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

Chapter 196 Public Trial Meeting
Three days later, Jiang Han held a unique public trial at the drill ground of Youtunwei.

The spacious training ground where the government troops used to practice was now packed with people, civilians and soldiers who had rushed over after hearing the news.

Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians from the vicinity of Ningxia Town gathered from all directions, craning their necks and looking at the command platform in front of the drill ground with a complex mix of fear, expectation and hatred.

Jiang Han has transformed this place into a temporary courtroom.

On the judge's bench, Jiang Han, dressed in a brocade robe, sat imposingly in a chair, his expression cold and stern, exuding an air of authority.

Standing on either side of him were several key generals, including Shao Yong and Li Laowai.

Below the judgment platform, the once high and mighty princes of the Qing Dynasty were now like a herd of livestock awaiting slaughter. Their magnificent robes had been stripped off, leaving them only in plain white undergarments. Their hands were bound behind their backs with hemp rope, and they knelt in a row in a wretched state.

The one leading them was none other than Prince Qing, Zhu Zhuohong.

His face was deathly pale, his body was trembling like a leaf, and large beads of sweat covered his forehead; he had long lost the demeanor of a prince.

When the appointed time arrived, Jiang Han picked up a tin megaphone from the side, slowly got up, and walked to the front.

"Fellow villagers and brothers of Ningxia Town, we are holding this court today not to show off our strength, nor to intimidate villains."

"I hope you open your eyes wide and see how these hypocrites enslave and oppress you!"

"I also hope you will think carefully about whether such a court is worth your lives!"

After saying that, he suddenly waved his hand.

Zhao Sheng, who was standing to the side, immediately unfolded a long scroll and began to read aloud the charges against Prince Qing, Zhu Zhuohong.

"Prince Qing, Zhu Zhuohong, is a member of the Ming imperial family, receiving a salary from the court and governing a region. However, he is greedy, extravagant, and indifferent to the people's livelihood! His first crime is the encroachment on farmland..."

At this point, Zhao Sheng stopped and gestured to Feng Chengxuan beside him with his eyes:
"Bring the evidence up."

Dozens of soldiers, with heavy steps, carried fifteen huge wooden crates onto the reviewing stand.

At Jiang Han's command, fifteen large crates were simultaneously pushed over.

wow-

Countless yellowed papers poured out of the box like an avalanche, instantly piling up into a small mountain on the stage.

This place is full of property deeds and land deeds belonging to Prince Qing's mansion, including those from Ningxia, Gansu, and northern Shaanxi, filling a full fifteen boxes.

Jiang Han casually pulled out a card from the small pile, held it high, and gestured to the audience below:

"The sellers in this contract, Huang Zongning et al., now possess a plot of abandoned land inherited from their ancestors, named Tangwu, managed by Manager Tang, located in this village. To the east of this land are eight plots of land of varying sizes, and another plot of abandoned land of four plots of varying sizes, totaling approximately five mu."

Due to lack of funds, I am willing to sell all of the aforementioned eight sections of wasteland, through a written deed, to the Prince Qing's estate. The price is negotiable at the time: three mace and two fen of silver.

Jiang Han held up a tin megaphone and loudly read the contents of the land deed, glancing occasionally at the trembling Prince Qing below the stage.

"Zhu Zhuohong! Your Prince Qing's Mansion has done a good job, buying five acres of land for only three and two-tenths of a coin?"

Jiang Han snorted coldly and casually grabbed another property deed:
"Your Prince Qing's mansion only spent three taels of silver on three shops in Yinchuan?"

"And the caravan's eighteen mules and horses, you requisitioned them for just five taels of silver?"

"Do you know how much blood and tears these boxes of property deeds represent?"

Seeing Jiang Han's murderous gaze, Zhu Zhuohong was terrified and stammered an explanation:
"Your Majesty, I did not do any of these things!"

"It was all...it was all done by my subordinates, behind my back. It was the chief clerk of the Prince's mansion."

"Yes! It was Zhang Dehai, the chief secretary of the Prince's Palace. He was the one who secretly committed these heinous acts behind my back!"

"I...I truly knew absolutely nothing about it!"

"Really?"

Seeing that Zhuohong was still trying to argue, Jiang Han snorted coldly:
"Bring Zhang Dehai, the Chief Secretary of the Prince's Palace, to me!"

Soon, Zhang Dehai, the chief secretary of the Prince's mansion, who was also bound hand and foot, was pushed and shoved by the soldiers and brought to the trial platform.

Zhang Dehai looked around and knew that he was probably doomed today, so he had no more worries.

He looked at Prince Qing, who was trying to pin all the blame on him, and let out a shrill, maniacal laugh.

"Hahaha, you surnamed Zhu, you call yourself a prince? At this point, you still want to push all the blame onto your subordinates?"

"You think you can escape death today by shifting all the blame? You fool!"

He abruptly turned to the crowd below and loudly denounced them:
"Fellow citizens of Ningxia, don't be fooled by him!"

"He gave the order to seize farmland! He gave the approval to rob shops!"

"This is all your hard-earned money, you absolutely cannot let him get away with it!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuohong was both shocked and furious. He turned around and began to hurl insults at Zhang Dehai.
"You're spouting nonsense!"

"Zhang Dehai! You old dog! I have treated you well, yet you dare to slander me!"

Zhang Dehai dropped the pretense and launched into a tirade of abuse at Zhu Zhuohong:

"Did I slander you?"

"If it weren't for you, you pig, indulging in pleasure and complaining that the treasury isn't full, why would I have gone to such lengths to plunder the land?!"

A farcical dog-eat-dog drama is unfolding comically on this highly anticipated trial platform.

"enough!"

Jiang Han let out an impatient shout, interrupting their taunts.

He looked at the two “master and servant” tearing at each other, his eyes filled with disgust.

He waved his hand and gave an order to his personal guards:

"Men, drag these two to the gallows. I want to do it myself."

As soon as he finished speaking, several fierce guards immediately stepped forward and dragged the already limp Prince Qing and Zhang Dehai, who was still cursing wildly, to one side of the command platform.

This was a gallows that Jiang Han had specially prepared for this group of nobles.

With a forceful push from Jiang Han, the trapdoor beneath Zhu Zhuohong's feet burst open, causing him to plummet to the ground. The rope instantly tightened, tightening around Zhu Zhuohong's neck.

"Ho ho."

Zhuohong's pupils shrank sharply, his eyeballs almost popped out, and he made a few incoherent noises as he struggled desperately to breathe, his toes kicking wildly at the air.

His neck was strangled until the veins bulged, his face quickly turned a purplish-red, and after his legs kicked wildly in the air for a few seconds, they went limp and fell down without making a sound.

Upon seeing Prince Qing hanged on the gallows, the training ground was silent for a moment before erupting into a roar like a landslide and a tsunami.

"it is good!!"

"Well done!!"

The resentment and hatred that had been suppressed for generations were finally released at this moment.

The crowd of people in the training ground embraced each other and wept, bowing deeply to Jiang Han on the judge's bench.

This unusual public trial lasted for several days. After Jiang Han personally executed Prince Qing, he entrusted the subsequent trial to Zhao Sheng.

The other princes, generals, and officials and gentry in the city who had committed numerous evils were all brought to trial.

Under the accusations of countless people, their crimes were exposed one by one. They were then pulled aside, their identities verified, and executed in public.

Jiang Han specifically stipulated that the executions must be carried out by the newly recruited surrendered soldiers from Ningxia.

This is the pledge they must submit.

The thousands of surrendered soldiers in the city were brought to the drill ground, and their feelings were extremely complicated as they looked at the officials and generals who had once acted arrogantly.

Many people backed down, most of whom had families to support. They simply didn't dare to kill an official in front of everyone.

Jiang Han did not press the matter.

He had promised that as long as you were willing to kill these corrupt officials in public, you would become his brother, Jiang Han, and be officially incorporated into his team, where you would be well-fed and receive a salary.

As for those who had reservations and were unwilling to take action, Jiang Han did not make things difficult for them; he simply let them return to their hometowns.

With the number of soldiers surging, Jiang Han had to use this method to ensure the purity of his troops.

Ultimately, according to statistics, more than 1,300 people were willing to participate.

But a problem arose: there weren't enough corrupt officials to kill in the city. So Zhao Sheng had a brilliant idea: he had them group together, about ten men each, with their eyes closed, each taking a single blow to kill an official.

Jiang Han also generously included Zhu Xing and other members of the imperial clan who had shown active participation in the uprising in his army.

But there weren't many people, only four or five.

Jiang Han was still not at ease, so he only recruited a few leaders to join the group, just to make a show of spending a fortune to acquire their talents.

Zhu Xing and several other members of the imperial clan were literate and could be placed under Zhao Sheng to help with military documents. They should not get involved in military affairs.

Jiang Han allocated some grain fields to the other lower-ranking members of the royal family, allowing them to be self-sufficient.

Those who were fortunate enough to be hanged were all princes and high-ranking officials in the city.

Jiang Han even gave a special order to hang all of these people on the city tower of Nanxun Gate, in a row.

This is where the flow of people is the greatest; he wants all the people entering and leaving Yinchuan to have a good look at it.

After the public trial, Zhao Sheng immediately began searching for craftsmen in the city to make armor and weapons for the newly recruited soldiers.

Jiang Han, on the other hand, was busy reorganizing the army and adjusting its structure.

After this massive purge, Jiang Han now commands a force of over 8,000 men.

Eight thousand soldiers are roughly equivalent to the entire mobile force of a military town.

With such a large team, it would be difficult for Jiang Han to command it directly by himself, as before.

He must promote his trusted followers and firmly control his army.

Following the traditional organization of the border army, Jiang Han formally divided the eight thousand men into four battalions: front, center, left, and right.

Shao Yong, Li Laowai, and Dong Erzhu were all promoted to brigade commanders at the same time, each leading a battalion.

Each battalion has two thousand men, with two captains, four lieutenants, and several platoon leaders.

Cao Er, Hong Ming, and others who had previously distinguished themselves were promoted to the position of Qianzong (a military rank) and became the backbone of their respective battalions.

The central army of two thousand men was personally commanded by Jiang Han, and was modeled after the standard battalion of a general.

After adjusting the organization, Jiang Han planned to recuperate in Yinchuan for a period of time. He now needed to replenish military equipment and armor, as well as train his soldiers.

Most of the surrendered soldiers in Gansu and Ningxia were originally from the Dunjun (a type of military unit).

These people lived in harsh conditions, often lacking proper clothing and food.

Although their fighting spirit was good, in terms of physical fitness and combat effectiveness, they were still quite different from the battalion soldiers.

The soldiers under the command of the generals of each town are all elite troops selected from various places, and their combat power should not be underestimated.

If all the imperial troops had been well-fed and watered, Jiang Han would probably have been wiped out long ago in some unknown mountain valley in northern Shaanxi.

The amount of grain and meat captured in Yinchuan was not small. Jiang Han planned to feed these surrendered soldiers well and then give them an emergency training.

Jiang Han knew very well that news of his capture of Yinchuan and the destruction of the Qing Kingdom would soon spread.

Now that he has opened a court and displayed the heads of the princes and officials in the city, it means that he has completely stepped forward and become the number one rebel.

Throughout the entire Ming Dynasty, from the emperor and princes to officials, gentry, and landlords, everyone regarded him as a great enemy.

They will use all their strength and spare no expense to annihilate this traitor who dares to challenge the entire ruling class.

Jiang Han will next face a massive siege by the imperial army and the greatest hostility from officials and gentry in various regions.

Of course, there were also people Jiang Han could unite with in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty.

From a class perspective, Jiang Han was able to unite not only the lower-class people, but also the vast number of small and medium-sized landlords.

This group of people is the backbone of society in this era, and also a complex group.

Rather than calling them "landlords," it would be more accurate to call them rich peasants.

Compared to the officials, gentry, and princes who owned hundreds of acres of fertile land, they were merely upper-class households barely able to survive.

These people own no more than a hundred acres of land, which are the family businesses accumulated by their ancestors over generations through hard work, sweat, and blood.

On ordinary days, their lives seem respectable.

But in reality, during the busy farming season, these people also have to go shirtless, roll up their trousers, and work in the fields themselves.

Therefore, their ability to withstand natural disasters is extremely fragile.

A drought or a locust plague is enough to ruin their entire year's hard work.

Even more deadly is the man-made disaster. It is foreseeable that in the future, in order to quell the rebellion, the imperial court will inevitably continue to impose taxes year after year.

The real landlords and gentry had ways to evade taxes, and these heavy burdens would be shifted onto the powerless and insignificant small and medium-sized landlords.

It can be said that in the social structure of the late Ming Dynasty, this group was a group that was squeezed by both the upper and lower classes.

On the one hand, they were exploited by the imperial court and large landowners; on the other hand, because they had no manors or fortresses, they were also seen as easy targets by various bandits who would plunder them.

This group needs a spokesperson, someone who can protect their lives and property.

And this is exactly how Jiang Han positions himself.

What he wanted to do was to overthrow the powerful princes and large landowners and distribute their land to the common people.

At the same time, he also needed to unite and protect the vast number of small and medium-sized landlords.

These people are literate, and their participation will be indispensable in managing the base area in the future.

Jiang Han needs to enact laws to abolish exorbitant taxes and levies, and establish a lower and more reasonable tax rate to make these small and medium-sized landowners the new social foundation of his rule.

(End of this chapter)