Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 202

He had always heard that Wang Yue was fierce, beheading officials was like chopping melons and vegetables, and he even created a glorious record of beheading hundreds of officials in one day in Yangzhou City.

I chose to kill Qiu Jing, the magistrate of Anlu Prefecture, to open up the situation of Qingzhang Tianmu in Anlu Prefecture. In fact, I wanted to imitate Wang Yue's ruthlessness.

But now it seems that no matter whether he ruthlessly killed Anlu Zhizhou or Wang Yue beheaded hundreds of officials in Yangzhou in a day, it seems that they are not as decisive as this ruthless man in front of him.

The commander of An Luwei who is the third rank, and Sun Long has a backer in the court, but Wang Zhi directly killed the opponent just because he was unwilling to cooperate. This is the real No. [-] ruthless person in Ming Dynasty.

The ground was stained red with blood, but Wang Zhi seemed to have just crushed an ant to death, so he ordered his subordinates lightly: "Sun Long is dead, call the fellow of An Luwei to the miscellaneous family!"

Li Hui, an acquaintance of An Luwei, was called over, and when he saw Sun Long's body on the ground, he even peed in fright.

Fortunately, this fellow confidant was not as arrogant as Sun Long. Under Wang Zhi's oppression, he was immediately ordered to run an errand, calling all the Anlu guards sent to Xishan to catch Jinfeng, and counting the personnel and the wounded.

Although more than 200 people were killed or injured in the Shenji Battalion led by Wang Zhi during the ambush, the masked man's casualties were not small, especially the suspected Anlu Qianhu was shot and killed.

This is exactly the case, as long as the personnel and casualties of Anluwei are carefully checked, the truth will come out immediately.

Beijing, a capital city shrouded in dark clouds.

According to the disposition of local officials, their memorial to impeach Wang Zhi for rebellion is probably a shameful act of local interest groups to slander Wang Zhi. After all, both Wang Yue and Liu Zhong have experienced similar experiences.

Li Yu, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and others also guessed like this at first. Although Wang Zhi did not show affection, he was indeed the most ruthless person in Ming Dynasty, but he was loyal to Daming.

"Wang Zhi beheaded Sun Long, Commander of An Luwei for no reason!"

"Wang Zhi tortured more than [-] households in Anluwei to extract confessions!"

"Wang Zhi ignored the dissuasion of Liu Zhong, governor of Huguang, and imprisoned Liu Zhong!"

"Wang Zhi ordered the four gates of Anlu City to be closed, and now there are signs of self-reliance!"

……

The development of the situation was beyond everyone's expectations. After Wang Zhi beheaded Sun Long, the commander of the Anlu State Guard for no reason, he actually took a large number of Anlu State Guard generals into custody.

If the above two items are barely within the scope of his authority, Wang Zhi imprisoned Liu Zhong, the dignified Governor of Huguang, and even seized control of Anluzhou City. This is indeed a step on the line.

Just judging from Liu Zhong's strong reaction, I'm afraid he didn't really want to rebel, but that he didn't find the criminal evidence he expected in Anluwei.

"Even if Wang Zhi has no intention of rebellion, he is clearly obsessed with favor!"

"Beheading the commander of the guards, putting the governor of Huguang under house arrest, and taking the city to rule, this is a rebellion!"

"Your Majesty, please immediately issue an order to the governor of Huguang to put down this thief, and the city of Daming must not fall into the hands of rebels!"

……

As the matter spread, when they learned that Wang Zhi had committed such an evil deed, officials headed by Liu Jian, the left servant of the Ministry of Rites, went to petition.

For a moment, Wang Zhi was pushed to the forefront and became a street mouse that everyone shouted and beaten.

On the eighth day of the seventh lunar month, Fengtianmen was in the early court.

Because Wang Zhi had indeed made a mistake, the Qingliu officials headed by Liu Jian, the left servant of the Ministry of Rites, couldn't hold back anymore, but wanted to give Wang Zhi a fatal blow in this court meeting.

Ordinarily, if Wang Zhi can behave in a well-behaved manner this time, they really have nothing to do with Wang Zhi.It's just that now this ruthless person actually did such a rebellious thing against the court, which is simply seeking his own death.

Whether it was for a new enmity or an old grievance from the past, they all had a reason to throw stones at Wang Zhi and smash the dead eunuch to death in the well.

"Today's morning court may not be peaceful again!"

When Li Yu, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and other senior officials came to the Meridian Gate, they clearly felt that Liu Jian and other Qingliu officials were gearing up, but this time they really couldn't protect Wang Zhi.

After all, Wang Zhi's actions are already stepping on the line, and they even want to persuade His Majesty to deal with Wang Zhi.

"It's morning!"

With the sound of drums from the Meridian Gate Tower, an eunuch shouted to the civil and military officials waiting outside.

Since there are only three early courts in a month, and there is a strict attendance system, more than 1000 civil and military officials are all present.

After finishing makeup in front of Jinshui Bridge, they lined up to Fengtianmen Square.

It was already bright in the east, and when they waited for Zhu Youtang's arrival, they found that only Guo Yong, who had been promoted to the eunuch in charge of ceremonies, appeared here.

Facing the puzzled eyes of the officials, Guo Yong said loudly to everyone: "Your Majesty has gone to Fengxian Hall today!"

what?
Liu Jian, the left servant of the Ministry of Rites, and other officials couldn't help being dumbfounded when they heard this, but they didn't understand that Zhu Youtang didn't come to preside over the early court, but ran to Fengxian Hall for no reason.

Without waiting for everyone to ask why, Guo Yong continued: "His Majesty said: Last night, I couldn't sleep, thinking that Huguang is not the Huguang that was transformed by the Ming Dynasty, so today I sacrifice to my ancestors to accuse myself of the crime of losing Huguang. All the ministers will prosecute themselves Pass!"

This……

The eyes of Liu Jian, the left servant of the Ministry of Rites, and other officials couldn't help staring, but they didn't expect Zhu Youtang to come up with such a move, making their prepared attack disappear invisibly.

If what Zhu Youtang said is true, if Daming really loses the right to govern Huguang, compared with Wang Zhi's matter, Wang Zhi's matter is nothing worth mentioning.

"That's right! Things have their own priorities, and the imperial envoy was attacked, so why not let it go?"

"If Liu Zhong's attack is counted, this is the second time Huguang's imperial envoy has been attacked!"

"In the more than one hundred years since the Kingdom Dynasty, there has never been such a rampant place. The matter of Huguang should be investigated!"

"Wang Zhi's crimes need to be discussed, but now is the time to discuss Wang Zhi's crimes. The rebellious party who assassinated the imperial envoys should be punished!"

……

Li Yu, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and other officials immediately understood Zhu Youtang's intentions, and also understood that His Majesty's handling of affairs has more rules, so they expressed their opinions one after another.

Forbidden City, Fengtian Temple.

Here are the spirit tablets of the emperors of all dynasties. Of course, it is impossible for Emperor Jianwen and Emperor Jingtai to appear, so there are only six emperors' spirit cards, and the latest spirit card is naturally Xianzong.

Zhu Youtang came here to burn a stick of incense. Although he knew that the emperor had actually turned into a piece of mud after his death, he still maintained a respectful attitude.

In fact, he knows that Wang Zhi has certain personality flaws, and he is not as calculating as Wang Yue. He is often prone to impulsive actions, and often does things regardless of the consequences.

It's just that he also saw the shining points in Wang Zhi's body, he has an attachment that ordinary people don't have, and he has enough ruthlessness towards the enemy, so his heart is still towards Wang Zhi.

This group of civil servants only saw Wang Zhi go berserk, and only knew to hold on to Wang Zhi's fault, but they seemed to have forgotten that the Nanjing Shenji Battalion lost more than [-] Shenji guards, and the dignified imperial envoy almost died.

Even if Wang Zhi was to be held accountable, the gang that had assassinated the imperial envoy and beheaded more than [-] Shenji Guards had to be found out first, which would be an even worse thing.

Now those gang of Qingliu only want to hold on to Wang Zhi's fault. It can only be said that this gang still wants to play the game of fighting against dissidents, and they don't care whether the court will lose local control.

Of course, those hypocrites actually wished for this. They all wished that their family members or themselves could become local emperors.

"Your Majesty!" Guo Yong greeted him, looking respectful and authentic.

Seeing Guo Yong who had returned, Zhu Youtang asked calmly, "What do those people say?"

"Their tone has all changed. They no longer mention Wang Zhi. They only say to investigate the guards in Huguang to find out which guards are short of soldiers!" Guo Yong secretly admired the shrewd emperor in front of him, and even Report the latest situation.

Zhu Youtang saw that these courtiers could still understand his painstaking efforts, so he nodded lightly and said: "Immediately order Huguang to conduct a self-examination, and we must use the wounded and missing members to find out the murderous gang!"

Although the Nanjing Shenji Battalion was not as diligent in training as the Shendun Battalion, Wang Zhi selected a lot of elite soldiers from various guards in Southern Zhili to fill the Shenji Battalion, so the combat power must not be too bad.

The reason why so many casualties are now caused, although a large reason is that they underestimated the enemy and were attacked by surprise, but judging from the battle situation reported by Wang Zhi, it is definitely the work of a well-trained and cooperative local army.

Although it is not the most suspected Anlu guard, it must be the troops of the surrounding guards that have such conditions, and the truth can be found out only through verification.

A few days later, Huguang received intelligence feedback from each guard.

Although there was a lack of personnel in the guards of Huguang, especially the Huangzhou Guard, the commander of the Huangzhou Guard only admitted that he had been paid, and they had no casualties.

There is also a dark line in the incident, that is, their Qianhu has been killed in battle, but the reports from the guards show that both Qianhu and the deputy Qianhu are fully employed.

From various indications, the attack on the Shenji Camp led by Wang Zhi was probably not done by the army of the guard, but by a group of bandits of unknown origin.

"Wang Zhi will now discuss his crime!"

"The guards of the Ming Dynasty have strict discipline, so how can they commit the crime of assassinating an imperial envoy?"

"The old man looked at Wang Zhi because he was afraid that he would be suspected of being incompetent in commanding the army, so he made up things and made up the fiction that he almost died!"

……

For a while, the voice of dealing with Wang Zhi in the capital rose again, and even suspected that Wang Zhi had only encountered a group of bandits, and everything was exaggerated by Wang Zhi in order to clear his crimes.

The weather in July is changeable. It was a sunny day just now, and it was cloudy in a blink of an eye.

Xiyuan, Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Zhu Youtang looked at the memorandum sent by the Kodao speaker, but couldn't help but frowned slightly.

In fact, he has always believed in Wang Zhi, but he couldn't help but waver when faced with the investigation results submitted by Huguang to the various guards.

After all, thousands of rivers and mountains are separated, and there is no video data in this era, and many things can only be deduced by oneself, so it is impossible to determine whether Wang Zhi is exaggerating.

The most important thing is that the attack on Huguang Governor Liu Zhong was to prevent the imperial court from clearing Zhang Tianmu, but the interception and killing of Wang Zhi this time is a bit unreasonable.

Just when secretly had a headache, Wang Xiang suddenly came to see him.

Wang Xiang did not come alone, this time he even brought an old friend of Jin Yiwei.

"Your Majesty, Mou Bin, a hundred households in brocade clothes, begs to see you!" Mou Bin bowed his head and walked in following Wang Xiang, but knelt down respectfully.

Although Mou Bin was exiled from the capital for a time, he was able to return to the capital due to his meritorious service in intercepting the Annan mission last time.

Seeing that it was Mou Bin, Zhu Youtang cast a questioning look at Wang Xiang.

"Your Majesty, Mou Baihu said that he could relieve His Majesty's worries. I thought what he said was very reasonable, so I recommended him here! I have no intention of forming a party, and I can only wholeheartedly relieve Your Majesty's worries!" Wang Xiang knew that Zhu Moubin contradicted him in the past. Zhu You was demoted because of this, and immediately explained seriously.

Although Zhu Youtang didn't like this Mou Bin, who was imprinted too much by the civil official group, he also had a certain tolerance, so he said lightly: "I have always been right and wrong, although I don't want to demote you In Hebei, but if you don’t have a real job, how can you hold an important position in Jinyiwei? If you want to hold an important position, it’s useless to hug Zhu Ji’s thigh, and it’s also useless to hug Wang Xiang’s thigh. Rely on it!"

"I will keep in mind His Majesty's instruction, and I will definitely serve His Majesty in a down-to-earth manner! This time, I only planned to offer advice on Wang Qian's affairs, but Wang Qian brought me to face the saint. I don't want His Majesty's reward, I just want to be your majesty. Relief of worries, that's all!" After being abandoned by Zhu Ji, Mou Bin saw through the cruelty of the officialdom, and seemed to speak sincerely.

Of course, he also has his own ambitions, but he no longer relies on anyone, but relies on his own efforts to walk the long palace road.

To come before this wise emperor dignifiedly has become his greatest pursuit in this life, and he believes that one day he will be able to achieve it.

Zhu Youtang knew that Wang Xiang was actually a kind person who didn't like to steal credit, so he said indifferently: "Tell me, what worries do you want to relieve me?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I want to relieve Your Majesty of Huguang's worries!" Mou Bin seemed to speak surprisingly authentically.

Huh?
When Liu Jin, who was delivering sour plum soup to Zhu Youtang, heard this, he couldn't help looking at Mu Bin who was kneeling in surprise. This was something that all the court officials were helpless.

For the Huguang matter, His Majesty also specially convened a supreme meeting, but he still couldn't find a clue about the group of people who attacked the imperial envoy.

Zhu Youtang took a deep look at Mou Bin who was kneeling, then picked up the sour plum soup on the table and asked, "You already know the origin of that group of people?"

"Weichen didn't know, but I guessed that the group of people didn't come from Huguang!" Mou Bin shook his head lightly, looking very sure.

Zhu Youtang didn't really believe that this person could guess the origin of that group of people, but he still said calmly: "If it's not in Huguang, where is it?"

"Sichuan Zhongzhou!" Mou Bin said immediately.

"You mean that people from Sichuan Zhongzhouwei went to Huguang Anlu, the leading province, to intercept and kill Wang Zhi. How is this possible?" Liu Jin expressed doubts when he heard this answer.

Zhu Youtang was about to put the sour plum soup into his mouth, but suddenly stopped, a light flashed in his mind, and the fog that had been bothering him suddenly dissipated.

(End of this chapter)