"Now we are just suppressing the ordinary people who were incited, but the Jiangnan gentry who are behind the scenes cannot be let go. Although they are hiding behind the scenes, it is difficult to find out what they have, but we cannot let them go just like that!
The emperor's intention is to let these Jiangnan gentry hiding behind the scenes know what the majesty of heaven means, to frighten them, to make them fearful, so that they dare not continue to incite the people to cause rebellion in the future, and even force them to take the initiative to compromise. "
And Zhu Youxiao had long known that such a situation would occur in Songjiang Mansion in Jiangnan after the riots. Therefore, he had already announced other decrees in the imperial edict to Zhang Tongchang, and asked Zhang Tongchang to report to Dongchang at this time. Factory Yang Huan and other officials conveyed the message.
Zhang Tongchang then added: "In short, in one sentence, the emperor said, either we can continue to search the Jiangnan gentry in the form of melon raids, make the Jiangnan gentry pay a heavy price for inciting the people to rebel, and change the clan system of the lower class people in Jiangnan." The situation is controlled by these Jiangnan gentry, or the Jiangnan gentry directly rebels. The emperor will never allow a Jiangnan that does not take the emperor seriously to exist! The emperor said: "Jiangnan is my Jiangnan. Not for these Jiangnan gentry!'"
"Yes! I will obey the will!"
Yang Huan and others answered loudly.
therefore.
Kuang Jihe and other captured gentry were severely tortured.
The half-foot-long iron needle was held by a man from Dongchang and hammered directly into Kuang Jihe's fat left palm. The nail caused blood to flow from his palm, and he himself began to tremble in pain:
"Ah! You vicious court eagle dogs, how cruel are you to the gentry!"
"To say it or not to say it? Which other gentry are behind this riot?"
Yang Huan, who was personally responsible for the interrogation, asked.
Kuang Jihe didn't answer at first.
"Nail again!"
But at this time, Yang Huan continued to shout loudly.
So, the Dongchang officer drove another iron nail into Kuang Jihe's right palm.
"ah!"
Kuang Jihe screamed again: "I said, I said, I said!"
"Very good! Then tell me quickly, who else is behind this riot?"
Yang Huan laughed.
Kuang Jihe couldn't help crying: "I don't know, I really don't know, I don't even know that my grandson Kuang Youhui was involved in this!"
"Um?!"
Yang Huan cooled down and took out a long nail himself.
Kuang Jihe trembled when he saw this, and couldn't help but said: "Don't, don't, I remembered, there are Zeng Huating, Zeng Xicai, the former Sichuan Left Chief Minister, and Dong Qichang, who was previously punished by Xichang, and, And Wu Yuan, the former governor of the river!"
"Grasp!"
Yang Huan immediately gave orders.
So, soon, all the gentry whom Kuang Jihe confessed were arrested.
Not only Kuang Jihe confessed, but other Jiangnan gentry such as Bao Chengmo and She Jinyun who also confessed under severe torture in Dongchang were also arrested.
For a time, the prison of Susong Governor's Yamen and the prison of Dongchang Anti-Corruption Department were overcrowded. The number of arrested gentry quickly increased from dozens to hundreds, then thousands, and finally began to approach in just ten days. Thousands of people.
…
"This tyrant! He is really forcing us Jiangnan gentry to rebel! First, he directly sent soldiers to suppress and clean up the villagers of the Xu family. He had no mercy and slaughtered them all. This was beyond our expectations. , I didn’t expect him to be so cruel!
Now they are using this incident to directly say that we Jiangnan gentry are the culprits. They let his hawks and dogs catch people randomly. Duke Kuang, Duke She, Duke Zeng, and my eldest father were all locked up and imprisoned and tortured. Hundreds of gentry were killed! Everyone, what should we do? Do we really want to sit back and watch this tyrant’s hawks and dogs continue to kill and torture the gentry in Jiangnan? ! "
At this time, Wu Changshi anxiously shouted out to other members of the club.
Man Chaojian, the leader of Yingshe Society, tightly grasped the rice paper in his hand, and then threw it out with all his strength: "He is truly a cruel king! Throughout history, I have never seen such a tyrant! If I had one hundred thousand soldiers, , we must go to Beijing and kill this tyrant!"
"But the problem is that we don't have a hundred thousand soldiers. Unless we directly recruit local warriors to rebel, we can only watch helplessly as more and more gentry are killed by them, and sooner or later they will find us. As long as he Zhu You The principal did not give up and kept his hawks and dogs in Jiangnan to find out who was behind the riot. Sooner or later, all of us Jiangnan gentry will be eliminated. By then, only those of the Xu family who support him, Zhu Youxiao, will be left to seize the benefits of sea trade. Jiangnan gentry!"
Member Zhang Cai started talking at this time.
"Brother Zhang is right. My eldest father has been captured by the people from Dongchang, and my home has been confiscated by them. I only had the opportunity to escape early because I went to my grandfather's house, but I will definitely be found next. Yes, we will also find you, we have to find a way quickly, and we can’t let the court continue to cause major cases like this!"
Wu Changshi said hurriedly.
"I really didn't expect this tyrant to be so cruel! It was me who harmed the princes in the south of the Yangtze River! He, Zhu Youxiao, would rather give up his country than set off a major case like the Hongwu Dynasty. By investigating the mastermind behind the scenes, He wants to purge all the Jiangnan gentry who oppose him! His intentions are so vicious that they have never been seen before!"
Man Chaojian cursed loudly as he spoke.
Then, Man Chaojian looked at Wu Changshi and others and said: "The only plan now is to rebel and implement military remonstrance. Which of you is willing to go back to your hometown with Man to recruit brave soldiers?"
All these members fell silent.
"Speak! This unscrupulous court and this cruel king have treated us like this, shouldn't they do the opposite?!"
Man Chaojian asked loudly.
At this time, Zhang Cai couldn't help but said: "Mr. Manchu, how about we compromise with the court? This matter was originally initiated by you and Mr. Qian. If you and Mr. Qian don't stand up first and confess to the court, the court may I just want to find out the real culprit behind the scenes. Maybe I really don’t want to kill us all. After all, to put it bluntly, the court just wants to gain some profits! If we don’t go against the court, the court will kill us. meaningful."
"That's right, Mr. Manchu. The only ones who can save the Jiangnan gentry now are you and Mr. Qian. Rebellion is contrary to the way of a saint!"
Gu Menglin, a member of the club, also started talking.
"That's right, rebellion will eventually be called rebels. We are different from those common people. The common people's life is as cheap as a piece of grass and they can resist the court. But we are gentry, our life is as precious as gold. We cannot ignore etiquette and cannot stand on dangerous walls. In the end, it is better for Duke Manchu to stand up for us and save the Jiangnan gentry. This will not only fulfill the loyalty of Duke Manchu, but also preserve the reputation of our Jiangnan gentry!"
Fellow member Chen Zhenhe also echoed.
"Please Man Gong please ask me for help from the Wu family in Qingpu! Save me, the Jiangnan gentry, and save the entire Yingshe?!"
Wu Changshi knelt down directly.
Other members of the commune also bowed down one after another: "Please Lord Manchu, please save me, the Jiangnan gentry, from the fire and water!"
Man Chaojian pointed at these people with trembling fingers: "You, you..."
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