Chapter 227: The Earth’s Veins Are Rising, and the Sky Is About to Break

The morning mist shrouded Qufu County, and the blue-gray city walls were only vague silhouettes in the backlight.

As soon as I stepped into the city gate, a bloody smell hit me in the face.

Itinerant merchants seemed to have disappeared.

The people passing by seemed a little panicked.

He Xinyin stood still at the city gate, took out his glasses from his bosom and put them on, looking closely at the notices with excellent calligraphy posted on the billboards.

“…Every time this county compiles the register, the numbers are all in excess and there is no shortage. This is one of the reasons why the land survey should not be completed.

Although there are disputes over land from time to time, most of them are just discrepancies in boundaries, with the difference in size not even exceeding one acre. These are disputes caused by the strong and the weak deceiving each other among the people, and cannot be said to be hidden occupation of land by the wealthy. These are the second reasons that should not be surveyed.

Although there are families that have lost their homes and have to pay compensation for their losses, the old rules for paying compensation for losses are to distribute the tax among all households, and each household should pay no more than a dou or a sheng, or even a small amount of a shao. It is not a burden on the family, so it cannot be considered as compensation for losses by the common people. This is the third reason why the land survey should not be conducted.”

This was the notice that Ge Cheng had people post – it just happened to cover the notice from the Field Inspection Office.

The content is also very simple. In addition to defending the justice of the demonstration, it also focuses on explaining the motives of the local people in resisting the land survey.

It mainly discusses Qufu County, and even the entire Yanzhou Prefecture, which does not need to be measured at all.

This is because the three situations requiring land measurement as stipulated in the “Records of Household Measurement” – namely, loss of quota, hidden occupation by wealthy and powerful people, and compensation by common people – do not exist in Qufu County.

He Xinyin adjusted his glasses and continued to read carefully, word by word.

“…The method of measurement is originally intended to neglect distant benefits and to avoid nearby harm. The current measurement is not suitable for the common people.

I am deeply aware of the concerns of the people and will investigate the case to explain it to them. If I cannot explain it to them, I will confront them face to face. If I cannot confront them face to face, I will not hesitate to risk my life to save them.

Even if I am killed for this, it is an injustice for the sake of morality and for the sake of the world. Although I am injustice, I have gained more.”

After reading to the end, He Xinyin shook his head in disappointment.

If this is what Ge Cheng and the thousands of tenants behind him want, then there is probably no room for negotiation.

He directly upheld the righteousness and fundamentally rejected the land survey – the original intention of land survey was to seek long-term benefits, but the immediate drawbacks it caused were more urgent. Now the implementation of the land survey policy has caused serious damage to the people.

As for all his actions such as inciting civil unrest, Ge Cheng showed no sign of remorse, and only expressed a willingness to sacrifice his life for justice.

“Master He, what does this mean?”

Several big men who followed He Xinyin into the city asked He Xinyin at the same time.

“Don’t call me master.”

He Xinyin subconsciously corrected the address.

Several big men obeyed.

He Xinyin then carefully explained, “The gist is that Ge Cheng stood on the side of the common people and found out the disadvantages of measuring land, so he went around telling people and appealing. When his appeal was ineffective, he went to the county government to question them. When his questioning was fruitless, he was willing to risk his life to stop it.”

“Even if they are suppressed and killed for this, it is an injustice for the sake of morality and for the people of the world. Justice will be highlighted because of this.”

He Xinyin paused and looked at the men: “What do you think?”

The men looked at each other, bewildered: “We don’t really understand.”

He Xinyin was stunned for a moment, then nodded with relief.

“If you don’t understand, then you don’t understand. I didn’t write it in plain language, and it’s not for you to read.”

After saying this, he took down the notice and walked towards the city.

A group of “righteous citizens” armed with sticks came towards them and hurried out of the city, and the officers guarding the city seemed not to see them.

He Xinyin glanced at the soldiers guarding the city and the constables who were pretending to interrogate people, and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

He was also a local tycoon in his time. Based on his personal experience, if the constables in a place are not hiding in secret, it will be difficult to carry out large-scale criminal work in the local area.

Now that things have escalated to the point of a civil uprising, there must be a tacit understanding between these local tyrants.

The further He Xinyin walked into Qufu City, the more chaotic the situation became.

The shops along the road were closed.

Occasionally, tongues of fire would rise into the sky.

Blood-stained stones were scattered all over the street.

The mansion had been smashed and burned, and it looked empty inside.

The smell of blood, burning, feces and urine mixed together and penetrated into the nasal cavity.

Sometimes you can see a leader holding a banana fan, leading a group of people, patrolling along the streets and shouting.

“General Ge will kill anyone who dares to take advantage of the chaos to rob the local people and disturb the innocent people!”

Ge Cheng has been honored as a general.

Of course, it was not a usurpation of title for rebellion, but a spontaneous respectful title given by the people. Some called him Ge Xian, some called him General Ge, and some even worshipped him as the deputy city god.

He Xinyin watched all of this.

Straw sandals stepped on the bluestone bricks, an unpleasant smell filled the city, and the sound of chaos was endless.

The eastern part of Qufu city is mostly inhabited by ordinary people, while the western part of the city is home to the residences of many local celebrities and is also the location of the local government office.

After entering the west of the city, the situation is quite different.

If the east side of the city was a demonstration of disorganized burning and killing, then the west side of the city was an orderly killing.

The embroidered spring sword was unsheathed, and the cold light flashed everywhere.

The solemn warning sounded along with the bound rioters, dragged behind him as he rode his horse towards Caishikou.

The rioters were most cautious in their attacks in this area, and only a few government offices showed signs of smashing and burning.

But after the Jinyiwei entered the city, they not only recaptured the county government office, but also showed no mercy to the celebrities in the city and killed them at will.

The imperial guards deployed in an organized manner with the county government as their center, suppressing all armed forces within their sight – under the pressure of the general trend, the rioters, servants, constables, and soldiers all fled in all directions.

The rioters seemed to have received the news first. Ge Cheng’s six battalions had already left the city, leaving only a few vagrants who continued to search for tax officials in the city in an ignorant manner. They were soon ruthlessly crushed by the imperial guards and lost their lives.

The detectives and soldiers who were mixed in with the crowd had their own ways to survive. Most of them turned around and went back to the government office to clean up the ruins.

The servants were unlucky indeed.

It was frequently discovered that rioters abandoned their clubs and sneaked into the homes of wealthy families, attempting to disguise themselves as good citizens. This was naturally bound to be another tragic case described by literati as the Jinyiwei breaking into homes and killing people.

After each killing, the Ti cavalry would warn people along the streets and hang their heads for public display.

“Those who collude with the traitors will have their families destroyed!”

Only when we got closer to the county government office did the chaos gradually disappear.

He Xinyin stood outside the county government office, stepped forward to reveal his identity to the officer who was treating him as a formidable enemy, and asked to see Shen Li.

After learning of He Xinyin’s identity, the officer was skeptical and called in people from the land inspection office to identify him.

After confirmation, he asked his colleagues to keep an eye on He Xinyin while he ran in to report.

At this moment, the big man who had been following He Xinyin the whole time scratched his head and said to himself: “It’s obviously us poor people who are causing trouble, why is this government office causing trouble for the rich people in the city?”

Along the way, most of the wealthy and prominent families in the west of the city had their doors broken down by the Jinyiwei, and were either arrested or killed.

Instead, Ge Cheng and thousands of his followers outside the city were left aside, which made the several big men puzzled.

He Xinyin turned around and met the confused looks of several people.

He felt inexplicably frustrated by the ignorance of the people. He wanted to explain, but didn’t know where to start.

He Xinyin of course knew that Shen Li’s actions were hitting the snake at its most vulnerable part.

Whether it is the speed at which events developed or the degree of organization of thousands of people following a single call, it is impossible that this was simply the result of the spontaneity of the Red Citizens.

The points at which the situation escalated, such as the city’s wealthy families going on strike together, the country gentry agreeing to increase rents, and the county government being stormed and people being killed in the chaos, all proved that the wealthy and powerful were secretly manipulating the people.

If these wealthy and powerful people are not suppressed, civil unrest will break out again.

As for the red people who were caught up in it…

He Xinyin fell silent.

After a long while, he still didn’t speak.

He Xinyin lowered his head and frowned, as if he had thought of some key point.

The big man who was talking to himself just now looked at each other and was a little embarrassed to take back his words: “Well, I’m just mumbling to myself, don’t pay attention to me.”

He Xinyin came back to his senses.

He hesitated to speak, and finally sighed: “It’s not that I don’t want to answer, it’s just that I’m not qualified to answer your questions this time.”

“You can only see for yourself who is your friend and who is your enemy.”

Unlike his long speeches during sermons, He Xinyin looked a little tired at this moment.

See clearly?
He said it lightly, but he knew in his heart how difficult it was to expect the common people to distinguish between their enemies and friends.

People usually distinguish between friends and enemies based on their closeness to them. They are often close to their fellow townsmen and look down on those from outside. The local county government is bound to be more trustworthy than the governor who comes from outside to survey the land.

People often cannot distinguish the authenticity of promises. As soon as Ge Cheng said that Yanzhou Prefecture should not conduct land surveys and increase taxes, all the wealthy families and common people were dragged into it, and the entire Yanzhou Prefecture was in an uproar.

People love to personify all the unrecognizable things. They cannot distinguish between the big and small government offices with different positions, and cannot understand the complicated and confusing struggle relationships. They call them all a group called the Ming Dynasty, so that they can give it the most emotional and extreme evaluation.

It is extremely difficult for the common people to clarify the interests of all parties and distinguish between friends and enemies in the tide of the times.

Thinking of this, He Xinyin was stunned and suddenly raised his head.

It was as if a ray of inspiration flashed across his head, and even the lenses of his glasses lit up!
Clarify the interests of all parties and then distinguish between friends and enemies…

Why can’t the red people do it? Because they don’t have this perspective.

His land, property, body and family were controlled by the wealthy and powerful, and he was helplessly treated as a fish on the chopping board.

Knowledge, understanding, learning and reason are monopolized by the gentry, who can only be like frogs in a well.

Those who have no permanent property have no permanent heart. The poor people who have nothing naturally do not have the vision nor the leisure to consider these things.

No one will stand from the perspective of the red people to clarify the interests of all parties – this is an area that even the great sages of the Taizhou School will not set foot in.

So, since He Xinyin claims to be speaking for the people, shouldn’t he also be a little cautious for the common people?

For decades, he traveled to Zhili, Fujian, Jiangxi, Huguang, Sichuan and other places, preaching, opening public schools, and founding associations. At one time, he held high the banner of popularizing Confucianism, with the idea that “everyone is a sage.”

The purpose is to preach to the people.

It was not until this moment that He Xinyin suddenly discovered a road that no one had ever walked before.

It is not a general talk of “cruel government is as ferocious as a tiger”, nor is it a forced representation of “suffering injustice for the world”, but a true perspective of the common people!
He Xinyin quickly took out a charcoal pencil from his bosom, turned up his sleeves, and recorded the inspiration of the moment between the dense handwriting – “Who is the enemy of the red people, who is the friend of the red people: the distribution of power and influence in the Ming Dynasty society”

After writing a sentence, He Xinyin shook off his previous dejection and looked at the men seriously: “Wait for me to experience more and think about it. When the new article is published, it will surely answer your questions.”

The big men became more and more confused.

They all bowed and responded perfunctorily.

He Xinyin didn’t care about the reactions of the others, his mind was full of new articles to be written. He glanced at his palms which were covered with vertical and horizontal lines.

At the age of sixty-four, I gradually found my own path.

Compared with his previous calmness when he was in prison and was ready to be killed, He Xinyin suddenly found that his fear of death had returned again.

Just as he was sighing, a voice came from the county government office.

“Mr. Fushan! Didn’t Shen Butang tell you not to come to Qufu until the situation is settled?”

He Xinyin raised his head and saw that it was Qufu County Magistrate Kong Hongsheng who actually came out to greet him personally. He immediately bowed and saluted: “County Lord.”

Old hands are usually good at judging dishes and making their own decisions. Kong Hongsheng did not dare to be overbearing in front of this member of the emperor’s club and quickly returned the gift.

He then looked at the slightly timid men behind He Xinyin and asked hesitantly, “Are these people the students of Mr. Fushan?”

He Xinyin smiled apologetically and said, “Please find them some chairs and some glasses of cold water.”

After saying that, he turned around and looked at the big men and gave them a few instructions before following Kong Hongsheng over the threshold of the county government office.

Kong Hongsheng was suspicious, but he couldn’t show it, so he had to follow the crowd and lead the way.

Along the way, one could often see county officials and clerks being tied up and dragged, or being executed in the yard.

“Most of these subordinate officials are children of wealthy families in the county.”

“That day, the rioters attacked the county government office. They were just suspicious about the land reclamation and had no bad intentions. It was these damn people who, under the instigation of the county magistrate, conspired with the wealthy families in the county, deceived their superiors and subordinates, and intensified the conflict, which led to the situation developing to this point!”

“The Zhang family, Wang family and other wealthy families, as well as the thugs Tang Hua, Xu Cheng and twelve other families, were all destroyed and exterminated.”

“We are currently interrogating him about his relationship with Duke Yansheng…”

Kong Hongsheng walked in front, constantly discussing the situation with He Xinyin.

He Xinyin looked at Kong Hongsheng strangely.

It is inevitable that this matter is related to the Kong family, but it may not be led by the most powerful county magistrate and Duke Yansheng – the Kong family is complicated and cannot be controlled by anyone. Moreover, the identities of these two people are high enough, and the wealth they have seized may have gone beyond the scope of a single source.

But precisely because of their high status, these two are the only ones who can take responsibility for the troubles secretly caused by the various branches of the Kong family.

What Kong Hongsheng called an interrogation would be more accurately described as accusation, and now that he was telling it to an outsider like himself, the purpose was obvious.

He Xinyin seemed unaware and followed Kong Hongsheng without saying a word.

“…Shen Butang summoned 2,000 imperial guards into the city overnight. Once they had cleared out the rioters in the city and the wealthy gentry who were in collusion with them, they would immediately leave the city to attack the Ge bandit!”

“That mob can be defeated in a snap!”

Kong Hongsheng showed goodwill all the way.

The two did not stop talking until they reached the lobby of the county government office.

The tables and chairs in the lobby were missing parts, and there were signs of burning on the cabinets.

The county lady’s seat in the middle was taken by someone. Shen Li seemed very tired and was taking a nap on the table.

Kong Hongsheng and He Xinyin looked at each other and walked into the lobby one after the other.

“Mr. Shen, Mr. Fushan is here.”

Kong Hongsheng spoke softly, afraid of disturbing Shen Li.

The latter was naturally not asleep, and he slowly raised his head when he heard this.

“Liang Ruyuan, a soldier under the command of this ministry, pays respect to the minister.”

When meeting the officials of this department, He Xinyin was naturally very polite.

Shen Li rubbed his temples, forced a smile, and said straight to the point: “Mr. Fushan insisted on coming to Qufu, I wonder why?”

He had a lot of things to deal with, and his patience and courtesy were extremely limited, so he simply skipped the pleasantries.

He Xinyin did not hesitate and bowed immediately: “Minister, I came here to volunteer to persuade Ge Cheng and others to surrender!”

Shen Li had expected this and didn’t find it strange.

He waved his hand and said, “No need for that. Once all the wealthy families in the city have been killed, I will personally lead the imperial guards out of the city and kill all the bandits!”

Kong Hongsheng, who was standing by, shrank his neck when he heard this.

When Hai Rui investigated the salt administration in the past, he had imperial guards with him. Naturally, Shen Li also had riders with him when he inspected the fields now. The difference was that Shen Li didn’t say a word and directly started killing the wealthy families in the city!

If Kong Hongsheng had not seen too many familiar faces, who he used to hang out with, being beaten to death that night, he would not have been frightened and changed his mind, and would not have directly attacked his great-nephew.

He Xinyin was also frightened by Shen Li’s murderous intent, and advised: “Minister! The court’s swords and spears are used to resist foreign invaders, how can they be used to kill civilians!”

Shen Li didn’t take it seriously, and asked with a smile: “How can the rioters be called the people?”

He Xinyin quickly explained: “Minister, you and I both know that the current situation is nothing more than the land survey has aroused the anger of the wealthy gentry, and they are coercing the people and bullying the court.”

“We can kill the wealthy and powerful, but the common people are ignorant and stupid.”

“The civil uprising has already begun. If we send troops to suppress it, the people will inevitably suffer countless casualties, and the casualties of the civil uprising will be increased tenfold!”

“If we can persuade the people to return to the right path and put an end to the killing, it will be a great merit for the ministry!”

When Kong Hongsheng heard this, he felt that it was both moral and righteous, and was about to speak out in agreement.

But just as he opened his mouth, he saw Shen Li’s smile suddenly stop, and he quickly shut up.

Shen Li’s tone suddenly became sharp: “A good deed? Am I touring the country to do good deeds and gain fame?!”

Shen Li slowly stood up and walked out from behind the desk. “When I left Beijing, the central government sent the Jiangxi Governor Wang Zongzai to report to the government office. When the land survey order was issued, the wealthy people of Jiande County, including Xu Zongwu, gathered thousands of people to obstruct the survey. The military governor of Huining, Cheng Gongchen, was protected by the people of the government, so the matter was left unresolved.”

“Last month, the Ministry of Revenue sent a letter to our Ministry of Texts, saying that the new books measured by Chu Tie, Zhao Yi and other Henan governors were inconsistent with the old books, and asked our Ministry to review them.”

“This month, Zhang Juzheng wrote to me, saying that the taxation and labor service in the Wuzhong area are uneven, and the wealthy and powerful are bending the law, causing both officials and civilians to suffer. Pu is very worried about this, and hopes that the field inspection office will do it personally.”

“He Xinyin, there are too many things in the world, and we can’t focus on just one thing.”

“Now the people of Yanzhou Prefecture have dared to revolt in front of me. How can I be so cowardly and weak for fear of damaging my merits?”

“I’m going to kill! Kill the officials in front of the officials, kill the rich in front of the rich, and kill the common people in front of the common people!”

“If you don’t want to be regarded as a rioter by the imperial court, then don’t join in the rebellion.”

The tone was unfriendly and the pressure was relentless.

Although Shen Li respected He Xinyin’s character, he knew that there were limits to what a red-mined person could do.

It would be fine if he just talked about philosophy and gave lectures, but when it came to giving advice on government affairs, Shen Li was not polite at all.

However, He Xinyin had experienced the emperor’s torture after all, so he easily endured Shen Li’s severity.

His expression did not change at all, and he still maintained his posture of greeting: “Minister, don’t just say that the people are rebellious against the court, why not also talk about the reasons why the people are rebellious against the court.”

“The situation in Qufu has developed to this point, isn’t it because the ministers only care about the wealthy and powerful, and the saintly families, and have completely forgotten to discuss the pros and cons of major policies with the people, allowing those with ulterior motives to take advantage of the situation and intensify the conflict to this point?”

“As an official, you should first serve the people.”

“How can the ministers kill the people when they were negligent before?”

Shen Li’s arrogance stagnated, and he almost couldn’t help but blast He Xinyin out.

If you don’t know, you might think he is a lobbyist from Shandong.

But after all, he is a person whom the emperor meets, so Shen Li has to be reasonable.

After a long pause, Shen Li shook his head and responded again: “I am here only to review the land, and I have no duty to state the pros and cons.”

“Besides, if you commit a crime out of ignorance, don’t you have to bear the consequences?”

He Xinyin lowered his head further and further: “Minister, since it is a civil uprising, let’s not talk about whether to investigate or not. This is not within the scope of Ming Dynasty law. Emperor Taizu Gao was also the result of a civil uprising.”

He paused and continued, “In terms of duty, the minister should allow me to go and persuade the rebels to surrender.”

“Only the king can establish a country, distinguish the directions and positions, manage the country and the countryside, set up officials and assign duties, and serve the people. Officials are in the upper position, and they follow the king’s orders to govern the people.”

“Since you are an official, how can you limit yourself to your duties and ignore the people’s cries?”

Shen Li fell silent.

It’s not that he is at a loss for words. As a grand secretary of the Hanlin Academy, he still has a lot to say.

But, I am here to do things, not to debate.

Especially since He Xinyin held high the banner of political correctness which the emperor often ridiculed, there was really no need for a debate.

Shen Li sighed and went straight to the point: “Mr. Fushan, nice words are for speaking, not for doing things.”

“Now the land tax has been eaten up by these wealthy and powerful families. Once the land is surveyed, there will be chaos. I have been appointed by Your Majesty in a time of crisis, and I must cut the Gordian knot!”

He Xinyin finally raised his head.

He looked at Shen Li and said seriously, “Minister Shen, if this is the case, we should explain to the world who is our enemy. How can we intimidate the people by killing them?”

“If the minister allows me to talk to the people, even though it will be difficult to make small steps, at least the foundation will be solid. By then, we can unite with the common people against the enemy. Wouldn’t it be easier in the future?”

“Isn’t this also doing things? I hope the minister will think twice!”

Shen Li met He Xinyin’s gaze and spoke again: “Mr. Fushan has deeply misunderstood the national policy. The country is in trouble now, and the land survey is only to grab tax sources for the national treasury, not to establish a life for the people.”

“Let the people suffer, and I will bear the blame.”

It was obvious that he was speaking from the bottom of his heart.

He Xinyin remained indifferent: “The ministers have misunderstood your majesty’s new policy. The purpose of land reclamation is to redefine the wealth of the world and distribute it for the people of the world, not just to make money.”

“Your Majesty said that Chimin is both his destination and his starting point.”

The two looked at each other for a long time.

Shen Li secretly felt that He Xinyin cared about the people but was unrealistic.

He Xinyin silently regretted that Shen Li was a pragmatic official but arrogant.

Kong Hongsheng, who was standing by, felt that the atmosphere was depressing.

He gritted his teeth and tried to test the waters: “How about a compromise?”

As soon as he finished speaking, they both looked at Kong Hongsheng.

Kong Hongsheng walked to the middle of the hall and bowed, saying, “I can’t see too far. I just think that Mr. Fushan’s idea of ​​surrender is very reasonable. There are only about 2,000 Jinyiwei in the city, and more and more people in Yanzhou Prefecture are participating in and supporting the civil uprising. Sending troops to suppress it may arouse public anger and be like adding fuel to the fire.”

“And Shen Bu Tang’s killing one person as a warning to the rest is a mature move. Fu Shan Gong has killed tax collectors before, so his views are inevitably biased. The tax collector’s life is also a life. Killing someone means paying with his life. It is only natural. There is no reason for you to use your identity as a commoner to kill dozens of my colleagues in the yamen in vain.”

“So I think we can persuade them to surrender, but the main culprit must be executed! We will also have to beat and kill them afterwards to deter the villains!”

Kong Hongsheng’s words were tantamount to giving the two arguing parties a way out.

Shen Li made up his mind immediately.

He did not give He Xinyin a chance to speak this time. He waved his hand and said, “I will only give you half a day to fight today. If Ge Cheng and others refuse to surrender, I will use their thousands of men as military merits!”

He Xinyin seemed to be reluctant to speak but stopped, then he cheered up and nodded in response.

(End of this chapter)