Chapter 6 The future of the Lu family
At the beginning, when the imperial court had just established a foothold in Nanyang, the Lu family, as the executor of the central policy, had to rely on the center to suppress the countries in Nanyang. The biggest contradiction in Nanyang at that time was the contradiction between the Ming Dynasty and the various countries in Nanyang.
The direct representative of this contradiction is the war between Ming Dynasty and Java.
As the central representative, He Xi is the executor of Zhu Yuanzhang's will.
He Xi was in the same trench as the Lu family. At that time, the two parties could hand over their backs to ensure the friendship of life and death.
This friendship is not fake.
With the support of Lu Zhongheng, He Xi opened up a great situation in Nanyang. With the help of He Xi, the Lu family gained a new lease of life. Hence the name Nanyang Lu Family.
Now that He Xi has been transferred back to the capital, He Xi has become an ally of the Lu family in the center. Both parties also get along well with each other.
But at this time, the Lu family was already a powerful local faction. As the central minister, He Xi is the backstage of the Lu family. He Xi needs the Lu family's help and support, and the Lu family also needs He Xi's endorsement from the Central Committee.
There is no conflict between the two parties.
In the war between the North and the South, the Lu family served as the source and market of raw materials. As an industrial production base, Hexi and Hexi are economically complementary, and they are separated by Nanjing.
This is not to say that there are no contradictions. But contradictions can be suppressed.
it is not important.
But now, after the fall of the Nanjing regime. All this has changed.
The Lu family has been a powerful local faction that has been entrenched in Nanyang for many years. And He Xi's decision to establish the country this time has an important purpose, which is to revitalize the central government. The problem is very simple.
What does the center think of Nanyang?
Lawrence Lu knew very well that this could not be ignored.
Originally, during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, there were many Han people in Nanyang. Now, not to mention anything else, the total number of migratory people has exceeded one million just because of the repeated vassal changes. In addition, over the past ten years, people have continued to go south to seek a living. After all, the population density in Jiangxi, Fujian and other places simply cannot allow people to live a good life, and it is worse than Nanyang.
Coupled with the natural reproduction of the population. and the local natives who took refuge in the Ming Dynasty.
The population of the entire Nanyang under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty is likely to exceed 10 million.
Of course, these ten million people were not entirely in the hands of Lu Zhongheng, but in the hands of several vassal kings.
But no matter what, a population of tens of millions is not a small number. When He Xi and Zhu Xiongying started their army in Beijing, the population under their jurisdiction was only around 10 million.
It is impossible for the imperial court to ignore Nanyang.
But what if we attack Nanyang? Where to start.
It is impossible to attack the kings of Nanyang.
Without him, the status is different. The status of the kings of Nanyang was determined during the Taizu period. It is impossible for the court to touch them. Especially when the war is initially decided, touching them is tantamount to starting a war again.
When it comes to war in Nanyang, it's hard to say whether the Ming court has an absolute advantage.
It’s not a matter of advantages or not, it’s a matter of necessity. Not only military issues must be considered, but political issues must also be considered.
This is not necessarily the case for the Lu family.
When Lu Zhongheng was in Xinzhou for such a long time, many Lu family members regarded Xinzhou as the Lu family's fiefdom. But no. Lu Zhongheng was the first governor of Nanyang and had been in office for more than ten years.
However, the governorship of Nanyang was not hereditary.
Perhaps the imperial court would show mercy and allow him to be hereditary. But if the court doesn't want him to be hereditary, that's okay.
Moreover, if the imperial court sends someone to take over as the governor of Nanyang, does he, Lu Zhongheng, really dare to fight against the imperial court?
Lawrence Lu knew that he didn’t dare.
Not just because the Ming court became stronger. In fact, He Xi himself didn't know how much the war between the north and the south of the Ming Dynasty had shaken the surrounding forces.
How could a person like Lu Zhongheng not have connections in the military? He might not have known what the new tactics were at that time, but how could he not know it now.
He reviewed it privately, he was in Nan
There are tens of thousands of troops controlled by foreign countries. But the foundation is still the Guards Army. I dare not say that we cannot fight, but in the war between the North and the South, we are not even considered elite cannon fodder.
At most, they can defend the city.
Don't forget the role He Xi played in the Battle of Nanyang. There are many people in the Nanyang Governor's Mansion who are He Xi's old friends.
In other words, even without using force, He Xi has many ways to win over people's hearts and win without a fight.
This frightened Lawrence Lu very much.
But also very unwilling.
He was unwilling to be simple.
That is, he has been operating in Nanyang for so many years. What he wants is not only to lay down his roots in Nanyang and let the Lu family be passed down locally for a long time. Now the situation is completely different.
How could he be willing to do so?
But, he really had no choice.
On the one hand, he is worried about the future of the Lu family, and on the other hand, he is worried about his own body and bones, which will make it difficult to persevere in the future. The more this happened, the worse Lu Zhongheng's physical condition became.
It also made Lu Zhongheng determined to go to the capital.
Even if he died in the capital.
Although Lu Zhongheng had already explored cemeteries in Nanyang. It will serve as the ancestral grave of the Nanyang Lu family in the future. Feng shui masters say it is the cave of princes for generations. This is also Lu Zhongheng’s expectation for the Lu family’s future.
Because none of his children and grandchildren feel the crisis of the future.
As a minister in charge of the central government, he wanted to assert the power of the court. Now the Nanyang Lu family, as one of the largest powerful factions in the Ming Dynasty, would also be affected.
Each of these descendants also thought that Uncle He would open the door to convenience for the Lu family after he took charge.
How stupid.
Most of Lu Zhongheng's sons are the same age as He Xi, but Lu Zhongheng insists on being the same generation as He Xi, so they can only be regarded as nephews.
His children and grandchildren have this kind of virtue, and he will not get things done before he dies. Let the Lu family's future be determined, and I'm afraid he won't be able to sleep a wink even if he dies.
When Lu Zhongheng went to the capital, he naturally had to take the kings of Nanyang with him.
Compared to Lu Zhongheng, the kings of Nanyang didn't have so many thoughts. After all, it is not that there are no conflicts between them and the center. But many people have seen it. For quite a long time, the Daming court would not touch the vassal king.
After all, more than a dozen vassal kings, from the Western Regions to the East, and from the East to the South, have formed a huge force, which can affect the whole body. Don't talk about it, it's good or bad to go to war immediately after the Ming Dynasty War.
To put it simply, even if the Ming Dynasty has been recuperating for a long time, the chain reaction caused by mobilizing troops against any vassal king must be considered. and political influence.
Geographically speaking, the Nanyang kings have the least to worry about.
Especially far enough away from Daming.
-------
In a plum garden in the south of the Yangtze River.
The chaos in Jiangnan last year still left many traces.
The Jiangnan Rebellion in the third year of Longwu was destined to leave a mark in history. There are so many details to write about here.
For example, the peasants resisted and destroyed machines.
For example, the process of the collapse of the small-scale peasant economy during the wave of industrialization.
For example, the awakening of the proletariat.
For example, the decline of the old scholar-bureaucrat class.
For example, the different turns of human destiny, the love of talented men and beautiful women, and the tragedy in the great era. etc.
For Gu Wangsunlai, it seemed like an old dream. Still a nightmare.
This dream was too cruel.
Originally, his family background was superior, his father and ancestors served in the court, and he could be the son of a wealthy and idle man. He became a spy who destroyed his family and clan, changed his name and surname, hid in the dark, and caused trouble.
The identity that I never took seriously has become something I must do for the rest of my life.
Just like this plum garden.
This is a plum garden. Gu Wangsun vaguely remembered coming. When I was very young, Meiyuan was not like this at that time. Although it is only a small space, the layers of courtyards and various transparent wall partitions make it look like
Although there are only a few acres of land, it seems that the sky and the earth are filled with plum blossoms.
Every scene is carefully polished. Every door opening and window is crafted with originality.
Not to mention plum blossoms.
I don’t know how many gardeners have worked hard and took care of it carefully, but it must show the wild charm to be considered a masterpiece. This is the artistic conception, otherwise no matter how good the plum blossom is, it will be reduced to a piece of craftsmanship and inferiority.
And this kind of wild charm is beyond the reach of a great craftsman.
Usually they just follow the example of others.
However, it is completely different now.
After a big chaos, the place was in ruins, and no one took care of the plum blossoms. On the contrary, it is more sentimental.
