First Minister of Ming Dynasty

The soldiers who participated in dredging the canal were fortunate enough to learn what Ming's logistics were.

A large row of iron pans, stuffed with rice, and a few pieces of bacon and sausages on top to enhance the flavor.

Then there is the pot for cooking vegetables, take plum vegetables, other dried vegetables, and dried mushrooms, put them in the pot to stew, put a lot of salt, and don't be stingy at all.

What made people's eyes roll was that they actually took out a large spoonful of snow-white lard from the wooden barrel and added it directly to the pot.

The boiled vegetable soup has a thick layer of fat, giving off an attractive luster, and the fragrance can be smelled from a long distance.

It caused saliva to flow down.

No military pay, just this food is worth working for Daming.

At noon, everyone lined up and came to get their own food.

Blocking everyone's front, there are two people, one is Zhang Ximeng and the other is Mao Gui.

After Zhang Ximeng took a bowl of rice and a bowl of vegetable soup, he said to the soldiers: "Give it to General Mao from the side. The side soup is rich in oil and fat!"

Mao Gui had no choice but to accept it. When he got to the side with the vegetable soup, he found that Zhang Ximeng had already eaten it.

"Zhang Xiang, you, do you usually eat this?"

Zhang Ximeng shook his head, "Only when I was in the army, I ate the same food as the big guys. When I returned to the mansion, I usually ate some noodles. If I was in the province, the standard three dishes a day, as well as soup, was pretty good. "

Mao Gui lowered his head, staring at the rice and vegetable soup, his eyes were straightened, he suddenly shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Master Zhang, I'm ashamed... This, this meal is really hard to swallow."

Zhang Ximeng smiled slightly and said, "General Mao, don't worry, think about the time when you were young, if you had such a bowl of vegetables and rice, would you be willing to join the rebel army?"

Mao Gui was stunned, pondered for a long time, and then said helplessly: "Of course I don't want to...I will eat it!"

There was no other way, Mao Gui could only lower his head and barely ate the food.

It's just that when he swallowed this little thing like taking medicine, he looked at his subordinates, they were already laughing and full of energy, and they worked harder than in the morning.

Mao Gui looked at the crowd, lowered his head again, and muttered silently... It was even more dwarfed by the comparison, his "little Zhu Yuanzhang" was a little watery!

Not to mention little Zhu Yuanzhang, even little Zhang Ximeng is not enough!

People are the same outside and inside, and I am just doing it by myself.

The gap is too big.

Mao Gui blushed and had a fever. On the other side, Guo Ying rushed over, followed by an old man, Kong Kejian!

The old man hurriedly cried and bowed in front of Zhang Ximeng, "Greetings to Prime Minister Zhang, I beg Prime Minister Zhang to show his respect and spare the Kong family!"

Zhang Ximeng was slightly taken aback, "The news is quite well-informed. You came here by yourself before I went looking for you."

Kong Kejian burst into tears, "Mr. Zhang, Kong Xixue, that rebellious son, took advantage of my illness and ran amok. I didn't even know about it!"

"You don't even want your son? That's right. You have quite a few children, so you don't have to feel sorry for any of them." Zhang Ximeng smiled and said, "But it's no good, the Kong family may not be able to continue to exist... I said so. "

4 Chapter Sixty Berates the Kong Family

The war is imminent, Xu Da's soldiers and horses have already marched north from Yangzhou, and our Emperor Zhu is about to visit the loyal Shandong.Zhang Ximeng didn't have the heart to deal with Kong's family, anyway, Kong Xixue had already been arrested, and he held the handle in his own hands.

If the Kong family doesn’t run away, it’s just meat on the chopping board. If the Kong family runs away, that’s even better. If any fox, cat or dog eats it up, there’s nothing to do about it.

And if he came back by luck, we don't have to admit it.

The big deal is to declare that the Kong family is not the descendants of Confucius...

It's just that he didn't expect that Kong Kejian, an old guy, was also a master of repeated horizontal jumps. After his son was arrested, he knew something was wrong.After a short period of mourning and cursing, he left impatiently and came to see Zhang Ximeng.

Thousands of years of experience tell them that people have to bow their heads under the low eaves.

If you make a mistake, you must admit it, and if you are beaten, you must stand at attention.

Anyway, they are descendants of the Kong family, and with the signboard of their ancestors, no matter how hard they try, there is always a way to survive.

But he didn't expect that when he met someone who ate raw rice, Zhang Ximeng directly said that the Kong family was not allowed to continue to exist.This made Kong Ke as strong as thunder, and the whole person was stupid, prostrate on the ground like a puddle of mud.

Mao Gui saw it in his eyes and was stunned for a long time before he said: "Mr. Zhang, the people in Shandong regard themselves as the hometown of Confucius and Mencius, and the master left his legacy to support the people in Shandong. If, if you kill the Confucius family, I am afraid that people will be scattered. At this time, I am afraid that something is wrong, please think twice!"

Even Kong Kejian didn't expect that at the critical moment of life and death, it was the leader of the red thief who spoke for him and pleaded for him.

"General Mao is benevolent and righteous, General Mao is virtuous!"

Kong Kejian seemed to be a little angry, and hurriedly kowtowed.

"Master Zhang, the old man was really confused for a moment. Now that the Yuan Dynasty is about to perish, the Ming Dynasty will obey the people and seize the country. It is just around the corner. Son of Heaven, reward the three armies as military pay!"

Zhang Ximeng didn't say anything with a sullen face, just looked at it indifferently, Kong Kejian looked at it again, he had no choice but to sway his heart, and continued: "The Kong family, the Kong family still has 20 mu of land, and they are willing to donate it as well."

Hearing that the Kong family was willing to donate the land, Mao Gui was stunned for a while. You must know that he is in Shandong, and the one he can't handle the most is the Kong family.It's not that he doesn't want to confiscate the properties of the Kong family, but that he wants to send someone, but none of his subordinates dare, for fear of offending the sage Kong, ruining his virtue, and bringing disaster to his descendants.

Some people simply cried and worshiped the ground, and would rather be killed than go.

Faced with this situation, Mao Gui had no choice but to be patient.

But who would have thought that the mighty Kong family would really bow their heads.

Offering silver and handing over land property is already a great victory.He peeked at Zhang Ximeng, but found that he was still as motionless as a mountain, and he didn't seem to be happy at all.

When Kong Kejian looked at Zhang Ximeng again, his heart was bleeding, this kid is really black!

"Zhang Xiang, in the past, the affairs of the officials in Qufu were all decided by the Confucius family. From now on, the officials in Qufu will be appointed by the court, and it will all be decided by Zhang Xiang!"

Good guy, even the power of Qufu has been ceded, this is not a local emperor.

At this point, Mao Gui was overjoyed and thought he could agree, but Zhang Ximeng still looked calm.

Could it be that he really wants to kill the Kong family?

"Zhang Xiang!" Mao Gui asked in a low voice.

Zhang Ximeng waved his hand and stopped Mao Gui.

He stared at Kong Kejian and said with a smile, "Get up first, keep your head down and talk, my neck feels uncomfortable."

Kong Kejian was stunned. He wanted to get up, but his hands and feet didn't work. He struggled twice but failed.Fortunately, Mao Gui reached out and helped him up.

"Master Zhang, what orders do you have? The whole Kong family will obey everything!"

Kong Kejian has resigned to his fate, you should use the knife.

"I just said that the Kong family cannot continue to exist... You probably didn't understand what I meant. I didn't mean to kill you, but I said that as the hereditary successor of Yan Shenggong, the descendant of a high-ranking sage, the Kong family cannot continue. That's it. You are discrediting your ancestors!"

"The Jin people have come, and your Kong family has been divided into the Southern Sect and the Northern Sect. When the Yuan Court arrived, you surrendered immediately. You also gave the Yuan Ting an idea to deal with the Red Turban Rebels. Don't count forward. Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Sha The Tuo people occupied the Central Plains, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and the Hu people stole the Central Plains... In the past 2000 years, how many people have you knelt down? Loyalty and integrity, the difference between barbarians and Xia, and what the ancestors of the Yi family said, you have all forgotten."

Zhang Ximeng was heartbroken, "Kong Kejian, if I really want to punish you and don't want the law of the state, I will take your family to the Confucius Temple. Ask someone to read the Analects, and then follow the rules set by your ancestors, and punish your whole family. It is not an exaggeration to beat each of you to death." Bar?"

These words were stronger than a knife, Kong Kejian's legs were weak, if it wasn't for Maogui's support, he would have collapsed directly.

Zhang Ximeng was the only one who smacked his mouth hard in front of him, piercing his heart with a knife, and poking at his weakness with every sentence.Mao Gui couldn't help clapping his hands beside him.

Zhang Xiang became sharp, it was really scary!

"Kong Kejian, do you think I will deal with your Kong family in this way, or give me another way?"

Kong Kejian's eyes suddenly lit up, as if a drowning man had grabbed a straw, and hurriedly said, "Please, Mr. Zhang reward you with a way to survive, and Mr. Zhang show you his mercy!"

Obviously, for the Kong family, survival is more important than anything else...

Zhang Ximeng said: "Don't rush to agree, my second path may be even more difficult. You children of the Confucius family should not continue to serve as Duke Yan Sheng. Responsible. As for you disciples of the Confucian family, all of you have dispersed. If you have nothing to do, you will go to your own place and be ordinary people. The rest of you who are guilty will be dealt with in accordance with the laws of the country. Or you can raise your hands high and forgive one or two."

Kong Kejian's old face is pale and pale, and he gave up the right to worship Confucius. Doesn't this mean that the foundation of their family is broken?

Over the years, the status of the Kong family has been maintained by offering sacrifices to Confucius. Doing so is tantamount to breaking the family's roots!

Digging graves, you are still ruthless Mr. Zhang!

Next, the members of the Confucian family will be dispersed, and the law must be dealt with... If Zhu Yuanzhang is unwilling to pardon, doesn't that mean that they will all die!

This, this is not much better than exterminating the genocide, or even worse!

Kong Kejian was trembling all over, sweat drenched his clothes, the cold February wind blew, trembling and trembling, his face turned into a liver color, his lips were trembling, and his nose was running out... He said to Zhang Ximeng: "Mr. Zhang, to be a descendant of a sage after all, you still have to be a little dignified!"

Zhang Ximeng did not answer, but stared at Kong Kejian, and said slowly: "You have to be clear, I am thinking about the reputation of Confucius and Mencius. The way of Confucius and Mencius has long been written in books and engraved in people's hearts. The way of benevolence and forgiveness, The heart of shame. The people of Huaxia, everyone has it. On the contrary, you, the children of the Confucian family, have forgotten everything about the ancestors, are shameless, and surrendered to the enemy. Even officials who are against Yuan, you can do it. Come here, I'm afraid I will punch you one by one, and kill you unworthy descendants!"

"So, don't pretend to be the descendants of Confucius, and don't think that you can escape the law of the country. Again, if you really think that you are the descendants of Confucius and are different...well, I will treat you as Confucius. According to the standard, we will deal with you! Kong Kejian, do you know Shaozhengmao?"

Kong Kejian was shocked and looked at Zhang Ximeng stupidly.

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "According to the standards of your ancestors: you are brave in heart, steadfast in action, arguing about falsehood, knowledgeable in remembering ugliness, and brilliant in obedience. From these five points, you not only have the five ugliness at the same time, but also And they all practiced their actions, with sinister intentions, rhetoric, scandalous deeds, and sinful crimes!"

"I asked the sword of Confucius to kill the descendants of the Confucius family. Is there a mistake?"

thump!

Kong Kejian couldn't bear it any longer, and collapsed on the ground, weeping in fear, "Mr. Zhang, a sinner, a sinner is willing to obey Zhang Xiang's arrangement, willing to obey..."

Zhang Ximeng took a deep breath, "Heaven is merciful. It would not be fair to blame your family for all the crimes. After all, in the past dynasties, you can only be regarded as accomplices when you use your Kong family to put on rouge and powder. Now, when it comes to the justice of the country , I am a great son of heaven. How can you whitewash it? From today on, you Confucian children will be on the Jining Canal, dredging the river, and working with the soldiers. , the lord will consider it as appropriate."

After Zhang Ximeng finished speaking, he waved his hand, "Come on, take Kong Kejian down, change him into short clothes and straw sandals, and go to work!"

The people from the Arch Guard Division agreed and came over to drag Kong Kejian down.

Mao Gui looked at him stupidly, he couldn't believe it, and he couldn't accept it at all... The dignified Lord Yan Sheng wanted to work hard with his subordinates, this, isn't this too cruel?

Zhang Ximeng looked at Mao Gui who was in a daze, and smiled slightly, "Let's hurry up, the lord is coming soon."

Mao Gui was stunned for a while, and hastily agreed... He looked at the soldiers working on the bank of the canal, gritted his teeth, took off his shirt, and started to work with the big guys naked.

Let Yan Shenggong participate in dredging the canal, the impact of this action is far beyond everyone's expectations...

"Folks, I didn't believe it in the past, but now even the Kong family has been copied. This Ming Dynasty is for real, it's different!"

"Let's go! Let's take dry food, go to Jining, build a canal, and welcome the Holy Son of Heaven!"

The common people agreed in unison, and the big guys set off from Qufu with tools and fresh water and dry food. A team of thousands of people came straight to Jining.

The same team, and many more, gathered towards the canal from various state capitals in Shandong.

Tens of thousands of soldiers, tens of thousands of civilian husbands, all gathered together.

The big guys work together and eat the same food... Among the crowd, there are also the Kong family, who are also trembling and working together, and their strength is not as strong as a child.

It turns out that this is the descendant of the saint!

Nothing amazing either!

The people couldn't help laughing, and when they go back, they have to talk to the villagers.

Together, the army, the people and the common people perfectly interpreted the unity of the people, and the movement of Mount Tai... unexpectedly, the canal was dredged seven days in advance, and Xu Da led the army to go north smoothly and enter the territory of Shandong.

Before Xu Da, Zhu Yuanzhang had already arrived.

Where the Son of Heaven arrives, the sound of Long Live can be heard on both sides of the canal...

Chapter 461 Old Zhu's Punishment

Standing on the dragon boat, both sides are full of voices of long live.

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but blushed, and waved vigorously to the people, his face was full of relief.

Before he left, another prince was born in Yingtian Palace. To be precise, it was the first prince born after Lao Zhu ascended the throne. He was a fat boy who cried loudly. He could eat and scream. It's rare to name the little guy Zhu Di.

The family is getting more and more prosperous, with more children and more blessings, and the country is getting stronger day by day... It seems that I have to make up for myself for the hardships of the first half of my life.

How could Zhu Yuanzhang not be happy?

There is only one thing that Zhu Yuanzhang is still dissatisfied with, and that is Zhang Ximeng!

Things are done beautifully, but you are too soft, and you always miss the door. No matter how good your reasoning is, if you don't have a butcher's knife, who would be really afraid?

We have to work hard!

When Zhu Yuanzhang's fleet arrived in Jining, military supplies from all over the country, people's cattle and horses, all gathered here.

In order to support a war of several 10 people, there are really too many things needed, even if they pile up like a mountain, they cannot withstand consumption.

There were figures on the pier, including Kong Kejian and Kong Xixue.

The two of them were carrying a stretcher with a 180-jin bag of grain on it. They staggered and walked forward. Kong Kejian's legs dangled and he almost fell down.

Kong Xixue couldn't help complaining from behind, "Father, you're always going to hold on. If you break it and spill it, you'll be scolded again."

Kong Kejian was out of breath and had no energy to speak, but he couldn't care less about what his son said.

"You son of a bitch, you are young and strong, you can carry a bag by yourself, why bother your father?"

Look at the two sides, these folk men carry at least two bags, some can carry three bags at a time, and they can walk like flying, without any effort at all.