Chapter 440: Duke Cao's Rebellion
Chapter 440: Duke Cao's Rebellion
The sunlight poured down on the sparkling surface of Dongting Lake, giving the Yuezhou Naval Port a layer of golden glow.
In the harbor, warships stand tall, with tall and majestic hulls, and sails half-rolled, swaying gently in the wind, like giant steel beasts.
Suddenly, the silent beast seemed to be awakened,
Teams of soldiers wearing heavy armor and holding hammers emerged on the deck.
They walked with firm steps, solemn expressions, and their muscles looked even stronger under the restraint of tight armor.
They quickly gathered around the huge war drum, and with a command,
The soldiers raised their hammers and smashed the drums with all their strength.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
The drums roared like ancient thunder.
It echoed over Yuezhou Port, shaking every inch of the air, and spread throughout the entire Yuezhou Port!
Then, a desolate and distant horn sounded suddenly from the central warship, like a beacon lit in the dark night, one after another.
As the trumpets sounded,
The entire naval port seemed to be shrouded in an invisible warlike spirit, with soldiers and horses ready to fight at any time!
Some soldiers in the garrison walked out of the barracks in confusion and panic.
Listening to the horn sound filling the air, they looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what was happening.
Under the huge warship, teams of soldiers in armor and armed with sharp weapons rushed down the cabin and began to assemble on the bluestone road on the shore!
In an instant, the slightly empty shore was filled up!
The soldiers were lined up in neat rows, wearing black armor, their weapons flashing coldly, and their eyes filled with seriousness!
They didn't know what to do after getting off the ship, but military orders were as heavy as a mountain.
Soldiers who have experienced war are different from ordinary soldiers.
Obeying military orders allows them to survive on the battlefield, so military orders are the first orders to be obeyed!
As more and more soldiers disembarked, orderly footsteps began to sound.
It was no longer a brisk "da da da" but a dull "dong dong dong"!
Duke Cao Li Jinglong came slowly towards us riding on a tall warhorse.
A pair of gilded armor makes him look extraordinary and heroic.
His face was grim, and his breathing became slightly rapid as he looked at the gathered Ming soldiers.
These soldiers,
Now, at this moment!
Because his military orders are gathered here.
This made him feel the power once again.
No wonder people in the court are willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of power!
Soon, the personal guard Duan Chen came running over and lowered his voice:
"Sir, the Heyang Guards have not disembarked yet.
They said that without the order from the Ministry of War or the Governor's Office, mobilizing troops without authorization was considered treason."
Li Jinglong's expression suddenly turned ugly, but he soon returned to normal and waved his hand:
"It doesn't matter. If he doesn't want to come, then he won't come. We are waiting for enough. Order the whole army to line up!"
"Yes!"
Duan Chen ran away quickly, and Li Jinglong looked at the Ming soldiers who were gathering in front of him, his eyes becoming sharper and sharper.
Soon, Lu Yunyi, wearing armor, came to the front of the team.
Li Jinglong looked at him and said:
"Yun Yi, the treacherous minister has already jumped out on his own."
Lu Yunyi's expression was calm: "Duke Cao, what is loyalty and treachery?"
Li Jinglong did not answer directly, but talked about something else:
"When I was young, I studied with my brothers and sisters in the imperial city.
At that time, a group of ministers and generals came, but I couldn't understand what they said.
Later, His Majesty came once and said something that I understood.”
"What is it?" Lu Yunyi asked curiously.
[Heaven sees through the eyes of the people, Heaven hears through the ears of the people. If the people have committed a fault, it is my fault, and now I must go.]
Lu Yunyi's pupils shrank slightly and his eyes narrowed.
This statement comes from "Shangshu Taishi", which records the oath made by King Wu of Zhou when he attacked Shang.
Li Jinglong chuckled and let out a long sigh:
“At the time I asked His Majesty what this meant.
Your Majesty told me,
What the heaven sees comes from what the people see, and what the heaven hears comes from what the people hear.
He is the emperor. If the people make mistakes, he is solely responsible and he must go and deal with the matter."
"Your Majesty said that the Yuan Dynasty allowed the people of the world to suffer.
However, the emperor in the Yuan Dynasty palace did not deal with the matter.
So the people blamed and complained that the previous emperor failed to fulfill his mission.
So he, like King Wu, led an army to attack King Zhou of Shang.
At this point, Li Jinglong chuckled:
“In the past, I always felt that Your Majesty was looking for a reason to rebel, just like King Wu.
But now, I understand.
Being in a high position, you enjoy the power, bear the weight and take the responsibility.
As a duke who lives and dies with the country, I should, like Your Majesty, stand with the people instead of with those officials.
If I do not deal with the Yuezhou issue,
Sooner or later, the Ming Dynasty will be conquered by King Wu and King Wu just like the Shang Dynasty.
The Ming Dynasty will also collapse like the Shang and Yuan dynasties. "
As he spoke, Li Jinglong's eyes were sharp and determined.
He drew out the long sword from his waist, raised it high above his head, looked at the many soldiers in front of him, and let out a loud roar:
"Today, the rebels are hiding in Yuezhou City. I am acting on behalf of heaven and speaking for the people!"
"You and I will work together to kill the traitors and seek justice!"
Following Li Jinglong's deafening cry,
The entire Yuezhou military port seemed to be shaken by an invisible force.
There was a tense atmosphere in the air that was about to come.
Lu Yunyi's eyes were sharp, and his long hair fluttered in the wind.
With a light "clang" sound, the sharp long sword at the waist was unsheathed in an instant, and the sharp cold light shot straight into the sky!
"Kill the traitor and seek justice!"
As the voice fell, more than 10,000 Beijing troops,
Like awakened lions, they responded in unison, and the sound waves rolled straight into the sky!
"Kill the traitor and seek justice!"
The war drums were beaten again, and this time, the beats were more intense and more passionate.
The horn sounded even louder! It was long and far-reaching, spreading far away.
Qi Xiuwen, the deputy commander of Yuezhou Navy and commander of Yuezhou Guard, hurried here.
When I saw this scene, my eyes went dark.
I just felt dizzy and almost fell off my horse!
Rebellion?
Qi Xiuwen's brain went into a state of shutdown, but he quickly came to his senses with what little consciousness he had left.
Does the Duke still need to rebel?
Can't we rebel in Yuezhou?
Qi Xiuwen ran forward, holding the armor on his head.
Soon he came to the front of the battle and asked hurriedly:
"Duke Cao, why is this happening?"
Li Jinglong looked serious and said:
"There is a rebellion in Yuezhou Prefecture. I want to go there to quell the rebellion. Sir Qi, are you willing to go?"
"Rebellion?" Qi Xiuwen's face was full of absurdity.
"May I ask where the rebellion is? Did those laborers yesterday cause trouble again?
If they were causing trouble in the city, the city defense army would handle it, so why would Duke Cao personally go out to fight?"
Li Jinglong looked at him with a sneer on his face:
"It was not Li Fu who rebelled, but Chen Zhize, the Right Governor of Huguang, and the Deputy Magistrate of Yuezhou Prefecture, and others.
I will ask you again, Sir Qi, are you willing to go?"
Qi Xiuwen stood there in a daze, he could hardly believe his ears.
What? The one who rebelled was an official appointed by the imperial court?
"Duke Cao Cao, is there any misunderstanding?"
Li Jinglong didn't waste time talking to him and turned to look at Lu Yunyi.
Lu Yunyi waved his hand and ordered the guards around him:
"Please ask Lord Qi to mount his horse. The Yuezhou guards must hold the naval port firmly and not move.
But Lord Qi's determination to fight the rebellion remains undiminished, and he is willing to follow us."
Afterwards, Qi Xiuwen was invited to the warhorse by a group of personal guards.
He followed the team in a daze, with a conflicted look on his face. It would have been better if there weren't military crossbows pointed at him.
The gate of the naval port was opened, and Li Jinglong took the lead.
His figure was elongated in the sunlight, appearing exceptionally tall and majestic.
The army began to move, more than 10,000 soldiers marched in neat steps, like a steel torrent, unstoppable.
Their armor reflected the sun's rays,
They held spears, bows and arrows, and firearms in their hands.
But without exception, they all flashed with cold light, full of solemnity and murderous awe.
The people at Yuezhou Port Market were stunned.
Everyone stopped to watch, and when they found out that the army's target was Yuezhou City not far away, everyone was shocked!
What is this for?
The troops passed through Yangliu Street, and the originally wide street became crowded.
Everyone crowded together, looking at the scene in front of them in disbelief.
Huajianji, which was supposed to be closed for rest, opened early.
A group of girls, led by the shopkeeper Hua Jieyu, stood at the door, watching the many soldiers passing by.
Hua Jieyu saw familiar faces one by one.
Duke Cao, General Lu, General Guo, General Xu,
Of course, there is also her lover, General Liu.
The two of them glanced at each other quickly.
Liu Heiying glanced at him quickly, as if he didn't recognize him, and continued to issue military orders.
Hua Jieyu could not hide her disappointment, but was also filled with horror.
Then he realized that he was a Jinyiwei!
What is the Beijing Army going to do?
At the front of the team, Li Jinglong, Duke of Cao, walked at the front of the team in a rare move to show his identity.
Next to him was a large flag with the word "Cao" written on it, rustling in the wind. Behind him, Lu Yunyi followed closely behind him, issuing military orders one after another!
Just after the troops left Willow Street,
More than a thousand soldiers left the team, rode on their horses, and headed towards Yuezhou City!
The sound of horse hooves exploded like thunder!
The sudden appearance of soldiers on the official road caught all the civilians and the guards at the city gates off guard.
Before they could react, a group of soldiers rushed into the city gate.
The sound of fighting and killing only lasted for a moment.
The scouts of the vanguard army have already taken control of the south gate of Yuezhou Prefecture!
On the city wall, Wu Fuliu gave a cold order:
"Send the message inside and outside the city, the troops of the capital are ordered to suppress the rebellion.
All merchants and civilians are not allowed to approach the city gates, and those who violate the rules will be killed without mercy."
“Also, spread the word to all parts of Yuezhou City that the thieves in the Yuezhou government office are causing trouble and killing civilians without permission!
The Beijing army has been ordered to suppress the rebellion. The soldiers and civilians in the city are not allowed to move rashly. Anyone who tries to stop them will be charged with treason!"
Teams of cavalrymen marched away with loud speakers shouting,
The content of the message stunned the people who were preparing to leave the city near the city gate.
Instead of arresting the laborers, why not arrest the officials?
The panic atmosphere subsided in an instant, and the people became excited.
The two sides of the city gate were surrounded by three layers of walls, making it impossible for water to get in or out.
The army advanced rapidly, quickly passed through the Yuezhou city gate and rushed straight into the city.
At this moment, as the shouts of the advance team spread,
Shops on both sides of the street were wide open, and the people in the city came out of their homes and gathered on both sides, quietly watching the Beijing army in black armor approaching.
Li Jinglong rode on his horse, his eyes sharp as torches, scanning all directions.
I found that although there was fear in their eyes,
But obviously, you can see a hint of expectation and desire in his eyes.
This made Li Jinglong once again determined what he wanted, and his hands, which were tightly gripping the reins, had turned white.
In the Yuezhou government office, Huguang Right Governor Chen Zhize was sitting in the main hall, quietly looking at the accounts in his hands.
The accounts record the taxes that Yuezhou Prefecture collected during these days.
There are also some "spontaneous" donations made by merchants.
In just one month, nearly 80,000 taels of silver were brought in.
If we add the port taxes,
It is possible that Yuezhou Prefecture had nearly 200,000 taels of silver in a month.
Normally, this amount of silver might be only 20,000 or 30,000, but when the merchant ship is busy it could reach 30,000 or 40,000.
Seeing these accounts, he smiled more and nodded repeatedly.
Next to him, a middle-aged man who looked like a lawyer was bending over with a flattering smile on his face:
"Sir, the accounts have been carefully checked and confirmed to be correct.
The silver is also being counted, and the results will be known by evening."
Chen Zhize nodded with satisfaction:
"Good! Very good! You have a good way to make money. Tomorrow I will use all this silver to buy food."
The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes and raised a sinister smile:
"It's an adult."
"Have you arranged the people?"
"Reporting to the Lord, the pirates on the river have been arranged.
We can then get a few old boats to sail on the river and let them order them, which will help to even out the accounts."
Chen Zhize nodded and said, "Let's take some food on the boat, 30%, and then salvage some more, which will be considered an explanation to the court."
"Your Excellency is wise."
Chen Zhize sneered and threw the account in his hand away casually, with a cold look in his eyes:
"It's not chaotic enough. These merchants travel back and forth all day long, making countless silver.
Add more! Add 100%!
The port tax items must also be increased by 10%!"
"In addition, many merchants who participated in this civil uprising will gather on the pleasure boats on the lake today.
You make the arrangements, and don’t leave any tails behind.”
After hearing this, the middle-aged man's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, and he moved closer and whispered:
"Sir, the pleasure boat is big enough, how about letting their families come along as well?
If the fire breaks out, no one will be able to escape.
I have heard that those merchants are all wealthy people, and each of them has tens of thousands of taels of silver in their family."
Chen Zhize's eyes flashed with interest, and after thinking for a moment, he nodded:
"Then pick the largest pleasure boat and ask them to come. If they don't come, send someone to invite them aboard. Don't be polite!"
"Yes"
The two looked at each other and smiled with a look of success.
The originally warm main hall became gloomy and cold.
At this moment, hurried footsteps sounded from outside the main hall.
The city defender Zhuo Yuzhou, wearing armor, rushed in without even notifying anyone, his face full of fear and terror!
"My lord, my lord, something bad has happened. Duke Cao has brought the imperial army here.
They said they wanted to arrest you, sir."
"what?"
Chen Zhize, who was at the head of the group, felt that he had heard wrongly and looked stunned.
At the gate of Yuezhou government office, when the Beijing troops arrived here,
I finally understood why Duke Cao and the generals were so angry.
At this moment, the bluestone slabs under their feet had completely turned blood red.
There were pieces of meat between the cracks, and the air was filled with blood.
There were still some bodies piled up on both sides of the road that had not yet been cleared.
The sweatshirt and the coarse linen clothes on my body,
It shows that they are all ordinary laborers.
Not only the soldiers, but also the common people who came to watch the excitement were stunned.
What happened? How many people died?
Li Jinglong was even more shocked by this scene, and was burning with anger!
How dare they do this?
At this moment, he only felt that the slightly extinguished fire in his heart was rekindled.
He looked at the heavily guarded Yuezhou government office in front of him and breathed rapidly!
"Catch Chen Zhize for me!
"A dignified official of the imperial court has done things that are against the will of heaven and earth!"
Just then, a group of people hurriedly walked out of the government office.
The leader was a tall old man in his sixties, wearing a red robe.
His face was solemn at this moment, with suppressed anger in his eyes, just like Chen Zhize, the Right Governor of Huguang!
He saw that the street in front of the gate and the houses around the government office were already full of soldiers.
My eyebrows couldn't help but twitch wildly, and an ominous premonition began to spread.
As he walked he shouted:
"Duke Cao, why are you bringing troops into the city in broad daylight?"
Seeing him come out, Li Jinglong raised his head suddenly.
In order to stop the many soldiers who were about to rush forward, it would be better to say a few words and expose their crimes.
But a gleam of light flashed in Lu Yunyi's eyes, and he spoke decisively:
"This man intends to rebel. Catch him! Anyone who tries to stop him will be killed!"
Li Jinglong's mouth suddenly closed as he was about to speak, and he changed his words in an instant and shouted:
"This man killed civilians without permission. He is a disgrace to the Ming officials. Catch him!"
Chen Zhize's expression was dazed for a moment.
Not saying a word?
Then he felt a deep regret!
Having not fought in battles for many years, he had long forgotten the principles of marching and fighting.
If someone has a gun, why bother with words?
He looked around and shouted:
"Duke Cao is leading his troops into the city to rebel. Stop them!"
The servants and soldiers in front of the government office looked at each other in bewilderment.
Looking at the Beijing soldiers who were swarming in, armed to the teeth, anger rose in his heart.
I?
At this moment, Lu Yunyi drew his bow and arrow.
In an instant, he pulled the bow into a round full moon, and the sharp cold light of the arrow flashed in the sun!
As the gate of the government office slowly closed, Chen Zhize's figure became bigger and bigger in Lu Yunyi's eyes!
The next moment, a feather arrow shot out, piercing the air, bringing with it a sharp whistling sound.
Before everyone could react, a scream was heard!
"what"
Chen Zhize only felt that his calf was hit hard by something heavy.
Let him stumble and fall to the ground,
Looking back, I saw an arrow had pierced my calf and came out with broken bones!
A strong pain came over him and drowned him.
Fear welled up in his eyes.
He turned around and saw the general holding a longbow through the gap.
I screamed in my heart, he really dares to kill me!
"Close the door! Close the door quickly!" Chen Zhize yelled hysterically.
"Li Jinglong is plotting a rebellion! Dispatch the city defense forces to suppress the rebellion!"
Hearing this, even the yamen runners present couldn't help but feel absurd.
This was the first time in the Ming Dynasty that a Duke rebelled.
At the door, Lu Yunyi gave a cold order:
"The Beijing army is here to arrest the people in the Yuezhou government office. Anyone who tries to stop us is also considered treason."
(End of this chapter)