"kill!"
The shouts of killing shook the world, and a fierce melee was breaking out on the land of Huguang.
Countless "soldiers" armed with inferior weapons, even farm tools and wooden sticks, and in tattered clothes were continuously launching attacks on the city in front of them.
The Ming army on the top of the city kept pouring golden soup and throwing rolling logs and rocks downwards, but it could be seen from their hurried movements and panicked expressions that they were not soldiers who had fought many battles.
You must know that Huguang is the heart of the Ming Dynasty. They have not experienced a war for a long time. Except that their equipment is better than that of the rebels, there is almost no difference between them and the rebels under the city.
"Boom!" There was an explosion sound from somewhere, and a cannon exploded. In an instant, the gunner and the nearby soldiers all fell in a pool of blood.
The artillery was short of weight and had almost no gunners who had practical experience. Let alone whether it could hit people, it was a blessing to fire so many cannons before it exploded.
But for the soldiers at the guard station who were already under great pressure, this was the straw that broke the camel's back.
All they saw was a gaping hole in the city's head amid the thick smoke. The artillery they almost relied on had laid down, and many soldiers were dead.
"There are artillery fire on the other side too! Run for your life!"
I don’t know who was the first to shout this sentence. Suddenly, the defenders completely lost their fighting spirit and began to run towards the city.
No one thought about where the rebels under the city, who were worse equipped than them, could get artillery. Maybe they were just looking for a reason to escape.
The hundreds of guards on guard failed to stop their flight, and even he himself turned around.
The general's escape seemed to confirm the fact that the army had been defeated.
"The city is broken, the city is broken!"
In an instant, panic shouts resounded through the city. The soldiers had no intention of continuing to resist. They dropped their weapons and fled to the rear crazily.
The banner with the word "Ming" slowly fell to the ground, followed by countless figures leaping up the city wall...
…
"Pingjiang fell, the county magistrate died for his country, thieves plundered the countryside, and countless wealthy merchants died. There were also people who did not know loyalty and did not understand good and evil. They betrayed the court and went to the bandits. Their troops reached 60,000 people, and the defenders were unable to do anything. when."
Wuxing Emperor Zhu Changxun slowly finished reading the memorial in his hand, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
His father really left him a mess! In today's Ming Dynasty, refugee rebellions have broken out in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Henan, and Huguang. In several other provinces, although there are no signs of uprisings yet, large-scale refugee gatherings have also occurred. If not dealt with in time, it is only a matter of time before rebellion breaks out. .
In the north, Oara and Tatar invaded the border again and again. Over the long years, Jisu has gradually lost control. Except for a few states close to the Great Wall, some of the remaining Jisu prefectures, although they are still nominally subordinate to the Ming Dynasty, have long since It is almost like autonomy, not to mention that taxes and household registration have no longer been handed over to the central government, and it has been a long time since they sent brave Mongolian warriors to the court.
The elite three thousand battalion has shrunk from tens of thousands in the early Ming Dynasty to only a mere two thousand now.
What an eventful time! Unexpectedly, he had just ascended the throne and would have to face such a dilemma. Zhu Changxun thought this in his heart.
But there was no fear or worry in his expression, and he was even a little... excited?
Rebels should be punished! As the king of the world, how can I be troubled by a little rebellion? They are just bandits. They cannot be enemies that I can look at directly. They are just the bottom page of my credit book!
Father, let me deal with the bandits that worry you to death!
Such thoughts flashed through Zhu Changxun's mind, and he slowly said:
"There are rebellions in all four provinces. In your opinion, who is the appropriate general to go on the expedition?"
The question was not what should be done, but who should be the general to go to war. He seemed not to have considered the option of "appeasement", nor to stabilize the common people so that they would collapse without fighting. Instead, from the beginning, I plan to conquer these rebellions with iron and blood.
In front of him stood several ministers headed by Fang Congzhe. After listening to the words in the memorial, they all looked solemn.
The current situation is as critical as when millions of refugees in Xunyang were in chaos, or even worse.
After hearing the emperor's question, they looked at each other, and in a hurry, they already had an idea. As the chief minister of the cabinet, Fang Congzhe stood up first and said:
"If it is to suppress the rebellion, I recommend Liu Wei, the chief military officer of Sichuan. He has participated in the campaign to aid the DPRK and the Battle of Bozhou, and is a talented general."
With Fang Congzhe taking the lead, the other ministers also unanimously recommended their own candidates.
"I recommend Li Rubai, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong Army."
"I recommend Yang Hao, governor of Datong."
"I think that Shanhaiguan Commander-in-Chief Du Song is a good choice..."
For a while, there were different opinions.
There is still no shortage of generals in the Ming Dynasty. As for their abilities... they may not be able to fight against the Oara Tatars, but how about dealing with the rebellious refugees? Isn't that easy to get?
This is simply a gift from God! Several ministers couldn't help but recommend generals who were good friends with them.
Zhu Changxun listened to the words of several people and nodded slightly. Just as he was about to speak, he looked across the crowd and saw Yan Chenhao who looked like he was thinking.
Although he has not yet joined the cabinet, as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and a former emperor's teacher, he was also called to participate in the meeting this time.
Yan Chenhao frowned and said:
"Your Majesty... In my humble opinion, the top priority is not to arrange an army to quell the rebellion, but to implement the late emperor's last words."
"Only by exempting mine taxes, recalling mine supervisors and tax envoys, reducing taxes, and exempting the tribute of spices and jewelry can we eradicate the rebellion. As far as I know, the rebellion in Jiangsu and Zhejiang originated from the tribute of spices, mining taxes, and mine supervisors ; The rebellion in Henan also originated from the collection of mineral taxes and the oppression of tax envoys; the rebellion in Huguang originated from the heavy taxation and the reckless behavior of tax envoys. Although some refugees in various provinces came due to natural disasters, a considerable number of them were also displaced because of this. born."
"If we don't get rid of it at all, the rebellion will never end...and these are also good for His Majesty's reputation and can avoid some unrest among the people."
"I have the courage to ask Your Majesty to do what the late emperor said: exempt from mining taxes, summon tax supervisors, exempt from taxes, and exempt from tribute. If you first eliminate these four, and then use a large army to force them, then the rebellion will be put down!"
After Yan Chenhao finished speaking, he raised his head and looked at Zhu Changxun with burning eyes.
However, Zhu Changxun avoided his gaze.
The rest of the cabinet ministers looked at Yan Chenhao with strange eyes.
This imperial master has been in the court for so many years, but he still hasn't learned to read people's hearts?
What Your Majesty said just now clearly means you don’t want to do these things!
Thanks to "book friend 20230406195439306" for the reward, thank you!
(End of chapter)
