaded, the Jinyiwei followed the instructions above and reassembled the bodies and heads of the thirty-eight people, and posted them outside the city gate for public notice. Inform all soldiers and people that these thirty-eight criminals are rebels, inciting the soldiers and people, and intending to rebel. If any of their accomplices come to collect the corpses, it will be equivalent to surrendering and they will be treated leniently.
As a result, no gentry dared to come to collect the corpse.
The entire Southern Zhili gentry were completely frightened this time, and they were even more frightened when they thought of Jin Yiwei's methods. Of course they also hated it, but now they had no choice but to gnash their teeth at home.
……
Gu Xiantong's son Gu Xinlei is now looking at the Nanjing Palace in the direction of Hongwu Gate with gritted teeth. He knows that all this is caused by the emperor named Zhu Houzhao in the palace, and he has begun to have to admit that the emperor in the palace is a tyrant. , even causing the ministers around him to be cruel officials!
Because of the murder of his father and the violation of the interests of the Jiangnan gentry, Gu Xinlei hated the court he saw now, as well as the king and his ministers of the court. Gu Xinlei decided to go to Zhenjiang to find Tian Zheng, the chief military officer of Zhenjiang.
Like Gu Xinlei, there were naturally more and more Jiangnan gentry who began to be dissatisfied with the imperial court and the government, but they did not dare to rebel directly, or they had not yet found an opportunity to rebel directly.
Some began to pretend to live in seclusion, but actually began to look for powerful vassal kings who were willing to raise troops. Some connived or even encouraged local rogues to carry out riots, instead of using their clan power to control, and even secretly colluded with bandits to destroy stability at the grassroots level of society.
At this time, the representative of the Nanjing gentry, the former Shaoqing of Dali Temple, Cao Chutong, said to several gentry with whom he was in love:
"Since the court intends to abandon us Jiangnan gentry, let the court know the consequences of not having us Jiangnan gentry. When the time comes, the entire city of Nanjing will be in chaos. People will riot, bandits will appear everywhere, and the world will be in chaos. Let's see how the court ends!"
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"Only when the emperor and the scholar-bureaucrats rule the world can we create a prosperous age. Since the court only wants to take care of the common people, let the court see how those common people are grateful to the court!" said a Jiangnan gentry.
As a result, within a few days, a series of incidents of beating, smashing, looting and burning began to occur in Yingtian Mansion and even other state capitals.
Suddenly, many rogues appeared out of nowhere and started riots, rebelling everywhere!
There were countless cases of murder, arson, and even rape of women, fights, and strikes.
The same is true even in the city of Nanjing. Suddenly, there seem to be many unruly bandits. In some market towns, people are suddenly seen slashing and killing people. The people are all panicked. There are also more bandits on the main roads everywhere, and many businessmen have been robbed. Killings, even officials. The whole of Jiangnan seemed to have suddenly entered a state of riot, and suddenly seemed to have turned into a society of mutual harm at the bottom, as if there was no rule of law at the grassroots level.
The people did not dare to go out during the day and did not dare to sleep deeply at night. Even the pressure of the court's rule had increased, but the wealthy nobles were still singing and dancing.
After Zhu Houzhao received urgent reports from various places from Wang Yangming, he frowned and thought deeply, and asked Ma Wensheng and Wang Shu with a smile: "Is this their counterattack? They don't rebel directly, but they make the world look like chaos. What, are you going to tell the world that I am cruel and unjust, causing chaos in the world? So that you can encourage the heroes of the world to rise up?"
"Your Majesty, that's probably what they have in mind. However, since ancient times, imperial power has not been in the countryside, and the gentry and clans have been in charge of everything below the county level. Now they are afraid that they will give up their jobs, thus causing the collapse of the law and social unrest!"
Ma Wensheng replied.
Zhu Houzhao smiled and said: "Are they forcing me to admit defeat? They want to tell me that without them, I can't even rule the country, and I will even lose the support of the people, but I won't admit defeat! And don't push me to panic, push me to panic Come on, let’s see if the people in the world don’t pay for their food, will they still be on my side?”
Although what Zhu Houzhao said was angry, it was indeed a plan to draw out the firepower. After all, Li Zicheng also relied on Chuang Wang to come and not pay food to destroy the Ming Dynasty all at once.
If he really does this now, all the people in the world will naturally stand on his side.
But civil servants such as Ma Wensheng and Wang Shu naturally would not let Zhu Houzhao do this, so Ma Wensheng hurriedly advised:
"Your Majesty, calm down! Don't act on your own initiative. Since these Jiangnan gentry want to cause chaos in Jiangnan, we will take advantage of this opportunity to rule Jiangnan with iron and blood! I suggest that we take this opportunity to let the court control the people on behalf of the Jiangnan gentry!"
"What the chief minister said is true. Since the imperial power did not go to the countryside before, and now the local clans are unable to manage the people, the imperial court will take charge!" said Wang Shu, the Minister of Civil Affairs.
After hearing this, Zhu Houzhao agreed deeply and suddenly had an idea:
"Dear sirs, what do you think about setting up a police department? Since these Jiangnan gentry want to mess up Jiangnan and bully Nanzhili without a police department, then let Wang Yangming, the governor of Nanzhili, set up a police department and set up a police department in every government. A police bureau is set up in each county and a police station is set up in each town to recruit good people from the bottom as police officers to manage local security? "
When Zhu Houzhao said this, both Ma Wensheng and Wang Shu were a little surprised, and then they felt new. At this time, Wang Yangming said:
"Your Majesty, this move is very good for maintaining local security. It can also replace the gentry's power to manage the villagers. However, this will increase the number of subordinate officials and the people will suffer. In addition, if such a police camp is really to be established, , must restrict their use of firearms, vehicles and cannons to prevent them from being obtained by people with bad intentions.”
"Your Majesty, what Wang Sheng said is absolutely true. There is overlap between the police force and the government officials. Instead of setting up new police officers, it is better to order each prefecture, prefecture and county to increase the number of government officials to take charge of each area," Wang Shu said.
"I do not intend to make police soldiers the same as subordinates. Police soldiers are like other officers and soldiers. Soldiers are soldiers of the court, and officers are also court officials. Like the inspectors in other places, they are responsible for the local detention and execution of important criminals! Otherwise, I will directly expand Dongchang and let Dongchang come to Jiangnan to act as the inspector and manage public security!”
When Zhu Houzhao said this, both Ma Wensheng and Wang Shu understood what Zhu Houzhao meant. It was nothing more than setting up people to manage prisons from the villages to the Chief Secretary in the Jiangnan area. They just changed the name, but they had to Admittedly, this did help the court control the local area.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Wang Shu directly stated his position. In his opinion, setting up police soldiers in Jiangnan is better than sending Dongchang directly to Jiangnan. After all, Dongchang is all eunuchs, and police soldiers are not eunuchs after all.
Civil servants had an instinctive disdain for eunuchs, so Wang Shu was more willing to establish a police department and police soldiers, not to mention that he had also experienced the Chenghua period when factory guards were rampant.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Ma Wensheng also expressed his position. He and Wang Shu had the same idea. It was better to establish police forces in Jiangnan than to let Dongchang expand his troops to come to Jiangnan and disrupt the government. At least the police forces were still under the control of civilian officials.
Zhu Houzhao also knew what they were thinking, but he didn't reveal it, so he nodded: "Okay, let's draw up the decree. Shouren, the governor of Nanzhili, will immediately recruit good people as police soldiers and set up a police department. With the title of Inspector, the Chief of the Police Department is in charge of the Police Department, and is awarded the third rank! ”
"No! Your Majesty, it is very inappropriate for the person in charge of the Police Department and other positions to be called Palm Seal. In my opinion, it is better not to directly call him a punishment envoy."
Wang Shu was deeply afraid that eunuchs would be in charge of the police in the future, so he felt that even the word "palm seal" was inappropriate, and changing it to "criminal envoy" meant that in the future, civilian officials would still be in charge of the Southern Zhili Police Department.
Zhu Houzhao did not intend to take away the power of civil servants in prisons, but he also did not intend to abolish Dongchang, so he did not refuse and said: "Then let's change the punishment to envoy!"
Therefore, after the cabinet vote and the approval of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, Wang Yangming, the governor of Southern Zhili, officially received the decree to establish the Police Department, and the Sentencing Officer of the Police Department was temporarily appointed by Wang Yangming himself, and he personally recruited him. Good people form the police force.
The people throughout southern Zhili were also deeply harmed by bandits and rogues, and they all participated enthusiastically.
Soon, Wang Yangming established a large-scale police force. After receiving Jun's order, the prefectures and counties in Southern Zhili quickly established police units, recruited police soldiers, and appointed police officers. Wang Shu was in Nanjing, and the administrative efficiency of appointing police officials was also very fast.
Therefore, within a month, a group of officers and soldiers to maintain public security appeared throughout Southern Zhili.
At the same time, Zhu Houzhao asked the cabinet to issue a decree, ordering Nanzhili to enter a warning period. During the warning period, in order to maintain public order, local governments could kill first and then report the crime, but they were also strictly prohibited from killing innocent people.
The powerful slaves of the gentry Cao Zhutong's family had already received Cao Zhutong's instructions. They ordered a bunch of green leather to smash open a private house in Nanjing City. One of them, Xing Laoer, even dragged out a yellow-flowered girl and wanted to kill him. Directly committing violence, other green skinned men watched and laughed. The father of the woman among them couldn't help but cursed: "Aren't you scoundrels afraid of being punished by the government?!"
"We are Mr. Cao's people. Do you know who Mr. Cao is? The government is run by Mr. Cao's family. Even if the people from the government arrest us, we will be released in three or two days. Believe it or not! Untouchables, give it to me. Be honest and give me your daughter to play with, it will be your blessing!”
Xing Laoer laughed excitedly, but as soon as he finished laughing, Wang Yangming came over in person and stabbed him in the back with a knife: "You are so bold to dare to do evil in Nanjing City!"
This Xing Laoer was killed on the spot!
With that said, Wang Yangming directly asked another Qingpi: "Who is Mr. Cao?"
"It's the third master of the Cao family. He is the son of the housekeeper of Mr. Cao's family on Dongjie." After Qingpi finished speaking, Wang Yangming ordered: "Take him down and you go catch that third master Cao!"
On other streets, other police officers also used violence to maintain law and order. Although most of the police officers were newly recruited low-level people, the police officers were dispatched from the Jinyiwei, so they were not merciless in killing people.
The police officers, who were composed of newly recruited civilians, originally hated these green-skinned scoundrels and even had a feud with these people, and they were also very active in their work.
As soon as a few green men set a house on fire, they were surrounded by police officers who came over.
"Ah! Spare my life!"
Before these green-skinned words could be finished, his head was beheaded on the spot.
At this time, Wang Yangming also arrested more than 70 so-called local snakes such as Mr. Cao and Mr. Li in half a month, and even some people in the world and some subordinate officials who secretly colluded, and they were all taken to the Everyone had their heads chopped off at the Nanjing execution ground.
When the green-skinned scoundrels saw that even with the support of the gentry and the secret help of subordinate officials, the cost of smashing, looting, and burning was still very high, they all became honest again. In less than a month, Nanjing's public security was restored!
At this time, Pan Duan, who had been recommended by Wang Yangming to serve as a criminal prosecutor in the Suzhou Prefecture Police Bureau, also established his own police force with the help of a Jin Yiwei Baihu, and on this day, he brought together more than 80 local ruffians and scoundrels. After the head of the evil gentry was chopped off, public order in Suzhou was restored!
Immediately afterwards, the security of Songjiang Mansion was restored!
Public security in Changzhou Prefecture, Chizhou Prefecture, Fengyang Prefecture, Yangzhou Prefecture and other places have also been restored one after another!
However, this is not over yet. After the restoration of public security, Wang Yangming, the governor of Southern Zhili, received the decree and ordered the police officers and soldiers in various places to suppress the bandits within a time limit, and must find out the bullies and evil gentry behind them who intend to cause trouble in the local area. They must not tolerate the hiding of traitors, and even set a The reward amount is also directly linked to political performance.
Now, these gentry are really scared!
Thank you to my book friends for the reward of 200 starting coins for Farewell and Ecstasy. This chapter cannot be separated, so I posted it together. Today is still the third update of more than 8,000 words. Why is the gentleman afraid? The answer will be revealed in the next chapter tomorrow
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(End of chapter)