Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 347 Deterrence
In the Ganzhou government office, the governor of Gan Province, Zhang Yutian, sat at the top. Below and to the left were the inspector Dong Xuecheng and other civil officials from the three ministries. On the right were Jin Shenghuan and Wang Deren, who had just been suddenly summoned to the government office.

Zhang Yutian saw Jin Shenghuan and the other man sitting down, so he spoke directly

"Ganzhou recently received a secret letter from Guangdong Province. We are inviting the two generals here today to discuss this matter."

After Zhang Yutian finished speaking, he ordered the servant to pass the secret letter to Jin Shenghuan and the other two below.
Jin Shenghuan looked at the familiar content on the letter, and a strange color flashed in his eyes. But the next moment, Jin Shenghuan's face was filled with shock. He raised his head and looked at Zhang Yutian above.
Zhang Yutian saw the shock on Jin Shenghuan's face and smiled. But before Jin Shenghuan could ask, he said:

"The gentry of Guangdong Province cannot bear the tyranny of the pseudo-Ming Dynasty and want to rebel. I have reported this to the Governor-General of Jiangnan, Ma Guozhu."

"I have already ordered Ganzhou to send troops a few days ago. The troops from Ganzhou should be almost at Changning now. This time, Ganzhou will send 500 troops and Changning City will send 1,500 troops. They will also be responsible for providing the food and wages needed for this trip. Does General Jin have any comments?"

The Qing court tried to appease Jiangnan Grand Secretary Hong Chengchou, but he had been transferred back to the northern capital in the name of mourning for some undisclosed reasons. Ma Guozhu took over the position of Governor-General of Jiangnan.
Although Ma Guozhu was also a Han Chinese, he was born in Liaodong. After Huang Taiji ordered the establishment of the imperial examination in Liaodong, he was one of the first people to pass the examination.
Although Ma Guozhu was also a civil official, he had only the achievements of the Qing Dynasty and had no connection with the Ming court.

In the Qing court, Han people from Liaodong, such as Ma Guozhu, who were cultivated by the Qing court, were the real direct descendants. In the eyes of Dorgon and others, even some Manchus were not as reliable and useful as these Han people from Liaodong.
Jin Shenghuan's face darkened and he said

"The military's departure is a big deal. Why didn't you inform the Governor's Office in advance? Now that the troops are about to be dispatched, the Governor has just informed us. I'm afraid the soldiers in the army will not be able to mobilize in time."

"General, you are too modest. Everyone knows that your army is a veteran of hundreds of battles. Moreover, this raid only mobilized a small force of more than a thousand soldiers. How can such a small number of soldiers be called a large army?"

Zhang Yutian looked at Jin Shenghuan, who looked unpleasant, and a hint of smile flashed in his eyes.

Inform in advance? After Zhang Yutian was transferred to Gan Province, he had already discovered that Jin Shenghuan had an unclear relationship with the old Ming gentry in Gan Province. If he informed Jin Shenghuan today, I am afraid that the Ming court will receive the news tomorrow.

This matter is so important that he would not leak the news to a fickle person like Jin Shenghuan until everything is settled.
Jin Shenghuan was silent for a moment, then spoke again

"Although there are gentry in Guangdong Province to support us, as long as Longnan City is not taken, even if the soldiers break into Guangdong Province and capture Dingnan and Heping counties, they are just a small brigade and I am afraid it will be difficult to change the current situation..."

Zhang Yutian's smile grew even brighter, but he interrupted Jin Shenghuan before he could finish and said:

"What's the big picture? It's just a matter of conquering one city at a time and taking one piece of land at a time."

"Even if we cannot destroy the puppet dynasty in Guangdong Province this time, we can at least let them know the might of our Qing army and make them not dare to act recklessly again."

Seeing that Jin Shenghuan was still trying to refuse, Zhang Yutian's face darkened and he said

"Okay, General, there is no need to say more. Governor Ma has already agreed to this matter. Does General Jin want to disobey the Governor's order?"

Ma Guozhu was the new governor of Jiangnan and was in urgent need of achievements to prove himself. After receiving Zhang Yutian's report, Ma Guozhu agreed to the matter without much hesitation.
Hong Chengchou was very famous in the Qing court and had always been the leader of the Han officials in the Central Plains. However, after Hong Chengchou took charge of Jiangnan, he lost Fujian and Zhejiang.
If Ma Guozhu could invade Guangdong Province at the beginning of his term, he would not only be able to firmly secure his position as the Governor of Jiangnan, but also be able to establish his own position by stepping on Hong Chengchou.
For Ma Guozhu, as long as he could cause chaos in Huibei, he could immediately report his victory to the court.
He did not care even if the two thousand Gan soldiers who had infiltrated Guangdong Province were completely wiped out by the Ming court. After all, they were just some Han soldiers from the Green Camp. If they were gone, he could just recruit more.
Jin Shenghuan was silent, as if hesitating for a long time, and finally spoke

"The last general will not dare"

"Since the Governor and the Governor have given orders, I will obey them."

Zhang Yutian saw Jin Shenghuan finally bow his head, and a hint of satisfaction flashed across his face.

Zhang Yutian was about to make a quick decision on this matter, but at this moment, Cheng Daye, the councilor of the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office, suddenly rushed into the hall.

Cheng Daye had an anxious look on his face. As soon as he entered the hall, he spoke directly.

"Governor, I just received an urgent report from Guangdong Province that a large number of imperial guards suddenly entered Chaozhou and Huizhou prefectures and are arresting gentry in various counties of Chaozhou and Huizhou."

"A large army has also arrived in Dingnan City. I'm afraid Yao Jing and others have been discovered by the Ming court."

Zhang Yutian was shocked when he heard this. He immediately stood up and snatched the information from Cheng Daye. Zhang Yutian glanced at the content of the information and his face immediately darkened.
He had secretly prepared for the surprise attack on Huizhou for more than half a month, reporting to the Governor-General's Office of Jiangnan and secretly mobilizing soldiers from Ganzhou. But now that the Ming army had moved, all his plans had become useless.
There was silence in the hall. Jin Shenghuan looked at the astonished officials from Gan Province and suddenly said:

"May I ask, Your Excellency, should we continue the raid now?"

Zhang Yutian heard this and a trace of shame and anger flashed across his face.

Surprise attack, surprise attack, others have already heavily guarded, so why surprise attack? Jin Shenghuan seemed to be asking at this time, but he was clearly mocking him in public.

"I need to find out the news from Guangdong Province first before making any plans."

Zhang Yutian snorted coldly and walked away. After Zhang Yutian left, the civil servants in the field looked at each other and left silently.
Today, Zhang Yutian summoned the civil officials from the three ministries. He originally wanted to force Jin Shenghuan and other military officials to bow their heads in front of all the officials in the government, but he didn't expect that he failed to force them to bow their heads. Instead, Zhang Yutian and others made a fool of themselves.
The three officials in the hall were silent and dispersed. Jin Shenghuan and Wang Deren looked at each other, and a smile flashed in their eyes.

This is why Jin Shenghuan decided to leak the secret letter to the Ming court after intercepting it.

The garrison in Changning County is the closest to Guangdong Province. Once Zhang Yutian gets wind of the news, he will definitely target Jin Shenghuan and others.

If this succeeds, Zhang Yutian will be the leader of the team. If he fails, Jin Shenghuan will also lose many soldiers and generals. For Zhang Yutian, as long as he can force Jin Shenghuan to send out troops, he will be invincible.

Jin Shenghuan looked at Zhang Yutian's back outside the hall, with a hint of fierceness in his eyes. As long as he, Jin Shenghuan, was still in Jiangxi, Zhang Yutian would never be able to achieve any merit in Gan Province.
Nearly a hundred soldiers in armor surrounded Caishikou in Haifeng, Huizhou
Chen Bangyan led Chen Shangchuan and other government officials to stand in front, and behind Chen Bangyan and others were nearly a hundred Huizhou gentry.
These gentry were all well-known local gentry from various counties in Huizhou. At this time, they were all summoned by the governor's office to Haifeng City to watch the execution.

Behind the gentry, there were a group of common people in the city. Not only the area around Caishikou, but also the attics on both sides of the street were full of people.

The crowd of onlookers were all excited. Haifeng City hadn't seen such a grand scene for a long time.
Normally, the execution of bandits would attract crowds of onlookers in the city. Today, when the people in the city heard that the people to be executed were all local gentry, they became even more excited.
Those masters in the city used to be high and mighty, who would have thought that they would have today? This kind of thing must not be missed.
The crowd at Caishikou surged. After a while, rows of people in prison uniforms were escorted into the arena by soldiers. These people included men and women, young and old. As soon as they entered the arena, they immediately burst into tears.

Yao Jing walked in front with shackles on his shoulders. He no longer had the composure he once had. His gray hair was a mess, and his eyes were bloodshot and red.

Yao Jing entered the field, and then immediately stared at Chen Shangchuan, who was wearing a blue official robe, behind Chen Bangyan.
A look of resentment flashed across Yao Jing's face, and he suddenly shouted at the gentry behind him:

"The tyrant is unjust, he is bent on militarism, and treats the gentry harshly. He will certainly be deserted by his friends and relatives and abandoned by the people of the world. The Qing court will punish the unjust, destroy the violent Ming, and restore..."

Before Yao Jing could finish his words, the imperial guards who were escorting him suddenly became furious and slapped Yao Jing in the face.

The force of this palm was so great that it knocked Yao Jing to the ground, and his cheeks swelled up instantly.
"You are a traitor who has colluded with the Tartars, and you dare to slander His Highness. You are courting death."

Yao Jing's mouth was bleeding. He looked at the angry soldiers with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

He no longer had anything to fear. As the mastermind of the secret communication with the Qing invaders, Yao Jing had been convicted of treason by the imperial court. All members of the Yao family within three generations had been arrested and detained. After today, there would no longer be a Yao family.
The people of the Yao family nearby saw Yao Jing being knocked to the ground and started crying, but Yao Jing was unaware and instead laughed out loud.
Yao Jing was about to continue scolding him, but the soldier next to him didn't give him a chance. He rushed forward and stuffed the leg wrap into Yao Jing's mouth.
When Yao Jing saw the dirty cloth being stuffed into his mouth, he finally became furious. He whimpered and struggled, as if he was cursing something, but no one could hear him clearly.
The soldiers pulled Yao Jing up, and the prisoners were quickly taken to the execution site.
Chen Bangyan heard Yao Jing yelling and cursing, but he did not respond. Chen Bangyan was too lazy to pay attention to such a vicious and rebellious person.

As for whether there will be gentry who will be deceived by this, once these traitors are beheaded, all the gentry in Huizhou will naturally recognize the situation and know what the court's laws are.
Seeing that the rebels were already in place, Chen Bangyan threw down the order in his hand without any hesitation and shouted coldly:
The "execution" order fell to the ground with a clanging sound, and the Huizhou gentry who were watching the execution behind them were suddenly trembling in their hearts.

swish

The snow-white blades kept slashing down, heads flew up one after another, and red blood gushed out from their necks.
After the first batch of twenty rebels were beheaded, another batch of twenty people were brought up and beheaded. Heads kept falling in front of the Caishikou execution platform, and the faces of the Huizhou gentry became paler and paler.

Chen Bangyan looked at the faces of the gentry in the field, nodded slightly, and then said

"The gentry of the two prefectures first surrendered to the enemy, and then secretly communicated with the Qing invaders, intending to rebel. The people of the two prefectures have repeatedly rebelled, which is really a betrayal of the grace of the emperor."

"In order to enforce the law, the court has decided to confiscate half of the land of the rich families in the two prefectures as punishment. Do you have any objections?"

Upon hearing this, all the Huizhou gentry fell silent. Soldiers were everywhere, all of them were imperial guards holding knives and swords. Rows of heads kept falling in front of them.
What opinions can they have?

Chen Bangyan saw that the gentry were silent, but he didn't care. He spoke again

"Since no one objects, then this matter will be settled."

"This is an order from the court. If anyone wants to resist afterwards, it will be considered as treason. You should think carefully. If that happens, don't blame me for being merciless."

"Now, continue watching the execution."

After Chen Bangyan finished speaking, he turned around again. The Huizhou gentry behind him opened their mouths slightly, but in the end no one made a sound.
Rows of rebels were brought in and then beheaded, and the place was filled with a strong smell of blood.
The crowd of onlookers were originally laughing and making noises, but now seeing the heads rolling down, the crowd suddenly became silent.
After an unknown amount of time, Liu Chengyou looked at the silent people around him, his eyes turned, and he suddenly shouted loudly.
"They colluded with the Tartars and harmed our Han people. The traitors deserved death. Well done for killing them."

"Well done, well done, well done"

There was silence for a moment, and then the crowd suddenly responded with voices from all over the place. The people followed suit and began to shout loudly.

On the street, deafening shouts of killing suddenly rose to the sky. A group of Huizhou gentry looked at the people below who were shouting crazily, their faces pale.

In the back hall of the Haifeng County Government Office, Chen Shangchuan sat at the top, and below him were more than a dozen county clerks including Liu Chengyou, a clerk from the Ministry of Personnel.

Chen Shangchuan looked at the officials below and said directly

"You have heard what Governor Chen said today. The court is going to confiscate the land of the rich families in the two prefectures. The court's order has reached the county. Starting tomorrow, the county will do its utmost to handle this matter."

"I will not hide it from you. This land clearing not only concerns my future, but also the future of you county officials."

"The court has issued an order that officials who perform well in the field cleaning can directly enter the Chuxian Hall."

When Liu Chengyou and other officials heard this, their expressions changed. When the examination was held in the county, they were the ones who organized it. Naturally, they knew the situation of the examination.

After entering the Chuxian Hall, as long as you can complete the courses and pass the examination, you can be directly granted the status of a tribute student of the Imperial Academy.
If they had this background, they would be proper scholars, and their future prospects would be greatly different.
Although clerks in the Ming court could become officials, it was extremely difficult for them to become officials. Moreover, even if they did become officials, these officials who passed the examinations and were promoted from clerks would only be in the ranks of the eighth or ninth grade for their entire lives. It was almost impossible for them to be promoted to the seventh grade and take charge of a county.
If they could have a first-class tribute student background, not only would they not have to work hard to gain experience, but their future promotion opportunities would also be greatly increased.
Gongsheng was naturally a miscellaneous group in the eyes of serious scholars, but in the eyes of these clerks, it was the real right path.

Chen Shangchuan looked at the clerks below with excited expressions, a smile flashed across his face, and he said

"You clerks are not allowed to take the imperial examinations. Generally speaking, you will hardly be able to become an official in your lifetime. The new system implemented by the court this time is a great opportunity for you to become an official."

"Before I entered the government, I was just an ordinary student in the county. When Guangzhou was defending the city, I was greatly favored by Your Highness and was recruited to work in the Si Zheng Hall. Only then was I able to be an official by grace. The Chuxian Hall is the next Si Zheng Hall, and it is also a path to success that Your Highness has opened up for you and other officials."

"I have divided the county into nine parts according to location. Each of you six families and three classes will be in charge of one part. The three people who collect the most land during this land clearing will be eligible for the county's Talent Academy."

"If there are rewards, there must be punishments. I have set a minimum limit for each district. If the land confiscated in any district fails to reach this minimum number, then you will have to give up your position."

The clerks below became nervous when they heard this. They were all regular clerks, so ordinary county officials could not dismiss them at will.
But Liu Chengyou and other county officials knew very well that their own Chen County Master was not an ordinary county magistrate. Chen County Master was a disciple of the governor. If Chen County Master really wanted to take away their official positions, they would have no way to resist.

Liu Chengyou took one look at the clerks in the room and said in a deep voice:

"The county lord has given an order, and we dare not disobey."

"But we are officials of low status, and most of those confiscated by the court this time are county gentry, most of whom have made great achievements. If they rely on their status to resist, how can we stop them?"

Chen Shangchuan heard this, his face was calm, but he said softly
"Now in the two governments, there are only criminals, no gentry."

"Just do what you want, as long as it complies with the laws of the court, I will take responsibility for anything that happens to you."

"It is known that the imperial guards stationed in the east of the county and the imperial guards of the imperial court will be stationed in the county in the near future. These imperial guards are set up for the rebellion in the county!"

In order to ensure the smooth progress of the land clearing, 500 imperial guards were stationed in each county of Chaozhou and Huizhou, in order to deter those gentry in the two prefectures who were still harboring evil intentions.

When the officials heard this, their expressions relaxed. Since the court was so determined, they had nothing to fear.

Chen Shangchuan looked at the expressions on the faces of the officials in the field, but his face suddenly darkened, and he spoke again

"The division of land between the two governments is a major event in the court. Now everyone in the court is looking at this."

"This time, the court will only clear the land of the wealthy households with more than 100 acres. For the common people with less than 100 acres, you must not cause trouble."

"You go and clear the fields. If the gentry resist, I will take over for you. But if you oppress the common people and cause trouble, you can't just resign. Do you understand?"

"The county lord has issued an order, and we dare not act recklessly."

Liu Chengyou and other officials looked at Chen Shangchuan, who had a cold expression on his face, and they were also startled. They immediately responded.
The county magistrate in front of them personally led the imperial guards to capture seven or eight gentry families in the county. Hundreds of these seven or eight gentry families had just been beheaded. How could they not be afraid when they met such a superior?
Nearly a thousand gentry who had colluded with the rebels in Chaozhou and Huizhou were beheaded. Heads of people were slaughtered in the two prefectures. As the gentry were executed, the officials of the two prefectures also began to disperse into the countryside.

As the officials of the two governments entered the villages, no matter how many gentry they extorted, or how many threats and inducements they used to compete for the places in the Chuxian Hall,

After a year of delay, the two prefectures finally began to implement the land clearing in this bloody scene.

(End of this chapter)