Chapter eight hundred and twenty nine. Civil chaos.
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When Li Ruan carefully picked up the paper ball and began to study it, the civil and military officials in the camp also gathered around to watch it together.
Then, everyone's expressions changed drastically once again, and they finally understood why Zhao Junchen was so angry - things were worse and more serious than everyone imagined!
After Tianshui Fucheng fell into the hands of the rebels, the prefect of Tianshui also knew that the situation was serious. Although the content of the letter asking for help was a bit vague and secretive, he did not dare to lie. After all, he explained clearly what happened.
All of this starts with Zhao Junchen’s decree to strengthen the walls and clear the country!
Some time ago, in order to prevent the Mongol coalition from plundering, Zhao Junchen ordered local officials to gather all the people outside the city into the city, and it was enforced without any mistakes. In this way, it would not only reduce the losses of the people of the Ming Dynasty in the war, but also
It can force the Mongols to risk going deep into the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty to attack Jiezhou City!
There is a saying in later generations - all bad ideas look like good ideas at the beginning! In the same way, all bad governance looks like good governance that benefits the country and the people at the beginning.
But you often realize how time-consuming and costly it is when you implement it!
The original intention of this decree is naturally good, but like most bad policies in this world, problems occurred during its implementation!
Take Tianshui Fucheng, which is currently in chaos, as an example. After the city was fortified and the country was cleared, all the people outside the city were gathered into the city, causing the city's population to quadruple in a matter of seconds! In this way, chaos is naturally easy to breed!
Zhao Junchen had anticipated such a situation in advance, but Zhao Junchen believed that the war would only last for two months at most, and the local governments should be able to cope with it. He also ordered the local governments to properly settle the people who entered the city, at least to a certain extent.
We must stabilize food prices and open porridge shacks widely, and we must not starve to death. After the war is over, Zhao Junchen will try to supplement the official food consumption in various places!
When Zhao Junchen gave the order, he felt that his prestige in Shaanxi and Gansu was rising day by day, and he had sent uniformed guards and internal supervisors to patrol everywhere. Officials in various places should not dare to commit crimes against the trend!
However, Zhao Junchen still underestimated the greed and short-sightedness of these local officials! - They were not even afraid of Emperor Deqing when they were amassing money, so how could they be afraid of Zhao Junchen? Zhao Junchen's decree to clear the country was just right for them.
This is a great opportunity to search for land!
Taking Tianshui City as an example, when people from outside the city came to the city to escape the war, the local government did not take any resettlement measures, nor did it provide relief from porridge sheds. Not only did most of the people outside the city have to sleep on the streets, but prices in the city also increased.
It has skyrocketed, especially food prices, which have increased twenty to thirty times in a short period of time!
During this period, things like collusion between government and businessmen, price gouging, bad businessmen acting recklessly, government connivance, etc., naturally happened!
After years of natural disasters, the people outside the city were already poor, so how could they afford such exorbitant prices for food? As a result, the selling of wives and daughters soon appeared in Tianshui City, and the evil gentry and businessmen in the city even more so during this period.
Incomparably active, just a small bag of grain would cost people their savings, wives, daughters, houses, and fields, and the profits would be thousands of times higher after changing hands!
The common people spent all their savings, sold their wives and daughters, and pawned their houses and fields, but the food they bought could not last long. In the end, they had no choice but to rebel in order to survive!
As a result, a large-scale civil unrest broke out in Tianshui City, and it quickly lost control. Most of the city fell into the hands of the rebels, while the instigators could only huddle in a corner of the east city and defend it!
Although the letter asking for help only mentioned a few words about this situation, the civil and military officials in the tent were all experienced officials, so they naturally figured out the general situation very quickly!
Then, everyone realized the seriousness of the matter!
You know, Tianshui City is located on the south bank of the Wei River and is an important part of Zhao Junchen's plan to contain the Mongolian coalition forces. Now that such a change has occurred, Zhao Junchen's painstakingly laid out battle plan is likely to fall short!
For a moment, everyone did not dare to speak. They just watched Zhao Junchen's expression with fear, waiting for Zhao Junchen's final decision!
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At this time, under everyone's gaze, Zhao Junchen's face was still as heavy as water!
At this moment, Zhao Junchen finally realized how helpless and powerless he felt when he was surrounded by a group of corrupt officials!
For this war, Zhao Junchen has been forgetting all sleep and food these days, and has almost exhausted all his energy!
As a result, it was about to be done, but unexpectedly, it was stabbed in the back by a group of pig teammates!
What the common people are most worried about is whether they will be able to eat tomorrow. Naturally, they have no long-term vision or overall awareness, and they do not know what kind of trouble their rebellion has brought to Zhao Junchen, so Zhao Junchen does not resent the rebellious people.
, Zhao Junchen hates those corrupt officials, evil businessmen and bad tycoons! These people are the main culprits who ruined his affairs!
In a way, this is Zhao Junchen's own bitter fruit of using corrupt officials to form cliques!
Of course, Zhao Junchen himself also bears a great responsibility for this matter. Zhao Junchen has been focusing on the war these days and has paid almost no attention to the relief work for the people. He has left almost all the responsibility to the governors of various places. This is also God's fault.
One of the reasons why those corrupt officials and businessmen in Shuicheng are so bold!
Therefore, it is really difficult for Zhao Junchen to express his feelings to others. He is both angry and helpless!
However, when Zhao Junchen noticed that all the civil and military officials in the big tent were looking at him, he finally managed to calm down the complicated emotions in his heart - Zhao Junchen knew that he must not be chaotic at this time!
After Zhao Junchen glanced at everyone present, he said slowly: "I originally thought that the plan to build a strong wall and clear the country was all for the sake of the people, but now it seems that such a plan is probably as harmful to the people as the Mongolian coalition.
Robbery, otherwise I have always been obedient to the people, and would not rebel and seize the city unless absolutely necessary... It is really difficult to judge the merits and demerits of this time... But it is too late to say this, the situation has become like this, everyone
Do you have any good advice for me?"
After hearing Zhao Junchen's inquiry, his tone returned to calmness. Everyone in the tent secretly breathed a sigh of relief and finally dared to speak.
Wu Qifan, the prefect of Xi'an, took the lead in making a statement and said: "It is unheard of for the rioters to seize the city in more than two hundred years of our reign! This matter is of great importance, and now it is wartime, and the Tianshui Rebellion can be said to be a small matter.
Use your whole body and send troops to quell the chaos as soon as possible!"
Fang Zhenshan, the commander-in-chief of Guyuan, frowned and said: "Of course we need to quell the chaos, but now that all the Shaanxi-Gansu border troops have gathered around Jiezhou City, which army should be sent to Tianshui City to quell the chaos? Qi Binxin
The army is closest to Tianshui City, but according to the imperial envoy's battle plan, after the Mongolian coalition forces hit the wall in Jiezhou City, we will narrow the encirclement, force them all the way south, and finally have a decisive battle near the Weishui River, and Qi Bin's new army will be there by then.
To be responsible for blocking the retreat route of the Mongolian coalition forces, the responsibility is the most important and cannot be taken lightly! Moreover, Tianshui City is located on the south bank of the Weishui River. Now it has fallen into the hands of the rebels, and a gap has appeared in the encirclement. This plan also has flaws.
I’m afraid future wars will have to be re-planned!”
As Fang Zhenshan finished speaking, a lieutenant general from Guyuan Military Town said loudly: "These refugees suddenly rebelled and ruined the imperial envoy's plan. It is really abominable! I am humbled and asked to lead three thousand soldiers to Tiantian to rebel. It is bound to happen."
If we can recapture Tianshui City in the shortest possible time and behead all the rebellious people, we will never let this civil unrest ruin the Imperial Envoy’s plan!”
Shaanxi Inspector Zhou Bo looked sternly and said: "This civil uprising has certainly affected the general plan, but the course of the Tianshui Rebellion is really strange! As far as I know, when you ordered the imperial envoy to fortify the walls and clear the country, you had
Repeatedly reiterated the importance of resettling the people to the local governments, and strictly ordered the local governments to open at least two porridge shacks for relief every day. If the Tianshui prefecture strictly implemented the orders of the imperial envoy, the people of Tianshui City would never commit rebellion. This is probably the case.
It’s because of the wealthy officials and merchants in Tianshui City who oppressed the people! Therefore, I believe that you, the imperial envoy, should severely punish the culprits, so that you can calm the people and put an end to the chaos as soon as possible!”
While everyone was making suggestions, Li Ru'an, as the eunuch of the Supervisory Army, did not say a word. Instead, his face turned pale and his expression was a little panicked. In order to control the place, Zhao Junchen sent Jin Yiwei and internal eunuchs to various places to take charge of inspections.
, Li Ruan is in charge of this matter, but now that such a big thing has happened in Tianshui City, Li Ruan has not received any news at all. Naturally, he has a heavy responsibility - so when Zhao Junchen was angry just now, he looked at Li Ruan in a particularly special way.
Ice cold!
On the other side, after hearing everyone's suggestions, Zhao Junchen still had a cold expression and his eyes were vaguely disappointed.
After everyone expressed their opinions, Zhao Junchen said coldly: "It seems that you still don't realize what this incident means! Let me ask you, this civil unrest in Tianshui City is obviously
The collusion between officials and businessmen has forced the people into desperation... So, except for Tianshui City, what is the situation in other places now? Could it be that the officials and wealthy families in other places are more honest and kind than Tianshui City? Humph! The world is like crows.
Black! I'm afraid that all the things that happened in Tianshui City have also happened in other places. Now it's not just the things in Tianshui City. If the people everywhere were persecuted during the Qianbi Qingye period, they all have this feeling in their hearts.
With resentment... Under such circumstances, once the civil unrest in Tianshui City spreads to all parts of Shaanxi and Gansu, what impact will it have? Have you ever thought about this? "
Hearing Zhao Junchen's inquiry, the expressions of everyone present changed drastically once again!
In the past few years, Shaanxi and Gansu have been invaded by fire and invaded, and there have been natural disasters one after another. There was originally deep public dissatisfaction. Zhao Junchen had already noticed this public resentment. He originally planned to solve the urgent problem of invading invaders first, and then slowly take action after the war.
To clean up the matter, but now that the local governments are taking advantage of the opportunity to clear the country, this public resentment must have reached the extreme, just like a gunpowder keg that is about to explode! And once the civil unrest in Tianshui City spreads, it will obviously
Take the lead and light the fuse!
For a moment, many people in the tent seemed to have seen the people from all over Shaanxi and Gansu revolting, and they couldn't help but break into a cold sweat!
After seeing that everyone finally realized the seriousness of the matter, Zhao Junchen finally said slowly: "Therefore, the Tianshui civil unrest must be dealt with properly as soon as possible! Not only must this civil unrest be ended before it causes any impact, but also
We must also use this to let the people see hope and vent their resentment! At the same time, we must try to minimize the impact on the war!"
After saying that, Zhao Junchen turned his eyes to Li Ru'an, who had been afraid to speak, and said: "Li Jianjun, you will lead thirty guards and go to Tianshui City in person!"
After hearing what Zhao Junchen said, everyone's first reaction was that Zhao Junchen wanted to kill Li Ruan!
What use can thirty guards be in the midst of chaos?
Originally, they thought that Li Ruan would strongly object. As an eunuch in charge of the military, if he insisted on objecting, Zhao Junchen would have no choice but to do so!
However, to everyone's surprise, although Li Ruan's face became paler, he did not resist in the end. He just stepped out and asked: "I would like to ask the Imperial Envoy for instructions on what to do specifically!"
Zhao Junchen's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he said: "Didn't I just say that? The local officials who oppress the people will be killed! The evil businessmen who drive up prices to make black money will be killed! They were originally responsible for monitoring the local area but were betrayed by local officials.
The bribed Jin Yiwei will also be killed! As for the rebellious people... I will give you the right to make decisions on the spur of the moment. It will be up to you to decide according to the situation! Rehabilitate can also be used! Zhao'an can also be used! But the control of Tianshui City must be restored in the shortest possible time.