Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 138 I am the one who truly embodies righteousness.
Tens of thousands of people worked together to clean up the county's waterways.

In just a short while, the entire river channel was dredged under Zhu Youjian's leadership.

The news quickly reached Kong Yinzhi, who was following behind.

When he heard the news.

He stood frozen in the carriage, an expression of disbelief on his face.

How could the emperor possibly step into such filth himself?!
Even the smartest person has the limitations of their time.

At this moment, Kong Yinzhi was completely unable to understand why the emperor would be willing to put his precious body in such a defiled state.

Moreover, judging from the emperor's behavior after returning to Shandong, it was clear that his decision was not impulsive but rather something he had prepared in advance.

In Kong Yinzhi's view.

It was perfectly reasonable for the emperor to personally lead an expedition and even charge into battle.

Because, to some extent, this is a way to win people's hearts and minds.

Just like he slapped himself in the face in front of a bunch of lowly people yesterday.

But it was this genuine effort to help the people and rush to the rescue that he couldn't understand.

Could it be that he truly considered those lowly people as human beings?!

But how could there be such a ruler in the world?
How can such a ruler truly secure his throne?!
For thousands of years, which emperor did not treat the people as tools to maintain his rule?

Even if they are well-known wise and benevolent rulers, which one of them doesn't think this way in their heart?
This is where Kong Yinzhi's confusion lies.

Although he hadn't expected the emperor to do this, he could tell that the emperor was doing it to win over the people.

To win people's hearts, why don't you just go down and do a token gesture?

Did they really do the work from start to finish?!

However, Kong Yinzhi, who was in shock, was quickly awakened by Kong Yinchang's anxious words beside him.

“Brother, because of the emperor’s actions, those disaster victims are now probably completely devoted to him.”

"If he takes the opportunity to incite the disaster victims to say that we were the ones who caused the dam breach, those people will probably immediately turn their anger on us!"

Kong Yinzhi suppressed his panic and forced a calm smile onto his face: "It's alright, there's no need to worry too much about it."

"Although the current situation is somewhat unexpected, Zhang Zhuo, Tian Hong, and I had already made full preparations beforehand."

"If any unusual behavior is observed among the disaster victims, our three families will immediately bring grain to provide disaster relief."

"In this way, the greater good will still be on our side, and those disaster victims will not dare to lay a hand on us."

Hearing his elder brother say this, Kong Yinchang finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Then you should rest well, elder brother. I'll go outside and keep an eye on things!"

After Kong Yinchang left the carriage.

Kong Yinzhi's face instantly darkened inside the carriage.

It's true that the three families made preparations in advance for this.

The problem is, just as things have turned out, things have not gone as Kong Yinzhi had anticipated.

Who knows what unexpected things might happen next?
What if the emperor uses some unexpected means again?
Today's events can be considered Kong Yinzhi's first confrontation with the emperor.

He had to admit that he had greatly underestimated the current emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

And all three families suffered a complete defeat after their first probing attack.

The impact of personally tending to the river embankment on the disaster victims was profound.

The emperor could easily lead this group to rob wealthy households to obtain food, and the disaster victims would absolutely be willing to follow him.

Moreover, even if Kong Yinzhi wanted to act swiftly and decisively by directly mobilizing troops to storm the emperor's residence, it wouldn't work.

These tens of thousands of disaster victims would become the emperor's first line of defense.

One goes down and the other goes up.

In addition, the emperor's personal guards were skilled in battle, while their own soldiers were merely good at theoretical warfare.

Even if they could outnumber the emperor, they would still be able to contend with him.

But I'm afraid all three of them will suffer a severe blow as a result and never recover.

Kong Yinzhi even regretted taking action against the emperor when he first appeared in Shandong.

If I had known he came to Shandong just to go to North Korea, why would I have bothered arguing with him?!

Why not just let him pass?

and also.

If you had just said you were passing by, none of this trouble would have happened. Why would we have bothered breaching the riverbanks in those fifteen counties?

It wouldn't be unreasonable to directly provide you with provisions and supplies for the expedition to Korea; why would you need to plunder those five cities?

Thinking of this, Duke Yansheng Kong Yinzhi was both angry and regretful.

He began pacing back and forth inside the not-so-spacious carriage.

It can be said.

The more confident he was before, the more anxious and uneasy he is now.

This cannot be blamed on Kong Yinzhi's incompetence.

When undertaking great tasks, one should cherish one's life; when faced with petty gains, one should disregard one's life.

This is the norm for scions of prominent families.

Even someone as powerful as Yuan Shao, who came from a family that had held high office for four generations and had personally experienced the baptism of war, was not immune to the common fate.

Those who are steadfast and unyielding are ultimately a minority.

Thinking about all sorts of things.

Kong Yinzhi's pace quickened, and the thick carpet inside the carriage creaked under his feet.

As if suddenly remembering something, Kong Yinzhi froze.

It seems that none of the three families have any reason to fight the emperor to the death.
The reason they went to such lengths to kill the emperor was because they thought he was coming to Shandong to deal with them.

But now the facts are clear: they were wrong.

The emperor was really just passing by.

But in the current situation...

The emperor could not stay in Shandong for long, otherwise powerful families from all over the country would gradually surround him.

With the emperor's intelligence, he must have been able to figure this out.

In that case, wouldn't it be better to just obediently send the emperor out of Shandong?

Although they have had a lot of trouble recently, all three families have lost a lot of money.

But as long as the emperor leaves Shandong, the silver can always be recovered.

Kong Yinzhi, who suffered a defeat in his first battle, changed his mind very quickly.

You can't risk your life; how can you make money if you do?
Even after the emperor left Shandong, they remained a wealthy and powerful family enjoying all the riches and honors.

Moreover, they can then work with other powerful families in other regions to devise a plan to jointly deal with the emperor.

Thinking of this, Kong Yinchang immediately called his younger brother into the carriage and instructed him:

"Go and summon Tian Hong and Zhang Zhuo immediately. Tell them I have something important to discuss with them! Have them drop everything and come see me!"

"it is good!"

After Kong Yinchang left, Kong Yinzhi breathed a sigh of relief.

He has made his decision.

The batch of grain prepared in advance to deal with unexpected events was immediately distributed to the disaster victims in the names of the families. Then, the three families immediately stepped forward to say that they would help the emperor gather the refugees.

Only in this way will the disaster victims stop following the emperor in robbing wealthy families in various places, and only then can they truly feel at ease.

Kong Yinzhi believed that the emperor, with his strategic acumen, would surely see through this as a delaying tactic by the three families.

But faced with the inevitable trend, the emperor had no choice but to swallow his anger and obediently set off to return to the capital.

After figuring this out, Kong Yinzhi relaxed completely.

Although we failed to eliminate this major threat to all the powerful families, as long as we survive, we can always rebuild.

The reason why so-called aristocratic families can pass on their legacy from generation to generation is not because they can win every storm.

Not losing is also a kind of winning.

For them, the road ahead is still long, and they have plenty of time to slowly challenge the emperor.

The emperor could never be a match for the powerful families of the entire country.

If they survive this wave, victory will still belong to them.

at the same time.

the other side.

After Zhu Youjian and his men finished clearing the riverbed, they did not stop for a moment. Instead, Zhu calmly asked Mao Wenlong:
"Given this situation, what tricks do you think the three masterminds behind this will pull next?"

Mao Wenlong frowned.

He knew that he had only solved the first problem so far.

Those three powerful families must have even more schemes waiting for them.

After a moment's thought, Mao Wenlong said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, under the current circumstances, those villains will certainly not dare to confront us head-on again."

"But there will definitely be some underhanded tricks behind the scenes. I just heard that Kong Yinzhi put on a show and played the victim in front of the people yesterday."

"Whatever they do next, it will inevitably revolve around this point."

Zhu Youjian nodded. From the very beginning, he had already calculated that the three great families would choose to sacrifice themselves to ensure their safety in this situation.

The bourgeoisie has a cruel and ruthless side, but it also has a weak and incompetent side.

As for what actions will be taken next, it will be nothing more than distributing grain to win people's hearts or something else.

In such a short time, they couldn't come up with any other tricks.

After a slight pause, Mao Wenlong seemed to have thought of something and continued to ask:

"Your Majesty, why don't you take this opportunity to return to the capital?"

"Firstly, Shandong is indeed not a place you can stay for long, as things may change if you stay there too long."

"Another reason is that since we have disrupted their rhythm, we can force them to gather the disaster victims."

"More than 100,000 people have been displaced among the disaster victims. As long as you successfully return to the capital, they will certainly not dare to ignore these disaster victims."

"Otherwise, they will be the ones to suffer the backlash."

Faced with Mao Wenlong's advice, Zhu Youjian gently shook his head.

Come here.

Why not take this opportunity to thoroughly clean up Shandong?

Wouldn't that mean we came for nothing?

Moreover, even for the sake of stability in North Korea's rear, launching a purge in Shandong is necessary.

He really doesn't have much time to stay in Shandong.

But if we kill the person in a shorter amount of time, wouldn't everything be solved?
Zhu Youjian did not pause and directly instructed Mao Wenlong: "I have a task for you to handle personally."

Mao Wenlong's expression hardened: "Your Majesty, please speak freely. No matter if it's a mountain of knives or a sea of ​​fire, I will forge ahead without hesitation."

“Behind us, there should be a group of spies from powerful families constantly gathering intelligence, and the heads of the three major families are probably watching this place not far away.”

Mao Wenlong nodded.

Judging from the speed at which rumors spread among the disaster victims today and the commotion they generate, there must be someone behind this in the vicinity.

"Take a few men and find them, then have them take you to see Kong Yinzhi."

"After meeting Kong Yinzhi, tell him: if he wants to live, he should send over the heads of the other two masterminds in exchange for his own life."

"Otherwise, I will immediately declare that the breaching of the dike was led by the Kong family, and then lead these 100,000 people straight to Qufu to exterminate the Kong family."

Mao Wenlong instantly understood that His Majesty had no intention of taking this opportunity to return to the capital, but rather planned to clean up Shandong once again.

Although he still didn't know why His Majesty was so confident in accomplishing this, he still solemnly cupped his hands and said:
"Your Majesty, I understand. But why did you choose to discuss this matter with Kong Yinzhi, and why were you so certain that Kong Yinzhi would agree?"

Zhu Youjian's reason was very simple and blunt: "He has the weakest backbone."

As for whether Kong Yinzhi agreed or not, Zhu Youjian didn't really care.

If he agrees, the cleaning will be easier for him.

Once Kong Yinzhi sends over the heads of the Zhang and Tian families, he will immediately execute Kong Yinzhi as well.

If they don't agree, then immediately take your men and slaughter everyone in Qufu, and then head straight back to the capital from there.

Regardless of how Kong Yinzhi responds, a number of people in Shandong will ultimately die.

Done.

Zhu Youjian then explained some details of the negotiations to Mao Wenlong.

Such as how to win someone's heart, how to mislead them into not understanding the current situation, and how to force them to agree to the matter in the shortest possible time.
After listening, Mao Wenlong felt as if he had suddenly understood something.

Previously, he only felt that His Majesty had a 30% chance of success in doing this.

Now that I have heard His Majesty's instructions, I am already eighty percent certain that I have the answer to this matter.

Mao Wenlong memorized these things and immediately set off.

soon.

Kong Yinzhi received the message from his subordinates and frowned.

The emperor actually sent people to see him? And it was just a few people going alone.

After hesitating for a moment.

He ordered his men to search the man and bring him over.

In this situation now.

It's much better to sound out the emperor's opinion first than to just wait idly.

Not long after.

Mao Wenlong then appeared inside Kong Yinzhi's carriage.

Kong Yinzhi did have some impression of Mao Wenlong, because in the past two years, Shandong had submitted many memorials criticizing this imperial envoy.

Not to mention the emperor's visit to Dongjiang Town, which made him remember this person so vividly that he wished he could kill him.

However, at this moment, Kong Yinzhi still bowed deeply with red eyes:
"General Mao, I have been trying my best to help the disaster victims in Shandong these past few days."

"After hearing that His Majesty returned to Shandong from Korea with a great victory, I have been leading people to follow in His Majesty's footsteps, hoping to do my bit to help His Majesty and ease the worries of the sovereign."

"I just didn't expect that before we could catch up with His Majesty, General Mao would come looking for us first."

"I wonder what brings General Mao to me at this time? I will do whatever it takes to fulfill your request."

Mao Wenlong, seeing Kong Yinzhi's feigned concern, didn't waste any words and went straight to the point:

"Duke Yansheng, I am the Imperial Envoy and Commander-in-Chief appointed by His Majesty. Why do you not kneel before me?!"

Kong Yinzhi looked terrified and immediately knelt down to perform a grand salute to Mao Wenlong.

But in his heart, he had already cursed Mao Wenlong's ancestors for eighteen generations.

You damn bastard!
The Ming Dynasty always used civil officials to control the military. Even nobles and dukes would only dare to stand obediently with their hands at their sides when they met civil officials who were several ranks lower than them.

You, a mere soldier, dare to ask me, the hereditary Duke Yansheng, to bow to you?!

This was an utter disgrace to Kong Yinzhi.

it is good!it is good!it is good!
In this urgent situation, we must act expediently.

But how long can you keep jumping around after the emperor leaves Shandong?!

Do you really think that just because the emperor took you to Korea, we can't do anything to you?

Even if you flee to North Korea from Dongjiang Town, we still have plenty of ways to deal with you, you bastard!

Kong Yinzhi had already decided that once the emperor left Shandong, he would immediately join forces with the other two families to kill Mao Wenlong.

Mao Wenlong didn't care what Kong Yinzhi was thinking.

Anyway, everyone's going to be dead soon, so who cares what he thinks?

What I did just now was merely to give him a show of force upon our first meeting, as instructed by His Majesty.

After Kong Yinzhi stood up, Mao Wenlong looked into his eyes and said calmly:

"Duke Yansheng, if your Kong family wants to live, then exchange the heads of the Tian and Zhang families in exchange."

Kong Yinzhi was shocked: "General Mao, what do you mean by that? I don't understand a word you're saying!"

Mao Wenlong sneered: "It doesn't matter if the Duke Yansheng doesn't understand, His Majesty sent me here just to inform you."

"If you disagree, His Majesty will immediately lead those 100,000 people to attack Qufu."

"Your three elite forces have all been deployed to this area, right? In that case, I wonder how many guards are still stationed at the Duke Yansheng's residence in Qufu?"

Kong Yinzhi dropped his exaggerated expression, and his entire face became terrifyingly gloomy.

He glanced at Mao Wenlong: "Mao Wenlong, do you really think those lowly people will follow the Emperor so easily?"

Mao Wenlong met his gaze calmly: "You're planning to use opening granaries to win people's hearts next, aren't you?"

Kong Yinzhi's expression remained unchanged, but his heart skipped a beat.

The emperor had actually anticipated their move?!

Before he could think any further, he heard Mao Wenlong continue speaking.

"You can send someone to try it out and see if it works."

“Those spies you planted among the disaster victims, once you catch them and use a few tricks, they will insist that all the rumors are orchestrated by your three families in secret.”

"And what about the officials in those fifteen counties? Do you really think that the three of you in the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission can control everything with your bare hands?!"

"Do you know that there are many officials in Shandong who still have some conscience? They have long been disgusted by your heinous acts in Shandong and have already told His Majesty that you were behind the breaching of the dikes in fifteen counties?"

"If we bring these people out as witnesses, what will the people of our Great Ming Dynasty think?"

"You think you can win people's hearts by opening the granaries and distributing grain? Let me tell you something."

"No matter what you do to remedy the situation, His Majesty can make it seem like the three of you were forced to act this way because you saw that things had been exposed!"

Kong Yinzhi's facial expression remained unchanged, but his heartbeat was getting faster and faster.

He still glared at Mao Wenlong through gritted teeth: "How could the reputation of my Duke Yansheng's mansion in Shandong be ruined by a few words from the emperor?!"

Mao Wenlong stood up, his eyes filled with disdain as he looked at Kong Yinzhi.

"The Duke Yansheng? What can the Duke Yansheng rely on? The teachings of the sages or so-called righteousness?"

"You think you can compete with His Majesty in terms of who has the tougher methods? You few dare to challenge him!"

“You want to use righteousness to bewitch people, but His Majesty sent me with a royal decree before he came.”

"I am the one who upholds righteousness."

(End of this chapter)