The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 284 The Conspiracy Behind the Bozhou Rebellion

The New Year is approaching, and the capital is freezing cold and everything is bleak, but Suzhou is still green and green.

The Yangtze River will not freeze throughout the winter, so it is very convenient to travel from Suzhou to Chongqing in winter.

After Li Hualong received the order from the secret guard, he immediately set off and boarded the navy's express ship to Chongqing Prefecture.

At this time, thousands of cavalrymen were galloping towards the capital through the ice and snow outside the Great Wall.

They braved the heavy snow and passed through the cities and fortresses scattered on the Chahar grassland, crossed the Xuanfu Town, and hurried day and night. Wherever they passed, the snow was splattered everywhere, as if rows of thunder bombs were buried on the ground.

At about 5 p.m. that afternoon, as it was getting dark, Liu Jing, covered in snowflakes, finally arrived at the palace.

Upon hearing the news, Wanli ordered someone to take him to the kitchen of Kunning Palace.

At this moment, he was having dinner with a group of concubines, princes and princesses.

They do not eat extravagantly. They rarely eat delicacies from land and sea except during festivals. They only eat common cattle, sheep, pork, chicken, duck, fish, etc.

However, there were still a lot of dishes on the table, and the whole family couldn’t finish them all. If there were more people, they would just have to add an extra pair of bowls and chopsticks.

When the princes and princesses saw the arrival of a general, they were extremely excited, but Liu Jing was extremely reserved.

Although the snow on his body had almost been shaken off, he was still wearing thick military uniform.

You know what, with that pointed helmet and the half-cloak-like hat, he looks really majestic.

Seeing this, the eldest prince Zhu Changluo couldn't help but exclaimed: "Wow, General Liu, you look so mighty in this outfit."

Well, I am just a deputy general of the Beijing camp, how dare I call myself a general.

Liu Jing bowed repeatedly and said, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, is too kind. I am merely a lieutenant general under General Qi. I am not worthy of the title of General."

Seeing this, Wanli smiled slightly and said, "How can you eat in this outfit? Uncle, help him take off this thick coat."

It is really troublesome to take off the winter military uniform by oneself, but it is different with the help of a few eunuchs.

Soon, his thick fur coat was taken off, leaving only the spring and autumn military uniform.

Now the military uniforms of the Ming Dynasty are getting better and better. Each set looks very well made.

Wanli nodded slightly, then raised his glass and said, "Come, Shengwu, have a drink to warm yourself up first."

Liu Jing quickly and carefully sat down and drank the wine respectfully.

Wanli asked him to eat a few more bites of food, then asked, "You didn't come back alone, did you? Where are the other soldiers? Have you made arrangements?"

Liu Jing nodded repeatedly and said, "I brought a thousand personal guards with me, but they have all gone home, so there is no need to make any arrangements."

Well, the good thing about the soldiers in the capital camp is that they all have their own homes in the capital.

Wanli nodded slightly, then asked, "Do you know Yang Yinglong?"

Envoy of the Bozhou Xuanwei Office?

Liu Jing said with some emotion, "I know Yang Yinglong. I was fifteen when my father led the army to conquer the Jiusi Duzhan barbarians. It was my first time to join the army, and that battle was truly brutal."

Fortunately, you know Yang Yinglong, so this trip was not in vain.

Wanli asked again: "What do you think of Yang Yinglong?"

How to say this.

Liu Jing thought about it carefully before saying cautiously, "The impression Yang Yinglong gives me can be summed up in one word: fierce."

You are the most powerful general in the late Ming Dynasty, and you still think he is powerful?

Wanli couldn't help but ask curiously, "How powerful is Yang Yinglong?"

Liu Jing recalled, "Yang Yinglong was so fierce that he was almost fearless. Whether he was charging into battle or attacking a city, he was always at the forefront, seemingly unfazed by life or death."

Yang Yinglong seemed to be really reckless in fighting. He was the first to reach the city wall twice. Arrows, rolling stones, wooden stakes, boiling water and hot oil were like rain, and he dared to rush to the city wall.

Wanli nodded slightly, then asked, "How is his Kung Fu?"

Liu Jing thought about it carefully and said, "Yang Yinglong was born with supernatural strength. He was good at using spears, long lances, and large Guandao. With one sweep, he could destroy a large area.

It is said that when he was fighting against Hama, he led his troops to attack for a long time but failed, suffering heavy casualties. The ladders they put up were knocked down by large tree branches.

In anger, he pulled up a spruce tree over ten feet tall from the nearby hillside and tossed it directly onto the city wall. Then, he stepped on the spruce tree and flew up, killing everyone in Hama so badly that no one dared to approach him.

what?
Can a spruce tree over ten feet tall be uprooted?

Upon hearing this, Wanli couldn't help but asked in surprise: "Is this true?"

Liu Jing said carefully, "I haven't seen it myself, but Yang Yinglong truly possesses extraordinary strength. When he got excited, he simply lifted a boulder weighing hundreds of pounds and hurled it down the hillside, knocking the Duzhang barbarians to the ground. I saw it with my own eyes."

It would be a pity to kill such a powerful general.

Wanli thought for a moment and then asked, "What do you think of him?"

Liu Jing reflected on this for a moment before cautiously saying, "I think he's a man of generosity and loyalty. The other chieftains never led their troops, but he did so to avoid heavy casualties among his own troops." Wanli then asked, "Do you think Yang Yinglong will rebel?"

How can this be?

Liu Jing shook his head without hesitation and said, "Yang Yinglong is unlikely to rebel. He is extremely respectful to the civil and military officials appointed by the court and always obeys their orders. If he is ordered to attack, he will lead his troops without hesitation, no matter how dangerous it is.

Moreover, he had studied at the Imperial Academy and was full of praise for everything he saw and heard in the capital. It was impossible for him to rebel. The Bozhou Tusi system had lasted for nearly seven hundred years since the Tang Dynasty, and he knew exactly how to continue it.

Yes, the chieftains of Bozhou have lasted for several dynasties, and they must know very well how to continue.

rebel?

Unless he is mentally ill or has been forced into a desperate situation.

Wanli thought for a moment and asked again, "Did he also study at the Imperial College?"

Liu Jing nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, he studied at the Imperial College before he inherited the post of envoy, and he learned a lot.

After he became the envoy, he vigorously developed water conservancy projects, reclaimed wasteland, founded schools, and encouraged commerce. Under his governance, Bozhou became one of the few prosperous places in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan.

Is this guy a man of both civil and military talents?

After Ye Mengxiong submitted his memorial, another petition came from Yuan Zisheng, a local official of the Bozhou Xuanwei Office. He accused Yang Yinglong of being suspicious, cruel, and bloodthirsty by nature, killing innocent people at will and beating and killing his local officials at will. He requested the court to dismiss him from his post and investigate him.

Their evidence is that Yang Yinglong killed his wife and mother-in-law.

This seems to be true.

So, why did Yang Yinglong kill his wife and mother-in-law?
Fortunately, Li Hualong and thousands of secret guards boarded the navy's express ship and rushed to Chongqing Prefecture at a fairly fast speed.

Moreover, Li Hualong was quite capable. Not only did he summon Yang Yinglong to Chongqing Prefecture City for questioning to test whether Yang Yinglong would rebel, he also sent secret guards to investigate everywhere.

There are many doubts in the case of Yang Yinglong murdering his wife and mother-in-law.

First and foremost, according to Yang Yinglong's confession, he and his favorite concubine Tian Cifeng were drunk that day and had no recollection of killing his wife Zhang and mother-in-law Guan.

He only remembered that when he was drunk and a little unconscious, his favorite concubine Tian suddenly got up and left. He also felt that he had drunk enough, so he staggered back to the backyard to find his favorite concubine Tian, ​​but he saw his favorite concubine Tian and his wife Zhang arguing.

Then, he remembered nothing. When he woke up, Tian told him that he had killed his wife Zhang and mother-in-law Guan because he was drunk!
The secret guards found out that Yang Yinglong's favorite concubine, Tian Cifeng, was of humble origin, and it was not even certain whether her last name was Tian.

It seems that this woman was bought from the Tian family, the largest of the five departments and seven surnames under Yang Yinglong, and her surname was changed to Tian after she was bought.

Because Tian Cifeng was extremely beautiful and charming, Yang Yinglong doted on this concubine the most.

Yang Yinglong had three wives, Zhang, Lu and Wu, all of whom were legitimate daughters of the five officials and seven surnames under his command. Among them, his first wife Zhang had no offspring.

He had five sons, Chaodong, Kedong, Yidong, Weidong and Liangdong. The eldest son, Yang Chaodong, was born to his favorite concubine Tian Cifeng, and the other four sons were born to his concubines Lu and Wu.

It is rumored that the favorite concubine Tian Cifeng is very good at vying for favor. In front of Yang Yinglong, she is gentle, virtuous and affectionate. But behind Yang Yinglong's back, she spreads rumors everywhere, saying that after Yang Yinglong had her, he no longer favored Zhang, Lu and Wu. Zhang, Lu and Wu were unbearable in loneliness and had affairs everywhere. It is not known whether the other four sons are Yang Yinglong's children!

After Zhang and Guan were killed, she even spread rumors that Zhang was cheating on her and was caught by Yang Yinglong!
Yang Yinglong was drunk by her and lost consciousness, and he also caught Zhang cheating?

This woman is even more vicious than Concubine Zheng in history.

Yang Yinglong, just like his historical counterpart Emperor Wanli, was completely bewildered by Concubine Zheng.

It is obvious that Tian Cifeng is a member of the three major families in Puzhou, and the local official Yuan Zisheng should also have been bribed by the three major families in Puzhou.

It is even possible that Zhang Shizhao was bribed by the three major families in Puzhou.

As to whether Yang Yinglong really killed his wife and mother-in-law, this matter is very suspicious.

He was so drunk that he was a little unconscious and could hardly walk steadily. How could he kill two people in a row?

Unless Zhang and Guan were sick, they would not run away when they saw that he wanted to kill someone, and would even rush into his sword.

The truth is most likely that he was drunk and fell to the ground, unconscious. Tian Cifeng asked people from the three major families in Puzhou to kill Zhang and Guan, and then put the murder weapon in his hands, and then shouted, saying that he had killed someone.

It was obvious that no one else was present when this happened. If there were other people present, would they have stopped him from killing people while drunk?

Zhang was Yang Yinglong's legal wife, equivalent to a local queen. If the local emperor got drunk and wanted to kill the local queen, someone present would definitely stop him.

Wanli himself was once drunk and chased a young eunuch with a sword.

He knew very well that when someone was drunk, they couldn't even see their figures and they stumbled when walking. People could easily avoid them by dodging them. After several other trusted eunuchs tried to persuade him, he let it go.

This was just a eunuch. He didn't kill him even when he was drunk. How could Yang Yinglong kill his wife and mother-in-law when he was drunk?

Therefore, he concluded that Zhang and Guan were not killed by Yang Yinglong, but by people from the three major powerful families in Puzhou.

The three powerful families in Puzhou wanted to use this incident as an excuse to frame Yang Yinglong and constantly pressure Yang Yinglong to rebel.

As for Tian Cifeng and Yang Chaodong, they were abandoned pawns, just like Dang Xin and Yang Siwei.

If Yang Yinglong rebels, they can die.

Tian Cifeng might still naively think that her son Yang Chaodong could inherit the position of Xuanweishi of Bozhou Xuanwei Office and become a local emperor.

(End of this chapter)