Chapter 264: Not only rebelled, but also became emperor
Rebellion and uprising are two different things.
These days, it is normal for peasant uprisings to occur due to famine, land annexation, corvee labor, taxation, etc.
In other words, it happened in every dynasty.
Generally speaking, the imperial court of these uprisings first focused on appeasing them, and those who did not listen to persuasion were suppressed by the army.
But the concept of rebellion is completely different.
Rebellion means openly attacking the Ming Dynasty.
Under the leadership of Liu He, Zhu Ying quickly arrived at the Huagai Hall.
At this time, except for Jiang Wei and Liu He, there were no other ministers present.
Seeing his eldest grandson coming, Zhu Yuanzhang directly handed over a memorial.
"Let's see."
Zhu Ying took the report and read it carefully.
After reading it, no wonder the old man was a little angry.
This is a prescription-making incident that occurred in Mian County, Shaanxi Province.
The reason why I use the word "rebellion" to describe it is because the other party has already proclaimed himself emperor.
The leader among them was Tian Jiucheng, who was called the Emperor of the Han and Ming Dynasties and had the reign title of Longfeng.
His subordinates Gao Fuxing was called "Maitreya Buddha", Wang Jingangnu, He Miaoshun and others were called "Heavenly Kings". Their names and slogans were all the same as those of the Red Turban Army in the late Yuan Dynasty.
This is a square-building event initiated in the name of the White Lotus Sect.
Moreover, when this memorial reached the capital, Tian Jiucheng and others had already conquered Lueyang and other places, occupying the dangerous mountainous areas between Sichuan and Shaanxi, and supported hundreds of thousands of troops with great momentum.
"Grandpa, it seems that there is someone behind the scenes. This so-called Tian Jiucheng is most likely just a chess piece pushed out by the people behind the scenes."
"Otherwise, given their capabilities, it would be impossible for them to move so quickly and have enough armaments and food in such a short period of time."
"Ordinary people don't think so much. Since there is famine or other reasons, they must rush to the wealthy city."
"But instead of attacking the big and wealthy city, they took a longer route to attack the place that was easy to defend but difficult to attack, heavily guarded and with little money."
"The purpose of this march route is very obvious. It is almost clear to conquer various dangerous areas. It is obviously guided by experts."
After seeing the report, Zhu Ying thought for a moment and then said what he thought directly.
After Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, the anger on his face eased slightly. Da Sun's intelligence did not disappoint him.
Zhu Yuanzhang had already thought of these things on his way here.
It's just that Dasun could quickly deduce it just after reading it, which made Zhu Yuanzhang feel very gratified.
"The people behind this must be the remaining nobles of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. This place is close to Mongolia. After those remaining nobles fled back to the grassland, they are always plotting against our Ming Dynasty."
"This Tian Jiucheng is naturally the target of their operations, in order to seize our Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Yuanzhang pointed out.
However, Zhu Ying frowned and said, "Grandpa, from my grandson's point of view, they seem to have been under some pressure, so they hurriedly launched an army."
"It stands to reason that they could have lurked for a longer time. For example, in Mian County, they had secretly controlled the local officials and directly seized the city."
"But for the Shaanxi and Sichuan areas, although there are plans, they are obviously not prepared enough and the losses are relatively heavy. According to the White Lotus Sect's habit, it is usually the first step to gain the upper hand."
"This time they took action before the rumors even spread, as if someone was chasing them."
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, the anger on his face completely turned into a smile, and then said: "Da Sun guessed it right. Speaking of them being in such a hurry, it has a lot to do with Da Sun."
Zhu Ying didn't understand.
Does it have a lot to do with yourself?
Zhu Yingke had never made plans for Shaanxi. The main reason was that the place was too poor and there were many indigenous people.
Even though it was on the border of the Ming and Mongolian regimes, Zhu Ying never paid too much attention to it. Usually his caravans would go there for trade, but Zhu Ying had never been there.
So Zhu Ying couldn't understand what the old man said.
This information has naturally been collected by Jin Yiwei for a long time.
"I obey the decree."
Jiang Wei replied respectfully, then saluted Zhu Ying and said: "Your Highness Changsun, the reason why Tian Jiucheng is doing your rebellion now has a lot to do with your Highness."
"According to the information from Jin Yiwei, although Tian Jiucheng and others had close contacts with the Mongols before this, they had no plans to rebel for the time being."
"Because it is too remote, it is difficult for the imperial court to take care of it. In addition, there are many indigenous people, so there has been no rectification."
"And this rebellion is due to His Highness's arrangements for the Susong District Public Security Bureau, which made Tian Jiucheng and others, or the conspirators behind Tian Jiucheng, feel the crisis."
"It was only under the urging of these people behind the scenes that Tian Jiucheng hurriedly rebelled."
After hearing Jiang Wei's explanation, Zhu Ying also understood a lot.
In fact, regardless of scale, there have been dozens of large and small peasant uprisings from the first year of Hongwu to the present.
The last large-scale uprising was in the 16th year of Hongwu.
In Longquan, Jiangxi, people from Yongxin Mountain gathered to rebel against the Ming Dynasty, and their leader called himself "King Shuntian".
Dai Zongren, the commander of the capital, led his troops to suppress the attack and was defeated.
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately ordered Shen Guogong Deng Zhen to be the general of Zhennan, Linjiang Marquis Chen Yong, and Jining Marquis Gu Jing to be the left and right deputy generals, leading one hundred thousand troops to attack.
The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were numerous and powerful, and they quickly defeated the rebels, captured countless of them, and quelled the uprisings in the two places.
For such a large-scale rebellion, the Jin Yiwei who are usually deployed in various places will keep an eye on it very early, so the Ming Dynasty can quickly obtain extremely specific information.
As for Tian Jiucheng, it was an unexpected incident.
Zhu Ying frowned and said, "It's impossible. If it were Mongolia and the Jiangnan Public Security Department, how could they get the news so quickly?"
"Furthermore, even if the Mongols get this news, they will never know the benefits and risks involved, so they are so decisive. At present, only the Jiangnan region has arrangements."
"It seems that behind the scenes, it is not just the Mongols who are causing trouble, but there are also people within the Ming Dynasty who are helping to pass on the news and even participating in it."
"In my grandson's opinion, these people are probably related to people from the Jiangnan area, and they can only be from the Jiangnan area."
Zhu Ying analyzed while talking.
No matter what the Jiangnan area is like, it can still be regarded as the most talented place in the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Ying never overestimates himself, nor underestimates the wisdom of the ancients. After his own strategy of the Public Security Department is carried out, there will definitely be smart people who can analyze and speculate on various possibilities in the future.
When this possibility is deduced by them, it will inevitably arouse vigilance and countermeasures.
That's why the old man said that their sudden rebellion had nothing to do with him.
Zhu Yuanzhang was already a little shocked when he listened to Zhu Ying's analysis.
With just a few clues, Dasun had almost completely sorted out the entire context of the matter.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Jiang Yu and nodded gently.
After getting His Majesty's understanding, Jiang Wei said again: "Your Highness is really smart. If I hadn't read the report, I would never have thought of so many things and how comprehensive you are."
"As His Highness said, the people behind this are not only Mongolians, but also have deep connections with big businessmen and big landowners in the Jiangnan area."
"The reason why Tian Jiuzheng dared to proclaim himself emperor directly is that the Mongols provided war horses and even firearms and other items."
"In terms of money, Tian Jiucheng is not in short supply. Many wealthy gentry in the Jiangnan area strongly supported him and gave him countless gold and silver treasures."
"There is also a large amount of grain in it, so Tian Jiuzheng had the courage to directly attack the important border areas of Shaanxi and Sichuan."
"Many people in the Jiangnan area have been noticed by our Jinyiwei a long time ago. It's just that the people behind the scenes are very careful. What the brothers found were all superficial."
"Before I caught the big fish, I started to rebel without thinking."
Jiang Wei's words let Zhu Ying know that the Jinyiwei had deep intelligence organizations all over the Ming Dynasty, and most local officials were under the surveillance of the Jinyiwei.
No wonder, in the early years, Zhu Yuanzhang executed a large number of corrupt officials. In many places, even the emperor was far away, but he still did not escape.
Among them, Jin Yiwei must have made a lot of contributions.
Zhu Yuanzhang said at this time: "Now that these bandits have become successful, it is not easy to defeat them, especially if they are in dangerous areas. If you want to defeat them, you must prepare an army of 300,000 people."
An army of 300,000 was mobilized to attack Tian Jiucheng. In fact, this number was still relatively small.
Tian Jiucheng, who was guarding a dangerous spot, if he really understood military matters, would not panic at all even if he faced an army three to five times larger.
In fact, in this regard, it is no longer just a battle between Daming and Tian Jiucheng.
What's more, there are hidden behind-the-scenes games with Mongolia and the Jiangnan region.
For the current Ming Dynasty, if the 300,000-strong army fails, it is likely to cause overall turmoil throughout the Ming Dynasty.
This result is what the Mongols want, and what the wealthy gentry and landowners in the Jiangnan region want.
Because after being involved in Shaanxi, the imperial court could only focus on appeasing the Jiangnan region and ensuring supplies for the soldiers going forward.
"If we attack directly, the losses will be too great. We can only try slowly."
"Behind Tian Jiucheng, since there is the support of the Mongols, it is not only the war horses, but also the participation of the Mongols."
"Tian Jiuzheng, I'm afraid, promised a lot of benefits to the Mongolians to help him. The Mongols are not willing to let go of the rabbits. If they don't get enough benefits, they will definitely not be willing to go out."
"Not to mention supporting the war horses. I'm afraid the money used by these war horses was all collected by those behind the scenes in Jiangnan."
Zhu Ying began to analyze how to deal with the situation next.
Zhu Yuanzhang also nodded in agreement and said: "As for the Jiangnan area, we have arranged for a large number of Jin Yiwei to go there, and we must first completely cut off the connection between the two parties."
"Without financial support, people like Tian Jiucheng can only rely on the Mongols."
"The Mongols' insatiable greed will definitely push Tian Jiuzheng into a desperate situation in a short time. At that time, Tian Jiuzheng can only raise troops again and seize more areas to satisfy the Mongolian appetite."
Zhu Ying heard the old man's plan, but did not answer directly.
According to the current situation, this is naturally the best approach.
But for the people in Shaanxi, they are living in dire straits.
It is conceivable that for people like Tian Jiucheng, especially the White Lotus Sect.
It is very likely that the wolf will be attracted into the house and the Mongols will be provoked into the Ming Dynasty again.
It is even possible to cede some cities directly to the Mongols.
In the eyes of many Mongolians, the Han people are like two-legged sheep, and the results can be imagined.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Ying said: "Grandpa, regarding this time, my grandson feels that it is better to go faster than slower. This is slowly driving Tian Jiucheng to a dead end. By then, the entire Shaanxi will probably be cleansed by the Mongols."
"Now the Gunpowder Department can produce a large number of matchlocks. Artillery is of little use on the Shaanxi-Sichuan border, especially between mountains and forests."
"But the matchlock gun can be very effective in this regard, so my grandson wants to ask his grandfather for an order to form a fire commanding guard. After training, he will go to Shaanxi to redress, and there should be unexpected gains."
After hearing what Da Sun said, Zhu Yuanzhang did not answer immediately.
Instead, I began to think about the feasibility of this plan in my mind.
Zhu Yuanzhang now has rich military experience, and most of the past wars were indispensable for his strategic planning.
This is obviously the case this time.
In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, although the current Tian Jiucheng people are powerful, they are actually just a group of rabble.
Their elimination is the inevitable result.
The only thing you need to worry about is the size of the loss.
Forcibly occupying dangerous areas means that many of the elites of the Ming Dynasty will be lost here.
This is what Zhu Yuanzhang did not want to see.
Now the matchlock gun proposed by Da Sun made Zhu Yuanzhang think that it might be feasible.
"How many matchlocks have been manufactured by the Gunpowder Department now?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.
Zhu Ying replied: "By now, we should have exceeded 3,000. When the army sets off, 4,000 matchlocks will not be a problem."
"As for the selection of matchlock guns, the fire commanders in the past have good experience. They only need a little training to master them skillfully."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. He was well versed in firearms and naturally understood these things.
But soon, Zhu Yuanzhang asked: "Since we are planning to choose a day to go on the expedition, according to Da Sun, who should we choose as the coach this time?"
After hearing this, Zhu Ying began to think quickly in her mind.
The first thing to be eliminated is naturally Liang Guogong Lan Yu, and even the entire Huaixi military generals group.
Because the current Huaixi Generals Group has made too many contributions, and Zhu Ying currently needs to quickly support an existence that can compete with Liang Guogong Lan Yu and others.
After some thought, Zhu Ying said in a deep voice: "My grandson thinks that Uncle Seventeen is a good candidate."