Chapter 254 Pressure

Kong Zhengan was taken away in a state of despair.

Tang Hao met the two rebels instead.

Tang Mu led the soldiers to guard outside the general's tent, and even Qiu Ju and Ma Zhongxi were blocked.

This time, Tang Mu drew his sword. Whoever dared to break into the general's tent would die!

Looking at the blade flashing with cold light, Qiu Ju and Ma Zhongxi did not dare to force their way in.

No one knew what Zhongshan Hou had talked about with the two rebels. After they finished talking, Leng Hantie personally escorted the two rebels back to Qufu County, not giving Qiu Ju and Ma Zhongxi any chance to intervene.

In desperation, the two could only enter the general's tent and question Zhongshan Hou.

"Tang Hao!"

"What do you want to do?"

"After all, the Kong family is the blood of the saint, and we must not let the rebels slaughter us!"

Ma Zhongxi shouted angrily.

He was indeed a little panicked now.

Previously, Tang Hao allowed the rebels to slaughter the Zhili gentry, and Ma Zhongxi wanted to stop them but couldn't.

Because the soldiers of the Beijing Army only obeyed the orders of the Marquis of Zhongshan, he, the military supervisor, could not even command a single soldier, but was imprisoned in disguise.

Even though he repeatedly reported to the court and made clear Tang Hao's wolfish ambitions, for some reason, the court did not deprive the Marquis of Zhongshan of his position as commander-in-chief, but instead allowed him to continue chasing the rebels and slaughtering the gentry!

Until the end, Ma Zhongxi finally reacted and realized that the emperor had long acquiesced to what the Marquis of Zhongshan did.

So, Ma Zhongxi was desperate and could only follow the army like a prisoner, watching the rebels slaughter one gentry after another.

But this time, it was really different!

That was the Kong family!

That was the blood of the saint!

How could they be slaughtered by the rebels like this?

"Minister Ma, I think you are too concerned!"

Tang Hao sneered: "Don't you know? The reason why Qufu County was taken away by the rebels was not because the rebels forcibly attacked the city, but because the Kong family, whom you praised to the sky, took the initiative to open the city and surrender!"

"The Kong family took the initiative to surrender to the rebels. In a sense, they have already participated in the rebellion. In this case, why should I care about their life or death?"

This reason is impeccable.

Anyone involved in the rebellion should undoubtedly die!

Even the descendants of saints are no exception!

However, Ma Zhongxi has studied the books of saints all his life and is an out-and-out child of the orthodox religion. How could he watch the descendants of saints being humiliated by the rebels?

"Tang Hao!"

"Don't make up your mind!"

"Even if the Kong family opened the city and surrendered, it was just a stopgap measure..."

"Fuck your mother's plan!" Tang Hao suddenly stood up, grabbed a stool and smashed it directly on Ma Zhongxi.

Instantly, Ma Zhongxi wailed in pain, and blood kept falling from his forehead.

If Tang Hao hadn't stopped and only used 10% or 20% of his strength, Ma Zhongxi would have died on the spot.

"Zhongshan Hou!" Qiu Ju panicked and hurried forward to stop Tang Hao.

Ma Zhongxi was the Minister of War and the military supervisor. If he was killed by Tang Hao in a rage, the matter would really be a big deal.

Tang Hao kicked Qiu Ju aside and scolded him harshly: "Do you know why Ma Yongcheng is more valued by His Majesty than you, as the governor of the East Factory?"

Qiu Ju was stunned when he heard this and lowered his head silently.

"Because Ma Yongcheng is more observant and smarter than you!"

"If you keep nagging me, I will abolish you. See if His Majesty will abolish me?"

Hearing this, Qiu Ju sighed in his heart and silently gave way.

Ma Zhongxi was still shouting and covering the wound on his forehead. Tang Hao walked up to him, squatted down and looked at him coldly.

"Can the descendants of saints do whatever they want?"

"Can the descendants of saints enslave the people?"

"Can the descendants of saints join the rebels?"

"You, Ma Zhongxi, have read the books of saints all your life, but have you fucking read them all into your dog's stomach?"

"Which Confucian saint taught you these principles? And which great Confucian scholar secretly instructed you to do this?"

Faced with the constant questioning of Zhongshan Hou, Ma Zhongxi was completely panicked.

"The descendants of the saints cannot be slaughtered, otherwise the court will lose the hearts of the gentry..."

"Haha!" Tang Hao sneered: "Ma Zhongxi, Ma Zhongxi, tell me, are you, the children of the famous religion, cheap?"

"You praised the Kong family members to the sky before, and put all the famous scholars on their heads without money. The Kong family annexed the land in Qufu County and enslaved the people, but you all turned a blind eye and continued to shout about the righteousness of the country."

"Now the Kong family has openly surrendered Qufu to the rebels. This is an outright act of treason. , those bastards dare to do this, and you, the children of famous religions, have to excuse them and make amends for them, but they may not remember your kindness. They just want to be acquitted and continue to rule Qufu and enslave the people! "

"When you do these things, why don't you think about the feelings of the people of Qufu? Are they some kind of sinners who deserve to die and have committed heinous crimes? They have been enslaved and exploited by the Kong family for generations, and their lives are worse than a dog in the Kong Mansion? "

When Ma Zhongxi heard this, he was stunned.

Yes, everyone in the world is worried about the safety of the Kong family, but who has ever thought about the feelings of the people of Qufu?

Before Renzong of the Song Dynasty, the titles of Confucius' descendants were not uniform. It was not until the reign of Renzong Zhao Zhen of the Song Dynasty that the 46th generation grandson of Confucius, Kong Zongyuan, was canonized as Duke Yansheng. Since then, Confucius' descendants have inherited the title of Duke Yansheng in all dynasties. Dynasties have changed in succession, but the Yanshenggong family has never changed.

Before Yan Shenggong, the descendants of the Kong family still had hereditary official positions. This official position was the county magistrate of Qufu, the hometown of Confucius. During the Tang Dynasty, the court regarded Qufu as the hometown of the saint, and the descendants of the Kong family could not be ruled by outsiders. , giving the descendants of the Kong family the power to rule Qufu as the magistrate of Qufu County for generations.

Since then, dynasties have changed, but the county magistrate of Qufu has always been held by the descendants of the Confucius family. In this way, the descendants of Confucius have hereditary titles and hereditary official positions.

Even after the rule of ethnic minorities in the Jin Kingdom and the Yuan Dynasty, the hereditary titles and hereditary official positions of Confucius' descendants have never changed. Such preferential treatment of the descendants of the Confucius family in the past dynasties is nothing more than establishing Confucian culture as the basic program for ruling the country. I hope Winning the hearts of scholars all over the world by treating Confucius' descendants favorably.

In the early days of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Kong Xiwen, the then magistrate of Qufu County, insulted the saint's family tradition. Floods occurred frequently in Qufu County at that time. In order to preserve his political achievements, Kong Xiwen concealed the disasters and refused to report them. Not only that, he also increased taxes on the private sector and privately Selling official property and collecting bribes and other illegal activities.

Kong Xiwen's behavior aroused the indignation of the people in Qufu, so his illegal behavior was impeached by the censor and reported to Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang sent people to investigate these matters. The results were found to be true, and Zhu Yuanzhang was very angry.

The Duke Yansheng at that time was Kong Xiwen's brother Kong Xixue. They were both the fifty-sixth generation descendants of Confucius. In order to preserve the Kong family's power to rule Qufu, Kong Xixue took the initiative to go to Nanjing to meet Zhu Yuanzhang and report Kong Xiwen's illegal acts. He also demanded that Kong Xiwen be removed from the post of Qufu County Magistrate, and recommended Kong Keshen, the fifty-fifth generation grandson of Confucius, to the Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang as the successor county magistrate.

Later, Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang removed Kong Xiwen from his post as Qufu County Magistrate. However, because Zhu Yuanzhang had previously said that Kong's descendants would be given a lighter punishment if they broke the law, Kong Xiwen was only given a lighter punishment in the end.

Kong Keshen was a man of integrity, character, and talent, so he was indeed very suitable to be the magistrate of Qufu. However, because he was not a direct descendant, he could not inherit the post of magistrate of Qufu according to the hereditary rules passed down from the Tang Dynasty.

However, Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied with Kong Keshen, so he ordered the abolition of the rule that the Qufu County magistrate should be inherited by the direct descendants of the Kong family. Instead, Yan Shenggong and the Kong family would jointly recommend the election. In this way, more than 600 people were passed down from the Tang Dynasty. The Kong family's hereditary post of Qufu County Magistrate was abolished.

In fact, it is said to be abolished, but the hereditary rules have been changed from hereditary to secular duties. This means that the rules for the inheritance of Qufu County Magistrate and Yansheng Duke have changed. Previously, Qufu County Magistrate and Yansheng Duke were both in the Kong family. Hereditary inheritance among the direct eldest branch. After this change, Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang became the magistrate of Qufu County. It no longer requires that he be the direct eldest bloodline of the Kong family. The collateral branch can also hold the position as long as he has good character and talent. , which changed the rule of succession after the death of father.

However, even so, the position of Qufu County Magistrate was still firmly under the control of the Kong family.

To put it more bluntly, Qufu is a state within a state of the Ming Dynasty. The imperial court cannot collect taxes in Qufu, and all the output of the fields in Qufu belongs to the Kong family. In name, it is to protect and worship Confucius, but in fact That money and food became the capital for the Kong family’s enjoyment!

Not to mention that these Confucius family members also asked the court for money and food from time to time, in the name of worshiping Confucius, repairing Confucius temples, etc. The court had to give them due to the pressure of public opinion, pampering these descendants of the saint...

When the identity filter of "blood descendants of saints" was torn away, Ma Zhongxi sadly discovered that these Kong family members seemed to really deserve to die. They were no different from the corrupt and bribed people in those places who preyed on the common people!

If there is any difference, it is that these Kong family members rely on their status as blood descendants of saints and believe that everything they do is natural, so they are more crazy, more domineering, and more unscrupulous!

After all, they are descendants of saints!

But what about the people of Qufu?

Who thought about them?

Are they born to be enslaved and oppressed for generations?

Ma Zhongxi was in extreme pain, not only from the wound on his forehead, but also from mental pain.

For a long time, he has regarded himself as a famous Confucian scholar, so he has subconsciously been tolerant of the descendants of the saints of the Kong family. But now when a reckless man violently tore it all apart and exposed the crimes of the Kong family before his eyes, Ma Zhongxi It's starting to waver.

He is not a corrupt official who forms a clique for personal gain. He also cares about the people in his heart.

Now, when his faith begins to waver, when his original intention is questioned, when the Kong family and the people of Qufu stand on opposite sides, Ma Zhongxi is in extreme pain for a while.

He silently covered his forehead and stood up, looking at Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao.

After a long silence, the Minister of War laughed sadly.

"If you want to save the people of Qufu, you can."

"But the Confucius Temple and Confucius Forest cannot be destroyed, let alone burned by the rebels!"

Hearing this, Tang Hao smiled on his face.

Ma Zhongxi's words were tantamount to acquiescing to his little move, abandoning the Confucius family, a group of borers and rice bugs, in exchange for Zhongshan Marquis to protect the Confucius Temple and Confucius Forest.

"Don't worry, I still respect the Holy Master very much."

"After this incident, Qufu is still the same Qufu, but it is the Qufu of the Ming Dynasty, not the Qufu of the Kong family!"

"For things like worshipping Confucius, it is enough to leave a Kong family bloodline. There is no need to let tens of thousands of people in Qufu feed so many parasites and let these parasites suck the bones and marrow from the people of Qufu!"

Ma Zhongxi did not answer, but walked away in despair.

Qiu Ju stood up and looked at Tang Hao, opened his mouth to speak but stopped, and finally left in disgrace.

Tang Mu then walked in and couldn't help laughing: "My Lord, you are awesome!"

"Ordinary military generals and nobles dare not speak when facing these two military supervisors, only you, my Lord, dare to beat them!"

Tang Hao glared at him unhappily, and then fell into deep thought.

The Ming Dynasty has developed to this day, and has developed a three-party political structure of military generals and nobles - civil officials and gentry - eunuchs. Whether it is court battles or marching and fighting, these three forces are indispensable in all aspects of the Ming Dynasty court.

It's time to change this deformed model.

At least when Tang Hao led his troops to fight, he didn't like these two kinds of people to point fingers at him.

"Go down and prepare to receive the rebels!"

"Register all the rebels and send them overseas!"

As soon as these words came out, Tang Mu's eyes suddenly lit up, and he bowed and took the order.

At the same time, the lobby of the Kong family became the garrison of the rebels.

Qi Yanming sat on the main seat in a trance, until the two brothers Liu Liu and Liu Qi came, he came back to his senses.

"Brother, why are you calling us here so urgently?"

"Yes, brother, we still have to guard the city gate. What if the government troops suddenly attack the city..."

"No need to guard it!" Qi Yanming laughed bitterly, "Zhongshan Hou will not attack the city."

Hearing this, Liu Liu and Liu Qi's faces changed drastically, and they were confused for a while.

What's going on?

Could it be that Zhongshan Hou was kind?

"Zhongshan Hou sent back the news that he would accept our surrender and promised us that he would not kill anyone in vain, and even you and I can save our lives!"

When these words came out, Liu Liu and Liu Qi were even more shocked.

How...how is this possible?

You know, the three of them are the leaders of the rebels. According to the court's decree, they will definitely be exterminated and their families will be exterminated, and they will die without a burial place.

After being chased by the Ming soldiers for so long, and unable to fight, the three of them had actually prepared to die, but they didn't want to implicate the brothers who followed them, so they listened to Fan Wencheng's plan and attacked Qufu to control the Kong family, hoping to give their brothers a way out.

Liu Liu sat down, and the whole person felt relaxed.

"That means Fan Wencheng's plan succeeded?"

"It seems that we still underestimated the Kong family. Even the Marquis of Zhongshan had to..."

"You are wrong." Qi Yanming smiled bitterly and shook his head. "The Marquis of Zhongshan has only one condition, let us kill all the Kong family members in Qufu City, leaving no one alive!"

Hiss...

The Liu Liu and Liu Qi brothers took a breath and looked at each other in disbelief.

What does this mean?

Why did the Marquis of Zhongshan do this?

Qi Yanming looked at the two sworn brothers with deep eyes, and then tried to explain.

"In fact, since Hebei, I noticed that something was wrong."

"Since the government troops can defeat us in one battle, why don't they try their best, but instead chase us all the way through Hebei Prefecture, and then drive us to Qufu, Shandong?"

Liu Liu and Liu Qi shook their heads blankly. They were just two reckless men, so this question was too difficult for them.

"Until now I finally understand!"

"We have become the knife in the hands of the Marquis of Zhongshan!"

"He deliberately drove us away and slaughtered the gentry in Hebei!"

"The ability and means of this Marquis of Zhongshan are really amazing and frightening!"

This time, Liu Liu and Liu Qi finally understood.

"So, he is also going to use our hands to slaughter the Kong family?"

"Yes, that's it!" Qi Yanming sighed, "Brothers, if you want to survive, you must slaughter the Kong family!"

"What we thought was a bargaining chip has become the target of the Marquis of Zhongshan. It's ridiculous and ironic!"

Liu Qi's face was ugly and questioned.

"Will there be a trick?"

"Once we slaughter the Kong family, we will have..."

"No need!" Qi Yanming was depressed, "We can only choose to believe in the Marquis of Zhongshan Tang Hao, otherwise when the government army attacks the city, all the brothers will die!"

This is a cruel fact!

Either they believe that Tang Hao will slaughter the Kong family immediately, and then open the city to surrender and gamble on that ray of hope.

Otherwise, they would not believe that Tang Hao would resist stubbornly. When the government troops attacked the city, all the rebels would be killed!

"Brother, give the order!"

"We will listen to you!"

Liu Liu and Liu Qi looked at each other, and then said with a smile.

Whether they live or die, the three brothers must be together.

Qi Yanming was moved when he heard this, and his eyes were red.

"Then let's bet on this ray of hope!"

"If you lose the bet, you and I will still be brothers in the next life!"

"Hahaha... OK!"

"That's it!"

The three of them smiled at each other, and everything was self-evident.

Then Liu Liu and Liu Qi personally took their confidants, that is, the fifty or so bandits who had followed them to start the rebellion, and directly forcibly massacred the Kong family members.

From top to bottom, including the Duke of Yansheng, kill them all, leaving no one alive!

From then on, except for Kong Zhengan, all the Kong family members surrendered.

When Fan Wencheng heard the news and rushed over, he saw corpses everywhere in the Kong Mansion and blood flowing like a river.

This famous disciple collapsed on the spot, kneeling on the ground and crying loudly.

Qi Yanming walked up to him and whispered: "Mr. Fan, you are a gentry in Jiangnan, right?"

Hearing this, Fan Wencheng's face changed drastically, but before he could explain, he was knocked unconscious by Liu Liu's punch.

"It's true!"

"I knew this thief had bad intentions!"

"You bastard, you really deceived us!"

The three brothers spoke one after another and completely believed in Zhongshan Hou.

"Open the city and surrender immediately!"

"This blood debt must be settled with the gentry in Jiangnan!"