A century-old family that runs through the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 138 Luchuan
"There are also good people among the eunuchs. Sometimes, the emperor even has to rely on them to fight against threats in the court."

"Eunuchs are the emperor's personal ministers and are there to serve you. Therefore, the emperor and eunuchs naturally feel close to each other. This is for sure."

"But never do something inappropriate because of this closeness, or even give them unreserved power and treat them as relatives. This is extremely wrong."

"Your Majesty, you must remember that you are the most powerful person in the world. You cannot live without people you trust, because you need these people to help you rule the world; but you cannot live without doubts, because power is coveted by everyone. of."

"Your Majesty, you are still young now. When you grow up, you will understand these principles."

"Everyone in this world is just your tool, nothing more."

"Even if it's me... too."

Xiao Zhu Qizhen nodded as if he understood.

……

After dealing with Wang Zhen, Yan Keng was about to deal with the other guy.

The southwest side is already in chaos.

Not long ago, Meng Yang's Xuanwei envoy Si Renfa took advantage of Luchuan's Xuanwei envoy Diao Binyu's weakening strength to rebel in Luchuan and expel Diao Binyu. Then he actually invaded the territory of the Ming Dynasty and defeated Mengding, Wandian, Nandian Prefecture, looting and plundering!
Mu Sheng, the commander-in-chief of Yunnan and Duke of Guizhou, immediately reported it to the court. However, Zhengtong had just come to power at that time and the court was still unstable. Therefore, Yan Keng just ordered someone to scold Si Renfa and ordered him to return the land, intending to settle the accounts later in the autumn.

What I originally thought was that the Ming Dynasty was so powerful that Si Renfa would not dare to openly oppose him, and he would definitely retreat. In this way, even if a fight started, it would be outside the country.

But what he didn't expect was that this Meng Yangxuan comfort envoy was so bold. He actually refused to obey the imperial edict, and sent troops to plunder everywhere, attack local officials, and even massacre the people!

After hearing the news, Yan Keng felt filled with anger.

He found Zhu Qizhen and said to him:
"Your Majesty, do you know what the cornerstone of the dynasty is?"

"I know, it's the people. You said that the people are the cornerstone of the dynasty's rule, and we must treat them well no matter what." Zhu Qizhen replied.

"Yes, Your Majesty, you are your father, you are the father of the world, and the people of the world are like your sons. Books often praise a certain emperor who 'loves his people like his son', and that's what it means."

"The people provide taxes to the court to thank you for your kindness in allowing them to farm on the land. They also thank the Ming Dynasty's army for protecting them and giving them a peaceful land to farm and live."

"Now Luchuan Si Renfa has invaded the land ruled by the Ming Dynasty and massacred our people. Wherever he passed, lives were reduced to ashes and bones were exposed in the wild. When I heard about it, my heart was cut like a knife!"

"The people pay taxes and provide us with labor. Is this how the court repays them? Now that they have suffered such a disaster, how can we ignore it?"

"If we don't avenge this revenge, how can we rest in peace with the souls of the people in Southwest China? How can we sit on this high position with peace of mind and enjoy the worship of people all over the world?"

"There are still people in the imperial court who don't agree to send troops. I don't know what these people are thinking!"

"Your Majesty, I request the Ming Dynasty to send troops to the southwest to wipe out the Luchuan rebels, capture Si Renfa, and have him cut into pieces in the capital to pay homage to the dead souls of the people!"

Zhu Qizhen's blood boiled with emotion under his words.His young face showed a serious look, and he said solemnly:

"You are right, Mr. Chen Guo. If Luchuan Sirenfa did this, if I don't conquer him, how can I show my face to the people of the world?"

"It's just the courtiers crying about the emptiness of the household. That's a problem."

"At the end of last year, I ordered the Forbidden City to be rebuilt, and spent a lot of money to prepare materials and recruit craftsmen. Now that such a big event has happened, how can I continue to enjoy it." "I will order them all to stop work, and I will complete the construction of the city." All the money was used for military purposes to bring peace to Luchuan!"

So the next day, a decree came from the palace, saying:
"In the past, Silunfa (the father of Si Renfa) rebelled, leading to the success of setting the border. Taizu thought that he was sincere in repenting, so he still used Meng Yang to comfort him and let him go. Little did he know that he did not repent, and what happened today happened !”

"Luchuan is reckless, disrespectful of the imperial court, repeatedly invades the frontier, and slaughters our people of the Ming Dynasty. This is intolerable."

"Order Mu Sheng, Duke of Guizhou, to be the general in the southern expedition, followed by Governor Fang Zheng on the left, and Mu Ang, Governor on the right, to lead a total of 15 troops from the four provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Sichuan to conquer Luchuan!"

After the edict was issued, the war machine of the Ming Dynasty immediately started to move.

The Ming army in the southwest also began to gather.

However, although Yan Keng was very angry, he was not worried about what would happen to Southwest.

Not only him, but other officials in the court also believed that the Ming army should be devastated, and Si Renfa would not have the power to resist at all.

Although the Xuanweisi in the southwest were named Ming Dynasty rule, they were actually autonomous. Although Luchuan was in western Yunnan, there was no Han official rule there at all.

In the eyes of Ming Dynasty officials, they were all "barbarians", and their level of civilization was not even as good as those of the native officials. After all, the place where the native officials were located was still a mixture of local culture and "civilization."

How could the Yi people be the rivals of my country of etiquette and the heavenly kingdom?

The long-term victory of the Ming army in foreign wars also convinced them that there would be no problems with the Ming army's combat effectiveness.

Therefore, although troops were ordered to quell the rebellion, the ministers in the court soon forgot about the matter.

Compared with the southwest, the officials in the DPRK were actually more concerned about the disaster that broke out in the heart of the Ming Dynasty.

The second year of Zhengtong was a year full of disasters.

First, a drought broke out in Liufu, Pingliang, Shaanxi. Wheat seedlings withered, wells dried up, and people had no food and clothing. Many people embarked on the road of displacement, and the number of refugees increased.

Then, the Yellow River and the Huaihe River overflowed one after another. In the north, Beizhi, Shandong, and Henan were affected, and the water covered thousands of miles. In the south, Jiangxi and Nanzhi also turned into Zeguo.

I don’t know how many people were drowned in the floods, let alone how many people were forced to leave their homes.

The reason why some people opposed the Ming army's conquest of Luchuan before was because there were too many places where Ming Dynasty needed money.

Fortunately, Zhu Qizhen came up with the money he needed to build the palace, and the ministers believed that Si Renfa would not last long, so they agreed half-heartedly.

Now, it's time to deal with these refugees.

Yan Keng first ordered to exempt the two capitals and three provinces from taxes for one year, and then quickly ordered the opening of warehouses to provide food supplies.

He appointed officials to gather the refugees, and then ordered the prisoners in the prison, except those on death row, to atone for their sins by transporting money and food.

After a lot of trouble, the various places in Ming Dynasty finally calmed down a little.

(End of this chapter)