You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 308 Little Chiang: All the traitors in the world are now in my trap.
Suzhou Prefecture.

Civil and military officials respectfully saw off Governor-General Zhou Shao of Liangjiang as he moved away.

The Viceroy's Office of Liangjiang will be moved to Jiangning, the Jiangsu Provincial Governor's Office will be located in Suzhou, and the Anhui Provincial Governor's Office will be located in Anqing. Considering wartime factors, the Provincial Administration Office and the Provincial Governor's Office will be located in the same city.

With this, the years-long process of splitting Jiangnan Province was finally completed.

"Take care, Master."

"Take care of yourself too."

Zhou Shao smiled, patted Zhu Guozhi's shoulder (whose eyes were slightly red), and then stepped onto the official ship step by step using the gangplank.

"Respectfully seeing off the Governor!"

Firecrackers, gongs and drums, and many civil and military officials with tears in their eyes.

Since taking office, everyone in the Liangjiang officialdom has known that Governor-General Zhou is the Grand Secretary's sworn brother. The Governor-General's will is the Grand Secretary's will, and if the Governor-General is unhappy, the Grand Secretary is unhappy.

In addition, Jiang Qing killed a large number of people during his Yunnan tour.

Zhou Shao was very adept at his work in Liangjiang.

……

Watching the official boat sail away, Zhu Guozhi breathed a long sigh of relief and straightened his long-hunched back. In the same city, the governor and the viceroy were in a difficult position; the one with the lower rank would suffer.

Now I can finally act like a grand governor.

"Someone is coming."

"Old Master?"

"There are two matters at hand: first, the special imperial examination; second, the funds and provisions. The special imperial examination should be handled leniently; those who pass should be allowed to go to the capital, while those who do not should be imprisoned. The funds and provisions must be transported north on time, with priority given to the capital region."

"Yes."

"Also, watch out for rumors, and don't be lenient with those who try to welcome the Wu traitor."

"Yes."

The clerk followed closely, whispering, "Sir, the court has recruited so many scholars; what will be done with them in the future?"

"hey-hey."

Zhu Guozhi waved his hand, signaling the guards to step back two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters).

Then, lowering his voice, he said, "Record them all, catch them all in one fell swoop, and take them to the capital to be detained. Whether they are useful or not, they cannot be used by Wu Sangui. Strain them slowly, kill those who should be killed, exile those who should be exiled, imprison those who should be imprisoned, and the rest can be used."

"what?"

The advisor could hardly believe his ears.

Zhu Guozhi cupped his hands to the north and said, "Hehe, the wisdom of the Grand Secretary is rare in a century. I, Zhu Guozhi, admire you. Don't talk about it when you get out of here, or you'll lose your head."

"Yes Yes."

Zhu Guozhi's guess was basically correct, except for one point: there were two reasons for the abuse of the imperial examination system! He only knew one of them and not the other.

If he had known the second point, he would have knelt down to welcome Wu Sangui without hesitation.

……

The Grand Canal in Jiangnan.

Zhou Shaohe, along with a staff member in his thirties, sat at the bow of the ship.

"Yao Qisheng, I heard from the recommender that you are also from Shaoxing?"

"Yes."

How will you make a living?

"Making a living as a minor official with pen and ink."

"Let me test you first. Right now, who is the biggest threat to the Liangjiang region?"

"Zheng Sen!"

"Elaborate?"

"Although Wu Sangui had over 100,000 rebel troops under his command, no more than 30% of them were truly elite. As he fought his way to southern Anhui and northern Zhejiang, the casualties among his elite soldiers would be considerable. Wu's army needed to rest and recuperate, and he needed to garrison troops in the prefectures and counties he occupied. Because the south was not his alone, he also needed to be wary of Li Dingguo, the Sichuan government troops, and even Shang Kexi."

"go on."

"Furthermore, Wu Sangui is a man who is greedy for small gains but cautious about risking his life for large ones; he is a ruthless tyrant, but not a true ruler. Therefore, I judge that he will not gamble everything to continue attacking Jiangnan. On the other hand, Zheng Sen is a young hero, full of vigor and courage, and has a blood feud with his father killed; the court cannot offer him amnesty." Seeing that Zhou Shao's expression remained unchanged, Yao Qisheng continued.

"In my opinion, Zheng Sen is the most unique among all the rebels against the Ming Dynasty."

What makes it special?

"Li Dingguo's troops are former bandits from the Great Western Regions. They slaughtered gentry, enslaved scholars, and destroyed the traditional moral order; they could not possibly win the hearts of the local people. Wu Sangui's troops' slogan of overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming is pure self-deception and cannot truly win the hearts of the local people. The only one who can win the hearts of the people is Zheng Sen! I dare to say that the hearts of the people in the southeastern provinces are with Zheng!"

Zhou Shao was startled and stared at Yao Qisheng.

"My benefactor, are you aware of the murder of Chen Jin, the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, several years ago?"

Zhou Shao nodded.

Chen Jin, the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, was brave and ruthless in battle, and was the biggest obstacle to Zheng Sen's conquest of Fujian. Later, he was killed by his servant Ku Chengdong and surrendered to Zheng Sen with his head.

As a result, Zheng Sen killed his servant.

The reason given was that Ku Chengdong was a servant, and Chen Jin was the master; a servant betraying his master was treason. If they weren't killed, wouldn't that be encouraging all lackeys in the world to kill their own masters?
……

"Yao Qisheng, please continue."

"Yes. Zheng Sen's move sends a signal: the orthodox tradition is above all else, which is a moral advantage. In addition, his father and son have long controlled maritime trade and cooperated extensively with the gentry and wealthy families in the southeast, which is a financial advantage. Furthermore, the imperial surname bestowed upon him a name, making his name legitimate, which is a righteous advantage. With these three advantages, the gentry and the people of the southeast will surely be loyal to Zheng. I boldly predict that within five years, Zheng Sen will launch a large-scale attack on the southeast."

Zhou Shao was solemn.

After a while~
"Pen and ink are at your service."

"Yes."

Yao Qisheng ground the ink, and Zhou Shao wrote: This man has excellent strategic vision! Then, he stamped it with his bright red personal seal.

"Thank you, my benefactor."

"Once you arrive in the capital, you will not need to take the imperial examination; you can directly meet the Grand Secretary with this document. Your future prospects will depend on your own performance."

"Yes."

Yao Qisheng kowtowed.

There was one thing he didn't dare say during our conversation.

That is:
The Grand Secretary slaughtered the Donglin gentry, while Zheng Sen slaughtered treacherous servants. Comparing the two, who do you think the gentry of the southeast would side with? Do you think the gentry of the southeast would secretly provide Zheng Sen with intelligence, food, and funds?
When the imperial court's blade is sharp, it can still be barely suppressed.

If the military campaign suffers even a slight setback, several southeastern provinces may fall under Zheng's control overnight.

Of course, experts don't need to be blunt in conversation, and Governor Zhou clearly understood the unspoken meaning behind his words.

……

Chaotic times are a battleground for ordinary people and a grand stage for ambitious people.

During the transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasty, countless ambitious figures emerged, rushing towards the sun like moths to a flame. Most perished, while a very few were reborn from the ashes.

Wuchang, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanchang, Fuzhou, Kaifeng, Jinan, Xi'an, Anqing, Baoding.

A steady stream of new candidates for the imperial examinations flocked to the capital!
Even a small province like Shaanxi, which had a relatively small number of successful candidates in the imperial examinations, produced more than 500 successful candidates, while major provinces like Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi produced at least 1000.

Walking, taking a vehicle, taking a boat, riding a donkey.

The candidates traveled day and night, hoping to become officials as soon as possible, but many unfortunate ones died on the long journey.

It's as if God intervened and pre-screened the candidates.

This ensured that all the scholars who were able to reach Yongding Gate were in relatively good health!
……

Inside the city gate tower.

Looking at the bustling crowd of candidates, Jiang Qingyun excitedly said to Huang Zongxi standing beside him, "All the traitors in the world are now in my trap."

Huang Zongxi was dumbfounded.

"Prime Minister, I... I didn't hear you clearly."

Jiang Qingyun raised her voice.

"I said, all the traitors in the world have ended up in my pocket. What, you don't believe me? Sit down, let's have a debate about Yongdingmen!"

Huang Zongxi took a deep breath.

"Since it's a debate, I won't stand on ceremony."

(End of this chapter)