The bear child of the Red Chamber, Jia Cong

On New Year's Eve, the bead curtains and embroidered curtains inside and outside Prince E's Mansion have already taken on a new look.The civil and military officials of the E State wore court clothes and entered the palace to congratulate them. The King and Queen of E held a banquet to celebrate with all the officials.While it was bustling, suddenly there was a commotion outside, and someone shouted "Urgent military affairs—" Everyone was shocked.

I saw a soldier running in, covered in slush and shouting: "The rebels have rebelled, and they have defeated the allied army of Cai Guo, who is guarding Miaoling Town, and occupied Miaoling Town!"

King E was shocked.A general stood up and shouted: "Don't Cai Jun have firearms? Can the rebels have one too?"

The soldier said: "The rebel pretended to be a local rich man and a fellow to deliver wine to Cai Jun. The wine was filled with Mongolian sweat medicine, and Cai Jun was captured alive by them..."

King E repeatedly scolded: "Trash! Idiot! The lonely king knows they are useless!" Li ordered people to go to the next door Huarong Town to call and guard the Chu army for rescue.

The crowd had no intention of drinking and feasting, and they were all panicked.The soldiers raised their necks and waited for less than a stick of incense. The soldiers came to report: "The allied forces of Chu State fell, and the rebels captured Huarong Town. All the firearms of Cai and Chu were seized by the rebels!"

Just then the general shouted: "Chu is brave and has excellent firearms, how can it be defeated?"

The soldier said with a mournful face: "It's similar to Cai Jun. After eating the chicken soup sent by someone pretending to be a local gentry, he didn't notice the sweat medicine, and it was all numb on the ground."

As soon as the words fell, someone came to report that the Hunan Army in Taihe Town was also captured alive by the rebellious rebels, and the military equipment and the new year's goods sent by the King of Hunan fell into the hands of the enemy.King E collapsed in an instant: the two great powers of Chu and Xiang were defeated, what should they do to resist the rebels... Then another [-] military reports were sent in succession, and all the allied forces of the [-] countries fell, leaving no one left.

Before the monarchs and ministers of E State had time to discuss, No. 18 military reports were sent in: the rebels had invaded Ezhou City, wearing the armor of the Allied Army, pushing the artillery of the Allied Army, and holding the guns of the Allied Army.Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay.Who doesn't know that the country of Hubei is poor and weak, the number of Hubei troops is the smallest, and the number of firearms is the worst in the world.Not long after, the rebels surrounded E Wangfu.

The gate of the palace has long been closed, and the defenders climbed ladders and stood on the wall.A general was ordered to rush to the door to check the enemy's situation.I saw how many rebel soldiers gathered outside the mansion, and the north wind blew the banner with the word "righteousness" rattling.There are many farmers holding shovels and plows in the back, and workers wearing work hats. The rags and lazy jackets are obviously the people of the country.However, he knew it was unusual just by looking at the first ones.All of them are not short in stature, with thick arms and legs, dark skin and shiny eyes, obviously soldiers.Surrounded by a father and daughter riding horses in the formation, the old one looked shrewd and calm, while the young one held a musket in his hand, a style he had never seen before.There is a big "Pan" character on the banner.

The general then returned to the banquet with a clouded face and replied to King E: "Although there are many people surrounded by people, all the guns and guns at the gate of the mansion are elite soldiers. My lord, the Federation must have sent officers and soldiers to mix in with the rebels."

The minister said: "What are the traitors infiltrating! These traitors are probably all disguised by federal soldiers."

King E sighed and said: "If the Federation wants to attack our E country, how can we be an opponent."

A prince said: "The federation is not bad for the royal family."

King E had thought about this a long time ago.But after thinking for a long time, he let out a long sigh and ordered the prince to go out to negotiate a peace with them.The prince was also terrified, but had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept orders.

After a while, the prince led a few guards and pushed out the door of the mansion, cupped his hands and asked, "Which one of you has the final say?"

Pan Xigui said with a smile: "Mingyi, you go there, don't bully others."

Pan Mingyi wrinkled his nose: "Why don't you bully him if I can't make a move." Nai Cui immediately looked at the prince of E Kingdom, jumped off the horse and cupped his hands, "Who is here?"

The guard said: "This is our son. Please come and talk, Mr. Pan."

"Oh, I'm Lao Pan's daughter." Pan Mingyi said, "We are equal."

The prince said solemnly: "The well water of our Hubei country and the Federation does not violate the river water, so why do we violate our land?"

Pan Mingyi said: "These are all from your country of E, if you don't believe me, you can just ask any one." Then she turned to a soldier and said, "Where are you from?"

The soldier said: "I am from Liujia Village, Huanggang County."

"Look, are you from E country?" Pan Mingyi asked another soldier, "Where are you from?"

The soldier said: "I am from Ezhou City, and my family originally lived in Hongshi Lane in the west of the city."

Pan Mingyi spread his hands and said, "Are you still asking? Anyway, these are all from E, and there is no other place."

The prince smiled bitterly and said, "Have so many people left in our E country?"

Pan Mingyi said: "Stop talking nonsense. May I ask your lord, should we surrender or let us break into the mansion."

The prince said: "The Federation has a strong military force, and my little E country is not an opponent. I see that there are mobs behind you, so please don't disturb the women and children."

Pan Mingyi nodded and said, "Don't worry. Our rebel army has strict discipline and won't let them rob things randomly. After all, Prince E's Mansion will not be lived in in the future."

The prince was stunned: "Not for people to live in?"

"You don't have many tourist attractions in Ezhou, and the Prince E's Mansion has to reserve tickets." Pan Mingyi said, "There must be a city museum."

The prince smiled and said, "But I don't know how much this King E Mansion can sell for?"

Pan Mingyi twitched the corner of his mouth: "You are thinking wrong. Will our rebels spend money to buy Prince E's Mansion from you?"

The prince was stunned: "Aren't all the princely and marquis houses in Beijing bought by your federal government?"

"The country of Yan is a peaceful transition." Pan Mingyi pointed behind him, and said coldly, "The country of E is an armed uprising. The people of the country of Yan are rich, they have houses, clothes, food and food, and the treasury is full. Do you want the Yan Palace?" It doesn't matter. Your E country is full of poor people. There are no tiles to cover your body and no land to stand on. The treasury is also empty, and you can't even pay the soldiers. Naturally, the new E government has to confiscate all the palaces of King E and Shizifu, and sell them. Exchange precious and valuable things for gold and silver, and then buy rice, grain and cloth for the New Year and distribute them to ordinary people for the New Year. Then we have to build bridges and roads, build schools and hospitals. There are also soldiers’ salaries and firearms, and officials’ salaries, which don’t cost money?”

The prince was stunned: "Are you Ming Qiang?"

"Of course!" Pan Mingyi said in surprise, "Otherwise, do you think we came to the door with guns and cannons on our shoulders for a banquet?" Nai whistled.

Dozens of soldiers shouted together in Ezhou dialect: "Brothers, officers and soldiers, your sons have surrendered~~ The rebels' salaries have been tripled~~" They shouted three times.

The prince opened his mouth to shout, so that the voice of the rebel army was covered so that half a word could not be heard.Pan Mingyi lightly poked him twice, causing him to yell "Ouch" in pain.A soldier put his shoulder on Shizi's shoulder and said in his ear: "My son, let's go, let's enter the mansion." Hidden in his sleeve was a very small fire. Spear, pointed at Shizi's waist and eyes.

Pan Mingyi also said with a smile: "Please come in with us, Your Majesty." The Majesty was so speechless that he dared not say "no".

Pan's father and daughter then led the Ezhou rebels into the mansion.The defenders of the mansion mistakenly thought that the son really surrendered, and dared not stop him.King E had just had time to ask "Who is coming?" The rebel army had already filed in and instantly controlled the audience.King E stayed for a while, seeing that the situation was over, he had to take out the gold seal from his pocket and surrender.When the news came out, there was joy outside the gate of Prince E's Mansion.

The kings and ministers of the E Kingdom did not receive the kindness of Qi Yue and other royal families, so Pan Xigui's rebel army took them to two small courtyards in the palace for the time being.He was busy opening warehouses to release grain, and taking money from the warehouse to buy cotton clothes to help poor households.There are also rebels occupying various passes in the country of Hubei.These rebels have strict military discipline, and they are not surprised wherever they go.The coalition forces of the allied countries did not know about it because they were stationed in a secluded place and caught up with the Chinese New Year.On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, it can be said that news reached the ears of Chu Jun.General Chu hurriedly sent scouts to check, and the cities and towns of E State were filled with Yizi flags.The general didn't dare to act rashly, so he sent someone back home to report the news.

On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, Pan Xigui, the leader of the rebel army, began to publicly trial E state officials in the Yamen of the prefect of Ezhou. The first one was the prefect himself.Although the state of E is small, it has many officials.Those who have a conscience can't do it anymore, and the rest are all black through the five internal organs.Corruption and perverting the law have killed countless people.The rebels knew everything, they had already investigated and listed their crimes, and even invited witnesses.

There is a witness who lives in a remote mountain. He arrived in Ezhou after walking for more than ten days before he arrived in Ezhou.He said: "Redressing people's grievances is the way of heaven, what is New Year's Day?" He wanted to testify for his neighbor, proving that the neighbor's young son was killed by a vicious dog while hunting.Today, the entire family of the neighbors died of illness, and there is not even a plaintiff.Instead, the rebel army invited the village elders to act as plaintiffs to try the case.

When the public trial was over, the crowd dispersed.An old woman in a satin jacket led a woman standing in front of the prefect's yamen, hesitating.The two Confucian scholars were discussing on the sidelines, and when they saw this, they stepped forward and asked, "Is there something wrong with this aunt?"

The old woman said: "I want to ask, can anyone sue?"

The Confucian scholars looked at each other without answering.On the contrary, a soldier stepped forward and said: "But if there is a grievance, anyone can sue. Who do you want to sue, Madam?"

The old woman said: "I want to sue my stepson and prince."

The soldier said: "To file a complaint, look for the Temporary Reporting Office. From here, go in and turn right. There is a sign. Do you always know how to read?"

"Old man knows."

"Then you can't go wrong. If you don't recognize me, I will take you in."

The two Confucian scholars looked at each other again.The older one asked, "Ma'am, what are you suing the prince for?"

The old woman said: "The lord has colluded with my stepson and forced my granddaughter into the house. I want to return my granddaughter."

The Confucian scholar frowned before he wanted to speak, and the soldier said first, "You can sue for such a case. We will send someone to Prince E's Mansion to question your granddaughter. But if she is either willing to be a concubine for King E, or King E is forcibly robbing the daughter of a commoner."

The old woman was so happy that she wiped her tears and said: "This granddaughter is my son's flesh and blood, and has nothing to do with him."

The mother-in-law also said: "The second girl is the daughter of the third master, not born of that black-hearted beast."

The soldier said: "Man said it's not his own daughter, even if it is his daughter, he can't be the master. Come with me, aunt." He glanced at the two Confucian scholars and led the old woman away.

The two Confucian scholars watched the old woman enter the yamen with the help of the old woman, and said with a younger frown, "This soldier is definitely not a rebel army."

The elder said: "Everyone is literate and well-trained. They are undoubtedly officers and soldiers of the Federation." The two sighed at the same time.

On the tenth day of the first lunar month, the rebel army sent envoys to send a letter to the camp of the Allied Forces of the Seventeen Nations.Due to the change of ownership of the state of Hubei, it is now formally withdrawing from the Western Chu League.Soldiers from other countries are restricted to leave the country within three days.

The old woman's case will be tried on the twelfth day of the first lunar month, and King E will appear as the defendant for the first time.Reporters from newspapers from various countries didn't care about the Chinese New Year or the festival, so they came in a large group.

On the day of the public trial, more than a dozen cameras in front of the hall clicked non-stop.The case was extremely simple, it was nothing more than an official sending the daughter of his dead brother into the mansion.The official was also very helpless.The niece caught King E's attention inadvertently, can he not give it?However, the public judge of the rebel army just invited the woman to the court and asked her if she would be willing to make King E a concubine.The woman said generously: "I don't want to."

King E pointed at her and said with a smile: "What did you say to the lonely king on the bed? You don't want to?"

There was not even a trace of tears in the woman's eyes, she sneered and said: "You have snatched me in by force, if you don't say yes, shall I wait to die? My death is a small matter, my grandmother is old, and I am the only child. If I die, who will take care of her old man?" The old woman in the plaintiff's seat burst into tears.The woman continued, "You are in your 50s, and I am only sixteen! How could I be willing to be your little wife!"

King E jumped up against the case: "The lonely king is the prince!"

"Who cares about you, a prince as big as a mung bean!" The woman said indifferently, "You are just a prisoner." King E was dumbfounded.

The public judge immediately ruled that the woman can go home freely and has nothing to do with King E.The people in the hall were talking about it.

After the court was over for a while, someone stood at the gate of the yamen and said loudly: "This matter is just the beginning, the crime that King E has committed is more than just taking a woman as a concubine."

The two Confucian scholars of that day came again.The older one said: "Could it be that King E has other lawsuits?"

The man smiled and said: "There are too many. Excessive taxation, killing people for no reason, and robbing people's property are all the big ones. Reporters from newspapers from all over the country have already lived in Ezhou. From now on, there will only be more excitement. "

Sure enough, dozens of cases involving King E as the defendant came one after another, and there were more than a dozen of them.One day when the court was over, some people commented: "Look at what this means, the prince may not even be able to save his life."

The two Confucian scholars were astonished when they heard the words, and they shouted "No." They were Meng Changfu and the king of Chu.Nai hurried back to Chu State.

The next day, the King of Chu sent a special envoy to discuss matters with Pan Xigui, intending to atone for King E with money.Pan Xigui waved his hand and said, "It's fine if King E didn't carry a murder case. But he killed many people, there is really nothing we can do."

The special envoy said: "He is the prince, the lord of a country. According to the original law, he has the right to life and death."

Pan Xigui said: "We are rebels, so we don't follow the original law."

In the evening of the same day, special envoys from Xianglu and other countries also came.Pan Xigui has a good temper, so he explained slowly: We are traitors.

On the seventh day of March, the interrogation of the case of King E was completed.The public judge of the rebel army sentenced King E to death and executed him.

On the eighth day of March, Pan Xigui, the leader of the Ezhou rebel army personally supervised the beheading, and escorted the last E king to the gate of the Yamen of the prefect of Ezhou to behead him for public display.Newspapers across the country rushed to report.This is the first princely king to be beheaded in the street.

On the tenth day of March, E State announced to join the Federation.This is the smallest country in the federation, but it was the rebels who signed the agreement, not the prince.Shocked, the Western Chu League existed in name only, and Xu Luo and other small countries began to contact and negotiate peace with them by sending people to Beijing.