Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 187 Crying in the Temple?!
On the ninth day of August, the summer heat has been driven away by the late arrival of autumn, and there are many golden leaves in the mountains and forests of Liaodong.

The Ming Dynasty fought several battles with the Qing Dynasty on the Guanningjin line in Liaodong, but they were all exploratory confrontations and neither side had any intention of fighting to the death.

Shengjing, Qing Dynasty

Dorgon held a coronation ceremony, but the joyful atmosphere of the ceremony did not last long. Instead, it was soon replaced by a solemn atmosphere.

Because the "Tianyou Army" led by Kong Youde attacked Pi Island, a fierce battle broke out with the Korean army defending the city.

Finally, with the help of Die, Pi Island was captured.

Dorgon frowned angrily, "Pi Island can be occupied by Korea, but it cannot be occupied by Ming Dynasty and Kong Youde."

The angry voice was like thunder, spreading far away.

"Duduo, integrate the troops. I don't want to hear this name again."

"I obey your order!" Prince Yu Duoduo clasped his fists and accepted the order.

A very important reason why Dorgon was able to ascend to the throne was Dodo’s support.

Even during the reign of Huang Taiji, the three brothers Ajige, Dorgon and Dodo were a powerful force in the Qing Dynasty.

But Jige was old and unruly, and had an average relationship with his brothers. On the contrary, he had a close relationship with the two younger brothers, Dorgon and Dodo, and they were allies on the same front.

This is even more true today. Dorgon has ascended the throne and is in charge of government and military affairs, while Duoduo is in charge of wars outside. The two of them, one civil and one military, ensure the unity of the Qing Dynasty's political orders.

In later generations, Emperor Qianlong once commented that among the founding kings, Prince Yu Duoduo had the most outstanding military achievements.

This is not an empty statement. Li Zicheng's main force and the elite troops of the Southern Ming were all wiped out by Duoduo.

Duoduo stood firmly on Dorgon's side from beginning to end and supported his brother.

He had a large number of soldiers and horses under his command, was powerful, and was loyal to his brother. Now, with Dorgon's enthronement as emperor, he quickly became the second most important figure in the Qing Dynasty.

Of course, in addition to Doduo, Dorgon also supported more than 30 people including Tan Tai, Ganglin, Gong Daia and others as his confidants.

Help yourself to take charge of the other eight banners.

At this time, Pi Island had just recovered from the war.

In less than a year, after two major wars, not to mention the personnel, even half of the city wall collapsed. As a firearms battalion, the "Tianyou Army" relied on the power of gunpowder to rush into the city and defeat the Korean soldiers.

Kong Youde looked at the chaotic Pi Island and the soldiers in groups of two or three, and couldn't help shaking his head, "We won this battle, but we are completely tied here."

Having rebelled against the Ming Dynasty and now against the Qing Dynasty, there is no going back to either side.

Moreover, they had just fought a war with North Korea, which was equivalent to offending all three parties. The island was only so small that there was no food or daily necessities.

Next, they can only rob to survive.

"Repair the city wall as soon as possible. I'm afraid the Qing Dynasty won't let it go."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Oh!" Kong Youde held his forehead with his hand, feeling a headache just thinking about it. In addition, he had to build more ships. Compared with the previous days, it was really a world of difference, but there was no way to regret it now.

His eyes fell on the two lieutenant generals who were working, and his eyes were gloomy.

……

Zhu Changgan asked Chongzhen to propose the "equal land tax", which was not invented by him. In fact, the person who proposed this term was the famous Hai Rui, also known as Hai Gangfeng.

Hai Rui pointed out that the royal family's expenses and the officials' non-taxation were the greatest evils in the world.

The plan of "equalizing land tax and labor service to relieve poverty" was aimed at officials and gentry who refrained from paying taxes.

The purpose of the plan of "eliminating all officials who are greedy, generals who are cowardly, and clerks who are corrupt" is also to reduce the phenomenon of officials and gentry not paying taxes, because the premise of tax evasion is rampant corruption and collusion between officials and gentry.

The reason why Zhu Changgan asked those scholars to study Hai Gangfeng's "Memorial on Public Security".

It is because princes, dukes and royal relatives are spread all over the country, and the national treasury consumed every year is countless. Officials at all levels have annexed more than half of the land but do not pay taxes, while ordinary people own less than half of the land in the country but have to pay taxes from the whole country. These are the problems.

Zhu Changgan refined this system and handed it over to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Although Xu Ci Fu was a juren, he lived up to his reputation as a "genius". He carried forward the "Memorial on Public Security" and extracted hundreds of crimes from it.

As soon as the announcement was made, it caused a huge response in Jiangnan.

"Why?"

"What does the empty treasury have to do with us?"

"What's the point of equal distribution of land? That's our ancestral property..."

The literati and scholars of the Ming Dynasty were very fierce and would often join forces, forcing the emperor to do nothing about them.
These people had retainers in their ancestors and had achievements in their heads, so they were the real gentry class.

Not to mention the treasury is empty, even if the Ming Dynasty fell, it is nothing more than changing the emperor and the name of the country. As long as your property is still there, you can still eat and drink well.
What difference does it make who is the emperor?

What these people want is to live a comfortable life. As for whether your emperor's dragon robe is patched or whether the people are hungry and cold, that is your own business.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty had been levying taxes for two hundred years, and they had always concealed their property. Those who could not hide it would just delay paying a portion of it and write IOUs for the rest.

This has been the case year after year, no matter which local official came to power. Why do you ask us to pay the arrears when your Anti-Corruption Bureau comes?

Do you even have the guts to hit someone with a stick?

"Come on, let's go to the Confucius Temple and cry!"

"go!"

They learned the lesson from Huguang, locked up their own scholars at home, and directly launched the "crying temple" movement.

Crying in the Confucius Temple, this trick works everywhere.

The gentry in Zhejiang sent people to distribute small leaflets, denouncing the local officials for imposing heavy taxes and oppressing the people, and calling on the people to protest collectively.

"The honest Sima Chengyan was so bold that he deceived the world and his ancestors, openly broke the rules that had been in place for thousands of years, and ignored the benevolent rule of Emperor Hongwu. He secretly went to Changping and teamed up with the bandits. His crimes were so heinous that the people were boiling..."

Under the banner of protecting the people, these gentry ran to the Confucius Temple and cried and cursed the court for being unfair and oppressing the people.

Crying in the temple is a long-standing custom in the south of the Yangtze River. The local economy is developed and the culture is rich. Scholars from wealthy families and the gentry class have become an important social supervisory force.

Whenever the government committed illegal acts or inappropriate behaviors, scholars would gather in the Confucian Temple and write "Juan Tang Wen" to complain to their ancestor Confucius.

Then the people were summoned to report to the higher authorities. During the Ming Dynasty, the government would often adopt the reports made by so many people.

Now that the ICAC has just announced the decree, it has been met with cries of desperation. It is obvious that this is a countermeasure that the gentry had prepared in advance.

As in the past, the people had no idea what this meant. In their eyes, he was simply the embodiment of justice and the people’s patron saint.

And there was food available, so they responded one after another and assembled a massive anti-tax team.

They besieged Zhejiang’s Anti-Corruption Office.

The burning, killing, looting and smashing began.

Ma Chengyan was transferred from the Kyoto Integrity Bureau to the Zhejiang Integrity Bureau to serve as the head.

"Quick, block the door and don't let them rush in."

But the smoke and dust from the Anti-Corruption Office continued to rise, making people cough.

Several leaders of the gentry group stood on a high place.

Zhang Weiye, Guo Han, Liu Xianqi, Jin Guansheng and others looked at the chaotic scene below and couldn't help laughing, "That's it... So many officials in the court are from our gentry, how can you succeed?"

In their eyes, what's the matter with the Emperor of Ming Dynasty?
In the court, civil officials are the most powerful, and even the emperor dare not offend them easily, otherwise his orders will not be able to leave the capital.

Ma Chengyan and his colleagues had tried their best to stop them, but in the end the people still rushed in and arrested all the people from the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

"Aren't you afraid of being punished by the court?"

Zhang Weiye looked at Ma Chengyan's burnt face with a chill in his eyes. He patted his face and said, "Don't worry, the court will soon give up taxation, dismiss you guys, and then praise us for speaking up for the people..."

"Come on, tie him up and hang him on the rafters of the ICAC."

"You are stubborn and stubborn. You don't care about the lives of the people. You are ignorant, narrow-minded and uncivilized."

The common people also felt that what the gentry said made sense, and they excitedly tied up all the people from the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Over the years, this has become a routine; as long as the common people make a fuss, the emperor will definitely compromise.

……

After three days of hard work,

On the fourth day, the gentry of Jiangsu and Zhejiang gathered together to drink and celebrate happily. One of them could not help but reply:
"It's not a good idea for us to do this, is it? The emperor today is completely different from before."

"I heard that the prince and the bandits in Huguang are causing chaos. Although Zhejiang has not yet fallen to such a state, doing this..."

"What are you afraid of?" The wealthy Liu Xianqi stood up. "My ancestors shed blood and sweat for the Ming Dynasty. My grandfather was a cabinet minister of the Ming Dynasty. The reason why the court favors literati and scholars is not to use our reputation and influence to appease the people."

"As long as the people listen to us, we have nothing to fear. Can they still do anything to us?"

Everyone nodded. Which of their families didn't have officials in the court?
As long as you always keep the common people in mind.

That is the conscience of the Ming Dynasty.

The moral point of the Ming Dynasty is the hero and spokesperson in the hearts of the people. He can use his own and his family's influence to coerce the public and compete with the court. "Come, drink!"

"Drink~"

Suddenly, the door of the restaurant was suddenly pushed open, and a servant ran in from outside, "Master, it's bad, our family has been included in the "Bi Chen Zhuan"."

The wealthy man Liu Xianqi stood up suddenly and asked, "What is the Biography of Traitors?"

The servant took out a copy of the Ming Times and a copy of Traitors and handed them to him, "Master, take a look. They were just published today. Our family... has been labeled as a traitor."

In our Liu family, from top to bottom, all honors and titles will be stripped away.

Liu Xianqi stared at the "Da Ming Times", which read: Cabinet Grand Secretary Liu Yanbin and Shanxi General Wang Pu conspired to transfer benefits to the Qing Dynasty, sold out their country for personal gain, and were included in the "Bi Chen Zhuan".

All the Liu family members were stripped of their official titles and their entire family was exiled to Liaodong.

Liu Xianqi was trembling all over and fell to the ground.

This was not over yet, another servant ran upstairs, "Master, our...our family is in trouble, the second master was arrested by the Jinyiwei for corruption and abuse of power."

Just as he finished speaking, another servant ran upstairs, "Master, something happened to our old Taishan."

"what happened?"

The lively and festive scene just now suddenly turned into a chorus of fear.

But before they could react, they heard the sounds of gongs and drums and a parade on the interface.

"Former Wenyuan Pavilion Grand Secretary Liu Yanbin collaborated with the enemy and betrayed the country. His entire family will be stripped of their honors and their three clans will be exterminated..."

"Hangzhou prefect Duan Yueming was corrupt and perverted the law, seeking personal gain for his sons and nephews, and stripping them of their official titles..."

"The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Kuang Wanyu, sold out his country for personal gain. His family was stripped of their official titles, their property confiscated, and exiled..."

On the streets, teams of soldiers holding swords and guns were beating gongs and posting notices at every intersection.

in an instant,
There was an uproar in Hangzhou and the people were all shocked.

The chests of these gentlemen were heaving and their limbs were cold.

……

In the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Changgan took a sip of tea. Since the Jinyiwei reported the crying temple in Zhejiang, he had only said two words to the Jinyiwei, "We can proceed to the next step."

"Kill one group, win over another group! Don't kill them all at once!"

If we overdo it, they will easily retaliate. Let's cut the meat with a blunt knife and take it slow.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Ma Shiwei, deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, saluted and left.

At the beginning, when the "Eight Great Shanxi Merchants" were investigated, two generals from Shanxi and Datong, as well as more than 80 officials from the Manchu court were brought down, many of them were implicated with these Zhejiang gentry.

It is so easy to convict them of a crime.

We have long been on guard against them "using their lips to express their patriotic enthusiasm!"

The reason why you literati and gentry in Jiangnan have social status and influence and can incite the people to make trouble is because of your achievements, right?

During the Ming Dynasty, if one had achieved honors and achievements, there was no need to be deceitful even when meeting an official.

But what if I take away your fame?
And all the groundwork I laid before should come into play now!
……

In the city of Hangzhou, everything changed dramatically overnight.

Thousands of people had their titles revoked. One of them was a third place winner in the imperial examination, but he still had his titles. He was tied up by the Embroidered Uniform Guards and exiled to Liaodong.

If you don’t count, you won’t know that more than 3,000 people were exiled at once.

One of the squires kicked the ground and shouted at the top of his lungs, "We are asking for the people, we are asking for the people of the world, how can you treat us like this?"

There were also some people who were not guilty enough to be exiled. At this time, they also held the tablet of Confucius, with snot and tears, crying as they walked, and once again displayed their own special skills.

"Exorbitant taxes and levies oppress the people. We are here to plead for the people!"

"We are doing this for the people of the world! Don't just stand there and watch. Drive these corrupt officials out."

"Prosperity, but the people suffer..."

These gentry shouted slogans one by one, but what frightened them was.

This time the people just watched but no longer followed them in the march and riot.

Those who used to follow them in their footsteps when they were instigated, now look at them with disgust and disdain instead of admiration.

"Bah, a traitor." He spat on one of them's head.

"Snapped!"

Immediately afterwards, rotten vegetable leaves and smelly mud were thrown onto these people's faces, heads, and clothes.

"A bunch of parasites with no patriotism. They were blind at the beginning, so they fell for your trick."

"Smash you to death, you disloyal and unrighteous people."

"..."

These gentry stared at the scene in front of them in a daze, their mouths opening and closing. For a moment, they could not accept that this was actually true.

"You...how can you treat scholars like this? Do you still have justice and law?"

It was not until this moment that they realized how familiar everything before their eyes was. Wasn't it the scene where they mobilized the people to smash and destroy the tax-collecting officials and the Anti-Corruption Bureau?

Unfortunately, they have now become the victims.

His fame and reputation were ruined, the people no longer supported him, and the officials in the court were removed from their posts and could no longer support him.

"How did the current imperial court become like this?"

Only at this moment did they realize that the Ming Dynasty and the court had changed.

"The time has come!"

The gentlemen were tied up and pressed to the ground.

Looking up, the executioner's blade reflected a cold light in the sunlight, so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.

"Pfft~"

Blood plasma spurted out from the neck for several meters, the head rolled out, and the light in the eyes slowly dimmed. Not far away, the military flag of the Ming Dynasty was rustling in the wind. For a moment, these gentry could not tell whether this was reality or a dream.

A thousand-man commander of the Imperial Guard stood on the stage and said, "Your Majesty, please show mercy. The taxes of the people in Hangzhou Prefecture will first be deducted from the proceeds from the property confiscations of these traitorous, corrupt and law-breaking gentry."

"The notice has been posted. If you don't understand, you can read the announcement."

"Wow~"

"Good!" The people all cheered and applauded.

The people don’t care what you do, as long as you let them collect less taxes, then you are the honest ruler and that is a good national policy.

So many gentry were confiscated at once, and on average they could save a lot of taxes.

I had thought that this year would be difficult, as the harvest for the year might not even be enough to feed my family. I didn’t expect such an unexpected surprise. How could I not be excited?
The captain of the Imperial Guard motioned for everyone to be quiet, and continued, "In addition, the court encourages everyone to report and expose crimes. Anyone who reports officials and gentry for committing crimes, taking bribes and perverting the law will have their taxes waived for three years, and will be rewarded with varying amounts of silver based on their property. The specific details will be in the announcement."

This statement once again caused an exclamation of surprise.

Many people have turned around and ran towards the area where the announcement was made.

Three years of tax reduction and exemption, as well as rewards, are simply too tempting for the people.

……

At night, Chongzhen returned to the Qianqing Palace again. At this moment, he had not yet recovered from the excitement of Jiangnan, but he still suppressed his inner feelings and listened to Wang Chengen's proud talk about what had happened in the past few days.

"Huh? You mean, this is all a setup?"

"Your Majesty, there is no need to test me on this." Wang Chengen smiled and pinched the emperor's shoulder and said, "Your Majesty, you first asked Huguang, Nanzhili, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces to make up for the taxes in Shaanxi, Shaanxi, Henan and other places. At that time, the eunuchs also thought that the government might force the people to rebel."

"But I didn't expect that your majesty's intention was actually this... First, let the people of several provinces in the southeast feel disappointed and hopeless about the heavy taxes. They were depressed to the extreme and thought that they couldn't live like this anymore."

"Suddenly, His Majesty's men arrived, using the property of corrupt officials and evil gentry as a way to relieve them of their burdens."

"It is conceivable that many people in these provinces will expose the truth..."

Chongzhen sat there calmly, "Is that so~"

"Or else, your Majesty is wise!" Wang Chengen finished patting the emperor's shoulders and then patted his legs, saying, "Your Majesty, the court has been calling for your Majesty to be the leader of the revival of the country. I am happy for your Majesty. I think you can wipe out the bandits soon..."

He didn't notice Chongzhen's face turning purple, "No more pressing, get out!"

It seems that I need to speed up the process.

(End of this chapter)