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Chapter 852: The Mighty Fishing Boat
At this time, the waters from Yangzhou Wharf to Gaoyou had been blocked. More than 20 strange iron lumps were cruising on the river. When they saw the Song Dynasty's naval ships, they all rushed up at full speed and rammed the Song Dynasty's naval ships into the water. Then a group of soldiers in cloth clothes rushed out from the inside of the iron lumps to rescue the Song soldiers who fell into the water. All the actions could be said to be done in one go, and a battle was often completed at an extremely fast speed.

These strange iron lumps are exactly the modern large fishing boats that Suning took out. Not only can they be used to catch fish and sell them in the past, but they can also be used as extremely brave combat ships in wartime. It is easy to deal with the wooden ships of the Song Dynasty. Suning naturally did not take out the real modern warships, otherwise it would be too bullying to the Song Dynasty court and the Zhao royal family.

A large number of merchant ships and cargo ships traveling on the canal have been intercepted. The people on the ships widened their eyes when they saw such a fast and fierce water battle. They looked at everything in front of them trembling like sieves because of fear. They all waited obediently for the Ningyuan army's decision. After all, everyone understood that force is stronger than people.

In fact, the Ningyuan Army was not completely unreasonable. If the merchant ships were carrying seasonal fruits and food, they would all be allowed to be unloaded at the Yangzhou wharf and then quickly consumed by the Ningyuan Army and the people of Yangzhou City. Moreover, the prices given by the Ningyuan Army were very fair. After all, the Ningyuan Army was now so wealthy that they had no shortage of money. If a merchant ship wanted to continue heading north to Bianliang, that would be impossible.

Suddenly, news of a mysterious rebel group occupying Yangzhou City and blocking the waterways along the Grand Canal and the Yangtze River quickly reached Bianjing. Coupled with the fact that the waterways to and from Bianjing had already been blocked, everyone in Bianjing felt the soaring prices. All the officials of the Song Dynasty were also collectively bewildered. Sitting on the dragon throne, Song Renzong angrily looked at the officials in front of him and demanded, "Speak up! Who can tell me what is going on in Yangzhou?"

"Your Majesty, please calm down! This group of rebels appeared very suddenly, and we have never heard of the organization of the Ningyuan Army. They only occupied the entire Yangzhou City and did not issue a proclamation to the world." The ministers were naturally confused and looked at each other, and then Minister Han could only smile bitterly and step out to make a reply.

"Oh? Does this mean that all the ministers are completely clueless?" Song Renzong, sitting on the dragon throne, looked at all the ministers and the civil and military officials in the court with sarcasm, feeling that no one would be of any use when the real crisis came.

"Your Majesty, we are guilty of a thousand deaths." Seeing Song Renzong's rare loss of composure, they realized that the old emperor was really angry, and then everyone in the hall knelt down.

You should know that the literati and officials of the Song Dynasty did not kowtow three times and nine times when attending court, so naturally there was no such roar of "Long live the emperor" as in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Therefore, the scene of a large number of civil and military officials kneeling down in the court was unheard of. However, the old emperor of the Song Dynasty sitting on the dragon throne did not feel happy at all. Instead, he was almost pissed off to death by these rogue officials of the Song Dynasty. What he wanted now was detailed information and a solution.

"Your Majesty, Dong Liang, the deputy commander of the Imperial City Administration, is requesting an audience outside the palace." Soon, an old eunuch hurriedly walked into the hall, and then reported to the old emperor sitting on the dragon throne.

"Summon him quickly." The old emperor was anxious and immediately summoned the deputy commander of the Imperial City to meet him.

"Yes! Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, I, Dong Liang, the deputy commander of the Imperial City Division, pay my respects to you." Then a burly middle-aged man came to the hall and knelt down in front of the emperor.

"Dong Liang, please tell me the specific situation in Yangzhou."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Dong Liang immediately bowed and accepted the order. Then, in front of the emperor and all the ministers, he began to speak. "After the three major salt merchants in Yangzhou were massacred overnight by the ruthless bandit Fang La, Ningyuan Marquis's second son, Gu Tingye, inherited the Bai family business as the grandson of the Bai family's head. He then quickly devoured the sixteen salt farms from Yangzhou to Gaoyou. Five days ago, Ningyuan Marquis Gu Yankai's fourth and fifth brothers led a group of Gu family members and servants to Yangzhou. Then, three days ago in the early morning, the rebels quickly took control of the entire Yangzhou city. All the officials and wealthy businessmen in the city were captured and forced to do hard labor in the salt farms. Their families were also sent to work in the workshops. They also closed all the waterways between Jiangnan and Bianjing."

"What? Marquis Ningyuan? Ningyuan Army?" At this time, all the ministers of the Song Dynasty in the hall and the emperor on the dragon throne understood something. They never thought that the Gu family would be so cruel as to rebel.

"Your Majesty, Ningyuan Marquis Gu Yankai rebelled against the Song Dynasty. I request that the three members of the Gu family be arrested and imprisoned immediately." Han Da Xianggong, an old man who always hated evil, immediately bowed and gave the old emperor a suggestion.

"Your Majesty, we second the motion." A large number of court officials seconded the motion, as if they had never had any contact with Gu Yankai.

"Dong Liang, the deputy commander of the Imperial City Administration?" The emperor took a few deep breaths in anger, and then looked at the deputy commander of the Imperial City Administration in front of him.

"The minister is here."

"Arrest all nine members of the Gu family and throw them into the Sky Prison. Don't let even a chicken go." At this time, the old emperor gritted his teeth and said the killing order word by word.

"Yes! Your Majesty."

Hearing that the emperor had abandoned Han Da Xianggong's plan to exterminate three clans and, unprecedentedly, directly arrested all nine clans of the Gu family, everyone could not help but look at each other in fear. They all understood that the emperor must be extremely furious at this moment, otherwise he would never have said that not even a chicken of the Gu family would be spared. However, the scope of the nine clans was too broad, and it was very likely that most of the noble officials in the hall would not be able to escape.

Although the ministers felt that the emperor's order was somewhat unexpected, no one dared to speak out to persuade them at this time. They did not want to have any connection with the crazy Gu family. They wanted to cut off all ties with the Gu family because everyone knew that the Ningyuan Marquis Gu family was completely finished this time.

"Your Majesty, the next priority is to send troops to Yangzhou to suppress the rebels." Seeing that the old emperor had almost vented his anger, Prime Minister Shen stepped forward and said.

"Where is Commander Liao Wenjun of the Palace Front?" The old emperor looked directly at another general.

"The minister is here."

"I order you to lead 50,000 troops to Yangzhou to suppress the rebels. The Jiangning Navy will assist you. You must kill all the rebels in Yangzhou."

"Your Majesty! I obey your command."

The fact that Ningyuan Hou's second son, Gu Tingye, raised the flag of rebellion in Yangzhou was like a depth charge exploding in Bianjing. The prosperous city of Bianjing was immediately in an uproar. Everyone thought that the Gu family and Gu Tingye were crazy and would actually rebel with an egg against a stone.

Of course, no one could think that 50,000 Song troops could not suppress the rebellion of the Gu family, because in their eyes, the rebellion of the Gu family was just a fantasy and madness. There were even casinos that offered bets on how many days Gu Tingye could last. The dignitaries in the city of Bianjing happily placed bets, as if this was a once-in-a-century farce. Everyone who thought they had nothing to do with the Gu family was partying and excited.

"Master, our family and the Gu family are distant relatives. What should we do?" At this time, Princess Pingning looked at Duke Qi anxiously and asked.

"It's already a direct relationship between our ancestors. I believe Your Majesty will not implicate us." The Duke of Qi smiled disapprovingly, not believing that His Majesty would be so unwise as to vent his anger on their Duke of Qi Mansion.

"Oh! I hope so! I've been feeling uneasy." Although what the Duke of Qi said was very reasonable, and she herself was the only daughter of the Marquis of Xiangyang, she still couldn't help feeling uneasy.

"It's alright! Otherwise, I'll go to the palace and ask for an audience with His Majesty." Seeing Princess Pingning's face filled with worry, Duke Qi couldn't help but sigh and prepared to go to the palace. "No! His Majesty is furious right now. We'd better not go up there and cause trouble." Hearing that Duke Qi was actually going to take the initiative to offend him, Princess Pingning hurriedly pulled Duke Qi back.

"Ah." Seeing his wife's fear of both wolves and tigers, Duke Qi began to analyze the situation. He felt that it was not something a fifteen-year-old child could do. "Actually, I think Gu Tingye might have been kidnapped by that fierce bandit named Fang La?"

"Oh? Master, why?" Princess Pingning looked at Duke Qi in surprise and asked.

"Princess, think about it, Gu Tingye is only fifteen years old this year, and he just lost all his relatives in the Bai family. How can he have the ability to control all the salt businesses in Yangzhou and raise the flag of rebellion?"

"That's right! How about we meet His Majesty and explain the seriousness of the matter?"

"No! This matter is strange because of this. Why did the fourth and fifth sons of the Gu family suddenly take people to Yangzhou? This makes the matter too complicated, so it is simply an unsolvable problem."

"Ah? Yes! Why would the Gu family go to Yangzhou at this critical moment?"

"Humph! Based on my understanding of the Gu family, they must have heard that the Bai family was wiped out, and word spread that Gu Tingye controlled all the salt businesses in Yangzhou, so they went to Yangzhou to rob the wealth. Unfortunately, they ran into the arms of the rebels, and the rebels were naturally happy to use the Gu family as a banner."

"Ah? If that's the case, then the Gu family of Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion are a bit too greedy."

"More than that! Back then, Gu Tingye's father, Gu Yankai, married the daughter of the Bai family, a salt merchant from Yangzhou, because the Gu family's sons had amassed too much money through corruption. He wanted to use the Bai family's daughter's dowry to make up for the deficit, so he married the daughter of the salt merchant. I didn't expect that not long after that, they are still as greedy as ever."

"master"

"Bang!" At this moment, soldiers from the Imperial City Division smashed open the Qi family's gate and arrived before the terrified Duke Qi and Princess Pingning. Dong Liang, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial City Division, clasped his fists and apologized, saying, "Duke Qi, Princess Pingning, His Majesty has decreed that all nine clans of the Gu family be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. Your Qi family happens to be among them."

"what?"

The nobles of the Song Dynasty naturally had complicated relationships with each other. When the so-called nine clans of the Gu family were arrested, it was suddenly discovered that the Sky Prison in Bianjing could no longer accommodate them. Only then did the furious emperor come to his senses, and then immediately issued a new order to arrest only three clans of the Gu family, but the Sky Prison in Bianjing City was still overcrowded.

Those noble families who had spent a "day trip to the Heavenly Prison" were all relieved and ecstatic, but at the same time they began to hate the Gu family in their hearts. As soon as they returned home, they immediately locked the door and refused to go out. They would probably not dare to go out again until the rebellion was completely settled.

The Yangzhou Rebellion made the whole city of Bianjing solemn. The nobles who loved to linger in brothels dared not come out, and many shops on the streets were closed. This was because the Ningyuan Army blocked all the rivers to and from Bianjing. Relying solely on land transportation was like a drop in the bucket for a city with a population of one million. Therefore, the entire Song Dynasty was shaken by the Yangzhou Rebellion. Naturally, the Liao Dynasty and the Western Xia Dynasty were unwilling to miss this good opportunity and launched another attack on the border of the Song Dynasty. This made the emperor on the dragon throne and the ministers anxious every day.

"Your Majesty, although the border was attacked by the Liao and Xixia at the same time, Duke Ying has sent back a message that they will be able to resist." Seeing the old emperor in a state of panic, Prime Minister Shen immediately stepped forward and said to comfort him.

"Well, Duke Yingguo is worthy of being the backbone of my Great Song Dynasty. With him around, I can rest assured." Upon hearing that the old general Duke Yingguo was stationed at the border, the old emperor, who had been frowning, felt a little relieved.

"Your Majesty, the armies have not yet moved, but the food and fodder must go first. We should support the border with food and soldiers as soon as possible." At this time, Han Da Xianggong also came out to explain, knowing that he could not let the Duke of Ying have any worries. After all, the Liao Dynasty and the Western Xia were the most dangerous enemies.

"Okay! Just make your own arrangements, gentlemen."

"Yes! Your Majesty."

"Prince Han, has there been any news from Yangzhou?" The old emperor then became concerned about the affairs of Yangzhou again, hoping to put down this absurd rebellion as soon as possible.

"Huh? Not yet."

"Master Han, now that I've calmed down and think about it, it's quite puzzling that Gu Tingye would suddenly rebel against the court. You have to know that he's only a fifteen-year-old boy, and he's usually just a little bit naughty."

"Your Majesty, has the Imperial City Bureau obtained Gu Yankai's confession?" Grand Chancellor Han and Grand Chancellor Shen looked at each other helplessly, realizing that the old emperor had finally woken up from his anger, and then looked at the old emperor and asked about the confession obtained by the Imperial City Bureau.

"Ah! This is strange. Gu Yankai was beaten to a pulp by the Imperial City Division, yet he still only said that he sent Gu Laosi and Gu Laowu to Yangzhou to take over the salt business. They said they were worried that Gu Tingye was too young to manage such a large family business. After all, all the members of the Bai family had been killed by Fang La."

"Your Majesty, do you think it is possible that Gu Tingye has long been controlled by Fang La and others, and then they took a fancy to the Gu family's prestige in the court and the army, and deliberately used Gu Tingye and the Gu family to stand in front?" Grand Chancellor Han and Grand Chancellor Shen looked at each other in surprise, and then Grand Chancellor Shen stepped forward and stated a possibility.

"Well, this possibility is not impossible, but the timing of the Gu family's trip to Yangzhou is too delicate." The old emperor naturally nodded in agreement. It was strange that the timing of the Gu family's trip to Yangzhou was too delicate.

"Ahem! Your Majesty, the fourth and fifth sons of the Gu family are well-known playboys in Bianjing City. If you ask them to have a good time, they will definitely be top-notch players. But if you ask them to do something important, then..."

"Prime Minister Han, do you have any suggestions?" The old emperor at this time also realized belatedly and looked at the two prime ministers in front of him, realizing that they must have some new suggestions.

"Your Majesty, why don't we put the three members of the Gu family in jail for the time being? When Dong Liang, the deputy commander of the Palace Front Division, returns triumphantly, we will make a decision based on the specific circumstances." The two ministers did not want to kill innocent people before figuring out the matter. After all, once the heads of the Gu family were chopped off, they would never be able to put them back on.

"Okay." Thinking that the nine clans and three clans of the Gu family would implicate so many people this time, the old emperor also regretted the angry imperial edict he issued at that time.

(End of this chapter)