Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 139 One Scheme Harms Three Wise Men
Listening to Mao Wenlong's resounding and piercing words.

Kong Yinzhi's body had begun to tremble uncontrollably.

He had always looked down on such brutes, but now he was being blatantly threatened by a crude brute.

Ironically, he couldn't refute these threats.

Their pre-prepared countermeasures had been completely seen through by the emperor.

Moreover, if the emperor is determined to launch a surprise attack on Qufu...

Then the three families really didn't have time to stop them.

Just as Mao Wenlong said, the three of them had already mobilized all the elite troops from various families to the vicinity, waiting to deliver a fatal blow to the emperor.

Even if the emperor didn't incite the disaster victims to follow him.

With the more than 10,000 people following him, he was able to bring a devastating blow to the Duke Yansheng's mansion and even the entire Qufu.

For the current emperor, it might indeed be quite difficult to get the disaster victims to join him in attacking Qufu.

If we could use some methods to get the disaster victims to stay where they are and not follow us, wouldn't that be easy?

When the emperor leaves, won't they still have to clean up the mess left of the disaster victims?
Thinking about these things.

Sitting inside the carriage, Kong Yinzhi felt dizzy and had to brace himself with his hands on both sides to keep himself from fainting from anger.

He stared intently at the white-haired, burly Mao Wenlong before him, still making a final struggle:
"Mao Wenlong, do you know that if we really fight to the death, even if our three families' tens of thousands of elite troops can't wipe him out, they will be enough to severely damage him!"

"You really expect him to lead the remaining remnants of his defeated army back to the capital?!"

"Once he dies, all your efforts over the past few months will be in vain, and you will all be recorded in history and condemned for eternity!"

"I could even have someone drag you out and kill you right now if I wanted to!"

Mao Wenlong snorted coldly: "I came alone. Does the Duke of Yansheng think I'm afraid of death?"

"The grace of the sage has been passed down to your generation, how come you've even lost the last vestige of his integrity?"

"I'm not afraid to tell you, if I don't return within an hour, His Majesty will lead his men to plow up your hometown of Qufu."

Upon hearing this, Kong Yinzhi could no longer suppress the frustration in his heart.

He felt a sweet taste in his throat and was so angry that he vomited blood.

You lowly warrior, how dare you talk to me about integrity?!
He clenched his fist inside his sleeve and wiped the crimson blood from the corner of his mouth.

Kong Yinzhi now really wants to have this scoundrel who's using his position to bully others killed.

Despite the immense pressure from the entire clan, he still took a deep breath and stared at Mao Wenlong, saying each word clearly:

“Go back and tell the emperor that if we leave Shandong now, I swear on the honor of my ancestors that I will never again do anything to obstruct us in secret.”

“I will also properly settle those hundreds of thousands of disaster victims. From now on, the three great families in Shandong will also be willing to pay taxes to the court on time.”

"If the emperor remains stubborn and self-willed, then let us fight to the death!"

Kong Yinzhi has already made his plans.

Regardless, we should first lure the emperor back to the capital; letting him remain in Shandong would pose too great a threat.

Mao Wenlong's brow twitched, thinking to himself that His Majesty was indeed a prophet.

The negotiations proceeded almost exactly as His Majesty had predicted.

His Majesty had even anticipated Kong Yinzhi's reaction after he finished speaking.

Previously, Mao Wenlong had thought that these scions of prominent families had something special about them.

In retrospect, it was pure bullshit!

He continued, adding fuel to the fire, just as His Majesty had instructed before his departure: "If we can't reach an agreement, then there's nothing to talk about!"

"Let's see if your three families' so-called tens of thousands of troops can actually catch up with the Ming army!"

"I might as well tell you now that we will be heading directly to Qufu."

Say it.

Mao Wenlong turned and left without lingering.

He left without the slightest hesitation or testing, only with unwavering resolve.

Because he knows.

Whether Kong Yinzhi agrees or not will not have a significant impact on the overall situation.

This is essentially a negotiation between people of unequal strength.

as predicted.

Just as Mao Wenlong made a move, Kong Yinzhi's voice came from behind.

"and many more!"

Kong Yinzhi stood up, his bloodshot eyes staring intently at Mao Wenlong.

The Kong family has passed down its traditions for thousands of years, and it is absolutely crucial that nothing goes wrong in his generation.

Even a speck of dust on the surface is unacceptable.

In order to temporarily preserve the family's thousand-year-old legacy, he no longer cared about anything else.

"If Tian Hong and Zhang Zhuo are killed, will the emperor leave Shandong immediately?"

What a joke! Of course not!
Mao Wenlong sneered inwardly.

Having enjoyed so much wealth and honor for so many generations and committed so many evils, do you really think you can die a peaceful death?

Whether God agrees or not is another matter.

His Majesty will definitely not agree.

This time, a large number of people from the Kong family will surely die.

Although he felt a sense of sarcasm in his heart, Mao Wenlong still spoke with disdain on his face:

Why should His Majesty explain his actions to you?

"All you need to know is that if you don't comply, I'll take men and ransack your Kong family right now."

However, after saying that, Mao Wenlong immediately changed the subject:
"Duke Yansheng, the only way for your Kong family to survive is to honestly serve His Majesty as his dog. Don't choose the wrong path."

Having said that.

Kong Yinzhi was no longer as angry as before, and even his tone of voice had become much calmer:
"Very well, I understand Your Majesty's intentions."

"Tian Hong and Zhang Zhuo will come to meet me tonight, and then General Mao can take their heads back."

"I just hope General Mao can pass on a message to His Majesty for me: No matter how many faults my Kong family has, we are still a family of sages."

“Now I, Kong Yinzhi, am willing to lead the Kong family to serve His Majesty from now on, and dare not have any disloyal thoughts again.”

"If His Majesty were to take action against my Kong family without further explanation, it would be of no benefit to His Majesty or the Ming Dynasty."

"I beg Your Majesty to spare my family, for I have seen the error of my ways."

For Kong Yinzhi.

The heads of Tian Hong and Zhang Zhuo must be sacrificed.

The emperor was a complete madman.

He had no doubt that if he didn't agree to the other party's demands, this madman would really lead his troops to attack the Duke of Yansheng's mansion.

In this case.

It would be better to use the lives of Tian Hong and Zhang Zhuo to stabilize the emperor first.

The Tian and Zhang families have only lost one person; they can elect a new head of the family at any time, so it won't have a significant impact on either family.

I can use this to my advantage after the emperor leaves Shandong, making the two families even more resentful of him.

As the saying goes, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn.

The most important thing to do now is to conserve strength by maintaining a low-voltage, small-scale operation.

We'll figure out the rest later.

By enduring hardship and humiliation, one will eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Don’t say anything else.

Once the emperor leaves Shandong, Kong Yinzhi can take some of the tens of thousands of disaster victims under his control, thus turning what was originally a bad thing into a good thing.

It is true that the emperor bestowed favors upon them, but after the emperor left, the right to interpret everything fell entirely into the hands of the Kong family.

He has plenty of time to slowly distort the truth.

now.

Mao Wenlong narrowed his eyes slightly as he listened to Kong Yinzhi's words.

He could tell that Kong Yinzhi was still plotting something, but he had already achieved his goal of coming here.

Moreover, His Majesty will not give Kong Yinzhi the opportunity to cause trouble again.

"Since the Duke of Yansheng has said so, then I shall take my leave and return to report to His Majesty."

"We'll come back later to take Tian Hong and Zhang Zhuo's heads." With that, Mao Wenlong turned and walked out of the carriage.

Kong Yinzhi watched Mao Wenlong's disappearing figure, his face contorted with an almost tangible resentment.

After staring ahead for a while, he calmed down and ordered his men to prepare for tonight's assassination.

the other side.

Mao Wenlong quickly returned to Zhu Youjian's side and then reported in detail to him the events of his conversation with Kong Yinzhi.

After saying this...

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly to indicate that he understood.

Judging from His Majesty's expression, Mao Wenlong felt that he was considering other important matters.

So he slowly bowed and withdrew.

After leaving the palace, Mao Wenlong breathed a sigh of relief.

After Kong Yinzhi delivered the heads of Tian Hong and Zhang Zhuo.

The army will set off immediately tomorrow and march towards Qufu. After clearing out the enemy, His Majesty will return to the capital from there.

No matter what tricks that bastard Kong Yinzhi was up to, he no longer had the chance to use them.

The only drawback.

His Majesty was unable to take this opportunity to completely eradicate these three powerful families in Shandong, and could only concentrate his efforts on dealing a heavy blow to the Kong family among them.

no way.

With enemies on all sides, Your Majesty simply cannot stay in Shandong any longer.

If this is already considered an open rebellion in Shandong, one can only imagine what it's like in other provinces where the people are even more fierce.

But this slightly regretful state of mind.

It only flashed briefly in Mao Wenlong's mind before quickly disappearing.

His Majesty was merely passing through Shandong.

It's already quite unexpected that we've managed to get this far.

In any case, the other two major powerful families in Shandong will be unable to cause trouble for at least the time being.

They would have no chance to harass Korea from the rear, thus allowing them to better protect Korea for His Majesty.

If, two years later, we can win another war to destroy a nation, then my lifelong dream of being ennobled and appointed as a general will be assured.

Think of this.

Mao Wenlong couldn't help but feel his body straighten up a bit more, and he walked slowly into the distance with his hands behind his back, humming a little tune.

This moment is a rare opportunity for him to take a break from his busy schedule and relax a little.

However, Zhu Youjian, who was in the imperial palace at this time, was not as leisurely as Mao Wenlong.

Mao Wenlong's ambition was merely to be granted a title of nobility.

His goal was to ensure that there was only one Great Ming Dynasty in the world.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian would naturally not feel relaxed because of this insignificant achievement.

To put it more bluntly...

In his view, the current situation in Shandong still has a lot of room for regression.

Of course, the room for regression refers to the perspective of aristocratic and powerful families.

Yes, for practical reasons, he can't stay here any longer.

However, this does not mean that he cannot do anything else in the next day or two.

Intensify the efforts on the Tian and Zhang families, keeping them busy for a long time to come; that will be enough.

Zhu Youjian summoned the group of officials who had previously fled from Shandong to report the news.

Killing is merely a means; the revival of the Han dynasty is the ultimate goal.

Indiscriminate slaughter will only make Shandong more backward; these officials will be needed to govern Shandong in the future.

Local officials understand the local customs and know how to handle things.

As for their past, Zhu Youjian didn't care at all.

As long as I can contribute to the construction of the empire, that's enough.

soon.

Those officials were taken to the palace.

The group of people who entered embodied the phrase "trembling with fear" to the fullest extent.

Although these people have made amends and realized their mistakes beforehand.

However, it cannot be denied that a large number of them had indeed colluded and consorted with powerful families.

Although they haven't really done anything heinous, no one knows if His Majesty will hold them accountable for this.

They have already witnessed His Majesty's methods firsthand.

Killing them was just a matter of a glance, wasn't it?
However, to everyone's surprise, the unpredictable Emperor actually comforted them in a very kind manner.

Then, taking advantage of the crowd's flattery, Zhu Youjian issued an imperial edict to them.

Zhu Youjian ordered these people to remain in Shandong after he left to continue fighting against the Tian and Zhang families.

The crowd was still somewhat confused after hearing the edict.

Are we just going to let the Kong family get away with this? Aren't they the real masterminds behind it all?
And we're going to deal with those two powerful families?!
What can we use to deal with this?
However, this confusion immediately disappeared after His Majesty told them that he would provide them with some support.

Although it is not quite clear what His Majesty means by "support".

But everyone immediately declared, tears streaming down their faces: We are mortal enemies with these powerful families!

As for how Zhu Youjian would continue to weaken the Tian and Zhang families, it was actually quite simple.

Its core purpose remains to shift the blame.

After Kong Yinzhi sent over the heads of Tian Hong and Zhang Zhuo.

He then personally went into the crowd to spread the word that the breach of the dike was orchestrated by the Kong family, and directly led his men to destroy the Duke Yansheng's mansion.

If the Kong family hadn't suffered a major blow, the Tian and Zhang families probably wouldn't have cared about their heads being framed by Kong Yinzhi.

However, once the Confucius family suffered a setback, the delicate balance was broken.

The first thought of both the Tian and Zhang families was definitely to seize the Kong family's resources.

Zhu Youjian's methods for dealing with the remaining two families were even more straightforward.

After tomorrow, when I lead the disaster victims to break through the Duke Yansheng's mansion.

An imperial edict was issued directly, ordering the Tian and Zhang clans to gather disaster victims within Shandong province.

With this imperial edict in place, no matter what actions these two families take to win people's hearts, the people will only be grateful to the imperial power.

Furthermore, because of this imperial edict, people will no longer be so afraid of the powerful and aristocratic families that are usually high and mighty.

At this moment.

The officials who just surrendered can then rely on this large number of disaster victims to deal with the Tian and Zhang families.

Zhu Youjian knew that the officials could not directly bring down the Tian and Zhang families with these disaster victims, but it would be enough as long as they could keep causing them trouble.

That's all he wanted; he didn't expect to achieve everything in one fell swoop.

Although this method seems simple, crude, and outrageous.

But the truth is, the effective strategies are just that simple and unpretentious.

Because only simplicity makes something workable.

immediately.

Zhu Youjian then summoned Mao Wenlong and others, told them about the plan, and instructed them to prepare in advance.

The others were relatively calm after hearing the story, but Mao Wenlong had the strongest reaction.

He had just been thinking that it would be good enough to severely damage the Kong family, but he didn't expect that His Majesty had already thought of how to continue to suppress the other two families.

But he didn't have time to think about anything and quickly got to work with everyone.

After everyone dispersed.

Zhu Youjian sat alone in the temporary palace, took a hot towel from a eunuch and used it to soothe his eyes, thus relieving his fatigue.

My trip to Shandong has come to a temporary end.

After returning to the capital, it will be time to consider the next strategic direction of the Ming Dynasty.

However, Zhu Youjian is currently facing a very important and unavoidable problem.

That is, the Ming Dynasty was short of talent.

(End of this chapter)