Although Zhu Xiaosong didn't believe that the local militias organized by the government could pose any threat to him, he was still shocked by the government's repeated, almost brainless, actions.
What truly made Zhu Xiaosong's jaw drop wasn't just the clumsy maneuvers of the Shandong Provincial Governor, the Prefect of Yizhou, and the various magistrates of Yizhou. The clumsy maneuvers of these Manchus and their lackeys were nothing compared to their master, the old dog Qian Long.
On the twenty-first day of the first month in the forty-ninth year of Qian Long's reign, the seventy-four-year-old old dog Qian Long once again set off from the capital for a southern tour.
This time, Qian Long not only intended to go south to inspect the river conservancy projects on the young ladies, but he also planned to personally direct the suppression of a rebellion when passing through Shan County and then appease the populace after the war, to prove that he was a good emperor who loved his people.
As for Zhu Xiaosong... The Shandong Provincial Governor, Fucha Mingxing, had already reported the news of the rebel Zhu's annihilation. Qian Long, naturally, wouldn't bother to hold a "dead man" accountable. Instead, he instructed Mingxing, the Shandong Provincial Governor, to ensure proper post-rebellion cleanup and prepare for the imperial visit.
When Zhu Xiaosong received this news from the Tiandihui, he was stunned. The question marks on his face were more numerous than N times the number of "niggas" asking questions.
If Mingxing, the Shandong Provincial Governor, had reported false information, it could be understood as an effort to stabilize public morale. But what about the Imperial Guard and the Blood Droplets? To say that the Imperial Guard concealed the truth would be sheer nonsense. So, was this the emperor of my Great Qing? Was it fun to deceive himself?
Zhu Xiaosong pondered how to give the old dog Qian Long a surprise.
After careful consideration, Zhu Xiaosong first canceled his plan to raid Mengyin County for coal. Then, he summoned all the company and platoon commanders from Menglianggu, as well as Ke Zhiming.
Since Ke Zhiming had witnessed the token in Zhu Xiaosong's hand last time, and after Zhu Laosan reconnected with the Tiandihui in Mengyin County, the current leader of the Tiandihui, who went by the alias Wan Yunlong, had rushed to meet Zhu Xiaosong. After confirming the token in Zhu Xiaosong's possession, the one-meter-eight tall man actually cried like a child.
After more than a hundred years of opposing the Qing and numerous uprisings and failures, finding a descendant of the Zhu or Zheng family and supporting them in their rebellion against the Qing had almost become an obsession for everyone in the Tiandihui.
Now that they had finally found a descendant of the Zhu family, and a direct descendant of the orthodox lineage, and this orthodox descendant had already risen in rebellion against the Qing, Wan Yunlong was almost driven to madness with excitement.
After staying in Menglianggu for a few days, Wan Yunlong handed over the Tiandihui of the Central Plains to Zhu Xiaosong and then left in a hurry. Ke Zhiming, the former hall master of the Qingmu Hall, became Zhu Xiaosong's intelligence chief.
Zhu Xiaosong first looked at Ke Zhiming and ordered, "Send people to publicize the atrocities committed by the Tartars in Yangzhou, Jiading, Jiangyin, Datong, Guangdong, Jinan, and other places. Say that the Tartar Commander of the Nine Gates, Fu Kangan, and the Shandong Provincial Governor, Mingxing, in order to ensure Qian Long's smooth southern tour, are preparing to emulate the massacre of Sichuan by Hauge, completely emptying Shandong, and then relocating people from other regions to Shandong."
Ke Zhiming immediately cupped his fists and agreed. Zhu Xiaosong then instructed the company commanders of Menglianggu, "Prepare yourselves. This time we will split into two routes. Second Brother will lead the Third Company to attack Mengyin County. I will lead the First and Second Companies to attack Yizhou Prefecture. As for the remaining companies, they will continue with the original plan: digging pits and training soldiers."
The leaders of Menglianggu immediately agreed. However, Ke Zhiming cupped his fists and said, "Young Master, please reconsider!"
The way they addressed Zhu Xiaosong had become a means of determining identity on Menglianggu. Those who joined Zhu Xiaosong's rebellion, including the new recruits, generally called Zhu Xiaosong "Great Leader." Only members of the Tiandihui called him "Young Master."
This was the first time Ke Zhiming had explicitly opposed Zhu Xiaosong's decision. Seeing Zhu Xiaosong look at him, Ke Zhiming said, "Young Master, the Tartars' attention is currently focused on the Bagua Sect and the Hubei White Lotus Sect. When Wan Yunlong left, he said that the Tiandihui should encourage all anti-Qing organizations they can contact to rise up to attract the Tartars' attention, thereby reducing the pressure on Menglianggu. Why doesn't Young Master lie low and accumulate strength?"
Zhu Xiaosong shook his head and said, "Accumulating strength is one thing, but we must also be prepared to fight the Tartars, and fight a tough battle."
"Although the Tartar officials are corrupt and depraved, it does not mean that all the Tartar officials are idiots. They will not give up their pursuit of us just because we lie low. Sooner or later, they will find their way to Menglianggu."
"Now, the Bagua Sect and the White Lotus Sect are standing in front of us. But what happens after they are suppressed?"
"Therefore, we must abandon all侥幸心理 (jǐngxìng xīnlǐ - wishful thinking) and be psychologically prepared to face the Tartars head-on."
This also involved a matter of left and right, but based on the lessons learned from nearly a thousand characters being deleted in the previous chapters, you can infer the meaning yourselves. If you still don't understand, go and buy the five volumes of "Dragon Slaying Techniques" to learn. Those who know, know.
...
The current situation was indeed as Ke Zhiming described. All the officials, from the Shandong Provincial Governor Fucha Mingxing to the various prefects, were no longer concerned with the rebel Zhu Xiaosong.
For Mingxing and the prefects who were kneeling at the feet of the old dog Qian Long, the most important matters at the moment were how to welcome the imperial convoy at the border between Shandong and Zhili, and how to ensure that the old dog Qian Long's imperial journey through Mount Tai in Tai'an Prefecture and the Quanlin Imperial Palace in Yanzhou Prefecture would be smooth.
Rebels like Zhu Xiaosong, who had hidden in some unknown corner, and the Bagua Sect, which was making a fuss in Shan County, had become insignificant.
Mingxing stared at the prefect-level subordinates under his command and said sternly, "Prefect of Dezhou, Xu Wende, will accompany me to Wuqiao to welcome the imperial convoy. Prefect of Jinan, Feng Shan, should make preparations. Tai'an Prefecture must make good preparations for the imperial visit to Mount Tai, and pay close attention to the imperial palaces." As for you, Wu Zude, and Yan Xiangqing..."
Prefect of Yanzhou, Wu Zude, and Prefect of Yizhou, Yan Xiangqing, panicked and quickly bowed, cupping their fists, and said, "Your humble subordinate deserves death! I beg Your Excellency the Provincial Governor to show mercy!"
Mingxing snorted and stared at Yan Xiangqing, saying, "Although your implementation of the agricultural cooperative policy was to rectify the shortcomings of the Baojia system, you were lax in your governance, which led to unruly people within the agricultural cooperatives, disrupting many counties and prefectures in Yizhou. Therefore, you cannot escape the crime of lax governance!"
Yan Xiangqing, however, was overjoyed and repeatedly cupped his fists, saying, "Your humble subordinate thanks Your Excellency the Provincial Governor for your grace! Your Excellency's life-saving grace, your humble subordinate will surely remember it forever and never forget it!"
Compared to the crime of having rebels within his jurisdiction and causing great chaos in Yizhou while being ineffective in suppressing them, the crime of rashly implementing new policies and being lax in governance was nothing!
Implementing new policies was because he never forgot to serve His Majesty the Emperor and racked his brains to come up with the agricultural cooperative as a way to solve the shortcomings of the Baojia system. The existence of unruly people was because he loved his people as if they were his own children and was too lenient, just like parents spoiling their children.
There was no fault at all!
Seeing that Yan Xiangqing had been cleared in just a few words, Wu Zude became even more flustered. He couldn't help but cup his fists and say, "Your Excellency the Provincial Governor, your humble subordinate?"
Mingxing glared at Wu Zude. He intended to make Wu Zude a scapegoat and kill him, but out of consideration for their fellow officials, he had to snort and scold, "You still have the face to talk! Was that Hao Liangcai an official under your jurisdiction in Yanzhou Prefecture?"
Wu Zude nervously replied "yes" and was about to beg for mercy when he heard Mingxing continue to scold, "Hao Liangcai was corrupt and greedy, leading to officials forcing the people to rebel. You, the Prefect of Yanzhou, were so poor at judging people and failed to discover the clues early. You can wait for His Majesty the Emperor to deal with you!"
Being scolded by Mingxing like this, Wu Zude felt as overjoyed as Yan Xiangqing. He also repeatedly cupped his fists and bowed, saying, "Your humble subordinate will never forget Your Excellency the Provincial Governor's grace!"
What did the rebellion of the people caused by Hao Liangcai's corruption have to do with him, the Prefect of Yanzhou? Absolutely nothing. After all, Magistrate Hao was appointed by the Ministry of Personnel, not by himself. At most, he was lax in his governance and failed to discover Hao Liangcai, the cruel official who harmed the people, early enough. At least his head and official position were saved!
It was not in vain that he served in the same court as His Excellency the Provincial Governor, nor was it in vain that he paid the consultation fee to His Excellency the Provincial Governor yesterday when he asked for a calligraphy inscription.
Although the consultation fee of thirty thousand taels of silver plus three paintings and seventeen pieces of jewelry was indeed a bit high, His Excellency the Provincial Governor's calligraphy was excellent, and it was completely worth the price!
After Wu Zude and Yan Xiangqing expressed their gratitude, Mingxing looked at the subordinates and said, "When you return, thoroughly review your respective jurisdictions. Dispatch the inspectors and soldiers of each prefecture and county to guard diligently! Also, all of you should think carefully about how the former Prefect of Jinan, Yan Xishen, was promoted."
The subordinates thought, how can we possibly think of that? Yan Xishen happened to catch a heavy rain when His Majesty the Emperor was on his southern tour, which gave him an opportunity to impress His Majesty. However, from the forty-ninth year of Qianlong to now, let alone rain, there hasn't even been snow. Where can we find disaster victims to impress him?
Moreover, if he, Yan Xishen, dared to abandon His Majesty's imperial convoy and go to deal with those disaster victims, if it were me, I wouldn't have the courage!
Mingxing naturally did not know that his subordinates were all muttering to themselves. He then said nonchalantly, "Also, Minister He is also accompanying the convoy on this southern trip. You all better be aware of this!"
This did not require Mingxing to remind them deliberately. After all, they were all seasoned officials who had been in the bureaucracy for many years and understood the rules. Mingxing, the Shandong Provincial Governor, had paid Minister He one million taels of silver as tribute, and the remaining subordinates could only pay eighty thousand taels. No more, no less.
Mingxing then said, "Alright, you are all dismissed. I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Mingxing's personal guards hurried in from outside the hall and bowed, saying, "Sir, we have received news from Yizhou that a group of rebels has occupied Mengyin County and Feixian County. More than a dozen officials, from the county magistrate downwards, have all been killed, and Yinan County and Lanshan County are besieged."
Mingxing's good mood instantly vanished, and he collapsed to the ground as if all his energy had been drained.
This time, it was completely finished!
He had originally thought that the rebel Zhu would be somewhat sensible and lie low while the government temporarily ignored him, so that he, the Shandong Provincial Governor, could at least give His Majesty the Emperor an explanation.
But he never expected that just a few days after the man named Zhu lay low, this major event would happen just as His Majesty the Emperor was setting off for the south and was about to reach Wuqiao in Zhili!
This was going to kill him!
After being helped up by Wu Zude and Yan Xiangqing, who had rushed to surround him, Mingxing, who had regained his senses, suddenly slapped Wu Zude across the face, and then slapped Yan Xiangqing, "Damn your mother! You two scoundrel bastards, I'm really going to be killed by you this time!"
After scolding, Mingxing ignored Wu Zude and Yan Xiangqing, who were kneeling and begging for forgiveness. Instead, he pointed outside the hall of the Governor's yamen and cursed loudly, "Zhu! If I don't kill you, I'll take your surname! Come here! Come here! Damn your mother, give me soldiers! I want to suppress rebels! Suppress rebels!"