I have a cornucopia

Chapter 301 Heretics, You Heretics

The young and vigorous King Yang soon received news that the Grand Master of the Confucian Knights, Duke Yansheng Kong Yanzhi, was personally leading reinforcements to Zhejiang to suppress the rebellion.

And it is under the banner of Confucius.

The reason was to follow Confucius' example and execute Shao Zhengmao.

Duke Yansheng believed that the scholars in Zhejiang Province had distorted the classics of the sages, used Confucianism as the source of chaos, and destroyed the teachings of the sages as words without a monarch or father. Their sins were so serious that they were comparable to Shao Zhengmao. Therefore, as Duke Yansheng and the Grand Master of the Confucius and Mencius Knights, he was punished by the contemporary saint...

The Knights of Confucius and Mencius!

It is not just to protect the Confucius Temple.

The Confucius Temple on earth must be protected, and the Confucius Temple in our minds must also be protected.

Foreign enemies who dare to desecrate the Confucius Temple will be killed, and heretics who dare to desecrate the thoughts of sages will also be killed.

Therefore, this was not only about suppressing rebellion, but also about clearing the way for Confucianism in his capacity as Duke Yansheng.

In order to demonstrate legitimacy, several great Confucian scholars from Shandong Province jointly criticized the Zhejiang School, especially the new ideas of Huang Zongxi and others. However, in the end, it was definitely signed by the Duke of Yansheng, as a criticism or judgment made by the Duke of Yansheng himself. In fact, there is nothing wrong with these criticisms. After all, the thoughts of these new scholars in Zhejiang are already very serious, even by Confucian standards, they are indeed problematic, but they are just covered up with the skin of Xinxue.

Everyone knows this.

As an open source system, Xinxue is originally a basket.

Li Zhi, He Xinyin and other people who spread rumors to confuse the public all claimed that they were scholars of the School of Mind.

Academic criticism is also normal.

In fact, there are many schools of Confucianism in various places, and each major academy also has its own set of ideas. It is normal to criticize others' academic ideas. Liu Zongzhou himself was often criticized by other great Confucian scholars.

It's just academic criticism, and the Ming Dynasty will not punish people for their words.

Even when Wei Zhongxian closed down the Donglin Academy, he did not say that all the students should be beheaded.

But now you have raised your criticism to the level of physics, which is a bit shocking.

It can be said that the whole country was shocked!

Of course, all kinds of rumors about the Yanshenggong family also sprouted like weeds in spring.

What? Duke Yansheng is actually a bastard!

What do you mean everyone kneels to Yanshenggong?

Even some of the personal moral problems of Yan Shenggong, such as bullying men and women, and poisoning the people...

In short, all kinds of rumors that defamed Duke Yansheng appeared in various places, and quickly turned into sensational novels that were openly sold. The Duke Yansheng was quickly labeled as the greatest traitor in history. It must be said that this incident was a great stimulus to the gentry in Jiangnan. It’s not that they couldn’t tolerate the Shandong gentry coming to rob money. This was a fact. Tolerance or not couldn’t change the fact that they had already done it. The key point is that they don’t care about their face anymore. Before, it was just about interests, but now they are ready to excommunicate. Duke Yansheng is using the banner of Confucius to attack the Zhejiang gentry...

Did Confucius execute Shao Zhengmao?
Did Duke Yansheng excommunicate the Confucian scholars in Zhejiang on behalf of Confucius?

Are you all so shameless now?
You want to control the right to interpret the scriptures. In the future, you Shandong gentry will have the right to interpret Confucian scriptures. Then, as long as you use the name of Confucius, you can directly label other schools of thought that you don't like as heretics, and exclude these scholars from the imperial examinations, allowing you to dominate the imperial examinations in the future?

The war isn't even over yet, and you're already thinking about controlling the future imperial court?

So shameless.

Now that Duke Yansheng can label the Zhejiang School as heresy and even physically eliminate it under the banner of Confucius, can it become a routine that Duke Yansheng and the Knights of Confucius and Mencius are the religious inquisition of the Ming Dynasty? If any school poses a threat to your Shandong imperial examination, they will be labeled as heresy and kicked out of the imperial examination hall, and even the Knights of Confucius and Mencius will be dispatched to physically eliminate it? Who can compete with you in the imperial examination in the future? Are you so shameless that you rely on Yang Feng's support? In connection with the massacre of gentry by the Knights of Confucius and Mencius in Zhejiang, it can be confirmed that this is the Shandong gentry group, which is systematically cleaning up potential future competitors.

And it’s not just about cleaning.

They even wanted to use this opportunity to control the right to interpret Confucian scriptures, or to control the imperial examinations of the future court.

Of course, controlling the imperial examination is equivalent to controlling the future imperial court.

This is eating alone!
This will incur public outrage!

Immediately afterwards, the Jiangxi Elders' Council wrote to the Empress, citing the continuous military troubles in the south of the Yangtze River and asking Her Majesty to intervene, ordering the Jingnan Army to withdraw from Zhejiang, and listing all the evil deeds committed by the Jingnan Army in eastern Zhejiang. At the same time, the Jiangxi militia entered Zhejiang under the pretext that Jinhua and other prefectures had invited the people to settle down, and acted as if they could attack the Jingnan Army at any time.

Then there is Fujian.

The Fujian militia also used the excuse of being invited to pacify the people to leave Xianxia Pass and enter Zhejiang.

Then there is Guangdong.

The Guangdong Elders Association recalled Zhang Jiayu's troops.

Of course, whether the latter can go back is another matter.

However, Zhang Jiayu and others did have conflicts with Li Zhifang and others many times because of the wanton killings by the Confucian Knights. In the final analysis, everyone is a smart person. Jingnan is Jingnan, and you cannot use Jingnan as an excuse to do your own thing.

Even if you do, you can't be so cruel and indiscriminately slaughter the gentry. This is not a pacification, it is clearly aimed at destroying the cultural heritage. If you can do this to the gentry in Zhejiang, you can naturally do this to the gentry in other places. The death of the rabbit makes the fox mourn. After all, Zhang Jiayu and others are also gentry and aristocratic families. Seeing the aristocratic families in eastern Zhejiang being destroyed one by one, they also feel the same. There is nothing wrong with everyone competing for interests. It is normal for the tide to rise and fall. You can't do this kind of cleansing to the same gentry. Gentry does not kill gentry. Even if a civilized society goes to war, it cannot kill the upper class of the enemy country. After all, everyone fights for better rule. If you directly attack the upper class, won't it be the advantage for others in the end?

The gentry are killing each other like this, and in the end it is the unruly people who are happy.

Although Zhang Jiayu and others could not change anything, they had indeed long since stopped supporting the Knights of Confucius and Mencius, and even secretly protected many gentry who escaped. Zhang Jiayu even submitted memorials to impeach the Knights of Confucius and Mencius many times.

royal palace.

"This……"

Her Majesty the Queen lay in King Yang's arms, looking up at him with inquiring eyes.

"What are you looking at? This was not my order. I have stopped caring about their business for a long time. This time it was done intentionally by the Shandong Tongshan Society. If I am not mistaken, they actually want to trick Kong Yanzhi. Of course, killing as many Zhejiang Confucian scholars as possible is indeed one of the goals, but forcing Kong Yanzhi to lead the army in person is indeed a trick by those old foxes of the Shandong Tongshan Society."

King Yang said frankly while hugging Her Majesty the Queen.

Of course, the two are actually very frank about their current state.

Her Majesty the Queen shook her head blankly, indicating that she did not understand.

“It’s simple, those old guys want to withdraw.

It is obvious that Hangzhou cannot be opened now, and even if it is opened, it will cost a huge cost.

The old guys didn't want to go too far. Besides, they had already made a lot of money and were satisfied. They wanted to stop while they were ahead. But the problem was that they were them. Li Zhifang and the other youngsters had never thought of retreating. If they dared to say they would withdraw at this time, the youngsters would dare to let them die of illness. In recent years, there have been serious conflicts between the old guys of the Tongshan Society and the youngsters. After raising Gu for so many years, the youngsters became uncontrollable. Now these guys are all ready to go. If the old guys dare to say they will withdraw, they will really explode. So for the old guys, since they can't stop the car anymore, they might as well step on the accelerator to the bottom!

But when the accelerator is stepped on to the bottom, someone is needed to attract hatred. After all, this is going to become an irreconcilable relationship, and there will eventually have to be someone who is hated by the Zhejiang gentry standing in the front.

Who else could it be?
Of course it has to be Yanshenggong!"

King Yang said gloatingly as he did some happy little work.

This is really what the old guys in the Shandong Tongshan Association did. They knew they couldn't stop the car, so they could only step on the accelerator to the bottom.

In recent years, the conflicts between the old guys of the Shandong Tongshan Society and the young members of the Knights of Confucius and Mencius have become almost uncontrollable. The former are satisfied with their vested interests and do not want to take bigger steps to go out and plunder their support, but they know when to stop and go back as soon as they have made a profit, and cannot go to the extreme.

After all, we will have to serve as subjects in the same palace in the future.

But the Confucian and Mencian knights led by Li Zhifang didn't care about all this. What they wanted was to eliminate the trouble once and for all.

As for the future... Zhang Hongfan, the one who destroyed the Song Dynasty, did not delay in joining the Jiangnan noble families in paying homage to him.

Even the latter was more respectful.

The old guys didn't dare to anger the youngsters, fearing that their own nephews would announce their death one day. In that case, they could only step on the accelerator to the bottom. But there had to be someone to draw hatred and take the blame for this kind of thing. Yang Feng had already left, so the only one left was Duke Yansheng. Let everyone hate Duke Yansheng from now on.

"What if we offend the public and the various regions really send troops to besiege the Jingnan Army? What if the Jingnan Army is defeated in Zhejiang?"

The Queen said.

"How to do?"

Yang Feng smiled.

Then he pinched Her Majesty's face.

"You don't think those old guys in the Shandong Tongshan Society really care about the death of a few nephews or nephews, do you?"

He said.

The Queen still didn't quite understand.

"No matter what the outcome of this struggle is, those old guys have already gotten what they wanted. Tens of millions of taels of gold and silver have been shipped back to Shandong. The important imperial examination town of East Zhejiang has suffered heavy losses and has been seriously damaged. As for those Confucian Knights, even if they all died in East Zhejiang, the Shandong Tongshan Society would not feel sorry for them. They were originally a group of people who were becoming more and more disobedient. Even if they were their own sons and nephews, they were all rebellious sons. Let them die! Which of these old guys doesn't have many children and grandchildren, and there is no shortage of heirs. It's even better if they die, so that they won't become more and more disobedient in Shandong and even often threaten these old guys, who are always dissatisfied with their decisions.

You have to understand that these are old foxes who have been involved in intrigues in the court for their entire lives. Anyone who is out of their control can be cleaned out, even if they are their own sons or nephews.

They are also afraid of being chopped into pieces by the old thief!"

Yang Feng said.

“What a mess!”

Her Majesty turned over as she spoke...

At this time in Ningbo, Lord Yan Sheng was like a walking corpse, being carried onto the dock by two Confucian and Mencian knights.

"Duke Yansheng, what is this?"

Li Zhifang, who came to greet him, looked at Duke Yansheng, whose legs were obviously weak.

"The sea is rough and I feel a little seasick."

Liu Hui, the Confucian and Mencius knight from Wendeng who was holding Duke Yansheng, said with a smile.

He was a new recruit. Originally, his cousin Liu Su was a Confucian Knight, but he was killed in Zhejiang a few days ago. As a local tyrant, the Wendeng Liu family also had to have a Confucian Knight, so after the family meeting, he replaced Liu Su. Now the replacement of the Confucian Knights has been basically fixed, that is, the replacements within the major families...

Yang Feng deliberately ignored it.

And as long as he doesn't care, then this is inevitable.

In the final analysis, the Confucian Knights are now the representatives of the local powerful families behind them. If you are not from these powerful families, you will not be recommended. The admission of the Confucian Knights is a recommendation system. Although fame is the minimum standard, it is impossible to join without the recommendation of the local village association. The local village association is definitely controlled by these powerful families. You recommend my family, I recommend your family, and finally we all pass unanimously. If it continues to develop, it will definitely gradually move towards hereditary succession and the nine-rank system. In fact, the goal of those elders and village sages is to gradually advance to the aristocratic family.

Of course, Yang Feng would not let them go to that step.

These people are almost used up.

When it is no longer useful one day, it can be put to an end.

"I see. It's really hard to endure this boat trip. Lord Yansheng, please get in the car. Let's go to the Confucian Temple first."

Li Zhifang said with a smile.

Duke Yansheng sighed sadly, and with the help of Liu Hui, he walked towards his carriage...

"boom!"

Suddenly a gunshot rang out.

Duke Yansheng reacted extremely quickly and fell headfirst the moment the gunshot went off.

Liu Hui, who was originally supporting him, was immediately exposed, blood spurting from his face as bullets whizzed by, and he fell down with a look of frozen astonishment. It must be said that he still lacked training, as his cousin Liu Su was hit by a shell during a serious charge and only had his two legs left.

"There are assassins!"

Li Zhifang, who also reacted very quickly, hid among the entourage in an instant.

As he shouted, the guards and followers rushed forward, and with the screams of the crowd, they pinned down the assassin in one fell swoop. The latter was still struggling, and at the same time looked at Yanshenggong with hatred...

"You barbarian, what grudge do we Zhejiang people have against you? Why do you want to destroy our cultural heritage?"

He roared angrily.

Duke Yansheng was awkwardly helped up by Li Zhifang.

"Don't worry, Lord Yansheng. This crazy boy is a local. I spared him because the King of Qi knew him. I didn't expect him to be so crazy and dare to assassinate Lord Yansheng. I will have him beheaded in public."

Li Zhifang said quickly.

"Since he is an old acquaintance of the King of Qi, you should send him to the capital."

Duke Yansheng said tremblingly.

"Well, this thief dared to insult the ancestors of Duke Yansheng, why don't you behead him and show it to the public?"

Li Zhifang said.

"It's just a rumor, don't take it seriously."

Duke Yansheng quickly waved his hand.

He was a smart man, of course he knew the purpose of the Tongshan Society forcing him to go south. He was already being used to attract hatred, so he should not be stupid. He should try to save the situation as much as possible. The rumor about him had already spread a long time ago. If he was beheaded for this, wouldn't it be further proof that Duke Yansheng was angry and wanted to kill people to silence them?
Isn't it just getting scolded?

He doesn't care about being scolded!
He has been scolded a lot over the years.

however……

"boom!"

The Confucius-Mencius knight next to him shot the crazy guy decisively.

"You dare to insult the ancestors of Duke Yansheng? You deserve to die!"

The knight Confucius and Mencius said angrily.

Duke Yansheng sighed sadly and looked at the sky helplessly...

(End of this chapter)