Chapter 884 0879 [Under the emperor’s sword, all living beings are equal]
Arrest people directly?
Everyone present was astonished.
With the huge reputation of the Yimen Chen family, the normal process should not be like this. You still have to bargain when doing business, let alone splitting up a family.
The emperor should first send an imperial envoy to commend the Chen family, and then bring up the matter of dismantling and relocating the clan. Moreover, he should have a good discussion, fully listen to the Chen family's opinions, and finally make concessions to achieve a happy result for everyone.
Yes, the Ming Dynasty was crazy about dismantling clans in the north, but can those families compare with the Chen family?
A hundred years ago, the Yimen Chen family was split into 291 parts and moved to various parts of the country to replace their land.
But the remaining 47 pieces of land are distributed in the five counties of De'an, Dehua, Jianchang, Ruichang, and Xingzi. They are still controlled by the Chen family members who stayed in Jiangxi. This does not include various shops, temples, theaters, and hospitals.
Pavilion... is included.
A piece of land is a village!
The tribesmen who stayed in Jiangxi were not divided into families, regardless of whether they were the main clan or the branch. The highest control was the patriarch (tribal head), followed by the heads of each house. They sent people to the village to serve as village heads, and also sent people to manage other chattels.
or real estate.
During the Southern Tang Dynasty, there were more than 700 Chen family members in Yimen, Jiangzhou.
Fifty years later, the family population has doubled.
Sixty years later, the number has increased to nearly 4,000, and the family income has never been divided.
So the imperial court ordered the tribes to be demolished and relocated. At that time, about 3,300 people were moved away, and more than 500 people remained in Jiangxi. A hundred years later, the more than 500 people who stayed behind multiplied to about 3,000 people again!
One village after another, the land was annexed by the Chen family in Yimen, Jiangzhou, and the villagers became tenants under the control of the Chen family.
Although there are only 3,000 members of the tribe, they control tens of thousands of farmers, and they are distributed over a vast area of five surrounding counties.
If he takes action directly, isn't Wei Liangchen afraid of causing trouble?
At that time, Quan Bangyan led troops to guard Jiujiang, but Zhong Xiang fought for several years but could not defeat him.
Is it really Quan Bangyan who wields troops like a god?
No.
Just because Quan Bangyan gained the support of the Chen family!
Prime Minister Zhong destroyed schools in Hunan, killed Confucian students, and divided fields. All kinds of actions frightened the Chen family of Yimen. They took the initiative to find Quan Bangyan to cooperate, paid and hired people to help recruit rural soldiers, and collaborated with other gentry to help.
The rural soldiers recruited by these gentry exploded with amazing fighting power when defending their hometown.
Although Prime Minister Zhong's soldiers had religious bonuses, they could not capture Jiujiang City defended by Jiangxi soldiers.
As for the Ming Dynasty, it depends on whether it can spread the message in Jiangxi. It is simply that the Ming Dynasty will not mess around, will not rob their fields, demolish their ancestral halls, and destroy their schools!
Chen Zongxian was completely stunned. It was not until he was pushed to the ground by soldiers that he shouted in panic: "Governor Wei, we have something to discuss. Why are you doing this?"
Wei Liangchen's face was expressionless: "The Ministry of Punishment has no power to execute prisoners, so it must be reported to His Majesty. The important affairs of the country are in the army and sacrifices, but you are privately offering sacrifices to the Spring and Autumn Society. With all this, you are trying to seize the power of the emperor.
Trespassing the imperial system! What are we talking about? Are we talking about the emperor's abdication and asking the Chen family of Jiangzhou Yimen to ascend to the throne?"
"No such thing, no such thing!" Chen Zongxian was so frightened that he trembled in fear.
Another clan elder said: "Governor Wei, Chen Dong and Chen Shaoyang of the Inspectorate are also descendants of the Chen family of our Yimen. They are all members of our own family. It is easy to talk about everything. There is no need to use force to arrest people."
"The Chen family of Yimen exists all over the country," Wei Liangchen said, "I came here this time on the order of the emperor to clean up the Chen family of Yimen in Jiangzhou and have nothing to do with the other Chen families of Yimen. Take them away!"
Several old men were carried to the river to board the boat, and the rest of the tribe followed closely and kept begging.
Not long after, more than two hundred scholars, including a few years old Meng Tong, came from Chen's Book Hall to block the way.
A scholar in his twenties asked: "I, the Chen family, have surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, obeyed the law, and loved my neighbors. Why do you arrest people!"
"Setting up a private court is also a matter of serving the public and abiding by the law?" Wei Liangchen asked rhetorically.
The scholar argued, "That is a thing of the past. I, Mrs. Chen, no longer resort to lynching."
Wei Liangchen smiled and said: "Whether he is guilty or not will be known after the trial."
"You are arresting people randomly and destroying good people!" another scholar said angrily.
These scholars came forward noisily and tried to surround Wei Liangchen.
Another group of people came with villagers, including members of the Chen clan and tenants under their control. They even came with hoes and sticks, intending to use force to rescue the clan leader.
Chen Zongxian was almost fainted from fright, and shouted quickly: "Go back, you guys will go home, don't do anything random!"
"Parents, please rest assured, we will not sit back and let the cruel officials take you away!" a strong man shouted.
Chen Zongxian roared angrily: "You bastard, disperse the people quickly. You are not saving me, you are harming me, you are harming the Chen family!"
Wei Liangchen shouted: "The king's flag is here, as if the emperor is here in person. Anyone who dares to stop him will be regarded as treason and will be killed without mercy. Blow the trumpet and gather the troops!"
"woo woo woo woo!"
The military bugle sounded.
The garrison and Cao troops who stayed by the river formed formation and trotted towards Wei Liangchen.
There were about three or four hundred steps left when military whistles suddenly blew one after another.
All soldiers slowed down to a stop, reorganized their formation and advanced. They also strung their bows, unsheathed their swords, and raised their guns, directly entering a state of combat.
The Chen family's armed forces, who were still hesitating whether to disperse, were frightened to death upon seeing this.
They had held off Zhong Xiang in Jiujiang for several years, but they had prepared all the troops and armor to defend the city, and they were afraid that Zhong Xiang would invade Jiangxi and burn, kill and loot. Now they only have hoes and sticks in their hands and no city walls to rely on, and they are not
If you have to fight, how can you dare to confront the officers and soldiers?
The tenants retreated one after another, but did not dare to leave for fear of being punished later.
"Disperse, disperse quickly!" Chen Zongxian shouted with all his strength.
Once there is a fight with the officers and soldiers, it will be a serious crime of rebellion, and the Chen family of Jiangzhou Yimen will be destroyed.
When the clan leader ordered them to disperse, the tenants immediately dispersed like birds and beasts.
The young men of the Chen clan also dispersed around Wei Liangchen.
Only the scholars of the Chen family were still blocking the way. They did not believe that the officers and soldiers dared to kill the soldiers.
However, Wei Liangchen ordered: "The king's flag is here. Anyone who stops the governor from handling the case will be killed on the spot without mercy!"
The army marched on, even their shields raised.
Chen Zongxian was so anxious that he was sweating profusely and shouted in panic: "Go back to study quickly and don't block the road!"
The officers and soldiers were already more than ten steps away, and the scholars of the Chen family finally collapsed.
Because they discovered that as long as they blocked the road, those officers and soldiers would really dare to massacre the scholars.
The scholars moved away one after another, and the road became clear.
Chen Zongxian's hanging heart also dropped, and then he became limp and was dragged to the shore by two soldiers to board the ship.
About 70% of the provincial and county officials at the third level in Nanchang City were brought here by Wei Liangchen. He said to the officials: "Clear the fields in De'an County immediately. If anyone dares to block it, the soldiers will be notified to arrest them. If anyone resists with weapons,
, no need to interrogate, kill on the spot! Complete the land clearing in De'an County, and then go to Ruichang, Dehua, Xingzi, and Jianchang counties."
Jiujiang Prefecture, established by the Ming Dynasty, had seven counties in total.
Five of them are the territory of the Chen family in Yimen. It is not that they have occupied all the land in the five counties, but they have merged into tracts, and they have firmly controlled the countryside. They have even monopolized many industries in prefectures and cities, especially
It is the port of Jiujiang that makes money every day.
Wei Liangchen also summoned the elders of the Chen clan who had not been arrested to hold a meeting and negotiate at the Chen clan ancestral hall.
Of course we have to talk, but we must fight first and then be polite, otherwise no one will listen to Wei Liangchen’s words!
Wei Liangchen glanced at the group of elders: "In the chaotic times of the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, only Jiangxi was stable. You have been developing steadily in Jiujiang for hundreds of years, and you seem to have forgotten the majesty of the imperial court. Under the emperor's sword, all living beings are equal, but it doesn't matter whether you are a wealthy family or a scholar.
. Let me introduce to you again, this command flag and this command token are collectively called the King’s Order Flag Tablet.”
Two flag officers stood up, one holding the flag high and the other showing the flag.
Wei Liangchen raised his voice: "I am in Jiangxi and can mobilize troops at will. I use the royal flag to kill people, which is equivalent to the emperor's order to kill. There has been a civil uprising in Ji'an Prefecture, but the Third Division of Jiangxi actually concealed it and did not report it. The emperor was already furious, and the cabinet
I am already furious. Whoever dares to resist clearing the land of the father-in-law and dividing the land among the peasants, I will kill many people in Jiangxi. I will not hesitate to kill all the Chen family of Yimen in Jiangzhou!"
The elders of the Chen clan who were originally resentful suddenly changed their expressions when they heard these words.
Many guys were hesitant to speak. They wanted to complain, but they were afraid of getting themselves killed.
Wei Liangchen continued: "The Chen family must have committed a serious crime by setting up a private court. If it is discovered that you have concealed the acres of land during the marriage, it will be an even greater crime!"
As soon as this statement came out, some people were already worried.
In the Tang and Song dynasties, the Chen family in Yimen, Jiangzhou, had the privilege of being exempted from corvee. However, in the Ming Dynasty and the New Dynasty, not only did they lose this privilege, but they also had to divide the land into acres and pay the labor service according to the number of acres.
How could they not hide their property?
The rural areas controlled by the Chen family cannot be flooded, and the officials who go to the countryside to farm their fields cannot use their hands freely. Some of the officials are even members of the Chen family or their minions.
Wei Liangchen is not here to kill people, he is here to solve problems.
Blindly pushing Chen to death, the land husbandry work in Jiangxi will have to be postponed.
"I'll give you a chance," Wei Liangchen said with a smile, "a chance to make meritorious deeds. It depends on whether you can seize it."
Immediately, an elder from the Chen clan asked cautiously: "What does the governor want us to do?"
Wei Liangchen said: "I want three hundred people who can write and count, and they must be young people under 25 years old. Follow me to other prefectures and counties to start farming!"
The elders of the Chen clan were stunned.
This job is hot!
Let the Chen family in Yimen, Jiangzhou, send young people to go to other counties to clear their land. If they are serious about clearing their land, they will definitely offend other wealthy families. If they mess up, the Chen family will add insult to injury.
Moreover, after the Qing Dynasty was completed, the Chen family changed from the original "victim" to an accomplice of the governor's oppression of the wealthy family!
Wei Liangchen asked: "Aren't you willing to commit crimes and meritorious service? Then I can only strictly investigate the evidence of Chen's crime."
"We are willing!"
Just when Wei Liangchen stood up and left, the elders of the Chen clan shouted one after another.
For the Chen family of Yimen, they have no choice but to offend other families.
Moreover, the Chen family of my Yi family has been married off. Why aren't your families being investigated?
