Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 883 0878 [Yimen Chen Family]

Jiangxi, Nanchang.

Wei Liangchen quickly came to Jiangxi with only a few servants and flag officials, and invited Li Bing to see him the night he arrived.

Li Bing, who sent two secret letters to escalate the matter, is already in his forties.

His hometown was in Rencheng, Shandong Province. He was first invaded by Song Jiang and then plundered by Li Cheng. When the clan members fled, they went their separate ways, leaving very little of the family's wealth. The land was also distributed to the refugees in the first year of Hongwu.

Li Bing served as an official in the small southeastern court. By the time he returned to the Ming Dynasty, it was already too late to get his land back.

In other words, although Li Bing comes from a wealthy family in Shandong, he is now barefoot and not afraid of wearing shoes. So what if I offend a wealthy family in Jiangxi? I'm already like this, come and bite me!

"How is the situation?" Wei Liangchen went straight to the point.

Li Bing introduced the situation: "When the entire Jiangxi province cleared land, it was relatively thorough, and I'm afraid less than five counties were able to do so. The remaining prefectures and counties had more or less problems. After the Sanfa Division came to investigate the case, I took the opportunity to review the various places. But the resistance was huge. Although the county officials were frightened and carried out strict inspections, it was difficult for the officials to carry out the implementation. "

"The emperor is so angry, how dare those big families make trouble?" Wei Liangchen said in surprise.

Wei Liangchen quickly opened the letter and read it. After reading it, he was overjoyed: "The Zhang family promised to cooperate with the demolition clan to relocate, and the Duke of Gan will also help persuade other big clans in the same town."

For example, when Wang Yangming was sent to Jiangxi to suppress bandits, he found that he could not command the local troops. So he submitted a petition to ask for the king's command flag, and suddenly no one dared to disobey his orders, and they could deploy troops as he said.

Li Bing had never seen it before: "What is this?"

"My qualifications are too low. I can't persuade the Chen family of Yimen, and I can't get a land from the government," Li Bing said. "Maybe if the governor is gone, they will give me some face."

"You actually have such great power." Li Bing was extremely shocked. This was impossible in the Song Dynasty.

Wei Liangchen said: "The king's order flag is specially set up for major cases in Jiangxi. It is equivalent to the troop deployment document and military talisman."

The King's Order Flag was a thing that only existed in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and appeared more frequently than the Shang Fang Sword - the Ming Dynasty was more cautious and would not give it out easily. In the Qing Dynasty, the number gradually spread, and eventually every governor had one, and the gold medals were reduced to wooden plaques painted with gold paint.

Li Bing took out another unopened letter: "This is from the Duke of Gan. He asked me to deliver it to you."

"I thought so too, so I secretly asked His Majesty to dismantle the clan," Li Bing said.

Wei Liangchen pointed to the two flag officers behind him, who held a command flag and a gold medal: "I have this in my hand, which can mobilize the Jiangxi army."

How many troops will be transferred and what they will be used for are clearly written in the document and cannot exceed the scope of the troop transfer document.

The two flag officers are both served by palace guards.

As long as Wei Liangchen is in office as governor, he can quickly deploy troops to do whatever he wants as long as it is within the scope of Jiangxi Province.

One person holds the flag and the other person holds the card, following the governor at all times, representing the emperor's personal presence.

For ordinary troop deployment, only the military symbols are useless, and there must be troop troop deployment documents stamped by the Ministry of War.

This thing is generally not given. As long as it is given, it is a big deal, indicating that a certain place is so chaotic that it is difficult to manage.

Wei Liangchen sneered: "Maybe it's just a coincidence that this happens in one township and one village. It's the same in the whole province. It's not just the big family who are doing something weird!"

The king's command flag is not only a collection of troop deployment documents and military symbols, but also has extremely high authority to freely mobilize troops.

Wei Liangchen said: "Start with the families confessed by the guilty officials. Once the charges are proven, we will immediately arrest the people, ransack their homes, break up the clans, and relocate them. Regardless of whether anyone in their family is an official, we will arrest them all and break up the clans. Arrest one in each county. If the rich clan can shock the whole county, what happens next will be easy to say!”

Li Bing said: "It's a mess. There were disputes every day when I was in charge of my land. Tian Gen (Tian Bone) and Tian Mian (Tian Skin) changed hands countless times, and most of them couldn't produce the sales contract. When the officials went to the countryside, they had to go to Zhang Tian. When working in the fields, there would be fights over the fields, and even a peasant woman would commit suicide on the spot.”

Li Bing said: "Also, too many Jiangxi officials have been involved in the case and have been under review by the Three Laws Division in the past two months. The new officials have just arrived and have no confidants available, and they are easily fooled."

Wei Liangchen said: "The king's order is like the emperor himself coming. If they don't give face to His Majesty, they should at least give some face to the army!"

The Yimen Chen family had already been demolished once by Wen Yanbo and Bao Zheng in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty.

At that time, they occupied numerous areas in Jiangzhou (Jiujiang), and even owned land across the border in other roads.

Not to mention the more than 70 states and counties that were dismantled and scattered, let’s talk about what happened before it was dismantled. In the fourth year of Qingli alone, 403 people from the Chen family in Yimen, who lived in Jiangzhou, took the imperial examination at one time!
Li Bing reminded: "The Chen family in Yimen has been relocating for hundreds of years, and the people who stayed in Jiangzhou have grown and prospered. Their farms and gardens have been restored to more than 200 places. Each farm is similar to a village, and the head of the village is headed by the Chen family. Appointed by the clan leader. If the local government wants to collect taxes, they must visit in person, otherwise they will not even be able to collect the food taxes. "

"Most of the shops in the prefecture and county markets are owned by the Chen family. There is also the Shou'an Hall, which specializes in supporting orphans and elderly people. There are also places to care for orphans and the disabled. In these charity places, people who are not surnamed Chen can live in them."

"The ancestral hall has a punishment hall. If a clan member commits a crime and is beaten to death, not only will there be no trouble, but the villagers will praise the strict family law."

"All the children of the clan, whether rich or poor, can study for free. They also opened a medical hall where clan members can go to get treatment. There is also a theater where you can watch plays every month. There is also a library, which was formerly called the Royal Library. , which contains the imperial pens of the former Song emperors."

"Buddhist temples, Taoist temples, and witch chambers. Regardless of whether they believe in Buddhism, Taoism, or witchcraft, clan members can come and go freely. Sacrifice is also managed by the family, and there is no need to trouble the government."

Wei Liangchen was dumbfounded after hearing this: "As expected of... the Chen family of Yimen!"

How can local officials control such a big family?
No wonder those who treated the gentry well, such as the Northern Song Dynasty, were so ruthless that they forcibly disbanded the Chen family of Yimen and relocated.

If it continues to develop, it will become a state within a state.

Most of the local land was occupied by the Chen family, not to mention the clan members, and the tenants were also controlled by them.

This kind of control is all-round, from eating and drinking, to birth, old age, illness and death, to reading and treatment, and even religious beliefs, everything is handled by the elders of the Chen clan. …

A few days later.

Wei Liangchen used the king's command flag to mobilize the third-level officials of the provincial and county governments in Nanchang City, and with a thousand garrison troops and 500 cavalry troops, they sailed to De'an County in a hurry.

The land controlled by the Chen family in Yimen has spread all over the counties of Jiujiang Prefecture, but the family headquarters still remains in De'an.

As soon as the fleet turned into the river at Pengli Lake (Poyang Lake), the Chen family of Yimen had already received the news, and the clan leader Chen Zongxian urgently held a meeting of clan elders.

"The big tree attracts the wind," Chen Zongxian sighed, "The governor is almost at the border of De'an County. It seems that our Yimen Chen family is going to be split up again."

A clan elder said angrily: "If we move elsewhere, we can accept it. But this time we are going to Hunan, which is a wasteland, and there are not many tenants there. How can this be relocating the clan? It is clearly an exile of the whole clan!" "

"That's right," another clan elder said, "Both the Tang and Song dynasties, our Yi clan, the Chen family, could be exempted from the corvee and receive grain loans. However, in the Ming Dynasty, we had to divide the land into acres. The labor money became the mortgage. As for the collection of mu, shouldn’t most of the Jiujiang Prefecture’s labor money be paid by me, the Chen family?”

Another clan elder said: "Jiangzhou, which is so good, must be renamed Jiujiang Prefecture. The former county magistrate also asked us to demolish the torture hall, saying that we should not indiscriminately set up lynchings. My Chen family has a strict family tradition. Disciplining the clan members will hinder his government. thing?"

Another clan elder said: "Chen Dong, the censor of Zuodu, is the descendant of the Chen family of our Yimen who moved out. Why doesn't he speak for his family? At least he should give some advice to the emperor!"

Every word you say and every word I say are all complaints.

Chen Zongxian talked about dismantling the clan again, but the clan elders were unwilling to move.

They wanted to bargain with the court. They could dismantle the tribes and move, but they couldn't go to Hunan. Even if we go to Hunan, we have to stay close to the city and not let them go to cultivate wasteland. Moreover, just like the dismantling of clans in the previous Song Dynasty, the land taken away by the government in the hometown must be replaced at the same price in the new place.

After making a fuss, the clan elders dispersed.

The patriarch Chen Zongxian was sitting in the hall with a sad face. The government could not control the Chen family of Yimen, and he could not control the elders of the clan. Many of them are his elders!

Another day later, Wei Liangchen came with his troops.

Chen Zongxian took the clan elders to greet them, and they were a little worried when they saw the army.

But it's just a worry. The Chen family in Yimen is extremely famous. Does the governor really dare to use force?
"Old Chen Zongxian pays homage to Governor Wei." Chen Zongxian led the salute.

Wei Liangchen returned the courtesy with a smile: "I have admired the name of the Chen family of Yimen for a long time, and I came here to visit you today."

Visiting with soldiers?

The two exchanged a few words, and Wei Liangchen said, "I heard that the Chen family has a royal library?"

Chen Zongxian said quickly: "It has been changed to Wanjuan Tower."

Wei Liangchen asked again: "Are there many imperial books from the former Song emperor enshrined in the building?"

Chen Zongxian said: "It is just a collection, not an enshrinement."

The imperial edicts written by the previous emperor were found in many wealthy families, so this was not a sin.

When Wei Liangchen mentioned this matter, he was just trying to intimidate him and increase his verbal momentum bit by bit.

Wei Liangchen continued to ask: "The government should have taken part in the sacrifices of the Spring and Autumn Society. Why did the Chen family of Yimen do it for them? Is it because they were afraid that the government could not afford the sacrifices?"

Chen Zongxian explained: "Successive county magistrates have entrusted Chen to handle matters on their behalf. It was inappropriate to think about it, and I will never do it again in the future."

"Can I take a tour here?" Wei Liangchen asked.

Chen Zongxian said: "Governor Wei is a guest. Not to mention visiting, I can just stay here for a year."

As a result, Wei Liangchen, accompanied by a group of clan elders, led hundreds of followers around.

After walking for a while, the clerk next to him came up and whispered a few words to Wei Liangchen.

After Wei Liangchen heard this, he broke into a building directly, walked through the hall and pointed inside and said, "Is this the Punishment Hall?"

Chen Zongxian said: "The former magistrate Liang said that this was inappropriate, and I, Chen, no longer resort to lynching."

"Why hasn't the plaque been changed?" Wei Liangchen pointed to the plaque with the words "Xingzhantang" engraved on it.

Chen Zongxian said: "Before it was too late, the old man had to be removed immediately."

Wei Liangchen turned around and spread out his hands, and the attendant took out a copy of "Da Ming Law". He took the "Da Ming Law" with both hands and asked Chen Zongxian: "Do you know what the crime of setting up a private court is?"

Chen Zongxian finally panicked: "I just discipline the lawless members of the clan to correct the family tradition. This is no longer the case."

Wei Liangchen sneered: "Even the county magistrate cannot judge the crime and must hand it over to the court of law. If the court sentenced him to a heavy sentence, he would have to report it to the Ministry of Justice for review. If the case is reviewed by the court, it would be reported to the Ministry of Punishment for review. You dealt with it directly here, which is more powerful than the Justice Department. Is it possible that the Criminal Department has set up a branch in the Chen family? "

"Don't dare, never dare!" Chen Zongxian's vest was sweating, and his hat was too big.

"I heard that people were killed in this torture hall," Wei Liangchen suddenly turned around and said to the soldiers behind him, "The Chen family of Yimen set up a private court, despised the court and committed murder, so they immediately demolished this torture hall. The Chen family chief and the elders who manage the Xingzhantang were all taken to Nanchang and handed over to the Three Laws Division for trial!"

(End of this chapter)