Ming Dynasty: Is a mere unruly commoner rebelling against heaven?

Because Xuanfu is very close to the capital.

Therefore, the Xuanfu soldiers who went on the expedition only carried three days' worth of dry food with them, without any logistical support troops, and set off lightly.

Once they caught up with the main force led by Gao Shun, or arrived at the banks of the Grand Canal, they would receive the supplies arranged by Zhu You樘 in advance.

In addition to the Xuanfu army heading south, Datong, which is adjacent to Xuanfu, also sent a large army to the south together.

Like Xuanfu, because it was not too far from the capital, the Datong army that was dispatched also did not carry logistical support troops, but only carried three days' worth of rations per person before setting off.

The orders and goals they received were the same as Xuanfu's, to pursue the main force led by Gao Shun with all their strength to the south.

The troops under Gao Shun will only become more and more massive.

Before he even arrives in Jiangnan, the troops he leads are estimated to number in the tens of thousands.

In addition to Xuanfu and Datong, these two important towns closer to the capital.

As time passed, the other seven major border towns also successively received Zhu You樘's decree.

The commanding officers of these seven border towns, like Wang Chun, dispatched their own ten thousand soldiers at the fastest speed.

However, they were too far away from the Grand Canal, and they had to carry logistical supplies to supply their army on their way to Jiangnan.

Therefore, their speed to Jiangnan would be much slower in comparison.

With 100,000 Black Riders going to Jiangnan in the front, and 90,000 border troops rushing to Jiangnan in the rear.

In just a few days, Zhu You樘 mobilized 190,000 troops to Jiangnan to quell the rebellion.

And these do not include the West Factory spies and the canal transport soldiers that Zhu You樘 used to transport grain.

Once these nearly 200,000 troops arrive in Jiangnan.

A bloody storm in Jiangnan will be inevitable!

...

South Zhili.

Xuzhou Prefecture.

Since that night, the four major families either coerced, lured, deceived, or incited the ordinary people of Pei County to storm the Pei County government office.

After beating the Pei County magistrate to death on the spot and successfully driving Wang Yan and others out of Xuzhou, the four major families have had a hint of joy on their faces during this period.

Things went very smoothly, the Pei County people rioted, stormed the yamen, the Pei County magistrate was beaten to death by the farmers, and the imperial envoy who was surveying the land was scared away by the farmers.

What a wonderful ending, what a pleasing statement...

The heads of the Sun, Wang, Zhou, and Li families gathered together to feast the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue from Nanjing, expressing their most sincere gratitude to him.

"Minister Tang, today Pei County was able to resolve such a great disaster, your contribution is indispensable!"

In the Sun family's courtyard, the head of the Sun family raised his wine glass with a smile, and remotely toasted Minister Tang Fang, who was seated at the banquet.

Tang Fang raised his wine glass with a smile and drank it all in one gulp.

"You're too kind, you're too kind."

"The smooth operation of Pei County's actions also depends on the strong support of your four major families for our Nanjing plan."

Tang Fang was in a good mood and didn't mind drinking a few more glasses.

"Minister Tang, I offer you this glass of wine, you saved our four major families from fire and water!"

The Zhou family head also raised his wine glass to toast Tang Fang.

Tang Fang accepted all comers and drank another glass of yellow wine.

"Clan Head Zhou is too polite. This plan saves you and us. We have the same interests and advance and retreat together. It's a win-win situation."

"If His Majesty pursues the matter again in the future, what should we do?"

The words of the Li family head precisely asked the concerns of the other three family heads.

The banquet suddenly became quiet, and the heads of the four major families put down their wine glasses and looked at Tang Fang in unison.

There was worry and doubt in their eyes, and they all wanted to hear what kind of solution Tang Fang would give.

After hearing this, Tang Fang did not have any embarrassment on his face, but grinned and poured himself another glass.

"Haha, I thought it was something serious?"

"If the four clan heads are worried that the imperial court will vent its anger on you, then you can put your hearts back into your stomachs."

"Believe me, you will definitely not have any trouble after this matter."

Tang Fang's words made the four major families feel a little better, but still did not dispel the doubts in their hearts.

They did not rush to express their views, looked at each other, and continued to look at Tang Fang, waiting for his follow-up.

Tang Fang was not annoyed, smiled slightly, and suddenly asked: "Four clan heads, do you still remember what I told you before, that it is not only your four major families who will revolt, but the entire Jiangnan gentry will rise up to resist tyranny?"

The Zhou family head was the most anxious and said quickly: "That's right, you did say this."

"To be honest, it was what you said that made us determined to do things according to your instructions."

Tang Fang nodded, showed a mysterious smile, lowered his voice and said: "As far as I know, Suzhou Prefecture, Hangzhou Prefecture, Nanchang Prefecture, Shaoxing Prefecture, Jinhua Prefecture, Anqing Prefecture, Huai'an Prefecture..."

"A total of twenty-one prefectures have had civil unrest incidents, the total number of which has exceeded fifty, and the number of civil unrest is still increasing."

"In other words, this is no longer just ordinary civil unrest, this is an uprising!"

"The entire Jiangnan is in chaos!"

"Ah?!"

The heads of the four major families widened their eyes in shock, and in addition to surprise, they were also somewhat excited and fortunate.

"Jiangnan is really in chaos? This... this is really great, Minister Tang, you really didn't lie to us!"

The head of the Sun family was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily.

"Is there any falsehood?"

Tang Fang snorted coldly: "Now, what His Majesty is worried about should be how to appease the people of Jiangnan. His Majesty will not only not embarrass you."

"Perhaps, His Majesty will also ask you to come forward to appease the people of Xuzhou Prefecture!"

"Ah? Can it still be like this?"

The Zhou family head widened his eyes in astonishment and looked at Tang Fang.

"But these things were caused by us in the first place... Will His Majesty still ask us to appease the people?"

Don't look at the fact that these four family heads have a very strong influence in the countryside, but this is all because of the prestige accumulated by their ancestors in the local area for generations.

They themselves are neither smart nor have any political awareness.

To put it in simple terms, they don't have much vision.

They really couldn't understand why it was clear that they were behind the instigation of this series of chaos.

But in the end, not only would His Majesty not blame them, but he would also politely ask them to come forward to quell the riots.

Tang Fang chuckled lightly, seemingly mocking their ignorance, then put away his smile and earnestly explained to the heads of the four great families.

“To govern a country, the most important thing is two words: stability.”

“In the face of stability, everything else is unimportant.”

“If it were just a disturbance in one place, His Majesty could naturally use the simplest method: send troops to quell the rebellion. Suppressing a local disturbance with force is, of course, very easy.”

“But the problem is, what's in turmoil now is the entire Jiangnan.”

“Such a large area of land, so many people… Guess, will His Majesty still directly send troops to quell the rebellion?”

Tang Fang's gaze swept over the people of the four great families in turn. The four patriarchs looked at each other, their faces blank.

After thinking for a while, they hesitated and shook their heads: “Probably… not, right?”

“So many places in Jiangnan are experiencing popular uprisings. If His Majesty wants to quell the rebellion, he can't possibly fight his way through the entire Jiangnan, can he?”

“That's right!”

Tang Fang tapped the table lightly, his words resounding with conviction: “This time, the people involved in the popular uprising are spread throughout the various prefectures and counties of Jiangnan, involving tens of millions of Jiangnan people.”

“Even if His Majesty's methods are strong, he can't possibly kill all the people in Jiangnan, can he?!”

As Tang Fang said this, a hint of a sinister smile appeared on his face: “If His Majesty insists on having his own way and truly sends troops south to quell the rebellion, then all the people of Jiangnan will inevitably resist to the end.”

“At that time, the turmoil in Jiangnan will definitely drive other provinces, Huguang, Minzhou, Dianzhou, Guizhou, the three southwestern provinces…”

“The entire Great Ming will be in chaos. Whether His Majesty can sit firmly on his throne is another matter entirely!”

Pulling one hair moves the whole body. If they were to launch a full-scale civil war and attack Jiangnan,

then the officials in Jiangnan would have already prepared to incite the entire southern part of the Great Ming to rise up together.

This imperial throne, the Zhu family can sit on it, so why can't they sit on it?!

Are kings, lords, generals, and ministers born with a special seed?!

The heads of the four great families were extremely excited upon hearing these words, and the worries in their hearts were mostly dispelled.

A thick sense of joy was revealed in everyone's eyes, and the way they looked at Tang Fang was completely devoid of doubt, only filled with endless respect.

Tang Fang saw the changes in the eyes of the four family heads. Their expressions made Tang Fang feel very satisfied.

He nodded, with a smile on his face, and continued: “So, for the sake of Jiangnan's stability, His Majesty must, and can only, send someone to persuade you landlords and gentry.”

“Through your influence in the countryside, quell this turmoil without resorting to arms.”

“In other words, if His Majesty wants Jiangnan to be stable, if he wants the South to be stable, if he wants the world to be stable, he can only… seek peace with us!”

After Tang Fang finished speaking, his eyebrows danced with joy, giving him a sense of elation.

They had been driven to a dead end by Zhu You樘 step by step. During that time, every official in Nanjing lived a very suffocating life.

It was as if an invisible hand was grabbing their necks, tightening little by little, until they died from suffocation.

But now, only after they decided to take that irreversible step did they break free from the shackles of that hand.

At the same time, they also realized that resisting the imperial court's orders in Jiangnan was not as difficult as they had imagined.

It really is true that once the thought of rebellion arises, one suddenly feels the world is wide!

Tang Fang's analysis was well-founded, and the heads of the four great families were deeply convinced. The last trace of worry in their hearts had been dispelled, and they all raised their wine glasses to toast Tang Fang.

“Assistant Minister Tang, hearing your words is better than reading books for ten years!”

“We have truly benefited greatly from your words. Let us offer you another cup!”

The heads of the four great families and Tang Fang all raised their wine glasses and drank them dry. Everyone's heart was filled with joy, and their drinking was naturally extremely bold.

After drinking a cup, the Wang family head had already begun to imagine the events of Zhu You樘 sending someone to negotiate peace with them later.

“Then, Assistant Minister Tang, if His Majesty really sends someone to find us later, then… should we negotiate with His Majesty?”

“Of course! Why shouldn't we?”

“We started this uprising mainly because His Majesty was pressing us too hard, not leaving us a way out.”

“If His Majesty is willing to step back and no longer interfere in the affairs of Jiangnan, then we don't need to make things too extreme.”

“If you're good, I'm good, everyone will be truly good.”

On this point, Tang Fang, representing the Nanjing officialdom, saw it very clearly.

The Great Ming's empire is still very stable.

Chaos is easy, but to truly talk about changing dynasties, who knows how many people will die.

They can only represent the Jiangnan interest group, while the Great Ming's interest groups are numerous and intricately intertwined.

Not every interest group wants to change the person sitting on the throne.

The heads of the four great families were not surprised by this outcome.

They also didn't want the situation to escalate to the point where it was beyond their control.

After all, if things really got chaotic, no one could guarantee that they could remain unscathed in the chaos.

To be cautious when doing great things, to forget one's life for small gains, and to accept when things are good is the nature of their landlord and gentry class.

What they really cared about were the terms of the negotiation.

“Then… how should we propose the terms of this negotiation?”

The Wang family head looked at the heads of the other three great families, a somewhat shy smile on his face.

Negotiating terms with the emperor is exciting just thinking about it!

The other three family heads also nodded, looking at Tang Fang with expectant expressions.

They had already boarded the pirate ship of these Nanjing officials, so naturally, they had to advance and retreat together with them.

Speaking of this matter, Tang Fang immediately put away the smile on his face and said with a serious expression: “Remember, you must insist on two things and not let go!”

“First, absolutely do not allow His Majesty to continue surveying the land under heaven. I don't need to tell you how important this matter is, you should all be very clear.”

“Yes, yes, we understand!”

The heads of the Sun, Wang, Zhou, and Li four great families nodded repeatedly, agreeing with all their hearts!

The reason why they took the risk and agreed to organize a popular uprising was because the land survey touched their vital points, right?

So this matter is also their core demand, and they must not give in.

“And the second thing…”

Tang Fang scanned the four people in front of him, his expression as serious as it could be.

“That is to absolutely not allow His Majesty to open the seas. We must resolutely maintain the Great Ming's sea ban policy. Not even a single sail can go to sea!”

“The two shipyards in Jiangnan and Fuqing must also be shut down immediately!”