The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 179 These are no ordinary rioters; we must strike hard!

In order to train this group of commanding officers as soon as possible, Jiang Han has been going to Mingde Academy almost every day for the past two weeks.

However, his act of seizing the academy also aroused strong dissatisfaction among the scholars in Shanzhou City.

Ironically, when the city fell, these self-proclaimed loyal and righteous scholars were all trembling with fear, not daring to utter a single word.

They dared not open their doors and cower in their homes, fearing that the bandits would come and confiscate their property and exterminate their families.

However, as the days went by, the group gradually discovered that these bandits flying tiger flags seemed to be completely different from the bandits they had imagined who were burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of evil deeds.

This band of bandits, besides ransacking and exterminating the families of those notorious wealthy merchants and gentry, did not harm ordinary people or merchants in the slightest.

The military discipline was even stricter than that of the imperial army, and the people of Shanzhou City enjoyed a few peaceful days.

But after living a peaceful life for too long, these scholars began to get restless and started to stir up trouble.

Especially when they learned that their academy, where they usually composed poems and discussed metaphysics, had been forcibly occupied by this group of bandits who were originally soldiers.

For a time, the students in Shanzhou City were filled with righteous indignation, beating their chests and stamping their feet, feeling that their civility had been completely lost and their dignity had been utterly destroyed.

The leader of them was a young scholar named Tian Jingxing.

This person tossed and turned at home, feeling increasingly frustrated, and a bold plan was born in his mind.

He slapped his thigh and secretly invited his close classmates and friends to his home to discuss countermeasures.

In the dimly lit hall, Tian Jingxing's face was flushed, and he was spitting as he spoke:
"Fellow classmates, fellow friends, please hear me out."

"What is the purpose of my ten years of hard study, day and night, in reading the classics of sages and saints?"

"Isn't it all for the sake of upholding the nation, passing on the traditions, and educating the people?"

"Now look what's happened! This bunch of peasants and soldiers who came out of nowhere have dared to openly occupy my Shanzhou Prefectural School, Mingde Academy."

"How is such behavior any different from that of beasts?"

He abruptly changed the subject, his face showing deep distress:

"Mingde Academy is the heart of the cultural heritage of Shanzhou, a hall where we are bathed in the teachings of sages, cultivate our character, and inherit the tradition!"

"How can we allow these murderers, who are illiterate and have killed countless people, to act like monkeys in crowns and bully others in this place?"

"Do they understand what the Way of the University is? Do they understand what the investigation of things and the extension of knowledge are?"

"These scoundrels probably can't even recognize all the memorial tablets of the sages!"

Tian Jingxing became more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice rose a few decibels:

"Letting these soldiers occupy the academy is simply a desecration of the most holy teacher! The academy is a place where literary spirit gathers, how can we allow these soldiers with blood on their hands to defile it?"

"If this continues, where will the literary tradition of Shanzhou be? Where will the great principles of sages and virtuous men remain?"

He glanced around at the crowd, a glint of light flashing in his eyes:
"We, the descendants of sages, should emulate the ancient sages, speak out for morality, and plead for the people!"

"Now that civilization has been utterly destroyed, if we do not stand up and argue our case, how will we face our revered teacher in the afterlife? What face will we have to call ourselves his disciples?"

Tian Jingxing's impassioned speech instantly ignited the passion of the young scholars present.

They were already resentful about the bandits occupying the academy, and now, with Tian Jingxing's instigation, they were all filled with righteous indignation.

"Well said!" "That's right!"

"Brother Tian, ​​your insight is brilliant! We'll head to the academy right away to seek justice!"

Immediately, the hall was abuzz with discussion, and many people prepared to follow Tian Jingxing to Mingde Academy.

Seeing this, Tian Jingxing smiled slightly:
"Gentlemen, let's not delay! Let's split up now and go back to contact our classmates and friends to spread the word."

"Tomorrow morning, come with me to Mingde Academy to demand justice from those lawless thieves!"

"This time, we must let those thieves know that Shanzhou City is not a place where they can do whatever they want, and that we, the Confucian scholars, still have the integrity and righteousness to uphold!"

To be honest, most scholars in the Ming Dynasty, apart from shameless individuals like those who are "too cold to be honest" or "too brave to be honest," possessed some martial arts skills and courage.

This is mainly due to a series of rules established by Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang.

During the Ming Dynasty, Confucian scholars from relatively well-off families often received some military training and were not the weak, bookish scholars who couldn't even kill a chicken.

The “Establishment of Schools and Division of Teaching Regulations in the Ming Dynasty” clearly stipulates that students must practice archery, use weapons and clubs, and lift heavy stones every day at “1-3 PM”.

Old Zhu even established a special reward system for this.

The saying goes: "On the first and fifteenth of each month, archery is practiced at the archery range. Pigeons are set up for shooting positions, initially thirty paces, then increasing to ninety paces. Each pair consists of two people, each carrying four arrows, taking turns shooting. The officer in charge of shooting. After the shooting is finished, those who hit the target drink three cups of wine, and those who hit the target collect two cups of wine."

Simply put, a scholar who is good at archery will be rewarded with fine wine.

In exams, being good at archery is also considered a "bonus" factor.

The imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty also required candidates to demonstrate their skills in archery, horsemanship, and horseback riding. As the saying goes, "The imperial examinations consisted of two or three sessions, which also included the Five Classics and mathematics. After the results were announced, the candidates were tested on horseback riding and archery."

Those candidates who were skilled in archery and horsemanship often had the opportunity to enter officialdom ahead of time.

For example, Liang Yizhang, who ranked first in the Hebei provincial examination in the twelfth year of the Chongzhen reign, amazed everyone by shooting three arrows in succession and hitting the target every time in the equestrian archery test after passing the imperial examination.

As a result, Liang Yizhang was immediately appointed to the substantive post of magistrate of Taikang County, Henan Province.

There are many other examples like this, such as Zhu Shunshui from Shaoxing and Zhang Huangyan from Hangzhou, all of whom were accomplished in both literature and martial arts.

This directly resulted in the fact that the civil officials of the Ming Dynasty were generally quite capable.

At the foot of Liaoyang, Yuan Yingtai, a Donglin Party official who was later criticized, once personally led a troop of Ming cavalry to break through the arrogant Manchu Yellow Banners from the front.

This matter is clearly recorded in both official archives of the Ming Dynasty and documents of the Qing Dynasty.

According to Manchu archives, this battle caused officers of the two Yellow Banners to abandon their posts and flee in disarray, desperately seeking shelter in houses.

Finally, the Manchu army relied on long-range suppression with firearms to stop Yuan Yingtai's advance.

However, this measure has both advantages and disadvantages.

Once the civil officials generally acquired some military skills, they looked down on the military generals even more.

You can wield a broadsword, so can I; you can ride a horse and shoot arrows, so can I, and I'm more cultured and more strategic than you!
It was precisely for this reason that so many civil officials who thought themselves well-versed in military strategy emerged at the end of the Ming Dynasty, needlessly causing the deaths of countless soldiers.

Of course, if you really asked those students in Shanzhou City to carry swords, spears, and bows and arrows and charge at the bandit camp, they wouldn't dare even if they had a hundred lives.

Those who truly had that courage would have long since followed Zhang Chen and Shi Jiyan in sacrificing their lives on the walls of Shanzhou.

All they could do was wear square headscarves, long robes, sashes around their waists, and black boots, trying their best to look like respectable people.

More than a hundred people were making a commotion outside the door.
The guards could only stare helplessly at the group of people in front of them.

After all, this group of people only gathered here to demand the return of the courtyard, and did not take any extreme actions.

The team on duty was rushing over when they heard the news, and they frowned upon seeing the scene before them:
"Don't cry, we're just temporarily requisitioning you."

"We will return it to you naturally in a few days!"

The team tried to approach and negotiate with the group, but no matter how much he tried to talk to them, no one paid any attention to him.

Left with no other choice, he could only send someone to inform Jiang Han and let Jiang Han make the decision.

At this moment, Jiang Han was in the lecture hall, analyzing future development plans and the policies to be adopted for his hundreds of subordinates.

He didn't pay much attention to the news, simply waving his hand dismissively.
"It's alright, just send a team to drive them away."

Captain Feng Chengxuan understood and immediately led his men to go:

"Get out of here! Don't make a scene!"

"Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Jingxing, the leader, frowned and retorted with a stiff neck:
"We're just asking to reclaim our territory, what crime have we committed?" "On the contrary, you lot, taking things without asking, that's already wrong, and now you want to resort to violence? Where is the law?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Chengxuan was stunned on the spot. You're talking to me about the law?
These rebels and traitors have probably committed every crime imaginable, except for those explicitly stated in the Ming Dynasty law.

Moreover, the crimes were not minor; the minimum punishment was confiscation of property and extermination of the entire family, with no upper limit.

Feng Chengxuan looked at Tian Jingxing and waved his hand impatiently:
"Go, go, leave now! Stop making trouble!"

After saying that, he led his personal guards forward, intending to drive away Tian Jingxing and the others.

Although these men had some basic martial arts skills and strength, they were no match for Jiang Han's men.

Several bodyguards surrounded them and quickly subdued the group.

In the chaos, someone fell to the ground and grabbed the leg of the guard in front of him.

Caught off guard, the guard nearly tripped and fell to the ground. Anxious and angry, he kicked him.

The previously peaceful scene instantly spiraled out of control, and the situation became critical.

Feng Chengxuan didn't have many men to begin with, and now he was suddenly surrounded by so many people that he couldn't break through at all.

Seeing that the situation was not good, he roared, drew his waist knife, and cut down the person in front of him.

The man clutched his neck, looking utterly incredulous, uttering a few unintelligible syllables before collapsing to the ground.

Seeing the thieves draw their weapons and draw blood, Tian Jingxing, the leader, frowned and realized something was wrong.

He was holding a short blade in his sleeve, his arm trembling slightly.

It turns out that when Tian Jingxing first learned that the bandit leader was in this area, he had already conceived the idea of ​​assassinating him.

He originally intended to incite his classmates to cause trouble, hoping to lure out the leader of the bandits, and then, while the leader was calming things down, assassinate him in the chaos to repay the emperor's kindness.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be just a lowly soldier, like a squad leader.

Tian Jingxing originally intended to let it go, but unexpectedly, the officer in charge drew his knife first.

He originally intended to incite his classmates to cause trouble, hoping to lure out the leader of the bandits, and then, while the leader was calming things down, assassinate him in the chaos to repay the emperor's kindness.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be just a lowly soldier, like a squad leader.

Tian Jingxing originally intended to let it go, but unexpectedly, the officer in charge drew his knife first.

Seeing his companion die, Tian Jingxing himself could still bear it, but his other companions could not.

They immediately drew their short blades from their sleeves and rushed towards the stunned Feng Chengxuan, determined to avenge their grievances.

Fortunately, Feng Chengxuan reacted quickly and, upon discovering that someone was attacking with weapons, immediately withdrew.

The attacker's short blade only pierced his arm, failing to reach any vital organs.

Seeing that they had failed to kill him with a single blow, Tian Jingxing's accomplices immediately followed, intending to kill the wounded Feng Chengxuan.

The guards on duty nearby noticed something was wrong and immediately dragged Feng Chengxuan behind the door, closing it tightly.

Even so, several guards were stabbed several times by these people, and they bled profusely.

Upon realizing that the assassination attempt had been exposed, Tian Jingxing, who was in charge, immediately turned and prepared to flee.

But his accomplices had already gone mad and were still relentlessly leading their men to storm the gate, wanting to rush in and kill the murderous bandits.

The assassins, along with the crowd, relentlessly rammed the gate, creating a tremendous commotion that caused plaster to crumble from the walls.

Upon seeing this, Feng Chengxuan immediately sent someone to report and request Jiang Han to bring reinforcements.

Upon hearing someone brandish a knife and attempt an assassination, Jiang Han's previously playful expression instantly turned grim.

Hmph, you won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences. You actually dared to assassinate me.

He abruptly stood up and glanced at the assembled leaders in the lecture hall:
"Brothers, I have just received news that someone intends to assassinate me."

"These are no longer ordinary rioters; we must strike hard!"

He snorted coldly and gave the order.
"Listen up, all of you! Try to capture as many people as possible alive, and interrogate them carefully to find out who exactly attempted to assassinate me!"

"Yes!" The officers in the hall responded in unison, their voices shaking the roof tiles.

This group of people had just been listening to Jiang Han's earnest teachings, their hearts pounding with excitement and high aspirations.

Upon learning that someone dared to assassinate them, the officers, who had been sitting upright just moments before, immediately grabbed their swords and swarmed out of the hall, heading straight for the main gate.

At this moment, the group of people outside were still relentlessly pounding on the courtyard gate, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

Suddenly the courtyard gate was opened, and the people who had been pushing and shoving just moments before rushed straight in.

Before they could even figure out what was going on, they were pinned to the ground by several bandits.
"How dare you! In broad daylight, you actually dared to assassinate the commander-in-chief!"

"Hit him!"

But at this moment, someone raised an objection:
"Didn't the commander say we should leave them alive?"

The man frowned and snorted coldly:
"The commander-in-chief didn't say we can't hit people!"

"Just be careful."

The group suddenly realized what was happening and rushed towards the group in front of them.

The people present were horrified to see the thieves pouring out of the door.

not good!

Many people were kicked in the chest and knocked to the ground. Several shrewd men immediately surrounded them, grabbed their hair and slapped them repeatedly until they were bruised and swollen.

Some people were knocked to the ground by a scabbard, lying there groaning and rolling around begging for mercy.

The last few people in the crowd, seeing that things were not going well, turned and ran, fearing that they would be caught by the bandits.

But someone had already set their sights on him. Upon seeing this, several officers immediately called to their comrades, and they set off in pairs or groups of three to chase after him.

Chaos erupted in Shanzhou City.

The people were still doing their business as usual when they discovered that people were chasing and beating each other everywhere, in the streets and alleys.

Seeing the assassin in front running very fast, the commander behind snorted coldly, grabbed a bucket from the roadside, and smashed it hard on the assassin's back.

The assassin in front was only focused on escaping, and in his panic, he didn't have time to look back.

As a result, he was knocked to the ground on the spot by a bucket of water.

"You damn assassin! You think you can escape?"

Several officers immediately rushed forward and began punching and kicking the assassin on the ground.
Those who were heavy-handed would swing their scabbards and smash people down, each blow leaving them speechless.

"Stop hitting! Stop hitting!"

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the group of people were subdued and brought to the ground.

One by one, they lay bruised and battered, their clothes tattered, limp on the ground, no longer able to muster the courage to resist, only able to groan and wail intermittently.

Seeing this, Jiang Han put his hands behind his back and strolled out leisurely.

He looked at the mess on the ground and snorted coldly:
"A bunch of ignorant fools! Do they really think I'm easy to talk to?"

"Go, tie these guys up and take them back to the military camp."

"Summon all the jailers from Shanzhou City and give these people a good beating!"

　This chapter has been reviewed.
　　Some content was deleted and revised many times before it was released.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)