Chapter 187 Kill Bei Kong for the sake of the overall situation
Chapter 187 Kill Bei Kong for the sake of the overall situation (2nd update, please subscribe)
Xu Qing quickly understood General Yu's intention.
He couldn't help but laugh to himself, he was just tying himself up in knots. He wanted to come to Dongshan Province to look for opportunities, but General Yu was afraid that he would cause trouble, so he wanted to tie him up to prevent any accidents.
I can only say that the name of a person is the shadow of a tree.
He left an unstable impression on the outside world, so he had to accept that such things would happen.
This also shows that General Yu is very thoughtful in deploying troops and can see the crux of the problem. This kind of person uses troops in a domineering way and hits the key points directly.
If he were an enemy, it would be difficult to deal with him.
However, when General Yu asked Xu Qing about how to deal with the aftermath of the civil unrest in Dongshan Province, Xu Qing did not hide anything.
Regardless of whether he has any interest in this matter, he is willing to contribute.
This is just a matter of his conscience, there is no other reason.
"Originally, the Dongshan Province was just a rebellion by the tenants and servants of the Kong Mansion. But this incident caused such a big reaction. Was it just because of the flood or someone's meddling? Those middle and lower-level military officers who participated in the riot were coerced by the officers and soldiers and started a mutiny. This shows how corrupt the government's governance in Dongshan Province is."
General Yu agreed: "It is not difficult to defeat the bandits. Even if there are some powerful evil people among the rioters, they cannot shake my army. Mr. Xu's words hit the root of the problem. Please teach me."
He had some ideas in his mind, but as a military general, there was not much he could do. Sometimes he needed the help of civil servants like Xu Qing to speak for him in order to achieve good results.
Xu Qing's mind and temperament have grown more generous than before. He said: "I personally think that the key to defeating the enemy is to attack their hearts. Winter is coming soon. If the war lasts too long, the weather will be cold and the soldiers and horses will inevitably suffer serious losses. Secondly, if it lasts too long, it will definitely delay the spring ploughing.
Xu thought that the general should take this opportunity to ask the court for instructions, post a notice to reassure the people, prepare for spring ploughing, and survey the land. "
General Yu had long known that Xu Qing was deeply involved in the matter of land surveying, but he did not expect that Xu Qing would bring up the matter again as soon as he arrived.
He knew that this matter was of great importance and it was not easy to deal with it. General Yu said, "The officials of the court believe that the rioters are committing crimes and are unforgivable. This matter will not be resolved peacefully."
Xu Qing smiled: "This is one time, that is another time."
At this point, he bowed and said, "Please send troops immediately to break into Confucius' mansion and rescue the Master."
General Yu was confused for a moment, and he said, "I'm here to quell the rebellion, why would I attack Confucius's mansion?"
Xu Qing: "In my opinion, these people are not rebelling against their superiors, but righteous people. Your Excellency, I wrote an article to prove that Bei Kong is of Hu blood. Even if this is not ironclad, the connection between Bei Kong and Hu people is definitely not false, and Bei Kong and Dong Yi people have a lot of trade. Dong Yi people are a major concern of the court. Bei Kong's actions are undoubtedly unfaithful to the king and father. What's more, Bei Kong is a concubine's bloodline, and Nan Kong is a legitimate bloodline. Now it is time for us to be the bloodline of the master and rectify the etiquette and law of legitimate and illegitimate!"
He talked eloquently, and to put it bluntly, it meant sacrificing Beikong for the sake of the overall situation.
If these rebellious civilians and soldiers were really killed, what would happen to the world?
How bad will the situation get?
Xu Qing's words were indeed alarmist, but it was obvious that they made sense.
If sacrificing Bei Kong could quell the rebellion and settle the aftermath, everyone would be happy.
General Yu said, "This matter is of great importance. I must submit a petition to the court."
Xu Qing nodded upon hearing this.
This was one of his several contingency plans.
To be honest, the imperial court sent a martial arts master-level general to quell the rebellion, and the outcome was already determined.
Xu Qing's current strategy is not only a way to save the people, but also a good way to solve problems.
But doing so would really sacrifice the North Kong too much.
But for the sake of the overall interests of the world, someone has to sacrifice.
If the righteous people killed the rebels for the court, it would not be considered as rebellion, and the gentry and nobles in the world would be able to accept it.
Moreover, the withdrawal of Northern Confucius from the historical stage and the rise of Southern Confucius are a rectification of the original intention. For those who believe in Confucianism, it is also a good thing and worth writing about.
Especially those upright people who participated in it can proudly report to the scholars that we have made great contributions to the orthodox religion!
Moreover, things had gotten so bad that the gentry were afraid of provoking even greater popular unrest. Now that they had an excuse on the surface, that it was righteous people punishing the villains, there was nothing much to say.
Moreover, this matter has a potential significance for the gentry.
In the future, when the imperial court demands the gentry to pay taxes, they can also be righteous citizens!
This is a good excuse for tax resistance. They can use it now and they can use it later.
Of course, few people will notice this nowadays, but when something like this really happens, someone will definitely think of it.
Even if the Prime Minister saw the pros and cons, it would be difficult to stop it.
Because nothing in this world is perfect.
Everything is just a matter of power and interests.
Following Xu Qing's idea, General Yu wrote a memorial and sent it to the capital at an express speed of 800 miles.
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A memorial to the emperor's memorial caused a huge stir in the imperial court.
The Prime Minister knew that General Yu did not have the depth to look into the issue. After some investigation, he learned that Xu Qing had entered the camp, and realized that it was Xu Gongming's doing again.
He had to admit that Xu Qing was indeed a genius.
Such ideas can be thought of.
I have only heard of sacrificing the common people for the sake of the overall situation, but this is the first time I have seen gentry and dignitaries like Bei Kong sacrificed for the sake of the overall situation.
Naturally, the officials in the court talked a lot about this matter.
Because the suggestions in this memorial are so absurd, yet they make a lot of sense.
Feng Xifeng was stunned.
Can you still do this?
However, he had already received the letter sent by Xu Qing on express horse, which was a little later than the memorial from General Yu. Therefore, before going to court, he had already learned that this was another work of his son-in-law.
Old Feng had to admit that Gongming had indeed found a way to plead for the people.
In terms of talent in saving the world, he is far inferior to Gongming.
This method is bold, but the idea is extremely clear.
Moreover, the memorial also stated categorically that solid evidence had been found that the Northern Kong was connected with the Hu people and the Dongyi people.
The evidence is irrefutable!
With tens of thousands of troops coming forward, we will create solid evidence for you even if there is no solid evidence.
Therefore, no ministers in the court questioned this point.
In fact, Beikong's exit from the historical stage was a foregone conclusion. General Yu's memorial at this time was nothing more than nailing the lid of the coffin shut, making it impossible for it to turn around.
There is just one bad thing: we cannot teach these rioters a lesson.
After all, they knew that this was an act of insubordination.
There is also a bad thing for the Prime Minister and the Emperor, that is, they have already issued an order to execute the rebels. If this happens now, it will undoubtedly damage the prestige of the court and lose face for the Emperor.
The emperor has the heaviest idol burden in the world. Once he loses face, he feels as uncomfortable as eating a fly.
The key point is that if we don’t do this, it will not be helpful in quelling the civil unrest in Dongshan Province.
The current strategy is not the best, but it is indeed a good one, just with a bit of shit smell.
What else can be done?
Seeing everyone talking about this, the Prime Minister knew that the sooner this matter was settled, the less loss there would be. He winked at Feng Xifeng.
After receiving Xu Qing's order, Lao Feng refused to show his true colors and just performed a show on the spot, looking dispirited and like a wooden man.
The Prime Minister cursed inwardly and looked at Chen Fu again.
Chen Fu sighed secretly, but did not refuse. He was originally a dirty worker and his position was clear.
But he was unhappy because he always had to do the dirty work.
There were indeed too many disgusting things like this in the officialdom, so Chen Fu could only grit his teeth and insist that the court severely punish Bei Kong and give justice to the righteous people of Dongshan Province.
As for the mutiny, it was not a new thing in the Great Yu Dynasty. There were many mutinies in the nine border areas. It was impossible to investigate them one by one.
In this kind of situation, when a high-ranking official at the level of the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue took the lead in the charge, the pressure on others was suddenly reduced a lot. Even if no one agreed, no one opposed it.
Even if there were clear-minded people defending Bei Kong, everyone would just pretend not to hear it.
Moreover, this kind of defense is actually Qingliu's way of maintaining his own image. No matter what, it is worthy of the money given by Beikong.
Would you work for Bei Kong just for this little money?
Once the overall situation was settled, the cabinet immediately drafted the document.
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After the court session, the officials were talking about the matter.
"Ah, I didn't expect that the Yanshenggong Mansion, which has been passed down for thousands of years, would end up like this."
"This is a matter of great importance, and we have done our best."
Some upright people hesitated to speak. In order to consider the overall situation, small figures have always been sacrificed. How could there be a sacrifice of someone at the level of Yansheng Duke?
It’s the opposite of Tiangang!
But it’s hard to say.
After all, you can think about it in your heart, but you can't say it out loud.
Do the little people deserve to be sacrificed for the greater good?
If you say this to others, will you still be considered a human being?
Although Qingliu has always been a rude person, he did not dare to speak out about this matter.
The official who invited the name had a righteous look on his face, "Why not cry together as a family?"
Just quote the famous sayings of the ancients to boost your reputation.
Another official echoed, "We have only heard of the execution of a traitor, the Kong family, but not the execution of the descendants of the saint."
These voices gradually became mainstream.
After all, killing the descendants of the saints was a great psychological pressure on the Confucianists. Now that everyone was citing scriptures, they found that the Confucian classics had already explained this. All of a sudden, everyone felt much more relaxed and comforted.
The air is filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
What do the gentry and powerful people in Dongshan Province and the Confucius Mansion have to do with them?
Some officials have already calculated how much benefit they can get once the properties of the Confucius Mansion are counted.
From this perspective, it’s not a bad thing.
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Yanshenggong Mansion.
Under siege by rebels and insurgents, the Duke of Yansheng's Mansion had calmed down after the initial panic.
The Confucius Mansion also has warriors and servants. In addition, the Yansheng Mansion is a solid castle, and the rebels outside are just a mob.
Even if there is a powerful person, our government is not without experts to deal with him.
The food in the mansion is enough to last for a year or two.
It's not that chaotic.
Moreover, they had received news that the imperial court had sent troops to quell the rebellion.
Although they didn't know how the imperial court would deal with them in the end, according to the information they received, these rioters were committing rebellion.
This one is enough.
"Once the siege of this city is lifted, we must deal with these untouchables."
"I have an idea. Let these untouchables know that it was Xu Gongming who killed them. If Xu Gongming hadn't spread rumors, they wouldn't have rebelled and wouldn't have ended up like this."
"Yes, after we get out, we must expose the true face of Xu Gongming, this hypocrite."
"I heard that border troubles have already arisen, and the Dongyi people are also attacking the coastal prefectures of our province. The court is probably in a lot of trouble. I guess the central government is also quite dissatisfied with Xu Gongming for causing this incident."
Some elders of the tribe gloated over the misfortune.
Duke Yansheng also regained his previous calmness.
Everything was as he planned.
He knew that the court would definitely punish Bei Kong, but with chaos happening all over the world, would the court still dare to continue to severely punish them at this time?
The longer it drags on, the better it is for them.
He is sure to win this game of chess, even if God Haotian comes, it will be useless.
Xu Gongming, just wait for him!
Now Duke Yansheng's hatred for Xu Qing is like the surging Yellow River, endless.
This contemporary Duke Yansheng almost destroyed the Duke Yansheng's inheritance of Beikong and became an eternal sinner in the clan.
If hatred could kill people, Xu Qing would have died more than a hundred times due to his hatred.
"Just wait for me." Even though Duke Yansheng had amazing skills in cultivating his Qi, this incident made it difficult for him to remain calm as he had in the past.
His heart was now filled with the desire for revenge.
After I get out, I will kill Xu Qing at all costs!
We're going to kill his entire family and sell his wife to the Music Bureau!
The more furious he became, the calmer his expression became. He told everyone, "Don't be impatient. The longer we wait, the better it will be for us. There will be a time in the future when the court will ask us for help."
"Duke Yansheng is wise!" Some clan members began to flatter him.
Shengming's words are actually an act of usurpation.
But in the Confucius Mansion, what does this mean?
In fact, the Duke of Yansheng's Mansion has another point of dissatisfaction with the Dayu Dynasty. That is, in some previous dynasties, the Duke of Yansheng's Mansion was even a king. This comparison shows that the current dynasty is stingy.
What’s more, the previous dynasty’s founder, Emperor Taizu, considered himself the great master of Confucianism.
A barbarian like them recognizes Confucianism so much. On the contrary, our dynasty, judging from its attitude, cannot be compared with the previous dynasty.
Therefore, the tablet of the emperor of the previous dynasty was secretly enshrined in the Yanshenggong Mansion.
These are all secret expressions of dissatisfaction with this dynasty.
They even wish for a change of dynasty.
After all, in this way, their treatment would not be any worse, but they would be able to see the collapse of the Yu Dynasty. How joyful would that be?
Duke Yansheng stroked his beard and said, "From the perspective of the overall situation, the court is obviously in a state of panic. When we go out, we must also consider the overall situation and not be so harsh on the tenants below..."
"Yes."
Everyone felt that not beating and killing tenants at will in the future was already very considerate of the overall situation.
All the gentry and powerful people in the world do this, not just the Confucius family.
These tenants and servants really don't know what's good for them.
They really should be sent to the Tibetan Plateau to see what life is like for other serfs.
There were many knowledgeable people in the Confucius Mansion who felt that the serfs outside the Yu Dynasty, especially those in the Tibetan Plateau, were not living a life that was truly human.
In this dynasty, these tenants did not sign slave contracts and could still take the imperial examinations.
They are actually going to rebel, this is outrageous!
Looking around, are there any better masters than these people?
"It's all Xu Qing's fault!" Everyone's hatred for Xu Qing deepened.
This person has already won the top prize in the provincial examination, but he is still restless.
That was the top scholar in Nanzhili, the most difficult provincial examination in the world. Moreover, Xu Qing's essays were said to be the reincarnation of sages. If such a person participated in the imperial examination and was not given one of the top three places, the old emperor and the lords in the court would be blind.
You are giving up a bright future and insisting on going against the Yanshenggong Mansion. You are seeking death!
While everyone was discussing, a spy sent by Duke Yansheng came over and said, "Duke Yansheng, the imperial army is coming."
Everyone was delighted.
The rebellion was finally put down.
Afterwards, everyone pretended to be reserved again. An elder said, "Humph, you're here just now. In my opinion, let the court see how many things these rioters have done that angered the heavens and the people. In my opinion, killing them on the spot is too easy for them. We might as well sell them as slaves and use them to mine and farm..."
"Yes, yes, yes. We suffered heavy losses this time. We cannot let these rebellious untouchables get away with it."
When they heard that the army was about to arrive, they all straightened their backs and forgot about Duke Yansheng's previous instructions.
Duke Yansheng stroked his beard and said calmly, "Do you know who is leading the troops?"
"Looking at the flag, it should be General Yu Zhenyu."
Duke Yansheng smiled and said, "This is a famous general of the time, with the cultivation of a martial arts master. Once he arrives, those rabble outside will probably be defeated within a day."
He then added: "It will only take one or two days to defeat the bandits. You should be prepared and we will welcome General Yu in person. Don't neglect the etiquette."
The Kong family has been afraid of people holding knives for generations.
Of course, those weak soldiers and generals in Dongshan Province do not count.
They had long heard that General Yu was a good fighter and was also a master of martial arts.
They were naturally very respectful.
What's more, after defeating the thieves this time, many follow-up matters will have to trouble others.
Naturally, no one dared to neglect it.
"Everyone, please be alert and don't lose face for our Yanshenggong Mansion."
Duke Yansheng then said, "Since the army is marching, let's go up to the high tower and see how General Yu defeats these rabble-rousing bandits."
Everyone nodded.
Not long ago, Luojiao leader and others teamed up to explore Yanshenggong Mansion, but were stopped by the clan's masters using their ancestors' sacred artifacts. But it also gave them a fright.
If it weren't for the ancestral holy artifact, these guys would have rushed in and opened the door, and the consequences would have been disastrous.
After all, there are really a lot of thieves.
Once they come in, they will burn, kill and loot. Even if they are lucky enough to survive, they will suffer heavy losses.
However, everyone soon discovered that something was wrong.
Why is it that the smoke and dust from the imperial army is not rolling towards the bandits' camp, but is instead coming towards Duke Yansheng's mansion?
Everyone was shocked and suspicious.
Duke Yansheng remained calm and said, "It seems that General Yu was afraid that the bandits would become desperate, so he came to protect us first."
Everyone was relieved.
However, with tens of thousands of troops forming a military formation, and chariots and a large number of siege equipment slowly advancing towards the small castle of Yanshenggong Mansion, everyone felt more and more depressed and gradually could not laugh anymore.
The bandit camp not far away was completely motionless, as if it did not exist at all.
Obviously not normal.
At this time, spies from the Yansheng Palace came with urgent news from the capital.
Many of them died before they broke through numerous obstacles and arrived at the Yanshenggong Mansion.
On the other hand, General Yu, under the persuasion of Xu Qing, made sufficient preparations early, and immediately dispatched his army as soon as the imperial edict arrived.
As for Xu Qing, he went alone to persuade the rebels and the mutinous officers and soldiers to surrender.
He had the demeanor of a hero in the world, which moved General Yu deeply.
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Duke Yansheng took the urgent report from the spy, took a glance at it, and his eyes went black and he fell to the ground.
(End of this chapter)