Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 884 0879 [Under the emperor’s sword, all living beings are equal]

Arrest people directly?

Everyone present was shocked.

With the huge reputation of the Yimen Chen family, the normal process should not be like this. You still have to bargain when doing business, let alone splitting up a family.

The emperor should first send an imperial envoy to commend the Chen family, and then mention the matter of relocating the clan. Moreover, they have to discuss it carefully, fully listen to Chen's opinions, and finally make concessions to achieve a satisfactory result.

Yes, the Ming Dynasty was crazy about dismantling clans in the north, but can those families compare with the Chen family?
A hundred years ago, the Yimen Chen family was split into 291 parts and moved to various parts of the country to replace their land.

But the remaining 47 pieces of land, distributed in the five counties of De'an, Dehua, Jianchang, Ruichang and Xingzi, are still controlled by the Chen clan members who stayed in Jiangxi. This does not include various shops, temples, theaters, hospitals...

A piece of land is a village!
The clansmen who stayed in Jiangxi were not divided into clans, and it didn’t matter whether they were the main clan or the side clan. The highest control is the head of the clan (tribe head), followed by the heads of each house. They send people to the village to serve as village heads, and also send people to manage other movable or immovable properties.

During the Southern Tang Dynasty, there were more than 700 Chen family members in Yimen, Jiangzhou.

Fifty years later, the family's population doubled.

"No such thing, no such thing!" Chen Zongxian was so frightened that he trembled in fear.

A scholar in his twenties asked: "I, the Chen family, have surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, obeyed the law, and loved my neighbors. Why do you arrest people!"

Although there are only 3000 members of the tribe, they control tens of thousands of farmers, spread over a wide area of ​​five surrounding counties.

The rural soldiers recruited by these gentry broke out with amazing fighting power when defending their hometown.

As for the Ming Dynasty, it depends on whether it can spread its message in Jiangxi. It’s just that the Ming Dynasty will not mess around and will not rob their fields, demolish their ancestral halls, and destroy their schools!
Chen Zongxian was completely stunned. It was not until he was pushed to the ground by soldiers that he shouted in panic: "Governor Wei, we have something to discuss. Why are you doing this?"

Is it really Quan Bangyan who uses troops like a god?

Another clan elder said: "Governor Wei, Chen Dong and Chen Shaoyang of the Inspectorate are also descendants of the Chen family of our Yimen. They are all members of our own family. It is easy to talk about everything. There is no need to use force to arrest people."

Wei Liangchen's face was expressionless: "The Ministry of Punishment has no power to execute prisoners, so it must be reported to His Majesty. The major affairs of the country are military affairs and sacrifices, but you are privately offering sacrifices to the Spring and Autumn Society. With all this, you are plotting to seize the power of the emperor. Trespassing the imperial system! What else are we talking about? Are you going to ask the emperor to abdicate and ask the Chen family of Jiangzhou to ascend to the throne?"

"Setting up a private court is also a matter of serving the public and abiding by the law?" Wei Liangchen asked rhetorically.

When Quan Bangyan led troops to guard Jiujiang, Zhong Xiang fought for several years but could not defeat him.

Sixty years later, the number has increased to nearly 4000, and the family income has never been divided.

If he takes action directly, isn't Wei Liangchen afraid of causing trouble?

The scholar argued, "That's a thing of the past. I, Mrs. Chen, no longer resort to lynching."

"The Chen family of Yimen exists all over the country," Wei Liangchen said. "I came here this time on the order of the emperor to clean up the Chen family of Yimen in Jiangzhou. I have nothing to do with the other Chen families of Yimen. Take them away!"

Wei Liangchen smiled and said: "Whether he is guilty or not will be known after the trial."

No.

So the imperial court ordered the tribes to be demolished and relocated. At that time, about 3300 people were relocated, and more than 500 people remained in Jiangxi. A hundred years later, the more than 500 people who stayed behind have once again multiplied to about 3000 people!
One village after another, the land was annexed by the Chen family in Yimen, Jiangzhou, and the villagers became tenants under the control of the Chen family.

Not long after, more than two hundred scholars, including a few years old Mengtong, came from Chen's Book Hall to block the way.

Just because Quan Bangyan got the support of the Chen family!
Zhong Xiang destroyed schools, killed Confucian students, and divided fields in Hunan. All kinds of actions frightened the Chen family of Yimen. They took the initiative to find Quan Bangyan to cooperate, provided money and people to help recruit rural soldiers, and collaborated with other gentry to help.

Several old men were carried to the river to board the boat, and the rest of the tribe followed closely and kept begging.

Although Zhong Xiang's soldiers had religious bonuses, they could not capture Jiujiang City defended by Jiangxi soldiers.

"You are arresting people randomly and killing good people!" another scholar said angrily.

These scholars came forward noisily and tried to surround Wei Liangchen.

Others came with villagers, including Chen clan members and tenants under their control. He even took a hoe and a stick and planned to use force to rescue the clan leader.

Chen Zongxian was almost fainted from fright, and shouted quickly: "Go back, you guys will go home, don't do anything random!"

"Parents, please rest assured, we will not sit back and let the cruel officials take you away!" A strong man shouted.

Chen Zongxian roared angrily: "You bastard, disperse the people quickly. You are not saving me, you are harming me, you are harming the Chen family!"

Wei Liangchen shouted: "The king's flag is here, as if the emperor is here in person. Anyone who dares to block it will be regarded as treason and will be killed without mercy. Blow the trumpet and gather the troops!"

"woo woo woo woo!"

The bugle sounded.

The garrison and Cao troops staying by the river formed formation and trotted towards Wei Liangchen.

There were about three or four hundred steps left, and military whistles suddenly blew one after another.

All the soldiers slowed down and stopped, reorganizing themselves and moving forward. And the bow is strung, the sword is unsheathed, and the gun is raised straight, directly entering the state of combat.

Chen's armed forces, who were still hesitating whether to disperse, were frightened to death upon seeing this. It is true that they blocked Zhong Xiang in Jiujiang for several years, but they were fully equipped with soldiers and armor and defended the city, and they were afraid that Zhong Xiang would invade Jiangxi, burn, kill and loot. Now they only have hoes and sticks in their hands, and no city walls to rely on, and they don't have to fight. How can they dare to fight with the officers and soldiers?

The tenants retreated one after another, but did not dare to leave for fear of being punished later.

"Disperse, disperse quickly!" Chen Zongxian shouted with all his strength.

Once there is a fight with the officers and soldiers, it will be a serious crime of rebellion, and the Chen family of Jiangzhou Yimen will be finished.

When the clan leader ordered them to disperse, the tenants immediately dispersed like birds and beasts.

The young men of the Chen clan also dispersed around Wei Liangchen.

Only the scholars of the Chen family were still blocking the way. They did not believe that the officers and soldiers dared to kill the soldiers.

However, Wei Liangchen ordered: "The king's flag is here. Anyone who stops the governor from handling the case will be killed on the spot without mercy!"

The army marched on, even their shields raised.

Chen Zongxian was so anxious that he was sweating profusely and shouted in panic: "Go back to study quickly and don't block the road!"

The officers and soldiers were already more than ten steps away, and the scholars of the Chen family finally collapsed.

Because they discovered that as long as they blocked the road, those officers and soldiers would really dare to massacre the scholars.

The scholars retreated one after another, and the road became clear.

Chen Zongxian's heart dropped, and then he became limp and was dragged to the shore by two soldiers to board the ship.

About 70% of the third-level provincial and county officials in Nanchang City were brought here by Wei Liangchen. He said to the officials: "Immediately clear the fields in De'an County. If anyone dares to block it, notify the soldiers to arrest them. If anyone resists with arms, there is no need to interrogate him, he will be killed on the spot! After clearing the fields in De'an County, we will go to Ruichang." , Dehua, Xingzi and Jianchang counties.”

Jiujiang Prefecture, established by the Ming Dynasty, had seven counties in total.

Five of them are the territory of the Yimen Chen family. It's not that they occupied all the five counties, but they annexed areas one after another, and firmly controlled the countryside by linking villages one after another. It even monopolizes many industries in prefectures and cities, especially the port of Jiujiang, which makes money every day.

Wei Liangchen summoned the elders of the Chen clan who had not been arrested to hold a meeting and negotiate at the Chen clan ancestral hall.

Of course we have to talk, but we must fight first and then be polite, otherwise no one will listen to Wei Liangchen’s words!

Wei Liangchen glanced at the group of elders: "In the chaotic times of the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, only Jiangxi was stable. You have been developing steadily in Jiujiang for hundreds of years, and you seem to have forgotten the majesty of the imperial court. Under the emperor's sword, all living beings are equal, but it doesn't matter whether you are a wealthy family or a scholar . Let me introduce to you again, this command flag and this token are collectively called the Wang Ming Banner."

Two flag officers stood up, one holding the flag high and the other showing the flag.

Wei Liangchen raised his voice: "I am in Jiangxi and can mobilize troops at will. I use the king's order to kill people, which is equivalent to the emperor's order to kill. There has been a civil uprising in Ji'an Prefecture, but Jiangxi's Third Division actually concealed it and failed to report it. The emperor was already furious, and the cabinet was furious. I am already furious. If anyone dares to resist Qing Zhang Tian Mu or Tan Ding Mu, I will kill all the Chen family in Jiangzhou."

The elders of the Chen clan who were originally resentful suddenly changed their expressions when they heard these words.

Many guys hesitated to speak. They wanted to complain, but they were afraid of getting killed.

Wei Liangchen continued: "It is definitely a serious crime for the Chen family to set up a private court. If it is discovered that you have concealed the land acres when you are getting married, it will be even more serious!"

As soon as this statement came out, some people were already worried.

In the Tang and Song dynasties, the Chen family of Yimen in Jiangzhou had the privilege of being exempted from corvee. But in the Ming Dynasty and the New Dynasty, not only did they lose this privilege, but they also had to divide their land into acres and pay labor fees according to the number of acres.

How could they not hide their property?
The rural areas controlled by the Chen family cannot be flooded, and the officials who go to the countryside to farm their fields cannot use their hands freely. Some of the officials are even members of the Chen family or their minions.

Wei Liangchen is not here to kill people, he is here to solve problems.

Blindly pushing Chen to death, the land husbandry work in Jiangxi has to be postponed.

"I'll give you a chance," Wei Liangchen said with a smile. "A chance to make meritorious deeds. It depends on whether you can seize it."

Immediately, an elder from the Chen clan asked cautiously: "What does the Governor want us to do?"

Wei Liangchen said: "I want three hundred people who can write and count, and they must be young people under the age of 25. Follow me to other prefectures and counties to start farming!"

The elders of the Chen clan were stunned.

This job is hot!
Let the Chen family in Yimen, Jiangzhou, send out young people to go to other prefectures and counties to clear their land. If you are serious about clearing your father-in-law, you will definitely offend other wealthy families. If someone messes up, Chen will get more guilty than guilty.

Moreover, after the abdication was completed, the Chen family changed from the original "victim" to an accomplice of the governor's oppression of the wealthy family!
Wei Liangchen asked: "Aren't you willing to commit crimes and meritorious service? Then I can only strictly investigate the evidence of Chen's crime."

"We are willing!"

Just when Wei Liangchen stood up and left, the elders of the Chen clan shouted.

For the Chen family of Yimen, they had no choice but to offend other families.

Moreover, the Chen family of my Yi family has been married off. Why aren't your families being investigated?
Let's all be unlucky together!

(End of this chapter)