Ancestors, please don't crawl out again.

Chapter 167 Thunder strikes from the sky
"You dogs, you are unworthy to be descendants of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong."

You bastards.

"You spineless bastard..."

Behind these princes and nobles who were kowtowing and begging for mercy were several others being dragged over.

At the front was a boy who looked to be just over ten years old. He was being lifted up by two burly men, kicking his legs in mid-air and screaming in his still-unchanged voice. Behind him were several adult men who were either crying or cursing, and there was even one who was lying on the ground being dragged along. But their struggles were ultimately in vain.

He could only watch helplessly as he was dragged towards the gate of Daming.

This is Dezhao, the great-grandson of Dorgon. Although he has inherited the title of Prince Xin, he is not yet an adult.

Dodo's title of Prince Yu was reduced to Prince Xin during his son Dorgon's reign. Since his family had the closest relationship with Dorgon, they were somewhat affected. This lineage wasn't restored to Prince Yu until the reign of the Tenth Prince. However, their line was large, with both Dodo and Dorgon having many sons; the current number was insufficient. Moreover, Yang Feng wasn't only looking for males; females were included, including children born to females…

Annihilate the entire family!
It should be neat and tidy.

Regardless of age or gender, as long as they have the blood of Dodo, they are all in the same boat.

"Immortal Venerable, please stop your supernatural powers! The descendants of Dorgon deserve to die. We will capture them for you right now."

"Quickly, drag Dezhao over here so the Immortal Venerable can take a look."

The one in the lead, who was clearly also a prince, lay on the ground and turned to wave.

Then Dezhao was dragged to the front and thrown on the ground.

He got up without hesitation, but was immediately pressed down by the strong man. He grabbed a knife that was clearly from the Qing army and angrily threw it at the prince, but it was caught by a strong man.

"Baertu, you will die a horrible death!"

Dezhao screamed at the prince.

The latter was Prince Kang, Baltu, the son of Lord Wei's good friend.

Because Ma Ge lived a relatively long time, most of the prominent figures from his early years were already dead—Jie Shu, Yue Le, and Suo'etu were all gone. Now, the only prominent Han Chinese official in Ma Ge's court was Li Guangdi. Of course, the new generation, such as Nian Gengyao and Longkodo, had risen to prominence in recent years. Nian Gengyao was already the Governor of Sichuan, and Longkodo was the Commander of the Nine Gates. In reality, at this time, Ma Ge was truly at peace. Even Ge Erdan had been defeated, although Ge Erdan's nephew, Tsewang Arabtan, who had helped him defeat Ge Erdan, had risen to power, but was still waiting for an opportunity.

The two sides did not go to war.

The main problem was that Tsewang Arabtan was still facing threats from Tsarist Russia, and he also had to deal with the Three Hordes.

What a peaceful and prosperous time!
Then it was destroyed overnight.

But now, faced with the demons that destroyed his golden age, he could only cower in the palace, letting them run rampant outside.

Baltu certainly didn't have the ability to capture Dezhao, but with Ma Ge's tacit approval, things were different. In the end, Ma Ge's cowardice meant that Yang Feng would continue to destroy the city, or rather, destroy the mansions of Baltu and other princes, and kill their people. Under these circumstances, handing over the descendants of Dodo became the unanimous choice of all families.

Brother Ma won't give orders.

By issuing such an order, he, as emperor, became a laughing stock.

but……

He can wait.

These princes and nobles of Baltu cannot wait any longer!

We can't let their homes be destroyed just to protect the Dodo lineage! If Ma Ge doesn't give the order, then we'll do it ourselves. As long as he tacitly approves, we don't need to care about anything. Besides, they actually understand that this demon is not something our Great Qing can deal with!
kneel!
Kneel down now!
Even if this is the enemy, even if this demonic army is marching towards the capital, and even if he has openly declared his intention to destroy the Qing Dynasty, we still have to kneel. After all, we must leave ourselves a way out. These princes and nobles have enjoyed wealth and honor on this land for nearly seventy years, and have long lost the ferocity of their ancestors. In fact, the vast majority are already useless. Most princes and nobles no longer go to the battlefield. Yan Xin is already one of the more capable fighters among them. After that, the Eight Banners will have to rely on the Solons to hold the fort.

For these princes and nobles today, their mindset has long since changed.

When they need to kneel down and beg for mercy, they will not hesitate for a moment.

“Immortal Venerable, this little brat is the great-grandson of Dorgon, the direct successor Prince Xin Dezhao, and the others are all Dorgon’s grandsons.”

Baltu lay on the ground, smiling obsequiously.

"Is this all you've got? Are you trying to fool me?"

Yang Feng's face darkened as he shouted.

"Immortal Venerable, please calm your anger. This was only captured hastily. If you wait a few hours, we will search the city. No one of Dorgon's descendants, male or female, will escape. They are all registered in the Imperial Clan Register. Even the women who have married can be traced."

Baltu quickly said.

"Then hurry up. I want to see all of them loaded into the prison van before dark."

Don't think I don't know who they are.

Yang Feng said.

"The Immortal Venerable is a deity, and naturally knows everything. Please wait a moment, Immortal Venerable. Before nightfall, Dorgon will surely put them all into the prison cart to await the Immortal Venerable's judgment."

Baltu said respectfully.

Then he and the other princes and nobles immediately took their leave. However, they did not return to the Great Ming Gate, but instead split up to the left and right. Baltu walked to the trembling iron stalks and crops.

"Back then, Dodo broke his promise, took 300,000 from Yangzhou and then massacred the city. That bastard deserved to die. Now that the Immortal Venerable is punishing him, we can't let others bear the blame. What does his sin have to do with us? Why should we take the blame for him? Come, all of you follow me. Let's go and bring his descendants to the Immortal Venerable for judgment."

he shouted.

"Yes, why should we take the blame for him?"

"Go! Go and capture all of Dordo's descendants!"

……

The die-hard farmers shouted with righteous indignation.

Then they followed Baltu and others, and thus began a city-wide manhunt.

In reality, it can't be called a search and arrest.

They knew exactly who all the people were, even which family the women had married into and what children they had. After all, the loyal peasants were all related by marriage, and marriages of this caliber couldn't possibly involve ordinary Manchus. So they simply went in, dragged the women out, and even brought along their own families. Sacrificing a daughter-in-law was better than having their entire family killed by this demon—no, this immortal being. The search was extremely efficient, and soon groups of loyal peasants dragged the cursing and wailing men and women to the Great Ming Gate.

The prison van is already under construction.

It was nothing more than a horse-drawn carriage and a cage; they just stuffed all these people inside.

Thus, one after another, hastily made prison wagons quickly arrived at the Daming Gate, and several descendants of Dodo were stuffed inside. Amidst the latter's cries and curses, the wagons were locked up. For a time, prison wagons gathered in front of the Daming Gate, just like the grand scene when Dodo returned with wagons full of gold and silver treasures.

As for Ma Ge...

He is still pretending to be dead.

He never issued any decrees from beginning to end, nor did he ever show his face.

It was as if everything happening outside his palace gates had nothing to do with him. No officials even entered the palace to report anything. They seemed to have forgotten that there was a wise and benevolent ruler inside. Everything was being carried out efficiently and quickly thanks to the hard work of his loyal followers. Before nightfall, hundreds of prison carts gathered in front of the Great Ming Gate, crammed with over a hundred prisoners. This was because the wives of the princes were also crammed inside. Servant and concubines without status were not counted, but the wives were. In the end, a complete list was even presented to Yang Feng.

"Immortal Lord, they are all here." Baltu respectfully held the list and knelt before the Great Ming Gate.

"I believe you!"

Yang Feng said.

“Immortal, my ancestor Daishan stopped interfering in affairs after we entered the pass. My grandfather Husai died in the third year after we entered the pass. He was only nineteen when he died and never led troops. The one who led troops was my great-uncle Mandahai. It was only because he was guilty that my father inherited the title of prince of the Plain Red Banner. My family has never done anything evil!”

Baltu, in a fit of emotion, prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing and weeping.

"You're quite honest. Go tell Ma Zi not to think he can get away with faking his death. I may not care to take his dog's life, but when the heavenly soldiers arrive, that will be the day he faces his just punishment."

Yang Feng said.

"I understand, I will report to the emperor immediately."

Baltu quickly said.

He's starting to resemble the princes of the Qing Dynasty during the Eight-Nation Alliance era.

May Xiaohua be granted a title!
However, this is indeed a clever man. Although he was definitely instructed by Ma Ge, it doesn't mean Ma Ge wouldn't sacrifice him afterward. Ma Ge would feign death, instructing him to do these things, to lure Yang Feng away, and then Ma Ge would pretend he didn't know anything, that it was these bastards who did it. Then, the Great Qing Emperor would be furious and issue an edict to execute him to appease the world. This kind of operation is quite normal; at least it can cover things up. Although everyone understands, burying one's head in the sand can ultimately allow Ma Ge to regain some of the dignity he imagines. But now, Baltu is turning himself into Yang Feng's spokesperson here, or rather, using foreign influence to bolster his own position, which might actually make Ma Ge more aware.

I am the Immortal Venerable's dog.

Be smart!
Of course, this had nothing to do with Yang Feng. He had already gotten what he wanted, and then, under his orders, the prison carts drove out of Zhengyang Gate.

The citizens of the outer city watched in shock as the prison carts drove out, each one bearing a sign identifying the people inside. From the highest-ranking Prince Xin, Dezhao, to those who had married and become Fujin (principals), and even their children, all were locked in these carts, held accountable for Dodo's crimes.

This is practically equivalent to executing nine generations of one's family.

Although it doesn't actually reach the level of exterminating nine generations of a family.

But in reality, the actual legal procedures only apply to the three clans, and even those who marry out of the three clans are not counted.

And this is a descendant of a royal prince.

This was captured by our Qing Dynasty and given to the enemy.

This……

The more I think about it, the more absurd it seems!

Above these prison carts, Yang Xianzun, with his wings spread, flew slowly.

The outer city was immediately filled with people bowing in worship.

Of course, Yang Feng wouldn't travel with these prison vans.

These prison carts will be transported to Kaifeng by our Great Qing Dynasty itself.

As for Yang Feng...

Weihui.

"You troublemakers, you troublemakers!"

On the city wall, an old village official, holding a knife, howled in grief and indignation.

Within the city before him, countless unruly civilians flooded the streets, and the militia that had been holding back at the city gates were scattering in all directions. As for the few Green Standard Army soldiers, they had already opened the city gates. Outside the city walls, the same unruly civilians were swarming in, while the Heavenly Soldiers were providing fire support behind the unruly civilians.

There was no need for the heavenly soldiers to lift a finger. Having learned of the Celestial Venerable's rules, the common people across the land were already eagerly anticipating it. The land of the gentry was confiscated and then made official farmland for the people to cultivate, without any taxes, only requiring them to pay rent based on about 10% of the yield. This alone was enough to drive the people mad, considering that in the Qing Dynasty they had to pay taxes already including the Liaodong military contribution, 80% of the officials' taxes for fire damage, and 50% of the rent from the gentry…

The land did indeed belong to the gentry, but the taxes had to be paid by the farmers!

It's spraying everywhere!
Not paying?

If you don't hand it over, you can forget about farming.

Because of this rule set by the Celestial Venerable, the people of Weihui have risen up in droves as the heavenly soldiers arrived.

There were indeed only four thousand heavenly soldiers, but there were more than ten times that number willing to lead the way. These strong young men carrying farm tools bravely charged to the front, but there was actually no real danger. The biggest danger was that they were easily knocked down by their comrades.

Behind them were heavenly soldiers lined up for target practice, while the local militia on the city wall dared not show their faces at all.

The Heavenly Soldiers' shooting accuracy is now very high.

It is indeed possible to accurately snipe someone at a distance of 200 meters.

Under the cover of three thousand sharpshooters, the charging young men suffered no casualties.

When they reached the city gate, the able-bodied men from within the city and the defected Green Standard Army soldiers who were waiting to meet them had already opened the gate for them. Then, the able-bodied men outside the city poured in, greeted by the able-bodied men inside the city...

"You unruly people! You are all thieves! You are all thieves! You will be struck by lightning!"

The old man continued to break down.

But at that moment, everything around him suddenly went silent.

Those militia members, along with his close relatives and even the prefect who was also in command, all looked at the sky with terrified eyes.

He raised his head blankly.

A golden figure is falling from the sky.

"The Celestial Venerable has arrived!"

"The Immortal Venerable has arrived!"
……

Cheers erupted both inside and outside the city.

The old man looked at the figure, which clearly resembled a deity, with trembling eyes.

Suddenly, the prefect knelt down, followed by his close relatives and even the local militia soldiers, who all knelt in panic, kowtowing frantically until their foreheads were covered in blood. Only the old village official stood there, still holding his knife, trembling, but he did not kneel; he simply watched in terror.

"Struck by lightning? Do you even know what being struck by lightning means?"

Yang Feng sneered.

As he spoke, the Imperial Seal of the State in his hand transformed into a beam of white light and flew into the dark clouds overhead. The next moment, a vortex formed in the snow-covered clouds, and then a dazzling light fell from the center of the vortex, accompanied by a deafening roar that seemed to shake the heavens and the earth. It struck the old village official squarely. The moment he was hit, the old village official carbonized and exploded into countless sparks that flew in all directions. The prefect and others kneeling around him were immediately ignited by the sparks and burst into flames.

"This is what happens when you're struck by lightning."

Yang Feng said.

(End of this chapter)