Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

Chapter 271 Why (Part 4)

"Keep your voice down. He is now the Grand Marshal of the Armies of the Nation and the most trusted person of the current Emperor. Do you want to die?"

"Hey, I didn't mean anything else. It was just a sesame seed bun. He didn't bully me."

"But it's strange. I used to see him hanging out on the streets with a bunch of young masters from Mr. Xun's family, but I haven't seen him much in the past year."

"You are just ignorant. Haven't you heard that a prodigal son who returns is worth more than gold?

Besides, if you are born in a duke's family and have no right of inheritance, let alone the Grand Marshal, how can you and I advance if we are like this?"

"Brother, what you said makes sense. It's me, your younger brother, who is ignorant. If I were born in such a wealthy family, I would be even more dissolute than him."

"Don't talk nonsense. The Grand Marshal is a man of real ability. We all know how rotten the Beijing camp is, right?

Guess what? The Grand Marshal transformed the Beijing Camp into a strong army in just half a year, and even defeated the Jian Nu! "

"Now that the Grand Marshal has wiped out those corrupt officials in one fell swoop, I think we will have a good life in the future."

"makes sense"

……

For a while, there were mixed opinions off the field, but overall, the majority of people praised it.

After all, punishing corrupt officials is the main theme that the people talk about with relish.

Zhang Shikang didn't hear what the people below were saying, he waved his hand for silence.

In front of the execution platform, there stood a whole row of burly generals, serving as the palace guard of honor. These burly generals were all strong and sturdy.

They are dressed in shining armor and may never go to the battlefield in their entire lives, but they have one common advantage, which is that they have loud voices, making them the best microphones for the emperor to announce his decrees.

Zhang Shikang specially asked Brother Chongzhen to borrow an entire team.

The imperial edict was drafted by Emperor Chongzhen long ago. This time, Zhang Shikang did not let the people from the Imperial Household Department read it out, but chose to read it out himself.

"The Emperor, by the Will of Heaven, proclaims:

I, with my cool virtue, have inherited the great throne, and wish to renew the world and return to the traditions of our ancestors.

I unexpectedly relied on the wrong people, which led to the rise of bandits, the emptiness of the national treasury, the exposure of my teachers and students, and the suffering of the people. This is my fault.

The people he relied on were not the right people, but the Donglin scholars.

The Donglin people, on the surface, are loyal to the emperor and the country, but on the inside they are petty and despicable, corrupt and illegal, embezzling land, deceiving their superiors and subordinates, so they are called patriots, but in fact they are traitors to the country. "

Every time Zhang Shikang read out a sentence, the big Han general in front would repeat it in a loud voice. In places farther away, the soldiers from the Beijing camp and the Five Cities Army would take over to teach more people the root cause of this turmoil.

"I have been misled by Donglin for a long time.

The bandits are wreaking havoc on the countryside and killing our children. The soldiers are short of food and pay, and are suffering from hunger and cold. I am deeply concerned about this.

Thinking of her having to sleep in the open air, I cannot bear to let her sleep in the deep palace. Thinking of her having to drink ice and eat coarse food, I cannot bear to enjoy the delicious food alone.

Thinking of his risking his life in armor, I could not bear to wear fine clothes alone, so I reduced his meals and stopped his entertainment.

Apart from the ceremony, I wore blue clothes to show that I share the same hardships as the soldiers in my line.

I have solicited donations from all officials, including the ministers and vice ministers of various departments, with some giving a hundred taels and some a thousand taels. I think that the backbone of the country is in trouble and I cannot bear to criticize them harshly.

However, after investigation, it was found that an official in Beijing, who was only the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, had a huge fortune of one million taels.

My heart aches, I feel sad, and I feel angry! "

After reading this, Zhang Shikang's face suddenly became a little strange. He coughed and continued reading:

"Fortunately, there is a gifted talent from heaven, Zhang Shikang, the Marquis of Champion, who is the pillar of the country, my right-hand man, and the light of the people.

Resist the invaders at the national gate, save the children from danger, punish the traitors in the court, and make my eyes and ears clear.

The crimes of Donglin were far less serious than those of Wei eunuchs, and they brought disaster to the country and the people.

The court is in turmoil because of this, and the people are starving because of this.

Now I will use the power of thunder to make it clear to the universe.

Announce it to the world and let everyone know.

Admire this. "

It always feels a bit weird to praise yourself.

If Zhang Shikang had known that Brother Chongzhen would praise himself so much, he would have specifically asked Lao Wang to do it instead. He is too shy.

After the imperial edict was read, the people around were silent for a long time, and then they bowed down in the direction of the imperial city and shouted "Long live the emperor".

The sound waves were higher and higher and lasted for a long time.

At that time, Emperor Chongzhen was quietly handling government affairs in the Qianqing Palace with a frown on his brows. When the sound suddenly came, Emperor Chongzhen was startled.

"Wang Daban, what are you shouting outside?"

"Your Majesty, the people are shouting, "Long live the Majesty." Wang Chengen said with tears in his eyes.

Emperor Chongzhen's brows relaxed.

Zhang Shikang waved his hand to signal the people to stop, and it took a long time before the people around him quieted down.

He continued:

“Someone asked me yesterday whether the sentences for these Donglin scholars and corrupt officials who wanted to exterminate entire families at will were too heavy.

Those who speak of women and children should not be blamed, after all, those who are corrupt and pervert the law are not women and children. "

When Zhang Shikang said these words, he almost always used plain language. He believed that only in this way could he convey his meaning more clearly.

“At first, I thought it made sense.

Yes, on the surface, it is true.

But I thought about it for a long time and always felt that something was wrong.

Didn’t those corrupt officials enjoy the money they embezzled and the privileges they obtained for their wives, children, and relatives?

They are born wearing gold and silver, and born with wealth that you can't even imagine!

They don't even know what simple food tastes like!

They harm people and can use their power to escape responsibility.

They used the people's money that their fathers embezzled, and had endless money to meet all their needs.

Now, you ask me, shouldn’t they be punished?”

Zhang Shikang suddenly raised his voice.

"Why?"

Zhang Shikang's eyes were bright and his face was stern, which came from his unwillingness to be treated like cattle and horses in the future, and also from his pity for the people of this world.

This is the way the world is.

He had been angry, but at that time he was powerless and could only bury the injustice deep in his heart and live from day to day.

But he came here, he saw the darkness, and he had the power to change.

In this decadent era, in this devastated world.

For a moment, Zhang Shikang even wanted to give up the idea of giving up.

To be a light in the darkness.

“They are enjoying the benefits brought by corrupt officials!

You should bear the price of this blessing!"

Zhang Shikang pointed at the family members of the corrupt officials and shouted angrily.

The people around were stunned.

They were dressed in rags, their faces were pale, their bodies were hunched over and they were weak.

In their old ideas, the world has always been like this.

They never thought about what is called justice until someone told them.

Yes, why?

silence.

There was a long silence.

Do not erupt in silence, but perish in silence.

After a long time, an old man raised his clenched fist.

"Kill them."

The voice was not loud, and even had a dryness and uneasiness that was not sure whether it came from excitement or fear.

But after a moment, even more violent voices erupted from the crowd.

That was the indignation of the common people.

"Kill them!"

……

PS: This chapter was extremely difficult to write. It took me more than two hours to write, and there is still one more chapter to go.