The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty

Kong Zhenqian was taken down in despair.

Instead, Tang Hao met the two rebels.

Tang Mu led his soldiers to guard outside the commander's tent, even Qiu Ju and Ma Zhongxi were blocked.

This time, Tang Mu has drawn his sword. Anyone who dares to break into Shuai's tent will die!

Looking at the shimmering blade, Qiu Ju and Ma Zhongxi did not dare to break through.

No one knew what Zhongshan Hou talked about with the two rebels. After they finished talking, Leng Hantie personally escorted the two rebels back to Qufu County, not giving Qiu Ju and Ma Zhongxi a chance to intervene.

In desperation, the two had no choice but to enter the commander's tent and question the Marquis of Zhongshan.

"Tang Hao!"

"What exactly do you want to do?"

"Kong is a descendant of a saint after all, and we must not let the rebels slaughter him!"

Ma Zhongxi shouted angrily.

He was indeed panicking now.

Previously, Tang Hao allowed the rebels to massacre the Zhili gentry, but Ma Zhongxi couldn't stop him even if he wanted to.

Because the soldiers of the Beijing army only obeyed the orders of the Marquis of Zhongshan, he, the supervisor, could not even command a single soldier. Instead, he was imprisoned in disguise.

Even though he repeatedly reported to the court, clearly stating Tang Hao's wolfish ambitions, for some reason, the court did not deprive the Zhongshan Marquis of his position as commander, but instead allowed him to continue chasing the rebels and massacring the gentry!

It was not until the end that Ma Zhongxi finally realized that His Majesty the Emperor had already acquiesced to what the Marquis of Zhongshan had done.

Therefore, Ma Zhongxi was desperate and could only follow the army like a prisoner, watching helplessly as the rebels slaughtered the gentry and wealthy families one after another.

But this time, it’s really different!

That's the Kong family!

That's the blood descendant of a saint!

How could he be slaughtered by the rebels like this?

"Shilang Ma, I think you are in trouble if you care!"

Tang Hao sneered and said: "Don't you know? The reason why Qufu County was taken away by the rebels was not because the rebels forced an attack on the city, but because the Kong family that you praised to heaven took the initiative to open the city and beg for surrender!"

"Kong took the initiative to join the rebels. In a sense, they are already participating in the rebellion. In this case, why should I care about their lives?"

This reason is impeccable.

Anyone involved in conspiracy and rebellion should undoubtedly die!

Even if you are a blood descendant of a saint, you are no exception!

However, Ma Zhongxi had studied sages and sages all his life and was an out-and-out disciple of the famous sect. How could he just watch a descendant of a sage being humiliated by rebels like this?

"Tang Hao!"

"Don't force your words!"

"Even if the Kong family opens the city and surrenders, it is just a temporary measure..."

"It's your mother's plan!" Tang Hao suddenly stood up, grabbed the stool and threw it directly on Ma Zhongxi.

In an instant, Ma Zhongxi let out a cry in pain, and blood continued to fall from his forehead.

If Tang Hao hadn't stopped his hand and only used 10% or 20% of his strength, Ma Zhongxi would have died suddenly on the spot when he stepped off the bench.

"Marquis of Zhongshan!" Qiu Ju panicked and hurriedly stepped forward to stop Tang Hao.

This Ma Zhongxi was the minister of the Ministry of War, and he was also the supervisor of the army. If Tang Hao killed him in a rage, the matter would be really big.

Tang Hao kicked Qiu Ju aside and scolded sternly: "Do you know why Ma Yongcheng, who is also the admiral of Dongchang, is more respected by His Majesty than you?"

Qiu Ju was startled when he heard this and lowered his head silently.

"Because Ma Yongcheng is more perceptive than you, and he is smarter and more knowledgeable than you!"

"If you press Lai Lai again, I will depose you. Do you want to see if His Majesty will depose me?"

Hearing this, Qiu Ju sighed in his heart and silently gave way.

Ma Zhongxi was still covering the wound on his forehead and yelling. Tang Hao walked up to this guy, knelt down and looked at him coldly.

"Can a blood descendant of a saint do whatever he wants?"

"Can a blood descendant of a saint enslave the people?"

"Can a blood descendant of a saint join the rebels?"

"Have you, Ma Zhongxi, read all the sage books you've read all your life into a fucking dog's belly?"

"Which Confucian sage taught you these principles? And which famous Confucian scholar secretly instigated you to do this?"

Facing the constant questioning by Marquis Zhongshan, Ma Zhongxi was completely panicked.

"The blood descendants of saints cannot be slaughtered, otherwise the court will lose the heart of the gentry..."

"Haha!" Tang Hao sneered: "Ma Zhongxi, Ma Zhongxi, tell me, are you, the famous disciples, cheap or not?"

"The Kong family has been praised to the sky before, and celebrities and scholars have been placed on their heads for free. The Kong family annexed the fields in Qufu County and enslaved the people. You all pretended to be invisible, and instead continued to shout about the country. Righteousness.”

"Now the Kong family is openly offering Qufu to surrender to the rebels. This is an out-and-out treasonous act. Those bastards dare to do this. You, the disciples of the famous religion, still have to excuse them and defend them. I’m sorry, but people may not remember your good deeds. They would like to be acquitted and then continue to rule Qufu and enslave the people!”

"When you do these things, why don't you think about the feelings of the people of Qufu? Are they sinners who deserve death and are heinous sinners? They will be enslaved and exploited by the Confucius family for generations to come, and their lives are worse than those of the Confucius family. A dog in there?"

When Ma Zhongxi heard this, he froze on the spot.

Yes, everyone in the world is worried about the safety of the Kong family, but who has ever thought about the feelings of the people of Qufu?

Before Renzong of the Song Dynasty, the titles of Confucius' descendants were not uniform. It was not until the reign of Renzong Zhao Zhen of the Song Dynasty that the 46th generation grandson of Confucius, Kong Zongyuan, was canonized as Duke Yansheng. Since then, Confucius' descendants have inherited the title of Duke Yansheng in all dynasties. Dynasties have changed in succession, but the Yanshenggong family has never changed.

Before Yan Shenggong, the descendants of the Kong family still had hereditary official positions. This official position was the county magistrate of Qufu, the hometown of Confucius. During the Tang Dynasty, the court regarded Qufu as the hometown of the saint, and the descendants of the Kong family could not be ruled by outsiders. , giving the descendants of the Kong family the power to rule Qufu as the magistrate of Qufu County for generations.

Since then, dynasties have changed, but the county magistrate of Qufu has always been held by the descendants of the Confucius family. In this way, the descendants of Confucius have hereditary titles and hereditary official positions.

Even after the rule of ethnic minorities in the Jin Kingdom and the Yuan Dynasty, the hereditary titles and hereditary official positions of Confucius' descendants have never changed. Such preferential treatment of the descendants of the Confucius family in the past dynasties is nothing more than establishing Confucian culture as the basic program for ruling the country. I hope Winning the hearts of scholars all over the world by treating Confucius' descendants favorably.

In the early days of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Kong Xiwen, the then magistrate of Qufu County, insulted the saint's family tradition. Floods occurred frequently in Qufu County at that time. In order to preserve his political achievements, Kong Xiwen concealed the disaster and did not report the disaster. Not only that, he also increased taxes on the private sector and privately Selling official property and collecting bribes and other illegal activities.

Kong Xiwen's behavior aroused the indignation of the people in Qufu, so his illegal behavior was impeached by the imperial censor to Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang sent people to investigate these matters. The results were found to be true, and Zhu Yuanzhang was very angry.

The Duke Yansheng at that time was Kong Xiwen's brother Kong Xixue. They were both the fifty-sixth generation descendants of Confucius. In order to preserve the Kong family's power to rule Qufu, Kong Xixue took the initiative to go to Nanjing to meet Zhu Yuanzhang and report Kong Xiwen's illegal acts. He also demanded that Kong Xiwen be removed from the post of Qufu County Magistrate, and recommended Kong Keshen, the fifty-fifth generation grandson of Confucius, to the Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang as the successor county magistrate.

Later, Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang removed Kong Xiwen from his post as Qufu County Magistrate. However, because Zhu Yuanzhang had previously said that Kong's descendants would be given a lighter punishment if they broke the law, Kong Xiwen was only given a lighter punishment in the end.

Kong Keshen was a man of integrity, character, and talent, so he was indeed very suitable to be the magistrate of Qufu. However, because he was not a direct descendant, he could not inherit the post of magistrate of Qufu according to the hereditary rules passed down from the Tang Dynasty.

However, Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied with Kong Keshen, so he ordered the abolition of the rule that the Qufu County magistrate should be inherited by the direct descendants of the Kong family. Instead, Yanshenggong and the Kong family would jointly recommend the election. In this way, more than 600 people were passed down from the Tang Dynasty. The Kong family's hereditary position as magistrate of Qufu County was abolished in 1999.

In fact, it is said to be abolished, but the hereditary rules have been changed from hereditary to secular duties. This means that the rules for the inheritance of Qufu County Magistrate and Yansheng Duke have changed. Previously, Qufu County Magistrate and Yansheng Duke were both in the Kong family. Hereditary inheritance among the direct eldest branch. After this change, Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang became the magistrate of Qufu County. It no longer requires that he be the direct eldest bloodline of the Kong family. The collateral branch can also hold the position as long as he has good character and talent. , which changed the rule of succession after the death of father.

However, even so, the position of Qufu County Magistrate was still firmly under the control of the Kong family.

To put it more bluntly, Qufu is a state within a state of the Ming Dynasty. The imperial court cannot collect taxes in Qufu. The output of every field in Qufu also belongs to the Confucius family. In name, it is to protect and worship Confucius, but in fact That money and food became the capital for the Kong family’s enjoyment!

Not to mention that these Confucius family members also asked the court for money and food from time to time, in the name of worshiping Confucius, repairing Confucius temples, etc. The court had to give them due to the pressure of public opinion, pampering these descendants of the saint...

When the identity filter of "blood descendants of saints" was torn away, Ma Zhongxi sadly discovered that these Kong family members seemed to really deserve to die. They were no different from the corrupt and bribed people in those places who preyed on the common people!

If there is any difference, it is that these Kong family members rely on their status as blood descendants of saints and believe that everything they do is natural, so they are more crazy, more domineering, and more unscrupulous!

After all, they are descendants of saints!

But what about the people of Qufu?

Who thought about them?

Are they born to be enslaved and oppressed for generations?

Ma Zhongxi was in extreme pain, not only from the wound on his forehead, but also from mental pain.

For a long time, he has regarded himself as a famous Confucian scholar, so he has subconsciously been tolerant of the blood descendants of the Kong family, but now when a reckless man violently tore it all apart and exposed the Kong family's crimes before his eyes, Ma Zhongxi... It's starting to waver.

He is not a corrupt official who forms a clique for personal gain. He also cares about the people in his heart.

Now, when his faith begins to waver, when his original intention is questioned, when the Kong family and the people of Qufu stand on opposite sides, Ma Zhongxi is in extreme pain for a while.

He silently covered his forehead and stood up, looking at Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao.

After a long silence, the Minister of War laughed sadly.

"If you want to save the people of Qufu, you can."

"But the Confucius Temple and Confucius Forest cannot be destroyed, let alone burned by the rebels!"

Hearing this, Tang Hao smiled on his face.

Ma Zhongxi's words were tantamount to acquiescing to his small actions, abandoning the Confucius family, a group of borers and rice bugs, in exchange for Zhongshan Marquis to protect the Confucius Temple and Confucius Forest.

"Don't worry, I still respect the Holy Master very much."

"After this incident, Qufu is still the same Qufu, but it is the Qufu of the Ming Dynasty, not the Qufu of the Kong family!"

"For things like offering sacrifices to the Holy Confucius, it is enough to leave a bloodline of the Confucius family. There is no need to let the tens of thousands of people in Qufu raise so many borers and rice bugs, and let these borers and rice bugs lie on the bodies of the people of Qufu, knocking the bones and sucking the marrow!"

Ma Zhongxi did not answer, but walked away in despair.

Qiu Ju stood up and looked at Tang Hao, opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, and finally left in despair.

Then Tang Mu walked in and couldn't help but laugh strangely: "Master Hou is awesome!"

"Ordinary military commanders and nobles would dare to get angry but dare not speak out when facing these two supervisors. Only you, Lord Marquis, dare to beat them!"

Tang Hao glared at him angrily, and then fell into deep thought.

Since the development of the Ming Dynasty, it has developed a three-dimensional political structure of military commanders, civil servants, gentry, and eunuchs. Whether it is fighting in the court or marching and fighting, these three forces are indispensable in all aspects of the Ming Dynasty.

It’s time to change this deformed model.

At least when he, Tang Hao, was leading the troops in battle, he didn't like these two types of people gesticulating from the side.

"Go down and prepare to receive the rebels!"

"Register the rebel thieves and send them all overseas!"

As soon as these words came out, Tang Mu's eyes suddenly lit up, he bowed and took the order and left.

At the same time, the hall of the Kong family has now become the garrison of the rebels.

Qi Yanming sat on the main seat in a daze, and it was not until brothers Liu Liu and Liu Qi arrived that he came back to his senses.

"Brother, why are you calling us here so urgently?"

"Yes, brother, we still have to guard the city gate in case the army suddenly attacks the city..."

"No need to defend!" Qi Yanming laughed sadly, "The Marquis of Zhongshan will not attack the city."

Hearing this, Liu Liu and Liu Qi's expressions changed drastically, and they were confused for a moment.

What's happening here?

Could it be that the Marquis of Zhongshan had a kind heart?

"The Marquis of Zhongshan has sent back the news that he can accept our surrender and promises us that he will not kill anyone in vain, and even you and me can save our lives!"

As soon as these words came out, Liu Liu and Liu Qi were even more shocked.

This...how is this possible?

You must know that the three of them are the leaders of the rebels. According to the imperial decree, their homes and clans will be confiscated and they will die without a burial place.

After being chased by Ming soldiers for so long and unable to defeat them, the three of them were actually prepared to die. However, they did not want to implicate the brothers who followed them, so they listened to Fan Wencheng. He planned a surprise attack on Qufu to control the Kong family, hoping to find a way out for his brothers.

Liu Liu sat down and felt relaxed all over.

"That means Fan Wencheng's plan succeeded?"

"It seems that we still underestimated the Kong family. Even the Marquis of Zhongshan had to..."

"You are wrong." Qi Yanming smiled bitterly and shook his head, "The Marquis of Zhongshan has only one condition, let us kill all the Kong family members in Qufu City, leaving no one alive!"

hiss……

Brothers Liu Liu and Liu Qi suddenly took a breath of cold air and looked at each other in disbelief.

What does it mean?

Why did the Marquis of Zhongshan do this?

Qi Yanming looked at the two sworn brothers with deep eyes, and then tried to explain.

"Actually, starting in Hebei, I noticed something was wrong."

"Since the army could defeat us in one battle, why didn't they try their best? Instead, they chased us all the way to the capital of Hebei Province, and then drove us to Qufu, Shandong Province?"

Liu Liu and Liu Qi shook their heads in confusion. They were just two reckless men, so this question was too difficult for them.

"Only now do I finally understand!"

"We have become the knives in the hands of Marquis Zhongshan!"

"He deliberately drove us away and slaughtered the Hebei gentry with blood!"

"The ability and methods of this Marquis of Zhongshan are truly amazing and terrifying!"

At this time, Liu Liu and Liu Qi finally understood.

"So, he wants to use our hands to kill this Kong family now?"

"Yes, that's it!" Qi Yanming sighed, "Brothers must kill this Kong family if they want to survive!"

"What we thought was a bargaining chip has become the target of Marquis Zhongshan. It's really ridiculous and ironic!"

Liu Qi looked ugly and questioned.

"Could it be a scam?"

"Once we kill the Kong family, what we have in our hands will be..."

"It's not necessary!" Qi Yanming was in a low mood, "We can only choose to believe in Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao, otherwise all our brothers will die when the army attacks the city!"

This is a cruel fact!

Either they believed that Tang Hao would kill the Kong family immediately, and then surrender to Kaicheng to gamble on their chance of survival.

Either they don't believe that Tang Hao is stubbornly resisting, and when the army attacks the city, all the rebels will be killed!

"Brother, give the order!"

"We all listen to you!"

Liu Liu and Liu Qi looked at each other, then said with a smile.

No matter life or death, the three brothers will be together.

Qi Yanming looked moved when he heard this, and his eyes turned red.

"Then let's bet on this chance of survival!"

"If you lose the bet, you and I will still be brothers in the next life!"

"Hahaha...good!"

"That's it!"

The three of them looked at each other and smiled, saying nothing.

Later, Liu Liu and Liu Qi personally took their confidants, the fifty or so thieves who had initially joined them in raising troops, and directly and forcibly massacred the Kong clan members.

From top to bottom, including Nayan Shenggong, kill them all, leaving no chickens or dogs behind!

Since then, except for one Kong Zhenqian who survived, all the Kong family members were beheaded.

When Fan Wencheng arrived after hearing the news, he only saw corpses strewn across the fields of the Kong family and rivers of blood.

This famous disciple collapsed on the spot, fell to his knees and cried loudly.

Qi Yanming walked up to him and said softly: "Mr. Fan, are you a Jiangnan gentleman?"

Hearing this, Fan Wencheng's expression changed drastically, but before he could defend himself, he was punched and knocked unconscious by Liu Liuyi.

"As expected!"

"I knew this thief had no good intentions!"

"Straight bitch, you really deceived us!"

The three brothers spoke one after another and completely believed the Marquis of Zhongshan.

"Kaicheng surrender immediately!"

"This blood debt must be settled with the Jiangnan gentry!"