Chapter 69 Covering Disasters and Proclaiming Holy (4)
Tongpao Chen did not panic. He only raised his eyebrows slowly and asked him, "What happened?"
Jie Wenwu clutched the official document tightly: "Many refugees who escaped from Henan are rushing into the Nanguan Pass of the capital in groups. If they rush into the capital, wouldn't they cause a big disaster?"
Liu Mian opened his mouth and his face turned pale: "How many people are there?"
"They sent an urgent report. There was no specific number at all, just an estimate of tens of thousands." Jie Wenwu said.
"Whether they are ten thousand or one hundred thousand," Gao Jizhi waved his hand, "such mobs cannot be tolerated and their evil nature is nurtured. It is better to issue an emergency order quickly. If the people do not obey the rules, use force to drive them away!"
"If a civil uprising is triggered..."
Liu Mian was about to continue but was interrupted by Gao Jizhi: "You are overthinking this. These refugees only come here in search of food. As long as their livelihood is not cut off, they will not dare to take risks."
The two men were still in doubt, and Tongpao Chen first expressed his support: "What Gao Shangshu said is right, but I would like to add one more point. Even if they really rebelled, they are rebellious officials and traitors. Their nature is terrible.
It has changed. Who in the court dares to talk about this? Sir, please rest assured."
Jie Wenwu glanced at Liu Mian, and they understood each other, so he said: "I will go back and write an official document right away, all in accordance with the idea of the Ministry of Personnel."
"Without further delay, I will go to the Ancestral Temple to accompany the sacrifice first, and you can follow later." Liu Mian stood up and saluted.
"I understand." Jie Wenwu hurriedly walked out.
The defenders at Nanguan looked down at the city wall and saw that the refugees had already set up shacks and huddled on the road, intending to survive the cold winter months.
"Let us enter Beijing quickly!" Many people couldn't stand their hunger and began to knock on the iron door.
"Why haven't you replied from above..." the officer said irritably, slamming his fist on the wall.
"Just wait." Several lieutenants also looked at the scene below the city, feeling uneasy.
"Wait?" the officer snorted, "If we wait any longer, these people will start a rebellion!"
"Coming!"
The officer followed the shouting and saw a soldier climbing up the tower quickly, holding a letter in his hand and breathing heavily.
"This is Mr. Jie's reply. Please take a look at it, General!" He strode forward and handed the letter to each other.
"Where are the people from the Ministry of War?" the officer asked while opening the letter.
"He just gave me a few instructions and had no intention of lingering."
"Weird..." the officer frowned, and then stared at the few lines of text in the letter: "People looking for food must not be allowed into the capital, and they should be driven to Hebei to avoid causing worries to the court. If you use gentle words
If you fail to persuade them and then rush into the pass arbitrarily, it can be regarded as anti-people and punished without mercy.'
"What did Duke Jie write?" The lieutenants also wanted to come over and take a look.
"You can see for yourselves," the officer said, his face livid, and he sighed heavily, "Tell each battalion to be ready at all times...I will go and persuade them first."
The lieutenants were still puzzled. After reading the content of the letter, they all looked at each other in shock: "This..."
The officer walked to the wall again, looked at the people who were gathering more and more, and shouted loudly: "Everyone! This general has something to say! The capital has been having a hard time recently. Please move to Hebei, where there is food.
There is enough land for you to survive!"
"We spent a lot of hard work to get to Gyeonggi Province, and if you let us go back, we would have starved to death by then!" The anger of the refugees was beyond words, and they continued to knock on the door, making a loud bang.
"Open the door! Open the door!" Several hands stretched out from the crowd and went straight to the crack of the door.
The officer watched everything with solemn eyes and slowly uttered a few words to the people beside him: "Let's do it."
"Please ask Liu Mian, Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, to come forward——"
Liu Mian held the memorial in his hand and knelt down outside the palace door. He saw that the emperor in the room was wearing a robe and was kneeling in front of the portrait of the late emperor.
"I have this memorial."
An eunuch came over, took the memorial, and stood under the golden plaque in the Ancestral Temple and read out: "The Ministry of Household Affairs has a surplus of 32,480,000 taels this year. The weather is good in all provinces, and there are no refugees. We hope that there will be a good year again after winter."
!”
"The country is at peace and the people are at peace, Your Majesty is wise!" Liu Mian and many of the ministers accompanying the sacrifice shouted long live and knelt down.
All of a sudden there was singing and music in the palace. The emperor performed the first gift, prayed to the late emperor, and then kowtowed his head to the cold ground.
Bang!
The cannon on the city wall suddenly fired, and a cannonball hit the crowd, raising bursts of blood-colored smoke, and screams reaching the sky. The city gate was also opened immediately, and two teams of horse troops were dispatched from the pass.
Holding the sword and gun tightly, he flew towards the refugees.
"Chen Jie has his own civil and military records!"
The eunuch took the memorial from the Ministry of War and read it again in a longer voice: "The Ministry of War has reorganized the border troops this year, and has made the captives escape far away. The expenditure has been reduced compared with last year, and there is no need to worry about foreign troubles!"
"Your Majesty, your Majesty! The dynasty will live forever!" This time the noise was louder, and several adults from the Ministry of War celebrated with their foreheads. Only Ye Yongjia remained silent, only listening to their words of praise: "I am truly blessed by His Majesty's holiness.
Every inch of land is in peace and prosperity!"
After the emperor went to Asia and presented the gifts, he kowtowed to the late emperor again.
Bang!
The sound of artillery resounded through the sky again, and the collapsed shacks were filled with piles of corpses. The army shouted at the top of its lungs and chased the fleeing refugees in all directions like slaughtering lambs.
"This year, the officials deposed the officials in accordance with the regulations, followed the holy will, and coordinated the officials. The wise and foolish people did not lose their positions and the government was not harmonious. The country is fortunate!"
"The Emperor's Holy Ming!"
The steward Shen Jing placed all the six memorials on the incense table, and the emperor murmured to the magic tablet: "If my father has a soul in heaven, and sees that his son has such a world, he should close his eyes..." He then clasped his hands and closed his eyes.
He bowed his head to the statue for the last time.
Bang!
"Stop! Didn't you hear me telling you to stop?" The officer pushed the artilleryman away fiercely, "Everyone is dead!"
He stared blankly at the blood-red scenery in front of the pass. Groups of naked corpses were almost forming a hill, almost half as high as the city gate.
"First clean up the scene and count how many people are dead." The officer's tone was very feeble.
After a while, the road in front of him was almost cleared, but the officer still stood there, motionless.
"How many people..." he asked softly.
"More than 10,000 people died in anti-republican activities."
"Report the news to the Ministry of War," the officer's eyes were already red. "In addition, find other fleeing refugees and escort them to the border of Hebei to complete the mission above."
After the December Festival, Jie Wenwu still sat in the yamen of the Ministry of War every day, waiting for news from Nanguan. Suddenly one day, he received a reply from there: "The matter has been settled properly, and most of the anti-people dead are enough to make them aware of the government's actions."
With the threat, the refugees in the two provinces will no longer dare to act recklessly.'