Sky Curtain: The opening scene explains the four major cases of the Ming Dynasty plus the early Ming

Yangzhou, once a prosperous and dreamlike city in Jiangnan, has now been transformed into a living hell.

The city gates swung open, and the angry crowd and the 30,000 iron cavalry surged into the city like two torrents, carrying a destructive ferocity.

Wang Tingxun and those gentry and officials were instantly devoured by the anger of the people and the blades of the soldiers.

Their screams seemed insignificant amidst the deafening shouts of battle.

Zhu Dijun did not enter the city immediately.

He simply stood quietly outside the city, his back to the raging tide of fire and blood.

My gaze fell into the distance, as if piercing through the hustle and bustle of Yangzhou and seeing the far reaches of Jiangnan and the distant future.

Peng Shi, Li Xian, and a group of civil officials were now pale and their hands and feet were ice cold.

They witnessed firsthand the power of the "500,000 loaves of bread".

It was not merely verbal incitement, but rather the release of class hatred that had been suppressed for thousands of years.

Zhu Dijun slowly turned around.

His face showed no joy of victory, only a deep, calm as still as a deep well.

"Enter the city."

His voice was soft, yet it sounded like a divine pronouncement, carrying an unquestionable authority.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed across the blood-stained bluestone slabs.

Surrounded by his guards, Zhu Dijun went straight to the Yangzhou Prefectural Government Office.

The government office was in complete disarray.

Tables and chairs were overturned, files were scattered, and the air was filled with the smell of blood and dust.

He ignored them and went straight to the back room.

That was where Wang Tingxun usually handled government affairs.

Scattered on the floor of the study were piles of account books, land deeds, and household registers.

Zhu Dijun dismounted and slowly walked to the table.

He picked up a yellowed household registration book and randomly flipped to a page.

It contains detailed records of a family's name, age, place of origin, and... the land they own.

Or rather, the land that was once owned by the person.

"Peng Shi, Li Xian."

Zhu Dijun didn't look up, his voice low.

"Look at these."

The two Grand Secretaries stepped forward, trembling, and accepted the account books and land deeds he handed over.

The more they looked, the more ashen their faces became.

The ledgers were filled with detailed records of loan and repayment history for usury.

Every stroke of the pen is like a bloodsucking leech, clinging tightly to the people.

One dou of rice is counted as one dou when it is lent out.

When it comes time to repay, the amount becomes three dou, five dou, or even ten dou.

Interest compounded, eventually swallowing up all the tenants' land and houses, along with the principal.

And the names that originally belonged to the people on those land deeds were crossed out.

Instead, the seals of gentry families such as Wang, Chen, and Wang were used.

"This...this is simply too numerous to list!"

Peng Shi gritted his teeth. Although he knew about the exploitation by the gentry, he never imagined it would be so shocking.

Anger also flashed in Li Xian's eyes.

These gentry, who usually spout benevolence and morality, are a hundred times worse than robbers in their behavior!

"The gentry's acquisition of land is a chronic problem that has existed since ancient times."

Judy Jun's voice was cold and calm.

"But through usury and extortion, they have driven the people to the brink of despair. This is no longer a simple annexation."

"This is cannibalism."

He closed the household registration book in his hand, and two cold glints shot from his eyes.

"Shi Heng!"

"Your subject is here!"

Shi Heng, reeking of blood, strode into the yamen and clasped his hands in obeisance to receive orders.

His armor was still stained with undried blood, and his eyes held an undiminished fanaticism.

"Take your soldiers, and those incited civilians."

Zhu Dijun's voice was chilling, like that of a judge from hell.

"Check each household according to these account books and land deeds."

"All land, houses, shops, gold, and silver obtained through trickery or force shall be confiscated!"

"All gentry and their families who participate in usury, force women into prostitution, or disregard human life shall be detained and interrogated!"

"Those who commit heinous crimes shall be executed without pardon!"

"Seventy percent of his family's wealth was confiscated, and thirty percent was distributed as rewards to the people who reported him and the soldiers who participated in the purge!"

"Go."

"Yangzhou city needs a thorough cleaning!"

"As you command!"

Shi Heng's eyes flashed with a sharp light; these were exactly the words he had been waiting for!

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

With Shi Heng's roar, the people, who had already been incited by Zhu Dijun, were like sharks that had smelled blood.

They led the army toward the once inaccessible mansions of the gentry.

Those ornately decorated mansions were once a forbidden zone that they could only dream of.

Now, however, it is easily torn apart by angry fists and swords.

The gate of the mansion was smashed down, the servants were subdued, and the once arrogant gentry were dragged out from under the bed by the angry crowd.

Their cries and pleas for mercy seemed so pale and powerless at this moment.

Zhu Dijun stood atop the Yangzhou city wall, coldly overlooking the city shrouded in blood.

Flames shot into the sky, illuminating half of the night sky.

Shouts of killing, screams, cries, and cheers intertwined to create a chaotic and bloody symphony.

He knew it was necessary.

Only by completely breaking the old world order can the foundation of a new world be established.

Three days later, the dust settled in Yangzhou.

The major gentry families in the city were either exterminated or exiled to the army.

Their wealth was piled up like mountains.

Gold, silver, jewelry, silk, satin, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, grain, and cloth filled the entire prefectural government office.

What delighted the people the most was the land that had been remeasured and redefined.

Zhu Dijun personally issued the edict from the city wall.

Every impoverished household that participated in the liquidation or made meritorious reports was allocated twenty mu of fertile land, which would be their family property forever.

The fertile fields that were once seized by gentry now bear new wooden signs.

The new landowner, place name, and area are written on it.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor Emeritus!"

Below the city, hundreds of thousands of people knelt and shouted, their voices shaking the heavens.

Their eyes were filled with unprecedented fervor and gratitude.

Zhu Dijun is the living Maitreya in their hearts.

He finally made those who suffered the blood and tears of "a pancake worth 500,000" pay for their debts.

Yangzhou became a bloody example.

Its experience, like a whirlwind, quickly swept across the entire Jiangnan region.

The gentry of Zhejiang were terrified when they heard about the devastation in Yangzhou.

They began secretly transferring assets and even seeking protection from local officials.

In Jiangxi, some officials who considered themselves "loyal and righteous" attempted to emulate their predecessors by inciting displaced people to launch a new rebellion.

However, this time, they miscalculated.

Those displaced people who had been incited had already heard the news of the "land redistribution" in Yangzhou.

Their numb faces no longer showed despair, but rather longing for the future.

"Why should we work for those lords?"

"As long as we wait for the imperial army to arrive, we'll be allocated the twenty acres of land we've always dreamed of!"

"Anyone who goes to be cannon fodder for those vampires is a fool!"

The refugees dispersed, leaving behind only the gentry's servants and their hired thugs.

The Jiangxi officials' attempt at rebellion failed before it even began.

Because Zhu Dijun offered a temptation that no one could resist.

A "big pie" that could drive everyone crazy.