Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 153 Suppressing the Rebellion Only Requires Coordinates!
In the darkness of Hangzhou, as the city gates were opened, a large contingent of soldiers entered the city.

Soon, he woke up from his deep sleep.

The troops that came were decisive and had a clear purpose.

After entering the city, they formed small teams of one hundred men, each led by a centurion.

They quickly headed towards each destination...

A merchant was sleeping soundly with his beautiful wife and concubine in his arms.

Harboring dreams, having beautiful dreams.

They believed that their actions this time would definitely bring a lot of trouble to Zhu Yuanzhang.

This made Zhu Yuanzhang realize the reality and subsequently abandon the Maritime Trade Office.

Give up six-tenths of the tax.

This time, they're sure to win!
Let these peasants cause trouble outside; the more trouble they cause, the better.

If they don't make trouble, what can these men use to fight against Zhu Yuanzhang?
How will we make money in the future?

They will not give up easily until every last peasant lives are lost!
It was these peasants who caused this trouble.

We and our group were perfectly hidden in the background.

Even if Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to get angry, he couldn't direct it at his own people!

We can only vent our anger on these peasants.

high!
San Shi Gong's plan is truly brilliant!
With a loud bang, the tightly closed door was violently kicked open.

A large contingent of troops poured in.

The guard dog was barking when someone raised their hand and shot it dead with an arrow.

The gatekeepers and some servants, after being awakened, quickly came out with their weapons to reprimand them.

"Who goes there? Are you out of your mind?"
Where did you get the nerve!
Do you know where this is?!

They were met with blades slashing at their faces and spears thrusting towards their chests and abdomens...

boom!
The door to the master bedroom of the luxurious mansion was violently smashed open.

The merchant lord, embracing his beautiful wife and concubines, was fast asleep and having sweet dreams, and hadn't even had time to realize what was happening.

He was simply dragged out of bed.

"Hero, spare my life, spare my life!"
If a hero wants money, I have some here…

He thought he had encountered robbers.

"But I cannot spare you!"
Anyone who dares to incite the people to rebel is guilty of an unforgivable crime!
kill! "

Upon hearing this, the merchant suddenly realized something.

They discovered that the people who came were not bandits, but armored soldiers.

"I did not rebel! I did not rebel!"

He shivered.

He explained repeatedly.

"In Hangzhou, some people gathered to march and protest, but it was just a march and protest; there was no rebellion."

Hangzhou hasn't developed to that extent yet!

Furthermore, these marches and demonstrations are all carried out by the lowest castes.

That has nothing to do with me!

"In Suzhou, a maritime merchant instigated a rebellion, with rioters attacking the county government, killing officials, and starting a revolt!"

The maritime merchants here in Hangzhou are colluding with each other, launching joint operations, and supporting each other.

kill! "

As soon as the centurion finished speaking, a sword suddenly slashed down.

They chopped off the man's head.

As the merchant lay dying, his mind was filled with utter disbelief.

My head is buzzing.

How could Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang be so unreasonable?

It is clearly the lowly people who are rebelling and causing chaos.

Moreover, they weren't lowly people from Hangzhou, but from Suzhou.

In Hangzhou, only a few lowly people have just gathered to demand an explanation.

As a result, that bastard actually sent his troops.

Without distinguishing right from wrong or ignoring those lowly people, they went straight for the lords hiding behind the scenes.

Kill all those men?
What... what's the logic behind this?

The last thought in my mind came to an abrupt end there.

No one answered his question.

Only the soldiers, swift and methodical, carried out their judgments...

……

Li Sanshi changed into a black outfit and brought two trusted men with him.

He quickly slipped out of the house through the back door.

He decided to flee overnight.

The news I received was truly astonishing!
After learning that this scoundrel Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang actually intended to confiscate all the wealth of rebels and use it as the basis for establishing state-run businesses.

He knew that the situation was hopeless.

Fire is not only rare in Suzhou.

It will inevitably spread to Hangzhou as well.

But Li Sanshi will definitely not escape it either.

Regardless of whether the imperial court discovered his plan.

They didn't care whether Liao Xing, that bastard, had implicated them or not.

No one in Hangzhou can escape it.

They would inevitably be dragged into the rebellion by Zhu Yuanzhang under the pretext of suppressing the rebellion, and a massacre would be carried out in the name of suppressing the rebellion!

They seized all of their businesses.

This applies not only to places like Suzhou and Songjiang Prefecture, but also to any place where trouble is brewing, or even places where there are many maritime merchants but no trouble is brewing.

They will all be affected.

They would be killed by Zhu Yuanzhang under the pretext of rebellion.

By this time, he had fully realized what the emperor was really planning.

It wasn't at all what I thought—that opening a maritime trade office would make money.

The emperor not only wanted to establish the Maritime Trade Office, but also to increase tax revenue to six out of ten.

At the same time, we must also seize all of their numerous properties!
It became the imperial court's.

He should do it himself.

From managing foreign trade to producing goods domestically, everything was in the hands of the imperial court.

There was absolutely nothing for us to do with them.

He thought he could use various methods to negotiate with the emperor.

I thought that even if I failed, I would still be prepared.

Zhu Yuanzhang only dared to kill a portion of them; he dared not touch the vast majority.

He still has to rely on so many people like himself to do the work.

We can continue to do things in a superior position in the future.

Zhu Yuanzhang only dared to force them to submit, but dared not exterminate them.

We will need them to get things done in the future.

But now he realizes that all of that was wrong.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't care about the lives of himself and his men at all.

They only care about their own businesses.

He needed to kill them all so he could get things done more effectively.

From beginning to end, the emperor never intended to use them or his men to do anything!

We miscalculated, this time it was a real miscalculation!

They thought they could force the emperor to submit by instigating a popular uprising.

Little did they know that the emperor's plan was to use a popular uprising to kill them all!

Too cruel

Zhu Chongba was truly ruthless!
Most importantly, how did he come up with the idea of ​​bringing all these industries under the control of the imperial court and having it manage them?
If he had known that Zhu Chongba had this idea, he would never have done it!
This is no different from voluntarily handing a knife to Zhu Chongba.

I can't stay in Hangzhou anymore!

The entire Ming Dynasty was no longer a viable place to stay.

There was nowhere for him to stay.

We have to run.

If you run too slowly, you won't be able to run at all!
Fortunately, he had a close relationship with pirates at sea when he was doing business overseas.

They also wield considerable power in some uncivilized overseas regions.

As long as they could escape, they reached the sea.

Zhu Yuanzhang had no way to deal with himself!
Although his own life was not as comfortable as it was in the Ming Dynasty.

But it still far surpasses that of many peasants.

It's far better than having his head chopped off by that inhuman emperor, Zhu Chongba.

The industry is no longer needed.

Family members were also left behind.

They can only hope for the best.

Only your own life is the most important.

As long as you're alive, everything else is still there!

Everything can be earned back.

Zhu Chongba, that damned bastard, was very powerful in the Ming Dynasty.

He was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and could do whatever he wanted.

But that won't work at sea or overseas.

Zhu Yuanzhang's Maritime Trade Office wanted to conduct trade across the sea, but it wasn't that simple.

The Chen and Fang pirate groups at sea had an irreconcilable hatred for Zhu Yuanzhang.

Furthermore, many of us had previously engaged in maritime trade and had intricate connections with pirates.

To do business at sea, one had to pay tribute to the pirates.

Now that Zhu Yuanzhang has pulled this stunt, it's as if he has not only ruined their own livelihoods.

At the same time, it also took away the livelihoods of those pirates at sea.

There is a saying that cutting off someone's source of income is like killing their parents.

Zhu Chongba had already killed Chen Youding long ago.

It's equivalent to killing Chen Buhai's father.

Now that they've pulled this stunt again, it would be strange if Chen's pirate gang could let things go with Zhu Yuanzhang.

Then they themselves would fan the flames from behind.

Zhu Yuanzhang will suffer the consequences!

No matter how much cargo he acquires in the future, the pirates will rob him of it at sea!

Let's see if he has more goods or if the pirates have more to steal.

I guarantee he won't be able to keep operating!
Zhu Yuanzhang has gotten himself into big trouble!
As he walked on, he was filled with resentment and malice.

There were several loud popping sounds as the crossbows were activated, followed by screams of agony, all in front of him.

His two loyal followers collapsed to the ground.

Li Sanshi's thoughts were interrupted, and he was immediately terrified.

He quickly fell to the ground and crawled forward.

He wanted to leave as soon as possible, but both of his legs were throbbing with pain.

In their utter terror, four people emerged from a hidden corner behind them.

"Trying to run? You think you can escape?"

"After doing so many evil deeds, if I let you get away, where would I put my face?"

A burly man in black came up to Li Sanshi, squatted down, and patted Li Sanshi's face.

Then, as if picking up a dead dog, they lifted Li Sanshi up.

These are the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) dispatched by Liu Ying at the behest of Zhu Yuanzhang.

I knew these guys had ulterior motives all along.

How could Zhu Yuanzhang not make preparations and leave himself a backup plan?
Li Sanshi, Li Youtian from Songjiang Prefecture, and other influential maritime merchants were all being secretly watched by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

This is to prevent large fish from escaping when the net is pulled in.

Li Sanshi's face was ashen, and his mouth tasted bitter.

The emperor was truly ruthless!

He considered himself to be unparalleled in talent and intelligence, believing that in terms of character, methods, and so on, he was second to none.

That is to say, he did not join the army or become an official back then.

If you choose either of these two paths, you can make a name for yourself in either one.

But now he realizes just how ridiculous he was.

All her talents and schemes were utterly meaningless in the face of an emperor like Zhu Chongba.

However, he realized that these people didn't intend to kill him.

His panic and frustration made his mind start to work again.

I feel that I still have a way out.

The emperor must still need his help.

Thinking about it, it makes sense, considering my great reputation and talent.

They have achieved outstanding results in doing business overseas.

Doing business abroad is not that simple.

It's not as simple as having goods on hand and then just getting a ship to ship them out.

There is a great deal of knowledge involved here.

The emperor is planning to take me in as his dog.

Being a dog is better than losing your life.

As Zhu Yuanzhang launched a heavy crackdown, people like Li Sanshi, who were previously unruly, were targeted.

At this point, the bottom line has been constantly being broken.

The requirements are getting lower and lower...

……

At almost the same time, a similar scene was unfolding in Songjiang Prefecture.

The city gates of Songjiang Prefecture were also opened overnight.

A large contingent of troops entered.

Capture and execute the rebels.

Suppressing rebellions is no different from any other task.

The trial of these cases still needs to be conducted with care.

All aspects must comply with the procedures.

It requires solid evidence.

But suppressing a rebellion is different; suspicion is enough.

Moreover, it is obvious to anyone with eyes to see that a rebellion has occurred in Suzhou this time.

Meanwhile, demonstrations and protests also broke out in places like Songjiang Prefecture in Hangzhou.

These maritime merchants definitely put in a lot of effort.

They were the ones who instigated it.

Under such circumstances, it was perfectly normal for Zhu Yuanzhang to take drastic measures against them.

They naturally possess the moral high ground!

……

In Suzhou, Zhu Di was stationed to handle affairs from all sides.

By this time, Suzhou had gone through the initial chaos and turmoil of war.

Things have quickly settled down.

There were no more marches or demonstrations.

Apart from a few who were secretly observed by the Imperial Guards, none of the maritime merchants in Suzhou were involved in this matter.

The remaining merchants were all executed on charges of treason.

"You're Li Sanshi?"

Zhu Di looked at the disheveled man who had been brought in and asked him a question.

At this moment, Li Sanshi had lost all his previous composure.

The previous composure was gone.

"Your Highness, I am Li Sanshi."

The petty person was wrong; a petty person shouldn't have harbored such improper thoughts.

If a humble person is willing to donate all their family fortune, they will surely serve the court with utmost loyalty, doing their utmost to atone for their sins.

Li Sanshi kowtowed to Zhu Di.

He spoke very decisively.

He directly revealed that he had been treated like a dog.

He has no other choice now.

Look at those many familiar maritime merchants who were killed.

He was utterly terrified.

At this point, I no longer want anything more.

Moreover, he also believed that Zhu Laosi hadn't killed him outright.

Instead, he wants to see himself.

A major reason for this is that we need to use ourselves.

Zhu Di shook his head.

"You have committed the heinous crime of treason. Many of these events were secretly planned by you."

There is no doubt that he will die.

And you're going to donate all your family wealth to the imperial court?
Since you have committed such evil deeds, your family property should be confiscated.

I spared your life until now not because I want to use you.

Instead, I want to see what you look like and what kind of person you are.

How could they be so shameless?

My father, the Emperor, has condescended to meet you personally at the Heavenly Temple.

I've said both good and bad things to you.

But you dare to go back on your word and do something like this right away!
Now it seems you're not so great after all.

Upon hearing this, Li Sanshi's heart skipped a beat.

He kowtowed repeatedly, admitting his mistake once again.

He was so sincere that he kowtowed until his forehead bled.

He also stated that he had been doing business at sea for many years and that doing business overseas was not so easy.

There are many intricacies involved.

Running a workshop is not that easy either.

If you spare his life, let him work here.

He will definitely do his best and get everything done well; there will absolutely be no mistakes.

If he doesn't perform well, having this leverage means the emperor can execute him at any time.

"Without you, Li Sanshi, things can't be done?"
Without you, the sky will fall?

So you, Li Sanshi, are a capable person?
Are others incapable of overseas trade? Or unable to run a workshop well?

Don't think too highly of yourself!

Zhu Di clapped his hands as he spoke.

Several people were soon brought over.

Upon seeing the group of people in front of him, Li Sanshi was momentarily stunned.

Because there are acquaintances of his among them.

Such as Gu Cheng, Shen Rong, Shen Sen, etc.

These were all outstanding figures among maritime merchants back then.

Gu Cheng mainly resides in Hangzhou, while Shen Rong's Shen family is the leading family in the Suzhou area.

It was only after Zhu Yuanzhang ordered it to be moved to Zhongdu that it gradually declined.

Rather, it is Li Sanshi, including Mr. Yushan, who has achieved their current status and distinguished themselves.

One of the biggest reasons was the acquisition of the Shen family's assets, as well as many of the Gu family's businesses.

It is said that Gu Cheng and Li Sanshi's family are related by marriage.

And they've always had a good relationship.

Before leaving, I handed over the business to him so that he could manage and sell it.

But he didn't sell them at all.

Instead, they devoured it in various ways.

In Suzhou, Yu Shan Gong treated the Shen family in a similar manner.

It can be said that by now the two sides have become mortal enemies.

But now, Zhu Laosi has actually managed to bring these people back!

No wonder he was so confident and fearless, and insisted on killing himself.

So, there were these people there!
Once these people are identified, many businesses in Suzhou will indeed be easier for the emperor to conduct.

There shouldn't be any major problems.

These people's business acumen is beyond question.

It was at this moment that he finally realized what was happening.

Zhu Di, that pig, spared his own life not just because, as he claimed, he wanted to see what kind of person he really was.

Only then would they dare to do something like this.

I'm afraid they're also trying to give themselves some hope first.

Then, he shattered his own hope of survival, destroying his own spirit in the process!
None of the members of the Zhu family are good people!

Let's not even talk about Zhu Chongba, that cunning old fox.

Even that pig-brat Zhu Laosi is utterly shameless!
"Drag him away and behead him!"

Zhu Di waved his hand, not wanting to say anything more to Li Sanshi.

Immediately, armored soldiers stepped forward and dragged Li Sanshi away.

And then they used that opportunity to gag Li Sanshi.

A moment later, a bloody head was brought over.

With a smile on his face, Zhu Di began to discuss the future operation of the workshop with Shen Rong and the others, who were clearly quite frightened...

……

"Father, will something unexpected happen to my fourth brother?"

In the Wuying Hall, Crown Prince Zhu Biao appeared somewhat uneasy, looking at Zhu Yuanzhang and asking...

(End of this chapter)