To kill or not to kill, this is a big question.
After thinking for a while, Chongzhen finally made up his mind. If the situation was true and had to be dealt with, don't blame him for raising the butcher's knife.
He also gave himself three reasons.
First, they violated the laws of the Ming Dynasty. Princes who break the law are guilty of the same crimes as the common people. This is what he said some time ago when the scholars made trouble. Now that members of the clan have committed crimes, he ignores them. What should he do with the popularity he has gained?
Second, it is a serious crime to deceive the emperor. He issued an imperial edict and emphasized that price increases are not allowed. As a clan member, he did not take the lead in setting an example, but he actually took the lead in raising prices. How can he punish the dead people without killing them?
Third, they are concerned about the farmland in their hands. King Qin was the first person in the Taizu lineage to be crowned king. It has been inherited for more than two hundred years. He has at least 30,000 to 40,000 hectares of fertile land in his hands, which must be taken back.
But how to kill must be planned.
Everyone said that the clan lost real power after becoming the ancestor, and many restrictions were imposed.
For example, the two kings were not allowed to meet each other, they were not allowed to leave the fiefdom without authorization, even if they left the city to visit tombs, they had to apply, they were not allowed to predict the fortunes of the four people, officials were never allowed to be in power, farmers and merchants had no connections, etc.
These restrictions were implemented well at first, but by the middle and late Ming Dynasty, they were somewhat ineffective.
Because they have judicial privileges and are "punished without punishment" when guilty, many princes have become patrons of local ruffians, bandits and thieves, and have even become underworld leaders themselves.
There are dozens of cases recorded in history books alone. For example, the general of the auxiliary state of Qingcheng Prefecture hid a big thief, and Zhu Xinyuan, the lieutenant of the Zhenguo of Fangshan Prince's Mansion, collaborated with a group of thieves and robbed merchants.
The Lieutenant of the Fu State of the Prince of Xiangyuan and the Lieutenant of the State of the Prince of Changhua both went out of the forbidden city to commit robberies, openly killing people and taking wealth...
Although there cannot be private soldiers, the ruffians and bandits who are sheltered are not private soldiers, but they are private soldiers.
There are seven or eight county princes under a prince's palace, and a dozen generals under a county prince's palace. If a general's palace supports one or two hundred gangsters and bandits, this number is not too many.
Calculated in this way, a prince's palace can organize more than 10,000 people, although it is a mob.
The Qin Palace has existed for more than two hundred years, and its relationship with the ministers of the court and local officials and gentry is complicated.
Failure to handle it well will also cause panic, especially when there are droughts and civil unrest there. This is what Chongzhen is worried about.
After making the decision, Chongzhen began to write a letter to Yuan Keli, asking him to thoroughly investigate the affairs of the Qin Palace. But as soon as he finished writing the letter, Wang Chengen took Yuan Keli's letter and entered Dongnuan Pavilion.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Yuan Keli sent a letter urgently from six hundred miles south of Weinan!"
"Didn't I give him the right to take advantage? Why is there another letter?"
Chongzhen muttered, but still opened the letter presented by Wang Chengen. After a moment, Chongzhen's eyes were filled with sadness.
There are two things in the letter, one is that the people rioted and robbed and burned food, and the other was a description of what the people in the Qin Palace had done.
"I have given you a way to survive, but you are still stubborn. Since you are seeking death, I will help you."
At this moment, he wanted to conquer Xi'an Mansion personally and take command personally to completely eliminate this popular rebellion.
I was really frightened by what happened in Shaanxi. History records that Baishui's uprising failed to be appeased and the encirclement and suppression campaign also failed. As a result, uprisings across Shaanxi began in the first year of Chongzhen and responded to them one after another.
Shaanxi Dingbian King Jiayin Fugu Uprising, Ansai horse thief Gao Yingxiang, Luochuan Zhang Cunmeng, Yanchuan Wang Monk, Hannan Wang Daliang and others uprising one after another. The uprising swept the entire Shaanxi, and then spread to Henan, Gansu, Sichuan and other places.
After thinking about it, Chongzhen gave up his plan to control Xi'an Mansion.
Firstly, the ministers would definitely not let him go, and secondly, it would take at least two months for the emperor to get to Xi'an. It's the end of the year, and there are many things going on, so he really can't leave.
Song Yingxing, Chen Zhenlong, Bi Maokang, Sun Yuanhua, Xu Guangqi and others are also arriving in Beijing soon. The arrangements of these people are crucial and cannot be delayed.
After calming down his anger, Chongzhen looked at Wang Chengen and said, "My dear friend, I have sent word that Zhongzhen Hou Qin Liangyu and Zhaoyi General Ma Xianglin are here to see me."
After waiting for half an hour, Qin Liangyu and Ma Xianglin hurried into the palace.
"Your Majesty, Qin Liangyu and Ma Xianglin, are here to see you!"
The two of them saluted immediately after entering Dongnuan Pavilion.
Since the death of Wei Zhongxian, Qin Liangyu's white-pole soldiers have been stationed ten miles away from Deshengmen, far away from the Beijing camp. Their intentions are not obvious.
During this period of time, in addition to training, they had assisted Fang Zhenghua and Li Ruolian in reorganizing the Tengxiang Four Guards and the Jinyi Guards. They were leading people to practice with the Tengxiang Four Guards, and Wang Chengen hurriedly found them.
Chongzhen stood up from behind the Long Case and walked to the two of them, handing out Yuan Keli's letter: "Marquis Zhongzhen, please read this letter first!"
"Is this a letter from Mr. Yuan Ge?"
Qin Liangyu was a little surprised when he opened the letter and took a look at it.
"Damn it, His Majesty has issued an imperial edict to appease people. If you don't surrender, forget it, but you are burning food. It's really abominable!"
After a while, when the two of them read the letter, Qin Liangyu said nothing, but Ma Xianglin started to shout angrily.
They knew about the civil uprising, and it was understandable to riot because they had no food, but you could just rob it, why did you burn it? How many people could be saved with four thousand dan.
Qin Liangyu, who had been deep in thought, said in a deep voice: "What does your Majesty mean?"
"Yuan Aiqing wrote very clearly in his letter that this popular uprising may retreat into the mountains. The white pole soldiers under your command are mountain troops and are more familiar with mountain warfare.
Therefore, I want Ma Aiqing to take a few of his Qianhus to Baishui and personally command the army transferred from the four major border towns. Do you think it is feasible? "
Chongzhen was a little embarrassed when he said this. After all, he had just traveled four thousand miles and only had a few days of rest before asking him to go back another two thousand miles. This is not the way to use people.
"I am willing to go!"
Ma Xianglin immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go to Baishui."
"Your Majesty, as a soldier, it is the duty of ministers to defend the territory, expand borders, and protect the people. Your Majesty's orders are military orders."
"good!"
Chongzhen was overjoyed and glanced at Wang Chengen, who immediately said:
"The emperor is destined to be carried by heaven, and the edict says: The recent civil uprising in Shaanxi has killed the prefects, opened official warehouses, robbed and burned grain, and cut off the livelihood of our people. In order to increase the prestige of the court, the Ming court decided to appoint General Zhaoyi Ma Xianglin as the general of suppression. , command the four armies, suppress the civil uprising, and restore peace to Shaanxi. Wherever you go, it will be as if I were personally present. I hope you will encourage me and live up to my trust. I appreciate this!"
"I accept the order and thank you!"
After Ma Xianglin thanked him, Chongzhen continued: "Ma Aiqing, you must show your momentum and let the people of Shaanxi know the court's determination. You must not show mercy."
"After you go to Baishui and destroy the rebellion team, you will stay in Baishui for a while and wait for Yuan Aiqing's orders."
"I understand!"
Ma Xianglin was shocked. What would he do if he didn't come back after finishing the work? That could only be a matter of Prince Qin's palace.
"Bring this letter to Yuan Aiqing and prepare it. The sooner the better!"
Seeing the two people leaving, Chongzhen felt a little more at ease.
With Yuan Keri here and Ma Xianglin who is good at mountain warfare, there is no need to worry too much about the civil uprising.
"The clan is a big trouble, but we must not be merciful."
After sighing, Chongzhen continued to approve the memorial. If there was no incident in Shaanxi, his life would be comfortable.
As soon as he retired from the court that day and returned to Dongnuan Pavilion, Wang Chengen reported: "Your Majesty, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, Li Ruolian, wants to see you!"
"Let him in!"
