Xie Ming

Considering the difficulty of handling a potential slave rebellion, Xiao was caught in a dilemma and had a real headache.

After racking his brains without finding a solution, he scratched his head, looking gloomy and frustrated. He was busy and anxious, desperately seeking a good solution to deal with the situation.

Upon hearing this, Zhizhong glanced over, shook his head helplessly, and with a hint of teasing, spoke to the old monk.

"Hehe, Master, did you hear that? Old Xiao is complaining to us, venting his frustrations." Qiu tried to ease the tension.

Upon hearing this, Yao Zuyin stopped drinking tea, and Xiao Jiang respectfully accepted the cup.

"Hoo Hoo Hoo"

"That's true, Xiaochuan, it must be tough for you to be in this leadership position!"

Hearing this, Yao Zuyin also smiled and joked, leaving Xiao Lang speechless and only able to blush with shame.

"Hehe, Master, why don't you give us some advice?"

"Ignoring it is definitely not an option."

"The key is, what tone to follow and how to manage it."

"If we exert too much force, in my opinion, we might give others a handle to use against us and chill the hearts of the people in Jiangnan."

"However, ignoring it could indeed lead to a huge disaster."

Following up on the mediation, Chiu Chih-chung did not make a plan first, but instead laid out the matter, wanting to listen to the old monk's advice before making any further moves.

After hearing this, Yao Zuyin calmly gathered a string of prayer beads into his sleeve, intending to begin his lecture.

"Hmm, hmm, not bad, not bad."

"What you say, young friend Qiu, is very true."

"If you ask me, this matter should be addressed, of course it should be addressed, for two reasons."

Immediately, Master Hongren gestured with two fingers, and then spoke words of warning.

"Firstly, the slave revolts were so violent in such a short period of time."

"If this continues for too long, some local officials will likely suffer the consequences."

"Since ancient times, the imperial power has always been inadequate in managing local affairs, and its reach has been limited."

"The limit that can be reached is no more than the level of a prefectural or county magistrate."

"If I walk further into the fields and along the ridges, well, I'll find it too difficult."

“In daily life, the affairs of the villagers and farmers naturally fall into the hands of the village elders and gentry.”

"When a major event occurs, such as a natural disaster, flood, war, or the need to recruit soldiers and gather provisions."

"Isn't it still up to these people to gather money and supplies, organize recruitment, and train local militias?"

As he spoke, the old monk struggled to sit up, let out a long sigh, and faced the window to continue his discourse.

"Now that such a large-scale riot has occurred, it must be punished and deterred."

"Then, sooner or later, Jiangnan will inevitably descend into chaos."

"At that time, if you want to suppress or pacify the enemy again, or send troops, you will still need money, supplies, and provisions, won't you?"

"But if you can't even collect the people, goods, and food from the local areas, wouldn't that just make things worse?"

“Jiangnan is prosperous, but these resources, money and grain, all need to be accumulated level by level, from the bottom up.”

"Only then will you have enough troops to defend against the Qing barbarians' southward advance."

"So, for the sake of the imperial court and your hundreds of thousands of troops, you have to take care of this matter, whether you want to or not."

With unwavering conviction, Old Monk Yao emphasized his words and turned back to Xiao and Qiu.

"Hehehe, as for the second point..."

"Xiao Chuan, have you ever thought about this?"

“The gentry of Jiangnan oppress the people and seize land.”

"According to your logic, one should commit all kinds of evil deeds, enriching oneself while forgetting the public good."

"But have you ever thought that if this force unites and abandons you, each of them will become a guide and collaborator for the Jurchen barbarians?"

"Then, what you'll be facing is not just a simple matter of 100,000 foreign cavalry."

"After all, when faced with life and death, these individuals, or rather, the vast majority of them, are primarily concerned with preserving themselves and their families."

"What does it mean to sacrifice oneself for the court and die for righteousness?"

"Hmph, don't even think about it."

“Slave rebellions are breaking out everywhere right now, and you’re not going to step in to suppress and quell them.”

"In their eyes, the imperial court was full of incompetent and weak people."

"So, in order to seek protection, these gentry and wealthy families scattered in various places will be forced to choose sides."

“You’re ignoring us.” “Surrendering to the Manchus will inevitably become our next course of action.”

"Alas, we must be on guard."

"Once this situation is formed..."

"If you try to force him to take back his favorite thing then..."

"Hehe, I'm afraid it will be difficult by then."

"If a large number of gentry defect to the Jurchen court in the north, then our political system will inevitably face further collapse."

"If we can't organize the prefectures, counties, and townships, what will the fur cling to if the skin is gone?"

"If you don't fight this battle by then, you've already lost."

"It's beyond repair."

After speaking, his words carried a strong warning. Yao Zuyin looked up and sighed softly, stroking his beard.

"Yes, yes, the master is right."

"That"

"So how should I manage this properly?"

Xiao Lang was about to calmly accept the instruction when he saw that the conversation had stopped. He quickly stepped forward and asked for a way to resolve the situation.

"Hehehe, Xiao Chuan, don't be in such a hurry."

"Of course, this needs to be managed, but how should it be managed?"

"Hehe, we also need to pay attention to the timing."

"If you rush things, you get anxious; if you slow down, they're half-cooked and you'll get an upset stomach."

"Therefore, we cannot ignore it, nor can we rush into it. We cannot try to defeat everyone in one fell swoop, nor can we expect to achieve everything in one battle."

"Ha, in my opinion, this is absolutely unacceptable."

"We're just stretching our shoulders and doing things passively."

The old monk spoke with profound meaning, and Xiao Jingchuan frowned, deep in thought.

"Uh"

"Master, what do you mean by this?" After much thought, Xiao Yao asked again, unable to fully understand.

"Ho ho ho."

"No rush, no rush."

"You should let me finish speaking first."

After calming the crowd, Xiao Lang and Zhi Zhong, one on each side, helped Yao Zuyin sit down in a chair.

"These officials, for the court, are both the cause of its rise and its fall," the old monk continued.

"Just now, I was also talking about it."

"They are the ones who help the imperial court with the work in the fields, assisting in the management of local affairs, agricultural operations, and the rewarding and punishing of villagers."

"Therefore, it is only natural that their gentry power, while controlling the local area, would also possess a certain degree of capital to resist the imperial court."

"Well, there are precedents, such as the Chongzhen and Hongguang reigns, when they wanted to implement reform policies in the local areas."

"In the end, it will all be a lot of noise but little rain, unable to touch the root of the problem and unable to be thoroughly implemented."

"The reason for this is nothing more than this."

Recalling past experiences and lessons, the old monk suddenly changed the subject.

"And this time, isn't this uprising a golden opportunity for you, Xiao Chuan, to intervene in the territory of local forces?"

"If you can use your brain more to handle this matter, you can make sure you get all the right timing, location, and people."

"That's no less than Huang Chao's thorough purge of the powerful clans at the end of the Tang Dynasty."

These words were startling; upon hearing them, both Xiao and Qiu were clearly taken aback.

"You two should think about it carefully."

“When the slave rebellion broke out, the local gentry in a region were wiped out in an instant, burned and slaughtered.”

"Then you sent troops to pacify this place, leaving this empty space, huh?!"

Yao Zuyin's words, "The world is turned upside down with a flip of his hand," served as a wake-up call. Suddenly, Xiao Jingchuan raised an eyebrow and replied.

"You mean, we should use the slave rebellion as a weapon to kill the enemy we want to kill?"

"Once the space is vacated, the responsibilities and benefits can be cleared out so that our own people can be brought in."

Xiao's words were swift and to the point, hitting the nail on the head. (End of Chapter)