The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

After obtaining the mud film, Liu Mu quickly rode south, passing through Niangziguan and Handan, before heading south. However, before leaving, he instructed Marquis Dingqing, Liu Dingbian, to secretly eliminate Mi Sihan.

These people, who live a life of hardship while mining, all yearn to return to the Qing Dynasty, but the hidden landmines are too dangerous.

This time, they traveled light and without any snow or wind blocking their way. In addition, they were all cavalry, and with their rapid march, they arrived at the city of Yangzhou in just twelve days.

They initially planned to settle in Xuzhou, but little did they know that Zhou Peigong had already led his troops to Yangzhou and was confronting the new Qing emperor, Qianlong, on the riverbank.

Qianlong was the reign title of the Manchu Qing emperor Chani.

There was nothing he could do; it was a good thing that his subject, Zhou Peigong, was more capable than the emperor. So he spurred his horse and continued south.

At this time, Yangzhou was already decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and there were at least 30,000 people on both sides of the city.

The gentry and wealthy merchants standing at the forefront had already changed into Hanfu (traditional Han clothing), and even wore square hats or Dongpo scarves on their heads.

Zhou Peigong, along with ten brigade commanders and a large group of surrendered Green Standard Army generals, was already in front of the people to greet them.

"Your Majesty, please enter the city!"

To be honest, Liu Mu was a little flustered, afraid that someone in the crowd might assassinate him, since this was a place where the Manchus had once lived, so he walked very slowly.

But it was clear that Liu Mu had worried too much. When Liu Mu walked to the very center, none of the people stepped forward; they were all just filled with tears.

Liu Mu could hear it faintly.

"Great! Our Han emperor has returned! We no longer have to suffer the humiliation of those barbarian bastards!"

"I'd heard long ago that taxes in Shandong had been reduced to 30%, and in just two years, they're already able to afford meat soup for the New Year!"

"We will have a good life too!"

As Liu Mu listened, his eyes began to well up with tears, and he almost shed a tear. "The common people of Han Chinese have very simple demands: dignity and enough to eat. What have they done wrong? Why does disaster always seem to torment the kind-hearted?"

When Liu Mu entered the Yangzhou government office, there were already more than twenty gentry members waiting for him, all of them beaming with joy.

Zhou Peigong seemed to sense Liu Mu's confusion, so he moved slightly closer and whispered:

"Your Majesty, these gentry are all from Jiangbei, and their family assets all exceed 100,000, with the leading families exceeding 1 million. However, they have been severely exploited by the Qing Dynasty in the past two years, and it is estimated that most of them only have some real estate left!"

"The rapid pacification of Jiangbei and Anqing this time was all thanks to the money and effort of these gentry. More than one million shi of grain and fodder have been gathered in Yangzhou City."

Holy crap...

Are they trying to make fun of me, Liu Mu, as if I were the Mongol emperor?

Liu Mu saw through their intentions at a glance.

With such wealth and such enthusiasm, what else could he possibly be doing besides wanting a new dynasty and restoring the tax farming system?

But you're mistaken.

Thinking of this, Liu Mu's expression brightened, and he nodded enthusiastically to the gentry and wealthy merchants.

These are all easy targets, we can't afford to be careless!

After everyone entered the main hall of the government office, a large group of pretty and slender maids came in carrying plate after plate of dishes.

Liu Mu observed them carefully; these maids were all meticulously trained and dressed in the finest silk.

There are also some dishes where even a piece of tofu can be carved into a dragon and phoenix; wouldn't that sell for over twenty taels of silver?

This radish is also quite fancy.

Luxury, it's simply extravagant.

Knowing that although the dishes were prepared jointly by the gentry, Zhou Peigong was in charge of the whole process, Liu Mu did not stand on ceremony and picked up the wine cup on the table.

"Fellow gentry, with the land north of the Yangtze River finally freed from the hands of the Tartars, the people can look forward to living in peace and prosperity!"

"Come, drink this cup to the brim with me!"

The gentry below quickly stood up, eagerly drinking the fine wine, their faces filled with excitement.

This new emperor is truly generous and has a great appetite!

He is exactly the same as the Mongol emperor described by his ancestors.

You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. If we contribute more of our family fortune later, this tax system will be implemented, and the good days will be back!

To be honest, in an era without MSG, they were able to make dishes comparable to those in modern hotels. These gentry really put a lot of effort into it. Liu Mu ate the food and drank the wine heartily, completely letting loose during his time in Dzungar.

Zhou Peigong, who was standing nearby, was really afraid that Liu Mu had fallen into a trap, so he quickly stepped forward and whispered a reminder.

"Your Majesty, is the food and wine to your liking?"

Liu Mu naturally understood the unspoken meaning: don't get drunk and promise anything detrimental to the court. So he reached out and put his arm around Zhou Peigong's neck, whispering.

"Don't worry, I only like to eat beef and mutton!"

It means don't interrupt, I'm perfectly fine!

But in the eyes of the gentry, it was as if the emperor was drunk and was actually embracing his ministers and talking nonsense. So, after a few rounds of drinks and a few dishes, one of the gentry clapped his hands.

Suddenly, a burst of music and singing began, and four women dressed in light pink gauze, with figures no less impressive than Wu Yun, danced gracefully in the lobby to the music.

Everyone present cheered, including Liu Mu, whose eyes were red with excitement. He had been fortunate enough to see President Xu's "Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow" in his previous life and had been obsessed with it ever since. He never expected that he would be able to appreciate an even more professional performance in this life.

After the dance ended, the gentleman who had clapped earlier straightened his collar and came to the center of the hall.

"Your Majesty, those four women, named Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, were all carefully cultivated by my Xu family. Today, we wish to present them to Your Majesty with a special gift of 100,000 taels of silver and 200,000 shi of fine grain, so that our Great Han may continue its southward march to destroy the Manchu Qing!"

Wow, this is nearly 300,000 taels of silver!

Seeing the eager looks in the eyes of the gentry, Liu Mu knew they wanted a reward, so he closed his eyes and began to ponder.

Directly confiscating property is inappropriate.

It could easily trigger rebellions in Jiangnan. Even if we follow the example of the Qing Dynasty, it would only be a temporary compromise, and in the end, it would be the common people who suffer.

It seems one has to be shameless.

Thinking of this, Liu Mu's eyes began to swell, and crocodile tears streamed down his face.

"well!!!!"

"Thinking back on our journey south, the people of the north were starving, sometimes not knowing where their next meal would come from, and some families only had one pair of trousers. My life as emperor has been truly miserable!"

"However, I have already made a promise that I will absolutely not make things difficult for the gentry and wealthy merchants during this trip south. I know that you are the foundation of the Han Dynasty! Even if I have to eat chaff and wild vegetables, I will not take your wealth!"

"Therefore, I have decided to bestow upon Gentleman Xu the title of Marquis of Cheng, with the fief of a county to be hereditary in the future!"

Boom boom boom!

The territory of a county is hereditary.

The main hall of the government office was in an uproar!

This Han emperor was even more particular than the Mongol Yuan emperor!

Seeing that other gentry were all offering prices, and that if the threshold was too low, the title of Marquis would be commonplace, the head of the Xu family knelt down again with a thud and kowtowed three times.

"His Majesty is so generous, bestowing upon this humble commoner the title of Marquis, and is willing to donate another 100,000 taels of silver and 100,000 shi of fine grain!"

After the Cheng family patriarch finished speaking, he looked at everyone triumphantly, his meaning was very clear: I've put up my 500,000 taels of silver, what do you have to compare with me?

Block someone else's path!

Shameless!!!

This was the first thought of many gentry!